Whenever I'm in a funk, I return home. This book -- and yes, I swear to the gods it's a book because it is without a doubt one of the best pieces of wWhenever I'm in a funk, I return home. This book -- and yes, I swear to the gods it's a book because it is without a doubt one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read -- is my home.
It's perfect. And I don't say that lightly <3 ...more
And I do not say that lightly. I mean, I literally have such an author-girl crush on this fantastic author that I I AM IN LOVE WITH CLAIRE LAZEBNIK. ♥
And I do not say that lightly. I mean, I literally have such an author-girl crush on this fantastic author that I read ALL THREE of her YA contemporary novels (all based on Jane Austen novels, by the way) in one day. This is not an exaggeration. My best friend will attest to the fact that I would not let him interrupt me during that period where I surrounded myself by Claire's wit for a full twenty-four hours, reading and re-reading the passages I thought were best.
(And believe me, there are A LOT of them.)
Cutesy novels have the misfortune of getting low ratings because people tend to believe that cute = without depth, and they automatically rate it lower than they would, say, a classic, even though they loved it just as much (maybe even more!) than more intense novels.
And I'm here to say that THAT IS TOTALLY UNTRUE AND UNFAIR AND NOOOOOOOOOO.
Epic Fail, based lightly off Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is everything I could want in a book and MORE. It is heart-warming, and realistic, and hilarious, and fun, and epic, and sweet, and OH MY SWEET GOODNESS, the wit! The banter! The comments from our oh-so-lovable heroine Elise in our oh-so-lovable cast -- they kill me again and again, because she's so sarcastically funny and awesome and realistic that I truly wish I could be her.
(I mean, I admire Tris and Katniss from Divergent and The Hunger Games, but would I want to be them? Maybe I'd want to have their bravery and strength, but their other attributes -- like humor and realism -- can sometimes be lacking. Elise, on the other hand? I want to be EVERYTHING she is. ♥)
And the part about cutesy novels sometimes lacking depth? SCREW THAT! This book had the perfect about of realistic self-doubt and depth, and it subtly deals with flaws in humanity, and it makes you connect with the cast throughout everything they do, AND it's just... like life, you know? Life isn't perfect -- Elise's certainly isn't -- but the way Claire LaZebnik portrays it is perfect.
You already know how much love I have for witty, hilarious, adorable, fun Elise. But then there's her relationship with her older-by-one-year sister, Juliana (who she calls Jules), and Juliana's relationship with her new super-adorable-likeable-sweet boyfriend, Chase, and Chase's relationship with his best-friend-and-son-of-famous-people, Derek, and Derek's relationship with Elise.
OH MY GOD, THE SWOONS.
The cast? (See above.)AWESOME. The inspiration? (Jane Austen)AWESOME. The storyline? (Elise's mom getting a job at a private school for rich kids that her and her sisters are forced to attend, where all sorts of epic fun happens and let's not forget the cute boys...) AWESOME. The everything? Just awesome, awesome, so incredibly AWESOME.
(You know how we all love Anna and the French Kiss because of the characters and the chemistry and the fun while also managing to be relatable and perfectly imperfect? Yeah, well that is EXACTLY this book. And all of Claire LaZebnik's books.)
I don't care what you say, these three novels are going to be part of my selective few that I'm allowed to lug two hours away into my tiny dorm room when I move to university in September. I MUST HAVE CLAIRE'S WIT WITH ME AT ALL TIMES.
And on a side note, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER: Rate books based on how much YOU enjoy them. Justifying your feelings is good, but it is not necessary (especially if you're too busy to write a long-winded review with a million GIFs). But don't say you love a book when you don't, just because everyone else is rating it high. In retrospect, don't say you hate a book if you really secretly love it, just because your Goodreads friends are ranting about how much of a piece of sh*t it is. (If they're really your Goodreads friends, I'm sure they'll love you regardless of which side of the fence you stand on in regards to the one book he or she wants to burn in hell.) I have loved a lot of books with low ratings and have hated a lot of books with high ratings, and while I'm still trying to find my own footing, I have learned that being true to what I feel about a book is the most important thing -- even more than being influenced by what other readers say.
(Even when some things that they write seem A MILLION times more in depth and epic than what my seventeen-year-old mind can form. LOL.)
Just food for thought. And more: I really loved this book :)
I do not write reviews anymore. But this had to be written.
Honestly guys. The wit. The banter. The adorableness. I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN. Just know that Claire LaZebnik is LOOOOOVEEEEEE. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE <3
Honestly guys. The wit. The banter. The adorableness. I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN. Just know that Claire LaZebnik is officially one of my fave authors! <3333333333333333333...more
ABSOLUTE LOVE FOR THIS SERIES. And I've been *hush hush* Team Graham from the beginning. Reid is awesome, but awesome for Emma? He honestly can't evenABSOLUTE LOVE FOR THIS SERIES. And I've been *hush hush* Team Graham from the beginning. Reid is awesome, but awesome for Emma? He honestly can't even compare <3
I seriously finished this whole series in two days. THAT is how awesome it is.
(I have a secret love for celebrity book boyfriends. Shhhhhh.)