Reviews

And We're Off by Dana Schwartz

sebinsangel's review

3.0

Easy summer read, yes. But I still can't get past the horrible relationship with her mom, how everything just seems to go wrong, and how so many things are just left unfinished at the end. This book definitely could have been longer and explored way more.

misswarner's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kthornette's review against another edition

2.0

I won’t lie, that 3.2 rating scared me before I started the book. And though this book wasn’t all that interesting ... yeah that’s all I got. Everything about this book was flat and bland. I’m sorry. I give myself credit for finishing it though but that’s cause it was short.

The romance really had no purpose and neither did 80% of the book. I literally forgot about it by the end. If anything, I would’ve formatted the whole story differently:

Spoiler

Keep the beginning up to the airport. Have their confrontation at the end. Nora leaves, haves her time in Europe with her art and maybe a romance. Then when she’s at her grandfather’s exhibit at the end, reconcile with mom.

I will give this book credit for acknowledging Captain America 2 as the superior Marvel movie.

daniguitarw's review

This was cute! I could sense it getting better in the middle as the story went on, the writing even improved. I just wasn't gripped by Nora or convinced by her (being a girl her age, myself), or her upper class grandpa woes. I'll still be reading Dana's next novel, as the transition to long form can't be easy, and by the middle/endish, I was gripped by it for a bit. My main gripe is that the exposition was way too reference heavy- it kept drawing me out; I wanted to think about this story, not Harry Potter.

tasharobinson's review

3.0

I was excited for this first novel by the woman behind the Guy In Your MFA and Dystopian YA Novel Twitter accounts, both of which are wry, knowing, and insightful. But I wound up wishing the book was twice as long, not exactly in a good way. So many of the plot threads feel underdeveloped and sketched-in. Full review here for NPR Books.

steponitjenn's review

3.0

it was fine

liv_warren's review

4.0

Definitely a book I would have needed as a teenager.

And We’re Off is a quick, fun, and dreamy European fantasy while still being thoughtful and heartfelt. I could see my younger self in Nora, and it was fun to read her dynamic with Alice as an adult, and see where I “sided” with either of them on different things. And now I want to book a trip to Ireland immediately!

hmfogel's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lisamparkin's review

3.0

Very quick read. This one's tough because I expected more growth from Nora and Alice, and what you get instead is a final chapter resolution with little build-up. The book had little to hold on to other than a few nice moments between the mother and daughter sparsely sprinkled throughout.

Plus there is both domestic and international boy trouble that I wished had dominated less of the storyline.

50bookgoal's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0