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missberlyreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3/5
I was bored and I wanted a good new mystery. It was somewhat odd that there wasn’t a hold list. The plot was alright, though at times I found it hard to follow. I wanted to get into the story more but the way it unfolded i forgot things that were supposed to be important to the plot.
I was bored and I wanted a good new mystery. It was somewhat odd that there wasn’t a hold list. The plot was alright, though at times I found it hard to follow. I wanted to get into the story more but the way it unfolded i forgot things that were supposed to be important to the plot.
kvreadsandrecs's review
2.0
Yikes...this book was not great. To be fair, I didn't enjoy Tiny Pretty Things either, so maybe this style of writing just isn't for me. I'm okay with reading unlikable characters and girls with edge, but this was just cliche after cliche after cliche.
I started skimming at 15% and dragged myself through the rest of the book. I don't feel like I missed much, even if I did flip ahead a few pages.
I did appreciate that the characters represented several different cultures, but I could have lived without the "a guy like this wouldn't date a girl like me" (meaning formerly fat and awkward) and "Exotic. Black girls like me don't get called that." It was too easy to figure out the pot-stirrer and it made the characters who struggled to figure it out seem a little dense, despite the fact that they were portrayed to be the super smart, on-to-the-ivy-leagues type.
The plot was a little tiring and didn't seem to work that well. It was like the authors were trying to have both, "let us tell a message to the youths and remind them all to not spread rumors because they can hurt people" and also, "let us write the most backstabbing story in order for you to play guessing games." Just didn't work for me.
Thanks Disney Publishing Worldwide for a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I started skimming at 15% and dragged myself through the rest of the book. I don't feel like I missed much, even if I did flip ahead a few pages.
I did appreciate that the characters represented several different cultures, but I could have lived without the "a guy like this wouldn't date a girl like me" (meaning formerly fat and awkward) and "Exotic. Black girls like me don't get called that." It was too easy to figure out the pot-stirrer and it made the characters who struggled to figure it out seem a little dense, despite the fact that they were portrayed to be the super smart, on-to-the-ivy-leagues type.
The plot was a little tiring and didn't seem to work that well. It was like the authors were trying to have both, "let us tell a message to the youths and remind them all to not spread rumors because they can hurt people" and also, "let us write the most backstabbing story in order for you to play guessing games." Just didn't work for me.
Thanks Disney Publishing Worldwide for a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
senterrrs's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
greatgoddesslife's review
I know this is YA and I normally love YA but this was too messy for high schoolers
bookish_mrs_w's review
3.0
The Rumor Game was a fast read! It was engaging and I feel like this is a topic that a lot if teens will eat up. Its extremely reletative to something many kids go through right now. I did struggle with the believability of some aspects of the story along with the relationships and the why behind some of the actions. I felt like maybe addressing mental health a in a more in depth way could have added that little extra that this book needs. It was still an ejoyable read nonetheless.
ericacoonelly's review
4.0
A realistic yet terrifying look at the way social media shapes and influences kids/teens lives, the devastating affect it can have on confidence, mental health and relationships - all too real set in an elite prep school lifestyle but could happen in any high school setting today.
hayleybeale's review
3.0
3.5 stars rounded down as it was just a tad too long.
Three high school seniors get tangled up in social media rumors and rumormongering and discover that it’s not a monster you can control in this well-told cautionary of-the-moment YA novel.
Bryn, Cora, and Georgie are all seniors at a fancy private school in Washington DC, full of sons and daughters of the rich, famous, high-powered, and entitled. The three young women’s narration is interspersed with a rumor log, social media posts, and local media reports.
In the summer, Bryn (who is white) ran a red light, hit the car with her ex-boyfriend and other students in it, and then fled the scene. Strings were pulled and she’s now back at school, but is a social pariah and her student presidency is being challenged - all she wants to do is get her old life back and continue on her path to become the first female president of the United States (obviously having heard of neither Kamila Harris nor Chappaquiddick).
Georgie (who is Indian) was sent to fat camp over the summer by her mother and shed a lot of weight, along with her social caution. Befriended by Bryn, Georgie wants to be seen, be in with the popular crowd, and kiss a boy or two.
Cora (who is Black) is feeling the loss of her twin who graduated early and is at Harvard, and is feeling the weight of parental expectations, but she has her long term boyfriend Baez to lean on.
But then the new Georgie is seen flirting with Baez at a party, and the rumor mill goes into overdrive.
Over the next month, these three young women all become victims of vicious rumors, but equally, they all try to manipulate the story to suit their own plans. In the process, lives are damaged, reputations ruined, and the truth is left far behind.
I found it telling, and troubling, that at no point did any of the students even think about talking to an adult - family or school - about the issues they were facing, and, equally, that the adults in their lives were pretty much oblivious to what was going on.
Clearly the authors made a choice to set it among the offspring of the political and financial elite. I felt this made it somewhat less relatable to most teens (after all, who can have a costume party with a camera monitoring every room to expose the wrongdoers). It also meant there were few consequences for the wrongdoers - there was a definite feeling that it would all be swept under the carpet and the kids would bounce back without too many issues.
The novel worked surprisingly well as an audiobook. The three narrators were well differentiated but I found the nervy voice of the person reading Georgie’s section to be rather irritating and she sounded least like a teenager of the three. It was a little clunky to have the social media photos described, but the reading of the comments was full of excellent eye-rolling, too cool for school vibes. I did find the endless repetition of the rumor log to be annoying (and I was never clear whose log it was).
