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romanaromana's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
Based on the average rating and reviews here, this was unsurprisingly my least enjoyed Kody Keplinger novel. But there were still perks to be appreciated.
Sonny has perfected the art of lying. Little things like why she's late to work or class, and big things like her dad being in prison and the reason why she can't live at home right now. Even her best friend, Amy, has gotten used to hearing only vague details about Sonny's life. To Sonny's surprise, she finds herself willing to open up to her arch nemesis, Ryder Cross, after a night of messaging on Amy's computer. But there is one huge problem - Ryder likes Amy, and since Sonny forgot whose account she was using that first night, Ryder thinks he has sparked a connection with the girl of his dreams, not her loud-mouthed best friend. Determined to make Ryder realise that he should be with her, Sonny ropes Amy into a complex scheme that will get her what she wants. And, most importantly, will avoid telling the truth.
Sooo the initial premise for Lying Out Loud is pretty strong - uncomplicated but with potential. But Sonny's secrets went on for almost the entirety of the novel despite them quickly losing momentum. It wasn't long before I was frustrated by Sonny's aversion to the truth and struggled to believe her reasonings for prolonging the lies. In the beginning she wasn't even that attached to Ryder, so I didn't understand why she didn't just tell him what had happened. The same goes for the lies she told Amy.
Particularly in the novel's second hald, the plot seemed to race forwards and flit back and forth between the same scenarios, meaning there wasn't much actual progress. It felt almost like a plan - like Keplinger had just written her favourite moments and skipped over the moments which would have helped me understand and care for the characters.
Having said this, I was generally quite pleased by the way Sonny's relationships with Ryder and Amy were presented. I understood why Sonny fell for Ryder in the sense that their conversations were varied, they seemed to genuinely connect on what they discussed and their humour. Equally, I found Amy and Sonny's friendship believable and sweet.
This was in part due to Sonny's narration. Although I didn't particularly like her character, I thought her voice was authentic and Keplinger once again displayed a sound understanding for how real teenagers think and talk, so that was great.
A bit of a mixed bag this one. I don't know how much Keplinger YA I have left to read to be honest, but I'd be down for another. I just hope I don't continue on the downward trajectory I seem to be on with Keplinger books...
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
Based on the average rating and reviews here, this was unsurprisingly my least enjoyed Kody Keplinger novel. But there were still perks to be appreciated.
Sonny has perfected the art of lying. Little things like why she's late to work or class, and big things like her dad being in prison and the reason why she can't live at home right now. Even her best friend, Amy, has gotten used to hearing only vague details about Sonny's life. To Sonny's surprise, she finds herself willing to open up to her arch nemesis, Ryder Cross, after a night of messaging on Amy's computer. But there is one huge problem - Ryder likes Amy, and since Sonny forgot whose account she was using that first night, Ryder thinks he has sparked a connection with the girl of his dreams, not her loud-mouthed best friend. Determined to make Ryder realise that he should be with her, Sonny ropes Amy into a complex scheme that will get her what she wants. And, most importantly, will avoid telling the truth.
Sooo the initial premise for Lying Out Loud is pretty strong - uncomplicated but with potential. But Sonny's secrets went on for almost the entirety of the novel despite them quickly losing momentum. It wasn't long before I was frustrated by Sonny's aversion to the truth and struggled to believe her reasonings for prolonging the lies. In the beginning she wasn't even that attached to Ryder, so I didn't understand why she didn't just tell him what had happened. The same goes for the lies she told Amy.
Particularly in the novel's second hald, the plot seemed to race forwards and flit back and forth between the same scenarios, meaning there wasn't much actual progress. It felt almost like a plan - like Keplinger had just written her favourite moments and skipped over the moments which would have helped me understand and care for the characters.
Having said this, I was generally quite pleased by the way Sonny's relationships with Ryder and Amy were presented. I understood why Sonny fell for Ryder in the sense that their conversations were varied, they seemed to genuinely connect on what they discussed and their humour. Equally, I found Amy and Sonny's friendship believable and sweet.
