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_camk_'s review
1.0
1.5 stars.
I didn't hate this but I didn't like it. I'll admit I skim read through the latter half just to know the ending.
I just couldn't get into it. The plot, women in STEM, appealed to me but the execution was just...boring.
Also, it is one of those books where there is only 1 nice guy in the whole thing and he is the LI for one of the MCs...obviously.
I didn't hate this but I didn't like it. I'll admit I skim read through the latter half just to know the ending.
I just couldn't get into it. The plot, women in STEM, appealed to me but the execution was just...boring.
Also, it is one of those books where there is only 1 nice guy in the whole thing and he is the LI for one of the MCs...obviously.
maryandherlibrary's review against another edition
3.0
3.5⭐️
My feelings for this one are a bit conflicted but I did overall enjoy it!
What I liked:
• the book had a very empowering message and I really loved the feminist undertones
• girls are so rarely allowed to be flawed and imperfect and prickly in fiction so I really enjoyed seeing realistic teenage girls
• very much liked that romance wasn’t the main focus of the story!! while one of the mcs does develop a crush, it also talks a lot about family and friendship, growing up, following dreams and finding the right path to achieve them and of course misogyny and sexism in the tech industry (big trigger warnings for sexual assault and power abuse!!)
• the setting was fun, all of the tech-talk made my nerdy heart sing and the plot was entertaining
What I didn’t like:
• there were a couple of lines that just made me cringe a bit because they were so obviously something a Gen Z teen wouldn’t say/do/wear and since this book isn’t actually that old I kinda wish it had gotten another round of edits (also because I felt like there were a handful of plot holes)…
• the diversity was appreciated but felt a bit half-hearted?? one of the main characters is Chinese American and while I can’t judge the representation I did notice that her Chinese heritage was only every mentioned when it came to racism which was definitely a bit of a red flag
Despite it’s more hardhitting themes, Screen Queens is a fun and quick read with an overall light-hearted tone and also lots of girl power!
My feelings for this one are a bit conflicted but I did overall enjoy it!
What I liked:
• the book had a very empowering message and I really loved the feminist undertones
• girls are so rarely allowed to be flawed and imperfect and prickly in fiction so I really enjoyed seeing realistic teenage girls
• very much liked that romance wasn’t the main focus of the story!! while one of the mcs does develop a crush, it also talks a lot about family and friendship, growing up, following dreams and finding the right path to achieve them and of course misogyny and sexism in the tech industry (big trigger warnings for sexual assault and power abuse!!)
• the setting was fun, all of the tech-talk made my nerdy heart sing and the plot was entertaining
What I didn’t like:
• there were a couple of lines that just made me cringe a bit because they were so obviously something a Gen Z teen wouldn’t say/do/wear and since this book isn’t actually that old I kinda wish it had gotten another round of edits (also because I felt like there were a handful of plot holes)…
• the diversity was appreciated but felt a bit half-hearted?? one of the main characters is Chinese American and while I can’t judge the representation I did notice that her Chinese heritage was only every mentioned when it came to racism which was definitely a bit of a red flag
Despite it’s more hardhitting themes, Screen Queens is a fun and quick read with an overall light-hearted tone and also lots of girl power!
booksandladders's review
3.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
I read this as part of ARC August!
I thought this was a bit too long, even though it had a lot of very valuable conversations. I would have liked a bit more from it in a more condensed version because at almost 400 pages, it was just too much. I felt as though it really started to drag at 40%! That's not how these types of books should be.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
I thought this was a bit too long, even though it had a lot of very valuable conversations. I would have liked a bit more from it in a more condensed version because at almost 400 pages, it was just too much. I felt as though it really started to drag at 40%! That's not how these types of books should be.
adele_em's review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
in the hands of a more skilled writer and under the guidance and care of a better editor, this could have been something like camille perri's the assistants, or the lady's guide to selling out.
but this book definitely reads like it was someone's half-assed nanowrimo project and an agent or editor scooped it up because of its timeliness (anything to cash in on those #metoo bux, amiright?), but didn't bother to actually like... edit the book.
the writing itself is... bad. like, "how the hell did this get published?!" bad. someone winks twice a chapter (which is twice more per chapter than it shouls) there's superfluous micro actions by characters (she pulled her lip in, she breathed in deeper, she crossed her arms tighter, she pulled in her lip again, she glanced over, wetness glistened at the corner of her eyes, her freckles lifted as the corners of her mouth, over the top descriptions of someone falling down, blah blah blah). there's all kinds of awkward wording (character wanted to jerk off the sheets, there's a prick in someone's eye), etc.
instead of all of that, we could have had more character development? exploration? because most of all, this book lacked depth. we are preached to about the tech industry via "presentations" that multiple characters give. this is why i feel like someone just zoomed through the editorial process to make sure they could cash in on the Hot Topics Of 2019.
part of it might be the fact that it shouldn't have had to be a YA novel. this would have been so much better if it was an adult novel about pre-college freshman. but instead, we needed the standard issue forced YA romance, the faux ""feminism"" that's rampant in YA right now, and wooden characters who represent the whole "One Of Each Kind" thing, there's The Party Girl, The Stoic Girl With A Soft Heart For Kids, and The Quiet Nerdy One. it's a very YA thing to lock characters into high school stereotypes, and it's disappointing in a novel like this where that's contradictory to the whole point.
ALL OF THAT SAID, the audiobook makes for good easy listening on a road trip (love jorjeana marie), and once you get over the disappointment in what it could have been, you can relax and laugh out loud at the extremely bad writing, and enjoy the predictable plot for how it unfolds.
but this book definitely reads like it was someone's half-assed nanowrimo project and an agent or editor scooped it up because of its timeliness (anything to cash in on those #metoo bux, amiright?), but didn't bother to actually like... edit the book.
the writing itself is... bad. like, "how the hell did this get published?!" bad. someone winks twice a chapter (which is twice more per chapter than it shouls) there's superfluous micro actions by characters (she pulled her lip in, she breathed in deeper, she crossed her arms tighter, she pulled in her lip again, she glanced over, wetness glistened at the corner of her eyes, her freckles lifted as the corners of her mouth, over the top descriptions of someone falling down, blah blah blah). there's all kinds of awkward wording (character wanted to jerk off the sheets, there's a prick in someone's eye), etc.
instead of all of that, we could have had more character development? exploration? because most of all, this book lacked depth. we are preached to about the tech industry via "presentations" that multiple characters give. this is why i feel like someone just zoomed through the editorial process to make sure they could cash in on the Hot Topics Of 2019.
part of it might be the fact that it shouldn't have had to be a YA novel. this would have been so much better if it was an adult novel about pre-college freshman. but instead, we needed the standard issue forced YA romance, the faux ""feminism"" that's rampant in YA right now, and wooden characters who represent the whole "One Of Each Kind" thing, there's The Party Girl, The Stoic Girl With A Soft Heart For Kids, and The Quiet Nerdy One. it's a very YA thing to lock characters into high school stereotypes, and it's disappointing in a novel like this where that's contradictory to the whole point.
ALL OF THAT SAID, the audiobook makes for good easy listening on a road trip (love jorjeana marie), and once you get over the disappointment in what it could have been, you can relax and laugh out loud at the extremely bad writing, and enjoy the predictable plot for how it unfolds.
eggbois_gf's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was a really good book about young girls in tech and breaking down sexist stereotyping, just unfortunately it was predictable. I would definitely recommend this for someone younger.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment