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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Welp. Definitely a YA book. Very juvenile writing and not much plot development that makes sense. 3 weeks pass in one sentence. Characters were okay but random fighting between friends for no reason. The book would be fine if I was back in school, but for adult me; it’s probably a no.
⭐️⭐️✨ (2.75 stars)
⭐️⭐️✨ (2.75 stars)
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had really high hopes for this book, it was cute, but it was also slightly disappointing. At some points, I felt that I was forcing myself to read it and I wasn't actually enjoying the book. I also wish the book had maybe another 50 to 100 pages.
honestly, i expected a bit more out of this book but nevertheless, i still liked it.
i can see where some might say were odd like the way the parent issues were issued over a single conversation, the media problem settled in the same day, and the dating a celebrity despite your own back story worked out. still, i think it had its charms. there might not have been much resolving in the story but you see something in the characters.
graham finds happiness in the fame life that seemed to have robbed him of normality. he found ellie by coincidence and he even found a place he felt happy in, free in, unlike his home in middle-of-everything, california with his pet wilbur.
ellie was able to come to terms with her father. i know it wasn't in the best way and maybe her mom didn't make it any better by saying she didn't need to be in touch to know, but ellie found a way to get over it. a character doesn't exactly have to fully resolve that issue; they could hang on the bridge and watch the water flow and see what happens.
finally, the simplicity of it was probably the key to my liking it. i'm a very simple minded person at times and the fact that it was easy to go along with the story made the cut for me. we knew the problems, we knew we wanted them to fix it, and they somewhat did, eventually. i guess what i'm really looking for is an epilogue. like what happened after he left and she went to harvard? how did her dad react to seeing her face? what about harry, how'd he flip the issue around? and olivia, was she really okay with how everything turned out? i'm honestly curious.
i can see where some might say were odd like the way the parent issues were issued over a single conversation, the media problem settled in the same day, and the dating a celebrity despite your own back story worked out. still, i think it had its charms. there might not have been much resolving in the story but you see something in the characters.
graham finds happiness in the fame life that seemed to have robbed him of normality. he found ellie by coincidence and he even found a place he felt happy in, free in, unlike his home in middle-of-everything, california with his pet wilbur.
ellie was able to come to terms with her father. i know it wasn't in the best way and maybe her mom didn't make it any better by saying she didn't need to be in touch to know, but ellie found a way to get over it. a character doesn't exactly have to fully resolve that issue; they could hang on the bridge and watch the water flow and see what happens.
finally, the simplicity of it was probably the key to my liking it. i'm a very simple minded person at times and the fact that it was easy to go along with the story made the cut for me. we knew the problems, we knew we wanted them to fix it, and they somewhat did, eventually. i guess what i'm really looking for is an epilogue. like what happened after he left and she went to harvard? how did her dad react to seeing her face? what about harry, how'd he flip the issue around? and olivia, was she really okay with how everything turned out? i'm honestly curious.
Cute and quick read ❤️ not too cheesy or cliché, although the theme is one I feel like I've read a million times before. Rtc.
Solid romance of the most gentle variety; I like that this is YA, about 17 year olds, and accessible by tweens--this is important in middle grades. Ellie has a secret she hasn't even told her very best friend Quinn, and Graham is a bummed out, unlikely movie star. They meet online by happenstance and their email correspondence becomes a lifeline. This is yet another great example of technology and social media woven into a narrative in a most modern and appropriate way (and reminded me of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens); minus the proper punctuation and spelling, this email connection might ring true for many young readers. I struggled with Graham's unexamined white male privilege--everything is essentially handed to him, even his fame--and so I will next read something to counter this fictional injustice; there must be social justice and balance in my reading universe.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up. That four star rating is more of a 4.5. I really liked this --but I wasn't "in love" with it. It was very funny, which I liked. But, near the end I kind of felt like the author was just trying to make one last hurrah at a word-count goal. The ending was just about perfect; most of the loose ends were tied up, but it was still open enough to leave the reader the idea of growth in the future. It didn't leave me wanting more --not from this story. Which is a good thing --it's a great stand-alone and I highly reccomend it to anyone who is looking for what I classify as "crappy YA romance" with a little more substance than usual. I look forward to more books by Ms. Smith.