bookmarkedbylauren's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
shanameydala's review against another edition
2.0
This was too light for me, the obstacles didn't feel serious enough. This is probably how high school should be, but I like my YA with a bit more teeth.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
Love, love, love this romcom about a high-achieving senior girl who finds herself falling for the former boy band member Alex when he transfers to her school. It's funny, fun, and it's full of heart. Jules's problems aren't the kind that will shatter the world, but they make HER world tough. That's what I love about Spalding's books -- they're stories about girls who have challenges in their everyday lives and find ways to work with those challenges, rather than against them. The newspaper editor angle and rivalry with the new media here was particularly enjoyable for me as a former newspaper editor turned online publication editor. Jules is also the daughter of two moms, is open and frank about wanting to be sexually active and takes proactive steps to make this possible, and she's imperfect, despite her desire to be perfect.
Also, the passive aggressive dog walking was hilarious.
This is what you read when you need a smile and what you hand to teens who want feel-good books. Totally fine for even the young YA readers.
Also, the passive aggressive dog walking was hilarious.
This is what you read when you need a smile and what you hand to teens who want feel-good books. Totally fine for even the young YA readers.
kathleenxpaz's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the plot of this book, I was so excited!! It was like fanfiction coming to life.
As I read the book, although well written, some events happened way to fast. Like, the first kiss for example. I feel like there should've been more events leading to the kiss and other things that happened in Jules & Alex's love story
Also, I believe that Jules & Alex are HEAVILY flawed characters, which ultimately made them a lot more real. Jules was so passionate about her newspaper, it somehow came off to me as self-centered. And truthfully, she annoyed me a lot. I think it was so real of Amy Spalding to make her think the world revolved around her, and I think it could've been better if she realized that, somewhere along the lines. Alex confused me a lot. It was probably because he isn't the POV character, but he kind of is just so diverse yet so naive?? If you think about that though, it really just shows how much people of hollywood/showbiz get affected in their behavior and how they think.
So my verdict? I wish it could've been spread out more, in a lot of ways, but it was a good plot and a good story. So I give it 4 stars
As I read the book, although well written, some events happened way to fast. Like, the first kiss for example. I feel like there should've been more events leading to the kiss and other things that happened in Jules & Alex's love story
Also, I believe that Jules & Alex are HEAVILY flawed characters, which ultimately made them a lot more real. Jules was so passionate about her newspaper, it somehow came off to me as self-centered. And truthfully, she annoyed me a lot. I think it was so real of Amy Spalding to make her think the world revolved around her, and I think it could've been better if she realized that, somewhere along the lines. Alex confused me a lot. It was probably because he isn't the POV character, but he kind of is just so diverse yet so naive?? If you think about that though, it really just shows how much people of hollywood/showbiz get affected in their behavior and how they think.
So my verdict? I wish it could've been spread out more, in a lot of ways, but it was a good plot and a good story. So I give it 4 stars
thereallilycooper's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the story but I feel like the main character overreacted some in a very little kid way.
It was kinda cute though!
It was kinda cute though!
bookbitereviews's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a good book pick to take a break from all the paranormal and dark YA's i've been reading lately. I needed something light and fun, and this was it. It is Jules senior year and on top of her normal worries, she is now trying to figure out her first relationship. It was so nice to deal with normal, mundane problems. I found Jules character to be very relatable and very well written. From the description you would think that this book would be all about the romance, but really it was about Jules learning that sometimes you will make mistakes and it is ok. Sometimes you need to reorganize your priorities and that is also ok. And, sometimes you need realize that no matter what, your friends and family will always love you. I definitely recommend picking this one up!
acdom's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I've been looking forward to this book since I finished Amy Spalding's last book.
Here's the thing though, I wanted to badly to love this book, but I didn't. If this review was based on swoon alone, I'd give it 5 stars, but everything else involved ruined that.
First thing, attention authors of YA, if you are going to write about teenagers and high schools, I really recommend you have a teacher beta your books. If not, you write things that make me, as a high school teacher, really mad. Example, it doesn't take a teacher five minutes to take attendance. I realize your characters need that time to catch up on their lives, but it takes me 15 second, 30 seconds at most, to take attendance. By you pointing out that the teacher has to take attendance by looking around and then the kids get five minutes you talk, you just lost any sense of realism you had going. Also, OMFG a student can't be a replacement for a substitute teacher!!!!! Yeah, Jules is super responsible, but she can't be in charge of the class for a week. That's so fucking illegal and gives me hives just to read about. There has to be an adult in that classroom.
