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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Kat is a confident teenager with quite the reputation at school; she’s a natural born flirt. Her abrupt personality either intimidates or attracts boys but it’s also managed to lose her quite a few girlfriends, all accept her best friend Shay. However when Kat’s too friendly nature is directed at Shay’s new boyfriend she suddenly finds her self alone, friendless and at the center of the school’s latest gossip. Lucky for Kat she’ll be spending her summer with her dad’s at their holiday cabin along with her cousin Harper for the last and best summer yet.
In Short
Firstly, I have mixed opinions about Kat, she was an okay protagonist but her attitude and behavior annoyed me. She was extremely obsessed with her appearance and was always thinking of ways to talk or act to impress others. However she wasn’t always this way, when she was younger she used to play soccer and overheard another parent complaining about Kat’s rough and tumble nature and that is was the result of being raised by men and having no female influence. Shortly after this Kat paid a lot of attention to way she dressed and acted, to always make sure she appeared feminine, she would also try to attract attention to herself and therefore take any unwanted attention away from her parents. While I admire Kat’s reasons for changing her attitude and trying to be ‘girly’, I still didn’t understand how this could somehow forgive her for her other transgressions. Outright flirting with your best friends boyfriend who didn’t appreciate your advances and then when you’re caught out simply state that you didn’t do anything wrong? Gah, at least own up!
In regards to the romance, I'm sure you're able to summarise what happens but I'll just say that it was sweet and the more it progressed the more I started to feel a little sorry for Kat but I wasn't able to fully invest in it. Her character growth was slow and she won me around a little in the end, but I still felt she had a lot of growing up to do and sadly I preferred the secondary characters to the main MC's. Any Other Girl was a fun, sweet and short read filled with a summer romance, controversial characters, becoming your true self, growing up and friendship and for the most part I really enjoyed it.
The Unforgivably Long
The more of this book I read the more I enjoyed it and soon enough I was glued to it, I actually read this in one sitting and was fully prepared to love it but sadly the ending ruined it for me. For instance as you can tell from the synopsis, Kat and Harper are both interested in Emmett but Harper stated her feelings first therefore calling ‘dibs’ as people say. Now Harper is a very shy person so Kat decides to set up a double date to put her at ease. As a result Kat ends up taking Nate the homophobic, hotheaded douchebag, who everyone continues to dislike, rightly so. Please forgive me for this spoiler but it’s predictable from the synopsis to say that Emmett doesn’t like Harper in fact he likes Kat so for a few chapters we have Kat ‘trying’ to do the right thing and her attempt is meager at best but then she caves and starts to date Emmett while Harper is away playing soccer. WAIT, dating someone who your cousin likes isn’t exactly my problem….
It’s not until after this not-so-secret relationship between Kat and Emmett is revealed that Kat decides that Harper should actually give Nate a try because he’s actually ‘not that bad’…. Hmm was I supposed to just disregard the homophobic slurs, the disgusting name-calling and his despicable behavior when drunk? I don’t think so and frankly I’m quite shocked that someone as strongly portrayed as Kat, who supposedly wants the best for her cousin after betraying her on an emotional level would suggest this? It strikes me as a poor apology, basically ‘I’m sorry I took him and I feel bad so here’s a lesser replacement, take this, forgive me?’
Apologies for my rant, for those of you that actually read this far along can see why I decided to split my review in two parts. Kudos to those for reading!
Literary-ly Obsessed
In Short
Firstly, I have mixed opinions about Kat, she was an okay protagonist but her attitude and behavior annoyed me. She was extremely obsessed with her appearance and was always thinking of ways to talk or act to impress others. However she wasn’t always this way, when she was younger she used to play soccer and overheard another parent complaining about Kat’s rough and tumble nature and that is was the result of being raised by men and having no female influence. Shortly after this Kat paid a lot of attention to way she dressed and acted, to always make sure she appeared feminine, she would also try to attract attention to herself and therefore take any unwanted attention away from her parents. While I admire Kat’s reasons for changing her attitude and trying to be ‘girly’, I still didn’t understand how this could somehow forgive her for her other transgressions. Outright flirting with your best friends boyfriend who didn’t appreciate your advances and then when you’re caught out simply state that you didn’t do anything wrong? Gah, at least own up!
