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jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
A YA retelling of the courtship of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler. The pace of this book was just a little off for me. It didn't have the flow I typically enjoy from YA novels. I realize the author was trying to squeeze in nuggets of actual history but the story didn't quite do it for me.
Wavering around 3 or 3.5 stars
This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2019 Challenge Task #16: Historical Romance by an Author of Color
Wavering around 3 or 3.5 stars
This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2019 Challenge Task #16: Historical Romance by an Author of Color
alyabbs's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
lovelyletters's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
mia_013's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mllejoyeuxnoel's review against another edition
3.0
Hoo, boy. Let me start by saying that overall, I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book.
But... hoo, boy. Hooooooo, boy.
This book, to me, is the epitome of a "beach read" - silly, melodramatic, sometimes charming, and a quick read. Personally, I would have classified this book as a bit less mature than a YA; the font size of the hardcover edition alone made me feel like I was reading a children's book. The story clearly hearkens to Pride & Prejudice in the beginning (there's even a bit of a Mr. Collins-esque character worked in there), only to conclude with a completely predictable - albeit wonderfully cheesy - ending, which was fine! We all only started reading this book to satisfy our bottomless need for more things HAMILTON in our lives anyway!
This book also took the classic writers' rule of "show, don't tell" and flipped that sucker on its head. Especially towards the end, I had a lot of trouble with Eliza's persistent exclamations about her autonomy and feminism; she might as well have spent the entire book in a "The Future Is Female" t-shirt. And Alex could simply have walked around with a boombox playing Boys II Men love songs.
Still, what I loved about the book were the funny and charming moments that made me smile to myself. And obviously the crackfic for which we all bought this book! It's a slow-burn romance that takes a deliciously long time to unfold, and you get to picture Lin-Manuel and Pippa in your head if you really want (and don't we all really want?!), and you already know the ending so all the fluff and angst and longing is fun instead of stressful.
I recommend this book as a nice break between reading books with real high stakes and character development and all that malarkey that makes you have to, ya know, think. It's a breather. It's a love story.
It's fine.
But... hoo, boy. Hooooooo, boy.
This book, to me, is the epitome of a "beach read" - silly, melodramatic, sometimes charming, and a quick read. Personally, I would have classified this book as a bit less mature than a YA; the font size of the hardcover edition alone made me feel like I was reading a children's book. The story clearly hearkens to Pride & Prejudice in the beginning (there's even a bit of a Mr. Collins-esque character worked in there), only to conclude with a completely predictable - albeit wonderfully cheesy - ending, which was fine! We all only started reading this book to satisfy our bottomless need for more things HAMILTON in our lives anyway!
This book also took the classic writers' rule of "show, don't tell" and flipped that sucker on its head. Especially towards the end, I had a lot of trouble with Eliza's persistent exclamations about her autonomy and feminism; she might as well have spent the entire book in a "The Future Is Female" t-shirt. And Alex could simply have walked around with a boombox playing Boys II Men love songs.
Still, what I loved about the book were the funny and charming moments that made me smile to myself. And obviously the crackfic for which we all bought this book! It's a slow-burn romance that takes a deliciously long time to unfold, and you get to picture Lin-Manuel and Pippa in your head if you really want (and don't we all really want?!), and you already know the ending so all the fluff and angst and longing is fun instead of stressful.
I recommend this book as a nice break between reading books with real high stakes and character development and all that malarkey that makes you have to, ya know, think. It's a breather. It's a love story.
It's fine.
votesforwomen's review against another edition
2.0
I'm so disappointed. I went into this book very excited and hopeful for a great read. I am a self-proclaimed Hamilfan, and I've read a couple of Melissa de la Cruz's books before. While they weren't my FAVORITES, they weren't bad, so I assumed that this book would be at least a four-star read.
I was wrong.
I'll try to give some likes first - it really wasn't all bad - and then I'll move on to the things I didn't like so much.
WHAT I LIKED
-So Eliza's whole family was in there? And that was kind of lovely? She had brothers (ha-ha! Take that, Angelica! But you still have to social-climb for one) and Peggy and Angelica were both very present and her MOM AND DAD were both there too. And it was wonderful.
-Angelica was dating John Church. Which was a major enough part of the story that I liked it.
-It was just plain sweet when Eliza FINALLY decided she might like Alex a little.
-And the part at the beginning when Angelica, Eliza AND PEGGY gave Hamilton the verbal lashing of his life was just #Yessssssss.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
-This is going to be most of the review, but it's unfortunately most of the book, too. The characters just felt wrong.
