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heisereads's review against another edition
3.0
This one didn't live up to expectations based on the premise for me. I really wanted to like it more than I eventually did. I'm writing this not to slam the book, because I can definitely see the readers for it, but to caution you on some of the concerns I had if you're thinking of using it in a classroom.
It was ok, but not as standout as I was hoping it would be. I did like some of the messages that came out of the story, and I did want to read the whole book to find out what would happen, but I did ultimately feel like there was almost too much going on here, so it felt too long and some of the plot points didn't get as much focus as I felt they could have. It definitely discourages the actions that these characters take by showing the repercussions, but I wish more had happened to the perpetrators.
The bigger concerns I had were:
-The way the principal dealt with the cyberbullying situation didn't seem realistic to me; she was more of a caricature, and that worries me as far as what message students will take from this one what they can do to help themselves if they're ever in a similar situation.
-There are a lot of pop culture and product references and whenever I see that in books I always sense it won't have as much longevity because it will feel dated more quickly, or worry it might alienate readers who don't know those references.
-I never really bought fully into the romance because Cole kept disappearing from the story throughout; I mean, if this was truly the relationship Lucy made it out to be, Cole should have been around more during the fallout. He was there for some of it and in a great way, but then wouldn't be around when I expected him to be and for large chunks.
If you can overlook those things, it may work for you, but it just wasn't an amazing book for me.
It was ok, but not as standout as I was hoping it would be. I did like some of the messages that came out of the story, and I did want to read the whole book to find out what would happen, but I did ultimately feel like there was almost too much going on here, so it felt too long and some of the plot points didn't get as much focus as I felt they could have. It definitely discourages the actions that these characters take by showing the repercussions, but I wish more had happened to the perpetrators.
The bigger concerns I had were:
-The way the principal dealt with the cyberbullying situation didn't seem realistic to me; she was more of a caricature, and that worries me as far as what message students will take from this one what they can do to help themselves if they're ever in a similar situation.
-There are a lot of pop culture and product references and whenever I see that in books I always sense it won't have as much longevity because it will feel dated more quickly, or worry it might alienate readers who don't know those references.
-I never really bought fully into the romance because Cole kept disappearing from the story throughout; I mean, if this was truly the relationship Lucy made it out to be, Cole should have been around more during the fallout. He was there for some of it and in a great way, but then wouldn't be around when I expected him to be and for large chunks.
If you can overlook those things, it may work for you, but it just wasn't an amazing book for me.
untitledfornow's review against another edition
3.0
It was good
My only problem was that the middle seemed to drag on for a while =\
My only problem was that the middle seemed to drag on for a while =\
pagesplotsandpints's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Initial Impressions 6/11/14Really bummed about this book. It wasn't bad but really not my style. There were SUCH sweet moments of cuteness in there but overshadowed by drama and Gossip Girl-style... well, gossip. I liked the overall message but didn't like the style. Not usually my thing and it was hard to maintain my interest.
The reveal was a bummer too. I actually had a suspicion which turned out to be wrong and I would have liked that more. I actually laughed when Miss Demeanor was revealed and as to who stole Lucy's phone? Eh. The Juicy Lucy account? Eh. It just all felt very teen soap opera and I wasn't into it.
I did like the humor but I was hoping it would be more serious. All in all, just not really what I was expecting and I couldn't get over that. I tried, but I just wasn't into the whole theme and the way the book went.
Plus, why did Lucy NEVER stand up for herself? Honestly. I'm a shy person but I would raging. And she doesn't seem like she would be one to really hold back but I guess I'm not the creator of characters.
Review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 7/23/14 As I’m sure many of you know, I was a HUGE fan of the first Sarah Ockler book I read, THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS. I have to read any other ones besides that and #SCANDAL but I’ve heard good things about the rest! Obviously, when I went to start #SCANDAL, I had some pretty high expectations. I had heard from others who had already read it that it definitely was a different style than Sarah’s previous books and I tried to put myself in that mindset but… well… I failed.
#SCANDAL was VERY different for me as a reader. Not just in style but it didn’t even feel like I was reading the same author. All of the bare bones were there of the things that I loved in THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS – a strong female character, a rocky but great family relationship to explore, a super swoony boy, and friendship trials/tribulations – but none of those elements really seemed to work or pan out for me in #SCANDAL. Almost all of them felt completely undeveloped and overshadowed by the plot and without that feeling of reality from the characters and their relationship, I was just lost in the drama of the book.
#SCANDAL had some, well, scandalous topics. Lucy finds herself the victim of a social media explosion after being photographed kissing her best friend’s boyfriend (now ex, although that wasn’t news to the school yet) and an innocent situation turned completely and untruthfully raunchy. I really appreciated a lot of the situations that Lucy had to deal with and I thought Sarah Ockler did a great job of showing how social media really does affect our daily lives, especially when it comes to the relationships we have with our peers. Things can easily be taken out of context or thrown out of proportion because of the passive-aggressiveness of social media and many people end up not confronting issues head on. I think Sarah Ockler did a really great job of exploring those angles and I loved all of the questions both characters and reader came up with throughout the course of the book.
What I didn’t enjoy was how most of the characters handled these situations. If Lucy is innocent (we know she is), why didn’t she stand up for herself more? I’m not a vocal person by any means and I don’t really push myself into situations or even speak up for myself at times, but if I was involved in a scandal that was entirely untrue, you BET I would be all over the place defending myself, tracking down the culprit who was spreading rumors about me, and trying to make things right. Lucy was portrayed to be this kickass, zombie and guts-loving, nose ring-wearing girl and I felt like she didn’t once have that sort of personality outside of her videogames. I’m not saying that stereotypical look + attitude combination exists all the time, but it was surprising to me that she would be bold with her looks and actions everywhere EXCEPT for handling this scandal and her friendships. I was just really disappointed with her character.
I really wasn’t sold on many of the relationships, sadly. We find out many different things about Lucy’s relationship with her sister, but they’re only briefly touched upon and then quickly resolved. The swoony aspect between Lucy and Cole are totally glossed over because of the situation surrounding them. They had some REALLY cute moments but there were just so few and far between. I was really disappointed with the friendships too. Everything just seemed so catty and superficial. I just felt like every relationship in the book really could have benefitted from a bit more development.
I really just wasn’t a fan of the overall feel of the book, to be perfect frank. I can appreciate keeping a lighter tone with such a heavy topic, but I would have liked to see it addressed a bit more seriously. Again, all the messages were there but I didn’t quite like their delivery. The whole vibe was just a bit TOO Gossip Girl meets Mean Girls and I think it got a little too silly for my tastes. I would have liked this to feel a lot more realistic instead of getting carried away with being fun.
I’m just so sad that this one didn’t really seem to work out at all for me. I was really hoping for another knockout after THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS and I think that was really just a tough book to follow. The overall feel left me wanting so much more of the reality of each situation and everything just felt a little underwhelming.
Initial Impressions 6/11/14Really bummed about this book. It wasn't bad but really not my style. There were SUCH sweet moments of cuteness in there but overshadowed by drama and Gossip Girl-style... well, gossip. I liked the overall message but didn't like the style. Not usually my thing and it was hard to maintain my interest.
The reveal was a bummer too. I actually had a suspicion which turned out to be wrong and I would have liked that more. I actually laughed when Miss Demeanor was revealed and as to who stole Lucy's phone? Eh. The Juicy Lucy account? Eh. It just all felt very teen soap opera and I wasn't into it.
I did like the humor but I was hoping it would be more serious. All in all, just not really what I was expecting and I couldn't get over that. I tried, but I just wasn't into the whole theme and the way the book went.
Plus, why did Lucy NEVER stand up for herself? Honestly. I'm a shy person but I would raging. And she doesn't seem like she would be one to really hold back but I guess I'm not the creator of characters.
Review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 7/23/14 As I’m sure many of you know, I was a HUGE fan of the first Sarah Ockler book I read, THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS. I have to read any other ones besides that and #SCANDAL but I’ve heard good things about the rest! Obviously, when I went to start #SCANDAL, I had some pretty high expectations. I had heard from others who had already read it that it definitely was a different style than Sarah’s previous books and I tried to put myself in that mindset but… well… I failed.
#SCANDAL was VERY different for me as a reader. Not just in style but it didn’t even feel like I was reading the same author. All of the bare bones were there of the things that I loved in THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS – a strong female character, a rocky but great family relationship to explore, a super swoony boy, and friendship trials/tribulations – but none of those elements really seemed to work or pan out for me in #SCANDAL. Almost all of them felt completely undeveloped and overshadowed by the plot and without that feeling of reality from the characters and their relationship, I was just lost in the drama of the book.
#SCANDAL had some, well, scandalous topics. Lucy finds herself the victim of a social media explosion after being photographed kissing her best friend’s boyfriend (now ex, although that wasn’t news to the school yet) and an innocent situation turned completely and untruthfully raunchy. I really appreciated a lot of the situations that Lucy had to deal with and I thought Sarah Ockler did a great job of showing how social media really does affect our daily lives, especially when it comes to the relationships we have with our peers. Things can easily be taken out of context or thrown out of proportion because of the passive-aggressiveness of social media and many people end up not confronting issues head on. I think Sarah Ockler did a really great job of exploring those angles and I loved all of the questions both characters and reader came up with throughout the course of the book.
