wenwanzhao's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It's charming to read something that is extremely of the early 2010s era. A nostalgic mix between the earnestness of the 2000s and the cynicism of the 2010s. Not one of my favourite YA novels, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I'm definitely over the age of the target audience, but somehow Maurene Goo always manages to create characters (main, supporting, and side!) I find sympathetic and real. I was pleasantly surprised by the progression of the story, it felt kind of messy and without a lot of pomp or circumstance. Reminds me of my high school days.
addy1991's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Holly manages to land in a lot of sticky situations during her sophomore year of high school. At least she has a core group of friends who have her back ... even when she is doing stupid stuff. I wish there were more books about her other two years of high school.
Holly manages to land in a lot of sticky situations during her sophomore year of high school. At least she has a core group of friends who have her back ... even when she is doing stupid stuff. I wish there were more books about her other two years of high school.
thunderbolt_kid's review against another edition
It's not clear who is the intended audience for this book. It seems to be pitched at me as a white woman because it makes sure to explain the differences a Korean-American character would deal with. But. It is sure not pitched at me as a queer woman as this passage demonstrates: "Lesbians were also fair culprits - I'm sure some of them would find my assertive ways irresistible."
This book reads like Louise Rennison but it's not clear whether the humour is intentional and is not as finely wrought.
Instead: read Georgia.
This book reads like Louise Rennison but it's not clear whether the humour is intentional and is not as finely wrought.
Instead: read Georgia.
snchard's review against another edition
3.0
Maurene Goo writes teen angst that is so spot on. Even though this book is a bit dated for contemporary YA (released 2013) and it showed, it was still a pretty accurate representation of how completely unfair everything is when you're a teenager. And even though I and probably many other adults who read this book can see exactly where Holly's reasoning breaks down, we are not the target audience. This will be SO relatable for teens. I especially liked the way the romance (or lack thereof) was handled. There was no insta-love, no white boy came swooping in to rescue Holly from herself and teach her about the beauty of individuality, and I really appreciated that.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Super-duper generic contemporary YA.
I liked how Holly's fraught experience as a kid of Korean parents is a focus, but without it being too much of a problem-novel, and the rest of her friends have rich cultural backgrounds too. This is still rare in YA, I think, even though I think it's more normal of an experience for kids today than the white-washed worlds of most YA novels. That part was good.
The rest? Blargh. These kids were purportedly born in the late 1990s, but Holly drops clunky 80s-90s references like it's her job. I don't know why this rubbed me the wrong way so hard, but yeah. Also, Goo spends a lot of time having Holly and her friends riff on how unrealistic and dramatic teen life is in the movies or on TV.... and then proceeds to write her characters into the most unrealistic and dramatic teen plots that could exist. Popular boy is secretly nice. Who is my secret admirer? A Battle of the Bands. Sneaking out to a party. Getting busted by the cops at said party (but of course no one was drinking!). Very cliche. And very episodic, without any overarching plots resolving by the end of the book. Blargh Blargh.
I liked how Holly's fraught experience as a kid of Korean parents is a focus, but without it being too much of a problem-novel, and the rest of her friends have rich cultural backgrounds too. This is still rare in YA, I think, even though I think it's more normal of an experience for kids today than the white-washed worlds of most YA novels. That part was good.
The rest? Blargh. These kids were purportedly born in the late 1990s, but Holly drops clunky 80s-90s references like it's her job. I don't know why this rubbed me the wrong way so hard, but yeah. Also, Goo spends a lot of time having Holly and her friends riff on how unrealistic and dramatic teen life is in the movies or on TV.... and then proceeds to write her characters into the most unrealistic and dramatic teen plots that could exist. Popular boy is secretly nice. Who is my secret admirer? A Battle of the Bands. Sneaking out to a party. Getting busted by the cops at said party (but of course no one was drinking!). Very cliche. And very episodic, without any overarching plots resolving by the end of the book. Blargh Blargh.
untitledfornow's review against another edition
4.0
I'm surprised by how much I liked this book. I was sure what to expect in the beginning an I thought I was getting into something old in the middle, but then I was surprised. Ended up being a great quick read
mollyrockit's review against another edition
3.0
I can't remember how I found [a:Maurene Goo|6549377|Maurene Goo|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352874418p2/6549377.jpg]'s [b:Since You Asked|17071490|Since You Asked|Maurene Goo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372688881s/17071490.jpg|21861388], but I know it has been on my To-Read list for a while and I finally got around to reading it. The novel follows Holly Kim, a high school sophomore in San Diego who—entirely by accident—ends up with her own column in the school's monthly newspaper. Since You Asked delves into Holly's relationships with her friends as well as her Korean family (who hold traditional values with which she doesn't always agree).
