Scan barcode
randomly_kait's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of the story was pretty interesting, and I did like the fact that Mariam continued to grow throughout the story, and figure out what she wanted in life. I like how all the relationships were pretty much reconciled at the end. Was a little bit annoyed for awhile with her though, because...reasons. But she made up for it finally.
ashleyrosehaden's review against another edition
3.0
I have one word to describe this book in a nutshell - CHEESY.
absalomabsalom's review against another edition
2.0
This book kind of sucks and also has a weird vein of pro-Stern business school anti-Tisch school of the arts sentiment... and i was shocked upon turning to the last digital page to learn the author attended NYU Tisch for film and television... In fact the book makes it seem like she didn't attend NYU at all, because of how falsely it is written about; it is in an odd uncomfortable space between romanticization of New York City and "true" depiction of New York City where Tash positions herself as above the romanticization and offering us a "true" "realistic" experience of what the city is like, of what attending NYU is like, but still not even heading towards actual truth... I would prefer the romanticization to either genuine truth or Tash's version of truth because this kind of book needs that sort of unpunctured dream. But it did not have it. it was the sort to treat with a weird and uneven hand the issue of homelessness, subway train acrobatics, the fissure which on one side of is the privilege of attending a school like NYU and on the other side is the city the school is sat uglily inside of.
other than that this book is just pretty dumb. it doesn't feel like there is any true feeling or goodwill inside of it. It feels like everything was badly researched and then was not written about and instead the idea of the thing was always written about but that isn't true because the author has firsthand experience which neglects to appear as any current running in the text
other than that this book is just pretty dumb. it doesn't feel like there is any true feeling or goodwill inside of it. It feels like everything was badly researched and then was not written about and instead the idea of the thing was always written about but that isn't true because the author has firsthand experience which neglects to appear as any current running in the text
jadetownsend's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
megs_s's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
2.5
kathrichards's review against another edition
Loved this aaaaaaaah, sometimes I was cringing so hard I had to put the book down because 18 YEAR OLD GIRLS IN LOVE MAKE QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS!!! Very charming and I loved the sweet sibling dynamic and friendships and also the self exploration that comes with finding a major in college. Fun book very cute read!
lifeanista's review against another edition
4.0
Super cute. Easy, fun read. Full of love and lessons in finding yourself.
laurenkd89's review against another edition
2.0
Mariam Vakilian is a freshman at at NYU who has a coupon for a virtual-reality dating service called HEAVR. Her high school boyfriend of three years broke up with her, and she is ready to try out something new to get her mind off him. After going through the initial questionnaire supported by HEAVR’s happily ever after guarantee, Mariam sees her results: her #1 match is her coworker Jeremy, and her #3 match is her ex-boyfriend, Caleb. So, Mariam does what any heartbroken teenager might consider - she chooses Caleb and concocts an avatar with a fake name that looks nothing like her, and asks Caleb on a virtual date.
The catfishing plot bothered me much more than I thought it would. A few movies and books lately have done spins on the same thing, the recent movie SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER coming to mind. There’s something that’s just so wrong about these tropes, from the lying and deception to the level of obsession and conviction that it takes to keep the ruse up. It especially bothers me when the person being lied to comes to totally accept the lies and deception with very few questions asked. It’s so unrealistic! (For a better version of how this story can go, see any spin on Cyrano de Bergerac.) It took way too long for Mariam to see the error in what she did, and even in the end, her excuses of “I was heartbroken! I thought it was fate!” still win the day. Her friends and family are also pretty complicit in this, which is a little gross.
The chemistry between Mariam and Jeremy was really sweet and fun, but it was too few and far between to really ignite a love for the two characters together. Honestly, I think this book could have been longer and drawn out the interactions between them more, making it more of a pining-on-both-sides story. The ending is really rushed and doesn’t give you more than a ten-second glimpse into the happy ending as promised.
One aspect of this book that I loved was Tash’s integration of Iranian culture and family dynamics. Mariam and her family are Iranian Muslims, and it’s clear that her culture is a big part of her personal life; Tash brings in Iranian foods, sibling and parental relationships, and familial norms. It was a great way to make Mariam a more rounded character and to tell the story of a nonwhite female protagonist. Caleb is black and Jeremy is Mexican; Mariam’s college roommate Hedy is lesbian. And you don’t feel like any of these characters or their diverse traits are just thrown in as a token. Yay for diversity in YA and romance!
Overall, this was a solid story with an interesting premise; I could have gone for a little less catfishing and a little more fun and flirty romance. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The catfishing plot bothered me much more than I thought it would. A few movies and books lately have done spins on the same thing, the recent movie SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER coming to mind. There’s something that’s just so wrong about these tropes, from the lying and deception to the level of obsession and conviction that it takes to keep the ruse up. It especially bothers me when the person being lied to comes to totally accept the lies and deception with very few questions asked. It’s so unrealistic! (For a better version of how this story can go, see any spin on Cyrano de Bergerac.) It took way too long for Mariam to see the error in what she did, and even in the end, her excuses of “I was heartbroken! I thought it was fate!” still win the day. Her friends and family are also pretty complicit in this, which is a little gross.
The chemistry between Mariam and Jeremy was really sweet and fun, but it was too few and far between to really ignite a love for the two characters together. Honestly, I think this book could have been longer and drawn out the interactions between them more, making it more of a pining-on-both-sides story. The ending is really rushed and doesn’t give you more than a ten-second glimpse into the happy ending as promised.
One aspect of this book that I loved was Tash’s integration of Iranian culture and family dynamics. Mariam and her family are Iranian Muslims, and it’s clear that her culture is a big part of her personal life; Tash brings in Iranian foods, sibling and parental relationships, and familial norms. It was a great way to make Mariam a more rounded character and to tell the story of a nonwhite female protagonist. Caleb is black and Jeremy is Mexican; Mariam’s college roommate Hedy is lesbian. And you don’t feel like any of these characters or their diverse traits are just thrown in as a token. Yay for diversity in YA and romance!
Overall, this was a solid story with an interesting premise; I could have gone for a little less catfishing and a little more fun and flirty romance. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
librarypatronus's review against another edition
3.0
This sounded right up my alley, but was just ok.
I don’t mind the catfishing trope in romance, if it’s done well. My Favorite Half-Night Stand had a similar vibe and worked for me. But I just couldn’t see where our protagonist was trying to go with this - I never found myself rooting for her and the relationship. There was no possibly good outcome. Then, the slightly sci-fi vibes from the fake dating site went a direction I was not expecting and didn’t really like.
I don’t mind the catfishing trope in romance, if it’s done well. My Favorite Half-Night Stand had a similar vibe and worked for me. But I just couldn’t see where our protagonist was trying to go with this - I never found myself rooting for her and the relationship. There was no possibly good outcome. Then, the slightly sci-fi vibes from the fake dating site went a direction I was not expecting and didn’t really like.
louiseluna's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at page 70. Could not stand the idiocy of the main character.