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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Please note that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Trigger warning: Sexual assault scene
Geez this was not good. I don't know what to say. I have either loved or felt okayish about most of Waxman's books and this is just very bizarre. I didn't like any of the characters, the book went on forever, and the whole plot (or whatever we want to call it) was a hot mess after a while. I think I was supposed to be like, love or something will lead the way. Instead I wondered why Christa didn't just peace out of the madness of her family or someone actually get mad about things and act like a human being with real emotions.
"Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" follows Christa Liddle. She's part of the famous Liddle family and has been dealing with the celebrity of her family and her missing father. Until one day her father, Jasper, is no longer missing. Christa returns home and finds her sisters have changed, and the guy she always had a crush on, seems to have a crush on her too.
Eh. Christa. She was interesting at first. But I got bored by her and the family drama. I was hoping for some Nina with Christa, and we got none of that. There's a reveal that didn't really work for me. I thought it wasn't well done. Just kind of thrown at readers to be like yes, this was the issue all along with Christa. I really wanted to see Christa get mad, something. Heck the whole book was her being passive by threatening to leave every five seconds. And also being under the sway of her father. It was just....I don't know. I think if Christa had been a teenager, this would have worked better. But at the age she was, her sisters were, and her mother. It just felt very off.
The flow was pretty bad. The book jumps back and forth between Christa and social media posts. And I think at one point we see emails going back and forth.
The setting of Los Angeles seems like a hot mess. I can't see the world we live in being super totes okay with the reveal we get in this book. I think Hollywood sucks, but even I think this was a bridge too far.
The ending. Eh. It didn't read as believable.
Trigger warning: Sexual assault scene
Geez this was not good. I don't know what to say. I have either loved or felt okayish about most of Waxman's books and this is just very bizarre. I didn't like any of the characters, the book went on forever, and the whole plot (or whatever we want to call it) was a hot mess after a while. I think I was supposed to be like, love or something will lead the way. Instead I wondered why Christa didn't just peace out of the madness of her family or someone actually get mad about things and act like a human being with real emotions.
"Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" follows Christa Liddle. She's part of the famous Liddle family and has been dealing with the celebrity of her family and her missing father. Until one day her father, Jasper, is no longer missing. Christa returns home and finds her sisters have changed, and the guy she always had a crush on, seems to have a crush on her too.
Eh. Christa. She was interesting at first. But I got bored by her and the family drama. I was hoping for some Nina with Christa, and we got none of that. There's a reveal that didn't really work for me. I thought it wasn't well done. Just kind of thrown at readers to be like yes, this was the issue all along with Christa. I really wanted to see Christa get mad, something. Heck the whole book was her being passive by threatening to leave every five seconds. And also being under the sway of her father. It was just....I don't know. I think if Christa had been a teenager, this would have worked better. But at the age she was, her sisters were, and her mother. It just felt very off.
The flow was pretty bad. The book jumps back and forth between Christa and social media posts. And I think at one point we see emails going back and forth.
The setting of Los Angeles seems like a hot mess. I can't see the world we live in being super totes okay with the reveal we get in this book. I think Hollywood sucks, but even I think this was a bridge too far.
The ending. Eh. It didn't read as believable.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this book to feel ultimately unsettling. Christa took me a long time to get on board with and although the plot and the premise were interesting I am not sure this was the book for me.
All around a cute read, about a love story in the midst of some serious family drama.
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not get what I was expecting from an Abbi Waxman novel. It was really clear from the start this would be a harsher, cruder protagonist and that's fine. She's not my favorite but she's damaged and honest and blunt - props to her for owning it. But the plot...oh boy...then the plot twists. It started feeling very Lifetime movie by the last one. If you're up for crazy to the point of unbelievable then it's a fun read.
However - check the CWs because there is a chapter that is heavily foreshadowed and difficult.
However - check the CWs because there is a chapter that is heavily foreshadowed and difficult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
This storyline was rich, romantic and delightful. Christa is a character worth knowing. This book was filled with wonderfully detailed observations and the characters leap off of the page.
emotional
funny
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:
Yes