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bookishjosh's review
5.0
The times we had together were the closest my life has ever come to the kind of moments that could be in a book. —M.P.M.
This is me forcing myself to overcome a writing slump because I NEED to review this book. It's definitely one of my favorite 2020 releases and now one of my inspirations for my work in progress. Also, I must say that reading this novel was a breath of fresh air after I endured a particularly bad retelling of Anna Karenina. The main character's disdain for Vronsky was so on point!
By the Book is like a YA combination of Jane Austen's [b:Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373627931l/6969._SY75_.jpg|3360164] and [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399351l/1885._SY75_.jpg|3060926]. Mary Porter Malcolm is like Elizabeth Bennet. She loves to read, she loves her big family, and she has a good head on her shoulders. However, she doesn't have a social life, and she wants to change that in her new school. There, she meets Arden, a redhead who, similar to Emma Woodhouse, is in the business of matchmaking. Mary uses her profound knowledge of the classics to befriend Arden and two other girls (Lydia and Terry). Inspired by the flirty antics of Alex Ritter (the campus Vronsky), Mary and her companions start working on a dating manual entitled The Scoundrel Survival Guide. It's all fun and games, but Alex might not be a scoundrel after all.
I loved Mary's relationship with Alex because it was reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice. Mary's initial opinion of Alex was entirely based on a misunderstanding. Since the story was told from her perspective, he really did seem like a debonair playboy. So when Alex finally had the chance to explain himself, the moment of truth was utterly hilarious. Mary had more scenes with her female friends, but this made her interactions with Alex more exciting and remarkable. And because of Mary's critical attitude, the growth of their feelings was organic. This is one of the reasons why I like the enemies-to-lovers trope.
Another thing that I adored was Mary's rowdy family. Imagine the Weasleys of the HP series but make all of the characters book-obsessed. Even the youngest child, who was 13 years old, had read all of Jane Austen's novels. Moreover, unlike most YA protagonists, Mary was very honest with her parents. She didn't mind sharing her problems, as personal as they seemed. I guess the family dynamics in this book were autobiographical since the author also grew up in a big household. Mary's banter with her parents and siblings made me nostalgic. Because of the pandemic, it's been months since I've enjoyed a meal with my parents.
My last compliment goes to Mary herself. I loved reading her diary entries at the start of each chapter because they reflected many of my own sentiments: the disdain of watching a movie before reading the book, the desire to have a spectacular life, and the temptation to avoid conflict and skip to the happy parts of books. The general tone of the narrative is something that I want to achieve: snarky but with a touch of innocence and wit.
By the Book now sits on my shelf of favorites because of its smile-worthy content. I can see myself rereading it when I need more motivation to write fiction. If you need a story to cheer you up during these stressful times, Mary's literary observations might do the trick.
This is me forcing myself to overcome a writing slump because I NEED to review this book. It's definitely one of my favorite 2020 releases and now one of my inspirations for my work in progress. Also, I must say that reading this novel was a breath of fresh air after I endured a particularly bad retelling of Anna Karenina. The main character's disdain for Vronsky was so on point!
By the Book is like a YA combination of Jane Austen's [b:Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373627931l/6969._SY75_.jpg|3360164] and [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399351l/1885._SY75_.jpg|3060926]. Mary Porter Malcolm is like Elizabeth Bennet. She loves to read, she loves her big family, and she has a good head on her shoulders. However, she doesn't have a social life, and she wants to change that in her new school. There, she meets Arden, a redhead who, similar to Emma Woodhouse, is in the business of matchmaking. Mary uses her profound knowledge of the classics to befriend Arden and two other girls (Lydia and Terry). Inspired by the flirty antics of Alex Ritter (the campus Vronsky), Mary and her companions start working on a dating manual entitled The Scoundrel Survival Guide. It's all fun and games, but Alex might not be a scoundrel after all.
