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2.95 AVERAGE
2.95 AVERAGE
Really ended up enjoying this one. Glad I stuck it out. Looking forward to more of her books.
3.5 stars - I had to bump it down a bit for its one-note mean girl and other small problems, but I enjoyed this weird little book for the most part
I was really hoping for a fun little listen, but instead I got an annoying, unlikable main character, and a story that went no where. I felt uncomfortable with the relationship between the characters: an underage girl with an adult male? Were we supposed to be ok with it because it was two broken people being broken together? I don't know. I just never felt ok with it. Maybe if they were closer in age? Maybe if she wasn't underage? And the fact she believed so whole werewolf thing made her seem even younger too.
I do think the plot was interesting, but it could've been so much more. Maybe if she found more connections between herself and Lizzie, but instead the focus was on the weird relationship between her and an overage man. I wanted so much more from this book, and instead I just got a lot of disappointment and an annoying main character that I never felt sorry for once. Everything bad that happened to her, I was happy it did. She deserved some hard times, and she never got it, not that I thought she deserved.
But HEY! I finished it, and that is all that matters!
I do think the plot was interesting, but it could've been so much more. Maybe if she found more connections between herself and Lizzie, but instead the focus was on the weird relationship between her and an overage man. I wanted so much more from this book, and instead I just got a lot of disappointment and an annoying main character that I never felt sorry for once. Everything bad that happened to her, I was happy it did. She deserved some hard times, and she never got it, not that I thought she deserved.
But HEY! I finished it, and that is all that matters!
3.5 out of 5 stars
Hawthorn Creely (there's a name) is annoyed. She's annoyed because Lizzie Lovett has disappeared - as if someone as perfect as Lizzie could just vanish. Lizzie is popular, pretty, has always been admired, looked up to - even Hawthorn admired her at one point. But Hawthorn is convinced that there's another side to Lizzie that people don't know about, and she's determined to prove it, if only to shut everyone up. Hawthorn decides that the only way she is going to prove her theory is by immersing herself in Lizzie's life - this means getting Lizzie's old job and becoming close to Lizzie's boyfriend, Enzo.
This is about a disappearance, sure, but more than that it's the story of a lonely teenage girl trying to find her own place in the world, her own voice. Hawthorn is a great main character - she can be annoying at times, but her voice is realistic for her age (17) and her personal struggles are very real. Her 'Lizzie theory' is ridiculous but as it went on I wasn't even sure if she believed it or not. I really disliked one male character in this, I felt his actions were beyond inappropriate given the situation, but I did enjoy this read a lot.
A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for going out of their way to provide me with an e-Galley, it was very much appreciated and very lovely of them.
Recommended for fans of contemporary YA who like their main characters with a side of sarcasm.
Hawthorn Creely (there's a name) is annoyed. She's annoyed because Lizzie Lovett has disappeared - as if someone as perfect as Lizzie could just vanish. Lizzie is popular, pretty, has always been admired, looked up to - even Hawthorn admired her at one point. But Hawthorn is convinced that there's another side to Lizzie that people don't know about, and she's determined to prove it, if only to shut everyone up. Hawthorn decides that the only way she is going to prove her theory is by immersing herself in Lizzie's life - this means getting Lizzie's old job and becoming close to Lizzie's boyfriend, Enzo.
This is about a disappearance, sure, but more than that it's the story of a lonely teenage girl trying to find her own place in the world, her own voice. Hawthorn is a great main character - she can be annoying at times, but her voice is realistic for her age (17) and her personal struggles are very real. Her 'Lizzie theory' is ridiculous but as it went on I wasn't even sure if she believed it or not. I really disliked one male character in this, I felt his actions were beyond inappropriate given the situation, but I did enjoy this read a lot.
A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for going out of their way to provide me with an e-Galley, it was very much appreciated and very lovely of them.
Recommended for fans of contemporary YA who like their main characters with a side of sarcasm.
I was really into the book in the beginning, but as it progressed, and Hawthorne's relationship with Enzo progressed, it got increasingly weird. I felt like the ending wasn't everything it could have been. Hawthorne's character development was great, and I loved her personality, but my opinion on the ending still stands.
What an odd little book. I got about a quarter of the way in and was rather bored and baffled with the route that it was taking, so I ended up skipping to read the last little bit. In the end I think that was a good decision in terms of the amount of time I want to devote to this particular book when there are so many others out there.
I found it difficult to empathize with the main character, perhaps because of her immaturity even at the age of seventeen. I can see the kernels of a character I could sympathize with in there somewhere, but they're covered up with rather shallow writing and the rather fantastical ideas that just left me sort of cold. Some of her thoughts and feelings would have made more sense for a sixth or seventh grader, not someone who is seventeen. The obsessive behaviour I'm fine with, because I can be a tad obsessive myself, but the rest just didn't do it for me.
'Meh' is probably the best descriptor I can think of for it, which is handy since I already have a shelf named that. I'm not sure how I'd even categorize this book, I can't help thinking that it's a pity that the author didn't age down the characters.
I found it difficult to empathize with the main character, perhaps because of her immaturity even at the age of seventeen. I can see the kernels of a character I could sympathize with in there somewhere, but they're covered up with rather shallow writing and the rather fantastical ideas that just left me sort of cold. Some of her thoughts and feelings would have made more sense for a sixth or seventh grader, not someone who is seventeen. The obsessive behaviour I'm fine with, because I can be a tad obsessive myself, but the rest just didn't do it for me.
'Meh' is probably the best descriptor I can think of for it, which is handy since I already have a shelf named that. I'm not sure how I'd even categorize this book, I can't help thinking that it's a pity that the author didn't age down the characters.
I am torn about this book. On the one hand, I really enjoyed it. I like mysteries, and it was the mystery that drew me to this novel. On the other hand... I hated it.
Firstly, I felt like the description of the book was VERY misleading. There at least should have been a trigger warning on it; although this would have spoiled the book, perhaps I would not have had the panic I did at the end of it. So, yeah. Also, it was more supernaturally than I expected; again, this was not covered in the description. I felt like the book I was expecting to read, something akin to Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was far more like The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle or We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. So a whole star was taken off for the misleading description and lack of warning over something which easily triggered ME; and it hasn't affected me much before.
Secondly, I felt like the main character, Hawthorn's, parents were weirdly out of the picture. Like, they didn't stop their daughter from running around with a suspected murderer. WHAT. And how big was their back garden for many people with caravans and tents to stay there?! Also, I felt like they were just bad parents. I feel like this is a theme in YA novels, but Hawthorn's father could have been more involved, easily, and I feel like her mother was just on the verge. It just annoyed me that they were very distant and this made the book unbelievable.
Thirdly, Hawthorn herself. She was SEVENTEEN and acting like she was seven! I don't know where all of this talk came from, but I felt, honestly, like she should have gotten some help (again, back to the parents thing). Like, I know I'm a bit weird and I know I believe in stuff other people don't and get freaked out by the supernatural, but this was taking it way too far. On the other hand, she could have just taken this ONE bit too far, but from other interactions with characters, I kind of think that this wasn't the first time.
However, the mystery was very interesting and poignant at the end. I know that a lot of people have raved about this book, so what I've written might seem weird to those people. The mystery did keep me reading - I read this entire book in three sittings, and over half of it in one. I was constantly intrigued as to what had happened; but again, there's with the misleading thing.
(Also, can we talk about Enzo? Like, he was manipulative and vindictive and I'm surprised that the police just left him alone. I'm surprised he didn't try to help himself. He was a very odd character; I actually feel like the book could have done without him, and probably could have been better off; Hawthorn was much worse off with him in the novel.)
HOWEVER (again), Hawthorn herself was actually a really great character. She was totally realistic, and she genuinely wasn't like anyone else I have ever read in YA. I don't know if I enjoyed reading her, but she was the best view point for the story.
Overall? I think that this book would be great for some people. Admittedly, I wasn't in the best frame of mind to read a novel like this (AGAIN WITH THE MISLEADING ARGH) so I think that if I had read it a couple of days ago I would have really enjoyed it. It kept me gripped, it was around the right pace (maybe a little slow in places, but that's novels for you) and the writing was very good. I just wouldn't read this again.
SPOILERS: If you want to know what the misleading thing was, aka the mystery, here it is (TW): Lizzie Lovett died by suicide, and we discover this at the end of the novel. She hanged herself, so her body has been left for a couple of months as it hadn't been found. There are some descriptions and ideas of it which made me shudder, and I DEFINITELY think Hawthorn should have got some help and I don't know how no one else saw this either. Her own brother saw her tying a scarf around her neck to check out what the pressure would feel like AND YET DID NOTHING. I feel like this book didn't do enough on the mental health aspect, especially considering that pretty much every single character in this novel seemed to have some kind of mental health illness.
*I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for a review (via NetGalley). All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by the publisher. If you do see my review on NetGalley, you will see that I gave it 3/5 on there - I feel like, for some reason, the ratings are different on NetGalley via GoodReads. I originally gave this book 3/5, but on GoodReads' suggestions took it down a star later on.
Firstly, I felt like the description of the book was VERY misleading. There at least should have been a trigger warning on it; although this would have spoiled the book, perhaps I would not have had the panic I did at the end of it. So, yeah. Also, it was more supernaturally than I expected; again, this was not covered in the description. I felt like the book I was expecting to read, something akin to Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was far more like The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle or We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. So a whole star was taken off for the misleading description and lack of warning over something which easily triggered ME; and it hasn't affected me much before.
Secondly, I felt like the main character, Hawthorn's, parents were weirdly out of the picture. Like, they didn't stop their daughter from running around with a suspected murderer. WHAT. And how big was their back garden for many people with caravans and tents to stay there?! Also, I felt like they were just bad parents. I feel like this is a theme in YA novels, but Hawthorn's father could have been more involved, easily, and I feel like her mother was just on the verge. It just annoyed me that they were very distant and this made the book unbelievable.
Thirdly, Hawthorn herself. She was SEVENTEEN and acting like she was seven! I don't know where all of this talk came from, but I felt, honestly, like she should have gotten some help (again, back to the parents thing). Like, I know I'm a bit weird and I know I believe in stuff other people don't and get freaked out by the supernatural, but this was taking it way too far. On the other hand, she could have just taken this ONE bit too far, but from other interactions with characters, I kind of think that this wasn't the first time.
However, the mystery was very interesting and poignant at the end. I know that a lot of people have raved about this book, so what I've written might seem weird to those people. The mystery did keep me reading - I read this entire book in three sittings, and over half of it in one. I was constantly intrigued as to what had happened; but again, there's with the misleading thing.
(Also, can we talk about Enzo? Like, he was manipulative and vindictive and I'm surprised that the police just left him alone. I'm surprised he didn't try to help himself. He was a very odd character; I actually feel like the book could have done without him, and probably could have been better off; Hawthorn was much worse off with him in the novel.)
HOWEVER (again), Hawthorn herself was actually a really great character. She was totally realistic, and she genuinely wasn't like anyone else I have ever read in YA. I don't know if I enjoyed reading her, but she was the best view point for the story.
Overall? I think that this book would be great for some people. Admittedly, I wasn't in the best frame of mind to read a novel like this (AGAIN WITH THE MISLEADING ARGH) so I think that if I had read it a couple of days ago I would have really enjoyed it. It kept me gripped, it was around the right pace (maybe a little slow in places, but that's novels for you) and the writing was very good. I just wouldn't read this again.
SPOILERS: If you want to know what the misleading thing was, aka the mystery, here it is (TW): Lizzie Lovett died by suicide, and we discover this at the end of the novel. She hanged herself, so her body has been left for a couple of months as it hadn't been found. There are some descriptions and ideas of it which made me shudder, and I DEFINITELY think Hawthorn should have got some help and I don't know how no one else saw this either. Her own brother saw her tying a scarf around her neck to check out what the pressure would feel like AND YET DID NOTHING. I feel like this book didn't do enough on the mental health aspect, especially considering that pretty much every single character in this novel seemed to have some kind of mental health illness.
*I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for a review (via NetGalley). All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by the publisher. If you do see my review on NetGalley, you will see that I gave it 3/5 on there - I feel like, for some reason, the ratings are different on NetGalley via GoodReads. I originally gave this book 3/5, but on GoodReads' suggestions took it down a star later on.
I love the first-person voice in this book. Hawthorne is all of us weird girls with overactive imaginations.
I love the way Enzo becomes a confidant and friend. I hated the age gap and even if it didn't feel like he was taking advantage of her, it still breaks my creeper rules. But I did like the complexity of the situation and his character in relation to Hawthorne.
I enjoyed the supportive and combative and changing relationship with Emily.
Overall, I just enjoyed this book.
I even liked the ending...
I love the way Enzo becomes a confidant and friend. I hated
I enjoyed the supportive and combative and changing relationship with Emily.
Overall, I just enjoyed this book.
I even liked the ending...
This was a very short and quick read. It's one of those where I really liked the main character (though she could be annoying at times), some of the side characters were bad and I loved the rest (like Rush and Connor), and the plot interested me enough to make me finish the book in two days.
Hawthorn, the main character, is an outcast teen girl. She doesn't have any connections other than her best friend, Emily, and when Lizzie Lovett disappears, she very quickly becomes obsessed with the circumstances around it. This leads her into investigating the woods with Lizzie's boyfriend, Enzo, and they become friends (and something more).
Of course, the plot was a little bit predictable for me, but Hawthorn and her amazing one-liners and curses really made up for that. All in all, I enjoyed The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, even though I didn't quite feel like it lived up to its name.
This review, and others, can be found on my blog.
Hawthorn, the main character, is an outcast teen girl. She doesn't have any connections other than her best friend, Emily, and when Lizzie Lovett disappears, she very quickly becomes obsessed with the circumstances around it. This leads her into investigating the woods with Lizzie's boyfriend, Enzo, and they become friends (and something more).
Of course, the plot was a little bit predictable for me, but Hawthorn and her amazing one-liners and curses really made up for that. All in all, I enjoyed The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, even though I didn't quite feel like it lived up to its name.
This review, and others, can be found on my blog.