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meggie82461's review against another edition
3.0
I wish for some kind of peace. For the lost years to count for something. For everyone to come out the other side of this stronger than they started.
So, I really wanted to love this book, but I didn’t. I liked it, but I never really felt connected to any of the characters, which made it even harder to believe in their connections to each other. I love YA, but that means I’m pretty picky when it comes to the genre. It’s widely misunderstood and honestly minimized in importance (a lot like romance). So while I’m not saying that every YA story needs to be an award winner, I do expect something to set it apart for me to give it 4+ stars. That being said, this one is very well-written and the plot itself is solid, there just isn’t much I really feel like I could *gush* about. If that makes any sense.
The story is told from Abby’s POV. She and her two friends, Connie and Leo, are doing a genealogy project. Leo is adopted, so he wants to take it a step further and do the whole DNA-test-thingy. Abby is hopelessly in love with him, so she agrees to do it with him. Of course, Leo finds out nothing, while Abby finds out she has a secret older sister. Like, a full sister. Her parents are happily married and she has 3 younger brothers as well, so this is all very shocking. She meets her sister (Savannah) and, as teenagers often do, they ignore all the warning signs and dive head-first into a history of secrets and betrayal. Abby even enrolls in summer camp to spend some covert time with Savvy, which created a fun backdrop in the wilderness. And, of course, since this is YA, there is a love interest for each girl. Savannah is in love with her longtime best friend Mickey, who is the camp cook alongside Leo, who is Abby’s BFF/recent crush. But, as one could probably guess when a plan is put together by teenagers who are trying to go behind their parents’ backs, things take a turn for the worse. Turns out Abby and Savvy are very different people. Additionally, the more the secret surrounding Savvy’s existence unravels, the more the girls discover they are in WAY over their heads.
So, I’ll start with the things I didn’t really love. I did not hate Abby or anything, but I didn’t love her either. She is very insecure and yes, I understand teenagers are like that, but it got old fast when it came to Leo. The non-communication got to be a bit much, because they spent so much time *not* communicating, or Abby spent so much time in her own head, and as a result… I never really understood their dynamic. Also, because I’m an old, I didn’t fully understand- and eventually got tired of- the whole Instagram influencer storyline. I usually think a large part of society is too hard on influencers, which I believe is the result of thinly veiled (sometimes internalized) misogyny (84% of social media influencers are female), but that still doesn’t mean I want to read book that is heavy on the influencing. Plus, Savvy clearly becomes one of those IG-obsessed influencers, yet that is never fully addressed or resolved. And finally, the whole thing where Abby never let anyone see the pictures she took… well, that got old fast. She wanted her parents to take her photography seriously, but yet she wouldn’t show them any of her shots. As a parent, if I am supposed to believe my child wants to do something in life to the point where I will let them take time away from other important responsibilities to do that thing, I’m gonna need to see some evidence of this seriousness. More than words, for sure. Then again, I’m not an artsy person, so this might just be something I’m not wired to understand. As far as the adoption, the author did a good job of covering the placement (see next paragraph), but not the preparation. What happened before Savvy was born? Whose idea was the adoption? What were the terms of the agreement before shit hit the fan? How were Abby’s parents hoping it would have been after Savvy was born?
However, there were things I did really like. I loved that Abby is the crazy risk-taker and Leo is the careful one. I loved how much Abby loved her grandpa. I liked that Mickey and Savannah are both girls, yet being queer was never made into a personality trait of Savvy’s. If being straight isn’t a defining characteristic of hetero literary characters, then not being straight shouldn’t be for queer ones. I was also impressed by the story of Savvy’s adoption placement and the drama thereafter. I remember thinking “there’s no way this can be explained in a believable way.” Turns out I was very wrong: there is a situation where a couple very much in love would understandably give up their baby, and there is also a very understandable reason for the adoptive parents to subsequently cut them out of their lives forever. I like that the author pointed out how cramming activities and tutoring into a kid’s life can actually be counterproductive and cause them to do worse. Kids not only need time to be kids, but that times also makes them smarter, more well-rounded, and most important of all, happier. And last but not least, I liked that Abby actually learned from the mistakes of her parents, mostly because that gives me hope for my kids.
