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freadomlibrary's review
4.0
I received an e-ARC of this book from Delacorte Press and Random House Children’s via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was a really predictable. Most of the time I don’t mind when there’s a bit of predictability in my stories, especially when it somehow still catches me by surprise, but this book was like a giant cliche. The pace was slow and it had the general plot points of drama, mystery and secrets. There’s a lot of miscommunication but in the end, everything gets wrapped up in a little bow.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
It was very simple and straight forward. Nothing to write home about. It was a bit wordy and would sometimes get sidetracked, there would be something talked about and in the same paragraph something completely different would be mentioned. It had the tendency to be a little young but overall it was easy to read.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
I have to say that this is where the story both made it and broke it for me. Liza, the main character, was so annoying. She spent the whole book under the pretense of helping her band members but really she was just thinking about herself. Along with being self-centered, she was rude and incredibly bossy. She was a nervous wreck and really disturbing to read about. Obviously I didn’t like her at all. But this is where things get tricky. Huck, her best friend, is amazing, way too good for her to be honest. He’s playful, funny, honest, open and strong. I would’ve much preferred to have him be the narrator. Then we have Demi, who is your basic mean girl and the enemy of our main character. She’s snobby and stuck up. Everything about this book is cliche.
Emotionally
The plot was predictable. We follow our main character who in an attempt to save her band from cuts signs them up for a talent competition on a cruise. This is then immersed with an old rivalry, an childhood friend , a mysterious admirer and a random old lady. Like I said above, it was all just very cliche. All the old tricks in the book were used. From how the competition would turn out, to who the admirer was, everything was just way too obvious for me. There was no point where I felt surprised by the outcome or impressed with what happened. Most of it was easy to guess. There was no originality involved. But it wasn’t bad. It was just an average contemporary romance. There was no extra shine to it, nothing outstanding, just regular.
Liza was incredibly annoying. I could not stand her. She had this false sense of guidance. She spent the whole time saying that she was worried about her band and that she had to save them but she was just worried about herself. She didn’t want to be alone and have no where to fit in and she took it to this whole other unnecessary level. It was all about her and what she wanted. I did not like her at all. She was bossy and rude to the people that were supposed to be her friends and by the time she realized how awful she’d been, everyone just forgave her super fast. I was not happy.
The only reason this is four stars at all is because of the side characters. I feel like that characters that made up the band were stellar and they should’ve had a more central part in the story. They were unique, interesting and just really nice and genuine type of people. They were very good friends to a girl I feel didn’t deserve it at all and I just wish they could’ve shined a little more.
The rest of the characters all annoyed me in a specific way. Lenny was just a plain old asshole. Demi, the arch nemesis, was really stereotypical and had nothing new about her. Rush was really lackluster. He was sweet and nice but there wasn’t anything that stood out to me about his personality.
I wish I could’ve liked this better but it just wasn’t for me.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was a really predictable. Most of the time I don’t mind when there’s a bit of predictability in my stories, especially when it somehow still catches me by surprise, but this book was like a giant cliche. The pace was slow and it had the general plot points of drama, mystery and secrets. There’s a lot of miscommunication but in the end, everything gets wrapped up in a little bow.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
It was very simple and straight forward. Nothing to write home about. It was a bit wordy and would sometimes get sidetracked, there would be something talked about and in the same paragraph something completely different would be mentioned. It had the tendency to be a little young but overall it was easy to read.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
I have to say that this is where the story both made it and broke it for me. Liza, the main character, was so annoying. She spent the whole book under the pretense of helping her band members but really she was just thinking about herself. Along with being self-centered, she was rude and incredibly bossy. She was a nervous wreck and really disturbing to read about. Obviously I didn’t like her at all. But this is where things get tricky. Huck, her best friend, is amazing, way too good for her to be honest. He’s playful, funny, honest, open and strong. I would’ve much preferred to have him be the narrator. Then we have Demi, who is your basic mean girl and the enemy of our main character. She’s snobby and stuck up. Everything about this book is cliche.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed by this book. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t blown away by it. Honestly, I’ve read better.The plot was predictable. We follow our main character who in an attempt to save her band from cuts signs them up for a talent competition on a cruise. This is then immersed with an old rivalry, an childhood friend , a mysterious admirer and a random old lady. Like I said above, it was all just very cliche. All the old tricks in the book were used. From how the competition would turn out, to who the admirer was, everything was just way too obvious for me. There was no point where I felt surprised by the outcome or impressed with what happened. Most of it was easy to guess. There was no originality involved. But it wasn’t bad. It was just an average contemporary romance. There was no extra shine to it, nothing outstanding, just regular.
Liza was incredibly annoying. I could not stand her. She had this false sense of guidance. She spent the whole time saying that she was worried about her band and that she had to save them but she was just worried about herself. She didn’t want to be alone and have no where to fit in and she took it to this whole other unnecessary level. It was all about her and what she wanted. I did not like her at all. She was bossy and rude to the people that were supposed to be her friends and by the time she realized how awful she’d been, everyone just forgave her super fast. I was not happy.
The only reason this is four stars at all is because of the side characters. I feel like that characters that made up the band were stellar and they should’ve had a more central part in the story. They were unique, interesting and just really nice and genuine type of people. They were very good friends to a girl I feel didn’t deserve it at all and I just wish they could’ve shined a little more.
The rest of the characters all annoyed me in a specific way. Lenny was just a plain old asshole. Demi, the arch nemesis, was really stereotypical and had nothing new about her. Rush was really lackluster. He was sweet and nice but there wasn’t anything that stood out to me about his personality.
