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ceruleanjen's review against another edition
3.0
Cyd Charisse is far different from any teenage girl you've ever know. After her mother and stepfather ban her from seeing her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, Shrimp, she is sent to New York to stay with her real father for a while. There she will finally get to know her family better and perhaps figure a few things out.
******SPOILERS BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!*****
After I started reading this, I wasn't sure I would like it. Cyd Charisse was definitely different, but she seemed extremely immature, as did her boyfriend, Shrimp. The writing style is a bit hard to enjoy at times because it seems there are a lot of run-ons that made me pause and re-read what I just read again. However, as the story went on, Cyd began to grow on me. I began to understand why she acts the way she does. And suddenly she doesn't seem so immature anymore.
She lives with her mother and step-father, and while her step-father (called Sid-dad) is pretty cool, she doesn't have a close relationship with her mother and barely remembers her father and hasn't met her half-siblings yet. Cyd kind of lives a lonely life because her mother is either too busy with work or obsessing over something to actually see her. Even though Cyd appears to be immature and spoiled, she really does have a good heart. You can see this in the way she thinks about her family, the help, and friends.
Cyd also carries around and talks to a doll her father bought her the last time she saw him, named Gingerbread. Gingerbread is her confidant. I got to where I admired Cyd's naive, unique personality. I really liked her nursing home friend, Sugar Pie (that's an odd name though).
I liked Cyd getting to meet her half-siblings, and finally breaking down one of her deepest darkest secrets to her mother.
All in all, this was an interesting book with different characters. I didn't love it, but I ended up liking this more than I expected. I'll probably check out the next one too, just to see where Cyd's next adventure leads up to!
******SPOILERS BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!*****
After I started reading this, I wasn't sure I would like it. Cyd Charisse was definitely different, but she seemed extremely immature, as did her boyfriend, Shrimp. The writing style is a bit hard to enjoy at times because it seems there are a lot of run-ons that made me pause and re-read what I just read again. However, as the story went on, Cyd began to grow on me. I began to understand why she acts the way she does. And suddenly she doesn't seem so immature anymore.
She lives with her mother and step-father, and while her step-father (called Sid-dad) is pretty cool, she doesn't have a close relationship with her mother and barely remembers her father and hasn't met her half-siblings yet. Cyd kind of lives a lonely life because her mother is either too busy with work or obsessing over something to actually see her. Even though Cyd appears to be immature and spoiled, she really does have a good heart. You can see this in the way she thinks about her family, the help, and friends.
Cyd also carries around and talks to a doll her father bought her the last time she saw him, named Gingerbread. Gingerbread is her confidant. I got to where I admired Cyd's naive, unique personality. I really liked her nursing home friend, Sugar Pie (that's an odd name though).
I liked Cyd getting to meet her half-siblings, and finally breaking down one of her deepest darkest secrets to her mother.
All in all, this was an interesting book with different characters. I didn't love it, but I ended up liking this more than I expected. I'll probably check out the next one too, just to see where Cyd's next adventure leads up to!
alyp01's review against another edition
3.0
This was such an odd book. Cyd is a unique sixteen year old that has a difficult relationship with her mom and acts out for attention. She carries around a doll her birth father gave her when she was little and calls it Gingerbread. She acts like the doll can talk and move and is real and her family pretty much goes along with it. I felt like this was just one of the things about Cyd that screamed "needs a therapist." We learn that she's had an abortion and likes to cut herself, as well as defy her parents for no real reason. It did seem to do her some good to go to New York and meet her half siblings and her bond with her mom strengthened.
The narrator fit the character well, but she was whiny and difficult to listen to. There were good parts in the story, but I will not be reading the other books in the series.
The narrator fit the character well, but she was whiny and difficult to listen to. There were good parts in the story, but I will not be reading the other books in the series.
emmybird86's review against another edition
5.0
I read these books a long time ago and they were so good!! I would read them again!
rakesrogues's review against another edition
3.0
After a plethora of dystopian fiction, I wanted a light refreshing and quick read so I decided to pick up GINGERBREAD. Other than reading a few other Rachel Cohn novels, I had no idea what to expect before I picked this one up.
Initially, Cyd Charisse is one protagonist who makes it very difficult for readers to like her. Cohn’s voice is authentic and shines out amidst other contemporary novels, but Cyd Charisse is a bit whiny and annoying. She’s also difficult to relate to because she is a bit spoiled and childish. Throughout the whole novel, I tried to guess exactly how old Cyd was. Cohn might have mentioned her age in the novel, but I would think that she is around 15 – 16. Cyd also has a tendency for rebellion and it had been only a matter of time before she is shipped off from San Francisco to meet her biological father in New York City.
Since the novel is a bit old for contemporary standards, it could be the reason why I had a rough time getting used to the way Cyd spoke. Is it a west coast thing? Because I don’t think I ever grew up talking the way Cyd did, but maybe that’s just something that is completely unique to her.
There are a handful of secondary characters in GINGERBREAD, and of them all, Danny and and Aaron stood out to me the most. Danny, Cyd’s half-brother, is an excellent cake decorator and co-owner of a little cafe in Greenwich Village with his partner Aaron. The cake part was enough to win me over, but the fact that he and Aaron make the cutest couple made me yearn for more scenes with the two of them!
The novel did not stand out to me until Cyd Charisse got to New York City. There is something about the way Cohn writes about New York City. She captures the city through the eyes of a teenager just right and it makes me want to cross over the Hudson River right at that moment so I could wander through the streets and find a little cafe to read. The writing came alive in the second half of the book.
There are mentions of sex and teen pregnancy in the novel, but there is nothing vulgar or obscene about it. There are no racy scenes so this book will be appropriate for teens of all ages. This novel is recommended to those who love contemporary novels with spunky female leads, fans of Cohn’s novels, and lovers of New York City.
Initially, Cyd Charisse is one protagonist who makes it very difficult for readers to like her. Cohn’s voice is authentic and shines out amidst other contemporary novels, but Cyd Charisse is a bit whiny and annoying. She’s also difficult to relate to because she is a bit spoiled and childish. Throughout the whole novel, I tried to guess exactly how old Cyd was. Cohn might have mentioned her age in the novel, but I would think that she is around 15 – 16. Cyd also has a tendency for rebellion and it had been only a matter of time before she is shipped off from San Francisco to meet her biological father in New York City.
Since the novel is a bit old for contemporary standards, it could be the reason why I had a rough time getting used to the way Cyd spoke. Is it a west coast thing? Because I don’t think I ever grew up talking the way Cyd did, but maybe that’s just something that is completely unique to her.
There are a handful of secondary characters in GINGERBREAD, and of them all, Danny and and Aaron stood out to me the most. Danny, Cyd’s half-brother, is an excellent cake decorator and co-owner of a little cafe in Greenwich Village with his partner Aaron. The cake part was enough to win me over, but the fact that he and Aaron make the cutest couple made me yearn for more scenes with the two of them!
The novel did not stand out to me until Cyd Charisse got to New York City. There is something about the way Cohn writes about New York City. She captures the city through the eyes of a teenager just right and it makes me want to cross over the Hudson River right at that moment so I could wander through the streets and find a little cafe to read. The writing came alive in the second half of the book.
There are mentions of sex and teen pregnancy in the novel, but there is nothing vulgar or obscene about it. There are no racy scenes so this book will be appropriate for teens of all ages. This novel is recommended to those who love contemporary novels with spunky female leads, fans of Cohn’s novels, and lovers of New York City.
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
A little dated, but still pretty solid. Know that there is some frank talk in here about pro choice business (although I think it is handled really well), so when I say high school, I mean high school.
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