On the whole, I enjoyed reading Since You Asked. Holly's voice is fun and relatable, completely indicative of her age (15 can be rough on anyone). I also, for the most part, enjoyed the structure of the novel, which reads more as monthly vignettes that revolve around her column rather than a year-long narrative. However, I did think the story could have tied together a little bit better; a few themes and relationships carried on throughout the book but each month also could have easily stood on its own and—too often—didn't offer much to an overall narrative.
That being said, the structure of Since You Asked feels more realistic because the lives of most high school students don't follow a rom-com or teen comedy format. Relationships don't have a clear path that leads to a climactic moment and falling action; relationships are messy and even when one problem is resolved another soon arises. While I wished there had been a tighter overarching narrative (rather than, simply, a school year), I also thought Since You Asked was an interesting and entertaining play on the typical teen-in-high-school storyline.
On the whole, I enjoyed reading Since You Asked. Holly's voice is fun and relatable, completely indicative of her age (15 can be rough on anyone). I also, for the most part, enjoyed the structure of the novel, which reads more as monthly vignettes that revolve around her column rather than a year-long narrative. However, I did think the story could have tied together a little bit better; a few themes and relationships carried on throughout the book but each month also could have easily stood on its own and—too often—didn't offer much to an overall narrative.
That being said, the structure of Since You Asked feels more realistic because the lives of most high school students don't follow a rom-com or teen comedy format. Relationships don't have a clear path that leads to a climactic moment and falling action; relationships are messy and even when one problem is resolved another soon arises. While I wished there had been a tighter overarching narrative (rather than, simply, a school year), I also thought Since You Asked was an interesting and entertaining play on the typical teen-in-high-school storyline.
lydiahephzibah's review against another edition
2.0
It's going to be difficult to sum up the plot of Since You Asked because ... there wasn't one. The summary made out like the story would be about Holly writing for her school newspaper, but this made up approximately 5% of the book as random articles between chapters, and was never mentioned after the first chapter. What was that about?
The book felt as though it had toyed with several plots for individual books and then smashed them together with no detail or resolution for any of them. It really felt like a random bunch of chapters from totally different books, tied loosely together with flat and annoying characters. Holly was thoroughly annoying and unlikeable and though she was 15, the writing was more like that of an 11/12-year-old.
I was expecting the story to be Holly's adventures while writing for the paper and building up a reputation, and dealing with the consequences of her initial fake article. None of the adults felt like real characters. The teachers didn't act like teachers at all and it was weird to read.
When I think back over this book, which I finished in one sitting of about 2 hours, it feels like I read a few pages each of several books. None of the plot lines worked together. Nothing happened. There was no action, no romance, no wrapping-up of any story. If it hadn't been such a short book (265 pages) I would not have finished it.
That being said, I'm still really excited to read Goo's latest two books: I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and The Way You Make Me Feel. Five years can change an awful lot in a writer and the summaries of both sound amazing - and a lot more like there's a plot.
The book felt as though it had toyed with several plots for individual books and then smashed them together with no detail or resolution for any of them. It really felt like a random bunch of chapters from totally different books, tied loosely together with flat and annoying characters. Holly was thoroughly annoying and unlikeable and though she was 15, the writing was more like that of an 11/12-year-old.
I was expecting the story to be Holly's adventures while writing for the paper and building up a reputation, and dealing with the consequences of her initial fake article. None of the adults felt like real characters. The teachers didn't act like teachers at all and it was weird to read.
When I think back over this book, which I finished in one sitting of about 2 hours, it feels like I read a few pages each of several books. None of the plot lines worked together. Nothing happened. There was no action, no romance, no wrapping-up of any story. If it hadn't been such a short book (265 pages) I would not have finished it.
That being said, I'm still really excited to read Goo's latest two books: I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and The Way You Make Me Feel. Five years can change an awful lot in a writer and the summaries of both sound amazing - and a lot more like there's a plot.
currentlycait's review against another edition
3.0
Some laugh-out-loud moments. This is the 3rd book that I've read from this author and I really love her style. The ending of this one was just a little too rushed for me. We had conflict and mystery building, then it was just over without much real resolution.