Scan barcode
rjdenney's review against another edition
the library only gave me a week to read this since it's a inter-library loan
and it's due Monday and I can't recheck out inter-library books. So, I'm stopping it
and buying it online so that I can finish it. I liked it so far so I know I want to own it.
and it's due Monday and I can't recheck out inter-library books. So, I'm stopping it
and buying it online so that I can finish it. I liked it so far so I know I want to own it.
cjyu's review against another edition
4.0
Aww...so cute! Who would've thought it was HIM?!
Definitely a fun chick-lit.
Definitely a fun chick-lit.
duanur's review against another edition
4.0
It was better than I expected! This was my 100th book on goodreads! I took a risk to read this book as my 100th. But it didn't dissapoint me. It was light and fun. But it was not shallow. Heidi is trying to find her place in the world. And I think it is the usual problem with fifteen-year-old-teens. I am, too 15 year old and I am glad I don't have "belonging" problems.
She wants to be like her friends and when a misunderstanding happens she continues lying. She pretends like she has a boyfriend. But it goes out of control when she signs in as her boyfriend on the internet. She talks with her friends as him and i think it is a really hard thing to do. I mean she sends herself e-mails and stuff.
Then she recieves an e-mail from "arealboy". He knows about her "imaginary boyfriend" and he says that he likes her. More-than-like.
Will she find "arealboy"? Will she find where she belongs?
I think the ending was satisfying. I liked it and I'm sure you'll like it too.
She wants to be like her friends and when a misunderstanding happens she continues lying. She pretends like she has a boyfriend. But it goes out of control when she signs in as her boyfriend on the internet. She talks with her friends as him and i think it is a really hard thing to do. I mean she sends herself e-mails and stuff.
Then she recieves an e-mail from "arealboy". He knows about her "imaginary boyfriend" and he says that he likes her. More-than-like.
Will she find "arealboy"? Will she find where she belongs?
I think the ending was satisfying. I liked it and I'm sure you'll like it too.
rainmisoa's review against another edition
4.0
Man, this book was a trip. I spent so long reading it (mostly because life enjoys beating me into a bloody pulp) that I feel I know these characters personally. That I lived with them in this boarding school. That I was about to go squealy fangirl over the yaoi... oh, wait... I did do that... OH WELL! What I'm saying is that I REALLY enjoyed this book. I didn't think that I would considering that this is just not a genre I like. Why in the world would I want to read about high school life/drama? I hated my own, I'm going to read about another's? No, thank you. However, my good friend, Nicole Terazue, read this book and absolutely loved it so I, being one to fully trust in her opinion, went to my library and requested to read it. And, of course, it does not disappoint. I really enjoyed myself reading this book, which is so odd because I hate this genre with a passionate hatred! XD That goes to show you if the author really knows how to write, they can get almost anyone to like their book. Mind you, I still had some problems with it. (You can't expect me to FULLY love a book like this now, can you?) But the problems were very minor and you can easily look over them. It's still a fun, cute, light, fast read and if that's something you like then you should seriously pick this up!
But I'm getting ahead of myself! I still need to talk about this author! Susie Day did an absolutely wonderful job in writing this book. For what it is, it's amazing. The plot is not too complicated or heavy but then again, it's not supposed to be. It's meant to just give you a bit of a break when dealing with your own life by getting involved in the main character's life. I really enjoy Day's writing style. It takes up today's lingo pretty well (but it's British lingo so it could be a bit confusing if you don't know much of English slang). The writing style is simplistic enough to be easy to read but not enough to come across as juvenile. I also liked how the book is formatted. The book includes actual IMs and emails that take place between that characters and I thought that was a nice touch to have in this cute book. There is just one thing about the plot that bothered me, though. I don't like how the reader can figure out who the mysterious "E" is WAY before the characters in the book can. It's set up to be that way on purpose, I know, but it's just dragged out for far too long and it becomes a bit irritating after a while. At least for me it did. After all, no one is that bloody stupid and the fact that Heidi needed to have it shoved in her face after 150 pages of obvious clues... yeah, becomes rather tedious. Other than that, I really have no complaints about the book in general.
