elaureads's review against another edition
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
didn't like the characters at all everyone of them were too much.. and we found out too early who was the one spreading rumours so I was bored for the rest of the book. Love the social media and text messages pages. The cover is beautiful. I wanted to know more about Cora and Juju 🥲
maraudererin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readwithnat's review against another edition
4.0
I've tried to avoid Young Adult novels for a few months now as I feel like I don't connect with the characters anymore. But this story was actually very entertaining, and I liked the book a lot.
I must admit that my high school experience was boring when I compare it with books or TV Shows/Movies featuring high schoolers. This one, especially, made me glad that I don't remember any type of bullying like this when I was in High School.
This story is told from three points of view: Bryn, Cora, and Georgie. While the three wealthy girls have had very different high school experiences, they all share something in common. The three of them have been victims of rumors that started as something small until they grew into something that could potentially ruin their lives and their futures.
Bryn is already dealing with the consequences of the choices she made based on rumors she had heard about herself and her ex-boyfriend. Not only she has lost her boyfriend and best friend Cora, but no one in the school (except for Georgie) likes her anymore because everyone believed the rumors of what happened the night she made an awful mistake. Georgie is about to experience what rumors can do to someone's reputation, and with no mark of reference about how to react to them, she ends up putting herself in dangerous situations that could ruin her life forever. Cora seems to think she is exempt from rumors until her relationship with her boyfriend gets attacked and he gets accused of cheating on her with the new girl, Georgie.
What this book is about is a typical game of telephone but on a large level. Gossip gets repeated over and over again, and distorting facts get worse from one person to another without realizing how a rumor can mentally affect someone's psyche. In this story, the gossip gets repeated not only in person but also on social media. And as more people share the rumor, details are added or changed until the rumor gets so big that can't be stopped anymore. The three main characters in this book are victims of rumors that attack their reputations and put them in the spotlight. Cora, Bryn, and Georgie have to deal not only with the rumors but with the rapid spread of false information that threatens their futures.Â
While this book is long, it was a fast read. The authors don't rely only on narration by the characters, but there are also text messages, emails, and Instagram comments. One thing I liked was how the authors presented the evolution of the rumors. Every few chapters, there is a note that includes the rumor and how it has evolved from the initial gossip. Every update includes mentions of moments that had happened in previous chapters that have been misconstrued to make them appear something else. A simple interaction between two people sharing a drink gets distorted into a cheating scandal or someone entering a room with a friend becomes a more-than-friends type of situation. Seeing the evolution of the rumors is pretty scary, so I was glad to have the constant reminder of how things had gotten so bad for Georgie, Cora, and Bryn.
As someone who tries to avoid young adult novels, I actually liked this one. Even though it solely focuses on high school and themes related to it, I enjoyed the story and found it eye-opening. Whether is fiction or not, the cyberbullying and other problematic issues in the novel are realistic, and we all know that they actually happen in high schools regardless of how wealthy the kids attending are. The story sheds light on the issues affecting teenagers nowadays with social media making everything easily spread while keeping the victimizes anonymous. It was a great novel and I truly enjoyed it.
I must admit that my high school experience was boring when I compare it with books or TV Shows/Movies featuring high schoolers. This one, especially, made me glad that I don't remember any type of bullying like this when I was in High School.
This story is told from three points of view: Bryn, Cora, and Georgie. While the three wealthy girls have had very different high school experiences, they all share something in common. The three of them have been victims of rumors that started as something small until they grew into something that could potentially ruin their lives and their futures.
Bryn is already dealing with the consequences of the choices she made based on rumors she had heard about herself and her ex-boyfriend. Not only she has lost her boyfriend and best friend Cora, but no one in the school (except for Georgie) likes her anymore because everyone believed the rumors of what happened the night she made an awful mistake. Georgie is about to experience what rumors can do to someone's reputation, and with no mark of reference about how to react to them, she ends up putting herself in dangerous situations that could ruin her life forever. Cora seems to think she is exempt from rumors until her relationship with her boyfriend gets attacked and he gets accused of cheating on her with the new girl, Georgie.
What this book is about is a typical game of telephone but on a large level. Gossip gets repeated over and over again, and distorting facts get worse from one person to another without realizing how a rumor can mentally affect someone's psyche. In this story, the gossip gets repeated not only in person but also on social media. And as more people share the rumor, details are added or changed until the rumor gets so big that can't be stopped anymore. The three main characters in this book are victims of rumors that attack their reputations and put them in the spotlight. Cora, Bryn, and Georgie have to deal not only with the rumors but with the rapid spread of false information that threatens their futures.Â
While this book is long, it was a fast read. The authors don't rely only on narration by the characters, but there are also text messages, emails, and Instagram comments. One thing I liked was how the authors presented the evolution of the rumors. Every few chapters, there is a note that includes the rumor and how it has evolved from the initial gossip. Every update includes mentions of moments that had happened in previous chapters that have been misconstrued to make them appear something else. A simple interaction between two people sharing a drink gets distorted into a cheating scandal or someone entering a room with a friend becomes a more-than-friends type of situation. Seeing the evolution of the rumors is pretty scary, so I was glad to have the constant reminder of how things had gotten so bad for Georgie, Cora, and Bryn.
As someone who tries to avoid young adult novels, I actually liked this one. Even though it solely focuses on high school and themes related to it, I enjoyed the story and found it eye-opening. Whether is fiction or not, the cyberbullying and other problematic issues in the novel are realistic, and we all know that they actually happen in high schools regardless of how wealthy the kids attending are. The story sheds light on the issues affecting teenagers nowadays with social media making everything easily spread while keeping the victimizes anonymous. It was a great novel and I truly enjoyed it.
carolinerosereads's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
ryed20's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lila123's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
lemonadelove003's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
minda428's review against another edition
3.0
Bryn makes a big mistake that gets several of her classmates hurt. The backlash from the incident leads to severe cyber bullying. The book follows Bryn and some of her friends as thing get seriously out of control.
This book started out really slow and it took multiple chapters for me to get invested. I enjoyed the plot. This book does not end with a happily ever after there are consequences for the actions of some of the characters. I would definitely suggest this book for a high school book club.
I received a ACR for a honest review.
This book started out really slow and it took multiple chapters for me to get invested. I enjoyed the plot. This book does not end with a happily ever after there are consequences for the actions of some of the characters. I would definitely suggest this book for a high school book club.
I received a ACR for a honest review.
pawprintreads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great job getting into the YA mindset. Loved the pages with texts. Characters were 3 dimensional and likeable. Found new authors to follow.Â
annyslibrary's review against another edition
I had pre-ordered the audiobook because I enjoyed Pretty Little Things and the cast of voice actors/actresses. However, The Rumor Game is nothing like it. There's no special interest school like ballet to help even out the teenagers being written way too over-the-top.
Only this time I think they were written even more so and it felt overly produced like it's already grasping to be picked up as a tv series. Think how contestants on the Bachelor franchise are now auditioning to become the lead role or asked to go on BIP. That's how this book reads.
The beginning starts with an ominous clip to pull a reader in to figure out what happened. Where in Pretty Little Things this worked well, here I just didn't care. All of the teens were awful and catty to each other. Listening to it was putting me into a perpetually bad mood. Dnf'd at 20% and returned to get my credit back.
Only this time I think they were written even more so and it felt overly produced like it's already grasping to be picked up as a tv series. Think how contestants on the Bachelor franchise are now auditioning to become the lead role or asked to go on BIP. That's how this book reads.
The beginning starts with an ominous clip to pull a reader in to figure out what happened. Where in Pretty Little Things this worked well, here I just didn't care. All of the teens were awful and catty to each other. Listening to it was putting me into a perpetually bad mood. Dnf'd at 20% and returned to get my credit back.