a_lovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
3.0
I read this in a day so I'm thinking that I liked it, but honestly, I'm not sure what to make of it. The main character Tabitha is so damn annoying. But I can't decide if that's just cause she's a teenager. So three stars.
charmaineac's review against another edition
5.0
I ADORE COREY ANN HAYDU. After being absolutely enthralled by OCD Love Story, I was so worried that it would be a fluke. But I got the same feelings with Life by Committee. This book struck a chord with me.
Haydu knows how to universalize the particular. There are problems in this book—really freaking huge problems, in fact—yet I felt invested in Tabitha's story. It brings a whole new perspective to the table. There are people who I have JUDGED the way Tabitha gets judged, and this was such a wake-up call. I don't know other people's scenarios. I don't know their family circumstances. I don't want to be "Jemma" in this situation. And yet I can pinpoint exact people who I have treated that way. ...Here I go again. There's something about Haydu's books that make me want to talk about MY life and MY experiences.
I thought this book would be all about the destructive nature of groupthink. And that happened, to an extent. But there was also a strong revelation about the LBCers and what they were really doing (THANK YOU). I think by the end, Tabitha learned to use her assignments the way people actually use their coin tosses. They don't blindly follow the decision handed to them, but instead realize what they REALLY want to do based on what they're told to do. Some of the committee advice actually made a difference. They were important to Tabitha's development, temperament, and choices. But she realized that she ALWAYS had choices available to her. I even think Agnes started to realize that eventually.
Haydu has the impeccable skill of taking you down the rabbit hole. Like, down to the bottom of frightening downward spirals. I felt Tabitha losing control of her life. But her books are so, so good because she knows how to bring it all back up. There comes a point where Tabitha grabs the reigns, and nothing could be more fulfilling.
There was one part near the very end that fell flat to me. Are we going all Mean Girls here? I can't imagine a school assembly turning out that way. But since this is supposedly some earthy-crunchy granola-type school, I'll let it go. Also, I was totally rooting on that "non-secret" at the end.
Haydu knows how to universalize the particular. There are problems in this book—really freaking huge problems, in fact—yet I felt invested in Tabitha's story. It brings a whole new perspective to the table. There are people who I have JUDGED the way Tabitha gets judged, and this was such a wake-up call. I don't know other people's scenarios. I don't know their family circumstances. I don't want to be "Jemma" in this situation. And yet I can pinpoint exact people who I have treated that way. ...Here I go again. There's something about Haydu's books that make me want to talk about MY life and MY experiences.
I thought this book would be all about the destructive nature of groupthink. And that happened, to an extent. But there was also a strong revelation about the LBCers and what they were really doing (THANK YOU). I think by the end, Tabitha learned to use her assignments the way people actually use their coin tosses. They don't blindly follow the decision handed to them, but instead realize what they REALLY want to do based on what they're told to do. Some of the committee advice actually made a difference. They were important to Tabitha's development, temperament, and choices. But she realized that she ALWAYS had choices available to her. I even think Agnes started to realize that eventually.
Haydu has the impeccable skill of taking you down the rabbit hole. Like, down to the bottom of frightening downward spirals. I felt Tabitha losing control of her life. But her books are so, so good because she knows how to bring it all back up. There comes a point where Tabitha grabs the reigns, and nothing could be more fulfilling.
There was one part near the very end that fell flat to me. Are we going all Mean Girls here? I can't imagine a school assembly turning out that way. But since this is supposedly some earthy-crunchy granola-type school, I'll let it go. Also, I was totally rooting on that "non-secret" at the end.
artsymusings's review against another edition
4.0
Life by Committee is a messy, messy book. I like messy which is my way of saying that not everyone will be able to stomach it, not everyone will approve of it, and not everyone will like Tabitha. If you've the read the blurb, even if just the tagline on the cover, you'd know this book tackles cheating, broken friendships resulting in slut shaming, and secrets. Despite all of that, I could relate to Tabitha, to her struggles, to her lonely, lonely life. But that is not to say that cheating is okay. It's more about just living life, y'know. Learning from your mistakes. Letting go of stuff. Growing up. Moving on. Being more.
