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commedesenfants's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here: http://living-a-thousand-lives.tumblr.com/post/28913162130/adorkable-by-sarra-manning
The Cover
People on the cover - again. But it doesn’t bother me this time because the cover’s just too…well, adorable. Look at it. The repetition of Adorkabe and the drawn London (ok it actually could be any city really) skyline and the bike. The girl looks a lot like how I imagined Jeane, the boy is too small to judge but he’s ok. In any case, for an unknown reason, I like this cover. I might still be embarassed to be seen with it but whatever.
The Story
Jeane Smith is a successful teen blogger. If she was on tumblr (and I’m sure she is) she’d be tumblr famous. Actually, she’s not only that but much more, as in featured in international newspapers and magazines famous. All that at the age of 17. Despite having thousands of internet followers and friends, she’s not what you would call popular in her school. While she has a boyfriend, she doesn’t really socialise with anyone else in school. That is until the most popular boy in her school, Michael Lee, comes to her with the suspicion that Jeane’s boyfriend and his girlfriend are having an affair. This encounter sets things in motion, so to say.
The Protagonist
Jeane is bossy, judgmental and some might even say arrogant. Not very sympathetic characteristics. At times, she really annoyed me and wanted to hit her with a book (like when she said something about “training” her boyfriend and how she “made” him, umm no, he’s a human, not a thing or a dog). Her classmates are thinking the same that’s why she’s not exactly Ms Popularity in school. It doesn’t help that her fashion sense is very fashion forward and she dyes her hair in crazy shades (grey and peach). If I had went to school with her she’d probably totally looked down on me because while I didn’t follow trends blindly, I didn’t really stand out either. In any case, I’d be too intimidated by her to try to be her friend. I’m getting carried away. Despite all her bad attributes, I can’t help but admire Jeane. She’s confident, direct and stands up for herself. She’s not afraid to be herself. At only 17 she’s achieved much more than many people twice her age. Blogging might have started as a hobby for her but she’s a marketing genius who built a little online empire called “Adorkable”(which is not only a brand but a lifestyle!). It seems like Jeane has it all, she’s popular in the online world where there are people who understand her and she gets to jet around the world (when she’s not in school that is), she lives alone in a London flat, no one to nag at her to clean up or eat healthy. The thing is, despite it all, she’s extremely lonely and vulnerable. Her parents are both living abroad and her older sister is training in a hospital in Boston. Jeane tries hard to pretend that she’s ok, that she’s an adult. But she’s not, she’s a teenager and no one should be abandoned like that. I know some people might dislike Jeane but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and she really grew on me and as I said, I admire her.
Michael Lee is the complete opposite of Jeane. He’s the perfect Golden Boy - good looking, intelligent, athletic and popular. He probably wouldn’t know what tumblr is let alone understand how people can spend so much time of their lives online. He’s not one of those clichéd jocks, he’s likable and gets along with everyone. He’s just a genuinely nice guy. Plus, he’s the kind of guy to bring you baked goodies from the best Chinese bakery in London. Yep, Michael Lee, you had me at red bean paste bun.
The Heart Rate
I’m a sucker for popular/underdog pairings and/or pairings that started out disliking eachother but then fall in love (I blame Jane Austen) and Jeane and Michael are representing this perfectly. They have nothing in common but they slowly got to know and understand eachother better. Michael helps keeping Jeane grounded and Jeane encourages Michael to be more impulsive and take risks, have fun in life. I like how their relationship develops (can you see a pattern here?) and how they began to care for eachother without even realizing it. While physically things were heating up pretty fast, they took their time emotionally.
The Good
- Diversity: Michael’s father is Chinese and his mum’s British. There aren’t many POC main characters in Young Adult fiction, so it’s a nice change.
- Sexy times: A YA novel with sex in it? Finally! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to start reading about “heaving bosoms” and “stiff members” on every second page in YA fiction or say that they should all have sex. It’s just that in some books the topic doesn’t even come up, which is just not realistic to me (especially in contemporary novels) if a couple is together for years. So yes, I’m happy when there is sex in a YA novel. Especially when it’s safe sex and well dealt with like in this book. Teenagers think about and have sex in real life, deal with it.
- Chinese bakery: Ever since I went to London this June and spend a fortune in a bakery in China town, I’ve been craving these delicious buns and pastries. They make several appearances in this book, which is definitely a big plus point.
- Blogging: A book that not only features blogging and social networking, it practically celebrates it. Jeane really portrays the typical teen of our times.
The Bad
- Absent parental figure: I know that Jeane’s absent parents and sister play a big part in why she behaves like she does, but I just can’t help but think that it’s kind of unrealistic that no one in school for example thinks it’s strange. Plus, sometimes I think that authors (not necessarily in this case) use this as a plot device in order to let their protagonist do things that they usually wouldn’t be able to do (like jet off to New York alone). There is this adorable gay couple living next to her that occasionally makes her clean up her apartment or eat vegetables but they are obviously no substitute for a real parent. (Michael’s parents were awesome though, so they kind of made up for it…)
- At times the book would drag on and on, since the author concentrates on the relationship between the two characters and their individual character growth but at times I wished that something more would happen (nothing contrived or unrealistic but just something).
The Rating
★★★★☆
When I started this book, I expected a light and fun book full of fluff. Instead I found a book that was fun but still had a lot of substance. It dealt with family, love, lust and how to be yourself. All in all, this is book was just adorable.
The Cover
People on the cover - again. But it doesn’t bother me this time because the cover’s just too…well, adorable. Look at it. The repetition of Adorkabe and the drawn London (ok it actually could be any city really) skyline and the bike. The girl looks a lot like how I imagined Jeane, the boy is too small to judge but he’s ok. In any case, for an unknown reason, I like this cover. I might still be embarassed to be seen with it but whatever.
The Story
Jeane Smith is a successful teen blogger. If she was on tumblr (and I’m sure she is) she’d be tumblr famous. Actually, she’s not only that but much more, as in featured in international newspapers and magazines famous. All that at the age of 17. Despite having thousands of internet followers and friends, she’s not what you would call popular in her school. While she has a boyfriend, she doesn’t really socialise with anyone else in school. That is until the most popular boy in her school, Michael Lee, comes to her with the suspicion that Jeane’s boyfriend and his girlfriend are having an affair. This encounter sets things in motion, so to say.
The Protagonist
Jeane is bossy, judgmental and some might even say arrogant. Not very sympathetic characteristics. At times, she really annoyed me and wanted to hit her with a book (like when she said something about “training” her boyfriend and how she “made” him, umm no, he’s a human, not a thing or a dog). Her classmates are thinking the same that’s why she’s not exactly Ms Popularity in school. It doesn’t help that her fashion sense is very fashion forward and she dyes her hair in crazy shades (grey and peach). If I had went to school with her she’d probably totally looked down on me because while I didn’t follow trends blindly, I didn’t really stand out either. In any case, I’d be too intimidated by her to try to be her friend. I’m getting carried away. Despite all her bad attributes, I can’t help but admire Jeane. She’s confident, direct and stands up for herself. She’s not afraid to be herself. At only 17 she’s achieved much more than many people twice her age. Blogging might have started as a hobby for her but she’s a marketing genius who built a little online empire called “Adorkable”(which is not only a brand but a lifestyle!). It seems like Jeane has it all, she’s popular in the online world where there are people who understand her and she gets to jet around the world (when she’s not in school that is), she lives alone in a London flat, no one to nag at her to clean up or eat healthy. The thing is, despite it all, she’s extremely lonely and vulnerable. Her parents are both living abroad and her older sister is training in a hospital in Boston. Jeane tries hard to pretend that she’s ok, that she’s an adult. But she’s not, she’s a teenager and no one should be abandoned like that. I know some people might dislike Jeane but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and she really grew on me and as I said, I admire her.
Michael Lee is the complete opposite of Jeane. He’s the perfect Golden Boy - good looking, intelligent, athletic and popular. He probably wouldn’t know what tumblr is let alone understand how people can spend so much time of their lives online. He’s not one of those clichéd jocks, he’s likable and gets along with everyone. He’s just a genuinely nice guy. Plus, he’s the kind of guy to bring you baked goodies from the best Chinese bakery in London. Yep, Michael Lee, you had me at red bean paste bun.
The Heart Rate
I’m a sucker for popular/underdog pairings and/or pairings that started out disliking eachother but then fall in love (I blame Jane Austen) and Jeane and Michael are representing this perfectly. They have nothing in common but they slowly got to know and understand eachother better. Michael helps keeping Jeane grounded and Jeane encourages Michael to be more impulsive and take risks, have fun in life. I like how their relationship develops (can you see a pattern here?) and how they began to care for eachother without even realizing it. While physically things were heating up pretty fast, they took their time emotionally.
The Good
- Diversity: Michael’s father is Chinese and his mum’s British. There aren’t many POC main characters in Young Adult fiction, so it’s a nice change.
- Sexy times: A YA novel with sex in it? Finally! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to start reading about “heaving bosoms” and “stiff members” on every second page in YA fiction or say that they should all have sex. It’s just that in some books the topic doesn’t even come up, which is just not realistic to me (especially in contemporary novels) if a couple is together for years. So yes, I’m happy when there is sex in a YA novel. Especially when it’s safe sex and well dealt with like in this book. Teenagers think about and have sex in real life, deal with it.
- Chinese bakery: Ever since I went to London this June and spend a fortune in a bakery in China town, I’ve been craving these delicious buns and pastries. They make several appearances in this book, which is definitely a big plus point.
- Blogging: A book that not only features blogging and social networking, it practically celebrates it. Jeane really portrays the typical teen of our times.
The Bad
- Absent parental figure: I know that Jeane’s absent parents and sister play a big part in why she behaves like she does, but I just can’t help but think that it’s kind of unrealistic that no one in school for example thinks it’s strange. Plus, sometimes I think that authors (not necessarily in this case) use this as a plot device in order to let their protagonist do things that they usually wouldn’t be able to do (like jet off to New York alone). There is this adorable gay couple living next to her that occasionally makes her clean up her apartment or eat vegetables but they are obviously no substitute for a real parent. (Michael’s parents were awesome though, so they kind of made up for it…)
- At times the book would drag on and on, since the author concentrates on the relationship between the two characters and their individual character growth but at times I wished that something more would happen (nothing contrived or unrealistic but just something).
The Rating
★★★★☆
When I started this book, I expected a light and fun book full of fluff. Instead I found a book that was fun but still had a lot of substance. It dealt with family, love, lust and how to be yourself. All in all, this is book was just adorable.
halynah's review against another edition
4.0
Offbeat, very modern, interesting and unique book - a real treasure for all the fans of social networks, blogging and good literature! Highly recommended!
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Cute and kinda funny at points, Jeanne's style and blogging empire was a nice touch and the ending was lovely and bittersweet. BUT up until the end, both main characters were extremely annoying. Jeanne is possibly one of the most self-absorbed characters I've ever come across and Manning should have made the effort to make her more sympathetic far earlier than she did. Micheal was somewhat characterless - his voice (every second chapter) just didn't sit right somehow, to the extent I was confused everytime the narration changed perspectives. Also, I don't get why he was constantly referred to by almost everyone with his first name and surname. People don't refer to their friends by their full name to their face in real life. Or have I just missed that trend???
I have to admit I'm also biased against the
I have to admit I'm also biased against the
Spoiler
sex first, relationship later trope. And here it was done particularly badly, when according to at least one of the parties involved there wasn't even physical attraction. Random sex = not a good foundation for a relationship.yeontan's review against another edition
3.0
Jeane Smith's a blogger, a dreamer, a dare-to-dreamer, a jumble sale queen, CEO of her own lifestyle brand and has half a million followers on twitter.
Michael Lee's a star of school, stage and playing field. A golden boy in a Jack Wills hoodie.
They have nothing in common but a pair of cheating exes. So why can't they stop snogging?
