stenaros's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a sucker for books with three sisters told from the point of view of the middle child. This one had me from the beginning.
Mia makes some pretty terrible choices, and you can see the consequences coming a mile away. Thanks to some deft writing, I understood where she was coming from and was rooting for her to find a better place for herself. All three sisters were nicely developed.
Mia makes some pretty terrible choices, and you can see the consequences coming a mile away. Thanks to some deft writing, I understood where she was coming from and was rooting for her to find a better place for herself. All three sisters were nicely developed.
jennamonaco's review against another edition
3.0
Mia is the middle child, sandwiched between her older sister “Amazing Grace” and her almost-Olympic athlete little sister. Needless to say, Mia feels pretty insecure, insignificant, and inadequate. The only thing Mia seems to be good at is disappointing her parents- constantly. That is until Grace comes home with some unexpected news that Mia couldn’t be happier about-FINALLY Grace will be knocked off of that pedestal her parents put her on. Well, jokes on Mia because Grace isn’t under fire and their parents are far more supportive than Mia would have ever dreamed. Mia will have to make the choice between “growing up” or losing her friends and family as a consequence.
If you get frustrated by characters' decisions, or you don’t like reading books with “unlikeable” protagonists then this book might be a challenge for you.
(edit 2022)
Personally, I found All About Me to be well-written, and I think the author did a spectacular job at laying out why Mia is who she is and why she does what she does. I empathized with Mia, and I rooted for her. Quick read. Definitely one to put on the TBR.
If you get frustrated by characters' decisions, or you don’t like reading books with “unlikeable” protagonists then this book might be a challenge for you.
(edit 2022)
Personally, I found All About Me to be well-written, and I think the author did a spectacular job at laying out why Mia is who she is and why she does what she does. I empathized with Mia, and I rooted for her. Quick read. Definitely one to put on the TBR.
bookworm_owl's review
emotional
funny
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
ocylou's review against another edition
4.0
Really good book. Shows that things may be happening to others as well as you and you don't realise but it can all work out in the end
lucyjunee's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5
“All about Mia” is a quick, lighthearted read that is extremely character driven and focused heavily on family.
The recipe for greatness!
Contrary to popular belief, I thought this book was good, although I could definitely see the flaws.
Mia is a very selfish character who often doesn’t take anyone’s thoughts or feelings into consideration and she doesn’t think about how her actions will affect those she cares about. Of course there is a stigma and a stereotype surrounding teenagers, but Mia was quite frankly out of control. Her favourite hobby was underage drinking, sneaking out into nightclubs, lying to her family and apparently hurting her best friends. Until the end of the novel, she doesn’t develop and grow from her selfish ways which is something I didn’t enjoy.
However, I understand why Mia behaved in this way. Her thought processes must have been “any attention, good or bad, is better than no attention at all”. I can see why she behaved like this; she was sick of being in the shadow of her highly-achieving sisters and feeling like a failure. Mia gave up trying to be as good as them, to gain the same praise and attention as them, so she endeavours to gain it in a more negative way. Yes, it’s immature for a sixteen year old but still completely realistic and understandable.
Although Mia wasn’t exactly my favourite character, I liked the others. None of the characters were especially unique which separates them from other YA characters, I still liked them. I enjoyed Sam who was just a sweetheart to cute, little Audrey. Families are my favourite things to read about so I really enjoyed my experience reading about the Campbell-Richardsons.
One thing I wish we could have seen is more scenes from Mia's sixth form. This is not a common setting for a YA book, although it is a relatable one and quite a unique one really. If we could have seen more scenes here I think I would have been able to connect with Mia more and understand her life in terms of her academics. However, that is a personal preference!
There was much of a plot, it was more of a character driven story, which to be candid, I don’t really mind. I think the few events that did occur were pretty enjoyable and kept me engaged so I did enjoy this book.
Williamson's writing style is rather simplistic and her vocabulary limited. I thought maybe it was leaning towards the younger side of young adult literature but then we get some...graphic scenes, which even I had to skip over (it didn’t help that my teacher was sitting right next to me, either!) so maybe that could be developed, meaning I would bump up the rating.
In conclusion, it’s an enjoyable read. It was nothing special or memorable, but it was perfect considering I am preparing for my GCSEs!
Love Lucy x
“All about Mia” is a quick, lighthearted read that is extremely character driven and focused heavily on family.
The recipe for greatness!
Contrary to popular belief, I thought this book was good, although I could definitely see the flaws.
Mia is a very selfish character who often doesn’t take anyone’s thoughts or feelings into consideration and she doesn’t think about how her actions will affect those she cares about. Of course there is a stigma and a stereotype surrounding teenagers, but Mia was quite frankly out of control. Her favourite hobby was underage drinking, sneaking out into nightclubs, lying to her family and apparently hurting her best friends. Until the end of the novel, she doesn’t develop and grow from her selfish ways which is something I didn’t enjoy.
However, I understand why Mia behaved in this way. Her thought processes must have been “any attention, good or bad, is better than no attention at all”. I can see why she behaved like this; she was sick of being in the shadow of her highly-achieving sisters and feeling like a failure. Mia gave up trying to be as good as them, to gain the same praise and attention as them, so she endeavours to gain it in a more negative way. Yes, it’s immature for a sixteen year old but still completely realistic and understandable.
Although Mia wasn’t exactly my favourite character, I liked the others. None of the characters were especially unique which separates them from other YA characters, I still liked them. I enjoyed Sam who was just a sweetheart to cute, little Audrey. Families are my favourite things to read about so I really enjoyed my experience reading about the Campbell-Richardsons.
One thing I wish we could have seen is more scenes from Mia's sixth form. This is not a common setting for a YA book, although it is a relatable one and quite a unique one really. If we could have seen more scenes here I think I would have been able to connect with Mia more and understand her life in terms of her academics. However, that is a personal preference!
There was much of a plot, it was more of a character driven story, which to be candid, I don’t really mind. I think the few events that did occur were pretty enjoyable and kept me engaged so I did enjoy this book.
Williamson's writing style is rather simplistic and her vocabulary limited. I thought maybe it was leaning towards the younger side of young adult literature but then we get some...graphic scenes, which even I had to skip over (it didn’t help that my teacher was sitting right next to me, either!) so maybe that could be developed, meaning I would bump up the rating.
In conclusion, it’s an enjoyable read. It was nothing special or memorable, but it was perfect considering I am preparing for my GCSEs!
Love Lucy x
kellysch01's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
irispendlebury's review against another edition
2.0
relatable but everyone except audrey is insufferable right until the last second
eve11111's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
readingsar's review against another edition
5.0
I had high hopes going into this and I was NOT disappointed! All About Mia is FABULOUS and so so honest! Mia is a wonderfully realistic 16 year old who feels lost and like she need to prove herself when she doesn't, all she needs is a tight hug! Lisa Williamson captures a truthful family dynamic and shows the importance of family and friendships. (Actual real review will be up soon!)
a_bookish_discovery's review
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.0