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hrstarzec's review against another edition
3.5
I'm somewhat inclined to believe this book would be stronger if its central conceit were less dominant a component of it. It's at its most compelling when stories are being told in retrospect, and can get a bit repetitive when the author is just sarcastically reacting to every other line in something she wrote in middle school. That said, I can relate strongly to a lot of the angst here, it reminds me almost too much of my own thought processes in middle and high school. The book is generally interesting, entertaining, and at times even emotional (or harrowing, at least to me) despite its generally upbeat tone. Pamela Ribon spends a lot of time poking fun at her childhood self, but it's clear that she has a lot of compassion and sympathy for what that little girl went through.
book_me's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand, I absolutely love the idea of exploring a young woman's coming of age experience through love letters and other primary sources. That is why I was so disappointed to see Ribon use the commentary to bully her younger self in a way that not only invalidated young Pam as the writer of the letters but also invalidated the raw contents of the letters.
No one wants to read a book where the author begins by saying that what you're reading is ridiculous and inconsequential.
If Ribon had chosen to validate Pam's intense, fervent throw-it-all-away-for-a-man feelings rather than fault her for them, she would have given herself (and the reader) the opportunity to see the letters as lenses through which to view the chaotic, myriad of conflicting messages we as a society offer young people regarding how love and sex works, what it looks like, and what it should be.
In the later part of the book, Ribon develops a more empathetic approach, and I enjoyed reading more. I think the book was largely a disappointment for me, though. Not because it was bad but because I imagine it could have been so much more.
On one hand, I absolutely love the idea of exploring a young woman's coming of age experience through love letters and other primary sources. That is why I was so disappointed to see Ribon use the commentary to bully her younger self in a way that not only invalidated young Pam as the writer of the letters but also invalidated the raw contents of the letters.
No one wants to read a book where the author begins by saying that what you're reading is ridiculous and inconsequential.
If Ribon had chosen to validate Pam's intense, fervent throw-it-all-away-for-a-man feelings rather than fault her for them, she would have given herself (and the reader) the opportunity to see the letters as lenses through which to view the chaotic, myriad of conflicting messages we as a society offer young people regarding how love and sex works, what it looks like, and what it should be.
In the later part of the book, Ribon develops a more empathetic approach, and I enjoyed reading more. I think the book was largely a disappointment for me, though. Not because it was bad but because I imagine it could have been so much more.
thewallflower00's review against another edition
4.0
When it started, I thought it was really funny and that it’s aimed right at people like me, who thought their thirteen to fifteens were the culmination of life. Who was a writer before they realized it. When we felt things way too intensely. When we were more in love with the idea of being in love than actually being with anyone. Who thought everything they created was a precious diamond but also crap.
But I also hoped it wouldn’t get too repetitive, since it would be very easy to. Given that these are letters from an early teen girl, they weren’t exactly intended for a discerning audience. Will you wince? Will you cringe? Most definitely. Is that what the writer intended. Also yes.
I picked it up because it’s by Pamela Ribon, she helped write Wreck-It Ralph 2, Moana, several award-winning comics (including Rick & Morty) & graphic novels, and columns, and anime. She’s been all over the place and she’s damn good. And it’s a delight to peek into what she did when she was a kid and we can know she’s not alone. You get a flavor of Texas, a flavor of the west coast. This is a woman who thought losing her virginity was the ultimate sign of adulthood and made elaborate plans to do so, then wondered why it failed.
There are times when it gets dark. Like trigger warning dark. It seems like little Pam’s compass is spinning wildly and you want to reach through the book and tell her it will be all right. Yes, it can get repetitive slogging through each letter chock full of teen bad poetry cliches that might make an Evanescence songfic avert their eyes. But I’m glad she and I survived those teenage years so that she could write a book and I could read it. And I plan on it not being the last of her work I partake.
But I also hoped it wouldn’t get too repetitive, since it would be very easy to. Given that these are letters from an early teen girl, they weren’t exactly intended for a discerning audience. Will you wince? Will you cringe? Most definitely. Is that what the writer intended. Also yes.
I picked it up because it’s by Pamela Ribon, she helped write Wreck-It Ralph 2, Moana, several award-winning comics (including Rick & Morty) & graphic novels, and columns, and anime. She’s been all over the place and she’s damn good. And it’s a delight to peek into what she did when she was a kid and we can know she’s not alone. You get a flavor of Texas, a flavor of the west coast. This is a woman who thought losing her virginity was the ultimate sign of adulthood and made elaborate plans to do so, then wondered why it failed.
There are times when it gets dark. Like trigger warning dark. It seems like little Pam’s compass is spinning wildly and you want to reach through the book and tell her it will be all right. Yes, it can get repetitive slogging through each letter chock full of teen bad poetry cliches that might make an Evanescence songfic avert their eyes. But I’m glad she and I survived those teenage years so that she could write a book and I could read it. And I plan on it not being the last of her work I partake.
mlkotun's review against another edition
5.0
Funny and sweet and something every teenager should have to read. And there needs to be an audio version of this book--as funny and cringeworthy as the notes are to read, it's even better (and worse) when they're performed aloud.
lavoiture's review against another edition
4.0
Started as a truly laugh-out-loud book that was a contender for my favorite book of the year. Ended up as a pretty great book that was still hilarious. Mortifying, but if you were a teenaged girl in the 90s, you'll totally get it. And now I'm going to go burn all of my journals from those years, thank you very much.
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
Struggling between 3 and 4 stars for this one but since I have been a fan of Pamela Ribon (Pamie!) for many years I'm giving her the 4.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I think that's a good idea because she reads it herself and it's pretty hilarious to hear the drama of the old love notes read by Little Pam and the embarrassed, knowing voice of Grown up Pam interjecting from time to time.
Ribon does a great job letting you reimagine the total over-the-top drama and love sick nature of being a teenage girl. The real question is this: do you really WANT to remember that?
Her stories are funny but some are quite raunchy so that might not be everybody's cup of tea. She also uses code-names for all the boys in the book, which makes perfect sense, but gets a little annoying when read aloud because the names can be quite long "Super Mario Brothers Boy" for example.
My only real issue is that the book runs a little long. I don't think it actually IS a long book but the material is repetitive and after awhile I got the idea and I had had enough.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I think that's a good idea because she reads it herself and it's pretty hilarious to hear the drama of the old love notes read by Little Pam and the embarrassed, knowing voice of Grown up Pam interjecting from time to time.
Ribon does a great job letting you reimagine the total over-the-top drama and love sick nature of being a teenage girl. The real question is this: do you really WANT to remember that?
Her stories are funny but some are quite raunchy so that might not be everybody's cup of tea. She also uses code-names for all the boys in the book, which makes perfect sense, but gets a little annoying when read aloud because the names can be quite long "Super Mario Brothers Boy" for example.
My only real issue is that the book runs a little long. I don't think it actually IS a long book but the material is repetitive and after awhile I got the idea and I had had enough.
taylorcali's review against another edition
3.0
Written by the creator of the Oscar-nominated animated short film, “My Year of Dicks.” By far, that same chapter (on which the film is based) was the best in this entire book.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Remember all those mortifying notes that you thought were endearing that you wrote to boys pouring out your heart onto paper as a teenager? This book is a collection of the author's notes. When she wrote them to boys, she also kept a copy. This is her revisiting those words and sharing the stories behind them and reflections all these years later. It's funny and real and relatable. Also, this is affirmation that there's a reason I did not keep my journals and notes. However, it's also why I can respect and love that someone else was willing to share their "stuff" with the world.
shopgiri's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Sooo funny and emotional. I needed this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Sexual assault