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kaitrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
Sarah Ockler very quickly rose to the top of my list of favorite authors. She has cemented a place on that list with #scandal. #scandal has everything readers could want in a contemporary novel; romance, secrecy, betrayal, and more.
The base of the story isn’t anything new. Lucy and Ellie are best friends. Ellie is dating Cole. Lucy is in love with Cole. Lucy and Cole hook up one night. That’s where all similarities to other stories end though. Lucy goes to prom with Cole, in Ellie’s place. Lucy and Cole hook up later that night. Someone takes pictures of Lucy and Cole and posts them on Lucy’s Facebook page. They also post a lot of other scandalous photos though. Of course, Lucy then becomes the most hated person at school, especially by Ellie. Now it’s up to Lucy to find out who really took and posted the pictures. With the help of some unlikely new friends she just might figure it all out.
Lucy is remarkably easy to relate to. She’s fun, friendly, smart, and kind. She doesn’t always do smart things but she knows when she’s made a mistake and she does everything in her power to fix those mistakes. She’s doesn’t sit around moping, she takes charge. Her old friends aren’t there to help her but she makes some new ones who prove to be not just great investigators but wonderful friends. Sure they make some mistakes along the way too but just like Lucy, they do everything the can to right their wrongs. Then there is Cole. He’s a really sweet guy who was perfect for Lucy but he wasn’t present for a lot of the book. He seemed to take a backseat for most of the drama and that part bothered me. I wanted him to take more responsibility and be there for Lucy through it all. He didn’t ditch her but I felt like he could have been present a little more. There was also a wonderful sense of family in #scandal. Sarah Ockler always manages to incorporate family and this time around it was about the relationship between the sisters. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about them at first but “Jayla” and Lucy were great together. They just needed time to work through things.
The mystery was not something I was able to solve until the very end. Part of that was because there was more than one mystery. The first mystery was about who was behind the Miss Demeanor website. I really never saw that one coming. The second mystery was regarding who took the photos and posted them on Lucy’s Facebook page. That mystery was a little more predictable but still left my guessing for a while. I was definitely captivated with both mysteries.
Overall, #scandal may be the best yet from Sarah Ockler. I was hooked from the start and I never once felt compelled to put it down. All contemporary fans should definitely pick this one up!
The base of the story isn’t anything new. Lucy and Ellie are best friends. Ellie is dating Cole. Lucy is in love with Cole. Lucy and Cole hook up one night. That’s where all similarities to other stories end though. Lucy goes to prom with Cole, in Ellie’s place. Lucy and Cole hook up later that night. Someone takes pictures of Lucy and Cole and posts them on Lucy’s Facebook page. They also post a lot of other scandalous photos though. Of course, Lucy then becomes the most hated person at school, especially by Ellie. Now it’s up to Lucy to find out who really took and posted the pictures. With the help of some unlikely new friends she just might figure it all out.
Lucy is remarkably easy to relate to. She’s fun, friendly, smart, and kind. She doesn’t always do smart things but she knows when she’s made a mistake and she does everything in her power to fix those mistakes. She’s doesn’t sit around moping, she takes charge. Her old friends aren’t there to help her but she makes some new ones who prove to be not just great investigators but wonderful friends. Sure they make some mistakes along the way too but just like Lucy, they do everything the can to right their wrongs. Then there is Cole. He’s a really sweet guy who was perfect for Lucy but he wasn’t present for a lot of the book. He seemed to take a backseat for most of the drama and that part bothered me. I wanted him to take more responsibility and be there for Lucy through it all. He didn’t ditch her but I felt like he could have been present a little more. There was also a wonderful sense of family in #scandal. Sarah Ockler always manages to incorporate family and this time around it was about the relationship between the sisters. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about them at first but “Jayla” and Lucy were great together. They just needed time to work through things.
The mystery was not something I was able to solve until the very end. Part of that was because there was more than one mystery. The first mystery was about who was behind the Miss Demeanor website. I really never saw that one coming. The second mystery was regarding who took the photos and posted them on Lucy’s Facebook page. That mystery was a little more predictable but still left my guessing for a while. I was definitely captivated with both mysteries.
