About The Book
This enchanting debut teen romance novel, which follows one girl across the Atlantic in a quest to find adventure, love (preferably with a guy with a cute accent), and maybe even herself, is perfect for fans of Kasie West and Stephanie Perkins.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3joJ2hz
My Rating
Get ready for a rant review! Typically, I’m not one to drag on books, because everyone’s bookish opinions and tastes are different. However, I cannot write this review without trashing this book, at least some. So please, as with all my reviews, take this with a grain of salt.
This books has to do with a teenage girl that, after suffering public humiliation, jets off to study abroad in the UK with the more elite students in her grade. Honestly, are high students as cruel as they are in movies and books? Because if so, I’m glad I was home schooled.
Ellie is the main protagonist of the story and probably one of the worst main characters ever: First off, she thinks being called Ellie is childish, which is ridiculous. She instantly starts flirting with the first British guy she meets and the lies fly so easily from her lips.
She doesn’t care that she’s not being herself as long as he likes her. So desperate! At one point she was going to get into a car with a literal stranger because he was cute and British. She was that naive and stupid.
Not only is her main priority some guy she just met; she wasn’t serious about the school at all. She didn’t know what she wanted in life, and was in need of some self discovery. Her solution to her problems was to runaway, which was completely immature.
“He brushes my hair from my face and I swear I’m in a romantic comedy. I can almost hear the music swelling.”
As for the side characters, Ellie did form a small friend group early on in the book. I liked her roommate, Sage, a lot. She was smart and driven, and not boy-crazy. Her other friends were good additions to the story as well. However, her crush, Will, was snobby, judgmental, and a jealous jerk.
There is the mention of fairy gardens in the book. I don’t know if they’re a real thing, but they should be. Also, I liked how the book showed that even if you don’t get straight A’s, or are good at school, it doesn’t mean you’re dumb. We are all smart in our own way.
Sadly, that one redeeming plot point didn’t make up for the entire rest of the book. Ellie’s character was way too childish, and her choices were horrible! She would drop her friends for a boy at any given moment. She was so unlikable. I seriously wrote in my notes that Ellie was stupid and annoying, which I think pretty much sums up my feelings regarding her as a person.
Overall, the book felt very young. I read a lot of YA, but the writing and characters were so immature that it drove me insane. While on GoodReads, I came across a review that said this book is irredeemable, and I 100% agree with that assessment.
In the comments, let me know your take on this book. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you are a fan of book reviews. I promise that most of them aren’t this negative.
Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny