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professional_malefail's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I had already read this book once. Like, half of it, so it was originally a DNF. I picked it up again because I saw it on the shelf of the library I was at.
At first, it seemed pretty average, more of a "kind of like it" type book. I wasn't too invested in the characters or what they had going on but as things progressed I liked the characters seperately; Penny as this awkward, despondent, and standoffish shell and Sam as this messy, confused, and bereft guy. I didn't really see the chemistry between them at all, more like them coincidentally being with each other at difficult periods of their lives - until the last few chapters.
I won't bring up the end, because I think it's better to not know it, but that kind of solidified the idea of their weird, makeshift romance. Still not a fan of the age gap, and I think Sam House needs to get his shit together, but ultimately they are cute in an awkward way. So if you like awkward, messy romances, it's a good read.
Plus, imagining Penny in a dress with a jacket over it trying to seem appealing to Sam amuses me.
At first, it seemed pretty average, more of a "kind of like it" type book. I wasn't too invested in the characters or what they had going on but as things progressed I liked the characters seperately; Penny as this awkward, despondent, and standoffish shell and Sam as this messy, confused, and bereft guy. I didn't really see the chemistry between them at all, more like them coincidentally being with each other at difficult periods of their lives - until the last few chapters.
I won't bring up the end, because I think it's better to not know it, but that kind of solidified the idea of their weird, makeshift romance. Still not a fan of the age gap, and I think Sam House needs to get his shit together, but ultimately they are cute in an awkward way. So if you like awkward, messy romances, it's a good read.
Plus, imagining Penny in a dress with a jacket over it trying to seem appealing to Sam amuses me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
manoushp109's review against another edition
3.5
very very slow start. i liked it while reading it but i was never itching to get back to it. felt very very dissatisfied when it ended
mswarning's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I strongly relate to Penny.
numberonefan's review against another edition
4.5
Loved this a lot! Once again she devastated me emotionally! Also the penny and Celeste relationship was TOO real as were all of the girls reflections on relating to your mom. Just took me a long time to get through at the end because of my personal situation of also being driven to insanity by having feelings for someone so I had to take a break!
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. In the beginning, the author's style grabbed me, and I really liked both Sam and Penny. Many sentences and passages were laugh-out-loud funny, or made me make those really attractive snorting noises.
But then toward the last 1/3 or so of the book, things started to kind of fall apart. I couldn't abide by the way Penny treated her mother, and for the life of me, I couldn't understand what her real beef with Celeste was, even after she explained it to Sam. To me, Penny just came across as entitled and spoiled, and like someone insisting her mother should be someone other than she was.
I won't spoil anything, but I was dismayed by the number of cliches this book started rolling out in the end, and it just felt lazy to me. I thought the characters were interesting and nuanced enough on their own, but then the author started throwing ever possible kind of trauma at them, which to me felt like she had run out of ideas. There were also some dialog passages that weren't up to par with those earlier in the book, and some areas where I felt things worked out too neatly simply because the story demanded they work out.
I think this author has a lot of potential, though. Her style is fun and she writes in a relatable way, so I'd be interested in reading more by her. I hope, though, that her writing will mature with time.
But then toward the last 1/3 or so of the book, things started to kind of fall apart. I couldn't abide by the way Penny treated her mother, and for the life of me, I couldn't understand what her real beef with Celeste was, even after she explained it to Sam. To me, Penny just came across as entitled and spoiled, and like someone insisting her mother should be someone other than she was.
I won't spoil anything, but I was dismayed by the number of cliches this book started rolling out in the end, and it just felt lazy to me. I thought the characters were interesting and nuanced enough on their own, but then the author started throwing ever possible kind of trauma at them, which to me felt like she had run out of ideas. There were also some dialog passages that weren't up to par with those earlier in the book, and some areas where I felt things worked out too neatly simply because the story demanded they work out.
I think this author has a lot of potential, though. Her style is fun and she writes in a relatable way, so I'd be interested in reading more by her. I hope, though, that her writing will mature with time.
achillesheeled's review against another edition
2.0
“How come nobody tells you?”
“Nobody tells you shit ever,” he said. “The trick is having a buddy.”
“An emergency contact.”
“Exactly,” he said. “That’s the pact.”
i wanted so, so badly to dnf this but i didnt and im pretty sure i should have. 2 stars, not 1, because there were a few parts i went “huh. if the whole book was like this itd be a lot better”. (also that cover... wow)
this book was just SO disappointing to me. i wanted a cheesy feel-good romcom but i just could not care about any of the characters. penny had “not like other girls” syndrome, sam is way too old for her (and he literally admits this?? theres a part in his narration where he says that he should wait until shes “old enough to qualify as a human”, i.e., 25 when hes 30... she is 18...), mallory makes a racist comment that never gets resolved, and jude... well, actually. jude wasnt too bad. id rather have her be the protagonist honestly.
the writing is only good sometimes. it really could benefit from less telling and more showing, and maybe cutting out almost all pop culture references or acronyms (seriously, who calls their own mother a milf?? do you know what that stands for??)
the romance is. well. bad. underdeveloped. did not feel like sam and penny were a good match at all. ending was... meh.
TW for a recount of rape.
“Nobody tells you shit ever,” he said. “The trick is having a buddy.”
“An emergency contact.”
“Exactly,” he said. “That’s the pact.”
i wanted so, so badly to dnf this but i didnt and im pretty sure i should have. 2 stars, not 1, because there were a few parts i went “huh. if the whole book was like this itd be a lot better”. (also that cover... wow)
this book was just SO disappointing to me. i wanted a cheesy feel-good romcom but i just could not care about any of the characters. penny had “not like other girls” syndrome, sam is way too old for her (and he literally admits this?? theres a part in his narration where he says that he should wait until shes “old enough to qualify as a human”, i.e., 25 when hes 30... she is 18...), mallory makes a racist comment that never gets resolved, and jude... well, actually. jude wasnt too bad. id rather have her be the protagonist honestly.
the writing is only good sometimes. it really could benefit from less telling and more showing, and maybe cutting out almost all pop culture references or acronyms (seriously, who calls their own mother a milf?? do you know what that stands for??)
the romance is. well. bad. underdeveloped. did not feel like sam and penny were a good match at all. ending was... meh.
TW for a recount of rape.
Spoiler
that in itself bothered me because it seemed only used to make sam seem better and give penny a reason for being scared of intimacy. idk.cait_readsxox's review against another edition
3.0
I did like this book but there are some problematic things in it that I did not enjoy. I would read it again.