haylisreading's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars
I liked the first half of the book where the reader basically just witnessed how cruel Quinn really is. And, wow, she is something. She was homophobic, fat shaming, racist, manipulative, and used people. And my mouth fell open on numerous occasions after reading about some of the things she had done or said.
But then the romantic interest was introduced and I kind of tuned out. I did not care for that at all. I don't really think this book really needed romance. I just wanted to continue reading about how mean Quinn was.
I liked the first half of the book where the reader basically just witnessed how cruel Quinn really is. And, wow, she is something. She was homophobic, fat shaming, racist, manipulative, and used people. And my mouth fell open on numerous occasions after reading about some of the things she had done or said.
But then the romantic interest was introduced and I kind of tuned out. I did not care for that at all. I don't really think this book really needed romance. I just wanted to continue reading about how mean Quinn was.
Spoiler
After she died, I felt bad for her. She was young. They said she was unhappy. (Okay, and I kind of zoned out towards the end.) But there was no reason for her to be as cruel and as mean as she was.mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from the publisher/author in exchange of an honest review.
So this book starts off with a bang, death instantly. So we all know that the stepsister is going to die. We just don’t know how it happens.
It was a very effective intro, as it kept me wondering when we would reach full circle (aka when we would get to the part where this death happened).
I will try to write a review, but I am still quite wowed by this book, so it will be hard, so bear with me. :)
I could connect in so many ways with the character, and the mean girl was written so realistic that it was all recognition for me. I also had a mean girl like that in my life. A girl who was angry, then when she needed people was friendly, only to go back into death mode fast. We kind of lived at the same place for reasons. Together with some other people. I won’t go into much details, but lets say it really hit home, this book. Sure, it took me a while to realise it (80%) but then everything just connected and I just could see the bigger picture even better. The later part was also so true, about the mean girl, that she was probably asking for help, that she just needed someone to tell her things would be OK. I am not sure if anyone could have helped the mean girl in my life (she was pretty deep into things), but the stepsister? Yes, someone might have helped her. Someone might have told her she was loved, showed it in different way than just buying things. It might have been a hard, long, tough road, but I can already imagine that she might turn out to be sweeter.
Emma was just an amazing MC, I loved how she stayed true to who she was, didn’t let herself be bullied to be someone else. She could have done so many things, but she stayed true to who she was. Of course, she wasn’t happy, she wasn’t feeling good, and I can imagine that, I know the feeling all too well. I felt sad for her that she had to go through this, that it seems that no one was listening to her. Her mom tried her best, and Quinn mom as well, but especially Quinn’s mom just made it worse by spoiling Quinn further and further.
I was also really proud of her at the ending, for what she realised then, and how she handled it. I did feel a bit angry that she felt guilty about Quinn’s death. You don’t need to feel guilty. It wasn’t your fault. I am glad her friends also tried to tell her this.
The moms. I loved both of them, though I have to say I liked Emma’s mom the most. Quinn’s mom was too much, oh dear, my kid is doing something wrong, let me buy x and y expensive thing to make things better and make sure she will not do x and y again. Which in turn made things only so much worse.
But I loved them together, they were pretty much different, not only in how they looked, but also in how their personalities were, but they fitted together so wonderful. I also loved how how they tried to not be too much love-dovey in front of the kids as they knew it was a change for both of them. It was really sweet of them.
I so didn’t like Quinn’s dad. He was horrible. He cared more about his own things than his daughter. :\
Emma’s friends were definitely fun, and I liked them all.
What more? Well, the story was great, and it was a very engaging read and the author really did an amazing job on writing the characters. They were all so real, so wow.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone. And sorry for the slightly chaotic review, I am still just so amazed at this book, and I am having trouble getting my feelings turned to words.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
So this book starts off with a bang, death instantly. So we all know that the stepsister is going to die. We just don’t know how it happens.
It was a very effective intro, as it kept me wondering when we would reach full circle (aka when we would get to the part where this death happened).
I will try to write a review, but I am still quite wowed by this book, so it will be hard, so bear with me. :)
I could connect in so many ways with the character, and the mean girl was written so realistic that it was all recognition for me. I also had a mean girl like that in my life. A girl who was angry, then when she needed people was friendly, only to go back into death mode fast. We kind of lived at the same place for reasons. Together with some other people. I won’t go into much details, but lets say it really hit home, this book. Sure, it took me a while to realise it (80%) but then everything just connected and I just could see the bigger picture even better. The later part was also so true, about the mean girl, that she was probably asking for help, that she just needed someone to tell her things would be OK. I am not sure if anyone could have helped the mean girl in my life (she was pretty deep into things), but the stepsister? Yes, someone might have helped her. Someone might have told her she was loved, showed it in different way than just buying things. It might have been a hard, long, tough road, but I can already imagine that she might turn out to be sweeter.
Emma was just an amazing MC, I loved how she stayed true to who she was, didn’t let herself be bullied to be someone else. She could have done so many things, but she stayed true to who she was. Of course, she wasn’t happy, she wasn’t feeling good, and I can imagine that, I know the feeling all too well. I felt sad for her that she had to go through this, that it seems that no one was listening to her. Her mom tried her best, and Quinn mom as well, but especially Quinn’s mom just made it worse by spoiling Quinn further and further.
I was also really proud of her at the ending, for what she realised then, and how she handled it. I did feel a bit angry that she felt guilty about Quinn’s death. You don’t need to feel guilty. It wasn’t your fault. I am glad her friends also tried to tell her this.
The moms. I loved both of them, though I have to say I liked Emma’s mom the most. Quinn’s mom was too much, oh dear, my kid is doing something wrong, let me buy x and y expensive thing to make things better and make sure she will not do x and y again. Which in turn made things only so much worse.
But I loved them together, they were pretty much different, not only in how they looked, but also in how their personalities were, but they fitted together so wonderful. I also loved how how they tried to not be too much love-dovey in front of the kids as they knew it was a change for both of them. It was really sweet of them.
I so didn’t like Quinn’s dad. He was horrible. He cared more about his own things than his daughter. :\
Emma’s friends were definitely fun, and I liked them all.
What more? Well, the story was great, and it was a very engaging read and the author really did an amazing job on writing the characters. They were all so real, so wow.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone. And sorry for the slightly chaotic review, I am still just so amazed at this book, and I am having trouble getting my feelings turned to words.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
ginnikin's review against another edition
3.0
I have complicated feelings about this. It was a very good and quick read. It covered some important things without sacrificing story. I'm just very nervous that it can be held up as a reason to "give her/him another chance" long after someone's burned through more chances than they should have. I worry that people might say "this is required reading" when it's really a good book that handles a tough subject and gives another possible perspective, but not the only perspective.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
If you get the chance, listen to the audiobook of this one. The narrator is entertaining and funny, and adds a lot to an equally entertaining story.
Anyhow, this book does a lot of good with unlikeable characters -- both the "I'm soooo geeky" main character (who isn't nearly as annoying as other versions of this type of character, to be fair), and Quinn, the mean girl. They're both flawed, but that's not all there is to them.
Anyhow, this book does a lot of good with unlikeable characters -- both the "I'm soooo geeky" main character (who isn't nearly as annoying as other versions of this type of character, to be fair), and Quinn, the mean girl. They're both flawed, but that's not all there is to them.
skinnygetout's review against another edition
4.0
A laugh out loud funny book full of sarcasm, sass, and wit.
Eve, a self proclaimed nerd is forced into a new sisterhood with Quinn, a budding fashionista, when their moms fall in love and move in together. At first things seem okay, even if the two are polar opposites. However, things fall apart quickly when Quinn reveals her true colors as West Vale's resident sociopath. Anyone who goes against Quinn feels her salty mean girl brand of wrath. Along the way, Eve gains a new best friend and a boyfriend, both of whom find their way to Eve in the wake of a Quinn storm.
I really like the way Eve was written and how snarky she was throughout. The only part that felt a bit forced was the romance, it just felt a little bit predictable.
This is a good read for fans of nerd girl stories and snarky realistic fiction.
Eve, a self proclaimed nerd is forced into a new sisterhood with Quinn, a budding fashionista, when their moms fall in love and move in together. At first things seem okay, even if the two are polar opposites. However, things fall apart quickly when Quinn reveals her true colors as West Vale's resident sociopath. Anyone who goes against Quinn feels her salty mean girl brand of wrath. Along the way, Eve gains a new best friend and a boyfriend, both of whom find their way to Eve in the wake of a Quinn storm.
