hertyhert1's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars
I love this book but it does have many cons these being:
Romanticisation of pedophilic/illegal relationships
Mishandling of serious topics such as suicide and trauma
But on the whole this book is a great coming of age would recommend for older teens. Wonderful imagery and feel to this book with the mixtape as well.
I love this book but it does have many cons these being:
Romanticisation of pedophilic/illegal relationships
Mishandling of serious topics such as suicide and trauma
But on the whole this book is a great coming of age would recommend for older teens. Wonderful imagery and feel to this book with the mixtape as well.
libby_f's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I love how it highlights how people can't be categorised into good or bad; they are just people who do good and bad things. The only downer for me was the graphic description of what was effectively rape but I suppose it helped show the reality of the situation.
lifeandliterature's review
3.0
The writing in this one was great but certain aspects of the story really creeped me out!
laurapatriciarose's review
4.0
Originally posted on:> http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/pretty-thing-by-jennifer-nadel.html
The cover for Pretty Thing is so striking. It instantly caught my eye and made me want to read it.
Pretty Thing is the ultimate coming of age novel. It's true to life, making it gritty and raw. It's a brutally honest read. It deals with the loss of innocence and trying to grow up too fast and how the world isn't a protective bubble. No detail, no matter how small is left untouched. There is one scene involving a slightly gone off tin of dog food that has really stuck with me. It really enhances how first times are not always so special and are actually a little scary. First love isn't always smooth running and magical as we want it to be and Jennifer has written this honestly, which is what makes this stand out so much from other coming of age novels.
Rebecca is a character that I think a lot of us can relate to. The want of fitting in at school and having a boyfriend being top priorities for girls even today. Jennifer really shows us Rebecca's vulnerable side and that even though she wants to grow up, she is still so young and naive. It's the realisticness and honesty that make Rebecca so easy to empathise with and show exactly what it is like growing up as a teenager.
What I particularly liked about this was that it was set in the summer of the 1970's. Despite not growing up in this era, I felt almost transported there with the songs from the likes of David Bowie, that are still played today.
Although this is a Young Adult novel, this is definitely a book for all ages as you can relate back to your own time as a teenager.
The only thing I wasn't so sure about was the ending. It leaves you to make up your own mind as to what you want to happen, which in itself is a good idea, but for me I would have liked it to have been wrapped up.
Overall though, an honest, gritty and raw coming of age novel.
The cover for Pretty Thing is so striking. It instantly caught my eye and made me want to read it.
Pretty Thing is the ultimate coming of age novel. It's true to life, making it gritty and raw. It's a brutally honest read. It deals with the loss of innocence and trying to grow up too fast and how the world isn't a protective bubble. No detail, no matter how small is left untouched. There is one scene involving a slightly gone off tin of dog food that has really stuck with me. It really enhances how first times are not always so special and are actually a little scary. First love isn't always smooth running and magical as we want it to be and Jennifer has written this honestly, which is what makes this stand out so much from other coming of age novels.
Rebecca is a character that I think a lot of us can relate to. The want of fitting in at school and having a boyfriend being top priorities for girls even today. Jennifer really shows us Rebecca's vulnerable side and that even though she wants to grow up, she is still so young and naive. It's the realisticness and honesty that make Rebecca so easy to empathise with and show exactly what it is like growing up as a teenager.
What I particularly liked about this was that it was set in the summer of the 1970's. Despite not growing up in this era, I felt almost transported there with the songs from the likes of David Bowie, that are still played today.
Although this is a Young Adult novel, this is definitely a book for all ages as you can relate back to your own time as a teenager.
The only thing I wasn't so sure about was the ending. It leaves you to make up your own mind as to what you want to happen, which in itself is a good idea, but for me I would have liked it to have been wrapped up.
Overall though, an honest, gritty and raw coming of age novel.
ruthparker16's review
3.0
This book was a super short read about a really tough selection of topics. I’m in two minds about this book. Part of me loved it, loved the characters and the themes and the commentary. The other part of me was a little bored even though it was a short book.
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