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3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
I was so excited and surprise when I open my mailbox and found this ARC copy in it!! I was totally not expecting it!! But I was really bombed out that I couldn't write a review for them sooner...
For some reason I had some trouble getting through it…
It kinda sucked, because I’m one of those people that can’t just leave a book mid-way… if I star reading something I HAVE to finish it… I can’t stand not knowing the ending.
I wanted to like this book so much, and I had high hopes for it… but unfortunately I’d have to say it wasn’t one of the best books I’ve read. Though I really truly loved [b:Wherever Nina Lies|4333469|Wherever Nina Lies|Lynn Weingarten|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1265327771s/4333469.jpg|4381337] Which is also by Lynn Weingarten...
Although I didn’t love this book much, I did like Lucy the main character. I liked the way Lynn Weingarten wrote her maturing and growing as a character. I found Lucy a little too naïve at the beginning but when you get through the book you see her growing and finding herself.
I think the problem with this book was that I found the writing was a little too slow for my liking; and I felt the writing a little out of the YA department. The idea of the book was fantastic… when I red the synopsis I was excited because I hadn’t read anything like it...
But I don't think I'd read this book again...
For some reason I had some trouble getting through it…
It kinda sucked, because I’m one of those people that can’t just leave a book mid-way… if I star reading something I HAVE to finish it… I can’t stand not knowing the ending.
I wanted to like this book so much, and I had high hopes for it… but unfortunately I’d have to say it wasn’t one of the best books I’ve read. Though I really truly loved [b:Wherever Nina Lies|4333469|Wherever Nina Lies|Lynn Weingarten|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1265327771s/4333469.jpg|4381337] Which is also by Lynn Weingarten...
Although I didn’t love this book much, I did like Lucy the main character. I liked the way Lynn Weingarten wrote her maturing and growing as a character. I found Lucy a little too naïve at the beginning but when you get through the book you see her growing and finding herself.
I think the problem with this book was that I found the writing was a little too slow for my liking; and I felt the writing a little out of the YA department. The idea of the book was fantastic… when I red the synopsis I was excited because I hadn’t read anything like it...
But I don't think I'd read this book again...
There was so much I did not like about this book. The magic was very out of place and felt forced. And the whole concept of this Magical Heartbreaking Club is weird and I did not like it. It seems ridiculous to think that these girls got their hearts so broken (some by guys that they weren't dating, just were in love with from afar) that they were like "NOPE EFF IT LET'S BREAK EVERYONE'S HEARTS SO THEY KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE". What a ridiculous concept. When you get your heart broken you typically don't want to hurt someone that way so you do everything you can to protect the next person you are with from ever feeling that way.
The trio was ridiculous. They are ridiculously hot girls because they use magic to break boy's hearts and oh yeah now that they have vowed to never love again they are just super awesome at everything. I rolled my eyes while typing that out. The parties that they host and go to are ridiculously extravagant and the fact that Olivia just happens to own a house and no one questions it is probably the largest part of the "fantasy" aspect of this novel.
And the ending. Like the whole book was "Tristan doesn't fall in love" so like let's just keep it that way. And if the next book is like, oh now Tristan is in love with someone, I might actually stab my eyes out.
Overall: 1.5/5 stars but rounded up to 2 for the star counter. Honestly, I only finished reading this because I was at work and had nothing else to do. Not really worth the read.
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
The trio was ridiculous. They are ridiculously hot girls because they use magic to break boy's hearts and oh yeah now that they have vowed to never love again they are just super awesome at everything. I rolled my eyes while typing that out. The parties that they host and go to are ridiculously extravagant and the fact that Olivia just happens to own a house and no one questions it is probably the largest part of the "fantasy" aspect of this novel.
And the ending. Like the whole book was "Tristan doesn't fall in love" so like let's just keep it that way. And if the next book is like, oh now Tristan is in love with someone, I might actually stab my eyes out.
Overall: 1.5/5 stars but rounded up to 2 for the star counter. Honestly, I only finished reading this because I was at work and had nothing else to do. Not really worth the read.
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
This was pretty cute, cute premise, cute characters, etc.
