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iyaa's review against another edition
4.0
3.7 stars
I was so excited to read this when I got my hands on it because I remember loving Emily and Austin’s work, [b:Always Never Yours|34092885|Always Never Yours|Emily Wibberley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509252283l/34092885._SY75_.jpg|55108695], a very dear book I hold close to my heart.
This was a cute and easy read. I liked Cameron as a main character, and her development was something I found myself admiring. Right off the bat, I never really liked Andrew. There was no connection from the both of them, but the moment Brendan appeared I instantly knew I’d like him a lot. The pacing was okay, although I have to admit this book is not really something I’d find memorable. In spite of the fact that this is nothing in comparison to [b:Always Never Yours|34092885|Always Never Yours|Emily Wibberley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509252283l/34092885._SY75_.jpg|55108695], I still found myself enjoying it.
I was so excited to read this when I got my hands on it because I remember loving Emily and Austin’s work, [b:Always Never Yours|34092885|Always Never Yours|Emily Wibberley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509252283l/34092885._SY75_.jpg|55108695], a very dear book I hold close to my heart.
This was a cute and easy read. I liked Cameron as a main character, and her development was something I found myself admiring. Right off the bat, I never really liked Andrew. There was no connection from the both of them, but the moment Brendan appeared I instantly knew I’d like him a lot. The pacing was okay, although I have to admit this book is not really something I’d find memorable. In spite of the fact that this is nothing in comparison to [b:Always Never Yours|34092885|Always Never Yours|Emily Wibberley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509252283l/34092885._SY75_.jpg|55108695], I still found myself enjoying it.
fatimareadsbooks's review
4.0
How did I not know that the authors of this book also wrote [b:Always Never Yours|34092885|Always Never Yours|Emily Wibberley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509252283l/34092885._SY75_.jpg|55108695] which was one of my all-time YA romance books of 2018??? It literally took me until the last 10 pages of this book (during that cameo with the main characters of [b:Always Never Yours|34092885|Always Never Yours|Emily Wibberley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509252283l/34092885._SY75_.jpg|55108695]) to make the connection bc I thought the characters’ names sounded familiar... smh. ALSO, how did I not know that the authors of this book are a couple in real life? This makes this 10x cuter!!!
I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. It was actually more than a little emotional having to read about Cameron’s struggles with feeling like she’s not good enough for her dad and her thinking that she is pathetic and worthless. There were lighthearted bits too, of course, but I definitely shed a few tears here and there. Since this is a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, which is a comedy and a tragedy, this makes sense. There was a perfect balance of cutesy fluff and emotional angst. I also love the overall message of the story; there’s definitely substance there. The romance was adorable and fluffy (but not too fluffy) and just perfect. Like, can I please have my own Brendan? Most of the other characters were really loveable too, especially Paige. This book’s really got it all - dimensional characters, a meaningful story, and the most wholesome romance ever. The only thing I regret is not reading this earlier!
I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. It was actually more than a little emotional having to read about Cameron’s struggles with feeling like she’s not good enough for her dad and her thinking that she is pathetic and worthless. There were lighthearted bits too, of course, but I definitely shed a few tears here and there. Since this is a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, which is a comedy and a tragedy, this makes sense. There was a perfect balance of cutesy fluff and emotional angst. I also love the overall message of the story; there’s definitely substance there. The romance was adorable and fluffy (but not too fluffy) and just perfect. Like, can I please have my own Brendan? Most of the other characters were really loveable too, especially Paige. This book’s really got it all - dimensional characters, a meaningful story, and the most wholesome romance ever. The only thing I regret is not reading this earlier!
slsj_'s review
4.0
Well KNOCK MY SOCKS OFF.
I started If I’m Being Honest and was almost immediately convinced that this wasn’t going to be my type of book. Main character Cameron Bright turned me off from the very beginning. I was never the type to enjoy the spoiled bratty type, but MAN Cameron proved me wrong.
I’m extremely glad I continued reading because I would have missed one of the best character arcs in YA literary history, no lie. She really got it together. Albeit for the wrong reasons at first, but still...she made me fall in love with her when I couldn’t stand her for the first few chapters. That’s some kind of magic.
Besides her amazing development as a character, the side characters really help to gel this book. They were all interesting, even BRAD. Does anyone else want to know how his internship is going because I do?...
The writing is good, the plot great. Love interest exciting and nerdy and adorable.
This author duo (slash matrimonial duo, congrats!) keep surprising the heck of out me. I had no expectations for Always, Never, Yours and that was fantastic...now this?
Can’t wait to read their next book. And you should read this one because Cameron Bright is unapologetically herself and her impact is inspirational <3
I started If I’m Being Honest and was almost immediately convinced that this wasn’t going to be my type of book. Main character Cameron Bright turned me off from the very beginning. I was never the type to enjoy the spoiled bratty type, but MAN Cameron proved me wrong.
