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gabs_myfullbookshelf 's review for:
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson
2.5 stars
It's not that The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a bad book...there were parts I liked. It's a book that had a lot of potential; if there had been just a few things tweaked, I think I would have really enjoyed it. Honestly, five years ago this would have been an instant favorite of mine. But, alas, I have aged. Now I am cynical and borderline overcritical of my books, and I don't want everything to be so apparent, dammit!
Reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox brought to mind a simile I once heard someone use. (Rather than being book related, she was describing problems her ex-boyfriend had, but it's still applicable, okay!?) It was like on a pre-school cartoon, maybe Dora the Explorer, when Dora is staring out of the tv at the three-year-old watching, and calmly asking if they can point out where Swiper is, even though he's just to the left of Dora, and if the bish would just look she would obviously see him. Jenna Fox is Dora. Swiper is the in-your-face plot twist. And I am the three-year-old who is done with this.
Things were brought up seemingly randomly, and when that happens you KNOW it's going to play a role later. Why include a detail about how bio-gel works and that, oh yeah, your father started that company btw, if none of that matters in the long run? There would be no reason to. Even character interactions, in a way, betrayed plot twists.
Another thing I disliked is the romance. It isn't necessary. It really doesn't matter to the overall story. I say this so much in young adult that sometimes I feel like I should stop, but you know what? It's not my fault. It's the genre's. So Imma keep complaining about it. Because unless your romance brings something new or underrepresented to the table, I don't want the cookie cutter "we talked twice, they're cute, I have a crush, I'm a teenager who is going through a time where hormones are raging so I am very passionate about this relationship and think we must be Soulmates with a capital S, and rather than the author showing that no, not every teenage relationships are going to last, and in fact statistically, many if not most are unhealthy in some way, i was right we are soulmates lmao". Can you tell I'm bitter?
Aside from the unexceptional quality of the romance between Ethan and Jenna, I hated that Jenna was so rash when it came to him. You don't know that much about him in the grand scheme of things! You don't know if he'll betray you! I'm thinking of one example in particular, but I don't want to spoil anything, so I have to be hush-hush.
I've ragged on this book for the whole review, but the truth is I didn't hate it. I actually really enjoy Mary Pearson's writing style. It's to the point, direct, but it manages to get the point across and not sound choppy or oversimplified. It's a style of writing that I think is very Young Adult in that many of the books I've read with similar styles have also been in the genre, and I know others may not like it as much, but I do.
Plus, the ending was satisfying. I mean, not totally satisfying. There was one thing I would have changed. But other than that, I liked the little wrap up. That being said, I have no idea why this is a trilogy. It seems with the ending this book got they should have let well enough alone and kept Jenna Fox as a standalone. But who I am I to judge. I probably won't read the sequel anyway.
I think this could have been a very 'makes you think' sort of book. It almost was. It brought up some good questions about the ethics of Jenna Fox's world that she lived in, but it brought itself down with the standard YA fare such as the unvaried romance plot. Jenna Fox taking so long to figure everything out also detracted from the potential powerful quality of such a story. I was left feeling disappointed and slightly cheated of a great story. In short, this book could have been great. It missed the mark, sadly.
It's not that The Adoration of Jenna Fox was a bad book...there were parts I liked. It's a book that had a lot of potential; if there had been just a few things tweaked, I think I would have really enjoyed it. Honestly, five years ago this would have been an instant favorite of mine. But, alas, I have aged. Now I am cynical and borderline overcritical of my books, and I don't want everything to be so apparent, dammit!
Reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox brought to mind a simile I once heard someone use. (Rather than being book related, she was describing problems her ex-boyfriend had, but it's still applicable, okay!?) It was like on a pre-school cartoon, maybe Dora the Explorer, when Dora is staring out of the tv at the three-year-old watching, and calmly asking if they can point out where Swiper is, even though he's just to the left of Dora, and if the bish would just look she would obviously see him. Jenna Fox is Dora. Swiper is the in-your-face plot twist. And I am the three-year-old who is done with this.
Things were brought up seemingly randomly, and when that happens you KNOW it's going to play a role later. Why include a detail about how bio-gel works and that, oh yeah, your father started that company btw, if none of that matters in the long run? There would be no reason to. Even character interactions, in a way, betrayed plot twists.
Another thing I disliked is the romance. It isn't necessary. It really doesn't matter to the overall story. I say this so much in young adult that sometimes I feel like I should stop, but you know what? It's not my fault. It's the genre's. So Imma keep complaining about it. Because unless your romance brings something new or underrepresented to the table, I don't want the cookie cutter "we talked twice, they're cute, I have a crush, I'm a teenager who is going through a time where hormones are raging so I am very passionate about this relationship and think we must be Soulmates with a capital S, and rather than the author showing that no, not every teenage relationships are going to last, and in fact statistically, many if not most are unhealthy in some way, i was right we are soulmates lmao". Can you tell I'm bitter?
Aside from the unexceptional quality of the romance between Ethan and Jenna, I hated that Jenna was so rash when it came to him. You don't know that much about him in the grand scheme of things! You don't know if he'll betray you! I'm thinking of one example in particular, but I don't want to spoil anything, so I have to be hush-hush.
I've ragged on this book for the whole review, but the truth is I didn't hate it. I actually really enjoy Mary Pearson's writing style. It's to the point, direct, but it manages to get the point across and not sound choppy or oversimplified. It's a style of writing that I think is very Young Adult in that many of the books I've read with similar styles have also been in the genre, and I know others may not like it as much, but I do.
Plus, the ending was satisfying. I mean, not totally satisfying. There was one thing I would have changed.
Spoiler
Ethan. Really. She married Ethan.I think this could have been a very 'makes you think' sort of book. It almost was. It brought up some good questions about the ethics of Jenna Fox's world that she lived in, but it brought itself down with the standard YA fare such as the unvaried romance plot. Jenna Fox taking so long to figure everything out also detracted from the potential powerful quality of such a story. I was left feeling disappointed and slightly cheated of a great story. In short, this book could have been great. It missed the mark, sadly.