In regards to the romance, I'm sure you're able to summarise what happens but I'll just say that it was sweet and the more it progressed the more I started to feel a little sorry for Kat but I wasn't able to fully invest in it. Her character growth was slow and she won me around a little in the end, but I still felt she had a lot of growing up to do and sadly I preferred the secondary characters to the main MC's. Any Other Girl was a fun, sweet and short read filled with a summer romance, controversial characters, becoming your true self, growing up and friendship and for the most part I really enjoyed it.
The Unforgivably Long
The more of this book I read the more I enjoyed it and soon enough I was glued to it, I actually read this in one sitting and was fully prepared to love it but sadly the ending ruined it for me. For instance as you can tell from the synopsis, Kat and Harper are both interested in Emmett but Harper stated her feelings first therefore calling ‘dibs’ as people say. Now Harper is a very shy person so Kat decides to set up a double date to put her at ease. As a result Kat ends up taking Nate the homophobic, hotheaded douchebag, who everyone continues to dislike, rightly so. Please forgive me for this spoiler but it’s predictable from the synopsis to say that Emmett doesn’t like Harper in fact he likes Kat so for a few chapters we have Kat ‘trying’ to do the right thing and her attempt is meager at best but then she caves and starts to date Emmett while Harper is away playing soccer. WAIT, dating someone who your cousin likes isn’t exactly my problem….
It’s not until after this not-so-secret relationship between Kat and Emmett is revealed that Kat decides that Harper should actually give Nate a try because he’s actually ‘not that bad’…. Hmm was I supposed to just disregard the homophobic slurs, the disgusting name-calling and his despicable behavior when drunk? I don’t think so and frankly I’m quite shocked that someone as strongly portrayed as Kat, who supposedly wants the best for her cousin after betraying her on an emotional level would suggest this? It strikes me as a poor apology, basically ‘I’m sorry I took him and I feel bad so here’s a lesser replacement, take this, forgive me?’
Apologies for my rant, for those of you that actually read this far along can see why I decided to split my review in two parts. Kudos to those for reading!
Literary-ly Obsessed
Reading my backlog arcs!
Any Other Girl is an older book on my shelf, so my perspective today versus when I first got it in 2016 is probably very different. I read different genres now, but I still love a good younger romance and Any Other Girl was just that. Honestly, I truly enjoyed this read, my one complaint is that no one gives Kat a chance and no one pumps her up for her positive qualities. I had a hard time reading a book where a character with such an infectious personality is put down for those things, rather than taught how to use them properly. She's smart and fun, but she carries the weight of everything on her shoulders and it gives the book a heavy feeling. Anything positive in her life comes with a "what if" or "but" feeling, and even though it works out in the end, it doesn't feel like a feel good romance read. I still loved Kat, I loved her journey with Emmett and her summer, I just wish there had been more to her family helping her understand her qualities and more communication between her and her friends.
Any Other Girl is an older book on my shelf, so my perspective today versus when I first got it in 2016 is probably very different. I read different genres now, but I still love a good younger romance and Any Other Girl was just that. Honestly, I truly enjoyed this read, my one complaint is that no one gives Kat a chance and no one pumps her up for her positive qualities. I had a hard time reading a book where a character with such an infectious personality is put down for those things, rather than taught how to use them properly. She's smart and fun, but she carries the weight of everything on her shoulders and it gives the book a heavy feeling. Anything positive in her life comes with a "what if" or "but" feeling, and even though it works out in the end, it doesn't feel like a feel good romance read. I still loved Kat, I loved her journey with Emmett and her summer, I just wish there had been more to her family helping her understand her qualities and more communication between her and her friends.
Read full review HERE
This book was somewhat different from what I was expecting, and that’s such a good thing. I really liked that Rebecca Phillips took such a used theme, and gave it its own spin.
