esher14's review against another edition
2.0
This book..... where do I start? The majority of it was reeeeeally, really, boring. In fact, if the ending wasn't the way it was, I probably would have given it one star. The read is not worth the length. Sorry people who liked this book!
oldgum101's review against another edition
4.0
I think [a:Jaclyn Moriarty|47290|Jaclyn Moriarty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1199066598p2/47290.jpg] became a must-read authour for me. This book was wonderful- quirky and funny- but there's something just sad about some of it. True, the last page had me smiling ear-to-ear, but this book deals with other issues as well.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
this was very strange and very fun. also very confusing because:
but i enjoyed moriarty's writing, and her characters.
Spoiler
i could not figure out what it was that bindy was meant to have heard from the computer programmer people that would have necessitated killing her? and also i did not know what the computer programmer people were doing at the school in the first place? or how finnegan/marcus' cousin was involved?but i enjoyed moriarty's writing, and her characters.
agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting book. A little hard to get into but once you do you can't put it down.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
3.0
I like Moriarty's books very much (well, the Ashbury/Brookfield series at least), but they always fall short of four stars for me for one reason or other.
The third book in the series, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, is excellent for the first two-thirds or so. It is told in the voice of an annoyingly smart overachiever, Bindy, whom I actually sympathised with - she is so socially awkward yet well-meaning I couldn't help feeling sorry for her and her misguided attempts to help/praise/affirm others and become friends with them. Moriarty also uses the epistolary style very well, and Bindy's memos, musings and emails hooked me from the very start.
Then, things start going awry when Moriarty introduces a twist to the tale that is more in keeping with the title of the book. I did notice that the first two-thirds had little to do with the title - still, I am not sure I enjoyed the attempt to make the link between the title and the plot in the last third or fourth of the book. It's hard to say more without giving the story away but I think Moriarty excels at the portrayal of quirky characters and doesn't need to put in surprises or outlandish mysteries to enhance the story. I would highly recommend her books to teenage girls.
The third book in the series, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, is excellent for the first two-thirds or so. It is told in the voice of an annoyingly smart overachiever, Bindy, whom I actually sympathised with - she is so socially awkward yet well-meaning I couldn't help feeling sorry for her and her misguided attempts to help/praise/affirm others and become friends with them. Moriarty also uses the epistolary style very well, and Bindy's memos, musings and emails hooked me from the very start.
Then, things start going awry when Moriarty introduces a twist to the tale that is more in keeping with the title of the book. I did notice that the first two-thirds had little to do with the title - still, I am not sure I enjoyed the attempt to make the link between the title and the plot in the last third or fourth of the book. It's hard to say more without giving the story away but I think Moriarty excels at the portrayal of quirky characters and doesn't need to put in surprises or outlandish mysteries to enhance the story. I would highly recommend her books to teenage girls.
rachelchloe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
5.0
sammy234's review against another edition
5.0
Easily a five star read . Read it , because honestly , IT'S BRILLIANT .
jerrica's review against another edition
4.0
Sooo this book has been on my to-read shelf for almost ELEVEN YEARS but I finally ILL requested a copy and got it so here I am ha!! Got a copy from good old BYU. You can trust the Mormons to have semi-obscure Australian YA, am I right?
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Damn man that was a ride and got really conspiratorial at the end, but overall really sweet and reminded me of why I loved this series so much when I was 13-14.
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Damn man that was a ride and got really conspiratorial at the end, but overall really sweet and reminded me of why I loved this series so much when I was 13-14.
bethgiven's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, readable book that's apparently just one in a series of Young Adult books about Ashbury High, a fictional high school in Sydney, Australia. It's laid out in a mixture of diary-format and letter/email-format, which I liked -- the reader is given just enough clues to piece together the back-story. From page one I was drawn right into the story.
There was lots of character development -- lots of introspection. I was glad to see Bindy become more likable as the story went along, as the person who recommended this book said Bindy reminded her of me! I guess I am sort of a perfectionistic rule-stickler who would censor out swearing in my personal journal. ;-) There were even some exciting plot twists at the end, things I hadn't seen coming.
I didn't find this book terribly profound or life-changing, but I think I'll have to check out some of the other books in the series anyway; it was fun but still "smart." I enjoyed it.
There was lots of character development -- lots of introspection. I was glad to see Bindy become more likable as the story went along, as the person who recommended this book said Bindy reminded her of me! I guess I am sort of a perfectionistic rule-stickler who would censor out swearing in my personal journal. ;-) There were even some exciting plot twists at the end, things I hadn't seen coming.
I didn't find this book terribly profound or life-changing, but I think I'll have to check out some of the other books in the series anyway; it was fun but still "smart." I enjoyed it.