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brokenrecord's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I didn’t hate this, but I did want to like it more than I did. I liked the romance!
The family stuff could’ve been a little better? I feel like more time needed to be spent on it, because her dad marrying someone he basically just met right after her mother died and moving them across the country and upending Jessie’s entire life is pretty huge, and I don’t think the book did a good enough job showing where he was coming from or making him sympathetic. I almost wish he and his new wife had broken up at the end just because it would’ve felt more realistic in a way? I also could’ve done with more of Theo and Jessie’s relationship because I thought them becoming friends was great, but there wasn’t very much of that. Also, there were a lot of obnoxious stereotypes about CA at the beginning. I mean, first off, CA’s actually one of the most diverse states in the nation, so no, not EVERYONE in CA is blonde. And secondly, it’s ridiculous for her to remark with surprise on seeing a woman with wrinkles for the first time — there are over 1 million women in LA alone, so no, NOT ALL OF THEM (or even most of them! Or even close to most of them!) HAVE HAD PLASTIC SURGERY. I’m probably just slightly overly defensive of LA because I’m from southern CA, but I find those kind of stereotypes lazy. Anyways, despite my complaints, there was a lot I liked about this, and most of my complaints are fairly minor, so I’m not sure why I didn’t end up enjoying this more overall. It was decent enough, though!
Spoiler
It felt fairly obvious who SN was from the start — basically as soon as Ethan asked to be Jessie’s partner, I was like “So he’s the dude, right?” It wasn’t a huge drawback, but I would’ve liked it to be a little less obvious so early on? But they were cute! I LOVED the scene where he comes to reveal he’s SN and Liam shows up first to ask her out and he’s like OH SHIT SHE’S GOING TO THINK LIAM’S SN but then texts to let her know it’s him and she’s THRILLED it’s him and not Liam. Their last three things to each other were also really cute.The family stuff could’ve been a little better? I feel like more time needed to be spent on it, because her dad marrying someone he basically just met right after her mother died and moving them across the country and upending Jessie’s entire life is pretty huge, and I don’t think the book did a good enough job showing where he was coming from or making him sympathetic. I almost wish he and his new wife had broken up at the end just because it would’ve felt more realistic in a way? I also could’ve done with more of Theo and Jessie’s relationship because I thought them becoming friends was great, but there wasn’t very much of that. Also, there were a lot of obnoxious stereotypes about CA at the beginning. I mean, first off, CA’s actually one of the most diverse states in the nation, so no, not EVERYONE in CA is blonde. And secondly, it’s ridiculous for her to remark with surprise on seeing a woman with wrinkles for the first time — there are over 1 million women in LA alone, so no, NOT ALL OF THEM (or even most of them! Or even close to most of them!) HAVE HAD PLASTIC SURGERY. I’m probably just slightly overly defensive of LA because I’m from southern CA, but I find those kind of stereotypes lazy. Anyways, despite my complaints, there was a lot I liked about this, and most of my complaints are fairly minor, so I’m not sure why I didn’t end up enjoying this more overall. It was decent enough, though!
readingwitherin's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
“Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams. Or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they're only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost.”
See reviews first on my Blog
Julie is a young woman whose life is drastically changing. Her mom has passed away and her dad isn't dealing well with it. That is until he goes away for a business thing and comes back with a surprise that makes him and Julie move to the other side of the U.S. where everything is different from the people to how your supposed to act. Because lets face it to outsiders LA is terrifying especially LA private high-school. Julie has no idea how to navigate this new school, or which social class she would even fit into. That is until a random person starts messing her and offering her friendship and free advice. While this is a little creepy, it works and we get to know much more about both characters an a easy format where they feel comfortable and aren't trying to impress each other.
“You know how it is. Mean girls get mean in seventh grade and they stay that way until your ten-year reunion, when they want to be best friends again.”
