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trin's review against another edition
1.0
Conveniently hated this even before the author was revealed to be a creepy stalker.
caitlinhume's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea what to expect. It was quirky, although sometimes overly so - and the main character can be extraordinarily difficult to sympathize with. Cute, though - and interesting - worth the read, as it goes quickly.
rachd24's review against another edition
I don't usually agree with rating/reviewing a book I haven't read, but in this case I'll make an exception.
I was unlikely to pick this book up anyway due to its association with Book Packaging organisation, Full Fathom Five.
But after reading the article in The Guardian (shame on you, you supposedly "reputable" publication), and researching subsequent stories regarding Hale's previous indiscretions, I can most definitely say that I will not be supporting this author.
Engaging in inappropriate, unprofessional and stalker behaviours by taking the time and effort to stalk and harass an online blogger, who she believed was a "troll", getting a rental car and driving to this person's door and calling them at work, all because they wrote a negative review of your book.
To all other book bloggers - be warned, review Hale's work at your own risk.
I was unlikely to pick this book up anyway due to its association with Book Packaging organisation, Full Fathom Five.
But after reading the article in The Guardian (shame on you, you supposedly "reputable" publication), and researching subsequent stories regarding Hale's previous indiscretions, I can most definitely say that I will not be supporting this author.
Engaging in inappropriate, unprofessional and stalker behaviours by taking the time and effort to stalk and harass an online blogger, who she believed was a "troll", getting a rental car and driving to this person's door and calling them at work, all because they wrote a negative review of your book.
To all other book bloggers - be warned, review Hale's work at your own risk.
akookieforyou's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book before I got on Goodreads and before I knew anything about the author. I picked this up at my library because it sounded really interesting. My review will not be biased by any opinions of the author, this will purely be about the novel itself.
I thought that this story was really entertaining and fun. The characters are all really unique, and have a way of sticking in your mind. The murder/mystery aspect was pretty good in my opinion, I remember being on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I was pretty shocked by the ending. People who read a lot of thrillers probably wouldn't enjoy this quite as much, but this was one of my firsts, so it's pretty good for newer readers of the genre.
I thought that this story was really entertaining and fun. The characters are all really unique, and have a way of sticking in your mind. The murder/mystery aspect was pretty good in my opinion, I remember being on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I was pretty shocked by the ending. People who read a lot of thrillers probably wouldn't enjoy this quite as much, but this was one of my firsts, so it's pretty good for newer readers of the genre.
b0hemian_graham's review against another edition
5.0
I actually like this, even though I have issues with what the author did. It's like Jawbreaker, Fargo, and Drop Dead Gorgeous all got chucked in a blender and this novel was the result. I ended up picturing Martin Freeman as Dom, which probably made things even more hilarious. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I really enjoyed the novel, despite all the DRAMAZ surrounding it.
There's a whole mess of wrong in this novel, but, it is satire and the blackest of black comedy. again, what Hale did was totally wrong and crossed a line. I do think that all the backlash against her is, in some cases, causing more people to pick up the novel. I had noticed the cover and the references to Fargo, but it didn't move up in my to-read list until I saw the shitshow of controversy. I also think more people are rating this novel poorly because of her crazy ass stalker behaviour. I'm beginning to wonder if it was some sort of bad publicity move, because Hale kinda acts like her characters in the novel.
This is definitely a polarizing novel, and not everyone is going to like it. I say that by ignoring the craziness of the author. Even if she hadn't stalked someone who wrote a bad review, a lot of people are still going to be highly offended by many of the things in this novel. That's fair. But, anyone on goodreads who posts a review without reading the novel, be it one star or five, that shit needs to stop. This one has a bunch of one star reviews based on the behavior of the author, whereas the new Rick Riordan novel coming out in October has a shitload of 5-star reviews, which is equally as annoying. I can understand reading and giving up, but OMG this sucks/is amazing without even looking at the novel is kinda dumb. But, that's slightly off topic and I'm probably pissing someone on goodreads off.