-Like, Eliza was this feminist person who at the beginning is like, "Mama, you cannot make me wear that dress and I won't do it because I'm supporting the patriots' cause and I will not dress like that when our men are starving!" And she was like "I won't fall in love with that Colonel Hamilton! We'll know each other for like two years but we'll never actually talk to each other!" And that gave me trouble with seeing her as the woman who sang "Helpless" in the musical and she certainly would never have been the one who sang "That Would Be Enough" or who stuck with Alexander after the whole Reynolds pamphlet fiasco or took his hand in "It's Quiet Uptown" or dedicated her life once he was gone to preserving his memory. And I'm reading the Chernow biography right now (which, by the way, is an exemplary biography and you should read it despite the fact that the writing is very difficult to swim through) and it sounds like Miranda's version of Eliza is a lot more accurate to her in real life.
-Alexander wasn't a tomcat or a flirt and he didn't seem like the kind of guy who would womanize behind Eliza's back later on in life. (Other than that he was mostly okay.)
-Lafayette made a cameo but he was not in it anywhere near enough and that made me mad.
-And Angelica and Peggy just felt wrong? I don't know. Maybe it was because they weren't Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas-Jones, but I feel like it was something to do with the fact they weren't really clever and witty. They also faded into one person.
-Also there was this issue of time? Like in both Hamilton and Chernow it says that the romance was whirlwind thing where they met and - Boom! One week later, writing a letter nightly... etc., etc., etc. This is more of a "hate-at-first-sight" thing where they didn't get around to falling in love until two years after their first meeting.
-And there was this weird arranged marriage thing where Eliza was supposed to marry this other guy for his money but then he was like this awful pig and his family was made up of awful pigs and he
-Also there was this cast of underdeveloped male characters who faded into each other and there were just too many of them. OH I'M SORRY, IS THIS NOT YOUR SPEED?
Verdict: This was a decent book, but I honestly think it would be better if it was read by someone who hasn't read Chernow or seen the musical. Because they're very different fictional works. And I just couldn't get past how wrong the characters felt in general.
I was wrong.
I'll try to give some likes first - it really wasn't all bad - and then I'll move on to the things I didn't like so much.
WHAT I LIKED
-So Eliza's whole family was in there? And that was kind of lovely? She had brothers (ha-ha! Take that, Angelica! But you still have to social-climb for one) and Peggy and Angelica were both very present and her MOM AND DAD were both there too. And it was wonderful.
-Angelica was dating John Church. Which was a major enough part of the story that I liked it.
-It was just plain sweet when Eliza FINALLY decided she might like Alex a little.
-And the part at the beginning when Angelica, Eliza AND PEGGY gave Hamilton the verbal lashing of his life was just #Yessssssss.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
-This is going to be most of the review, but it's unfortunately most of the book, too. The characters just felt wrong.
-Like, Eliza was this feminist person who at the beginning is like, "Mama, you cannot make me wear that dress and I won't do it because I'm supporting the patriots' cause and I will not dress like that when our men are starving!" And she was like "I won't fall in love with that Colonel Hamilton! We'll know each other for like two years but we'll never actually talk to each other!" And that gave me trouble with seeing her as the woman who sang "Helpless" in the musical and she certainly would never have been the one who sang "That Would Be Enough" or who stuck with Alexander after the whole Reynolds pamphlet fiasco or took his hand in "It's Quiet Uptown" or dedicated her life once he was gone to preserving his memory. And I'm reading the Chernow biography right now (which, by the way, is an exemplary biography and you should read it despite the fact that the writing is very difficult to swim through) and it sounds like Miranda's version of Eliza is a lot more accurate to her in real life.
-Alexander wasn't a tomcat or a flirt and he didn't seem like the kind of guy who would womanize behind Eliza's back later on in life. (Other than that he was mostly okay.)
-Lafayette made a cameo but he was not in it anywhere near enough and that made me mad.
-And Angelica and Peggy just felt wrong? I don't know. Maybe it was because they weren't Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas-Jones, but I feel like it was something to do with the fact they weren't really clever and witty. They also faded into one person.
-Also there was this issue of time? Like in both Hamilton and Chernow it says that the romance was whirlwind thing where they met and - Boom! One week later, writing a letter nightly... etc., etc., etc. This is more of a "hate-at-first-sight" thing where they didn't get around to falling in love until two years after their first meeting.
-And there was this weird arranged marriage thing where Eliza was supposed to marry this other guy for his money but then he was like this awful pig and his family was made up of awful pigs and he
Spoiler
tried to RAPE Eliza but then Alexander came in and broke it up but then his family blamed HER for it? But then her parents let her call of the engagement? And it was just weird?-Also there was this cast of underdeveloped male characters who faded into each other and there were just too many of them. OH I'M SORRY, IS THIS NOT YOUR SPEED?
Verdict: This was a decent book, but I honestly think it would be better if it was read by someone who hasn't read Chernow or seen the musical. Because they're very different fictional works. And I just couldn't get past how wrong the characters felt in general.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve seen Hamilton a million times and done some research myself so I knew about the story. It was nice to see other books on the subject.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve seen Hamilton a million times and done some research myself so I knew about the story. It was nice to see other books on the subject.
stephaniealysse's review against another edition
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
3.0