Scan barcode
labunnywtf's review against another edition
3.0
My copy of this from the library has all of the ::gasp:: naughty words underlined in pencil. This was terribly amusing. And accentuated that this book has very very little cursing. And even then, it's "damn" and "ass" (they didn't underline ass???)
Quick, fun little read. I've read two of the three authors listed, and enjoyed their work (some of it...dammit Lockhart...). I was wandering the library shelves (DANGEROUS) and just randomly grabbing book after book that grabbed my attention. I liked the title, and it was under Lockhart's name. I didn't expect much, truth be told.
Road trip stories, fuck yeah. Two friends that are splitting apart at the seams, and one outsider. They decide to take a six hour drive to visit Bad Girl friend's boyfriend who is off at college. God Fearin' friend thinks this is a great idea despite the fact that they have a collective $40 between them. So when Perfectly Sweet Outsider offers to pay, GFF decides this is a fine idea.
Seriously, I realize GFF has a lot going on in her life, but she's a real asshole throughout this book. Not that BGF is much better. Honestly, PSO is the only person I was rooting for throughout. She ended up with a very sweet ending, so that's nice.
Mayhem ensues, a lot of which has to be taken with a healthy dose of salt. Quick and fun, very tied-up-with-a-neat-bow-sitcom style.
Quick, fun little read. I've read two of the three authors listed, and enjoyed their work (some of it...dammit Lockhart...). I was wandering the library shelves (DANGEROUS) and just randomly grabbing book after book that grabbed my attention. I liked the title, and it was under Lockhart's name. I didn't expect much, truth be told.
Road trip stories, fuck yeah. Two friends that are splitting apart at the seams, and one outsider. They decide to take a six hour drive to visit Bad Girl friend's boyfriend who is off at college. God Fearin' friend thinks this is a great idea despite the fact that they have a collective $40 between them. So when Perfectly Sweet Outsider offers to pay, GFF decides this is a fine idea.
Seriously, I realize GFF has a lot going on in her life, but she's a real asshole throughout this book. Not that BGF is much better. Honestly, PSO is the only person I was rooting for throughout. She ended up with a very sweet ending, so that's nice.
Mayhem ensues, a lot of which has to be taken with a healthy dose of salt. Quick and fun, very tied-up-with-a-neat-bow-sitcom style.
chryssa80's review against another edition
4.0
I never thought I would actually like this book but I did, it was so sweet and summery, I ended up wishing I could go on a road-trip like that!
brandyfern's review against another edition
3.0
This book interested me because of its road trip theme. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting to it because the characters weren’t genuine. Instead, it felt like I was reading adults trying to portray youthful girls. I did get the gist of where the authors were trying to go with the characters, but to me they just did not seem like real teenage girls. Despite this, I was interested in the storyline and kept reading until the end because I wanted to know what would become of the girls and their trip.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
How to Be Bad is a fun road trip story about three girls who appear very different from the outside but bond over a few days on the road. Complete with mishaps, falling out and one break-in to meet an alligator. I liked the little snippets of Florida, as Vicks works through her book of roadside attractions, and it will put you in the mood for a road trip of your own.
I was really excited to read split perspectives written by different authors. On the one hand, their style is similar and the chapters mesh together really well. However I was hoping for the characters’ narratives to be more distinct. Their personalities are very different but their voices were pretty much the same, and on a few occasions I got mixed up about who was narrating.
Mel is the quiet, naïve rich girl who is new to town and doesn’t really have any friends. She envies the bond and easiness between Jesse and Vicks. She starts off a bit of a wet blanket, letting Jesse use her for her wallet, but soon she starts to come out of her shell and the other girls see her as more than just their ticket to Epcot.
Jesse’s a righteous southern girl who frowns upon her mother’s behaviour and her best friend’s sexual relationship. It is hard to believe her and Vicks are so close at times, and Vicks certainly feels it’s been harder to share things since her relationship went to the next level. That’s why she started talking to Mel in the first place. Vicks is the glue that binds the group together.
Some of Jesse’s behaviour can surely be put down to the fact that her mother has recently been diagnosed with cancer. But instead of sharing her worry and sadness, she blocks out her friends. Every time one of them snapped at her, or vice versa, I just wanted her to say what the problem was. Instead she just makes everyone angry with her.
I think a lot of people will be picking this up because of E. Lockhart’s name. It’s an enjoyable book but not a patch on We Were Liars or The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
Review copy provided by publisher.
I was really excited to read split perspectives written by different authors. On the one hand, their style is similar and the chapters mesh together really well. However I was hoping for the characters’ narratives to be more distinct. Their personalities are very different but their voices were pretty much the same, and on a few occasions I got mixed up about who was narrating.
Mel is the quiet, naïve rich girl who is new to town and doesn’t really have any friends. She envies the bond and easiness between Jesse and Vicks. She starts off a bit of a wet blanket, letting Jesse use her for her wallet, but soon she starts to come out of her shell and the other girls see her as more than just their ticket to Epcot.
Jesse’s a righteous southern girl who frowns upon her mother’s behaviour and her best friend’s sexual relationship. It is hard to believe her and Vicks are so close at times, and Vicks certainly feels it’s been harder to share things since her relationship went to the next level. That’s why she started talking to Mel in the first place. Vicks is the glue that binds the group together.
Some of Jesse’s behaviour can surely be put down to the fact that her mother has recently been diagnosed with cancer. But instead of sharing her worry and sadness, she blocks out her friends. Every time one of them snapped at her, or vice versa, I just wanted her to say what the problem was. Instead she just makes everyone angry with her.
I think a lot of people will be picking this up because of E. Lockhart’s name. It’s an enjoyable book but not a patch on We Were Liars or The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
Review copy provided by publisher.
katiemichellereads's review against another edition
4.0
When Jesse finds out her mom has cancer, she’s desperate to leave and escape the reality she doesn’t want to accept. Her plan is to go on a road trip with her friend, Vicks, to visit her boyfriend at college. She doesn’t expect Mel, the rich new girl at work, to invite herself along — but she offers to pay, so how can Jesse say no?
The three girls set off in Jesse’s mom’s car, each with their own secrets and issues to deal with. Vicks’ relationship isn’t quite as perfect as she made it seem, and she hasn’t really heard from her boyfriend since he left. Jesse is keeping her mother’s cancer a secret. And Mel just wants to feel like she belongs somewhere, but she knows she’s really only there because the other girls wanted her to pay.
I really enjoyed this book. The dynamics between the girls were so interesting — they were all so different, and I enjoyed every one of their perspectives. I will admit that I preferred Mel’s point of view to the others in the beginning, but towards the middle I didn’t care who was telling the story. I just wanted to hear more about the girls and their trip!
This book also did a great job at balancing a realistic aspect with a fun, summery read. It does deal with a pretty deep topic — cancer — but it isn’t covered much throughout the book, due to Jesse’s reluctance to talk about it.
That said, and I’m probably being contradictory: I wanted something more. I was so interested in the girls, I could have read so much more about their lives. Maybe this is just a sign of how well-developed they were, but when I reached the end I wanted more. Maybe a bit of a deeper story line. Or maybe just a longer book?
I didn’t hate the ending — in fact, I thought it was a really great place to leave off. At the same time, I would have liked to see more of the girls daily lives, more of their friendship, everything else that happened after the trip. (Maybe what I’m saying is that I wouldn’t mind a sequel? Even though this does work fine as a standalone?)
Anyway, I would completely recommend this to anyone looking for a great summer read. It has so much fun, so much girl power, and such excellent relationships. And it’s a road trip book — which might be my favorite trope, ever.
The three girls set off in Jesse’s mom’s car, each with their own secrets and issues to deal with. Vicks’ relationship isn’t quite as perfect as she made it seem, and she hasn’t really heard from her boyfriend since he left. Jesse is keeping her mother’s cancer a secret. And Mel just wants to feel like she belongs somewhere, but she knows she’s really only there because the other girls wanted her to pay.
