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nanataska's review
5.0
5/5
i'm giving this book a 5/5 just because goodreads doesn't allow me to give more.
this book definitely deserves more than 5 stars.
let's start with this: i've reread this book many, many times and i'm still enjoying it the same as i enjoyed it for the first time.
this is just a prove of the fact that this book is great.
the plot is unusual, but interesting: a homeless teen, tryin to live the best out of her life, which is... well, complicated. A LOT.
it was was kinda depressive but funny. i love linden's sense of humour. the characters were all so cute. the way how the main character was ,,programmed'' to survive this all - wow.
i'm 100% sure i'd die in 24hrs if i were homeless.
-----
for me, this checks all the boxes. i mean - all of them.
recommend & reread. DEFINITELY.
i'm giving this book a 5/5 just because goodreads doesn't allow me to give more.
this book definitely deserves more than 5 stars.
let's start with this: i've reread this book many, many times and i'm still enjoying it the same as i enjoyed it for the first time.
this is just a prove of the fact that this book is great.
the plot is unusual, but interesting: a homeless teen, tryin to live the best out of her life, which is... well, complicated. A LOT.
it was was kinda depressive but funny. i love linden's sense of humour. the characters were all so cute. the way how the main character was ,,programmed'' to survive this all - wow.
i'm 100% sure i'd die in 24hrs if i were homeless.
-----
for me, this checks all the boxes. i mean - all of them.
recommend & reread. DEFINITELY.
entirelyashley's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 10%. I loved the synopsis and thought it sounded promising, but the writing was horribly choppy and difficult to follow. I found myself re-reading sentences/paragraphs after being puzzled about what was happening.
darbyjane1's review against another edition
3.0
(spoilers)
This book deals with heavy subjects, and I don't mind that, but you probably won't enjoy this book if you do mind.
For a book dealing with such hard hitting topics, I thought that the writing would be more serious sometimes. I know that she's pretending to live a normal life, and hide her homelessness, but it just didn't make that much sense. I get that she can be happy and enjoy her time with her friends, but I just don't think it'd be that happy. And even when she was happy and joking with her friends, the dialogue came across as cringey and forced to me.
Sometimes I found it hard to route for the main character. I don't understand why I'd want her to win if she's constantly lying and hurting everyone she cares about to protect her image. I know that's also part of Linden's conflict, but it just made me dislike her.
I thought Ham was very obnoxious, and I didn't see any point for his character other than some comic relief, and he was more annoying than comical.
There were also points in the book where the description was just kind of weird. I only remember one specific instance where this happens. Linden's thinking about Seung, her friend and love interest, and how he had a major glow up over the past year. She's looking at him, and he yawns, and she thinks: "Seung's 2.0 is so hot. His breath used to smell like breakfast, but now it just smells like toothpaste." I just thought that was really weird, and redundant. And gross.
I was originally going to give this book 2 stars, but I liked Linden and Seung's romance. And even though some things with the plot of Linden's homelessness didn't really make much sense for me, I felt like the plotline with domestic abuse was handled quite well. I also liked the ending, it was really sweet and cute.
Some parts of this book were just kind of off to me, but I did like the ending, and the heavy topics were handled well, for the most part.
This book deals with heavy subjects, and I don't mind that, but you probably won't enjoy this book if you do mind.
For a book dealing with such hard hitting topics, I thought that the writing would be more serious sometimes. I know that she's pretending to live a normal life, and hide her homelessness, but it just didn't make that much sense. I get that she can be happy and enjoy her time with her friends, but I just don't think it'd be that happy. And even when she was happy and joking with her friends, the dialogue came across as cringey and forced to me.
Sometimes I found it hard to route for the main character. I don't understand why I'd want her to win if she's constantly lying and hurting everyone she cares about to protect her image. I know that's also part of Linden's conflict, but it just made me dislike her.
I thought Ham was very obnoxious, and I didn't see any point for his character other than some comic relief, and he was more annoying than comical.
