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norcani's review
2.0
This book felt like a rush job. It would have been much better as a full length novel. Or if not, it should have focused on the two leads instead of trying to give all the girls their own subplot in such a short amount of time. At times I felt like I was reading a summary of a longer book. Also the characters are supposed to be 14-15 but they acted much younger, which was weird. I still enjoyed it as it was cute but it could have been much better.
dreamofbookspines's review
5.0
What a beautiful little world Bashe has managed to build, and in so few pages! I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem on which I ended my year. I do wish the characters and the world were more fleshed out (fingers crossed for future books!), and that the action hadn't felt quite so rushed, but most of that was the length (also what looked like hasty editing). All in all, this was a delight of a girls school story. If only it had been longer!
lipstickitotheman's review
3.0
This is very very sweet and imaginative. The writing, though, isn't quite the kind of style that I tend to jive with.
kelseigh's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
There's a lot of potential here, but the author tries to cover too much ground too quickly, and ends up skimming over most of the development. The result still reads well, but it's frustrating only getting a hint of the depth that could be pulled from all of the characters.
tenderthinks's review
5.0
Kayla Bashe's protagonist Tansy is well-rounded and well-developed, but more importantly - so are all of the secondary and background characters. At the very opening of the novel, you are immediately introduced to a myriad of characters that you feel like you know almost instantly, along with a setting that comes alive before the first chapter is over. The dialogue between each of the characters feels natural, like a conversation you would overhear walking down the street or have with your own friends and family on a typical day.
Most significantly, "Bluebell Hall" is a perfect example of how important it is to include accurate representation in any creative product, but also provide three-dimensional characters - whether it is a main character or a background character. It is so important for young people - people of all ages really - to see themselves reflected in the media they consume. People who identify as queer/lgbtqa+, all genders and races, people with disabilities and those who are neuroatypical - everyone should be represented in stories and those representations should do them justice. "Bluebell Hall" achieves this, and more.
Most significantly, "Bluebell Hall" is a perfect example of how important it is to include accurate representation in any creative product, but also provide three-dimensional characters - whether it is a main character or a background character. It is so important for young people - people of all ages really - to see themselves reflected in the media they consume. People who identify as queer/lgbtqa+, all genders and races, people with disabilities and those who are neuroatypical - everyone should be represented in stories and those representations should do them justice. "Bluebell Hall" achieves this, and more.
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