zabicka97's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
ellisreadsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I only read this because I listen to a podcast that Elizabeth Craft co-hosts and I really like her. I tend to enjoy YA books and like a good love story, but this one was too much. I couldn't help but roll my eyes throughout the story. A quick, easy read overall but I thought Charlotte was a disappointing main character. I wanted to punch her in the face on multiple occasions.
drea_design's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book in s Goodreads giveaway.
This is a typical young adult romance of a girl that says she will never date boys but one boy changes it all. Not an original idea but still well executed.
This is a typical young adult romance of a girl that says she will never date boys but one boy changes it all. Not an original idea but still well executed.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure how I felt about this one. We have our MC, who has set herself up on a path for success, determined not to fall into the same mistakes (early unwed pregnancy) that seems to plague the family. She's got good relationships with her family and best friend, gets accepted into Stanford, has a job she enjoys. Enter "the boy" ... and she throws it all out the window. Starts lying to her friends and family, changes her views on sex, and school (maybe going to Stanford and becoming a doctor isn't the plan). I know something could be said about her "happiness" - if her original plan was actually something she wanted, but still. There is the whole fairytale "famous boy/ordinary girl" appeal, but he was really quite a jerk, a few times. I'm not sure if he, or the book, could really redeem, or if I was rooting for that to happen.
_tabae's review against another edition
5.0
Eine wunderschöne Story über die erste große Liebe und über das Finden seines eigenen Lebens :)
buchundgewitter's review against another edition
3.0
It wasn't what I expected. In some kind of way it was good, in the other way it was annoying. How Charlotte always forgive him ... No, just no.
malaynachang's review against another edition
2.0
MY OPINION: **
I started out loving this book. I grabbed it from my local library and started reading it in a dimly-lit restaurant, loving every part of it. The characters grabbed me from the beginning and I could already tell I liked the plotline.
And then everything changed.
As I got further into this book, all of my feelings about it changed. It's not that it was a "bad" book, but there were just so many things about it that left me either angry or annoyed.
This book had a lot of potential, I'll say. It could have been something amazing, maybe even six-star worthy, but the way it was drawn out left it sorely lacking.
But let's talk about the good, first, shall we?
GOOD:
-The writing.
Everything about the writing style was SO good. I loved how this whole book was written. It wasn't overly descriptive and boring and it also wasn't just all dialogue. It was varied and complex and I loved how it paid attention to the little things in life.
-Tate
Not his personality, just his overall physical appearance. In my brain, he was a pop star god. But his overall personality just killed it all.
-Carlos.
There's nothing I can say against this guy. He was adorable and endearing and definitely my favorite character of the book.
-The beginning.
As I said, I loved how this book started.
-Stanford!
I love books that have anything concerning Stanford University because that's kind of my life.
And now, we have to move on to the not-so-good parts.
NOT-SO-GOOD:
-Tate's personality. He was kind of a jerk, if you ask me. He led Charlotte on SO many times and it's just horrible how guys think that they can just CONTROL their girlfriends and treat girls like trash. The whole pop star thing wasn't appealing if he's going to use his "fame" to hurt women.
-Charlotte.
It wasn't so much as HER as the fact that her decisions and actions were SO stupid.
-The romance.
I feel as if this book was ALL cheesy romance in order to show that they were "in love" and give Tate some justification. No, Tate, you can't expect to win back a girl by kissing her and giving her some soppy speech with promises that you just end up breaking.
-The "wild" breakups and makeups.
This book was so annoying to me because of the fact that Tate and Charlotte break up and get back together like 4759823904589279742973 times. At that point, one of them should move on (*ahem* Charlotte *ahem) and give up. It's like, if you've been hurt more than once, let go.
-The "rich" life.
It's not that that was bad, but it was the fact that Tate thought that by buying Charlotte clothes and first-class tickets and taking her to get a makeover and blonde highlights, he could somehow win her over. It's like he was BUYING HER. And that's not okay. Girls aren't some product that you can just buy with money. BUT THE PROBLEM WAS, SHE FELL FOR IT.
-The fact that Charlotte has no resolve.
She's weak. She tells us early on that she's NOT going to ever date a guy until later and make the same mistakes that her grandma, mom, and sister made. They all got pregnant REALLY early. And then within 30 pages, she meets a guy and forgets all about her OWN promises. I would have thought she would have fought harder and remembered what she always said.
-Charlotte really isn't a good girl.
She seems like she cares about grades and homework and work and Stanford but once she meets a guy, she throws it all away. She becomes this crazy girl who just wants to have a relationship with someone and she doesn't even seem to care about the risks. As soon as she meets Tate, she forgets all about everything that she ever cared about and suddenly everything in her life revolves around Tate to the point of lying to her best friend and grandma.
-Charlotte isn't a bookworm??
She keeps labelling herself as a "nerdy-bookworm" and is even surprised that Tate could date "the nerd" but in reality, in this ENTIRE book, we NEVER see her read. Or pick up a book.
-Tate makes rash decisions without explanations.
Tate annoyed me because he kept doing things like pushing her away, sending her home, etc without even explaining WHY. Charlotte at least deserved that.
-THE GOTH GIRL
WHAT HAPPENED THERE THAT WAS SO RANDOM AND DID NOT FIT AT ALL IN THE STORY I WAS JUST SO CONFUSED (I do understand it was to show that being with Tate is not a good thing and is scary and dangerous)
Reading reviews, I see that this book has mixed opinions. I'm somewhere in the middle because I absolutely LOVED the writing and the good aspects but did not like how it all played out in the end.
I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a quick, romantic read.
Main Character: Charlotte
Sidekick(s): Tate, Carlos, Mia, Holly, etc
Villain(s): That goth girl, misunderstandings, breakups, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this was very real to life.
