blueva's review against another edition
3.0
It really was a nice and easy read. Not too slow or too fast but the thing that bothered me was that I couldn't really get invested in the characters? I didn't feel with that and so I kinda missed that but overall it was a nice read.
phoebe_books's review
5.0
Light hearted and incredibly funny read. Definitely a must read for anyone who has been to uni. I have never found another book that accurately shows the chaos that is being a fresher. All the super random chaotic memories, drunk antics, love life drama and instant friendships. So glad I picked this one up.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
A new book by the power duo Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison! Yeah, I would call them that, as I love their books more and more with each new book. :)
This one was an absolute delight. We see the first term of the first year of university through the eyes of Will and Phoebe. We see parties, see them struggle with living alone (missing friends and family), see them figure out what to do with life, we see them have fun, we see romances and flings bloom, and so much more.
Phoebe was my absolute favourite character. She was fun, interesting, and her love life... well... I am totally agreeing with everyone in her hall about it. She sure has no boring love life. First Will, and then Luke, and then the troubles with both of them.
I loved the fact she took English, it just fitted her so perfectly, though I had hoped to see her reading a bit more. But then again, with everything going on I can imagine she may not have time for reading. :P Her life is already one from the books.
She was also strong, and didn't waver about her feelings (like at the end). Her friendship with Negin, Liberty, Frankie, Becky? I loved it, I am sure a lot of people would wish they had such tight friendship from the start. Often it is hard to make new friends, but Phoebe did it. Plus I loved to see them together. You wouldn't think these girls just met, it felt to me like these girls were together for a long time.
Luke.. well, I didn't particularly like him. There were times that he showed that he had some brains and that he had a good personality underneath everything, but generally I just wanted to chuck him in the pond. The whole thing with Abbey? He should have been clear from the start, no wishy-washy stuff like what happens throughout the book. You can't just like Phoebe, but also like Abbey. You have to decide. And then there were countless of other times he just royally screwed up. Lying about the walls, going along with Will and his crap. He really needs to get his stuff together and do something productive. Less drinking, less stupidity.
I also didn't like how he just BAM liked Phoebe because she sent that text to him. He has never seen her in all those years, never really looked at her, but because of that text he suddenly was interested. I found it weak.
I would also have loved to see Negin, Frankie, Josh, or Liberty getting a POV along with Phoebe and Luke.. They are all such interesting characters, and I want to see more of them. I want to see how their first term was (and not from the POV of Phoebe).
I was also happy to see Flora appear. Until then we mostly saw her text messages, so it was a delight to actually see the best friend pop up.
Will was a horrendous character. I didn't like him from the start and I was already shouting at Phoebe to NOT do it. Don't go with him! Don't do it! Even after all that stuff that happens he washed his hands in innocence, acting as if it was just a big joke and that people should liven up a bit. That is not how it works. You post private photographs of people, you let people post shitty comments about it. That is not a joke. That is just terrible. It was sad that he never really got a clue. He thought he could just do whatever he want.
So, I now want to talk about my OTP for this book, and that is Josh x Phoebe. Josh was just so cute, so sweet, and so caring. He was so different from Luke, and unlike Luke he had his shit together. He cared about Phoebe, and though Phoebe was pretty much oblivious to it all (she had Luke on her mind), I was hoping these two would get together. They would make an adorable couple.
I loved reading about the first term, about the freshers week, about the parties, about living in a dorm, about the lectures and see what kind of things they had to do as homework (mostly essays and reading it seems). The authors both wrote the place so well that I could just envision myself walking alongside with Phoebe or her friends across the campus, into the village.
The ending was one I dreaded. Would the authors do the standard YA thing and bring Phoebe and Luke together even though they totally didn't match and had so many problems?
There was just one thing that had me confused, or well two things. Things like sat, I barely ever see people use sat instead of sitting. And there were other verbs that just went weird for me.
