notlikethebeer's review against another edition
2.0
This was okay, largely forgettable. I thought the main character was a bit of a dick, I know that was the point at times, but also she just really annoyed me in a way that put me off the whole book haha. She treated her friends pretty badly and just seemed to get away with it. I really liked the examining of the 'manic pixie dream girl' trope though, as well as the quasi examining of homosexual stereotypes. A fun read.
storytimed's review against another edition
2.0
ALSO A BAD BOOK
The concept is that a math genius uses math to improve the social lives of her & her friends except the math is NONSENSE
I had it on my list bc 1) social engineering 2) half-Filipino protagonist but like........ the social engineering could have honestly been better??
The one gay character's popularity transformation is him doing the gay best friend stereotype but then novel slightly treats him like he actually is that stereotype
There was some gay energy between the protagonist and the manic pixie dream girl who steals her boyfriend bc then she's like. I must become a manic pixie dream girl to defeat her & it's v clearly not about the boy at all
The concept is that a math genius uses math to improve the social lives of her & her friends except the math is NONSENSE
I had it on my list bc 1) social engineering 2) half-Filipino protagonist but like........ the social engineering could have honestly been better??
The one gay character's popularity transformation is him doing the gay best friend stereotype but then novel slightly treats him like he actually is that stereotype
There was some gay energy between the protagonist and the manic pixie dream girl who steals her boyfriend bc then she's like. I must become a manic pixie dream girl to defeat her & it's v clearly not about the boy at all
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
This book was cute and fun. From the first few pages it creates an ABC Family movie feel to it. If you've seen the 90s Teen Movies, the newer Degrassi, and Gay Best Friend, you can probably predict everything that happens. But that's one of the best parts: you know what you're getting. It's an easy, light read.
I wasn't expecting the way that the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope was handled would be okay. A lot of people make "MPDG" mean the twee Zooey Deschanel cutesy type, rather than acknowledging that the trope is all about the male fantasy and creation of it. But the fact that Trixie is for Jesse's enjoyment and nothing else is prominent in the book.
Interesting enough, our main character, Beatrice, has Other Deschanel Sister Syndrome. If you are like me and cannot handle over-the-top "nerdy" characters, especially those who cannot relate to *whispers* normies (and have some serious control issues re: people not liking math), she's going to grate on your nerves. She starts off like the insufferable main character from "Love and other Foreign Words" but it settles down once the author realizes she doesn't have to punch us in the face repeatedly with how nerrrrrrrdy she is. It approached John Green levels of "people do not talk like this," but that was the point, and it stops eventually.
The ending is satisfying, but I would have taken it a step further.
Cute book overall!
I wasn't expecting the way that the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope was handled would be okay. A lot of people make "MPDG" mean the twee Zooey Deschanel cutesy type, rather than acknowledging that the trope is all about the male fantasy and creation of it. But the fact that Trixie is for Jesse's enjoyment and nothing else is prominent in the book.
Interesting enough, our main character, Beatrice, has Other Deschanel Sister Syndrome. If you are like me and cannot handle over-the-top "nerdy" characters, especially those who cannot relate to *whispers* normies (and have some serious control issues re: people not liking math), she's going to grate on your nerves. She starts off like the insufferable main character from "Love and other Foreign Words" but it settles down once the author realizes she doesn't have to punch us in the face repeatedly with how nerrrrrrrdy she is. It approached John Green levels of "people do not talk like this," but that was the point, and it stops eventually.
The ending is satisfying, but I would have taken it a step further.
Cute book overall!
cupcates's review against another edition
2.0
If you ask me anything about this book, I probably won't be able to answer because I was just so damn bored. The plot was all over the place, without a clear direction of where it started and where it was meant to go, and I simply could not get into it.
kimberleylynn74's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this YA novel - did a binge-read 2 nights ago, all 343 pages in one go.