So, anyway, this was a solid read. I enjoyed it fine, but I don’t know how much I’ll remember about it in 6 months. I recommend it to anyone who likes YA as well as friends-to-lover, as long as you don’t expect any sex (there is nothing past kissing).
So, I really wanted to love this book, but I didn’t. I liked it, but I never really felt connected to any of the characters, which made it even harder to believe in their connections to each other. I love YA, but that means I’m pretty picky when it comes to the genre. It’s widely misunderstood and honestly minimized in importance (a lot like romance). So while I’m not saying that every YA story needs to be an award winner, I do expect something to set it apart for me to give it 4+ stars. That being said, this one is very well-written and the plot itself is solid, there just isn’t much I really feel like I could *gush* about. If that makes any sense.
The story is told from Abby’s POV. She and her two friends, Connie and Leo, are doing a genealogy project. Leo is adopted, so he wants to take it a step further and do the whole DNA-test-thingy. Abby is hopelessly in love with him, so she agrees to do it with him. Of course, Leo finds out nothing, while Abby finds out she has a secret older sister. Like, a full sister. Her parents are happily married and she has 3 younger brothers as well, so this is all very shocking. She meets her sister (Savannah) and, as teenagers often do, they ignore all the warning signs and dive head-first into a history of secrets and betrayal. Abby even enrolls in summer camp to spend some covert time with Savvy, which created a fun backdrop in the wilderness. And, of course, since this is YA, there is a love interest for each girl. Savannah is in love with her longtime best friend Mickey, who is the camp cook alongside Leo, who is Abby’s BFF/recent crush. But, as one could probably guess when a plan is put together by teenagers who are trying to go behind their parents’ backs, things take a turn for the worse. Turns out Abby and Savvy are very different people. Additionally, the more the secret surrounding Savvy’s existence unravels, the more the girls discover they are in WAY over their heads.
So, I’ll start with the things I didn’t really love. I did not hate Abby or anything, but I didn’t love her either. She is very insecure and yes, I understand teenagers are like that, but it got old fast when it came to Leo. The non-communication got to be a bit much, because they spent so much time *not* communicating, or Abby spent so much time in her own head, and as a result… I never really understood their dynamic. Also, because I’m an old, I didn’t fully understand- and eventually got tired of- the whole Instagram influencer storyline. I usually think a large part of society is too hard on influencers, which I believe is the result of thinly veiled (sometimes internalized) misogyny (84% of social media influencers are female), but that still doesn’t mean I want to read book that is heavy on the influencing. Plus, Savvy clearly becomes one of those IG-obsessed influencers, yet that is never fully addressed or resolved. And finally, the whole thing where Abby never let anyone see the pictures she took… well, that got old fast. She wanted her parents to take her photography seriously, but yet she wouldn’t show them any of her shots. As a parent, if I am supposed to believe my child wants to do something in life to the point where I will let them take time away from other important responsibilities to do that thing, I’m gonna need to see some evidence of this seriousness. More than words, for sure. Then again, I’m not an artsy person, so this might just be something I’m not wired to understand. As far as the adoption, the author did a good job of covering the placement (see next paragraph), but not the preparation. What happened before Savvy was born? Whose idea was the adoption? What were the terms of the agreement before shit hit the fan? How were Abby’s parents hoping it would have been after Savvy was born?
