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tracyfeye's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
storytimed's review
4.0
Pretty fun book but nothing really stood out. Loved the concept of dancing in an aquarium.
littleelfman's review against another edition
4.0
A fun, and funny, book about how when things go wrong, they can actually be headed to right.
yoonwhoisstillblooming's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I read this when I was fifteen, her age. Some parts in here I could relate to and some parts I wish I could relate to. The boys, they are priceless. The dynamic of those four is what I wish to have in my relationships with people. The book made me laugh out loud in the middle of the night when everyone in the house is sleeping. From the start to the end, there was not a part I did not like.
genevievelin's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.75
katlinmorris's review
3.0
3.5 stars
This was cute but I feel like it could have been more. This isn't a very long book and I usually read contemporary and romcoms in a single sitting but this one took me four nights to finish. It's not bad, it's just not really that special and that's a shame because I think it could have been.
Here's a list of what I liked:
Lou's voice: Lou is fifteen, a professional swimmer facing the end of her career before it really started and a very cynical first person narrator. I loved her voice and the way she sees her family, her friends and of course the three boys who ask her to teach them synchronised swimming.
The humour: The humour was right up my alley, I just wish there had been more of it. The book gave me some good chuckles but there weren't really any laughing-out-loud-moments. It was funny and light though and I liked that.
Lavender: Lou's sixteen year old sister and the only character who felt fleshed out. She's popular and a goth at the same time and I liked how she cares about Lou and tries to help her in her own special way. I really liked her and sometimes wished she had been the main character instead of Lou.
Let's cover all the stuff I didn't like in list format too:
Ableism: This book deals with quite a lot of sensitive topics: Illness, mental issues, eating disorders. Lou seems to be burned out from taking swimming too seriously and so does her friend Hannah. The book tries to deal with these issues in a sensitive way but I feel like the issues weren't taken seriously enough and the solutions were stunningly simple. It wouldn't be that easy in real life to battle burnout syndrome or an eating disorder and I don't think the book always struck the right tone dealing with these issues.
I was also really uncomfortable how Lou and later her Dad said Hannah had "gone crazy" when it became apparent that Hannah couldn't deal with her workload anymore and was developing an ED. It felt like such a cruel throaway remark aimed at a girl with serious problems. And coming from two people who genuinely care about her. It was... just not a good word choice.
The characters: I mean, I liked the characters but they weren't fleshed out enough. We learn nothing about Lou except that she likes swimming. You spend about 300 pages in her head and you learn nothing about her other than that she has major body issues ("I'm too tall, my hair is ugly, Lavender is so much prettier than me") that aren't really addressed either.
It's also a real pity that the same is true for Roman, Pete and Gabe, the three boys Lou trains in synchronised swimming. I'm not sure we even learn their hair colours. All I know is that Pete is a little grumpy and Gabe is Roman's little brother. Characters and their relationships are so important in romcoms/contemporaries but these fell flat for me, they weren't interesting enough.
The Pacing: I think the pacing wasn't done well. This is a short book and about a third of it goes by before Lou even really meets the three boys. Then it's all about them wanting to do synchronised swimming at some "Britain's Got Talent" knock-off show until that's suddenly not even important anymore in the last third of the book. The plot meanders too much, I think.
So... I did enjoy "Goldfish" but not as much as I was hoping I would. It was a nice read but it's not the laugh-out-loud romcom the blurb promises.
This was cute but I feel like it could have been more. This isn't a very long book and I usually read contemporary and romcoms in a single sitting but this one took me four nights to finish. It's not bad, it's just not really that special and that's a shame because I think it could have been.
Here's a list of what I liked:
Lou's voice: Lou is fifteen, a professional swimmer facing the end of her career before it really started and a very cynical first person narrator. I loved her voice and the way she sees her family, her friends and of course the three boys who ask her to teach them synchronised swimming.
The humour: The humour was right up my alley, I just wish there had been more of it. The book gave me some good chuckles but there weren't really any laughing-out-loud-moments. It was funny and light though and I liked that.
Lavender: Lou's sixteen year old sister and the only character who felt fleshed out. She's popular and a goth at the same time and I liked how she cares about Lou and tries to help her in her own special way. I really liked her and sometimes wished she had been the main character instead of Lou.
Let's cover all the stuff I didn't like in list format too:
Ableism: This book deals with quite a lot of sensitive topics: Illness, mental issues, eating disorders. Lou seems to be burned out from taking swimming too seriously and so does her friend Hannah. The book tries to deal with these issues in a sensitive way but I feel like the issues weren't taken seriously enough and the solutions were stunningly simple. It wouldn't be that easy in real life to battle burnout syndrome or an eating disorder and I don't think the book always struck the right tone dealing with these issues.
I was also really uncomfortable how Lou and later her Dad said Hannah had "gone crazy" when it became apparent that Hannah couldn't deal with her workload anymore and was developing an ED. It felt like such a cruel throaway remark aimed at a girl with serious problems. And coming from two people who genuinely care about her. It was... just not a good word choice.
The characters: I mean, I liked the characters but they weren't fleshed out enough. We learn nothing about Lou except that she likes swimming. You spend about 300 pages in her head and you learn nothing about her other than that she has major body issues ("I'm too tall, my hair is ugly, Lavender is so much prettier than me") that aren't really addressed either.
It's also a real pity that the same is true for Roman, Pete and Gabe, the three boys Lou trains in synchronised swimming. I'm not sure we even learn their hair colours. All I know is that Pete is a little grumpy and Gabe is Roman's little brother. Characters and their relationships are so important in romcoms/contemporaries but these fell flat for me, they weren't interesting enough.
The Pacing: I think the pacing wasn't done well. This is a short book and about a third of it goes by before Lou even really meets the three boys. Then it's all about them wanting to do synchronised swimming at some "Britain's Got Talent" knock-off show until that's suddenly not even important anymore in the last third of the book. The plot meanders too much, I think.
So... I did enjoy "Goldfish" but not as much as I was hoping I would. It was a nice read but it's not the laugh-out-loud romcom the blurb promises.
mellyjj's review
2.0
I had really high expectations and I was kind of disappointed. It was very amateurish. Full review to come.
ekkihugsa's review against another edition
4.0
Divertissant ! Lou est très marrante, c'est rafraîchissant. Un peu long à se mettre en place, puis ça n'arrête plus :)
rahmak's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.0