I wish I could’ve liked this better but it just wasn’t for me.
caitlinxreads's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this one in one sitting. I don't normally do that. Also, I yelled, gasped, and squealed aloud while reading it. I do normally do that. This was such a great reading experience. It was such a cute, fluffy read that was perfect for a relaxing snow day. Plus reading about the beaches down south, the sun, and a cruise with hot guys, uhm yes!
In case it isn't obvious, I really enjoyed this one.
In case it isn't obvious, I really enjoyed this one.
imys's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this one. Although the main character can be a bit clueless at times, I found myself laughing most of the time. Also, this book has some life lessons, which is a plus. Highly entertaining and moving read.
ennitsud's review against another edition
4.0
lauren morrill just has a way with words. her stories are so sweet, so simple—like a nice breath of fresh air. there’s nothing too dramatic or too serious and her stories are so easy to read! and this one is no different.
i admit the romance wasn’t as up to par as i hoped but it was still very cute. i knew sooner than i expected who liza was supposed to be with and he was absolutely adorable, even if liza was pretty clueless a majority of the book. the problems weren’t too big, which matched the simple solutions.
overall, simple, sweet, and *insert me trying for alliteration* satisfying :-))
i admit the romance wasn’t as up to par as i hoped but it was still very cute. i knew sooner than i expected who liza was supposed to be with and he was absolutely adorable, even if liza was pretty clueless a majority of the book. the problems weren’t too big, which matched the simple solutions.
overall, simple, sweet, and *insert me trying for alliteration* satisfying :-))
pantsreads's review against another edition
3.0
kpeet's review
3.0
**I received my copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Right off the bat I want to say that I've read some other reviews, and I don't 100% agree with their conclusions. I thought this certainly had cheesy or predictable moments, but it wasn't like that made up the entire book, and really, think of the genre. These are cute, fluffy books about teenagers - they're meant to be light-hearted. They aren't psychological thrillers or high fantasy with crazy plot twists or complex characters.
That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't go into it expecting a lot because of some of the reviews and my previous history with contemporary romance. I found that I enjoyed the plot (despite a clear lack of the actual competition part - let's be honest this is a romance), MC, best friend, two love interests, and "villain."
I thought that she would fall in love with the other guy first, just based on how he was set up, then switch. To my surprise it occurred the other way around, which was good because I think it's easy to set-up people as sensitive, artsy guy or the dumb, hot jock and have her end up with the sensitive guy. While I could see it coming once I made it to ~30%, before that I completely believed the opposite.
Some of the characters were quite flat, but like I said, think about what kind of book you're reading. These characters are here simply as a means to an end. I don't believe what happened with Liza and Demi at the end. Being someone who has experienced the same type of situation, things aren't just resolved that easily after all that time, so that rang hollow for me.
Something that other reviews mentioned was somewhat juvenile dialogue or relationships. I have to say I agree with this. These people are all supposed to be 15-18 and some of the things they say or the way they react to subjects is just unbelievable. Sure they're all in high school, but this read like it was written towards more like 13 year olds with hints of sexual activity like it's a taboo topic and can't be outright mentioned. Let's be honest, 13 year olds are having sex, they know about it, and they can handle reading about it.
Overall a quick, easy read. I recommend it as a beach read.
Right off the bat I want to say that I've read some other reviews, and I don't 100% agree with their conclusions. I thought this certainly had cheesy or predictable moments, but it wasn't like that made up the entire book, and really, think of the genre. These are cute, fluffy books about teenagers - they're meant to be light-hearted. They aren't psychological thrillers or high fantasy with crazy plot twists or complex characters.
That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't go into it expecting a lot because of some of the reviews and my previous history with contemporary romance. I found that I enjoyed the plot (despite a clear lack of the actual competition part - let's be honest this is a romance), MC, best friend, two love interests, and "villain."
I thought that she would fall in love with the other guy first, just based on how he was set up, then switch. To my surprise it occurred the other way around, which was good because I think it's easy to set-up people as sensitive, artsy guy or the dumb, hot jock and have her end up with the sensitive guy. While I could see it coming once I made it to ~30%, before that I completely believed the opposite.
Some of the characters were quite flat, but like I said, think about what kind of book you're reading. These characters are here simply as a means to an end. I don't believe what happened with Liza and Demi at the end. Being someone who has experienced the same type of situation, things aren't just resolved that easily after all that time, so that rang hollow for me.
Something that other reviews mentioned was somewhat juvenile dialogue or relationships. I have to say I agree with this. These people are all supposed to be 15-18 and some of the things they say or the way they react to subjects is just unbelievable. Sure they're all in high school, but this read like it was written towards more like 13 year olds with hints of sexual activity like it's a taboo topic and can't be outright mentioned. Let's be honest, 13 year olds are having sex, they know about it, and they can handle reading about it.
Overall a quick, easy read. I recommend it as a beach read.
aneeqah's review against another edition
2.0
Ughhhh.
This is one of those YA books that makes me cringe. Riddled with stereotypical characters, and just... ugh. No.
This is one of those YA books that makes me cringe. Riddled with stereotypical characters, and just... ugh. No.
sidneyellwood's review against another edition
2.0
This is very, very stereotypical high school, and nothing I haven't seen before. The love shitshow was really annoying, all the characters don't really have much depth. And it was VERY stereotypical - all of it.