Reviews

Fun book but TOO MANY POP CULTURE REFERENCES. I say this as someone who loves dragon Age. It won’t age well bc it was so modern. It was a fun read though and I love chess so it was fun.

doloresofcourse's review

Go to review page

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is not YA. It's also a stretch to call it a romance. Mallory is 18, bisexual, uses hookup apps and frequently runs into her past one-nighters. She's taking care of her sick mother and two sisters, working full-time at a garage but still manages to find time to hook up with random strangers. Wish we all had that kind of stamina.

Look, I'm Gen X and even though I get most of the pop culture references that heavenly season this book, it's REALLY ANNOYING and will not age well.

Mallory - I strenuously disliked this character. Continually nailing herself to that cross. Stewing in the misery of her own decisions. She decided to quit chess, she decided not to go to college, she decided to take a crappy garage job. I know her whole schtick is to take care of the family and be the bread winner since her mother is sick. But, there is no mention of money from her father, no disability $$ for the mother, no other government benefit programs that would have been available to them. Mallory is the creator of her own misery. She actively fights against every opportunity and literal money-in-hand presented to her. It was maddening.

Hated this family. The younger sisters are awful and always going at Mallory like they are infants who need constant care. They are both old enough to take care of themselves and anything else that needs to be done in the house. I get the mother is sick, but those kids are brats and the mother should have kept them in check.

I liked this book in places, but not enough places to make me give this a positive review. There were too many faults for this to be considered an enjoyable read.

jrv45's review

Go to review page

challenging hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

tammyanne's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

kwindsor's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

More...