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lilyantan's review against another edition
4.0
What Just Happened?! Yesterday night, I had just started this book and was harping on about how it's written completely in email format. So how is it that I find myself in some sort of 5 hour reading marathon from 3 pm till 8 pm occasionally taking breaks to sleep, swim and take a shower! This is book fever I tell you.
Okay! This is going to be a difficult review, because aside from the fact that I gave this book 4 stars and that I've just wasted a full day I still find some parts mildly annoying.
Now, I'm a VERY open-minded reader. I'm easy to please and not that much of a harsh critic really. I know what I'm getting into when I buy a book called "The Boy Next Door" by a mainly Y.A. writer. I'm not expecting depth and a sturdy plot! I'm just after a few laughs and a light read, which this book has delivered. Honestly, by the end I wasn't even bothered by the email format, in fact! I ended up liking that most about the book! It was interesting, and I liked seeing things written in different tones depending on the character.
What pissed me off mostly, honestly, is the mention of Dubai and the White Slaves issue. Fine, I know it's superficial, but come ON! It ticks me off when American writers mention the Middle East, Dubai in specific, since I live here, and then make a snarky comment like "Take her to Dubai and make her into a White Slave" -_-. Fine, I KNOW it's funny, and I myself make such comments about many countries to my friends and we laugh about it, heck I make such comments about Dubai too! But, I'm allowed to! Because I'm not writing this down in a book that's going to be sold internationally! So there, I'm glad I got that off my chest!
Other things that bothered me, but not so much, is how totally unrealistic the whole situation was, ok I KNOW Chick Flick is not supposed to be realistic, but come on, how can you pretend to be an acclaimed photographer, didn't she Google his name the minute she saw him? And don't tell me you don't google a hot guys name when you meet him, and then stalk him on FB, Twitter, Myspace, or whatever. And DON'T tell me the people in the story did not have internet, it was email based for god's sake. Also, how do you just barge into some ladies house and live there, no questions asked. Not any house, a CRIME scene! Where are the cops? SOME elements of reality would have been appreciated, I ignored SO many other things.
Finally, what's with the "but good" that Cabot kept inserting at the end of the sentences,Examples:
" Because from what I'm hearing, you are in the doghouse, but good."
" John Trent is about to get what's coming to him, but good."
"I still managed to botch everything, but good."
Why? Oooh Editooorrr, where are yooou?!
Ah and one more thing... The book John is writing.... sounds like a mills and boons book written by a horny and lonely woman. I found that part completely unnecessary and degrading to the character.
OK! I've bashed the book enough now I can redeem it
As if the fact that I've ate it up like a box of krispy kremes donuts, which I have been CRAVING ALL DAY LONG but no one wants to go buy any for me, isn't enough to tell you I really enjoyed this book let me highlight why I've given it 4 stars:
- Bottom line, Meg Cabot can make you laugh. Yes, she can. Images of myself laughing like a hyena is proof of that.
- I loved the emails format. At the beginning I was worried. I thought, this is going to get tiresome. But it didn't, the email format made it so easy and fast to read actually. There were no passages of description! I HATE description. Which is why I can't get into literary books. This format suited me VERY well. It was in a form of personalized emails, and it was done very cleverly stringing along the story in a very smooth way. Kudos to that Cabot.
- The characters reminded me of people in my life. Stacey reminded me of my own sister in law, and Nadine reminded of my best friend with her conviction that all men are pigs that only like supermodels. I always feel fondness towards a book that reminds me of personal things.
Well then, I'm off to finish my dinner and go downstairs for some dunkin donuts as it's closer. Meh, better than nothing!
Okay! This is going to be a difficult review, because aside from the fact that I gave this book 4 stars and that I've just wasted a full day I still find some parts mildly annoying.
Now, I'm a VERY open-minded reader. I'm easy to please and not that much of a harsh critic really. I know what I'm getting into when I buy a book called "The Boy Next Door" by a mainly Y.A. writer. I'm not expecting depth and a sturdy plot! I'm just after a few laughs and a light read, which this book has delivered. Honestly, by the end I wasn't even bothered by the email format, in fact! I ended up liking that most about the book! It was interesting, and I liked seeing things written in different tones depending on the character.
What pissed me off mostly, honestly, is the mention of Dubai and the White Slaves issue. Fine, I know it's superficial, but come ON! It ticks me off when American writers mention the Middle East, Dubai in specific, since I live here, and then make a snarky comment like "Take her to Dubai and make her into a White Slave" -_-. Fine, I KNOW it's funny, and I myself make such comments about many countries to my friends and we laugh about it, heck I make such comments about Dubai too! But, I'm allowed to! Because I'm not writing this down in a book that's going to be sold internationally! So there, I'm glad I got that off my chest!
