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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
really enjoyed it
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perla has been pushed ahead and prodded to excellence her entire life. Nothing but the highest success was okay with her overachieving parents. Now, as a 16 year old high school senior, she didn't apply to any safety schools. When she is rejected by her dream school, she impulsively forges an acceptance letter. Forced to live out her lie by being unwilling to admit the truth, she decides to spend the semester on campus anyway and reapply for the spring. Nothing works out quite as she expects, though she is very crafty in the ways she finds places to stay and how she impersonates an actual student there. This was an incredibly stressful book due to the overwhelming amount of bad choices Perla made, and I couldn't stop reading. Recommended for grades 8 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
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
Firstly, thank you to Harper Collins for a copy of this book.
Reading the synopsis for this book, I was instantly intrigued and excited to delve in. I think it's a really unique concept, and I found myself hurtling through the pages to find out how Perla would manage the great deception and what would happen. I loved the short chapters and this helped with the pacing of the book.
Perla is clearly intelligent. As the reader you feel what she feels - mainly anxious. The pressure cooker of her situation is so palpable and very well presented. I wish we got to know a bit more about her other sides though - would have loved to see more about her true passions.
Some of the other characters I really liked too, for instance Tessa and Jackson. Again though I wish we got to know them a bit more, and really wanted a few more chapters! Although the ending was good and unexpected, I felt some of the characters were done a bit of a disservice. Maybe a sequel could let us meet them again - though not sure how you would top the uniqueness or tension of this plot!
Overall I enjoyed reading this, it was a fun YA read that really captures the pressures of finding your feet and what you want from life.
Reading the synopsis for this book, I was instantly intrigued and excited to delve in. I think it's a really unique concept, and I found myself hurtling through the pages to find out how Perla would manage the great deception and what would happen. I loved the short chapters and this helped with the pacing of the book.
Perla is clearly intelligent. As the reader you feel what she feels - mainly anxious. The pressure cooker of her situation is so palpable and very well presented. I wish we got to know a bit more about her other sides though - would have loved to see more about her true passions.
Some of the other characters I really liked too, for instance Tessa and Jackson. Again though I wish we got to know them a bit more, and really wanted a few more chapters! Although the ending was good and unexpected, I felt some of the characters were done a bit of a disservice. Maybe a sequel could let us meet them again - though not sure how you would top the uniqueness or tension of this plot!
Overall I enjoyed reading this, it was a fun YA read that really captures the pressures of finding your feet and what you want from life.
emotional
reflective
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
A sort of collegiate Catch Me If You Can, I thought the elements dealing with the pressures of expectation/perfection, particularly for a first-generation American character, were very strong; Perla's anxiety about disappointing her parents was palpable, and the narrative did a nice job showing the journey to her understanding that even if they meant the best, that didn't mean their choices and views were the best. However, I do think things fell down a bit in terms of character. Perla's cleverness was present, but her manipulation of others/fear of disappointing her parents overwhelmed basically everything else about her and the occasional mention of how much she loved video games couldn't make up for that. The secondary characters seemed to exist almost exclusively to support Perla's story, which became fairly evident in the few paragraphs of "where are they now" wrapup at the end. I don't necessarily feel like the ending was a letdown in terms of tone or content, but it did feel somewhat rushed and I found myself wishing a bit that there was one more scene to round things out. Definitely a relatable read for those going through the college application/acceptance process, hand to fans of Chau's American Panda, Buxbaum's Admission, or Quah's Not Here to Be Liked - although maybe not for anyone who you think might use a clever how-to guide on hiding out on a university campus.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
A big thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a proof!
Perla, at the age of sixteen, is graduating as a senior the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High - her life as all been planned out, from courses and what to wear, Perla knows that it will be all worth it when she gets into Delmont University - except she doesn't. Worried about her parents reaction and her future slipping away, she fakes an acceptance letter and is now staying in another students room, working for extra money, avoiding her parents questions while trying to work on her way to actually get accepted. But will her plan succeed?
From the summary of this book I was very intrigued in the story and how it would go, I was hooked by the first page and finished it in a day! I just couldn't put it down and just needed to know what was happening next.
I really felt for Perla, her parents planning her whole life, even to what she wears, and she feels like she owned them because her family worked hard to make in America, She feels like she owes them and panics when she doesn't get accepted into Delmont, even going to far to fake it all that she did get in. Following her journey, I was proud of her getting her own job and slowly speaking up against her parents. I felt anxious of when and how her secret would come out and how her parents would react.
While the story was very interesting, the ending to me was mixed. I'm glad that she fully spoke to her parents and not letting them blame her for what happened, that it was the pressure they put on her (and it was a lot!) that made her who she is, but getting banned from the university and staying at home at the end was just empty to me. I was hoping for a little epilogue where she got accepted into a different university, maybe one in another state or country to show she worked hard and made it.
Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it.
Perla, at the age of sixteen, is graduating as a senior the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High - her life as all been planned out, from courses and what to wear, Perla knows that it will be all worth it when she gets into Delmont University - except she doesn't. Worried about her parents reaction and her future slipping away, she fakes an acceptance letter and is now staying in another students room, working for extra money, avoiding her parents questions while trying to work on her way to actually get accepted. But will her plan succeed?
From the summary of this book I was very intrigued in the story and how it would go, I was hooked by the first page and finished it in a day! I just couldn't put it down and just needed to know what was happening next.
I really felt for Perla, her parents planning her whole life, even to what she wears, and she feels like she owned them because her family worked hard to make in America, She feels like she owes them and panics when she doesn't get accepted into Delmont, even going to far to fake it all that she did get in. Following her journey, I was proud of her getting her own job and slowly speaking up against her parents. I felt anxious of when and how her secret would come out and how her parents would react.
While the story was very interesting, the ending to me was mixed. I'm glad that she fully spoke to her parents and not letting them blame her for what happened, that it was the pressure they put on her (and it was a lot!) that made her who she is, but getting banned from the university and staying at home at the end was just empty to me. I was hoping for a little epilogue where she got accepted into a different university, maybe one in another state or country to show she worked hard and made it.
Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it.