iggy_mans's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hardcover_hazel's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"Real love does change you. It moulds you. It burns your heart into a charred cinder that relights like a phoenix, stronger and more blazing than ever."
I knew this book didn't have a happy ending and I've been going through a breakup, so I didn't want a happy love story. I wanted a story that would make me cry and I got that plus some comfort.
This, albeit very YA novel was Holly Bourne's first and I love her as an author. Her writing is strongly feminist, and usually includes some mental health representation which I feel should be mentioned more in books.
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book. Soulmates are real, but not what you expect.
This is a love story to end the world.
I knew this book didn't have a happy ending and I've been going through a breakup, so I didn't want a happy love story. I wanted a story that would make me cry and I got that plus some comfort.
This, albeit very YA novel was Holly Bourne's first and I love her as an author. Her writing is strongly feminist, and usually includes some mental health representation which I feel should be mentioned more in books.
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book. Soulmates are real, but not what you expect.
This is a love story to end the world.
paperbackbri's review
1.0
DNF At 266 pages. I disliked this SO MUCH I just couldn’t bring myself to continue.
gingerlaura's review against another edition
3.0
Very weak 3 stars.
If I'm being honest, this book wasn't any good. The characters were flat and very stereotypical (we have one bitch friend that only has sex and no more personality, the love interest is the guitarist in a band, Frank the jock, etc.), contradictory (Poppy is portrayed as a feminist but doesn't stand up for herself to her own bitch friend) and quite childish for their age (I've never seen 17 year olds go slegding). Then the plot... Oh boy. There was barely any plot to begin with, it's just Noah and Poppy kissing every age or so. The way the whole natural disasters are explained was weak and it didn't make any sense to be fair. Also really disliked the ending, it seems incredibly rushed and it just left me feeling unsatisfied. I wasn't even sad at the ending, more like disappointed.
Then why give this book 3 stars still?
I think it's mostly because it's a book in the genre that's my guilty pleasure. I love insta love tropes, and then soulmates? Even better. And I did read this book in less than 24 hours, it was quite the page turner somehow. So yeah. If you're looking for a book that's not too serious then this one could be for you, just don't expect too much from this book.
If I'm being honest, this book wasn't any good. The characters were flat and very stereotypical (we have one bitch friend that only has sex and no more personality, the love interest is the guitarist in a band, Frank the jock, etc.), contradictory (Poppy is portrayed as a feminist but doesn't stand up for herself to her own bitch friend) and quite childish for their age (I've never seen 17 year olds go slegding). Then the plot... Oh boy. There was barely any plot to begin with, it's just Noah and Poppy kissing every age or so. The way the whole natural disasters are explained was weak and it didn't make any sense to be fair. Also really disliked the ending, it seems incredibly rushed and it just left me feeling unsatisfied. I wasn't even sad at the ending, more like disappointed.
Then why give this book 3 stars still?
I think it's mostly because it's a book in the genre that's my guilty pleasure. I love insta love tropes, and then soulmates? Even better. And I did read this book in less than 24 hours, it was quite the page turner somehow. So yeah. If you're looking for a book that's not too serious then this one could be for you, just don't expect too much from this book.
juliette_d_03's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
jang's review
1.0
I read this book because I became a fan of Holly Bourne's writing after reading The Manifesto on How to be Interesting, and it was said in that book that Soulmate was critically-acclaimed no matter how cringy that title was. Now I'm low key regretting why I even bothered tbh. I'm just glad it bumped up my reading progress for the reading challenge HAHAHAHA.
What initially annoyed me about this book was really the characterization. This main character named Poppy Lawson hated cliché so much and she tried to sneer at everything that was remotely cliché-y around her. And then her life became the biggest fucking cliché. Plain and anti-cliche white feminist Poppy Lawson suddenly felt a huge earth-shattering pull towards the brooding hot guitarist of a band (cliché) named Noah. They were soulmates alright (cliché), which was the reason why the elements were going nutso each time they tried to suck face or became handsy. They never got to the sex part because apparently that was the trigger warning for the apocalypse.
That kind of plot would have been bearable, IF Poppy (or the author's writing really) wasn't always whining about hating cliché and being afraid that her life would become this huge cliché (cliché). Istg it was so annoying how many times the word cliché was mentioned. The story of these star-crossed lovers was painfully the biggest cliché in YA that's why Holly Bourne should have been nicer towards that word.
