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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I really needed a book like this after all the unfamiliar territory I've been in with my more recent reads! I have a slightly mixed relationship with Kasie West's books but on the whole I do like reading them, and rereading passages that make my heart happy, and I can definitely say this will be one I will for sure be rereading from. I'd say it's one I enjoy, but not as much as a couple others by her (which I've forgotten the titles for but are somewhere in my Goodreads library).
I went into this knowing nothing about the plot. It was just a book reservation I made because it was by Kasie West and it finally came through after a couple months! Our protagonist, Lily Abbot(t?) likes to write songs and starts exchanging notes with a mystery person in Chemistry class. You can probably see where this story is going, as with most other YA contemporaries, but this one really does have some heart to it and I can really see younger me finding it even more enjoyable than I did reading it at 21. As a whole, an engaging and predictable read (and I don't say that derogatorily, sometimes you want your expectations and tropes to be met!) and it reminded me why I read so many of them as a teen (think Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot, etc.) and why I continue to have phases of YA contemporary every now and then! 4 star read.
I went into this knowing nothing about the plot. It was just a book reservation I made because it was by Kasie West and it finally came through after a couple months! Our protagonist, Lily Abbot(t?) likes to write songs and starts exchanging notes with a mystery person in Chemistry class. You can probably see where this story is going, as with most other YA contemporaries, but this one really does have some heart to it and I can really see younger me finding it even more enjoyable than I did reading it at 21.
Spoiler
I did find that I wanted to know more about Cade and Lily's past because it was very much a tell, don't show, approach that West took which I wasn't as big a fan of. It meant I couldn't see the in-built attraction from the get-go and made their relationship seem slightly convoluted, but not so much that it detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Super cute YA romance. Not my favorite but still super cute!
Lily likes to write song lyrics, especially in Chemistry, a class that she doesn't really care for. After she gets caught one day, the teacher bans her from having her notebook in class, so she writes some of her favorite song lyrics on the desk. The next day, she finds that someone has completed the lyric and added a message. This continues for a couple days until they run out of desk space, and then they begin exchanging paper notes left under the desk. Lily is intrigued about who her mystery person could be and starts to fall for him. All of this is going on while Lily is dealing with her crazy family, deciding whether to enter a singing competition, and continuing to be disgusted by her friend's ex, who drives her crazy.
A super cute teen romance book. Kasie West has become very popular with my students, and I can see why. The plot was believable and Lily is a reliable narrator who is going through all of the typical high school girl issues - crushes and all. A quick read with a satisfying ending.
A super cute teen romance book. Kasie West has become very popular with my students, and I can see why. The plot was believable and Lily is a reliable narrator who is going through all of the typical high school girl issues - crushes and all. A quick read with a satisfying ending.
A cute YA read about friendships, words, song lyrics, a secret letter exchange, assumptions and misinterpretation.
It was an ok book...but I'll b honest majority of it bored me. I skimmed through so much. But hey I'm 26 so it may b because this book is outside my age group idk but it barely kept my attention. It could be me and not the book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.5 Stars
I read this book in one sittingthe fact that I was up until 5am is not the point. It wasn't that it was super compelling or I was just so invested - it was just a really quick and easy read. It was light and fun and exactly what you would expect from a pen pal-type teen romance.
Pros:
-Lilly. While there isn't anything really special about her as a protagonist, I like that Lilly is self-aware of her flaws and short comings. She freely admits of her lack of confidence, but not as a ploy for reassurance, but as a fact.
-Lily and Isabel's friendship. The are incredible supportive of one another and embrace each other for who they are. They let each other be themselves - quirks, mistakes, everything else included. It was nice to see such a supportive friendship, where they are allowed to have different tastes and interests and disagreements, but they communicate and discuss things with each other.
-Family dynamic. Like Lilly's friendship with Isabel, her relationship with her parents and siblings is supportive and loving. Living in a chaotic house, with little time for herself, Lilly could easy become jaded and withdrawn. But Lilly embraces the quirks of her family and they embrace her too. There are family disagreements and frustrations, but also care and encouragement.
