Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ocie's Reviews (413)
Sorry this review is kind of rambling. I don’t do professional reviews, and I’m not very good at them. So let’s just call this my thoughts on Tell Me Three Things.
Barely two years after Jessie’s mom dies, her dad remarries and moves them to California. There she must figure out how to navigate her new private school. Luckily, she has some help. But it’s not the conventional type. Soon after she begins school, Jessie receives an anonymous e-mail from someone claiming they can help her figure out the school. Thus a strange friendship develops between Jessie and the person who will only identify as Somebody/Nobody (SN).
SN helps Jessie as she goes through making new friends, dealing with bullies, adjusting to her new family and home, and missing her old home in Chicago. The only catch is that SN refuses to identify himself. He knows who she is, but she can’t figure out who he is.
I’m not much for high-school drama. I lived through it, so why would I want to read about it? That being said, Tell Me Three Things is actually a pretty good read. Though it’s not my cup of tea and I probably will never read it again, it gave me a much needed break from my normal reading life. I liked the IM/texting parts, and I liked the realistic aspect. Jessie has issues. She struggles with a negative body image. She tries so hard to not be affected by the bullying.
I did have a little problem with SN. He knows who Jessie is, and he sometimes IMs her and compliments some part of her outfit/person. That to me is a little creepy. I mean sure, they have a pretty good friendship, but come on. I would be very creeped out. I wouldn’t be as trusting as Jessie. SN is very helpful, nice, and intellectual. But that doesn’t tone down the feeling that in real life he would probably be considered a stalker. If you can get over that (which I did), the rest of the book is great.
The book was un-put-downable because it burns with the one question we all need the answer to: Who is Somebody/Nobody? Has Jessie spoken to him? Is he a her? It becomes pretty obvious about ¾ of the way through, but I still had to finish the book to be sure.
I give this book 4/5 stars, and I would recommend it. It was a good experience.
Barely two years after Jessie’s mom dies, her dad remarries and moves them to California. There she must figure out how to navigate her new private school. Luckily, she has some help. But it’s not the conventional type. Soon after she begins school, Jessie receives an anonymous e-mail from someone claiming they can help her figure out the school. Thus a strange friendship develops between Jessie and the person who will only identify as Somebody/Nobody (SN).
SN helps Jessie as she goes through making new friends, dealing with bullies, adjusting to her new family and home, and missing her old home in Chicago. The only catch is that SN refuses to identify himself. He knows who she is, but she can’t figure out who he is.
I’m not much for high-school drama. I lived through it, so why would I want to read about it? That being said, Tell Me Three Things is actually a pretty good read. Though it’s not my cup of tea and I probably will never read it again, it gave me a much needed break from my normal reading life. I liked the IM/texting parts, and I liked the realistic aspect. Jessie has issues. She struggles with a negative body image. She tries so hard to not be affected by the bullying.
I did have a little problem with SN. He knows who Jessie is, and he sometimes IMs her and compliments some part of her outfit/person. That to me is a little creepy. I mean sure, they have a pretty good friendship, but come on. I would be very creeped out. I wouldn’t be as trusting as Jessie. SN is very helpful, nice, and intellectual. But that doesn’t tone down the feeling that in real life he would probably be considered a stalker. If you can get over that (which I did), the rest of the book is great.
The book was un-put-downable because it burns with the one question we all need the answer to: Who is Somebody/Nobody? Has Jessie spoken to him? Is he a her? It becomes pretty obvious about ¾ of the way through, but I still had to finish the book to be sure.
I give this book 4/5 stars, and I would recommend it. It was a good experience.
My thoughts on When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Dimple Shah is excited to go to a web development conference called Insomnia Con in San Francisco right before heading off to Stanford in the fall. She is so excited, in fact, that she’s not suspicious when her mother, who is obsessed with her getting married, readily agrees to let her go. Little does Dimple know that her parents have arranged for her to meet Rishi, a boy they hope she will eventually marry. Rishi is also interested in Insomnia Con, but he hopes to meet Dimple and hit it off right away. However, Rishi is unaware that Dimple has no idea who he is, and makes a very forward joke upon first meeting her. Spooked, Dimple throws coffee in his face and runs away.
After the “ideal meeting gone wrong,” Dimple and Rishi get to know each other, though Dimple is very focused on developing a new app to win Insomnia Con, and Rishi, while falling head over heels for Dimple, is not quite as enthusiastic about Insomnia Con as he was before he came.
This story is woven so expertly that it makes the book hard to put down. Dimple and Rishi’s characters are very well rounded. Rishi is a traditionalist who wants to make his parents happy, and Dimple is a forward-thinking feminist focused on her career. They complement each other so well; it’s easy to believe when they fall for each other.
The conflicts and resolutions are very believable, because each problem is approached and fixed in detail, as a process, as Dimple and Rishi work as a team to help each other out.
The ethnic tie-ins are wonderful. All the references to Indian clothing and Bollywood made me desperate to learn more, and the food described sounds mouthwatering.
I think probably my favorite part is how Dimple describes Rishi when he’s drawing. He gets lost in his art, and that’s partially how she falls in love with him. It’s breathtaking. It’s great that she comes to care so much about his interest in art, even though he tries to resist the calling to become an art major instead of a computer engineer.
The only thing that bothered me about this book was how easily Dimple gives in to liking Rishi. Maybe things happen that way, and I got over it, but it just seemed like it happened too fast and too easily. Other than that, this book was a pleasure to read, and I am definitely going to buy it and place it on my bookshelf. 5/5 stars.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go figure out how to buy Bollywood movies with English subtitles.
Dimple Shah is excited to go to a web development conference called Insomnia Con in San Francisco right before heading off to Stanford in the fall. She is so excited, in fact, that she’s not suspicious when her mother, who is obsessed with her getting married, readily agrees to let her go. Little does Dimple know that her parents have arranged for her to meet Rishi, a boy they hope she will eventually marry. Rishi is also interested in Insomnia Con, but he hopes to meet Dimple and hit it off right away. However, Rishi is unaware that Dimple has no idea who he is, and makes a very forward joke upon first meeting her. Spooked, Dimple throws coffee in his face and runs away.
After the “ideal meeting gone wrong,” Dimple and Rishi get to know each other, though Dimple is very focused on developing a new app to win Insomnia Con, and Rishi, while falling head over heels for Dimple, is not quite as enthusiastic about Insomnia Con as he was before he came.
This story is woven so expertly that it makes the book hard to put down. Dimple and Rishi’s characters are very well rounded. Rishi is a traditionalist who wants to make his parents happy, and Dimple is a forward-thinking feminist focused on her career. They complement each other so well; it’s easy to believe when they fall for each other.
The conflicts and resolutions are very believable, because each problem is approached and fixed in detail, as a process, as Dimple and Rishi work as a team to help each other out.
The ethnic tie-ins are wonderful. All the references to Indian clothing and Bollywood made me desperate to learn more, and the food described sounds mouthwatering.
I think probably my favorite part is how Dimple describes Rishi when he’s drawing. He gets lost in his art, and that’s partially how she falls in love with him. It’s breathtaking. It’s great that she comes to care so much about his interest in art, even though he tries to resist the calling to become an art major instead of a computer engineer.
The only thing that bothered me about this book was how easily Dimple gives in to liking Rishi. Maybe things happen that way, and I got over it, but it just seemed like it happened too fast and too easily. Other than that, this book was a pleasure to read, and I am definitely going to buy it and place it on my bookshelf. 5/5 stars.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go figure out how to buy Bollywood movies with English subtitles.
