I saw the movie and thought I would enjoy a trashy romance read. this actually is a lot different from the movie.

the beginning of the book is ok but the plot gets worse in the second half and doesn't really recover. don't feel as drawn to the two characters as I hoped. if i hadn't seen the move I might be slightly more entertained. 

 I found this in a free little library. Once I started I have a vague memory of reading the beginning before. Most of the plot is predictable, but this is young adult so that's ok. I didn't see the major twist coming which was a nice surprise and layer to the story. I liked the ending.

I didn't really like the main character which made me feel pretty meh about this book overall though. I would say the character is probably authentic to a teenage/young adult guy, but I still just didn't like him. I do feel that the book is slow in the sense that a lot doesn't happen when Cassel is just in his head clueless and pondering. I likely will not read the rest of the series. 

 I loved the themes and symbolism. I felt myself nodding and relating along for the majority of the book. I wasn't sure where it was going for a while. I like the ending but this was also the part I felt was lacking. there was so much tension in the beginning and the ending was just "normal" so it felt a bit flat to me. lots of representation which I loved. definitely one of my favorites this year. 

 I appreciated how raw and real these essays were. I was hoping it would be more insightful or retrospective as a reader. I think they were a little too personal for that. they did feel validating. it felt more like "what it's like to have a mom" from different cultures, experiences, and environments. I was hoping it would be more "what we don't talk about and what I do about it."

either way it was interesting. my favorite part was how one talked about having sympathy for your mom as an adult woman separate from her but still carrying the hurt as her child who suffered. 

 this felt a bit slow to get into but I did enjoy it once it picked up. I did guess the direction the book was going but not the actual ending. I didn't feel super attached to any of the characters but I didn't mind like I usually do. 

I love the premise of this book. it addresses a lot of issues for teens/ young adults in a straight forward and not negative/ judgemental way.  it is a bit outdated.

I really dislike Michael though. he was very pushy and while she set good boundaries it pained me to listen to him. 

this was meh. it had a lot of standard tropes - grumpy/sunshine, brothers friends, touch her and die, etc. but idk Alex was just ok to me outside of a few good quotes. Ithe second half of the book really goes off the rails with some crazy plot points. if you think you'd like mafia but mafia is too much you'd like this I think. 

all this to be said it was trash tv in book form and I finished it. I was entertained. not sure I'd recommend though without very specific requests.

I watched the Judy blume doc on hbo and had to read on of her books. I can't believe I didn't know of them when I was younger. I can imagine myself devouring them back then.

she covers so many topics so well and makes them very normal and accessible. it also feels very authentic and relatable even years later. so so sweet. would love this for any little reader.

this felt like one long stand up comedy sketch. it is definitely relatable, but there is not self help element in my opinion. outside of validation. just ok