I am deeply sorry to give a bad rating to this book that most of my friends loved (also because the author seems really nice), but at this point I am really looking for something new to read, not necessarily to blow my mind but still to keep me interested and if possible in love with the story. Otherwise I’d read one of my favorite books again and get over with it.
So, maybe a while back (quite some years back, to be honest) I would have found this book more compelling. See, this the problem when you read too much: you start to get bored if you read the same story twice .. or more times.
And before you start to complain about my statements – yes, there must have been some originality here and there, but some cliché scenes appeared with a big red flag in my mind screaming “Not again, not again!!!”
#1 Sparks of electricity at touching:
I’ve seen this in too many books to count.
Let’s make a confession: This happens to me all the time on cold weather. Because of the clothing, from time to time, I touch my husband (or my car door for that matter) and *poof!* sparks of electricity are sent through my finger. Lucky me, I must be so in love!
Truth being told: they are unpleasant, they hurt a bit, and I am not sure what can I make of those scenes afterwards, when I read about them in these books.
#2 The “shouldn’t be friends” cliché:
I am getting tired of this. Let’s make it clear, if you have any doubts about what this could possibly mean: If a guy tells you this, he really doesn’t like you. No matter what this is supposed to be in a book, in real life this is a kind(ish) way to tell you to just go to hell.
#3 Sitting together at school, but not talking at all:
Forgive me, but this is called disrespect. People, please teach your brats some manners!
We are social creatures, we like to interact, at least say “hello” or “go to hell”. It’s unnatural to sit next to a person and not say a word.
How is this even possible (except for the case when someone is too shy to interact, for example)? Where did this idea come from? And what can we learn from this, that if someone doesn’t care enough to interact with you, does it mean that he/she likes you? God help us all (if you believe in one).
Do you see my eyes rolling?
#4 This requires a quote:
Girl: “I’m not dropping this.”
Boy: He took a step forward. “there is nothing to drop”
Girl: “I don’t believe you.”
I am really trying not to compare books here, but at this point it’s becoming such a difficult task.
#5 Another quote needed for emphasis:
“Stay away from me. Nothing good can come from this. I’m with Chelsea – not you. Just give up already”
There is the real world where the girl would know to back off, get a life and be happy… And there is this ‘scenario’ where the girl thinks that even after saying those things the boy is deeply in love with her, so she keeps obsessing about him.
Why am I even reading these books?!!! I sense a “deep” headache coming.
#6 More clichés: the boy wearing dark jeans, leather jacket and having “constant changes of attitude”.
#7 The last quote from the book:
“Sorry, Elizabeth, but you are not my type.”
My eyes are doing a 360 around my head. You know why, because this girl still doesn’t get it. *sigh*
We assume that girls are smart and can see that these things are all wrong, but let’s not take too many risks.
Yes, this is fiction, this is a ‘don’t do that at home” kind of book, but it sets the wrong example nevertheless and I can’t keep this thought for myself.
We cant pretend that young girls won’t take this book as an example and won’t start chasing after uninterested boys. They might think that when a boy sais things like this, it’s somehow romantic. They might think that a girl crying over a boy that made it clear he doesn’t like her is a cool thing that might end with a happily ever after, when in fact they should just decide to move on and go for a better guy, one that likes them back.
#8 There were many other things that bothered me in the interactions between Elizabeth and other characters that treated her quite badly, but my rambling is getting too long and we are only halfway through the story. We have a history that (partly) repeats once more, even though the characters tried so hard to change the course of things; there are bad decisions; there are more eye rolling scenes and I think that (as young as I am) I am getting too old for this kind of stories.
I should probably say a few words about the plot and the characters:
Plot: predictable, repetitive, lacking freshness and even originality.
Characters: dull, childish, obsessive, naive if not insolent.
Other than this, if you can live with the above, then you are safe to read the book and maybe even enjoy it. *crossing fingers for you*
Happy midnight reading!
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