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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
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
A coming-of-age story about finding one's purpose and reason. Messy—but the good kind of messy, the kind that comes with self-discovery.
From the very first page, this book had a strong, captivating voice that instantly hooked me. The pacing was perfect, and the writing remained solid throughout, making it an engaging and immersive read. While this was primarily a character-driven novel, there was enough story to create a well-balanced narrative.
Maisie Clark is such a fantastic main character—bubbly, passionate, and layered with depth. Watching her grow and evolve was one of the highlights of this book. She’s someone you truly want to root for, and I loved how her relationships shaped her journey. Her dynamic with her friends—especially Eli—stood out, as well as the way her relationship with her family developed over time. The character growth felt authentic and rewarding.
This book is a perfect mix of lighthearted and meaningful. It had some unexpectedly funny moments that made me smile, while also tackling strong themes that give depth to the story. And I have to say—Calum and Benji? Their chemistry was amazing. I’d absolutely read a book just about them.
Some might feel that Maisie’s actions don’t always match her age, but I think she’s a great representation of an 18-year-old trying to navigate school, life, and self-discovery. Her struggles and choices felt real, which made her story even more compelling.
Overall, The Complex Art of Being Maisie Clark is a heartfelt and well-written YA novel with a strong character arc, engaging relationships, and a cozy but meaningful narrative. If you love coming-of-age stories that blend humor, growth, and a touch of emotional depth, this is one to pick up.
From the very first page, this book had a strong, captivating voice that instantly hooked me. The pacing was perfect, and the writing remained solid throughout, making it an engaging and immersive read. While this was primarily a character-driven novel, there was enough story to create a well-balanced narrative.
Maisie Clark is such a fantastic main character—bubbly, passionate, and layered with depth. Watching her grow and evolve was one of the highlights of this book. She’s someone you truly want to root for, and I loved how her relationships shaped her journey. Her dynamic with her friends—especially Eli—stood out, as well as the way her relationship with her family developed over time. The character growth felt authentic and rewarding.
This book is a perfect mix of lighthearted and meaningful. It had some unexpectedly funny moments that made me smile, while also tackling strong themes that give depth to the story. And I have to say—Calum and Benji? Their chemistry was amazing. I’d absolutely read a book just about them.
Some might feel that Maisie’s actions don’t always match her age, but I think she’s a great representation of an 18-year-old trying to navigate school, life, and self-discovery. Her struggles and choices felt real, which made her story even more compelling.
Overall, The Complex Art of Being Maisie Clark is a heartfelt and well-written YA novel with a strong character arc, engaging relationships, and a cozy but meaningful narrative. If you love coming-of-age stories that blend humor, growth, and a touch of emotional depth, this is one to pick up.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book is weird; it is messy, really funny somehow, and so not what I usually read and enjoy. And yet it was good and a nice read.
Here we follow Maisie Clark, an 18-year-old art student from New York who's starting college in London. Maisie, who wants to change who she is. So she goes out of her comfort zone. Maybe too much. And we follow her and also her brother, who ran away when she was a child, and her strange roommate, who wants to drop drinks at people's heads from her window, and that one boy who somehow tripped on her as she was sitting on the stairs and who wanted to go to work so badly even though his ankle was definitely in bad shape.
And let me tell you, I liked this book somehow way more than I was expecting. The characters felt lovable, the writing was funny, and the general book felt like a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed the relationship between Maisie and Eli (the one guy who tripped), and I just adored Eli in general. That's my darling right there. And Benji!! He had such a unique style; I loved it very much.
Although I liked it, this book has flaws, even though they're mostly minor ones. First, the characters didn’t really feel like their age, but mostly younger, which is okay. But I'd say that this book is undoubtedly on the youngest side of the YA genre, which is okay, just not what I was expecting. Secondly, I fear that this book was a bit too short; I would have really liked getting 100 more pages with the characters, as some elements felt resolved a bit fast and lacked development.
So if you want a messy little coming of age with a little romance and art, this one could be great for you!! Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for sending me an e-arc. This one goes out on June 10th :).
Here we follow Maisie Clark, an 18-year-old art student from New York who's starting college in London. Maisie, who wants to change who she is. So she goes out of her comfort zone. Maybe too much. And we follow her and also her brother, who ran away when she was a child, and her strange roommate, who wants to drop drinks at people's heads from her window, and that one boy who somehow tripped on her as she was sitting on the stairs and who wanted to go to work so badly even though his ankle was definitely in bad shape.
And let me tell you, I liked this book somehow way more than I was expecting. The characters felt lovable, the writing was funny, and the general book felt like a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed the relationship between Maisie and Eli (the one guy who tripped), and I just adored Eli in general. That's my darling right there. And Benji!! He had such a unique style; I loved it very much.
Although I liked it, this book has flaws, even though they're mostly minor ones. First, the characters didn’t really feel like their age, but mostly younger, which is okay. But I'd say that this book is undoubtedly on the youngest side of the YA genre, which is okay, just not what I was expecting. Secondly, I fear that this book was a bit too short; I would have really liked getting 100 more pages with the characters, as some elements felt resolved a bit fast and lacked development.
So if you want a messy little coming of age with a little romance and art, this one could be great for you!! Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for sending me an e-arc. This one goes out on June 10th :).
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
thank you to fluxbooks for the chance to read this arc!!
i went into this book not expecting to love it as it’s not my usual genre, but i quickly found myself unable to put it down! the characters are so loveable and their flaws are expressed in a way which makes them even more interesting.
the only thing i would say about this read is that the ending felt a bit rushed; i got to the end of the book and expected at least a few more chapters to tie things up. that being said, the last chapter reflecting the first really made me smile
i went into this book not expecting to love it as it’s not my usual genre, but i quickly found myself unable to put it down! the characters are so loveable and their flaws are expressed in a way which makes them even more interesting.
the only thing i would say about this read is that the ending felt a bit rushed; i got to the end of the book and expected at least a few more chapters to tie things up. that being said, the last chapter reflecting the first really made me smile
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
This was an amazing coming of age story with realistic conflicts and interesting characters.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.
I will start by saying that I am maybe not the target audience for this. I like a good young adult book once and a while, but this was more "teen" than young adult. I really disliked the main character, and her immaturity made this very difficult to finish. In fact, I found most of the characters fairly childish-- especially her brother, who is meant to be nearly 30.
The ending is very rushed, and this is very un-polished. Again, I definitely wasn't the target audience, but I do still feel that this book needs work.
I will start by saying that I am maybe not the target audience for this. I like a good young adult book once and a while, but this was more "teen" than young adult. I really disliked the main character, and her immaturity made this very difficult to finish. In fact, I found most of the characters fairly childish-- especially her brother, who is meant to be nearly 30.
The ending is very rushed, and this is very un-polished. Again, I definitely wasn't the target audience, but I do still feel that this book needs work.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
The main character here in this book is Maisie Clark, and she's going to reach her dream, which is Art. She moved to London to learn more about art. Maisie explores more of herself, and as she takes a journey through her life, she will meet a lot of people. But can she find her voice as she explores the city of London and learns more about her art?
I liked the writing of the book, and it was the perfect book for middle-grade readers, which I recommend they read. The themes for this book are self-discovery and identity, which I also loved to read in some kinds of books. The cover of the book is colorful, which also has the main character of the book, and I think it's the synopsis of the book that caught my interest in reading this book. There also has some character development throughout the story, which is interesting to read more of.
I liked the writing of the book, and it was the perfect book for middle-grade readers, which I recommend they read. The themes for this book are self-discovery and identity, which I also loved to read in some kinds of books. The cover of the book is colorful, which also has the main character of the book, and I think it's the synopsis of the book that caught my interest in reading this book. There also has some character development throughout the story, which is interesting to read more of.