mehsi's review against another edition
3.0
I am actually reading the 2 in one combined edition that came out recently. However, due to the stuff that is told in the first book of this 2 in 1 bundle, I have decided to not read that part, and since I am only reading one book then, I decided this was more fair.
Because, yeah, I am not interested and I don't feel comfortable reading the topic mentioned in the first book (Nina Won't Tell).
Wow, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong on this little island no? In the first 2 books we had cheating, deadly accidents, jail-time and drinking and confessions, secrets. In the third book (that I skipped) we have sexual abuse, confessions, from what I could read slut-shaming. In the fourth book we have cheating, white power and beating up black guys, secrets, drinking and drugs. Seriously, it is like the island attracts all the bad stuff. And also it is (while the topics are serious) a bit hilarious that everything that can happen happens. It feels a bit too much like those lame soap operas you have on tv.
The story in this one was pretty decent, I quite liked it. I liked how Benjamin and Nina got together and how they slowly got closer and closer. Especially Benjamin, as he was still hesitant about the whole thing, but you can see him change. It was really great fun, and while I still don't particularly like Benjamin, he is a good character and he is pretty awesome.
Nina, I am still not sure what to think of the girl, I know now what happened to her and it might explain her craziness and bitchiness, but I am still not entirely liking her. She is just a bit too much over the top for me.
Zoey, I like that girl, I still do. She cares about people, and while Lucas gets pissed off, I was happy that she is still caring for Jake. That she still helps him out when he needs someone to care for him.
I also like that she is standing firm on the "No, I don't want sex now"-thing. I hope she will keep holding on to that. I really dislike it when girls fall and lose their resolution about such things.
Claire, meh, she does get better, but I still think she is a bit too cool and a bit too much of an ice queen. Also, like said in the previous review, I got tired of her weather stuff.
Christopher, by Gods, what a crap character that is. The things he did in this book were terrible. But, I also feel sorry for him and what happened to him. No one deserves that.
Aisha, another character I am pretty unsure about. At times she is nice, but at other times she is just too much and she is quite confusing with how she feels about stuff. One time she likes Christopher, the other time she wants to rip off his balls.
Jake, urgh, what a fall he made. I can see this all go very very wrong. I am also kind of curious what will happen when the truth will come out of what happened between him and a certain girl. I do hope he will get or find help. Drugs and drinking is not a good combination.
Lucas, one of my favourite characters from the last book, but now I didn't like him that much. He just kept pushing to have sex with Zoey, not even agreeing or wanting to understand her. It was just terrible and it really destroyed his character for me. I also didn't like that he was keeping secrets from everyone. I can understand why, the repercussions would be big, but still I wish he wouldn't. This is going to end up badly.
I will be sure to continue the books, just got to wait a few months for the next pair of 2 in 1 bundles to come out. I didn't even mind the switching of POVs in this one, I just easily slipped in the story/island world and I knew who everyone was.
I would recommend this book, even if at times it was a bit over the top and at other times it was a bit boring, it was still a pretty good book. I am not sure if I would recommend Nina Won't Tell, only if you are comfortable with the topic. If you are like me, and don't feel comfortable about the topic of sexual abuse/child abuse, then I would recommend you skip that one. Just read a review about the book and continue with this one. I didn't have any problems getting into the story after I did that.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Because, yeah, I am not interested and I don't feel comfortable reading the topic mentioned in the first book (Nina Won't Tell).
Wow, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong on this little island no? In the first 2 books we had cheating, deadly accidents, jail-time and drinking and confessions, secrets. In the third book (that I skipped) we have sexual abuse, confessions, from what I could read slut-shaming. In the fourth book we have cheating, white power and beating up black guys, secrets, drinking and drugs. Seriously, it is like the island attracts all the bad stuff. And also it is (while the topics are serious) a bit hilarious that everything that can happen happens. It feels a bit too much like those lame soap operas you have on tv.
The story in this one was pretty decent, I quite liked it. I liked how Benjamin and Nina got together and how they slowly got closer and closer. Especially Benjamin, as he was still hesitant about the whole thing, but you can see him change. It was really great fun, and while I still don't particularly like Benjamin, he is a good character and he is pretty awesome.
Nina, I am still not sure what to think of the girl, I know now what happened to her and it might explain her craziness and bitchiness, but I am still not entirely liking her. She is just a bit too much over the top for me.
Zoey, I like that girl, I still do. She cares about people, and while Lucas gets pissed off, I was happy that she is still caring for Jake. That she still helps him out when he needs someone to care for him.
I also like that she is standing firm on the "No, I don't want sex now"-thing. I hope she will keep holding on to that. I really dislike it when girls fall and lose their resolution about such things.
Claire, meh, she does get better, but I still think she is a bit too cool and a bit too much of an ice queen. Also, like said in the previous review, I got tired of her weather stuff.
Christopher, by Gods, what a crap character that is. The things he did in this book were terrible. But, I also feel sorry for him and what happened to him. No one deserves that.
Aisha, another character I am pretty unsure about. At times she is nice, but at other times she is just too much and she is quite confusing with how she feels about stuff. One time she likes Christopher, the other time she wants to rip off his balls.
Jake, urgh, what a fall he made. I can see this all go very very wrong. I am also kind of curious what will happen when the truth will come out of what happened between him and a certain girl. I do hope he will get or find help. Drugs and drinking is not a good combination.
