Reviews

Hamilton High: Lying Out Loud: A companion novel to The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

krista692's review

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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

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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.

cygnetcommittee's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5-4.0 stars
I didn't like it as much as I loved the DUFF, but it was still really good. It isn't really a companion novel to the DUFF though. I had high hopes for this book, seeing as it was the companion novel to the DUFF and Kody promised us major appearances from both Wesley & Bianca. Yeah, where the dipshit are they? They get mentioned a few times and even appear like, at the ending but that's about it.

Sonny was a very weird lady, I mean I didn't hate her or anything but she came across as a total wannabe, sorry Kody, but that's so annoying.

Amy wasn't very interesting, I mean, who on earth can be this nice? My theory is that she secretly has voodoo dolls hidden in her closet and sticks pins in them at least once a week, but that's my theory.

Ryder, yeah, let's just say I'm not a big fan of Ryder's, I mean, comparing him to Wesley, which I totally shouldn't do, but still do, he's so lame. He's like Toby Tucker lame. You get the idea, right?

The plotline was okay, it wasn't very strong and did get a little frustrating at times, but it wasn't bad or anything, it just didn't get close to the DUFF.

The background stories were a little predictable at times, well, except for Sonya's though, I at one point thought her mother was dead. ( THAT WAS NOT A SPOILER< CHILL YOUR TITS FOLKS! )

Can we all just be silent for a minute, cuz Amy has like the best parents ever, I mean they are so incredibly nice!

And the scene with the stocking, I had this huge grin plastered on my face, one of my friends even asked me if I was doing okay.

That part was so sweet and omfg, it was so sweet and it really shows family love.

Wesley sort of still turned this book into something good, if he hadn't appeared, I would've given this book 2,5 stars.

emmaghanem's review against another edition

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3.0

Obviously since this book is by Kody Keplinger, it was really good/addicting. However, it followed the teen drama trope a little too closely. Not only that, but I found Sonny as a protagonist to be quite unlikeable which made the novel less enjoyable. I understand the circumstances that brought Sonny to be that way, but I just found myself being constantly irritated with her and her decisions. I didn't sympathize with her. I found myself rolling my eyes often.
Also what the fuck kind of ending was that. I think it was kind of a cop out. And I'm quite upset with it. Because there isn't really enough of the story left to make a sequel, unless she stretches some things out. So we'll never know what Ryder was going to say. It's like Eleanor and Park all over again.

maeyuka's review against another edition

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4.0

WHY WOULD YOU END THE BOOK LIKE THIS?! Ah, dang it, I want to know how it goes from there wah.

jhahn's review against another edition

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4.0

Read it in three days. That is a good sign.

lara4eva's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was fab just as good as 'the duff' if not better. I will now move onto reading my next Kody Keplinger book.

The book kept me gripped from the very first chapter. To anyone reading about the book it may seem like a cliche high school teen book however I found it had a twist that made it so much more interesting. Im 27 but Kody Keplinger is my new favorite Author :)

belliz4's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars.

clarynathanwill's review against another edition

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4.0

I read this so incredibly fast. I'm a sucker for a Kody Keplinger book and this was just wonderful.
First off seeing Wesley, Bianca, Whitley, Nathan, Lissa, and Cash again. Way too many feels. I also loved the new cast of characters.
Not as good as The Duff. I'm pretty sure that will always be my favourite. But I will always enjoy another story from Hamilton High.

lauroberge's review against another edition

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4.0

OOOOOOOH I ACTUALLY LOVED THIS! I've been meaning to read this for a long time, but I never got around to it. I'm glad I finally did!

As someone who values authenticity and honesty, I knew this book could be something I either love or despise. I was seriously hoping that I wouldn't read about a shallow character who never improves, but I knew from The Duff that Kody Keplinger is great with character development, which is why I went into this book not too scared. I didn't really understand Sonny's lying habit at first, which annoyed me, but this book was so addicting that it didn't even matter to me. I'm glad that this whole crazy thing about pretending to be Amy when she's talking to Ryder online started out as an honest mistake, because I don't think I could've taken it if it had just been out if jealousy or a joke.

I loved Sonny and Ryder's banter. Their chemistry is evident and I loved seeing them realize they had been wrong about the other person. They're both interesting characters with an interesting (to say the least) relationship and I can see why they want to be together, unlike some YA novels. They both help each other out and it makes a major improvement on their lives. Since I loved their relationship so much, I found it hard to continue reading at some point, because I had no idea how it could end well and I was kind of terrified.

I broke down when I learned Sonny's story. I knew something huge must have happened to her to make her want to lie so much, but I never really knew what to expect. Her dad being in prison was already something big, but I didn't expect to be so affected by her story. I cried and cried and cried, but I think this part of the story might have been my favourite. I couldn't stop reading and I loved how Amy and Sonny tried to save their friendship. I had hated how Sonny had been treating her best friend, but I know for a fact that it made both of them grow up a lot and I loved them even more at the end of the story.

In this book, you won't find a perfect, lovable character with an amazing life, but sometimes, it's even better that way.