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mschrock8's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to read this book after the author joined a Griz Reads meeting by Zoom.
Savannah types letters. "Apparently, ancient equaled earnest."
"Wouldn't you rather be powerful than pretty?"
"Why should I have to choose?"
Savannah types letters. "Apparently, ancient equaled earnest."
"Wouldn't you rather be powerful than pretty?"
"Why should I have to choose?"
laurasarmientov's review against another edition
3.0
closer to 2.5.
I went into this book after having read The Book Haters Club, which I absolutely loved.
For staters, I think Anthony has a very sweet, conversational ability to write, her prose always starts really strong and starts to fall after the first act when the plot gets into its halfway slump. It takes a couple chapters for the story to actually warm up, two twins who are raised by their grandmother after their single mom dies in a car accident set out to find their biological father via podcast. The mystery element was applied well into their show, despite the podcast depicting both the good and bad things in Savannah and Thomas, it was one of the only things they had in common outside of their grief. Instead of fighting or constantly trying to compete with one and other, the podcast gets the twins to fully acknowledge each other's talents and use them to better their own.
The premise is fantastic, the story is very intriguing, the problem is that the main characters were so boring. I had no interesting in seeing either twin succeed. There aren’t many endearing moments between the siblings at all and the format of the ending was very disappointing. It’s hard to root for characters you really don’t care about, despite both main character having the most chapter POV’s, I was never really satisfied with what I was learning about them. For example, Savannah is an aspiring producer and very talented writer. If it wasn’t for every other character mentioning that about her, Savannah’s character never actually showcases these skills in a way that makes the reader believe it.
I have to give it up for the villain in the book, there is nothing better than a slow realization to be able to connect the final dots, I loved the way the villains character developed and how the more you read the more evil you saw in him, the comedic stylings of Anthony Gretchen for the antagonist are always great.
The most off putting part of this book over everything else I’ve just mentioned is how sexism was approached. The way Savannah was treated does reflect the real world well, all her words are twisted in interviews, she’s made to feel like her brother always has to take the lead and that her value when being filmed is looking and sounding pretty. What I think is inconsistent is how the women in her life approached what she was going through, her mom would give her advice after someone called her a beetle once like “I know beetles aren’t pretty, but they are powerful” HUH? Her grandma also has odd takes on the problems she was facing as if it was normal and okay that Thomas was expected to do everything.
Maggie, her relationships and her development alone are worth this read even if she’s so radically feminist sometimes she goes in a fully circle and ends up contradicting herself. She’s fun and well established but going through the same unresolved feelings as the kids which makes her more interesting. While this was not my favourite Anthony book, I look forward to continue reading through her novels as I love her writing style.
I went into this book after having read The Book Haters Club, which I absolutely loved.
For staters, I think Anthony has a very sweet, conversational ability to write, her prose always starts really strong and starts to fall after the first act when the plot gets into its halfway slump. It takes a couple chapters for the story to actually warm up, two twins who are raised by their grandmother after their single mom dies in a car accident set out to find their biological father via podcast. The mystery element was applied well into their show, despite the podcast depicting both the good and bad things in Savannah and Thomas, it was one of the only things they had in common outside of their grief. Instead of fighting or constantly trying to compete with one and other, the podcast gets the twins to fully acknowledge each other's talents and use them to better their own.
The premise is fantastic, the story is very intriguing, the problem is that the main characters were so boring. I had no interesting in seeing either twin succeed. There aren’t many endearing moments between the siblings at all and the format of the ending was very disappointing. It’s hard to root for characters you really don’t care about, despite both main character having the most chapter POV’s, I was never really satisfied with what I was learning about them. For example, Savannah is an aspiring producer and very talented writer. If it wasn’t for every other character mentioning that about her, Savannah’s character never actually showcases these skills in a way that makes the reader believe it.
I have to give it up for the villain in the book, there is nothing better than a slow realization to be able to connect the final dots, I loved the way the villains character developed and how the more you read the more evil you saw in him, the comedic stylings of Anthony Gretchen for the antagonist are always great.
The most off putting part of this book over everything else I’ve just mentioned is how sexism was approached. The way Savannah was treated does reflect the real world well, all her words are twisted in interviews, she’s made to feel like her brother always has to take the lead and that her value when being filmed is looking and sounding pretty. What I think is inconsistent is how the women in her life approached what she was going through, her mom would give her advice after someone called her a beetle once like “I know beetles aren’t pretty, but they are powerful” HUH? Her grandma also has odd takes on the problems she was facing as if it was normal and okay that Thomas was expected to do everything.
