Book Rating (1-5 Stars): I'd give it a 3 or 3 1/2. It was good enough to hold my attention, but I probably won't read the sequel or recommend it to anyone else.
Setting of the Book: Some random town in USA. The setting's not really that important.
About the Author: This book was written by Lisi Harrison. I just went to her About page on her website and read it, and it's hands-down the BEST author bio I have ever read. It made me reconsider my desire to read the sequel to Pretenders, because Lisi is awesome. She was raised in Canada, has a bachelors degree in writing, and moved to Manhattan to write for MTV where she worked for 12 years. She said her urge to write Pretenders came from working at MTV, not going to middle school (interestingly enough). It's about the desire people have to wear certain things or act a certain way to fit in with the "in crowd." She has since quit her MTV job & now writes full-time. Bless her soul. Here's her bio so you can read the cool-ness of it.
Plot of the book in one sentence: 5 ninth-graders who are going to an exceptional high school are assigned to keep journals for the whole year, and then, when they're in 10th grade, the journals are mysteriously released to the school to prove that no matter how "cool" someone seems, they're really just trying to fit in like everyone else.
If I Could Rename the Book: I probably wouldn't, because the book title is pretty accurate already.
Genre: YA Fiction
Point of View: Alternates between each of the 5 students
Favorite Character: It's hard to choose, because I like them all, but maybe Sheridan. She's a breath of fresh air.
Least Favorite Character: My least favorite character would probably be Duffy, simply because he takes a lot for granted, and he's clueless when it comes to how to act in friendships & relationships.
Other (Main Characters):
Sheridan - dramatic and stylish, she wants to be an actress one day. She has a best friend who, during the course of the book, begins to distance herself from Sheridan and establish her own identity, which Sheridan has a hard time with.
Lily - home-schooled until the 9th grade when she convinces her parents to let her enroll in public high school simply because (and this is a secret only she knows) she's in love with her neighbor, Duffy, and she wants him to notice her.
Vanessa - your classic know-it-all overachiever. She was probably my second least-favorite character, because she puts too much stock into her smarts and kind of looks down on those less well-endowed with intelligence. She gets a crush on Lily's best friend (can't remember his name) who is actually gay, but he hasn't come out of the closet yet.
Jagger - he's a loner, but it's not because he's one of those dumb emo kids who rides a skateboard everywhere. There's some kind of dark secret as to why his parents aren't around, but I believe his dad's in jail (we don't know why), and Jagger was emancipated already so he doesn't get put in a foster home. He's pretty lonely, and it breaks my heart for him.
Duffy - an all-star athlete whose parents essentially lose their jobs at the beginning of the year, meaning they can't afford to help him out with basketball costs (since he's on the varsity team), so he gets a "job" working for a trend-setter. He has to wear whatever they give him and try and get his friends to buy whatever it is he's wearing. Because Lily is head over heels for him, she ends up spending a ton of money buying this stuff to impress him, but he's clueless as to why she's doing it.
If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?
Sheridan would by played by Peyton List (the oldest girl in the Disney show "Jessie")
Lily would be played by Lily Collins (Phil Collin's daughter - whaaaat?! Funny how her name is Lily, too. lol)
Vanessa would be played by Amandla Stenberg (best-known for playing Rue in the Hunger Games movie & who's starring in the upcoming movie "Everything, Everything")
Jagger would be played by Nicholas Hoult (who was in "Warm Bodies" - but like, a scruffy version of him, because he cleans up niiiiice.)
Duffy would be played by Lucas Till (who played a young "Havok" in the X-Men movies)
Favorite Scene of the Book: No one scene jumped out at me so much that I would say it's my favorite.
Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When Sheridan helps a guy she knows steal a car from her dad's dealership and then Vanessa's brother (who works there) gets blamed for it.
Favorite Quote in the Book: ???
Did I like the Ending? NO! Because it wasn't an ending. It was a cliffhanger that DEMANDS you read the sequel.
Which of my friends could I see loving this book? For some reason, Charity.
Which of my friends could I see hating this book? A boy...like my husband. lol
This book left me feeling: Indy. Like independent...you know, alternative.
How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: I think it was about 4 hours total.
In the "Why I Chose This Book" section: mom's and my* C'mon Christina! #grammarnazi #ionlydoitbecauseicare
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would like this book. Also, I know none of the people you chose as actors for the movie version. #outoftouch
Thank you for editing! I try to get all the mistakes, but sometimes I miss some! Did you go look at their pictures? And I don't think you would like this book either. Still not sure if I want to read the sequel...
DeleteNo I didn't. Since I haven't read the book, it wouldn't really mean much to me to know what the characters look like.
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