There were also points in the book where the description was just kind of weird. I only remember one specific instance where this happens. Linden's thinking about Seung, her friend and love interest, and how he had a major glow up over the past year. She's looking at him, and he yawns, and she thinks: "Seung's 2.0 is so hot. His breath used to smell like breakfast, but now it just smells like toothpaste." I just thought that was really weird, and redundant. And gross.
I was originally going to give this book 2 stars, but I liked Linden and Seung's romance. And even though some things with the plot of Linden's homelessness didn't really make much sense for me, I felt like the plotline with domestic abuse was handled quite well. I also liked the ending, it was really sweet and cute.
Some parts of this book were just kind of off to me, but I did like the ending, and the heavy topics were handled well, for the most part.
kelly80's review against another edition
1.0
The premise was great, but the execution was awful. The writing style is just really odd and disjointed for a teen book (or any fiction). Individual scenes are choppy, the transitions don’t work, and the characters are rather flat. The plot meanders and lacks any sort of impetus. It’s a book that doesn’t know what it wants to be... there’s a good story in there somewhere, but the flaws make it a tedious reading experience.
sc104906's review
4.0
I received this through Edelweiss.
Linden has perfected the art of blending in, not causing trouble or excelling. She is attempting to hide a big secret, the fact that she is homeless and has no adult in her life. Linden lives at the school, but must make sure that no one finds out. Her deceased mother made her promise to make something of herself and she knows if she ends up in the system that will never happen. Linden has found two of the greatest friends, Ham and Seung. Even though she just met them last year, they are like an inseparable family, until Linden and Seung start noticing their growing feelings for each other. Not only is Linden hiding her own secret, but she knows the secret of popular girl Bea.
I found that this novel moved well and that I enjoyed most characters. I thought that this book attempted to tackle too many things, ultimately detracting from the main message. Not only is Linden dealing with homelessness, there are issues of domestic violence, and lgbtq identity explorations. All in all, it was an interesting gritty novel, solid.
Linden has perfected the art of blending in, not causing trouble or excelling. She is attempting to hide a big secret, the fact that she is homeless and has no adult in her life. Linden lives at the school, but must make sure that no one finds out. Her deceased mother made her promise to make something of herself and she knows if she ends up in the system that will never happen. Linden has found two of the greatest friends, Ham and Seung. Even though she just met them last year, they are like an inseparable family, until Linden and Seung start noticing their growing feelings for each other. Not only is Linden hiding her own secret, but she knows the secret of popular girl Bea.
I found that this novel moved well and that I enjoyed most characters. I thought that this book attempted to tackle too many things, ultimately detracting from the main message. Not only is Linden dealing with homelessness, there are issues of domestic violence, and lgbtq identity explorations. All in all, it was an interesting gritty novel, solid.
totallynotanerd's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5 - bordering on 4 stars
Although I was 50% unsure of what was going on most of the time, I was thoroughly entertained.
Although I was 50% unsure of what was going on most of the time, I was thoroughly entertained.
cewhisenant's review
4.0
*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!*
"The worst part about lying to those you love is that you question if they are worth the truth."
Wow. I mean, seriously. I went into this book with a bit of hesitation. I wasn't really in the mood for it, and I was a tad bitter that chronological preference was going to have me read it before [b:All of This Is True|35068735|All of This Is True|Lygia Day Peñaflor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516900954s/35068735.jpg|56364168]. Then I read the first chapter.
Right off the bat, I knew this was going to be a whirlwind of emotions. The characters had my attention and my heart within a few pages. I suddenly found myself in the middle of one of the most emotionally driven books of the year with no warning.
Not only does this book cover a topic usually left untouched by YA fiction, homeless youth, but it handles others such as dating violence and coming out unconventionally. So much good stuff shoved into this beauty. So. Much.
And the characters. Sweet Lord, the characters. Linden, Seung, and Ham are all precious children that deserve the world. Even some of the less pleasant characters had me rooting for their success.
Honestly, an amazing read with an awesome plot and message with a glorious ragtag band of outcasts that will leave you educated and emotionally sated.
"The worst part about lying to those you love is that you question if they are worth the truth."
