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A review by thatlizhunter
Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell
3.0
This was CUTE! And Quirky! A very quick read that felt very summerish, I mean Claire only mentions the Arizona heat a dozen times, right?
Anyway, this story is about Claire and her unhappiness with her vlog/blog life. Her entire life is on the internet and that makes for a very mopey teenagers. What's worse? Her twin sister LOVES vlogging and even wants to do a reality TV show! Yay! Or if you're Claire, ehhhh,,, please no.
Yes, this story is about a teenager having very teenagerish problems. It's also a story about online personality and the pressure of living constantly in the public. And there's quite of bit of fashion and computer coding thrown in.
I definitely enjoyed some of the characters. Claire seemed to be well-thought through, with adorable humor and lovely awkwardness. I mean, it wasn't lovely for her. But it was hilarious.
She was also into coding! More girls into computer science, please! Claire's enthusiasm for web design and to keep learning was infectious.
Also, her aversion to strangers and the public was realistic. It wasn't just about her, but her own past experience that led to a crippling fear of strangers.
Rafael was cute, if a little cookie cutter? His biggest personality trait seemed to be an aversion to technology. I'm going to talk about THAT later. Oh, and he was a great listener.
Poppy, well Poppy, was a bit boring. Claire seemed to see her twin as a internet personality. Poppy was just a walking youtuber and that was about all I got out of her from reading the book. I really wish we could have seen more of Poppy and Claire's relationship shown on page - instead of just bickering about the internet and boys.
Overall, I enjoyed the plot. It didn't drag, and the storyline seemed fairly realistic. Well, mostly. There were some seemingly weird time jumps that momentarily confused me. I don't really like having to turn the page back several times to figure out where we are now. Did that happen? Yes.
One question I had - Claire's lying was never exactly justified? I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY SHE DIDN'T TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH SOMETIMES. Especially her own sister??????? Okay, I was just confused.
There were also some unbelievable moments that led to me either shaking my head, or almost not continuing. Especially when those moments were VERY early on in the story.
Number one? Rafael claiming he lived in remote villages in India and couldn't use a cellphone because there was no reception. I feel like that's a very privileged American perspective and I really, really wish an editor had flagged that. Because, that's just casting an entire nation in a backwards light, and it's NOT TRUE. I mean, I've dozens of people from India and other nations in Southeast Asia, and all of them had technology. It was just such an ignorant mistake that I almost stopped reading. The only reason I continued past this point was because I was in a meeting and bored and needed something to read to not fall asleep. That's how annoyed I was by this portrayal.
Also, there are plenty of reasons to dislike phones and the invasion of tech into our everyday lives. Living in India should not be one of them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Now, my next ranty point is a bit spoilery. Putting in spoiler code, so read at your own risk. ;-)
End of spoiler
Overall, a fun read. Would I read it again? Probably not. Recommend? Sort of.
Anyway, this story is about Claire and her unhappiness with her vlog/blog life. Her entire life is on the internet and that makes for a very mopey teenagers. What's worse? Her twin sister LOVES vlogging and even wants to do a reality TV show! Yay! Or if you're Claire, ehhhh,,, please no.
Yes, this story is about a teenager having very teenagerish problems. It's also a story about online personality and the pressure of living constantly in the public. And there's quite of bit of fashion and computer coding thrown in.
I definitely enjoyed some of the characters. Claire seemed to be well-thought through, with adorable humor and lovely awkwardness. I mean, it wasn't lovely for her. But it was hilarious.
She was also into coding! More girls into computer science, please! Claire's enthusiasm for web design and to keep learning was infectious.
Also, her aversion to strangers and the public was realistic. It wasn't just about her, but her own past experience that led to a crippling fear of strangers.
Rafael was cute, if a little cookie cutter? His biggest personality trait seemed to be an aversion to technology. I'm going to talk about THAT later. Oh, and he was a great listener.
Poppy, well Poppy, was a bit boring. Claire seemed to see her twin as a internet personality. Poppy was just a walking youtuber and that was about all I got out of her from reading the book. I really wish we could have seen more of Poppy and Claire's relationship shown on page - instead of just bickering about the internet and boys.
Spoiler
Oh, and after the adoption secret came out? Why wasn't there more development for that?Overall, I enjoyed the plot. It didn't drag, and the storyline seemed fairly realistic. Well, mostly. There were some seemingly weird time jumps that momentarily confused me. I don't really like having to turn the page back several times to figure out where we are now. Did that happen? Yes.
One question I had - Claire's lying was never exactly justified? I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY SHE DIDN'T TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH SOMETIMES. Especially her own sister??????? Okay, I was just confused.
There were also some unbelievable moments that led to me either shaking my head, or almost not continuing. Especially when those moments were VERY early on in the story.
Number one? Rafael claiming he lived in remote villages in India and couldn't use a cellphone because there was no reception. I feel like that's a very privileged American perspective and I really, really wish an editor had flagged that. Because, that's just casting an entire nation in a backwards light, and it's NOT TRUE. I mean, I've dozens of people from India and other nations in Southeast Asia, and all of them had technology. It was just such an ignorant mistake that I almost stopped reading. The only reason I continued past this point was because I was in a meeting and bored and needed something to read to not fall asleep. That's how annoyed I was by this portrayal.
Also, there are plenty of reasons to dislike phones and the invasion of tech into our everyday lives. Living in India should not be one of them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Now, my next ranty point is a bit spoilery. Putting in spoiler code, so read at your own risk. ;-)
Spoiler
The way the search for Claires birthmother worked, is NOT REALISTIC. Okay, after adoption, ALL of the records are changed. The Birth Certificate WON'T LIST your birth mom. I know this, I'm adopted. And my mom was adopted. So, yep, I'm kind of very annoyed because this information is easily available on the web.End of spoiler
Overall, a fun read. Would I read it again? Probably not. Recommend? Sort of.