What I didn’t enjoy was how most of the characters handled these situations. If Lucy is innocent (we know she is), why didn’t she stand up for herself more? I’m not a vocal person by any means and I don’t really push myself into situations or even speak up for myself at times, but if I was involved in a scandal that was entirely untrue, you BET I would be all over the place defending myself, tracking down the culprit who was spreading rumors about me, and trying to make things right. Lucy was portrayed to be this kickass, zombie and guts-loving, nose ring-wearing girl and I felt like she didn’t once have that sort of personality outside of her videogames. I’m not saying that stereotypical look + attitude combination exists all the time, but it was surprising to me that she would be bold with her looks and actions everywhere EXCEPT for handling this scandal and her friendships. I was just really disappointed with her character.
I really wasn’t sold on many of the relationships, sadly. We find out many different things about Lucy’s relationship with her sister, but they’re only briefly touched upon and then quickly resolved. The swoony aspect between Lucy and Cole are totally glossed over because of the situation surrounding them. They had some REALLY cute moments but there were just so few and far between. I was really disappointed with the friendships too. Everything just seemed so catty and superficial. I just felt like every relationship in the book really could have benefitted from a bit more development.
I really just wasn’t a fan of the overall feel of the book, to be perfect frank. I can appreciate keeping a lighter tone with such a heavy topic, but I would have liked to see it addressed a bit more seriously. Again, all the messages were there but I didn’t quite like their delivery. The whole vibe was just a bit TOO Gossip Girl meets Mean Girls and I think it got a little too silly for my tastes. I would have liked this to feel a lot more realistic instead of getting carried away with being fun.
I’m just so sad that this one didn’t really seem to work out at all for me. I was really hoping for another knockout after THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS and I think that was really just a tough book to follow. The overall feel left me wanting so much more of the reality of each situation and everything just felt a little underwhelming.
ninas_nook's review against another edition
4.0
Originally found at www.Booksarelifereviews.com
This was definitely a cute title. I LOVE the play on Social Media in this one and I couldn't get enough of it.
Let's start with Lucy, our dashing heroine who like so many of us, has been crushing on her best friend's boyfriend (slash her own other bestie) for years. Enter prom night, Lucy's best friend is sick so she chooses to live prom night vicariously through Lucy... including having her escort her boyfriend to the prom. Moral of the story; you just can't stop true love, y'all.
This is the plot that sets things in motion and it is definitely a fun and interesting ride. After prom night there are hilarious blunders, and some not so hilarious ones, but each lead us to a realistic look at what it is like being a teen in today's high school world full of social media and smart phones.
I love how much time was spent focusing in on the power that social media has. The entire novel is based around the idea that with the press of a button, our darkest secrets can become the next #scandal. I use social media every day, and though it has been four years since I said "goodbye" to high school the powers of it amaze me.
When I was in high school Facebook was just starting to take off. In fact, I remember telling my friends I would never get a Facebook because me and Myspace were staying together. I fell into the world just like everyone else did but now there is so much more to it! Before blogging I never would have used Twitter, and now I hear there is kik, Ask.com, and so many others that make my head spin.
The world loves social media, especially high schooler's living in a digital age like never before.
I love that Ockler really used that love of social media and the convenience of technology to craft a great, fun and interesting read.
This contemporary is lengthy, at nearly 400 pages I read the first 200 in a blink of an eye and slowed down a bit towards the middle. This didn't affect my enjoyment though and I really think that was due more towards my own life speeding up and reading taking a punch as a result.
Overall: READ IT! Watch social media be portrayed at its worst, best, and sometimes in between. This book is perfect for summer or anyone who loves contemporaries like I do. It's cute, funny, and you have to see if you can guess who the true culprit is. I did, and I was actually really suprised.
This was definitely a cute title. I LOVE the play on Social Media in this one and I couldn't get enough of it.
Let's start with Lucy, our dashing heroine who like so many of us, has been crushing on her best friend's boyfriend (slash her own other bestie) for years. Enter prom night, Lucy's best friend is sick so she chooses to live prom night vicariously through Lucy... including having her escort her boyfriend to the prom. Moral of the story; you just can't stop true love, y'all.
This is the plot that sets things in motion and it is definitely a fun and interesting ride. After prom night there are hilarious blunders, and some not so hilarious ones, but each lead us to a realistic look at what it is like being a teen in today's high school world full of social media and smart phones.
