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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
The Big F is author Maggie Ann Martin's debut novel, and I have to say, I loved it! The Big F is a young adult contemporary romance that is sure to put a smile on your face. This book gave me major Kasie West vibes...obviously in a great way! I honestly enjoyed everything about this book. Right from the moment I picked it up, to the very last page, I had a great time reading The Big F. Can we also talk about the awesome cover for a moment. I love it! I think it is so perfect for this story. I love the doodling on the cover as well.
The Big F is the story of Dani and Luke. Dani thought she had her future planned out, until an F got her rejected from her dream college. Can I first just say, this would have sent me into a tailspin when I was in high school, so I really related to Dani. I liked her character a lot. And I really loved Luke. I am such a sucker for a guy next door romance that I was rooting for them from the moment I read the summary. And Luke lived up to every bit of expectation I had for him.
One of my favorite things about The Big F, is that initially Dani is painted out to be a big overachiever. Totally type A, and this is a plot line path that I have seen explored in tons of ways. But I loved the direction that Maggie Ann Martin took this story in. Dani's journey takes a detour through community college, and in this detour she really finds herself. I loved it. I loved her journey and I loved seeing this story told. I haven't see it in young adult before, which was a big plus for me.
Not only were Dani and Luke great, I also liked the cast of secondary characters, including Dani's family. I thought it was so refreshing to see a well adjusted family dynamic represented a young adult book. (You guys know how nasty parents can be a pet peeve of mine.) But I loved how Dani's parents, brother and friends were portrayed. The Big F had excellent friendships, a great self journey for Dani and a really sweet romance. It was an overall really fun read. I cannot wait for more from Maggie Ann Martin. I am going to read her next novel for sure! The Big F was a hit with me!
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The Big F is author Maggie Ann Martin's debut novel, and I have to say, I loved it! The Big F is a young adult contemporary romance that is sure to put a smile on your face. This book gave me major Kasie West vibes...obviously in a great way! I honestly enjoyed everything about this book. Right from the moment I picked it up, to the very last page, I had a great time reading The Big F. Can we also talk about the awesome cover for a moment. I love it! I think it is so perfect for this story. I love the doodling on the cover as well.
The Big F is the story of Dani and Luke. Dani thought she had her future planned out, until an F got her rejected from her dream college. Can I first just say, this would have sent me into a tailspin when I was in high school, so I really related to Dani. I liked her character a lot. And I really loved Luke. I am such a sucker for a guy next door romance that I was rooting for them from the moment I read the summary. And Luke lived up to every bit of expectation I had for him.
One of my favorite things about The Big F, is that initially Dani is painted out to be a big overachiever. Totally type A, and this is a plot line path that I have seen explored in tons of ways. But I loved the direction that Maggie Ann Martin took this story in. Dani's journey takes a detour through community college, and in this detour she really finds herself. I loved it. I loved her journey and I loved seeing this story told. I haven't see it in young adult before, which was a big plus for me.
Not only were Dani and Luke great, I also liked the cast of secondary characters, including Dani's family. I thought it was so refreshing to see a well adjusted family dynamic represented a young adult book. (You guys know how nasty parents can be a pet peeve of mine.) But I loved how Dani's parents, brother and friends were portrayed. The Big F had excellent friendships, a great self journey for Dani and a really sweet romance. It was an overall really fun read. I cannot wait for more from Maggie Ann Martin. I am going to read her next novel for sure! The Big F was a hit with me!
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
2.5 - I'll admit, this book is a good book for what it is: a early college rom com. Caveat: those are not my favorite genres to begin with but it didn't help that I struggled relating to the main character. I felt like a lot of things came easily to her and while yes, the purpose of the book was for her to realize life didn't need a plan and it was okay to fail, I felt like she hadn't really failed. I understand having life derailed but I would have liked something a little more dramatic to happen. Like the issues we find out about in Porter's life, those would have been more interesting for me to read about than Danielle. I almost would have preferred the story from his perspective, oddly enough.
I found Porter to be an interesting character; his perception of the world as an observer and note-taker was interesting to me. But I feel like we didn't get enough of it and unfortunately he fell into the mysterious, hipster best-friend turned romantic interest trope. I also liked Zoe and the hardships in her life -- but those were also blown over like they were no big deal. It felt like a lot was happening to the people around Danielle, but not actually to Danielle herself. Also, we never got an answer about Luke's previous girlfriend and the history there and that was super annoying. I want to know why they didn't like her and it make me think he was more of a bad boy than they let on, but nothing came from that.
Finally, one of the most difficult aspect about this story for me was the pacing. It was VERY fast. A lot was crammed into those 272 pages and I felt like, at times, some moments were extraneous and I found it hard to keep up with what was going on. Unfortunately, it left some moments underdeveloped and flat.
My last thoughts are that I would love this as a movie. It would be a great early 2000s rom com, reminiscent of "10 Things I Hate About You" or even "She's the Man". Anyone who is a fan of those types of stories would enjoy this book, and I did enjoy certain aspects, but my inability to relate to Danielle prevent my enjoying it further.
I found Porter to be an interesting character; his perception of the world as an observer and note-taker was interesting to me. But I feel like we didn't get enough of it and unfortunately he fell into the mysterious, hipster best-friend turned romantic interest trope. I also liked Zoe and the hardships in her life -- but those were also blown over like they were no big deal. It felt like a lot was happening to the people around Danielle, but not actually to Danielle herself. Also, we never got an answer about Luke's previous girlfriend and the history there and that was super annoying. I want to know why they didn't like her and it make me think he was more of a bad boy than they let on, but nothing came from that.
Finally, one of the most difficult aspect about this story for me was the pacing. It was VERY fast. A lot was crammed into those 272 pages and I felt like, at times, some moments were extraneous and I found it hard to keep up with what was going on. Unfortunately, it left some moments underdeveloped and flat.
My last thoughts are that I would love this as a movie. It would be a great early 2000s rom com, reminiscent of "10 Things I Hate About You" or even "She's the Man". Anyone who is a fan of those types of stories would enjoy this book, and I did enjoy certain aspects, but my inability to relate to Danielle prevent my enjoying it further.
I was happily surprised by how much I liked this.
Overall, it felt kinda slow BUT that was probably due to the fact that, through a series of events and scheduling conflicts, I ended up reading this over a few days. If I'd binge-read it in, say, a few hours, I think I wouldn't have felt the slowness so much. And it wasn't that I didn't like the slower pace, I do think it would have been better with, I dunno, a wee bit more faster-paced plot events in it?
I still liked the book a lot, though. See: 4 star rating It walks the fine line between rom-com cheesiness and real life grit without falling into too many cliches or depths of either, and I like books like that to read from time to time. They give me a sense of levity to balance my normal diet of raw, gritty sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal mysteries. Contemporary isn't my go-to genre, but it is one I do enjoy when it comes to book like this - light, sweet, just enough realism to keep me from rolling my eyes too much (because I always end up rolling my eyes at one contemporary book or another, I dunno why), and it didn't get too stupid-dramatic on the romantic side of things, which was AWESOME because I loathe stupid drama.
And now, on to bullet point pros and cons!
I liked:
- Porter (no explanation necessary)
- Zoe (see: above reason)
- the dialogue
- the struggles AFTER highschool (because so many YA focuses on high-school drama and change is refreshing)
- romance sits shotgun to plot (as in, Danielle's life goals come first, not boy problems)
- PORTER
I didn't like:
- the pacing of the book felt off at times, and things were blurred when I kinda wanted a little more insight (like Luke and Dani's relationship problems, her family struggles, etc) and I wanted the book to delve into that instead of just focusing on Dani's issues with what she's going to do instead of getting in with OS
- Luke (so many secrets, man, and they were just pushed aside because 11yo crush trumps warning signs???)
- slow-ish plot
- not enough focus on side-characters (petition for Zoe to get her own book!!!)
Basically, don't really expect much depth from this book. It isn't that kind of contemporary. That's not to say it doesn't have depth, because it does, but reads like a story instead of a book with a motive behind it. And honestly, I liked that the most about it because I mainly read for stories (does that make me shallow?? apathetic?? meh) and this is a nice, sweet story about a girl who is figuring out what to do with her life after high school.
Overall, it felt kinda slow BUT that was probably due to the fact that, through a series of events and scheduling conflicts, I ended up reading this over a few days. If I'd binge-read it in, say, a few hours, I think I wouldn't have felt the slowness so much. And it wasn't that I didn't like the slower pace, I do think it would have been better with, I dunno, a wee bit more faster-paced plot events in it?
I still liked the book a lot, though. See: 4 star rating It walks the fine line between rom-com cheesiness and real life grit without falling into too many cliches or depths of either, and I like books like that to read from time to time. They give me a sense of levity to balance my normal diet of raw, gritty sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal mysteries. Contemporary isn't my go-to genre, but it is one I do enjoy when it comes to book like this - light, sweet, just enough realism to keep me from rolling my eyes too much (because I always end up rolling my eyes at one contemporary book or another, I dunno why), and it didn't get too stupid-dramatic on the romantic side of things, which was AWESOME because I loathe stupid drama.
