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swiftie1977's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful book about finding the right person even if one wasn't looking. Cece goes through her life hiding the real her, walls up never letting anyone in. Because of her scar on her face people always star and mumble things to her. So Cece learns to deal with it and stand up up for herself.
But when Cece's volleyball team gets a new girl who is so pretty named Bryn. Things really start to change.
Emmett starts a new school and football team, he meets Cece and thinks wow she is great. Emmett likes her attitude, tries to push through to be a friend.
When Bryn see's Emmett she turns shy and doesn't know what to say.
Emmett is imediantly smitten with Bryn. Bryn asked Cece to help her write Emmett.
Cece gives in, however she soon realizes that it was a mistake. She learns so much more about Emmett. He's not just some football jock or music person, he's much more.
The more the write back and fourth, the more he breaks Cece's wall down. Emmett is falling for the girl who writes him everyday, but is it really Bryn he see's? Will Emmett find out about Cece writing him? Will Cece give in and tell him it's her that has been writing him?
But when Cece's volleyball team gets a new girl who is so pretty named Bryn. Things really start to change.
Emmett starts a new school and football team, he meets Cece and thinks wow she is great. Emmett likes her attitude, tries to push through to be a friend.
When Bryn see's Emmett she turns shy and doesn't know what to say.
Emmett is imediantly smitten with Bryn. Bryn asked Cece to help her write Emmett.
Cece gives in, however she soon realizes that it was a mistake. She learns so much more about Emmett. He's not just some football jock or music person, he's much more.
The more the write back and fourth, the more he breaks Cece's wall down. Emmett is falling for the girl who writes him everyday, but is it really Bryn he see's? Will Emmett find out about Cece writing him? Will Cece give in and tell him it's her that has been writing him?
darkness223's review against another edition
4.0
A cute read and i enjoyed this book,it was well written with great characters.It had me hooked right from the start cannot wait to read more.
sharonsm_28's review against another edition
5.0
Actual Rating: 4.5
Thank you Sharon J for recommending this book to me. This was an amazing read. It tugged at my heartstrings a bit. There were a few points where I cried while I read the book. The characters were great. Although, I did get annoyed by the heroine, Cece. She is a girl who write emails to a boy for another girl. I wished that she would have told the truth. Emmett was a sweet guy. I thought that he had a way with words because he had a very poetic way of speaking. Bryn is an arrogant, superficial, yet kind transfer student. This book frustrated me a bit. I thought the ending was great. The writing was very good. I can't wait to see what happens next in the series. Overall, an incredible read.
Thank you Sharon J for recommending this book to me. This was an amazing read. It tugged at my heartstrings a bit. There were a few points where I cried while I read the book. The characters were great. Although, I did get annoyed by the heroine, Cece. She is a girl who write emails to a boy for another girl. I wished that she would have told the truth. Emmett was a sweet guy. I thought that he had a way with words because he had a very poetic way of speaking. Bryn is an arrogant, superficial, yet kind transfer student. This book frustrated me a bit. I thought the ending was great. The writing was very good. I can't wait to see what happens next in the series. Overall, an incredible read.
betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
4.0
For most of her teenage life, CeCe Edmonds has been dealing with the stares and the not-so-polite whispers that follow her around Edgelake High. So she has a large scar on her face—Harry Potter had one on his forehead and people still liked him.
CeCe never cared about her looks—until Emmett Brady, transfer student and football darling, becomes her literature critique partner. The only problem? Emmett isblindsided by Bryn DeNeuville, CeCe’s gorgeous and suddenly shy volleyball teammate.
Bryn asks CeCe to help her compose messages that’ll charm Emmett. CeCe isn’t sure there’s anything in his head worth charming but agrees anyway—she’s a sucker for a good romance. Unfortunately, the more messages she sends and the more they run into each other, the more she realizes there’s plenty in his head, from food to literature. Too bad Emmett seems to be falling for the wrong girl…
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book involves one fiercely scarred girl who wants the new guy in town, the new guy who thinks he wants the new girl, and the new girl who really isn’t sure what she wants, and the misunderstanding that brings them all together. This modern Cyrano de Bergerac retelling will make you laugh, swoon, and fall in love.
