The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
grethel_'s review against another edition
4.0
A gossip girl meets pretty little liars type vibe, I thought it was a good young adult book. It kept me interested to the point where I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read the following book in the series.
chelseas_reads's review against another edition
3.0
this book is good but at the same time I thought it was boring
sjtouqan's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much. Alice especially. I have no words to describe how amazing it was and how much I loved it. I LOVED IT!
bookishnicole's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a little bit at a loss for what to say about this. At the end I was really pleased, but at the same time the whole rest of the book felt a little lost to me. We followed the story of the two sisters, but it felt like it was a book more about Alice, the older sister. We got a glimpse into Charlie's life, but at the end it felt like we hardly discussed her. I got attached to her sprialing out of control story, and wanted to know more.
I did like their sisterly bond until it did fall apart as they both adjusted to their lives in this new town. Considering that the book only takes places over the span of only two weeks, it would seem that their bond isn't as strong as they thought. Both of them were interesting and distinct not only in their looks, but also their personalities.
A lot of the characters in this book had great personalities, but to be honest, it reminded me of Gossip Girl on the beach. Jude reminded me a lot of Chuck although the whole cousin love thing was a little bizarre. The other thing that was strange with Alice and Tommy and how she looked just like Camilla, her dead stepsister and how Tommy seemed to love her.
This book also attacked me with some insta-love, which was a little ick. Luckily it wasn't in your face, but it got under my skin when these two characters said I love you. As I said, this book takes place over two weeks. I felt that Alice was very morbidly obsessed with Camilla, which was strange in the least.
I liked some of the techniques that Peloquin used when writing this book, and I am excited to check out the second book in this series.
I did like their sisterly bond until it did fall apart as they both adjusted to their lives in this new town. Considering that the book only takes places over the span of only two weeks, it would seem that their bond isn't as strong as they thought. Both of them were interesting and distinct not only in their looks, but also their personalities.
A lot of the characters in this book had great personalities, but to be honest, it reminded me of Gossip Girl on the beach. Jude reminded me a lot of Chuck although the whole cousin love thing was a little bizarre. The other thing that was strange with Alice and Tommy and how she looked just like Camilla, her dead stepsister and how Tommy seemed to love her.
This book also attacked me with some insta-love, which was a little ick. Luckily it wasn't in your face, but it got under my skin when these two characters said I love you. As I said, this book takes place over two weeks. I felt that Alice was very morbidly obsessed with Camilla, which was strange in the least.
I liked some of the techniques that Peloquin used when writing this book, and I am excited to check out the second book in this series.
cupcakegirly's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Penguin and Razorbill for this ARC.
If you enjoy Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl or 90210, then this is the book for you. If not? Well, you might want to pass on it.
This book was a mix for me... On one hand, it's well written with twists and turns that keep it from being boring but it also felt "wordy" and cliche at times. The beginning is slow and it wasn't until roughly 3/4 of way through before I became engaged and then... it ended. (Wait. What? That's it?)
There is a mess of would-be love triangles (adults not excluded) and it was hard to tell whose intentions were real and whose weren't. I had difficulty connecting to the characters and the only two who held my interest were Tommy and Stan. Alice came across whiny and insufferable, Charlie worked too hard to be the opposite of her sister and Cybil was the stereotypical spoiled rich girl. Jude is the predictable bad boy but even he fell flat for me.
For being the first book in a series, I was disappointed and frustrated with the amount of unanswered questions that were left open and with this book as a whole.
If you enjoy Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl or 90210, then this is the book for you. If not? Well, you might want to pass on it.
This book was a mix for me... On one hand, it's well written with twists and turns that keep it from being boring but it also felt "wordy" and cliche at times. The beginning is slow and it wasn't until roughly 3/4 of way through before I became engaged and then... it ended. (Wait. What? That's it?)
There is a mess of would-be love triangles (adults not excluded) and it was hard to tell whose intentions were real and whose weren't. I had difficulty connecting to the characters and the only two who held my interest were Tommy and Stan. Alice came across whiny and insufferable, Charlie worked too hard to be the opposite of her sister and Cybil was the stereotypical spoiled rich girl. Jude is the predictable bad boy but even he fell flat for me.
