bellatora's review against another edition
4.0
Classic fluff - breezy and pleasant read that can be finished in a few hours.
At first I was not a fan of Brooke at all. I mean, she moved to New York City for a guy she barely knew but was convinced was The One. I thought it was stupid for Felicity and I think it’s stupid now. Yes, moving to NYC ended up being exactly what she needed. But her reasoning was INSANE and although part of her knew it was crazy most of the time she didn't really see anything wrong with it – and everyone was like “oh, how romantic!” That is not romantic. That is creepy and stalky.
Brooke seems to be pretty constantly selfish and short-sighted. She left both her best friends during senior year for a boy who barely knew she existed and then managed to lose touch with both of them. She seemed to have just grown apart from April (best friend #1), which I get happens and Brooke did change a lot. But it's still sad and weird that she basically just overrode her old life with her new life in NYC. AND she never made up with Candace (best friend #2), who was angry that Brooke was going after the guy she liked – which is such a high school conflict. On the one hand, I totally get what Candace is driving at. On the other, Scott had already turned her down AND he had moved away. She wasn’t going to succeed. Even though I guess your best friend becoming a crazy stalker moving to another city for the boy you have a crush on would probably piss you off anyway. It just seems weird that Brooke can just so easily lose her two best friends and then pretty much brush it off because she has new best friends now.
I did find it super interesting that Brooke turned out to be a secret genius – like, an actual genius. She downplayed her smarts a lot because she didn’t want to stick out as different. So she just kind of tuned out everyone saying they were disappointed in her and kept her head down. That added a really interesting dimension to Brooke – she was more than just some silly girl following her crush. And I’m GLAD that John and April also called her out on this and how it was so stupid for her to be wasting her potential. Also the origami thing was a nice quirk.
And Brooke became a little less self-centered and angry by the end (even though she still has a lot of growing up to do). I’m not sure how I feel about John – he was a little manic and maybe even a touch manic pixie dream girl (LET’S GO OUTSIDE! AND EXPLORE!! LET US TALK ABOUT WATER TANKS!! All the kid needed was a ukulele). But I think he had his moments and he was a nice contrast to Cool Guy Scott.
P.S. What’s with the author acting like Scott and Brooke are the only two people who ever watch The Office? Don’t know what high school kids watch these days, but it’s not like The Office is some indie show. It was a super popular comedy and this book came out in 2011 – way after The Office peaked (so people should be familiar with it).
At first I was not a fan of Brooke at all. I mean, she moved to New York City for a guy she barely knew but was convinced was The One. I thought it was stupid for Felicity and I think it’s stupid now. Yes, moving to NYC ended up being exactly what she needed. But her reasoning was INSANE and although part of her knew it was crazy most of the time she didn't really see anything wrong with it – and everyone was like “oh, how romantic!” That is not romantic. That is creepy and stalky.
Brooke seems to be pretty constantly selfish and short-sighted. She left both her best friends during senior year for a boy who barely knew she existed and then managed to lose touch with both of them. She seemed to have just grown apart from April (best friend #1), which I get happens and Brooke did change a lot. But it's still sad and weird that she basically just overrode her old life with her new life in NYC. AND she never made up with Candace (best friend #2), who was angry that Brooke was going after the guy she liked – which is such a high school conflict. On the one hand, I totally get what Candace is driving at. On the other, Scott had already turned her down AND he had moved away. She wasn’t going to succeed. Even though I guess your best friend becoming a crazy stalker moving to another city for the boy you have a crush on would probably piss you off anyway. It just seems weird that Brooke can just so easily lose her two best friends and then pretty much brush it off because she has new best friends now.
I did find it super interesting that Brooke turned out to be a secret genius – like, an actual genius. She downplayed her smarts a lot because she didn’t want to stick out as different. So she just kind of tuned out everyone saying they were disappointed in her and kept her head down. That added a really interesting dimension to Brooke – she was more than just some silly girl following her crush. And I’m GLAD that John and April also called her out on this and how it was so stupid for her to be wasting her potential. Also the origami thing was a nice quirk.
