foxxie52's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
I found this an interesting read because I find the character of Benjamin intriguing. I feel really invested in the operation and find myself rooting for him because he seems to be a decent guy. I can't say I was enamoured with the other storylines though.
The Zoey and Lucas relationship is beyond boring. He cheats on her, she cheats on him, just break up already!
Claire seems off the wall crazy in this book which is out of character and Aaron is totally 2D. Why would any girl like him at all?
The Jake and Lara relationship is just starting but could be interesting and the Aisha/Christopher marriage proposal is mildly fascinating. I'm hoping the later books drop Zoey as a focus.
The Zoey and Lucas relationship is beyond boring. He cheats on her, she cheats on him, just break up already!
Claire seems off the wall crazy in this book which is out of character and Aaron is totally 2D. Why would any girl like him at all?
The Jake and Lara relationship is just starting but could be interesting and the Aisha/Christopher marriage proposal is mildly fascinating. I'm hoping the later books drop Zoey as a focus.
burialshroud's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty monumental instalment as it’s the one where we have confirmation that Jake’s little sister Holly has truly ceased to exist:
“Since Jake’s older brother, Wade, had died in a drunk driving accident two years earlier, Mrs McRoyan had become a devout church-goer. As her only surviving child, Jake felt it was his duty to accompany her whenever humanly possible.”
There have been hints in previous books, such as Jake talking about Thanksgiving being just him and his parents, and the fact that she has not made an appearance since Zoey saw her riding around town in volume 6 but here is concrete proof that Holly has just been lifted out of the story. I’m used to this kind of continuity gaffe due to my lifelong love of all things Sweet and Valley, but I thought Making Out was a breed apart. I guess not! Unless it’s not a mistake and there’s some Fringe-style shenanigans going on.
Jake’s having a pretty shitty time, even apart from his siblings dropping like flies. He’s back on the sauce like a drunken fool. It’s easy to feel annoyed with him but there’s a scene where he’s drinking vodka in his room alone on Christmas that made me remember that Jake’s having a terrible terrible time and needs help.
Claire. Oh Claire. Claire keeps herself apart from the rest of the gang because she was so hurt by her mother's death that she wants to avoid close relationships, that much is obvious and understandable. But her isolation has resulted in her living too much in her head and getting some crazy ideas about herself. I wish Claire would just get out of her head and start interacting with people. Claire spends this book reeling around town, thinking about how God sent Aaron to Chatham Island especially for her. Meanwhile he pays little attention to her until she sneaks into his room in the middle of the night and gets in bed with him. As for Aaron, if I have to read anymore about his perfect curls and puffy lips I might blow chunks.
Aisha still can’t decide whether or not to marry Christopher and he’s shipping out on January 5th. It’s obvious to me that she should say, “No Christopher, I’m in high school and you’re a sketchy guy.” Zoey and Lucas can’t seem to get it together. There’s the Aaron situation, Lucas is a hothead, and they’re both just boring me to death. Benjamin goes off to Boston to get his eye surgery.
Favourite Moments:
-The gender specific Christmas shopping trips, and the lists of things the gang bought. Benjamin buys his dad a pair of John Lennon-style sunglasses; maybe that’s where the glasses he’s wearing on the cover come from because they’re certainly not his signature Ray-Bans.
-Lara calls Zoey a “pathetic little brat”
-Zoey gets ripped on eggnog at Aisha’s parents’ Christmas Eve party.
Also:
A couple of weeks ago I noticed Making Out was being re-released as The Islanders and I thought it was pretty cool. I’m not feeling so optimistic about it now. I got another Katherine Applegate series for my Kindle to read on a plane journey, it was called Making Waves in the UK and Summer elsewhere (I think). I downloaded it and was flicking through the chapters, when I spotted a reference to Kanye West. Arg! It’s an updated version, with any references to the nineties erased! Summer has a VIDEO BLOG in it. I don’t think today’s teens would be averse to reading a book that references The Breeders. They can handle it. So I’m guessing they’re doing the same thing with Making Out. They’ll give Nina a bunch of…I dunno. She won’t wear quite so many plaid shirts and army fatigues I suppose. What next? Have Captain Ahab perch on a bench at the seaside with his iPad while his Quadcopter goes out looking for Moby Dick?
IS NOTHING SACRED?
“Since Jake’s older brother, Wade, had died in a drunk driving accident two years earlier, Mrs McRoyan had become a devout church-goer. As her only surviving child, Jake felt it was his duty to accompany her whenever humanly possible.”
There have been hints in previous books, such as Jake talking about Thanksgiving being just him and his parents, and the fact that she has not made an appearance since Zoey saw her riding around town in volume 6 but here is concrete proof that Holly has just been lifted out of the story. I’m used to this kind of continuity gaffe due to my lifelong love of all things Sweet and Valley, but I thought Making Out was a breed apart. I guess not! Unless it’s not a mistake and there’s some Fringe-style shenanigans going on.
Jake’s having a pretty shitty time, even apart from his siblings dropping like flies. He’s back on the sauce like a drunken fool. It’s easy to feel annoyed with him but there’s a scene where he’s drinking vodka in his room alone on Christmas that made me remember that Jake’s having a terrible terrible time and needs help.
Claire. Oh Claire. Claire keeps herself apart from the rest of the gang because she was so hurt by her mother's death that she wants to avoid close relationships, that much is obvious and understandable. But her isolation has resulted in her living too much in her head and getting some crazy ideas about herself. I wish Claire would just get out of her head and start interacting with people. Claire spends this book reeling around town, thinking about how God sent Aaron to Chatham Island especially for her. Meanwhile he pays little attention to her until she sneaks into his room in the middle of the night and gets in bed with him. As for Aaron, if I have to read anymore about his perfect curls and puffy lips I might blow chunks.
Aisha still can’t decide whether or not to marry Christopher and he’s shipping out on January 5th. It’s obvious to me that she should say, “No Christopher, I’m in high school and you’re a sketchy guy.” Zoey and Lucas can’t seem to get it together. There’s the Aaron situation, Lucas is a hothead, and they’re both just boring me to death. Benjamin goes off to Boston to get his eye surgery.
Favourite Moments:
-The gender specific Christmas shopping trips, and the lists of things the gang bought. Benjamin buys his dad a pair of John Lennon-style sunglasses; maybe that’s where the glasses he’s wearing on the cover come from because they’re certainly not his signature Ray-Bans.
-Lara calls Zoey a “pathetic little brat”
-Zoey gets ripped on eggnog at Aisha’s parents’ Christmas Eve party.
Also:
A couple of weeks ago I noticed Making Out was being re-released as The Islanders and I thought it was pretty cool. I’m not feeling so optimistic about it now. I got another Katherine Applegate series for my Kindle to read on a plane journey, it was called Making Waves in the UK and Summer elsewhere (I think). I downloaded it and was flicking through the chapters, when I spotted a reference to Kanye West. Arg! It’s an updated version, with any references to the nineties erased! Summer has a VIDEO BLOG in it. I don’t think today’s teens would be averse to reading a book that references The Breeders. They can handle it. So I’m guessing they’re doing the same thing with Making Out. They’ll give Nina a bunch of…I dunno. She won’t wear quite so many plaid shirts and army fatigues I suppose. What next? Have Captain Ahab perch on a bench at the seaside with his iPad while his Quadcopter goes out looking for Moby Dick?
IS NOTHING SACRED?
bookforestsprite's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the Christmas gift lists and Nina and Benjamin were wonderful again. Claire on the other hand is losing her mind.
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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