Scan barcode
harleyrae's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gosh! I flippin loved this book! This was exactly the book I was needing at the moment. When I wasn't reading this I was wishing that I was reading. It was amazing and I can't wait to continue on!
vannievonn's review against another edition
3.0
While the writing is good for this novel, the characters didn't do it for me. Not only was it predictable, they didn't even finish what they started! And for what? A sequel??!
Full review here: http://wp.me/p4gYEB-W
Full review here: http://wp.me/p4gYEB-W
la_ravenreader's review against another edition
4.0
A fast paced story with summer and revenge. Gemma's summer plans go downhill real fast and it's about to get worse.
michalice's review against another edition
3.0
When I saw Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend on netgalley I new I needed to find out what Gemma had done to her best friend, and why she was afraid to go back. When I found out that Katie Finn is a pen name for an author who I like, I wanted to read this even more.
The synopsis pretty much explains what happens in Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend so I wont go into too much detail about it, nor will I explain what happened in the past. When I began reading I was hooked, and stayed up later than I planned to get a few more pages finished, but in the light of day (literally) and more pages consumed, I found myself getting slightly distracted with the story itself.
As I mentioned, the past is explained, but seeing how it spiralled out of control didn't really seem believable to me, and the reason for it and for Gemma not believing it herself was also not very believable. Having gone through parents divorcing myself, her reaction seemed too extreme for the situation itself. As the plot continues I had a suspicion that Hallie knew the truth and that things that were happening we not so accidental.
There were parts of the story I liked though. I liked the friendship that Gemma has with Sophie, and that when the truth was revealed to Sophie she was understanding and didn't let if phase her. I also enjoyed seeing the romance develop between Josh and Gemma, however knowing it was all based on a lie means it was never going to last, how long it does or doesn't is something you will have to discover yourself.
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend was a book I had high hopes for, and unfortunately it just fell slightly short of them. Was it an enjoyable read, yes. Would I read the next instalment, yes, but I don't think I will have high expectations for this one.
The synopsis pretty much explains what happens in Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend so I wont go into too much detail about it, nor will I explain what happened in the past. When I began reading I was hooked, and stayed up later than I planned to get a few more pages finished, but in the light of day (literally) and more pages consumed, I found myself getting slightly distracted with the story itself.
As I mentioned, the past is explained, but seeing how it spiralled out of control didn't really seem believable to me, and the reason for it and for Gemma not believing it herself was also not very believable. Having gone through parents divorcing myself, her reaction seemed too extreme for the situation itself. As the plot continues I had a suspicion that Hallie knew the truth and that things that were happening we not so accidental.
There were parts of the story I liked though. I liked the friendship that Gemma has with Sophie, and that when the truth was revealed to Sophie she was understanding and didn't let if phase her. I also enjoyed seeing the romance develop between Josh and Gemma, however knowing it was all based on a lie means it was never going to last, how long it does or doesn't is something you will have to discover yourself.
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend was a book I had high hopes for, and unfortunately it just fell slightly short of them. Was it an enjoyable read, yes. Would I read the next instalment, yes, but I don't think I will have high expectations for this one.
reddyrat's review against another edition
4.0
Have you ever made a mistake? (If you haven't, I'm thoroughly impressed and demand that you tell me your secret). Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend is about a girl who made some mistakes and unexpectedly gets the chance to make up for it. Despite the cheerful cover and the beach setting, it is more than a light and fluffy contemporary novel.
Gemma is an ordinary teenage girl. Nice, friendly, fairly well liked, utterly devoted to her do-gooder boyfriend. We quickly discover that she's not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to reading certain social cues. It's obvious to the reader that her "perfect" boyfriend wants to break up with her and really isn't all that perfect. Poor Gemma eventually figures this out when it's hammered into her. So I started the book out feeling sorry for her and also rolling my eyes a bit at her blindness. Still, I liked Gemma. Her relatively low self-esteem and stunning lack of insight felt very much like a typical teenage girl.
When Gemma goes to spend the summer with her dad in the Hamptons, we learn that she was there when she was 11. That summer she became fast friends with Hallie, but soon turned on her. Gemma's meanness was fairly juvenile but had negative consequences far beyond what Gemma ever intended.
I loved that a book featured a nice girl who has been mean to another person in the past. Too often, books feature nice girls who are tormented or mean girls who do the tormenting. It's rare to have a book where a normal girl purposely treats someone else badly, which is much closer to real life than characters who are purely good or bad. This book creates very realistic situation. I understood why Gemma acted the way she did toward Hallie. It was undoubtedly wrong, but it seemed like something a normal, scared 11 year old would do.
The majority of this book is present day Gemma befriending Hallie while pretending to be someone else. This seems like the perfect opportunity for Gemma to make things right with Hallie - to apologize without apologizing.
Now's where the book gets funny. Weird things keep happening to Gemma. She gets sick during a date with Hallie's brother, a swimsuit Hallie lent her falls apart, and much more. All these things are bad, but minor enough that Gemma laughs them off as random occurrences. But they all relate somehow to Hallie. Does Hallie secretly know who Gemma really is?
