book_nut's review
4.0
A good story about a girl dealing with a crappy life -- divorced parents, alcoholic mom's boyfriend, backstabbing best friend -- by writing letters to John Wayne. You wouldn't think it would work, but it does.
ryannreads's review
4.0
I picked this book up half-heartedly on my way to lunch yesterday - and found myself eagerly wanting to finish it last night and stayed up too late reading to do just that. Told as a series of letters from high school freshman Lily to her hero, John Wayne, this is a story about a girl finding herself in high school and overcoming past and present traumas. She has an unsupportive best friend, a grown sister in an abusive relationship, and a danger that becomes apparant from her mother's newest boyfriend. I particularly like the portrayal of first love for Lily and how her boyfriend and her new friends help her through a difficult time. she also experiences a rebirth of a relationship with her possibly gay father.
abigailbat's review
5.0
This novel started off slowly for me, but the more I read it the more I really, really liked it. It's a bit odd. But I loved the main character Liliana and I loved how the things that happened in the book were not all bad and not all good. I loved that there were very complex characters and that even by the end they weren't all tucked into neat little boxes. I will review this on my blog and I will have more to say then. Probably this book won't be everyone's cup of tea (like I said, it's a little odd), but I think it's one of my favorites this year.
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review-girl-hero.html
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review-girl-hero.html
flyingsails's review
3.0
I really liked the originality of Girl, Hero, but I was also a bit disappointed because I expected something funnier. Laughing aloud when reading the author's blog (along with positive reviews of her other books) is what made me decide to read it.
Anyway, I don't remember laughing, but I did like it and it was original.
Anyway, I don't remember laughing, but I did like it and it was original.
jolleeray's review
1.0
Honestly this book started out very, very boring. I contemplated not reading it, but i stuck it out til the end. The whole book is written from a 14 year old girls perspective who is having a hard time in life at the moment, to cope with this she writes letters to her hero, John Wayne. After about half way in it finally gets interesting, when she meets an amazing boy and her moms new boyfriend turns abusive. The ending was pretty good, but I would only suggest reading this if you are very bored and have nothing better to do.
tms792's review
5.0
Liliana’s or Lili as her friends and family call her, world is slowly falling apart. Her mother’s new boyfriend is a freak who has a nasty alcohol addiction and creeps Lili out as he stands silently outside of her bedroom every night. Then there’s her father who is a little emotional and very forgetful who Lili loves a lot, but just can’t seem to like. To top it all off her sister is in an abusive relationship and the one person she can turn to for relief, her best friend Nicole, has all of a sudden become a two-faced backstabber. All Lili wants in her life is a hero. Seeing that there is no one in her real life to turn to she writes letters to John Wayne. He may be a dead cowboy, but at least he is a positive influence in Lili’s life and knows what it takes to become a hero. When Lili befriends Sasha, a resident thespian, she convinces Lili to try out for the school play. Thinking there’s nothing to lose Lili goes for it hoping for the best. Along the way she meets Paolo, a wildcard in her foul hand of cards. He is sweet, caring, and extremely hot! Paolo, along with Sasha and a few others help Lili on her quest to becoming a hero.
How to tell you about this book??... It is powerful, hardcore, and utterly breathtaking. It made me cry and laugh and scream. Carrie Jones doesn’t hold back and makes us realize how lucky we are to have a life that isn’t infiltrated with hardship. This was one of the few books that actually made me cry. The situations that the characters were put into were told with such emotion that I couldn’t help but get all worked up. When I felt the characters did something stupid I screamed, when the teens were up to no good I laughed, and most of all I cried to think that someone as sweet as Lili had to endure such pain. The whole story was told through Lili’s letters to John Wayne so we were able to really get to know the true Lili. She didn’t hold anything back in those letters where she was searching for a hero. Not only was Lili’s character great, but I loved how she found herself. Even though she suffered from unimaginable heartache she was still able to find it inside herself to be the best possible person that she could be. Overall this was an outstanding book that dealt with some of the hardest subjects. There was abuse, friendship, loss and love which all combined to form one heck of a poignant and beautiful novel that I will never, ever forget.
How to tell you about this book??... It is powerful, hardcore, and utterly breathtaking. It made me cry and laugh and scream. Carrie Jones doesn’t hold back and makes us realize how lucky we are to have a life that isn’t infiltrated with hardship. This was one of the few books that actually made me cry. The situations that the characters were put into were told with such emotion that I couldn’t help but get all worked up. When I felt the characters did something stupid I screamed, when the teens were up to no good I laughed, and most of all I cried to think that someone as sweet as Lili had to endure such pain. The whole story was told through Lili’s letters to John Wayne so we were able to really get to know the true Lili. She didn’t hold anything back in those letters where she was searching for a hero. Not only was Lili’s character great, but I loved how she found herself. Even though she suffered from unimaginable heartache she was still able to find it inside herself to be the best possible person that she could be. Overall this was an outstanding book that dealt with some of the hardest subjects. There was abuse, friendship, loss and love which all combined to form one heck of a poignant and beautiful novel that I will never, ever forget.
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