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sallyavena's review against another edition
4.0
Delightfully spooky tale about finding out who you really are and what it takes to be a friend.
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good little bit spooky story for an age group I don't see a lot of books for (the girls are 12 and act 12). If you give it out to younger kids, make sure they are cool with some haunted stuff (the creepy doll room was a little intense for me, even though I am just an adult who scares easily). I hope this is the beginning of having some good books for this tricky age!
jeneraptor's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down, it had the right mix of feels and spooks, and the characters felt real. What more could you need.
mylobrikis's review against another edition
5.0
Spooky and sweet. A wonderful book from this awesome author for a slightly younger crowd than her other books.
alissabar's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fun read that mixes friendship, family struggles, grieving a loved one, and some spooky, ghost haunting. If you want to feel spine-tingling chills, who doesn't love a haunted, old house.
funsizelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this spooky friendship story, but I really wish there had been more about the haunting. It was SO interesting! I'd also love to read more spooky Ruby and Olivia adventures.
toryhallelujah's review against another edition
4.0
WHOA! So this was way creepier than I was expecting! but ooh my gosh, the sparkling banter and Ruby's exuberance really balanced it out, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is scary in the same vein as Coraline or The Nest -- where it creeped me out even as an adult (and I don't know if I'd've been able to handle it as the scaredy-cat kid I was) -- but with a lot of lightheartedness to bring the mood back up. Their chat-log banter in particular reminded me of The Bloggess and I LOVED IT. Also, the description of raccoons as "something made of blubber and tiny hands" effing cracked me up.
Great read! So much fun!
Great read! So much fun!
livthebooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
My Rating: 3 stars
Full Review Here: http://livthebooknerd.blogspot.com/2017/10/review-ruby-olivia-by-rachel-hawkins.html
~~~~~~
Hey, guys!
This adorable spooky middle-grade book was sent to me for an honest review from Penguin Random House. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ruby and Olivia follows two young girls who are sent to a community service camp after getting into trouble. The kids are sent to a spooky house to inventory and count the items in preparation for renovation. Two of the girls, Ruby and Olivia, become unlikely friends as supernatural and spooky things begin to happen to the campers. They begin to investigate the house in order to figure out what's happening; and when they begin to find clues to the answer, who knows what will happen.
I was so excited to receive this book for review. I'm such a sucker for twin books and the fact that it had a spooky element to it really reeled me in. I really enjoyed those aspects, as well, however, I do not think they were incorporated as well as they could have been. I feel like the characters could have been a bit more dynamic and their relationships could have been more realistic. The relationships in this book felt like plot devices rather than something that should have been a concrete part of the book. The plot could have been more fleshed out as well. I think that Rachel Hawkins has a really sweet base to an even spookier story. However, this is an adorable middle-grade novel. I really did enjoy the characters and I really enjoyed the premise of the plot.
I really enjoyed the spooky bits of this book, but I really didn't think that they were fleshed out enough to actually be spooky. There just wasn't enough happening for it to be legitimately spooky. Granted, it's a middle-grade book, but I know plenty of kids in the age group that would like to get scared pantsless.
I really didn't think that the sister relationship between Emma and Olivia was resolved either. I just felt like it was resolved too quickly and too efficiently. There wasn't nearly enough said to resolve their issues. I also don't like how the drama between Olivia and Ruby was resolved. It was too convenient and too quick. I just felt like the characters were two dimensional and static. I wish there had been more development.
I really loved how Ruby and Olivia's friendship developed. I think that their friendship is really interesting and as they grow closer, they'll become really good for each other. I love how Ruby helped Olivia grow as a sister and I love how Olivia helped Ruby communicate and express herself. This book perfectly showed what it's like to be in the awkward middle school age. These girls were super cute. I'd love to read more about them.
For what this book is and for the age group that it is marketed for, I think this is a cute book. I think that it is thoroughly entertaining. I would have loved to read this ten years ago. This would have been one of my favorite books, I'm sure. As a twenty-year-old, it just wasn't all for me. My sister, Bailey, will love this book, though. I can't wait to show her it. She loves Liesel and Po by Lauren Oliver and this gives me some spooky vibes, so she will definitely love this one.
Full Review Here: http://livthebooknerd.blogspot.com/2017/10/review-ruby-olivia-by-rachel-hawkins.html
~~~~~~
Hey, guys!
This adorable spooky middle-grade book was sent to me for an honest review from Penguin Random House. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ruby and Olivia follows two young girls who are sent to a community service camp after getting into trouble. The kids are sent to a spooky house to inventory and count the items in preparation for renovation. Two of the girls, Ruby and Olivia, become unlikely friends as supernatural and spooky things begin to happen to the campers. They begin to investigate the house in order to figure out what's happening; and when they begin to find clues to the answer, who knows what will happen.
I was so excited to receive this book for review. I'm such a sucker for twin books and the fact that it had a spooky element to it really reeled me in. I really enjoyed those aspects, as well, however, I do not think they were incorporated as well as they could have been. I feel like the characters could have been a bit more dynamic and their relationships could have been more realistic. The relationships in this book felt like plot devices rather than something that should have been a concrete part of the book. The plot could have been more fleshed out as well. I think that Rachel Hawkins has a really sweet base to an even spookier story. However, this is an adorable middle-grade novel. I really did enjoy the characters and I really enjoyed the premise of the plot.
I really enjoyed the spooky bits of this book, but I really didn't think that they were fleshed out enough to actually be spooky. There just wasn't enough happening for it to be legitimately spooky. Granted, it's a middle-grade book, but I know plenty of kids in the age group that would like to get scared pantsless.
I really didn't think that the sister relationship between Emma and Olivia was resolved either. I just felt like it was resolved too quickly and too efficiently. There wasn't nearly enough said to resolve their issues. I also don't like how the drama between Olivia and Ruby was resolved. It was too convenient and too quick. I just felt like the characters were two dimensional and static. I wish there had been more development.
I really loved how Ruby and Olivia's friendship developed. I think that their friendship is really interesting and as they grow closer, they'll become really good for each other. I love how Ruby helped Olivia grow as a sister and I love how Olivia helped Ruby communicate and express herself. This book perfectly showed what it's like to be in the awkward middle school age. These girls were super cute. I'd love to read more about them.
For what this book is and for the age group that it is marketed for, I think this is a cute book. I think that it is thoroughly entertaining. I would have loved to read this ten years ago. This would have been one of my favorite books, I'm sure. As a twenty-year-old, it just wasn't all for me. My sister, Bailey, will love this book, though. I can't wait to show her it. She loves Liesel and Po by Lauren Oliver and this gives me some spooky vibes, so she will definitely love this one.
katiebowers's review against another edition
4.0
Cute little middle grade book. Olivia and Ruby, not really enemies but definitely not friends, are forced into a camp for “bad kids” and sentenced to help catalogue artifacts a local historic house. When it turns out the house is haunted - and only Ruby and Olivia can hear the ghosts - they begin a ghost hunt that brings them together. I could see myself enjoying this book when I was a kid. The book lacks in diversity - basically all the characters seem to be white except one minor character.