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A review by pragreads
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
2.0
This books contains parental abuse and homophobia; while the main character condones neither, both remain mostly unchallenged. This was an absolute shitshow.
1. ZORIE'S DAD IS A HOMOPHOBIC, CONTROLLING LIAR WITH ANGER ISSUES WHO PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED A MINOR, BLACKMAILED HIM & REPEATEDLY THREATENED HIM. He's never actively called out on any of these things; the only reason he's villainized in the last chapter is because it's revealed he'd been having multiple affairs. He tells Zorie she isn't 'allowed to see her best friend (Lennon)' or he'll call the cops on him. He monitors her phone to make sure he doesn't text her (behind her back). He convinces her that Lennon ditched her because he's a douchebag rather than telling her Lennon's dad tried to commit suicide and that he was in the hospital with him. To top it all off, all his hatred for Lennon stems from the fact that he has two moms, who he calls "dyke heathens". (These are his neighbors, with whom his wife and daughter have an extremely close relationship. Riiiiiight.)
2. The romance was...................... Not Great. Listen, buddy, I love best friends to enemies to lovers. I even loved Zorie and Lennon together up to a point. But there is a line that separates cute from gross & trying to hard, and this book crossed it. ZORIE WANTED TO HAVE SEX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST DURING A FUCKING STORM SO SHE LIED TO HER FRIEND, TEACHER AS WELL AS HER MOTHER WHO THOUGHT SHE WAS LOST OR DEAD SOMEWHERE.
3. There are no boundaries or concept of consent?? While I understand they've been best friends for a long time, that's really not an excuse for SPYING THROUGH SOMEONE'S BEDROOM WINDOW WITH A TELESCOPE WHILE HE'S NAKED or KISSING SOMEONE HARD IN THE MIDDLE OF HAVING AN ARGUMENT (AND NOT STOPPING/ PULLING BACK/ ASKING FOR CONSENT). Also, this is how Zorie describes kissing Lennon:
4. Every character except for the protagonist feel like 2D cut outs. Everyone exists purely to further or hinder Zorie's development. Reagan did something to upset Zorie? No worries, Zorie'll just scream at her, and then forget she exists. (This is her "best friend", by the way.) Avani, Brett & Summer? Why should they have personalities when they can just conveniently exist to provide angst and drama and them disappear?
// 1.5 stars (rounded up because i love mac & sunny)
1. ZORIE'S DAD IS A HOMOPHOBIC, CONTROLLING LIAR WITH ANGER ISSUES WHO PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED A MINOR, BLACKMAILED HIM & REPEATEDLY THREATENED HIM. He's never actively called out on any of these things; the only reason he's villainized in the last chapter is because it's revealed he'd been having multiple affairs. He tells Zorie she isn't 'allowed to see her best friend (Lennon)' or he'll call the cops on him. He monitors her phone to make sure he doesn't text her (behind her back). He convinces her that Lennon ditched her because he's a douchebag rather than telling her Lennon's dad tried to commit suicide and that he was in the hospital with him. To top it all off, all his hatred for Lennon stems from the fact that he has two moms, who he calls "dyke heathens". (These are his neighbors, with whom his wife and daughter have an extremely close relationship. Riiiiiight.)
2. The romance was...................... Not Great. Listen, buddy, I love best friends to enemies to lovers. I even loved Zorie and Lennon together up to a point. But there is a line that separates cute from gross & trying to hard, and this book crossed it. ZORIE WANTED TO HAVE SEX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST DURING A FUCKING STORM SO SHE LIED TO HER FRIEND, TEACHER AS WELL AS HER MOTHER WHO THOUGHT SHE WAS LOST OR DEAD SOMEWHERE.
For the first time, it really hits me that if Lennon and I hadn't stayed in the sequoia grove that second night, no one would have worries that we were missing, and we may not have set off the chain of events that led to all of this.OH BOY. Then there's also this, which creeped me the hell out but Zorie apparently found flattering:
The important thing is I don't have any regrets.
"You wanted to kiss me when we were fourteen?"
"I wanted to do lots of things to you when we were fourteen. [..] By the time you kissed me, I'd built a Zorie vault of sexual fantasies bigger than Fort Knox."
3. There are no boundaries or concept of consent?? While I understand they've been best friends for a long time, that's really not an excuse for SPYING THROUGH SOMEONE'S BEDROOM WINDOW WITH A TELESCOPE WHILE HE'S NAKED or KISSING SOMEONE HARD IN THE MIDDLE OF HAVING AN ARGUMENT (AND NOT STOPPING/ PULLING BACK/ ASKING FOR CONSENT). Also, this is how Zorie describes kissing Lennon:
I'm sth the mercy of my body- which likes his body quite a lot and desperately wants to drop to the ground and let Lennon have his wicked way with me, right here in front of God's Voice. I absolutely would, too. In this moment, I'm a trollop. An unrepentant floozy.:))))
4. Every character except for the protagonist feel like 2D cut outs. Everyone exists purely to further or hinder Zorie's development. Reagan did something to upset Zorie? No worries, Zorie'll just scream at her, and then forget she exists. (This is her "best friend", by the way.) Avani, Brett & Summer? Why should they have personalities when they can just conveniently exist to provide angst and drama and them disappear?
// 1.5 stars (rounded up because i love mac & sunny)