illiteratepaige's review
4.0
this book was really nice! i loved the focus on friendship, and hamlet made my heart swell!!
rosiethespy's review against another edition
4.0
I do think that teenage romantic comedy fans will really love this, but I was personally a bit disappointed. I LOVED Clara in the beginning--she had so much sass and humor and these crazy ideas. Sure, she was obnoxious and had a lot of growing up to do, but what 16 year old doesn't? She and Rose (who is amazing) went from being enemies to BFFs way too quickly, and Clara loses some of her spark in the transformation. Still, I'll definitely recommend it to genre fans.
hungry_capybara's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It was amazing! Super loveable characters and a really nice plot, overall a super fun read!!
biblioemily's review
4.0
I read this in one day, and laughed out loud many times. Describing Hamlet as a human Labrador was just spot on, and I loved Clara's relationship with her dad. You have to suspend disbelief at times (two 16 year old girls running a food truck after 1 week of training?), but it's worth it. Really fun read.
ps_a22's review
5.0
I loved this novel. The narrative was incredible and the luxury of being able to live someone else's life was incredibly enjoyable. I loved how detailed Clara's life was and how realistically it was portrayed. It felt as if I knew her personally and I loved the way this book this made me feel. Even though there was no conventional plotline, I loved reading more about Clara's summer. I found her complex Korean and Brazilian heritage and appreciated her love for LA. I was also slightly jealous of the easy relationship she had with both her parents. I wish my relationship with mine was the same. All in all, really amazing read.
rlhugues's review
4.0
Maurene Goo writes the cutest contemporaries. I really enjoyed I Believe In a Thing Called Love, so when I heard she wrote a new book I knew I had to read it. NetGalley gave me this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book will be released on May 8th, 2018.
What I Liked
Clara was a great protagonist. She was sassy, independent, and imperfect. I think she was more real and relatable than the typical contemporary protagonist who is perfect other than a couple of quirks. She also had excellent character development. Throughout the book, Clara faces some challenges that make her question who she is and the type of person she wants to be. And it's not all for a boy!
The relationships in this story were also great. Clara's dad was an awesome character and it was so nice to see a parent in a YA book who is present and cares about his daughter's life, rather than the typical absent or idiotic YA adult. Their relationship was heartwarming! The conversations throughout the book were super enjoyable. Not only was the dialogue natural and easy to follow, it was also realistic. It felt like things that people would actually say in real life. Basically, I loved how real this book was. There were a couple parts that were a reach, but overall it was pretty plausible. The characters don't miraculously get what they want overnight. Clara messes up sometime. Mental illness is addressed. The characters were all complex and not just black and white.
Also, this is an #OwnVoices book with diverse characters, which we need more of! Not to mention, the food described throughout the story sounded soo delicious. Don't read this book while you are hungry. It will be torture!
What I didn't Like
Okay, so some of the things that I liked about the book are also some of the things I disliked. The characters weren't perfect, and that's great! But some imperfections bugged me. Clara could be a bit of a brat. Her dad did so much for her and I feel like she didn't treat him with the kindness and respect he deserved. I also didn't like her mom. She was totally selfish and a bit manic-pixie-dream-girl, but it did add to the story. I also felt like Hamlet didn't get enough character development. He is so pure and sweet and I feel like he deserved more than to just be a plot device that moved the story along. He was kind of one dimensional.
Why You Should Read It
Overall, this was a really fun, light read. If you like contemporary romance, you will love this book! It will be a great summer book. I don't know about you, but light romances are always my go-to summer reads. I have seen this book a lot, and Maurene Goo seems to be an author on the rise. If this cover doesn't have you wanting to read it, I don't know what will!
-Happy Reading!-
What I Liked
Clara was a great protagonist. She was sassy, independent, and imperfect. I think she was more real and relatable than the typical contemporary protagonist who is perfect other than a couple of quirks. She also had excellent character development. Throughout the book, Clara faces some challenges that make her question who she is and the type of person she wants to be. And it's not all for a boy!
The relationships in this story were also great. Clara's dad was an awesome character and it was so nice to see a parent in a YA book who is present and cares about his daughter's life, rather than the typical absent or idiotic YA adult. Their relationship was heartwarming! The conversations throughout the book were super enjoyable. Not only was the dialogue natural and easy to follow, it was also realistic. It felt like things that people would actually say in real life. Basically, I loved how real this book was. There were a couple parts that were a reach, but overall it was pretty plausible. The characters don't miraculously get what they want overnight. Clara messes up sometime. Mental illness is addressed. The characters were all complex and not just black and white.
Also, this is an #OwnVoices book with diverse characters, which we need more of! Not to mention, the food described throughout the story sounded soo delicious. Don't read this book while you are hungry. It will be torture!
What I didn't Like
Okay, so some of the things that I liked about the book are also some of the things I disliked. The characters weren't perfect, and that's great! But some imperfections bugged me. Clara could be a bit of a brat. Her dad did so much for her and I feel like she didn't treat him with the kindness and respect he deserved. I also didn't like her mom. She was totally selfish and a bit manic-pixie-dream-girl, but it did add to the story. I also felt like Hamlet didn't get enough character development. He is so pure and sweet and I feel like he deserved more than to just be a plot device that moved the story along. He was kind of one dimensional.
Why You Should Read It
Overall, this was a really fun, light read. If you like contemporary romance, you will love this book! It will be a great summer book. I don't know about you, but light romances are always my go-to summer reads. I have seen this book a lot, and Maurene Goo seems to be an author on the rise. If this cover doesn't have you wanting to read it, I don't know what will!
-Happy Reading!-
sc104906's review
4.0
I received this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Clara is a class clown skater, who lives for pranks. When her latest prank at the school dance ends in a fire and a fist fight with her arch nemesis, Rose, she is required to work in her dad’s food truck to pay off the damages. While this does not sound like the best summer ever, it gets even worse when Rose is also required to work in the food truck. Who knows if the food truck is big enough for the both of them?
I had a great time throughout this novel. Clara's personality can be slightly annoying. I wish Rose's character was given more plot time, but overall it worked well.
Clara is a class clown skater, who lives for pranks. When her latest prank at the school dance ends in a fire and a fist fight with her arch nemesis, Rose, she is required to work in her dad’s food truck to pay off the damages. While this does not sound like the best summer ever, it gets even worse when Rose is also required to work in the food truck. Who knows if the food truck is big enough for the both of them?
I had a great time throughout this novel. Clara's personality can be slightly annoying. I wish Rose's character was given more plot time, but overall it worked well.
notlikethebeer's review
1.0
This really should have been an excellent book. Summer, LA, a food truck. That's basically everything I love. And yet Clara managed to be so odious that I almost gave up almost immediately. I'm all for an unlikeable heroine, but like, not an absolute jerk who has every reason not to be a jerk yet... continues to be one for the sake of it. And faces next to no consequences, considering. Also, yeah, that scene with the pork was gross and offensive.
aerideth's review
3.0
I disliked Clara and Rose’s characters immediately. They both seemed ridiculous and childish. Still, I found their bickering and arguing hilarious thanks to the audiobook and narrator Emily Woo Zeller. I was invested in Clara and Rose’s friendship which could have been a great enemies to lovers romance. I was not invested in Clara and Hamlet as much as I was with Clara and Rose. I lost interest in the story around 60% of the way in, but stuck around till the end to find out what would happen with the food truck competition. Clara was the worst character throughout the entire book until she had her revelations. Mostly, this book felt like a comedic disney coming of age story.