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genieinanovel's Reviews (752)
3.75 stars
This book follows the story of Noelle, who’s had it pretty tough for years now. Her mom neglects her, she doesn’t get enough food to eat, she’s bullied at school, and is generally tired of fending for herself. Luckily, she has her best friend, Sherae, who is a pillar of strength for her, even when Sherae is going through her own problems with her ex-boyfriend. Then seemingly, there is Matt, Noelle’s boyfriend, only he doesn’t want their relationship to be public. Then, of course, there’s Julian, who Noelle is also crushing on and it seems he likes her as well, but according to Noelle, Julian wouldn’t want to date a girl like her.
So… this book. It’s a very short, quick read, yet you can feel Noelle’s emotions throughout the story. I honestly felt so bad for her when she was dealing with her mom and the bullies at school, to the point where I wanted to jump in the book and take care of them myself. Her mom was all about herself and didn’t care that Noelle has had to make mustard and mayonnaise sandwiches or didn’t have clean clothes for school, which both situations have gotten her made fun of by numerous classmates. The only thing I didn’t like about Noelle was that she was sort of only into her own problems and didn’t try to reach out to other outcasts like Ali or Tommy, but she does get a little push near the end that helps her to finally stand up to her mom and her bullies.
The other characters in the story were ones I either loved or hated. Sherae and Simon both took Noelle under their wing and helped her out, but weren’t obvious with their actions. When Noelle realizes this later, she’s in awe of them and knows that she can fully trust them. Julian, I would’ve liked to see more of because he seemed great and like he would’ve done the same thing as Sherae and Simon, but he did have an unseen fight with one of Noelle’s tormentors after an incident in the cafeteria.
Overall, I did like this book and the easiness of reading it despite a few heavy topics. The only thing I have a problem with is the fact that it’s so short. I think this book needed to be longer to go into more depth about the other topics mentioned, like the rape and suicide of other characters – that was where there could’ve been more depth on Noelle’s feelings toward those situations and how it affected her since she knew those characters.
Still, it’s a good read and I would recommend it because it does relay a good message of standing up to your bullies/demons and to not give up when it seems like there’s no end to what you’re going through.
This book follows the story of Noelle, who’s had it pretty tough for years now. Her mom neglects her, she doesn’t get enough food to eat, she’s bullied at school, and is generally tired of fending for herself. Luckily, she has her best friend, Sherae, who is a pillar of strength for her, even when Sherae is going through her own problems with her ex-boyfriend. Then seemingly, there is Matt, Noelle’s boyfriend, only he doesn’t want their relationship to be public. Then, of course, there’s Julian, who Noelle is also crushing on and it seems he likes her as well, but according to Noelle, Julian wouldn’t want to date a girl like her.
So… this book. It’s a very short, quick read, yet you can feel Noelle’s emotions throughout the story. I honestly felt so bad for her when she was dealing with her mom and the bullies at school, to the point where I wanted to jump in the book and take care of them myself. Her mom was all about herself and didn’t care that Noelle has had to make mustard and mayonnaise sandwiches or didn’t have clean clothes for school, which both situations have gotten her made fun of by numerous classmates. The only thing I didn’t like about Noelle was that she was sort of only into her own problems and didn’t try to reach out to other outcasts like Ali or Tommy, but she does get a little push near the end that helps her to finally stand up to her mom and her bullies.
The other characters in the story were ones I either loved or hated. Sherae and Simon both took Noelle under their wing and helped her out, but weren’t obvious with their actions. When Noelle realizes this later, she’s in awe of them and knows that she can fully trust them. Julian, I would’ve liked to see more of because he seemed great and like he would’ve done the same thing as Sherae and Simon, but he did have an unseen fight with one of Noelle’s tormentors after an incident in the cafeteria.
Overall, I did like this book and the easiness of reading it despite a few heavy topics. The only thing I have a problem with is the fact that it’s so short. I think this book needed to be longer to go into more depth about the other topics mentioned, like the rape and suicide of other characters – that was where there could’ve been more depth on Noelle’s feelings toward those situations and how it affected her since she knew those characters.
Still, it’s a good read and I would recommend it because it does relay a good message of standing up to your bullies/demons and to not give up when it seems like there’s no end to what you’re going through.
The Day Before covers just that in this prequel to the popular show, Riverdale. I love the show, though I’m way behind and haven’t watched past Season 2. When I was reminded that this book (and more) existed, I restarted the show and picked up a couple of the books from a nearby library.
So in this book it follows the main characters – Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica – the day before July 4th, when Jason Blossom disappears and is proclaimed dead by drowning. Betty is in LA for her internship and Veronica is still living in NYC, not knowing that her dad is about to be arrested. Meanwhile, Archie and Jughead are on the outs because Archie has been preoccupied. But through their points of view we find out how some of these characters got to the place they were before the show.
What I liked about the book is that you can hear the character’s voices, and you can tell who it is when reading. None of the characters deviated from their TV counterparts, though Veronica is more spoiled and bratty, but she admits that’s how she was right at the beginning of the show, so it’s not really off for her. In the case of characters though, I would have liked to get more of Jason and Cheryl in this; like, actual POV chapters. It would have been nice to learn more about Jason before his demise.
However, what I didn’t like was that there was no real plot, per se. I get that this book is just meant to precede the events of the show, but it would’ve been nice to have more of an actual story. It was just more like random events happening. I still enjoyed it though, because I love these characters, and I hope the following books are more interestin to read and have a real story to them.
So in this book it follows the main characters – Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica – the day before July 4th, when Jason Blossom disappears and is proclaimed dead by drowning. Betty is in LA for her internship and Veronica is still living in NYC, not knowing that her dad is about to be arrested. Meanwhile, Archie and Jughead are on the outs because Archie has been preoccupied. But through their points of view we find out how some of these characters got to the place they were before the show.
What I liked about the book is that you can hear the character’s voices, and you can tell who it is when reading. None of the characters deviated from their TV counterparts, though Veronica is more spoiled and bratty, but she admits that’s how she was right at the beginning of the show, so it’s not really off for her. In the case of characters though, I would have liked to get more of Jason and Cheryl in this; like, actual POV chapters. It would have been nice to learn more about Jason before his demise.
However, what I didn’t like was that there was no real plot, per se. I get that this book is just meant to precede the events of the show, but it would’ve been nice to have more of an actual story. It was just more like random events happening. I still enjoyed it though, because I love these characters, and I hope the following books are more interestin to read and have a real story to them.
Cameron Quick was everything to Jennifer Harris, but when Cameron suddenly disappears, she’s lost. She’s the only outcast in elementary and middle school now that her best friend is gone. And the worst part is that everyone thinks he’s dead. So when her mom remarries and they move to a new district in town, Jennifer transforms herself into Jenna – the pretty, popular girl that she couldn’t be when she was younger.
And then Cameron shows up.
This book covers a lot of topics that are still just as relevant as when it was published back in 2008. Bullying, mental abuse, sexual/physical abuse, and even the beginnings of an eating disorder have affected both Jenna and Cameron when they were younger. The abuse was mostly done to Cameron, as his father was shown to be the one abusing him and his mother (possibly even his siblings). Then there was an incident where he involved Jennifer, which we get flashbacks to and it’s something she kept from her mom for years.
When Cameron comes back, all the memories do as well, and she realizes that he might need help. So she begins to spend more time with him, much to her boyfriend’s annoyance, but when someone meant the world to you, you can’t just let that go. The bond between these two was so sweet and pure that the ending just really made me sad.
I personally like how this book covers some of these topics, while not making it explicit. However, I do feel like maybe it could’ve been longer. Maybe that’s just me. Plus, I would have liked to see Cameron’s side of things. Overall though, this is a great, quick read that I think most YA readers will enjoy.
And then Cameron shows up.
This book covers a lot of topics that are still just as relevant as when it was published back in 2008. Bullying, mental abuse, sexual/physical abuse, and even the beginnings of an eating disorder have affected both Jenna and Cameron when they were younger. The abuse was mostly done to Cameron, as his father was shown to be the one abusing him and his mother (possibly even his siblings). Then there was an incident where he involved Jennifer, which we get flashbacks to and it’s something she kept from her mom for years.
When Cameron comes back, all the memories do as well, and she realizes that he might need help. So she begins to spend more time with him, much to her boyfriend’s annoyance, but when someone meant the world to you, you can’t just let that go. The bond between these two was so sweet and pure that the ending just really made me sad.
I personally like how this book covers some of these topics, while not making it explicit. However, I do feel like maybe it could’ve been longer. Maybe that’s just me. Plus, I would have liked to see Cameron’s side of things. Overall though, this is a great, quick read that I think most YA readers will enjoy.