Overall, #scandal may be the best yet from Sarah Ockler. I was hooked from the start and I never once felt compelled to put it down. All contemporary fans should definitely pick this one up!
tobyyy's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up #scandal after I noticed it was free to read on Pulseit, and after I'd seen that some of my friends here on Goodreads had read it. The title alone was enough to make me curious.
And I did enjoy it. It made me a little sad because Lucy went through so much pain as a result of someone getting revenge, but in the end, it led to her growing as a person so very much more than she would've had her senior year been smooth sailing. Sarah Ockler did an excellent job, too, in portraying the nastiness of plotted revenge, high school or not, but also did a good job in helping the reader see Lucy get a fresh perspective on herself and her approach to life.
The ending though. Wow. I did not see that coming, at all. This book was full of surprises, and that's really what bumped it up from a 3.5 to a 4.
I really don't think that I had any particular disagreements with the way that Ms. Ockler writes, or the way that the story is told. It just didn't quite hit the spot that some other books do. Perhaps because I felt that some aspects of high school weren't portrayed very realistically. Perhaps because the family element seemed a little... off, in a way that I'm not sure I can describe.
However, despite my uncertainties over why I didn't really "click" with #scandal, I recommend it for anyone who wants a fast-reading, attention-grabbing look at a high school "scandal."
And I did enjoy it. It made me a little sad because Lucy went through so much pain as a result of someone getting revenge, but in the end, it led to her growing as a person so very much more than she would've had her senior year been smooth sailing. Sarah Ockler did an excellent job, too, in portraying the nastiness of plotted revenge, high school or not, but also did a good job in helping the reader see Lucy get a fresh perspective on herself and her approach to life.
The ending though. Wow. I did not see that coming, at all. This book was full of surprises, and that's really what bumped it up from a 3.5 to a 4.
I really don't think that I had any particular disagreements with the way that Ms. Ockler writes, or the way that the story is told. It just didn't quite hit the spot that some other books do. Perhaps because I felt that some aspects of high school weren't portrayed very realistically. Perhaps because the family element seemed a little... off, in a way that I'm not sure I can describe.
However, despite my uncertainties over why I didn't really "click" with #scandal, I recommend it for anyone who wants a fast-reading, attention-grabbing look at a high school "scandal."
m0d's review against another edition
3.0
*4.5* it was pretty predictable but honestly it's been a while since I read a book so fast and enjoyed it so much.
jess_theinkspell's review
4.0
#amorenoncorrisposto è un titolo fuorviante. Quando ho approcciato questo libro pensavo di trovarmi davanti a una storia d'amore con sullo sfondo uno scandalo e, sì, un po' ci si avvicina, però non è proprio questa la storia. Davvero non capisco la scelta di cambiare il titolo da #scandal a #amorenoncorrisposto perché se il primo è completamente inerente alla storia in ogni singola pagina, il secondo non c'entra proprio niente perché di non corrisposto non si vede assolutamente nulla.
Il libro inizia con un post di un blog in stile Gossip Girl (lo stile gli assomiglia al punto che l'ho letto immaginando la voce di Kristen Bell) e prosegue con i pensieri della protagonista che in un primo momento ho trovato piuttosto confusionari, soprattutto nel prologo, ma tutto sommato la lettura procede bene anche se non fluidissima.
Lucy come protagonista non mi è piaciuta molto, forse perché in lei rivedo molto di me: in particolare condividiamo comportamenti e abitudini che sto cercando di sradicare, come la sfiducia e il tenersi tutto dentro. Innamorata persa del ragazzo della porta accanto, Lucy non si confida mai al riguardo con la sua migliore amica che, ignara, ci si mette insieme e ci resta per ben tre anni. Ora, questo è un punto cruciale perché mette in evidenza due cose importanti lungo il percorso: la non completa fiducia che Lucy ha nella sua (dichiarata) migliore amica, e l'attenzione che Ellie (l'amica) non sembra avere per notare i sentimenti di Lucy (cosa che essendo la migliore amica dovresti vedere a occhi chiusi).
