Robin Benway

Actual rating: 4.5/5

This was an incredibly cute book! I was kinda scared going into this because of all the hype that surrounded it. I mean, I read a ton of glorious reviews and I just started thinking it couldn't possibly be as good as I was starting to expect it, could it? Well, turns out it TOTALLY could. Granted, my expectations by the time I actually picked it up had shot way over the roof, and the book did turn out to be slightly different than I had thought, but still this was a really good read.

For starters, I really liked the characters. All of the characters had their own personality and unique traits, even the secondary ones. So often I find books in which secondary characters just all feel like they could very easily fade into the background and I would hardly notice. Not this time. Every character had a personal story to develop, some issue to face, some obstacle to overcome, and they all did it in a very realistic way. I particularly liked the fact that the parents were present, and they behaved surprisingly like normal people, facing their fears and making mistakes no doubt, but ultimately trying to do the best by their children.

I also enjoyed getting to know the group of friends. Caro and Drew didn't seem to be there just to fill in the gaps left by Emmy and Oliver's story. They were as much a part of the story as the main characters, and they are just the kind of friends every teenager (and let's face it, every adult) would wish for. They're the kind of friends you can always count on, no matter what; the ones you can argue with, and laugh with; share your joys and your troubles. But they don't just fall in the typical YA "supportive-best-friend" category. They have their own issues to face and their own lives to figure out, and that was just incredibly refreshing.

As for the main characters, well, Emmy and Oliver are definitely the centre of the book (guess the title kind of gave that away). Emmy has been waiting for her best friend to return ever since he disappeared, cherishing the last memories of him that she made. Oliver has no idea who is anymore. His whole life has been turned upside down, and he has to start building it again, without really knowing whom he can trust. I liked the way their relationship built up slowly, and how it developed after that. Honestly, these two were SO incredibly cute!

I also liked the way they worked to solve their issues, and they did a lot of growing up by the end of the book. They're trying to figure it all out as they go along, when they have had some really unusual and scarring experiences, and it is great. Oh, and Emmy's sarcasm and wit were just THE BEST!

Overall, this is really good read. I did have some issues with the plot (which I won't go into because spoilers!), but it was pleasant to read, had some adorable characters and was just the right mix of sad and funny. Definitely a must-read if you love YA contemporary!… (més)

6/10, I was hoping that this interesting realistic novel would be a good one. It was not and looking back this was one of the worse novels I read and it was deeply unenjoyable all the way through and even then I thought the author did a lousy job on this and could've used the premise of this novel to its full potential. It begins with the main character dumping her boyfriend and oh wow, she gets instantly famous and where have I seen this type of story before so anyways she didn't want the fame at first and just wanted to party and do other things and she accepts the fame eventually so she then finds a brand new rather flat boyfriend whose name I forgot. However there were two really irritating aspects of this book that almost made me put the book down but I hoped it could get better and unsurprisingly it didn't. The first bad aspect was that Audrey Cuttler was just so frustrating to read since she was just another character in the line of memorable characters for all the wrong reasons and this time she shouts at her friend Victoria sometimes which might be a mood swing but eventually she developed her character and became a better person. The second aspect was the swearing, you won't believe this but I think the author tried to fit as many swear words into this novel and what was the result, it was an tedious slog to get through and now all the characters sound like they're furious all the time. If you like rise to fame books this one is for you.… (més)

"Instead she got..." Anatasia's voice trails off as she raises her hands and then lets them fall into her lap. "Us."

This book was a gut-wrenching retelling of Cinderella but this is from the view of the two "ugly stepsisters - Anastasia and Drizella. Both girls are always poorly mistreated by their mother, Lady Tremaine, and expected to marry into rich families so that they can take care of her. She does not see them as her children but as a means necessary to elevate them into higher society. She even punishes them if they even step out of line just a bit. The girls are forced to be everything Lady Tremaine wants them to be - proper, young women who are meant to fall in line and treat their stepsister, Ella, like household help.

There are glimpses that we do see where they treat Ella better and there are moments where they have no choice in the matter. They could try in secret to do so but they fear their mother. Their mother whose husband ran away in the middle of the night taking everything with him including her wedding ring. Then, turning to marry Ella's father with the hopes of turning her life around, only to lose him in death.

I felt sorry for the girls. They do everything asked of them and yet Lady Tremaine is emotionless. There is no love for either of them as she sees both children as nothing more than charms meant to be sold off. The girls only see other as their salvation in this home and rely heavily on each other, but when their fortunes begin to change - meeting both Dominic and Madame Lambert. These two offer a chance to change their lives, but things end up backfiring and both are now at the mercy of their own mother.

This book was an interesting take on Cinderella taking the point-of-view from Ella herself to the two sisters. We see a different side of them and how their mother has impacted much of their lives. Their personalities are forced to bit by Lady Tremaine's whims and desire rather than those of the girls and it hits you - these girls have never had their own thought or decision because of her.

Now, how you will view the two girls will be possible of sympathy and sorrow. I won't lie but I did shed some tears during my reading. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.… (més)