Reviews

Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves by E. Kristin Anderson, Miranda Kenneally

blurrybug's review against another edition

3.0

I think a teenager would get more out of this than me
Some stories just annoyed me, others left me wanting more and some was just okay.
Having said that it gets a 3 star cause it was more okay than annoying or good stories.

Recommending it for youth that may be a little lost as a reminder that hey things may not go your way now but give it time or see how other resolved their issues.

dilemma's review

3.0

Some good letters, but I wish I'd known more of the authors. I only knew four or five.

bethreadsandnaps's review

3.0

Nice compilation

l1brarygirl's review

2.0

I didn't recognize a lot the authors featured but did notice a lot of them live in Austin. Out of the 70 authors featured in this book, 13 of them live in Austin! That's a crazy amount to me. In case you were curious (like I was) I broke down where are these authors are living:

Texas - 15
New York - 12
California - 9
Canada - 5
Washington - 5
Colorado - 3
Virginia - 3
Maine - 2
Massachusetts -2
Michigan - 2
Nevada - 2
Pennsylvania - 2
Indiana - 1
Maryland - 1
Minnesota - 1
New Mexico - 1
Ohio - 1
Utah - 1
Washington, D.C. - 1
Wisconsin - 1

Also, the majority were female (56 to 14 males)

I really thought it was cute that [a:Lauren Oliver|2936493|Lauren Oliver|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1416335442p2/2936493.jpg] & [a:Elizabeth Miles|121174|Elizabeth Miles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333268299p2/121174.jpg] are childhood friends and wrote their letters to each other. I liked the illustrated letters too ([a:Tom Angleberger|3172535|Tom Angleberger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1307441716p2/3172535.jpg], [a:Faith Erin Hicks|996558|Faith Erin Hicks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1310012075p2/996558.jpg], [a:Dave Roman|266715|Dave Roman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1200331121p2/266715.jpg], [a:Tracy White|4905708|Tracy White|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png])

ainiali's review

5.0

So how much did i love this book? i'm crazy over it. contemplating over a year whether to buy it or not. In the end, yes, i did buy the book & it was awesome!
Some letters are like self-expose & a whole lot sounds like a bunch of adult, looking back & unloading their inner regret in life.
We do look back in the past, thinking & wondering what mistake or decision that we made that lead us to ourselves today. some bad, some pretty good. For wishing that we did not do some things is unavoidable, so this for my dear teen me,
Stop sulking & love An more. For one day she'll be gone for good. Hug her even she refuse. Tell her she's the best friend you will ever have in your life. You'll regret that the last thing you said to her is how lame your life is. Stop! Call her up & ask whether she's OK. Where's she going? To the eternity.

dourelinor's review

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.5

whathappenedtoagoodbook's review

5.0

Just randomly picked this up, in-between other books and really enjoyed it, full review to come soon!

xxsquigglesxx's review

3.0

OVERALL IMPRESSION: You could easily look through the table of contents to find a story that relates to your situation, or you could read it through cover to cover, which is what I did.

I love the Q & A features. I wish there were more of them. It was interesting to me to see the different responses everyone gave to the same question.

There wasn't as much advice in the letters as I thought there would be. Many of the letters were just authors retelling an event of their lives.

I think this book would have been good for me to read while I was in high school. It would have given me insight into how other teens were feeling and what different people were going through.


COVER: I like the cover. It is interesting to see pictures of authors from their high school days and compare them with how they look today.

*I received an ARC of the book for my honest review.

justenjoy's review

3.0

"Life isn't about finding the one thing you're good at and never doing anything else; it's about exploring yourself and finding out who you really are on your own terms and in your own way.
Letter: Just be yourself! by: Stephanie Pellegrin"

Pick an issue. Any issue that you struggled with or are struggling with during your teenage years. Have one in mind? Good. You will find at least one author that experienced something similar to yourself. Almost anything that I could think of, any topic had a place in this book. And although every entry turned out positive (especially the ones centred on self harm, abuse and suicide), almost all the letters felt a bit depressing. I wouldn't have wanted to read this in one sitting, even though I could. A few chapters in between other books were more than enough. I definitely liked some letters more than others but it was nevertheless enjoyable to read about the teenage years of some of my favourite authors!

lizpatanders's review

4.0

I love the concept behind Dear Teen Me. I think some of the mistakes I’ve made throughout my life are ones I’ve learned from, but sometimes one just looks back and cringes or wishes one had done things differently. That is precisely what the authors in this book talk about.

Every letter in this book has a different tone. Some are sad and somber, some are funny, and others reminded me a lot of my teenage self. I wish I could say every latter in this anthology is a standout, but I only really loved a select few. Regardless, even the ones that I didn’t love helped me see things from a different perspective, or understand how drastically different the experience of growing up can be for everyone.

I could go on for a few paragraphs about Dear Teen Me, which is what I normally do, but instead I’m going to write a letter to my teen self.

Dear Teen Me,

You’ve got a lot going on. For a seventeen-year-old girl, you’ve got it pretty together. You get good grades, participate in extra-curriculars, eat well, and are well read. You’ll get into a good college, and so far, your adult life is off to a solid start.

Regardless, there are two things you can fix, and the sooner you do so, the happier you’ll be.

Start by being a better person. You’re nice enough to the kids at school, and you have decent manners. Still, you can be hard to get along with. Some of the things you say are downright tactless. Or awkward. It makes it challenging for you to make friends. I know you’ve got friends now, but people will see you as a nicer and more well-rounded person if you make this change. And let’s be honest—in some respects, you do care what others think of you. When you get older and start applying for graduate school and looking for work, it will matter what other people think of you, because they could decide whether or not you get that scholarship.

Also? Try being a little bit less judgmental of your peers. Even if you don’t voice your opinions, ask yourself this question: is it really your place to judge them? Because it probably isn’t.

The second item on our agenda is a bit more shallow, but just as important: your appearance. Right now you’re willing to settle for clothes that look okay and are only kind of flattering. The outfits you put together are sometimes mediocre and unoriginal. One day, you’re going to decide to that you need to spend just a little bit more time shopping for clothes. You’ll pick out a few things that are really nice instead of a lot of cheap clothes. You’ll put just a little bit of extra thought into how you can wear the clothes you have. I’m not, however, saying that you need a full face of make-up and super styled hair every day. Just pick out clothes that enhance your natural beauty, and the rest will figure itself out.

It doesn’t sound like a big deal, I know. However, when you put in just a little extra effort, more people you notice you and comment on how nice you look. Your confidence will skyrocket. Suddenly, guys will start to notice and actively pursue you. It’s strange, but decidedly a change for the better.

Overall, you’re doing great. I’m mostly proud of the person you are, and I know that you are going to grow a lot over the coming years, especially in college. Just keep my suggestions in mind. You’ll be in a much better place when you do.

Love,
Adult Liz