You know when you're reading a book, you come across all the flaws of a character, you shake your head at them but you cannot stop admiring them? That's Tabitha for you. I cringed when I first learned that she defaces her books by writing her thoughts in the margins but that's Tabitha for you. She's her own person who's growing up lonely with parents who had her when they were sixteen themselves. It may seem like an über cool life, but it's life and it's not easy. Especially not when you fall in love with someone else's boyfriend.
I like it when books make me think page after turned page about what's been written. Makes me think in the way that I've to stop reading and just feel the words wash over me. To nod along them 'cause at one time those words formed in my mind, too. Life by Committee is one such book. Even more than that, Life by Committee is unpredictable and that's just a cherry on top of the way it's been written. It's all about making a mess of things and of people who make a mess of you for no reason at all other than the jealousy they feel for you. 'Not every decision can be bigger than the one before. And not every decision is better because a dozen other lost people are telling you what to do.'
Tabitha is going through a difficult time because her best friend abandoned her when she stopped liking the change in her, the change that comes in the form of makeup and harmless flirting with boys. The ex-best friend who judges and judges and judges Tabitha and makes her feel unsure about herself. Luckily, Tabitha has exactly three people in her life who still care about her. Namely, her parents and Elise, the almost new best friend. Then she gets so tangled up in Joe that she goes past the point of wanting him to wanting him despite him being in a relationship. Obviously, she's not the person anyone should go for an advice and on a subconscious level, she's aware of that. So when she gets a chance to spill a secret, she goes ahead and soon finds herself in a tangled web of secrets that will only remain safe if she completes every assignment she's been given in 24 hours.
I didn't expect Life by Committee to be anything more than just a fluffy contemporary with ugh moments and that's where I was wrong. It's like the cover of the book, which I felt was too weird to be a book cover, turned out to be a photo of Tabitha from the knees down which means something. Life by Committee is an amazing book with secondary characters that are as deep and as alive as Tabitha. I'm particularly fond of Star and I hope that Corey Ann Haydu decides to write her story. Really, really hope. There's a big plot twists that threw me in for the loop as I was so wasn't expecting that to happen and started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Oh, boy. I really enjoyed it, though.
I don't know if it'd be stupid to spill your secrets online so that a bunch of strangers can tell you what you can do about them. But the idea appeals to me so much that I would love to be a part of it in actual life 'cause things like that take guts and I'm all for feeling liberated, taking risks, and being reckless. This is what Life by Committee is and this is why I'm freaking amazed by it.
You know when you're reading a book, you come across all the flaws of a character, you shake your head at them but you cannot stop admiring them? That's Tabitha for you. I cringed when I first learned that she defaces her books by writing her thoughts in the margins but that's Tabitha for you. She's her own person who's growing up lonely with parents who had her when they were sixteen themselves. It may seem like an über cool life, but it's life and it's not easy. Especially not when you fall in love with someone else's boyfriend.
I like it when books make me think page after turned page about what's been written. Makes me think in the way that I've to stop reading and just feel the words wash over me. To nod along them 'cause at one time those words formed in my mind, too. Life by Committee is one such book. Even more than that, Life by Committee is unpredictable and that's just a cherry on top of the way it's been written. It's all about making a mess of things and of people who make a mess of you for no reason at all other than the jealousy they feel for you. 'Not every decision can be bigger than the one before. And not every decision is better because a dozen other lost people are telling you what to do.'
Tabitha is going through a difficult time because her best friend abandoned her when she stopped liking the change in her, the change that comes in the form of makeup and harmless flirting with boys. The ex-best friend who judges and judges and judges Tabitha and makes her feel unsure about herself. Luckily, Tabitha has exactly three people in her life who still care about her. Namely, her parents and Elise, the almost new best friend. Then she gets so tangled up in Joe that she goes past the point of wanting him to wanting him despite him being in a relationship. Obviously, she's not the person anyone should go for an advice and on a subconscious level, she's aware of that. So when she gets a chance to spill a secret, she goes ahead and soon finds herself in a tangled web of secrets that will only remain safe if she completes every assignment she's been given in 24 hours.
I didn't expect Life by Committee to be anything more than just a fluffy contemporary with ugh moments and that's where I was wrong. It's like the cover of the book, which I felt was too weird to be a book cover, turned out to be a photo of Tabitha from the knees down which means something. Life by Committee is an amazing book with secondary characters that are as deep and as alive as Tabitha. I'm particularly fond of Star and I hope that Corey Ann Haydu decides to write her story. Really, really hope. There's a big plot twists that threw me in for the loop as I was so wasn't expecting that to happen and started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Oh, boy. I really enjoyed it, though.