And now, on to bullet point pros and cons!
I liked:
- Porter (no explanation necessary)
- Zoe (see: above reason)
- the dialogue
- the struggles AFTER highschool (because so many YA focuses on high-school drama and change is refreshing)
- romance sits shotgun to plot (as in, Danielle's life goals come first, not boy problems)
- PORTER
I didn't like:
- the pacing of the book felt off at times, and things were blurred when I kinda wanted a little more insight (like Luke and Dani's relationship problems, her family struggles, etc) and I wanted the book to delve into that instead of just focusing on Dani's issues with what she's going to do instead of getting in with OS
- Luke (so many secrets, man, and they were just pushed aside because 11yo crush trumps warning signs???)
- slow-ish plot
- not enough focus on side-characters (petition for Zoe to get her own book!!!)
Basically, don't really expect much depth from this book. It isn't that kind of contemporary. That's not to say it doesn't have depth, because it does, but reads like a story instead of a book with a motive behind it. And honestly, I liked that the most about it because I mainly read for stories (does that make me shallow?? apathetic?? meh) and this is a nice, sweet story about a girl who is figuring out what to do with her life after high school.
This review is based on an ARC I received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts on this book are my own.
Danielle or Dani thinks that her future is set but then she fails her AP Lit class and all her plans start to fall apart. She gets her admission revoked from the only college she applied to and now she doesn’t know what to do with her future. Her friend, Zoe, tells her she should going to the local community college with her and later that night she runs into an old friend, the boy next door who she used to have a massive crush on. He’s wearing a shirt representing the same community college her friend was telling her about and from there her new path starts to unfold. Dani enrolls at the local community college in an effort to become who she thinks she is meant to be. Once there she experiences friendships and moments that will forever change her and along the way she discovers a lot about herself.
This book wasn’t entirely what I expected, in a good way. I thought this book was simply going to be a second chance romance type of book but it was much more than that. It really went into a lot of things that you feel around the age of 18, fresh into adulthood. When you are an adult but still feel like you’re being treated like a child, when you second guess things you do. This book realistically portrays that moment when you feel like you’ve disappointed you’re parents and you don’t know what to do about it and are overwhelmed with it. I did feel this book was a little bit predictable but honestly I’m really good at predicting books (like really good) so don’t let that hold to much weight. As a debut author I think Maggie Ann Martin did a really good job at building the characters and making the relationships in this book seem realistic.
Danielle or Dani thinks that her future is set but then she fails her AP Lit class and all her plans start to fall apart. She gets her admission revoked from the only college she applied to and now she doesn’t know what to do with her future. Her friend, Zoe, tells her she should going to the local community college with her and later that night she runs into an old friend, the boy next door who she used to have a massive crush on. He’s wearing a shirt representing the same community college her friend was telling her about and from there her new path starts to unfold. Dani enrolls at the local community college in an effort to become who she thinks she is meant to be. Once there she experiences friendships and moments that will forever change her and along the way she discovers a lot about herself.
This book wasn’t entirely what I expected, in a good way. I thought this book was simply going to be a second chance romance type of book but it was much more than that. It really went into a lot of things that you feel around the age of 18, fresh into adulthood. When you are an adult but still feel like you’re being treated like a child, when you second guess things you do. This book realistically portrays that moment when you feel like you’ve disappointed you’re parents and you don’t know what to do about it and are overwhelmed with it. I did feel this book was a little bit predictable but honestly I’m really good at predicting books (like really good) so don’t let that hold to much weight. As a debut author I think Maggie Ann Martin did a really good job at building the characters and making the relationships in this book seem realistic.
3.5 stars
I enjoyed it and I think I'll reread it in the future, but there were some things that seemed lacking at times, like some of the characters' backstories.
I enjoyed it and I think I'll reread it in the future, but there were some things that seemed lacking at times, like some of the characters' backstories.
Characters definitely were mature compared to other books I've read where the teens were about the same age.
I was sent this book by the author. All opinions are my own.
Danielle has had her college plans all set for her. She would be going to Ohio State. That's what she thinks until the day she gets a letter saying her application has been revoked due to failing her AP English class. Danielle is mortified and so, she keeps this a secret for as long as she can.
Until one big dinner with her parents, and cousin she is enemies with....the truth comes out. This puts Danielle and her mother on rocky terms. Her mother, a "college physic" who helps teens figure out their major and college, is furious about the situation.