And Brooke became a little less self-centered and angry by the end (even though she still has a lot of growing up to do). I’m not sure how I feel about John – he was a little manic and maybe even a touch manic pixie dream girl (LET’S GO OUTSIDE! AND EXPLORE!! LET US TALK ABOUT WATER TANKS!! All the kid needed was a ukulele). But I think he had his moments and he was a nice contrast to Cool Guy Scott.
P.S. What’s with the author acting like Scott and Brooke are the only two people who ever watch The Office? Don’t know what high school kids watch these days, but it’s not like The Office is some indie show. It was a super popular comedy and this book came out in 2011 – way after The Office peaked (so people should be familiar with it).
readerjenn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
booksforlosers's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this book, but it was incredibly predictable. Like, there’s nooooo way the plot would have been so simple as to have Brooke stay with Scott all 240 pages. So there obviously had to be some sort of “plot twist” but it was really predictable. I like how all of Colasantis books are so different, and all the plots are very diverse and the characters have different personalities, but this book was just a tad obvious, not that it wasn’t entertaining, but I think you get my point here.
asquared92's review against another edition
4.0
I have read other books by this author and love her writing style. This storyline was new and different. Brooke was a complicated and messy main character which I loved. However, I occasionally had a hard time following her line of thinking. Or explaining her actions. Which led to me feeling disconnected from her. Scott was a very two-dimensional character, but I liked that because that’s how Brooke saw him. The other characters in the story added a lot of depth and excitement to the story. The ending was good but abrupt. I would’ve loved to have a few more pages for closure.
fictionaladventures's review against another edition
1.0
Besides this, I've read Colasanti's [b:When It Happens|781046|When It Happens|Susane Colasanti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1268350521s/781046.jpg|767067] and [b:All I Need|16034187|All I Need|Susane Colasanti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1350954982s/16034187.jpg|21805660], and this one was definitely better than those, but it still wasn't for me. This seemed less stupid than the others, but it still had its fair share of stupidity.
I felt like it was a little too preachy and obvious. It was like like Colasanti was being way too clear that she wanted to teach her readers that it's stupid to have your world revolve around boys and that you should focus on yourself and your future instead of relationships. So it didn't feel super genuine to me.
I like romances, and this really wasn't a romance at heart, which is misleading because the premise definitely leads you to believe it's a romance.
I felt like it was a little too preachy and obvious. It was like like Colasanti was being way too clear that she wanted to teach her readers that it's stupid to have your world revolve around boys and that you should focus on yourself and your future instead of relationships. So it didn't feel super genuine to me.
I like romances, and this really wasn't a romance at heart, which is misleading because the premise definitely leads you to believe it's a romance.
Spoiler
If she was supposed to end up with John, that's fine, but literally the most we got was hand holding in the very last sentence, so clearly romance wasn't a focus of the story even though it was at the beginning, which made it feel lopsided.mellamaron's review against another edition
4.0
I will start off with: Brooke. There were times (a LOT of times) when I was simply like, "Are you kidding me girl? I really just want to slap you silly." But there were other times when I liked her a bit - most of those times were when she was with John. John brought out the best in her.
Honestly, I HATED the fact that she was a "genius" who deliberately didn't try in school. That angers me SO MUCH. But I love the girl who was so fascinated with the world around her, who kept looking up. Like I said, I liked the girl she was when she was with John.
And so, I come to John. Can I have him, please? He was absolutely adorable and I loved his energy and the way he saw the world. Props to Colasanti for making such an interesting male.
And I also surprisingly loved Sadie. I don't particularly get attached to the side characters as much in romances but Sadie was insanely wonderful. She was creative and beautiful in body and soul. I loved the idea of the warm fuzzies.
I only wish I could read more about John and Brooke, and of course Sadie. I really wish I could have had like... five more chapters. Heck, can we just have another book? (I'm only asking because you know, I want more John. Obviously.)
Honestly, I HATED the fact that she was a "genius" who deliberately didn't try in school. That angers me SO MUCH. But I love the girl who was so fascinated with the world around her, who kept looking up. Like I said, I liked the girl she was when she was with John.