I really enjoyed the writing, the only small problem I had – and it wasn’t with the writing itself – was with the passages, which could totally be because I was reading the unfinished version. I thought that the passages were sometimes abrupt, some even encompassing long periods of time. But once I got used to them, I saw them coming and it was ok.
About the characters, I have to admit that none of the characters arose giant emotions out of me, though I did really like Kat and Emmett.
Kat is a bit different from the usual female main characters in YA novels. She’s very sure of herself, she loves to flirt, and she’s fully aware of her power over guys. That said, I really loved how none of those things were a factor in the romance, which, by the way, it’s a slow-ish burn.
The biggest themes of this books, however, did not lie in the romance, but on being true to oneself and the importance of friendship and family.
To be honest, I found Shay’s reaction in the beginning of the book a bit much. Yeah, what Kat did was wrong, but Shay, being her best friend and all, knew her well enough that she should have known that Kat’s intentions weren’t what they seemed. I kind of hated that she didn’t even give Kat the opportunity to explain herself.
When it came to Kat and Harper’s relationship, I really liked it. I was super sad when both of them started keeping secrets from each other, and here I don’t think that Kat held all the blame. Kat did try to get Harper and Emmett together, even when she was already having feelings for him, so I can see how hard it would be to come out to your cousin and say how interested you are in her crush… things just snowballed. Harper, on her hand, could see perfectly that there was something between her cousin and Emmett, and she also didn’t try to talk to Kat about it, instead she tried to push Kat into someone else, and I didn’t think that was cool at all.
I actually really loved the romance and how Kat and Emmett became good friends before anything else started. I liked how accepting he was of her, and how because of that she learned to accept herself a bit more too. And they were both so similar in some ways, the way they carried responsibilities that weren’t theirs to begin with, that made them kind of perfect for each other.
Kat grows a lot in the summer, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of her when she got back to the things she loved without fearing the judgement of others.
I was kind of hopping for some development in the Nate and Harper front, and I’m a little sad that it didn’t happen.
Now, I LOVED Kat’s dads. LOVED THEM! I loved how simple and normal they were portrayed. I could honestly read a whole book about Kat with her dad and her pop. I also really liked Emmett’s mom, and my heart broke so much for her during this book. Most of all, I loved how involved all of the parents were in this story.
In the end, I really liked this novel. Despite some issues with the writing, some so not fleshed out characters and some avoidable situations, it was a pretty damn good read.
This book was somewhat different from what I was expecting, and that’s such a good thing. I really liked that Rebecca Phillips took such a used theme, and gave it its own spin.
I really enjoyed the writing, the only small problem I had – and it wasn’t with the writing itself – was with the passages, which could totally be because I was reading the unfinished version. I thought that the passages were sometimes abrupt, some even encompassing long periods of time. But once I got used to them, I saw them coming and it was ok.
About the characters, I have to admit that none of the characters arose giant emotions out of me, though I did really like Kat and Emmett.
Kat is a bit different from the usual female main characters in YA novels. She’s very sure of herself, she loves to flirt, and she’s fully aware of her power over guys. That said, I really loved how none of those things were a factor in the romance, which, by the way, it’s a slow-ish burn.
The biggest themes of this books, however, did not lie in the romance, but on being true to oneself and the importance of friendship and family.
To be honest, I found Shay’s reaction in the beginning of the book a bit much. Yeah, what Kat did was wrong, but Shay, being her best friend and all, knew her well enough that she should have known that Kat’s intentions weren’t what they seemed. I kind of hated that she didn’t even give Kat the opportunity to explain herself.
When it came to Kat and Harper’s relationship, I really liked it. I was super sad when both of them started keeping secrets from each other, and here I don’t think that Kat held all the blame. Kat did try to get Harper and Emmett together, even when she was already having feelings for him, so I can see how hard it would be to come out to your cousin and say how interested you are in her crush… things just snowballed. Harper, on her hand, could see perfectly that there was something between her cousin and Emmett, and she also didn’t try to talk to Kat about it, instead she tried to push Kat into someone else, and I didn’t think that was cool at all.
