housedesignerking's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is based on one of my favorite Disney Channel movies and stars two of my teenage crushes, Hilary Duff and Dan Byrd. So I was a bit unsure if I was going to like this or not. Disney doesn't have a good track record. Some of their books that I've read ended up getting low ratings from me. Even though this one has some differences to the movie and some outright brand-new scenes, it wasn't as bad as some reviewers made it out to be. There are two scenes in this novelization and the movie that reveal a double standard. In both, Mrs. Wells has a crush on Austin and Sam eventually bursts into the boy's locker room. If a male teacher had a crush on Sam or Austin had burst into the girl's locker room, people everywhere would've been triggered like that meme girl. I can guarantee you, I wouldn't have been one of those people. If Damian can be in the girl's bathroom in "Mean Girls," who the heck cares?! I saw a debate online recently indirectly about this, and it's pretty ridiculous; but I digress. As I said it's one of my favorites from Disney Channel. The book loses 1 star for not including some of my favorite lines from the movie, though. 4 stars.
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