Reviews

Love at First Fight by Maggie Dallen

pn_hinton's review against another edition

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2.0

This wasn't a terrible book, but it is one of those YA books that is specifically meant for the YA crowd. It's not hard hitting, there isn't any personal growth or realizations that can come from it, and honestly no one really 'learns' anything. It's just a light fluffy romance where the geeky girl gets the jock guy.

One thing that was really tedious is that it read like a 1980's or 1990's teenage movie set in times. So a lot of the plot devices and developments that would work in those movies and those times didn't work here. The whole mentality of the 'popular' kids having to get back when they finally got dished what they had been serving, the animosity between them and the 'geeks', etc; it seemed to unbelievable for the modern world. Even factoring in the small town setting in places it read hokey. Maybe I'm too far removed from high school but I really don't think kids care that much especially seniors.

And then there's the mystery of who put the infamous picture in the slide show which was completely unbelievable. I refuse to believe that a teacher didn't give those submissions one final viewing. Maybe it comes up later who did it, and I have my suspicions. but that alone kind of set this story up with "Okay I'm going to have to take more than the proverbial grain of salt with this story." Also I feel these parents went way overboard with how 'shocked' they were it's like come on. It's a small town where football reigns. Do you really your kids aren't drinking? *rolls eyes* Even if it was the fact that it was the 'good' girls it seemed overblown.

There was a moment where I thought there was going to a whole 'Carrie' spin to it which I am glad didn't pan out. Because that combined with all the other stuff may have made it completely unbearable. Oh and again I'm fairly confident you can decline a Homecoming Nomination. It's high school not a real royal situation.

I clearly cared enough to finish but there were pockets of time it was grudge reading. And I don't care enough to finish the series unless I can borrow it or get it for free like I did this one. I wanted something light since I'm reading and have read heavier stuff and I got it. It was just a little to light and fluffy for my cynical behind which is fair because I'm not the intended audience. Teenage me would have eaten this up with a spoon and asked for more. Middle age me is less impressed.

lissajean7's review against another edition

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4.0

Sweet

3.5 stars. The school stuff didn't feel as accurate as usual. I don't believe the reactions of the principal and teachers to the beginning incident was even plausible. However, I really liked the characters, and was quickly invested in their lives. I'm looking forward to reading the next books.

isxelle's review

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2.0

This book was essentially the definition of the popular YA school trope of geeky girl gets with the hottest dude in school except with the addition of the childhood friends into lovers trope. Well, I guess it was more of a childhood friends to sort of enemies to lovers.

One little difference between this cliche and others is the niceness of the most popular people. Our male protagonist, Jason, is a pretty nice guy as are two of his friends. Huh, I just realized it's sort of the reverse not like other girls thing except it's the not like other popular kids.

I didn't really like the end of the book either. It was quite enjoyable up until that point. I would have rather the book just transition into the next one. Instead, it goes forward into the future for the epilogue and sort of spoils the second book, and judging by the description of the said book I'm guessing it takes place back in high school. It's just a bit of a weird timeline.

SPOILER
I have a little bone to pick with the description of the book though, this piece "And the kisses...oh, the kisses. Someone please remind me that they don't mean a thing." That wasn't very accurate and just kind of seemed like it was a ploy to get more people to think it was a bit more a steamier book that it is. Their first kiss is near the end of the book.
SPOILER DONE

Overall, it's cute, fluffy, but not at all extraordinary. The writing is subpar and I've read better. Do I recommend it? Eh if all you've been reading is super serious heavy books and want to read something in between to get rid of all that tension I guess you could read it but like I said it's not anything life-changing.

saffie95's review

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3.0

Wow, MAJOR spoiler in the epilogue

izzyfleckner's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

dezzie's review

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4.0

Audiobook Review

I loved this young adult drama it was fun and exciting. My first listen to this author and I am looking forward to be listening to more of her books especially this story of Suzie.

The narration was excellent, the gave each character their own voice and kept me captivated through out.

AOR

lexee9's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a fun, fairly lighthearted story. It does deal with the issue of not fitting in and being part of that popular crowd but also of knowing who you are and being okay with that. Margo had a close set of friends so she didn’t have that problem but some of the other popular kids were jerks and started crap with the geeks. I loved the interplay between characters as they dealt with what was going on. Neither Margo nor Jason agreed with what was happening and didn’t want it to continue to escalate so they started working together to try and find peace for the school. The narrators were great! You could hear the emotion in their voice as they dealt with things and when talking to each other. It really brought the story to life and added that extra dynamic. This wasn’t the best read for me as some things just took longer than I thought they would for the length of the story. I wish that we had gotten more direct interaction between Margo and Jason but still a good and entertaining read. Will be continuing the series.

otkazatsya's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A Wattpad cliche book.

Sometimes I shocked myself with my own sheer idiocy.

aquariandancer's review against another edition

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4.0

Geeks Gone Wild Book One.

Margo is just about to enter senior year of high school. On the last day of freedom, she and her friends are hanging out at Suzie's pool. However, Suzie's brother decides to crash their hang out time with a full on high school party. He challenges Suzie to do a keg stand and that spark ignites a hashtag war for the entire senior class. On the first day of school, Suzie and Margo are the stars of the senior class summer photo slideshow. Margo is determined to get back at Joel, as she is certain he is the culprit. Jason, Margo's next-door neighbor and former best friend, is the football captain and his biggest concern is to keep the team out of the trouble their previous seniors got into. After the #GeeksGoneWild hashtag goes viral, Jason just wants it to all go away. The two team up to make the two factions of the school stand down.

If you're looking for a classic high school experience with a slice of mystery, this is the book for you!

bookanonjeff's review against another edition

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5.0

Well, we knew it would happen. The Geeks got caught doing something wild and the cool kids posted a pic of it for the entire school to see. Then the geeks found embarrassing pics of the cool kids and created a website all about it. And through it all, star QB Jason and first chair clarinetist Margo get stuck in the middle as the voices of reason inside their respective camps. Oh, and there is that tiny little thing about each having crushes on the kid next door - each other - as kids... and those feelings are about to flare as they begin their Senior Year of high school...

Great introduction to another new series from Maggie Dallen, and a solid introduction to her writing style for those who have never read her before. Very much looking forward to the next book in this series!