Lucas, one of my favourite characters from the last book, but now I didn't like him that much. He just kept pushing to have sex with Zoey, not even agreeing or wanting to understand her. It was just terrible and it really destroyed his character for me. I also didn't like that he was keeping secrets from everyone. I can understand why, the repercussions would be big, but still I wish he wouldn't. This is going to end up badly.
I will be sure to continue the books, just got to wait a few months for the next pair of 2 in 1 bundles to come out. I didn't even mind the switching of POVs in this one, I just easily slipped in the story/island world and I knew who everyone was.
I would recommend this book, even if at times it was a bit over the top and at other times it was a bit boring, it was still a pretty good book. I am not sure if I would recommend Nina Won't Tell, only if you are comfortable with the topic. If you are like me, and don't feel comfortable about the topic of sexual abuse/child abuse, then I would recommend you skip that one. Just read a review about the book and continue with this one. I didn't have any problems getting into the story after I did that.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
foxxie52's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
burialshroud's review against another edition
3.0
I think this was the first Making Out book I read. My copy came free with glossy teen-mag It's Bliss and it is well-thumbed, verging on disintegrating. I have so many fond memories of this book that I was disappointed to find, on re-read, that this is the biggest bummer in the series so far.
Biggest and toppermost bummer is Christopher being attacked by skinheads. No, he is not my favourite character and I do think he deserves many mild annoyances and inconveniences including being dumped by Aisha which happens at the beginning of the book, but not to be beaten for crap's sake. Zoey and Aisha have a screaming fight in a coffee shop following the incident which was quite distressing, and soon after Christopher asks Lucas to help him get a gun to go after the guys who beat him up. So depressing, and sad!
Coming in a close second on the bummer chart is Jake's downward spiral. He gets caught snorting coke and is temporarily suspended from the football team. To cheer himself up he goes to a party where he has sex with Louise Kronenberger...or something. It's sort of a weird scene. Jake is extremely under the influence and does not seem to know what he's doing. And it fades out before anything really happens. Does it fade out because it's a book for young people or does it fade out because Jake's not conscious? The next we hear of Jake he's passed out on the ferry dock in the early hours of the morning. Poor Jake!
There were a couple of embarrassing moments in this book that I did not enjoy. At one point Claire asks Jake to love her and forgive her. He replies "One out of two ain't bad" Gaaaah. What a line. The dialogue in this series has been amazing so far but this line gave me douche chills. There's another moment where the homecoming king and queen are being announced during a football game. The crowd already knows who the king and queen are and shout the answer out in unison. Bleurgh. More chills.
Favourite Moments:
-Benjamin and Nina go to the homecoming dance together and actually have a good time. Then they kiss!
Notes:
-Holly=in the wind
Biggest and toppermost bummer is Christopher being attacked by skinheads. No, he is not my favourite character and I do think he deserves many mild annoyances and inconveniences including being dumped by Aisha which happens at the beginning of the book, but not to be beaten for crap's sake. Zoey and Aisha have a screaming fight in a coffee shop following the incident which was quite distressing, and soon after Christopher asks Lucas to help him get a gun to go after the guys who beat him up. So depressing, and sad!
Coming in a close second on the bummer chart is Jake's downward spiral. He gets caught snorting coke and is temporarily suspended from the football team. To cheer himself up he goes to a party where he has sex with Louise Kronenberger...or something. It's sort of a weird scene. Jake is extremely under the influence and does not seem to know what he's doing. And it fades out before anything really happens. Does it fade out because it's a book for young people or does it fade out because Jake's not conscious? The next we hear of Jake he's passed out on the ferry dock in the early hours of the morning. Poor Jake!
There were a couple of embarrassing moments in this book that I did not enjoy. At one point Claire asks Jake to love her and forgive her. He replies "One out of two ain't bad" Gaaaah. What a line. The dialogue in this series has been amazing so far but this line gave me douche chills. There's another moment where the homecoming king and queen are being announced during a football game. The crowd already knows who the king and queen are and shout the answer out in unison. Bleurgh. More chills.
Favourite Moments:
-Benjamin and Nina go to the homecoming dance together and actually have a good time. Then they kiss!
Notes:
-Holly=in the wind
kitkatscanread's review against another edition
5.0
So this was a re-read for me.
I'll be honest, I don't remember what happened in this one.
When I got to the end a little came back to me.
Another one enjoyed.
Can't wait to read the next!
I'll be honest, I don't remember what happened in this one.
When I got to the end a little came back to me.
Another one enjoyed.
Can't wait to read the next!
elainemullane's review
3.0
Feeling nostalgic for the books of my youth, I revisited [author:Katherine Applegate|1036736] and her Islanders omnibus editions (first released as the Making Out series way back in 1993. Yes, I am that old...).
While I found them to be overly-dramatic and a little bit cheesy on second reading, I think they would be loved by teenagers today. YA has taken a much-welcome step in the sphere of fantasy, science fiction and Dystopia, largely, in recent years so for teenagers looking for the traditional romance novels filled with teen-angst and buried secrets, these are a good series to turn to. A little bit Dawson's Creek in it's setting and it's drama, The Islanders is the perfect teen soap opera.
While I found them to be overly-dramatic and a little bit cheesy on second reading, I think they would be loved by teenagers today. YA has taken a much-welcome step in the sphere of fantasy, science fiction and Dystopia, largely, in recent years so for teenagers looking for the traditional romance novels filled with teen-angst and buried secrets, these are a good series to turn to. A little bit Dawson's Creek in it's setting and it's drama, The Islanders is the perfect teen soap opera.
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