Except maybe for a few of the characters. Heidi, main character, is dorky and fun and even a bit charming. I love how she is imaginative enough to create her own boyfriend. That's a trait I highly value seeing as I do it often and I have a friend who does it herself. These are things I love about Heidi. However, when she starts craving actual "boys," she tries whatever she can to get said "boys." Even if they were taken at that moment with one her best friends. I mean, can't you wait until they have broken up or something? In truth, you shouldn't go out with your friends exs to begin with but... that's a touchy subject... I could at least accept this if she wasn't so, "Oh, this is so horrible of me... LET ME DO IT ANYWAY!" Heidi, no matter what you say, you're still a douche if you go for stealing with the boy-toys! *Groans* Plus, she's so bloody stupid! So many things are through right into her face but she needs to be told what's going on in order to finally get it. And even THEN she still DOESN'T get it! DX I just hate when people can take a freaking hint! All in all, she's an okay character. She became tiresome after the whole, "Wait... a boy likes me... I wonder who it is? Is it Drake? Malcolm? Bob? IT MUST BE LUKE!" Bah... what a nuisance. Oh, but she wasn't the only one who got on my nerves! She has this bloody friend called Ludo... and, God, did I wanted to push her out an eighteenth-story! -_-" She was your typical, "Like, ohmigod, I was totally about to have sex with this one guy when, like, I threw up all over him. It was, like, totally gross! Like, EW!!!!!" *Stabs the bimbo* I could not stand her one bit! She drove me mad and the fact that she was boy-crazed just made it that much worse. DX It's a good thing you don't see her too often... though often enough. Another character I had a problem with was Fili. At first, I quite enjoyed her. She is actually pretty cool... that is... until her secret is revealed. I won't say what it is for spoilery reasons but know this: What she did was really fucked up.
But not all the characters were terrible! There were actually characters that are to DIE for. (Okay, maybe not that drastic but they are freaking cute! <3) First I want to talk about is Betsy. She's this kick ass owner of a cafe/shop/whatever-you-want-to-call-it and she's awesome! She gives out great advice that a lot of people (not just the characters) should take into consideration. Plus, she's always calling Heidi out on her crap, which I just adore her for! I really liked her. I also loved this character named Teddy. He is the definition of Super Special Awesome! (Love you, LK~) He has the best sense of humor (really, this entire book does) and he just knows how to be an amazing guy. I would love to get together with him and play video games. Specifically Portal! X3 I would have to say that my favorite character in the entire book was Henry for many reasons. He's sweet, kind, caring, funny, sexy, intelligent, determined, sexy, wonderful, strong, and sexy~ (I like it when things come in threes~ >:3) Also, he reminds me a lot of a certain person that I like to call "Sugar" and I might be a TAD biased towards his character! X3 AND his relationship with Dai is just... *Swoons* ...delicious~ Mmmmmm~ Yaoi~ *Slaps self* Anyway, I should explain something about Dai's character. If you've read my updates, you will see that I started off liking him, then hating him, then liking him again, then hating him again, then liking him again. Basically, I have a love hate relationship with his character. I like him because he can be quite cute and sweet when he wants to be. However, when he started talking about his friend behind her back, I thought that was an ass move. But he gets better and then I'm thinking, "Well, fuck... how am I supposed to hate you now when you're being very sweet with your boyfriend and I'm a yaoi lover at heart?" Bah! It's so confusing. Here's what I think: If he wasn't a gossip, he could be the best yaoi boy ever! Well, next to Henry, of course. But he's a gossip so... make you're own conclusions. I'm getting tired. DX
To sum up: This book is worth the read. It's so light and fluffy that you really just have fun when reading this book. I am so glad I listened to Nicole and picked this up because I was quite pleased with the results. You might like it, too! You just never know. I know this is just what I needed to get me through a rough time. I feel so much better and happy now that I finished this book. And, hey! I got a new yaoi pairing from it as well! Whoo! A productive day! So, readers, go out and check this book if you are looking for something with a light plot and a fun atmosphere. Besides, this is comedy people! Don't you want to laugh? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, that's all I have to say about this book. I'll be returning shortly with another. Hopefully, it will be as fun as this one was! ^_^
But I'm getting ahead of myself! I still need to talk about this author! Susie Day did an absolutely wonderful job in writing this book. For what it is, it's amazing. The plot is not too complicated or heavy but then again, it's not supposed to be. It's meant to just give you a bit of a break when dealing with your own life by getting involved in the main character's life. I really enjoy Day's writing style. It takes up today's lingo pretty well (but it's British lingo so it could be a bit confusing if you don't know much of English slang). The writing style is simplistic enough to be easy to read but not enough to come across as juvenile. I also liked how the book is formatted. The book includes actual IMs and emails that take place between that characters and I thought that was a nice touch to have in this cute book. There is just one thing about the plot that bothered me, though. I don't like how the reader can figure out who the mysterious "E" is WAY before the characters in the book can. It's set up to be that way on purpose, I know, but it's just dragged out for far too long and it becomes a bit irritating after a while. At least for me it did. After all, no one is that bloody stupid and the fact that Heidi needed to have it shoved in her face after 150 pages of obvious clues... yeah, becomes rather tedious. Other than that, I really have no complaints about the book in general.
Except maybe for a few of the characters. Heidi, main character, is dorky and fun and even a bit charming. I love how she is imaginative enough to create her own boyfriend. That's a trait I highly value seeing as I do it often and I have a friend who does it herself. These are things I love about Heidi. However, when she starts craving actual "boys," she tries whatever she can to get said "boys." Even if they were taken at that moment with one her best friends. I mean, can't you wait until they have broken up or something? In truth, you shouldn't go out with your friends exs to begin with but... that's a touchy subject... I could at least accept this if she wasn't so, "Oh, this is so horrible of me... LET ME DO IT ANYWAY!" Heidi, no matter what you say, you're still a douche if you go for stealing with the boy-toys! *Groans* Plus, she's so bloody stupid! So many things are through right into her face but she needs to be told what's going on in order to finally get it. And even THEN she still DOESN'T get it! DX I just hate when people can take a freaking hint! All in all, she's an okay character. She became tiresome after the whole, "Wait... a boy likes me... I wonder who it is? Is it Drake? Malcolm? Bob? IT MUST BE LUKE!" Bah... what a nuisance. Oh, but she wasn't the only one who got on my nerves! She has this bloody friend called Ludo... and, God, did I wanted to push her out an eighteenth-story! -_-" She was your typical, "Like, ohmigod, I was totally about to have sex with this one guy when, like, I threw up all over him. It was, like, totally gross! Like, EW!!!!!" *Stabs the bimbo* I could not stand her one bit! She drove me mad and the fact that she was boy-crazed just made it that much worse. DX It's a good thing you don't see her too often... though often enough. Another character I had a problem with was Fili. At first, I quite enjoyed her. She is actually pretty cool... that is... until her secret is revealed. I won't say what it is for spoilery reasons but know this: What she did was really fucked up.
But not all the characters were terrible! There were actually characters that are to DIE for. (Okay, maybe not that drastic but they are freaking cute! <3) First I want to talk about is Betsy. She's this kick ass owner of a cafe/shop/whatever-you-want-to-call-it and she's awesome! She gives out great advice that a lot of people (not just the characters) should take into consideration. Plus, she's always calling Heidi out on her crap, which I just adore her for! I really liked her. I also loved this character named Teddy. He is the definition of Super Special Awesome! (Love you, LK~) He has the best sense of humor (really, this entire book does) and he just knows how to be an amazing guy. I would love to get together with him and play video games. Specifically Portal! X3 I would have to say that my favorite character in the entire book was Henry for many reasons. He's sweet, kind, caring, funny, sexy, intelligent, determined, sexy, wonderful, strong, and sexy~ (I like it when things come in threes~ >:3) Also, he reminds me a lot of a certain person that I like to call "Sugar" and I might be a TAD biased towards his character! X3 AND his relationship with Dai is just... *Swoons* ...delicious~ Mmmmmm~ Yaoi~ *Slaps self* Anyway, I should explain something about Dai's character. If you've read my updates, you will see that I started off liking him, then hating him, then liking him again, then hating him again, then liking him again. Basically, I have a love hate relationship with his character. I like him because he can be quite cute and sweet when he wants to be. However, when he started talking about his friend behind her back, I thought that was an ass move. But he gets better and then I'm thinking, "Well, fuck... how am I supposed to hate you now when you're being very sweet with your boyfriend and I'm a yaoi lover at heart?" Bah! It's so confusing. Here's what I think: If he wasn't a gossip, he could be the best yaoi boy ever! Well, next to Henry, of course. But he's a gossip so... make you're own conclusions. I'm getting tired. DX
To sum up: This book is worth the read. It's so light and fluffy that you really just have fun when reading this book. I am so glad I listened to Nicole and picked this up because I was quite pleased with the results. You might like it, too! You just never know. I know this is just what I needed to get me through a rough time. I feel so much better and happy now that I finished this book. And, hey! I got a new yaoi pairing from it as well! Whoo! A productive day! So, readers, go out and check this book if you are looking for something with a light plot and a fun atmosphere. Besides, this is comedy people! Don't you want to laugh? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, that's all I have to say about this book. I'll be returning shortly with another. Hopefully, it will be as fun as this one was! ^_^
ntembeast's review against another edition
5.0
I knew I was going to be entertained by this book, just from the name and the summary I read on the inside cover. But what I didn't expect was how much I ended up enjoying this book! Mind you, it has all the stereotypical settings: high school, everyone getting hooked up and ruining the "best friend gang~!" feeling of the years before, and then our main female lead trying to fit in as best she can to try to save that group of friendship she had with her buddies. Then again, I guess that's exactly why this book ended up being so atypical compared to today's standard for books! Our main girl isn't fawning for five BILLION pages over some random ass that likes her because. Just because. Because that's how books do it now! Reason? Logic? What anal foreign concepts are those in these hip new times where brains are removed to aid children through their pathetic attempts at LIFE? *Ahem* Pardon me, I forget. Most of the crowd IS brainless to the point of lacking the ability to even comprehend a sentence's complexity beyond, "I LOVE YOU." "OMG ME TOO! YAY! LET ME STALK YOU AND WHINE AND BITCH IF I DON'T GET ANYTHING I WANT EVEN THOUGH I DO NOTHING WORTHWHILE TO EVEN VALIDATE MY USE OF OXYGEN!"
Yeah. Books like that: Not. This. Book.
And THANK the LORD it isn't! No my dears, this book is high school and drama like it SHOULD be! With actual ISSUES and anxieties that any normal human being would feel! God, it's a relief to read something that can classify as a teen-drama without it being about sluts, skanks, wusses and whores, whiny useless twits and their flippin' lack-of-a-frontal-lobe cancer. Stupidity, you have officially qualified in the Disease category.
