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tessakris's review
5.0
I really like the concept of this book, it was so cool! I got to learn some art history while enjoying intriguing imagery. But, I don't think the book cover does the story justice
weweresotired's review
3.0
See more reviews at The Best Books Ever!
This book was exactly what I needed at the time: mostly light-hearted, cute, romancey fluff. I had read a bunch of fairly heavy/dark books in a row, and I knew the next one I had scheduled to read for a review was fairly heavy as well, so I needed something short and cute and fluffy for a quick change of pace. Trust me, deliberately searching out fluff is not something I do often, but I really felt like I needed it.
This story takes a pinch of magical realism, a dash of mythology, and a whole heaping of art appreciation to tell the story of Julien, who thinks he's going crazy when he notices that paintings are all starting to come to life, which no one else can see. He quickly learns that everything he's seeing is real, and things get more complicated when he finds himself falling in love with a beautiful girl in one of the paintings. Not to mention the fact that the simple quirks of the paintings coming alive starts to turn sinister as the paintings start to deteriorate in mysterious ways.
As Julien begins to get closer to Clio, the girl in the painting, he also begins to understand the real reason why he can see the living paintings and no one else can. Julien is a bit of a melodramatic romantic at heart, so of course he falls head over heels in love with her almost instantaneously. Clio is a bit of an enigma, for reasons which become clearer as the story goes on. I enjoyed all of the other famous paintings that are worked in throughout the book, especially when they come to life for Julien and Clio, and the backstory involving Renoir and other painters of that era was interesting without sounding too textbook-y. The cast of supporting characters are all interesting, although some could have stood to be fleshed out more. But I would definitely read an entire book about Bonheur and Sophie, two of Julien's friends who help him understand why he can interact with paintings.
This book is a collection of things that shouldn't work for me: cutesy, twee romance; teenagers who don't talk like teenagers; completely missing parents; instalove. But I can't get too up in arms about it this time around. I went looking for cute fluff and I found it -- if I had been reading it expecting anything else, maybe I would have been disappointed, but I went into it knowing exactly what I was getting, and I was okay with that.
I did want to mention a few drawbacks that did stick with me. Even though the book was about French teenagers, nothing about it felt particularly "French" to me. Now, that sounds arbitrary, and I have absolutely zero idea what French teenagers sound like, but until Julien mentioned little tidbits like that he had always lived in Paris and that he was bored in English class because he was already fluent, I honestly thought he was an American living abroad. (That probably shows a larger problem in the US-centric way in which I/lots of people read books, but still.)
There also just seemed to be something a little missing in really making the location "pop" to make me feel immersed in Paris. I don't know if the book would feel any different to someone who had never been to Paris before, but for me, I didn't feel transported back to one of my favorite cities in the world, which is what I'd hoped for.
Overall, though, I thought this was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed this book for what it was. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a little fantasy and a lot of romance. Aside from some scenes of making out, this is a clean/appropriate read.
This book was exactly what I needed at the time: mostly light-hearted, cute, romancey fluff. I had read a bunch of fairly heavy/dark books in a row, and I knew the next one I had scheduled to read for a review was fairly heavy as well, so I needed something short and cute and fluffy for a quick change of pace. Trust me, deliberately searching out fluff is not something I do often, but I really felt like I needed it.
This story takes a pinch of magical realism, a dash of mythology, and a whole heaping of art appreciation to tell the story of Julien, who thinks he's going crazy when he notices that paintings are all starting to come to life, which no one else can see. He quickly learns that everything he's seeing is real, and things get more complicated when he finds himself falling in love with a beautiful girl in one of the paintings. Not to mention the fact that the simple quirks of the paintings coming alive starts to turn sinister as the paintings start to deteriorate in mysterious ways.
