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A review by tiffyofthemonts
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
4.0
Simultaneously better and worse than I expected. First of all, who doesn't think secret societies are fascinating, at least to some degree? Second, E. Lockhart's characters are all so ALIVE - they have personalities! They're the type of people I secretly wish my friends could be more like. Interesting people learning things, coming to their own realizations, gaining and losing and maybe walking away with more = A+. I want to read a book (even one deemed "teen fiction") and come away with the sense that I know a little more about what it means to be human. I think that The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks fulfills that for me.
That said, there are a lot of holes in the book. What about Alpha and the frozen custard (now it seems so irrelevant, so... portant) and how he kind of just disappears from the last several pages save for one passive-aggressive email? What about the whole Porter thing? It seemed like a somewhat contrived way to tie up loose ends. What about the dynamic between Frankie and her dad post-infiltration revelation? It seemed like an afterthought in the story. To me, the fact that E. Lockhart chose to focus almost exclusively on the repercussions as related to Frankie and Matthew's relationship* just goes to emphasize this book's place in the YA genre. I would've loved to see her flesh it out a little more.
Still, it was a good read. I mean, I wouldn't shower it with praise and accolades or anything, but it's nice to see a female protagonist who seems to have a brain of her own.
*By the way - Frankie was "in love" with Matthew? What? Really? I didn't see that at all.
That said, there are a lot of holes in the book. What about Alpha and the frozen custard (now it seems so irrelevant, so... portant) and how he kind of just disappears from the last several pages save for one passive-aggressive email? What about the whole Porter thing? It seemed like a somewhat contrived way to tie up loose ends. What about the dynamic between Frankie and her dad post-infiltration revelation? It seemed like an afterthought in the story. To me, the fact that E. Lockhart chose to focus almost exclusively on the repercussions as related to Frankie and Matthew's relationship* just goes to emphasize this book's place in the YA genre. I would've loved to see her flesh it out a little more.
Still, it was a good read. I mean, I wouldn't shower it with praise and accolades or anything, but it's nice to see a female protagonist who seems to have a brain of her own.
*By the way - Frankie was "in love" with Matthew? What? Really? I didn't see that at all.