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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Cw + TW: sex, religion, harassment, assault, rape and attempted rape, blackmail, slut-shaming, teacher-student relationship, animal abuse, bullying, substance abuse, anxiety, trauma, LGBT-related bullying, strained family relationships
Katie Wismer aka KatesBookDate on YouTube has been someone that I have watched constantly and looked up to. I have consistently seen her dedicate a lot of time and effort into whatever she's writing which often inspires me to do more when I'm writing. When I heard I could get an advanced copy of this for review, I couldn't help myself but get it. With that being said, I was not expecting this to be what it was. I knew it would be dark and feature some sensitive topics but, DAMN. She didn't have to go this hard.
This book is not your typical high school contemporary. There are many other elements to this, some of them much darker than I was expecting. When each of the topics was first introduced, I was shocked and feeling a bit uncomfortable. But once the story continued, I enjoyed what happened. I liked that Katie talked about each of these things. It's not something I read very often in young adult books or get a younger person's perspective on.
As I was reading, I did notice a few things that could have done slightly better. One of those things was the pacing of the story. I'm not entirely sure how long this book is (nowhere features a page number) but, I think I would have enjoyed this better if there were another 50-100 pages. Because there were numerous things discussed throughout the story, those extra pages would've given the events and the characters in the story more time to be fleshed out. Some things seemed to be talked about and moved on from quicker than others. Another thing that was bothering me while reading was having to keep reminding myself that the characters are in high school, varying in ages and grades. For some reason, they read younger in some of their social interactions but read older when they went out to do something.
Despite those things, I enjoyed what I read. I'm glad Katie is continuing with her writing because I believe she has a great future ahead of her.
Katie Wismer aka KatesBookDate on YouTube has been someone that I have watched constantly and looked up to. I have consistently seen her dedicate a lot of time and effort into whatever she's writing which often inspires me to do more when I'm writing. When I heard I could get an advanced copy of this for review, I couldn't help myself but get it. With that being said, I was not expecting this to be what it was. I knew it would be dark and feature some sensitive topics but, DAMN. She didn't have to go this hard.
This book is not your typical high school contemporary. There are many other elements to this, some of them much darker than I was expecting. When each of the topics was first introduced, I was shocked and feeling a bit uncomfortable. But once the story continued, I enjoyed what happened. I liked that Katie talked about each of these things. It's not something I read very often in young adult books or get a younger person's perspective on.
As I was reading, I did notice a few things that could have done slightly better. One of those things was the pacing of the story. I'm not entirely sure how long this book is (nowhere features a page number) but, I think I would have enjoyed this better if there were another 50-100 pages. Because there were numerous things discussed throughout the story, those extra pages would've given the events and the characters in the story more time to be fleshed out. Some things seemed to be talked about and moved on from quicker than others. Another thing that was bothering me while reading was having to keep reminding myself that the characters are in high school, varying in ages and grades. For some reason, they read younger in some of their social interactions but read older when they went out to do something.
Despite those things, I enjoyed what I read. I'm glad Katie is continuing with her writing because I believe she has a great future ahead of her.
**Received this as an ARC from Netgalley **
It's hard to rate books using the goodreads star rating system, so I'll avoid doing it for this book as well. Overall, the book was enjoyable and the writing was pretty solid except for the overuse of some phrases/words. It would have appealed more to a younger audience. However, with that being said, there is some subject matter that is not entirely suitable. Some of the recurring themes are bullying, assault, religion - just to name a few.
Now onto what I thought about the book. First of all, I really enjoyed the writing. It flowed really well and I read the final half of the book in one sitting. The characters were all quite distinct and the dialogue seemed realistic.
I do have some points that irked me a little. I know with books like these it's hard to maintain realistic events, but some were way over the top. The bullying that occurred was not justified. I felt like there was no valid reason why the person was targeted. There was a scene towards the end involving the bully that didn't leave me satisfied. This book has a romance in its plot as well, which was fine up until one exchange that left me quite angry. The "conflict" seemed like something completely out of character.
In addition to all of that, there are scenes with an assault, animal abuse, an atheist within a religious family, reform camps and it seemed like this book was scattered in the messages that it was trying to convey.
All in all, it's a good debut (not counting the poetry book) and I'd like to see more of this author's work in the future but possibly in other genres.
It's hard to rate books using the goodreads star rating system, so I'll avoid doing it for this book as well. Overall, the book was enjoyable and the writing was pretty solid except for the overuse of some phrases/words. It would have appealed more to a younger audience. However, with that being said, there is some subject matter that is not entirely suitable. Some of the recurring themes are bullying, assault, religion - just to name a few.
Now onto what I thought about the book. First of all, I really enjoyed the writing. It flowed really well and I read the final half of the book in one sitting. The characters were all quite distinct and the dialogue seemed realistic.
I do have some points that irked me a little. I know with books like these it's hard to maintain realistic events, but some were way over the top. The bullying that occurred was not justified. I felt like there was no valid reason why the person was targeted. There was a scene towards the end involving the bully that didn't leave me satisfied. This book has a romance in its plot as well, which was fine up until one exchange that left me quite angry. The "conflict" seemed like something completely out of character.
In addition to all of that, there are scenes with an assault, animal abuse, an atheist within a religious family, reform camps and it seemed like this book was scattered in the messages that it was trying to convey.
All in all, it's a good debut (not counting the poetry book) and I'd like to see more of this author's work in the future but possibly in other genres.
⭐1 Star⭐
A story about juvenile inconsistent characters that is as exposition-heavy as it is declarative.
The desire to break away from your parent's ethics is universal and this could have been a very powerful novel about escapism within a religious household. But it was underwhelming and poorly paced. So many characters were introduced at once and the hyperbolic unrealistic dialogue made for a less than engaging read even in high stakes moments. I think Wismer tried to do too much here and if the plot were condensed this novel would have been more impactful.
For an insightful look into a Christian’s interpretation of this book CLICK HERE
As a lesbian, I could not write this review without mentioning the LGBT+ representation in this novel. A slur for lesbian was used five times. The words lesbian, gay, or queer are not used once. The slur becomes the identity of a character and I find this very problematic especially for younger queer readers. This is worsened by the protagonist's decision to go back to the parents at the end. If they were willing to send away one daughter to a conversion camp, then the queer-identifying child is in a lot of danger even if said parents 'promised' they wouldn't do it again. This is not a safe place for the protagonist or the queer child and should not be presented as such. The presumed homophobia of the parents is never explored and that plotline is left hanging in the air- illustrating my point about condensing the narrative for effectiveness. The queer representation feels like a second thought as the intricacies of Queer Christianity is not explored. All the reader sees is self-hatred, internalised homophobia and hate speech directed at the young person. Moreover, the slurs used are not mentioned in the Trigger Warnings section of the book, an oversight that may be telling of the writers intentions when writing this character.
As a long time viewer of this writer’s YouTube channel, I am greatly disappointed by this debut.
Below are Trigger Warnings if you choose to read this novel.
Trigger Warnings provided by the writer: bullying, religion, sexual assault, animal abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma.
Extra Trigger Warnings from me: homophobia, slurs, body shaming.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily
A story about juvenile inconsistent characters that is as exposition-heavy as it is declarative.
The desire to break away from your parent's ethics is universal and this could have been a very powerful novel about escapism within a religious household. But it was underwhelming and poorly paced. So many characters were introduced at once and the hyperbolic unrealistic dialogue made for a less than engaging read even in high stakes moments. I think Wismer tried to do too much here and if the plot were condensed this novel would have been more impactful.
For an insightful look into a Christian’s interpretation of this book CLICK HERE
As a lesbian, I could not write this review without mentioning the LGBT+ representation in this novel. A slur for lesbian was used five times. The words lesbian, gay, or queer are not used once. The slur becomes the identity of a character and I find this very problematic especially for younger queer readers. This is worsened by the protagonist's decision to go back to the parents at the end. If they were willing to send away one daughter to a conversion camp, then the queer-identifying child is in a lot of danger even if said parents 'promised' they wouldn't do it again. This is not a safe place for the protagonist or the queer child and should not be presented as such. The presumed homophobia of the parents is never explored and that plotline is left hanging in the air- illustrating my point about condensing the narrative for effectiveness. The queer representation feels like a second thought as the intricacies of Queer Christianity is not explored. All the reader sees is self-hatred, internalised homophobia and hate speech directed at the young person. Moreover, the slurs used are not mentioned in the Trigger Warnings section of the book, an oversight that may be telling of the writers intentions when writing this character.
As a long time viewer of this writer’s YouTube channel, I am greatly disappointed by this debut.
Below are Trigger Warnings if you choose to read this novel.
Trigger Warnings provided by the writer: bullying, religion, sexual assault, animal abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma.
Extra Trigger Warnings from me: homophobia, slurs, body shaming.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book because I love Katie and her youtube channel katiesbookdate.
Although contemporary YA novels are not what I mostly read, I did enjoy this book. The main character Meridith, and her best friend Johanna make a pact to lose their virginity before they graduate high school, and that is where the book starts off from. Meridith is a pastor's daughter and religion plays a big role in the plot.
Things I liked: the main character's love interest, Sam. I thought he was an overall good character with depth. The religious plot dynamic between Meridith and her parents. Harper, Meridith's sister, was a character that showed growth throughout the novel.
The main problems were: Meridith, she is 18 yrs old but reads more immature; the pacing, the novel starts very slow, but after the halfway point everything happens too fast; and lastly there were too many plot points attempted (and not resolved properly) which made the novel feel disjointed. Overall this book kept me reading and made me want to pick up more contemporary YA novels.
Although contemporary YA novels are not what I mostly read, I did enjoy this book. The main character Meridith, and her best friend Johanna make a pact to lose their virginity before they graduate high school, and that is where the book starts off from. Meridith is a pastor's daughter and religion plays a big role in the plot.
