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literarypenguin's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Hot Dog Girl was a huge disappointment and I honestly was expecting better. I was expecting a sweet summer love story about two girls discovering their feelings for each other. Instead I got something totally different then what I was expecting.
The writing in this book was not that great, it felt like it could have used more polishing and at times didn't make sense like it should have. Not too mention that besides Seely and Lou's father I didn't like any of the other characters. They just felt flat and weren't really that memorable to me. They just seem like they were boring and didn't have that much of a personality that were different from each other.
My main problem with this book was the main character Lou. I didn't like her at all, she was selfish and didn't care about anyone but herself the whole time! She not only used her best friend Seely to try to get the attention of a guy but this guy she wanted so badly was taken already by a girl named Jessa. Which she for some reason had so much hatred towards her. I don't know why she hated her so much except that she was dating the boy she liked. No other reason was really given to why Lou would hate her. I thought useless girl hate was in the past and we moved past all that. Of course toward the end they had to make Jessa do something that made Lou's hate of her justified which felt out of now where and forced. It felt like they had to give a reason for the hate whether it made sense or not. Lou's actions and schemes throughout the book made her appear so selfish such as ruining her friend's reputation where they worked and not seeming to care that her friend was watching her grandmother die slowly. She just honestly ruined the experience of the book for me!
A big disappointment to start of the new year which I hope can only get better and I hope I can find more success which are not like this book!
The writing in this book was not that great, it felt like it could have used more polishing and at times didn't make sense like it should have. Not too mention that besides Seely and Lou's father I didn't like any of the other characters. They just felt flat and weren't really that memorable to me. They just seem like they were boring and didn't have that much of a personality that were different from each other.
My main problem with this book was the main character Lou. I didn't like her at all, she was selfish and didn't care about anyone but herself the whole time! She not only used her best friend Seely to try to get the attention of a guy but this guy she wanted so badly was taken already by a girl named Jessa. Which she for some reason had so much hatred towards her. I don't know why she hated her so much except that she was dating the boy she liked. No other reason was really given to why Lou would hate her. I thought useless girl hate was in the past and we moved past all that. Of course toward the end they had to make Jessa do something that made Lou's hate of her justified which felt out of now where and forced. It felt like they had to give a reason for the hate whether it made sense or not. Lou's actions and schemes throughout the book made her appear so selfish such as ruining her friend's reputation where they worked and not seeming to care that her friend was watching her grandmother die slowly. She just honestly ruined the experience of the book for me!
A big disappointment to start of the new year which I hope can only get better and I hope I can find more success which are not like this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Infidelity
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, and Vomit
whitneys_bookstack's review
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit
sammy_nor's review
emotional
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Cancer
gcreed13's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Vomit
alliemikennareads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I wasn’t loving the main character Lou at first - I was prepared to find her deeply annoying the entire book. But she grew on me very quickly and has good growth by the end. She’s extremely chaotic which was relatable for me. And of course I love the bi+ rep - it’s really well done here.
What else I loved:
We love a summer amusement park setting and short chapters that make this feel like a very fast read.
This was chock full of teen angst in the best possible way - not to the point of annoying but it had me smirking as I read - which is hard to pull off.
This is predictable in the intentional, you realize far before the narrator does kind of way - and I kinda loved it here? The bi panic and general approach to sexuality is fabulously written in my opinion.
HER DAD. If you’ve read this you get why.
TW: Absent parent (heavy theme) vomit (very frequently mentioned but not super gory graphic)
What else I loved:
We love a summer amusement park setting and short chapters that make this feel like a very fast read.
This was chock full of teen angst in the best possible way - not to the point of annoying but it had me smirking as I read - which is hard to pull off.
This is predictable in the intentional, you realize far before the narrator does kind of way - and I kinda loved it here? The bi panic and general approach to sexuality is fabulously written in my opinion.
HER DAD. If you’ve read this you get why.
TW: Absent parent (heavy theme) vomit (very frequently mentioned but not super gory graphic)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Vomit
imjustbeinghumble's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Every time I consider reading a contemporary novel, I have this passing thought of I hate contemporary 98% of the time, especially when the main characters are high schoolers, maybe I should just swear off the genre altogether at this point that is soon interrupted by the contrary thought of oh, but what if this one just happens to be the 2% that redeems all other contemporary literature?
Suffice to say, this did not fall in that percentage.
Technically, the portrayal of teenagers as irrational and impulsive and immature is accurate; if anything, teenagers should be portrayed like that more often. Here, however, it's not in a way that's likeable or even enjoyable to read, and it's also not challenged at all -- Lou's constant self-deprecation, interference in others' lives, and contrived schemes get little more than a slap on the wrist, if even that. Her perspective is... very difficult to read and sympathize with, not least because the style itself isn't super appealing.