This was in part due to Sonny's narration. Although I didn't particularly like her character, I thought her voice was authentic and Keplinger once again displayed a sound understanding for how real teenagers think and talk, so that was great.
A bit of a mixed bag this one. I don't know how much Keplinger YA I have left to read to be honest, but I'd be down for another. I just hope I don't continue on the downward trajectory I seem to be on with Keplinger books...
spinitch127's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! I have actually nevr read The DUFF, but upon reading this I fell in love with the characters, setting, and problems that Kody Keplinger has created.
cityofstarlight_library's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars!
REVIEW IS ALSO POSTED AT THE HONEST BOOKCLUB
--
One of my favourite books is The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, so when I heard that there was a companion novel to this one...well, I was darn well excited. Although, doubt that can be had for authors writing more from a well-loved story, as in the past, it has backfired.
Not this time, however.
I really really enjoyed this book. It's common knowledge to people who know my reading habits that I'm quite a slow reader, I tend to take a long time to finish even the shortest books. This one, I started yesterday. That just goes to show how invested into this story and these characters I was.
Before reading, I expected this book to actually be about Amy's love life but it wasn't. Her best friend, Sonny, a new character introduced into this book and a long-time friend of the Rush family, actually got the love story. Having a not-so simple and silver spoon-fed life, she takes refuge at Amy's house without the parents knowledge, and things start to dramatically happen between the two girls and a certain young man named Ryder Cross.
Ryder is the new boy in school and pretty much everyone hates him. Mostly because as soon as he showed up, he's been pretty vocal about his distaste for Hamilton. Not how you make friends, Ryder. But with modern technology and the fact that Sonny is actually huge liar, things start to get a bit complicated.
Although I did really enjoy this story, the thing that bothered me was the main character, Sonny (real name Sonya). I know she has to make bad decisions for this to be decent sized book, and yes the decisions were annoying and not even necessary, it was also just her. So much of the things that happened in the book, like hurt and heartache, could have been easily avoided had she been, well, honest. I know this book is called 'Lying Out Loud' but there's lying and then there's being a bit of a bitch. I found her to be quite dismissive of her best friends feelings,, and the fact that they'd been friends for so long that they were practically family, she could't even tell how she was treating her. Amy has done a lot for her and let Sonny get away with so much stuff. Disappointing behavior at times, Sonny. It was painfully obvious, too, that she was upsetting Amy and I found it annoying that she was so oblivious to it. Not only that, but every lie she told were all for herself. It all benefited her, which was quite selfish.
Kody is good at character development though, so I was pleased that I didn't dislike Sonny as much as I had at the start, as she became more grown up and knowledgeable of other people's feelings. It was worth all of that to see her finally appreciate the things she had and the people around her.
But although things did look up, the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking, but that might be just me being greedy and wanting a laundry list-type ending. Who doesn't? I am a sucker for epilogues. Cheesy one's. No shame!
Anyway, getting the negatives out the way, everything else about this book was wonderful! Ryder was a great new character; kind hearted, fiery and intelligent. The word 'hipster' was mentioned a few times, which is always fun, and his banter with Sonny is really cute to read. They had good chemistry.
It's also interesting to see Amy Rush in more detail, as in the first book, we only got a short glimpse of her. She's still the shy, smart and pretty girl as she was before, but we get more insight to her life and her relationships with her family and friends. Nice to see her coming out of her shell a bit more, too.
And speaking of family...
Yes.
Yes.
You guessed it, and you saw this one coming - Wesley Rush is in this book. Wesley. Rush.
Hot damn! I missed you, my darling Wesley.
I got very excited seeing his name on the page. It was bloody fantastic to see my bb again, and he's still his charming and handsome self, but with a little difference. Bianca was with him! Yay! It was goo to see her again too. They're still together and going strong, still cute and very much in love. My heart exploded with joy! He gives the characters in the book some great insight, some advice and heartwarming support during some tough times, and his character is very much needed and well inserted into the story. I feel like the first book aswell as his time away in college really changed him but for the good. He has an even bigger heart and he seems to have developed into a lovely young man. And I now sound old saying this, so I'll just..continue..