Maggie, her relationships and her development alone are worth this read even if she’s so radically feminist sometimes she goes in a fully circle and ends up contradicting herself. She’s fun and well established but going through the same unresolved feelings as the kids which makes her more interesting. While this was not my favourite Anthony book, I look forward to continue reading through her novels as I love her writing style.
heidisreads's review against another edition
3.0
At the heart of this book is a coming=of age story. Twins Savannah and Thomas live with their kinda-wacky grandma (I love those types of grandmas) and start a podcast in search of their biological father.
karenleagermain's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with a copy of Gretchen Anthony’s novel, The Kids are Gonna Ask, in exchange for an honest review.
Seventeen-year-old twins, Thomas and Savannah McClair, have been raised by their grandmother, Maggie, after their mom was killed in a tragic accident. Their mom, Bess never told them who their father was, a secret that she kept from everyone.
The twins have started a podcast where they invite dinner guests into their home, and interview them over a meal. Their podcast has a small following, until one episode goes viral, an episode when they mention the desire to know about their father. They are contacted by a high-profile producer to create a new show that follows the search to discover the identity of their birth father. The twins are thrust into the spotlight, which includes being placed in the middle of the controversy over privacy rights.
I enjoyed Anthony’s debut novel, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, and I was excited to read her follow-up. The Kids are Gonna Ask didn’t disappoint. Anthony has a wonderful strength in writing endearing characters, and her stories have a lot of heart. It was the perfect type of read for these pessimistic Covid-times. This isn’t to say that her stories are trite or that her characters are perfect. For example, Maggie has to deal with some lingering anger she has towards her dead daughter, which is difficult as she is also grieving for and has a tremendous amount of love for Bess. The emotions are complex.
Although I know who my birth father was, he died when I was four. I could easily relate to the twins feelings of not knowing their parent, and have a whole missing piece of themselves. I can count the things I know about my dad on one hand. More to that, there is a chapter when Savannah is relating to Nadine, the daughter of the McClair’s personal chef. Both girls have lost their mother, and they mention how difficult it is, because it always creates an awkward situation. No one knows how to act or speak around children who have lost their parents. I have felt this the most. The twins lost their mother to a front-page new accident, where as Nadine lost her mom to a drug overdose, she only needs to share this info with the people she trusts. I lost my father more in the way of the twins, but just because everyone at school knew, didn’t make it easier. Divorce is fairly common, but I didn’t know anyone who had a dead parent.
The Kids are Gonna Ask dives into the idea of paternity secrets and privacy rights. Do the twins have the right to publicly air their search? What will they discover? They have to contend with criticism leveled towards their mother ignoring the paternal rights of their father. To add fuel to the fire, their producer seems to only care about controversy and ratings. It’s hard enough being a teenager, let alone being forced into the public eye.
Part of the story is set in Breckenridge, Colorado. I moved to Colorado in late 2019, and I have recently visited Breckenridge for the first time. It’s a beautiful area and I got a kick out of having a new connection to this place, and then having it appear in The Kids are Gonna Ask. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect! I love when a novel includes places that are familiar to me.
One of the pleasure of the story is the discovery that the reader has along with the McClair family. Anthony unfolds the secrets in a way that keeps the intrigue constant. I don’t want to give anything away, so I will stop here. The Kids are Gonna Ask is a thought-provoking story and the McClair family will steal your heart.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
Seventeen-year-old twins, Thomas and Savannah McClair, have been raised by their grandmother, Maggie, after their mom was killed in a tragic accident. Their mom, Bess never told them who their father was, a secret that she kept from everyone.
The twins have started a podcast where they invite dinner guests into their home, and interview them over a meal. Their podcast has a small following, until one episode goes viral, an episode when they mention the desire to know about their father. They are contacted by a high-profile producer to create a new show that follows the search to discover the identity of their birth father. The twins are thrust into the spotlight, which includes being placed in the middle of the controversy over privacy rights.
I enjoyed Anthony’s debut novel, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, and I was excited to read her follow-up. The Kids are Gonna Ask didn’t disappoint. Anthony has a wonderful strength in writing endearing characters, and her stories have a lot of heart. It was the perfect type of read for these pessimistic Covid-times. This isn’t to say that her stories are trite or that her characters are perfect. For example, Maggie has to deal with some lingering anger she has towards her dead daughter, which is difficult as she is also grieving for and has a tremendous amount of love for Bess. The emotions are complex.