-Surprising depth. We really see the depth of the Lilly and her pen pal when writing letters to each other. They truly open up to each other about their fears, reservations, and frustrations as well as their hopes and desires.
-Pacing.
Cons:
-Predictability. I called the pen pal on page 5. I don't really mind predictability, especially in contemporary novels. I understand the intend of the stories and there are only so many ways to reach one conclusion. However, it does loose some of the tension and anticipation when you can guess a major plot point so early in the story.
-Not super engaging. Like I said, because of the predictability this book wasn't as engaging as I would have liked. Like Lilly and her pen pal, I was anticipating each new letter, and but it was mainly for the cuteness factor and not for the plot progression.
PS I Like You is a cutesy read that you can easily knock out in a few hours, While you'll have a fun time reading it, don't expect to be too nostalgic after finishing.
I read this book in one sitting
Pros:
-Lilly. While there isn't anything really special about her as a protagonist, I like that Lilly is self-aware of her flaws and short comings. She freely admits of her lack of confidence, but not as a ploy for reassurance, but as a fact.
-Lily and Isabel's friendship. The are incredible supportive of one another and embrace each other for who they are. They let each other be themselves - quirks, mistakes, everything else included. It was nice to see such a supportive friendship, where they are allowed to have different tastes and interests and disagreements, but they communicate and discuss things with each other.
-Family dynamic. Like Lilly's friendship with Isabel, her relationship with her parents and siblings is supportive and loving. Living in a chaotic house, with little time for herself, Lilly could easy become jaded and withdrawn. But Lilly embraces the quirks of her family and they embrace her too. There are family disagreements and frustrations, but also care and encouragement.
-Surprising depth. We really see the depth of the Lilly and her pen pal when writing letters to each other. They truly open up to each other about their fears, reservations, and frustrations as well as their hopes and desires.
-Pacing.
Spoiler
I like that Lilly finds out Cade is her pen pal before the halfway mark in the book. Even though Cade doesn't reveal he knew it was Lilly until the end, there was enough tension inserted with Lilly's knowledge to help the book progress without feeling stagnant. I also like how Lilly and Isabel didn't dwell on their fight about their history with Cade. They fought, cooled off, apologized, and made up.Cons:
-Predictability. I called the pen pal on page 5. I don't really mind predictability, especially in contemporary novels. I understand the intend of the stories and there are only so many ways to reach one conclusion. However, it does loose some of the tension and anticipation when you can guess a major plot point so early in the story.
-Not super engaging. Like I said, because of the predictability this book wasn't as engaging as I would have liked. Like Lilly and her pen pal, I was anticipating each new letter, and
Spoiler
Lilly's interactions with Cade after she found out it was himPS I Like You is a cutesy read that you can easily knock out in a few hours, While you'll have a fun time reading it, don't expect to be too nostalgic after finishing.
2.5/5 stars
Finishing this book like:
Ok, not that this was boring or anything. It definitely ignited emotions,,,
Emotions of frustration, that is.
Everyone kept going on abt how this was one of their favorite Kasie West books, and how angsty it is, and how the main couple made them swoon,,,,,,, did we read the same book?
First of all, Lily (the MC) was your typical quirky girl with her
✨mismatched clothes✨
✨messy hair✨
✨inability to keep her mouth shut✨
and she's just sooooo Not Like Other Girls (she does actually say that a lot btw) and she makes her whole personality abt this exaggerated tendency of saying the dumbest things at the worst times.
Yk what, maybe I'm just a judgy bitch. Moving on. The relationship transitioned so fast from we hate each other's guts to omg it was you all along? I love you so fast and it just got so mushy at the end that I was cringing.
On the bright side, I loved Lily's family and I liked that this was a fast paced-ish read :)
This was my first Kasie West book and honestly it was super cute. I predicted who the secret admirer was from literally page 1 but it was still fun and adorable.