Thank you for giving us more Wesley, Kody!
A good continuation from The DUFF, fans of the first book won't be disappointed with this, and it's a book you could gobble down in one go. Funny, heartwarming, emotional and , quite honestly, a bloody good read. I'd highly recommend this if you enjoy these kind of books.
REVIEW IS ALSO POSTED AT THE HONEST BOOKCLUB
--
One of my favourite books is The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, so when I heard that there was a companion novel to this one...well, I was darn well excited. Although, doubt that can be had for authors writing more from a well-loved story, as in the past, it has backfired.
Not this time, however.
I really really enjoyed this book. It's common knowledge to people who know my reading habits that I'm quite a slow reader, I tend to take a long time to finish even the shortest books. This one, I started yesterday. That just goes to show how invested into this story and these characters I was.
Before reading, I expected this book to actually be about Amy's love life but it wasn't. Her best friend, Sonny, a new character introduced into this book and a long-time friend of the Rush family, actually got the love story. Having a not-so simple and silver spoon-fed life, she takes refuge at Amy's house without the parents knowledge, and things start to dramatically happen between the two girls and a certain young man named Ryder Cross.
Ryder is the new boy in school and pretty much everyone hates him. Mostly because as soon as he showed up, he's been pretty vocal about his distaste for Hamilton. Not how you make friends, Ryder. But with modern technology and the fact that Sonny is actually huge liar, things start to get a bit complicated.
Although I did really enjoy this story, the thing that bothered me was the main character, Sonny (real name Sonya). I know she has to make bad decisions for this to be decent sized book, and yes the decisions were annoying and not even necessary, it was also just her. So much of the things that happened in the book, like hurt and heartache, could have been easily avoided had she been, well, honest. I know this book is called 'Lying Out Loud' but there's lying and then there's being a bit of a bitch. I found her to be quite dismissive of her best friends feelings,, and the fact that they'd been friends for so long that they were practically family, she could't even tell how she was treating her. Amy has done a lot for her and let Sonny get away with so much stuff. Disappointing behavior at times, Sonny. It was painfully obvious, too, that she was upsetting Amy and I found it annoying that she was so oblivious to it. Not only that, but every lie she told were all for herself. It all benefited her, which was quite selfish.
Kody is good at character development though, so I was pleased that I didn't dislike Sonny as much as I had at the start, as she became more grown up and knowledgeable of other people's feelings. It was worth all of that to see her finally appreciate the things she had and the people around her.
But although things did look up, the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking, but that might be just me being greedy and wanting a laundry list-type ending. Who doesn't? I am a sucker for epilogues. Cheesy one's. No shame!
Anyway, getting the negatives out the way, everything else about this book was wonderful! Ryder was a great new character; kind hearted, fiery and intelligent. The word 'hipster' was mentioned a few times, which is always fun, and his banter with Sonny is really cute to read. They had good chemistry.
It's also interesting to see Amy Rush in more detail, as in the first book, we only got a short glimpse of her. She's still the shy, smart and pretty girl as she was before, but we get more insight to her life and her relationships with her family and friends. Nice to see her coming out of her shell a bit more, too.
And speaking of family...
Yes.
Yes.
You guessed it, and you saw this one coming - Wesley Rush is in this book. Wesley. Rush.
Hot damn! I missed you, my darling Wesley.
I got very excited seeing his name on the page. It was bloody fantastic to see my bb again, and he's still his charming and handsome self, but with a little difference. Bianca was with him! Yay! It was goo to see her again too. They're still together and going strong, still cute and very much in love. My heart exploded with joy! He gives the characters in the book some great insight, some advice and heartwarming support during some tough times, and his character is very much needed and well inserted into the story. I feel like the first book aswell as his time away in college really changed him but for the good. He has an even bigger heart and he seems to have developed into a lovely young man. And I now sound old saying this, so I'll just..continue..
Thank you for giving us more Wesley, Kody!
A good continuation from The DUFF, fans of the first book won't be disappointed with this, and it's a book you could gobble down in one go. Funny, heartwarming, emotional and , quite honestly, a bloody good read. I'd highly recommend this if you enjoy these kind of books.
kellijean83's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good, cute read that was a little deep at times. It made me laugh, it made me cry and I fell in love with the characters.
johavandyk's review against another edition
3.0
I respect that ending.
Also how many times am I gonna read about abandoned children
Also how many times am I gonna read about abandoned children
booksbel's review against another edition
3.0
My copy was provided by NetGalley
What can I Say? This book was definitely a fun and quick read with a lot of Family and friendship Dynamic.
LOL is about Sonny, a girl who is constantly lying. She is best friends with Amy Rush (yes, Rush as in Wesley Rush!!!!) since forever and whereas Amy was always the shy one, Sonny played the active Part in their friendship and stood up for her. Then suddenly, Sonny get 'kicked out' by her mom, loses her Job and makes a mistake concerning the new-Kid Ryder who she thought would hate.
I must Say That Sonny was a quite interesting character... She definitely has her good sides, especially her fierceness, but most of the Time she was quite annoying... She constantly lies and acts egoistic, also she doesn't want to accept the reality which is actually pretty Self-destructive...
What I really liked was the ending, because there you could see her character development and some reasons for her behavoir were explained.
Sonny's best friend Amy was actually a real pearl. First, she is Wesley Rush's Sister (and therefore there a some really Great Family Rush plus Bianca Moments) and secondly she is a really helpful, amazing friend. She lets Sonny live with her and always helps her with her plans. Plus, her Family is incredible (they are almost too nice to bei true). Just like Sonny, Amy really changed throughout the story and becomes even more greater.
Lastly, I want to Say something to Ryder who was Kind of the Main Male character. Ryder is a Snob-hipster-Kid that Movies from DC to Hamilton and is very unfriendly with everyone. Later in the Book You get to know him better and I Must say he is quite cool but some aspects about him (especially those that Sonny Talks about near the end of Book) are also quite annoying, I even now Not knie of I liked him or Not.
Eventually, LOL is a fun and entertaining Book primarily about friendship and Great cameos from othe Kody Keplinger novels (Even if I have only read The DUFF), but nothing more.
What can I Say? This book was definitely a fun and quick read with a lot of Family and friendship Dynamic.
LOL is about Sonny, a girl who is constantly lying. She is best friends with Amy Rush (yes, Rush as in Wesley Rush!!!!) since forever and whereas Amy was always the shy one, Sonny played the active Part in their friendship and stood up for her. Then suddenly, Sonny get 'kicked out' by her mom, loses her Job and makes a mistake concerning the new-Kid Ryder who she thought would hate.
I must Say That Sonny was a quite interesting character... She definitely has her good sides, especially her fierceness, but most of the Time she was quite annoying... She constantly lies and acts egoistic, also she doesn't want to accept the reality which is actually pretty Self-destructive...
What I really liked was the ending, because there you could see her character development and some reasons for her behavoir were explained.
Sonny's best friend Amy was actually a real pearl. First, she is Wesley Rush's Sister (and therefore there a some really Great Family Rush plus Bianca Moments) and secondly she is a really helpful, amazing friend. She lets Sonny live with her and always helps her with her plans. Plus, her Family is incredible (they are almost too nice to bei true). Just like Sonny, Amy really changed throughout the story and becomes even more greater.
Lastly, I want to Say something to Ryder who was Kind of the Main Male character. Ryder is a Snob-hipster-Kid that Movies from DC to Hamilton and is very unfriendly with everyone. Later in the Book You get to know him better and I Must say he is quite cool but some aspects about him (especially those that Sonny Talks about near the end of Book) are also quite annoying, I even now Not knie of I liked him or Not.
Eventually, LOL is a fun and entertaining Book primarily about friendship and Great cameos from othe Kody Keplinger novels (Even if I have only read The DUFF), but nothing more.
theloveofinches's review against another edition
4.0
I just really like Kody Keplinger. I feel like a better, cooler version of my high school self while reading her books, and it's a fun feeling.
ellieroth's review against another edition
5.0
libros que te recuerdan demasiado tu realidad, oye :v
Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
Voy a confesar que no le tenía mucha esperanza a Lying Out Loud, cuando se empezó a promocionar como parte de la serie The Duff pensé que Kody explotaría sus personajes ya conocidos. Pero no, Lying Out Loud se desarrolla al igual que sus otros libros que no tuvieron la publicidad de "parte de The Duff". Si has leído todos sus libros, sabrás que se desarrollan en el mismo escenario y aunque aparecen los personajes de los otros libros, solo lo hacen para dejarnos saber que están vivos.
CatFishing. Nunca entendí la expresión, porque en lo que pienso cuando alguien menciona esa palabra es a un gato sacando peces de una pecera y comérselos. Pero, lo que quiere decir la frase según urbandicitionary es que es coquetear con alguien online haciéndoles creer que tú eres otra persona. O sea, básicamente lo que hago con el blog jajaja Por algo la frase tiene gato en ella. Lying Out Loud es una especie de catfishing no intencionado, o un Cyrano de Bergerac a la inversa.
Esta vez la escritora no me hizo sentir incómoda. Sus libros tienden a ser un poquito agresivos en cuanto al sexo. No digo que los libros juveniles no deban tener sexo, no, eso sería absurdo, solo que si has leído Shut Out, se me hizo un poco demasiado exagerado y siendo ese casi el último libro que leí de Kody Keplinger, pensé que este sería mucho más explícito. Felizmente, para mí, no.
LOL (LYING OUT LOUD)
Esta historia me encantó, mi favorito de todos los libros de Kody hasta ahora.
Más que una historia de romance, es una historia de amistad entre Sonny y Amy. Es tan bonito porque antes que cualquier romance sin garantía, la amistad de estas dos chicas es lo más importante para ella, aunque haya tenido algunos resbalones por aquí y por allá. Amy es un personaje que tiende a caerme mal, pero Kody escribió la escribió tan bien, que no pude más que sentirme dolida cuando Sonny tiene que mentirle. Amy en el libro no tiene un gran protagonismo, pero se las arregla para aprender de ciertos errores que había estado permitiendo. Es cierto que puedes aprender de los errores de los demás también.
Me gustan muchos los romances que se desarrollan mediante cartas, email, mensajes de texto. Hay un lazo bastante psicológico en tratar a alguien mediante medio escrito en lugar de cara a cara. No sé si te ha pasado, pero hay personas que me agradan demasiado tan solo por su manera de escribir. El saber escoger las palabras es importante.
SONNY
La adoro. Es un personaje tan bien estructurado, me desesperó un poquito durante dos capítulos, pero fue mínimo. No es un personaje perfecto, como todos los personajes de Kody, pero tiene una personalidad tan magnética. Incluso el hipster snob de Ryder pudo resistirse. Sonny es sarcástica, divertida, no es realista pero trata de llevarlo lo mejor que puede. La con demasiada esperanza es Amy, en una manera adorable. Son un buen par estas dos chicas.
GUIÑOS A THE DUFF: LA PELÍCULA
Seh, hay una escena en Lying Out Loud que no entendí. Amy y Sonny van al centro comercial y se encuentran supuestamente con una ex-novia de Wesley, el problema es que no la recordaba, me tuvo pensando un buen rato. Y para colmo no vi la película por lo que no pude vincularlo. Hasta que leí un artículo donde me explicaban que esa escena era una manera de conectar la película del libro con el universo The Duff.
Solo que si como yo, no has visto la película, vas a terminar completamente confundido por unos minutos.
***
Lying Out Loud me ha encantado, me recordó muchas cosas en las que trato de no pensar jajaja y aún así me gustó bastante. Aunque quizá para algunos pueda tener un final demasiado abierto, a mí me pareció perfecto.