As Julien begins to get closer to Clio, the girl in the painting, he also begins to understand the real reason why he can see the living paintings and no one else can. Julien is a bit of a melodramatic romantic at heart, so of course he falls head over heels in love with her almost instantaneously. Clio is a bit of an enigma, for reasons which become clearer as the story goes on. I enjoyed all of the other famous paintings that are worked in throughout the book, especially when they come to life for Julien and Clio, and the backstory involving Renoir and other painters of that era was interesting without sounding too textbook-y. The cast of supporting characters are all interesting, although some could have stood to be fleshed out more. But I would definitely read an entire book about Bonheur and Sophie, two of Julien's friends who help him understand why he can interact with paintings.
This book is a collection of things that shouldn't work for me: cutesy, twee romance; teenagers who don't talk like teenagers; completely missing parents; instalove. But I can't get too up in arms about it this time around. I went looking for cute fluff and I found it -- if I had been reading it expecting anything else, maybe I would have been disappointed, but I went into it knowing exactly what I was getting, and I was okay with that.
I did want to mention a few drawbacks that did stick with me. Even though the book was about French teenagers, nothing about it felt particularly "French" to me. Now, that sounds arbitrary, and I have absolutely zero idea what French teenagers sound like, but until Julien mentioned little tidbits like that he had always lived in Paris and that he was bored in English class because he was already fluent, I honestly thought he was an American living abroad. (That probably shows a larger problem in the US-centric way in which I/lots of people read books, but still.)
There also just seemed to be something a little missing in really making the location "pop" to make me feel immersed in Paris. I don't know if the book would feel any different to someone who had never been to Paris before, but for me, I didn't feel transported back to one of my favorite cities in the world, which is what I'd hoped for.
Overall, though, I thought this was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed this book for what it was. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a little fantasy and a lot of romance. Aside from some scenes of making out, this is a clean/appropriate read.
beths0103's review
2.0
I had high hopes for this one since I love books set in faraway cities like Paris, but it just didn't work for me. Here's why:
1) The Parisian setting fell flat. When I read a book about Paris, I want to feel like I'm there. But I didn't feel the magic of the city. I didn't even feel the magic of the Louvre and Orsay museums, which is where most of the story takes place.
2) Clio and Julien's relationship. I didn't get it. There was no spark. In fact, I'd like to be so bold as to say I felt more between Julien and Emilie than Julien and Clio.
3) The whole art coming to life thing. I was buying it in the beginning, but then it just got weird and confusing once the Renoir curse and Muses came into it.
1) The Parisian setting fell flat. When I read a book about Paris, I want to feel like I'm there. But I didn't feel the magic of the city. I didn't even feel the magic of the Louvre and Orsay museums, which is where most of the story takes place.
2) Clio and Julien's relationship. I didn't get it. There was no spark. In fact, I'd like to be so bold as to say I felt more between Julien and Emilie than Julien and Clio.
3) The whole art coming to life thing. I was buying it in the beginning, but then it just got weird and confusing once the Renoir curse and Muses came into it.
kaitrosereads's review
3.0
Starry Nights, Daisy Whitney's first non-contemporary book, kind of let me down. I was expecting the amazing writing, setting, and story from Daisy Whitney's previous books and I just didn't get that. I enjoyed Starry Nights but it's not something I'd ever read again.
Starry Nights starts off slow and doesn't really pick up. There's not a lot of action or suspense and I found myself enjoying reading it but never really wondering where it would go or speeding through it to see what would happen. There's magic and curses and fun stuff like that but I never felt a sense of urgency regarding any of it.
Another thing that was odd to me was the writing. It was a lot less fluid than the writing in Daisy Whitney's other books. Also, Julien just didn't seem as authentic as Daisy Whitney's other characters. She definitely got the male voice right but he was a little too romantic for any teenage boy I know. Maybe that's just because I don't know any French teenagers. Sometimes he just seemed a little fake to me.
There were some good things about Starry Nights though. I've never been all that into art but I felt like I learned a lot and it actually made me really interested in it. There was also some really fabulous history thrown into the story which really intrigued me since I'm such a history buff. I know that won't appeal to everyone but to me, it was probably the best thing about the book.
