Actual Rating: 2.5 MY THOUGHTS I picked this book on a whim. It was available to read andThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Actual Rating: 2.5 MY THOUGHTS I picked this book on a whim. It was available to read and I had liked Cotugo's How to Love, so I decided to go ahead and read this one. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.
Dana and Olivia have been best friends forever. When Olivia wants to go to Orlando to try out for a girl band, Dana tags along for support. But while waiting for Olivia's audition, Dana is called out to audition. She gives a BS performance--after all, Olivia is the performer, not Dana--but then Dana gets the call that she made the group. Olivia made it all well and while it sounds like it will all be fun and games, hanging out with her best friend, Olivia starts to distance herself from Dana. Dana cannot sing as well as the other girls and Olivia makes it known that Olivia should be the star and Dana is "stealing" from here. Also, Dana keeps bumping into Alex, one of the members of a boy band living in the same complex. The problem: Olivia has a crush on Alex. And, to make matters worse, it turns out there may only be room for one girl in the band.
This book is not bad, it's just not the type of book I would normally read. I didn't read the synopsis before picking this book up. If I did I might've decided to pass on it because it just says drama drama drama. I'm also not the biggest fan of books about becoming a celebrity. It could be interesting, but it usually goes in the drama direction. I like books featuring female friendships, but this book was mainly focused on a female friendship being torn about by drama. Drama just stresses me out and I definitely don't need any more stress.
This book takes place in the late '90s and that was one of the things that I thought was done well in this book. A lot of YA books I read that take place in recent decades go overboard on the pop culture references which ends up becoming less believable. Despite the music scene in this book, it wasn't overly peppered with pop culture references which made it easier to get into the setting. While the setting felt real, the plot itself was not very realistic and there wasn't really much to it. Its main plot is Dana, Olivia, and the other girls training for the pop star lifestyle. The scenes just went so quickly and there wasn't really much interest in their lifestyle because a lot of it was hardcore voice lessons, dancing, interviews, etc.
There was a lot of focus on Dana as she was trying to deal with this lifestyle and being called a "product". I do think there were interesting themes here that the book was trying to show. Dana always felt like Olivia was the one for the spotlight and that she would never escape her small town. When Dana had difficulty keeping up with the group, she was ostracized by the others (including Olivia), but Dana kept practicing on her own. I liked her perseverance. We're lead to believe that she has the talent and that she could do things if she sets her mind to it, but this fell flat at points. I want to believe this, but she literally got in for singing "Happy Birthday". She's told that they "saw something in her", but what did they see? Someone giving a BS performance? I honestly don't believe that someone would take in someone with absolutely no training and really did not give a crap because these folks care about money and they have to pay loads of money to train Dana without knowing it will pay off.
As for the romance, I had difficulty with the romance. Dana meets Alex by chance and then shortly after realizes that Alex is Olivia's crush. She keeps saying to herself that she has to stop talking to Alex because of Olvia, but she's not true to that. She even tells Alex that she can't be with him because a friend likes him. Alex thinks that is ridiculous and continues to pursue her after she says no. Yeah, I realize that Alex wants to choose who he likes and yeah, Dana does like Alex, but I did not like how he kept forcing a relationship after Dana kept telling him that she couldn't. It did not seem respectful to me. As I said, I don't like drama and the whole romance thing just seemed to add drama, some of which was entirely avoidable. I also just had difficulty understanding why Dana could not step back from Alex and I just really wanted her and Olivia to actually talk to each other about things!
IN CONCLUSION Overall, this was a meh book for me. I actually think some of these ideas could have been interesting, but the plot just did not feel there at times and there was too much drama. The ending itself also was unsatisfactory and did not make sense (view spoiler)[Dana is going to school at the end but throughout the whole book, she talks about how broke she is. It wasn't really explained how she was able to leave home and go to school. (hide spoiler)]. I may read more from Katie Cotugno in the future but I may be pickier about which books I read by her....more
Short and Simple Review I loved the narrative style of this book!This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
Short and Simple Review I loved the narrative style of this book! It is made up of compiled documents, like interviews and video transcripts, and it made for a compelling mystery! Throughout the book, you never know what is real, or what is to be believed, and the book surprised me on every page. All of the settings were creepy, surreal, and incredibly unique. I did have a hard time connecting to the characters at first because we jump into the story so quickly, but I easily became invested. This book was very close to getting 4 stars, but the ending was very unsatisfying. My questions weren't answered, and I closed the book feeling very confused. Overall, though, I do recommend this book if you're looking for a unique YA horror. I do plan on reading more from this author in the future. In fact, I already have her next YA novel on my TBR....more
Short and Simple Review I was really looking forward to this bookThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
Short and Simple Review I was really looking forward to this book and after reading it I can say that I did like it. There are parts that I am torn about, but this is a great read. I liked that it showed an experience that is not shown in YA very often and Frank's voice was very strong in the book. The writing reminded me of John Green with its use of metaphors. I expected a feel-good book, but this book discusses a lot of more complicated and difficult topics. This surprised me. What I had issues with was mainly the romance. The fake dating aspect of this book was over very quickly, which was disappointing. (view spoiler)[And there is cheating. Yes, I fully expected from the beginning for Frank and Joy to get together, but I am not here for cheating. Their relationship also happened too quickly for me to really believe it, but that might have been purposeful since they do break up in the end. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I did like this book, even though I had some issues. I liked some of the things it discussed and the representation. I will read the next book....more
