Author: Hannah Moscowitz, Kat Helgeson
Genre: Young adult, contemporary
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: May 17, 2016
287 pages, hardcover
Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads.
I’m just not sure what to make of this book. I have really mixed feelings. It was a quick read, so that was good.
I was so invested in this book. For the first half or so. Then there’s a major event, and I felt the transition from the first half to the second was really awkward and not well done in my opinion. I wanted to stay invested because I really liked these nerdy, adorable, smart characters in the beginning. The book went from being really cute to being REALLY serious and dark practically out of nowhere. I think the dark stuff was important too, but the transition was so hard and quick that it could’ve given you whiplash.
I also think that the book was marketed as something that it definitely wasn’t. In my opinion, they made it seem like it would be this epic, adorable LGBTQIAP+ book and while it does hint at that a little bit, the overall story is very heteronormative, especially in the end. SPOILER: The authors had a real opportunity here with how they set up these characters to work with their sexuality, but nothing happens with it. It ended up just being really confusing and weird.
You guys know how much I love books that are made of alternative storytelling methods, and this one has it all – blog posts, texts, emails, fan fiction, and there’s not a single page that has a normal page of text. I loved that format. I also loved the fandom stuff and the fact that they become friends online and then friends IRL.
The bottom line: A cute, fluffy read in the beginning all about fandom and online friends that turns into a dark, serious read very quickly. I liked it overall, but there were some disappointing factors.
Rating: 5 – take it or leave it
NOTE: I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Chronicle Books for letting me read this!
This is one of those books that sounded amazing at first, but the more I read reviews about it, it kind of seems…meh. Seems like it has more issues than it doesn’t. It does sound like it COULD be good…but probably one that I’ll either get at the library if I can find it or wait until I can get it on Book Outlet.
I checked mine out from the library! I’m glad I didn’t buy it. That was exactly it – it COULD have been really good, but it wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.
I have heard so many mixed reviews about this one. Most people didn’t love it as much as they thought they would and that’s disappointing since I had such high hopes for it. Oh well. Great review.
Thanks for reading! I was definitely disappointed, but if you’re interested, you should still check it out! Maybe you’ll feel differently.
I have been wondering about this book just yesterday! It sounds really interesting and I like unconventional storytelling methods, but I’m not sure it will make up for the negative aspects of the story. Great review! I will be keeping this one on hold for now.
I’ll definitely be interested to see what you think if you do eventually read it.
I’ve heard mixed things about this one. The main thing I heard is that the transition is awkward, like you said but I’m glad you liked it nonetheless!
xoxo,
~Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles
The transition is SO awkward. It throws you out of the story.