This is clearly a very timely well-told novel, showing how much damage can be wittingly and unwittingly caused by social media and I’m sure will fly off the shelves in my school.
Thanks to Disney Audiobooks and Netgalley for the audiobook review copy.
Three high school seniors get tangled up in social media rumors and rumormongering and discover that it’s not a monster you can control in this well-told cautionary of-the-moment YA novel.
Bryn, Cora, and Georgie are all seniors at a fancy private school in Washington DC, full of sons and daughters of the rich, famous, high-powered, and entitled. The three young women’s narration is interspersed with a rumor log, social media posts, and local media reports.
In the summer, Bryn (who is white) ran a red light, hit the car with her ex-boyfriend and other students in it, and then fled the scene. Strings were pulled and she’s now back at school, but is a social pariah and her student presidency is being challenged - all she wants to do is get her old life back and continue on her path to become the first female president of the United States (obviously having heard of neither Kamila Harris nor Chappaquiddick).
Georgie (who is Indian) was sent to fat camp over the summer by her mother and shed a lot of weight, along with her social caution. Befriended by Bryn, Georgie wants to be seen, be in with the popular crowd, and kiss a boy or two.
Cora (who is Black) is feeling the loss of her twin who graduated early and is at Harvard, and is feeling the weight of parental expectations, but she has her long term boyfriend Baez to lean on.
But then the new Georgie is seen flirting with Baez at a party, and the rumor mill goes into overdrive.
Over the next month, these three young women all become victims of vicious rumors, but equally, they all try to manipulate the story to suit their own plans. In the process, lives are damaged, reputations ruined, and the truth is left far behind.
I found it telling, and troubling, that at no point did any of the students even think about talking to an adult - family or school - about the issues they were facing, and, equally, that the adults in their lives were pretty much oblivious to what was going on.
Clearly the authors made a choice to set it among the offspring of the political and financial elite. I felt this made it somewhat less relatable to most teens (after all, who can have a costume party with a camera monitoring every room to expose the wrongdoers). It also meant there were few consequences for the wrongdoers - there was a definite feeling that it would all be swept under the carpet and the kids would bounce back without too many issues.
The novel worked surprisingly well as an audiobook. The three narrators were well differentiated but I found the nervy voice of the person reading Georgie’s section to be rather irritating and she sounded least like a teenager of the three. It was a little clunky to have the social media photos described, but the reading of the comments was full of excellent eye-rolling, too cool for school vibes. I did find the endless repetition of the rumor log to be annoying (and I was never clear whose log it was).
This is clearly a very timely well-told novel, showing how much damage can be wittingly and unwittingly caused by social media and I’m sure will fly off the shelves in my school.
Thanks to Disney Audiobooks and Netgalley for the audiobook review copy.
may_books20's review
4.0
This book was great. It really represented cyber bullying in all its gritty, uncensored glory (and yes, I said glory sarcastically).
Now, my school doesn’t really have any bullying (everyone is really inclusive and nice), but it’s truly interesting to read about how vindictive people can be at such a young age, especially people who are constantly exposed to the media and the spotlight (the children of celebrities and politicians, who can’t really handle the pressure of the press as well as most mature adults).
The only thing I have a problem with is the fact that NO ONE WENT TO THEIR PARENTS ABOUT ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED? Like, if people online were spreading lies about me and calling me a sl*t and a wh*re, then I would tell my parents or a teacher or someone who can help me! And when one of the girls went to her mom to tell her about the rumors, her mom told her to FIX IT HERSELF. Why? Kids shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of shit by themselves. It’s just unacceptable.
The other thing I didn’t really like was how rushed the ending was, and how there were still loose ends when the book was over. What happened to Bryn right after Georgie exposed her? Was Jase actually sentenced to jail like he deserved or did he get off easy? Did Baez and Cora get back together? The news article at the end helped tie things together somewhat, but it just wasn’t satisfying enough.
That being said, I did truly enjoy this book. It wasn’t boring, and it kept me on the edge with all the delicious drama and horrible rumors.
Now, my school doesn’t really have any bullying (everyone is really inclusive and nice), but it’s truly interesting to read about how vindictive people can be at such a young age, especially people who are constantly exposed to the media and the spotlight (the children of celebrities and politicians, who can’t really handle the pressure of the press as well as most mature adults).
The only thing I have a problem with is the fact that NO ONE WENT TO THEIR PARENTS ABOUT ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED? Like, if people online were spreading lies about me and calling me a sl*t and a wh*re, then I would tell my parents or a teacher or someone who can help me! And when one of the girls went to her mom to tell her about the rumors, her mom told her to FIX IT HERSELF. Why? Kids shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of shit by themselves. It’s just unacceptable.
The other thing I didn’t really like was how rushed the ending was, and how there were still loose ends when the book was over. What happened to Bryn right after Georgie exposed her? Was Jase actually sentenced to jail like he deserved or did he get off easy? Did Baez and Cora get back together? The news article at the end helped tie things together somewhat, but it just wasn’t satisfying enough.
That being said, I did truly enjoy this book. It wasn’t boring, and it kept me on the edge with all the delicious drama and horrible rumors.