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mbedrosian's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Gun violence
kfmcf's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I had to reread a Meg Cabot book and decided to reread this, too, because it was my middle school favorite.
I was Sam. I really was. The outcast feeling, the top ten lists, the 'sensitive all knowing artist' - yeah unreliably relatable.
Cabot is a master at writing from the mind of a teenage girl (especially in the early naughties). The characters were fun and distinct and I blasted through this on a nostalgia rocket.
Also David was hands down my first book crush. He's perfect and I love him.
I'm knocking a quarter point off because there are some things that haven't aged well in regards to culture BUT there are things that are still super pertinent. The painting that wins? Yeah still happening.
I know this book is for teens but I still love it and no one can stop me.
I was Sam. I really was. The outcast feeling, the top ten lists, the 'sensitive all knowing artist' - yeah unreliably relatable.
Cabot is a master at writing from the mind of a teenage girl (especially in the early naughties). The characters were fun and distinct and I blasted through this on a nostalgia rocket.
Also David was hands down my first book crush. He's perfect and I love him.
I'm knocking a quarter point off because there are some things that haven't aged well in regards to culture BUT there are things that are still super pertinent. The painting that wins? Yeah still happening.
I know this book is for teens but I still love it and no one can stop me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cultural appropriation
stranger_reader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this book in middle school once and then forgot about it. Then one day I remembered parts of it and was like, “huh, I wonder what it’s actually like.” And so I read it and here are present me’s thoughts. And just so you know, I don’t remember what past me thought of this book. I only remembered a few scenes before rereading it.
The characters: I thought the characters were fine. I liked Sam. Did she have a serious case of I’m-not-like-other-girls syndrome and was kind of pretentious? Yes. But I also understood where she came from, as it was quickly established how everyone around thought she was weird.I didn’t think it was realistic but I just wanted to have a good time. So I rolled with it. She also grows out of her pretentious mold, so while her mindset hasn’t aged that well, Sam was a decent protagonist. Everyone else was kind of boring and forgettable to be honest.
Plot/Pacing: This book wastes no time. Every chapter there is something going on and this book keeps you sucked in. It’s also pretty funny, although I feel like some scenes that weren’t intended to be funny were funny to me. Still I read this all in one day. That’s impressive for me since I’m a really slow reader.
Writing: The only thing I really like about the writing is that Sam has a distinct voice that makes it sounds like a teenager is relaying the story to you. However the author kept using way too many ellipses—those long dashes in sentences—throughout the book. It got really noticeable after a while, and confusing. Another thing I couldn’t help but notice was how Sam would have like a line of narration that used a little bit of figurative language, and the next sentence would be, “or something,” or “you know what I mean.” Something like that.I’m clearly not any better. It got really annoying because most of the time the sentence actually made complete sense and so I didn’t understand why Sam was second guessing herself.
Well, that’s all I have to say about it. Overall I don’t regret it. It was a nice quick read. But I don’t think it’s going to stick in my head for long. I don’t know how I even remembered reading this book back in middle school.
The characters: I thought the characters were fine. I liked Sam. Did she have a serious case of I’m-not-like-other-girls syndrome and was kind of pretentious? Yes. But I also understood where she came from, as it was quickly established how everyone around thought she was weird.
Plot/Pacing: This book wastes no time. Every chapter there is something going on and this book keeps you sucked in. It’s also pretty funny, although I feel like some scenes that weren’t intended to be funny were funny to me. Still I read this all in one day. That’s impressive for me since I’m a really slow reader.
Writing: The only thing I really like about the writing is that Sam has a distinct voice that makes it sounds like a teenager is relaying the story to you. However the author kept using way too many ellipses—those long dashes in sentences—throughout the book. It got really noticeable after a while, and confusing. Another thing I couldn’t help but notice was how Sam would have like a line of narration that used a little bit of figurative language, and the next sentence would be, “or something,” or “you know what I mean.” Something like that.
Well, that’s all I have to say about it. Overall I don’t regret it. It was a nice quick read. But I don’t think it’s going to stick in my head for long. I don’t know how I even remembered reading this book back in middle school.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence
In chapter 23, the R slur is used in a character’s dialogue. It’s also used in a shortened version at the beginning in dialogue by the same character.caitlin_doggos's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
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