Rating: 4/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: loveloveLOVE the message here; this novel is packed with growth, courage, and morals; subjects are touched with sensitivity and tact; the snark and witty banter made this penguin swoon; cute, endearing characters....though I'm a bit iffy about the role of parents in this novel
Huge thanks to Katie Ray, Entangled: Crush, Netgalley, and Chapter by Chapter Book Tours for granting me free access to a digital galley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
"I shared my heartbreak story," I said. "Now it's your turn."
"I wear my secrets right on my face," she said.
I have to be honest, penguins. I sort of totally forgot I had this tour coming up. As in, I sat down in front of my computer on Saturday after work, opened up my calendar...and panicked because I hadn't even STARTED the book yet. I promptly, of course, dropped everything else--told the boyfriend to watch his youtube "watch later" list and clicked open the galley on my Fire tablet. I fully expected to be sliding into Sunday with only half the read finished, in a blind panic to get to the close before the night's end so I wasn't RUSHING to get my review written before falling into bed. I totally forgot this book tour was coming...and it snuck up on me, but when I sat down today to read, I did not expect the whirlwind that was this book.
Because this read? Was a whirlwind. It's boarding school, and opposites-attract, and poetic, and beautiful. I read this in something like three hours--maybe less, I don't know because I was in such a hurry to read that I didn't really keep track of the time I spent doing just that. This is teen angst at its best, and I adored every minute of it. The characters are endearing, and redeemable, and beautifully woven throughout. I fell in love with the witty banter, especially spouting from CeCe. She is such a fierce, tough character...and I honestly feel like she is, at the heart of things, the sort of role model girls in today's world need. Because she's fierce, and honest, and she doesn't so much "hide" herself from the world but instead tackles it head-on. She challenges her classmates to see BEYOND the scar, to see anything outside the one feature people insist defines her. She challenges people who might in other ways be "bullies" to move past that, to accept her as she is, and to get over the pettiness that appearance sometimes brings with it.
But I realized the problem with words. They were too stationary. They contained you. They held you at a distance. And nothing worthwhile happened at a distance.
This is a story of growth, and acceptance, and standing up for yourself. This is a journey that focuses on the emotional and, sometimes, damaging ways the world effects us. I was, however, a little put off by the role of these kids' parents throughout. It is made clear, early on, that CeCe and Emmett are a bit...on their own? They are cut off from their families, sort of striking it out alone. Of course, they do have backstories and reasons for the distance...and in some cases, this distance is bridged in the journey, but... I felt like the parents were more cardboard cutouts than actual characters, I guess. I suppose this makes sense, though--they are away at a boarding school of sorts, and therefore, not under their parents' or guardians' supervision. It just bugged me a little...but not enough to put a damper on the read!
This was a fun, snarky, angst-laden title, and I cannot WAIT to lay hands on the next book in this series--it's bound to be just as entertaining a journey! The characters are endearing and adorable, the witty banter scenes were delicious, and I blew through this like a whirlwind. I recommend the read to lovers of cutesy contemporaries, characters struggling to understand the world, and tastefully handled morals. Like the title says, penguins--don't kiss the messenger. You might just like it.
leahana's review
3.0
These characters are supposed to be in high school but it’s confusing because they live in dorms/apartments, talk about their major, have professors and zero supervision. The athletes were being asked for their autographs, which unless you’re Lebron James, seems more like a college thing. Maybe there are schools like this that I just don’t know about? Unfortunately, this unusual set up made it hard for me to enjoy the story.
dragonstar1974's review
4.0
4.5 out of 5 stars Don't Kiss the Messenger is a young adult contemporary read based on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. As Cece tries convincing herself that she's only helping out her friend, Bryn win the new hot guy on campus she herself is slowly falling for Emmett who she doesn't believe would ever consider her due to physical imperfections. I enjoyed reading this cute read with likable characters. I do believe Cyrano would be proud of Cece with the antics Ms. Ray puts her through to finally realize she is worthy of love.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.
betwixt_the_pages's review
4.0
For most of her teenage life, CeCe Edmonds has been dealing with the stares and the not-so-polite whispers that follow her around Edgelake High. So she has a large scar on her face—Harry Potter had one on his forehead and people still liked him.
