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A review by yapxinyi
The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer
2.0
Disclaimer: Read this alongside [b:Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies|25337536|Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies|Laura Stampler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465546651s/25337536.jpg|45074373] which has a similar plotline (magazine writing internship, romance) just to compare how different the authors can take it to, and whether writing styles help. I questioned why this book didn't add excerpts of the main character's writing — the other book did, and it definitely helped flesh out the character's personality. Plus, it added credibility that the main character is a writer.
Decided to pick up YA for a change because I haven't been reading that genre for a while. This disappointed me.
The writing wasn't too shabby. The sentences flowed, I could read on even though I wasn't that interested or invested in the story. But...nothing really sparkled. Nothing wowed me. Reading it didn't make me feel like what reading [b:Carry On|32768522|Carry On (Simon Snow, #1)|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481729252s/32768522.jpg|43346673] did — like diving into a cool water body after a dry spell. I didn't really root for the main character Josie. I didn't particularly like any character. Most of them felt flat, like Angela 'Angel', her sister Kat, even love interest James because they served very straightforward, very basic purposes.
Plot was so-so, nothing remotely groundbreaking, nothing exciting to anticipate, even the love interest was average. Then again, the blurb told me all there was, so what was I expecting? Maybe it's because I've been reading more sci-fi recently (hello [b:Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation|39863330|Broken Stars Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531215722s/39863330.jpg|61659555] by Ken Liu, hello [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415428227s/20518872.jpg|25696480] by Liu Cixin) so I was expecting more sophisticated writing, plot and style.
Anyway, I was disappointed mainly because some reviews (or 'testimonials') prefacing the book shared how it was for readers who loved The Devil Wears Prada and I expected the same level of drama and glamour. Ehh...this was predictable. Fluffy. Popcorn: airy, non-substantial, unfulfilling.
Decided to pick up YA for a change because I haven't been reading that genre for a while. This disappointed me.
The writing wasn't too shabby. The sentences flowed, I could read on even though I wasn't that interested or invested in the story. But...nothing really sparkled. Nothing wowed me. Reading it didn't make me feel like what reading [b:Carry On|32768522|Carry On (Simon Snow, #1)|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481729252s/32768522.jpg|43346673] did — like diving into a cool water body after a dry spell. I didn't really root for the main character Josie. I didn't particularly like any character. Most of them felt flat, like Angela 'Angel', her sister Kat, even love interest James because they served very straightforward, very basic purposes.
Plot was so-so, nothing remotely groundbreaking, nothing exciting to anticipate, even the love interest was average. Then again, the blurb told me all there was, so what was I expecting? Maybe it's because I've been reading more sci-fi recently (hello [b:Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation|39863330|Broken Stars Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation|Ken Liu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531215722s/39863330.jpg|61659555] by Ken Liu, hello [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415428227s/20518872.jpg|25696480] by Liu Cixin) so I was expecting more sophisticated writing, plot and style.
Anyway, I was disappointed mainly because some reviews (or 'testimonials') prefacing the book shared how it was for readers who loved The Devil Wears Prada and I expected the same level of drama and glamour. Ehh...this was predictable. Fluffy. Popcorn: airy, non-substantial, unfulfilling.