A review by isabelkitarj
Enter Title Here by Naomi Kanakia
2.0
It has the metafictional elements of [b:The Basic Eight|10997|The Basic Eight|Daniel Handler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442649478l/10997._SY75_.jpg|518224], and the unlikeable, slightly-queasy-making protagonist of both The Basic Eight and [b:Prep|9844|Prep|Curtis Sittenfeld|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386925666l/9844._SY75_.jpg|2317177]. Reshma is also a bit like a more off-putting but equally intense version of the girls in Booksmart (though at least they had each other!).
Some of Reshma's qualities, like her intense focus on excelling according to a set of metrics, her super-high-stakes view of the college admissions project, and her experience trading fun in high school for good grades, are familiar and remind me either of myself or of my high school as a whole. It's fun and also cringe-y to read this exaggerated version of the very real experience that is attending a pressure-cooker high school. (And, even though Palo Alto is renamed Las Vacas, the high school in this novel is quite literally described as being located on the street corner where Palo Alto High is.)
The writing isn't that strong, most of the characters beyond Reshma are drawn only with broad, impressionistic strokes, and the metafictional conceit drags quite a bit. Some of the characters, like Ms. Ratcliffe, never really felt real to me. The plot is fairly predictable, but sort of tries to excuse its predictability with a claim to parody. At the same time, it was a quick and engaging read.
Some of Reshma's qualities, like her intense focus on excelling according to a set of metrics, her super-high-stakes view of the college admissions project, and her experience trading fun in high school for good grades, are familiar and remind me either of myself or of my high school as a whole. It's fun and also cringe-y to read this exaggerated version of the very real experience that is attending a pressure-cooker high school. (And, even though Palo Alto is renamed Las Vacas, the high school in this novel is quite literally described as being located on the street corner where Palo Alto High is.)
The writing isn't that strong, most of the characters beyond Reshma are drawn only with broad, impressionistic strokes, and the metafictional conceit drags quite a bit. Some of the characters, like Ms. Ratcliffe, never really felt real to me. The plot is fairly predictable, but sort of tries to excuse its predictability with a claim to parody. At the same time, it was a quick and engaging read.