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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really did like the book. It was a bit slow in the beginning but on you get to the middle, it kept my attention and it kept making me want to read more because I wanted to know what she would do next and how it would turn out. Some parts were be a bit repetitive and through some chapters, I would skim through the the text but overall I learned a lot about college in general. The ending was a bit meh too, would have hoped for a happier ending to this lighthearted read
The ending was meh because she ended up lonely with really no friends at all and and lost all her friendships and just stays at home now with her teddy bears
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise of someone faking an acceptance to a college to the point of impersonating being a student there is such a fun, unhinged idea. And I really thought it could share an important message about the pressures the college application process can put on teenagers. However, the execution of it is so poor, I couldn't enjoy it.
This book is chock full of cliches and stereotypes without any nuance to it. The secondary characters are one-dimensional and forgettable, and Perlie's relationships with them are just as surface-level. She doesn't grow any believable meaningful connections. Perlie's growth is just as unbelievable, thrown in at any given point because it needs to happen and not because it organically flows within the story.
My biggest qualm, however, is how Perlie's parents' abusive behavior is never addressed as such, especially things just thrown in there for whatever reason. For the entirety of the book, I was wondering if how Perlie's mother controlling her diet so she would be the "perfect size" would ever be addressed again and unsurprisingly it wasn't.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, especially any young kid struggling with the pressures of college applications. 1.5 stars.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise of someone faking an acceptance to a college to the point of impersonating being a student there is such a fun, unhinged idea. And I really thought it could share an important message about the pressures the college application process can put on teenagers. However, the execution of it is so poor, I couldn't enjoy it.
This book is chock full of cliches and stereotypes without any nuance to it. The secondary characters are one-dimensional and forgettable, and Perlie's relationships with them are just as surface-level. She doesn't grow any believable meaningful connections. Perlie's growth is just as unbelievable, thrown in at any given point because it needs to happen and not because it organically flows within the story.
My biggest qualm, however, is how Perlie's parents' abusive behavior is never addressed as such, especially things just thrown in there for whatever reason. For the entirety of the book, I was wondering if how Perlie's mother controlling her diet so she would be the "perfect size" would ever be addressed again and unsurprisingly it wasn't.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, especially any young kid struggling with the pressures of college applications. 1.5 stars.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Vomit, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Setting: California
Rep: Asian-American protagonist
I really enjoyed this YA! I love college-set books and this one was a tense ride because Perla is not actually enrolled. It made me reminisce on my university days and wonder how it could be pulled off. The plot was a bit ridiculous and Perla was a bit obsessed but that was mostly down to her overbearing parents. Overall a solid book!
Rep: Asian-American protagonist
I really enjoyed this YA! I love college-set books and this one was a tense ride because Perla is not actually enrolled. It made me reminisce on my university days and wonder how it could be pulled off. The plot was a bit ridiculous and Perla was a bit obsessed but that was mostly down to her overbearing parents. Overall a solid book!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- I spent a lot of time feeling sad and/or tense while reading this book.
- That’s to be expected though bc the author did a really good job of establishing the motivation behind Perla’s actions, which would seem exaggerated otherwise.
- I’m also glad that Perla
ended up facing consequences for her actions, instead of jumping through hoops to make sure the protagonist is mostly unscathed like some books .