I don't know if it'd be stupid to spill your secrets online so that a bunch of strangers can tell you what you can do about them. But the idea appeals to me so much that I would love to be a part of it in actual life 'cause things like that take guts and I'm all for feeling liberated, taking risks, and being reckless. This is what Life by Committee is and this is why I'm freaking amazed by it.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Good, old-fashioned girly YA realism. I thought Tabby was an well-defined, well-developed protagonist. I liked that she was a self-described romantic. I liked that she didn't back down from what she wanted - romantically & sexually - even though she knew she wasn't making the best choices - I liked her unconventional parents. I'd also like to formally request a companion novel starring Sasha Cotton - do it up Stephanie Perkins style, plz. I could have done without the Mean Girls "I Have a Lot of Feelings" ending, but it didn't detract from my overall impression of the book.
Caveat: I listened to this one on audio. I sensed some narrative clumsiness that probably would have turned me off if I was reading in print. But, on audio, it's pretty much all story. And I liked the story.
Caveat: I listened to this one on audio. I sensed some narrative clumsiness that probably would have turned me off if I was reading in print. But, on audio, it's pretty much all story. And I liked the story.
malaynachang's review against another edition
5.0
MY OPINION: *****
This is one of the first books that I actually liked in a long time. I guess my view on books after reading Black City soured for a while. But I'm good again.
This was a really strong book that was unlike other contemporary novels. Let's just do a list of what I liked...
*Devon. He was AMAZING. I just loved him.
*The day when they all shared the secrets in front of the whole school. That was amazing and something that I wish could happen in real life.
*All the books in the book
*Elise
*The fact that she finally got over Joe after forever
*The LBC
So yeah. It's not very long but those were the highlights of the book by far.
Some quotes:
"People keep smiling at me on their way up the ramp, but I am so heart-poundingly stupefied by the response to my outpouring of secrets that I don't smile back. I can't get my head around the way one action done for a totally selfish reason has caused something so large and generous and profound." Page 284
"He makes eye contact with me. He is all haunted blue eyes and skinny arms under his long-sleeve tee. He smiles and waves, and first I think: cute." Page 180 (Talking about Devon and not Joe for once)
So the one thing I disliked about this book was Joe. I do not understand what Tabitha saw in Joe, but I hated him. He was annoying and he was fake and just ugh. I could not handle reading about him.
Tabitha was also kind of annoying at times. It was like, all she could think about was Joe and she never thought about anything else. And hasn't she heard of Internet safety? Why would you just share that your dad is addicted to weed and that you kissed someone else's boyfriend on the Internet to completely random strangers?
We never did get to know who Zed or Star was or any of the other people on the website except for Agnes.
Did anyone else think that Sasha Cotton was annoying? She was so clingy and just irritating.
Okay, so I know this was short but I have another review to write and some other stuff to do so...
I would recommend this book to realistic fiction lovers.
Main Character: Tabitha
Sidekick(s): Devon, Elise, Joe, etc
Villain(s): Jemma, Sasha, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
This is one of the first books that I actually liked in a long time. I guess my view on books after reading Black City soured for a while. But I'm good again.
This was a really strong book that was unlike other contemporary novels. Let's just do a list of what I liked...
*Devon. He was AMAZING. I just loved him.
*The day when they all shared the secrets in front of the whole school. That was amazing and something that I wish could happen in real life.
*All the books in the book
*Elise
*The fact that she finally got over Joe after forever
*The LBC
So yeah. It's not very long but those were the highlights of the book by far.
Some quotes:
"People keep smiling at me on their way up the ramp, but I am so heart-poundingly stupefied by the response to my outpouring of secrets that I don't smile back. I can't get my head around the way one action done for a totally selfish reason has caused something so large and generous and profound." Page 284
"He makes eye contact with me. He is all haunted blue eyes and skinny arms under his long-sleeve tee. He smiles and waves, and first I think: cute." Page 180 (Talking about Devon and not Joe for once)
So the one thing I disliked about this book was Joe. I do not understand what Tabitha saw in Joe, but I hated him. He was annoying and he was fake and just ugh. I could not handle reading about him.
