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sashathewild's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
DANI NOIR is a powerfully entertaining and heartfelt middle-grade novel by a talented debut author to keep an eye out for. Dani is pitch-perfect and has ageless appeal, and it’s easy to connect with the issues she faces in this story.
The star of the novel is without a doubt Dani, who’s precocious with her interest in noir films, yet just self-centered enough in that way of preteens to be infuriating and endearing. She may remind you of your best and worst self in middle school—and if she doesn’t, then she is that girl in your math class, or the kind of girl you wish you had been back in the day. Dani is far from perfect: other characters rightfully call her “selfish,” but you can’t help but feel close to her, because not only is she terribly real, she’s also incredibly funny and entertaining.
Dani’s quest to expose Jackson’s lies is lighthearted enough, but, unbeknownst to her, carries a strong connection to her feelings of paternal abandonment. Separation and divorce is a common enough subject in middle grade fiction, but Nova Ren Suma deals with it delicately here, not allowing it to consume Dani’s life and thus make DANI NOIR just another serious issues book.
DANI NOIR has a great protagonist and would make for a good read for middle schoolers, their older siblings, and their parents and grandparents. Don’t miss out on this wonderfully sweet novel!
The star of the novel is without a doubt Dani, who’s precocious with her interest in noir films, yet just self-centered enough in that way of preteens to be infuriating and endearing. She may remind you of your best and worst self in middle school—and if she doesn’t, then she is that girl in your math class, or the kind of girl you wish you had been back in the day. Dani is far from perfect: other characters rightfully call her “selfish,” but you can’t help but feel close to her, because not only is she terribly real, she’s also incredibly funny and entertaining.
Dani’s quest to expose Jackson’s lies is lighthearted enough, but, unbeknownst to her, carries a strong connection to her feelings of paternal abandonment. Separation and divorce is a common enough subject in middle grade fiction, but Nova Ren Suma deals with it delicately here, not allowing it to consume Dani’s life and thus make DANI NOIR just another serious issues book.
DANI NOIR has a great protagonist and would make for a good read for middle schoolers, their older siblings, and their parents and grandparents. Don’t miss out on this wonderfully sweet novel!
abbievillehorror's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute and has a super strong voice. I love that even Nova's middle grade has a flawed female MC.
beatniksafari's review against another edition
4.0
Bored with her tiny town and unsettled after the breakdown of her parents' marriage, Dani escapes to the local art house movie theater to watch films from the past. She loves that the world portrayed in those films is black and white - literally and figuratively - with clear villains and victims. Outside the theater, her world isn't always so clearly demarcated. As Dani navigates her relationships with family and friends, she discovers that human beings are inconsistent, complicated, and sometimes tough to love - herself included.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
3.0
After hearing such good things about Nova Ren Suma’s books I had high hopes for Fade Out. I’m sad to say that I was a bit disappointed with this one. The writing was good it was the story that really let me down but I won’t be giving up on Nova Ren Suma’s other books.
Fade Out is definitely a middle grade novel and I knew that going into it but I think I expected something a bit more mature than what I got. Dani is a very immature girl. She doesn’t have a very realistic outlook and she acts her age, that’s for sure. Ever since her dad left her mom for another woman she doesn’t trust men and that applies to all men. When she thinks that her friends boyfriend might be cheating on her she decides to take it upon herself to find out and prove it to her friend. Let’s just say that Dani takes stalker to a whole new level and her motives are not exactly as pure as she wants people to think. She really is rather selfish and it’s hard to like Dani. She was definitely my biggest problem with the book.
The whole story in Fade Out is Dani trying to prove that her friend’s boyfriend is cheating on her. That is literally the whole story with some films thrown in for good measure. From the summary I expected there to be some deep dark murderous secret that Dani uncovers but no. It’s just the fact that he’s cheating. I was really let down by that and the story was pretty boring. There just wasn’t enough going on to keep me interested and I found myself rushing through the story just because I wanted to be done with it. I think that most readers my age or older will feel the same way but middle grade readers will probably enjoy this one and it’s a great read for younger teens.
Overall, Fade Out really let me down. While I was definitely impressed with the writing, that was the only thing that impressed me. Hopefully I find Nova Ren Suma’s other books to be more to my taste because this one just wasn’t.
Fade Out is definitely a middle grade novel and I knew that going into it but I think I expected something a bit more mature than what I got. Dani is a very immature girl. She doesn’t have a very realistic outlook and she acts her age, that’s for sure. Ever since her dad left her mom for another woman she doesn’t trust men and that applies to all men. When she thinks that her friends boyfriend might be cheating on her she decides to take it upon herself to find out and prove it to her friend. Let’s just say that Dani takes stalker to a whole new level and her motives are not exactly as pure as she wants people to think. She really is rather selfish and it’s hard to like Dani. She was definitely my biggest problem with the book.
The whole story in Fade Out is Dani trying to prove that her friend’s boyfriend is cheating on her. That is literally the whole story with some films thrown in for good measure. From the summary I expected there to be some deep dark murderous secret that Dani uncovers but no. It’s just the fact that he’s cheating. I was really let down by that and the story was pretty boring. There just wasn’t enough going on to keep me interested and I found myself rushing through the story just because I wanted to be done with it. I think that most readers my age or older will feel the same way but middle grade readers will probably enjoy this one and it’s a great read for younger teens.