The writing slowly becomes less whimsical the further into the story we get, but it still maintains an almost quirky little feel about it. Like a less obvious Pushing Daisies or Jane the Virgin style narration when you start, and a lot more "simple" throughout.
The writing slowly becomes less whimsical the further into the story we get, but it still maintains an almost quirky little feel about it. Like a less obvious Pushing Daisies or Jane the Virgin style narration when you start, and a lot more "simple" throughout.
"In the beginning, there was Lucy Wrenn, standing all alone out in front of her school on the first day of sophomore year, with a seductive little message written on her stomach in Sharpie marker."
But it turns out what Lucy saw at the beginning of something much more is actually the end of everything when her boyfriend breaks up with her. Right there. On the first day of school. Even after seeing the message on her stomach.
Lucy doesn't understand how Alex can suddenly stop loving her this way. She knows her feelings haven't changed even if her heart is now broken in painful, sad, pieces. She knows she needs to get him back. Even if that seems an impossible feat there in the beginning on that first day.
By the second day, Lucy has a plan. Recruited by three mysterious, beautiful girls at school, Lucy has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Lucy can make a guy fall in love with her and break his heart in the next week, Lucy can become one of them; a part of their secret sisterhood of heartbreakers.
Suddenly Lucy's chances of winning back her boyfriend are looking up. The girls offer to help Lucy find the right way to win and break a heart with their own special brand of advice and a little something extra--a little something magical. With that little bit of magic, Lucy won't need to break a heart at all. She can just win back her boyfriend and have things go back to normal.
The only problem is that nothing about becoming a heartbreaker is normal. Or easy. Some of it isn't even very nice.
In the beginning Lucy Wrenn had her heart broken. By the end, Lucy Wrenn might not have a broken heart but she also might not recognize herself in The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers (2011) by Lynn Weingarten.
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers is Weingarten's second novel. It is also her first fantasy.
From the very first page, Weingarten creates a compelling narrative voice for the novel with a tone commonly found in fairy tales or folk stories. The prose aptly captures the strange blend of magic and mischief Lucy encounters as she delves into the world of the Heartbreakers.
Despite the pitch perfect voice, some moments in the novel stand out as too crude, too modern, or simply too mean. Breaking hearts is a messy business and leads to some tough decisions for Lucy and some heartless behavior from all of the characters.
While The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers is light on the fantasy in some respects (the actual "magic" of being a Heartbreaker comes up more in the second half of the story), this story remains an interesting commentary on what new relationships look like as well as what it really takes to get a guy while staying true to yourself.
Lucy's transformation throughout the story is handled well and extremely interesting. Though the story is fully resolved many questions about the Heartbreakers' purpose, the arc of the story, and Lucy herself are left unanswered. With so much world building and setup, readers are definitely left hoping for a sequel to see what becomes of Lucy and her new friends.
Possible Pairings: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman, The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith , Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
But it turns out what Lucy saw at the beginning of something much more is actually the end of everything when her boyfriend breaks up with her. Right there. On the first day of school. Even after seeing the message on her stomach.
Lucy doesn't understand how Alex can suddenly stop loving her this way. She knows her feelings haven't changed even if her heart is now broken in painful, sad, pieces. She knows she needs to get him back. Even if that seems an impossible feat there in the beginning on that first day.
By the second day, Lucy has a plan. Recruited by three mysterious, beautiful girls at school, Lucy has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Lucy can make a guy fall in love with her and break his heart in the next week, Lucy can become one of them; a part of their secret sisterhood of heartbreakers.
Suddenly Lucy's chances of winning back her boyfriend are looking up. The girls offer to help Lucy find the right way to win and break a heart with their own special brand of advice and a little something extra--a little something magical. With that little bit of magic, Lucy won't need to break a heart at all. She can just win back her boyfriend and have things go back to normal.
The only problem is that nothing about becoming a heartbreaker is normal. Or easy. Some of it isn't even very nice.
In the beginning Lucy Wrenn had her heart broken. By the end, Lucy Wrenn might not have a broken heart but she also might not recognize herself in The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers (2011) by Lynn Weingarten.
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers is Weingarten's second novel. It is also her first fantasy.