My Invisible Boyfriend is unusual in some manners. Some might peg it as pathetic that a girl would imagine up her own boyfriend like our main character Heidi did, but is that so far from any girl's fancies? Excuse me: ANYONE'S fancies?! Come on! How many of us HAVEN'T had a dream/ideal of what our significant other was supposed to be like? And who's to say in this technological age that many don't still pull what she did? Get online, create a profile, and pretend to be your own boyfriend so your friends and the entire school doesn't think you're the only one without a boyfriend when everyone else has hooked up. Makes perfect sense. And the humor and playful imaginative cut-scenes between the actual daily life (thanks to our creative Heidi) make things nutty without coming off as over-the-top or too stupid to entertain.
In fact, the entire book has a great sense of humor! You'll get used to it fairly quickly after a couple of chapters. It's a read truly written for the teenage years, using the lingo, the references (Ahem: Portal, Project Runway, and so many more~), and all the issues that anyone would go through. Nicknames, fanciful fantasizing, crushes on people that don't exist, a part-time job, parents being weird--this book has all the essential elements. And! It's at a boarding school!! How cool is that?! <333 There are grounds and a lake~ But to get back on track, this book is so much more dorky and playful, more fun and cuter than even the title and summary can hint at. Once you pick it up, it's a really great ride. It flows smoothly, even with all the odd elements placed into it: IM message bubbles, email messages, italics to depict a scene Heidi's imagining up in her head, and so much more! Yet at the same time, it has serious sides to it too. Sides that pop up and hit you unexpectedly, sides that give you this cold feeling of fear; sides that leave you feeling like it's all hopeless and that there's no way things will get better with it all falling apart around you. It's drama that's worthwhile, playful, and has the depth of any true friendships. The kind that suffer through their ups and downs in the demand of the populace, and can be wrenched intensely because of assumptions carried far, far away~
But now let's talk a bit about the characters! First awesome part: None of them are annoying dumbasses! 8D HOORAY!!! A TEEN DRAMA IN HIGH SCHOOL WITHOUT THE DUMB! Thank the Blessed Lord!!!! <3333 These things still DO exist in this world!!! It's a MIRACLE!! *Dances and sings~!* The main character is more dork than dumbass. And she's also entertaining without being so much of a dork that no one likes her or she blatantly doesn't fit in. In fact, we avoid the whole "not fitting in" thing almost completely besides the entire aspect of it that starts the book off: her being the only one of her friends that isn't in a relationship currently, which ends up alienating her from almost all her buddies. Even with that though, her only fault is that she can be a bit blind because she's constantly trying to figure things out, so she sometimes misses stuff that's right in front of her nose. Then again her friends don't help her much at times either, because they're too excited to think straight themselves. *Chuckles* It makes for a definite comedy act at some points, and an eye roll or two with a passive shake of the head. Still nothing bad turns up character-wise to completely DESTROY THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE like in most stories gone bad today because of Dumbasses taking over the entire scene.
Plus. The friends are varied, of every different clique and personality, and it makes for a chaotically pleasant mish-mosh of people that we get to see helping our main girl detective around. Not to mention, for my anime fangirls: Yaoi~! <3 Yes, and it IS cuter than puppydogs snuggling in a fuzzy blanket together. Besides, we see some of that cuteness in one of our other great, if side, characters as well! TEDDY~! <333 God I love that boy! I know he's only scattered throughout the book every chunk of pages or so, but he is ADORABLE inCARNATE. XD Sleepy, messy, cuteness all in a package!! With artistic talent to boot, a super sense of humor, and--did I mention cuteness?--A BRAIN! YAY! So much of that has been lacking in most books today! Finally we get cute AND intelligent all in one~! *CHEERS!!*
Readers, it's definitely an entertaining and fun read: light without being pointless! It's an enjoyable book that appeals to people who like the high school drama and romance scene (with a bit of a dorky detective aspect adding some mystery~), but that's definitely not too much of one or the other to be restricted to people who like only that. You can definitely still find amusement value in this book without needing to be a fan of the high school, the drama, the mystery, the dorky, etc parts. So give it a shot! If it doesn't feel like your cup of tea after a few chapters in, then that's all good. It may not appeal to all audiences, especially if you like genres that are typically not this one. But it still remains a really good book to read for fun and for pleasure: and isn't that what half of reading is all about? <3
I do feel I need to say one more thing however, and it involves explaining my rating a bit. This book deserves the five stars I gave it. That's why I gave them after all. However, would I say I loved and adored and freaked out about the book as much as I did about say, Lord of the Rings? No. My personal taste does not classify this book as "Amazing." However! What qualifies this book for the five stars is that it was written flawlessly, flows well, has great plot and unfolds seamlessly, and the characters hold their own. No one part of the book drops below a certain standard, which makes the book, for its genre and as a piece of literary work itself, worthy of the five stars I gave it. That above all is the reason I gave it what I felt it deserved, even if my own personal tastes are not called to a book like this above others.
So, yet again, go try it out! After all, some of the "best" authors of today don't even get right what this book can accomplish. ;3
Yeah. Books like that: Not. This. Book.
And THANK the LORD it isn't! No my dears, this book is high school and drama like it SHOULD be! With actual ISSUES and anxieties that any normal human being would feel! God, it's a relief to read something that can classify as a teen-drama without it being about sluts, skanks, wusses and whores, whiny useless twits and their flippin' lack-of-a-frontal-lobe cancer. Stupidity, you have officially qualified in the Disease category.
My Invisible Boyfriend is unusual in some manners. Some might peg it as pathetic that a girl would imagine up her own boyfriend like our main character Heidi did, but is that so far from any girl's fancies? Excuse me: ANYONE'S fancies?! Come on! How many of us HAVEN'T had a dream/ideal of what our significant other was supposed to be like? And who's to say in this technological age that many don't still pull what she did? Get online, create a profile, and pretend to be your own boyfriend so your friends and the entire school doesn't think you're the only one without a boyfriend when everyone else has hooked up. Makes perfect sense. And the humor and playful imaginative cut-scenes between the actual daily life (thanks to our creative Heidi) make things nutty without coming off as over-the-top or too stupid to entertain.
In fact, the entire book has a great sense of humor! You'll get used to it fairly quickly after a couple of chapters. It's a read truly written for the teenage years, using the lingo, the references (Ahem: Portal, Project Runway, and so many more~), and all the issues that anyone would go through. Nicknames, fanciful fantasizing, crushes on people that don't exist, a part-time job, parents being weird--this book has all the essential elements. And! It's at a boarding school!! How cool is that?! <333 There are grounds and a lake~ But to get back on track, this book is so much more dorky and playful, more fun and cuter than even the title and summary can hint at. Once you pick it up, it's a really great ride. It flows smoothly, even with all the odd elements placed into it: IM message bubbles, email messages, italics to depict a scene Heidi's imagining up in her head, and so much more! Yet at the same time, it has serious sides to it too. Sides that pop up and hit you unexpectedly, sides that give you this cold feeling of fear; sides that leave you feeling like it's all hopeless and that there's no way things will get better with it all falling apart around you. It's drama that's worthwhile, playful, and has the depth of any true friendships. The kind that suffer through their ups and downs in the demand of the populace, and can be wrenched intensely because of assumptions carried far, far away~
But now let's talk a bit about the characters! First awesome part: None of them are annoying dumbasses! 8D HOORAY!!! A TEEN DRAMA IN HIGH SCHOOL WITHOUT THE DUMB! Thank the Blessed Lord!!!! <3333 These things still DO exist in this world!!! It's a MIRACLE!! *Dances and sings~!* The main character is more dork than dumbass. And she's also entertaining without being so much of a dork that no one likes her or she blatantly doesn't fit in. In fact, we avoid the whole "not fitting in" thing almost completely besides the entire aspect of it that starts the book off: her being the only one of her friends that isn't in a relationship currently, which ends up alienating her from almost all her buddies. Even with that though, her only fault is that she can be a bit blind because she's constantly trying to figure things out, so she sometimes misses stuff that's right in front of her nose. Then again her friends don't help her much at times either, because they're too excited to think straight themselves. *Chuckles* It makes for a definite comedy act at some points, and an eye roll or two with a passive shake of the head. Still nothing bad turns up character-wise to completely DESTROY THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE like in most stories gone bad today because of Dumbasses taking over the entire scene.
Plus. The friends are varied, of every different clique and personality, and it makes for a chaotically pleasant mish-mosh of people that we get to see helping our main girl detective around. Not to mention, for my anime fangirls: Yaoi~! <3 Yes, and it IS cuter than puppydogs snuggling in a fuzzy blanket together. Besides, we see some of that cuteness in one of our other great, if side, characters as well! TEDDY~! <333 God I love that boy! I know he's only scattered throughout the book every chunk of pages or so, but he is ADORABLE inCARNATE. XD Sleepy, messy, cuteness all in a package!! With artistic talent to boot, a super sense of humor, and--did I mention cuteness?--A BRAIN! YAY! So much of that has been lacking in most books today! Finally we get cute AND intelligent all in one~! *CHEERS!!*
Readers, it's definitely an entertaining and fun read: light without being pointless! It's an enjoyable book that appeals to people who like the high school drama and romance scene (with a bit of a dorky detective aspect adding some mystery~), but that's definitely not too much of one or the other to be restricted to people who like only that. You can definitely still find amusement value in this book without needing to be a fan of the high school, the drama, the mystery, the dorky, etc parts. So give it a shot! If it doesn't feel like your cup of tea after a few chapters in, then that's all good. It may not appeal to all audiences, especially if you like genres that are typically not this one. But it still remains a really good book to read for fun and for pleasure: and isn't that what half of reading is all about? <3
I do feel I need to say one more thing however, and it involves explaining my rating a bit. This book deserves the five stars I gave it. That's why I gave them after all. However, would I say I loved and adored and freaked out about the book as much as I did about say, Lord of the Rings? No. My personal taste does not classify this book as "Amazing." However! What qualifies this book for the five stars is that it was written flawlessly, flows well, has great plot and unfolds seamlessly, and the characters hold their own. No one part of the book drops below a certain standard, which makes the book, for its genre and as a piece of literary work itself, worthy of the five stars I gave it. That above all is the reason I gave it what I felt it deserved, even if my own personal tastes are not called to a book like this above others.
