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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book and also thought it was really stupid! /positive
No but really, a character named Hella Badid that's really stupid but in a really fun way because it's so out there and self aware that it somehow works. And that's exactly what I'm used to when I read a Goldy Moldavsky book, they always cheer me up and are a little bit silly while still making sure there's an actual plot that actually goes somewhere with a good set of characters (how annoying they may be.)
I especially liked that it was based on the Fyre Fest shenanigans from a few years back, as I remember being on twitter when the tweets about the disaster came in and refreshing to read more and more about the dumpsterfire!
I did like this book a bit less than 'Kill the boyband' and 'No good deed' but this may also very well be because I was a bit younger when I read those and tastes change :)
No but really, a character named Hella Badid that's really stupid but in a really fun way because it's so out there and self aware that it somehow works. And that's exactly what I'm used to when I read a Goldy Moldavsky book, they always cheer me up and are a little bit silly while still making sure there's an actual plot that actually goes somewhere with a good set of characters (how annoying they may be.)
I especially liked that it was based on the Fyre Fest shenanigans from a few years back, as I remember being on twitter when the tweets about the disaster came in and refreshing to read more and more about the dumpsterfire!
I did like this book a bit less than 'Kill the boyband' and 'No good deed' but this may also very well be because I was a bit younger when I read those and tastes change :)
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This satirical mashup of the classic Lord of the Flies and the disaster that was Fyre Fest, is a hilarious cultural commentary. Moldavsky takes on social media, influencers, fame, fortune, and the internet itself. While some aspects are a little too on the nose- I'm looking at you, Hella Badid, I think the story does a magnificent job of bringing the overall idea of Lord of the Flies into the current time. While the references to social media sites like TikTok and MUAs on Youtube may be relevant now, I fear they will age this book too quickly for it to become a new classic. This is a must-read for the current time though.
The audiobook is read by Barrett Wilbert Weed, who is an absolute gem and the voice acting is superb. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook.
The audiobook is read by Barrett Wilbert Weed, who is an absolute gem and the voice acting is superb. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
wow i hated this book. Such two dimensional characters.
I love the stranded on an island "lost" and "the wilds" type stories but this was miserable to read. Such lazy writing. Most of the characters are celebrities and influencers. One person is based off of Bella Hadid. Guess what her name is in the book? Go ahead, I'll wait...
.
.
.
Hella Badid. Yeah. And that honestly kind of creative for this book. Predictable, boring, hated every character, and by the end, the conflict of the story didn't even make sense. Don't waste your time.
I love the stranded on an island "lost" and "the wilds" type stories but this was miserable to read. Such lazy writing. Most of the characters are celebrities and influencers. One person is based off of Bella Hadid. Guess what her name is in the book? Go ahead, I'll wait...
.
.
.
Hella Badid. Yeah. And that honestly kind of creative for this book. Predictable, boring, hated every character, and by the end, the conflict of the story didn't even make sense. Don't waste your time.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
whomp whomp. I was super drawn into Lord of the Fly Fest by the “Fyre Festival meets Lord of the Flies” premise, especially because last year I read a “feminist” lord of the flies retelling that was a huge let down. i was hoping this would be stellar but alas, it wasn’t. it wasn’t /bad/ exactly but it just wasn’t /good/ either.
my biggest issue is that our heroine, Rafi, is severely plagued by Not Like Other Girls™️ Disease. symptoms include: acting like she’s better than everyone, being a hypocrite, constantly judging people, and generally being a brat. i’m all for an unlikeable female main character but this was just unpleasant and infuriating to read. a spoiler free example: she hates that all the “””influencers””” at the festival spend all their time on instagram and tiktok trying to become more popular but she wants to be the next big thing in the podcasting world and is going to the festival in an attempt to get an exclusive interview that should skyrocket her podcast popularity. pot, meet kettle.
i think Goldy was going for a satire of online culture and influencers but it didn’t read as such. it was certainly an attempt at that, though, and if that’s what they’re going for i get it but i think it wasn’t done very well. if they’re going for something else then they ~really~ missed the mark
i had a good time reading the first ~40%. by the halfway mark i was not really feeling it but i will be damned if i dnf after reading half a book. i settled on a 2.5 star rating, rounded up to 3⭐️, since nothing explicitly offended me but i didn’t enjoy myself much either.
my biggest issue is that our heroine, Rafi, is severely plagued by Not Like Other Girls™️ Disease. symptoms include: acting like she’s better than everyone, being a hypocrite, constantly judging people, and generally being a brat. i’m all for an unlikeable female main character but this was just unpleasant and infuriating to read. a spoiler free example: she hates that all the “””influencers””” at the festival spend all their time on instagram and tiktok trying to become more popular but she wants to be the next big thing in the podcasting world and is going to the festival in an attempt to get an exclusive interview that should skyrocket her podcast popularity. pot, meet kettle.
i think Goldy was going for a satire of online culture and influencers but it didn’t read as such. it was certainly an attempt at that, though, and if that’s what they’re going for i get it but i think it wasn’t done very well. if they’re going for something else then they ~really~ missed the mark
i had a good time reading the first ~40%. by the halfway mark i was not really feeling it but i will be damned if i dnf after reading half a book. i settled on a 2.5 star rating, rounded up to 3⭐️, since nothing explicitly offended me but i didn’t enjoy myself much either.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Goldy Maldovsky always has the COOLEST plots but I always end up disappointed with the actual book. The MC here, as in all of her novels, is friendless and kind of annoying. I didn’t care about anything she wanted or the awful way she went about getting it. She was just so awkward and cringey, and so was everyone else in the book. My biggest complaint though,
Bottom line for me- I need to stop reading this author, no matter how cool her plots sound.
Spoiler
is that there wasn’t any actual deaths. I was very much expecting something like Solstice, Never Coming Home, and You’re So Dead. So that was really disappointing.Bottom line for me- I need to stop reading this author, no matter how cool her plots sound.
funny
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The concept had such potential, but I felt that the novel was running with the details of Fyre Fest a little too closely for there to be wiggle room with the setting. The characters are one dimensional archetypes to a grating degree. The main character just had such repetitive thoughts that this novel could've been much shorter.