As for Julies other friendships they weren't doing so well. The only friend she had back home felt left out somewhat while also still being incredibly supportive. Yes Julie wasn't asking her how things were back there, but she still truly cared for her best friend and when they finally got to see each other again, it was worth the distance, because they got to deal with things they hadn't before. It also made Julie realize she didn't have to do things alone all the time.
“Just because you're strong doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for help sometimes. Remember that.”
As for her new step-mom and step brother I wasn't a fan of them at first. They seemed to not really like or want Julie there, but as time went on and they all started getting use to each other things started changing. Her and her step-brother became friends and were protective of each other. Her step-mom realized that she needed to start trying with Julie and making her feel welcomed. Sure this whole new family dynamic still has a lot to learn and just proves why you shouldn't rush into a marriage when children/teens are involved.
“Not feeling like I belong anywhere has made me crave constant motion; standing still feels risky, like asking to be a target.”
Overall I enjoyed this story. The way that Julie dealt with loss was very real, as was her moving and having to start completely over. I was able to figure out who the anonymous person was about half way through the book, but then again after that I was also always trying to make sure who I thought it was was correct and it wasn't actually someone else.
“He's more like me, I think: burdened with the realization that what goes on in his mind is somehow different from what goes on in everyone else's. Even those closest to us.
And how you can't think about that for too long, because that thought - the truth of our isolation - is too much to bear.”
“Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams. Or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they're only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost.”
See reviews first on my Blog
Julie is a young woman whose life is drastically changing. Her mom has passed away and her dad isn't dealing well with it. That is until he goes away for a business thing and comes back with a surprise that makes him and Julie move to the other side of the U.S. where everything is different from the people to how your supposed to act. Because lets face it to outsiders LA is terrifying especially LA private high-school. Julie has no idea how to navigate this new school, or which social class she would even fit into. That is until a random person starts messing her and offering her friendship and free advice. While this is a little creepy, it works and we get to know much more about both characters an a easy format where they feel comfortable and aren't trying to impress each other.
“You know how it is. Mean girls get mean in seventh grade and they stay that way until your ten-year reunion, when they want to be best friends again.”
As for Julies other friendships they weren't doing so well. The only friend she had back home felt left out somewhat while also still being incredibly supportive. Yes Julie wasn't asking her how things were back there, but she still truly cared for her best friend and when they finally got to see each other again, it was worth the distance, because they got to deal with things they hadn't before. It also made Julie realize she didn't have to do things alone all the time.
“Just because you're strong doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for help sometimes. Remember that.”
As for her new step-mom and step brother I wasn't a fan of them at first. They seemed to not really like or want Julie there, but as time went on and they all started getting use to each other things started changing. Her and her step-brother became friends and were protective of each other. Her step-mom realized that she needed to start trying with Julie and making her feel welcomed. Sure this whole new family dynamic still has a lot to learn and just proves why you shouldn't rush into a marriage when children/teens are involved.
“Not feeling like I belong anywhere has made me crave constant motion; standing still feels risky, like asking to be a target.”
Overall I enjoyed this story. The way that Julie dealt with loss was very real, as was her moving and having to start completely over. I was able to figure out who the anonymous person was about half way through the book, but then again after that I was also always trying to make sure who I thought it was was correct and it wasn't actually someone else.
“He's more like me, I think: burdened with the realization that what goes on in his mind is somehow different from what goes on in everyone else's. Even those closest to us.
And how you can't think about that for too long, because that thought - the truth of our isolation - is too much to bear.”
fritz42's review against another edition
5.0
Jessie's world turned upside down two years ago with the death of her mother. Since then, both her dad and she have just tried to exist. At least that's what she thought until her father returns from a weekend trip married with plans to move the two of them to LA to live with his wife and her teenage son.
Jessie is thrust into the world of an elite private school with a step-brother that hates her and a number of catty girls who take pleasure in trying to make her life miserable. She doesn't have friends. Her father is too caught up in his new life to even pay attention.
This all changes when she receives an email from "Somebody/Nobody" or SN for short that offers to give her sage advice on who to befriend and who to avoid. Thinking it's just another prank from catty girls, she is reluctant to try, but their advice proves true. Now having a friend, Jessie starts to navigate her junior year better.
