candiecane333's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Interesting premise & great engagement with different mediums in the book. However the story came off preachy & cliqued. The book's ending was neat & tidy where everything worked out but in the real world the ending would've been a lot different
andrearbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Any book about rumors in high school serves as a reminder of how glad I am to no longer be in high school. They also serve as a reminder of how glad I am that my high school experience did not include the social media dimension. This is the story of a rumor that grows and grows and grows. Georgie returns to school having undergone a significant physical transformation, and with that, a rumor about who she is involved with and how spirals. With these growing rumors, others are pulled in and feel a certain kind of way about the allegations. This is very much about the web of rumors and how they are weaponized for hurt, as well as how quickly they can get out of control. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this recent release.
kayu99's review against another edition
3.0
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book reminded me of One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shephard. I had also read and enjoyed Tiny Pretty Things from both of these authors and was hoping for something with a similar vibe of pressure and tension coupled with swirling rumors. However, I found only one of the three main characters to be compelling, and I have the feeling it wasn't the character readers were meant to root for. I had a hard time understanding Georgie's motivations, possibly because of a lack of backstory. If readers had met Georgie prior to her "transformation," we may have been able to sympathize with her a little more as rumors about her began flying. I also thought the ending resolved itself much too quickly--the big reveal was anticlimactic and left me confused and wondering how it was figured out. I also thought there were many clichés/there wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. I did appreciate the representation and discussion of very pertinent topics (slut-shaming, victim blaming, colorism, etc.), but this book as a whole fell flat.
This book reminded me of One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shephard. I had also read and enjoyed Tiny Pretty Things from both of these authors and was hoping for something with a similar vibe of pressure and tension coupled with swirling rumors. However, I found only one of the three main characters to be compelling, and I have the feeling it wasn't the character readers were meant to root for. I had a hard time understanding Georgie's motivations, possibly because of a lack of backstory. If readers had met Georgie prior to her "transformation," we may have been able to sympathize with her a little more as rumors about her began flying. I also thought the ending resolved itself much too quickly--the big reveal was anticlimactic and left me confused and wondering how it was figured out. I also thought there were many clichés/there wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. I did appreciate the representation and discussion of very pertinent topics (slut-shaming, victim blaming, colorism, etc.), but this book as a whole fell flat.
jdalton's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
This high school drama book follows elite students at a private school in Washington DC, where rumors show just how easy it is to spread lies about others and have it be believed.
It reminded me a lot about Mean Girls and other classic teen movies, but with the updated technology, which made everything much more heightened and faster to spread.
The book deals with some serious issues, but I appreciated how therapy was seen as something good to assist with them. A good step to share that many go to therapy for different reasons.
There are lots of twists and turns, but even though the novel was longer than I expected, I felt like everything made sense and I didn’t think things got dragged out, which can happen sometimes in novels like this. Instead it felt more realistic.
Highly recommend this book!
This high school drama book follows elite students at a private school in Washington DC, where rumors show just how easy it is to spread lies about others and have it be believed.
It reminded me a lot about Mean Girls and other classic teen movies, but with the updated technology, which made everything much more heightened and faster to spread.
The book deals with some serious issues, but I appreciated how therapy was seen as something good to assist with them. A good step to share that many go to therapy for different reasons.
There are lots of twists and turns, but even though the novel was longer than I expected, I felt like everything made sense and I didn’t think things got dragged out, which can happen sometimes in novels like this. Instead it felt more realistic.
Highly recommend this book!
shooenn's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kookie9200's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
Bryn's social life crashed and burned about the time she ran a red light and hit the car containing her ex-boyfriend, his girlfriend, and the school's star lacrosse player. Labeled as crazy by her peers, she sets out to win back her spot as queen bee of the school. Her plan centers around making her next-door neighbor, Georgie, one of the popular girls, and easing back in with her best friend, Cora. What could possibly go wrong?
