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A Little Less Girl
Everything has always come easy to Jake West. But when Amy, the girl obsessed with him, commits suicide, the entire town of Raynesville is quick to blame Jake. Now Amy's cousin, Dani, has moved into town. And suddenly Jake has an obsession of his own.
Dani Spencer has always dreamed of a home and normal life. When her beloved cousin and grandmother die, her wild, impetuous mother inherits their house in Raynesville. With Amy's diary in hand, Dani intends on finding out what happened to her cousin. And there's an obvious place to start... Jake West, the guy who broke Amy's heart.
Dani Spencer has always dreamed of a home and normal life. When her beloved cousin and grandmother die, her wild, impetuous mother inherits their house in Raynesville. With Amy's diary in hand, Dani intends on finding out what happened to her cousin. And there's an obvious place to start... Jake West, the guy who broke Amy's heart.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2011
32 people are currently reading
2366 people want to read
About the author
Tess Oliver
126 books2,451 followersTess Oliver is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Custom Culture series and a large collection of other romances. She is well known for her relatable characters who "become your friends" as you journey with them and for intriguing stories that will have you "devouring her books in just one day". Tess has been featured on USA Today's 'Happy Ever After' site, and in publications including Glamour UK and Elle UK magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
May 20, 2013
My first thoughts on this book? I was probably 15% in when I thought, the author must be a teenager.
Then I got on Goodreads and checked, and oh my....Tess Oliver is a teacher.
I'm not going to be mean here, though. I know that's what some people might expect from one of my two star reviews, but really, I thought this book had potential. Unfortunately for Ms. Oliver, potential isn't enough to make me see past the many obvious problems with this story.
First of all, the reason I suspected a teen wrote this was because the writing is exceptionally simplistic. The dialogue is...well, sometimes it's fine, other times it's awkward and/or nonsensical. Jake and Dani say things to each other that made me screw up my face in confusion and wonder, "Why would he/she say that to him/her?" A few of the utterances were completely out of place, and it gave me an overall feeling of being disconnected from the story.
Sentences are short and plain. While this might be fine considering it's intended for YA audiences, I would like to think that any teen who is capable of/likes to read would be able to handle writing that was a bit more complex. So here we have an area where I'm not sure if Ms. Oliver was trying to make it simple for a younger audience or if she just plain can't craft sentences any more intricate than, "I got up and brushed my teeth. Then I got something to eat. Jake came to the door."
Descriptors are few and far between, and when they do occur, they're pretty basic. If I recall correctly, sunset was described as "Pink, gray swirls." The reader is informed of the most basic of details (i.e. the house was blue, there were frilled pillows on the bed, etc.). In other words, if you're looking for a book that successfully sets a compelling atmosphere, you should probably look elsewhere.
One of my biggest issues with this book (and indeed with far too many of the books I've read of late) was the frequent and glaring grammatical mistakes. I was willing to mostly overlook this when I thought Ms. Oliver a teen because even my own grammatical knowledge as a teen was far inferior to that of now. But when I discovered that not only is Ms. Oliver an adult, but a teacher to boot? To say I was disgusted would be a tragic understatement.
I'm gonna be brutally honest and say Ms. Oliver is terrible with commas. I know a lot of people are tripped up by commas, but it really doesn't take a lot of practice to get them under control. I've been helping a friend of mine with her college papers, and while she was terrible with comma use before, she is now markedly better, and that is only with a couple months' practice. So I know it can be done. Ms. Oliver, being a teacher, endured her fair share of academia, and yet she doesn't seem to grasp even the simplest of concepts in regards to the comma. Take this sentence, for instance; "That is the stupidest, damn thing I've ever heard." When I first read it, I thought to myself, OK, it might just be a typo. However, the same thing happens again just a few sentences later. So then I thought, it's a teenager, these things are bound to happen. If she keeps writing, she'll learn and grow with it. Well, this isn't the first time I've been wrong, and I highly doubt it will be the last.
If you're going to go to the trouble of writing a story for self publication, knowing full well it won't pass under the eyes of an editor, it would be prudent of you to proofread your completed manuscript. While I understand certain things will obviously be overlooked, obvious things like using italics to emphasize and alter tone should be relatively easy to keep an eye on. As Dani reads through Amy's diary, the text of said diary is italicized. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with that being done, it's how you differentiate from the diary and the narrator. However, when the diary entries are interrupted by occasional thoughts from the narrator, you should probably make sure the text is changed back. Several areas throughout the book suffered from this little faux pas, and I found myself confused, trying to determine if I was reading Amy's diary entry or Dani's thoughts.
Along those same lines, there was absolutely no distinction used whenever someone referred to quotes from another person, words written on a sign/water tower/whatever, or internal thoughts of their own. Example; "This morning the words save me a place in hell had been scrawled in black paint along the water tank's perimeter."
Emphasis, Ms. Oliver, emphasis. Something should be done to distinguish "save me a place in hell" from the rest of the sentence.
Has the practice of using hyphenated words gone out of practice and no one's informed me?
What about correctly using apostrophes? Is that no longer "hip"? Mr. Higgins is Jake's championship-driven swimming coach. Yet, whenever his name is turned into a possessive, it changes to "Mr. Higgin"! When creating the possessive form of words ending in "s", if the word ends in a "z" sound (like Higgins), the correct form would be "Higgins's"....not "Higgin's".
Even the metaphors in this book are sloppy. On the second page, Jake's description of the monotony of his town goes like this: "The monotony of the place could choke you like one of those stupid ties you have to wear to a wedding or funeral. But no matter how hard you tugged at your collar, the place sucked the breath out of you."
First of all, that's just poorly executed. Take out a few words and you could turn it into a single compound sentence. Secondly, I fail to understand how tugging at your collar would keep a town from sucking the breath out of you...
I'm not totally heartless, I know what Ms. Oliver was going for with that sentence. I get that town = tie = breath, but the whole thing is so clumsily pieced together that it just doesn't have any sense of flow. As the author, one of Ms. Oliver's responsibilities is making sure her writing is clear and concise. On these points, she failed.
All of these things bothered me a great deal (especially when I learned she's a teacher...a teacher, for crying out loud!), but I think my absolute favorite grammar mishap was the use of the word "stench" in a fairly inappropriate place: "Jake tucked the sweatshirt bound hand under his arm to stench the bleeding."
I believe the word Ms. Oliver was looking for was stanch. I really was amused for a time, though, thinking about all the ways someone might attempt to make their blood smell even worse. (Also note that "sweatshirt-bound" should be hyphenated. *Sigh*)
Well, you know my thoughts on the general grammar (mess) of this book, but what about the story? Like I said, it had potential. I actually paid the $2.99 for this after reading the first couple of chapters in the sample because the sample made it seem all right. In this sense, it suffered the same fate as a lot of self-published works; it began to fall apart somewhere in the middle and never recovered. As Dani and Jake get closer, the romance takes a nausea-inducing turn for the worst, with Jake constantly mooning over Dani. The frequent references to Jake's heart doing somersaults (really, I don't know how the boy survived, what with his heart skipping beats and flipping around every five seconds), and the far-too-often occurrence of Dani using "those brown eyes of hers" on Jake, conspired to make me sufficiently queasy before I was even finished with the book. There's a time and a place for mushy sentiment, I know, but too much and too often surely spells disaster.