Diversity of characters, including ethnicity and sexual orientation. Anyone who wasn't in the popular crowd in high school can probably relate to the main characters, and their struggled through the end of summer and first months of senior year.
Diversity of characters, including ethnicity and sexual orientation. Anyone who wasn't in the popular crowd in high school can probably relate to the main characters, and their struggled through the end of summer and first months of senior year.
kittypride93's review against another edition
3.0
Okay so I ended up not finishing this book because I am not really liking the book. It's not necessarily my genre so I'm just going to put it down as read. I love how science and math is prominent in the book, but I hate the tropes that are used. I also like that their is a gay best friend, but that is also a heavily used trope (on top of the fact that he uses the "gay stereotype" to make himself popular.) I hope it has a good ending, because I'm finding it lackluster.
thegraduatedbookwormblogger's review against another edition
4.0
Full Review can be found at http://thegraduatedbookworm.blogspot.ca
I want to say thank you to +HarperCollinsCanada for sending me a copy of this book for review! It was definitely an interesting and quite entertaining read and I really enjoyed it! There was a lot going on in this novel that definitely had a roller coaster ride of emotions and scenes!
I totally got a vibe of Mean Girls where at first no one really cares, there's a math genius, and then all of a sudden a quick transformation with clothes and personality makes you somehow a different person to others. I know that's pretty unrealistic in most cases, but it definitely makes it more entertaining simply because it showcases that you really do not need to change yourself, because the people you are changing for, should like you for you, and if not then they aren't the people you should want to surround yourself with. Simple. As. That.
Can I just say how refreshing it was to actually have so many diverse characters in this novel! I do wish that I could read more about them as well, but you kind of dive into their lives a little bit throughout, because it involves them as well. I really loved how diverse it was, and I also loved the fact that most people were actually really open and accepting of it!
While I was reading this there were definitely a lot of parts that I could foresee happening. I found that some of the hints that were being dropped we definitely more apparent to me, so I wasn't really shocked when certain aspects of the novel came into place. I do feel that when it got more towards the middle, it seemed to slow down and almost just flow until it picked up again in the end...
Overall this was a good read! It was very funny, and light-hearted. There were many moments where you could see what may happen, but at the same time it still surprised you when you least expected it. Bea has this personality that kind of shines, and makes you want to be friends with her. It was a cute read, with a lot to talk about. I never realized that a Manic Pixie Dream Girl really does exist...I would definitely recommend this!
I want to say thank you to +HarperCollinsCanada for sending me a copy of this book for review! It was definitely an interesting and quite entertaining read and I really enjoyed it! There was a lot going on in this novel that definitely had a roller coaster ride of emotions and scenes!
I totally got a vibe of Mean Girls where at first no one really cares, there's a math genius, and then all of a sudden a quick transformation with clothes and personality makes you somehow a different person to others. I know that's pretty unrealistic in most cases, but it definitely makes it more entertaining simply because it showcases that you really do not need to change yourself, because the people you are changing for, should like you for you, and if not then they aren't the people you should want to surround yourself with. Simple. As. That.
Can I just say how refreshing it was to actually have so many diverse characters in this novel! I do wish that I could read more about them as well, but you kind of dive into their lives a little bit throughout, because it involves them as well. I really loved how diverse it was, and I also loved the fact that most people were actually really open and accepting of it!
While I was reading this there were definitely a lot of parts that I could foresee happening. I found that some of the hints that were being dropped we definitely more apparent to me, so I wasn't really shocked when certain aspects of the novel came into place. I do feel that when it got more towards the middle, it seemed to slow down and almost just flow until it picked up again in the end...
Overall this was a good read! It was very funny, and light-hearted. There were many moments where you could see what may happen, but at the same time it still surprised you when you least expected it. Bea has this personality that kind of shines, and makes you want to be friends with her. It was a cute read, with a lot to talk about. I never realized that a Manic Pixie Dream Girl really does exist...I would definitely recommend this!