Summary from Goodreads: Simone never saw herself as the “cute girl”—she was always the chunky, band tee wearing, France-obsessed smart girl. But now that Simone’s a few pounds lighter and sporting a new retro style, things have gotten, well, weird. Her crush Jason seems to actually know she exists. And when Simone’s soon-to-be stepmonster Hillary stops ignoring her, Simone knows something is up. When Simone’s brother offers to let her move in with him and his six roommates on the beach for the summer, Simone jumps at the chance. But living with seven very different college boys isn’t exactly helping her land her very own happily ever after.
My Review: Do you know what makes a book 'good' to you? How do you rate and review a book knowing that the intended audience isn't actually for you- does that affect how 'good' you think it is?
When I am reading a book for my school library, I am not always looking for what I consider to be 'great literature.' I am looking for interesting books, that will help a reader cultivate their own opionons. I am not a fan of 'easy' books. I do not like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Goosebumps. The kids in my school are pre-teens/teens. They should be pushing themselves to read more difficult books. However I know that these kids actually ENJOY the books, so I will not remove them. (Hmm. Perhaps I should write a blog post about this?) If a student is actually enjoying the book- I will consider it a 'win.' Why force a kid to read a book he has no interest in? It will only make him hesitant to read at all. Afterall, how many adults do we see reading YA? Just because I am an adult does not mean I wish to read Tom Clancy or Jane Austen every time I pick up a book.
So when I say this book is a 'cute, easy read' I mean that the story was cute enough that I was able to ignore the flaws of the book and enjoy what I was reading. I read this book in two sittings. It's fast, and for the most part, we understand the basic plot. It is a modern re-telling of Snow White, after all.
The main character becomes annoying- often. She is an overweight girl who kicks her snacking habit and starts going to Zumba. She sheds weight almost instantly it seems, and her personality changes a bit too- and not for the better. She becomes superficial. She becomes your 'normal' drama-filled, boy crazy girl.
The boys in the book are also very stereotypical at points, and it's hard to imagine a group of boys who all of a sudden care deeply for their friend's sister. (Yeah, I can't imagine a frat house calling a meeting because a girl looks sad.)
With that said the book is cute. It's enjoyable. And while the book is 'easy' it makes me want to pick up another book just to keep the warm-fuzzies going. And THAT, my dear readers, is what I call a 'good' book.
My Rating: 4 stars. If Simone had better character development, I would have given this 5 stars, easily.
Jenni
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