aotrejo's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed it! The artwork was really detailed and Jane is such an awesome skater girl character that I feel a lot of outcast teen girls would relate to. It had a "Scott Pilgrim" vibe to it with the exes and trying to prevent the main characters from dating.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
While working at a soup cart Jack meets a cute skater girl named Jane. He gets up the nerve to talk to her and the two start dating. Jane is contacted by a local girl network with inside information on Jack and his transgressions as a boyfriend. How will this inside information change Jane's relationship with Jack?
amysutton's review against another edition
2.0
There's someone out there for everyone, and everyone needs permission to grow into their better selves.
relright's review against another edition
2.0
if this had been a traditional novel instead of a graphic novel it probably would have gotten one star. But the illustrations and art direction are one of the more redeeming parts of the story. Essentially the Cute Girl Network is a network of hundreds of local women working to spread their experiences with their exes to potential new partners to save themselves grief. However the main characters of this story Jack and Jane are fucking hopeless hipster losers. Jane shrugs off every story provided to her including the truly heinous such as Jack going to the store in the middle of making dinner at his girlfriends house and DISAPPEARING FOR THREE DAYS because he got distracted at the store and went home instead. And Jane just thinks that story and others is quirky and fun???? Also every single one of the other characters in this is unlikeable in one way or another. It was also written in 2013 and it is painfully awkward in it’s attempts to seem cool and hip and still missing that mark.
sizrobe's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an object lesson about different kinds of bad relationships. The protagonist is a poor match for most people because he's scatterbrained and clumsy, but not deliberately an asshole or malicious. His roommate. on the other hand, is a toxically masculine douchebag who never gets past first dates.
I identified with the protagonist more than I'd like to admit. There was one line where dating him was likened to "dating a golden retriever" which hit a little closer to home than I'd like to say. Otherwise though, the exes that all hate him aren't particularly sympathetic. In a way I'd kind of relate this graphic novel to the league of evil exes from Scott Pilgrim.
I identified with the protagonist more than I'd like to admit. There was one line where dating him was likened to "dating a golden retriever" which hit a little closer to home than I'd like to say. Otherwise though, the exes that all hate him aren't particularly sympathetic. In a way I'd kind of relate this graphic novel to the league of evil exes from Scott Pilgrim.
elisala's review against another edition
3.0
C'est plutôt sympathique, ça bouge un peu les lignes des genres, mais ça finit un peu en eau de boudin.
joaniemaloney's review against another edition
2.0
I was bored and decided to flip through this because the cover looked cute. The premise of it sounded simple enough, and I liked the designs and illustrations, so I gave it a go.
Pretty disappointed. I thought there was potential here but these two characters ended up being rather bland. The meet-cute was cute, yes, but I'd say everything went downhill after the first date. I can see how they're comfortable with each other and the relationship can certainly work, but Jack seemed so much of a doofus - some of those stories from the other ladies made me cringe - that I lost the appeal in really rooting for these two, or even against these two. I can see them humming along for a while, but I don't want to read about it.
But the art was nice. Really. I loved all the details for those full pages. The character designs are charming and Jack did have some good puppy-dog eyes going on, and Jane had some good points about female representation in sport (skateboarding), but maybe there needed to be something more to this story.
Pretty disappointed. I thought there was potential here but these two characters ended up being rather bland. The meet-cute was cute, yes, but I'd say everything went downhill after the first date. I can see how they're comfortable with each other and the relationship can certainly work, but Jack seemed so much of a doofus - some of those stories from the other ladies made me cringe - that I lost the appeal in really rooting for these two, or even against these two. I can see them humming along for a while, but I don't want to read about it.
But the art was nice. Really. I loved all the details for those full pages. The character designs are charming and Jack did have some good puppy-dog eyes going on, and Jane had some good points about female representation in sport (skateboarding), but maybe there needed to be something more to this story.
lovelymissmonet's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bluenicorn's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't super into this, but I'm having a hard time putting my finger on why. I like the idea that someone else's bad date may be just right for another person; and I liked the concept that sometimes, everyone else doesn't know best. But... instead of Jack coming across as a little silly, he made a series of choices that would really give me pause. I mean, maybe it's "silly" that he put his phone in a bag of chips that was thrown away, but... it kind of communicates a few things to me: A) He is messy and inconsiderate enough that his roommate literally cleans up after him and B) He does not take care of expensive and important things like his phone. And, like, this happened recently- not when all of the other girls dated him. But peeing in a graveyard, poking a female stranger's chest because of the design on it, and talking with your mom about your sex life... sheesh... red flag city.
I respect that ultimately, it's Jane's choice- she knows what she is getting into, and she knows it may not be forever. It's still up to her and she chooses to be with Jack. It shouldn't matter what me or any of the Network members think. That is the strongest part of the book for me. The Network itself was sort of troubling to me- the women all came across as really catty and vindictive; you went on one bad date with a guy, and you feel the need to tell a stranger that she's throwing her life away with him? That's... weird. And the men, too, all felt like bloated stereotypes- no one in the skate shop realizes it's weird to harass women, and Jack's roommate literally says stuff like "Now make me a sandwich." There are some good moments of potential happening, and I don't think it's terrible; but I just don't think it works for me.
I respect that ultimately, it's Jane's choice- she knows what she is getting into, and she knows it may not be forever. It's still up to her and she chooses to be with Jack. It shouldn't matter what me or any of the Network members think. That is the strongest part of the book for me. The Network itself was sort of troubling to me- the women all came across as really catty and vindictive; you went on one bad date with a guy, and you feel the need to tell a stranger that she's throwing her life away with him? That's... weird. And the men, too, all felt like bloated stereotypes- no one in the skate shop realizes it's weird to harass women, and Jack's roommate literally says stuff like "Now make me a sandwich." There are some good moments of potential happening, and I don't think it's terrible; but I just don't think it works for me.
eraofkara's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely cute, but a little heavy-handed for me. I think this would be more appropriate for a teen girl navigating dating, sexism, and the topic of how you should be treated by a romantic partner.