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miss_majuu's review
4.5
What an absolutely amazing friendship group!!! I love all of them and damn are their relationships messy and complicated.
The ace rep was also 10/10 cries, thank you very much. Especially with how her closests friends reacted to it.
Additionally Tash was a really funny narrator and I loved her comments about some things.
One critique I do have is that I think one characters behavior was really inconsistent when they were suddenly terrible to Tash.
The ace rep was also 10/10 cries, thank you very much. Especially with how her closests friends reacted to it.
Additionally Tash was a really funny narrator and I loved her comments about some things.
One critique I do have is that I think one characters behavior was really inconsistent when they were suddenly terrible to Tash.
leafblade's review against another edition
3.0
I FINISHED IT BEFORE NEW YEAR'S!!!!! ALL YOU SINNERS STAND UP SING HALLELUJAH HALLELUJAAAHHHHHHHH
It was kind of meh though, specially after reading Radio silence. I don't think it brought anything new to the social media or asexuality discussions (tho I am well versed in LGBT+ stuff so it might just be that). It took a loooooooooooong time to get where it wanted to get, too. Idk. I'm just glad I finished it before 2019 tbh
It was kind of meh though, specially after reading Radio silence. I don't think it brought anything new to the social media or asexuality discussions (tho I am well versed in LGBT+ stuff so it might just be that). It took a loooooooooooong time to get where it wanted to get, too. Idk. I'm just glad I finished it before 2019 tbh
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Refreshing contemporary look at social media, teenage relationships and Anna Karenina
It's an uncommon YA novel that uses a Russian master of literature as a basis for a story, and a story about online filmmaking. But it works brilliantly, and I was totally caught up in the plot and with Tash.
Tash enjoys directing friends and wannabee actors in a modern-day reimagining of Tolstoy's classic work, posting episodes online and getting on with her life as a high school student between editing and shooting. All at once though, a popular blogger endorses their show and 'Unhappy Families' is a huge hit, with massive audiences and expectations.
The crew are even nominated for an award. Tash is feeling the pressure, and her relationships with friends begins to feel the strain. There is also an interesting subplot about her burgeoning flirtation/romance with a fellow online blogger, who she has not told a major revelation about her own sexuality (something I've not come across in literature before).
I really enjoyed this unusual use of Tolstoy, I've seen many adaptations of Austen, Shakespeare and their ilk, but to see Tolstoy used in a book about social media and blogging caught my eye. Tash and her cast/crew and friends are a well-developed bunch, with quirks and foibles, and I loved hearing about the filming and production of 'Unhappy Families'.
The sexuality plotline I didn't warm too, it is different - but I just didn't like it. Maybe because I'm too used to issues of sex in YA novels being based around homosexuality or regarding abuse/assaults, this was a little 'out there' for me, and nothing I've ever heard of before. Still, a sexual issue that deserves some awareness.
A book a lot of teenagers will relate to, Tash and her friends are rather inspirational in what they manage to achieve, and it's a great example of a teen drama/romance with some unique elements.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
It's an uncommon YA novel that uses a Russian master of literature as a basis for a story, and a story about online filmmaking. But it works brilliantly, and I was totally caught up in the plot and with Tash.
Tash enjoys directing friends and wannabee actors in a modern-day reimagining of Tolstoy's classic work, posting episodes online and getting on with her life as a high school student between editing and shooting. All at once though, a popular blogger endorses their show and 'Unhappy Families' is a huge hit, with massive audiences and expectations.
The crew are even nominated for an award. Tash is feeling the pressure, and her relationships with friends begins to feel the strain. There is also an interesting subplot about her burgeoning flirtation/romance with a fellow online blogger, who she has not told a major revelation about her own sexuality (something I've not come across in literature before).
I really enjoyed this unusual use of Tolstoy, I've seen many adaptations of Austen, Shakespeare and their ilk, but to see Tolstoy used in a book about social media and blogging caught my eye. Tash and her cast/crew and friends are a well-developed bunch, with quirks and foibles, and I loved hearing about the filming and production of 'Unhappy Families'.
The sexuality plotline I didn't warm too, it is different - but I just didn't like it. Maybe because I'm too used to issues of sex in YA novels being based around homosexuality or regarding abuse/assaults, this was a little 'out there' for me, and nothing I've ever heard of before. Still, a sexual issue that deserves some awareness.
