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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.
renuked's review
2.0
Like 2.5 stars. Cute friendship, fun references. The reference guide sucked though (she missed a ton she referenced herself???), and everything else was forgettable.
bkjoap's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
milanatsi's review
4.0
It was kind of cringe at first with the whole "I like to read books & I'm not like other girls" but then it got really interesting with Alex & Mary's friend group. 4.5 of 5 stars :)
laura_cs's review
5.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The daughter of two college professors and the fourth of five children, Mary Porter-Malcolm loves books. Particularly books written in the 19th century. Jane Austen, the Brontes, Gaskell, the works. Mary is contently in her comfort zone... Until her on-campus school gets shut down. Until she starts attending public school. Until her best friend dumps her and humiliates her on the first day of school.
But then when she willingly gets out of her comfort zone to prevent another girl from going out with a playboy, Mary finds herself making three new friends. Together, they embark on a journey of meeting teenage milestones (ranging in everything from going to parties, attending sport games, and going to formal dances), and creating a blog about how to avoid Scoundrels based off of Mary's beloved books. Mary just wishes playboy would stop hanging around her and getting on her nerves. But is he really as bad as she first thought? And what does that mean for herself and her friends?
Adorably swoony and bookish, Mary and her friends (mystery loving Terry, fantasy reader and future judge Lydia, and obsessive organizer Arden) are a delight. Any girl (or guy) would love to have a friend group like this. This is much more of a book about epic friendships and handling problems within friendship relationships than it being a romance book, the romance is also wonderful and ties the story all together in a neat little bow. Then there's Mary's wonderful parents (why is it so hard to write good parents in YA novels? I adore Mary's parents!) and her array of siblings--the Shakespeare obsessed twins Van and Addie, sporty Cam, and obnoxious little brother Jasper--who further add a layer of liveliness, drama (literally and figuratively) and snark. Add in a whole bunch of bookish puns and literary references, and you've got a book so full of life you feel like everything and everyone should be palpable.
The daughter of two college professors and the fourth of five children, Mary Porter-Malcolm loves books. Particularly books written in the 19th century. Jane Austen, the Brontes, Gaskell, the works. Mary is contently in her comfort zone... Until her on-campus school gets shut down. Until she starts attending public school. Until her best friend dumps her and humiliates her on the first day of school.
But then when she willingly gets out of her comfort zone to prevent another girl from going out with a playboy, Mary finds herself making three new friends. Together, they embark on a journey of meeting teenage milestones (ranging in everything from going to parties, attending sport games, and going to formal dances), and creating a blog about how to avoid Scoundrels based off of Mary's beloved books. Mary just wishes playboy would stop hanging around her and getting on her nerves. But is he really as bad as she first thought? And what does that mean for herself and her friends?
Adorably swoony and bookish, Mary and her friends (mystery loving Terry, fantasy reader and future judge Lydia, and obsessive organizer Arden) are a delight. Any girl (or guy) would love to have a friend group like this. This is much more of a book about epic friendships and handling problems within friendship relationships than it being a romance book, the romance is also wonderful and ties the story all together in a neat little bow. Then there's Mary's wonderful parents (why is it so hard to write good parents in YA novels? I adore Mary's parents!) and her array of siblings--the Shakespeare obsessed twins Van and Addie, sporty Cam, and obnoxious little brother Jasper--who further add a layer of liveliness, drama (literally and figuratively) and snark. Add in a whole bunch of bookish puns and literary references, and you've got a book so full of life you feel like everything and everyone should be palpable.
jacquieq's review
4.0
I had a really hard time with Mary in the beginning, which made it hard for me to get into the book, but once I got past that I really enjoyed it. Cute story
meganh10's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
sparksofember's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really cute read. Felt more like an older MG than a YA due to the female lead's 10th grade age. But I liked her scholastic family and the way they all talked. And the growing up that Mary had to do throughout the story. The romance was cute and sweet if a tad too neat and tidy.
anastashamarie's review
I LOVE the concept of this book, like so many others have said, but the execution was just not enjoyable to me. The tagline says "a novel of prose and cons" so I expected some superfluous writing and rich descriptions -- pretty writing with a fluffy story. However, the overall writing style was just too verbose and heavy for what is thematically a light read. The "SAT vocabulary" mixed with the narrator's trepidation in social situations (and in her own identity) just really fell flat to me; it was more of an awkward read than a flowing one. That said, even though this is a DNF for me, I do think narratively the style fits the narrator well. Just because I am not a fan of the tone or the characterization doesn't mean this book wasn't well done for what it is. It's just that my expectations were not met in terms of what I wanted this book to be.
indigoivee's review
4.0
Listen. I’ve had this book on my TBR shelf since it was published, but I put it off because at the time I was going through a fantasy reading streak. I’ve been in a reading slump for just over a month and this book was recommended by @uppercaseya on Instagram and I thought I’d give it a try.
This book. It resonated with me on such a different level. Reading it, I felt like I was in high school again, reading stories on Wattpad under the covers and in classes because the fictional world was so much better and more interesting than my own. So much of Mary (the main character) reminded me of, well, me. The timid ness, the shyness, but also the willingness to want to live life like those of the super cool characters you read of, i.e. “All my life I’d been waiting my turn to be the one with important stuff happening”
It was a super sweet, fun loving high school romance that my 15/16 year old self would’ve melted reading. It was the perfect combination of books and reality, high school, friendships and boy drama. I mean, he was super charming and YA book swoon worthy.
Definitely got me out of my slump and would one thousand percent read it again!
Favourite quote: “Give me a simple life with interesting companions, far from the movers and shakers. I’d rather be safe than sorry any day.”
This book. It resonated with me on such a different level. Reading it, I felt like I was in high school again, reading stories on Wattpad under the covers and in classes because the fictional world was so much better and more interesting than my own. So much of Mary (the main character) reminded me of, well, me. The timid ness, the shyness, but also the willingness to want to live life like those of the super cool characters you read of, i.e. “All my life I’d been waiting my turn to be the one with important stuff happening”
It was a super sweet, fun loving high school romance that my 15/16 year old self would’ve melted reading. It was the perfect combination of books and reality, high school, friendships and boy drama. I mean, he was super charming and YA book swoon worthy.
Definitely got me out of my slump and would one thousand percent read it again!
Favourite quote: “Give me a simple life with interesting companions, far from the movers and shakers. I’d rather be safe than sorry any day.”