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nenolove's review
5.0
So good! :DD Wish Avi was real because he sounds so cute in the book! The second book is amazing so far and can't wait to finish!!
christiana's review
4.0
I love stories about Jewish people. I just do. Especially Jewish teen girls.
4saradouglas's review
3.0
This was a pretty average YA book. The main character got on my nerves by being too bitchy, and most of the supporting characters weren't developed at all. The girl had a sort of revelation and it was definitely a coming of age story, but it was all way too predictable.
yuliyono's review
4.0
Romantis dan relijius
Judul: How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (How to Ruin #1)
Pengarang: Simone Elkeles
Editor: Andrew Karre
Penerbit: -
Tebal: 234 hlm (ebook)
Terjemahan: --belum tersedia--
Summary:
Aku, Amy Nelson, harus terjebak pada pengaturan orangtuaku, Nelson dan Ron Barak. Oh, harus kutegaskan, orangtuaku nggak pernah menikah. Mereka hanyalah pasangan one-night stand yang akhirnya membuatku lahir ke dunia ini. Oh, kau menyebutku anak haram? Nggak masalah, aku sudah tahu jauh sebelum kau bilang begitu. Yang menjadi masalah sekarang adalah Mom yang memaksaku ikut perjalanan ayah biologisku ke tanah kelahirannya. Kau mau menebak di mana tanah kelahiran ayahku ---eh, ayah biologis, maksudku? Inggris? Iran? Irlandia? Atau Irak? Hmm, semua pilihan salah. Yang benar adalah...Israel. Oh, kau mengernyit begitu. Kau tak salah dengar. Aku memang dipaksa untuk ikut ayah bilogisku ke ISRAEL. Negeri kecil kontroversial yang selalu diberitakan terus berperang. Coba, apa lagi yang bisa mengacaukan liburan musim panasmu selain berlibur ke negara yang sewaktu-waktu bisa terjadi pengeboman?
Simone Elkeles kukenal secara maya ketika novelnya, Perfect Chemistry, ramai dibicarakan teman-teman Goodreads Indonesia beberapa waktu belakangan. Kebetulan novel itu baru saja diterjemahkan oleh salah satu member aktif GRI yang juga telah menerjemahkan Iron King. Aku suka terjemahannya. Aku berencana membaca Perfect Chemistry yang versi terjemahannya saja.
Nah, sebagai persiapan aku mencoba membaca seri How to Ruin karya Simone ini. Dan, ya ampun, rasa-rasanya sudah lama sekali aku nggak bisa ngikik sebegini gelinya membaca sebuah cerita romansa remaja (teen lit a.k.a. young adult). Karakternya sungguh bikin gemas. Amy, bukan sosok gadis manis nan feminin super girly yang too good to be true. Dia adalah sosok emosional, drama queen sejati, selalu mengeluh soal ukuran buah dadanya yang luar biasa besar, manja, dan terkadang super bossy. Tapi, ya, memang begitulah gambaran seorang gadis popular kebanyakan, kan? Amy termasuk salah seorang gadis popular di sekolahnya.
Dan, Simone secara meyakinkan mampu membuatku percaya bahwa Amy bukanlah batu yang selamanya akan terus mengeras. Dia bisa berubah. Simone memberikan petualangan penuh liku yang rasional untuk mengubah kepribadian seorang Amy. Perjalanannya ke Israel yang awalnya terpaksa justru membukakan pintu hatinya atas sesuatu yang selama ini hilang dari dirinya. Di Israel ia tidak hanya menemukan sosok Avi, cowok yang membuat hatinya meleleh, namun juga memberinya pengalaman relijius akan agama leluhurnya.
Alurnya berjalan penuh kejutan. Memang sih, aku sudah bisa menduga bakal ada letupan asmara di antara Amy dan Avi, namun yang masih membuatku surprise adalah remah-remah konflik yang disajikan oleh Simone. Tentang sejarah dan budaya Yahudi, tentang keindahan alam Israel, tentang keluarga ayah biologisnya, sampai dengan kisah tentang persahabatan yang dibumbui rivalitas khas remaja. Sungguh, aku ikut gelisah menantikan bagaimana perjalanan musim panas Amy akan diakhiri. Oh yeah, aku tahu ini adalah serial, jadi kesan to be continued di akhir halamannya pun tak membuatku resah. Justru memotivasiku untuk segera membaca kelanjutannya. Adiktif banget, pokoknya.
Selamat membaca, kawan!