Things I liked: the main character's love interest, Sam. I thought he was an overall good character with depth. The religious plot dynamic between Meridith and her parents. Harper, Meridith's sister, was a character that showed growth throughout the novel.
The main problems were: Meridith, she is 18 yrs old but reads more immature; the pacing, the novel starts very slow, but after the halfway point everything happens too fast; and lastly there were too many plot points attempted (and not resolved properly) which made the novel feel disjointed. Overall this book kept me reading and made me want to pick up more contemporary YA novels.
I would like to first thank NetGalley and the Author for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book, it was a solid book with a driven plot direction right from the start. I was very intrigued by the religious aspect of the book, it was a risky choice to have a character with a religious background want to break out of that mold. Mere was that character, I really enjoyed her point of view. She was shy, smart, focused, anxious, and yet had a side that you could really relate to if you feel trapped inside of yourself. A side more open than what she led on.
I would say with all the the triggers that this book had, they were handled with grace. It was not a book I had to convince myself to pick up, I was drawn to know what was going to happen next. Especially with the cute little romance.
The downfall for me was the way the ending was - loved the way the parents were handled, love that her and the sister could come to a common ground, but I did not like the romantic ending. NO - I do not need or want a happily ever after - that is not what this book was about, however I do not think Sam was seen to be the type to give up so easily so I was a little disappointed on that. I also would have liked to see Jo or the teacher have ANY interaction after what happened. BUT those are all personal preferences. Either way - this book was great and gripping, would highly recommend!
I really enjoyed this book, it was a solid book with a driven plot direction right from the start. I was very intrigued by the religious aspect of the book, it was a risky choice to have a character with a religious background want to break out of that mold. Mere was that character, I really enjoyed her point of view. She was shy, smart, focused, anxious, and yet had a side that you could really relate to if you feel trapped inside of yourself. A side more open than what she led on.
I would say with all the the triggers that this book had, they were handled with grace. It was not a book I had to convince myself to pick up, I was drawn to know what was going to happen next. Especially with the cute little romance.
The downfall for me was the way the ending was - loved the way the parents were handled, love that her and the sister could come to a common ground, but I did not like the romantic ending. NO - I do not need or want a happily ever after - that is not what this book was about, however I do not think Sam was seen to be the type to give up so easily so I was a little disappointed on that. I also would have liked to see Jo or the teacher have ANY interaction after what happened. BUT those are all personal preferences. Either way - this book was great and gripping, would highly recommend!
I loved this book and am so excited for its companion.
I ended up giving this 4 stars instead of five for two reasons. The first is the animal abuse storyline. It didn't add anything to the book and I ended up having the worst anxiety when I got to it. The second is the French words sprinkled in here and there. I understand that her family is French but it really took me out of the story.
I loved the writing. The book flowed very well and I never found myself getting bored.
I wasn't a big fan of Meredith. Johanna ended up being my favorite character. I also really liked Harper and wish she had a bigger part in the book.
I ended up giving this 4 stars instead of five for two reasons. The first is the animal abuse storyline. It didn't add anything to the book and I ended up having the worst anxiety when I got to it. The second is the French words sprinkled in here and there. I understand that her family is French but it really took me out of the story.
I loved the writing. The book flowed very well and I never found myself getting bored.
I wasn't a big fan of Meredith. Johanna ended up being my favorite character. I also really liked Harper and wish she had a bigger part in the book.
1,5★
I hate to say it, but I did not like this book. I adore Katie, and I want great success for her. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. There is way too much stuff cramped into it. Half of the opics didn't need to be in there, were rushed, unbelievable, overly dramatic and not followed through.
I hate that in books (in everything really): doing loads of stuff superficially. I like my topics real and thoroughly discussed.
The first half was boring, just a typical YA novel, books I don't find interesting at all. Then it suddenly changes in this almost action-movie-plot story. There was no build up, and most of the events were dealt with in one chapter.
I'm so sorry, but I just thought it was bad.
I hate to say it, but I did not like this book. I adore Katie, and I want great success for her. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. There is way too much stuff cramped into it. Half of the opics didn't need to be in there, were rushed, unbelievable, overly dramatic and not followed through.
I hate that in books (in everything really): doing loads of stuff superficially. I like my topics real and thoroughly discussed.
The first half was boring, just a typical YA novel, books I don't find interesting at all. Then it suddenly changes in this almost action-movie-plot story. There was no build up, and most of the events were dealt with in one chapter.
I'm so sorry, but I just thought it was bad.
Wow! I loved this and honestly if I was able to read this while I was in high school it would 100% be a 5 star because it's everything high school me loved in books! To this day I still love a good book that has a religious aspect from a nonreligious person's view because my family and my in laws are high religious and that's just never been my journey so even as an adult I was able to relate to Mare! I had minor issues with this book but nothing that kept me from loving it still! I would recommend this to anyone who loves hard hitting reads.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes