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tunderalma87's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Abbott chose the most uninteresting and unremarkable person to be the narrator out of all the characters. I know that Abby is meant to be boring and bland on purpose, but she just doesn't work. The main characters in the story—Beth and the Coach—were lost because of her rambling narration and seeming lack of direction.
moco71's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn't really relate to the characters in this book because I don't know any girls like the cheerleaders depicted in this book. I kept wondering, "where are the parents?" Mildly entertaining, a little predictable.
sundriedangel's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book and the movie-we were really robbed. I loved the differences between both stories. I love when girls and women really explore power and don’t stay sweet. Major eating disorder mentions everywhere.
carolineeckels's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
toofondofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This book has been on my TBR ever since it was published so I wanted to make it a priority this year so when I spotted the audio book on BorrowBox I decided to part read and part listen to it. I found it hard to get into this book but once it grabbed me I was gripped. It follows Addy, a cheerleader in a teen squad and you get a real look at the toxic friendships that this environment sometimes fosters. There is also the coach who is very friendly with some of the girls but it’s clear from early on that she is playing them, although I wasn’t sure why. I’m torn about this book because the elements that I liked I really liked but ultimately I think perhaps I wasn’t the right audience for the book as it just didn’t fully click with me. I do love Megan Abbott’s writing though and I’ve enjoyed books by her before so I will definitely be looking out for more in the future.
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
adelaide10's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
5.0
It is with this book that I have fallen in literary love with Megan Abbott.
I read The Fever a couple months ago and enjoyed it (thanks for the recommendation, Katy); so I snapped this up in late July when I saw it at a used book store. It was the one book by Abbott that I knew I definitely wanted to read. It's about cheerleaders, after all.
And it's so good. There is something kind of Chuck Palahniuk about the style: its first person present tense narration, its terse, poetic brutality. But Abbott's characters are much more sympathetic (and well drawn) than Palahniuk's ever are, and she paints this world, these girls, with photorealistic brushstrokes.
Addy's narration:
"Oh, to see her fall is to see how everything can fall" (94).
"Slouched against the doorframe, she's eating wrinkly raisins from a small baggie, which is just the kind of thing those kinds of girls are always doing" (245).
And Beth's battle cries:
"'You know who the stars are? We are. Why? Because we don't throw around a fucking rubber ball. You know what we throw around? Live girls. Do you know who flies? We do. You know what we hurl to the rafters? Each other'" (259).
And there's so much more. Abbott gives us so much. She is so much. Once the library is open after Labor Day, my Megan Abbott binge begins.
I read The Fever a couple months ago and enjoyed it (thanks for the recommendation, Katy); so I snapped this up in late July when I saw it at a used book store. It was the one book by Abbott that I knew I definitely wanted to read. It's about cheerleaders, after all.
And it's so good. There is something kind of Chuck Palahniuk about the style: its first person present tense narration, its terse, poetic brutality. But Abbott's characters are much more sympathetic (and well drawn) than Palahniuk's ever are, and she paints this world, these girls, with photorealistic brushstrokes.
Addy's narration:
"Oh, to see her fall is to see how everything can fall" (94).
"Slouched against the doorframe, she's eating wrinkly raisins from a small baggie, which is just the kind of thing those kinds of girls are always doing" (245).
And Beth's battle cries:
"'You know who the stars are? We are. Why? Because we don't throw around a fucking rubber ball. You know what we throw around? Live girls. Do you know who flies? We do. You know what we hurl to the rafters? Each other'" (259).
And there's so much more. Abbott gives us so much. She is so much. Once the library is open after Labor Day, my Megan Abbott binge begins.
readery_nyc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
klaireparavel's review against another edition
2.0
95% of this book I could not relate to. It's not because I wasn't a cheerleader in high school. It's because I wasn't so self-absorbed with self-loathing and myopic in outlook. I wasn't manipulative or overtly malicious with my *friends*.
Or so I think.
If this is how Ms Abbott creates teenaged worlds, I don't wish to step into her vision ever again. The mystery in the background was poorly served by this Mean Girls on Speed.
Or so I think.
If this is how Ms Abbott creates teenaged worlds, I don't wish to step into her vision ever again. The mystery in the background was poorly served by this Mean Girls on Speed.
sklus's review against another edition
1.0
I did not finish this book. It was too slow and too heavy on cheerleading. The characters were just unrelatable. Maybe it's because I went to an all-girls, Catholic school with minimal drama, but the social status of the cheerleaders as "aloof goddesses unwilling to mingle with the masses" was just unrealistic and confusing. Coach also gives alcohol to underaged girls constantly and no one sees an issue with it. Even her husband is okay with the unhealthy relationships she builds with these girls. I don't DNF lightly, but the confusing writing and the unrealistic characters pushed me over the edge.