For being the first book in a series, I was disappointed and frustrated with the amount of unanswered questions that were left open and with this book as a whole.
jessalyn03's review against another edition
3.0
I just realized that thereās a second book to this, but I still think this book drug out. It got better towards the end so I can imagine the second book is probably pretty good. I donāt think Iāll read it though. A good book, but I wouldnāt want to read it again.
bellamb3's review against another edition
2.0
If you are looking for an intriguing story this is not the book for you. I guessed the "huge" plot twist 30 pages in. I ended up DNFing this book.
leesuh's review
2.0
MAYBE 2.5 stars.
I went into The Innocents with basically no insight to the story whatsoever. I knew itās Young Adult Contemporary, so you can imagine the type of thing I was expecting (summer romance, school troubles, family troubles, maybe an accident or something). While there is some of that in this book, itās completely different from what I had thought it would be. Maybe if I hadnāt have reserved any expectations for it I wouldnāt have been disappointed or disgruntled. (Obviously.)
The story itself was interesting enough, I guessā¦ if a million and one things about it were changed. It seemed extremely melodramatic more than once, like a soap opera, and by the end I was calling bullshit. Not that I completely hated the book. I kept reading and that says something, but I started disliking it more and more as I went along. The authorās writing leaves something to be desired and I have some woes with a particular character.
I hate Alice, the main character (one of them, at least). Sheās so annoying. Sheās paranoid, self-centered, nosy, and prone to make assumptions that are often incorrect. Not little assumptions like āYou ate the last cookie!ā, but big ones like āYou killed XYZ!ā. Iāll admit, sometimes she is correct in her Sherlock Holmes stories, but sheās so quick to assume things that I feel like I never got on board with her because she was always just being crazy again. Speaking of which, I sort of hope she does turn out to have some sort of mental illness, because her actions and the way she thinks are too unwarranted.
Aliceās character would be pretty interesting if it was the authorās motive to have her seem crazy, but the thing is: Iām not entirely sure thatās what Lili Peloquin meant to do. That, Iām sure is one of my biggest problems with the whole novel. Is the author purposely weaving this crazy shit together because itās how Alice is seeing things, or is she (the author) just trying too hard and failing? The whole time I was reading I was thinking about reading the next book to get some sort of explanation, but Iām not positive I want to spend my time on this story anymore. Alas.
Also, about the authorās writing style: There are so many inconsistencies in the grammar and style of writing in this book. From point of view problems to the use of commas in place of the word āandā, it was sometimes extremely annoying. Usually grammar mistakes can be passed by and forgotten, but I feel like if they confuse the reader at all the author and/or the editor should have caught them, and when they donāt it reflects on them as lazy and sloppy. This is the case with The Innocents. And while I didnāt quit the book because of the problems, I do look down on it more than I would have had there been less wrong.
For the most part, I donāt think Iāll ever read this book again and Iām unsure if Iāll even give the second book in the series a try. You may like it, I donāt know, but the story was trying too hard and I just couldnāt enjoy it.
ETA: I know this review seems pretty harsh on the book, and I suppose you're probably right. It wasn't the worst book I ever read, nor was it the best. I don't want you to feel like you shouldn't read the book just because I didn't like it. You may love it, I don't know. Everything written in this and all of my reviews is my opinion and I hope it won't ever keep you from giving a book a try if you feel like reading it. And take what I say with a grain of salt because my views on books (and life in general) are never static. (:
I went into The Innocents with basically no insight to the story whatsoever. I knew itās Young Adult Contemporary, so you can imagine the type of thing I was expecting (summer romance, school troubles, family troubles, maybe an accident or something). While there is some of that in this book, itās completely different from what I had thought it would be. Maybe if I hadnāt have reserved any expectations for it I wouldnāt have been disappointed or disgruntled. (Obviously.)