I also really enjoyed the setting. Anything set in Paris is fabulous and Daisy Whitney definitely didn't write about the typical parts of Paris. She showed readers a very different side to the city and I really enjoyed that. Paris came alive in Starry Nights.
Overall, if you're looking for something quick to read on a rainy day, give this one a shot. It won't be for everyone but it is a pretty fun read.
Starry Nights starts off slow and doesn't really pick up. There's not a lot of action or suspense and I found myself enjoying reading it but never really wondering where it would go or speeding through it to see what would happen. There's magic and curses and fun stuff like that but I never felt a sense of urgency regarding any of it.
Another thing that was odd to me was the writing. It was a lot less fluid than the writing in Daisy Whitney's other books. Also, Julien just didn't seem as authentic as Daisy Whitney's other characters. She definitely got the male voice right but he was a little too romantic for any teenage boy I know. Maybe that's just because I don't know any French teenagers. Sometimes he just seemed a little fake to me.
There were some good things about Starry Nights though. I've never been all that into art but I felt like I learned a lot and it actually made me really interested in it. There was also some really fabulous history thrown into the story which really intrigued me since I'm such a history buff. I know that won't appeal to everyone but to me, it was probably the best thing about the book.
I also really enjoyed the setting. Anything set in Paris is fabulous and Daisy Whitney definitely didn't write about the typical parts of Paris. She showed readers a very different side to the city and I really enjoyed that. Paris came alive in Starry Nights.
Overall, if you're looking for something quick to read on a rainy day, give this one a shot. It won't be for everyone but it is a pretty fun read.
froydis's review
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for early access to this title.
3 1/2 stars - A very interesting premise! I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the art, and how it comes to life. However, the characters seemed a bit shallow to me, and not as fully drawn as in Whitney's other books. The mystery elements are a bit simplistic as well. Its a fun romp through the art world, and will make you want to look up the paintings.
3 1/2 stars - A very interesting premise! I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the art, and how it comes to life. However, the characters seemed a bit shallow to me, and not as fully drawn as in Whitney's other books. The mystery elements are a bit simplistic as well. Its a fun romp through the art world, and will make you want to look up the paintings.
missprint_'s review
3.0
Julien Garnier is a skilled draftsman even if his own works always lack that creative spark found in great art. But that's usually okay. Working as a tour guide in the museum his mother runs means that Julien is never far away from the inspiration and beauty found in the works of Van Gogh, Monet and other old talents--especially other Impressionists.
When a peach falls out of a painting and Olympia's cat wanders the museum, Julien thinks he must be dreaming. Then Degas' dancers jete across the museum floor and Julien realizes that, impossible as it seems, what he is seeing is very, very real.
When a lost Renoir arrives at the museum, Julien can't help but fall in love with the girl it depicts. He falls even harder when she walks out of the painting and introduces herself.
But Clio isn't like the other art. Instead of a mere depiction, Clio is a real girl trapped inside the painting by a strange and powerful curse.
As Julien learns more about Clio and how he might be able to free her, other strange things begin affecting are throughout the museum. As the paintings twist and change, Julien and Clio must race to find a way to break the curse--even if it might tear them apart in Starry Nights (2013) by Daisy Whitney.
With its beautiful cover and intriguing premise, who wouldn't be excited about Starry Nights? The book itself is physically beautiful with full color endpapers featuring some of the paintings mentioned in the story. The initial summary is also extremely appealing to any art enthusiast.
Although this book is adorably romantic with a decidedly French feeling conveyed in the setting, it never quite realizes its potential. Instead of becoming a resonant or memorable story, Starry Nights falls short in key moments where the characters and the events themselves could have gone further. Part of the problem here is definitely too much happening in too short a book.
Starry Nights is only 288 pages (hardcover) and Whitney packs a lot into those pages. The realms of believability (even in a story where art comes to life) are tested and stretched repeatedly as new dimensions are added to the story and the premise reshapes itself around this new information.
