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2.95 AVERAGE
2.95 AVERAGE
It was an easy read and the character's voice was entertaining, but as I read, I kept questioning what kind of book I was reading due to the character's supernatural ideas. As soon as I got into the idea that this book was not realistic fiction, the character's ideas changed again leaving me a little bit disappointed because it ended like I originally suspected. But maybe that's the point of the whole book; that the truth is often disappointing.
The first half of this was really hard to get through and I wanted to quit reading it quite a few times. But the second half was much better, not enough to salvage things completely, but I can see what the author was going for.
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
As a book on my "proceed with caution" list, I had heard some pretty bad reviews on this book. I came in expecting to hate it as much as those reviewers, and surprisingly, I didn't.
This book tells the story of high school senior Hawthorn Creely and her desire to figure out what happened to a missing schoolmate of hers, Lizzie Lovett. This desire, however, turns into obsession as Hawthorn takes Lizzie's old job and introduces herself to Lizzie's old boyfriend, molding herself nicely into Lizzie's old life.
To be honest, I hated Hawthorn at first. She was set to be a senior in high school, but her narration sounded selfish and childish. She seemed to want everyone to believe her outlandish idea that Lizzie had turned into a werewolf the night of her disappearance, and she threw an internal fit every time someone didn't humor this behavior. However, half the time it was uncertain if even Hawthorn herself believed what she was saying. Throughout the book, though, Hawthorn seemed to grow up. She still had a childish nature to her, but her narration got easier to read and she seemed to interact more easily with the world around her.
The struggle Hawthorn faced fitting in in high school is also a story many people can relate to. Hawthorn was awkward, as many high schoolers are, but she came to realize that the things that made her different made her unique. Her love of stories and adventures made her interesting, and she came to learn that even the people she idolized have secrets.
Overall, this book was good. Although the main character wasn't my favorite and it took me a while to fully dive into the story, the lessons this book teaches are valuable, and it's definitely worth giving a chance.
This book tells the story of high school senior Hawthorn Creely and her desire to figure out what happened to a missing schoolmate of hers, Lizzie Lovett. This desire, however, turns into obsession as Hawthorn takes Lizzie's old job and introduces herself to Lizzie's old boyfriend, molding herself nicely into Lizzie's old life.
To be honest, I hated Hawthorn at first. She was set to be a senior in high school, but her narration sounded selfish and childish. She seemed to want everyone to believe her outlandish idea that Lizzie had turned into a werewolf the night of her disappearance, and she threw an internal fit every time someone didn't humor this behavior. However, half the time it was uncertain if even Hawthorn herself believed what she was saying. Throughout the book, though, Hawthorn seemed to grow up. She still had a childish nature to her, but her narration got easier to read and she seemed to interact more easily with the world around her.
The struggle Hawthorn faced fitting in in high school is also a story many people can relate to. Hawthorn was awkward, as many high schoolers are, but she came to realize that the things that made her different made her unique. Her love of stories and adventures made her interesting, and she came to learn that even the people she idolized have secrets.
Overall, this book was good. Although the main character wasn't my favorite and it took me a while to fully dive into the story, the lessons this book teaches are valuable, and it's definitely worth giving a chance.
Seventeen year old Hawthorn Creely doesn't fit in well at school. She has one real friend, Emily, who is making other friends now and Hawthorn feels left out. Other students make fun of her and she hates school and the people there except for Emily. When Lizzie Lovett, a girl who was a senior when Lizzie was a freshman, goes missing, Hawthorn decides to find out what happened to her. She always saw Lizzie as the perfect girl, you know, cheerleader, beautiful, happy, popular. But as Hawthorn looks at things, she begins to see that perhaps Lizzie was not what she had appeared to be. Hawthorn gets Lizzie's old job, and boyfriend, and has many learning and growing experiences. I really enjoyed the book and I think others will enjoy it too.
I think this book tried to make the argument that people are complicated and aren't just what you think they are, which was done beautifully in Paper Towns. This book, not so much. The narrator Is incredibly childish for a 17 year old, so much so that I never really bought it.
This book was OK. It was slow to start with, but picked up within the last 100 pages and I really enjoyed the end, especially when we found out what happened to Lizzie, but I still need more details on that. The title is misleading, there were no lies that Hawthorne uncovered, so that annoyed me, so yeah, I was disappointed.
For a long time, I have heard many fellow readers say that they have loved a book but disliked the protagonist, and I never encountered that until I read from Hawthorn Creely’s perspective.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved Hawthorn and the story arc, but it was a little too intense for me, being inside her head. I loved Rush and Connor and Emily and Sundog, and how they effected her life and taught her lessons, but she could also do things that really irritated me.
When she became obsessed with the “perfect-ness” of Lizzie Lovett, when she started falling for Enzo — seeing these things brought out some of the worst in her. It made me cringe, when she was inconsiderate or rude or self-centered, and how not much really changed at the end of the story. How she thought that she was so unloved, when she completely disregarded all of the love surrounding her.
There's a saying that goes "we expect the love we think we deserve," and I think that Hawthorn really needed to open up and think of herself positively and do things that scared her so she could feel better about her future.
Overall, it was just very intense and raw and awkward, but the book overall was very eye-opening and unique, which kept me immersed throughout the story. It was a read that I enjoyed.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved Hawthorn and the story arc, but it was a little too intense for me, being inside her head. I loved Rush and Connor and Emily and Sundog, and how they effected her life and taught her lessons, but she could also do things that really irritated me.
When she became obsessed with the “perfect-ness” of Lizzie Lovett, when she started falling for Enzo — seeing these things brought out some of the worst in her. It made me cringe, when she was inconsiderate or rude or self-centered, and how not much really changed at the end of the story. How she thought that she was so unloved, when she completely disregarded all of the love surrounding her.
There's a saying that goes "we expect the love we think we deserve," and I think that Hawthorn really needed to open up and think of herself positively and do things that scared her so she could feel better about her future.
Overall, it was just very intense and raw and awkward, but the book overall was very eye-opening and unique, which kept me immersed throughout the story. It was a read that I enjoyed.
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes