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alongreader's review
4.0
Norah knows she doesn't belong at Chelsea High. This is a school for the uber rich; she grew up on a houseboat in perpetual dock. But once her father clears up this whole misunderstanding of a law suit, they can go back home, where she fits in.
Chelsea High is a beautiful book. I thought this was going to be a standard 'girl tries to fit in by changing herself, girl realises she's fine just the way she is' and on the surface, that is what this story is about. Underneath, though, there's a lot of other things going on. It's about Norah learning not to judge people, to make new friends even though she only wants to go back to her old ones, about learning that good people can make mistakes and that she can love someone and be angry at them and hate them all at the same time. There's a lot going on here, and Jenny makes it all work.
You'll recognise a lot of the characters here; there's the Mean Girl, the Mysterious Boy, the Mean Girl's Followers, the Other Outsiders Who Welcome The Newcomer - the characters aren't new, but Jenny weaves a compelling story out of them, and I really enjoyed one scene in particular near the end. I won't spoil it, but swimming pool.
I don't know if Jenny plans to make a series out of this, but I'd love to read more of Norah's adventures. I think there's a lot more for her to accomplish. But if this is what we get, it's a great ending and I really enjoyed it.
I picked up my hot chocolate. Thought about the fact I was no longer allowed my phone. Even if all this blew over, could any of us really forgive each other? Could I really gloss over what people - my friends - had written in the heat of the moment? Could they forgive us for leaving? For running away to save our own skins and leaving them with nothing? Would anyone ever forget? They had to. I had grown up with the people of Mulberry Island. There were my memories, we were theirs. They couldn't blank us out of their history. We had all shared too many things, good and bad - births and deaths, parties and marriages. I had sheltered from thunderstorms in their houses, fed their cats, babysat their children, borrowed their pumps when our boat flooded, been taught by them, eaten picnics with them, danced with them, cried with them, sang with them. Surely, that was worth more than one mistake.
Chelsea High is a beautiful book. I thought this was going to be a standard 'girl tries to fit in by changing herself, girl realises she's fine just the way she is' and on the surface, that is what this story is about. Underneath, though, there's a lot of other things going on. It's about Norah learning not to judge people, to make new friends even though she only wants to go back to her old ones, about learning that good people can make mistakes and that she can love someone and be angry at them and hate them all at the same time. There's a lot going on here, and Jenny makes it all work.
You'll recognise a lot of the characters here; there's the Mean Girl, the Mysterious Boy, the Mean Girl's Followers, the Other Outsiders Who Welcome The Newcomer - the characters aren't new, but Jenny weaves a compelling story out of them, and I really enjoyed one scene in particular near the end. I won't spoil it, but swimming pool.
I don't know if Jenny plans to make a series out of this, but I'd love to read more of Norah's adventures. I think there's a lot more for her to accomplish. But if this is what we get, it's a great ending and I really enjoyed it.
I picked up my hot chocolate. Thought about the fact I was no longer allowed my phone. Even if all this blew over, could any of us really forgive each other? Could I really gloss over what people - my friends - had written in the heat of the moment? Could they forgive us for leaving? For running away to save our own skins and leaving them with nothing? Would anyone ever forget? They had to. I had grown up with the people of Mulberry Island. There were my memories, we were theirs. They couldn't blank us out of their history. We had all shared too many things, good and bad - births and deaths, parties and marriages. I had sheltered from thunderstorms in their houses, fed their cats, babysat their children, borrowed their pumps when our boat flooded, been taught by them, eaten picnics with them, danced with them, cried with them, sang with them. Surely, that was worth more than one mistake.
mq1ne's review against another edition
3.0
it was a quick and easy read that kept me wanting to turn the page to find out what was happening. however , the story plot was kinda confusing for me , it was like bits and pieces in a way , i loved the ending , but i felt that there was something missing.
but i loved how the relationships developed over time , and this was definitely a book where the romance was in a way the sub plot.
but i loved how the relationships developed over time , and this was definitely a book where the romance was in a way the sub plot.
pages_rewritten's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
bonoffeepie314's review
4.0
Quite surprising and some elements were really nice and refreshing to read about that makes it distinct from YA books with a similar story
zoesbookshelf's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chloeoliviaa's review against another edition
3.0
*chapter sampler provided by NetGalley*
This short sample was a fun, quick read. I personally really like the themes of exclusive societies and academia, so the synopsis really appealed to me and I couldn’t wait to read it.