The story itself was interesting enough, I guessā¦ if a million and one things about it were changed. It seemed extremely melodramatic more than once, like a soap opera, and by the end I was calling bullshit. Not that I completely hated the book. I kept reading and that says something, but I started disliking it more and more as I went along. The authorās writing leaves something to be desired and I have some woes with a particular character.
I hate Alice, the main character (one of them, at least). Sheās so annoying. Sheās paranoid, self-centered, nosy, and prone to make assumptions that are often incorrect. Not little assumptions like āYou ate the last cookie!ā, but big ones like āYou killed XYZ!ā. Iāll admit, sometimes she is correct in her Sherlock Holmes stories, but sheās so quick to assume things that I feel like I never got on board with her because she was always just being crazy again. Speaking of which, I sort of hope she does turn out to have some sort of mental illness, because her actions and the way she thinks are too unwarranted.
Aliceās character would be pretty interesting if it was the authorās motive to have her seem crazy, but the thing is: Iām not entirely sure thatās what Lili Peloquin meant to do. That, Iām sure is one of my biggest problems with the whole novel. Is the author purposely weaving this crazy shit together because itās how Alice is seeing things, or is she (the author) just trying too hard and failing? The whole time I was reading I was thinking about reading the next book to get some sort of explanation, but Iām not positive I want to spend my time on this story anymore. Alas.
Also, about the authorās writing style: There are so many inconsistencies in the grammar and style of writing in this book. From point of view problems to the use of commas in place of the word āandā, it was sometimes extremely annoying. Usually grammar mistakes can be passed by and forgotten, but I feel like if they confuse the reader at all the author and/or the editor should have caught them, and when they donāt it reflects on them as lazy and sloppy. This is the case with The Innocents. And while I didnāt quit the book because of the problems, I do look down on it more than I would have had there been less wrong.
For the most part, I donāt think Iāll ever read this book again and Iām unsure if Iāll even give the second book in the series a try. You may like it, I donāt know, but the story was trying too hard and I just couldnāt enjoy it.
ETA: I know this review seems pretty harsh on the book, and I suppose you're probably right. It wasn't the worst book I ever read, nor was it the best. I don't want you to feel like you shouldn't read the book just because I didn't like it. You may love it, I don't know. Everything written in this and all of my reviews is my opinion and I hope it won't ever keep you from giving a book a try if you feel like reading it. And take what I say with a grain of salt because my views on books (and life in general) are never static. (:
heyitstay19's review
3.0
I liked this book. I didn't LOVE it though. It started kind of slow and I wasn't really into the way it was formatted (narrators aren't my favorite plus there wasn't a lot of breaks in the spacing). The characters were almost like able. I don't think the title really fits the book. I was expecting more a murder mystery vibe or some kind of illegal activity(which there wasn't). I came across this book on a whim for only two dollars so I didn't know much about it until I started reading. I will be reading the second book. If you're looking for an average book and like to read then I would recommend.
mayris88's review
3.0
Didn't like the fact that Charlie is a spoiled bitch. I mean, I wasn't so fond of Alice either, cause I just didn't get WHY she has to go after Tommy. I think I'd be a little creeped out and put off after so many people telling me the resemblance she has with a death girl. Like, I don't know, be more careful or something.
But back to Charlie, dude, if your sister is telling you about her suspicions, maybe you should try to at least take her a bit more seriously or be more considerate of her feelings. The sad thing is that Charlie only cares about herself.
To be honest, I didn't enjoy most of the book till the last few chapters, when everything starts to unravel. And I wasn't very keen on reading the next installment, but now I wanna know what's gonna happen and how much the truth will affect their family.
But back to Charlie, dude, if your sister is telling you about her suspicions, maybe you should try to at least take her a bit more seriously or be more considerate of her feelings. The sad thing is that Charlie only cares about herself.
To be honest, I didn't enjoy most of the book till the last few chapters, when everything starts to unravel. And I wasn't very keen on reading the next installment, but now I wanna know what's gonna happen and how much the truth will affect their family.