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aly_13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Easy, breezy, summer read
noorhan4455's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
halynah's review against another edition
4.0
Nice, emotional book about great friendship between two wonderful girls. The book is about difficulties between parents and children, hesitation about what choice is right or wrong in romantic relationships, defining what you want and what you deserve. It's a must-read for teenagers and their parents. I took away one star, because the ending was somewhat incomplete.
kaleyamo's review against another edition
3.0
I'll start this by saying Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. I've read almost everything she has written, but the few I haven't read are what I'm going to refer to as "the old stuff" (a.k.a. written before 2000).
I hadn't read this until now because I had seen How to Deal, which is based off of this and another Dessen book, so I decided "nah, I don't need to read this." But I finally decided to give it a shot.
It certainly wasn't terrible. But it also certainly wasn't the same "Dessen" story feel I love. I come to Dessen for the eventual love story. (I mean, my least favorite Dessen novel is [b:Dreamland|4325|Dreamland|Sarah Dessen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385861832s/4325.jpg|7995], so that will tell you right there.)
But this love story was very unsatisfying. Macon was a total jerk. (In this aspect I definitely prefer the movie...he had jerk-like qualities but also some redeeming qualities.)
I mean, I know this is more a story about friendship....but
3/5 stars
I hadn't read this until now because I had seen How to Deal, which is based off of this and another Dessen book, so I decided "nah, I don't need to read this." But I finally decided to give it a shot.
It certainly wasn't terrible. But it also certainly wasn't the same "Dessen" story feel I love. I come to Dessen for the eventual love story. (I mean, my least favorite Dessen novel is [b:Dreamland|4325|Dreamland|Sarah Dessen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385861832s/4325.jpg|7995], so that will tell you right there.)
But this love story was very unsatisfying. Macon was a total jerk. (In this aspect I definitely prefer the movie...he had jerk-like qualities but also some redeeming qualities.)
I mean, I know this is more a story about friendship....but
Spoiler
man, why can't we have a beautiful friendship story AND a satisfying love story??3/5 stars
abaugher's review against another edition
3.0
once again, Desen's central character has a rather interfering, domineering mother. the main character herself, Haley, has some life experiences that seem a bit too scripted and almost didactical, like when her mother warns her about her new boyfriend, and then he ends up being just like she said. i know it's possible for that to happen, but i guess i would have wanted a story that wouldn't have been so obvious in its lesson. but maybe that's just me.
cats_books_coco's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a beautiful story about friendship. It does have teenage pregnancy in it. If you have an issue with that you may want to skip it.
wishfulfillment's review against another edition
4.0
More like a 3.75 but still very high!
Why you might bump this up on your TBR: Teenage pregnancy, (teenage) sex, mother/daughter relationships, and female friendships are portrayed well. Dessen's writing style is engaging and enjoyable because she puts in a lot of detail to make the characters and their stories very believable.
(I've heard that a lot of her books contain fat phobia, but I didn't see any here.)
Why you might bump this up on your TBR: Teenage pregnancy, (teenage) sex, mother/daughter relationships, and female friendships are portrayed well. Dessen's writing style is engaging and enjoyable because she puts in a lot of detail to make the characters and their stories very believable.
(I've heard that a lot of her books contain fat phobia, but I didn't see any here.)
cboooots's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ell_jay_em7's review against another edition
2.0
Macon Faulkner sucks. Halley's mom sucks. Scarlett seems cool. Halley is...okay.
I listened to this on audio just to have something to listen to as I tried to go to sleep at night (because insomnia!). I've ready many Sarah Dessen books, and may have read this in high school, but I don't recall. It seemed mostly unfamiliar to me. Overall I enjoyed it. It was funny; many moments made me chuckle. If my memory of her other books serves, I can say that this is not her best work.
I found it odd that it took place in a small town, yet many of Halley's classmates were described as if they were strangers (wouldn't you know their names at least)? That's one example of how it doesn't quite hold together in all ways. On the other hand, the book contains a decent early portrait of The F*ckboy, and what it's like to fall in love with someone who's a lowkey/highkey jerk and can't/won't get their act together.
As stated, I listened to the audio book, and overall I was not thrilled with the acting or voice choices.
Finally, I hated the ending (spoiler below this point!).
After Scarlett has her baby, Halley goes out to the hospital waiting room and finds her entire class in their prom outfits and all of Scarlett's Mom's boyfriend's friends (that's a mouthful!), who are dressed in medieval garb. I think this was supposed to be funny and heartwarming, but it made me ragey, for a couple reasons. First, these people don't give a sh*t about Scarlett and have done nothing to support her during her unexpected pregnancy. In fact, some of the teens in the waiting room have BULLIED Scarlett and Halley at worst or just not given a flying f*ck at best. Second, there is mention earlier in the book of other teen pregnancies happening in this town. I doubt there was any such random and whole-hearted show of support at those births. Those teen parents were probably socially shunned both before and after the birth. So it feels crappy to me that for Scarlett, everyone suddenly shows overwhelming support at the final hour. In fact, rather than support, it feels like voyeurism and egotism: they wall want a piece of the excitement. That's not heartwarming.
I listened to this on audio just to have something to listen to as I tried to go to sleep at night (because insomnia!). I've ready many Sarah Dessen books, and may have read this in high school, but I don't recall. It seemed mostly unfamiliar to me. Overall I enjoyed it. It was funny; many moments made me chuckle. If my memory of her other books serves, I can say that this is not her best work.
I found it odd that it took place in a small town, yet many of Halley's classmates were described as if they were strangers (wouldn't you know their names at least)? That's one example of how it doesn't quite hold together in all ways. On the other hand, the book contains a decent early portrait of The F*ckboy, and what it's like to fall in love with someone who's a lowkey/highkey jerk and can't/won't get their act together.
As stated, I listened to the audio book, and overall I was not thrilled with the acting or voice choices.
Finally, I hated the ending (spoiler below this point!).
After Scarlett has her baby, Halley goes out to the hospital waiting room and finds her entire class in their prom outfits and all of Scarlett's Mom's boyfriend's friends (that's a mouthful!), who are dressed in medieval garb. I think this was supposed to be funny and heartwarming, but it made me ragey, for a couple reasons. First, these people don't give a sh*t about Scarlett and have done nothing to support her during her unexpected pregnancy. In fact, some of the teens in the waiting room have BULLIED Scarlett and Halley at worst or just not given a flying f*ck at best. Second, there is mention earlier in the book of other teen pregnancies happening in this town. I doubt there was any such random and whole-hearted show of support at those births. Those teen parents were probably socially shunned both before and after the birth. So it feels crappy to me that for Scarlett, everyone suddenly shows overwhelming support at the final hour. In fact, rather than support, it feels like voyeurism and egotism: they wall want a piece of the excitement. That's not heartwarming.
lookatjimmy's review against another edition
3.0
I expected some slight differences as my first sort of experience with this book as the movie “How to Deal” (which combines this book with the precious “That Summer”), so while I’m sad Macon wasn’t all I wanted/dreamed him to be, I’m glad this didn’t end with Halley forgiving him for being a super-shitty person and them ending up together. It’s nice to see endings where the girl doesn’t end up with the boy because she realizes she deserves better.