By Francesca Zappia
Genre YA Contemporary
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
Eliza is an introvert. She keeps to herself and is just trying to survive her senior year of high school and escape to college. But Eliza has a whole other side to her. On line she is the creator of Monstrous Sea, a popular web comic. But keeping the two lives separate becomes increasingly hard when a new boy comes to school. Wallace is a fan of Monstrous Sea but he's also a fan of Eliza's. It's only a matter of time before Eliza's worlds collide.
First Sentence
The origin post is open on my computer when I shuffle over to it in the morning.
Guys, I'm in the worst reading slump of all time! I did manage to make it through a book though. I'd heard good things about Eliza so I thought it might be what I need to get out of my slump. But while I did manage to read it the whole way through, I'm still in my slump!
This book is 380ish pages and for the first 300 pages not much happens. It's mostly introducing us to Eliza, her family and Monstrous Sea and then watching her and Wallace fall for each other while Eliza keeps her secret from him. Of course the shiz hits the fan and when it does the book became much more engrossing. I flew through the last 80-100 pages. I wish the whole book had been that good.
But I have to say, I'm not sure what everyone sees in this one. It was OK but not amazing. But I'm a horrible judge right now. I'm in such a reading slumpish mood that who am I to judge?
At my last book club this book got brought up and those who had read it were arguing about Eliza's parents. I hadn't read it at the time but I had to laugh at how strongly each person felt. Now that I've read it...sorry Suey, I have to take a stand against the parents. They weren't horrible but they were so clueless. And I didn't buy that they wouldn't have looked up their daughters web comic and seen how popular it was. The fact that they didn't....not good.
So while this one didn't get me out of my reading slump, it did manage to get me to finish which is very impressive these days.
Should you read it
Yes.
Woot woot! You're on our side! ;) Sorry you didn't like it as much as we did, though. And, sorry you're still in your slump. :(
ReplyDeleteYeah. Stupid slump.
DeleteI hate reading slumps! Too bad this book didn't pull you out of yours. Wish I knew the magic remedy or the perfect book to tell you to read, but I don't. :(
ReplyDeleteIt’s all good. It’ll pass. They always do.
DeleteI've heard really good things about this one. I just haven't had the time to dive in. Glad it entertained you, even if you didn't end up loving it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it got me reading, so that’s something. Had I not been in a mood I bet I would have loved it a lot more.
DeleteSorry you're in a reading slump. :( Hopefully it ends soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I hope so too.
DeleteThis sounds like a really interesting book. I'm sorry you're in a reading slump. I hope you're able to get out of it soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The book was very interesting.
DeleteI've really been wanting to read this! I'm sorry you're slumpy right now--always a bummer. 😢
ReplyDeleteYou still gave this four stars, so yay! I'm happy you were able to finish it even though you're not feeling books right now. That says a lot!
Do You Dog-ear?
It does say a lot. It’s a good book.
DeleteI've heard a lot about this one, and yeah some rave reviews, but I like seeing more measured reviews too. I think I get more balanced idea that way. I kinda like the premise but will go in expecting it to be a little slow at first, so I don't get bored. And sorry to hear about the slump- hope that passes!
ReplyDeleteI hope it passes too. I think I’m the only one that found it slow so you might not. And since you love Fangirl, you really should read this one.
DeleteSounds like Fangirl, but I loved that book. Still, reading another book like it just rubs me the wrong way. I like that it was original.
ReplyDeleteHope you break out of your reading slump soon! I got out of mine last year by being brutally discriminatory against the books I was interested in reading. It saved reading for me! If a book was simply not working, despite being a generally good book, I DNF'd it. Like if it just had an iffy flavor to it. And, I don't regret it at all because it freed me up to read the books that grabbed me from Chapter 1.
I feel bad that this is something you can't do, as a book reviewer. :( It works so extremely well.
I’m not reading any requested review books at the moment so that’s good. And I’m trying to get better at DNFing books. I’ve put several down in the last few weeks. Yay me!!!
DeleteHope the slump will pass quickly. This one sounds interesting, though I'm not so sure about the slow beginning. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteI think I’m the only one who found the beginning slow so...
DeleteHa! *high five* I'm surprised you gave it 4 stars since you thought it was slow. I love the picture with your cat.
ReplyDeleteI knew if I hadn’t been in a mood I would have loved it more so I rated it based on what I would have rated it in a better mood.
DeleteI have had this one sitting on my shelf for nearly a year now and haven't picked it up yet. I think it sounds like something I would really enjoy but contemporary YA hasn't been working for me at all lately.
ReplyDeleteYeah, if contemporary isn’t doing it for you right now I’d wait. It’s a good one when you’re in the mood.
Delete