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kt022's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
katefield34's review against another edition
3.0
it was meh?? too many separate storylines and characters felt undeveloped
living_a_bookworm_life's review against another edition
4.0
This book follows 3 different girls as they head out on a dream holiday with their friends to celebrate the end of school. They may be strangers, but they each have a specific goal behind their trip. The book is broken down by day, with the narrative switching between the 3 girls. Over the course of a week, they are each forced to face some deep issues, and find themselves in the process.
At first, I had trouble keeping up with the 3 different storylines. It jumps around a lot each day and it was hard to keep their stories straight. But soon I found myself wrapped up in their stories and wanting to see them succeed. The storylines touched on a lot of difficult angsty teen feelings and situations, as well as deeper emotions like grief and loss. I found myself caring about the characters toward the end, and I enjoyed the way their stories overlapped but didn't become one. The ending was inspirational, and celebrated the wide open blank slate of finishing school.
At first, I had trouble keeping up with the 3 different storylines. It jumps around a lot each day and it was hard to keep their stories straight. But soon I found myself wrapped up in their stories and wanting to see them succeed. The storylines touched on a lot of difficult angsty teen feelings and situations, as well as deeper emotions like grief and loss. I found myself caring about the characters toward the end, and I enjoyed the way their stories overlapped but didn't become one. The ending was inspirational, and celebrated the wide open blank slate of finishing school.
icanfixhim's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
this was a fun book. it was fun. it was one of those books where everything that can go wrong does go wrong which I hate because it stresses me out. In part this book made me never want to travel again. I felt so bad for samira she just got absolutely fucked. I wanted to give her a hug and I HATE hugs. I was so proud of her by the end though she was such a boss ass bitch and I love her so much. I liked the other two also but samira was my favourite. all in all this was a fun quick light read. thanks.
mishale1's review against another edition
3.0
This book was an interesting mix of light and heavy. I got it on NetGalley ages ago as an early ebook edition. I was in the mood for a light read, so I finally picked it up. I was surprised to find it contained some heavier issues. I’m not marking this as containing spoilers only because everything is front and center within the first few pages and if you read an excerpt, you’d know all of this. But just incase you want to go in with only the description of the book jacket then I’d stop reading here.
Ok, still with me?
This book is about a few groups of teenagers who recently graduated high school. They are taking a kind of spring break like trip. They all different reasons for going.
Zoe worked so hard all through high school and is trying to go to college pre-med. The trip is with her cousins, they were all born so close together that they are more like siblings. Zoe is definitely much closer to her cousins than to her actual,older, “perfect” sister.
At the last minute, Zoe’s parents freak out about the trip and say she can’t go. Given that she’s a legal adult and also paid for the trip herself she decides to go anyway. She sneaks out.
Dahlia is going with her group of friends. Their story is tough. Their best friend died from cancer about a year earlier. She wanted her best friends to take a trip in her memory and leaves money behind for them to take this trip.
The girls are trying to live for her too.
Samira is going with a group of friends and her boyfriend. She hasn’t known any of them that long because she moved to the school during senior year.
She puts all the time and effort into planning the trip and gets no appreciation for it. Her boyfriend dumps her immediately before they leave. She realizes quickly that she’s only really friends with one of the girls. And that girl finds a guy soon after arriving and Samira is kind of left on her own.
I liked how each of these groups was there for a different reason. I will say that I am not great at recalling names so it got hard to keep track of all of the girls and all of their friends.
I am an adult many years past highschool. But I’ll be honest with you, I was never someone who wanted to go on any version of a wild spring break trip. If the teenage drinking might bother you, it’s worth remembering that the characters are probably legal and able to drink at 18 in their country. And honestly, I think it was shown in a light that’s like saying “be careful out there kids”. I don’t know if that sounds corny but I thought the author did a good job of showing these characters on the verge of adulthood, with some big heavy stuff on their shoulders, trying to have fun with their friends without losing control.
Ok, still with me?
This book is about a few groups of teenagers who recently graduated high school. They are taking a kind of spring break like trip. They all different reasons for going.
Zoe worked so hard all through high school and is trying to go to college pre-med. The trip is with her cousins, they were all born so close together that they are more like siblings. Zoe is definitely much closer to her cousins than to her actual,older, “perfect” sister.
At the last minute, Zoe’s parents freak out about the trip and say she can’t go. Given that she’s a legal adult and also paid for the trip herself she decides to go anyway. She sneaks out.
Dahlia is going with her group of friends. Their story is tough. Their best friend died from cancer about a year earlier. She wanted her best friends to take a trip in her memory and leaves money behind for them to take this trip.
The girls are trying to live for her too.
Samira is going with a group of friends and her boyfriend. She hasn’t known any of them that long because she moved to the school during senior year.
She puts all the time and effort into planning the trip and gets no appreciation for it. Her boyfriend dumps her immediately before they leave. She realizes quickly that she’s only really friends with one of the girls. And that girl finds a guy soon after arriving and Samira is kind of left on her own.
I liked how each of these groups was there for a different reason. I will say that I am not great at recalling names so it got hard to keep track of all of the girls and all of their friends.
I am an adult many years past highschool. But I’ll be honest with you, I was never someone who wanted to go on any version of a wild spring break trip. If the teenage drinking might bother you, it’s worth remembering that the characters are probably legal and able to drink at 18 in their country. And honestly, I think it was shown in a light that’s like saying “be careful out there kids”. I don’t know if that sounds corny but I thought the author did a good job of showing these characters on the verge of adulthood, with some big heavy stuff on their shoulders, trying to have fun with their friends without losing control.
cosycourtney's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I thought this book was absolutely brilliant. It made me laugh and cry. The feeling of being lost after school (and any point in your life) is something everyone is familiar with and stories of this nature never go astray. I would easily compare it to Radio Silence (an all time fave of mine) but it has the Aussie spirit of Schoolies and summer. My heart was totally with the girls as they struggled through the week. I loved the way the book was told through the 7 days and it goes to show how much can happen so quickly. So many moments made me laugh out loud because despite getting older the anxiety, excitement, concern and anticipation that comes with change and life disruption never goes away. I love when I can relate so truly to a young adult book; oddly it means more to me now than it would have when I was younger. Can’t Say was so well written, so fun, so heartwarming. I highly recommend this for a fun weekend read (especially if you are an Alice Oseman fan). Can’t wait for more Gabrielle Tozer!