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Another 365 Days
Life’s sweet when you’re seventeen and in love, right? Clemmie Atkins certainly thinks so! She’s still madly in love with her girlfriend, the hot and super-confident EMO, Hannah Harrison, and her irritating sister, HRBH, will soon be leaving home to go to university.
But just when it seems that life is finally pretty darn cool, a new distraction at school threatens to upset everything, and the return of the enigmatic and sexy J with a startling confession confuses things further...
Clemmie has another 365 days to try to get her life back on track...but will it be enough?
But just when it seems that life is finally pretty darn cool, a new distraction at school threatens to upset everything, and the return of the enigmatic and sexy J with a startling confession confuses things further...
Clemmie has another 365 days to try to get her life back on track...but will it be enough?
264 pages, Paperback
First published December 30, 2012
2 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
K.E. Payne
9 books52 followersKE Payne was born in Bath, the English city, not the tub, and after leaving school she worked for the British government for fifteen years, which probably sounds a lot more exciting than it really was.
Fed up with spending her days moving paperwork around her desk and making models of the Taj Mahal out of paperclips, she packed it all in to go to university in Bristol and graduated as a mature student in 2006 with a degree in linguistics and history.
After graduating, she worked at a university in the Midlands for a while, again moving all that paperwork around, before finally leaving to embark on her dream career as a writer.
She moved to the idyllic English countryside in 2007 where she now lives and works happily surrounded by dogs and guinea pigs.
Fed up with spending her days moving paperwork around her desk and making models of the Taj Mahal out of paperclips, she packed it all in to go to university in Bristol and graduated as a mature student in 2006 with a degree in linguistics and history.
After graduating, she worked at a university in the Midlands for a while, again moving all that paperwork around, before finally leaving to embark on her dream career as a writer.
She moved to the idyllic English countryside in 2007 where she now lives and works happily surrounded by dogs and guinea pigs.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews
December 4, 2012
Another 365 Days was a book that for some mysterious reason I had very high expectations. I honestly don't know why but the moment I saw it, I knew that I had to read it. My expectations disappeared the moment I opened the Kindle book and I knew that I would detest this book instead of adore it.
Another 365 Days is a book that personally, I find it hard to imagine anyone would adore. Filled with grammatical errors, terribly unlikeable characters, idiotic situations, and slut shaming - Another 365 Days is atrocious.
Another aspect of the book that I truly hated was how K.E. Payne seems to think that all teens are freaking idiots. Constantly Clemmie, the main character, would say something that just made me think, "how did this girl pass 5th grade?"
She thinks that metrosexual means that an individual likes to have sex in (and or with) metros. When someone mentioned a picture of Madonna hanging in the hallway of a very religious family's home, Clemmie thought she meant this Madonna:
instead of:
-__-
Characters:
Clemmie was a freaking moron, in addition to many other words that I will be calling here. In addition to her obvious idiocy, Clemmie is judgmental, bitchy, whiny, angsty, shallow, and finally vapid. As you can tell, I really like her.
Clemmie wouldn't be as horrible if the book was not about romance. In the course of the book, there are three love interests. Usually, she was more than one at a time. Now, I don't have anything against polygamous relationships, but in those sorts of relationships, the various partners are aware of the other partner(s), unlike with Clemmie and love interest of the month.
The spoiler tag is the romance plot which makes me want to go hit my head on a hard surface.
Clemmie is probably up there with Zoey Redbird from Marked in terms of how much I hate her - which is saying a lot because even back when I thought Twilight was the awesomest book ever (yes I went through that phase), I hated that book.
Her EMO girlfriend (whose name I forgot and I'm too lazy to go and get my kindle) number one was very stereotypically emo. In fact, she wore chains and dog tags up to her armpits and only had black clothes. She started off as sort of emo, erm, EMO but then around 50% in the book, she goes off the deep end. Nauseating.
Girlfriend 2 was just as bad. Nothing else to say. She wasn't EMO, but she wasn't anything special.
Girlfriend 3 (J) was another stereotypical evil girl trying to ruin relationships. More of a side plot then an actual plot, like the summary makes it sound. In the end, she looses and there's another happy ending. Yay.
Plot and Writing:
Plot:
Plot? Whut's dat?
This book has no real plot, it's just some jumbled relationship drama coupled with a lacklustre coming out story - which doesn't really happen. The moral of the story seems to be that it's perfectly fine to cheat on all your girlfriends at some point because "you're confused".
Da fuq?
No seriously guys, this is basically what the book is about. As you can imagine, it was an angst filled ride that made me want to go scream into my pillow. What was K. E. Payne thinking when she wrote this book? It's not a good message, contrary to what she might think her book is saying. Just no. No no no no no no no. NO.
Writing:
Out of everything I have covered, the writing has to be one of the most atrocious things about this book. Hashtags are used in the book.
Hash. Tags.
The thing is this book is a journal written by the MC. No, it's not a blog journal. It's a written journal (and Clemmie makes sure everyone knows it). If you write a journal, or ever have written one, did you ever write stuff like "#fuckmylife" and "#urrrrrrggggghh"?
No. No you didn't.
The book is terribly written, even if we forget about the text abbreviations and hashtags. Run on sentences, sentence fragments, badly formatted sentences - this book has everything. It just makes me so grrr. I'm going to stop now, to prevent this review from turning into an angry mess filled with gifs and cap lock abuse.
What I liked and what I didn't:
Liked:
• Nothing
Disliked:
• Everything
In conclusion:
I hated this book. The end.
Another 365 Days is a book that personally, I find it hard to imagine anyone would adore. Filled with grammatical errors, terribly unlikeable characters, idiotic situations, and slut shaming - Another 365 Days is atrocious.
Another aspect of the book that I truly hated was how K.E. Payne seems to think that all teens are freaking idiots. Constantly Clemmie, the main character, would say something that just made me think, "how did this girl pass 5th grade?"
She thinks that metrosexual means that an individual likes to have sex in (and or with) metros. When someone mentioned a picture of Madonna hanging in the hallway of a very religious family's home, Clemmie thought she meant this Madonna:
instead of:
-__-
Characters:
Clemmie was a freaking moron, in addition to many other words that I will be calling here. In addition to her obvious idiocy, Clemmie is judgmental, bitchy, whiny, angsty, shallow, and finally vapid. As you can tell, I really like her.
Clemmie wouldn't be as horrible if the book was not about romance. In the course of the book, there are three love interests. Usually, she was more than one at a time. Now, I don't have anything against polygamous relationships, but in those sorts of relationships, the various partners are aware of the other partner(s), unlike with Clemmie and love interest of the month.
The spoiler tag is the romance plot which makes me want to go hit my head on a hard surface.
Clemmie is probably up there with Zoey Redbird from Marked in terms of how much I hate her - which is saying a lot because even back when I thought Twilight was the awesomest book ever (yes I went through that phase), I hated that book.
Her EMO girlfriend (whose name I forgot and I'm too lazy to go and get my kindle) number one was very stereotypically emo. In fact, she wore chains and dog tags up to her armpits and only had black clothes. She started off as sort of emo, erm, EMO but then around 50% in the book, she goes off the deep end. Nauseating.
Girlfriend 2 was just as bad. Nothing else to say. She wasn't EMO, but she wasn't anything special.
Girlfriend 3 (J) was another stereotypical evil girl trying to ruin relationships. More of a side plot then an actual plot, like the summary makes it sound. In the end, she looses and there's another happy ending. Yay.
Plot and Writing:
Plot:
Plot? Whut's dat?
This book has no real plot, it's just some jumbled relationship drama coupled with a lacklustre coming out story - which doesn't really happen. The moral of the story seems to be that it's perfectly fine to cheat on all your girlfriends at some point because "you're confused".
Da fuq?
No seriously guys, this is basically what the book is about. As you can imagine, it was an angst filled ride that made me want to go scream into my pillow. What was K. E. Payne thinking when she wrote this book? It's not a good message, contrary to what she might think her book is saying. Just no. No no no no no no no. NO.
Writing:
Out of everything I have covered, the writing has to be one of the most atrocious things about this book. Hashtags are used in the book.
Hash. Tags.
