Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
emotional
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
What a cute book. Definitely has a 13 Going on 30 plot, but it’s such a feel-good book.
This book has a 13 going on 30 vibe. It was okay, parts of it were better than others.
Overall I had a hard time with it. I got it as a Prime First Reads Book, so I don't feel so bad about not enjoying it because it was free. It was a quick easy read and is a good young adult book, but the high school drama was too much for me.
Overall I had a hard time with it. I got it as a Prime First Reads Book, so I don't feel so bad about not enjoying it because it was free. It was a quick easy read and is a good young adult book, but the high school drama was too much for me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.8/4 This book was adorable. Nice take on 17 going on 30 and brought me right back to high school
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
As a huge fan or 13 going on 30, I thought this book was so cute. It was a little slow moving once they returned back from their "future selves." Was it predictable? Yes. Knowing it's going to be a little corny and predictable doesn't take away that it is well written and a fun, mindless read.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I’ll be the first to admit it: Woke Up Like This feels endearingly familiar and saccharine sweet, like your favorite rom-com that you watch over and over until the dialogue is burned into your brain. Although she claims to be otherwise, Charlotte Wu is everything a protagonist should be. She’s headstrong, incredibly stubborn, and convinced that life will fall into place if she sticks to her meticulously-laid plans. Charlotte finds her foil in J.T. Renner, who she not-so-fondly refers to as simply “Renner.” Renner is the Chad Michael Murray archetype, and at times, he conjures J.T. Yorke to mind, a charming Degrassi character Amy Lea may have referenced. The two have incredible chemistry from the first moment they speak, and Lea paints their story with the same colors used by her rom-com predecessors.
Despite its twinkling surface, Woke Up Like This suffers slightly from pacing issues. Lea spends too much time introducing every character, including minor details that don’t really have an impact on the story overall. I found myself impatient for the main conflict to rear its head. However, Lea builds Charlotte’s world realistically, which interested me to a point where I couldn’t stop reading despite my impatience.
My one last qualm with this novel is the “kid lingo” that Lea inserts, usually when Charlotte is narrating the story. Charlotte feels like a teenager through and through…except when she says things like “awkward potato.” As someone with a seventeen-year-old sister, I can confidently say that no teenager has uttered that phrase since I was in high school nearly ten years ago. I find this to be a problem in most young adult novels, and I wish authors would cut back on trying to relate to teens with “trendy” dialogue.
Woke Up Like This is a sweet, easily digestible rom-com reminiscent of 13 Going on 30, but ultimately, it’s not my favorite book of all time.
Despite its twinkling surface, Woke Up Like This suffers slightly from pacing issues. Lea spends too much time introducing every character, including minor details that don’t really have an impact on the story overall. I found myself impatient for the main conflict to rear its head. However, Lea builds Charlotte’s world realistically, which interested me to a point where I couldn’t stop reading despite my impatience.
My one last qualm with this novel is the “kid lingo” that Lea inserts, usually when Charlotte is narrating the story. Charlotte feels like a teenager through and through…except when she says things like “awkward potato.” As someone with a seventeen-year-old sister, I can confidently say that no teenager has uttered that phrase since I was in high school nearly ten years ago. I find this to be a problem in most young adult novels, and I wish authors would cut back on trying to relate to teens with “trendy” dialogue.
Woke Up Like This is a sweet, easily digestible rom-com reminiscent of 13 Going on 30, but ultimately, it’s not my favorite book of all time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death of parent
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced