vmars314's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this one; couldn't put it down. I haven't read an entire book in less than a day in a long while. I loved all of the characters who helped Whitley through this difficult summer, especially her new friend Harrison. Whitley was written well and I felt everything right along with her.
nannasa16's review
4.0
4.3
Il miglior libro della Keplinger senza dubbi, l'ho letto in cosa? 3 ore?. Assuefacente, divertente, ironico e dolcissimo. Standing Ovation.
Il miglior libro della Keplinger senza dubbi, l'ho letto in cosa? 3 ore?. Assuefacente, divertente, ironico e dolcissimo. Standing Ovation.
memica's review
3.0
3 stars? Yeah :D The book was fine, I liked it and didn't like it. I wasn't like " wow, my new fav book ever ", but it was nice read. Without regrets. :) I loved Nathan XD he was so cute <3 The main girl was lil~ bitchy D: and I didn't like her parents :s especially her dad -.- not to talk about her mum
blakehalsey's review
4.0
Another solid read from Koplinger. I really liked Whitley in this book, despite her prickly veneer. Steamy romance and, aside from the almost too neat conclusion, the story dealt with some believable and serious issues.
joliendelandsheer's review
4.0
Synopsis
Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.
Review (spoiler-free)
The first book I read by Kody Keplinger was The DUFF, which is still one of my all-time favorite books. Afterwards I read Shut Out, and loved that one as well. So I figured I should read A Midsummer's Nightmare as well, as I had loved all of her other books so far.
And I must say: I was not disappointed! This book is so amazing! Whitley, the main character, is a girl with a lot of issues. She drinks too much, parties too much and makes out with too many people. And even though I am a teenager, I am definitely not like her. But I could still relate to her, could still understand her and sympathize with her. It takes a very good author to make you relate to someone you have nothing in common with (apart from being a teenager).
Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I would have given it more, if that were possible!
Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.
Review (spoiler-free)
The first book I read by Kody Keplinger was The DUFF, which is still one of my all-time favorite books. Afterwards I read Shut Out, and loved that one as well. So I figured I should read A Midsummer's Nightmare as well, as I had loved all of her other books so far.
And I must say: I was not disappointed! This book is so amazing! Whitley, the main character, is a girl with a lot of issues. She drinks too much, parties too much and makes out with too many people. And even though I am a teenager, I am definitely not like her. But I could still relate to her, could still understand her and sympathize with her. It takes a very good author to make you relate to someone you have nothing in common with (apart from being a teenager).
Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I would have given it more, if that were possible!
freesien's review
4.0
Ich liebe Kody Keplingers Hauptcharaktere einfach! Und ihre Bücher (auch wenn ich bis jetzt nur zwei gelesen habe ^^) auch! The Duff fand ich zwar jetzt besser, aber A Midsummer's Nightmare war auch sehr unterhaltsam :)
wandereaderr's review
4.0
It's more like 4.5 stars...
I liked this a lot. It's just, The DUFF has such a special place in my heart, along with Bianca and Wesley that I guess this book let me down because they weren't Bianca and Wesley. I have a thing for the players, okay? Don't judge me. And Nathan was swoon worthy, but this book was a lot more about the family aspect more than the romance and while I get that and it's good, I wanted more romance.
I don't know. I love the way Kody Keplinger writes, though. I wonder if Shut Out is any good...
I liked this a lot. It's just, The DUFF has such a special place in my heart, along with Bianca and Wesley that I guess this book let me down because they weren't Bianca and Wesley. I have a thing for the players, okay? Don't judge me. And Nathan was swoon worthy, but this book was a lot more about the family aspect more than the romance and while I get that and it's good, I wanted more romance.
I don't know. I love the way Kody Keplinger writes, though. I wonder if Shut Out is any good...
michellesantiago's review
4.0
I practically inhaled A Midsummer's Nightmare in one sitting--it was sooo good! Whitley was so angry (and she had the right to be with parents like hers) but you feel for her anyway. Nathan was lovely as well but a little too perfect for my taste.
The Duff is still my favorite out of the three books written my Kody Keplinger. And speaking of The Duff, there was a scene with Wesley and Bianca--it was great to "see" them again, albeit only briefly. Although, I didn't love Midsummer as much as I did The Duff, it was still an excellent contemporary read. I highly recommend it.
7/18/2012 - Full review:
We were really excited when we received Kody Keplinger's A Midsummer's Nightmare, especially since we enjoyed her previous book(s) (Michelle read both The Duff and Shut Out; Leslie only read the former). We each took turns and read A Midsummer's Nightmare last week and, just as we hoped, this one was another winner by Kody Keplinger.