There's a whole mess of wrong in this novel, but, it is satire and the blackest of black comedy. again, what Hale did was totally wrong and crossed a line. I do think that all the backlash against her is, in some cases, causing more people to pick up the novel. I had noticed the cover and the references to Fargo, but it didn't move up in my to-read list until I saw the shitshow of controversy. I also think more people are rating this novel poorly because of her crazy ass stalker behaviour. I'm beginning to wonder if it was some sort of bad publicity move, because Hale kinda acts like her characters in the novel.
This is definitely a polarizing novel, and not everyone is going to like it. I say that by ignoring the craziness of the author. Even if she hadn't stalked someone who wrote a bad review, a lot of people are still going to be highly offended by many of the things in this novel. That's fair. But, anyone on goodreads who posts a review without reading the novel, be it one star or five, that shit needs to stop. This one has a bunch of one star reviews based on the behavior of the author, whereas the new Rick Riordan novel coming out in October has a shitload of 5-star reviews, which is equally as annoying. I can understand reading and giving up, but OMG this sucks/is amazing without even looking at the novel is kinda dumb. But, that's slightly off topic and I'm probably pissing someone on goodreads off.
_bookdrag0n's review against another edition
1.0
The writing style was incredibly weak. I knew from the first few pages that getting through this would be a huge obstacle for me. I just can't do it. DNF. maybe i'll attempt it again later, but I doubt it
jimmyjamesnickels's review against another edition
1.0
A minor resolution I made for the New Year was to make an effort to start leaving actual reviews for the books I read. Having not been living under a rock in 2014, I was familiar with the scandal behind this one and thought it was as good as any to start the year off.
What the author did has been covered in depth by people more eloquent and thoughtful than I am. I don't claim to know the immoralities or peccadilloes of every single author, artist or entertainer I am interested in, however I am reluctant to give financial support to people who's behavior is beyond beyond what I consider a standard of decent behavior. Also I don't like proving the adage of "No such thing as bad publicity". Hypocrite that I am though, I was interested in this book and can only justify my actions by saying I borrowed it from the library as opposed to purchasing outright, also that I would have selected this on my own had I not known of the stalking scandal. I fully respect those who are choosing to boycott this author entirely and admit that perhaps my ability to draw lines in the sand needs a little work. However, I am going to make an effort to base my review on the body of work, not on the author's actions. Think of this what you will.
No One Else Can Have You is the story of a murder in a small town. The narrator and protagonist Kippy Bushman is a socially awkward high school girl who's best friend Ruth Fried is found brutally and bizarrely murdered. As the story progresses, more details about Ruth and Kippy's uneven friendship are revealed through Ruth's diary entries, said diary given to Kippy early on by Ruth's grieving mother for the express purpose of Kippy redacting the parts of Ruth's life that were unsavory, dark or (heaven forbid) sexual in an effort to help preserve the dead girl's memory. Unsatisfied with the handling of Ruth's murder by the bumpkin police force, Kippy takes matters into her own hands and tries to find the killer. The further Kippy investigates Ruth's murder and reads into the diary, the more it becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. Dramatic ellipse for emphasis here.
As I read through this book, a particular Southern Nice saying kept going through my head: You aren't pretty enough to be this stupid. Somewhat lacking on the 'nice' part, I suppose, but completely apt in summing up how I feel about this book. I am not exactly sure how to classify this book beyond stating it's a mystery (and even the punch of the who killed Ruth mystery is telegraphed a mile away)...it's not sharp enough to be satire, it's not funny enough to be comedic. Any effort to be a social commentary on those wacky Wisconsinites is pared down to a few inaccurate uses of colorful vernacular, though I will say a small word of thanksgiving for the author not using creative spelling to imply regional accents.
I'm not sure if she's trying to write for a YA audience, of if she's going for a Twin Peaks vibe or if she took deep inspiration from Fargo (belay that last remark. I know she took inspiration from Fargo) but it just comes across as a bland, stilted mess. It is muddled and painfully, painfully self aware.
The author so desperately wants you to think her characters are Quirky! and Interesting! and Off the Wall! so the majority of the book is devoted to establishing such. Much of this comes by way of Kippy remembering when she or someone did something weird once upon a time, because 'show, not tell' doesn't apply here. The individual characters come across as dull tropes, flat as paper dolls glued to popsicle sticks: this man is a Dumb Backwater Police Man, this is a Socially Oblivious Gamer, this is a Mysteriously Damaged Military Guy, this is a Mean Religious Girl. No depth beyond their label, these are boring stock characters.