CeCe never cared about her looks—until Emmett Brady, transfer student and football darling, becomes her literature critique partner. The only problem? Emmett isblindsided by Bryn DeNeuville, CeCe’s gorgeous and suddenly shy volleyball teammate.
Bryn asks CeCe to help her compose messages that’ll charm Emmett. CeCe isn’t sure there’s anything in his head worth charming but agrees anyway—she’s a sucker for a good romance. Unfortunately, the more messages she sends and the more they run into each other, the more she realizes there’s plenty in his head, from food to literature. Too bad Emmett seems to be falling for the wrong girl…
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book involves one fiercely scarred girl who wants the new guy in town, the new guy who thinks he wants the new girl, and the new girl who really isn’t sure what she wants, and the misunderstanding that brings them all together. This modern Cyrano de Bergerac retelling will make you laugh, swoon, and fall in love.
Rating: 4/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: loveloveLOVE the message here; this novel is packed with growth, courage, and morals; subjects are touched with sensitivity and tact; the snark and witty banter made this penguin swoon; cute, endearing characters....though I'm a bit iffy about the role of parents in this novel
Huge thanks to Katie Ray, Entangled: Crush, Netgalley, and Chapter by Chapter Book Tours for granting me free access to a digital galley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
"I shared my heartbreak story," I said. "Now it's your turn."
"I wear my secrets right on my face," she said.
I have to be honest, penguins. I sort of totally forgot I had this tour coming up. As in, I sat down in front of my computer on Saturday after work, opened up my calendar...and panicked because I hadn't even STARTED the book yet. I promptly, of course, dropped everything else--told the boyfriend to watch his youtube "watch later" list and clicked open the galley on my Fire tablet. I fully expected to be sliding into Sunday with only half the read finished, in a blind panic to get to the close before the night's end so I wasn't RUSHING to get my review written before falling into bed. I totally forgot this book tour was coming...and it snuck up on me, but when I sat down today to read, I did not expect the whirlwind that was this book.
Because this read? Was a whirlwind. It's boarding school, and opposites-attract, and poetic, and beautiful. I read this in something like three hours--maybe less, I don't know because I was in such a hurry to read that I didn't really keep track of the time I spent doing just that. This is teen angst at its best, and I adored every minute of it. The characters are endearing, and redeemable, and beautifully woven throughout. I fell in love with the witty banter, especially spouting from CeCe. She is such a fierce, tough character...and I honestly feel like she is, at the heart of things, the sort of role model girls in today's world need. Because she's fierce, and honest, and she doesn't so much "hide" herself from the world but instead tackles it head-on. She challenges her classmates to see BEYOND the scar, to see anything outside the one feature people insist defines her. She challenges people who might in other ways be "bullies" to move past that, to accept her as she is, and to get over the pettiness that appearance sometimes brings with it.
But I realized the problem with words. They were too stationary. They contained you. They held you at a distance. And nothing worthwhile happened at a distance.
This is a story of growth, and acceptance, and standing up for yourself. This is a journey that focuses on the emotional and, sometimes, damaging ways the world effects us. I was, however, a little put off by the role of these kids' parents throughout. It is made clear, early on, that CeCe and Emmett are a bit...on their own? They are cut off from their families, sort of striking it out alone. Of course, they do have backstories and reasons for the distance...and in some cases, this distance is bridged in the journey, but... I felt like the parents were more cardboard cutouts than actual characters, I guess. I suppose this makes sense, though--they are away at a boarding school of sorts, and therefore, not under their parents' or guardians' supervision. It just bugged me a little...but not enough to put a damper on the read!
This was a fun, snarky, angst-laden title, and I cannot WAIT to lay hands on the next book in this series--it's bound to be just as entertaining a journey! The characters are endearing and adorable, the witty banter scenes were delicious, and I blew through this like a whirlwind. I recommend the read to lovers of cutesy contemporaries, characters struggling to understand the world, and tastefully handled morals. Like the title says, penguins--don't kiss the messenger. You might just like it.
jscarpa14's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a little divided on this one. I do actually love the reversed Cyrano De Burgerac theme. I love the guy that fell more in love with words than beauty even if he had to have it spelled out for him that he had. I love the dimensionality given to these students athletes, that they were more than athletic skills, but were bright people capable of serious emotional depth. What I didn't like was the condescending nature of their views on people who didn't share their appreciation for classical music or classic literature.