I love how much time was spent focusing in on the power that social media has. The entire novel is based around the idea that with the press of a button, our darkest secrets can become the next #scandal. I use social media every day, and though it has been four years since I said "goodbye" to high school the powers of it amaze me.
When I was in high school Facebook was just starting to take off. In fact, I remember telling my friends I would never get a Facebook because me and Myspace were staying together. I fell into the world just like everyone else did but now there is so much more to it! Before blogging I never would have used Twitter, and now I hear there is kik, Ask.com, and so many others that make my head spin.
The world loves social media, especially high schooler's living in a digital age like never before.
I love that Ockler really used that love of social media and the convenience of technology to craft a great, fun and interesting read.
This contemporary is lengthy, at nearly 400 pages I read the first 200 in a blink of an eye and slowed down a bit towards the middle. This didn't affect my enjoyment though and I really think that was due more towards my own life speeding up and reading taking a punch as a result.
Overall: READ IT! Watch social media be portrayed at its worst, best, and sometimes in between. This book is perfect for summer or anyone who loves contemporaries like I do. It's cute, funny, and you have to see if you can guess who the true culprit is. I did, and I was actually really suprised.
jenneth08's review against another edition
5.0
I loved loved loved this book. I thought I had it figured out in the first 50 or 60 pages but I was both shocked and delighted to find I was wrong.
emosheeran's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
Liked this book a lot. Reminded me of gossip girl with the Anonymous blog scandal stuff.
Liked this book a lot. Reminded me of gossip girl with the Anonymous blog scandal stuff.
nicoleabouttown's review against another edition
2.0
I’m going to try to keep this one short and sweet. Why? Because #scandal by Sarah Ockler just didn’t work for me at all.
First, the book read like an episode of Gossip Girl. I hate Gossip Girl, so reading a book that was anything like it was bound to impact my feelings about it. Nevertheless, I kept plowing through and it just never got any better, and pretty much just got worse for me.
Can I be the only one who just wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters or what is going on in #scandal? I mean the romance was laughable. We never see Cole so how can we know if we like Cole, or if Cole is good enough for Lucy? And still, Lucy’s love for Cole seems more like obsession than love anyway! But then maybe I am looking at it from a way too mature standpoint. I mean, you love someone so much you are obsessed with them, but then you spend most of your time ignoring them? That doesn’t make sense to me at all.
I know we are dealing with a book that is supposed to be about cyber-bullying, but really, it ends up being less about that when you are able to figure out the ‘whodunit’ part of it in the first quarter or the book. I would have liked the book to focus on less of ‘whodunit’ and on more of the causes, consequences, prevention, impacts of cyber-bullying. I think #scandal would have been way more effective as a book that way.
Bottom line: If you were looking for something thought provoking or insightful, you can skip #scandal by Sarah Ockler.
First, the book read like an episode of Gossip Girl. I hate Gossip Girl, so reading a book that was anything like it was bound to impact my feelings about it. Nevertheless, I kept plowing through and it just never got any better, and pretty much just got worse for me.
Can I be the only one who just wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters or what is going on in #scandal? I mean the romance was laughable. We never see Cole so how can we know if we like Cole, or if Cole is good enough for Lucy? And still, Lucy’s love for Cole seems more like obsession than love anyway! But then maybe I am looking at it from a way too mature standpoint. I mean, you love someone so much you are obsessed with them, but then you spend most of your time ignoring them? That doesn’t make sense to me at all.
I know we are dealing with a book that is supposed to be about cyber-bullying, but really, it ends up being less about that when you are able to figure out the ‘whodunit’ part of it in the first quarter or the book. I would have liked the book to focus on less of ‘whodunit’ and on more of the causes, consequences, prevention, impacts of cyber-bullying. I think #scandal would have been way more effective as a book that way.
Bottom line: If you were looking for something thought provoking or insightful, you can skip #scandal by Sarah Ockler.
wirsindgefangene's review against another edition
3.0
Eine Mischung aus "Gossip Girl" und "Einfach zu hAben" und bestimmt etwas für Fans von Teeniefilmen. Auch mich hat die Geschichte sehr gut unterhalten, obwohl ich manchmal schon ein paar Schwierigkeiten mit der Überdrehtheit des Ganzen hatte, aber so ist ja nun mal dieses Genre ;) Ich hätte mir eigentlich nur gewünscht, dass das Thema "Slut shaming" mehr als nur in Ansätzen behandelt worden wäre, ansonsten hab ich nichts an "#skandal" auszusetzen.