Although I know who my birth father was, he died when I was four. I could easily relate to the twins feelings of not knowing their parent, and have a whole missing piece of themselves. I can count the things I know about my dad on one hand. More to that, there is a chapter when Savannah is relating to Nadine, the daughter of the McClair’s personal chef. Both girls have lost their mother, and they mention how difficult it is, because it always creates an awkward situation. No one knows how to act or speak around children who have lost their parents. I have felt this the most. The twins lost their mother to a front-page new accident, where as Nadine lost her mom to a drug overdose, she only needs to share this info with the people she trusts. I lost my father more in the way of the twins, but just because everyone at school knew, didn’t make it easier. Divorce is fairly common, but I didn’t know anyone who had a dead parent.
The Kids are Gonna Ask dives into the idea of paternity secrets and privacy rights. Do the twins have the right to publicly air their search? What will they discover? They have to contend with criticism leveled towards their mother ignoring the paternal rights of their father. To add fuel to the fire, their producer seems to only care about controversy and ratings. It’s hard enough being a teenager, let alone being forced into the public eye.
Part of the story is set in Breckenridge, Colorado. I moved to Colorado in late 2019, and I have recently visited Breckenridge for the first time. It’s a beautiful area and I got a kick out of having a new connection to this place, and then having it appear in The Kids are Gonna Ask. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect! I love when a novel includes places that are familiar to me.
One of the pleasure of the story is the discovery that the reader has along with the McClair family. Anthony unfolds the secrets in a way that keeps the intrigue constant. I don’t want to give anything away, so I will stop here. The Kids are Gonna Ask is a thought-provoking story and the McClair family will steal your heart.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
sbojo32's review against another edition
2.0
I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but the execution failed for me. I got bored and felt like this dragged on and on. By the end, I was just trying to get to the end, and I was glad when it was over and I could move on.
The premise of two teenagers using a podcast to try to locate their biological dad is interesting. These twins lost their mother a few years ago, and they never knew who their dad was. They live with their grandmother, but she doesn't know the identity of the father either (really?). By putting this on social media, they are then subject to trolls and criticism.
The novel goes from the twins' perspective to their biological father and some other minor characters in the book. I wasn't invested in any of the characters and honestly thought this would have been better if 100 pages had been removed. There is so much extraneous stuff in here that it really took away from the story.
The premise of two teenagers using a podcast to try to locate their biological dad is interesting. These twins lost their mother a few years ago, and they never knew who their dad was. They live with their grandmother, but she doesn't know the identity of the father either (really?). By putting this on social media, they are then subject to trolls and criticism.
The novel goes from the twins' perspective to their biological father and some other minor characters in the book. I wasn't invested in any of the characters and honestly thought this would have been better if 100 pages had been removed. There is so much extraneous stuff in here that it really took away from the story.
marshaskrypuch's review against another edition
5.0
The premise of this entertaining novel is simple: teen twins Savannah and Thomas are being raised by Maggie, their maternal grandmother. Their mother died when they were twelve and they've never known who their father is so they decide to find out. Instead of going the usual route of a DNA test, they create a podcast series that ends up gaining a viral social media following. With visibility comes notoriety and things get so out of hand that it nearly ruins their lives. Even worse, it could upend the close-knit family that they have and could even potentially stop them from ever connecting their father.
Gretchen Anthony's voice engaged me right from the first paragraph. Using delicate skill, she plunges the reader into the perspectives of various characters in turn. Her technique is all showing, so it saves a whole heck of a lot telling and the pages fly by. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Gretchen Anthony's voice engaged me right from the first paragraph. Using delicate skill, she plunges the reader into the perspectives of various characters in turn. Her technique is all showing, so it saves a whole heck of a lot telling and the pages fly by. Thoroughly enjoyable.
minty's review against another edition
3.0
Really liked this! A great exploration of all these modern issues with social media/fame/technology, while really just a book about finding out who you are.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
3.0
Twins Thomas and Savannah don't know who their father is, and their mother Bess passed away before she had the chance to tell them.
Using their almost popular podcast, the twins set out to find their father. Renamed the kids are going to ask the new podcast is met with accusations and backlash regarding the fathers privacy.
The story was ok, and the writing was good.
But it was just ok.
It started out strong, but kind of fell flat near the end.
Using their almost popular podcast, the twins set out to find their father. Renamed the kids are going to ask the new podcast is met with accusations and backlash regarding the fathers privacy.
The story was ok, and the writing was good.
But it was just ok.
It started out strong, but kind of fell flat near the end.