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lturner's review
3.0
I cant decide how I feel about this book. Some of Lemon's internal struggle is so real......but talk about snowballing out of hand.....
There are certain parts that are great.
I like Graham and the slushees....
There are certain parts that are great.
I like Graham and the slushees....
mbblankenship's review
4.0
A story that shows how challenging it is to grow up with the strong influence of social media. The student body turns against Lemon because of a couple of mean girls who decide to make her life miserable by using the internet to post stories about her. This is a constant problem in schools these days so it is nice to see Lemon being strong during her hardest days. I understood the author was trying to show that her home life was also hard for Lemon to cope with but either it needed a bit more back story or just less complicated. But overall this was a good YA book that I will recommend to my daughter in a couple of years when she is in high school. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
broomsreviews's review
5.0
Being a teenager is hard enough but when your named Lemon Lavender it’s difficult to go unnoticed. Which is something Lemon has tried to do her whole life, going under the radar while her older sister excels at being perfect. Until Meg Lavender leaves university and decides to travel Europe leaving a trail of destruction behind.
Very keen on keeping up appearances, Lemon is tasked with maintains the family secret at her fathers request. With little confidence, Lemon’s life quickly changes when new boy Graham takes an interest in her and the two embark on a relationship.
In this YA novel, Lemon begins to learn that sometimes it isn’t possible to go unnoticed when there are people waiting to gossip. This book was a great read and I routed for Lemon throughout in this coming of age story. A lovely little read that really tugs the heartstrings and gives an insight into being a teen in the digital age.
Very keen on keeping up appearances, Lemon is tasked with maintains the family secret at her fathers request. With little confidence, Lemon’s life quickly changes when new boy Graham takes an interest in her and the two embark on a relationship.
In this YA novel, Lemon begins to learn that sometimes it isn’t possible to go unnoticed when there are people waiting to gossip. This book was a great read and I routed for Lemon throughout in this coming of age story. A lovely little read that really tugs the heartstrings and gives an insight into being a teen in the digital age.
stevielynne's review
2.0
I'm not wild about this one. It seemed young, even for YA. It felt more like MG. The writing itself was choppy and not well done. The characters felt incomplete and not fully fleshed out. There was a lot of victim-blaming without any commentary which was pretty offputting.
emmesbooks's review
2.0
This is such a hard book to review. I have so many mixed feelings that I just can’t quite figure out. I was really into it in the beginning, and I liked Lemon just fine. I even enjoyed the love interest at first. But then a certain plot point happened, and I was just so frustrated with Lemon, and how the whole bullying situation was being portrayed. It seemed that everyone shut her out for the sake of the plot, and nobody spoke out. In fact, almost everyone condoned the bullying, and the select few who “were against it” just stood silently and never spoke up. They were bystanders, and the book didn’t acknowledge that fact.
I wish certain aspects didn’t pan out the way it did. I think I could have really enjoyed this book if it had, but unfortunately it didn’t :(
ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for honest review
I wish certain aspects didn’t pan out the way it did. I think I could have really enjoyed this book if it had, but unfortunately it didn’t :(
ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for honest review
falon's review
3.5
*Given in exchange for honest Review by Netgalley & Publisher
Lemon Lavender is Not Fine is a coming-of-age novel about a girl whose name is, to her annoyance, Lemon Lavender. This story, even from the beginning of the page I felt invested in Lemon Lavender. The author does a really good job of character development, and you could definitely see a change from the begging Lavender to the ending Lavender. The story will break your heart at points, as the main character has to deal with bullying (both in school, and online). I found myself at times being very frustrated with Lemon and the decisions she made. But I can't say some of her decisions weren't predictable (at least, in terms of Lemon's state of mind at that point) or even warranted.
I would say where it could use some work is her relationship with Graham. I didn't really get to know him that much, and I thought their relationship was cute at the beginning. However, it's hard to root for Lemon/Graham end game, when you don't know what one half is thinking. Some of his decisions made me frustrated, maybe even outright mad at him. But, I don't know, he was there at the end so that counts I guess?
There were also parts of the story that seemed unrealistic, especially in terms of the school and how they handled the situation. Their reasoning didn't seem to make sense in terms of what was happening and what would be apparent to the school at that time. They seemed biased towards some people but there really is no explanation for why that bias exists. Plus, their whole "freedom of speech, we can't do anything blah blah blah" was just really unrealistic to me. What they posted was NOT freedom of speech, it was blatant bullying, especially when you have the second person denying all of their accusations. That's slander.
Overall, I would give this book a 3.5/5.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review
Lemon Lavender is Not Fine is a coming-of-age novel about a girl whose name is, to her annoyance, Lemon Lavender. This story, even from the beginning of the page I felt invested in Lemon Lavender. The author does a really good job of character development, and you could definitely see a change from the begging Lavender to the ending Lavender. The story will break your heart at points, as the main character has to deal with bullying (both in school, and online). I found myself at times being very frustrated with Lemon and the decisions she made. But I can't say some of her decisions weren't predictable (at least, in terms of Lemon's state of mind at that point) or even warranted.
I would say where it could use some work is her relationship with Graham. I didn't really get to know him that much, and I thought their relationship was cute at the beginning. However, it's hard to root for Lemon/Graham end game, when you don't know what one half is thinking. Some of his decisions made me frustrated, maybe even outright mad at him. But, I don't know, he was there at the end so that counts I guess?
There were also parts of the story that seemed unrealistic, especially in terms of the school and how they handled the situation. Their reasoning didn't seem to make sense in terms of what was happening and what would be apparent to the school at that time. They seemed biased towards some people but there really is no explanation for why that bias exists. Plus, their whole "freedom of speech, we can't do anything blah blah blah" was just really unrealistic to me. What they posted was NOT freedom of speech, it was blatant bullying, especially when you have the second person denying all of their accusations. That's slander.
Overall, I would give this book a 3.5/5.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review
bookbeforeuleap's review
3.0
This is estentially the struggle of a teenage girl trying to survive in the shadow of her run away older sister whilest keeping it all a secret.
I haven't read a YA in a while so I wasn't sure if I would still enjoy them but I did. The character was well thought out and developed well and the story tackled some of the issues facing teenagers today. I especially liked that it raised the issue that trying to blend in and keep you head down so no one notices you isn't always they right thing to do or the only option.
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