And so, I come to John. Can I have him, please? He was absolutely adorable and
Spoiler
I knew from the moment we met him that he was head over heels in love with Brooke. Totally obvious. I was so happy when he finally confessed to her. Thank you!!And I also surprisingly loved Sadie. I don't particularly get attached to the side characters as much in romances but Sadie was insanely wonderful. She was creative and beautiful in body and soul. I loved the idea of the warm fuzzies.
I only wish I could read more about John and Brooke, and of course Sadie. I really wish I could have had like... five more chapters. Heck, can we just have another book? (I'm only asking because you know, I want more John. Obviously.)
Spoiler
Wait!! I have to mention something! Did anyone else think Ree (was that her name?) needed a background plot? Because I was totally ready for her to come out and be like, "By the way, my sister's name is Brooke? Yeah, you're my sister..." Brooke did mention that their hair color was the same. I know I was assuming but who knows? Her dad might have had a fling. I was definitely thinking that was going to pop up. In the end, when Ree didn't even show up again, I was quite sad. Why even put her in the book if you don't give her some screen time?supersandra's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not actively horrible, but it wasn't good. There were PARTS of it that were promising, but overall it was just so very mediocre that I am surprised I finished it at all.
bookdragon226's review
4.0
I really liked this book. It's crazy that someone would pack up their life and just move to a whole different city just for a boy. She goes through a lot of stuff. There are people who question how her friends from back home and her just stop talking and they think how can that happen? It's really easy actually I recently moved and I talk to maybe 3 of my many friends. It's easy to get wrapped up in your own lives and just forget about each other. I have a love/hate relationship with the end, I would really love if there were a sequel. I doubt there will be but overall this book was good and I think i'm going to read more Susane Colasanti!
jonireads's review against another edition
5.0
Brooke is in love with Scott Abrams even though they have barely spoken to each other before. She believes with all her heart that they are Meant To Be. She finally works up the courage to tell him she loves with but before she can he drops a bombshell: He is moving to New York City.
What's a girl to do? Why, follow him of course.
This book could have gone two very different ways. Brooke could have been an extremely creepy girl who stalks Scott. Or she could have been an extremely headstrong girl who knows what she wants and it not afraid to go after it. Thankfully, in this book she is the latter. I loved how determined Brooke was to make Scott see her and be with her. I found myself wishing I had the courage to risk it all for the guy that I have been pining for.
Brooke's love of New York City was awesome. The way she described the city made me feel as though I was there with her. So often books are either about the super trendy parts of the city or the incredibly bad crime ridden parts of the city. This book focused on the normal every day sites of New York that life time residents would walk by daily and not notice. A magical city was made even more magical when seen through the eyes of the main character.
What I love about Susane Colasanti's books are that they are easy reads. I can pick up one of her books intending to read only one chapter and be half way through it before I know it. But they don't move so fast that you are left confused at the end, wondering what on earth you just read. Also, I was able to read this book while having a 2 year old running around crazy in the back ground, so it's not a book that requires your full attention, which is good for those out there who are super busy and still try to fit reading in their lives.
I can't wait to find out what is next for this author.
What's a girl to do? Why, follow him of course.
This book could have gone two very different ways. Brooke could have been an extremely creepy girl who stalks Scott. Or she could have been an extremely headstrong girl who knows what she wants and it not afraid to go after it. Thankfully, in this book she is the latter. I loved how determined Brooke was to make Scott see her and be with her. I found myself wishing I had the courage to risk it all for the guy that I have been pining for.
Brooke's love of New York City was awesome. The way she described the city made me feel as though I was there with her. So often books are either about the super trendy parts of the city or the incredibly bad crime ridden parts of the city. This book focused on the normal every day sites of New York that life time residents would walk by daily and not notice. A magical city was made even more magical when seen through the eyes of the main character.
What I love about Susane Colasanti's books are that they are easy reads. I can pick up one of her books intending to read only one chapter and be half way through it before I know it. But they don't move so fast that you are left confused at the end, wondering what on earth you just read. Also, I was able to read this book while having a 2 year old running around crazy in the back ground, so it's not a book that requires your full attention, which is good for those out there who are super busy and still try to fit reading in their lives.
I can't wait to find out what is next for this author.