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amandalorianxo's review against another edition
3.75
3.5 rounded up for more exposure. Chamomile is almost done with senior year and everything seems to be going in the right direction- boyfriend, friends, eventual service service to Nicaragua. Except Cham is also dealing with her dad having Parkinson’s disease and how that impacts not only the immediate family but life outside of their home. We witness Cham dealing with it in typical teenage fashion- pretend everything is fine until everything isn’t. I wanted more background & family connection with the Myles family. I also wanted more depth with Brandon and the eventual friendship between Brandon and Cham. A great book meant for seniors or juniors curious about fictional senior life.
sydney_arcuri's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed the plotline as a whole, but the characters made this book hard to love. Let's begin with the main character - Cham. Cham, is the character we are supposed to root for in the book; however, I find that hard to do so when she's a massive jerk to most of the other characters. From criticizing others for their personality quirks and outward appearances to continually bashing her best friends other friend. Cham constantly puts others down without it having any meaning to the plot. Granted if Cham was being a jerk and it actually tied in to elements of the plot, then I could excuse it. I know she had reasons for being upset an all, but in some cases it felt irrational. As far as the other characters go, they were simply names without personalities. Every other character had one thing that they enjoyed and it was their entire being. Abigail - becoming valedictorian. Gene- running. Hilary- talking like a British person. The only character I actually enjoyed was Brandon, and he only appeared in 1/3 of the book.
Overall, I think this book was a YA high school cliché ridden book, but with more philosophy.
Overall, I think this book was a YA high school cliché ridden book, but with more philosophy.
tizzyxlish23's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alannar2422's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good. I liked the book more near the ending than the beginning and middle parts. I just did not really connect with this novel but it was an interesting quick read :)
deekabee's review against another edition
4.0
This book had a little bit of slow start for me, but it was worth the wait.
zbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good one. Solid four stars. Would have liked to get to know Cham’s friends more. Get more background. Gene was a jerk and that came across the page. Brendan broke my heart although the author doesn’t go too deep with him. Would have been nice to understand why he wore tutus all the time. Loved the philosophical Evelyn. Total hoot. Moms obsessive cleaning was her coping mechanism foe sure. Dads story was a heart breaker too.
fitz_the_fish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dami_96's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving this a 4.5 out of 5. If I'm being honest I thought I was not gonna like this book because I didn't like how fake the main character Chamonile Myles was being. She was being fake cuz her reality was basically a philosophy class. I think this whole book is a philosophy class for teens and young adults. It teach us what most people learn in their 20s and in college. Why do we develop obsession of the mundane things that don't matter?? Is it becuase we don't want to admit life is meaningless or is it becuase we are afraid the meaning we give life won't be enough. Whether the answer is doesnt matter really becuase to me authenticity does. This book will have you thinking your own thing too.
(PS: Authors please stop giving your characters ridiculous names. Sometimes basic is better!!!!)
(PS: Authors please stop giving your characters ridiculous names. Sometimes basic is better!!!!)
thegraduatedbookwormblogger's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 full review on thegraduatedbookworm.com
First, I would like to thank Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
So this was definitely a sweet YA with a touch of heaviness in my opinion. I really do wish there was more talk about her father, especially after prom. I felt like there could've been more "oomph" if you will, to make the story next level if that makes sense.
Personally for me, I found her mother to be way too much in denial over her father's illness throughout the book, and I really think that had been playing into Chamomile's head as well until things came out more, and reality finally sunk in... Honestly there were moments that I was like...what?!
Overall, this was a good book, but I just felt like there were things missing for me to really LOVE it. It was definitely a heavy book, as it deals with real issues, and I know that there were light-hearted moments, but something was just not there.
First, I would like to thank Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
So this was definitely a sweet YA with a touch of heaviness in my opinion. I really do wish there was more talk about her father, especially after prom. I felt like there could've been more "oomph" if you will, to make the story next level if that makes sense.
Personally for me, I found her mother to be way too much in denial over her father's illness throughout the book, and I really think that had been playing into Chamomile's head as well until things came out more, and reality finally sunk in... Honestly there were moments that I was like...what?!
Overall, this was a good book, but I just felt like there were things missing for me to really LOVE it. It was definitely a heavy book, as it deals with real issues, and I know that there were light-hearted moments, but something was just not there.