Adorkable tells the story of two teens on opposite sides of the social spectrum. Michael Lee the school golden boy, and Jeane Smith the school outcast. The two have nothing in common aside from their cheating exes. They find themselves in an enemies with benefits relationship they can’t explain or end.
I enjoyed the relationship between Michael and Jeane and watching it grow form hate to affection. There were moments, especially in the beginning, where I really couldn't stand either of them. However, both really grew into their own (especially Jeane) and became self-aware. I loved Jeane's confidence, her passion for her blogging career, and the fact that she didn't care what anyone thought. There's also a surprise visit (or maybe just a surprise to me) from characters from Manning's other book Guitar Girl which I read as a teenager.
I'm not really a fan of the calling the girl ugly. Perhaps its because I graduated with a Psychology degree but I'm a big believe in the theory of proximity and habituation. I did however, not really mind it in this book because it was nice to see the person of color as the object of desire for a change.
(I do have to say as a bi-racial woman of color myself I did not like Jeane describing Michael as “exotic”.)
Overall, it was a fun quick read. While the characters can give you a headache in the beginning they do become endearing by the end of the book. I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it if you like quick, fun reads.
Michael Lee's a star of school, stage and playing field. A golden boy in a Jack Wills hoodie.
They have nothing in common but a pair of cheating exes. So why can't they stop snogging?
Adorkable tells the story of two teens on opposite sides of the social spectrum. Michael Lee the school golden boy, and Jeane Smith the school outcast. The two have nothing in common aside from their cheating exes. They find themselves in an enemies with benefits relationship they can’t explain or end.
I enjoyed the relationship between Michael and Jeane and watching it grow form hate to affection. There were moments, especially in the beginning, where I really couldn't stand either of them. However, both really grew into their own (especially Jeane) and became self-aware. I loved Jeane's confidence, her passion for her blogging career, and the fact that she didn't care what anyone thought. There's also a surprise visit (or maybe just a surprise to me) from characters from Manning's other book Guitar Girl which I read as a teenager.
I'm not really a fan of the calling the girl ugly. Perhaps its because I graduated with a Psychology degree but I'm a big believe in the theory of proximity and habituation. I did however, not really mind it in this book because it was nice to see the person of color as the object of desire for a change.
(I do have to say as a bi-racial woman of color myself I did not like Jeane describing Michael as “exotic”.)
Overall, it was a fun quick read. While the characters can give you a headache in the beginning they do become endearing by the end of the book. I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it if you like quick, fun reads.
silverwizzard's review against another edition
4.0
Very high 4 stars!! I need more stars! It was not a 5 but a really entertaining 4 :)
redgentk's review against another edition
5.0
..........Spoilers..............
i just feel like that to me personally this book has today's teens and pop culture
right under its thumb. it just really hit the spot because in today's world, fan-fiction and fan-groups really are a major factor of teen socialization. Whatever that means.
Where to start,.... well i have to say i loved this book. Its going to stay in my library and im going to read it over and over again till its a classic.
Many people are hating on Jeane but i personally loved her. She was a bitch and she knew it, maybe its just my point of view but i think people are born wicked but strive for goodness.( Im not a Christian ) So Jeane was really refreshing for me,she knew she was bad but she strived to be better while not censoring herself all that much.
She didn't mind if you called her on her shit, she might argue with you but on some stuff she knew she was wrong. And she had such a strong character, like apologizing to Barney.
She really didn't have to do that ( and in my opinion she shouldn't have) but she did. She didn't ask him to apologize to her for cheating and decided that she really liked him and wanted to stay friends. i couldn't do that even if i wanted to, i would be to caught up in my pride and feelings.And its not like she was being weak either. So i just really, really respect Jeane.
She didn't shove her fame down people throats like she could have, and she didn't think herself better than everyone because of her fame. She thought herself better than everyone because she wanted to change the world, to learn all she could and to stop all the discrimination she saw out there. And her peers didn't, they just went with the flow.
And its not like im like Jeane at all really. I would be someone she didn't like even.