So, yet again, go try it out! After all, some of the "best" authors of today don't even get right what this book can accomplish. ;3
jennifervu's review against another edition
2.0
I REALLY wanted to like it but the book was a wreck. Not organized at all and I kept wondering, Mothership? Dad Man? REALLY?!?!
Also, it was really confusing and I found the gingerbread thing incredibly stupid.
This book had POTENTIAL!!!! :(
Also, it was really confusing and I found the gingerbread thing incredibly stupid.
This book had POTENTIAL!!!! :(
missprint_'s review
2.0
After a whole summer away from her friends, Heidi is thrilled for the start of the term and the chance to be one of the gang again.
But before she can say "frog girl" Fili has found the only other Goth at the Finch, Ludo is snogging a guy with piercings and peroxide blonde hair. Big Dai isn't even big anymore. After a summer of intensive training he's downright svelte. And dating Henry Kim.
Heidi is exactly the same except for her awesome, slightly dodgy looking, new trench coat. It's kind of quirky and it looks exactly like something Mycroft Christie* would wear on Mycroft Christie Investigates while running about with the dashing Jori Song.
Heidi is fifteen. She isn't very dashing. She didn't have an exciting, transformative summer. She spent the summer working at The Little Leaf with her crazy boss while admiring her boss' beautiful son Teddy from afar. Heidi is very single.
When Ludo assumes Heidi's coat is from a boyfriend instead of the rubbish bin things start spinning out of control. Before Heidi can say OHM EYE GOD the assumption has become a rumor which has run off and become fact.**
Which leaves Heidi two options: Fess up and admit she's the same, boring Heidi and say goodbye to her friends. Or she can make a boyfriend who is conveniently far away and solve all her problems.
Well, honestly, what would you do?
It's not like a whole imaginary person can create that many problems. That is, until he does in My Invisible Boyfriend (2010) by Susie Day.
My Invisible Boyfriend is a comedy of errors in the truest sense of the phrase, which is actually appropriate since one of the big plot elements is Heidi's involvement in a school production of Twelfth Night: The Musical (set in the 1980s). Over the course of the story Heidi's made up boyfriend learns secrets, solves problems, and starts talking back to Heidi.
This is a funny book that moves really fast. Heidi is almost as adorable as the dashing Mycroft Christie she talks with in her head throughout the story. The other characters, sadly, are less compelling as they verge into one dimension with their EMPHATIC (and capitalized) talking or seemingly random jealousies.
Day blends a lot of fun elements together in a recipe for humor if not for the most well-developed plot. The fun premise suffers in the last quarter of the novel as Heidi almost literally flails trying to find out who knows her secret (and has started emailing her as "a real boy") in all the wrong places. The plot is very true to traditional Shakespearean comedies but sadly lacking the voice of a wise fool to balance all the crazy and add a touch more depth to the characters.
My Invisible Boyfriend has a lot going for it but ultimately not much to set it apart. I loved Heidi except for painful denseness with the "real boy" in question, the writing is snappy (until the last quarter), and the peripheral characters are diverse and well chosen but not especially well developed. And ultimately that's a whole lot of caveats for one short book.
*Mycroft is a made up character on a made up show (that I sooooooooo wish was real, even with the Horrible Beard and awful dead wife). As far as I can tell he is a cross between The Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Sherlock from the new 21st Century remake. (Am I showing my geek cards by mentioning this?) Mycroft might have been my favorite character in this whole zany story.
**This sounds totally improbable as a premise except . . . it actually happened to me once. I have this boxy jacket that used to be fitted. But then I lost some weight and it was too big. And one day a woman at work saw me with it on and asked if it was my boyfriend's. Being an idiot, I said yes before I understood the question. Of course I didn't even have a boyfriend at the time. Not even a made up one.
Possible Pairings: Will by Maria Boyd, Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe, Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson, Alice McLeod, Realist at Last by Susan Juby, Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, Dr. Who (television series), Sherlock (television series), Torchwood (television series)
But before she can say "frog girl" Fili has found the only other Goth at the Finch, Ludo is snogging a guy with piercings and peroxide blonde hair. Big Dai isn't even big anymore. After a summer of intensive training he's downright svelte. And dating Henry Kim.
Heidi is exactly the same except for her awesome, slightly dodgy looking, new trench coat. It's kind of quirky and it looks exactly like something Mycroft Christie* would wear on Mycroft Christie Investigates while running about with the dashing Jori Song.
