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issianne's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. This was very cute; I gotta say! Tashie’s debut was a smash. This book is oozing authenticity and vulnerability. I felt her heart in the moments of quiet and anxiousness. The romance had me swooning at times (and also cringing a little but that’s because I have no chill). I will say: Ace is pretty much a pipe dream. No 16-year-old guy talks like that—man, I wish they had. The ending was sort of gray in way I both appreciated and also left me feeling unsatisfied.
c_ab_bage's review against another edition
5.0
i genuinely do not care about most of the criticisms on this book because they’re founded on an entirely wrong basis. romance books, at least ones like counting down with you, are meant to be fun and cute; this book is the textbook definition of that.
i don’t pick up a romance book for extreme realism or an unpredictable plot, i just want to enjoy myself, and anyone who didn’t enjoy this book must not know the definition of fun. i had such a lovely time reading this book, i was kicking my feet and twirling my hair and giggling like *i* was in a romcom.
i will forever be recommending this to anyone looking for a feel good book :)
i don’t pick up a romance book for extreme realism or an unpredictable plot, i just want to enjoy myself, and anyone who didn’t enjoy this book must not know the definition of fun. i had such a lovely time reading this book, i was kicking my feet and twirling my hair and giggling like *i* was in a romcom.
i will forever be recommending this to anyone looking for a feel good book :)
mainereading's review against another edition
5.0
I adore this book and all the characters in it! Karina and Ace were absolute perfection. I thought all the characters were relatable, and I loved the bond between Karina and her grandmother, It made me miss my grandma even more. I enjoyed learning little things about Karina, her family, and their culture. 'Counting Down with You' has become one of my favorite books.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
This book is what if every negative Muslim stereotypes and Harry Styles Wattpad story had kid. Book is way too long,romance comes out nowhere with no chemistry in sight and it's way too long.
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
saneyah's review against another edition
1.0
what i liked about this book:
— genuine, relatable anxiety rep
— cute sibling relationship
what i disliked:
— the rich white boy who magically fixes the gaping hole in the karina's life through the power of wearing a leather jacket and having slightly more depth than a kiddie pool
— "i love my culture! i watch bollywood movies!" but then proceeds to badmouth her religion + culture multiple times both explicitly and implicitly throughout the novel
— neither plotline is resolved in a meaningful way:
my biggest pet peeve around CDWY as a whole: if the representation your book brags about is a character who hates their already hated and/or widely mocked religion and culture, without any nuance whatsoever, is it really good representation?
— genuine, relatable anxiety rep
— cute sibling relationship
what i disliked:
— the rich white boy who magically fixes the gaping hole in the karina's life through the power of wearing a leather jacket and having slightly more depth than a kiddie pool
— "i love my culture! i watch bollywood movies!" but then proceeds to badmouth her religion + culture multiple times both explicitly and implicitly throughout the novel
— neither plotline is resolved in a meaningful way:
Spoiler
karina and ace's secret relationship and what would happen if her parents found out? never actually addressed. karina not wanting to follow her parents' plan for her life? instead of karina, the main character, facing this issue/her parents, her grandmother yells a bit and then things are fixedmy biggest pet peeve around CDWY as a whole: if the representation your book brags about is a character who hates their already hated and/or widely mocked religion and culture, without any nuance whatsoever, is it really good representation?
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
4.0
First Read: May 16th, 2021
Check out my very ~passionate~ spoiler-free review here!! You've been warned...it's basically me just gushing nonstop over how much I love Tashie Bhuiyan.
Now how on EARTH did this book make me want a relationship so bad??? I am always so skeptical of the “bad boy” trope but I just loved Ace so much. This was such a fun, endearing story that I’d recommend to any lover of YA contemporary fiction. I’m embarrassed at the amount of times I squealed like a preteen at a Justin Bieber concert in 2012–couldn’t help it though. There were too many sugary, adorable scenes that could break even a cynic like me. I WANT MORE!!!
•••
Second Read: January 14th, 2022
Reread this because I recommended it to a friend and she said it was the worst book she ever read?? Like, literally told me she never wanted to read again after this???? So obviously I had to read the book again to make sure I didn’t totally misremember the story. But no, it just looks like my friend has bad taste
Check out my very ~passionate~ spoiler-free review here!! You've been warned...it's basically me just gushing nonstop over how much I love Tashie Bhuiyan.
Now how on EARTH did this book make me want a relationship so bad??? I am always so skeptical of the “bad boy” trope but I just loved Ace so much. This was such a fun, endearing story that I’d recommend to any lover of YA contemporary fiction. I’m embarrassed at the amount of times I squealed like a preteen at a Justin Bieber concert in 2012–couldn’t help it though. There were too many sugary, adorable scenes that could break even a cynic like me. I WANT MORE!!!
•••
Second Read: January 14th, 2022
Reread this because I recommended it to a friend and she said it was the worst book she ever read?? Like, literally told me she never wanted to read again after this???? So obviously I had to read the book again to make sure I didn’t totally misremember the story. But no, it just looks like my friend has bad taste
suedas_books's review against another edition
2.0
2.8⭐️
Ace ist ein absoluter Schatz und sooo süß; Karina hingehen ist eine einzige Katastrophe
Charaktere wie Ace und Cora fand ich toll. Super lustig und lieb, voller Leben und immer zur Stelle, wenn man sie braucht. (Nandini natürlich auch, aber sie ist nicht so herausgestochen, wie die anderen zwei)
Der Schreibstil der Autorin, ist für mich prinzipiell der einzige Grund, dem Buch überhaupt Sterne zu geben.
Sie schreibt super gut und sehr simpel. Abgesehen von der anstrengenden storyline lässt sich das Buch fix lesen, was ein großes Pro ist. Für eine Debütautorin, ist der Schreibstil super gut, die Story allerdings lässt SEHR zu wünschen übrig.
Das Buch hatte knapp 80 Seiten zu viel und dafür, wie es ausging, hätte man sich das gesamte Debakel von Anfang an sparen können.
Die Überdramatisierung jeder Kleinigkeit ist anstrengend und die Darstellung brauner Kultur und dem Islam, die Karina an den Tag legt, ist grauenhaft.
Wirkt für mich wie ein Buch, dass für eine „einfühlsame“ weiße Zielgruppe geschrieben wurde, die Mitleid mit dem „armen, unterdrückten braunen Mädchen“ hat
Ace ist ein absoluter Schatz und sooo süß; Karina hingehen ist eine einzige Katastrophe
Charaktere wie Ace und Cora fand ich toll. Super lustig und lieb, voller Leben und immer zur Stelle, wenn man sie braucht. (Nandini natürlich auch, aber sie ist nicht so herausgestochen, wie die anderen zwei)
Der Schreibstil der Autorin, ist für mich prinzipiell der einzige Grund, dem Buch überhaupt Sterne zu geben.
Sie schreibt super gut und sehr simpel. Abgesehen von der anstrengenden storyline lässt sich das Buch fix lesen, was ein großes Pro ist. Für eine Debütautorin, ist der Schreibstil super gut, die Story allerdings lässt SEHR zu wünschen übrig.
Das Buch hatte knapp 80 Seiten zu viel und dafür, wie es ausging, hätte man sich das gesamte Debakel von Anfang an sparen können.
Die Überdramatisierung jeder Kleinigkeit ist anstrengend und die Darstellung brauner Kultur und dem Islam, die Karina an den Tag legt, ist grauenhaft.
Wirkt für mich wie ein Buch, dass für eine „einfühlsame“ weiße Zielgruppe geschrieben wurde, die Mitleid mit dem „armen, unterdrückten braunen Mädchen“ hat
sagestenhaug's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5