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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
I received this in the December 2017 Owlcrate box
This book was pretty okay. It wasn't the most outstanding contemporary I've ever read, but it was just fine—a nice, lighthearted read.
Things I Liked
- Gideon is such a sweet, precious boy. What can I say? I'm a sucker for soft boys who are lighthearted and carefree and unashamed of who they are. Gideon is such a lovable character, and I fell in love with his quirks and humor, of course, but also just his unwavering goodness—how he'll do anything for the people he cares about with the drop of a hat, how he's so considerate and worries about the well-being of others, how he makes everyone feel included without even having to think twice. We need more guys like Gideon in YA.
- Okay, as much as I did despise Iris at times, I also appreciate the enemies to friends trope. Iris is basically the Paris to Claudia's Rory and I loved it. I really liked how we were able to get to know Iris's character on a deeper level and how, over the course of the novel, she really does change for the better and we see a lot of soft sides to her that are really sweet and refreshing. I also just loved how Iris and Claudia equally brought out the best in each other.
- There were times when the dialogue between characters is really funny and just that great, clever humor, and overall there were a lot of funny moments in this book that had me snickering. (I don't know what it is about people playing video games badly and trying to figure out how to move their character that I find hilarious, but I do.)
But..
Going into this book, I was torn on whether I'd like it, although I was drawn to the fact that the story centers around a school play, as well as a queer relationship and overall themes of love and friendship. I have to say, though, this book didn't quite fulfill my expectations for a novel revolving around theater. I was anticipating myself feeling completely immersed in the world of high school theater, from auditions to the goings-on backstage to that one random kid who's always stuck handling the spotlights and is perpetually turning them on too bright and at the wrong time. THAT is the kind of theater book I need! Call me cliche, but yeah. If you pitch a book to me and say that it involves theater, I want to be completely swept up in it. I guess I was hoping for something akin to High School Musical. And don't get me wrong, there is definitely a theater aspect that is at the center of the plot ti a fair degree, But I felt it was only about halfway there and that it could've given me so much more.
I also wasn't aware that video games would also be a big part of the book—pretty much to the same extent that theater is. If I had known that from the synopsis, I might have felt a bit more hesitant about going into this book, since video games aren't typically my cup of tea in books. I just generally don't care and I find people describing video games in writing pretty boring and hard to get interested in... which is sort of what happened in this book at times. There are points where the author goes on longer than seems necessary describing this video game that Claudia and her friends play. There were passages and even entire pages that I had to skip over because it went into far more detail describing the world and gameplay and "quests" in the game that I really didn't care about.
As with many contemporaries, there are also a few run-of-the-mill YA tropes thrown into this book, like...
a) Girl doesn't think she's good enough for the guy and that he could totally date someone better, so she sabotages her chances with him even though he CLEARLY likes her
b) Typical rich, popular girl who seems especially ditzy and materialistic. Most likely will try to sabotage protagonist's chances with her love interest just out of sheer pettiness.
c) Protagonist discovers a secret or scandal (i.e.: finding out about two people cheating/hooking up) which is purely to add drama to the story.
* * *
Like I said: All in all, this was a pretty enjoyable, light contemporary. There were a lot of expectations I had going in that didn't quite get met, but it was still just a nice book to read anyway.
This book was pretty okay. It wasn't the most outstanding contemporary I've ever read, but it was just fine—a nice, lighthearted read.
Things I Liked
- Gideon is such a sweet, precious boy. What can I say? I'm a sucker for soft boys who are lighthearted and carefree and unashamed of who they are. Gideon is such a lovable character, and I fell in love with his quirks and humor, of course, but also just his unwavering goodness—how he'll do anything for the people he cares about with the drop of a hat, how he's so considerate and worries about the well-being of others, how he makes everyone feel included without even having to think twice. We need more guys like Gideon in YA.
- Okay, as much as I did despise Iris at times, I also appreciate the enemies to friends trope. Iris is basically the Paris to Claudia's Rory and I loved it. I really liked how we were able to get to know Iris's character on a deeper level and how, over the course of the novel, she really does change for the better and we see a lot of soft sides to her that are really sweet and refreshing. I also just loved how Iris and Claudia equally brought out the best in each other.
- There were times when the dialogue between characters is really funny and just that great, clever humor, and overall there were a lot of funny moments in this book that had me snickering. (I don't know what it is about people playing video games badly and trying to figure out how to move their character that I find hilarious, but I do.)
But..
