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emmirosereads's review against another edition
1.0
Feeling very meh about this book. Kind of bitter that the synopsis basically tells the entire story and yet the story is almost nothing like the synopsis? This doesn't makes sense but it makes sense in my head.
I didn't mesh well with the writing at all. Didn't think it was anything special or unique and it's extremely hard for me to like a first person narrative. This was no different. It didn't help that the main character felt completely ridiculous and whiny and I just couldn't get behind her.
This book really was nothing like I expected. What I thought was going to be a deep book about loneliness and relationships ended up being a book with a creepy teacher and an annoying main character. Yes the synopsis says she finds comfort in a teacher but I somehow thought that the author would make some important narrative and statement with it. I don't even know what I was expecting but I should have known better. The synopsis makes it sound like the book was going to be all about their relationship but they're barely seen together besides a handful of parts. Which seeing what the book ended up being was a good thing I guess. I did DNF this with 50 pages to go so maybe something gets put in those that I didn't read but I doubt it.
Along with that the book is incredibly slow and hardly gets started until around the half way point. I also feel like this book hardly seems historical besides a few mentions of the war. This could have just as easily been put in a modern world with very few changes.
I'm just sad because I thought this was going to be really good book and have a deep message and narrative but just ended up being really shallow and boring.
I didn't mesh well with the writing at all. Didn't think it was anything special or unique and it's extremely hard for me to like a first person narrative. This was no different. It didn't help that the main character felt completely ridiculous and whiny and I just couldn't get behind her.
This book really was nothing like I expected. What I thought was going to be a deep book about loneliness and relationships ended up being a book with a creepy teacher and an annoying main character. Yes the synopsis says she finds comfort in a teacher but I somehow thought that the author would make some important narrative and statement with it. I don't even know what I was expecting but I should have known better. The synopsis makes it sound like the book was going to be all about their relationship but they're barely seen together besides a handful of parts. Which seeing what the book ended up being was a good thing I guess. I did DNF this with 50 pages to go so maybe something gets put in those that I didn't read but I doubt it.
Along with that the book is incredibly slow and hardly gets started until around the half way point. I also feel like this book hardly seems historical besides a few mentions of the war. This could have just as easily been put in a modern world with very few changes.
I'm just sad because I thought this was going to be really good book and have a deep message and narrative but just ended up being really shallow and boring.
everthereader's review against another edition
I'll admit it. I was a little scared that Rachel would end up with the creepy Mr. Tompkins. Thankfully, they didn't. I was so happy! This book was emotional and brilliant at the same time. I love the twist with Mr. Tompkins. This is truly a great read. :)
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
interesting to read about WWII from a canadian teen's perspective, but there were a lot of Issues that detracted from other Issues simply because there were so many of them. i liked reading jamie's letters, but the reader is left to guess what became of them.
Spoiler
war! PTSD! cancer! cold unfeeling parents! sexual abuse!brearose's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great. I feel like the plot wasn't developed enough; like it could have been longer. But that also made it feel more realistic. I love how Jamie's Unwritten Letters are used to show his perspective, but still leaving the main story line up to Rachel. I know a lot of people found her selfish or annoying, but I thought she was just realistic. She was acting like a normal 13-16 year old. She never worries about how other people feel, until closer to the end, because most 13-year-olds don't either. Her problems seem like the worst thing in the world to her, but the reader can see that there are much worse things happening to those around her. It was a great book, and I highly suggest you all read it too. Even though it's set it the past, it still has a very contemporary feel, because the main idea is timeless.
elisabeth_li's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really wanted to like this book. I really did. I don’t so much have a problem with the narrator like I know many others did, but there was just so much potential for character development and the storyline that just went to waste. The narrator’s anxiety that causes rashes, her brother’s ptsd, her mother’s random pregnancy, the predatory teacher , her plays and desires to act, and the romances taking place all gave the author plenty of opportunities to take the story somewhere, but once I finished reading I realized that the storyline didn’t go anywhere, almost like there wasn’t even a point to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
redvelvet's review against another edition
2.0
I found it difficult to read this book, especially towards the end because I couldn't understand where the story was leading to. And in the end, it really wasn't leading anywhere.
msoblong's review against another edition
2.0
**I received a copy of this book via LibraryThing**
I don't know what to really say about Little Red Lies. It really just wasn't a good book. There really isn't anything likeable about Rachel, the main character. There was a lot going on in every aspect of the book but none of it made the book enjoyable for me, and most of it was completely unnecessary in the end. The author just couldn't put it all together and make it work.
I don't know what to really say about Little Red Lies. It really just wasn't a good book. There really isn't anything likeable about Rachel, the main character. There was a lot going on in every aspect of the book but none of it made the book enjoyable for me, and most of it was completely unnecessary in the end. The author just couldn't put it all together and make it work.
bailey's review against another edition
4.0
What I really like is that this a different way of looking at the the post WW2 era. It looks at the aftermath for a young girl whose brother fought in the war. It looks at a family that is falling apart. It's about a man who survived the war only to come back and find out he is sick. The wide range of issues discussed makes the book feel fresh.
My main problem with the book was there was a lot going on. I think The author should have focused more on Jamie and their relationship, but instead there were a lot of other things happening. It all wrapped up very nicely but between her teacher, Mary, her friends, and even the grandma there seemed to be a lot going on the was necessary.
There were times when I felt the main character, Rachel, was slightly unlikely but I am okay with that. I don't think you always have to love the main character for a book to good. Overall, she was compelling but she had times of selfishness and drama, but keep in mind she is 15 year old. I know (being 17) that this is just the way 15 year old are.
I definitely recommend reading this book! I was a rather fast read and it was really good. It offered a different perceptive than I have read before and I thought that was awesome!
elephant's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book free to review from Netgalley. I almost gave up on it because it is not well written. It has lots of conversations in quotation marks switching from one person to another without anything in between and it is difficult to follow the conversations and tell who is talking. I skimmed quite a bit and got more into the story and it is a good story. Rachel is 13 years old and her brother has returned from serving in WWII with PTSD and another illness as well that is diagnosed later in the book. I enjoyed his undelievered letters to Rachel about the war. Rachel has an imaginary bordering on real - ick - romance with a teacher and trouble with her parents. It is an interesting post WWII coming of age story.