Wow. I mean, seriously. I went into this book with a bit of hesitation. I wasn't really in the mood for it, and I was a tad bitter that chronological preference was going to have me read it before [b:All of This Is True|35068735|All of This Is True|Lygia Day Peñaflor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516900954s/35068735.jpg|56364168]. Then I read the first chapter.
Right off the bat, I knew this was going to be a whirlwind of emotions. The characters had my attention and my heart within a few pages. I suddenly found myself in the middle of one of the most emotionally driven books of the year with no warning.
Not only does this book cover a topic usually left untouched by YA fiction, homeless youth, but it handles others such as dating violence and coming out unconventionally. So much good stuff shoved into this beauty. So. Much.
And the characters. Sweet Lord, the characters. Linden, Seung, and Ham are all precious children that deserve the world. Even some of the less pleasant characters had me rooting for their success.
Honestly, an amazing read with an awesome plot and message with a glorious ragtag band of outcasts that will leave you educated and emotionally sated.
islandgeekgirl's review
4.0
This book was a quick read exploring a topic I haven't seen too much in YA books, at least to this extreme. It followed Linden, a high school student who was homeless and living in the school as much as she could. She had a system down and if she didn't follow it, it could mean the difference between sleeping somewhere in the school and getting stuck outside for the night. She had her two best friends, a notebook to keep track of her debts, and she was determined to graduate and go to college. Her life and the lives of her two best friends ended up getting tangled up with a trio of popular kids, which Linden feared would expose her secret.
Linden was a very determined, goal-oriented character. She didn't want to be a burden on anyone so she kept a tally of anything she took and found ways to pay it back. She was always careful about how she presented herself so as not to draw attention so teachers or parents wouldn't start asking questions. The riskiest thing she allowed herself was the friendship of her two best friends, Ham and Seung. Those three together were amazing. Seung was the more serious one and Ham was the comedian. The three of them had their differences at times but they were so clearly meant to be a group.
When her group started to clash with Bea's group, it brought more attention to Linden and she kept trying to stay away from it. She was resistant to getting involved at first. Bea clearly didn't want Linden around her, it broke so many of Linden's rules that kept her safe, but they kept getting pushed together. It provided some interesting dynamics between the two groups.
Overall, I thought this book did a great job highlighting the issue of youth homelessness and how easily overlooked it can be. It had really interesting character dynamics, which I will always like, and it had growth for so many characters without distracting from the main character's arc.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Linden was a very determined, goal-oriented character. She didn't want to be a burden on anyone so she kept a tally of anything she took and found ways to pay it back. She was always careful about how she presented herself so as not to draw attention so teachers or parents wouldn't start asking questions. The riskiest thing she allowed herself was the friendship of her two best friends, Ham and Seung. Those three together were amazing. Seung was the more serious one and Ham was the comedian. The three of them had their differences at times but they were so clearly meant to be a group.
When her group started to clash with Bea's group, it brought more attention to Linden and she kept trying to stay away from it. She was resistant to getting involved at first. Bea clearly didn't want Linden around her, it broke so many of Linden's rules that kept her safe, but they kept getting pushed together. It provided some interesting dynamics between the two groups.
Overall, I thought this book did a great job highlighting the issue of youth homelessness and how easily overlooked it can be. It had really interesting character dynamics, which I will always like, and it had growth for so many characters without distracting from the main character's arc.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
slc333's review
2.0
2.5 stars Tackles 2 important issues- homelessness and domestic violence in teen dating but despite recognising the importance of these topics the story itself just failed to engage me. The interactions between the characters often felt disjointed and kinda weird and I never really got a sense of who they were. They were also more tell than show. They whole friends to more thing between Linden & Seung was also very choppy. I think the elements of a good story were there - they just weren't put together properly.
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Rosemary
Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: Straight(ish) Up
Bonus Factors: Teen Homelessness
Relationship Status: I'll Be There For You
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: Straight(ish) Up
Bonus Factors: Teen Homelessness
Relationship Status: I'll Be There For You
Read the full book report here.