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A review by yeoroll
Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
3.0
3.5 stars <3
something i liked but also didnt like about this book was that it was depicted characters/life so normal and average, just like an average, everyday person?? something like that, not that much happened and katie was pretty simple. marys influence, though, turned her into a better and bolder version of herself. i enjoyed seeing her accept her sexuality and come out. one thing, though, was that the secret at the end didn’t seemed too big to me. i expected something more?? it shocked me that that was what seemed to hold mary and caroline back and then they finally talked about that moment and everything was fine. caroline pissed me off for the majority of the book with how she seemed to hold back katie from so much and wouldnt listen to mary about her life and why she did all that stuff to caroline. she was also blinded by her connections to pat and such and held resentment towards mary for things that weren’t her fault at all?? like what happened with pat, for example. it was frustrating to watch.. because this book was so normal and kind of mundane/bleak, it bored me at times but then also interested me. i also expected for there to be at least one chapter with caroline’s pov but that happened nowhere in the story… i also wish there was more added onto the whole thing with esme and more follow up, closure, and stuff that occurred after the “confrontation”. i just yearned for more development on that and with jamie and closure for them because jamie and katie were so cute even just as friends :/// he was so sweet and it wouldve been nice to see them become just as friends and remain that way. simona was so swoon-worthy, and i loved her and katie together. part of me wishes there was more to that as well <3 it wouldve been nice to see mary, caroline, and katie’s pov’s split more evenly especially since its about all three of them - the three generations of women with secrets. -like one of the cover versions of this book !! even before reading i expected that - if there were different povs - for there to be three different povs for all of the girls !!! i enjoyed this book, though, but part of me thinks that maybe it was too long with not enough depth on a few things i previously mentioned in this review/rant and that couldve made it a whole better (at least for me and my experience!).
i loved how real and normal this book seems, its not super crazy even though it has its twists and family secrets. it actually really realistic, i guess. like it would actually happen,, like it follows an average person (katie in this aspect) living their life.
final “verdict”: overall, i think i would give this 3.5 stars. it lacked in some things for me, and i really wanted a pov for caroline or further depth into her mind/character (she got on my nerves for most of the book!! - and i was surprised at the big reveal holding her and mary back). i enjoyed how normal/realistic it seemed, like an average person’s life. but i wished there was more time spent on esme and katie’s kiss and closure to that and esme questioning herself (?), simona and katie maybe, and possibly if anything happens with jamie and katie after them splitting.
something i liked but also didnt like about this book was that it was depicted characters/life so normal and average, just like an average, everyday person?? something like that, not that much happened and katie was pretty simple. marys influence, though, turned her into a better and bolder version of herself. i enjoyed seeing her accept her sexuality and come out. one thing, though, was that the secret at the end didn’t seemed too big to me. i expected something more?? it shocked me that that was what seemed to hold mary and caroline back and then they finally talked about that moment and everything was fine. caroline pissed me off for the majority of the book with how she seemed to hold back katie from so much and wouldnt listen to mary about her life and why she did all that stuff to caroline. she was also blinded by her connections to pat and such and held resentment towards mary for things that weren’t her fault at all?? like what happened with pat, for example. it was frustrating to watch.. because this book was so normal and kind of mundane/bleak, it bored me at times but then also interested me. i also expected for there to be at least one chapter with caroline’s pov but that happened nowhere in the story… i also wish there was more added onto the whole thing with esme and more follow up, closure, and stuff that occurred after the “confrontation”. i just yearned for more development on that and with jamie and closure for them because jamie and katie were so cute even just as friends :/// he was so sweet and it wouldve been nice to see them become just as friends and remain that way. simona was so swoon-worthy, and i loved her and katie together. part of me wishes there was more to that as well <3 it wouldve been nice to see mary, caroline, and katie’s pov’s split more evenly especially since its about all three of them - the three generations of women with secrets. -like one of the cover versions of this book !! even before reading i expected that - if there were different povs - for there to be three different povs for all of the girls !!! i enjoyed this book, though, but part of me thinks that maybe it was too long with not enough depth on a few things i previously mentioned in this review/rant and that couldve made it a whole better (at least for me and my experience!).
i loved how real and normal this book seems, its not super crazy even though it has its twists and family secrets. it actually really realistic, i guess. like it would actually happen,, like it follows an average person (katie in this aspect) living their life.
final “verdict”: overall, i think i would give this 3.5 stars. it lacked in some things for me, and i really wanted a pov for caroline or further depth into her mind/character (she got on my nerves for most of the book!! - and i was surprised at the big reveal holding her and mary back). i enjoyed how normal/realistic it seemed, like an average person’s life. but i wished there was more time spent on esme and katie’s kiss and closure to that and esme questioning herself (?), simona and katie maybe, and possibly if anything happens with jamie and katie after them splitting.