I really enjoyed this book. The dynamics between the girls were so interesting — they were all so different, and I enjoyed every one of their perspectives. I will admit that I preferred Mel’s point of view to the others in the beginning, but towards the middle I didn’t care who was telling the story. I just wanted to hear more about the girls and their trip!
This book also did a great job at balancing a realistic aspect with a fun, summery read. It does deal with a pretty deep topic — cancer — but it isn’t covered much throughout the book, due to Jesse’s reluctance to talk about it.
That said, and I’m probably being contradictory: I wanted something more. I was so interested in the girls, I could have read so much more about their lives. Maybe this is just a sign of how well-developed they were, but when I reached the end I wanted more. Maybe a bit of a deeper story line. Or maybe just a longer book?
I didn’t hate the ending — in fact, I thought it was a really great place to leave off. At the same time, I would have liked to see more of the girls daily lives, more of their friendship, everything else that happened after the trip. (Maybe what I’m saying is that I wouldn’t mind a sequel? Even though this does work fine as a standalone?)
Anyway, I would completely recommend this to anyone looking for a great summer read. It has so much fun, so much girl power, and such excellent relationships. And it’s a road trip book — which might be my favorite trope, ever.
dariai's review against another edition
2.0
looks like this book took its own advice because it was kinda bad
sarareadsxxx13's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. It was a light summer read about friendship and doing things you are afraid to do. It wasn't unique and incredible but it was light and put me in a good mood. Exactly what I needed.
zoebasson's review against another edition
2.0
“you better live this life of yours while you can - real living, the kind where you can get a little dirt on your halo - ‘cause, babe, not one of us knows how long we got.”
this book was…very 2000s. it wasn’t horrible, or extremely offensive, it just wasn’t at all enjoyable. i really hated both vicks and jesse (her preachiness was unbearable) and tolerated mel. the best part of the book was the romance, and it wasn’t even that great. anyway, i don’t think i’ll be reading more of e. lockhart’s early books because i don’t think i can deal with any more unnecessary slut-shaming after this for a while :)
heyjudy's review against another edition
3.0
~3-3.5/5
Three girls who work at a waffle house together, all at least somewhat tired of their lives, decide to go on a weekend trip together.
There’s Vicks, whose boyfriend has left for college and whom she’s heard very little from since. She doesn’t know what to do about it, and she’s feeling increasingly alone, now being the only kid left at home, even with her best friend keeping things from her. Said best friend, Jesse, is getting more and more stuck up and religious, now that her mother is sick. And then there’s Mel, the rich girl who’s always been the middle child, the tie breaker, forgotten.
I liked Vicks and Mel. Vicks is tough, even as she’s alone and missing her boyfriend. I really liked the end where she finally sees him; they’re kind of adorable. Mel is quiet, more conservative, and I related most to her. She also meets a guy along the way, and I thought they were fun together. Jesse was a little harder to like, being as uptight as she was. She was better by the end, though.
This was a pretty all right book. I liked their journey, and really liked the two romances. The humor was more crude than I like, but that’s just my preference, and I’m sure most people won’t mind as much as I did.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
Three girls who work at a waffle house together, all at least somewhat tired of their lives, decide to go on a weekend trip together.
There’s Vicks, whose boyfriend has left for college and whom she’s heard very little from since. She doesn’t know what to do about it, and she’s feeling increasingly alone, now being the only kid left at home, even with her best friend keeping things from her. Said best friend, Jesse, is getting more and more stuck up and religious, now that her mother is sick. And then there’s Mel, the rich girl who’s always been the middle child, the tie breaker, forgotten.
I liked Vicks and Mel. Vicks is tough, even as she’s alone and missing her boyfriend. I really liked the end where she finally sees him; they’re kind of adorable. Mel is quiet, more conservative, and I related most to her. She also meets a guy along the way, and I thought they were fun together. Jesse was a little harder to like, being as uptight as she was. She was better by the end, though.
This was a pretty all right book. I liked their journey, and really liked the two romances. The humor was more crude than I like, but that’s just my preference, and I’m sure most people won’t mind as much as I did.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]