The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kblincoln's review
5.0
Rhonda is a "sadder but wiser" high school student who loves math. Her friends are geeks, and she shies away from talking to anybody in the popular cheerleader/basketball star clique.
But then one day a cheerleader comes to her tutoring center and it turns out Rhonda has more in common with the cheerleader than she thought.
The story is how Rhonda becomes friends with the cheerleader, and learns to trust herself as she finally heals from a traumatic experience a few years earlier.
Throughout the book are little references to math and theories that are cute without being too overwhelming.
I loved the voice of Rhonda (and imagine my surprise when I found out she was written by a male author!).
Excellent book.
But then one day a cheerleader comes to her tutoring center and it turns out Rhonda has more in common with the cheerleader than she thought.
The story is how Rhonda becomes friends with the cheerleader, and learns to trust herself as she finally heals from a traumatic experience a few years earlier.
Throughout the book are little references to math and theories that are cute without being too overwhelming.
I loved the voice of Rhonda (and imagine my surprise when I found out she was written by a male author!).
Excellent book.
pikasqueaks's review
4.0
I really wanted to like this book. There was promise in Rhonda's character, but the writing fell so flat. There was not much to it, unfortunately, aside from straight storytelling.
catladyreba's review
4.0
I really, really liked this book. There was so much about it I liked; the characters, the plot, the concept, the fact that the author is a male, and tells the story of a teenage female so authentically. I can't wait to recommend this book to my students!
abigailbat's review
3.0
Rhonda used to be one of the popular girls at her prestigious prep school, but all it got her was trouble. Now she's a wallflower, a smart girl who tutors kids at the community center, dreams of going to Georgia Tech on a scholarship, and watches the popular kids with a mixture of envy and disgust. When popular girl Sarah Gamble comes to her for tutoring, Rhonda refuses at first. But they have much more in common than she ever could have guessed.
This book has a really interesting premise and it's refreshing to read about African American characters in a book that doesn't center around race. But the writing fell flat for me, so overall it was just okay.
This book has a really interesting premise and it's refreshing to read about African American characters in a book that doesn't center around race. But the writing fell flat for me, so overall it was just okay.
joyagoffney's review
2.0
I did not finish this book. I decided to not force myself to finish reading a book that I was not enjoying. Of course, I like that it was from a minority perspective without it being soley about race. I appreciate that it was a story about a very smart black girl among other smart and successful black people--that's great!! But I did not enjoy reading this. The writer is an engineer and his writing sounds like an engineer wrote it. Not to be harsh, it's not awful, it's just stiff.
cberlin's review
4.0
Many books about real teen issues written by adults come out sounding preachy and irritating. This is not one of those books. The author tactfully and realistically portrays teen struggles with friendships, relationships, and pregnancy. Rhonda and Sarah were both interesting, complex characters that I wanted to learn all about. I stayed up until 4 am to read this book, which is very rare for me to do with books that aren't full of suspense, like I usually read. Highly recommended.
booksandbraids's review against another edition
3.0
boyfriend x what she thought was love = an abortion a screwed up life.
Rhonda is still scared from the last relation she had with the rich, popular, basketball player, Cristopher. He got her pregnant then left her with his small amount of money to help pay for an abortion, an extremely pissed off father, and the fear of getting to close to anyone else for the fear of it happening again. When she runs into Sarah Gamble while tutoring kids with math, she finds herself helping with a little more then the standard curriculum, this lesson required more then her normal turoring sessions did including the trial and possible failure of Rhonda the Rhombus's personal elements. Can she learn to open up the people who love her and relize she loves them back?
Rhonda is still scared from the last relation she had with the rich, popular, basketball player, Cristopher. He got her pregnant then left her with his small amount of money to help pay for an abortion, an extremely pissed off father, and the fear of getting to close to anyone else for the fear of it happening again. When she runs into Sarah Gamble while tutoring kids with math, she finds herself helping with a little more then the standard curriculum, this lesson required more then her normal turoring sessions did including the trial and possible failure of Rhonda the Rhombus's personal elements. Can she learn to open up the people who love her and relize she loves them back?
lilykmarks's review
I was amazed that this book was written by a grown man, very impressive read!
merer's review against another edition
3.0
When the popular girl in school gets pregnant, she turns to an unpopular math tutor for help. This book was nothing spectacular, but it wasn't bad.