While the settings and the initial premise were delightful the story became mired in less enjoyable details including, sadly, a romantic pairing that was never quite as convincing as it needed to be for such a patently romantic book. Starry Nights will be a joy for art fans and readers looking for a superficially satisfying romance with some offbeat twists. Readers looking for a richer story or characters with more depth may have to look elsewhere.
Possible Pairings: Heist Society by Ally Carter, Graffitti Moon by Cath Crowley, The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick, Bunheads by Sophie Flack, Temping Fate by Esther Friesner, Darker Still by Leanna Renne Hieber, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Confessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
*This book was acquired for review from the publisher at BEA 2013*
When a peach falls out of a painting and Olympia's cat wanders the museum, Julien thinks he must be dreaming. Then Degas' dancers jete across the museum floor and Julien realizes that, impossible as it seems, what he is seeing is very, very real.
When a lost Renoir arrives at the museum, Julien can't help but fall in love with the girl it depicts. He falls even harder when she walks out of the painting and introduces herself.
But Clio isn't like the other art. Instead of a mere depiction, Clio is a real girl trapped inside the painting by a strange and powerful curse.
As Julien learns more about Clio and how he might be able to free her, other strange things begin affecting are throughout the museum. As the paintings twist and change, Julien and Clio must race to find a way to break the curse--even if it might tear them apart in Starry Nights (2013) by Daisy Whitney.
With its beautiful cover and intriguing premise, who wouldn't be excited about Starry Nights? The book itself is physically beautiful with full color endpapers featuring some of the paintings mentioned in the story. The initial summary is also extremely appealing to any art enthusiast.
Although this book is adorably romantic with a decidedly French feeling conveyed in the setting, it never quite realizes its potential. Instead of becoming a resonant or memorable story, Starry Nights falls short in key moments where the characters and the events themselves could have gone further. Part of the problem here is definitely too much happening in too short a book.
Starry Nights is only 288 pages (hardcover) and Whitney packs a lot into those pages. The realms of believability (even in a story where art comes to life) are tested and stretched repeatedly as new dimensions are added to the story and the premise reshapes itself around this new information.
While the settings and the initial premise were delightful the story became mired in less enjoyable details including, sadly, a romantic pairing that was never quite as convincing as it needed to be for such a patently romantic book. Starry Nights will be a joy for art fans and readers looking for a superficially satisfying romance with some offbeat twists. Readers looking for a richer story or characters with more depth may have to look elsewhere.
Possible Pairings: Heist Society by Ally Carter, Graffitti Moon by Cath Crowley, The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick, Bunheads by Sophie Flack, Temping Fate by Esther Friesner, Darker Still by Leanna Renne Hieber, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Confessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
*This book was acquired for review from the publisher at BEA 2013*
merlin_reads's review
2.0
Sadly, this book just didn't do it for me. I ended up with way too many questions after the fact and everything was just very unsatisfying which makes me sad because that cover is beautiful and it sounded like such an interesting premise.
Maybe it's my fault. I was expecting magical paintings wrapped in mystery, surprise, wonderment, but I didn't really get any of that. When the paintings started to come to life, so one questioned it. The MC just acted like it was normal so then how was I supposed to think this was anything magical? Then when the mysterious girl in the painting comes to life, it's instalove to the max and I just didn't buy it. It was almost as if it were half a story and the author expected us to fill in the blanks.
The best part of this book was the locale. Paris. The city of love. I did love reading about the cafes and the museums and just the way of life in Paris. But sadly, that was really all I enjoyed and the locale is not enough to carry a book. You can tell by the writing that the author loves the arts and knows much about the history of painters but most of that love came across convoluted and jumbled.
I just wanted more magic and I wanted it to be more romantic. And I just didn't get that.