While I enjoyed this book and thought the writing was great, I absolutely disliked all of the main characters. While that's not a dealbreaker for me per se, it's hard to cheer someone on who just has no redeeming qualities. I don't know if I was supposed to feel sorry for these people, but I didn't, with the exception of Georgie. She was the only character that I felt was trying to grow any at all. The way she was treated in this book...whew. It's just hard to read a book when the characters are unlikeable, and that was the biggest burden of this book.
Bryn's social life crashed and burned about the time she ran a red light and hit the car containing her ex-boyfriend, his girlfriend, and the school's star lacrosse player. Labeled as crazy by her peers, she sets out to win back her spot as queen bee of the school. Her plan centers around making her next-door neighbor, Georgie, one of the popular girls, and easing back in with her best friend, Cora. What could possibly go wrong?
While I enjoyed this book and thought the writing was great, I absolutely disliked all of the main characters. While that's not a dealbreaker for me per se, it's hard to cheer someone on who just has no redeeming qualities. I don't know if I was supposed to feel sorry for these people, but I didn't, with the exception of Georgie. She was the only character that I felt was trying to grow any at all. The way she was treated in this book...whew. It's just hard to read a book when the characters are unlikeable, and that was the biggest burden of this book.
boozybook's review against another edition
5.0
A thrilling and enticing read that will keep you yearning for more, The Rumor game is a book that outlines the life to a teen in high school, a fine script that highlights the life of a teenager, showing that high school, despite the sugarcoating, is not truly what everyone expects.
"All it takes is one spark to start a blaze."
These words ring true. The Rumor game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra is a YA thriller that inherits the true meaning of rumors, and how it can turn the life of a person upside down. It is fair to say that this book is now one of my favorite reads, and I cannot wait to read more of the Author's works!
The plot is centered around 3 girls in Foxham prep, and the mixed POV's did well to help the reader (AKA me) experience the different points of views as well as feelings that made up the plot. The chapters were insanely intriguing and captivating, taking me in a moments notice.
This book honestly shows everything that a person, wether a teen or adult, can experience in their daily lives, and it exhibits bullying through fake rumors, as well as how social media can sometimes have disastrous effects, and honestly this book meant to much to be because I know people who had gone through, not necessarily the same thing, but rumors in general.
Not to mention, this book is quite diverse with a wide range of characters from different races, and I liked that. Georgie was by far my favorite, and the desi representation had me bawling my eyes out in happiness. As well as Cora's character, shew as really interesting and seeing more of her POV's had me delighted with joy.
Bryn's POV and her story was also really interesting!
Honestly the author did not miss out any characters at all and they had developed all the characters thoroughly through out, not missing one detail behind each character.
I honestly have goosebumps from this book.
"All it takes is one spark to start a blaze."
These words ring true. The Rumor game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra is a YA thriller that inherits the true meaning of rumors, and how it can turn the life of a person upside down. It is fair to say that this book is now one of my favorite reads, and I cannot wait to read more of the Author's works!
The plot is centered around 3 girls in Foxham prep, and the mixed POV's did well to help the reader (AKA me) experience the different points of views as well as feelings that made up the plot. The chapters were insanely intriguing and captivating, taking me in a moments notice.
This book honestly shows everything that a person, wether a teen or adult, can experience in their daily lives, and it exhibits bullying through fake rumors, as well as how social media can sometimes have disastrous effects, and honestly this book meant to much to be because I know people who had gone through, not necessarily the same thing, but rumors in general.
Not to mention, this book is quite diverse with a wide range of characters from different races, and I liked that. Georgie was by far my favorite, and the desi representation had me bawling my eyes out in happiness. As well as Cora's character, shew as really interesting and seeing more of her POV's had me delighted with joy.
Bryn's POV and her story was also really interesting!
Honestly the author did not miss out any characters at all and they had developed all the characters thoroughly through out, not missing one detail behind each character.
I honestly have goosebumps from this book.
annathebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
4.3? I really liked this book. Altho i think they could have cut some of it out because the first half dragged a little and the second half was much more fast paced.