La questione dell'amicizia è molto, ma molto, importante perché dà il via alla parte più tremenda (e purtroppo troppo reale), ovvero la facilità con cui tutti - migliore amica compresa - credono indiscriminatamente che sia Lucy la colpevole dello scandalo. Nessuno le dà il beneficio del dubbio, nessuno prova a chiedersi cosa ci avrebbe guadagnato a mettere in mostra pure i suoi errori, questo perché è più facile prendersela con il primo sfigato. Odio i pecoroni.
Inizialmente i sentimenti non sembrano essere molto profondi, ma in breve la questione prende una piega completamente diversa: i temi del bullismo e del cyberbullismo diventano il fulcro intorno al quale girano i fatti e sono affrontati in modo molto maturo, non tanto per le soluzioni proposte, ma quanto piuttosto per la dimostrazione di cosa di prova ad essere la vittima.
L'amicizia scavalca l'amore, prendendo le redini della storia, e lo lascia sullo sfondo aprendo le porte a nuove conoscenze e mondi nascosti. Ci fa vedere come quelli che vengono emarginati perché diversi, siano invece le persone che hanno più da dare e condividere e come, quelli che chiamiamo amici da sempre siano quelli che con più facilità ci girano le spalle.
#amorenoncorrisposto è una storia di amicizia, di quelle che ti fanno mettere in discussione tutti i tuoi rapporti interpersonali sia da parte tua sia da parte degli altri; ti mette davanti alla prospettiva di essere tu quello emarginato, di essere tu quello preso di mira e con un sacco di ironia e divertimento riesce a far penetrare l'idea che bisogna sempre sentire le due campane e analizzare le situazioni prima di saltare alle conclusioni. Ci dimostra, molto palesemente, che solo perché cresci insieme a una persona, questo non fa di lei il tuo o la tua migliore amica.
Questo libro mi ha toccata molto e nel profondo, soffiando sullo strato di polvere che si era depositato su dei ricordi che preferivo restassero seppelliti. Rievocando immagini che temevo di affrontare. Insomma, se non lo avete capito: lo consiglio pienamente!
Il libro inizia con un post di un blog in stile Gossip Girl (lo stile gli assomiglia al punto che l'ho letto immaginando la voce di Kristen Bell) e prosegue con i pensieri della protagonista che in un primo momento ho trovato piuttosto confusionari, soprattutto nel prologo, ma tutto sommato la lettura procede bene anche se non fluidissima.
Lucy come protagonista non mi è piaciuta molto, forse perché in lei rivedo molto di me: in particolare condividiamo comportamenti e abitudini che sto cercando di sradicare, come la sfiducia e il tenersi tutto dentro. Innamorata persa del ragazzo della porta accanto, Lucy non si confida mai al riguardo con la sua migliore amica che, ignara, ci si mette insieme e ci resta per ben tre anni. Ora, questo è un punto cruciale perché mette in evidenza due cose importanti lungo il percorso: la non completa fiducia che Lucy ha nella sua (dichiarata) migliore amica, e l'attenzione che Ellie (l'amica) non sembra avere per notare i sentimenti di Lucy (cosa che essendo la migliore amica dovresti vedere a occhi chiusi).
La questione dell'amicizia è molto, ma molto, importante perché dà il via alla parte più tremenda (e purtroppo troppo reale), ovvero la facilità con cui tutti - migliore amica compresa - credono indiscriminatamente che sia Lucy la colpevole dello scandalo. Nessuno le dà il beneficio del dubbio, nessuno prova a chiedersi cosa ci avrebbe guadagnato a mettere in mostra pure i suoi errori, questo perché è più facile prendersela con il primo sfigato. Odio i pecoroni.