The premise is okay, I will give it that, although some of it is just a wee bit melodramatic and unrealistic. An entire town blaming a girl's suicide on a boy because of a single mean comment? Doubtful. The characters were completely flat. Every single one of them, flat, and the serious issues which the book seems to want to take on in the beginning are completely glossed over. Drug addict mother with a decades-long track record of irresponsible, selfish behavior is suddenly transformed into Susie freaking Homemaker? Overbearing, emotionally abusive father suddenly sees the light and stops treating his kid like crap? We're never given a reason, he just starts being nice one day during dinner....? Absent father of another boy emails picture of new family and gets a rude response and that's the last we hear about that. Hell, even Dani's attempts at coping with the suicide of her cousin are shallow and white-washed. She seems to feel nothing more than a passing sadness at the horror of what happened, and the scope of her "deep" emotional trauma is nothing more than her crying occasionally when she reads Amy's diary. The emotional depth of this literary masterpiece is roughly on par with a neglected kiddie pool. Which I could forgive were it not for the fact that it's hyped as an emotionally charged missive on loss, suicide, and second chances.
Should we talk about unresolved plot points? What, exactly, happened to Amy during "the Game"? Was she attacked? Was this "affair" of hers actually consensual, or was she unduly coerced? Who, exactly, was depicted in the disturbing painting? None of these questions are ever definitively answered. And what the hell was the point of the Cody/Chuck storyline? I think the answer to that one is the author needed a reason for Jake to come to Dani's aid (again).
Oh, and let's not forget the obviously insane villain that no one manages to spot until it's nearly too late. Seriously, I was about 30% through when I figured out who the villain was. It's that predictable.
This book might win a prize from me for one thing; most abrupt ending ever. After chapter upon chapter of Dani trying to figure out what really happened to Amy, the entire thing is wrapped up in about six pages. It was like watching a crime show where they do nothing but collect clues for the first 59 minutes, and then BAM! the killer is identified and apprehended, and they've cut to the credits while you stare incredulously, wondering whether or not you just wasted an hour of your life you'll never get back. CSI: Scooby Doo. Yeah, that's what is was like.
Well, crap. This always happens to me. I start reviewing a mediocre story only to realize I may be wrong about the fact that it's even good enough to be mediocre. I will leave the two star rating, however, as I have read worse in my time. I want to put something snarky here about the obvious failings of public education, but I'm not sure I even need to. I don't know what subject Ms. Oliver teaches, but I pray to everything holy it's not English.
Then I got on Goodreads and checked, and oh my....Tess Oliver is a teacher.
I'm not going to be mean here, though. I know that's what some people might expect from one of my two star reviews, but really, I thought this book had potential. Unfortunately for Ms. Oliver, potential isn't enough to make me see past the many obvious problems with this story.
First of all, the reason I suspected a teen wrote this was because the writing is exceptionally simplistic. The dialogue is...well, sometimes it's fine, other times it's awkward and/or nonsensical. Jake and Dani say things to each other that made me screw up my face in confusion and wonder, "Why would he/she say that to him/her?" A few of the utterances were completely out of place, and it gave me an overall feeling of being disconnected from the story.
Sentences are short and plain. While this might be fine considering it's intended for YA audiences, I would like to think that any teen who is capable of/likes to read would be able to handle writing that was a bit more complex. So here we have an area where I'm not sure if Ms. Oliver was trying to make it simple for a younger audience or if she just plain can't craft sentences any more intricate than, "I got up and brushed my teeth. Then I got something to eat. Jake came to the door."
Descriptors are few and far between, and when they do occur, they're pretty basic. If I recall correctly, sunset was described as "Pink, gray swirls." The reader is informed of the most basic of details (i.e. the house was blue, there were frilled pillows on the bed, etc.). In other words, if you're looking for a book that successfully sets a compelling atmosphere, you should probably look elsewhere.
One of my biggest issues with this book (and indeed with far too many of the books I've read of late) was the frequent and glaring grammatical mistakes. I was willing to mostly overlook this when I thought Ms. Oliver a teen because even my own grammatical knowledge as a teen was far inferior to that of now. But when I discovered that not only is Ms. Oliver an adult, but a teacher to boot? To say I was disgusted would be a tragic understatement.
I'm gonna be brutally honest and say Ms. Oliver is terrible with commas. I know a lot of people are tripped up by commas, but it really doesn't take a lot of practice to get them under control. I've been helping a friend of mine with her college papers, and while she was terrible with comma use before, she is now markedly better, and that is only with a couple months' practice. So I know it can be done. Ms. Oliver, being a teacher, endured her fair share of academia, and yet she doesn't seem to grasp even the simplest of concepts in regards to the comma. Take this sentence, for instance; "That is the stupidest, damn thing I've ever heard." When I first read it, I thought to myself, OK, it might just be a typo. However, the same thing happens again just a few sentences later. So then I thought, it's a teenager, these things are bound to happen. If she keeps writing, she'll learn and grow with it. Well, this isn't the first time I've been wrong, and I highly doubt it will be the last.
If you're going to go to the trouble of writing a story for self publication, knowing full well it won't pass under the eyes of an editor, it would be prudent of you to proofread your completed manuscript. While I understand certain things will obviously be overlooked, obvious things like using italics to emphasize and alter tone should be relatively easy to keep an eye on. As Dani reads through Amy's diary, the text of said diary is italicized. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with that being done, it's how you differentiate from the diary and the narrator. However, when the diary entries are interrupted by occasional thoughts from the narrator, you should probably make sure the text is changed back. Several areas throughout the book suffered from this little faux pas, and I found myself confused, trying to determine if I was reading Amy's diary entry or Dani's thoughts.
Along those same lines, there was absolutely no distinction used whenever someone referred to quotes from another person, words written on a sign/water tower/whatever, or internal thoughts of their own. Example; "This morning the words save me a place in hell had been scrawled in black paint along the water tank's perimeter."
Emphasis, Ms. Oliver, emphasis. Something should be done to distinguish "save me a place in hell" from the rest of the sentence.
Has the practice of using hyphenated words gone out of practice and no one's informed me?
What about correctly using apostrophes? Is that no longer "hip"? Mr. Higgins is Jake's championship-driven swimming coach. Yet, whenever his name is turned into a possessive, it changes to "Mr. Higgin"! When creating the possessive form of words ending in "s", if the word ends in a "z" sound (like Higgins), the correct form would be "Higgins's"....not "Higgin's".
Even the metaphors in this book are sloppy. On the second page, Jake's description of the monotony of his town goes like this: "The monotony of the place could choke you like one of those stupid ties you have to wear to a wedding or funeral. But no matter how hard you tugged at your collar, the place sucked the breath out of you."
First of all, that's just poorly executed. Take out a few words and you could turn it into a single compound sentence. Secondly, I fail to understand how tugging at your collar would keep a town from sucking the breath out of you...