I actually really loved the romance and how Kat and Emmett became good friends before anything else started. I liked how accepting he was of her, and how because of that she learned to accept herself a bit more too. And they were both so similar in some ways, the way they carried responsibilities that weren’t theirs to begin with, that made them kind of perfect for each other.
Kat grows a lot in the summer, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of her when she got back to the things she loved without fearing the judgement of others.
I was kind of hopping for some development in the Nate and Harper front, and I’m a little sad that it didn’t happen.
Now, I LOVED Kat’s dads. LOVED THEM! I loved how simple and normal they were portrayed. I could honestly read a whole book about Kat with her dad and her pop. I also really liked Emmett’s mom, and my heart broke so much for her during this book. Most of all, I loved how involved all of the parents were in this story.
In the end, I really liked this novel. Despite some issues with the writing, some so not fleshed out characters and some avoidable situations, it was a pretty damn good read.
This book started off a little rocky for me. I didn’t like this girl who flirted with everyone – I went to school with one of those, she wasn’t pleasant. After separating experience from the novel I began to enjoy reading Kat’s story, although I did not grow attached to her by any means. Any Other Girl was a typical, cute love story filled with all the gushy elements we all love to read and a genuinely enjoyed reading it....
I POSTED A FULL REVIEW here! Hope you like it!
Any Other Girl is a great story. I love reading from Kat's perspective because she has a very different personality than me. Kat is outgoing, bubbly person. This story is relatable on so many levels, and I love the whole idea it gives that everyone deserves second chances.
This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Rebecca Phillips’s Faking Perfect was the first e-ARC I received from NetGalley, and I enjoyed it greatly. When I saw Rebecca’s next book up, I knew I had to request it immediately.
Kat Henley loves to be the center of attention, which she does in order to distract others from her two gay fathers. She’s girly and loves to flirt, and the novel begins with her flirting with her best friend’s boyfriend and then losing that said best friend. It’s summer now and Kat’s off with her dads to their summer cottage on the lake where she reconnects with her cousin, Harper. This will be Harper’s last summer at the lake and Kat is determined to make it the best summer ever. It’s starts off rough at first with their favorite diner being remodeled and Kat almost running over their new neighbor, Emmett. Kat and Harper become fast friends with Emmett and both of the girls develop feelings for him, but because Harper claimed him first, Kat decides to back away from him. Kat already ruined one friendship back home because of a boy and she’s determined no to ruin her friendship with Harper. However, it’s hard for Kat to stay away when it becomes clear that there’s more to Emmett than what meets the eye.
The romance between Kat and Emmett was very sweet. Kat tries to stay away from Emmett for Harper’s sake. However, try as she might, Kat develops feelings for Emmett as he does the same for her. One of the reasons Kat connects with Emmett is because she witnesses Emmett’s parents fighting very harshly and Emmett opens up to Kat about it.
Throughout the book, Kat is learning to accept herself for who she is. Growing up, she loved to play soccer, but she quit once she overheard a few soccer moms gossiping about Kat and her dads. She turned into a girly girl to prove that her dads were great and that she didn’t need a mom. During her summer at the cottage, Kat learns that she can be both “girly” and “boyish.” She can play soccer and ride atvs, and she can also wear dresses and make-up. Kat’s self-discovery and change was definitely one of the most important aspects of the book.
The importance of family and friends also shines throughout this book. As someone who has a close relationship with my own parents, I loved seeing the closeness Kat shared with her dads. Her relationships with Harper and Emmett, and even Shay, her ex-best friend, show how important it is to have good friends who support and accept you.
Overall, Any Other Girl was a sweet summer romance. It’s perfect for those looking for an easy contemporary read.
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.*
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Rebecca Phillips’s Faking Perfect was the first e-ARC I received from NetGalley, and I enjoyed it greatly. When I saw Rebecca’s next book up, I knew I had to request it immediately.