Inizialmente i sentimenti non sembrano essere molto profondi, ma in breve la questione prende una piega completamente diversa: i temi del bullismo e del cyberbullismo diventano il fulcro intorno al quale girano i fatti e sono affrontati in modo molto maturo, non tanto per le soluzioni proposte, ma quanto piuttosto per la dimostrazione di cosa di prova ad essere la vittima.
L'amicizia scavalca l'amore, prendendo le redini della storia, e lo lascia sullo sfondo aprendo le porte a nuove conoscenze e mondi nascosti. Ci fa vedere come quelli che vengono emarginati perché diversi, siano invece le persone che hanno più da dare e condividere e come, quelli che chiamiamo amici da sempre siano quelli che con più facilità ci girano le spalle.
#amorenoncorrisposto è una storia di amicizia, di quelle che ti fanno mettere in discussione tutti i tuoi rapporti interpersonali sia da parte tua sia da parte degli altri; ti mette davanti alla prospettiva di essere tu quello emarginato, di essere tu quello preso di mira e con un sacco di ironia e divertimento riesce a far penetrare l'idea che bisogna sempre sentire le due campane e analizzare le situazioni prima di saltare alle conclusioni. Ci dimostra, molto palesemente, che solo perché cresci insieme a una persona, questo non fa di lei il tuo o la tua migliore amica.
Questo libro mi ha toccata molto e nel profondo, soffiando sullo strato di polvere che si era depositato su dei ricordi che preferivo restassero seppelliti. Rievocando immagini che temevo di affrontare. Insomma, se non lo avete capito: lo consiglio pienamente!
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
4.0
Can I just say how mortified I am that a book with a hashtag title was one of my most anticipated reads of 2014? Plus it involves a girl kissing her best friend’s boyfriend, something I am very strongly against. Only for you Sarah Ockler, only for you.
For fellow Sarah Ockler fans I have to say that this book is very different from Sarah’s other books. I mean, it has a hashtag as a the title (ok, I’ll stop mentioning that). Unlike Twenty Boy Summer which handles death, Bittersweet, which deals with parental abandonment, money woes, and being a child protege, and The Book of Broken Hearts, which deals with a parent with alzheimer’s, #Scandal tackles a high school (you guessed it) scandal. I’m not saying that having your business broadcast all over the internet isn’t traumatic, but it’s also not death or alzheimer’s (especially in this case where it’s all pretty lighthearted). All that said, I liked how Sarah Ockler brought her wonderful storytelling and sense of humor to a lighter story.
There are a lot of characters in this book and they start coming at you right from the beginning (so if you’re like me and have a difficult time keeping track of people, prepare yourself). It’s the night of prom and Lucy, the fantastic main character, is attending with her best friend Ellie’s boyfriend, Cole. Ellie got the flu and roped Lucy, who’d rather be home fighting zombies online, to be Cole’s date in her place. They’re all friends so this should be ok, except that Lucy has secretly been in love with Cole since they met and has pined for him through all of high school when he was with Ellie. I am not a fan of girls who go after other girl’s boyfriends (#girlcode), but in Lucy’s case I made an exception. Yes, she lusted after Cole, but she realized what she was doing was wrong and she never tried to make a move on him or sabotage his relationship with Ellie.
Then, at the prom after party at Cole’s parents’ cabin, Cole, with the help of alcohol, kisses Lucy. She doesn’t immediately push him away, but eventually she does and while I wouldn’t say she regrets the kiss, she knows it shouldn’t have happened. The scenes at prom and the cabin after were some of my favorite in the book. Even though meeting so many of Lucy’s classmates was overwhelming at times, I loved getting to know Lucy and her classmates through her witty, sarcastic observations. It helps that their mythical prom theme is pretty nuts and that so many of her classmates are crazy, but for the most part it seemed like a pretty accurate description of a prom and after party.
Lucy and Cole know they have to tell Ellie what happened, but before they can do so Lucy’s Facebook page blows up not only with pictures of her and Cole kissing, but pictures of many of their classmates’ drunken shenanigans at the party the night before. Lucy, who lost her cell phone during the party, is horrified. She would never post pictures like that, but all the sudden everyone starts blaming her and branding her a slut and a narc. All of this #scandal is egged on by Miss Demeanor, the Gossip Girl-like page that tracks the goings on of the students in Lucy’s class and often adds fuel to the fire of the gossip flames.
The whole Miss Demeanor storyline is important in the end, but it was my least favorite part of the book. It’s just too similar to Gossip Girl for me and also, at this point, kind of cliche. The story could easily have taken place without the whole Miss Demeanor storyline, although it would require some tweaking, but it would have been worth it. Someone stealing Lucy’s phone and posting pictures under her FB account is enough and I wish the whole online component would have ended with that.
For Sarah Ockler fans who are looking for a little bit deeper material that also exists here. As Lucy combats the people who are angry at her for “posting” the pictures and also tries to find out who actually posted them, she learns a lot about friendship and what it means to stand by someone. Sarah Ockler does a great job of showing new friendships being built and old friendships being destroyed, both happen subtly and with no huge dramatics. There’s also a really great subplot with Lucy and her sister growing closer which I won’t say too much about because I think it could spoil part of the story. The only negative in terms of relationships was the adults in the book. Lucy’s parents are absent for much of the story and the teachers and principal at her school are pretty clueless.
One of the things about this story that really appealed to me prior to reading it was the idea that, when wrongly accused and ostracized, Lucy fights back against the accusations. While Lucy definitely doesn’t sit back and take it, she also didn’t fight back as much as I expected from a thigh-high-boot-wearing, nose-pierced, online zombie slayer. I respected that Lucy wanted to figure out what happened before she really came out with guns blazing, but I also really wanted her to shout from the rooftops that she didn’t do it. However, I understand why she didn’t and that her classmates probably wouldn’t have believed her if she did.
Bottom Line: This isn’t my favorite Sarah Ockler book and it lacks some of the depth of her other books, but it was still a fun read. It’s a witty, realistic, timely story about a girl trying to clear her name and just live her life in this crazy technological age that we live in. It’s a fun, easy, slightly outlandish summer read.
I received an electronic review copy from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
For fellow Sarah Ockler fans I have to say that this book is very different from Sarah’s other books. I mean, it has a hashtag as a the title (ok, I’ll stop mentioning that). Unlike Twenty Boy Summer which handles death, Bittersweet, which deals with parental abandonment, money woes, and being a child protege, and The Book of Broken Hearts, which deals with a parent with alzheimer’s, #Scandal tackles a high school (you guessed it) scandal. I’m not saying that having your business broadcast all over the internet isn’t traumatic, but it’s also not death or alzheimer’s (especially in this case where it’s all pretty lighthearted). All that said, I liked how Sarah Ockler brought her wonderful storytelling and sense of humor to a lighter story.
There are a lot of characters in this book and they start coming at you right from the beginning (so if you’re like me and have a difficult time keeping track of people, prepare yourself). It’s the night of prom and Lucy, the fantastic main character, is attending with her best friend Ellie’s boyfriend, Cole. Ellie got the flu and roped Lucy, who’d rather be home fighting zombies online, to be Cole’s date in her place. They’re all friends so this should be ok, except that Lucy has secretly been in love with Cole since they met and has pined for him through all of high school when he was with Ellie. I am not a fan of girls who go after other girl’s boyfriends (#girlcode), but in Lucy’s case I made an exception. Yes, she lusted after Cole, but she realized what she was doing was wrong and she never tried to make a move on him or sabotage his relationship with Ellie.
Then, at the prom after party at Cole’s parents’ cabin, Cole, with the help of alcohol, kisses Lucy. She doesn’t immediately push him away, but eventually she does and while I wouldn’t say she regrets the kiss, she knows it shouldn’t have happened. The scenes at prom and the cabin after were some of my favorite in the book. Even though meeting so many of Lucy’s classmates was overwhelming at times, I loved getting to know Lucy and her classmates through her witty, sarcastic observations. It helps that their mythical prom theme is pretty nuts and that so many of her classmates are crazy, but for the most part it seemed like a pretty accurate description of a prom and after party.
Lucy and Cole know they have to tell Ellie what happened, but before they can do so Lucy’s Facebook page blows up not only with pictures of her and Cole kissing, but pictures of many of their classmates’ drunken shenanigans at the party the night before. Lucy, who lost her cell phone during the party, is horrified. She would never post pictures like that, but all the sudden everyone starts blaming her and branding her a slut and a narc. All of this #scandal is egged on by Miss Demeanor, the Gossip Girl-like page that tracks the goings on of the students in Lucy’s class and often adds fuel to the fire of the gossip flames.
The whole Miss Demeanor storyline is important in the end, but it was my least favorite part of the book. It’s just too similar to Gossip Girl for me and also, at this point, kind of cliche. The story could easily have taken place without the whole Miss Demeanor storyline, although it would require some tweaking, but it would have been worth it. Someone stealing Lucy’s phone and posting pictures under her FB account is enough and I wish the whole online component would have ended with that.
For Sarah Ockler fans who are looking for a little bit deeper material that also exists here. As Lucy combats the people who are angry at her for “posting” the pictures and also tries to find out who actually posted them, she learns a lot about friendship and what it means to stand by someone. Sarah Ockler does a great job of showing new friendships being built and old friendships being destroyed, both happen subtly and with no huge dramatics. There’s also a really great subplot with Lucy and her sister growing closer which I won’t say too much about because I think it could spoil part of the story. The only negative in terms of relationships was the adults in the book. Lucy’s parents are absent for much of the story and the teachers and principal at her school are pretty clueless.
One of the things about this story that really appealed to me prior to reading it was the idea that, when wrongly accused and ostracized, Lucy fights back against the accusations. While Lucy definitely doesn’t sit back and take it, she also didn’t fight back as much as I expected from a thigh-high-boot-wearing, nose-pierced, online zombie slayer. I respected that Lucy wanted to figure out what happened before she really came out with guns blazing, but I also really wanted her to shout from the rooftops that she didn’t do it. However, I understand why she didn’t and that her classmates probably wouldn’t have believed her if she did.
Bottom Line: This isn’t my favorite Sarah Ockler book and it lacks some of the depth of her other books, but it was still a fun read. It’s a witty, realistic, timely story about a girl trying to clear her name and just live her life in this crazy technological age that we live in. It’s a fun, easy, slightly outlandish summer read.
I received an electronic review copy from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
emilie_rose's review against another edition
3.0
#scandal worked well for me in some respects, but it fell flat for a few reasons.
-the romance between Cole and Lucy wasn't very believable. Lucy was supposedly in love with Cole and had been for ages, but despite the fact that I was told that many times, I just never actually believed that. I never really felt any actual emotion behind it.
-I also never felt like I knew Lucy very well, despite the fact that the whole book was from her point of view. I felt removed from her the entire book. There just wasn't much that really connected me to any of the characters in the book.
Everything that was in this book seemed really superficial. I never believed any of the friendships, Ellie and Lucy were "best friends" and that wasn't believable at all. They barely talked throughout the book and I know it started with Ellie being mad at Lucy, but they were still best friends and they should have had some sort of talking during the book.
I did like Franklin, I thought he was a intriguing character. The e(vil) group was funny too. I liked the Miss Demeanor interludes. The mystery was a good one and was the one thing that made this book a three star for me. I would have liked it better if the mystery had been combined with characters that felt more connectable.
-the romance between Cole and Lucy wasn't very believable. Lucy was supposedly in love with Cole and had been for ages, but despite the fact that I was told that many times, I just never actually believed that. I never really felt any actual emotion behind it.
-I also never felt like I knew Lucy very well, despite the fact that the whole book was from her point of view. I felt removed from her the entire book. There just wasn't much that really connected me to any of the characters in the book.
Everything that was in this book seemed really superficial. I never believed any of the friendships, Ellie and Lucy were "best friends" and that wasn't believable at all. They barely talked throughout the book and I know it started with Ellie being mad at Lucy, but they were still best friends and they should have had some sort of talking during the book.
I did like Franklin, I thought he was a intriguing character. The e(vil) group was funny too. I liked the Miss Demeanor interludes. The mystery was a good one and was the one thing that made this book a three star for me. I would have liked it better if the mystery had been combined with characters that felt more connectable.
hall852's review against another edition
3.0
Kept me guessing though out the whole book who posted the photos. Always thinking its one person then to another. Then when you find out who really did post the photos is a total shocker!
loveathena98's review against another edition
4.0
Everytime you thought you knew whodunit, it changed! I felt really really bad for Lucy and her ordeals and the reason the book didnt get 5 stars is because the author caused me to emphasize with her so well,and then attempted to place the blame for what had happened on her! Of course that's not gonna stick. :P
marielaiko99's review against another edition
3.0
#Scandal by Sarah Ockler tells the story of high school senior Lucy Vaccaro as she tries to survive her last few days of high school. Since freshman year, Lucy has been in love with her best friend's boyfriend. When she catches bird flu the day before prom, she asks Lucy to be his date. At the party, they get caught up in the spirit of prom and kiss. However, someone photographs the tender moment and posts it on her Facebook page, along with several other incriminating photos.
I had mixed feelings about this book, so I'm gonna list the pros and cons.
First of all, I was really happy with the overall message of the book. It addressed issues of feminism, covering topics on how misogyny is self-perpetuated by girls who bash and slut-shame each other. It talks about the poisonous atmosphere of social media and how anonymity empowers. Also, I liked the fact that Lucy's character compares her predicament to the zombie video game she constantly plays. I feel like this is a very realistic coping mechanism-type thing, and it added some humanity and authenticity to an otherwise dull character.
Now on to the cons! Although I agreed with the message the boom was trying to convey, I felt like the execution was quite forced. I feel like these subjects of the bashing should be underlying themes. This book would have been better as an allegory for feminism. Instead, the author writes her points into the dialogue. At one point, one of the characters directly talks about the patriarchy and overdrama, and I feel like that detracted from the theme. Also the plot seems forced. A pass code on Lucy's phone would have toppled the whole story. Just saying.... The perpetrator would not have been able to take pictures and upload them to the internet if the phone was password protected. I would have liked to see some extra detail that reenforced the story. I feel like the whole book hangs on a thread because of this.
Overall, this book was an amusing and quick read, although confusing at times. Lucy's character could be rather infuriating at times, but I feel like her story is relatable. I recommend this book only to people who don't have much on their TBR and are looking for a contemporary novel with some sort of underlying message.
My overall rating: B-
I had mixed feelings about this book, so I'm gonna list the pros and cons.
First of all, I was really happy with the overall message of the book. It addressed issues of feminism, covering topics on how misogyny is self-perpetuated by girls who bash and slut-shame each other. It talks about the poisonous atmosphere of social media and how anonymity empowers. Also, I liked the fact that Lucy's character compares her predicament to the zombie video game she constantly plays. I feel like this is a very realistic coping mechanism-type thing, and it added some humanity and authenticity to an otherwise dull character.
Now on to the cons! Although I agreed with the message the boom was trying to convey, I felt like the execution was quite forced. I feel like these subjects of the bashing should be underlying themes. This book would have been better as an allegory for feminism. Instead, the author writes her points into the dialogue. At one point, one of the characters directly talks about the patriarchy and overdrama, and I feel like that detracted from the theme. Also the plot seems forced. A pass code on Lucy's phone would have toppled the whole story. Just saying.... The perpetrator would not have been able to take pictures and upload them to the internet if the phone was password protected. I would have liked to see some extra detail that reenforced the story. I feel like the whole book hangs on a thread because of this.
Overall, this book was an amusing and quick read, although confusing at times. Lucy's character could be rather infuriating at times, but I feel like her story is relatable. I recommend this book only to people who don't have much on their TBR and are looking for a contemporary novel with some sort of underlying message.
My overall rating: B-