Also, some hilarity, it took me some time to understand that pissed was drunk, I thought they were angry as that is what I generally see the word being used for. :P
Oh and my favourite scene that had me in stitches was the one with Phoebe and that certain thing up in her vagina. Poor thing, how does she do it?
And I had fun connecting the characters on the cover with the characters in the book. :)
All in all, a wonderful book with serious things, but also with parties, love drama, friendship, and much more.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This one was an absolute delight. We see the first term of the first year of university through the eyes of Will and Phoebe. We see parties, see them struggle with living alone (missing friends and family), see them figure out what to do with life, we see them have fun, we see romances and flings bloom, and so much more.
Phoebe was my absolute favourite character. She was fun, interesting, and her love life... well... I am totally agreeing with everyone in her hall about it. She sure has no boring love life. First Will, and then Luke, and then the troubles with both of them.
I loved the fact she took English, it just fitted her so perfectly, though I had hoped to see her reading a bit more. But then again, with everything going on I can imagine she may not have time for reading. :P Her life is already one from the books.
She was also strong, and didn't waver about her feelings (like at the end). Her friendship with Negin, Liberty, Frankie, Becky? I loved it, I am sure a lot of people would wish they had such tight friendship from the start. Often it is hard to make new friends, but Phoebe did it. Plus I loved to see them together. You wouldn't think these girls just met, it felt to me like these girls were together for a long time.
Luke.. well, I didn't particularly like him. There were times that he showed that he had some brains and that he had a good personality underneath everything, but generally I just wanted to chuck him in the pond. The whole thing with Abbey? He should have been clear from the start, no wishy-washy stuff like what happens throughout the book. You can't just like Phoebe, but also like Abbey. You have to decide. And then there were countless of other times he just royally screwed up. Lying about the walls, going along with Will and his crap. He really needs to get his stuff together and do something productive. Less drinking, less stupidity.
I also didn't like how he just BAM liked Phoebe because she sent that text to him. He has never seen her in all those years, never really looked at her, but because of that text he suddenly was interested. I found it weak.
I would also have loved to see Negin, Frankie, Josh, or Liberty getting a POV along with Phoebe and Luke.. They are all such interesting characters, and I want to see more of them. I want to see how their first term was (and not from the POV of Phoebe).
I was also happy to see Flora appear. Until then we mostly saw her text messages, so it was a delight to actually see the best friend pop up.
Will was a horrendous character. I didn't like him from the start and I was already shouting at Phoebe to NOT do it. Don't go with him! Don't do it! Even after all that stuff that happens he washed his hands in innocence, acting as if it was just a big joke and that people should liven up a bit. That is not how it works. You post private photographs of people, you let people post shitty comments about it. That is not a joke. That is just terrible. It was sad that he never really got a clue. He thought he could just do whatever he want.
So, I now want to talk about my OTP for this book, and that is Josh x Phoebe. Josh was just so cute, so sweet, and so caring. He was so different from Luke, and unlike Luke he had his shit together. He cared about Phoebe, and though Phoebe was pretty much oblivious to it all (she had Luke on her mind), I was hoping these two would get together. They would make an adorable couple.
I loved reading about the first term, about the freshers week, about the parties, about living in a dorm, about the lectures and see what kind of things they had to do as homework (mostly essays and reading it seems). The authors both wrote the place so well that I could just envision myself walking alongside with Phoebe or her friends across the campus, into the village.
The ending was one I dreaded. Would the authors do the standard YA thing and bring Phoebe and Luke together even though they totally didn't match and had so many problems?
Spoiler
Thank heavens, I didn't need to worry. I adored the ending, it was absolutely perfect. Finally writers that dare to leave the trope behind and just go for something totally different. Luke gets friendzoned, and Josh may just get a chance. Squeee, thanks authors for writing this wonderful ending. It was perfect.There was just one thing that had me confused, or well two things. Things like sat, I barely ever see people use sat instead of sitting. And there were other verbs that just went weird for me.