I really like the way Eve was written and how snarky she was throughout. The only part that felt a bit forced was the romance, it just felt a little bit predictable.
This is a good read for fans of nerd girl stories and snarky realistic fiction.
leahkarge's review against another edition
4.0
***I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
SUMMARY:
DEAD LITTLE MEAN GIRL starts at the end. Quinn Littleton, the aforementioned mean girl, is dead in her family's garage. Told from the point-of-view of her stepsister, Emma, we learn of all the ways in which Quinn manipulates, uses, and abuses everyone around her, and how those very people manage to survive Hurrican Quinn.
------
REVIEW:
I love this book. I love it for the characters, for how well it's written, but most of all for how real it is. There are people just like Quinn and her posse, and chances are, most of us have encountered them and come out mostly unscathed. (Either that or we are the Mean Person.) We build walls, means of self-defense, which is exactly what Emma and her family do in order to survive Quinn.
I loved how Darrows wrote all the characters and their interactions with each other. There are so many different layers and complexities, depending on who you're with, and in each character, we received their anger, their love, their vulnerability, their guilt, and so much more.
A noteworthy aspect of this novel is that the focus is not on the romance. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because lord knows I love me some romance. That's not to say there isn't a romance aspect! It's so simple and easy-going, with no drama. But don't come into this thinking it's basically a Cinderella retelling where Emma gets swept away and saved by the Prince. More than anything, this book is about siblings (or pseudo-siblings), family, divorce and how it affects children, the meshing of families when new relationships are formed, and the coping mechanisms we develop.
It's may be rough to read in certain spots, as it pokes and prods and potentially reopens barely healed wounds, but it's absolutely worth the read.
SUMMARY:
DEAD LITTLE MEAN GIRL starts at the end. Quinn Littleton, the aforementioned mean girl, is dead in her family's garage. Told from the point-of-view of her stepsister, Emma, we learn of all the ways in which Quinn manipulates, uses, and abuses everyone around her, and how those very people manage to survive Hurrican Quinn.
------
REVIEW:
I love this book. I love it for the characters, for how well it's written, but most of all for how real it is. There are people just like Quinn and her posse, and chances are, most of us have encountered them and come out mostly unscathed. (Either that or we are the Mean Person.) We build walls, means of self-defense, which is exactly what Emma and her family do in order to survive Quinn.
I loved how Darrows wrote all the characters and their interactions with each other. There are so many different layers and complexities, depending on who you're with, and in each character, we received their anger, their love, their vulnerability, their guilt, and so much more.
A noteworthy aspect of this novel is that the focus is not on the romance. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because lord knows I love me some romance. That's not to say there isn't a romance aspect! It's so simple and easy-going, with no drama. But don't come into this thinking it's basically a Cinderella retelling where Emma gets swept away and saved by the Prince. More than anything, this book is about siblings (or pseudo-siblings), family, divorce and how it affects children, the meshing of families when new relationships are formed, and the coping mechanisms we develop.
It's may be rough to read in certain spots, as it pokes and prods and potentially reopens barely healed wounds, but it's absolutely worth the read.
brandinh's review against another edition
4.0
Im finding it difficult to rate this book accurately and compose my thoughts, but I will do my best.
First of, I really enjoyed this book. Emma is a fantastic and relatable main character. Her mom and the relationship between Emma and both her parents is actually great (despite her dad being absent due to work, when he is around, he is good). Emma’s friendships and eventual relationship, also gold. Bonus, Emma has great t-shirts. 😊
Yet Quinn (the titular Dead Little Mean Girl) is diabolical and truly awful. As other reviewers have stated, we never really see many redeeming qualities in Quinn and Emma’s eventual enlightening about the reasoning behind Quinn’s horrible behavior (she was actually just a hurting girl, desperate for help) would be easier to swallow had we been given any real evidence to back this up. Also, Quinn’s parents were just, probably realistic, but pretty terrible. Karen seemed like a good woman who was completely lost about how to parent her own child, perhaps understandable, but she certainly never figured it out. Yet, after reading the author’s note (packaged as acknowledgments, a mistake because many readers skip them) it turns out that Darrows was making Quinn horrific on purpose, in response to society’s tendency to vilify teen girls. Media typically portrays mean girls as mean for mean’s sake, which in my experience, is rarely true to life. Certainly it happens, but sociopaths don’t really make up that large a percentage of our population. (See the National Institute for Mental Health for specific data). I’m not sure Darrows entirely pulled off what she was going for, as mentioned above this would have been easier to swallow had we seen more redeeming behavior or had more insight into Quinn’s feelings. But overall, I find this to be surprisingly feminist take on the mean girl trope.