Short and Simple Review I love Sarah Dessen's books and while I can't mark this one as anThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Short and Simple Review I love Sarah Dessen's books and while I can't mark this one as an all-time favorite, it is certainly high up there! I think Dessen is oftentimes misrepresented as a romance writer and while her books do contain a little romance, her books are focused on the MC, a teenage girl with real problems. Romance is never a focus in her books and if there is ever romance, it is dealt with in a realistic way and comes in the very end of the story. The Rest of the Story is primarily about Emma Saylor and her spending the summer with the half of her family that she never got to know until now. I loved seeing her interact with her "new" family and how close they become in just a couple of weeks. I also loved how the book dealt with the two sides of her life. At home, she is called Emma, but with this "new" family, she is called Saylor. At home, her father and grandmother have more money, but in with this "new" family, she is shown a different side where she works hard. This is true as well with the two sides of the lake, the working class North Lake and the Lake North resort. It was all written incredibly well and I just loved diving back into a new Sarah Dessen book. Overall, this new book did not disappoint....more
MY THOUGHTS This was one of my most anticipated books of the year! I lovThis and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
Actual Rating: 3.5
MY THOUGHTS This was one of my most anticipated books of the year! I loved The Catastrophic History of You and Me and I had been waiting years for another book by Jess Rothenberg! The idea behind this book is also so fascinating! The book is certainly unique and I was engrossed in this book, but the last half of the book felt rushed.
Ana is a Fantasist, one of seven engineered princesses in The Kingdom. She's an android, made to make park goers have a happy time, but she has just been accused of murdering a park worker, Owen. In a non-linear format, Ana tells the reader about the rot in The Kingdom and the growing love she has for her sisters and Owen, a feeling she should not be capable of.
The nonlinear format of this book was really interesting. The book intersperses transcripts from the trial, Ana's interview after the trial, Kingdom advertisements, and the actual story. It kept my interest going because I wanted to know how Ana got to the point where she is accused of murder and it was such a compelling argument too. The first half of the book is fantastic because it builds upon the world of The Kingdom, while in the background we are completely aware of the darkness ahead. I found The Kingdom to be incredibly fascinating and the premise itself is incredible and really innovative. The book creates a highly interactive theme park, a place where dreams come true, but twists it into a land of rot and deceit. To outsiders, it still is a land of wonder, but to Ana, it becomes a prison. It was incredible, and frightening, to see the land transform into this terrifying environment. The imagery and the weaving through these two different ideas was done wonderfully.
Of course, this book also has a sci-fi aspect to it, as the Fantasists are androids. The Kingdom is high in science fiction in itself because there are also other manufactured creatures and environments in the park, but the Fantasists are special. They look human and they look every inch a beautiful princess. People come from all over to greet them, but they are also feared because they are not human. Their goal is to spread joy, but they can't feel joy themselves. At least, that is what Ana is told. The book really tries to question human emotions and whether an android is equal to a human. The whole trial is actually not about whether Ana killed Owen, but it is whether Ana is capable of morals or if she killed Owen out of a malfunction. They're trying to argue that Ana cannot feel, but this book shows us the contrary.
Ana is a unique perspective. She has never been outside The Kingdom so her understanding of the world is also based on what the humans around her tell her (and she's not allowed to talk about the outside with the park guests). In this sense, she acts a lot like a child. She enjoys areas of the park and spending time with her sisters, but she starts to notice that things are off with her sisters. They don't seem as happy and some workers are mistreating them. Ana really grows throughout this book. I don't agree with everything she does, but she certainly grows in her ability to understand what is going on and she carries a strong sense of empathy. It really showed us that she is capable of love, not just romantic love, but she also loves her sisters and the hybrid animals in the park.
As the book got closer to the end it did lose me. Granted, I was still interested, but it felt like elements were rushed. The romance especially was not believable. Owen was not a very developed character and I did not understand his emotions towards Ana. I understand why Ana was quick to love him--In fact, her love for him is similar to love young--but Owen is an adult and there was not enough interaction for me to believe that he was in love with Ana. I could understand a friendship, but not a romantic relationship. It just happened so quickly and then it escalated to the ending. The ending was interesting and I loved the mystery leading up to it, even though I saw some parts of it coming, but it did not make sense. (view spoiler)[They did this whole mess so that Ana could escape The Kingdom? But why is that the first thing that they think of? I know that it is difficult for Ana to escape, but I suspect that there were easier ways and really, so much could have gone wrong! Also, are we supposed to believe that they will now be together forever? Are we forgetting that she is an android and will never physically age? Owen was also too chill about everything which isn't really a good sign (hide spoiler)] I think I just wanted more attention given to the ending.
IN CONCLUSION Overall, I have torn feelings for this book. I love the concept and I think the ideas here are really innovative, but I feel like it lost steam in the latter half of the book and that the romance especially wasn't fully developed. It is a particularly interesting world and it is frightening to think that with innovations in technology we would be able to create a theme park like this. I do hope Jess Rothenberg writes more books in the future....more
Jessica (Goldenfurpro)
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