Tabitha was also kind of annoying at times. It was like, all she could think about was Joe and she never thought about anything else. And hasn't she heard of Internet safety? Why would you just share that your dad is addicted to weed and that you kissed someone else's boyfriend on the Internet to completely random strangers?
We never did get to know who Zed or Star was or any of the other people on the website except for Agnes.
Did anyone else think that Sasha Cotton was annoying? She was so clingy and just irritating.
Okay, so I know this was short but I have another review to write and some other stuff to do so...
I would recommend this book to realistic fiction lovers.
Main Character: Tabitha
Sidekick(s): Devon, Elise, Joe, etc
Villain(s): Jemma, Sasha, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
cecilierogers's review against another edition
2.0
I guess the most descriptive review I can give of this book is that it is not very memorable. I just finished it, and I have almost completely forgotten what happened in it. Nothing about the story was really worth remembering.
I really like books that depict life on the Internett. So that's a plus for this one. However, I don't think it was done in a very good way. Not necessarily because the author didn't have a good story, but she failed to draw the readers in I think. Or me as a reader at least.
Let's just say I don't regret reading it. But I wouldn't recommend it.
I really like books that depict life on the Internett. So that's a plus for this one. However, I don't think it was done in a very good way. Not necessarily because the author didn't have a good story, but she failed to draw the readers in I think. Or me as a reader at least.
Let's just say I don't regret reading it. But I wouldn't recommend it.
hazelstaybookish's review against another edition
4.0
The way Corey Ann Haydu tells stories of young adults is exquisite. What a great sophomore novel! Review to come!
readerchloe_3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars.
Sorry, but I hated Tabitha, for most of the book I just wanted to smack her for kissing a guy (no matter how sleazy he is) who has a girlfriend and even going to his home and even doing all the things she did. Sorry, but no. Also I didn't like how she treated Elise (like Elise should just show up and all that)(sure Elise was a total blergh friend at times too, but more on that later), I didn't like how she treated people. I also don't understand why she would sign up for such a website without more research, just posting her secret to the world and hoping it will be safe.
9780062294050Elise, I don't know, I didn't particularly like her. I also feel that is more because we get in the middle of some story and she also has another friend that gets more attention (at least it seems like that), you never know if Tabitha was her first and best friend, or that that friend was the first one. We also don't know exactly why Elise is acting like this, why she picks Tabitha at times, but other times the other person and doesn't chat much with Tabitha then. It was all a bit weird.
Joe, ugh, most hated character of all the book. It doesn't help that nobody ever goes against him, and he can just screw girls around without consequences. I truly hated him, and I felt sorry for Sasha (even though I also didn't like her).
And yes, I practically disliked... well all the characters. There were just so many characters and so many faults that they had, it just didn't feel good. Paul was just not really a father-character, Jemma was a bitch and so on. :\ The only one that was somehow interesting was Devon and sadly he didn't get much showtime, only when he was needed for the story (urgh, hate it when that happens).
We also have the part that Tabitha is dumped by her friends (we get reasons, but who knows if they are truly the reasons, we see only Tabitha's point of view about it), I felt it would have been better if we had seen Tabitha lose those friends, see her before all went down to hell. Now it feels (like I said earlier) like we just stepped in a story that already begun. You know, like when you get to a movie too late and missed all the beginning things that explains everything. That is how I felt. And that was not the only thing. I also didn't get what the whole fuss with Tabitha was about, seriously, someone is NOT a slut or a whore or whatever just because she starts to wear make-up and wears different (and more adult) clothes or when her boobs grow (not much she can do about that, now, can she?). I think everyone was just overreacting. Especially the part with the whole guidance counsellor and how Tabitha was chewed out because she wore a beige dress which was a bit short, but (big BUT) she wore tights and also flats. I mean, it might be a bit different if, say, she wore nothing under the dress, but she wore tights. What is this town, what is this school that girls get chewed out because a few short things (with decent stuff under it). I also disliked the counsellor, she didn't, not once, listen to Tabitha.
I did like the whole committee thing, though I feel the assignments were over the top at times (especially those of Tabitha). I am sure they are meant to do something, but sorry, quite a few of those are just bad things. Like pushing Tabitha to Joe, or like the assignment were she had to get high with her dad. Like wait? What? NO.
And the whole twist at the end? With Sasha? Loved it. It was a nice twist and it fitted with the story, it was quite predictable there would be a twist, but I didn't imagine it to be this. Nice. :)
The whole books and notes in them
were fun, however I am very much against doodling or writing in books, so I was also cringing at times. If you want to write something about a book, or add a note, please use post-its or something else. Poor books. :(
There were also a few spelling/grammar errors or sentences which didn't sound/read right which is a shame. For example this sentence: "Cate's no dummy - he knows I've called in backup." Cate is a she, she is the mother of Tabitha.
The ending, was awesome, but it was too late by then. I was happy for Tabitha, happy for Sasha, but I still didn't like them.
All in all, a book I wouldn't recommend.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Sorry, but I hated Tabitha, for most of the book I just wanted to smack her for kissing a guy (no matter how sleazy he is) who has a girlfriend and even going to his home and even doing all the things she did. Sorry, but no. Also I didn't like how she treated Elise (like Elise should just show up and all that)(sure Elise was a total blergh friend at times too, but more on that later), I didn't like how she treated people. I also don't understand why she would sign up for such a website without more research, just posting her secret to the world and hoping it will be safe.
9780062294050Elise, I don't know, I didn't particularly like her. I also feel that is more because we get in the middle of some story and she also has another friend that gets more attention (at least it seems like that), you never know if Tabitha was her first and best friend, or that that friend was the first one. We also don't know exactly why Elise is acting like this, why she picks Tabitha at times, but other times the other person and doesn't chat much with Tabitha then. It was all a bit weird.
Joe, ugh, most hated character of all the book. It doesn't help that nobody ever goes against him, and he can just screw girls around without consequences. I truly hated him, and I felt sorry for Sasha (even though I also didn't like her).
And yes, I practically disliked... well all the characters. There were just so many characters and so many faults that they had, it just didn't feel good. Paul was just not really a father-character, Jemma was a bitch and so on. :\ The only one that was somehow interesting was Devon and sadly he didn't get much showtime, only when he was needed for the story (urgh, hate it when that happens).
We also have the part that Tabitha is dumped by her friends (we get reasons, but who knows if they are truly the reasons, we see only Tabitha's point of view about it), I felt it would have been better if we had seen Tabitha lose those friends, see her before all went down to hell. Now it feels (like I said earlier) like we just stepped in a story that already begun. You know, like when you get to a movie too late and missed all the beginning things that explains everything. That is how I felt. And that was not the only thing. I also didn't get what the whole fuss with Tabitha was about, seriously, someone is NOT a slut or a whore or whatever just because she starts to wear make-up and wears different (and more adult) clothes or when her boobs grow (not much she can do about that, now, can she?). I think everyone was just overreacting. Especially the part with the whole guidance counsellor and how Tabitha was chewed out because she wore a beige dress which was a bit short, but (big BUT) she wore tights and also flats. I mean, it might be a bit different if, say, she wore nothing under the dress, but she wore tights. What is this town, what is this school that girls get chewed out because a few short things (with decent stuff under it). I also disliked the counsellor, she didn't, not once, listen to Tabitha.
I did like the whole committee thing, though I feel the assignments were over the top at times (especially those of Tabitha). I am sure they are meant to do something, but sorry, quite a few of those are just bad things. Like pushing Tabitha to Joe, or like the assignment were she had to get high with her dad. Like wait? What? NO.
And the whole twist at the end? With Sasha? Loved it. It was a nice twist and it fitted with the story, it was quite predictable there would be a twist, but I didn't imagine it to be this. Nice. :)
The whole books and notes in them
were fun, however I am very much against doodling or writing in books, so I was also cringing at times. If you want to write something about a book, or add a note, please use post-its or something else. Poor books. :(
There were also a few spelling/grammar errors or sentences which didn't sound/read right which is a shame. For example this sentence: "Cate's no dummy - he knows I've called in backup." Cate is a she, she is the mother of Tabitha.
The ending, was awesome, but it was too late by then. I was happy for Tabitha, happy for Sasha, but I still didn't like them.
All in all, a book I wouldn't recommend.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
jazzmatazdanger's review against another edition
5.0
Ohmygod you guys this boooooooook. Tabitha is an anti-manicpixiedreagirl and I love her. Like so much so that I now want to have a child and name it Tabitha.