Writing style and narration-wise this book was basically the same as Keplinger's The Duff. But other than that, the two books' aspects differentiate. In A Midsummer's Nightmare, we have Whitley, a party girl with an attitude who planned on spending her last summer before going to college with her father--unbeknownst to her, her father recently got engaged and she was actually spending the summer with him, his new fiance and her two kids--and surprise, surprise she had a one-night stand with her son, Nathan.
We also really liked Whitley's love-interest Nathan. He was honest, caring, protective and a hot-jock-on-the-outside-yet-dorky-on-the-inside swoon-worthy sweetheart. He was perfect for Whitley who needs someone steady like Nathan in her life. There were some really sweet scenes between them and we loved reading about the two of them.
But even though the romance was a big part of the novel, equally as big was Whitley dealing with her family. With her father who only seemed to care about his perfect new family, her mom who was still very bitter about the divorce even after many years and her brother who now has his own new family on the other side of the country, Whitley was left alone with no one to really care for her.
Whitley's thoughts and actions throughout the book revolved around her feelings of abandonment (she's a product of a bitter divorce), unlike in The Duff where Bianca's thoughts revolved around her feeling of insecurity. But, just like with Bianca, we were able to feel for Whitley when we recognized her through her emotions. Whitley wasn't an easy heroine to like (we both agreed that we wouldn't get along with her in real life) but we ended up liking her anyway. As we got to know her, read her thoughts and see things through her eyes, we couldn't help but like and sympathize with her. And that's one of the things we really liked about this book and specifically Kody Keplinger's heroines (Bianca and Whitley in particular)--she is able to take these girls who were unlikeable on the surface, who you know you're not going to get along with and who would skewer you (if not verbally, then in thought) if they met you but you like them anyway and even find something in common with them.
Like we said, A Midsummer's Nightmare was another winner by Kody Keplinger. It was a fast read from start to finish with equal amounts of humor, drama and serious moments complete with an unlikeable-yet-likable heroine and a sweet boy to balance her out. A Midsummer's Nightmare is compulsive reading. We highly recommend it, especially to fans of contemporary young adult--you won't want to miss this.
Reviewed by both Michelle and Leslie for Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks book blog.
The Duff is still my favorite out of the three books written my Kody Keplinger. And speaking of The Duff, there was a scene with Wesley and Bianca--it was great to "see" them again, albeit only briefly. Although, I didn't love Midsummer as much as I did The Duff, it was still an excellent contemporary read. I highly recommend it.
7/18/2012 - Full review:
We were really excited when we received Kody Keplinger's A Midsummer's Nightmare, especially since we enjoyed her previous book(s) (Michelle read both The Duff and Shut Out; Leslie only read the former). We each took turns and read A Midsummer's Nightmare last week and, just as we hoped, this one was another winner by Kody Keplinger.
Writing style and narration-wise this book was basically the same as Keplinger's The Duff. But other than that, the two books' aspects differentiate. In A Midsummer's Nightmare, we have Whitley, a party girl with an attitude who planned on spending her last summer before going to college with her father--unbeknownst to her, her father recently got engaged and she was actually spending the summer with him, his new fiance and her two kids--and surprise, surprise she had a one-night stand with her son, Nathan.
We also really liked Whitley's love-interest Nathan. He was honest, caring, protective and a hot-jock-on-the-outside-yet-dorky-on-the-inside swoon-worthy sweetheart. He was perfect for Whitley who needs someone steady like Nathan in her life. There were some really sweet scenes between them and we loved reading about the two of them.
But even though the romance was a big part of the novel, equally as big was Whitley dealing with her family. With her father who only seemed to care about his perfect new family, her mom who was still very bitter about the divorce even after many years and her brother who now has his own new family on the other side of the country, Whitley was left alone with no one to really care for her.
Whitley's thoughts and actions throughout the book revolved around her feelings of abandonment (she's a product of a bitter divorce), unlike in The Duff where Bianca's thoughts revolved around her feeling of insecurity. But, just like with Bianca, we were able to feel for Whitley when we recognized her through her emotions. Whitley wasn't an easy heroine to like (we both agreed that we wouldn't get along with her in real life) but we ended up liking her anyway. As we got to know her, read her thoughts and see things through her eyes, we couldn't help but like and sympathize with her. And that's one of the things we really liked about this book and specifically Kody Keplinger's heroines (Bianca and Whitley in particular)--she is able to take these girls who were unlikeable on the surface, who you know you're not going to get along with and who would skewer you (if not verbally, then in thought) if they met you but you like them anyway and even find something in common with them.