Maybe it's my fault. I was expecting magical paintings wrapped in mystery, surprise, wonderment, but I didn't really get any of that. When the paintings started to come to life, so one questioned it. The MC just acted like it was normal so then how was I supposed to think this was anything magical? Then when the mysterious girl in the painting comes to life, it's instalove to the max and I just didn't buy it. It was almost as if it were half a story and the author expected us to fill in the blanks.
The best part of this book was the locale. Paris. The city of love. I did love reading about the cafes and the museums and just the way of life in Paris. But sadly, that was really all I enjoyed and the locale is not enough to carry a book. You can tell by the writing that the author loves the arts and knows much about the history of painters but most of that love came across convoluted and jumbled.
I just wanted more magic and I wanted it to be more romantic. And I just didn't get that.
cmdc325's review
4.0
*Goodreads Giveaway Book*
This book started off kind of slow. I didn't think that I was going to like it. But it was pretty good. I like that it was based on art because I like it. The characters are described really well. To be honest is was mildly attracted to the main character Julien, but of course he is fictional. I would recommend this to anyone who like romance and art stories.
This book started off kind of slow. I didn't think that I was going to like it. But it was pretty good. I like that it was based on art because I like it. The characters are described really well. To be honest is was mildly attracted to the main character Julien, but of course he is fictional. I would recommend this to anyone who like romance and art stories.
siobhan27's review
3.0
Starry Nights was a book that I was extremely excited to read for many reasons. One is was by Daisey Whitney, two has to do with art, and three it was set in Paris, which is by far my favorite place in the world. I went into this book with an open mind, and I will admit that i was disappointed.
I feel like my biggest issue in this book was the characters. Julien, our narrator was very one dimensional. We meet him when he has just been dumped by an American Girl and is now trying to move on. The we meet a whole slew of characters that appear and disappear just as fast as they appeared. I think there was just too much going on for me to follow the story properly. And once the secret of Julien being able to see the paintings come to life happened, I think that was it for me. It was just too much in one book.
Although I thought that seeing painting come to life was a turning point for me in this story, I did really enjoy the history the author put behind them. I really enjoyed getting a history of art while reading this story and honestly you would think it would be info dump after info dump but it wasn't. I felt completely at ease while reading about the stories behind some of histories most prized paintings. And I thought that the author did a very good job of incorporating said history into the story.
Another aspect I loved in this book was the mystery aspect that arrived near the end of the book. it was a great distraction from the rest of the story and I honestly wish it was more prominent in the story itself. Once that aspect of the story started i found myself flipping pages like it was no ones business. I wanted to know what happened at the end. And although the end was a bit cliche, it worked. And it was very sweet.
Overall, Starry Nights was a cute and easy read that will make anyone who loves art happy. The characters, although at times one dimensional, developed this story into a great mystery.
I feel like my biggest issue in this book was the characters. Julien, our narrator was very one dimensional. We meet him when he has just been dumped by an American Girl and is now trying to move on. The we meet a whole slew of characters that appear and disappear just as fast as they appeared. I think there was just too much going on for me to follow the story properly. And once the secret of Julien being able to see the paintings come to life happened, I think that was it for me. It was just too much in one book.
Although I thought that seeing painting come to life was a turning point for me in this story, I did really enjoy the history the author put behind them. I really enjoyed getting a history of art while reading this story and honestly you would think it would be info dump after info dump but it wasn't. I felt completely at ease while reading about the stories behind some of histories most prized paintings. And I thought that the author did a very good job of incorporating said history into the story.
Another aspect I loved in this book was the mystery aspect that arrived near the end of the book. it was a great distraction from the rest of the story and I honestly wish it was more prominent in the story itself. Once that aspect of the story started i found myself flipping pages like it was no ones business. I wanted to know what happened at the end. And although the end was a bit cliche, it worked. And it was very sweet.
Overall, Starry Nights was a cute and easy read that will make anyone who loves art happy. The characters, although at times one dimensional, developed this story into a great mystery.