I'm not totally heartless, I know what Ms. Oliver was going for with that sentence. I get that town = tie = breath, but the whole thing is so clumsily pieced together that it just doesn't have any sense of flow. As the author, one of Ms. Oliver's responsibilities is making sure her writing is clear and concise. On these points, she failed.
All of these things bothered me a great deal (especially when I learned she's a teacher...a teacher, for crying out loud!), but I think my absolute favorite grammar mishap was the use of the word "stench" in a fairly inappropriate place: "Jake tucked the sweatshirt bound hand under his arm to stench the bleeding."
I believe the word Ms. Oliver was looking for was stanch. I really was amused for a time, though, thinking about all the ways someone might attempt to make their blood smell even worse. (Also note that "sweatshirt-bound" should be hyphenated. *Sigh*)
Well, you know my thoughts on the general grammar (mess) of this book, but what about the story? Like I said, it had potential. I actually paid the $2.99 for this after reading the first couple of chapters in the sample because the sample made it seem all right. In this sense, it suffered the same fate as a lot of self-published works; it began to fall apart somewhere in the middle and never recovered. As Dani and Jake get closer, the romance takes a nausea-inducing turn for the worst, with Jake constantly mooning over Dani. The frequent references to Jake's heart doing somersaults (really, I don't know how the boy survived, what with his heart skipping beats and flipping around every five seconds), and the far-too-often occurrence of Dani using "those brown eyes of hers" on Jake, conspired to make me sufficiently queasy before I was even finished with the book. There's a time and a place for mushy sentiment, I know, but too much and too often surely spells disaster.
The premise is okay, I will give it that, although some of it is just a wee bit melodramatic and unrealistic. An entire town blaming a girl's suicide on a boy because of a single mean comment? Doubtful. The characters were completely flat. Every single one of them, flat, and the serious issues which the book seems to want to take on in the beginning are completely glossed over. Drug addict mother with a decades-long track record of irresponsible, selfish behavior is suddenly transformed into Susie freaking Homemaker? Overbearing, emotionally abusive father suddenly sees the light and stops treating his kid like crap? We're never given a reason, he just starts being nice one day during dinner....? Absent father of another boy emails picture of new family and gets a rude response and that's the last we hear about that. Hell, even Dani's attempts at coping with the suicide of her cousin are shallow and white-washed. She seems to feel nothing more than a passing sadness at the horror of what happened, and the scope of her "deep" emotional trauma is nothing more than her crying occasionally when she reads Amy's diary. The emotional depth of this literary masterpiece is roughly on par with a neglected kiddie pool. Which I could forgive were it not for the fact that it's hyped as an emotionally charged missive on loss, suicide, and second chances.
Should we talk about unresolved plot points? What, exactly, happened to Amy during "the Game"? Was she attacked? Was this "affair" of hers actually consensual, or was she unduly coerced? Who, exactly, was depicted in the disturbing painting? None of these questions are ever definitively answered. And what the hell was the point of the Cody/Chuck storyline? I think the answer to that one is the author needed a reason for Jake to come to Dani's aid (again).
Oh, and let's not forget the obviously insane villain that no one manages to spot until it's nearly too late. Seriously, I was about 30% through when I figured out who the villain was. It's that predictable.
This book might win a prize from me for one thing; most abrupt ending ever. After chapter upon chapter of Dani trying to figure out what really happened to Amy, the entire thing is wrapped up in about six pages. It was like watching a crime show where they do nothing but collect clues for the first 59 minutes, and then BAM! the killer is identified and apprehended, and they've cut to the credits while you stare incredulously, wondering whether or not you just wasted an hour of your life you'll never get back. CSI: Scooby Doo. Yeah, that's what is was like.
Well, crap. This always happens to me. I start reviewing a mediocre story only to realize I may be wrong about the fact that it's even good enough to be mediocre. I will leave the two star rating, however, as I have read worse in my time. I want to put something snarky here about the obvious failings of public education, but I'm not sure I even need to. I don't know what subject Ms. Oliver teaches, but I pray to everything holy it's not English.
December 12, 2015
Amy is dead. The police and town folks have decided it was suicide. She was after all hurt by words spoken by her love crush, Jake. She had weight issues, dead parent issues and was a loner, and when she heard Jake her dream boy say those horrid words she went into a deep place and never came out.
Dani and her mom have had a long difficult life. They inherited the house Amy lived in, it belonged to their grandmother. Amy and Dani were cousins, close till Dani's mother moved away. When Dani moved in her number one gaol was to make Jake pay for his causing the death of her best friend and cousin.
Jake, the all American boy top of the pack at school the boy most likely to win has slipped in his status since last year when Amy died. The town whispers behind his back, some of his teachers treat him like he's dangerous. He will never forgive himself for his words so he doesn't expect others to.
Dani reads her cousins diary and finds herself drawn to the very boy she wants to destroy. She is drawn to him, and his friends, for better of for worse she must find out the truth because Amy's diary doesn't sound like she committed suicide to her.
Friendship, trust, sexual predators, food obsession, drugs and abuse, this little books touches so many off center subjects. The mystery was very well done, I was mislead, and loved that. This is a YA book with a grip that held me to the very end. I had to know what happened to Amy.
Dani and her mom have had a long difficult life. They inherited the house Amy lived in, it belonged to their grandmother. Amy and Dani were cousins, close till Dani's mother moved away. When Dani moved in her number one gaol was to make Jake pay for his causing the death of her best friend and cousin.
Jake, the all American boy top of the pack at school the boy most likely to win has slipped in his status since last year when Amy died. The town whispers behind his back, some of his teachers treat him like he's dangerous. He will never forgive himself for his words so he doesn't expect others to.
Dani reads her cousins diary and finds herself drawn to the very boy she wants to destroy. She is drawn to him, and his friends, for better of for worse she must find out the truth because Amy's diary doesn't sound like she committed suicide to her.
Friendship, trust, sexual predators, food obsession, drugs and abuse, this little books touches so many off center subjects. The mystery was very well done, I was mislead, and loved that. This is a YA book with a grip that held me to the very end. I had to know what happened to Amy.
November 1, 2012
This was a sweet little investigation/romance/ya novel.
Amy is an artist.
She is an "invisible"
She has 3 obsessions.
Jake West, romance novels and food.
Jake West was a small town hero.
Everyone loved him
Captain of the swim team
Most popular guy in the school
Until he uttered 5 words that changed Amy's life.
She overhears him saying that he "prefers a little less girl"
She then goes on a drastic diet and sheds all her weight, she's no longer invisible, invited to all the right party's etc, but then surprisingly she commits suicide.
EVERYONE blames Jake. In a small town where gossip spreads like wildfire, everyone is blaming him, townsfolk, teachers, students, even himself.
Dani and her Mum have been on the run from their past for a while now. When Dani's Grandma passes away she leaves the house to them.
Dani makes her Mum move there. She just wants a normal life.
She also wants revenge on Jake West for killing her best friend/cousin/soulmate.
Dani moves into Amy's old room and finds Amy's diary.
Where everything is written in there.
Her Jake obsession, food addiction, references to Pride & Prejudice and Wuthering Heights.
The more Dani reads she begins to realize that there is NO WAY that Amy could commit suicide. She loved life too much.
Also the more Dani learns about Jake the more she realizes that Amy picked the best guy to be obsessed with. As she is also into him.
Just as Jake is into Dani.
He regrets the words he said that day, always will. He needs to know it wasn't what he said that made her decide to take her life,
but what If Dani is right?
That Amy didn't commit suicide?
Then who drove her off the cliff??
................................................
I liked this story.
It was written from Dani and Jake's POV changing with each chapter.
We get to meet Amy when Dani reads her diary and she is really a sweet, funny girl. I liked her.
The other secondary characters were good too.
Jake's best friend Blister was the sarcasm we all need from the best friend and younger sister Hannah was a genius, I liked her.
Dani's mum was pretty funny and gave the giggles.
Alex was a good touch as well.
Cody/Chuck not so much but hey he needed to be in there.
I was a bit disappointed hence the demotion from a 4-3 star review with how the mystery all unraveled. I figured out who it was relatively quickly but I didn't know why. When it became time to reveal it was just done so quickly we didn't get a great wrap up. Just short answers and it was over very quickly.
All in all for a free book I was pretty happy with it.
October 19, 2012
MC Dani and her mom have moved from California to a small town (in the midwest?), and Dani hopes to leave her mom's sketchy past and even sketchier boyfriends behind them for a "normal" life. The move is tinged with sadness, though, because they've inherited their new home from Amy's grandmother. Grammie died shortly after Dani's cousin Amy committed suicide when Jake West, the boy Amy obsessively crushed on, made some hurtful remarks about her. Dani wants to hate Jake, but begins to realize things weren't what they seem, as with the help of Amy's diary she begins to figure out what really happened to her beloved cousin.
This is a good read, with intense emotions, a bit of mystery and many charming characters. Dani is maybe a little to good to be true, but still comes across as real, tender and tough, and deserving of better than what she's got so far. Jake - super swoonworthy, not just because of his looks, but also his thoughtfulness and vulnerability. The other side characters, especially Dani's mom, are interesting and fun, and add dimensionality and depth. This was a fun, fast read (I started it this morning and worked all day, so ...) and is hard to put down. It is pretty much a romance, with all of the attendant Pride & Prejudice and Wuthering Heights allusions one could hope for. I liked the discussion of Lord of the Flies, it was relevant to the plot, and also helped with the development of the characters' relationship. I always think it's fun when a book does that.
This is a good read, with intense emotions, a bit of mystery and many charming characters. Dani is maybe a little to good to be true, but still comes across as real, tender and tough, and deserving of better than what she's got so far. Jake - super swoonworthy, not just because of his looks, but also his thoughtfulness and vulnerability. The other side characters, especially Dani's mom, are interesting and fun, and add dimensionality and depth. This was a fun, fast read (I started it this morning and worked all day, so ...) and is hard to put down. It is pretty much a romance, with all of the attendant Pride & Prejudice and Wuthering Heights allusions one could hope for. I liked the discussion of Lord of the Flies, it was relevant to the plot, and also helped with the development of the characters' relationship. I always think it's fun when a book does that.
December 11, 2012
A quick read which starts off quite little less mysterious but ends a lot more satisfied. Told in both Jake and Dani's POV, I enjoyed A Little Less Girl while it lasted. This is not a dark-complicated story that I thought it would be but pulled out a different track on solving whodunit.
After the sudden death of her cousin Amy and followed by her Grammie three month later, Dani and her Mom moved in to live the now residence-free home in the town of Raynesville. They settled in where Dani finds Amy diary and starts to figure out whether she really committed suicide or did somebody triggered her death. In the quest to look for answers, Dani finds herself in the presence of boy-next-door Jake, whom Amy also had a huge crush on. Where better way to start discovering some lead but thru him since the whole town seem to be pointing fingers that he's the reason Amy is dead. Dani had all the intention to hating him and busting his crap for what he'd done. Or so she thought. But it turns out -- you couldn't see the truth even if it's right there in front of you.
"I didn't go looking for addiction; it came on it's own in a lemon Mustang. No lighter and pipe, no syringe, just a tiny scar interrupting an amazing pair of lips." - Jake
Jake has been accused of Amy's death ever since it happened. No way in telling if it was really his fault on the words he had uttered but he instantly regretted it the second it left his mouth. Now everybody were pretty convinced it's because of his actions that had done it but now he just can't wait to left the forsaken town. Until he met Dani. He seem to be taken by her and all else forgotten but just the sight of her. Not only does she figure out Amy's case but he also tries to figure her out.
"Suddenly I realized that even the deep, smooth sound of his voice had a profound effect on me. The last thing I needed was to fall for Jake West. I stepped out of his truck and our gazes meet instantly. I was in trouble." - Dani
Dani has known of the infamous Jake West and to what he had done to Amy, so she arrives with a vengeance. But everything falls when she gets a better look of who Jake really is and deeply convinced he could never do such a thing to her cousin. Who she thought was an adversary turned out to be an ally. She didn't knew it but she seem to be taking him in. Together, they share the memories of what Amy had left and finding the truth of really did happen to her.
The story is not really that hard to follow. It was fast-paced and with equal parts sweet and mystery. Mysteriously sweet? The thing that I appreciated the most was how Dani was very keen in finding the who-what-why that left her cousin at the edge of the cliff. Unlike other romance YA, they tend to lean more on the romance part and left out the important issue in the story. So I am excited to read Dani's POV because she lets out hints and gives little suspense all through out. And even if Jake knows he's the town's 'dream boy' it doesn't really show much in the book about his status. The fact that he's not a jerk and a douche sends him at the top of my admired-characters list. It's not really heavy in the romance department but has quite some sweet parts and was good enough for me.
xx
Want to read
May 24, 2013FREE on Amazon US today (5/23/2013).
February 19, 2014
The premise of the story was intriguing, and although the cover was a little shabbily made imo, it was a good book. I think I would've liked the story better if Amy was alive. I know, I know, then the story wouldn't be the way it was if she was alive. But even if she had passed away, her entire character was just so like-able. I found myself liking her even more than Dani, even though Dani was pretty cool too.
This book is about a girl who had supposedly committed suicide because her crush, Jake West (why are all the good-looking guys named Jake?!). He had crushed her with five heart-breaking words that led to her "suicide". Her cousin, Dani, who has been in an out of foster homes thanks to an unstable mother comes to town. Anyway, she inherits the house where Amy and her Grammie lived. Dani also inherits Amy's diary filled with her hopes (Jake), her weight issues and everything else.
Reading Amy's diary entries were great. I loved how happy she was and I did find it fishy that she would commit suicide, very unlike her. Anyway on to the characters..
Dani was great, I suppose. Not my favourite girl-narrator, but she wasn't horrible either. She was quiet to me, seemed a bit dead to me at times... Ironic because even though Amy was no longer living, her diary entries were more lively than Dani.
Jake West. Okay, I have drawn the conclusion that every YA book I come across with the male lead named Jake is smoking. Ah, the teenager in me (what am I talking about? I am still a teenager) just loved him. He was such a great guy. Reading the blurb, I thought he was the usual arrogant-turned-nice male lead. But he's always been nice. After one mistake, the whole town started hating on him.
Overall, this was a high 3 stars for me, because the story was interesting. Where the story lost the two stars was that I knew what happened half-way through the book. It was a little predictable, imo. Other than that, I felt the story was rushed at the end...but it was a pleasant quick read for me :)
This book is about a girl who had supposedly committed suicide because her crush, Jake West (why are all the good-looking guys named Jake?!). He had crushed her with five heart-breaking words that led to her "suicide". Her cousin, Dani, who has been in an out of foster homes thanks to an unstable mother comes to town. Anyway, she inherits the house where Amy and her Grammie lived. Dani also inherits Amy's diary filled with her hopes (Jake), her weight issues and everything else.
Reading Amy's diary entries were great. I loved how happy she was and I did find it fishy that she would commit suicide, very unlike her. Anyway on to the characters..
Dani was great, I suppose. Not my favourite girl-narrator, but she wasn't horrible either. She was quiet to me, seemed a bit dead to me at times... Ironic because even though Amy was no longer living, her diary entries were more lively than Dani.
Jake West. Okay, I have drawn the conclusion that every YA book I come across with the male lead named Jake is smoking. Ah, the teenager in me (what am I talking about? I am still a teenager) just loved him. He was such a great guy. Reading the blurb, I thought he was the usual arrogant-turned-nice male lead. But he's always been nice. After one mistake, the whole town started hating on him.
Overall, this was a high 3 stars for me, because the story was interesting. Where the story lost the two stars was that I knew what happened half-way through the book. It was a little predictable, imo. Other than that, I felt the story was rushed at the end...but it was a pleasant quick read for me :)
September 17, 2011
This story was told in the alternating POV of Danielle (Dani) and Jake. I’m crazy about this method of story-telling because you get to hear the feelings of the characters in relation to one another (yes, I want to know that his heart is stuttering when she looks up at him with her big brown eyes, or that he can’t take his eyes off her long, smooth legs!)
Dani and her mom are moving to Raynesville, after her cousin Amy committed suicide. They’ve inherited the house Amy and her grandmother lived in, because the grandmother died a few months after Amy’s suicide. The story is that Amy was obsessed with her neighbor/schoolmate, Jake, and after overhearing him saying something cruel about her, she was so devastated she drove off a cliff. Dani and Amy were close growing up until Amy’s mother died, and she went to live with their grandmother. So this is a blow to Dani.
Upon arriving, Dani finds that Amy left her diary to her. Dani promptly starts reading it to find out how Amy, someone so positive, funny, and full of life, could have taken her own life. Her other mission is to get close to Jake, the boy who is supposedly responsible. However, after reading the diary and Dani’s own personal encounters with Jake, she finds it impossible to hate him. The way Amy describes Jake in the diary, he’s like a prince out of a Jane Austen novel and Dani finds nothing to contradict this description. The more Dani reads, the more Amy’s suicide doesn’t make sense. Dani starts asking around and things get dangerous from there.
This is a quick read. It’s only 236 pages but what a story! I loved slowly discovering the events with Dani, through the diary. Of course, what I liked the most was the romance! The slow building attraction and then the swoon worthy pay-offs were definitely worth the wait. Big goofy grins while reading those bits! What can I say, I’m a sucker for a sweet romance.
Dani and her mom are moving to Raynesville, after her cousin Amy committed suicide. They’ve inherited the house Amy and her grandmother lived in, because the grandmother died a few months after Amy’s suicide. The story is that Amy was obsessed with her neighbor/schoolmate, Jake, and after overhearing him saying something cruel about her, she was so devastated she drove off a cliff. Dani and Amy were close growing up until Amy’s mother died, and she went to live with their grandmother. So this is a blow to Dani.
Upon arriving, Dani finds that Amy left her diary to her. Dani promptly starts reading it to find out how Amy, someone so positive, funny, and full of life, could have taken her own life. Her other mission is to get close to Jake, the boy who is supposedly responsible. However, after reading the diary and Dani’s own personal encounters with Jake, she finds it impossible to hate him. The way Amy describes Jake in the diary, he’s like a prince out of a Jane Austen novel and Dani finds nothing to contradict this description. The more Dani reads, the more Amy’s suicide doesn’t make sense. Dani starts asking around and things get dangerous from there.
This is a quick read. It’s only 236 pages but what a story! I loved slowly discovering the events with Dani, through the diary. Of course, what I liked the most was the romance! The slow building attraction and then the swoon worthy pay-offs were definitely worth the wait. Big goofy grins while reading those bits! What can I say, I’m a sucker for a sweet romance.
my-kindle-freebie-to-read
May 22, 2013FREE TODAY 5/22/13 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...
January 28, 2012
This is my first Tess Oliver book and I must say she did not steer me wrong!!! A Little Less Girl is about Dani and her recovering drug addict mom who come to Raynesville after her Grammie passes away 3 months after her cousin Amy "commits suicide" at 17. After being left the home, she settles in a block away from Jake West, the object of Amy's obsession, and supposedly the cause of her supposed suicide. Little does the town know, Amy has left a diary to Dani full equipped with daily journal excerpts about daily Jake sightings and her constant struggles as an overweight invsible teen in a small town where looks mean everything. Dani learns about Amy's daily struggle with food and her obsession to loose weight, and soon finds herself realizing that Amy's suicide is not at all what the town of Raynesville thinks it to be. As Dani settles in, she learns that this little town is more than she expected as she learns more and more about Jake and finds herself falling hard for the boy next door against her will. But as skeletons in her past emerge, her new life in Raynesville becomes threatened and her cousin's past becomes harder and harder to unravel!!!
I think anyone who likes a little mystery mixed with teen angst drama and romance should definately consider this one. I like how Oliver tells the story from Both Dani and Jake's POV and you are able to draw a connection to both characters. can't help but fall in love with Jake West who turns out to be be an all around nice guy and a modern day prince charming. And Dani is a strong lead character with her strong morality and her smart and witty personality, you rarely get that in lead female characters anymore! I also like how you never know what is going to happen next and when the mystery unfolds in the end your jaw hits the floor and you are in awe as to how sweet Amy spent her last days!!! A definite must read!!!
I think anyone who likes a little mystery mixed with teen angst drama and romance should definately consider this one. I like how Oliver tells the story from Both Dani and Jake's POV and you are able to draw a connection to both characters. can't help but fall in love with Jake West who turns out to be be an all around nice guy and a modern day prince charming. And Dani is a strong lead character with her strong morality and her smart and witty personality, you rarely get that in lead female characters anymore! I also like how you never know what is going to happen next and when the mystery unfolds in the end your jaw hits the floor and you are in awe as to how sweet Amy spent her last days!!! A definite must read!!!
August 9, 2012
I really enjoyed the writing and mystery in this book but I wished it would have expanded a little bit on the romance element and paced the ending a little bit. The book was told in both Dani and Jake’s POV (alternating chapters) and that worked really well for this book because they each had a different view on Amy’s death. Jake lives next to where Amy lived prior to her death and Dani is her cousin and best friend but hadn’t spent a lot of time with her leading up to her death. During many of the early chapters from Dani’s POV, she read entries from Amy’s diary which also helped immensely in furthering the story since Amy has already died when the book begins.
Dani is a smart and witty girl but she carries a little bit of a chip on her shoulder because she did not have the best upbringing. Her mom was a drug addict and Dani spent some time in less than desirable foster homes. She and her mom have come to live in grandma and Amy’s old house to start a new life; Dani enjoys the normalcy it brings and the chance to get to the bottom of what happened to Amy. I loved Dani’s confidence and love she had for her cousin.
Jake is a popular guy that doesn’t seem to relish in his popularity. He is in no way superficial and seems to genuinely care for his friends and classmates. It is really too bad that most of the people in town have convinced themselves that he is in some way responsible for Amy’s death. Her death has taken a toll on him and he doesn’t care as much about his grades or swimming; he can’t wait to get out of his small town and run away from all the rumors.
Dani blames Jake at first but her ability to forgive and see people for who they really are allowed her to free Jake to some extent. Their closeness and mutual respect was evident and I was rooting for them to become a couple. Jake ended up saving her more than once and he was truly the knight in shining armor that Amy had dreamed of.
The mystery element in this one kept me going but once the pieces fell into place, it was quickly solved and then what I had been waiting for much of the book actually happened and then it was just done. If the end had been paced a little better, I would have liked this one a lot more.
Dani is a smart and witty girl but she carries a little bit of a chip on her shoulder because she did not have the best upbringing. Her mom was a drug addict and Dani spent some time in less than desirable foster homes. She and her mom have come to live in grandma and Amy’s old house to start a new life; Dani enjoys the normalcy it brings and the chance to get to the bottom of what happened to Amy. I loved Dani’s confidence and love she had for her cousin.
Jake is a popular guy that doesn’t seem to relish in his popularity. He is in no way superficial and seems to genuinely care for his friends and classmates. It is really too bad that most of the people in town have convinced themselves that he is in some way responsible for Amy’s death. Her death has taken a toll on him and he doesn’t care as much about his grades or swimming; he can’t wait to get out of his small town and run away from all the rumors.
Dani blames Jake at first but her ability to forgive and see people for who they really are allowed her to free Jake to some extent. Their closeness and mutual respect was evident and I was rooting for them to become a couple. Jake ended up saving her more than once and he was truly the knight in shining armor that Amy had dreamed of.
The mystery element in this one kept me going but once the pieces fell into place, it was quickly solved and then what I had been waiting for much of the book actually happened and then it was just done. If the end had been paced a little better, I would have liked this one a lot more.
October 8, 2011
Loved, loved, loved this book! "A Little Less Girl" is a a wonderful tale of how easy it is to misjudge people at a glance. Dani Spencer and her mom have lived a rough life moving from town to town in an attempt to outrun the bad decisions and relationships of Dani's mom's past. Mommie dearest certainly will not top the list of the Best Mom of the year due to her former drug habit and bad taste in men; but, let's give her credit, she is attempting to make a change.
After Dani's grandmother passes three months after her cousin Amy commits suicide, Dani and her mom inherit a house in the small town of Raynesville. Dani is truly looking forward to having a home instead of a low rent motel room but mom is not too keen on small town living. Once they settle in and Dani is enrolled in school, she tries to uncover what possibly could have caused Amy to kill herself. Raynesville think they have it figured out. It had to be the hurtful words leveled at Amy by the handsome swim jock, Jake West.
As Dani begins her new life, she soon realizes that things are rarely as they seem. With the help of her cousin's diary and a little bit of detective work, will she be able to find answers to her questions regarding Amy's death? Will she discover the what role if any Jake has played in Amy's demise? You will just have to read the book to find out.
I must say, this book is Tess Oliver at her best. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Before you ask: No, there are no vampires, werewolves, fae or any other supernatural creatures. This book is pure great story telling at its best. Oliver manages to build a world that will draw you in and refuse to let you go. When I realized that I was at the end, I was saddened. It is a fast read; but, no juicy goodness was left out. You will enjoy every moment of the ride.
After Dani's grandmother passes three months after her cousin Amy commits suicide, Dani and her mom inherit a house in the small town of Raynesville. Dani is truly looking forward to having a home instead of a low rent motel room but mom is not too keen on small town living. Once they settle in and Dani is enrolled in school, she tries to uncover what possibly could have caused Amy to kill herself. Raynesville think they have it figured out. It had to be the hurtful words leveled at Amy by the handsome swim jock, Jake West.
As Dani begins her new life, she soon realizes that things are rarely as they seem. With the help of her cousin's diary and a little bit of detective work, will she be able to find answers to her questions regarding Amy's death? Will she discover the what role if any Jake has played in Amy's demise? You will just have to read the book to find out.
I must say, this book is Tess Oliver at her best. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Before you ask: No, there are no vampires, werewolves, fae or any other supernatural creatures. This book is pure great story telling at its best. Oliver manages to build a world that will draw you in and refuse to let you go. When I realized that I was at the end, I was saddened. It is a fast read; but, no juicy goodness was left out. You will enjoy every moment of the ride.
March 27, 2012
"A Little Less Girl" was pretty great. I really liked it. When I decided to read this book, I thought, "If it was not good enough, I would stop reading and find another book to read." However, after I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.
The story was pretty amazing, a little investigation combined with a romantic plot. I loved every chapters of "A Little Less Girl" because the story was building step by step until it hit it own climax (which was wonderful). Secretly, I tried to figured out who responded to the death of Amy and I was confident with my instinct which I was wrong. That was another thing I loved about these book ... I couldn't guess what would happened until I'd read it. I had one disappointment that was it end to soon and the person who took responsibility for Amy's death, easily admitted on his/ her crime. But it was still excited.
For the characters in this book, I definitely loved them. Jake was like a Prince Charming in the fairy tale, good at heart, brave, and handsome. Dani was a smartest girl I ever read (in Young Adult novel). I really love her loyalty to her friend/ cousin. Blister, Alex, Hannah were lovable but I kind of annoyed Katrina.
Overall, Tess Oliver put the excellent characters into a solid and interesting plot and the only thing that came out was a pretty outstanding novel, "A Little Less Girl." 4 beautiful stars for this book.
The story was pretty amazing, a little investigation combined with a romantic plot. I loved every chapters of "A Little Less Girl" because the story was building step by step until it hit it own climax (which was wonderful). Secretly, I tried to figured out who responded to the death of Amy and I was confident with my instinct which I was wrong. That was another thing I loved about these book ... I couldn't guess what would happened until I'd read it. I had one disappointment that was it end to soon and the person who took responsibility for Amy's death, easily admitted on his/ her crime. But it was still excited.
For the characters in this book, I definitely loved them. Jake was like a Prince Charming in the fairy tale, good at heart, brave, and handsome. Dani was a smartest girl I ever read (in Young Adult novel). I really love her loyalty to her friend/ cousin. Blister, Alex, Hannah were lovable but I kind of annoyed Katrina.
Overall, Tess Oliver put the excellent characters into a solid and interesting plot and the only thing that came out was a pretty outstanding novel, "A Little Less Girl." 4 beautiful stars for this book.
November 28, 2011
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A Little Less Girl by Tess Oliver was a suspenseful and romantic novel that covered some serious young adult issues in an entertaining way. The storyline was unique and intriguing. The “bad guy” was pretty obvious, in my opinion, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the story. There were some emotional and heartbreaking events that happened in the course of this novel, but I wouldn’t classify this novel as a depressing or heartbreaking. More than anything, this novel made me really happy. I had a magnificent time reading this story and cheering for Dani and Jake.
Amy was a remarkable character. Even though she isn’t a living, breathing character, she came to life through her journal entries. She was funny. She was a dreamer. She was a romantic. She had a tragic ending, but she was a fabulous person while she lived.
I gave A Little Less Girl by Tess Oliver 3 STARS (3.5 STARS). I recommend this novel to young adults looking for an exciting, romantic, and suspenseful read.
-XOXO
READING, EATING AND DREAMING
A Little Less Girl by Tess Oliver was a suspenseful and romantic novel that covered some serious young adult issues in an entertaining way. The storyline was unique and intriguing. The “bad guy” was pretty obvious, in my opinion, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the story. There were some emotional and heartbreaking events that happened in the course of this novel, but I wouldn’t classify this novel as a depressing or heartbreaking. More than anything, this novel made me really happy. I had a magnificent time reading this story and cheering for Dani and Jake.
Amy was a remarkable character. Even though she isn’t a living, breathing character, she came to life through her journal entries. She was funny. She was a dreamer. She was a romantic. She had a tragic ending, but she was a fabulous person while she lived.
I gave A Little Less Girl by Tess Oliver 3 STARS (3.5 STARS). I recommend this novel to young adults looking for an exciting, romantic, and suspenseful read.
-XOXO
READING, EATING AND DREAMING
September 24, 2011
Sweet is the best way to describe A Little Less Girl. MC Dani was a breath of fresh air. Sure she lived a hard life (she even has the scars to prove it) but it hasn't hardened her to the point that she's bitter or scared to let people in. She's completely likable and it's obvious why the whole male student body is interested in her. Her love interest Jake is all kinds of yummy. The schools most popular, most dreamed about boy had a major sensitive side to him that kept a perma smile on my face. Loved the alternating POV's, they were written with such emotion and depth it made each character come to life. Amy, Dani's cousin was another fav component to the story. Her life was told only through diary entries, her art and Dani's memories, but it was as if she was a living, breathing character for me. She was fun and sassy and her references to literary hero's was great, (though Bronte's Heathcliff is NOT my idea of a hero I would swoon over. Ick!)!
January 28, 2012
"A Little Less Girl" by Tess Oliver tackles some pretty tough subject matters such as teen suicide and weight issues. Unfortunately the main characters were a little too perfect to be truly believable. Dani is gorgeous and can even make the angry neighbour smile. Jake is the typical gorgeous bad boy who every girl swoons over. The most interesting character is Amy who is Dani's cousin who everyone believes committed suicide due to a broken heart. At least her battles with weight and her diary entries where she ogles her neighbour Jake are interesting and seem more realistic. I did like how the story is told in alternating narration between Dani and Jake. The ending again was just a little too predictable and quick.
November 17, 2011
I just have one thing to say about this book: what's with this fascination by authors to make their (female) protagonists the best thing since chocolate?
New girl who hits it off with everyone, including the grouchy old man next door who everyone is afraid of and the grumpy teacher who seems to hate every student. She's the hottest s¥¡* on the block, the one who gets along famously with all except the jealous girls, the bravest girl who'll do things the locals haven't dared to do, and everyone is falling over themselves for her.
I find that a little too irritating and unreal.
New girl who hits it off with everyone, including the grouchy old man next door who everyone is afraid of and the grumpy teacher who seems to hate every student. She's the hottest s¥¡* on the block, the one who gets along famously with all except the jealous girls, the bravest girl who'll do things the locals haven't dared to do, and everyone is falling over themselves for her.
I find that a little too irritating and unreal.
May 2, 2012
This was quite good... But it could have been better.
A girl, Dani, moves with her mom to her recently dead grandma's house after her cousin, Amy, commits suicide because of a guy named Jake. Of course, Dani refuse to believe her cousin really killed herself so she starts reading Amy's diary in order to find clues about her death. In the mean time, Dani meets Jake and he's totally the opposite of what she thought. Instead of the classic jerk and popular guy, Jake seems to be the perfect gentleman; handsome, dreamy... And so the drama begins...
What I loved:
1) The 'solving the mystery' thing. There's a lot of suspects and clues and you keep guessing what really happened to Amy until the end. I think that's the best feature of this book.
What I hated:
1) Dani's mom. Not the character itself, but the development. She's an addict, an alcoholic, a promiscuous, very immature... and suddenly she's cured??? Yeah, because that so happens in real life...
2) There's a lot of grammar mistakes.
Bleh features:
1) The romance. This is definitively not a YA romance. I mean, it do have romance, but is very... vague. So don't expect hot kisses and sexy guys and that kind of things...
A girl, Dani, moves with her mom to her recently dead grandma's house after her cousin, Amy, commits suicide because of a guy named Jake. Of course, Dani refuse to believe her cousin really killed herself so she starts reading Amy's diary in order to find clues about her death. In the mean time, Dani meets Jake and he's totally the opposite of what she thought. Instead of the classic jerk and popular guy, Jake seems to be the perfect gentleman; handsome, dreamy... And so the drama begins...
What I loved:
1) The 'solving the mystery' thing. There's a lot of suspects and clues and you keep guessing what really happened to Amy until the end. I think that's the best feature of this book.
What I hated:
1) Dani's mom. Not the character itself, but the development. She's an addict, an alcoholic, a promiscuous, very immature... and suddenly she's cured??? Yeah, because that so happens in real life...
2) There's a lot of grammar mistakes.
Bleh features:
1) The romance. This is definitively not a YA romance. I mean, it do have romance, but is very... vague. So don't expect hot kisses and sexy guys and that kind of things...
October 4, 2012
i would have rated it 4 or even 5 because in the beginning i really really liked the story line. but the ending just ruined it all... u know like my expectations just flushed down the toilet. there are so many things i was not happy about in the book. i was expecting a suspense full story, u know it could have been interesting. but no it wasnt at all,when the person holding the board with "the murderer" written on it was there all along. okay, i let it slip thinking maybe it was supposed to be a romantic love story but even the romance between Jake and DAni didnt suceed to touch me like i wanted. so i didnt like the book. the ending could have been more briefing. but it was like the person admits he is the murderer of the story, the end.. nothing else...:(
August 31, 2017
This was an amazing story! Loved having Jake and Dani's POVs. Amy's thoughts and feelings were explained in her journal and that is what help make it a unique and interesting read.