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Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
Voy a confesar que no le tenía mucha esperanza a Lying Out Loud, cuando se empezó a promocionar como parte de la serie The Duff pensé que Kody explotaría sus personajes ya conocidos. Pero no, Lying Out Loud se desarrolla al igual que sus otros libros que no tuvieron la publicidad de "parte de The Duff". Si has leído todos sus libros, sabrás que se desarrollan en el mismo escenario y aunque aparecen los personajes de los otros libros, solo lo hacen para dejarnos saber que están vivos.
CatFishing. Nunca entendí la expresión, porque en lo que pienso cuando alguien menciona esa palabra es a un gato sacando peces de una pecera y comérselos. Pero, lo que quiere decir la frase según urbandicitionary es que es coquetear con alguien online haciéndoles creer que tú eres otra persona. O sea, básicamente lo que hago con el blog jajaja Por algo la frase tiene gato en ella. Lying Out Loud es una especie de catfishing no intencionado, o un Cyrano de Bergerac a la inversa.
Esta vez la escritora no me hizo sentir incómoda. Sus libros tienden a ser un poquito agresivos en cuanto al sexo. No digo que los libros juveniles no deban tener sexo, no, eso sería absurdo, solo que si has leído Shut Out, se me hizo un poco demasiado exagerado y siendo ese casi el último libro que leí de Kody Keplinger, pensé que este sería mucho más explícito. Felizmente, para mí, no.
LOL (LYING OUT LOUD)
Esta historia me encantó, mi favorito de todos los libros de Kody hasta ahora.
Más que una historia de romance, es una historia de amistad entre Sonny y Amy. Es tan bonito porque antes que cualquier romance sin garantía, la amistad de estas dos chicas es lo más importante para ella, aunque haya tenido algunos resbalones por aquí y por allá. Amy es un personaje que tiende a caerme mal, pero Kody escribió la escribió tan bien, que no pude más que sentirme dolida cuando Sonny tiene que mentirle. Amy en el libro no tiene un gran protagonismo, pero se las arregla para aprender de ciertos errores que había estado permitiendo. Es cierto que puedes aprender de los errores de los demás también.
Me gustan muchos los romances que se desarrollan mediante cartas, email, mensajes de texto. Hay un lazo bastante psicológico en tratar a alguien mediante medio escrito en lugar de cara a cara. No sé si te ha pasado, pero hay personas que me agradan demasiado tan solo por su manera de escribir. El saber escoger las palabras es importante.
SONNY
La adoro. Es un personaje tan bien estructurado, me desesperó un poquito durante dos capítulos, pero fue mínimo. No es un personaje perfecto, como todos los personajes de Kody, pero tiene una personalidad tan magnética. Incluso el hipster snob de Ryder pudo resistirse. Sonny es sarcástica, divertida, no es realista pero trata de llevarlo lo mejor que puede. La con demasiada esperanza es Amy, en una manera adorable. Son un buen par estas dos chicas.
GUIÑOS A THE DUFF: LA PELÍCULA
Seh, hay una escena en Lying Out Loud que no entendí. Amy y Sonny van al centro comercial y se encuentran supuestamente con una ex-novia de Wesley, el problema es que no la recordaba, me tuvo pensando un buen rato. Y para colmo no vi la película por lo que no pude vincularlo. Hasta que leí un artículo donde me explicaban que esa escena era una manera de conectar la película del libro con el universo The Duff.
Solo que si como yo, no has visto la película, vas a terminar completamente confundido por unos minutos.
***
Lying Out Loud me ha encantado, me recordó muchas cosas en las que trato de no pensar jajaja y aún así me gustó bastante. Aunque quizá para algunos pueda tener un final demasiado abierto, a mí me pareció perfecto.
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krista692's review
5.0
It was good. I liked the appearance of characters from The Duff. It was a quick read and I couldn't put it down!
zaheerah's review against another edition
2.0
~ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~
I really enjoyed this at the beginning, the narrative was light and witty making it entertaining to read. Unfortunately, it started to go so downhill once the love interest - a crappy, pretentious guy who doesn't like her- comes in.
I really enjoyed this at the beginning, the narrative was light and witty making it entertaining to read. Unfortunately, it started to go so downhill once the love interest - a crappy, pretentious guy who doesn't like her- comes in.