Also, some hilarity, it took me some time to understand that pissed was drunk, I thought they were angry as that is what I generally see the word being used for. :P
Oh and my favourite scene that had me in stitches was the one with Phoebe and that certain thing up in her vagina. Poor thing, how does she do it?
And I had fun connecting the characters on the cover with the characters in the book. :)
All in all, a wonderful book with serious things, but also with parties, love drama, friendship, and much more.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
cityofstarlight_library's review
5.0
Absolutely brilliant!
I read this in one day - and that's rare for me, the world's slowest reader - and I found it hard to put down.
This book is SO BRITISH. If you've been to university, you'll relate, if you haven't, you'll experience it with this book.
The characters are a lot of fun, the story was pretty much just a few people trying to survive their first term of uni but that's always entertaining, and it ended on a good yet realistic note. Very satisfied with this read.
I personally think this book is an NA book, although I found it in the teens/YA section but that's my humble opinion.
I find that the New Adult genre is awful, full of the same irritating near-erotica plain-girl-meets-manwhore crap, and I'm definitely sick of it. Freshers, however, is a hell of a lot more New Adult than them as it deals with an actual realistic couple of characters who ARE new adults and discovering life. The genre is definitely coming back to life, thank god!
Very much enjoyed it! Also, it's absolutely bloody hilarious. Like, snort-your-tea-out-your-nose funny!
And Harry Potter fans will be happy with this read too. Many references and a Quidditch society. And I love how someone is offered tea on nearly every page! (okay, not EVERY page but a lot)
Highly recommended. I'm already a fan of these two authors so naturally when I saw this was out, I HAD to buy it.
I read this in one day - and that's rare for me, the world's slowest reader - and I found it hard to put down.
This book is SO BRITISH. If you've been to university, you'll relate, if you haven't, you'll experience it with this book.
The characters are a lot of fun, the story was pretty much just a few people trying to survive their first term of uni but that's always entertaining, and it ended on a good yet realistic note. Very satisfied with this read.
I personally think this book is an NA book, although I found it in the teens/YA section but that's my humble opinion.
I find that the New Adult genre is awful, full of the same irritating near-erotica plain-girl-meets-manwhore crap, and I'm definitely sick of it. Freshers, however, is a hell of a lot more New Adult than them as it deals with an actual realistic couple of characters who ARE new adults and discovering life. The genre is definitely coming back to life, thank god!
Very much enjoyed it! Also, it's absolutely bloody hilarious. Like, snort-your-tea-out-your-nose funny!
And Harry Potter fans will be happy with this read too. Many references and a Quidditch society. And I love how someone is offered tea on nearly every page! (okay, not EVERY page but a lot)
Highly recommended. I'm already a fan of these two authors so naturally when I saw this was out, I HAD to buy it.
redtallis's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
writeronherway's review against another edition
5.0
As soon as I heard about this book i wanted to read it! It didn't disappoint. Honest, funny and full of character!
charmaineac's review against another edition
5.0
Hold the phone, I actually — surprisingly! — loved this book!!??! It's SO British, and so fun. Of course I would have loved a certain pairing to end up together, but this is definitely realistic. I can live with this ending.
Ahh, freshers. As I'm now getting into my last year of university, I can't help but reminisce those times. We call it "frosh week" in Canada, but the essence is the same. The FEELING is the same. You're nervous and scared, and what if you don't get on with your floor? What if you don't make any friends in your classes? Or any friends at all?! And you can't find people to live with, and the things you're good at don't cut it....... honestly, this book captures the zeitgeist P E R F E C T L Y. Straight up. I wish maybe things were a little more difficult for Phoebe (am I terrible?), because things were ROUGH for Luke. And in comparison, Phoebe was going around finding her people, and you can just tell that Frankie/Josh/Negin are the kind of friends that are going to be around for life. I felt a lot more like Luke in first year. Perhaps Phoebe could've struggled with academics or something? I know that's a Big Deal to a lot of people when they start university, but then again, it also doesn't matter at all to a bunch of others.
