Scan barcode
cassixxlynn's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.25
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I usually thoroughly enjoy Morgan Matson’s books but this latest escapade was a bit of a let down. I had kind of dismissed reviews that said you needed to suspend disbelief, because I was all onboard for ridiculous mishaps on a night out, but the side story was so bizarre and then they implied it didn’t happen but that character believed it did…and WTF?
Things I did like? Brad the Pomeranian who belongs to Stevie’s step-sister. He gets locked out of her apartment too. Much of the plot is them trying to get keys to return Brad and get their stuff, this was fun and silly, and I enjoyed how Stevie starts to bond with the steps-siblings she has resented and ignored in the past.
Kat, well, she’s just kinda selfish? I get the point of the story was that the kids think they’re all grown up but actually they’re still young, naïve and can be absolute brats, and the events bring them to understand that…but still she was a bit much. She is obsessed with acting and the school play. She uses her best friend, ditches her, all to try and land the part she probably would have got anyway. How she thought turning up at a teacher’s play unannounced when he had kept that part of his life secret, was a good idea?
She repeatedly has chances to do the right thing, and maybe if she had ditched her plan when they got split up, then I would have warmed to her more, but she kept on choosing the wrong path. I wasn’t sure why Cary kept giving her, a complete stranger, money, especially since he is doing so many jobs to save enough money for his education.
I could cope with all the coincidences convenient bumping into people (New York is a big place, right?), but Teri’s side story was bizarre. She is their cover, looking after Kat’s phone and social media so it looks like they’re on a sleepover, not running around New York. She’s contacted by someone desperate for Kat to babysit, so not to break cover, Teri takes on the job, fine. But then, she and the kids are kidnapped. Yeah, I don’t understand how it made the final draft either.
Things I did like? Brad the Pomeranian who belongs to Stevie’s step-sister. He gets locked out of her apartment too. Much of the plot is them trying to get keys to return Brad and get their stuff, this was fun and silly, and I enjoyed how Stevie starts to bond with the steps-siblings she has resented and ignored in the past.
Kat, well, she’s just kinda selfish? I get the point of the story was that the kids think they’re all grown up but actually they’re still young, naïve and can be absolute brats, and the events bring them to understand that…but still she was a bit much. She is obsessed with acting and the school play. She uses her best friend, ditches her, all to try and land the part she probably would have got anyway. How she thought turning up at a teacher’s play unannounced when he had kept that part of his life secret, was a good idea?
She repeatedly has chances to do the right thing, and maybe if she had ditched her plan when they got split up, then I would have warmed to her more, but she kept on choosing the wrong path. I wasn’t sure why Cary kept giving her, a complete stranger, money, especially since he is doing so many jobs to save enough money for his education.
I could cope with all the coincidences convenient bumping into people (New York is a big place, right?), but Teri’s side story was bizarre. She is their cover, looking after Kat’s phone and social media so it looks like they’re on a sleepover, not running around New York. She’s contacted by someone desperate for Kat to babysit, so not to break cover, Teri takes on the job, fine. But then, she and the kids are kidnapped. Yeah, I don’t understand how it made the final draft either.
eyleen's review against another edition
2.0
DNF after 100 pages.
I loved every Morgan Matson book and was so looking forward to this one, but it was really disappointing :(
I was so bored! It felt like reading the diary of a 12-year-old girl...
I loved every Morgan Matson book and was so looking forward to this one, but it was really disappointing :(
I was so bored! It felt like reading the diary of a 12-year-old girl...
jennaclarek's review against another edition
okay so i was super looking forward to this book and i was so obsessed with morgan branching out from her usual type of story! this is definitely different from her other books - partially because it's not set in the summer and partially because it has multiple POVs - and even though the vibe does feel a little different at times, it's also totally morgan. she does such a great job of creating a FEELING and writing about setting in a way that's transportive and immersive. i FELT like i was in new york and i spent the whole time wishing i was there with my own best friend. the different perspectives were really fun and interesting - although i didn't really love teri's pov ): - and i think it really did a lot for the two main characters to show their individual arcs. personally i really connected to stevie and her arc, and it was really cool to see her grow as the book goes on.
also can we PLEASE talk about the CAMEOS!!!! there were a few really juicy ones and even though the one at the end took me by surprise it was also really sweet! it's so great getting to see morgan's old characters brought back to life in a new light.
AND BRAD WAS SO STINKIN CUTE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
i don't think this is my favorite morgan matson book (just because some of her others are SO GREAT), but i really loved what this book's core message was, that you shouldn't just accept life as you think it should be, you can take the time to change and evolve and try new things no matter where you are in life. and i think that's especially poignant after a year of living in a pandemic. even more so when it's set in the wonderful city of new york where everything is chaotic and cooky and fun.
i will always and forever be a morgan matson fan, and i'm so excited to see where she goes next now that she's exploring new types of writing!
also can we PLEASE talk about the CAMEOS!!!! there were a few really juicy ones and even though the one at the end took me by surprise it was also really sweet! it's so great getting to see morgan's old characters brought back to life in a new light.
AND BRAD WAS SO STINKIN CUTE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
i don't think this is my favorite morgan matson book (just because some of her others are SO GREAT), but i really loved what this book's core message was, that you shouldn't just accept life as you think it should be, you can take the time to change and evolve and try new things no matter where you are in life. and i think that's especially poignant after a year of living in a pandemic. even more so when it's set in the wonderful city of new york where everything is chaotic and cooky and fun.
i will always and forever be a morgan matson fan, and i'm so excited to see where she goes next now that she's exploring new types of writing!
actuallyahorsereads's review against another edition
3.0
Compulsively readable and fun (and with a cute dog to boot!) but I feel like this was lacking the cohesiveness of Matson’s other books. Everything was all over the place and I really didn’t understand what Teri’s plot really had to do with anything else. The characters didn’t feel as developed in this one as in her other ones either. However, this still did leave me with a big old smile on my face and it made for a fun read, so it wasn’t completely awful.
vanessahickey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
missmeganlee's review against another edition
Personally this book hit too close to home. I go to NYC pretty frequently so I never got fully immersed into the story of two girls getting lost in NYC with no cell phones. It gave me too much anxiety for them. I also just did not find either main character very likeable.
joannaautumn's review against another edition
3.0
⟶ Once upon a time (but really, last year in the summertime) a book made me cry.
Which is something that happens roughly once every two years.
That book was written by Morgan Matson and on that day I vowed to read every single book she writes until she retires – and that is how I ended up here, reviewing her latest book.
I did not love this book.
However, it isn’t a bad book by any means. It has a lot of the tropes that Matson has mastered like tearing down illusions we have as teenagers about people we look up to, healthy conflict resolution, characters learning and growing from their flaws and mistakes, summer adventures ( of course).
⟶ The novel centers around a friendship between Kat and Stevie, and how they go on an adventure in the Big Apple ( N e w Y o r k – I love the setting) and get separated after a heated argument. Now, this wouldn’t be that bad if they had phones. Which they didn’t. That’s only the tip of the iceberg – other things this book includes: a dog named Brad, the theatre production of King Lear, honest conversations, a kidnapping subplot, and many other elements.
⟶ This brings me to the reason why I didn’t like this book: it was too much. It had three points of view that kept switching, they didn’t balance each other out, rather overcrowd the narrative making it incoherent and scattered.
On top of that, the reader doesn’t get to spend enough time with the characters to form the connection – this being the strongest part of Matson's books, so knowing that I was ultimately disappointed by this book.
This was hands down one of the top 5 releases I was excited for this year ( especially summer) but it left me indifferent upon finishing it.
Nevertheless, somebody else might love the hell out of this book precisely for the abovementioned tropes; this is a definitely a “it’s me not you” situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty underwhelming, unfortunately. Review to come.
Which is something that happens roughly once every two years.
That book was written by Morgan Matson and on that day I vowed to read every single book she writes until she retires – and that is how I ended up here, reviewing her latest book.
I did not love this book.
However, it isn’t a bad book by any means. It has a lot of the tropes that Matson has mastered like tearing down illusions we have as teenagers about people we look up to, healthy conflict resolution, characters learning and growing from their flaws and mistakes, summer adventures (
"Standing there in the hallway, I was aware that this was what I always did. I made things easier for people. I smoothed things over. I kept everything inside until I felt like I was going to explode. And where had it gotten me?"
⟶ The novel centers around a friendship between Kat and Stevie, and how they go on an adventure in the Big Apple ( N e w Y o r k – I love the setting) and get separated after a heated argument. Now, this wouldn’t be that bad if they had phones. Which they didn’t. That’s only the tip of the iceberg – other things this book includes: a dog named Brad, the theatre production of King Lear, honest conversations, a kidnapping subplot, and many other elements.
⟶ This brings me to the reason why I didn’t like this book: it was too much. It had three points of view that kept switching, they didn’t balance each other out, rather overcrowd the narrative making it incoherent and scattered.
On top of that, the reader doesn’t get to spend enough time with the characters to form the connection – this being the strongest part of Matson's books, so knowing that I was ultimately disappointed by this book.
This was hands down one of the top 5 releases I was excited for this year (
Nevertheless, somebody else might love the hell out of this book precisely for the abovementioned tropes; this is a definitely a “it’s me not you” situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty underwhelming, unfortunately. Review to come.
livruther's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
part 1 was a slog to get through, but i’m glad i persevered. once the real adventure started, i was invested. i appreciated how every character was flawed but also relatable. at the end, i wanted an epilogue of like a year later, though. i didnt feel like i got enough closure