Scan barcode
A review by rheam1224
Girl Crushed by Katie Heaney
2.0
Short review (I promise):
I'll be honest, I only read this to fulfill my own story concept purposes as this one and my idea overlap slightly. I wanted to see how this panned out and how I understood my own story in comparison.
Ultimately, this won't be a fair review so please ignore if you want something more neutral.
The story itself is quite alright. It is a high-school story, with a complicated story about love (not a love story, traditionally-speaking) and a dash of coming-of-age. I liked the aspect of Quinn's arc being about moving forward and not looking so far ahead into the future that one loses sight of what's in the present. That's a valuable message. The supporting cast are quite alright - though they felt very flat over all, despite some sprinkles of characteristics about them.
I don't have a favorite character technically, but I didn't dislike/hate anyone either. Quinn did grind my gears at times because of how her overthinking would get to her. At times, I understood, but others? I don't really get why she would not communicate? I don't know...it didn't feel right...
I did notice when other reviews mentioned the "biphobia" in this book. As a bisexual person myself, I cannot really condemn nor praise the hell out of this book on its "bisexual representation" because it's not a book outlining that aspect? I liked that Ruby Ocampo was bisexual. I liked that she even said it explicitly. But that's ultimately it? She felt v manic pixie dream girl (which I'm assuming also carries that bisexual trait around in tropes) and for Quinn to like her the way she did, I don't know. It felt odd, esp knowing that Ruby was ultimately going to be the catalyst for Quinn to realize that maybe she needs to get her shit together?
Somehow throughout the book, it felt predictable in a way that didn't make me feel comforted like knowing a story would end well with a message that made sense to me. I didn't resonate very well with the characters, nor with the story as a whole. It took me a hot minute to figure out that the story takes place in California, my own home state. Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook but even if I had the physical copy, I still wouldn't connect to it.
This isn't to bash the book; like I said, it is quite alright. My rating is from my own odd disappointment of comparison. I guess I was expecting more nuance? But that's usually how I am. Don't let my odd expectations steer you.
I guess you could say that I am a girl, crushed. *sigh*
I'll be honest, I only read this to fulfill my own story concept purposes as this one and my idea overlap slightly. I wanted to see how this panned out and how I understood my own story in comparison.
Ultimately, this won't be a fair review so please ignore if you want something more neutral.
The story itself is quite alright. It is a high-school story, with a complicated story about love (not a love story, traditionally-speaking) and a dash of coming-of-age. I liked the aspect of Quinn's arc being about moving forward and not looking so far ahead into the future that one loses sight of what's in the present. That's a valuable message. The supporting cast are quite alright - though they felt very flat over all, despite some sprinkles of characteristics about them.
I don't have a favorite character technically, but I didn't dislike/hate anyone either. Quinn did grind my gears at times because of how her overthinking would get to her. At times, I understood, but others? I don't really get why she would not communicate? I don't know...it didn't feel right...
I did notice when other reviews mentioned the "biphobia" in this book. As a bisexual person myself, I cannot really condemn nor praise the hell out of this book on its "bisexual representation" because it's not a book outlining that aspect? I liked that Ruby Ocampo was bisexual. I liked that she even said it explicitly. But that's ultimately it? She felt v manic pixie dream girl (which I'm assuming also carries that bisexual trait around in tropes) and for Quinn to like her the way she did, I don't know. It felt odd, esp knowing that Ruby was ultimately going to be the catalyst for Quinn to realize that maybe she needs to get her shit together?
Somehow throughout the book, it felt predictable in a way that didn't make me feel comforted like knowing a story would end well with a message that made sense to me. I didn't resonate very well with the characters, nor with the story as a whole. It took me a hot minute to figure out that the story takes place in California, my own home state. Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook but even if I had the physical copy, I still wouldn't connect to it.
This isn't to bash the book; like I said, it is quite alright. My rating is from my own odd disappointment of comparison. I guess I was expecting more nuance? But that's usually how I am. Don't let my odd expectations steer you.
I guess you could say that I am a girl, crushed. *sigh*