Sure i like to read and im considered a nerd or dork but i also like labels and clothing. I might go to feminist rock concerts but i don't try to change the world.
Plus she was kind and considerate sometimes, just like how sometime Micheal was a duchebag despite that overall he was a great guy. yes the book was a bit Mary Sue when you consider her life and the people she knew but some peoples lives are like that.
One thing i really enjoyed about the book (and it really surprised me too) was the sex in it. Teen novels don't have sex in it as a general rule but this one did, and i loved it. yes it wasn't very detailed like most adult books but it was there. and i just think that is a a part of today's teen culture. People as young as 12 or thirteen are having sex(or even younger) but then there's still many 19-20 year olds who are virgins. so we have this place where we might have had sex but we haven't had a lot of it and we still have a lot of issues surrounding it.
as such im really happy the author introduced it to the story because we don't all have epic romances and both guys and girls might not want to have legendary lovelives. Even though there was more than just a tad bit of it in here. Plus the references to Doctor Who really made me happy and i think the author knew they were hitting on a large fan-base of Whovians.
Read the story , its great. Maybe you wont see this book like i do but i think you'll enjoy it none the less.
i just feel like that to me personally this book has today's teens and pop culture
right under its thumb. it just really hit the spot because in today's world, fan-fiction and fan-groups really are a major factor of teen socialization. Whatever that means.
Where to start,.... well i have to say i loved this book. Its going to stay in my library and im going to read it over and over again till its a classic.
Many people are hating on Jeane but i personally loved her. She was a bitch and she knew it, maybe its just my point of view but i think people are born wicked but strive for goodness.( Im not a Christian ) So Jeane was really refreshing for me,she knew she was bad but she strived to be better while not censoring herself all that much.
She didn't mind if you called her on her shit, she might argue with you but on some stuff she knew she was wrong. And she had such a strong character, like apologizing to Barney.
She really didn't have to do that ( and in my opinion she shouldn't have) but she did. She didn't ask him to apologize to her for cheating and decided that she really liked him and wanted to stay friends. i couldn't do that even if i wanted to, i would be to caught up in my pride and feelings.And its not like she was being weak either. So i just really, really respect Jeane.
She didn't shove her fame down people throats like she could have, and she didn't think herself better than everyone because of her fame. She thought herself better than everyone because she wanted to change the world, to learn all she could and to stop all the discrimination she saw out there. And her peers didn't, they just went with the flow.
And its not like im like Jeane at all really. I would be someone she didn't like even.
Sure i like to read and im considered a nerd or dork but i also like labels and clothing. I might go to feminist rock concerts but i don't try to change the world.
Plus she was kind and considerate sometimes, just like how sometime Micheal was a duchebag despite that overall he was a great guy. yes the book was a bit Mary Sue when you consider her life and the people she knew but some peoples lives are like that.
One thing i really enjoyed about the book (and it really surprised me too) was the sex in it. Teen novels don't have sex in it as a general rule but this one did, and i loved it. yes it wasn't very detailed like most adult books but it was there. and i just think that is a a part of today's teen culture. People as young as 12 or thirteen are having sex(or even younger) but then there's still many 19-20 year olds who are virgins. so we have this place where we might have had sex but we haven't had a lot of it and we still have a lot of issues surrounding it.
as such im really happy the author introduced it to the story because we don't all have epic romances and both guys and girls might not want to have legendary lovelives. Even though there was more than just a tad bit of it in here. Plus the references to Doctor Who really made me happy and i think the author knew they were hitting on a large fan-base of Whovians.
Read the story , its great. Maybe you wont see this book like i do but i think you'll enjoy it none the less.
itsdanysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Prvá polovica bola geniálna, potom to už bolo kus toto isté dokolečka a hlavnú hrdinku som chcela prefackať, poriadne ňou zatriasať a vykričať jej do tváre "NIE SI PUPOK SVETA!"
Inak to bola enormne reálna young adultovka s enormne nereálnymi prvkami. proste pohodička :D
Inak to bola enormne reálna young adultovka s enormne nereálnymi prvkami. proste pohodička :D