Also, does it need to be pointed out the character of Kippy is a blatant self insertion of the author? This point driven home when other characters mistakenly refer to Kippy as "Katie", a cringingly obvious play on author Kathleen Hale's name. How embarrassing. The author tries so hard to make her self insert Anti-Mary Sue Kippy come across as unique and strange, quirky as a heroine in a mid 2000s indie flick, and the over arching effect is off putting and boring.
The writing from one page to the next seems blocky, mumbled somehow. I will concede that perhaps she was trying to embrace the awkward adolescent voice and perspective of the character through the use of clunky phrasing, but I think that's giving Hale entirely too much credit.
The regional stereotyping of the area is lazy, inaccurate. It surprises me to hear the author was from the area as aside from a few examples the book reads as if it were written by an outsider trying to get a grasp on the ~local flavor~ after watching Fargo (Set in Minnesota) and a few SNL clips making fun of Sarah Palin (From Alaska). I wonder, just as Kippy is relentless in reassuring us that she is different and unique among her peers, striving to distance herself through contrived and unrealistic personality quirks and situations, I wonder if this book is Hale's effort to distance herself from her roots. She's not one of THOSE backwater hick people from some small town in WI where they oh-so hilariously say 'bubbler'! She's a COOL person *two snaps*. I am reminded of Gone Girl, the author of which was also born in a flyover state, and Amy's many rants against the bland, boringness of the Midwest. Except it is handled with considerably less grace in No One Else Can Have You and oh boy, that's saying something. It borders on satire, but as I state above this book isn't smart enough to pull it off.
For the most part, the book is paced in the manner of a clumsy, socially awkward sixth grader tap dancing at the middle school talent show. The self conscious flow of the writing overwhelms the story, I found myself wishing the author would relax and slow down. There were scattered interesting passages within the book when the author was able to stop with the stiff half hearted jazz hands. There are some things, some sections I did enjoy. For example, Kippy's thoughts in regards to her mother bordered on having an authentic and poignant feel to them. The opening chapter is pretty gripping as well and had potential. Also, I liked the device of Ruth's diary and felt it was underutilized, both in the entries mentioned and on their impact on the character. I just wish the author would have slowed down and told the story, instead of rushing from one twee, unrealistic moment of forced quirkiness after another.
Having grown up within a two hour drive of Friendship, I have a familiarity with small town Wisconsin life. There were little touches that the author got right. For a non spoilery example, in a throwaway remark it's mentioned one character pulls a prank with deer urine. This happened in my high school, reading about it happening to someone else gave me a smile. Apparently using deer musk/pee as a prank is not actually a unique event. I feel the region is worth mentioning because the rural Wisconsin setting is used as a character itself. It's just not used well, in my opinion. The moments of authenticity are well overshadowed by broad strokes of what's basically parody. Lazy regional stereotyping, her use of local vernacular boiled down almost entirely to obsessively repeating the Sarah Palin catch phrase of "Don't you know" as well as one character's near constant use of the the word "bubbler". I admit that I'm being petty, but 'bubbler' got to me. Again, I'm from the area...I can tell you the difference between a water fountain and a bubbler, please believe no one from the area will ever ask --as one character did-- if "You want a Sprecher root beer, or some water from the bubbler.". For one, unless you're getting kick backs for product placement, I don't think the brand of root beer will be mentioned and two, this is like asking if you want water from the water fountain. Like a lot of things in this book, this sort of phrasing exists solely for it's own sake is just annoying.
In conclusion, this book was disappointing. The relentless effort to batter the reader with how off beat and weird the characters are became intolerable as the book wore on, rendering them unlikable and the book nearly unreadable. These are not flawed characters, which I like, but merely annoying ones. I just didn't care about them, their actions or the consequences of what they did. The driving emphasis to establish the quirk factor of the characters came at the sacrifice of the plot, making the story itself secondary and largely unimportant. And the story was, could have been good. All in all, it was unpolished, boring and insulting to a former Wisconsinite. This book is not pretty enough to be this stupid.