And SN and she start to reveal more of themselves through their messages. Both have lost someone. The two of them start to bond by asking and telling each other "three things." Jessie finds herself turning more and more to SN for support, but he won't reveal himself in real life. In the meantime, several boys in real life start to have meaning to her, making her wonder if one of them could be SN.
[a:Julie Buxbaum|843820|Julie Buxbaum|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438042196p2/843820.jpg] is quickly becoming an auto buy for me. Julie and SN's pain and grief subtly showed through their messages. I loved how they reached out for each other, and I wanted them to find that in real life. I loved the "reveal scene," and had hoped it was the guy it was.
Jessie is thrust into the world of an elite private school with a step-brother that hates her and a number of catty girls who take pleasure in trying to make her life miserable. She doesn't have friends. Her father is too caught up in his new life to even pay attention.
This all changes when she receives an email from "Somebody/Nobody" or SN for short that offers to give her sage advice on who to befriend and who to avoid. Thinking it's just another prank from catty girls, she is reluctant to try, but their advice proves true. Now having a friend, Jessie starts to navigate her junior year better.
And SN and she start to reveal more of themselves through their messages. Both have lost someone. The two of them start to bond by asking and telling each other "three things." Jessie finds herself turning more and more to SN for support, but he won't reveal himself in real life. In the meantime, several boys in real life start to have meaning to her, making her wonder if one of them could be SN.
[a:Julie Buxbaum|843820|Julie Buxbaum|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438042196p2/843820.jpg] is quickly becoming an auto buy for me. Julie and SN's pain and grief subtly showed through their messages. I loved how they reached out for each other, and I wanted them to find that in real life. I loved the "reveal scene," and had hoped it was the guy it was.
katielovesbooks134's review against another edition
5.0
Libby eBook on Kindle. I’m give this book 5 stars because 1) it made me feel things. I felt like Jessie was my friend. I cared about what happened to her. I was invested. There were parts where I was held in complete suspense and there were parts when I was smiling like an idiot. 2) I loved the relationships between Jessie and all the other characters, but especially between Jessie and her girl friends. Girls can be so mean to each other, especially in high school/middle school, but she had and found her people, her ride or die bitches. I really enjoyed reading that dynamic. 3) Because of the Dear Reader at the end. Julie - it sucks and I’m sorry. But you wrote a damn good book and I’m sure your mom is very proud of you.
elcanread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
absbia777's review against another edition
4.0
Jessie Holmes moves from Chicago to Los Angeles when her father remarries, a transition into a totally new life with her stepmother, stepbrother and godawful classmates. But the one thing that makes her new world better is an anonymous correspondence through email with a person who calls themselves "Somebody/Nobody" or S/N for short. There are several possibilities, especially as Jessie is forming relationships with those in her school. I was able to figure out who S/N was from the very beginning, but it's still fun to see Jessie's relationships form. This book also addresses death and divorce in a very good manner for a contemporary romance.
aljakatuin's review against another edition
4.0
Een ietwat andere set up als Simon vs. Maar 1 grote gelijkenis.. PBs van een onbekende waar ze verliefd op raken! Bij Simon raakte ik er verkikkerd op en Jessie heeft me nog gekker gemaakt. Wat een heerlijk boek en wat een schatje blijkt IN! Ik ben altijd heel benieuwd naar hoe het afloopt en hoe hun relatie dan gaat zijn enzo.. Ik wil nog niet dat het is afgelopen! I need more!
rekadarnb's review against another edition
3.0
This more 2.5 stars. I rounded up to be generous. I don’t like the vibe of this. At least in A Cinderella Story, she just so happened to figure it out who she was talking to, but they they both started out anonymous. I prefer that dynamic. Sending the girl you’ve been watching from afar a email out of nowhere just screams Nice Guy™️ behavior. I didn’t like how it ended. It seemed rather abrupt for all that. Plus, it was predictable who it was.