Luke Taylor, you dreamboat and charmer. I am SO GLAD we got to read from your perspective. It really put things in perspective, har har. There are multiple ways to remember an event, or even a period in life altogether.
And can we talk about Josh and Will? I guess we got closure on the second one there, but I have trouble reconciling that with the sweet guy from the beginning of the book. I really wanted him to be a good guy. And what's up with Josh? I mean, I THINK it's obvious what could happen there, but everything was left far too open ended.
I don't know how this book managed to be so gossipy, serious, emotional, and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time. Initiation (preach bud). The haze and ridiculousness of week one. The random hookups. The cookie cutters (awww). The mattresses. THE CHEESE! THE NIGHT WITH FRANKIE'S CALL TO MUMMY!! Oh my goodness, the moments are absurd and I love every second. It almost makes me wish I had a Conor at my residence in first year, although I can also imagine that being super awful. Maybe I would've loved Frankie's floor. REGARDLESS: I congratulate these two authors for seamlessly putting together realistic, heartwarming (and heartbreaking) protagonists and making me want to live in their world. Great story.
Ahh, freshers. As I'm now getting into my last year of university, I can't help but reminisce those times. We call it "frosh week" in Canada, but the essence is the same. The FEELING is the same. You're nervous and scared, and what if you don't get on with your floor? What if you don't make any friends in your classes? Or any friends at all?! And you can't find people to live with, and the things you're good at don't cut it....... honestly, this book captures the zeitgeist P E R F E C T L Y. Straight up. I wish maybe things were a little more difficult for Phoebe (am I terrible?), because things were ROUGH for Luke. And in comparison, Phoebe was going around finding her people, and you can just tell that Frankie/Josh/Negin are the kind of friends that are going to be around for life. I felt a lot more like Luke in first year. Perhaps Phoebe could've struggled with academics or something? I know that's a Big Deal to a lot of people when they start university, but then again, it also doesn't matter at all to a bunch of others.
Luke Taylor, you dreamboat and charmer. I am SO GLAD we got to read from your perspective. It really put things in perspective, har har. There are multiple ways to remember an event, or even a period in life altogether.
And can we talk about Josh and Will? I guess we got closure on the second one there, but I have trouble reconciling that with the sweet guy from the beginning of the book. I really wanted him to be a good guy. And what's up with Josh? I mean, I THINK it's obvious what could happen there, but everything was left far too open ended.
I don't know how this book managed to be so gossipy, serious, emotional, and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time. Initiation (preach bud). The haze and ridiculousness of week one. The random hookups. The cookie cutters (awww). The mattresses. THE CHEESE! THE NIGHT WITH FRANKIE'S CALL TO MUMMY!! Oh my goodness, the moments are absurd and I love every second. It almost makes me wish I had a Conor at my residence in first year, although I can also imagine that being super awful. Maybe I would've loved Frankie's floor. REGARDLESS: I congratulate these two authors for seamlessly putting together realistic, heartwarming (and heartbreaking) protagonists and making me want to live in their world. Great story.
georginaflor's review against another edition
3.0
✨3.5 stars✨
I haven’t posted a proper review in months and this is the first book I’ve finished so far this year so I feel like a bit of a fake, but I do have a good, genuine reason: university. So it feels quite fitting that this book is my return to goodreads. This book wasn’t necessarily anything special, but it was real. It was realistic and I felt like at any point all of the events of the book could be happening to the people around me at uni and it wouldn’t be at all out of place. It definitely captured the essence of the first term of uni, and having just finished my own first term of uni, it was really comforting.
Phoebe, Negin and Frankie are adorable. I love love love their friendship and the comfortableness of them all draped in their duvets half the time just living their lives together. Their dynamic definitely helps to emphasise Luke’s more isolated experience, especially in the face of his expectations of making friends in the same way. The accuracy of the uni experience that this book conveys really made it hard for me at times to decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong. I adore moral ambiguity, and I felt sorry for both Luke and Phoebe at times when I knew that technically I should probably be judging them a little bit.
The things I enjoyed the most were actually the little details: the constant cups of tea; the weird ways in which drinks are mixed at pre’s (bathtubs, buckets and spades, washing up bowls- you name it, someone’s mixing vodka in it); Luke walking into the wrong lecture and just rolling with it. Silly things that made me giggle and say ‘yep, that sounds about right’. Luke and Phoebe study English, and so do I, so I must admit there were mentions of things that made me think ‘nooo I’m reading this for fun, please don’t remind me of the work I need to do !!!!!’ (*cough* Sir Gawain and the Green Knight *cough*), but for the most part I really enjoyed the similarities and things I could relate to regarding their course.
What I liked the most about this book is the emphasis on the fact that people are more than they appear. No matter what you think a person is like, they are still a person and have so much more under the surface than you can see from afar. I loved the fact that Phoebe realises this with Mary- whilst she is amazing once she gets to know her, it’s different than the character of her that the girls had previously created just from seeing her around. I wasn’t really a fan of the writing style I have to admit, sometimes things felt under-explained or unfinished and it meant I had to reread things at times in order for them to make sense. Despite this though I did really enjoy this book, and I want to try and read more YA books set at university because it’s not something I’ve come across that frequently. It was fun and easy to read, and it’s been on my shelf for bloody ages so I’m really happy I finally got round to reading it!!
I haven’t posted a proper review in months and this is the first book I’ve finished so far this year so I feel like a bit of a fake, but I do have a good, genuine reason: university. So it feels quite fitting that this book is my return to goodreads. This book wasn’t necessarily anything special, but it was real. It was realistic and I felt like at any point all of the events of the book could be happening to the people around me at uni and it wouldn’t be at all out of place. It definitely captured the essence of the first term of uni, and having just finished my own first term of uni, it was really comforting.
Phoebe, Negin and Frankie are adorable. I love love love their friendship and the comfortableness of them all draped in their duvets half the time just living their lives together. Their dynamic definitely helps to emphasise Luke’s more isolated experience, especially in the face of his expectations of making friends in the same way. The accuracy of the uni experience that this book conveys really made it hard for me at times to decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong. I adore moral ambiguity, and I felt sorry for both Luke and Phoebe at times when I knew that technically I should probably be judging them a little bit.
The things I enjoyed the most were actually the little details: the constant cups of tea; the weird ways in which drinks are mixed at pre’s (bathtubs, buckets and spades, washing up bowls- you name it, someone’s mixing vodka in it); Luke walking into the wrong lecture and just rolling with it. Silly things that made me giggle and say ‘yep, that sounds about right’. Luke and Phoebe study English, and so do I, so I must admit there were mentions of things that made me think ‘nooo I’m reading this for fun, please don’t remind me of the work I need to do !!!!!’ (*cough* Sir Gawain and the Green Knight *cough*), but for the most part I really enjoyed the similarities and things I could relate to regarding their course.
What I liked the most about this book is the emphasis on the fact that people are more than they appear. No matter what you think a person is like, they are still a person and have so much more under the surface than you can see from afar. I loved the fact that Phoebe realises this with Mary- whilst she is amazing once she gets to know her, it’s different than the character of her that the girls had previously created just from seeing her around. I wasn’t really a fan of the writing style I have to admit, sometimes things felt under-explained or unfinished and it meant I had to reread things at times in order for them to make sense. Despite this though I did really enjoy this book, and I want to try and read more YA books set at university because it’s not something I’ve come across that frequently. It was fun and easy to read, and it’s been on my shelf for bloody ages so I’m really happy I finally got round to reading it!!