cbsundance's review against another edition
3.0
I found Gingerbread during middle school. My friends and I made our weekly trip to the mall, I would always have to visit the book store. Gingerbread sat on my bookcase, virtually unread by me, for 5+ years. Coming home from break to a snowstorm last year was enough entrapment to get me to read it. For once, I picked it up and read it all the way through. It’s a shame I didn't read it sooner. Maybe it would have had more of an impact on me.
I believe that if I hadn’t stumbled upon Gingerbread when I was middle school, I would have never picked it up. That’s not saying the book is terrible. It hits the demographic age it is meant for but, it just does not transcend that age like other YA literature I have read. Even Cohn’s co-authored book with David Lavithan (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) sat better with me. The protagonist, Cyd Charissa, undergone a major life decision as a teenager and I feel for her- but not that much. It’s probably the age difference between her and I. Which is weird since, I am not by any means Methuslia.
The plot strangely wrapped up in a way that isn’t clear how things suddenly feel into place. Perhaps I’ll re-reading the ending to hash it out for myself. Interestingly, since I picked up this book in middle school, Gingerbread become a series. Shrimp and Cupcake follow the plot where Gingerbread left off. There’s hope of recovery for my feelings of triumph in reading this finally.
I believe that if I hadn’t stumbled upon Gingerbread when I was middle school, I would have never picked it up. That’s not saying the book is terrible. It hits the demographic age it is meant for but, it just does not transcend that age like other YA literature I have read. Even Cohn’s co-authored book with David Lavithan (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) sat better with me. The protagonist, Cyd Charissa, undergone a major life decision as a teenager and I feel for her- but not that much. It’s probably the age difference between her and I. Which is weird since, I am not by any means Methuslia.
The plot strangely wrapped up in a way that isn’t clear how things suddenly feel into place. Perhaps I’ll re-reading the ending to hash it out for myself. Interestingly, since I picked up this book in middle school, Gingerbread become a series. Shrimp and Cupcake follow the plot where Gingerbread left off. There’s hope of recovery for my feelings of triumph in reading this finally.
anabelsbrother's review against another edition
4.0
2013 Review:
I read this in high school and decided to pick it up again tonight. And I love it just as I did back then.
Rereading this is like catching up with an old friend whom you haven't heard in a long while, and finding that you can talk just as easily as before with them.
2020 Review:
Decided to take a walk down memory lane with this one. I really, really love this book, still. I didn't really think about it back then but reading it now makes me realised that this book has very mature themes (teenage sex, abortion, broken families, etc.).
I read this in high school and decided to pick it up again tonight. And I love it just as I did back then.
Rereading this is like catching up with an old friend whom you haven't heard in a long while, and finding that you can talk just as easily as before with them.
2020 Review:
Decided to take a walk down memory lane with this one. I really, really love this book, still. I didn't really think about it back then but reading it now makes me realised that this book has very mature themes (teenage sex, abortion, broken families, etc.).
valhecka's review against another edition
4.0
Read this under green fluorescent lights on my freshman-year band trip to Atlanta. I remember it was good.
meadows2020's review against another edition
4.0
I honestly don’t remember much about the storyline considering I read this 15-17 years ago. But I remember one part and recently thought of it. This was the first time I remember reading about abuse and it has a lasting impression.
bethanymiller415's review against another edition
4.0
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn is a book about a sixteen-year-old girl, Cyd Charisse, who has returned home to live with her family in California after getting kicked out of an east coast boarding school. Cyd admits that she had made some very bad decisions and is now trying to be "good". She has a complicated relationship with her parents. Her mom and "real dad" were never married, and her father was married to another woman at the time she was conceived. At the outset of the book, she has only had contact with Frank, her real dad, twice. The first time was when they met in an airport, where he gave her Gingerbread, the rag doll that she still carries with her. The second time was when he gave her money to have an abortion. Because she doesn't know much about her real dad, she idealizes him and the half brother and sister that she has never met. When Cyd and her boyfriend Shrimp have a falling out and she gets grounded by her mother and stepfather, things take a turn for the worse, and Cyd's mom decides it's finally time for her and her real father to spend some time together. Cyd willingly goes to New York; however, what she finds there is not exactly what she expected.