What the author did has been covered in depth by people more eloquent and thoughtful than I am. I don't claim to know the immoralities or peccadilloes of every single author, artist or entertainer I am interested in, however I am reluctant to give financial support to people who's behavior is beyond beyond what I consider a standard of decent behavior. Also I don't like proving the adage of "No such thing as bad publicity". Hypocrite that I am though, I was interested in this book and can only justify my actions by saying I borrowed it from the library as opposed to purchasing outright, also that I would have selected this on my own had I not known of the stalking scandal. I fully respect those who are choosing to boycott this author entirely and admit that perhaps my ability to draw lines in the sand needs a little work. However, I am going to make an effort to base my review on the body of work, not on the author's actions. Think of this what you will.
No One Else Can Have You is the story of a murder in a small town. The narrator and protagonist Kippy Bushman is a socially awkward high school girl who's best friend Ruth Fried is found brutally and bizarrely murdered. As the story progresses, more details about Ruth and Kippy's uneven friendship are revealed through Ruth's diary entries, said diary given to Kippy early on by Ruth's grieving mother for the express purpose of Kippy redacting the parts of Ruth's life that were unsavory, dark or (heaven forbid) sexual in an effort to help preserve the dead girl's memory. Unsatisfied with the handling of Ruth's murder by the bumpkin police force, Kippy takes matters into her own hands and tries to find the killer. The further Kippy investigates Ruth's murder and reads into the diary, the more it becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. Dramatic ellipse for emphasis here.
As I read through this book, a particular Southern Nice saying kept going through my head: You aren't pretty enough to be this stupid. Somewhat lacking on the 'nice' part, I suppose, but completely apt in summing up how I feel about this book. I am not exactly sure how to classify this book beyond stating it's a mystery (and even the punch of the who killed Ruth mystery is telegraphed a mile away)...it's not sharp enough to be satire, it's not funny enough to be comedic. Any effort to be a social commentary on those wacky Wisconsinites is pared down to a few inaccurate uses of colorful vernacular, though I will say a small word of thanksgiving for the author not using creative spelling to imply regional accents.
I'm not sure if she's trying to write for a YA audience, of if she's going for a Twin Peaks vibe or if she took deep inspiration from Fargo (belay that last remark. I know she took inspiration from Fargo) but it just comes across as a bland, stilted mess. It is muddled and painfully, painfully self aware.
The author so desperately wants you to think her characters are Quirky! and Interesting! and Off the Wall! so the majority of the book is devoted to establishing such. Much of this comes by way of Kippy remembering when she or someone did something weird once upon a time, because 'show, not tell' doesn't apply here. The individual characters come across as dull tropes, flat as paper dolls glued to popsicle sticks: this man is a Dumb Backwater Police Man, this is a Socially Oblivious Gamer, this is a Mysteriously Damaged Military Guy, this is a Mean Religious Girl. No depth beyond their label, these are boring stock characters.
Also, does it need to be pointed out the character of Kippy is a blatant self insertion of the author? This point driven home when other characters mistakenly refer to Kippy as "Katie", a cringingly obvious play on author Kathleen Hale's name. How embarrassing. The author tries so hard to make her self insert Anti-Mary Sue Kippy come across as unique and strange, quirky as a heroine in a mid 2000s indie flick, and the over arching effect is off putting and boring.
The writing from one page to the next seems blocky, mumbled somehow. I will concede that perhaps she was trying to embrace the awkward adolescent voice and perspective of the character through the use of clunky phrasing, but I think that's giving Hale entirely too much credit.
The regional stereotyping of the area is lazy, inaccurate. It surprises me to hear the author was from the area as aside from a few examples the book reads as if it were written by an outsider trying to get a grasp on the ~local flavor~ after watching Fargo (Set in Minnesota) and a few SNL clips making fun of Sarah Palin (From Alaska). I wonder, just as Kippy is relentless in reassuring us that she is different and unique among her peers, striving to distance herself through contrived and unrealistic personality quirks and situations, I wonder if this book is Hale's effort to distance herself from her roots. She's not one of THOSE backwater hick people from some small town in WI where they oh-so hilariously say 'bubbler'! She's a COOL person *two snaps*. I am reminded of Gone Girl, the author of which was also born in a flyover state, and Amy's many rants against the bland, boringness of the Midwest. Except it is handled with considerably less grace in No One Else Can Have You and oh boy, that's saying something. It borders on satire, but as I state above this book isn't smart enough to pull it off.