Judul: How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (How to Ruin #1)
Pengarang: Simone Elkeles
Editor: Andrew Karre
Penerbit: -
Tebal: 234 hlm (ebook)
Terjemahan: --belum tersedia--
Summary:
Aku, Amy Nelson, harus terjebak pada pengaturan orangtuaku, Nelson dan Ron Barak. Oh, harus kutegaskan, orangtuaku nggak pernah menikah. Mereka hanyalah pasangan one-night stand yang akhirnya membuatku lahir ke dunia ini. Oh, kau menyebutku anak haram? Nggak masalah, aku sudah tahu jauh sebelum kau bilang begitu. Yang menjadi masalah sekarang adalah Mom yang memaksaku ikut perjalanan ayah biologisku ke tanah kelahirannya. Kau mau menebak di mana tanah kelahiran ayahku ---eh, ayah biologis, maksudku? Inggris? Iran? Irlandia? Atau Irak? Hmm, semua pilihan salah. Yang benar adalah...Israel. Oh, kau mengernyit begitu. Kau tak salah dengar. Aku memang dipaksa untuk ikut ayah bilogisku ke ISRAEL. Negeri kecil kontroversial yang selalu diberitakan terus berperang. Coba, apa lagi yang bisa mengacaukan liburan musim panasmu selain berlibur ke negara yang sewaktu-waktu bisa terjadi pengeboman?
Simone Elkeles kukenal secara maya ketika novelnya, Perfect Chemistry, ramai dibicarakan teman-teman Goodreads Indonesia beberapa waktu belakangan. Kebetulan novel itu baru saja diterjemahkan oleh salah satu member aktif GRI yang juga telah menerjemahkan Iron King. Aku suka terjemahannya. Aku berencana membaca Perfect Chemistry yang versi terjemahannya saja.
Nah, sebagai persiapan aku mencoba membaca seri How to Ruin karya Simone ini. Dan, ya ampun, rasa-rasanya sudah lama sekali aku nggak bisa ngikik sebegini gelinya membaca sebuah cerita romansa remaja (teen lit a.k.a. young adult). Karakternya sungguh bikin gemas. Amy, bukan sosok gadis manis nan feminin super girly yang too good to be true. Dia adalah sosok emosional, drama queen sejati, selalu mengeluh soal ukuran buah dadanya yang luar biasa besar, manja, dan terkadang super bossy. Tapi, ya, memang begitulah gambaran seorang gadis popular kebanyakan, kan? Amy termasuk salah seorang gadis popular di sekolahnya.
Dan, Simone secara meyakinkan mampu membuatku percaya bahwa Amy bukanlah batu yang selamanya akan terus mengeras. Dia bisa berubah. Simone memberikan petualangan penuh liku yang rasional untuk mengubah kepribadian seorang Amy. Perjalanannya ke Israel yang awalnya terpaksa justru membukakan pintu hatinya atas sesuatu yang selama ini hilang dari dirinya. Di Israel ia tidak hanya menemukan sosok Avi, cowok yang membuat hatinya meleleh, namun juga memberinya pengalaman relijius akan agama leluhurnya.
Alurnya berjalan penuh kejutan. Memang sih, aku sudah bisa menduga bakal ada letupan asmara di antara Amy dan Avi, namun yang masih membuatku surprise adalah remah-remah konflik yang disajikan oleh Simone. Tentang sejarah dan budaya Yahudi, tentang keindahan alam Israel, tentang keluarga ayah biologisnya, sampai dengan kisah tentang persahabatan yang dibumbui rivalitas khas remaja. Sungguh, aku ikut gelisah menantikan bagaimana perjalanan musim panas Amy akan diakhiri. Oh yeah, aku tahu ini adalah serial, jadi kesan to be continued di akhir halamannya pun tak membuatku resah. Justru memotivasiku untuk segera membaca kelanjutannya. Adiktif banget, pokoknya.
Selamat membaca, kawan!
ameserole's review
3.0
I must be in the summer-ish mood since I wanted to read this book.
I was also kind of excited because I wanted to know how this character was going to ruin a vacation. I have personally ruined tons of vacations (not necessarily all in the summer) due to being sick. Name any family vacation - I've been sick. Like the plague kind of sickness that basically ruins all of the fun for my family. IT'S NOT MY FAULT MOM AND DAD.
They probably got my sick in the first place. Pftt .. adults.
Now reading this book, I didn't really like the MC. So I probably wont read the second book... yet. Amy was so god damn annoying. She was bitchy, beyond moody, and completely selfish. AND OH MY GOD ALL OF THE DAMN WHINING SHE DID.
Back to my vacations, when I was sick I didn't whine once. Nope, because my parents would give me a god damn shot of Nyquil. A SHOT PEOPLE. I was passed out in like 2 seconds (long enough to get my ass in bed).
Other than Amy being in the book, I really enjoyed it. I've never been to Israeli and I thought learning the culture was nice. I just wish I got a different MC that's all.
I was also kind of excited because I wanted to know how this character was going to ruin a vacation. I have personally ruined tons of vacations (not necessarily all in the summer) due to being sick. Name any family vacation - I've been sick. Like the plague kind of sickness that basically ruins all of the fun for my family. IT'S NOT MY FAULT MOM AND DAD.