Overall, Fade Out really let me down. While I was definitely impressed with the writing, that was the only thing that impressed me. Hopefully I find Nova Ren Suma’s other books to be more to my taste because this one just wasn’t.
noirbettie's review against another edition
5.0
This is, hands-down, the best middle grade book I've read since I was *in* middle school. Nova is the next Paula Danziger!
Dani is the most REAL 13-year-old I've read since Marcy Lewis. Every word of this book is a work of art.
Dani is the most REAL 13-year-old I've read since Marcy Lewis. Every word of this book is a work of art.
valerieelseswhere's review against another edition
4.0
This book felt new, and true to the teenager characters. I truly enjoyed it and now I have a list of old noir movies I need to see.
woodendress's review against another edition
My pick this week is Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma. This book is only a few years old (2009) but I never see this book mentioned that much. I was first drawn in by the cover and the name of the book. The cover deliciously illustrates the mood and tone of the book. It harkens back to old film noirs, which is what the book is also based on. This is truly a cover that fits the book and the themes within.
It's the summer between 7th and 8th grade and Dani lives in a small town in upstate New York. She is obsessed with old movies, especially movies with Rita Hayworth. She uses films to narrate her life and to understand it, and she spends massive amounts of time at the local movie theatre, which shows old films exclusively. Her life is complicated by the fact that her parents are divorcing and her mother is falling apart while her father has moved across the river. Her best friend has moved away and Austin, son of the local theatre owner, spends his time annoying her or so she thinks. Dani is struggling with her parents' divorce and when she discovers that Jackson, Austin's older cousin, is being visited by a mysterious femme fatale, she finds herself in her own film noir. To unravel the mystery of this girl with the polka dot tights, Dani uses the detective skills she learned from watching these films.
The best way I would describe this book is cozy. I knew what was going to happen just from the first chapter, but I still enjoyed the book. The book is a mystery/noir and a coming of age story. I liked the combination of the two genres and thought the author did an excellent job of using the medium of film to illustrate the divorce between Dani's parents and the turmoil she is experiencing. Dani's favorite actress at the beginning is Rita Hayworth and this shifts at the end of the novel, which is a nice way to show the changes in her life.
The most interesting thing about the novel were the characters. Dani is not a perfect person, but she grows throughout the story. She is bratty, intelligent, selfish, curious and even caring at some points. At the beginning, she is selfish and while she doesn't completely outgrow this at the end, she has begun to realize that she has flaws, and that her parents, friends and acquaintances are flawed and complex as well. My favorite realization that Dani has is when she realizes that Austin has a crush on her and Taylor, her former best friend, has also changed and maybe their friendship can be rekindled. I also loved the character of Austin and while Dani found him annoying at first, his friendship with her was very sweet.
As this is Nova Ren Suma's debut, I thought she did an excellent job at making complex characters and I already have her second book on my to-read list.
It's the summer between 7th and 8th grade and Dani lives in a small town in upstate New York. She is obsessed with old movies, especially movies with Rita Hayworth. She uses films to narrate her life and to understand it, and she spends massive amounts of time at the local movie theatre, which shows old films exclusively. Her life is complicated by the fact that her parents are divorcing and her mother is falling apart while her father has moved across the river. Her best friend has moved away and Austin, son of the local theatre owner, spends his time annoying her or so she thinks. Dani is struggling with her parents' divorce and when she discovers that Jackson, Austin's older cousin, is being visited by a mysterious femme fatale, she finds herself in her own film noir. To unravel the mystery of this girl with the polka dot tights, Dani uses the detective skills she learned from watching these films.
The best way I would describe this book is cozy. I knew what was going to happen just from the first chapter, but I still enjoyed the book. The book is a mystery/noir and a coming of age story. I liked the combination of the two genres and thought the author did an excellent job of using the medium of film to illustrate the divorce between Dani's parents and the turmoil she is experiencing. Dani's favorite actress at the beginning is Rita Hayworth and this shifts at the end of the novel, which is a nice way to show the changes in her life.
The most interesting thing about the novel were the characters. Dani is not a perfect person, but she grows throughout the story. She is bratty, intelligent, selfish, curious and even caring at some points. At the beginning, she is selfish and while she doesn't completely outgrow this at the end, she has begun to realize that she has flaws, and that her parents, friends and acquaintances are flawed and complex as well. My favorite realization that Dani has is when she realizes that Austin has a crush on her and Taylor, her former best friend, has also changed and maybe their friendship can be rekindled. I also loved the character of Austin and while Dani found him annoying at first, his friendship with her was very sweet.
As this is Nova Ren Suma's debut, I thought she did an excellent job at making complex characters and I already have her second book on my to-read list.
book_nut's review against another edition
3.0
Predictable, whiny, and a lot of lying. Rita Hayworth and noir movies saved it from being a total bomb, though.
mel_mazzone's review against another edition
5.0
Nova Ren Suma is an amazing writer. AMAZING. I aspire to write like her. Great book. That is all.