Heidi is fifteen. She isn't very dashing. She didn't have an exciting, transformative summer. She spent the summer working at The Little Leaf with her crazy boss while admiring her boss' beautiful son Teddy from afar. Heidi is very single.
When Ludo assumes Heidi's coat is from a boyfriend instead of the rubbish bin things start spinning out of control. Before Heidi can say OHM EYE GOD the assumption has become a rumor which has run off and become fact.**
Which leaves Heidi two options: Fess up and admit she's the same, boring Heidi and say goodbye to her friends. Or she can make a boyfriend who is conveniently far away and solve all her problems.
Well, honestly, what would you do?
It's not like a whole imaginary person can create that many problems. That is, until he does in My Invisible Boyfriend (2010) by Susie Day.
My Invisible Boyfriend is a comedy of errors in the truest sense of the phrase, which is actually appropriate since one of the big plot elements is Heidi's involvement in a school production of Twelfth Night: The Musical (set in the 1980s). Over the course of the story Heidi's made up boyfriend learns secrets, solves problems, and starts talking back to Heidi.
This is a funny book that moves really fast. Heidi is almost as adorable as the dashing Mycroft Christie she talks with in her head throughout the story. The other characters, sadly, are less compelling as they verge into one dimension with their EMPHATIC (and capitalized) talking or seemingly random jealousies.
Day blends a lot of fun elements together in a recipe for humor if not for the most well-developed plot. The fun premise suffers in the last quarter of the novel as Heidi almost literally flails trying to find out who knows her secret (and has started emailing her as "a real boy") in all the wrong places. The plot is very true to traditional Shakespearean comedies but sadly lacking the voice of a wise fool to balance all the crazy and add a touch more depth to the characters.
My Invisible Boyfriend has a lot going for it but ultimately not much to set it apart. I loved Heidi except for painful denseness with the "real boy" in question, the writing is snappy (until the last quarter), and the peripheral characters are diverse and well chosen but not especially well developed. And ultimately that's a whole lot of caveats for one short book.
*Mycroft is a made up character on a made up show (that I sooooooooo wish was real, even with the Horrible Beard and awful dead wife). As far as I can tell he is a cross between The Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Sherlock from the new 21st Century remake. (Am I showing my geek cards by mentioning this?) Mycroft might have been my favorite character in this whole zany story.
**This sounds totally improbable as a premise except . . . it actually happened to me once. I have this boxy jacket that used to be fitted. But then I lost some weight and it was too big. And one day a woman at work saw me with it on and asked if it was my boyfriend's. Being an idiot, I said yes before I understood the question. Of course I didn't even have a boyfriend at the time. Not even a made up one.
Possible Pairings: Will by Maria Boyd, Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe, Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson, Alice McLeod, Realist at Last by Susan Juby, Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, Dr. Who (television series), Sherlock (television series), Torchwood (television series)
jlpxoxo's review
3.0
I think I don’t like modern Brit fiction.
It’s hard to get passed the lingo in the first place. It is even harder if the story isn’t all that interesting.
The premise was promising and seemed to be something I’d like, but then it just fell a little too flat. I didn’t care all that much for Heidi’s annoying, gossipy, back stabbing friends and sometimes the writing structure confused me to the point that I no longer cared.
Meh.
It’s hard to get passed the lingo in the first place. It is even harder if the story isn’t all that interesting.
The premise was promising and seemed to be something I’d like, but then it just fell a little too flat. I didn’t care all that much for Heidi’s annoying, gossipy, back stabbing friends and sometimes the writing structure confused me to the point that I no longer cared.
Meh.
rray_'s review
2.0
My Invisible Boyfriend is the second book by Susie Day, an author I have honestly never heard of until this book popped up on my Goodreads rec'd list. She has written a handful of YA/young children's novels so far.
Plot: Heidi feels a little jealous and left-out of the snogging scene so she invents a new boyfriend based off of/inspired by a fictional detective TV show (with some healthy homages to Sherlock Holmes and the Agatha Christie books) and fakes him through convincing online interaction. As her friends go through their own relationship drama, she tries her best to use her fake boyfriend persona to solve them. Cue typical finding YA true love tropes.
I'm struggling to find much to say about this book because frankly I gave up about halfway through. I simply found it too boring to maintain my interest enough to not move on to something else. Perhaps later when I feel I have more time that absolutely needs to be killed. I understand Day's intent on trying to keep the syntax authentic to the characters and age, but in more than a few parts it feels like an annoying distraction. Beyond that, the plotting and writing feels too boring, mundane and pat to justify finishing the book for now. One of the major issues that prevented me from finishing this book was because I kept falling asleep in the middle of it - yes, I'm being completely serious. David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle, Rainbow Rowell, really you name it - a very large number of "big name" YA authors have tackled the seemingly very mundane, very average and everyday teenage love plot/relationship misunderstanding plot that on the face of it seems too boring to justify being retold to hundreds of thousands if not millions (if not in long form, then at least in short story) and each and every one of them have turned it into a very entertaining and unique literary experience where the reader feels as if they've grown with the characters (I guess that's why they get paid the "big bucks.") David Levithan in particular, I feel, would've turned the plot and characters into another NYT Best Seller listee or at least would've made the gay characters in this book much more memorable.
Primarily for teen girls, also suitable for 7th or 8th graders. Male readers may more than likely be very put off by the genre, pacing and plot. Girls who love the British "snogging genre" may give this book consideration, though it reads more like the million American books out there about very basic and light middle school relationships. Parents who find such subject matter objectionable should know that there are references to "sex," although I personally didn't find anything objectionable or inappropriate for children as young as the 6th grade.
Positives:
-
Negatives:
- Unless light juvenile romances really do hold your attention, there is very little in here that will keep you reading.
Other similar works by the author:
- From what I've been able to tell, this is the sole genre the author has written in so far, so pretty much anything (including the awkwardly titled "serafina67 *urgently requires life*"[sic] since retitled "Big Whoo").
Similar works by other authors:
- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (if you found the gay character Big Dai the most interesting one of all)
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (has elements of this book's plot with frankly more entertaining elements and twists)
- Geektastic, a short story anthology by various (includes works by David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle and other YA science fiction/fantasy/ "nerdy" authors, many of which deal with similar plots and relationship hang-ups in shorter, more tolerable doses)
- Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee (includes actual mystery/cryptocipher elements, better plotting and romance, characters closer to the age of the actual expected readership)
- Never Mind! A Twin Novel by Rachel Vail and Avi (similar misunderstanding-based plot, faster pace and writing, suitable for even younger readers)
Totally Joe by James Howe (homosexual relationships and anti-gay bullying, targeted at and suitable for younger readers, for parents who wish to expose their young children to homosexual and bullying issues in a positive and relatable manner)
UPDATE: Yeah I finally read it all and...still the same.
Plot: Heidi feels a little jealous and left-out of the snogging scene so she invents a new boyfriend based off of/inspired by a fictional detective TV show (with some healthy homages to Sherlock Holmes and the Agatha Christie books) and fakes him through convincing online interaction. As her friends go through their own relationship drama, she tries her best to use her fake boyfriend persona to solve them. Cue typical finding YA true love tropes.
I'm struggling to find much to say about this book because frankly I gave up about halfway through. I simply found it too boring to maintain my interest enough to not move on to something else. Perhaps later when I feel I have more time that absolutely needs to be killed. I understand Day's intent on trying to keep the syntax authentic to the characters and age, but in more than a few parts it feels like an annoying distraction. Beyond that, the plotting and writing feels too boring, mundane and pat to justify finishing the book for now. One of the major issues that prevented me from finishing this book was because I kept falling asleep in the middle of it - yes, I'm being completely serious. David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle, Rainbow Rowell, really you name it - a very large number of "big name" YA authors have tackled the seemingly very mundane, very average and everyday teenage love plot/relationship misunderstanding plot that on the face of it seems too boring to justify being retold to hundreds of thousands if not millions (if not in long form, then at least in short story) and each and every one of them have turned it into a very entertaining and unique literary experience where the reader feels as if they've grown with the characters (I guess that's why they get paid the "big bucks.") David Levithan in particular, I feel, would've turned the plot and characters into another NYT Best Seller listee or at least would've made the gay characters in this book much more memorable.
Primarily for teen girls, also suitable for 7th or 8th graders. Male readers may more than likely be very put off by the genre, pacing and plot. Girls who love the British "snogging genre" may give this book consideration, though it reads more like the million American books out there about very basic and light middle school relationships. Parents who find such subject matter objectionable should know that there are references to "sex," although I personally didn't find anything objectionable or inappropriate for children as young as the 6th grade.
Positives:
-
Negatives:
- Unless light juvenile romances really do hold your attention, there is very little in here that will keep you reading.
Other similar works by the author:
- From what I've been able to tell, this is the sole genre the author has written in so far, so pretty much anything (including the awkwardly titled "serafina67 *urgently requires life*"[sic] since retitled "Big Whoo").
Similar works by other authors:
- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (if you found the gay character Big Dai the most interesting one of all)
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (has elements of this book's plot with frankly more entertaining elements and twists)
- Geektastic, a short story anthology by various (includes works by David Levithan, John Green, Lauren Myracle and other YA science fiction/fantasy/ "nerdy" authors, many of which deal with similar plots and relationship hang-ups in shorter, more tolerable doses)
- Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee (includes actual mystery/cryptocipher elements, better plotting and romance, characters closer to the age of the actual expected readership)
- Never Mind! A Twin Novel by Rachel Vail and Avi (similar misunderstanding-based plot, faster pace and writing, suitable for even younger readers)
Totally Joe by James Howe (homosexual relationships and anti-gay bullying, targeted at and suitable for younger readers, for parents who wish to expose their young children to homosexual and bullying issues in a positive and relatable manner)
UPDATE: Yeah I finally read it all and...still the same.