However, there were things I did really like. I loved that Abby is the crazy risk-taker and Leo is the careful one. I loved how much Abby loved her grandpa. I liked that Mickey and Savannah are both girls, yet being queer was never made into a personality trait of Savvy’s. If being straight isn’t a defining characteristic of hetero literary characters, then not being straight shouldn’t be for queer ones. I was also impressed by the story of Savvy’s adoption placement and the drama thereafter. I remember thinking “there’s no way this can be explained in a believable way.” Turns out I was very wrong: there is a situation where a couple very much in love would understandably give up their baby, and there is also a very understandable reason for the adoptive parents to subsequently cut them out of their lives forever. I like that the author pointed out how cramming activities and tutoring into a kid’s life can actually be counterproductive and cause them to do worse. Kids not only need time to be kids, but that times also makes them smarter, more well-rounded, and most important of all, happier. And last but not least, I liked that Abby actually learned from the mistakes of her parents, mostly because that gives me hope for my kids.
So, anyway, this was a solid read. I enjoyed it fine, but I don’t know how much I’ll remember about it in 6 months. I recommend it to anyone who likes YA as well as friends-to-lover, as long as you don’t expect any sex (there is nothing past kissing).
tbr_withmaya's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
blankeechats's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I love Emma Lord's writing. This was a re-read for me and I enjoyed it so much more than I had before. Justice for Finn is like the only thing I have to say
chantalwiegand's review
5.0
This is such a cute story! I really loved this book and I’m definitely exited for her next book
shellosgang's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
katgoetzzz's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lbarsk's review
4.0
Well that was fun! I love a good summer camp, especially one that takes place on Vashon, and I appreciated the way Savvy and Abby learned about each other and grew because of one another.
But once again there's a problem of tagging (as there was with This Is How We Fly) - the SECOND big romance of the book is queer, but the main one is straight. So??? Argh. (Also like... the Maggie/Pietra friendship honestly felt more... LIKE A RELATIONSHIP? Unclear if that was intentional, because it's written as them also very much loving their husbands and the four parents getting along/being BFFS but uhh, eyes emoji?)
But once again there's a problem of tagging (as there was with This Is How We Fly) - the SECOND big romance of the book is queer, but the main one is straight. So??? Argh. (Also like... the Maggie/Pietra friendship honestly felt more... LIKE A RELATIONSHIP? Unclear if that was intentional, because it's written as them also very much loving their husbands and the four parents getting along/being BFFS but uhh, eyes emoji?)
rnshack's review against another edition
3.0
3 Stars
While I didn’t love this like I did Tweet Cute it was very good and I actually finished it in a day.
Emma Lord has such a way with character chemistry and development. I loved the characters and their friendships and interactions. What I didn’t love was the parents in this story or the way in which the adoption portion was written. I didn’t believe the way the adoption portion of the plot and secondly the way the parents acted and interacted was super strange and struck me as over the top and unbelievable. Who gives a baby to their best friend and believes that’s going to work out? Also, I couldn’t get past Maggie changing her mind and not retaining custody of Savvy. There are laws that protect both the birth mothers and the adoptive parents and most of the time when the birth parents change their mind they retain custody of the child. I don’t know Washington adoption laws but I couldn’t get past that. For this book to be so good that felt like that part of the plot was phoned in a bit. There were so many more believable ways to write that part of the story and once we learned what happened it kind of ruin the book for me a bit.
That being said I love Emma Lord and am excited to see what she releases next.
While I didn’t love this like I did Tweet Cute it was very good and I actually finished it in a day.
Emma Lord has such a way with character chemistry and development. I loved the characters and their friendships and interactions. What I didn’t love was the parents in this story or the way in which the adoption portion was written. I didn’t believe the way the adoption portion of the plot and secondly the way the parents acted and interacted was super strange and struck me as over the top and unbelievable. Who gives a baby to their best friend and believes that’s going to work out? Also, I couldn’t get past Maggie changing her mind and not retaining custody of Savvy. There are laws that protect both the birth mothers and the adoptive parents and most of the time when the birth parents change their mind they retain custody of the child. I don’t know Washington adoption laws but I couldn’t get past that. For this book to be so good that felt like that part of the plot was phoned in a bit. There were so many more believable ways to write that part of the story and once we learned what happened it kind of ruin the book for me a bit.
That being said I love Emma Lord and am excited to see what she releases next.