inwonderland49's review against another edition
4.0
My Thoughts
During the summer between eighth and ninth grade, I turned into a monster.
That is the first line in this story and I felt that it was a great line to set things up! I really loved that the main plot of this novel was about blackmail. I think that is such an interesting thing to read about and it was great to see it played out so well. Especially since I didn't know who was the one blackmailing. I'm really glad that this book didn't disappoint in the fact that it kept me guessing.
I was a little worried going into this book because I don't like drugs. I don't condone drugs. I've never done drugs. Drugs is just something I don't like. Yet, I still liked this book. I think that even though the subject was indeed about drugs, I was still interested in it. Because it wasn't just about the drug use, but it was about striving to be perfect. And what that can do to your body as well. I do wish that we saw more of that striving to be perfect with more of the mental issues. But all-in-all, I think that it was done pretty well. I do like that the drug of Kara's choice wasn't heroin or cocaine or something like that, but instead something kind of like Ritalin (for ADD cases) and maybe with a hint of Xanax (for anxiety). I think I appreciated this book more because it was medicine that was the drug of choice, which can sometimes be even more scary than other drugs. (I'm not really sure if I made any sense with that, but in my head it did. :) )
I definitely enjoyed this book more than I thought I would and I am extremely happy about that. I definitely want to check out Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff and any future work of hers because I think she did a wonderful job with this book! It has a slight Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars vibe and would be perfect for fans of those books or TV shows!
About the Author
Michelle Falkoff's fiction and reviews have been published in ZYZZYVA, DoubleTake and the Harvard Review, among other places. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently serves as Director of Communication and Legal Reasoning at Northwestern University School of Law.
Author Links: Website || Twitter || Facebook
Giveaway
3 Finished Copies of PUSHING PERFECT (US Only)
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exist0ni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
riellebks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
lexiww's review against another edition
3.0
dee_elizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ayessielle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting high school conspiracy. It certainly keeps readers on their toes. I did take issue with Kara because she was just so obsessed with her appearance to the world that it just became too much at times. All in all though, this was a pretty decent book.
heyitsmelina's review against another edition
3.0
If you want to read more of my review, you can check out it out on my blog: https://www.melinaelisa.com/melinas-book-club-pt-6/
sheenlynbree114's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Kara is a good girl. She study so much to make her parents proud, though she’s a little bit hard to herself, which lead her to panic attacks and failing. And she resorted to a teeny bit illegal thing.
The story is fast paced. She met friends along the way. I don’t think Alex became part of the bad influence, but rather she took part in Kara’s journey of finding herself. The mystery is good. I kept thinking who was the Blocked Sender and a little bit confused and mistrusting there. Did not expect who it was tho. I thought it’s gonna be focused on drugs, but it was not really. It revolved around it tho. The solution for the mystery is kinda rushed. Like really? Everything stopped after that conversation? But then this is YA, and it’s understandable that there’s not gonna be a big scene or everything.
A good read overall.
ejivar's review against another edition
4.0