I started out loving this book. I grabbed it from my local library and started reading it in a dimly-lit restaurant, loving every part of it. The characters grabbed me from the beginning and I could already tell I liked the plotline.
And then everything changed.
As I got further into this book, all of my feelings about it changed. It's not that it was a "bad" book, but there were just so many things about it that left me either angry or annoyed.
This book had a lot of potential, I'll say. It could have been something amazing, maybe even six-star worthy, but the way it was drawn out left it sorely lacking.
But let's talk about the good, first, shall we?
GOOD:
-The writing.
Everything about the writing style was SO good. I loved how this whole book was written. It wasn't overly descriptive and boring and it also wasn't just all dialogue. It was varied and complex and I loved how it paid attention to the little things in life.
-Tate
Not his personality, just his overall physical appearance. In my brain, he was a pop star god. But his overall personality just killed it all.
-Carlos.
There's nothing I can say against this guy. He was adorable and endearing and definitely my favorite character of the book.
-The beginning.
As I said, I loved how this book started.
-Stanford!
I love books that have anything concerning Stanford University because that's kind of my life.
And now, we have to move on to the not-so-good parts.
NOT-SO-GOOD:
-Tate's personality. He was kind of a jerk, if you ask me. He led Charlotte on SO many times and it's just horrible how guys think that they can just CONTROL their girlfriends and treat girls like trash. The whole pop star thing wasn't appealing if he's going to use his "fame" to hurt women.
-Charlotte.
It wasn't so much as HER as the fact that her decisions and actions were SO stupid.
Spoiler
NO, HONEY, YOU DO NOT TAKE A GUY BACK WHO HAS HURT YOU AT LEAST 4 TIMES. Also, please don't give up Stanford. I don't care if you think you're following your dreams. It's Stanford.-The romance.
I feel as if this book was ALL cheesy romance in order to show that they were "in love" and give Tate some justification. No, Tate, you can't expect to win back a girl by kissing her and giving her some soppy speech with promises that you just end up breaking.
-The "wild" breakups and makeups.
This book was so annoying to me because of the fact that Tate and Charlotte break up and get back together like 4759823904589279742973 times. At that point, one of them should move on (*ahem* Charlotte *ahem) and give up. It's like, if you've been hurt more than once, let go.
-The "rich" life.
It's not that that was bad, but it was the fact that Tate thought that by buying Charlotte clothes and first-class tickets and taking her to get a makeover and blonde highlights, he could somehow win her over. It's like he was BUYING HER. And that's not okay. Girls aren't some product that you can just buy with money. BUT THE PROBLEM WAS, SHE FELL FOR IT.
-The fact that Charlotte has no resolve.
She's weak. She tells us early on that she's NOT going to ever date a guy until later and make the same mistakes that her grandma, mom, and sister made. They all got pregnant REALLY early. And then within 30 pages, she meets a guy and forgets all about her OWN promises. I would have thought she would have fought harder and remembered what she always said.
-Charlotte really isn't a good girl.
She seems like she cares about grades and homework and work and Stanford but once she meets a guy, she throws it all away. She becomes this crazy girl who just wants to have a relationship with someone and she doesn't even seem to care about the risks. As soon as she meets Tate, she forgets all about everything that she ever cared about and suddenly everything in her life revolves around Tate to the point of lying to her best friend and grandma.
-Charlotte isn't a bookworm??
She keeps labelling herself as a "nerdy-bookworm" and is even surprised that Tate could date "the nerd" but in reality, in this ENTIRE book, we NEVER see her read. Or pick up a book.
-Tate makes rash decisions without explanations.
Tate annoyed me because he kept doing things like pushing her away, sending her home, etc without even explaining WHY. Charlotte at least deserved that.
-THE GOTH GIRL
WHAT HAPPENED THERE THAT WAS SO RANDOM AND DID NOT FIT AT ALL IN THE STORY I WAS JUST SO CONFUSED (I do understand it was to show that being with Tate is not a good thing and is scary and dangerous)
Spoiler
But did there really have to be an attempted murder from a crazy stalker fan??Reading reviews, I see that this book has mixed opinions. I'm somewhere in the middle because I absolutely LOVED the writing and the good aspects but did not like how it all played out in the end.
I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a quick, romantic read.
Main Character: Charlotte
Sidekick(s): Tate, Carlos, Mia, Holly, etc
Villain(s): That goth girl, misunderstandings, breakups, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this was very real to life.
sassidys's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh I was so excited to read this book and it ended up being so disappointing!!
Why would you write a strong, independent female character who swears off men, only to have her meet one boring guy and give him FIVE chances that he doesn't deserve? I can't forgive all the bullshit Tate pulled and it makes me actively not root for the two of them. I was hoping the story really would end with her finding herself and letting him go, but whatever.
It just felt a little sloppy and unorganized, and I don't know how much of that comes from having two authors? If they had gotten together and only had ONE fight/breakup, then it would have been a much more enjoyable read. But I really can't get behind this guy emotionally manipulating Charlotte over and over again, and then just forgiving him and calling it "romance."
In conclusion: men ain't shit. Even fictional ones.
Why would you write a strong, independent female character who swears off men, only to have her meet one boring guy and give him FIVE chances that he doesn't deserve? I can't forgive all the bullshit Tate pulled and it makes me actively not root for the two of them. I was hoping the story really would end with her finding herself and letting him go, but whatever.
It just felt a little sloppy and unorganized, and I don't know how much of that comes from having two authors? If they had gotten together and only had ONE fight/breakup, then it would have been a much more enjoyable read. But I really can't get behind this guy emotionally manipulating Charlotte over and over again, and then just forgiving him and calling it "romance."
In conclusion: men ain't shit. Even fictional ones.