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hornyforbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book far too much for what it was, but I regret not a moment of it.
Genuinely realistic in its portrayal of its characters.
Genuinely realistic in its portrayal of its characters.
anthroxagorus's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed reading in nearly one sitting, but I want the sequel before I try a review.
juliemawesome's review against another edition
4.0
I totally should've reviewed this days ago when it was still fresh in my head and not crowded out by other things. But..
Older teen Jill turns into a boy once a month for 4 days before her period. This started with puberty, but she totally hates it, so she meditates to block out the memories. This has led to her boy self developing an identity of his own -- he's Jack.
But Jack is always trapped in the house because they don't want the secret to get out. So he spends the four days looking at porn and fantasizing about Jill's best friend. Then he sneaks out, which leads to further restrictions placed on him by his parents.
Meanwhile Jill's making the moves on a boy in school, who has a secret of his own.
I didn't like either of the personas at first. I was annoyed at Jill for surpressing her boy half and annoyed at Jack for being all about the porn and the not-washing. And then the plot is about Jill chasing after this boy and putting plans into action, which you would think would be the worst YA teen plot ever. Banal and stupid and boring.
But somehow it wasn't. Somewhere along the way, I got sucked in. And then I started liking the characters. And then it took a few turns I wasn't expecting. And then it ended really cool.
I'm ready to read the sequel.
Older teen Jill turns into a boy once a month for 4 days before her period. This started with puberty, but she totally hates it, so she meditates to block out the memories. This has led to her boy self developing an identity of his own -- he's Jack.
But Jack is always trapped in the house because they don't want the secret to get out. So he spends the four days looking at porn and fantasizing about Jill's best friend. Then he sneaks out, which leads to further restrictions placed on him by his parents.
Meanwhile Jill's making the moves on a boy in school, who has a secret of his own.
I didn't like either of the personas at first. I was annoyed at Jill for surpressing her boy half and annoyed at Jack for being all about the porn and the not-washing. And then the plot is about Jill chasing after this boy and putting plans into action, which you would think would be the worst YA teen plot ever. Banal and stupid and boring.
But somehow it wasn't. Somewhere along the way, I got sucked in. And then I started liking the characters. And then it took a few turns I wasn't expecting. And then it ended really cool.
I'm ready to read the sequel.
bibliocat4's review against another edition
3.0
I put this at fantasy because the condition Jill/Jack have is not possible so I don't consider it a realistic fiction. Also curiously, my library didn't have this book so I had to do an interlibrary loan from out of the cooperative.
The concept of this book, that Jill would transform into a boy (Jack) for part of the month was very intriguing but I didn't quite buy it when I was reading the book. Everything came out to neatly. Plus, Jill isn't a very likable person nor is Jack. I can find excuses for him since he has never lived a normal life but still. Character development is very important to my personal enjoyment of the book.
Apparently there might be a sequel which I will probably read just to find out how they handle the mom & the after affects of the prom.
The concept of this book, that Jill would transform into a boy (Jack) for part of the month was very intriguing but I didn't quite buy it when I was reading the book. Everything came out to neatly. Plus, Jill isn't a very likable person nor is Jack. I can find excuses for him since he has never lived a normal life but still. Character development is very important to my personal enjoyment of the book.
Apparently there might be a sequel which I will probably read just to find out how they handle the mom & the after affects of the prom.
combledore's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to rate this higher because it's such an interesting concept, but I can't in good faith, because the actual book is a total disappointment. It's essentialist, bi-phobic, and not even well-written (if I read "deeply" or "mal" one more time I was gonna throw something, and seriously, YA authors, stop trying to create your own slang -- it didn't work for the Babysitters Club and it won't work for you). I wanted this book to be so much more than it was, but no one is really developed as a character (least of all the parents), and I didn't like any of the main characters enough to care what happened to them.
And for the record? 5'9" and 118 pounds is not "voluptuous" or whatever the narrator describes Ramie as. It is EMACIATED. It's an aside, but it bugged me for the rest of the book.
ellenw's review against another edition
4.0
What fun! I agree with some reviews I've read that said that the resolution at the end came a bit too easily, but McLaughlin has an unerring ear for dialogue (I will probably have to struggle not to refer to things as "deeply mal" now) and the pacing is spot-on on every page. I couldn't put it down.
Since I finished half an hour before Jin had to leave, I've already made her borrow the book, and she's only a chapter in and already loving it.
Since I finished half an hour before Jin had to leave, I've already made her borrow the book, and she's only a chapter in and already loving it.
littlecornerreads's review against another edition
1.0
Wow, I don't even know where to start. This book was terrible. I borrowed the book because it had a shiny cover, yes I do judge books by their covers. I kind of skimmed the summary, and decided to read it because it was written in two voices. Jill was an annoying narrator that the reader is forced to put up with throughout the entire book. Jack has a much more distinctive and interesting voice, but his character is simply that of a hormonal, sex-crazed teen. This book seriously just reinforces stereotypes
amdame1's review against another edition
2.0
Jill is a hermaphrodite who actually becomes Jack for 4 days of every monthly cycle.
*SPOILER*
She falls in love with a guy who is bi, sleeps with her best friend and just does all sorts of stuff that seems absolutely impossible and unrealistic in so many ways.
Characters are flat. Some plot twists are predictable - but the ones that aren't predictable are just too crazy to be true.
*SPOILER*
She falls in love with a guy who is bi, sleeps with her best friend and just does all sorts of stuff that seems absolutely impossible and unrealistic in so many ways.
Characters are flat. Some plot twists are predictable - but the ones that aren't predictable are just too crazy to be true.
kellyholmes's review against another edition
4.0
Summary: Jill McTeague is a typical senior girl. Except for the tiny issue of how four days out of every month, she turns into a boy named Jack—in both mind and body.
Review: This was a great read!
This book made it fun to explore the themes of sexuality and homophobia without being hit over the head with a “message.” At first, the non-politically-correct language about non-straight characters bothered me. But then I realized that duh, this is how a lot of teens talk about and deal with issues of sexuality.
My only criticism of the book is that one of Jill’s linguistic quirks—mal—got to be a little much sometimes.
One final note if you're considering reading this: A sequel is planned, so the conclusion is of the open-ended variety. I didn’t mind it in this case, but I just wanted to let you know in case you prefer to wait until an entire series it out.
Review: This was a great read!
This book made it fun to explore the themes of sexuality and homophobia without being hit over the head with a “message.” At first, the non-politically-correct language about non-straight characters bothered me. But then I realized that duh, this is how a lot of teens talk about and deal with issues of sexuality.
My only criticism of the book is that one of Jill’s linguistic quirks—mal—got to be a little much sometimes.
One final note if you're considering reading this: A sequel is planned, so the conclusion is of the open-ended variety. I didn’t mind it in this case, but I just wanted to let you know in case you prefer to wait until an entire series it out.
anna_reads_too_much's review against another edition
2.0
Wow. Where can I even begin about this book? Let's just say that I didn't like it very much. It had a very... interesting topic, but it was almost too... different for me to enjoy it. It wasn't only that, but the way that certain parts were approached just made me, honestly, want to get sick at some parts, it was that bad.
The writing in general wasn't too bad in my opinion, it was more the topic and the way it was approached by the author that made me not enjoy this book as much. The writing was for the most part wonderful, and the author did a wonderful job of doing the alternating chapters thing and getting into both Jack and Jill's heads. Unfortunately, while Jill's chapters weren't so bad, Jack's were. The things that he thought about at certain parts were just... too much. I didn't really enjoy them that much.
Overall, Cycler could've been a wonderful book if it had been taken to by a different approach, and if the idea wasn't so out-there I most likely would've enjoyed it more.
The writing in general wasn't too bad in my opinion, it was more the topic and the way it was approached by the author that made me not enjoy this book as much. The writing was for the most part wonderful, and the author did a wonderful job of doing the alternating chapters thing and getting into both Jack and Jill's heads. Unfortunately, while Jill's chapters weren't so bad, Jack's were. The things that he thought about at certain parts were just... too much. I didn't really enjoy them that much.
Overall, Cycler could've been a wonderful book if it had been taken to by a different approach, and if the idea wasn't so out-there I most likely would've enjoyed it more.