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vicky30312's review against another edition
3.0
This book had a really cute premise. I got a little confused sometimes going back snd forth but it all ended how I wanted it to. I love the authors writting so much c:
mckinlay's review against another edition
3.0
i have a deep undying love for Shaun David Hutchinson... but this book? it just doesn't measure up to [b:We Are the Ants|23677341|We Are the Ants|Shaun David Hutchinson|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1425574151s/23677341.jpg|43285034] or [b:The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley|20500616|The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley|Shaun David Hutchinson|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1402325542s/20500616.jpg|34298034]. the phenomenal writing is definitely still here. it is impossible to deny he is one of the best writers currently writing. and i definitely think there is an audience for this book. i actually think it would make a really great movie. and i enjoyed it. but honestly, Simon drove me nuts! his singular obsession with Cassie was just too much for me. but i'm also a 33 year old woman, so take from that what you want. i would love to read a Ben and Coop centric story. but no matter what, Shaun is still an amazing writer, and i still enjoyed the book. it just wasn't as good as his others.
heyjudy's review against another edition
4.0
~3.5/5
“Sometimes love hurts, but it shouldn’t be so damb hard.” (Paperback, pg. 247)
“We’re all imperfect people looking for perfect moments to share with other imperfect people.” (Pg. 275)
Simon has been in love with Cassie for years, and tonight is the night that he’s going to go for it. She’s throwing a party, and he has to choose whether to go and win her over, or attempt going out with someone who actually knows he exists. From there, we follow Simon on two possible time lines, where he goes straight to the party or where he tries to hang out with Natalie instead.
Simon is very stuck on Cassie for this entire book. He’s a little hard to handle at times, how blind he is to everything else. It makes his friends’ reactions very understandable. And about halfway through (more or less, depending on the timeline), we meet Stella. She’s eccentric, funny, understanding, and curious though inexperienced. The banter is immediate, and the attraction is obvious, but Simon ignores it for a long while. I loved her immediately, honestly.
I did actually quite like the way that the two timelines worked, how things developed separately but very similar. I actually got confused a few times on which time line was which, because they were so similar, just different because events moved in a different way. I quite liked how it all wrapped up, though; I think it worked out well, and I liked how it all pulled together in the end.
This was a fun book, and I enjoyed it.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
“Sometimes love hurts, but it shouldn’t be so damb hard.” (Paperback, pg. 247)
“We’re all imperfect people looking for perfect moments to share with other imperfect people.” (Pg. 275)
Simon has been in love with Cassie for years, and tonight is the night that he’s going to go for it. She’s throwing a party, and he has to choose whether to go and win her over, or attempt going out with someone who actually knows he exists. From there, we follow Simon on two possible time lines, where he goes straight to the party or where he tries to hang out with Natalie instead.
Simon is very stuck on Cassie for this entire book. He’s a little hard to handle at times, how blind he is to everything else. It makes his friends’ reactions very understandable. And about halfway through (more or less, depending on the timeline), we meet Stella. She’s eccentric, funny, understanding, and curious though inexperienced. The banter is immediate, and the attraction is obvious, but Simon ignores it for a long while. I loved her immediately, honestly.
I did actually quite like the way that the two timelines worked, how things developed separately but very similar. I actually got confused a few times on which time line was which, because they were so similar, just different because events moved in a different way. I quite liked how it all wrapped up, though; I think it worked out well, and I liked how it all pulled together in the end.
This was a fun book, and I enjoyed it.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
chatterbookbabe's review against another edition
3.0
2.75 stars
I picked this up because it seemed like it would be a lot like the movie, Can't Hardly Wait, which I loved as a teenager. In some ways, it was. FML is about a guy that has been obsessed with a girl for years and decides to finally tell her at a party now that she has finally broken up with her boyfriend.
Simon, the main character, passed up a chance to kiss Cassie, his dream girl, years ago and has regretted it ever since. Fate seems to provide the perfect opportunity for him to confess his undying love when she throws a huge party at her house. It's not just any party. It is a barter party where everyone brings stuff to trade fellow party goers for things they want. Simon intends to trade something to Cassie in exchange for a kiss.
Simon attends the party with his two best friends, Coop and Ben, that are in the kind of relationship Simon wishes he could have. The author tells two alternate stories of what happens that night. The stories start from the same point, but quickly take paths in different crazy directions.
I liked how some of the minor parts of the story overlapped and you knew what was going on because you saw a glimpse of it in the other version. I think the idea to show two versions of the story with alternating chapters was cool. I feel like this book might have been more enjoyable as a movie though. This mostly has to do with the characters. When you watch a movie, you don't see what the character is thinking and you sometimes just have to piece things together about them by things other people say. That's acceptable in a movie, but in a book I want to know the characters more than that. His best friends also really just kind of annoyed me for the most part. Despite the interesting way the story is told, it was just okay. The characters weren't memorable and the plot wasn't very original. It is still a quick fun read if that is what you are looking for.
I picked this up because it seemed like it would be a lot like the movie, Can't Hardly Wait, which I loved as a teenager. In some ways, it was. FML is about a guy that has been obsessed with a girl for years and decides to finally tell her at a party now that she has finally broken up with her boyfriend.
Simon, the main character, passed up a chance to kiss Cassie, his dream girl, years ago and has regretted it ever since. Fate seems to provide the perfect opportunity for him to confess his undying love when she throws a huge party at her house. It's not just any party. It is a barter party where everyone brings stuff to trade fellow party goers for things they want. Simon intends to trade something to Cassie in exchange for a kiss.
Simon attends the party with his two best friends, Coop and Ben, that are in the kind of relationship Simon wishes he could have. The author tells two alternate stories of what happens that night. The stories start from the same point, but quickly take paths in different crazy directions.
I liked how some of the minor parts of the story overlapped and you knew what was going on because you saw a glimpse of it in the other version. I think the idea to show two versions of the story with alternating chapters was cool. I feel like this book might have been more enjoyable as a movie though. This mostly has to do with the characters. When you watch a movie, you don't see what the character is thinking and you sometimes just have to piece things together about them by things other people say. That's acceptable in a movie, but in a book I want to know the characters more than that. His best friends also really just kind of annoyed me for the most part. Despite the interesting way the story is told, it was just okay. The characters weren't memorable and the plot wasn't very original. It is still a quick fun read if that is what you are looking for.
scrollsofdragons's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Cooper and Ben are some friends to have in your corner and I was so much invested in thier relationship then I was in the main characters entire life.
moko514's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
To date, this is my favorite book. I’ve never considered rereading a book until this one. It’s fun to watch the pacing and parallel storylines while rooting for the different scenarios to play out.
lebrads's review against another edition
1.0
I HATE Simon Cross. This idiot spends the whole book pining after one girl, literally losing his best friends to do so, then proceeds to not want this girl after winning her over. He has so many chances to do something actually good in the book and proceeds to do the opposite for this stupid girl. Dumbest book ever.
ryokua1's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting the beginning. I neither loved nor hated this book it was okay.
andiabcs's review against another edition
3.0
A friend suggested this one after learning of my love for Parallel life books. When I saw it was up on Edelweiss I requested it pretty late and on a whim and was happy to be approved so quickly. Sadly though that is where most of my happiness ended because this book turned out to just be okay. I did enjoy the parallel life part and it was fun to read a parallel story from a guy’s POV, but the rest of it was just okay.
FML is the story of Simon. Simon has been in love with Cassandra Castillo for 3 years, a girl he had the chance to kiss on their one and only date and blew it. Since that fateful night he has pinned over Cassie while she was in a relationship never having the guts to tell her how he felt. But in one night that is about to change. On the last party of the year Simon decides he is going to tell the newly single Cassie how he feels and get that kiss he has been wanting for 3 long years. But like everything else in Simon’s life it doesn’t go quite as planned. He has two different paths he could take to get to the girl he is in love with and two different chances to change the course of his life.
First let me start by saying that the best part of his book was the Can’t Hardly Wait feel to it. I seriously love that movie and everything it stands for, so to get that vibe right from the start immediately made me like this book more then I probably would have. Because I have to face facts, Simon was whiny, Cassie was kind of rude, and Simon’s friends drove me a little batty at times. I also found a lot of the plot and side stories to be really unrealistic and farfetched. But with that said I will admit to finding it entertaining. I also found some of Simon’s dialogue funny so that aided to the reading process.
Really though FML was a bit of a stretch for me. It was a quick read and not painful to read to the point that I was rolling my eyes. I just didn’t find it 100% on the believable factor and even the Can’t Hardly Wait connection couldn’t help me like this one more. In the end it was what I said at the beginning of this review, just an okay book.
FML is the story of Simon. Simon has been in love with Cassandra Castillo for 3 years, a girl he had the chance to kiss on their one and only date and blew it. Since that fateful night he has pinned over Cassie while she was in a relationship never having the guts to tell her how he felt. But in one night that is about to change. On the last party of the year Simon decides he is going to tell the newly single Cassie how he feels and get that kiss he has been wanting for 3 long years. But like everything else in Simon’s life it doesn’t go quite as planned. He has two different paths he could take to get to the girl he is in love with and two different chances to change the course of his life.