For the most part, the book is paced in the manner of a clumsy, socially awkward sixth grader tap dancing at the middle school talent show. The self conscious flow of the writing overwhelms the story, I found myself wishing the author would relax and slow down. There were scattered interesting passages within the book when the author was able to stop with the stiff half hearted jazz hands. There are some things, some sections I did enjoy. For example, Kippy's thoughts in regards to her mother bordered on having an authentic and poignant feel to them. The opening chapter is pretty gripping as well and had potential. Also, I liked the device of Ruth's diary and felt it was underutilized, both in the entries mentioned and on their impact on the character. I just wish the author would have slowed down and told the story, instead of rushing from one twee, unrealistic moment of forced quirkiness after another.
Having grown up within a two hour drive of Friendship, I have a familiarity with small town Wisconsin life. There were little touches that the author got right. For a non spoilery example, in a throwaway remark it's mentioned one character pulls a prank with deer urine. This happened in my high school, reading about it happening to someone else gave me a smile. Apparently using deer musk/pee as a prank is not actually a unique event. I feel the region is worth mentioning because the rural Wisconsin setting is used as a character itself. It's just not used well, in my opinion. The moments of authenticity are well overshadowed by broad strokes of what's basically parody. Lazy regional stereotyping, her use of local vernacular boiled down almost entirely to obsessively repeating the Sarah Palin catch phrase of "Don't you know" as well as one character's near constant use of the the word "bubbler". I admit that I'm being petty, but 'bubbler' got to me. Again, I'm from the area...I can tell you the difference between a water fountain and a bubbler, please believe no one from the area will ever ask --as one character did-- if "You want a Sprecher root beer, or some water from the bubbler.". For one, unless you're getting kick backs for product placement, I don't think the brand of root beer will be mentioned and two, this is like asking if you want water from the water fountain. Like a lot of things in this book, this sort of phrasing exists solely for it's own sake is just annoying.
In conclusion, this book was disappointing. The relentless effort to batter the reader with how off beat and weird the characters are became intolerable as the book wore on, rendering them unlikable and the book nearly unreadable. These are not flawed characters, which I like, but merely annoying ones. I just didn't care about them, their actions or the consequences of what they did. The driving emphasis to establish the quirk factor of the characters came at the sacrifice of the plot, making the story itself secondary and largely unimportant. And the story was, could have been good. All in all, it was unpolished, boring and insulting to a former Wisconsinite. This book is not pretty enough to be this stupid.
christiana's review against another edition
4.0
I'm leaving my rating and review, but I'm also just gonna leave this here: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/18/am-i-being-catfished-an-author-confronts-her-number-one-online-critic
This book is a little bit weird, but weird in a way I was completely into. The accents of Wisconsin are dead on. The characterization is well done, although I did have a bit of a problem with a plot point. I don't know what teen I would give this to, but I am hoping I find a good one so I can share this quirky story with one of them!
This book is a little bit weird, but weird in a way I was completely into. The accents of Wisconsin are dead on. The characterization is well done, although I did have a bit of a problem with a plot point.
Spoiler
I have a hard time believing Dom thinks Kippy is having so much mental disturbance that he sends her to Cloudy Meadows. It just doesn't seem in keeping with the rest of his characterization of respect and empathy with her.timelordmom's review against another edition
3.0
I'm here to rate a book, not an author's personal life.
The book was good. Nothing life altering buy I enjoyed it enough to read the sequel. It'll pass the time. It'll entertain. And the twist was pretty amazing. I didn't see it comimg.
I'd recommend it to friends.
The book was good. Nothing life altering buy I enjoyed it enough to read the sequel. It'll pass the time. It'll entertain. And the twist was pretty amazing. I didn't see it comimg.
I'd recommend it to friends.