I liked this book because it dealt with serious issues such as the difficulties in family relationships and premarital sex in a way that was realistic. Both of these are issues that most teens are confronted with at some point in their lives. Though there were serious issues, the book has funny moments as well, and Cyd's narration kept the mood light for the most part. Cyd does learn some lessons by the end of the book, but the novel never gets preachy, which I think young people would appreciate. The novel invites them to think about how they would deal with situations such those that Cyd is forced to confront.
I liked this book because it dealt with serious issues such as the difficulties in family relationships and premarital sex in a way that was realistic. Both of these are issues that most teens are confronted with at some point in their lives. Though there were serious issues, the book has funny moments as well, and Cyd's narration kept the mood light for the most part. Cyd does learn some lessons by the end of the book, but the novel never gets preachy, which I think young people would appreciate. The novel invites them to think about how they would deal with situations such those that Cyd is forced to confront.
shinychick's review against another edition
2.0
I was entranced by Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which Cohn co-wrote. This feels a lot like Weetzie Bat, but I like it just slightly better that Francesca Lia Block. This is still odd, took some time to get into, but not quite a waste of time...
margaretann84's review against another edition
3.0
This book takes a really, really, psychotically long time to get into, but if you keep reading, it pulls you in and doesn't let go until the last page. I thought the ending was a little unrealistic, but her relationship with "bio-family" was well done. I love her brother, but didn't really care for her boyfriend.
A decent book that I would've ranked higher if it'd grabbed me right away.
3/5 on here, 7/10 for myself
A decent book that I would've ranked higher if it'd grabbed me right away.
3/5 on here, 7/10 for myself
nora_nevermore's review against another edition
3.0
I first read this book when I was an angsty teen and really enjoyed it. When I recently found it I decided to read it again to see what I thought of it as an adult.
Firstly it is a nice quick read and the writing technique can be entertaining with all Cyd's silly inner dialogue. It also has a nice ending with her realizing some of her own issues.
However I just could never relate and enjoy it as I did before. Cyd is a rather whinny and spoiled girl who blames everyone else for problems in her life. Though I can't relate to her now I know that we are all a bit like Cyd when we are young. I feel it's definitely a good book during that certain time in your life when you're young and (for the lack of a better word) dumb.
Firstly it is a nice quick read and the writing technique can be entertaining with all Cyd's silly inner dialogue. It also has a nice ending with her realizing some of her own issues.
However I just could never relate and enjoy it as I did before. Cyd is a rather whinny and spoiled girl who blames everyone else for problems in her life. Though I can't relate to her now I know that we are all a bit like Cyd when we are young. I feel it's definitely a good book during that certain time in your life when you're young and (for the lack of a better word) dumb.
aysiek's review against another edition
2.0
I knew Rachel Cohn because of her collaboration with David Levithan. Not really that impressive but still enjoyable.
I don't know if it's me, but I didn't know the main character/narrator was a teenager until I got to the 3rd chapter, when she starts talking about boarding school or something like that. There was no character development and no clear backstory, but I guess that's why the author decided to make it into a series.
I feel like the book didn't have a really strong plot and storyline to make the readers care about what is actually happening. At times, Cyd Charisse is just being a hormonal teenager trying make decisions about which guy she likes more and hangs out with strange individuals.
I guess the only thing that I enjoyed was the dynamic relationship between Cyd Charisse and her step brother and step sister. I am interested to know more about Cyd's family story, but not sure whether the entire series is worth the read.
I don't know if it's me, but I didn't know the main character/narrator was a teenager until I got to the 3rd chapter, when she starts talking about boarding school or something like that. There was no character development and no clear backstory, but I guess that's why the author decided to make it into a series.
I feel like the book didn't have a really strong plot and storyline to make the readers care about what is actually happening. At times, Cyd Charisse is just being a hormonal teenager trying make decisions about which guy she likes more and hangs out with strange individuals.
I guess the only thing that I enjoyed was the dynamic relationship between Cyd Charisse and her step brother and step sister. I am interested to know more about Cyd's family story, but not sure whether the entire series is worth the read.
funsized327's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5