From the very first page, Weingarten creates a compelling narrative voice for the novel with a tone commonly found in fairy tales or folk stories. The prose aptly captures the strange blend of magic and mischief Lucy encounters as she delves into the world of the Heartbreakers.
Despite the pitch perfect voice, some moments in the novel stand out as too crude, too modern, or simply too mean. Breaking hearts is a messy business and leads to some tough decisions for Lucy and some heartless behavior from all of the characters.
While The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers is light on the fantasy in some respects (the actual "magic" of being a Heartbreaker comes up more in the second half of the story), this story remains an interesting commentary on what new relationships look like as well as what it really takes to get a guy while staying true to yourself.
Lucy's transformation throughout the story is handled well and extremely interesting. Though the story is fully resolved many questions about the Heartbreakers' purpose, the arc of the story, and Lucy herself are left unanswered. With so much world building and setup, readers are definitely left hoping for a sequel to see what becomes of Lucy and her new friends.
Possible Pairings: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman, The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith , Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
2.5 stars
I'm not going to lie, I skimmed the second half of this novel. I wasn't really into it at all at the beginning, and it just seemed really weird to me. Not my kind of book. But I finished it and my initial feelings were kind of right. This wasn't the story I was expecting, but that's okay. I think other people might like this book a lot more than I did.
I was thinking this was more of a "get the guy back" love story. It was more about the secret sisterhood, which.. DUH. By the title I should have known this. But that's okay. It was a strange group of girls for high school, so maybe that's why I didn't feel it that much. Either way, it wasn't terrible. Just not my type of book.
I'm not going to lie, I skimmed the second half of this novel. I wasn't really into it at all at the beginning, and it just seemed really weird to me. Not my kind of book. But I finished it and my initial feelings were kind of right. This wasn't the story I was expecting, but that's okay. I think other people might like this book a lot more than I did.
I was thinking this was more of a "get the guy back" love story. It was more about the secret sisterhood, which.. DUH. By the title I should have known this. But that's okay. It was a strange group of girls for high school, so maybe that's why I didn't feel it that much. Either way, it wasn't terrible. Just not my type of book.
Honestly, I tried liking this novel but there really isn't a point to it. There's this sisterhood of girls who recruits a heartbroken girl to teach her ways and tricks to get another boy to love her. When that happens, she's to break his heart and collect a tear so that they can use it to do magic or something.
See, herein lies the problem. They don't use this magic for anything useful. They don't help other girls who have their hearts broken. They don't help women in general, or women in trouble. They don't do anything.
I don't feel like I've learned anything and I certainly don't feel like the main character Lucy has learned anything. If anything and I'm sorry to say this, The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers was a waste of my time. I only gave it 2 stars for the pretty cover and that one nice quote I found. Pity.
See, herein lies the problem. They don't use this magic for anything useful. They don't help other girls who have their hearts broken. They don't help women in general, or women in trouble. They don't do anything.
I don't feel like I've learned anything and I certainly don't feel like the main character Lucy has learned anything. If anything and I'm sorry to say this, The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers was a waste of my time. I only gave it 2 stars for the pretty cover and that one nice quote I found. Pity.
Graded By: Meghan
Cover Story: Enough Already!
BFF Charm: Maybe
Swoonworthy Heartbreak Scale: 8
Talky Talk: Whimsical
Bonus Factors: Magic, Photography, Self Esteem
Relationship Status: On Again, Off Again
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Enough Already!
BFF Charm: Maybe
Talky Talk: Whimsical
Bonus Factors: Magic, Photography, Self Esteem
Relationship Status: On Again, Off Again
Read the full book report here.
When Lucy finds herself suddenly single on the first day of sophomore year, she is devastated. Her heart has been broken, torn to shreds by the her first love. But the secret sisterhood of heartbreakers can help her. If Lucy can make another fall in love with her in just one week, the breaking of his heart will heal hers.
I thought Weingarten expressed the heady, obsessive nature of first love in such a great way. A cool idea and a fun read for even an adult.
I thought Weingarten expressed the heady, obsessive nature of first love in such a great way. A cool idea and a fun read for even an adult.
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated