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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
kinda embarrassing how i took so long to finish this, but i got busy and i was just not feeling well because of online classes :( this book was so so so cute though, and i really LIKED it but i didn’t love it for some reason, probably because i wasn’t doing well throughout the time i was reading it. the characters are all really lovely though especially gideon who’s such a sweetheart
This book actually hurt me. Maybe one day I’ll be able to write a coherent review.
This was adorable.
I don't read much contemporary YA, but if they were all as cute and funny as this was, I would read a lot more of it. I picked this book up on a whim in a used bookstore last summer. I remembered that several of my friends had given it glowing reviews, so despite my sometime-aversion to the genre, I bought it. A well-spent $9, for sure. (And my copy, an Owl Crate version somebody sold for credit, is signed by the author!) This is one of those books that if you describe the plot, it doesn't sound very appealing, but once you start reading it, the voice of the author (and her characters) just sucks you right in.
Our main character is Claudia, a senior at an all-girls private school that she is only attending because her father working there gets the family a steep tuition discount. Claudia is a bit of a goofball, and I love her. She has a best friend who goes to another school, and she has her parents and siblings, who she's pretty close with (she games with her older sister and brother in an MMORPG and it was so cute). The book kicks off with Claudia attending a party of one of her school mates that she's only reluctantly attended, but she accidentally witnesses the (private) break-up of the school's it couple, Paige and Iris. These events in a roundabout way lead to her and Iris being forced to take place in the production of the school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is put on jointly with the neighboring all-boys school.
So that's the set-up, but this book lives in the details. All the conversations between characters, as friendships develop and evolve. Claudia and Iris, who is extremely prickly and sometimes pretty mean, develop this lovely friendship that just made me go heart-eyes. And Claudia catches the eye of a boy goofball who is in the play, and clearly is smitten with her right away. It was all just very lovely. And funny! Emma Mills is funny.
I will most definitely be checking out her other books.
[4.5 stars]
I don't read much contemporary YA, but if they were all as cute and funny as this was, I would read a lot more of it. I picked this book up on a whim in a used bookstore last summer. I remembered that several of my friends had given it glowing reviews, so despite my sometime-aversion to the genre, I bought it. A well-spent $9, for sure. (And my copy, an Owl Crate version somebody sold for credit, is signed by the author!) This is one of those books that if you describe the plot, it doesn't sound very appealing, but once you start reading it, the voice of the author (and her characters) just sucks you right in.
Our main character is Claudia, a senior at an all-girls private school that she is only attending because her father working there gets the family a steep tuition discount. Claudia is a bit of a goofball, and I love her. She has a best friend who goes to another school, and she has her parents and siblings, who she's pretty close with (she games with her older sister and brother in an MMORPG and it was so cute). The book kicks off with Claudia attending a party of one of her school mates that she's only reluctantly attended, but she accidentally witnesses the (private) break-up of the school's it couple, Paige and Iris. These events in a roundabout way lead to her and Iris being forced to take place in the production of the school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is put on jointly with the neighboring all-boys school.
So that's the set-up, but this book lives in the details. All the conversations between characters, as friendships develop and evolve. Claudia and Iris, who is extremely prickly and sometimes pretty mean, develop this lovely friendship that just made me go heart-eyes. And Claudia catches the eye of a boy goofball who is in the play, and clearly is smitten with her right away. It was all just very lovely. And funny! Emma Mills is funny.
I will most definitely be checking out her other books.
[4.5 stars]
4.25 stars
Had no idea that I’d end up reading a young adult contemporary book where one of the main events is a bunch of teenagers are putting on a play of one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies much yet enjoy it. There was plenty going on in relationships both in friendships and romance around the school play and outside school. Can honestly say I’d definitely read another Emma Mills novel.
Had no idea that I’d end up reading a young adult contemporary book where one of the main events is a bunch of teenagers are putting on a play of one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies much yet enjoy it. There was plenty going on in relationships both in friendships and romance around the school play and outside school. Can honestly say I’d definitely read another Emma Mills novel.
Quite The Novel Idea ~ Novel Ink
4.5 stars
Though This Adventure Ends remains my favorite book by Emma Mills so far, this was so adorable and almost perfect I can't even. It was exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump. It had a supersweet romance, epic friendships, boyband fandoms, gaming nerdiness, fantastic characters and stellar writing that was heartfelt and also hilarious. Read it. For reals.
4.5 stars
Though This Adventure Ends remains my favorite book by Emma Mills so far, this was so adorable and almost perfect I can't even. It was exactly what I needed to get me out of my slump. It had a supersweet romance, epic friendships, boyband fandoms, gaming nerdiness, fantastic characters and stellar writing that was heartfelt and also hilarious. Read it. For reals.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
: ̗̀➛ 5 stars ˚ · .
“Maybe the best thing's not always the best thing. Maybe shitty things have to happen to get you to the right place.”
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ˗ˏˋ ꒰🧸꒱ ˎˊ˗ my thoughts .ᐟ
I think this book found me at the exact right time and hit in the exact right spot. What makes this book so special, so beautiful, is the simplicity of it. The normal, natural story of it literally makes it real, palpable, it touches your soul. I'm not saying it's perfect, it's far from that, but it has so much depth, so much feeling in it, that I couldn't stop reading it, or shedding tears or laughing or enjoying it. I don't even have enough words to express it, you just have to experience it for yourself, sure it might seem immature and annoying, but I think it portrays life and friendship and love and teenage times so right that I just loved it. Sure, some parts of it didn't follow my beliefs and stuff, but that didn't change the overall experience of it all 🥹 I don't know if I make any sense but it has been ages since a book made me so heartbroken and just felt so close to my soul
“Sometimes... around some people, I feel like I have to, like... try, you know? Like really hard. But with you - when I'm with you, I can just... exist.”
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ˗ˏˋ ꒰🦋꒱ ˎˊ˗ the story .ᐟ
How I said, the plot itself is basic, not multi layered with twists and turns, but that doesn't mean it's boring or bland! It's far from that 🥹 It's about teenagers in their last year, it's about friendships and siblings and love and being afraid of change and the ups and downs of high school. It's about so many things, that seem so normal, but that are so important and shape us! Maybe I loved this one more as I am finishing school too and it felt even more real to me, but the words felt like they were written for me, from the depth of my soul. And the fact that I connected with the characters made the entire experience lovely and that they were so diverse and so well build, with such a crazy development for some. I think we get so immersed in unexpected plots, with a swoony life changing love or story, with crazy world-budlings, that we forget how sometimes the best and most memorable things are the normal ones, the everyday small stuff, how everything isn't about being grand, but being good, peaceful, happy.
“Maybe I don't think the first part is the best part. Maybe I like the part later on. Hearing a song so many times you know all the little ins and outs of it. Experiencing something so many times that you can just... live in it. Maybe I like that better.”
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ˗ˏˋ ꒰❤️🩹꒱ ˎˊ˗ the relationships .ᐟ
I want to talk about the friendships formed along the way. I want to talk about the things that bond us, even the smallest one, during the most unexpected times with the most unexpected people. I want to talk about siblings relationships that are so important and matter so much. I want to talk about teenage love, that is so innocent, so pure, so cute, that it's not about lust, it's about knowing the person next to you, caring about them and not about a physical stuff. I want to talk about valuing ourselves and not listening to all the things people say about us or to us. I want to talk about so many stuff that this book portrayed so well, but then it will be just me mindlessly writing for hours and I could not say enough.
“Sometimes it's hard to know if something's for real? It's hard to believe it, even if you want it to be real. Even if you want it so badly. Sometimes it seems... safer, you know. Not to risk it.”
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ˗ˏˋ ꒰🎀꒱ ˎˊ˗ quotes .ᐟ
“I know it's silly, but it's just, you know. Senior year and all. Everything we do is sort of the last time we get to do it. So it should be perfect, right?”
“Nevertheless, I wait until Iris gets inside before driving off. Because that's what you're supposed to do when you drop someone off. Even if you drop them off in front of a house roughly the size of a shopping mall. Even if they're not exactly friends.”
“-What will be so fun about it?
-YOU'LL BE THERE”
“-So... I watched the TION movie the other day.
-You should've told me.
-Why?
-We could've seen it together.
-I... figured you'd seen it.
-Of course I've seen it. I love it. I would live in that movie if I could. It's just... fun sharing fandom stuff with other people.”
“-Because. You're you. You just... say and do whatever. You give zero fucks.
She shakes her head minutely, and her voice is quieter when she replies: -I give a lot of fucks.”
“It's not hard to pretend to love her. It's the rest of the time, having to pretend like I don't.”
“-You got Battle Quest.
-I did.
-How come?
-Because you like it.”
“No, because whether or not you're a good one isn't decided by some... committee, or something. Or society. Or anything. You decide that. You choose what kind of mom you want to be. You choose... what kind of adult you want to be. Right? So maybe you're an adult who plays Battle Quest. And spills chili sometimes. Maybe you get things wrong occasionally. Maybe that's okay.”
“-You forgive me?
-Of course.
-Just like that? It's that easy?
-Sometimes. Sometimes not.
-But this time?
-Yeah. It's that easy.”
“-Do you remember Spooky Tree?
-Yeah.
-Thank you for kicking Spooky Tree.
-Claude, I would kick a thousand Spooky Trees for you.”