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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I loved it, but I wish it had been a little longer.
I was super excited when I saw that the author had a new book out. I begged the junior high librarian to let me borrow it for spring break (it isn't even wrapped and ready to put on the shelves yet). Turns out I could have asked just to borrow it for the night because I finished it that same day.
I loved this book! I have a weak spot for stories with letters and this book is about two high school students who sit in the same desk during different chemistry classes. They start writing letters back and forth and since they do so anonymously they are able to open up and be themselves. The story is told from Lily's point of view. I came to love Lily and her crazy family during the book. I loved the reveal at the end! I read with a big grin on my face which is very typical with any Kasie West book.
Popsugar challenge #3 A book of letters
I loved this book! I have a weak spot for stories with letters and this book is about two high school students who sit in the same desk during different chemistry classes. They start writing letters back and forth and since they do so anonymously they are able to open up and be themselves. The story is told from Lily's point of view. I came to love Lily and her crazy family during the book. I loved the reveal at the end! I read with a big grin on my face which is very typical with any Kasie West book.
Popsugar challenge #3 A book of letters
Very cute and quick read. Great book to get me back from my reading slump
This book is probably the cutest story I've ever read. It had me smiling and laughing with the characters from beginning to end. Although it was obvious from the beginning who her anonymous pen pal was, that didn't make the build up to the reveal any less enjoyable to read. I love the idea of communicating through letters, and I found myself anticipating them along with Lily, excited to watch their romance grow through their exchanges. Overall, the main characters were funny and likable, the plot was adorable, and I will definitely be putting the rest of Kasie West's books on my TBR list.
Why I picked it up: No idea but it’s been in my holds forever. I suspended it when I gave up on eBooks back in the fall and decided it was time now.
How I read it: On Kindle over two days.
What it’s about: Lily feels like everything is going wrong. Her family’s crazy. The cool guy at school not only hates her but tortures her too. Her best friend can’t stop setting her up. And she can’t say more that two words to her crush. So she doodles a song lyric on her desk in chemistry and ends up with a pen pal.
What I liked: The letter writing aspect of the story. It was sweet and very “You’ve Got Mail” like!!
What I disliked: Her older sister was a pain, I wanted her to be more mature but she was a typical 19 year old.
Genre: Young Adult, epistolary.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and it’s sweet!!
How I read it: On Kindle over two days.
What it’s about: Lily feels like everything is going wrong. Her family’s crazy. The cool guy at school not only hates her but tortures her too. Her best friend can’t stop setting her up. And she can’t say more that two words to her crush. So she doodles a song lyric on her desk in chemistry and ends up with a pen pal.
What I liked: The letter writing aspect of the story. It was sweet and very “You’ve Got Mail” like!!
What I disliked: Her older sister was a pain, I wanted her to be more mature but she was a typical 19 year old.
Genre: Young Adult, epistolary.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and it’s sweet!!
My high school self is melting. This book was so cute and made me ache with wanting to be 17 again. *sigh
very slow to start. The main character was extremely whiny and woe is me type of girl. About halfway the book picked up and I couldn’t put it down.
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"If only there was a way to transport letters faster, through some sort of electronic device that codes messages and sends them through the air. But that’s just crazy talk."
Several times during my read I asked myself, "what would it take for [b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093] to reach a 4.5/5 stars?" and in all honesty, I don't think it could, no matter how cute some parts were. Now, I'm all for rating a novel according to its genre, but where am I supposed to put [a:Kasie West|5027236|Kasie West|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450586450p2/5027236.jpg] books? In YA contemporary? Sure! Then they can't - and will never - compete with the raw honesty and the avalanche of feelings I associate with some of my favorites : [b:Please Ignore Vera Dietz|6665671|Please Ignore Vera Dietz|A.S. King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394240671l/6665671._SY75_.jpg|6860540], [b:On the Jellicoe Road|1162022|On the Jellicoe Road|Melina Marchetta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1212708945l/1162022._SY75_.jpg|6479100], [b:Raw Blue|6989576|Raw Blue|Kirsty Eagar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266111020l/6989576._SY75_.jpg|7231905], to name a few.
Truth is, [b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093] put a smile on my face and was well, cute, but I cannot hide how unmemorable it is.
Fact #1 : I've read all of [a:Kasie West|5027236|Kasie West|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450586450p2/5027236.jpg]'s books and I've never come across a female lead like Lily, which is to say, the typical quirky girl with weird self-made clothes and notebooks. The tomboy, the popular girl, absolutely. Not the artist.
Fact #2 : Yet I've read my fair share of YA novels, and Lily doesn't bring anything different in the sea of female leads. She likes music, makes (false) assumptions about people, is convinced that no guy would take an interest in her, fantasizes about this crooked-smiling, earbuds-addict guy with cool hair, has one and only friend because people suck (or something). When it comes to analyze someone else's actions, she's blind, but aren't we all? I mean, TEENAGER 101, anyone? I don't necessarily complain upfront about stereotypes, because sometimes they can be twisted to add something more to a story. Let's just say that it wasn't the case in [b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093].
Fact #3 : Lily's family is what I like the most about her, but it may be because it is so relatable to me. A four children family and general messiness? It was my playground. Anyone who grew up in a family of six and who looks blank when confronted with the concept of a one child room will easily understand what she goes through. Her family is weird, crazy, annoying, roll-eyes worthy, yet so lovable, with a special award for Bugs Rabbit XD
As for the love interest, given the fact that it's supposed to be a "surprise" (come on, I knew who it was on page 6 - more on that later), I won't say his name but he was pretty great, if completely forgettable. I know, I know, I am harsh, but really : no matter how much he made me smile, mark my words : I will have forgotten his name next week. I just know it.
Look, I'm all for pen pals and stuff, as it's a plot which usually really works for me. Yet if I accept having doubts, I still ask for the story to keep its mystery, at least a little. Take [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)|Becky Albertalli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402915678l/19547856._SY75_.jpg|27679579], for example. I loved that I did not know if I was right until the very end.
[b:P.S. I Like You|25486998|P.S. I Like You|Kasie West|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442247987l/25486998._SX50_.jpg|45261093], though? I knew who her "mysterious" penpal was almost instantly, and every time a new event occurred, the threads were always so thick that I felt like I was only waiting for what I already knew to happen. Granted, the story mostly revolved around Lily's romance with ***, and romance novels are always all kinds of predictable. Yet it annoyed me because given that I knew who it was, I couldn't help but feel the urge to skim through all the useless scenes with other boys. Just, nope. I didn't care, and it awfully felt like filler for me.
As for the romance, I cannot deny that Lily and *** shared a great chemistry and that I rooted for them to get together from the beginning. They made me smile, especially when they were writing to each other. But I cannot deny either that something was missing, or perhaps I'm finally too old for this kind of cute, kissing book. Maybe. See, it was adorable to see them getting to know each other, but it lacked some tension and character development in my opinion.
Finally, the music part felt flat and contrived, and rather useless. It's as if YA contemporaries had to incorporate some kind of artistic vibes, without needing them to add something to the story. I'm quite tired of this.
It's no surprise that [a:Kasie West|5027236|Kasie West|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450586450p2/5027236.jpg]'s writing is addictive and smile-inducing. Her books, how flawed they can be, always manage to make me happy, even if my feelings stay superficial. However, if I really appreciated the letters, the dialogues didn't flow as well. Although they were often funny, they sounded fake and I forced myself to adapt and ignore the stiffness - or rather, the fakeness. Yes that's a thing.
► All in all a cute but unmemorable novel. I would still recommend it to anyone who needs to smile.
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