Reviews

Pushing Perfect by Michelle Falkoff

caffeineaddict980's review against another edition

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5.0

I would rate Pushing Perfect 5 stars

Pushing perfect is a novel revolving around Kara,  she is an A grade student who is even part of the 'brain trust' an elite group of academically gifted people.
Her parents want her to go to Harvard,  which was partly her decision too.
Her Mother makes sure she gets a healthy workout to help her anxiety and make sure all her work is done,  she can sometimes be overbearing towards Kara.

Until Kara snaps.

She faints in the middle of a test and realises that her anxiety is slowly getting worse,  but her Mother isn't helping.
That's when her new friend Alex reccomends a solution.
Novalert.

That's when the trouble begins.

An easy to read novel which is filled to the brim with unpredictable twists and turns!

vll295's review against another edition

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4.0

In this book, we meet Kara who has always been 'perfect.' When her life gets beyond her control and things start to get a little bit crazy, the story really gets going. This is a book that kept me reading and wanting to know what would happen next.

I liked this story because the characters were interesting and it did not go exactly how I thought it would. It was an interesting plot and an interesting read.

If you enjoy a book that has good YA feel that is different (in a good way), I recommend this book for you. Thanks for the opportunity to read! More information below if you want to pick it up!

hitbooksnotgirlz's review against another edition

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2.0

What a let down. There were so many things about this book that annoyed me. Mainly:
1. Kara essentially ends her friendship with her two closest friends because she has acne and the occasional panic attack.
2. I thought it would be about a REAL drug. Like adderall or oxy. NOVALERT IS TECHNICALLY AN ANTIHISTAMINE. Though that’s not what it was in the story.
It was just really fucking juvenile for a novel about drug use/sales, YA or not. Boo.

zoewoey's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

inwonderland49's review against another edition

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4.0

This review was originally posted on In Wonderland

My Thoughts



During the summer between eighth and ninth grade, I turned into a monster.


That is the first line in this story and I felt that it was a great line to set things up! I really loved that the main plot of this novel was about blackmail. I think that is such an interesting thing to read about and it was great to see it played out so well. Especially since I didn't know who was the one blackmailing. I'm really glad that this book didn't disappoint in the fact that it kept me guessing.

I was a little worried going into this book because I don't like drugs. I don't condone drugs. I've never done drugs. Drugs is just something I don't like. Yet, I still liked this book. I think that even though the subject was indeed about drugs, I was still interested in it. Because it wasn't just about the drug use, but it was about striving to be perfect. And what that can do to your body as well. I do wish that we saw more of that striving to be perfect with more of the mental issues. But all-in-all, I think that it was done pretty well. I do like that the drug of Kara's choice wasn't heroin or cocaine or something like that, but instead something kind of like Ritalin (for ADD cases) and maybe with a hint of Xanax (for anxiety). I think I appreciated this book more because it was medicine that was the drug of choice, which can sometimes be even more scary than other drugs. (I'm not really sure if I made any sense with that, but in my head it did. :) )

I definitely enjoyed this book more than I thought I would and I am extremely happy about that. I definitely want to check out Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff and any future work of hers because I think she did a wonderful job with this book! It has a slight Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars vibe and would be perfect for fans of those books or TV shows!

About the Authormichelle-falkoff


Michelle Falkoff's fiction and reviews have been published in ZYZZYVADoubleTake and the Harvard Review, among other places. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently serves as Director of Communication and Legal Reasoning at Northwestern University School of Law.

Author Links: Website || Twitter || Facebook

Giveaway


3 Finished Copies of PUSHING PERFECT (US Only)
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exist0ni's review

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

riebooked's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

lexiww's review against another edition

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3.0

What would you sacrifice to achieve perfection? Your most treasured pastime? Your very best friends? For Kara, it’s her loss of dignity that finally forces her to question just how much she’s willing to risk to maintain her veneer. In pursuit of stellar SAT scores—so that she can attend a college her demanding parents approve of—Kara makes a series of flawed decisions her old self (Perfect Kara) could never have dreamed of. She is quickly embroiled in a fast-paced scandal that threatens to unravel everything she’s worked for in high school. Yes, these choices introduce her to an alluring new world, filled with people she can’t believe she’s lucky enough to know. But if Kara makes the wrong move among this new crowd she’s enmeshed herself in, she may be forced to reveal the blemished truth she’s been hiding about herself. Falkoff’s sophomore novel is a thrilling peek inside the high cost of having it all, and the twisty reveal of secrets and scandals will appeal to fans of light thrillers. — Lexi Walters Wright, First published February 10, 2017 (Booklist Online).

dee_elizabeth's review against another edition

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mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

ayessielle's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0