lucylexislawton's review against another edition
4.0
4. 5 stars.
this is one of those books you read and then think about randomly for months until you read it again. it's laugh-out-loud funny, which is a rare accomplishment when it comes to written word. the story itself is nice, with a sweet romance, and the plot feels original - i know the whole "game-becomes-real-life" thing may be a cliche by now, but the story as a whole felt extremely unique in a way that by far made up for it. it has character, completely different to any other book i've ever read. i would recommend this to everyone with a sense of humour and love of romance.
this is one of those books you read and then think about randomly for months until you read it again. it's laugh-out-loud funny, which is a rare accomplishment when it comes to written word. the story itself is nice, with a sweet romance, and the plot feels original - i know the whole "game-becomes-real-life" thing may be a cliche by now, but the story as a whole felt extremely unique in a way that by far made up for it. it has character, completely different to any other book i've ever read. i would recommend this to everyone with a sense of humour and love of romance.
heyshay07's review against another edition
3.0
After the first couple chapters, I put this book in the "too painful to finish" category because it has SO much stupid, teenage drama that I couldn't stand it. Once the book got into how the game was affecting people it got much better. By the last chapter it actually ended up being meaningful with a good message and I was kind of impressed. Drew and George are ok characters. Everyone else is annoying. The plot is a typical rom-com and everyone ends up happily ever after. Lex and Drew's back stories redeem the book. I don't know if anyone over 15 would really love this book, but it ended up being enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook so I especially liked the voices.
serendipity_viv's review against another edition
4.0
I really do love the way Luisa writes.She is funny, warm and extremely entertaining whilst behind the scenes she is juggling real issues that affect teenagers at the same time. She sugar coats the morals until you have unknowingly swallowed them and only when you have had time to digest them do you begin to analyse what you have read. I am actually convinced that Luisa is a bit of a fibber - she has tried to convince me she is the same age as me; but she writes with such an authentic teenage voice, I am absolutely positive she is a 16 year old girl with attitude! I swear I haven't come across a more authentic teenage voice and I should know (living with teen wannabees!)
Lex the main character of the story, is just brilliant. She is seen as having issues which her friends feel she plays on a bit. To me, she is a fighter, who just wants to be accepted for who she is and to be treated just like everyone else. She is happy to label herself, but I felt that this was just to cover her feelings. She wants the past forgotten, so that the future can begin.
Within the story, Lex and George discover they can change the relationships between their friends through a game! Imagine if you could really do that! Lex has fun altering her appearance through it too and I found myself wishing I had access to such a game, becoming disgruntled at only having a slimming app on my camera.
The ending of the book, came as quite a surprise. I am actually having to gag myself in order to not reveal the revelations at the end of the book. Luisa is a master of disguise and I had no idea it would end the way it did.
Luisa makes you think about what being normal really is. Society has so many labels for every different aspect of a person, that it makes you wonder who can actually call themselves normal. We all have aspects about us that make us different from each other, so should we be labelled because of them?
If you enjoyed The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, you will love this one too.
I discovered something whilst reading the book; something really daft which I didn't realise I had a problem with until I read this book. Absolutely nothing to do with Luisa's writing at all really; I just discovered I struggle with stories without chapters. How anal is that? I just like the structure of chapters so that I can break it down into sections to read. I wonder if I am alone in my bizarreness! But like I said, it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of this book. Buy it, it is fabulous!
Lex the main character of the story, is just brilliant. She is seen as having issues which her friends feel she plays on a bit. To me, she is a fighter, who just wants to be accepted for who she is and to be treated just like everyone else. She is happy to label herself, but I felt that this was just to cover her feelings. She wants the past forgotten, so that the future can begin.
Within the story, Lex and George discover they can change the relationships between their friends through a game! Imagine if you could really do that! Lex has fun altering her appearance through it too and I found myself wishing I had access to such a game, becoming disgruntled at only having a slimming app on my camera.
The ending of the book, came as quite a surprise. I am actually having to gag myself in order to not reveal the revelations at the end of the book. Luisa is a master of disguise and I had no idea it would end the way it did.
Luisa makes you think about what being normal really is. Society has so many labels for every different aspect of a person, that it makes you wonder who can actually call themselves normal. We all have aspects about us that make us different from each other, so should we be labelled because of them?
If you enjoyed The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, you will love this one too.
I discovered something whilst reading the book; something really daft which I didn't realise I had a problem with until I read this book. Absolutely nothing to do with Luisa's writing at all really; I just discovered I struggle with stories without chapters. How anal is that? I just like the structure of chapters so that I can break it down into sections to read. I wonder if I am alone in my bizarreness! But like I said, it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of this book. Buy it, it is fabulous!
sammeehicks's review
4.0
4.5 Stara
Another brilliant, funny, sweet and magical story from Luisa Plaja. I completely fell in love with it!
When Lex and her best friend George test one of his father's games and decide to base all the characters on themselves and their friends, they find their settings actually change in real life! Can George use it to capture the heart of his long time love, and will Lex be able to get Matt back? But what about the gorgeous Drew...
OMG! How much did I love Lex? She is just absolutely adorable! She made me laugh (and cry...) and I love that she is so forthcoming. She can be a bit down on herself - and we realise exactly why in the end - but over the course of the story we really see her grow and accept herself for who she is.
I also loved George and the relationship between him and Lex. The way she keeps referring to him as almost her brother because of the relationship history between their parents - and the banter they have with each other. They are obviously close and very good friends - they both had me laughing out loud.