The book also seems uncertain what its own central plot is -- the amusement park closing, or the relationship drama -- which weakens both, and there are too many background plot threads that aren't juggled properly. (Lou's parental abandonment is just kind of thrown in there, unresolved, and the cheating subplot is, surprisingly for how heavyhanded it comes across, almost entirely brushed off.) Because of this, the tone is inconsistent and awkward, and I'm not really into how easily some things are resolved -- if they're actually resolved at all. By the time things start picking up, the characters still haven't been fleshed out enough for me to really care about them and their problems; the miscommunication for drama is also super frustrating. Nick's appeal is lost on me, and honestly so is Seeley's, not to mention Jessa's backstory being some clunky rationale for her actions that is introduced too late and also is not handled well.
Honestly, I think a lot of Hot Dog Girl's problems might have been solved if it were shorter, or at least committed to better developing its characters in the amount of time it does offer -- and focusing on one plot. If it has anything going for it, it's a relatively lighthearted summer romance that dabbles in some deeper themes and messages, but it misses the ample opportunity to delve even further.
Suffice to say, this did not fall in that percentage.
Technically, the portrayal of teenagers as irrational and impulsive and immature is accurate; if anything, teenagers should be portrayed like that more often. Here, however, it's not in a way that's likeable or even enjoyable to read, and it's also not challenged at all -- Lou's constant self-deprecation, interference in others' lives, and contrived schemes get little more than a slap on the wrist, if even that. Her perspective is... very difficult to read and sympathize with, not least because the style itself isn't super appealing.
The book also seems uncertain what its own central plot is -- the amusement park closing, or the relationship drama -- which weakens both, and there are too many background plot threads that aren't juggled properly. (Lou's parental abandonment is just kind of thrown in there, unresolved, and the cheating subplot is, surprisingly for how heavyhanded it comes across, almost entirely brushed off.) Because of this, the tone is inconsistent and awkward, and I'm not really into how easily some things are resolved -- if they're actually resolved at all. By the time things start picking up, the characters still haven't been fleshed out enough for me to really care about them and their problems; the miscommunication for drama is also super frustrating. Nick's appeal is lost on me, and honestly so is Seeley's, not to mention Jessa's backstory being some clunky rationale for her actions that is introduced too late and also is not handled well.
Honestly, I think a lot of Hot Dog Girl's problems might have been solved if it were shorter, or at least committed to better developing its characters in the amount of time it does offer -- and focusing on one plot. If it has anything going for it, it's a relatively lighthearted summer romance that dabbles in some deeper themes and messages, but it misses the ample opportunity to delve even further.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Blood, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Medical content, Cancer, and Terminal illness
One scene includes underage drinking.erniedresser's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Vomit
asparagusisreading's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the best summer of her life with her summer job at a beloved amusement park and her best friend is working with her but there are some things standing in her way: her best friend isn't up to doing the things Elouise asks of her, her biggest crush has a girlfriend, she's working as a dancing hot dog again, and the park is closing. What a wild summer this is about to be.
HOT DOG GIRL has an intriguing premise that sounds perfect for a fun, lighthearted read or book to read for the summer. It's cute and was written in a way that I was wrapped up and couldn't put it down. I found myself laughing and wanting to tab certain lines often. Plus, I have previously read and enjoyed a Jennifer Dugan book so I knew what to expect and felt a somewhat sense of comfort while reading. <However, the main character Elouise is not easily likeable due to her obsessions with making things work or 'perfect.' She created these crazy schemes and continuously used the people around her to her benefit. It was voiced multiples time they didn't like, didn't want to, or didn't agree with what she wanted, but Elouise continued with her actions anyway. Because of that, I found some of the relationships (romantic and platonic) with Elouise hard to believe.>
Trigger + Content Warnings:
-divorced parents, cancer, vomit, infidelity,
Representation:
-lgbt relationships,
HOT DOG GIRL has an intriguing premise that sounds perfect for a fun, lighthearted read or book to read for the summer. It's cute and was written in a way that I was wrapped up and couldn't put it down. I found myself laughing and wanting to tab certain lines often. Plus, I have previously read and enjoyed a Jennifer Dugan book so I knew what to expect and felt a somewhat sense of comfort while reading. <However, the main character Elouise is not easily likeable due to her obsessions with making things work or 'perfect.' She created these crazy schemes and continuously used the people around her to her benefit. It was voiced multiples time they didn't like, didn't want to, or didn't agree with what she wanted, but Elouise continued with her actions anyway. Because of that, I found some of the relationships (romantic and platonic) with Elouise hard to believe.>
Trigger + Content Warnings:
-divorced parents, cancer, vomit, infidelity,
Representation:
-lgbt relationships,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit