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A review by kiwipen
I Kissed Alice by Anna Birch
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I loved and hated this book.
The portrayal of online dating and falling in love with your Internet best friend was done well up until the part they negotiated meeting. The way Alice specifically behaved and emoted almost made me DNF. The scenario of accidentally meeting an Internet friend in real life is one so many have dreamt up. To see her be nonchalant - and call Cheshire clingy for being excited - really upset me.
Additionally, the best friend Sarah induced rage in me during the opening and continuous acts of the book. I despised how the narrative tried to frame her as even remotely sympathetic as she was a terrible friend. The author did a great job portraying terrible childhood friends at least.
I absolutely loved the premise. Iliana is a heroine I loved and related to, Rhodes was a protagonist I struggled to like or even love. She felt cold, emotionless, and detached from her own emotions. That seems to be her character as she doesn't feel her own emotions without others pointing them out, but still. She could have benefited from non explicit forms of emoting like showing how her body felt or what she was doing. I found her cold and callous.
It took me 75% of the way through the book to even get to interesting or exciting sections. The first entire half of the book was boring, the conflict just didn't ramp up fast enough.
The good parts of the book are really good. The chemistry when the characters do feel something - Rhodes seems only passingly capable of sexual and romantic attraction and nothing more - sizzles on the page and is super enticing. The comics are fantastic. The rivalry between the two characters is intense and fascinating.
The bad parts of the book are, unfortunately, really bad. Alice giving Cheshire the silent treatment for a week goes unaddressed. I would expect it to be handwaved in something like a dark or taboo romance, not a teen romance. I get they're emotionally stunted teenagers, though. It just induced some intense anger.
The implications Rhodes had been attracted to Iliana since day one - but was kept as only a minor mention and barely touched on again - was supremely disappointing. It could have given us a glimpse into a more emotional, more complex Rhodes than what we got. Instead, it was mentioned once and hardly lingered or expanded upon.
Additionally, the beginning is slow and a bit hard to get into. I feel like the book stays slow until a good portion of the book is read.
This is one of those books that will ultimately keep me up at night in rage. The premise and good parts make me absolutely love the story. The bad parts made me angry and want to quit. Even now, I am left feeling unsatisfied with the ending. Even with a HEA, I don't feel like everything was resolved nicely.
The portrayal of online dating and falling in love with your Internet best friend was done well up until the part they negotiated meeting. The way Alice specifically behaved and emoted almost made me DNF. The scenario of accidentally meeting an Internet friend in real life is one so many have dreamt up. To see her be nonchalant - and call Cheshire clingy for being excited - really upset me.
Additionally, the best friend Sarah induced rage in me during the opening and continuous acts of the book. I despised how the narrative tried to frame her as even remotely sympathetic as she was a terrible friend. The author did a great job portraying terrible childhood friends at least.
I absolutely loved the premise. Iliana is a heroine I loved and related to, Rhodes was a protagonist I struggled to like or even love. She felt cold, emotionless, and detached from her own emotions. That seems to be her character as she doesn't feel her own emotions without others pointing them out, but still. She could have benefited from non explicit forms of emoting like showing how her body felt or what she was doing. I found her cold and callous.
It took me 75% of the way through the book to even get to interesting or exciting sections. The first entire half of the book was boring, the conflict just didn't ramp up fast enough.
The good parts of the book are really good. The chemistry when the characters do feel something - Rhodes seems only passingly capable of sexual and romantic attraction and nothing more - sizzles on the page and is super enticing. The comics are fantastic. The rivalry between the two characters is intense and fascinating.
The bad parts of the book are, unfortunately, really bad. Alice giving Cheshire the silent treatment for a week goes unaddressed. I would expect it to be handwaved in something like a dark or taboo romance, not a teen romance. I get they're emotionally stunted teenagers, though. It just induced some intense anger.
The implications Rhodes had been attracted to Iliana since day one - but was kept as only a minor mention and barely touched on again - was supremely disappointing. It could have given us a glimpse into a more emotional, more complex Rhodes than what we got. Instead, it was mentioned once and hardly lingered or expanded upon.
Additionally, the beginning is slow and a bit hard to get into. I feel like the book stays slow until a good portion of the book is read.
This is one of those books that will ultimately keep me up at night in rage. The premise and good parts make me absolutely love the story. The bad parts made me angry and want to quit. Even now, I am left feeling unsatisfied with the ending. Even with a HEA, I don't feel like everything was resolved nicely.