And as for Drew... HELLO GORGEOUS SCOTTISH BOY! I could definitely see what Lex saw in him and I had to shout at her every time she decided she liked Matt more (who in my opinion really was a word rhyming with his name!) I loved how the relationship between her and Drew plays out - how good they are together and how he really sees her. Super, super sweet!
I also really enjoyed the magical element of the story - in this case the game. I love how it's entwined in the story in a way that isn't gimmicky but really adds to it. It's fun but it also puts the characters in a position where they can evolve and learn something about themselves which is very interesting and touching to read. The scene toward the end with Lex, Martin and her mother is especially poignant.
A clever concept - it has more going on than you first realise - and it really made me stop and think. Luisa Plaja is really great a creating characters you love spending time with - I enjoyed every minute of this book and I am really looking forward to whatever she writes next.
Another brilliant, funny, sweet and magical story from Luisa Plaja. I completely fell in love with it!
When Lex and her best friend George test one of his father's games and decide to base all the characters on themselves and their friends, they find their settings actually change in real life! Can George use it to capture the heart of his long time love, and will Lex be able to get Matt back? But what about the gorgeous Drew...
OMG! How much did I love Lex? She is just absolutely adorable! She made me laugh (and cry...) and I love that she is so forthcoming. She can be a bit down on herself - and we realise exactly why in the end - but over the course of the story we really see her grow and accept herself for who she is.
I also loved George and the relationship between him and Lex. The way she keeps referring to him as almost her brother because of the relationship history between their parents - and the banter they have with each other. They are obviously close and very good friends - they both had me laughing out loud.
And as for Drew... HELLO GORGEOUS SCOTTISH BOY! I could definitely see what Lex saw in him and I had to shout at her every time she decided she liked Matt more (who in my opinion really was a word rhyming with his name!) I loved how the relationship between her and Drew plays out - how good they are together and how he really sees her. Super, super sweet!
I also really enjoyed the magical element of the story - in this case the game. I love how it's entwined in the story in a way that isn't gimmicky but really adds to it. It's fun but it also puts the characters in a position where they can evolve and learn something about themselves which is very interesting and touching to read. The scene toward the end with Lex, Martin and her mother is especially poignant.
A clever concept - it has more going on than you first realise - and it really made me stop and think. Luisa Plaja is really great a creating characters you love spending time with - I enjoyed every minute of this book and I am really looking forward to whatever she writes next.
shutupnread's review
3.0
I’m really glad I read this book via an audiobook because the reader had a British accent which made the book seem a little more believable than if I was picturing the accents in my head. I’m pretty sure after this book, there would be incidences where I would find myself speaking in a slight British accent. It’s like brainwashing or something.
Kiss, Date, Love, Hate is a cute book. It’s a short read and can be considered as a beach read since it’s so lighthearted. The plot is pretty straightforward – girl broke up with ex, still had feelings for him but kind of liked someone else too, best friend finds game that causes things to become real, girl uses game to fix her relationship with ex, realizes that she’s not into ex but with someone else, etc. There’s really not much too it, to be honest.
Lex is an interesting character – she was sarcastic, funny and smart. I was actually shocked when her disability was made known towards the end. I didn’t even realize that she had a disability. I knew she was in some sort of special class but I didn’t realize that it was a special class for kids with disabilities. I assumed it was a class where kids were smarter and needed something extra. The fact that she (and the author, of course) managed to hide that for the entire book was crazy. Even though overall I liked Lex, there were times I found her annoying. The way how she kept complaining about things and didn’t know who she actually wanted was annoying. At the same time, she’s only 15 or 16 so I guess that’s common for girls her age. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that age so I don’t quite recall what I was like during that age haha.
I actually quite liked the romance in the plot. Not the one with Lex and her ex. That was obviously a no-go which she couldn’t see until literally the last chapter or two. And then she realized that he wasn’t the one for her and that it was actually someone else. That someone else was the one I appreciated it and liked. Even though he was considered as a “bad boy” in Lex’s own eyes, he was sweet and caring. I think he’s too good for Lex though.
Overall, it was a cute book. Nothing too special about it. If you’re looking for a short beach read then this might be it.
To read more: http://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2016/03/kiss-date-love-hate-by-luisa-plaja.html
Kiss, Date, Love, Hate is a cute book. It’s a short read and can be considered as a beach read since it’s so lighthearted. The plot is pretty straightforward – girl broke up with ex, still had feelings for him but kind of liked someone else too, best friend finds game that causes things to become real, girl uses game to fix her relationship with ex, realizes that she’s not into ex but with someone else, etc. There’s really not much too it, to be honest.
Lex is an interesting character – she was sarcastic, funny and smart. I was actually shocked when her disability was made known towards the end. I didn’t even realize that she had a disability. I knew she was in some sort of special class but I didn’t realize that it was a special class for kids with disabilities. I assumed it was a class where kids were smarter and needed something extra. The fact that she (and the author, of course) managed to hide that for the entire book was crazy. Even though overall I liked Lex, there were times I found her annoying. The way how she kept complaining about things and didn’t know who she actually wanted was annoying. At the same time, she’s only 15 or 16 so I guess that’s common for girls her age. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that age so I don’t quite recall what I was like during that age haha.
I actually quite liked the romance in the plot. Not the one with Lex and her ex. That was obviously a no-go which she couldn’t see until literally the last chapter or two. And then she realized that he wasn’t the one for her and that it was actually someone else. That someone else was the one I appreciated it and liked. Even though he was considered as a “bad boy” in Lex’s own eyes, he was sweet and caring. I think he’s too good for Lex though.
Overall, it was a cute book. Nothing too special about it. If you’re looking for a short beach read then this might be it.
To read more: http://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2016/03/kiss-date-love-hate-by-luisa-plaja.html
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