Reviews

Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn

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sdeniz's review against another edition

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2.0

It started off really well and I really enjoyed it. Then in the end or a little after the middle it got boring.

williamsdebbied's review against another edition

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4.0

Cyd Charisse, named after a famous dancer/actress, was born after her mother had an affair with an older, married man. Cyd has only met her bio-dad once, when they were briefly introduced and he gave a rag doll that she named Gingerbread.

Cyd Charisse has just been kicked out of a fancy boarding school after being caught in bed with her preppy, from-a-respectable-family boyfriend (who also happened to be a drug dealer). She is back home in San Francisco with her mom, her stepdad, and her younger brother and sister. She has a new boyfriend, Shrimp, a surfer dude who who mom can't stand and will only refer to as "that boy."

Her only friend is an old lady who lives in a nursing home. Sugar Pie reads tarot cards and gives Cyd excellent advice.

After being caught having a sleepover with Shrimp, Cyd's mom grounds her and Shrimp breaks up with her. The whole family is miserable with her moping and stomping around the house, so Cyd is sent to visit her bio-dad in New York.

Cyd's bio-dad is not the hero she fantasized about, but she does get to know him and his son and daughter (more half-sibs for Cyd). Cyd realizes that no family is perfect and learns to be a better person.

milla_k's review against another edition

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5.0

Don't take this one too seriously;). I found it to be pretty enjoyable, if a bit cliche. The characters are mostly cookie cutter angsty, and the plot pretty predictable, but it's well written and shows a lot of promise for the author. I read it in one sitting, and I'll probably get around to reading its sequels along the line somewhere. If you want some light YA lit to relax to, read Gingerbread. I doubt you'll regret it.

emmybird86's review against another edition

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5.0

I read these books a long time ago and they were so good!! I would read them again!

bookishlylori's review

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3.0

Gingerbread is the first book in a trilogy about Cyd Charisse, a spunky teenager from San Francisco learning about herself, resolving past hurts, and finding her family.

This is a light YA on the surface, but definitely has moments of hidden depth that i think will only grow with our main character throughout the series. If you are a more character-driven reader, this will work out better for you as the plot wasn’t really anything remarkable. However, the characters have so much heart and personality, you can’t help but love them.

For being published in the early 2000’s, it holds up pretty well to today’s standards for YA, but still provides a bit of teenage nostalgia that I’m seeing more and more as unique to Cohn’s writing.

alexislynae's review against another edition

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3.0

The book was okay, but I had higher hopes. I have spent so long listening to people who love this book and when I finally wrapped my hands around it I was met with disappointment. Cyd was okay, I wish she had been a bit more damaged over her abortion, and I don't think that she is the type to attract surfer boys. I was happy when she met her brother, but that just was not believable for me. She reminded me a lot of Raven from the Vampire Kisses books, but Raven was not subject to so much complaining. Maybe I would have loved this book at a different time, but if so , that time has passed.