I felt horrible for Jake. Gossip, by the townspeople, basically destroyed his life. Dani helps him become the charming person he once was. There is a bit of mystery thrown, as well.
It ranked this book as one of my favorites because I am still thinking about the characters. They were all basically good, sweet, caring and funny people. It was a tragic event that brought them all together. Loved it! ♥
I felt horrible for Jake. Gossip, by the townspeople, basically destroyed his life. Dani helps him become the charming person he once was. There is a bit of mystery thrown, as well.
It ranked this book as one of my favorites because I am still thinking about the characters. They were all basically good, sweet, caring and funny people. It was a tragic event that brought them all together. Loved it! ♥
August 16, 2012
I was very disappointed reading this book. There were so many spelling mistakes and the book was just horrible. I thought it was for adults but it talked about high school. I really don't know if I would even want my daughter to read this. Drugs and how great they are, getting drunk,getting a tattoo all like its no big deal. If it was said once it was said a million times about Dani's long legs. I'm really tired of hearing about her legs. I will not be reading another book by this author. I feel like I just wasted my time and my time is very valuable.
November 23, 2012
I loved this novel! The writing is precisely descriptive without being overly so. The events of the plot are unpredictable, rich with variety and engaging. And the details are quite credible, which I find is rare in YA fiction. I could relate to each one of the characters, or could at least easily imagine them being part of my world. This book is going on my must-read list of recommended books for my students.
September 25, 2011
I just finished this book and it was amazing! Usually there's something about a book that I think could have been better like if the ending was a little different or if the book just went a little further but I loved this book all the way through!! I would recommend to anyone!
March 15, 2013
Loved this book! It has a little bit of mystery with romance my two favorite genre's. Loved reading the diary entries literally lol on some occasions! which had my husband looking at me funny :) but definitely a good read!
July 13, 2015
I found this enjoyable... I liked learning about her cousin through her diary and what lead to her death as well as the relationship development between the main two. It was nice that they were all average teens not super rich or amazing...
November 2, 2012
this was a great read.had a few twist and turns.i loved how Dani didnt give up on solving her couisons death.
November 12, 2012
Was a good story, didn't exactly blow me away but will def read it again, good for passing the time on a slow sunday afternoon.
May 20, 2013
This book is more than what I expected for a free book that I found online. It could've gone into more detail, or explain more about Blister's dad, but still, my time wasn't COMPLETELY wasted.
February 20, 2018
This was a short sweet small town story .
Quick, easy read.
Quick, easy read.
March 25, 2012
A story filled with lies, obsession, guilt, betrayal, forgiveness, and love. This story is told alternating between the two leading characters, Jake and Dani. As well as Amy (Dani's cousin who has committed suicide) through her diary entries. I didn't think I would like all the alternating but, it was actually what made the book all that greater. To get the POV's of BOTH leading characters about what was going on helped a lot. And, having Amy's journal entries, as a ways of getting to know her, even though she had passed away, was helpful and insightful.
Dani, is incredibly smart, strong, and fiercely loyal to her best friend and cousin, Amy. Dani has also had a tough life and upbringing. Her mother is a drug addict and an alcoholic and had a knack for always picking the wrong (and dangerous) men. Dani, was shuffled from foster home to foster home and even went out on the run with her mother, when her latest boyfriend tried to harm them. Also, the latest boyfriend's son, Cody, was in love with Dani, and was still out looking for her. The only people in Dani's life who were constant were her cousin Amy and their grandmother. When Dani learns of her cousins’ suicide over some cruel words spoken by the boy she was obsessed with, Jake, Dani can’t just accept that her cousin would kill herself. Amy was strong, had a great sense of humor, and never let life get her down. So when Dani and her drug addict and alcoholic mother move to town, she is determined to uncover exactly what happened. She sets out to investigate, and plays her part very well! She has the whole town eating out of her tiny little hand.
Then she meets Jake West. The boy who Amy was utterly obsessed and in love with. He was the perfect boy. Only now he wasn't so perfect anymore. After Amy’s death, the whole town openly blamed him and the guilt is slowly killing him a little more each day. He's let his grades slip, quit the swimming team, pulled himself back from his friends, and has let his hair grow out. He's determined to leave this town when he graduates and put of all this misery behind him. And when he meets Dani, he is reminded again of just how much guilt he carries, and yet he’s completely mesmerized by her, and in turn, becomes obsessed himself.
Dani has sworn to herself to get to the bottom of it all. With the help of Amy's entries, Dani is brought through a journey through Amy's eyes. And the more she reads Amy's entries, and gets to know Jake more, she starts to realize that something here is wrong, and that all of those accusations towards Jake, just don't add up. Yes, Amy was in love with him, but when she heard those harsh words uttered by Jake, she quickly pulled herself together and moved on. All of it was there in black and white in Amy's journal.
As Dani and Jake start to get to know one another, and become closer and closer, will lies and deception tear them apart? Or will the truth about Amy's suicide finally come out and let everyone have peace, along with Amy.
Twists and turns throughout the whole story. You'll start to re think everyone's motives and steps. Great book.
Dani, is incredibly smart, strong, and fiercely loyal to her best friend and cousin, Amy. Dani has also had a tough life and upbringing. Her mother is a drug addict and an alcoholic and had a knack for always picking the wrong (and dangerous) men. Dani, was shuffled from foster home to foster home and even went out on the run with her mother, when her latest boyfriend tried to harm them. Also, the latest boyfriend's son, Cody, was in love with Dani, and was still out looking for her. The only people in Dani's life who were constant were her cousin Amy and their grandmother. When Dani learns of her cousins’ suicide over some cruel words spoken by the boy she was obsessed with, Jake, Dani can’t just accept that her cousin would kill herself. Amy was strong, had a great sense of humor, and never let life get her down. So when Dani and her drug addict and alcoholic mother move to town, she is determined to uncover exactly what happened. She sets out to investigate, and plays her part very well! She has the whole town eating out of her tiny little hand.
Then she meets Jake West. The boy who Amy was utterly obsessed and in love with. He was the perfect boy. Only now he wasn't so perfect anymore. After Amy’s death, the whole town openly blamed him and the guilt is slowly killing him a little more each day. He's let his grades slip, quit the swimming team, pulled himself back from his friends, and has let his hair grow out. He's determined to leave this town when he graduates and put of all this misery behind him. And when he meets Dani, he is reminded again of just how much guilt he carries, and yet he’s completely mesmerized by her, and in turn, becomes obsessed himself.
Dani has sworn to herself to get to the bottom of it all. With the help of Amy's entries, Dani is brought through a journey through Amy's eyes. And the more she reads Amy's entries, and gets to know Jake more, she starts to realize that something here is wrong, and that all of those accusations towards Jake, just don't add up. Yes, Amy was in love with him, but when she heard those harsh words uttered by Jake, she quickly pulled herself together and moved on. All of it was there in black and white in Amy's journal.
As Dani and Jake start to get to know one another, and become closer and closer, will lies and deception tear them apart? Or will the truth about Amy's suicide finally come out and let everyone have peace, along with Amy.
Twists and turns throughout the whole story. You'll start to re think everyone's motives and steps. Great book.
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