Kat Henley loves to be the center of attention, which she does in order to distract others from her two gay fathers. She’s girly and loves to flirt, and the novel begins with her flirting with her best friend’s boyfriend and then losing that said best friend. It’s summer now and Kat’s off with her dads to their summer cottage on the lake where she reconnects with her cousin, Harper. This will be Harper’s last summer at the lake and Kat is determined to make it the best summer ever. It’s starts off rough at first with their favorite diner being remodeled and Kat almost running over their new neighbor, Emmett. Kat and Harper become fast friends with Emmett and both of the girls develop feelings for him, but because Harper claimed him first, Kat decides to back away from him. Kat already ruined one friendship back home because of a boy and she’s determined no to ruin her friendship with Harper. However, it’s hard for Kat to stay away when it becomes clear that there’s more to Emmett than what meets the eye.
The romance between Kat and Emmett was very sweet. Kat tries to stay away from Emmett for Harper’s sake. However, try as she might, Kat develops feelings for Emmett as he does the same for her. One of the reasons Kat connects with Emmett is because she witnesses Emmett’s parents fighting very harshly and Emmett opens up to Kat about it.
Throughout the book, Kat is learning to accept herself for who she is. Growing up, she loved to play soccer, but she quit once she overheard a few soccer moms gossiping about Kat and her dads. She turned into a girly girl to prove that her dads were great and that she didn’t need a mom. During her summer at the cottage, Kat learns that she can be both “girly” and “boyish.” She can play soccer and ride atvs, and she can also wear dresses and make-up. Kat’s self-discovery and change was definitely one of the most important aspects of the book.
The importance of family and friends also shines throughout this book. As someone who has a close relationship with my own parents, I loved seeing the closeness Kat shared with her dads. Her relationships with Harper and Emmett, and even Shay, her ex-best friend, show how important it is to have good friends who support and accept you.
Overall, Any Other Girl was a sweet summer romance. It’s perfect for those looking for an easy contemporary read.
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.*
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I fell head over heels with Phillips' writing when I read [b:Faking Perfect|22859815|Faking Perfect|Rebecca Phillips|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414109096s/22859815.jpg|42427705] so when I saw she had another book coming out, I knew I just had to read it. And I'm so glad I did because ANY OTHER GIRL was so good. It was the perfect summer romance novel and I loved every second of my reading of it.
I think the best part of it was that even though it was clearly a romance novel, there were so many other layers to it with Kat worrying she was too much for other people and trying to bring attention to herself rather than those around her. I think it was written so well because I felt Kat taking the weight of the world on her shoulders so that the people she loved didn't have to.
I think one of the best things that Phillips does is to make contemporary feel so realistic and write characters that everyone can relate too, even if they have their own quirks. And just like with FAKING PERFECT, our heroine wasn't exactly the perfect girl, but she owned her imperfections and they made her who she was. And I loved that. I liked that she wasn't so caught up on what she wasn't the best at but actively worked to be better every day. I highly recommend this one to everyone.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
I fell head over heels with Phillips' writing when I read [b:Faking Perfect|22859815|Faking Perfect|Rebecca Phillips|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414109096s/22859815.jpg|42427705] so when I saw she had another book coming out, I knew I just had to read it. And I'm so glad I did because ANY OTHER GIRL was so good. It was the perfect summer romance novel and I loved every second of my reading of it.
I think the best part of it was that even though it was clearly a romance novel, there were so many other layers to it with Kat worrying she was too much for other people and trying to bring attention to herself rather than those around her. I think it was written so well because I felt Kat taking the weight of the world on her shoulders so that the people she loved didn't have to.
I think one of the best things that Phillips does is to make contemporary feel so realistic and write characters that everyone can relate too, even if they have their own quirks. And just like with FAKING PERFECT, our heroine wasn't exactly the perfect girl, but she owned her imperfections and they made her who she was. And I loved that. I liked that she wasn't so caught up on what she wasn't the best at but actively worked to be better every day. I highly recommend this one to everyone.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'