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christiana's review against another edition
2.0
I like the idea of this book more than the execution. I like all the literary references, especially for a big-time reader who reads this book. It's cool to recognize characters of other books when Adrienne remarks on them and inserts them into conversation and her narration. I was interested in reading this book the whole way through (Schmacher does a good job of the chapter endings that make you want to keep reading) but by the end I was kind of underwhelmed.
The characters promise to be more than they are. I still don't feel like I know or get any of the characters. And this cover is kind of misleading given what the story is actually about.
My advice: walk, do not run, to get this from the library (do not buy this). Stop for ice cream on the way. Don't worry if you never read this; you're not missing anything.
The characters promise to be more than they are. I still don't feel like I know or get any of the characters. And this cover is kind of misleading given what the story is actually about.
My advice: walk, do not run, to get this from the library (do not buy this). Stop for ice cream on the way. Don't worry if you never read this; you're not missing anything.
alboyer6's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not sure what to say about this book. I didn't hate it. It grabbed me at the beginning with Adrienne telling the story of her summer but as the as the story unfolds the premise of the book just makes less sense. Here are four very different girls and one them, CeeCee, just is a bit crazy and I don't completely understand why Adrienne's mom keeps her in the dark about her father. The end just left me scratching my head wondering what in the heck I just read...
cocoaqueenk's review against another edition
3.0
Can someone just tell me what happened in the end? I am so confused. And mad. Because I def teared up/was about to cry only to discover that what I THOUGHT happened... didn't. And what DID happen... ???
This book hinted at a lot of things. But only one of its mysteries (what happened to a missing bottle of pills) was answered. And even that felt.... unsatisfactory.
This book hinted at a lot of things. But only one of its mysteries (what happened to a missing bottle of pills) was answered. And even that felt.... unsatisfactory.
erincataldi's review
3.0
I thought it was rather amusing when my book club decided to read a book about a book club. Thankfully my book club meets because they want to, not because they have to. In "The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls," four teenagers find themselves thrown into a book club with their mothers, it wouldn't be so bad if they had happened to be friends, but the girls couldn't be more different. Adrienne, is the narrator, she thinks of herself as being plain and boring. Instead of spending the summer with her best friend canoeing through Canada, she is forced to stay home because of a knee injury. Next there is CeeCee, she is gorgeous, wealthy and uppity and unafraid to get what she wants. Jill is a smart, future oriented young girl who works at the snack stand at the pool. Finally there is Wallis, she is shy and meek and no one really knows much about her. Out of all the girls she is the only one that really wants to be there and her mother is the only one that mysteriously never comes to book club.
The girls start off despising each other but within no time at all find themselves living through the craziest summer ever. Their differences help bring them together in this funny and easy to read young adult book. The true definition of a beach read.
The girls start off despising each other but within no time at all find themselves living through the craziest summer ever. Their differences help bring them together in this funny and easy to read young adult book. The true definition of a beach read.
blogginboutbooks's review
3.0
I picked up THE UNBEARABLE BOOK CLUB FOR UNSINKABLE GIRLS for a few reasons: the premise sounded appealing; the summery cover made it look like a light, fun read; and I needed a book set in Delaware (of which there aren't many) for a reading challenge. The beginning of the novel is promising as the four very different girls reluctantly come together to begin their book project, but it doesn't take long for the story to just kind of...fizzle. A character-driven novel needs an interesting cast and none of the girls at the center of the tale are all that intriguing. Adrienne worries that she's boring for good reason; she is. CeeCee's more colorful, but her character is still a very rich-girl-with-absent-parents-acting-out-to-get-their-attention cliché and Jill is quirky but hardly developed at all. CeeCee is a spoiled, self-centered brat. Adrienne isn't as bad, but she's not very likable either. Sad, mysterious Wallis is the only one I really cared about. To make matters worse, there's not a lot of plot to the book and what is there is rather here, there, and everywhere. Several story threads never really get resolved, which is irritating. Also, this book feels more middle grade than YA; like Adrienne, it seems confused about what it's supposed to be. It's depressing to boot. Oh, and that easy, breezy cover? Yeah, it doesn't really match what's inside.
On the plus side, I always like books about books. The literary references in this novel are fun and there are some insightful thoughts in it about books and reading. Also, it's a quick read, so even if its execution isn't as good as I wanted it to be, it didn't take me long to finish this one. The fact that I completed THE UNBEARABLE BOOK CLUB FOR UNSINKABLE GIRLS means it engaged me enough that I didn't DNF it. Still, I didn't love it and, in fact, found it rather meh. I definitely wanted more from it.
On the plus side, I always like books about books. The literary references in this novel are fun and there are some insightful thoughts in it about books and reading. Also, it's a quick read, so even if its execution isn't as good as I wanted it to be, it didn't take me long to finish this one. The fact that I completed THE UNBEARABLE BOOK CLUB FOR UNSINKABLE GIRLS means it engaged me enough that I didn't DNF it. Still, I didn't love it and, in fact, found it rather meh. I definitely wanted more from it.
janeanger's review
3.0
I read this book because it takes place in a fictional Delaware town based on Wilmington, the town in which I (and the author) grew up and I needed one such book for the reading challenge I am doing this year. A young adult, Summer-of-Big-Changes story, the story is one you probably lived to some extent if you were ever a 15-year old girl. That said, there are some edgy, “real life” touches: a girl/girl kiss, underage drinking (and puking), joy-riding in a borrowed car with an unlicensed driver, and a book club organized by mother’s who met in a yoga class. One of my favorite parts of this book was the books the girls choose to read from their AP reading list – The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Anna Perkins;Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin; The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros; and The Awakening by Kate Chopin – and the thoughts the club, both parents and teens, share on these works. Overall, not the best book I’ve ever read, but far from the worst either.
jennifermreads's review
1.0
Why oh why won’t I put down a book? And how oh how am I going to find a way to tastefully Tweet and write this review??!!
Yes, all four girls are ones who would not normally be caught dead in each other’s company. The ploy of the teaser “who knew book clubs could kill” was just that: a ploy! It wasn’t about murder or death but about bullying, reading, and English lessons. I’m surprised any teen would finish this book or identify it in anyway.
Okay, just had a thought of a positive: the book does illustrate various English terms and ideas. So, should a teen be having trouble with English, this book may help them since each chapter starts with a term (i.e.: conflict, subplot, dialogue, etc.) and then uses a part of the story to illustrate the term.
This wasn’t even worth checking out of the library … and I grabbed it from the box of donations from the gal that writes reviews. I can tell why this one’s binding hadn’t been broken. Sigh … waste of time.
honeymonster's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is an engaging novel, keeps the flow going very well, easy to read. However, I also had no problem stopping in the middle to re-read a Kate Beaton book I bought as a gift for someone. So it's good, but not gripping. It's fine. It doesn't suck. I read most of the books mentioned and they are very good, Maybe read them.
nicolebonia's review against another edition
4.0
Schumacher has written a deeply thoughtful and realistic, yet quirky, novel about the summer that a socially awkward teen spends separated from her only friend.
plaidpladd's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the idea of this book better than the execution. When I got to the end, the only thing I felt was that I had wasted my time, although it's pretty short, so not even that emotion was strong.