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booksandbraids's review
3.0
boyfriend x what she thought was love = an abortion a screwed up life.
Rhonda is still scared from the last relation she had with the rich, popular, basketball player, Cristopher. He got her pregnant then left her with his small amount of money to help pay for an abortion, an extremely pissed off father, and the fear of getting to close to anyone else for the fear of it happening again. When she runs into Sarah Gamble while tutoring kids with math, she finds herself helping with a little more then the standard curriculum, this lesson required more then her normal turoring sessions did including the trial and possible failure of Rhonda the Rhombus's personal elements. Can she learn to open up the people who love her and relize she loves them back?
Rhonda is still scared from the last relation she had with the rich, popular, basketball player, Cristopher. He got her pregnant then left her with his small amount of money to help pay for an abortion, an extremely pissed off father, and the fear of getting to close to anyone else for the fear of it happening again. When she runs into Sarah Gamble while tutoring kids with math, she finds herself helping with a little more then the standard curriculum, this lesson required more then her normal turoring sessions did including the trial and possible failure of Rhonda the Rhombus's personal elements. Can she learn to open up the people who love her and relize she loves them back?
lilykmarks's review against another edition
I was amazed that this book was written by a grown man, very impressive read!
merer's review
3.0
When the popular girl in school gets pregnant, she turns to an unpopular math tutor for help. This book was nothing spectacular, but it wasn't bad.
bookish_byrd's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book from start to finish! Great quick read!
tammidesta's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. I know many people will hear "deals with teen pregnancy and abortion" and think issue novel and put it back on the shelf. DO NOT do this with this book. It doesn't moralise or pass judgment on the characters and it's not really about abortion, as such. It's about Rhonda and her struggle to love and trust again after what she's been through. Being hurt by past experiences and having to overcome that is not an 'issue', it's an universal experience.
Rhonda is a great character, too. She's bright, she's hard-working, she's loyal and she's fair-minded. I actually think she's a great role model for teen girls, despite her early mistakes. It's OK; she didn't spring forth into the world completely awesome, she had to learn to be that way. At the start of the story, Rhonda is closed off - she has a small group of friends but her sole focus is on getting into college and she's sworn off relationships completely. While that's an understandable and not altogether unwise decision for someone with her past, Rhonda's also become distant from her father and disinclined towards making new friends. It's clear she's shutting out more than boys here.
However, Rhonda can't help but bond with Sarah over their similar situations and their friendship begins to open up Rhonda's world again - especially when she gets to know Sarah's brother, David. Sarah and David are probably a little too nice to be true (David's incredibly understanding of Rhonda's "no sex" rule) but I couldn't help but like them, either, and hanging out at their house eating home-made cookies sounds like lots of fun.
Rhonda's relationship with her father is a far more difficult fix and the uncomfortable atmosphere between them is realistically conveyed. Many girls have had to experience that feeling of not being 'daddy's girl' anymore. If I have one complaint against this book, it's that we don't see the final reconciliation between these two. It's a shame, as I felt that the father-daughter relationship was the most vital to Rhonda's character.
Rhonda's a math whizz and something cute that Varian Johnson adds to the text are little diagrams, where Rhonda tries to work out her life as a mathematical equation. It gives you an insight into the character and it's a fun way of doing it. Educational, too.
The happy ending to this book might be a bit too neat (Sarah's life, in particular, seems too tidily wrapped up), but to be honest, after enjoying the characters as much as I did, I didn't care. I wanted everything to work out for Rhonda and I think every reader will feel the same.
Rhonda is a great character, too. She's bright, she's hard-working, she's loyal and she's fair-minded. I actually think she's a great role model for teen girls, despite her early mistakes. It's OK; she didn't spring forth into the world completely awesome, she had to learn to be that way. At the start of the story, Rhonda is closed off - she has a small group of friends but her sole focus is on getting into college and she's sworn off relationships completely. While that's an understandable and not altogether unwise decision for someone with her past, Rhonda's also become distant from her father and disinclined towards making new friends. It's clear she's shutting out more than boys here.
However, Rhonda can't help but bond with Sarah over their similar situations and their friendship begins to open up Rhonda's world again - especially when she gets to know Sarah's brother, David. Sarah and David are probably a little too nice to be true (David's incredibly understanding of Rhonda's "no sex" rule) but I couldn't help but like them, either, and hanging out at their house eating home-made cookies sounds like lots of fun.
Rhonda's relationship with her father is a far more difficult fix and the uncomfortable atmosphere between them is realistically conveyed. Many girls have had to experience that feeling of not being 'daddy's girl' anymore. If I have one complaint against this book, it's that we don't see the final reconciliation between these two. It's a shame, as I felt that the father-daughter relationship was the most vital to Rhonda's character.
Rhonda's a math whizz and something cute that Varian Johnson adds to the text are little diagrams, where Rhonda tries to work out her life as a mathematical equation. It gives you an insight into the character and it's a fun way of doing it. Educational, too.
The happy ending to this book might be a bit too neat (Sarah's life, in particular, seems too tidily wrapped up), but to be honest, after enjoying the characters as much as I did, I didn't care. I wanted everything to work out for Rhonda and I think every reader will feel the same.
thebookishone's review against another edition
4.0
Great meeting with my young teens and talking about the issues in this book.
dearbhla's review against another edition
4.0
It’s funny. I’ve never read any books by Justine Larbaleister but I read her blog and when she recommended My life as a rhombus I guess I was feeling in a suggestible mood because I ordered it right then. And I’m glad I did; its a good solid read, engaging enough to make me delay setting out for the train last Friday evening until I finished it. Course then I had to reread the last chapter because I’d skim-read so much of it.
Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2009/10/21/my-life-as-a-rhombus/
Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2009/10/21/my-life-as-a-rhombus/
simsbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Very clear and quick-reading story style. I quickly loved reading about Rhonda and Sarah. Bonus? A great read with a diverse racial cast of characters. Double bonus? Fat-girl lead does NOT spend the book moaning about weight-loss NOR does she end the book having lost weight to Feel Good or Get a Man. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it as a quick, light read on a set of tough, real-life topics worth thinking about and discussing further after reading!
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