I hated how the book also took a ton of swipe towards Twilight (cliché) and other obvious start crossed-themed classics like Rome and Juliet and Wuthering Heights. Ok so maybe I was being a bit biased because I enjoyed Twilight and I low key worshipped it throughout my college life. But seriously, I just couldn't stand reading all those jabs about how Twilight has an unbearable plotline save for the sparkly male lead (cliché) and how it wasn't feminist and shit. That was really low for an author of a YA book imho. If it weren't for Twilight, an immensely clichéd and unoriginal book like this wouldn't have been born. If it weren't for Twilight's "clichéd" love story, books like this wouldn't have found a niche in the YA industry. And seeing how this book was published after the Twilight mania, a book like this wouldn't have attracted readers if it didn't follow the same premise as Twilight or used the same formula. That was really just low and dumb and stupid. I was disappointed tbh. I would read Twilight a thousand times over this big pile of cliché any day.
Lastly, what really really made me rage and hate this book was that dig towards Filipinos. There was a line in this book from the villain Anita that said something along the lines of "Rich Americans would likely end up with Poor Filipino Farmers if all soulmates would end up together or something." Ok maybe I'm taking it a bit too personally again but when you're an author, isn't it necessary to reach a diverse audience as much as possible? I may be wrong but that really struck me as something that was a bit racist and arrogant to say. As a writer, it's important to connect to your readers of different races and to avoid being polarizing. Surely, Filipinos could be described better than just poor farmers, right? It sucks so much to read something like that especially after I applauded the author for her writing in Manifesto.
I guess I should just close this rant-filled review by telling readers that if you're just like the protagonist of this book who's so anti-cliche she has become the biggest and stupidest cliché in YA, then don't even bother with this book. Also, and again, regarding the Twilight jabs, marginalizing the kind of love that teenagers have is not a cool thing to do even for a YA that tries so freaking hard (and fails).
What initially annoyed me about this book was really the characterization. This main character named Poppy Lawson hated cliché so much and she tried to sneer at everything that was remotely cliché-y around her. And then her life became the biggest fucking cliché. Plain and anti-cliche white feminist Poppy Lawson suddenly felt a huge earth-shattering pull towards the brooding hot guitarist of a band (cliché) named Noah. They were soulmates alright (cliché), which was the reason why the elements were going nutso each time they tried to suck face or became handsy. They never got to the sex part because apparently that was the trigger warning for the apocalypse.
That kind of plot would have been bearable, IF Poppy (or the author's writing really) wasn't always whining about hating cliché and being afraid that her life would become this huge cliché (cliché). Istg it was so annoying how many times the word cliché was mentioned. The story of these star-crossed lovers was painfully the biggest cliché in YA that's why Holly Bourne should have been nicer towards that word.
I hated how the book also took a ton of swipe towards Twilight (cliché) and other obvious start crossed-themed classics like Rome and Juliet and Wuthering Heights. Ok so maybe I was being a bit biased because I enjoyed Twilight and I low key worshipped it throughout my college life. But seriously, I just couldn't stand reading all those jabs about how Twilight has an unbearable plotline save for the sparkly male lead (cliché) and how it wasn't feminist and shit. That was really low for an author of a YA book imho. If it weren't for Twilight, an immensely clichéd and unoriginal book like this wouldn't have been born. If it weren't for Twilight's "clichéd" love story, books like this wouldn't have found a niche in the YA industry. And seeing how this book was published after the Twilight mania, a book like this wouldn't have attracted readers if it didn't follow the same premise as Twilight or used the same formula. That was really just low and dumb and stupid. I was disappointed tbh. I would read Twilight a thousand times over this big pile of cliché any day.
Lastly, what really really made me rage and hate this book was that dig towards Filipinos. There was a line in this book from the villain Anita that said something along the lines of "Rich Americans would likely end up with Poor Filipino Farmers if all soulmates would end up together or something." Ok maybe I'm taking it a bit too personally again but when you're an author, isn't it necessary to reach a diverse audience as much as possible? I may be wrong but that really struck me as something that was a bit racist and arrogant to say. As a writer, it's important to connect to your readers of different races and to avoid being polarizing. Surely, Filipinos could be described better than just poor farmers, right? It sucks so much to read something like that especially after I applauded the author for her writing in Manifesto.
I guess I should just close this rant-filled review by telling readers that if you're just like the protagonist of this book who's so anti-cliche she has become the biggest and stupidest cliché in YA, then don't even bother with this book. Also, and again, regarding the Twilight jabs, marginalizing the kind of love that teenagers have is not a cool thing to do even for a YA that tries so freaking hard (and fails).
averagelulu's review
4.0
The entire story is one big cliché.
I just happen to love cliche's.
The ending broke my heart in a million pieces though.
I just happen to love cliche's.
The ending broke my heart in a million pieces though.