Easy reading.

It was effortless to fall into this story of twins who grew up in social media spotlight. This book is very NOW-- famous bloggers, Instagram influencers, vlogging, and doing it all for the clicks/likes/comments.

I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw that it was about blogging. I've always wondered what it was like for the children of "mommy bloggers" once they grow up-- and now I've had the chance to read about some!!

It was effortless to fall into this story of twins who grew up in social media spotlight. Claire is the twin who feels uncomfortable with being so exposed, Poppy is the one who thrives on it. When Claire meets someone (Rafael) who seems to not know anything about her online life, her heart soars at the possibility of being able to be someone different around him.

I really liked Claire, but wanted just a tad more from her. She didn't delve into her feelings quite enough for me. Also, I could not visualize her as 1/2 of a famous duo. They would talk about doing hair tutorial vlogs or Q&A vlogs, and I just could not picture her as one of those upbeat cheery people. I mean, I knew she was faking it, but I couldn't even picture her doing that convincingly. She was so unhappy and disinterested in it.

Rafael was adorable and very needed in this book. The relationship was super slow and more of a friendship for the majority of the book (which is what Claire really needed anyway). Poppy was a surprising non-factor. I wish she didn't just disappear from the story right when we started to get to know the characters. Her and Claire's twin connection could have and should have been stronger-- especially after the big twist is revealed. Where did she go during all of that turmoil??

This book was a happy surprise for me. I haven't been reading as many fluffy contemporaries and if there are more like this one, I just may get back into them. It was fun, but had enough serious issues to keep me turning pages.

OVERALL: Cute and thought-provoking! I fell into this story and ALLLLL the issues that being social media famous brings. The romance is adorable and slow, the family issues are complicated and scandalous. I totally recommend this one-- a great debut for this author!

My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books

( )

*4.5

This is such a good book, especially for a debut novel! I initially did get bored around 15%, I will admit, but then the plot picked up and I couldn't stop reading! Definitely gets my recommendation! ( )

More of a 3.5 star read.

I saw this book many times while browsing but it really wasn’t much on my radar to read until I saw a couple of trusted bloggers promoting it on social media. And it definitely didn’t disappoint. It started off really well but then took some interesting and not very pleasing turns, so I kind of have mixed feelings about the book overall.

Claire is a very realistic teenage protagonist. Her whole life has been about the blog and YouTube and she feels tired of living her life in the public eye. Being a teenager is difficult for anyone, so I could totally empathize with her wanting something different for her future and something even as simple as a friendship that has nothing to do with her online persona. She is also kind of a web design genius and I really loved reading about a STEM heroine. She is witty and hilarious and I loved her silly puns. But she is also scared of strangers and that added an extra dimension to the reality of fame.

The story faltered a bit when it came to the remaining characters. Claire’s twin Poppy, with whom she shares her vlog with felt slightly caricaturish. She is quite enamored with the fame and loves her million subscribers and free clothes and is most excited with the opportunity of a reality show. Their mother Ashley has had her blog since before the twins were born and her life revolves around her brand. She schedules every hour of their life, turns even their supposedly private celebrations into publicity shoots and doesn’t believe in talking about things that make her uncomfortable. Both of them never let Claire ever express her opinion and always impose their decisions on her. Maybe this is how Claire views them and I would have felt differently about them if they had their own POVs, but I just didn’t like both of them for most part of the book. Rafael was the sweet, new boy in town who befriends Claire without knowing that she is internet famous and I absolutely adored their friendship development. It was so beautifully done, but just when I thought I was getting more swoon worthy moments, Claire kept telling unnecessary lies which led to misunderstandings and their budding romance lost the magic for me.

The writing was very nicely done and I finished this pretty quickly in a single sitting. All chapters are peppered with texts or emails or forum posts in between which made for fun reading. I also thought the author did a good job of giving us the positives vs negatives of fame and popularity and how the persona that social media influencers show us is not the true reality of their life. I think this can be a good read for teenagers who follow such influencers and blindly idolize them. However, I did have some problems in parts too, the biggest being Rafael’s reason for not having a phone. I liked that he was one person who was kind of a technophobe and could happily be without a phone, but saying that it was because he was used to living in a village in India where there was no cell reception felt very poorly researched. Even remote villages like my own native place have reception and even internet these days and dismissing Indian villages as so primitive without technology was done in bad taste. Also, the execution of the plot in the second half of the book went a little downhill. The mystery of Ashley’s past, how Claire decides to deal with it and all the revelations and resolutions towards the end felt rushed, poorly thought out and very out of character for all of them.

Overall, this was a fascinating read with an insightful look into the private lives of social influencers and I think it’ll be quite enjoyable to younger readers. I think it’s a great debut attempt which could have done with better execution. ( )

Claire is counting down the days until she can be done with anything connected to her mother’s “mommy blog” and the brand she and her twin sister Poppy have been building as teenagers. She wants normalcy and privacy in her life, like a relationship with new boy Rafael. As her frustrations grow, Clare discovers there are more secrets in her life than she ever expected.

This is a fantastic young adult book. It would be easy to think that someone who grew up with cameras and a sort of celebrity status would just accept things as they were. Just For Clicks offers a balanced view of how that kind of life isn’t all photo shoots and ease.

Claire’s frustration of being a teenager are spot on as she tries to figure out her place in the world. She has deep insecurities from childhood trauma, and a feeling of being second best. The story is told from her point of view, keeping us with her through every mistake and triumph.

The pace is good. The cast of characters well balanced, none trying to steal the show (excepts those who are, in fact, trying to ruin things).

I would recommend this to readers of YA fiction who are looking for a wholesome contemporary tale. ( )

The glow of a screen makes it easy to avoid thinking - Claire Dixon
Every time she talked about checking her phone reminded me of how we used open the fridge because we were bored before touch screens existed.

Claire Dixon daughter of Mommy Blogger Ashley Dixon and the twin sister of perfect Poppy Dixon is tired of not being in control of her life. Tired of not being in control of what she does and what people think.

Her only way out of it is going away for college but the idea soon becomes another impossible dream when her sister's dream comes true.

Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell is a book about social media, cyber bully, family, love and making the change you want and deserve.

Full Review: https://www.thr4sam.com/post/just-for-clicks-by-kara-mc-dowell ( )