However, I was a bit disappointed that it was full of the stereotypes of school. Maybe the characters develop throughout the story ,but i only have the sampler to go off. There were understandably punctuation and paragraphing errors which I expect will be rectified in the final copy. And when I first started reading I was confused as i was just thrust straight into the school day, no introduction. I kept trying to look for previous pages that didn’t exist. I am unsure whether the chapter provided was the first or not. But if it is the first, it shouldn’t be. I feel that my reading experience would have been better if I knew the characters name, family, background etc before everything else. Although, this may be to make the reader feel just as confused as the narrator........ maybe.
Would I pick up the final copy?
Possibly. I feel this book has the potential to be a enjoyable, lighthearted summer read.
This short sample was a fun, quick read. I personally really like the themes of exclusive societies and academia, so the synopsis really appealed to me and I couldn’t wait to read it.
However, I was a bit disappointed that it was full of the stereotypes of school. Maybe the characters develop throughout the story ,but i only have the sampler to go off. There were understandably punctuation and paragraphing errors which I expect will be rectified in the final copy. And when I first started reading I was confused as i was just thrust straight into the school day, no introduction. I kept trying to look for previous pages that didn’t exist. I am unsure whether the chapter provided was the first or not. But if it is the first, it shouldn’t be. I feel that my reading experience would have been better if I knew the characters name, family, background etc before everything else. Although, this may be to make the reader feel just as confused as the narrator........ maybe.
Would I pick up the final copy?
Possibly. I feel this book has the potential to be a enjoyable, lighthearted summer read.
womanon's review against another edition
3.0
Chelsea High is the kind of story I would have loved when I was 15. Reading it now, I felt a little old for it, as it was very predictable and the writing style felt very 'young'. The story was a bit far-fetched, but in the end I did enjoy it, and it proved to be a quick, light read.
eleanora24's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shauniesbookshelves's review
4.0
Norah Whittaker has lived on The Island for the entirety of her life, living in a houseboat with her parents and attending the same school as her best friend, Jess. After making a film set to make them millions, Norah's dad thinks they're all set... until it turns out the makers were fraudsters, and haven't got the money to pay back the investors of the film; the entirety of The Island's residents. Her father becomes involved in a court case, attempting to prove his innocence, but with the court case comes many changes for Norah and her family. Her father's parents are paying for the lawyer, and in order to keep them sweet, the whole family has had to up and move their houseboat to Battersea, and Norah has been enrolled in the prestigious Chelsea High (for the Posh and Rich). She tries to fit in with her fellow students, but they're worlds apart, and it doesn't help either that they all know about the Whittaker court case. One student in particular seems untouchable: the instagram sensation and lifestyle guru Coco. It's enough for Norah to deal with without Coco's superiority; Norah is having to spend time with the grandparents she never knew existed, she has the constant worry of her father, and the trial is tearing her family unit apart. Maybe auditioning for Chelsea High's play will make things look up, but is even that too good to be true?
I picked an ARC up of this at YALC this year, and I was so excited to start it!! Luckily, my first ARC lived up to my hype, and I really enjoyed it, giving it an 8/10! There were, of course, many punctuation errors, as well as some errors with paragraphing. Probably due to the fact it's an ARC, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. It was silly little things that an editor would be able to pick up on, like (no spoilers) Norah knowing one of the teachers' names to be Mrs Pearce without being introduced to her first. Silly little things. The actual characters, perhaps due to the fact they are so similar in age to myself, are easy to relate to (if only in personality, not being able to throw the money around!) and I felt that I could be standing with Norah, sympathising with her. The school setting seemed very realistic, with its own curriculum set in place, its own clubs and its own teachers. All of which, like the rest of the characters were very well realised, and all of them seemed to stick to their guns; there were no sudden changes of heart, there were only realistic character arcs. It's quite difficult to know what to say about a book that hasn't been released without spoiling it, so I'll leave this review with a simple 'read it'!
I picked an ARC up of this at YALC this year, and I was so excited to start it!! Luckily, my first ARC lived up to my hype, and I really enjoyed it, giving it an 8/10! There were, of course, many punctuation errors, as well as some errors with paragraphing. Probably due to the fact it's an ARC, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. It was silly little things that an editor would be able to pick up on, like (no spoilers) Norah knowing one of the teachers' names to be Mrs Pearce without being introduced to her first. Silly little things. The actual characters, perhaps due to the fact they are so similar in age to myself, are easy to relate to (if only in personality, not being able to throw the money around!) and I felt that I could be standing with Norah, sympathising with her. The school setting seemed very realistic, with its own curriculum set in place, its own clubs and its own teachers. All of which, like the rest of the characters were very well realised, and all of them seemed to stick to their guns; there were no sudden changes of heart, there were only realistic character arcs. It's quite difficult to know what to say about a book that hasn't been released without spoiling it, so I'll leave this review with a simple 'read it'!