Throughout much of this book, I thought Hallie was playing Gemma like a fiddle. I was a bit irritated at Gemma's gullibility. But then something would happen that would make me question my own skepticism. Maybe Hallie really was in the dark. I kept turning the pages because I had to know what was actually going on.
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend is a delightful book about a girl who has the opportunity to right her wrongs. It's a great summer read: there's romance, hilarity, the beach, fancy clothes. What more do you need? My only complaint is the title is far too long. I hate reviewing books with long titles. Takes so long to type. And if that's the only criticism I can come up with, it's definitely a good book.
*One final thing: This is the first book in a series. I didn't realize this until the last page of the book. That was quite a shock. I can't wait to read more!
Rating: 4 / 5
Gemma is an ordinary teenage girl. Nice, friendly, fairly well liked, utterly devoted to her do-gooder boyfriend. We quickly discover that she's not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to reading certain social cues. It's obvious to the reader that her "perfect" boyfriend wants to break up with her and really isn't all that perfect. Poor Gemma eventually figures this out when it's hammered into her. So I started the book out feeling sorry for her and also rolling my eyes a bit at her blindness. Still, I liked Gemma. Her relatively low self-esteem and stunning lack of insight felt very much like a typical teenage girl.
When Gemma goes to spend the summer with her dad in the Hamptons, we learn that she was there when she was 11. That summer she became fast friends with Hallie, but soon turned on her. Gemma's meanness was fairly juvenile but had negative consequences far beyond what Gemma ever intended.
I loved that a book featured a nice girl who has been mean to another person in the past. Too often, books feature nice girls who are tormented or mean girls who do the tormenting. It's rare to have a book where a normal girl purposely treats someone else badly, which is much closer to real life than characters who are purely good or bad. This book creates very realistic situation. I understood why Gemma acted the way she did toward Hallie. It was undoubtedly wrong, but it seemed like something a normal, scared 11 year old would do.
The majority of this book is present day Gemma befriending Hallie while pretending to be someone else. This seems like the perfect opportunity for Gemma to make things right with Hallie - to apologize without apologizing.
Now's where the book gets funny. Weird things keep happening to Gemma. She gets sick during a date with Hallie's brother, a swimsuit Hallie lent her falls apart, and much more. All these things are bad, but minor enough that Gemma laughs them off as random occurrences. But they all relate somehow to Hallie. Does Hallie secretly know who Gemma really is?
Throughout much of this book, I thought Hallie was playing Gemma like a fiddle. I was a bit irritated at Gemma's gullibility. But then something would happen that would make me question my own skepticism. Maybe Hallie really was in the dark. I kept turning the pages because I had to know what was actually going on.
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend is a delightful book about a girl who has the opportunity to right her wrongs. It's a great summer read: there's romance, hilarity, the beach, fancy clothes. What more do you need? My only complaint is the title is far too long. I hate reviewing books with long titles. Takes so long to type. And if that's the only criticism I can come up with, it's definitely a good book.
*One final thing: This is the first book in a series. I didn't realize this until the last page of the book. That was quite a shock. I can't wait to read more!
Rating: 4 / 5
sophistikatedshelves's review against another edition
5.0
ho ly crap. This book was so good and it reminded me a lot of 99 Days, but THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK THOUGH. I'm making this review short and sweet because I am going to film a review of this, BUT THAT ENDING WAS EXPECTED BUT ALSO UNEXPECTED LIKE OH MY GOD. I felt bad for Gemma though throughout this entire book. I was glad that she had at least one friend that understood, but that ending was really twisted. I can't wait to read the next book ASAP!
tazee's review against another edition
3.0
It was alright. Very predictable. I guessed what was happening from the very beginning (and that’s not deductive skills, imo it was just very in your face), so it took away the reveal of the big twist for me. I’m in two minds whether I should read the next one or just read spoilers cos I wanna see what happens lol. But, as usual, the romance was dead with a capital ‘d’.
I’ve just decided I won’t be reading the second one.
I’ve just decided I won’t be reading the second one.
ennitsud's review against another edition
3.0
IT'S MAY 2015 WHERE IS THE SEQUEL
i totally knew that she knew that she wasn't who she said she was the entire time. i totally knew. but this was executed wonderfully, despite its excessive predictability and misleading cover with only minor errors in grammar here and there. i'm gonna miss josh and sophie and gemma (and, yes, even hallie bc you gotta love the antagonists since they make stories hella exciting). excited for the sequel- as made obvious by this review's starter.
i totally knew that she knew that she wasn't who she said she was the entire time. i totally knew. but this was executed wonderfully, despite its excessive predictability and misleading cover with only minor errors in grammar here and there. i'm gonna miss josh and sophie and gemma (and, yes, even hallie bc you gotta love the antagonists since they make stories hella exciting). excited for the sequel- as made obvious by this review's starter.
n_n_nikki's review against another edition
3.0
This books was okay. Parts of it were predictable, but I didn't catch on to the big thing other people said was super predictable. It was a fun, light read. It was just good enough that I'll probably read the sequels just to see what happens, but it won't be one I am dying to get my hands on.