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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
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"If only there was a way to transport letters faster, through some sort of electronic device that codes messages and sends them through the air. But that’s just crazy talk."
Several times during my read I asked myself, "what would it take for [b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093] to reach a 4.5/5 stars?" and in all honesty, I don't think it could, no matter how cute some parts were. Now, I'm all for rating a novel according to its genre, but where am I supposed to put [a:Kasie West|5027236|Kasie West|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450586450p2/5027236.jpg] books? In YA contemporary? Sure! Then they can't - and will never - compete with the raw honesty and the avalanche of feelings I associate with some of my favorites : [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394240671l/6665671._SY75_.jpg|6860540], [b:On the Jellicoe Road|1162022|On the Jellicoe Road|Melina Marchetta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1212708945l/1162022._SY75_.jpg|6479100], [b:Raw Blue|6989576|Raw Blue|Kirsty Eagar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266111020l/6989576._SY75_.jpg|7231905], to name a few.
Truth is, [b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093] put a smile on my face and was well, cute, but I cannot hide how unmemorable it is.
Fact #1 : I've read all of [a:Kasie West|5027236|Kasie West|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450586450p2/5027236.jpg]'s books and I've never come across a female lead like Lily, which is to say, the typical quirky girl with weird self-made clothes and notebooks. The tomboy, the popular girl, absolutely. Not the artist.
Fact #2 : Yet I've read my fair share of YA novels, and Lily doesn't bring anything different in the sea of female leads. She likes music, makes (false) assumptions about people, is convinced that no guy would take an interest in her, fantasizes about this crooked-smiling, earbuds-addict guy with cool hair, has one and only friend because people suck (or something). When it comes to analyze someone else's actions, she's blind, but aren't we all? I mean, TEENAGER 101, anyone? I don't necessarily complain upfront about stereotypes, because sometimes they can be twisted to add something more to a story. Let's just say that it wasn't the case in [b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093].
Fact #3 : Lily's family is what I like the most about her, but it may be because it is so relatable to me. A four children family and general messiness? It was my playground. Anyone who grew up in a family of six and who looks blank when confronted with the concept of a one child room will easily understand what she goes through. Her family is weird, crazy, annoying, roll-eyes worthy, yet so lovable, with a special award for Bugs Rabbit XD
As for the love interest, given the fact that it's supposed to be a "surprise" (come on, I knew who it was on page 6 - more on that later), I won't say his name but he was pretty great, if completely forgettable. I know, I know, I am harsh, but really : no matter how much he made me smile, mark my words : I will have forgotten his name next week. I just know it.
Look, I'm all for pen pals and stuff, as it's a plot which usually really works for me. Yet if I accept having doubts, I still ask for the story to keep its mystery, at least a little. Take [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)|Becky Albertalli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402915678l/19547856._SY75_.jpg|27679579], for example. I loved that I did not know if I was right until the very end.
[b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093], though? I knew who her "mysterious" penpal was almost instantly, and every time a new event occurred, the threads were always so thick that I felt like I was only waiting for what I already knew to happen. Granted, the story mostly revolved around Lily's romance with ***, and romance novels are always all kinds of predictable. Yet it annoyed me because given that I knew who it was, I couldn't help but feel the urge to skim through all the useless scenes with other boys. Just, nope. I didn't care, and it awfully felt like filler for me.
As for the romance, I cannot deny that Lily and *** shared a great chemistry and that I rooted for them to get together from the beginning. They made me smile, especially when they were writing to each other. But I cannot deny either that something was missing, or perhaps I'm finally too old for this kind of cute, kissing book. Maybe. See, it was adorable to see them getting to know each other, but it lacked some tension and character development in my opinion.
Finally, the music part felt flat and contrived, and rather useless. It's as if YA contemporaries had to incorporate some kind of artistic vibes, without needing them to add something to the story. I'm quite tired of this.
It's no surprise that [a:Kasie West|5027236|Kasie West|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450586450p2/5027236.jpg]'s writing is addictive and smile-inducing. Her books, how flawed they can be, always manage to make me happy, even if my feelings stay superficial. However, if I really appreciated the letters, the dialogues didn't flow as well. Although they were often funny, they sounded fake and I forced myself to adapt and ignore the stiffness - or rather, the fakeness. Yes that's a thing.
► All in all a cute but unmemorable novel. I would still recommend it to anyone who needs to smile.
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So predictable and cliched, I honestly didn't feel invested. Lily as a character was annoying, and I felt that she caused most of her own drama. At the same time though, Cade's whole "lets turn the jerk into a sympathetic character" arc wasn't for me either.
This was a cute, fun read that definitely got me out of a reading slump. Although they did seem a lot to handle at times, loved Lily’s family. Her mom and dad’s voting system was cute. I really enjoyed the secret letter writing aspect that spawned from mutual love of cool music ♥️
Such a cute read! I flew through it in one night. I love Kasie West, she always delivers for a fun romance novel.
"You’re my favorite way to pass the time.
But time stands still when you’re on my mind."
The concept of writing messages under a school desk to a mysterious person is something that I could have used in a my High School Musical au fanfiction that I wrote back in primary school. It's light, it's cliche, it's predictable as hell but it's a perfect dose of fluff and cuteness when you need it. My expectations for this book were fullfilled in 100% and I liked it more than I thought I would.
But time stands still when you’re on my mind."
The concept of writing messages under a school desk to a mysterious person is something that I could have used in a my High School Musical au fanfiction that I wrote back in primary school. It's light, it's cliche, it's predictable as hell but it's a perfect dose of fluff and cuteness when you need it. My expectations for this book were fullfilled in 100% and I liked it more than I thought I would.
Lily Abbott would love nothing more than to write a song to win a contest. After scribbling some lyrics to one of her favorite songs on her desk in chemistry, however, she finds herself writing to a mysterious pen pal who shares her taste in music. As the letters become more personal and Lily finds herself falling for the mysterious writer, she is desperate to figure out the identity of the writer. But when neither of them can be anonymous, will the writer accept her? Will she be able to accept them?
A very cute middle-school appropriate rom-com with nothing more than kissing in the way of romantic content. Though the secret writer was a very predictable trope in romantic literature, it was still a fairly entertaining read.
A very cute middle-school appropriate rom-com with nothing more than kissing in the way of romantic content. Though the secret writer was a very predictable trope in romantic literature, it was still a fairly entertaining read.
10 out of 10. When I heard this book was coming out sooner than I realized, I was beside myself, because the Kasie West book drought was over. P.S. I Like You was just an utterly brilliant book. As soon as her encounters with Cade became more frequent I was like it has to be him. And then I was concerned that it would be David or Lucas because at that point I wanted it desperately to be Cade. This book reminded me a lot of my favorite movie, A Cinderella Story, and that just made it all the more exciting to read! I think them writing the notes to each other was so fabulous and the fact that they figured out who each other was but didn't want to other to stop writing if they found out was just so...romantic. Kasie West is such a brilliant writer and I can't wait for her next book.
Oh my goodness!!!!! This is the cutest book ever. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!
good book took me almost all night to read it but i couldnt stop, it was just so good and intriguing.