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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I fully understand that I'm about to review a YA novel as a 33 year old woman, so if you're a youngin' take this with a grain of salt. I really like Jenny Han's "To All the Boys I Loved Before", so I am rating this against it, and I think it was the superior work.
Overall, this is a light, fun, teenage summer read. There's cute boys, confusing emotions, summer shenanigans, and one dark spot to the summer Honestly, this was all probably me as a teenager and it was fun to relive it a little. I also enjoyed the flashbacks that fleshed out the history of the characters even more.
So why the three stars? First, my biggest pet peeve of any book that falls in this category, I don't know what all the characters look like, especially Belly. We mainly understand she used to look kind of "dorky" with braces and glasses. I do know that she developed rather good sized boobs. But I have zero idea what color her hair is, the shape her face, whether she's tall, average, or short. I could say the same about her mother and her brother Steven. We DO get descriptions of her love interests or those interested in her. It just annoys me to no end when an author does this. It's as simple as giving a description while the main character looks in a mirror.
Another slightly annoying thing was that it took a good deal into the book to learn why she was called "Belly". I was starting to think that was her actual name and could not understand why the heck she would have that name.
Last thing I didn't like, I felt like there really wasn't a "story" here. Belly is all over the place with the boys and it's fun to see because it seems very stereotypical teenager to me. But there wasn't really a story with a plot and resolution. Even the twist thrown in seems quickly swept over and not dealt with. But maybe that was the plan since this is the first of three books?
Overall, this was a light read when I needed it and fit well into the YA category, but I know Han can do better, I've read it. So, this is just perfectly average to me.
Overall, this is a light, fun, teenage summer read. There's cute boys, confusing emotions, summer shenanigans, and one dark spot to the summer Honestly, this was all probably me as a teenager and it was fun to relive it a little. I also enjoyed the flashbacks that fleshed out the history of the characters even more.
So why the three stars? First, my biggest pet peeve of any book that falls in this category, I don't know what all the characters look like, especially Belly. We mainly understand she used to look kind of "dorky" with braces and glasses. I do know that she developed rather good sized boobs. But I have zero idea what color her hair is, the shape her face, whether she's tall, average, or short. I could say the same about her mother and her brother Steven. We DO get descriptions of her love interests or those interested in her. It just annoys me to no end when an author does this. It's as simple as giving a description while the main character looks in a mirror.
Another slightly annoying thing was that it took a good deal into the book to learn why she was called "Belly". I was starting to think that was her actual name and could not understand why the heck she would have that name.
Last thing I didn't like, I felt like there really wasn't a "story" here. Belly is all over the place with the boys and it's fun to see because it seems very stereotypical teenager to me. But there wasn't really a story with a plot and resolution. Even the twist thrown in seems quickly swept over and not dealt with. But maybe that was the plan since this is the first of three books?
Overall, this was a light read when I needed it and fit well into the YA category, but I know Han can do better, I've read it. So, this is just perfectly average to me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nostalgic, fun, and lighthearted. Had to read it to keep myself from drowning in the TSITP Conrad Fisher TikTok Edits. I definitely don’t remember reading this ~7 years ago, but they did great turning this into a TV series with additions and changes that made sense.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Belly - young and naive, has always loved Conrad and says she always will
Conrad - broody, angsty teen can’t communicate but carrying a lot for a teenage boy to deal with
Jeremiah - just there and goofy
Conrad - broody, angsty teen can’t communicate but carrying a lot for a teenage boy to deal with
Jeremiah - just there and goofy
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
enjoyable
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s hard to separate from the show, but I enjoyed it overall. It doesn’t feel like very much really happened..? I’m waiting to get to the meat of it that I know is coming because of the show lol
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes