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2.75 AVERAGE
2.75 AVERAGE
MY OPINION: *
***MAJOR MAJOR RANT***
This book had SO many problems I don't even know where to start.
I'm just gonna jump right in. There were so many times when I had to stop reading and complain/scream/die inside about something that I had just read. I had to make a list of everything that I didn't like so that I would remember it for this review.
SPOILERS (but does it matter? I wouldn't recommend really this book)
1) WREN. She's our main character.
-She's immature, she's easily peer-pressured by a random guy she's just met, she sounds like she's 3 years old half the time, her 10 y/o sister is smarter/wiser/more mature than her. Even my sister is more mature than this so-called 15 y/o.
-She's stupid on so many levels.
-She gives up her lifelong dream for an idiotic guy who honestly doesn't sound that hot/amazing/talented who ends up cheating on her with her BEST FRIEND who she still wants to be friends with after. UHHHHHHH
2) NOLAN. He's our love interest.
-He wears purple hightops, he has ROOTBEER BROWN EYES (UM WHAT IS THIS DESCRIPTION), and he's a jerk.
-He doesn't seem to care about Wren at all throughout the entire book.
-He forces her to do things that she obviously knows are wrong, he basically kidnaps her randomly from her own party and takes her to a strange party with underage drinking and creepy people.
-He MAKES HER BAD. Not the other way around (she doesn't make him any better).
-He says he's in love, but is he really? I mean, I saw NO evidence of a love relationship between these two. Maybe it's because they're 15, but either way, it was more like he's hot -- she's stupid, let's do this yay.
3) INSTALOVE. Wow, suddenly they meet and in the span of a glance, a smile, and a so-called hot bod, they're in love. "IN ONE DAY, I WAS IN LOVE." That's the exact words of Wren. UM, not really. You kinda need to get past looks and see them for who they are. Honey, this boy is no good. At all. GET WITH IT
4) FARAH AND CY DOWD. SHE IS FIFTEEN. HE IS THIRTY/FORTY-SOMETHING. UMMMMMMMMMM DOES ANYONE SEE SOMETHING WRONG HERE. That is rape. I don't care if she didn't care. Either way, that is statutory rape. And I feel like it wasn't dealt with correctly. There were no ramifications or punishments or even a harsh word towards this man who definitely knew that what he was doing was wrong, illegal, perverted, disgusting, and downright cruel. He manipulated a teenager. A young, immature, teenager. Farah had no problem with this because he's famous. But in reality, she was scared out of her mind and didn't know how to deal with it and her stupid friends didn't do anything throughout the entire book until the end to get her out of this awful situation. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE
5) VATI AND OLIVER. She's been in love with him for years and years and years and since he is a math wiz, Wren thinks that her brother is supposed to be smart when it comes to girls. UHHHHHH NO. HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT VATI LOVED HIM (OR SO SHE SAYS) AND WHEN HE FINDS OUT, THEY START DATING IMMEDIATELY. Now, IDK ABOUT YOU BUT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IRL. If this happened, I would be the luckiest girl alive, people. This boy somehow sees the light in a span of a walk home and instantly starts dating her like 'omg, i'm in love already'
6) THE ENDING. It ended quickly. It ended badly. It ended abruptly. And nothing was concluded. Somehow, the pain that Nolan brings to Wren just goes away. Just like that. Reagen isn't punished for what she did by starting a relationship with her best friend's boyfriend. That's a problem. BROS OVER HOES. That's what it's supposed to be. And Wren and Nolan don't even end up together, something that we knew from the beginning but was beyond disappointing bc there was even less of a point to reading this book.
7) Writing. It's very rambly. There were times when I had to skim/skip through paragraphs bc I just couldn't anymore. It was long, it was slowgoing, and it made the characters sound really young and immature. I know that writing is extremely difficult to accomplish but this should have been revised so that characters sounded more like their age (which I am very close to). Every character felt flat. Like they had no personality and they all sounded the same.
8) WREN GIVES UP HER DREAM FOR NOLAN. He cheats on her. She leaves him. It was all a waste. That left me the angriest. IF YOU REALLY LOVE SOMEBODY, YOU LET THEM FOLLOW THEIR DREAM. IF YOU STILL WANT THEM AFTER, THEN IT'S LOVE. YOU DO NOT PROHIBIT SOMEBODY FROM GOING/DOING/MAKING WHAT THEY WANT AND CHEAT ON THEM IN THE END. AT LEAST BREAK UP WITH THEM BEFORE CHEATING.
9) THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I WANTED TO QUIT. I wanted to DNF this book by page 50 but I kept on bc I thought it would maybe redeem itself. But I'm sad to say it only got worse.
10) There were a couple of parts that I did like, surprisingly enough.
Amen to that. I loved that and the uniqueness of the names and the way it was said. I actually laughed!
This is said by some random French stranger and yet they were the best words in the entire book.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in a flightly unrealistic romance. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it..
Main Character: Wren
Sidekick(s): Nolan (sometimes), Vati (she seemed to be the only good friend), Reagen, Farah, etc
Villain(s): Nolan (sometimes), Reagen, Cy, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book could have been based on real events.
***MAJOR MAJOR RANT***
This book had SO many problems I don't even know where to start.
I'm just gonna jump right in. There were so many times when I had to stop reading and complain/scream/die inside about something that I had just read. I had to make a list of everything that I didn't like so that I would remember it for this review.
SPOILERS (but does it matter? I wouldn't recommend really this book)
1) WREN. She's our main character.
-She's immature, she's easily peer-pressured by a random guy she's just met, she sounds like she's 3 years old half the time, her 10 y/o sister is smarter/wiser/more mature than her. Even my sister is more mature than this so-called 15 y/o.
-She's stupid on so many levels.
-She gives up her lifelong dream for an idiotic guy who honestly doesn't sound that hot/amazing/talented who ends up cheating on her with her BEST FRIEND who she still wants to be friends with after. UHHHHHHH
2) NOLAN. He's our love interest.
-He wears purple hightops, he has ROOTBEER BROWN EYES (UM WHAT IS THIS DESCRIPTION), and he's a jerk.
-He doesn't seem to care about Wren at all throughout the entire book.
-He forces her to do things that she obviously knows are wrong, he basically kidnaps her randomly from her own party and takes her to a strange party with underage drinking and creepy people.
-He MAKES HER BAD. Not the other way around (she doesn't make him any better).
-He says he's in love, but is he really? I mean, I saw NO evidence of a love relationship between these two. Maybe it's because they're 15, but either way, it was more like he's hot -- she's stupid, let's do this yay.
3) INSTALOVE. Wow, suddenly they meet and in the span of a glance, a smile, and a so-called hot bod, they're in love. "IN ONE DAY, I WAS IN LOVE." That's the exact words of Wren. UM, not really. You kinda need to get past looks and see them for who they are. Honey, this boy is no good. At all. GET WITH IT
4) FARAH AND CY DOWD. SHE IS FIFTEEN. HE IS THIRTY/FORTY-SOMETHING. UMMMMMMMMMM DOES ANYONE SEE SOMETHING WRONG HERE. That is rape. I don't care if she didn't care. Either way, that is statutory rape. And I feel like it wasn't dealt with correctly. There were no ramifications or punishments or even a harsh word towards this man who definitely knew that what he was doing was wrong, illegal, perverted, disgusting, and downright cruel. He manipulated a teenager. A young, immature, teenager. Farah had no problem with this because he's famous. But in reality, she was scared out of her mind and didn't know how to deal with it and her stupid friends didn't do anything throughout the entire book until the end to get her out of this awful situation. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE
5) VATI AND OLIVER. She's been in love with him for years and years and years and since he is a math wiz, Wren thinks that her brother is supposed to be smart when it comes to girls. UHHHHHH NO. HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT VATI LOVED HIM (OR SO SHE SAYS) AND WHEN HE FINDS OUT, THEY START DATING IMMEDIATELY. Now, IDK ABOUT YOU BUT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IRL. If this happened, I would be the luckiest girl alive, people. This boy somehow sees the light in a span of a walk home and instantly starts dating her like 'omg, i'm in love already'
6) THE ENDING. It ended quickly. It ended badly. It ended abruptly. And nothing was concluded. Somehow, the pain that Nolan brings to Wren just goes away. Just like that. Reagen isn't punished for what she did by starting a relationship with her best friend's boyfriend. That's a problem. BROS OVER HOES. That's what it's supposed to be. And Wren and Nolan don't even end up together, something that we knew from the beginning but was beyond disappointing bc there was even less of a point to reading this book.
7) Writing. It's very rambly. There were times when I had to skim/skip through paragraphs bc I just couldn't anymore. It was long, it was slowgoing, and it made the characters sound really young and immature. I know that writing is extremely difficult to accomplish but this should have been revised so that characters sounded more like their age (which I am very close to). Every character felt flat. Like they had no personality and they all sounded the same.
8) WREN GIVES UP HER DREAM FOR NOLAN. He cheats on her. She leaves him. It was all a waste. That left me the angriest. IF YOU REALLY LOVE SOMEBODY, YOU LET THEM FOLLOW THEIR DREAM. IF YOU STILL WANT THEM AFTER, THEN IT'S LOVE. YOU DO NOT PROHIBIT SOMEBODY FROM GOING/DOING/MAKING WHAT THEY WANT AND CHEAT ON THEM IN THE END. AT LEAST BREAK UP WITH THEM BEFORE CHEATING.
9) THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I WANTED TO QUIT. I wanted to DNF this book by page 50 but I kept on bc I thought it would maybe redeem itself. But I'm sad to say it only got worse.
10) There were a couple of parts that I did like, surprisingly enough.
There is not a parent out there who can tolerate hearing their kid say, "Even though I got into the University of Success and Happiness, I'm going to defer and not go because of Mark/Madeline/David/Debbie/Troy/Una/Frank. I'm in love."
Amen to that. I loved that and the uniqueness of the names and the way it was said. I actually laughed!
Well zen, zis boy, he is not your destiny. He is just a boy.
This is said by some random French stranger and yet they were the best words in the entire book.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in a flightly unrealistic romance. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it..
Main Character: Wren
Sidekick(s): Nolan (sometimes), Vati (she seemed to be the only good friend), Reagen, Farah, etc
Villain(s): Nolan (sometimes), Reagen, Cy, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book could have been based on real events.
WELP, i tried. i'm terrible about giving up on a book, but i'm trying not to waste my time in 2016. so, i'm putting this one to rest at about 1/4 of the way through. maybe 10 years ago i would have liked it, maybe someone 10 years younger than me WILL like it, but god, it's just not for me. the main character is (as far as i read) spoiled, silly, vapid, privileged, irritating, etc etc. at least the cover will still look pretty on my bookshelf, ha!
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Actual rating: 2.5
I've been reading this on and off for a few days, and it really isn't something special. I didn't connect to any of the characters, and they all seemed boring, and quite frankly, annoying. The plot was eh, the major plot points weren't at all big enough to make me want to keep on reading, and the romance was waaay to insta- lovey. It just wasn't up my alley.
I've been reading this on and off for a few days, and it really isn't something special. I didn't connect to any of the characters, and they all seemed boring, and quite frankly, annoying. The plot was eh, the major plot points weren't at all big enough to make me want to keep on reading, and the romance was waaay to insta- lovey. It just wasn't up my alley.
Made me question if I would enjoy it at first, but I soon stayed up all night just to finish it. Made me relive that first love feeling and the heartbreak that followed.
Nope nope nope nope. So very juvenile and irritating. I cringed my way through this.
I was so disappointed in this book. I should have stopped reading at the 50 page part, but I had hoped that it would all turn out okay in the end. It didn't.
My hugest disappointed was the lack of consequences. Sleep with a man twice your age? Simply walk out of the party with your friends. Steal your friend's boyfriend/cheat on your girlfriend? End up in a relationship with "true" feelings. The only one who kind of had consequences was Wren herself. I honestly can't believe she gave up her biggest dream for a boy, who she'd only been seeing for 2 -3 months, asked her too. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! Still she got into a different program; granted it wasn't France, but it was still a good art school. I won't even talk about how Oliver suddenly thinks Vati is the sun, just because he was told she liked him. But at least even Wren questioned how fast that one happened
I have issue with the pacing as well. It was much too slow for most of the book. The flashback Turtle events were cute, but felt kind of cluttered to me. Overall, the only thing I can really say is disappointed.
Spoiler
My hugest disappointed was the lack of consequences. Sleep with a man twice your age? Simply walk out of the party with your friends. Steal your friend's boyfriend/cheat on your girlfriend? End up in a relationship with "true" feelings. The only one who kind of had consequences was Wren herself. I honestly can't believe she gave up her biggest dream for a boy, who she'd only been seeing for 2 -3 months, asked her too. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! Still she got into a different program; granted it wasn't France, but it was still a good art school. I won't even talk about how Oliver suddenly thinks Vati is the sun, just because he was told she liked him. But at least even Wren questioned how fast that one happened
I have issue with the pacing as well. It was much too slow for most of the book. The flashback Turtle events were cute, but felt kind of cluttered to me. Overall, the only thing I can really say is disappointed.
Sweet little magical book that is kind of ruined by the reality that most people are really jerks. The magic is in the Met, the backdrop of the beginning of the story and what could have been a great backdrop for a wonderful, heartwarming story. Instead, the story takes a realistic turn and made me want to throttle people for being meanies. Quick read, not much depth to the characters but for YA it got it's point across. Trust no one.
Wren and her family were likable, but the dialogue and sometimes the narrative was a little off.
Grade: D- (or maybe even an F)
Release date: September 2nd, 2014
This e-galley was provided by NetGalley and FSG Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: As of reading Starry Night and writing this review (back in June), I had a streak of really awful books. There were good ones interspersed, but three of the books I'd read for review had been just disgraceful. This one joined those ranks. From early on, the writing style bothered me, and the protagonist, Wren, sounded much younger than 15 years old. There were weird metaphors like "I laughed at my own expense to fit in with everyone else, but it felt like someone had just made me swallow a clementine." (quote from loc 209 of my e-galley) Within the same night they met each other, Nolan and Wren are "in love" (Wren literally says that "in one day, I was in love."), and it's the ultimate insta-love cliche. There's also an extremely inappropriate relationship between an artist and one of Wren's friends, and yet the resolution of it was awful. For so long, that friend was resisting her friends' efforts to get her to see the light and in one night, she suddenly does? Then Wren's friend, Reagan, does something unthinkable and she doesn't seem truly sorry, and yet Wren still wanted to be friends with her to some extent. I'm sorry, but if I were Wren, I wouldn't be able to look at Reagan ever again. Also worth noting is that it's revealed that Wren's friend Charlie is gay. I felt like it was very cliche for his character to be gay because all his friends are girls and he'd never thought of said girls as more than friends, so of course he has to be gay. Finally, there was no real plot, apart from Wren obsessing over Nolan, obsessing over her brother's relationship with another friend of hers, or obsessing over that friend mentioned above who was having an inappropriate (and I'm pretty sure illegal) relationship.
The ugly consists of: all of the adults swore with such ease around the teenagers. It was appalling. The teens swore, too, and talked about sex a lot.
The Verdict: I was really looking forward to this book, but it honestly isn't worth your time. (I won't even be including buy links for this book because you'll just regret buying it.)
Release date: September 2nd, 2014
This e-galley was provided by NetGalley and FSG Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: As of reading Starry Night and writing this review (back in June), I had a streak of really awful books. There were good ones interspersed, but three of the books I'd read for review had been just disgraceful. This one joined those ranks. From early on, the writing style bothered me, and the protagonist, Wren, sounded much younger than 15 years old. There were weird metaphors like "I laughed at my own expense to fit in with everyone else, but it felt like someone had just made me swallow a clementine." (quote from loc 209 of my e-galley) Within the same night they met each other, Nolan and Wren are "in love" (Wren literally says that "in one day, I was in love."), and it's the ultimate insta-love cliche. There's also an extremely inappropriate relationship between an artist and one of Wren's friends, and yet the resolution of it was awful. For so long, that friend was resisting her friends' efforts to get her to see the light and in one night, she suddenly does? Then Wren's friend, Reagan, does something unthinkable and she doesn't seem truly sorry, and yet Wren still wanted to be friends with her to some extent. I'm sorry, but if I were Wren, I wouldn't be able to look at Reagan ever again. Also worth noting is that it's revealed that Wren's friend Charlie is gay. I felt like it was very cliche for his character to be gay because all his friends are girls and he'd never thought of said girls as more than friends, so of course he has to be gay. Finally, there was no real plot, apart from Wren obsessing over Nolan, obsessing over her brother's relationship with another friend of hers, or obsessing over that friend mentioned above who was having an inappropriate (and I'm pretty sure illegal) relationship.
The ugly consists of: all of the adults swore with such ease around the teenagers. It was appalling. The teens swore, too, and talked about sex a lot.
The Verdict: I was really looking forward to this book, but it honestly isn't worth your time. (I won't even be including buy links for this book because you'll just regret buying it.)