I loved Mary's relationship with Alex because it was reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice. Mary's initial opinion of Alex was entirely based on a misunderstanding. Since the story was told from her perspective, he really did seem like a debonair playboy. So when Alex finally had the chance to explain himself, the moment of truth was utterly hilarious. Mary had more scenes with her female friends, but this made her interactions with Alex more exciting and remarkable. And because of Mary's critical attitude, the growth of their feelings was organic. This is one of the reasons why I like the enemies-to-lovers trope.
Another thing that I adored was Mary's rowdy family. Imagine the Weasleys of the HP series but make all of the characters book-obsessed. Even the youngest child, who was 13 years old, had read all of Jane Austen's novels. Moreover, unlike most YA protagonists, Mary was very honest with her parents. She didn't mind sharing her problems, as personal as they seemed. I guess the family dynamics in this book were autobiographical since the author also grew up in a big household. Mary's banter with her parents and siblings made me nostalgic. Because of the pandemic, it's been months since I've enjoyed a meal with my parents.
My last compliment goes to Mary herself. I loved reading her diary entries at the start of each chapter because they reflected many of my own sentiments: the disdain of watching a movie before reading the book, the desire to have a spectacular life, and the temptation to avoid conflict and skip to the happy parts of books. The general tone of the narrative is something that I want to achieve: snarky but with a touch of innocence and wit.
By the Book now sits on my shelf of favorites because of its smile-worthy content. I can see myself rereading it when I need more motivation to write fiction. If you need a story to cheer you up during these stressful times, Mary's literary observations might do the trick.
lilyrun19's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
myeisha_123's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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
3.75
Hi so by the book......I really loved the words they were all just so mellifluous.....so much so I've got a whole page full of the phrases I had a penchant towards.....it was insanely cute and romantic.....but there was just something that felt as if I was dragging the book along I was just not enjoying it anymore so 3.75 it is but all in all it was not a bad book......and my now enhanced vocabulary is proof....
cobaltbookshelf's review
1.0
It took what it seemed forever to finshing this book, not because it was long rather because it was boring.
Romance is barely there and Mary was so judgemental I couldn't connect with her at all.
Friendship between girls was the only thing I liked even that was suffice level.
Romance is barely there and Mary was so judgemental I couldn't connect with her at all.
Friendship between girls was the only thing I liked even that was suffice level.
bookaholic30's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
just felt like it was cringy, melodramatic and over the top - especially the whole winter formal, alex ritter kiss aftermath, etc. and also found mary a bit just unreal - she's not a 'realistic' character (i understand she's a huge classic bookreader, but just felt it was too literal, almost). wouldn't really recommend.
harleyrae's review
I believe this book had potential, but after making it over halfway I’m still not entirely sure the direction this book is going. This book was both predictable and confusing. The first 50 pages I was hooked, but then it took a turn for the worst. I don’t understand what is suppose to happen or come of what they are doing. Half way in I should have more of an idea. I also have no connections to any of these characters. I honestly forget they are even present until they are mentioned. Overall it just felt like there was no plot to this book.
I so wanted to like this book, I was really looking for to it. Unfortunately this was not a very memorable or interesting read and I am tired of struggling through this.
I so wanted to like this book, I was really looking for to it. Unfortunately this was not a very memorable or interesting read and I am tired of struggling through this.
lbarsk's review against another edition
3.0
The main character was just hard for me to vibe with? But I think if I were actually the book's target audience (i.e., a YA reader) I would've liked this way more. The pacing was good (which isn't always the case with romances!) and I appreciated the ways in which the book's various dramas/intrigues tied up. Also, heck yes to casual queerness -- the only reason this book isn't tagged as 'queer' is because the queerness of various secondary characters is, well, very secondary.
adri_donan's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
meghanbess's review
4.0
Reading the summary, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. But once I dove in, I couldn’t stop reading. Her friendships are absolutely wonderful and the romance mixed in makes it that much more enticing!
gweste's review
2.0
The book of the book was really annoying. It was very young and so maybe a younger audience would’ve really liked it, but I thought that her friends were irritating and naïve. However, Alex was incredibly hot and I thought that he made a very compelling main love interest. His flirtation style was adorable so that was good too but it wasn’t a very intriguing book. I ended up skipping through most of the parts that weren’t about Alex.