I’m extremely glad I continued reading because I would have missed one of the best character arcs in YA literary history, no lie. She really got it together. Albeit for the wrong reasons at first, but still...she made me fall in love with her when I couldn’t stand her for the first few chapters. That’s some kind of magic.
Besides her amazing development as a character, the side characters really help to gel this book. They were all interesting, even BRAD. Does anyone else want to know how his internship is going because I do?...
The writing is good, the plot great. Love interest exciting and nerdy and adorable.
This author duo (slash matrimonial duo, congrats!) keep surprising the heck of out me. I had no expectations for Always, Never, Yours and that was fantastic...now this?
Can’t wait to read their next book. And you should read this one because Cameron Bright is unapologetically herself and her impact is inspirational <3
abbyreads2's review
4.0
I LOVED IT!!! It was my kind of book for sure. It made me smile, laugh, sad, annoyed, angry, and everything else the characters felt. The story is well written. I like romance books with a bit of the "ugly truth" to it, which is basically an amazingly flawed character that isn't all perfect. I found the main characters very likeable. I liked how the romance developed slowly over time, but not too slow. I think some of us can relate to her. If you can't, then obviously you're probably not going to like it much if you're one of those people that doesn't restrict their feelings and things of that sort. I liked and enjoyed the friendships between Cameron and Paige, as well as Cameron and Brendan's friendship turned relationship. Overall, I stayed up all night and finished this book in about 4-5 hours. That says about all you need to know. I liked it that much! I recommend! If you don't like it, what do you have to lose? A couple of hours? Pshhh just try it. Really. Go ahead. Read it.
abby_can_read's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
📖
While I thought this book was cute and I had a good time reading it, I struggled to read. I'm not the target audience for this book. There were a lot of time when I got annoyed with the characters and I lost interest in the plot. These characters are teenagers and it's set in high school.
Overall, I liked Cameron as a character. She went through a lot of development and growth, and I liked that her growth was forward then back a little. I found that to be relatable.
The relationships were good. I thought the relationship between Andrew and Cameron was cute.
The pacing was fine. There were times when it got a little slow for me, but it did pick up after a few pages. The writing style was cute, though I did find it annoying at times -- and I can't really identify what made it annoying for me. The plot was fine. I found it to be silly and over dramatic, but this is where I will point out that I'm not the target audience. I didn't relate to the plot. I think if I read this book when I was a teenager then I would find it more relatable and I would have enjoyed it more.
While I thought this book was cute and I had a good time reading it, I struggled to read. I'm not the target audience for this book. There were a lot of time when I got annoyed with the characters and I lost interest in the plot. These characters are teenagers and it's set in high school.
Overall, I liked Cameron as a character. She went through a lot of development and growth, and I liked that her growth was forward then back a little. I found that to be relatable.
The relationships were good. I thought the relationship between Andrew and Cameron was cute.
The pacing was fine. There were times when it got a little slow for me, but it did pick up after a few pages. The writing style was cute, though I did find it annoying at times -- and I can't really identify what made it annoying for me. The plot was fine. I found it to be silly and over dramatic, but this is where I will point out that I'm not the target audience. I didn't relate to the plot. I think if I read this book when I was a teenager then I would find it more relatable and I would have enjoyed it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment and Cursing
Minor: Child abuse
ninebookishlives's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
3.5
Just as cute as Always Never Yours. You just have to get past a negative, flawed character. Don't worry, she has a character growth. This retelling does really make me want to read more Taming of the Shrew retellings.
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
I liked that this was retelling-adjacent ("THe Taming of the Shrew" kind of takes the MC on a self journey), but felt a little paint-by-numbers to me. However, there is some grade A flirting in this book, if that is your kind of thing.
indigoivee's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book so long ago and because I had just read a # I was in a good mood. But honestly, I think I might’ve liked it more then than I do now. The concept and themes were good, I love anything inspired by Shakespeare’s works and the Taming of the Shrew is a greatly undervalued play. I love how Drew compared herself to Katherine, because I have similarly compared myself to Kat from 10TIHAU (if you know you know) and the way she did the classic character makeover by herself was rather inspiring. Sure, she did it for a boy, but as time went on she was really doing it for herself and that’s what really mattered. Drew became a better person because she never liked who she really was and because she had to fit into a specific mould to survive. So this transformation and this book was really good to read. Felt like a 90s romcom only better!
I did love the little crossover moment in the epilogue when we got a feature of Megan and Owen. Glad to see they’re still going strong.
I did love the little crossover moment in the epilogue when we got a feature of Megan and Owen. Glad to see they’re still going strong.
grafe_'s review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
steph01924's review
5.0
Honestly, this was great! I had a great time with this. Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.