Sometimes reading this felt almost like the author was insulting her own readers for choosing to read a contemporary ya novel over a Shakespearean play. It felt like she was telling readers that enjoying Katy Perry or Lady Gaga made them shallow and stupid. It seems a little self destructive to insult your own target audience. Without those "shallow" people that want to get a little lost in a ya contemporary, you wouldn't have any sales for your book. Wanting to read a novel you can get lost in over one you have to analyze like homework doesn't make you stupid. Having an appreciation for modern music doesn't make you shallow. Granted I'll agree that all readers and people should open their minds to all types of music, including classical. I'll agree that a reader should be open to the writers who paved the way for the ones who exist today, but having a different preference in either isn't a mark of your intelligence or depth. I also think it should be noted that intelligence is nothing without kindness to pair it with. The smartest person in the room is often the one who can explain something without making the person who struggles feel inferior. I think these characters miss that and I think that's because the writer herself misses that. That condescending attitude the main characters had toward people who valued different things is actually what dropped my rating. People who behave like being smarter makes them better are, to me, the least intelligent of our species. It's a huge turn off for me as a person and as a reader.
Minus that dripping condescension, this was an extremely interesting and well written story that I'd definitely recommend. Had that not been such a big part of both of their personalities I might have called this a five star story. The thing is the condescension hit you over the head it's not subtle, it's a sledgehammer and that's my issue with the story.
Sometimes reading this felt almost like the author was insulting her own readers for choosing to read a contemporary ya novel over a Shakespearean play. It felt like she was telling readers that enjoying Katy Perry or Lady Gaga made them shallow and stupid. It seems a little self destructive to insult your own target audience. Without those "shallow" people that want to get a little lost in a ya contemporary, you wouldn't have any sales for your book. Wanting to read a novel you can get lost in over one you have to analyze like homework doesn't make you stupid. Having an appreciation for modern music doesn't make you shallow. Granted I'll agree that all readers and people should open their minds to all types of music, including classical. I'll agree that a reader should be open to the writers who paved the way for the ones who exist today, but having a different preference in either isn't a mark of your intelligence or depth. I also think it should be noted that intelligence is nothing without kindness to pair it with. The smartest person in the room is often the one who can explain something without making the person who struggles feel inferior. I think these characters miss that and I think that's because the writer herself misses that. That condescending attitude the main characters had toward people who valued different things is actually what dropped my rating. People who behave like being smarter makes them better are, to me, the least intelligent of our species. It's a huge turn off for me as a person and as a reader.
Minus that dripping condescension, this was an extremely interesting and well written story that I'd definitely recommend. Had that not been such a big part of both of their personalities I might have called this a five star story. The thing is the condescension hit you over the head it's not subtle, it's a sledgehammer and that's my issue with the story.
sasha2599's review
4.0
Although I'm a sucker for a re-telling, I'll admit to not being all that familiar with Cyrano de Bergerac- I just knew the basic premise. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this YA spin on the tale, although the characters seemed much older than high school- definitely more college aged. I found myself pulling for CeCe and Emmett and adored their interactions- both as themselves, and as CeCe writing for Bryn.
**I voluntarily read an advance copy**
**I voluntarily read an advance copy**
katkinney's review
4.0
This was a really enjoyable read about a strong female character and a refreshingly multi-faceted male character. I really loved getting to know Ceecee and Emmett, in particular Ceecee who the book tended to show a deeper perspective on. So many times characters with a so called "flaw" whether it's social anxiety or pimples or weight or a medical condition tend to be portrayed as very weakened and ashamed, and I thought it was neat how although CeeCee certainly had some work to do before she cold be herself freely, she is a strong confident girl in so many ways, and that is really awesome to read.
I also really enjoyed the character of Tuba and thought she was well drawn, The relationships CeeCee has with the volleyball teamates, since there is little familial presence in the book, is an interesting one to look at, and sort of seems to serve as a surrogate. All in all a very enjoyable book.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.
I also really enjoyed the character of Tuba and thought she was well drawn, The relationships CeeCee has with the volleyball teamates, since there is little familial presence in the book, is an interesting one to look at, and sort of seems to serve as a surrogate. All in all a very enjoyable book.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.