Second thing, Jules is insufferable. Yeah, she talks like a teenager and has a great voice, which is awesome and what I love about YA, but she's basically a terrible person. She can't take 30 seconds and text her best friend back but then feels bad when her friends get mad at her for being incommunicado, even though she never ever texts them back. I get she's focused on a boy, but that doesn't excuse her shitty behavior to her friends, to her boyfriend, to her parents, and to everyone else she's shitty to. I also don't even understand why Alex likes her. She's obsessed with the paper (which isn't a bad thing) to a point that makes her awful to be around.
Listen, I'm not going to stop reading Amy Spalding books, and I'm going to continue to recommend them to my students, because I do like her writing style and her stories and she's awesome on social media. But there are a few things that lost me here. I'll do a reread when the book comes out and see if those things still annoy me.
Here's the thing though, I wanted to badly to love this book, but I didn't. If this review was based on swoon alone, I'd give it 5 stars, but everything else involved ruined that.
First thing, attention authors of YA, if you are going to write about teenagers and high schools, I really recommend you have a teacher beta your books. If not, you write things that make me, as a high school teacher, really mad. Example, it doesn't take a teacher five minutes to take attendance. I realize your characters need that time to catch up on their lives, but it takes me 15 second, 30 seconds at most, to take attendance. By you pointing out that the teacher has to take attendance by looking around and then the kids get five minutes you talk, you just lost any sense of realism you had going. Also, OMFG a student can't be a replacement for a substitute teacher!!!!! Yeah, Jules is super responsible, but she can't be in charge of the class for a week. That's so fucking illegal and gives me hives just to read about. There has to be an adult in that classroom.
Second thing, Jules is insufferable. Yeah, she talks like a teenager and has a great voice, which is awesome and what I love about YA, but she's basically a terrible person. She can't take 30 seconds and text her best friend back but then feels bad when her friends get mad at her for being incommunicado, even though she never ever texts them back. I get she's focused on a boy, but that doesn't excuse her shitty behavior to her friends, to her boyfriend, to her parents, and to everyone else she's shitty to. I also don't even understand why Alex likes her. She's obsessed with the paper (which isn't a bad thing) to a point that makes her awful to be around.
Listen, I'm not going to stop reading Amy Spalding books, and I'm going to continue to recommend them to my students, because I do like her writing style and her stories and she's awesome on social media. But there are a few things that lost me here. I'll do a reread when the book comes out and see if those things still annoy me.
pagingserenity's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book for free from NOVL and Little, Brown and Company in exchange for a review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review in any way.
The New Guy is a cute, and humorous read. With a strong main character, it does a good job of representing life as a high school senior and the struggles it brings. That being said, as well as it tells Jules’ story, it does contain a lot of second-degree embarrassment and boy obsessiveness.
You can find my full review and others like it at Paging Serenity.
lelebird7's review against another edition
4.0
This was a cute romance novel. I thought some of the "war" part was kinda dragged out out but otherwise it was good.
kfan's review against another edition
5.0
UGH I loved this. The last chapter! I was screaming. This book is hilarious (I have ~20 pages dog-eared with the parts that got genuine LOLs), sweet, charming, and STRESSFUL (in the best possible way).
The main character's brain is fascinating and makes her not super reliable as a narrator, at least in terms of her self-awareness; I was in awe of Ames' ability to tell the story in and around the information we receive from Jules.
ALSO: if you are interested in fanfiction! This is a book about falling in love with a former boy-band star, so if you're interested in kind of ~2nd wave fanfic stories, or stories that are not fanfic in and of themselves, but sort of born out of that frame, this is absolutely a book you should be reading.
NB "Kevin Fanning" is a character in this book fwiw, please don't kill me for still giving this 5 stars, Goodreads Mafia.
The main character's brain is fascinating and makes her not super reliable as a narrator, at least in terms of her self-awareness; I was in awe of Ames' ability to tell the story in and around the information we receive from Jules.
ALSO: if you are interested in fanfiction! This is a book about falling in love with a former boy-band star, so if you're interested in kind of ~2nd wave fanfic stories, or stories that are not fanfic in and of themselves, but sort of born out of that frame, this is absolutely a book you should be reading.
NB "Kevin Fanning" is a character in this book fwiw, please don't kill me for still giving this 5 stars, Goodreads Mafia.