First of, I really enjoyed this book. Emma is a fantastic and relatable main character. Her mom and the relationship between Emma and both her parents is actually great (despite her dad being absent due to work, when he is around, he is good). Emma’s friendships and eventual relationship, also gold. Bonus, Emma has great t-shirts. 😊
Yet Quinn (the titular Dead Little Mean Girl) is diabolical and truly awful. As other reviewers have stated, we never really see many redeeming qualities in Quinn and Emma’s eventual enlightening about the reasoning behind Quinn’s horrible behavior (she was actually just a hurting girl, desperate for help) would be easier to swallow had we been given any real evidence to back this up. Also, Quinn’s parents were just, probably realistic, but pretty terrible. Karen seemed like a good woman who was completely lost about how to parent her own child, perhaps understandable, but she certainly never figured it out. Yet, after reading the author’s note (packaged as acknowledgments, a mistake because many readers skip them) it turns out that Darrows was making Quinn horrific on purpose, in response to society’s tendency to vilify teen girls. Media typically portrays mean girls as mean for mean’s sake, which in my experience, is rarely true to life. Certainly it happens, but sociopaths don’t really make up that large a percentage of our population. (See the National Institute for Mental Health for specific data). I’m not sure Darrows entirely pulled off what she was going for, as mentioned above this would have been easier to swallow had we seen more redeeming behavior or had more insight into Quinn’s feelings. But overall, I find this to be surprisingly feminist take on the mean girl trope.
katlikespie's review against another edition
4.0
"Quinn Littleton was a mean girl - a skinny blonde social terrorist in stilettos. She was everything Emma MacLaren hated. Until she died."
After Emma's parents got divorced, her mother found solace in a local divorce support group. Solace, and love - and now her mom's new girlfriend Karen is moving in with Emma and her mom, and so is Karen's daughter, the incredibly bitchy Barbie-doll-esque Quinn, who takes over the school and rules it with a perfectly-manicured fist. Until, that is, she dies.
This book didn't go exactly where I expected it to (though looking back, I'm not exactly why that is), but I enjoyed it. Emma is a relatable character going through some interesting times, just trying to live her life. Quinn is... mean. Evil maybe. But maybe there's a reason for it all?
After Emma's parents got divorced, her mother found solace in a local divorce support group. Solace, and love - and now her mom's new girlfriend Karen is moving in with Emma and her mom, and so is Karen's daughter, the incredibly bitchy Barbie-doll-esque Quinn, who takes over the school and rules it with a perfectly-manicured fist. Until, that is, she dies.
This book didn't go exactly where I expected it to (though looking back, I'm not exactly why that is), but I enjoyed it. Emma is a relatable character going through some interesting times, just trying to live her life. Quinn is... mean. Evil maybe. But maybe there's a reason for it all?
emilyyjjean's review against another edition
2.0
Quinn was more than just a mean girl, she was straight up evil.
This book took too much time explaining everything before she died than what the description actually states: Emma realizes there was more to her stepsister than anyone ever realized. The last sliver of the book is Emma realizing things about Quinn, but it's nothing that would actually justify the way Quinn acted. She was insane!
It was a smooth read and I finished it quickly. The end just kind of flopped for me.
This book took too much time explaining everything before she died than what the description actually states: Emma realizes there was more to her stepsister than anyone ever realized. The last sliver of the book is Emma realizing things about Quinn, but it's nothing that would actually justify the way Quinn acted. She was insane!
It was a smooth read and I finished it quickly. The end just kind of flopped for me.
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Oh, this story was so great, we knew what was going to happen, but not all of the details, and oh, it was a fantastic story!