A book a lot of teenagers will relate to, Tash and her friends are rather inspirational in what they manage to achieve, and it's a great example of a teen drama/romance with some unique elements.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
lbarsk's review against another edition
4.0
Refreshing to read a book about an ace character! And as someone who's watched plenty of YouTube Book Adaptation Web Series in her day, this was a fun ride.
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
2.0
This book was really just OK for me. There was a lot of hype surrounding it back in the day and I got it but never picked it up. I finally decided to read it this year and it was really just ok. i liked seeing the characters put on a web series of Anna Karenina but that was pretty much it. I find this book very forgetable.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes the pacing was a little off, but I loved seeing a book with ace rep. I definitely think I enjoyed this more having read Anna Karenina this earlier year.
kirstyreadsblog's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. So close to being perfect, i think if I were ace it would've been the full 5, I feel like people can get so much out of this regardless of sexuality
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If this book isn't on your TBR now add it because it's so adorable and funny.
Tash (pronounced Tosh) is in love with Leo Tolstoy, the dead author. She makes a web series based on Anna Karenina with her friends playing the roles and sees little buzz until one day a big youtuber posts about the series and they receive instant online fame.
So Tosh comes to the realisation throughout the book that she is asexual, now I'm not ace so I can't tell you if the representation is good and not problematic but it felt like it was. It felt accurate to what I know about asexuality from my friends and the experiences they've had. If you are ace and have read this book and think it isn't accurate please let me know. I would also say that there is a warning for aphobia from other characters.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/tash-hearts-tolstoy-by-kathryn-ormsbee
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If this book isn't on your TBR now add it because it's so adorable and funny.
Tash (pronounced Tosh) is in love with Leo Tolstoy, the dead author. She makes a web series based on Anna Karenina with her friends playing the roles and sees little buzz until one day a big youtuber posts about the series and they receive instant online fame.
So Tosh comes to the realisation throughout the book that she is asexual, now I'm not ace so I can't tell you if the representation is good and not problematic but it felt like it was. It felt accurate to what I know about asexuality from my friends and the experiences they've had. If you are ace and have read this book and think it isn't accurate please let me know. I would also say that there is a warning for aphobia from other characters.
Continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/tash-hearts-tolstoy-by-kathryn-ormsbee
cukrkandl's review against another edition
1.0
This whole thing contains spoilers, Storygraph doesn't want me to mark it as such for some reason.
This would have been a completely mediocre (well, maybe less-than-average) book with a really annoying, extremely self-centered (seriously, how do you make someone else's cancer diagnosis about you?) main character that is a horrible friend if it weren't for two things that definitely warranted the one-star rating: 1) the portrayal of asexuality, 2) the Czech background.
The portrayal of asexuality:
I read this book solely because I knew the main character is asexual, and let me tell you, I was very disappointed. The portrayal of asexuality lacks any nuance whatsoever, there's absolutely no discussion about actual ace issues or experiences. I kept waiting for some comment on the fact that Unhappy Families seemed to get so much traction online because of the romance, and it was the only thing talked about, and yet Tash seemed all too happy about the romance overshadowing the entire plot or the other characters or the work put into the series as a whole. Or it could have been an interesting portrayal of aegoromanticism/aegosexuality, but there was nothing whatsoever that Tash commented on.
Still, that doesn't necessarily make it bad asexual representation, of course, so I was still hopeful. And then I read this part:
The portrayal of asexuality:
I read this book solely because I knew the main character is asexual, and let me tell you, I was very disappointed. The portrayal of asexuality lacks any nuance whatsoever, there's absolutely no discussion about actual ace issues or experiences. I kept waiting for some comment on the fact that Unhappy Families seemed to get so much traction online because of the romance, and it was the only thing talked about, and yet Tash seemed all too happy about the romance overshadowing the entire plot or the other characters or the work put into the series as a whole. Or it could have been an interesting portrayal of aegoromanticism/aegosexuality, but there was nothing whatsoever that Tash commented on.
Still, that doesn't necessarily make it bad asexual representation, of course, so I was still hopeful. And then I read this part:
To throw out my lack of sexuality when [a gay character] is getting harangued every day for the expression of his own? It seems so insensitive. It's not like people are telling me I can't get married or that I'm going to hell. (p. 133)
First of all, defining asexuality as "lack of sexuality" is... questionable at best.
Second of all, Michele Kirichanskaya puts it way better than I could with this quote from Ace Notes:
I don't want to define queerness by oppression or trauma. Those things are certainly part of the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, but they shouldn't be the standard or the hallmark of identity. Queerness shouldn't be an oppression Olympics. And even if aces weren't oppressed, then how could that be seen as a bad thing, a deterrent for being welcomed by a community that is supposed to be built on inclusivity, welcoming to those who've also felt like outsiders from the mainstream hetero-cis-centric world. (p. 180)
And finally, third of all, even if you disregard point number two, doesn't the entire Thom situation (who was, frankly, just a cartoon-villain-esque portrayal of an acephobe, again lacking any sort of nuance whatsoever) prove that... aces do "get harangued"? And if Tash had commented on that, going back to the quote mentioned above, that would have been fine, but she doesn't.
But I was still willing to give the book a chance, because Tash obviously struggles with internalized acephobia, so I kept hoping it would somehow come full circle and this would get addressed again. It doesn't. But the book does get worse! Tash basically gets blamed for coming out too confusingly, which sucks so much because her best friend is in love with her! :((( Like what?
"We were... confused," Jack says. "The way you told us, I thought you didn't like guys, period. Like, you weren't attracted to anyone. It was something neither of us felt like we could bring up with you. We were both scared we would say something wrong. Which I know was messed up in its own way, but... I mean, you've got to understand, it threw Paul for a loop." (p. 247)
Yes, Tash's coming out threw Paul for a loop because it's only allosexual feelings that matter (on another note, "allosexual" is used once in the book, but never "alloromantic", which is kind of strange considering that Tash is alloromantic). Tash herself doesn't react too well either with that whole strip-tease thing, but getting blamed for not understanding her identity, not recognizing that somebody was in love with her, and breaking somebody's heart because he thought she was aromantic (which is never used in the book, and it would have probably helped the characters understand that they are, in fact, two different things) are not her fault. Better yet, neither Jack nor Paul actually apologize for any of that, and of course Paul and Tash end up together! We love to see it. (that was irony)
To conclude (what am I writing, an essay), this just made me sad. It read like a story about internalized acephobia and acephobia that the main character doesn't recognize as such, except there's no resolution to it at all, nobody learns anything whatsoever.
The Czech background:
As an actual Czech person, it was really strange seeing Czech people in an American book. As I far as I could tell from my very academic research (I read the author's "about" page), Ormsbee doesn't have any Czech heritage. There are a few things that were sort of amusing, like the fact that the Czech grandparents have names that are... not really Czech, or that the dad apparently loves cooking Czech food, but they only ever mention goulash (I might have a personal vendetta about goulash, though). All of these little things could just be written off as the author not doing enough research, and as much as that sucks, it happens.
But. The dad's parents (the aforementioned grandparents with non-Czech names) emigrated from Czechoslovakia (though that's never mentioned, everything's just Czech, which was admittedly kind of funny) in 1968, which, "[i]n case you don't know Czech history that well, that's when the local Communist government implemented a lot of reforms granting more rights to Czech citizens ..." (p. 48). And: "'Then those Soviet bastards came in and did what Soviets did best: Shat all over everything.'" (p. 49), which is all well and true, but there's this thing Americans do for some reason, which is romanticize communism. And you can do that, I've learned to live with the fact that when Americans say communism, they're talking about something completely different than when Czechs say it. But if you want to write Czech characters, then maybe… don't? Just Google communism in Czechoslovakia, I'm begging you. What makes it even worse is that the dad marries a "self-proclaimed communist" (p. 118), which is seen as very romantic because they're complete opposites in every single way possible. So either the author didn't Google communism in Czechoslovakia, or she's decided to randomly put communist propaganda (again, the Czech kind, not the idealized American version) into a young adult book. I'm kind of hoping it was the first one.
All in all, I would most definitely not recommend this book to anyone at all. And do your research.
dormilona's review against another edition
5.0
A lot of fun. Interesting characters that I could easily believe are real people. Tash is a joy and the asexual rep is some of the best I've seen.