They probably got my sick in the first place. Pftt .. adults.
Now reading this book, I didn't really like the MC. So I probably wont read the second book... yet. Amy was so god damn annoying. She was bitchy, beyond moody, and completely selfish. AND OH MY GOD ALL OF THE DAMN WHINING SHE DID.
Back to my vacations, when I was sick I didn't whine once. Nope, because my parents would give me a god damn shot of Nyquil. A SHOT PEOPLE. I was passed out in like 2 seconds (long enough to get my ass in bed).
Other than Amy being in the book, I really enjoyed it. I've never been to Israeli and I thought learning the culture was nice. I just wish I got a different MC that's all.
heidenkind's review
Had to return it to the library. The end. You can definitely tell it's Elkeles' first book-not that it's bad, just not as good as her latest.
nbwalks's review
5.0
LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!!
It wasn't perfect and it doesn't necessarily have an action plot which is what I usually enjoy, but it was good nonetheless.
I wasn't so sure if I was going to like the protagonist since she just seemed...spoiled? I don't know how to describe her but I didn't think I would like her. Turns out, I LOVED her. She is so snarky and tells it how it is. I connected with her and it's probably because I'm as blunt as she is. She's an insecure girl who is lost and confused because she felt that her father didn't want her. I love her attitude!! I don't know what that says about me but I do. :)
I basically loved all of the characters in this book. They all had their own unique personalities so there was a lot of diversity. There were also a few Jewish lessons? I guess you can say, which made me learn new things but that wasn't the focus of the story. That was a part of how Amy started to grow up.
My only complaint is that I wish the "suspense" part of the story lasted longer. I think it only lasted for a page or two so I didn't feel the emotion that the scene should've called for. It feels like a missed opportunity.
It wasn't perfect and it doesn't necessarily have an action plot which is what I usually enjoy, but it was good nonetheless.
I wasn't so sure if I was going to like the protagonist since she just seemed...spoiled? I don't know how to describe her but I didn't think I would like her. Turns out, I LOVED her. She is so snarky and tells it how it is. I connected with her and it's probably because I'm as blunt as she is. She's an insecure girl who is lost and confused because she felt that her father didn't want her. I love her attitude!! I don't know what that says about me but I do. :)
I basically loved all of the characters in this book. They all had their own unique personalities so there was a lot of diversity. There were also a few Jewish lessons? I guess you can say, which made me learn new things but that wasn't the focus of the story. That was a part of how Amy started to grow up.
My only complaint is that I wish the "suspense" part of the story
Spoiler
The bombing in Tel Avivjen286's review
2.0
Okay I really could not stand Amy. She is a horribly spoiled little brat who I just did not like at all. I liked Avi, but man to put up with her? I mean she is in another country staying with relatives she never met and then will not help out with anything for a long time? Really? Because she is worried what they will think if she does and she is bad at it? What about what they think of you being a spoiled little brat? Oh I hated her! She does start to come around by the end but man. I cannot imagine being so selfish and rude to everyone.
bookgirl4ever's review
2.0
There were individual parts of this book that I really liked (laughed out loud even), but when combined the story as a whole didn't really flow.
It was interesting to experience a little of everyday life in Israel. The author did her research into life in Israel by actually visiting her family there.
The romance was very predictable. And some of the dialogue/interaction between heroine and love interest had an uncanny resemblance to the interaction between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan (Twilight series)--I like this guy better than EC.
It was interesting to experience a little of everyday life in Israel. The author did her research into life in Israel by actually visiting her family there.
The romance was very predictable. And some of the dialogue/interaction between heroine and love interest had an uncanny resemblance to the interaction between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan (Twilight series)--I like this guy better than EC.
blumenstadtkind's review
3.0
Well, after reading the Paradise and the Perfect Chemistry books by Simone I definitely can say I´m a fan of her writing.
She has this unique and very fun way to tell a story and I really like it.
So, I had to start this series of hers as well. Just out of curiousity and pure excitement and... hmm, I´m not too impressed.
It sure is a fun little read. With a lot of humour and drama and politics. But it just was not as great as her other novels. By far not. :(
I really liked the way Simone describes Israel and the current situations. But I could not help but be totally annoyed by Amy, the main character. She was just plain annoying.
The ending of the book suggest that her attitude turns around. So I´m hopeful for the sequel.
She has this unique and very fun way to tell a story and I really like it.
So, I had to start this series of hers as well. Just out of curiousity and pure excitement and... hmm, I´m not too impressed.
It sure is a fun little read. With a lot of humour and drama and politics. But it just was not as great as her other novels. By far not. :(
I really liked the way Simone describes Israel and the current situations. But I could not help but be totally annoyed by Amy, the main character. She was just plain annoying.
The ending of the book suggest that her attitude turns around. So I´m hopeful for the sequel.