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reader4evr's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first book that I have read by Sonya Sones. I'm a fan of novels in verse so I'm glad that I found another author that I like that is similar to Lisa Schroeder.
I thought the story with what happened with Ruby (mom dying, going to live with her actor father) was something I would have watched in a movie. I loved the ending, it was kind of a surprise and I sort of saw it coming. I can say the only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars was because Ruby was kind of whiny through the story especially with his boyfriend who was still living in Boston.
I can't wait to book talk this today!
I thought the story with what happened with Ruby (mom dying, going to live with her actor father) was something I would have watched in a movie. I loved the ending, it was kind of a surprise and I sort of saw it coming. I can say the only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars was because Ruby was kind of whiny through the story especially with his boyfriend who was still living in Boston.
I can't wait to book talk this today!
ridiculousamanda's review against another edition
5.0
Ruby Milliken's mother just died and now she has to move across the country to live with her scum-bag moviestar father, Whip, who divorced her mother before she was even born. Ugh, what a hideous way to start a book. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies is a novel written in verse by Sonya Sones. Ruby's poems and emails tell the story of what happens when she has to leave her aunt, best friend and boyfriend behind and move across the country to live with her father in his giant Hollywood mansion. She finds it difficult to fit in with the students of the L.A. school because they're used to having celebrities for parents. She's not used to it at all. She also finds it difficult to live in her father's shadow and to get used to his trainers and personal assistants and chefs and even him being around all the time, since he abandoned her and all....
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
3.0
Aww, this was actually quite sweet. It was predictable but I liked how so many sad, angry, or annoyed comments morphed into something positive towards the end. It’s a super quick read, but worth it if you like angsty teen books with happy (happyish?) endings.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
╰┈➤ 19. wade in the water by tracy k. smith
╰┈➤ 20. we the animals by justin torres
╰┈➤ 21. locomotion by jacqueline woodson
╰┈➤ 22. the strength in our scars by bianca sparacino
╰┈➤ 23. forbidden by tabitha suzuma
╰┈➤ 24. the song of achilles by madeline miller
╰┈➤ 25. burned by ellen hopkins
╰┈➤ 26. muted by tami charles
╰┈➤ 27. one of those hideous books where the mother dies by sonya sones
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
╰┈➤ 19. wade in the water by tracy k. smith
╰┈➤ 20. we the animals by justin torres
╰┈➤ 21. locomotion by jacqueline woodson
╰┈➤ 22. the strength in our scars by bianca sparacino
╰┈➤ 23. forbidden by tabitha suzuma
╰┈➤ 24. the song of achilles by madeline miller
╰┈➤ 25. burned by ellen hopkins
╰┈➤ 26. muted by tami charles
╰┈➤ 27. one of those hideous books where the mother dies by sonya sones
tatochippa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
clurkudi's review against another edition
3.0
I first read this when I was 12. I needed a palate cleanser ok?
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
After reading this book, you will want to rush to the library to get your hands on every novel-in-verse you can find, even if you didn’t used to like poetry.
But of course, you will be let down, because no other novel-in-verse can really compare to this one.
Reading the title, I had expected something depressingly deep and serious. However, Sonya Sones’ third novel-in-verse is surprisingly snarky and fun, all the while managing to be poignantly real. 15-year-old Ruby’s mother has just died, and she’s going all the way across the country to L.A. to live with her Oscar-winning actor father, Whip Logan, who abandoned her and her mother before she was even born. Needless to say, Ruby is excited not a whit, especially as this move takes her away from her boyfriend Roy, her best friend Lizzie, and her mother’s grave.
At Whip’s extensive mansion, Ruby determinedly avoids Whip’s bonding advances, instead favoring his personal assistant, Max, who has a big heart. She also has trouble adjusting to her very “unique” school, especially her Dream Interpretation class, because her head is almost always wrapped up in missing Roy, Lizzie, and her mom. Perhaps, though, a shocking severance from her East Coast life will wake her to new possibilities in her new home.
Ruby is funny, emotional, and someone you definitely want to be friends with. I highly recommend this book.
But of course, you will be let down, because no other novel-in-verse can really compare to this one.
Reading the title, I had expected something depressingly deep and serious. However, Sonya Sones’ third novel-in-verse is surprisingly snarky and fun, all the while managing to be poignantly real. 15-year-old Ruby’s mother has just died, and she’s going all the way across the country to L.A. to live with her Oscar-winning actor father, Whip Logan, who abandoned her and her mother before she was even born. Needless to say, Ruby is excited not a whit, especially as this move takes her away from her boyfriend Roy, her best friend Lizzie, and her mother’s grave.
At Whip’s extensive mansion, Ruby determinedly avoids Whip’s bonding advances, instead favoring his personal assistant, Max, who has a big heart. She also has trouble adjusting to her very “unique” school, especially her Dream Interpretation class, because her head is almost always wrapped up in missing Roy, Lizzie, and her mom. Perhaps, though, a shocking severance from her East Coast life will wake her to new possibilities in her new home.
Ruby is funny, emotional, and someone you definitely want to be friends with. I highly recommend this book.
thebrainlair's review against another edition
5.0
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies / by Sonya Sones (2004)
4saradouglas's review against another edition
4.0
A cute, funny, quick read. Definitely not something there's any sense in ever reading again, but it was entertaining enough. The plot was pretty predictable, but the book was funny and short enough to avoid being horrible.
mavie0823's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wrathofglasses's review against another edition
2.0
This was written around the same time as Crank by Ellen Hopkins and while the subject matter may be different, it was hard not to compare the two as they are both written in free-verse. I believe that Hopkins masters the visual placement of free-verse every time as her placement is intentional and artful. I found Sones' use of free-verse to be a little more haphazard in placement, but equally as purposeful. (I don't care if anyone thinks I'm being nitpicky, poetry has a visual quality just as much as an aural one.) I think Sones does a nice job in her development of the protagonist, who is pretty vapid and oh, I don't know, "teenagery." Sones has some effective plot twists that I suspect would mislead teenage readers to the point where they were awed by the plot events. Personally, I found the book to be a little dry and the ending to be a little too quickly thrown together, but overall, this is a good classroom book for sure. :)