First let me start by saying that the best part of his book was the Can’t Hardly Wait feel to it. I seriously love that movie and everything it stands for, so to get that vibe right from the start immediately made me like this book more then I probably would have. Because I have to face facts, Simon was whiny, Cassie was kind of rude, and Simon’s friends drove me a little batty at times. I also found a lot of the plot and side stories to be really unrealistic and farfetched. But with that said I will admit to finding it entertaining. I also found some of Simon’s dialogue funny so that aided to the reading process.
Really though FML was a bit of a stretch for me. It was a quick read and not painful to read to the point that I was rolling my eyes. I just didn’t find it 100% on the believable factor and even the Can’t Hardly Wait connection couldn’t help me like this one more. In the end it was what I said at the beginning of this review, just an okay book.
angelas_library's review against another edition
4.0
I never went to any real parties back when I was in high school (yeah, yeah, I was a dork), but if they were anything like the party in FML I really missed out during my teenage years.
If you’re in the mood for a fun, clever story featuring unique characters, a wild party, and a dose of alternate realities, FML is the book for you. Simon, the protagonist, has had a crush on Cassie, one of the most popular girls at school, for years. When he hears that she’s having a senior year blowout – and that she’s newly single – Simon decides to use the opportunity to finally profess his love for her.
FML starts as one story but quickly diverges into two separate storylines, showing the different ways the party could unfold based on Simon’s decisions as well as events that are out of his control. It’s almost like one of those old “pick your adventure” books in that it allows you to see how different decisions affect the outcome of the story.
At times it was a little confusing trying to keep the events of both storylines straight, but doing so was well worth the effort. It was really cool watching how the same events and interactions occurred in both plots but in very different ways. Plus, everything came together perfectly at the end – I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting resolution.
I had such a great time reading FML. There are a lot of wild, entertaining stunts going on at the party, from contact Scrabble to a poolside re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet. There’s also the really fun aspect of the party being a “barter” party, which basically means that all of the party-goers are running around the whole night trying to come up with crazy schemes to trade one object for another until they end up with a specific target object. The revelers and their zany antics serve as a great backdrop for the story; in a way they’re almost like part of the setting more than they are actual characters.
The characters who do serve a purpose beyond being part of the background aren’t your normal teen scene stock characters. Cassie isn't conventionally beautiful, nor is she confident and bold like many popular girls in books and movies. She has depth, flaws, and unique personality traits, and I could see why Simon likes her. Likewise, Cassie’s ex-boyfriend isn’t a tool, but a good guy who legitimately loves her and is nice to her and others, even the less-than-cool kids at school. Simon’s gay best friends are popular, not the objects of ridicule, and there’s not one big, bad bully but several, each of whom is very distinct.
Again, I may not have gotten to go to any actual parties as a teen, but reading about the one in FML is the next best thing. If you’re up for a crazy, unexpectedly fun read, check out FML today.
This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.
If you’re in the mood for a fun, clever story featuring unique characters, a wild party, and a dose of alternate realities, FML is the book for you. Simon, the protagonist, has had a crush on Cassie, one of the most popular girls at school, for years. When he hears that she’s having a senior year blowout – and that she’s newly single – Simon decides to use the opportunity to finally profess his love for her.
FML starts as one story but quickly diverges into two separate storylines, showing the different ways the party could unfold based on Simon’s decisions as well as events that are out of his control. It’s almost like one of those old “pick your adventure” books in that it allows you to see how different decisions affect the outcome of the story.
At times it was a little confusing trying to keep the events of both storylines straight, but doing so was well worth the effort. It was really cool watching how the same events and interactions occurred in both plots but in very different ways. Plus, everything came together perfectly at the end – I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting resolution.
I had such a great time reading FML. There are a lot of wild, entertaining stunts going on at the party, from contact Scrabble to a poolside re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet. There’s also the really fun aspect of the party being a “barter” party, which basically means that all of the party-goers are running around the whole night trying to come up with crazy schemes to trade one object for another until they end up with a specific target object. The revelers and their zany antics serve as a great backdrop for the story; in a way they’re almost like part of the setting more than they are actual characters.
The characters who do serve a purpose beyond being part of the background aren’t your normal teen scene stock characters. Cassie isn't conventionally beautiful, nor is she confident and bold like many popular girls in books and movies. She has depth, flaws, and unique personality traits, and I could see why Simon likes her. Likewise, Cassie’s ex-boyfriend isn’t a tool, but a good guy who legitimately loves her and is nice to her and others, even the less-than-cool kids at school. Simon’s gay best friends are popular, not the objects of ridicule, and there’s not one big, bad bully but several, each of whom is very distinct.
Again, I may not have gotten to go to any actual parties as a teen, but reading about the one in FML is the next best thing. If you’re up for a crazy, unexpectedly fun read, check out FML today.
This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.