Like we said, A Midsummer's Nightmare was another winner by Kody Keplinger. It was a fast read from start to finish with equal amounts of humor, drama and serious moments complete with an unlikeable-yet-likable heroine and a sweet boy to balance her out. A Midsummer's Nightmare is compulsive reading. We highly recommend it, especially to fans of contemporary young adult--you won't want to miss this.
Reviewed by both Michelle and Leslie for Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks book blog.
foreverbeautifulbooks's review
5.0
There is just something about Kody. I was originally turned onto this author when I saw the trailer for The Duff, and found out it was a book. First off they did a HORRIBLE adaptation of The Duff. The ruined all the brilliance that was Kody as an author and how honest she writes teenagers. But that's regressing.
I decided to go on a hunt for the rest of Kody's books. I read the synopsis for the rest of the books and they ALL looked good! I was like grrrrrrr... and so my TBR pile grows. The great thing about Kody's books is I get so invested I read them in a few hours.
Originally I planned on just reading a few chapters and going back to a review book I needed to get done. Roll around 3AM and I hit the last page after tears, laughter, and my heart bursting with these characters.
Characters: Whitley was a hard character to understand at first. I wouldn't call her stuck up persay, I would say that she acted out and right from the start she clearly had crappy parents. But I had faith, I was going to continue this story and find out the root of Whitley's behavior. And can I just say, the way Kody unraveled the past and how no one really gave each other closure in this family was brilliant. It wasn't a bunch of self-pity inner dialogue, no it would burst out of Whitley and I found myself crying. I got it. I got her. And I wanted so bad for her to see the love this new family had for her.
Nathan, how can you not love Nathan. You see, he's the 'nice-guy'. Well, a reformed bad-boy, but that unravels very carefully also. He was the nice-guy that gets the girl. He was honest, strong, kinda Alpha without being overwhelming, and he was actually written perfectly. He wasn't over the top, he wanted Whitley but made it totally clear what his expectations where. He was so engaging that I almost felt I didn't get enough of him. I kinda wanted inside his brain during some of the harsher things that Whitley did.
I was worried about the facebook page issue, and I was worried about the 'slut-shamming' but at the end of the day, the slut-shamming issues dealt with in the book in a proper manner that clearly showed that it wasn't okay to do it. It drew light to cyberbullying in high school aged kids and that it is a very real issue.
I have to say this is one of my favorite books to date. It told a well paced, emotional story about a girl with a lot of issues and Kody handled it so well! I can't wait until my daughter is mature enough to read Kody's books!
*I got my copy from the Los Angeles County Library*
I decided to go on a hunt for the rest of Kody's books. I read the synopsis for the rest of the books and they ALL looked good! I was like grrrrrrr... and so my TBR pile grows. The great thing about Kody's books is I get so invested I read them in a few hours.
Originally I planned on just reading a few chapters and going back to a review book I needed to get done. Roll around 3AM and I hit the last page after tears, laughter, and my heart bursting with these characters.
Characters: Whitley was a hard character to understand at first. I wouldn't call her stuck up persay, I would say that she acted out and right from the start she clearly had crappy parents. But I had faith, I was going to continue this story and find out the root of Whitley's behavior. And can I just say, the way Kody unraveled the past and how no one really gave each other closure in this family was brilliant. It wasn't a bunch of self-pity inner dialogue, no it would burst out of Whitley and I found myself crying. I got it. I got her. And I wanted so bad for her to see the love this new family had for her.
Nathan, how can you not love Nathan. You see, he's the 'nice-guy'. Well, a reformed bad-boy, but that unravels very carefully also. He was the nice-guy that gets the girl. He was honest, strong, kinda Alpha without being overwhelming, and he was actually written perfectly. He wasn't over the top, he wanted Whitley but made it totally clear what his expectations where. He was so engaging that I almost felt I didn't get enough of him. I kinda wanted inside his brain during some of the harsher things that Whitley did.
I was worried about the facebook page issue, and I was worried about the 'slut-shamming' but at the end of the day, the slut-shamming issues dealt with in the book in a proper manner that clearly showed that it wasn't okay to do it. It drew light to cyberbullying in high school aged kids and that it is a very real issue.
I have to say this is one of my favorite books to date. It told a well paced, emotional story about a girl with a lot of issues and Kody handled it so well! I can't wait until my daughter is mature enough to read Kody's books!
*I got my copy from the Los Angeles County Library*