Going into this book, I was torn on whether I'd like it, although I was drawn to the fact that the story centers around a school play, as well as a queer relationship and overall themes of love and friendship. I have to say, though, this book didn't quite fulfill my expectations for a novel revolving around theater. I was anticipating myself feeling completely immersed in the world of high school theater, from auditions to the goings-on backstage to that one random kid who's always stuck handling the spotlights and is perpetually turning them on too bright and at the wrong time. THAT is the kind of theater book I need! Call me cliche, but yeah. If you pitch a book to me and say that it involves theater, I want to be completely swept up in it. I guess I was hoping for something akin to High School Musical. And don't get me wrong, there is definitely a theater aspect that is at the center of the plot ti a fair degree, But I felt it was only about halfway there and that it could've given me so much more.
I also wasn't aware that video games would also be a big part of the book—pretty much to the same extent that theater is. If I had known that from the synopsis, I might have felt a bit more hesitant about going into this book, since video games aren't typically my cup of tea in books. I just generally don't care and I find people describing video games in writing pretty boring and hard to get interested in... which is sort of what happened in this book at times. There are points where the author goes on longer than seems necessary describing this video game that Claudia and her friends play. There were passages and even entire pages that I had to skip over because it went into far more detail describing the world and gameplay and "quests" in the game that I really didn't care about.
As with many contemporaries, there are also a few run-of-the-mill YA tropes thrown into this book, like...
a) Girl doesn't think she's good enough for the guy and that he could totally date someone better, so she sabotages her chances with him even though he CLEARLY likes her
b) Typical rich, popular girl who seems especially ditzy and materialistic. Most likely will try to sabotage protagonist's chances with her love interest just out of sheer pettiness.
c) Protagonist discovers a secret or scandal (i.e.: finding out about two people cheating/hooking up) which is purely to add drama to the story.
* * *
Like I said: All in all, this was a pretty enjoyable, light contemporary. There were a lot of expectations I had going in that didn't quite get met, but it was still just a nice book to read anyway.
Emma Mills is a beautiful writer and a beautiful soul. I look forward to the next book and all that come after.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
4.5/5 stars. that was the cutest shit i’ve ever read
this was a pretty standard YA contemporary book, it kinda just seems like they all follow the same formula:
1. main character has only one friend.
2. meets love interest [optional: makes new friend(s)].
3. main character suddenly screws up and suddenly everyone hates them and the whole world is ending.
5. something “tragic” happens and everyone reunited and is happy again and tragic thing turns out not to be so tragic because it all works out.
it’s a solid formula, but it’s also very predictable and boring. i feel like there are better ways to make a plot interesting without having entire friend groups/family members turn on each other then have them all make up in the end without consequences.
also i didn’t care for the love interest it was like the author was trying too hard to make him likable and he was just so one dimensional. i would’ve been a lot more interested in Iris and Paige’s love story and maybe exploring Iris’ feelings of neglect from her family because they were just never mentioned and it seemed like there was a hint at it, but it never really went any deeper than that.
1. main character has only one friend.
2. meets love interest [optional: makes new friend(s)].
3. main character suddenly screws up and suddenly everyone hates them and the whole world is ending.
5. something “tragic” happens and everyone reunited and is happy again and tragic thing turns out not to be so tragic because it all works out.
it’s a solid formula, but it’s also very predictable and boring. i feel like there are better ways to make a plot interesting without having entire friend groups/family members turn on each other then have them all make up in the end without consequences.
also i didn’t care for the love interest it was like the author was trying too hard to make him likable and he was just so one dimensional. i would’ve been a lot more interested in Iris and Paige’s love story and maybe exploring Iris’ feelings of neglect from her family because they were just never mentioned and it seemed like there was a hint at it, but it never really went any deeper than that.
FIRST READ: 03/15/2020
SECOND READ: 08/05/2020
THIRD READ: 04/25/2021
FOURTH READ: 02/07/2022
4.5 stars
"Maybe the best thing’s not always the best thing. Maybe shitty things have to happen to get you to the right place.”
“That sounds like something someone who’s never had shitty things happen to them would say.”
this was such a soft book??? friendships?? romantic love?? family??? drown me the fuck in it, emma mills!!
SECOND READ: 08/05/2020
THIRD READ: 04/25/2021
FOURTH READ: 02/07/2022
4.5 stars
"Maybe the best thing’s not always the best thing. Maybe shitty things have to happen to get you to the right place.”
“That sounds like something someone who’s never had shitty things happen to them would say.”
this was such a soft book??? friendships?? romantic love?? family??? drown me the fuck in it, emma mills!!
I absolutely loved this book. Probably one of the top books I read this year. It was so cute and so funny. It started off a little slow but every page of this book was important and amazing and I’m so sad when i turned the last page.
