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kaikai1618's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars Very cute. I think this book had a lot of the same fun as 12 Blind Dates, and it was great to explore Olivia’s character more. She was such a strong supporter in the first book, and the second book felt like it was trying to give fans more of a peak under the curtain for our favorite characters. The various chapters featuring the perspectives of side characters was smart, allowing us to see the thought process of all members of the Fab Four. Sometimes I didn’t think these perspectives were very necessary or added a lot to steering the plot, but this was still decent filler considering weaker sections of the book where not much was happening.
I’m terms of romance, I liked how the description of the book mislead you to believe Olivia would end up with Lock. I thought there was also possibility for a love triangle (snooze). It keeps the reader not entirely sure at first since the last book already had a boy next door involved with the family as the love interest, so you think they’ll change it up. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for that boy next door trope (or boy nearby), and since Leo was introduced as a love interest more early on, I felt they were able to have more cute moments and develop chemistry more convincingly. In 12 Blind Dates, the romance aspect felt more physical and it seemed Sophie’s character development was more at the forefront. I still love Sophie and Wes, but we didn’t see them talk or interact as often. Olivia and Leo have more back and forth that makes their relationship seem convincing and natural.
My only gripe with this book is I was hoping to see development between the Fab Four and the Jo’s. Since Leo is so close with the Fab Four’s most disliked cousins, I thought this would have been a great opportunity to show why the evil Jo’s act so evil and what their relationship with Leo looks like. I thought Leo would have bridged the gap and helped everyone open their minds to each other. Instead, we see extremely little of the Jo’s. They remain flat, antagonistic characters that are never confronted for their behavior and never given more depth for the motive behind their actions. There is only a brief conversation where Leo eludes to the Jo’s thinking the Fab Four were mean first. Then Olivia avoids the subject and it’s not brought up again. We only know the family supports Leo, coming to some games and buying him a new golf club. It’s not that I wanted Leo to find out they’re terrible and then never speak to them. I wanted to see both sides find ways they could’ve put in effort to be empathetic and see the strengthened family dynamics because of this. They could have also explored how the Fab Four appear cliquey and their closeness may make it harder for other cousins to feel included.
The trajectory of the conflict could have gone from them fighting, to learning more about the Jo’s and their insecurities or the love of Maggie Mae for those close to her, to Olivia possibly acknowledging their accomplishments in the graduation speech. There was so much that could have been explored, a huge aspect I was waiting for while reading. But this never happened.
Considering the lulls in the plot at times, I think this could have kept the book interesting at a high level and consistent pace while also elevating the stakes.
Because of this, I’ll have to take the rating down a peg, but overall, still a fun read. Just a tad average.
I’m terms of romance, I liked how the description of the book mislead you to believe Olivia would end up with Lock. I thought there was also possibility for a love triangle (snooze). It keeps the reader not entirely sure at first since the last book already had a boy next door involved with the family as the love interest, so you think they’ll change it up. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for that boy next door trope (or boy nearby), and since Leo was introduced as a love interest more early on, I felt they were able to have more cute moments and develop chemistry more convincingly. In 12 Blind Dates, the romance aspect felt more physical and it seemed Sophie’s character development was more at the forefront. I still love Sophie and Wes, but we didn’t see them talk or interact as often. Olivia and Leo have more back and forth that makes their relationship seem convincing and natural.
My only gripe with this book is I was hoping to see development between the Fab Four and the Jo’s. Since Leo is so close with the Fab Four’s most disliked cousins, I thought this would have been a great opportunity to show why the evil Jo’s act so evil and what their relationship with Leo looks like. I thought Leo would have bridged the gap and helped everyone open their minds to each other. Instead, we see extremely little of the Jo’s. They remain flat, antagonistic characters that are never confronted for their behavior and never given more depth for the motive behind their actions. There is only a brief conversation where Leo eludes to the Jo’s thinking the Fab Four were mean first. Then Olivia avoids the subject and it’s not brought up again. We only know the family supports Leo, coming to some games and buying him a new golf club. It’s not that I wanted Leo to find out they’re terrible and then never speak to them. I wanted to see both sides find ways they could’ve put in effort to be empathetic and see the strengthened family dynamics because of this. They could have also explored how the Fab Four appear cliquey and their closeness may make it harder for other cousins to feel included.
The trajectory of the conflict could have gone from them fighting, to learning more about the Jo’s and their insecurities or the love of Maggie Mae for those close to her, to Olivia possibly acknowledging their accomplishments in the graduation speech. There was so much that could have been explored, a huge aspect I was waiting for while reading. But this never happened.
Considering the lulls in the plot at times, I think this could have kept the book interesting at a high level and consistent pace while also elevating the stakes.
Because of this, I’ll have to take the rating down a peg, but overall, still a fun read. Just a tad average.
harleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
For what this book was it was super cute. It was an incredibly easy read that I was able to fly through in under 24hrs. When I picked this up I had no idea it was a companion novel to 10 Blind Dates. Took me a minute to remember who everyone was but it was nice surprise to get an update on everyone.
My biggest complaint with this book was how unrealistic it all felt. The situation that Olivia found herself in did not feel fully plausible. I find it very hard to believe that her parents would not have been notified as well that she was potentially not going to graduate. Also her attitude towards golf was disappointing. She was someone very invested in her grades, yet somehow found it ok to slack off in a class because it wasn’t an AP course.
Regardless this was a fun read that helped me get out of my reading slump just a little more.
My biggest complaint with this book was how unrealistic it all felt. The situation that Olivia found herself in did not feel fully plausible. I find it very hard to believe that her parents would not have been notified as well that she was potentially not going to graduate. Also her attitude towards golf was disappointing. She was someone very invested in her grades, yet somehow found it ok to slack off in a class because it wasn’t an AP course.
Regardless this was a fun read that helped me get out of my reading slump just a little more.
linnaboobooks's review against another edition
4.0
If Charlie doesn't get a book set during the summer vacation period, I'm going to lose my mind. Like I need it. Now.
rsngphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
I was excited to read the book. The plot was reminiscent of The Lucky List, and We Regret to Inform You. I enjoyed the characters, but I felt like since the chapters were so long it seemed like it took days to finish.
I was excited to read the book. The plot was reminiscent of The Lucky List, and We Regret to Inform You. I enjoyed the characters, but I felt like since the chapters were so long it seemed like it took days to finish.
librarianryan's review against another edition
This book started out interesting, but it didn’t stay there. This is a family story about meeting their expectations versus your expectations for yourself. Learning about the family was interesting, but when it gets down to the main part of the book where they must get their PE credit in order to graduate on time because the teacher didn’t turn in a report. This is where I stopped caring about this book. Maybe it was the narration style, maybe it was the book, but I had no desire to find out what happened at the end. I did make it 22% of the way through.
shemene's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it!! Dit boek was geweldig.
+ leest makkelijk weg
+ leuke personages
+ leest makkelijk weg
+ leuke personages