Reviews

Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci

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rachelhelps's review

4.0

This and the first book, P.L.A.I.N. Janes, are really cute graphic novels about a group of high school girls who all have the name Jane and do some public art projects together. Some of them argue and misunderstand each other and sometimes they make up and sometimes they don't.

mschmug's review

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5.0

I LOVED it just like the first. I saw it on the bookshelf at the library and couldn't resist. The Jane's are fab.

redroseses's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

sarahmfz09's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful sad fast-paced

4.5

jsmithborne's review

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4.0

colleenaf's review

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The first PLAIN JANES book was in my top three books I read in 2007 and Cecil Castellucci is AWESOME in general. (I'm a huge fan of her BEIGE). This book definitely wasn't as magical as the first. Then again maybe it's just that I hate sequels AND books with flowers or pink on the cover. (Luckily there wasn't any glitter involved. Phew!) I also love ambiguous endings, so I didn't feel a sequel was needed at all, though I know many folks were begging for it. One of the reasons I loved the first book was it didn't scream "YOU ARE A GIRL THIS BOOK IS FOR GIRLS!" the way many of the MINX treatments do. It was a book I was able to get all four of my male roommates to read just by purposely leaving it in the bathroom, something that has NEVER happened with any other book...which is sorta a lie since I know they all read that TRUTH ABOUT CHUCK NORRIS book that was in there based on the increase of Chuck Norris jokes being told in my apartment...but PLAIN JANES was a NOVEL. A really fantastic graphic novel, especially when read by any girl who happily dances in the fringe of what people considered normal generic pink girl behavior.

saguaros's review

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4.0

I really liked this little series (the first graphic novel being The Plain Janes)
The story is about the transformative and healing power of art and art-making, as well as friendship and the different ways we cope in the face of destruction. It had a great balance between serious and sweet plot points.
And I really liked the illustrations.

weetziebot's review

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4.0

I LOVE teen love. Not romance- though I am guilty of the occasional indulgence. True love, unrequited love, friend love, queer love, human love; Plain Janes and Janes in Love have it all! P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) is so inspiring (I can't believe I just used that word) they remind me of the youthful enthusiasm to do good we all still have buried somewhere.Now I just need to go out and buy a roll of butcher paper...

book_nut's review

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4.0

I needed something quick,light, and fun. This one completely fit the bill. Happy day.

mrsthrift's review

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2.0

I love the Minx titles, and I loved P.L.A.I.N. Janes. Art terrorism by teen girls in suburbia as a method of bonding and healing? SIGN ME UP. Janes in Love, however, is the nearly lackluster sequel to the PLAIN Janes set around Valentine's Day, built around the romances of the Janes, with most of the neighborhood-art-loving focus on a single, grant-funded, city-sanctioned artpark. So much of what I loved about the PLAIN Janes is completely gone. I still gave it a few stars because there were some brief moments where I liked the Janes again - the moments where the theme is larger, like art is love, and friendship is love, etc. It just seemed like the Janes wimped out on me and turned out to be, well, sort of boring girls after all.

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