Danielle enrolls in community college to retake an English course that will help her get back into Ohio State. I absolutely loved that this was the direction she took. I am a community college student and I've never read about a character in CC, it's almost always a university/dorm situation. Danielle learns a lot and meets people during her first semester of college. I loved how ambitious she was spite the circumstances for her being at CC. She takes on a lot and made me proud! The college aspect of this story was so true. It shows that when you first arrive to college you don't know what you want to do, and that's okay. Danielle ends up taking opportunities to lead to what she wants to major in.
Danielle spends most of her time working in the bookstore at the college. I loved the scenes in the bookstore, they were fun! She had great co-workers that made the time go by fast. Even her co-worker, Porter who always has a pizza delivery up his sleeve. Porter and Danielle bond the most, and I enjoyed their conversations and the way their relationship progressed.
I really loved the friendship between Danielle and her best friend, Zoe. Zoe has an eccentric personality and is always doing something DIY (buttons, her own dress) and works as a baker at the local grocery store. She's also loyal to Danielle and honest with her. Their friendship was genuine and realistic, I loved that Zoe didn't pull the common "angry at friend for being too busy", Zoe understood.
This story has many different elements, especially a romance. Danielle ends up catching up with her old neighbor from childhood, Luke - who she's had a crush on since she was 11. I did think their relationship was quick, which is why the feeling was partially there. But, I can relate to Danielle because I've been there. I really loved Luke though, he was so cute!! However, Porter is another story. He's a broody yet sarcastic and is always wearing a leather jacket. I remember Maggie mentioning once that she had a character much like Jess from Gilmore Girls, Porter is definitely Jess' twin! I liked his fascination for notebooks where he would write observations about people. But, he was always there for Danielle when she needed him. I loved their pizza tradition. I was so into Luke and his cute gestures, that it was hard for me to see Danielle and Porter.
Danielle's character development was good, could be improved a little more but I liked seeing how Danielle went from failure to success. She became independent and overcame what she was in the beginning, a girl going to Ohio State and at the end her mind was completely changed!
A really great coming of age story, I devoured this and loved every second it had to offer. Especially each of the chapters having a word that starts with F. Of course, I highly recommend.
Danielle has had her college plans all set for her. She would be going to Ohio State. That's what she thinks until the day she gets a letter saying her application has been revoked due to failing her AP English class. Danielle is mortified and so, she keeps this a secret for as long as she can.
Until one big dinner with her parents, and cousin she is enemies with....the truth comes out. This puts Danielle and her mother on rocky terms. Her mother, a "college physic" who helps teens figure out their major and college, is furious about the situation.
Danielle enrolls in community college to retake an English course that will help her get back into Ohio State. I absolutely loved that this was the direction she took. I am a community college student and I've never read about a character in CC, it's almost always a university/dorm situation. Danielle learns a lot and meets people during her first semester of college. I loved how ambitious she was spite the circumstances for her being at CC. She takes on a lot and made me proud! The college aspect of this story was so true. It shows that when you first arrive to college you don't know what you want to do, and that's okay. Danielle ends up taking opportunities to lead to what she wants to major in.
Danielle spends most of her time working in the bookstore at the college. I loved the scenes in the bookstore, they were fun! She had great co-workers that made the time go by fast. Even her co-worker, Porter who always has a pizza delivery up his sleeve. Porter and Danielle bond the most, and I enjoyed their conversations and the way their relationship progressed.
I really loved the friendship between Danielle and her best friend, Zoe. Zoe has an eccentric personality and is always doing something DIY (buttons, her own dress) and works as a baker at the local grocery store. She's also loyal to Danielle and honest with her. Their friendship was genuine and realistic, I loved that Zoe didn't pull the common "angry at friend for being too busy", Zoe understood.
This story has many different elements, especially a romance. Danielle ends up catching up with her old neighbor from childhood, Luke - who she's had a crush on since she was 11. I did think their relationship was quick, which is why the feeling was partially there. But, I can relate to Danielle because I've been there. I really loved Luke though, he was so cute!! However, Porter is another story. He's a broody yet sarcastic and is always wearing a leather jacket. I remember Maggie mentioning once that she had a character much like Jess from Gilmore Girls, Porter is definitely Jess' twin! I liked his fascination for notebooks where he would write observations about people. But, he was always there for Danielle when she needed him. I loved their pizza tradition. I was so into Luke and his cute gestures, that it was hard for me to see Danielle and Porter.
Danielle's character development was good, could be improved a little more but I liked seeing how Danielle went from failure to success. She became independent and overcame what she was in the beginning, a girl going to Ohio State and at the end her mind was completely changed!
A really great coming of age story, I devoured this and loved every second it had to offer. Especially each of the chapters having a word that starts with F. Of course, I highly recommend.