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A review by nicolemhewitt
Confessions of a High School Disaster by Emma Chastain
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This is the type of book that baffles me because I really enjoyed it even though it has a lot of elements that normally frustrate me. Chloe isn’t always the most likable character and she makes a lot of very poor decisions—but she’s only 14 and, more importantly, she actually reads like a 14-year-old. So, I found myself giving her a lot more leeway than I usually would. She’s very young and naive, but she so wants to feel more mature—she’s at that age where she’s sure she’s missing out on something and just needs to grow up faster. So when an older boy starts paying a lot of attention to her, she can’t help but feel flattered and excited—even if he does have a girlfriend. I think another reason I was willing to give Chloe a bit of a break is because I was charmed by a boy in a very similar manner when I was just a bit older than her. While I didn’t respond to things in the same ways that Chloe did, I could definitely empathize with her. This book brought back a lot of memories for me—both good and bad. Because of this, I found myself turning the pages quickly despite some frustrations with the way Chloe dealt with her situation.
I loved Chloe’s two best friends, who are sort of opposites and both helped Chloe understand herself a lot better. But I wasn’t a fan of the way sex was depicted in this book—for a 14-year-old, Chloe seemed a little too obsessed with it and I’d kind of wished her best friend had stayed true to herself more when it came to that area, especially considering their age. Still, I know I’m probably a bit out of touch when it comes to teens and sex, and this is probably more true to our society than I’d like it to be. I give this book 4/5 stars, because I ended up really enjoying this book, even if I didn’t always agree with Chloe’s thoughts and actions.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This is the type of book that baffles me because I really enjoyed it even though it has a lot of elements that normally frustrate me. Chloe isn’t always the most likable character and she makes a lot of very poor decisions—but she’s only 14 and, more importantly, she actually reads like a 14-year-old. So, I found myself giving her a lot more leeway than I usually would. She’s very young and naive, but she so wants to feel more mature—she’s at that age where she’s sure she’s missing out on something and just needs to grow up faster. So when an older boy starts paying a lot of attention to her, she can’t help but feel flattered and excited—even if he does have a girlfriend. I think another reason I was willing to give Chloe a bit of a break is because I was charmed by a boy in a very similar manner when I was just a bit older than her. While I didn’t respond to things in the same ways that Chloe did, I could definitely empathize with her. This book brought back a lot of memories for me—both good and bad. Because of this, I found myself turning the pages quickly despite some frustrations with the way Chloe dealt with her situation.
I loved Chloe’s two best friends, who are sort of opposites and both helped Chloe understand herself a lot better. But I wasn’t a fan of the way sex was depicted in this book—for a 14-year-old, Chloe seemed a little too obsessed with it and I’d kind of wished her best friend had stayed true to herself more when it came to that area, especially considering their age. Still, I know I’m probably a bit out of touch when it comes to teens and sex, and this is probably more true to our society than I’d like it to be. I give this book 4/5 stars, because I ended up really enjoying this book, even if I didn’t always agree with Chloe’s thoughts and actions.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***