Other things that bothered me, but not so much, is how totally unrealistic the whole situation was, ok I KNOW Chick Flick is not supposed to be realistic, but come on, how can you pretend to be an acclaimed photographer, didn't she Google his name the minute she saw him? And don't tell me you don't google a hot guys name when you meet him, and then stalk him on FB, Twitter, Myspace, or whatever. And DON'T tell me the people in the story did not have internet, it was email based for god's sake. Also, how do you just barge into some ladies house and live there, no questions asked. Not any house, a CRIME scene! Where are the cops? SOME elements of reality would have been appreciated, I ignored SO many other things.
Finally, what's with the "but good" that Cabot kept inserting at the end of the sentences,Examples:
" Because from what I'm hearing, you are in the doghouse, but good."
" John Trent is about to get what's coming to him, but good."
"I still managed to botch everything, but good."
Why? Oooh Editooorrr, where are yooou?!
Ah and one more thing... The book John is writing.... sounds like a mills and boons book written by a horny and lonely woman. I found that part completely unnecessary and degrading to the character.
OK! I've bashed the book enough now I can redeem it
As if the fact that I've ate it up like a box of krispy kremes donuts, which I have been CRAVING ALL DAY LONG but no one wants to go buy any for me, isn't enough to tell you I really enjoyed this book let me highlight why I've given it 4 stars:
- Bottom line, Meg Cabot can make you laugh. Yes, she can. Images of myself laughing like a hyena is proof of that.
- I loved the emails format. At the beginning I was worried. I thought, this is going to get tiresome. But it didn't, the email format made it so easy and fast to read actually. There were no passages of description! I HATE description. Which is why I can't get into literary books. This format suited me VERY well. It was in a form of personalized emails, and it was done very cleverly stringing along the story in a very smooth way. Kudos to that Cabot.
- The characters reminded me of people in my life. Stacey reminded me of my own sister in law, and Nadine reminded of my best friend with her conviction that all men are pigs that only like supermodels. I always feel fondness towards a book that reminds me of personal things.
Well then, I'm off to finish my dinner and go downstairs for some dunkin donuts as it's closer. Meh, better than nothing!
andeedevore's review against another edition
4.0
What an early 2000s nostalgia trip. Some parts of this book did not age well, and I think the plot line relied heavily on the main character, Mel, being a little too trusting and naïve. That being said, it made for a quick, entertaining read that would fit the bill for those looking for romantic comedy.
leeskipje's review against another edition
4.0
The boy next door of Meg Cabot is a book written completely in emails. I needed to get used to it, but it is actually a pretty cool way to write a book. Because it is so different from normal ways to write books.
In the boy next door, the elderly woman living next door of Mel (or Melissa) is attacked and ends up in a coma. Mel steps in to take care of the dog and 2 cats until Ms Friedlanders only relative arrives. The famous fashion photographer Max. But is Max really who he says he is?
During time they get to know each other and start liking each other. But then everything changes.
A fun book in which everybody is mingling with everybody’s live and love. Because it is written in emails, you really get parts of a story and not a real communication, but it doesn’t matter, because it actually makes it quite easy to follow :)
Enjoy this book on a beach, or vacation, or just anytime, because it is a really fun story
In the boy next door, the elderly woman living next door of Mel (or Melissa) is attacked and ends up in a coma. Mel steps in to take care of the dog and 2 cats until Ms Friedlanders only relative arrives. The famous fashion photographer Max. But is Max really who he says he is?
During time they get to know each other and start liking each other. But then everything changes.
A fun book in which everybody is mingling with everybody’s live and love. Because it is written in emails, you really get parts of a story and not a real communication, but it doesn’t matter, because it actually makes it quite easy to follow :)
Enjoy this book on a beach, or vacation, or just anytime, because it is a really fun story
lori_walsh's review against another edition
2.0
I used to read Meg Cabot's books as a teenager, so was excited when I discovered she had written books for older readers. Although it wasn't a bad book, I think I had higher expectations based on nostalgia. It was entertaining, but overall I couldn't help feeling a tad disappointed.
lizzel22's review against another edition
5.0
Just finished! :) Even in a format with nothing but e-mails you feel you know these characters perhaps better than you know yourself. And you can't help but laugh out loud, squee with delight, and become inextricably wrapped up in their worlds!
kellertson3's review against another edition
3.0
I disliked that the story was literally told
Through emails. But cute storyline
Through emails. But cute storyline
audiogirl511's review against another edition
2.0
I could only get through 5% of this book. Not a fan of the epistolary format, especially when 100% of the book is written that way. Had I understood the entire book was written that way beforehand I would not have selected it. I prefer real interaction between the characters. I couldn’t connect with the characters and with this format, the connection between the characters was list as well. I’ve read other books by Meg Cabot that I loved but this one just isn’t for me.
kirstenrose22's review against another edition
3.0
it was pretty good: light and fluffy. It's all epistolary - but via email, because this is the 21st century, right? - but better done than most books that employ the told-through-email trope. There is a somewhat silly/contrived set-up situation, but with clever likeable characters, and a really good revenge scenario.
omgitsofg's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0