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littlelady_28's review against another edition
3.0
This novel follows students and their parents during the students senior year of high school as they are going through the college application process. I found this book hard to relate to, so I think that took some of the enjoyment out of it. The characters in this book live in a very affluent neighborhood, so money is not really a factor in their decision, its about getting into the absolute best school. That type of obsession just wasn't an issue with my friends or me. Still it was interesting and the characters were mostly likable (except for AP Harry, the guy so obsessed with Harvard he makes spreadsheets outlining which schools his friends got accepted into in order to gauge his own chances for a Harvard acceptance). So not a bad book, but not worthy of Harvard either. I give it a C-.
600bars's review against another edition
3.0
i got this book for 25 cents at a library clearout sale. i always wondered why it was withdrawn. i decided to read it now after having it for years and years in light of the recent admissions scandal. one of the storylines about an admissions officer proves that the scandal isn't all that shocking given the legal bribery and inequal admissions that occur due to legacy, donations, building a new library wing, etc. it was interesting to read this as a recent grad and take me back to that time in my life. i cannot imagine attending a high school like this. my high school never had a day where kids wear their future school t shirts, because that would have been super awkward in a school where prob half the graduating class goes to college and most college goers go to local schools. the suburbs seem kinda surreal. i could not handle that sort of pressure. it's strange to think about how big of a decision it is to decide where to go, because this choice you make at 17 ends up bringing you to the people who you will know your kids (and possibly find the person you're going to make those kids with). but i guess it really isn't. if i went to any of the other schools i am sure i would still have found good friends and meet a love of my life and live an averagely similar life. oberlin got one shout out. the restructuring of the fictional yates school storyline also reminded me of oberlin's current death spiral. i liked this book overall, it served well as my pre-bedtime book.
jabberwocky489's review against another edition
4.0
Just remembered about this book I read as a preteen/teenager. Would have been useful to keep in perspective as I went through the college admissions process and then through college.
rachelisblue's review against another edition
1.0
The only reasons I kept on reading this novel about getting into college were (a) I had nothing else to read on the subway and (b) Brandeis got a passing mention. Represent!
andrea_h111's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You need to experience the things that happen in this book in order to truly appreciate it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Car accident
lainecid's review against another edition
4.0
If you attended any sort of competitive high school, this one's for you. CHHS, anyone?
crankylibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I kept feeling this book should be funnier than it was, although there are some priceless moments; notably the stranded Harvard prospective students in the blacked out bookstore who fear that screaming for help might negatively affect their chances of admission. I connected only with Grace, low-key,down to earth mother of the insufferable AP Harry; and Taylor, the blue haired, self-abusing misfit. Everyone else evoked either a yawn or a sneer.
There is a quite decent film adaptation with the same title; less manic than the Tina Fey/Paul Rudd Admission which covers similar ground but generally avoids the student point of view. Although Joan Cusack is wasted as a tasteless caricature of Taylor's mother, the young actors playing the teens give honest heartfelt performances; even AP Harry was somewhat (somewhat) redeemed.
There is a quite decent film adaptation with the same title; less manic than the Tina Fey/Paul Rudd Admission which covers similar ground but generally avoids the student point of view. Although Joan Cusack is wasted as a tasteless caricature of Taylor's mother, the young actors playing the teens give honest heartfelt performances; even AP Harry was somewhat (somewhat) redeemed.
emily_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book gave great insight into the college application process and the competition of high schoolers. As a sophomore in high school, it was enlightening and kind of scary to think that I would be doing this in two years. I enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it!
gglazer's review against another edition
3.0
Quick and fun to read, but it lacked the sharp wit of Rockville Pike, Coll's previous book, which I absolutely loved. That book skewered -- compassionately, somehow -- the elite Montgomery County families she was writing about; Acceptance's jabs just glance off her subjects somehow. It did make me insanely glad I'm not applying to colleges now, though (which means Coll got something really, really right in there).
etwmreads's review
1.0
I didn't really enjoy this book. My grandparents gave it to me as a birthday present the year I applied to college, as a lighthearted segue into the college application process. I guess I expected this book to be funnier than it actually was--I understand that it's supposed to be satire, but the truth is it kind of wasn't. I felt like the characters, especially AP Harry, were not nearly as exaggerated as the author probably thought. I could see a glimpse of myself, and of many of my peers, in AP Harry. It was rather unsettling. While I wasn't nearly as obsessed with college as Harry, I do know people who were. And grades, classes, and GPA continue to be an obsessive focus of the students at my university. Harry's actions did not seem far-fetched, and neither did Maya's. In addition to the eerie feeling of an obvious satire feeling like real life, I found the writing to be flat and many of the characters to be flat as well. The only one I found mildly entertaining was Taylor, with her creepy, weird quirks. All in all, I thought Acceptance missed the mark.