The thing is this book is a journal written by the MC. No, it's not a blog journal. It's a written journal (and Clemmie makes sure everyone knows it). If you write a journal, or ever have written one, did you ever write stuff like "#fuckmylife" and "#urrrrrrggggghh"?
No. No you didn't.
The book is terribly written, even if we forget about the text abbreviations and hashtags. Run on sentences, sentence fragments, badly formatted sentences - this book has everything. It just makes me so grrr. I'm going to stop now, to prevent this review from turning into an angry mess filled with gifs and cap lock abuse.
What I liked and what I didn't:
Liked:
• Nothing
Disliked:
• Everything
In conclusion:
I hated this book. The end.
June 29, 2013
To be honest, I didn't really enjoy Another 365 Days as much as I would've liked, and not even on the same level as a previous read that I read from K.E. Payne, "me@you.com". The story is one of a teen named Clem who keeps track of her life in the form of several journal entries over a year, navigating from telling her family and friends that she's a lesbian to juggling her relationships and life in general. The entries themselves feel authentic, and there were times when I saw a spark in Clem's narrative, but sadly, I don't think I ever got to know that many characters in this work, even with it being a second book in a series. They didn't feel as fleshed out other than for what the story put them to be. Clem is also very self-absorbed and dismissive, which makes it difficult to connect to her character and I didn't like the slut shaming/bitch slamming dialogue that went about in this. Her journal's honest, and the account realistic, but the narrative just didn't click with me very well on the level of the characterizations and overarching plot. I wish I could say it was more memorable, because I like Payne's distinctive voice with the character and narrative, but not the way it was carried here. Still, I'm apt to read more of Payne's work in the future, because I think she does have the capacity to tell a compelling narrative, it just wasn't offered here.
Overall score: 2/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Bold Strokes Books.
Overall score: 2/5
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Bold Strokes Books.
December 10, 2012
I first want to address some of the other reviews I've read:
This book hasn't been released yet. Anyone who's written a review thus far has read an Advance Reader Copy or Galley. These are usually released during the editing phases; not after them. So, it is expected that these books will have errors, including spelling and grammar. That's not to say I think the other reviewers are wrong, but I think it's only fair to note that some of the errors will not be in the version that the public reads. Additionally, this book is the sequel to another book: 365 Days. It seems like some of the other reviewers were not aware of this.
On to my review...
I kind of enjoyed this book. I didn't read the first one, but I am pretty sure I understand what happened in it. I like the diary style, and I found it a quick read. It's completely believable that teens would use hashtags in their diaries, since they use them in their every day writing (or typing). While I do think most of the novel is teen fluff, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, you need to read a book about someone who's going through the same thing you are, and I think for a lot of teens and young adults, they could definitely sympathize with Clem's situation. She's confused, and let's face it, what teen isn't? While she may be a bit daft, she's a lovable character that you'll want to get to know.
This book hasn't been released yet. Anyone who's written a review thus far has read an Advance Reader Copy or Galley. These are usually released during the editing phases; not after them. So, it is expected that these books will have errors, including spelling and grammar. That's not to say I think the other reviewers are wrong, but I think it's only fair to note that some of the errors will not be in the version that the public reads. Additionally, this book is the sequel to another book: 365 Days. It seems like some of the other reviewers were not aware of this.
On to my review...
I kind of enjoyed this book. I didn't read the first one, but I am pretty sure I understand what happened in it. I like the diary style, and I found it a quick read. It's completely believable that teens would use hashtags in their diaries, since they use them in their every day writing (or typing). While I do think most of the novel is teen fluff, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, you need to read a book about someone who's going through the same thing you are, and I think for a lot of teens and young adults, they could definitely sympathize with Clem's situation. She's confused, and let's face it, what teen isn't? While she may be a bit daft, she's a lovable character that you'll want to get to know.
December 19, 2012
Brimming with quick wit and an authentic teenaged snark; K.E. Payne's Another 365 Days will have readers laughing, crying, cheering, and asking all the important questions right along with Clemmie, as she navigates the in's and out's of life as a 17 year-old girl coming to terms with her sexuality, her life choices, and what it means to be Clemmie Atkins for "Another 365 Days".
The thing that will stand out to readers most about this read is, though it is one that deals with what is often a touchy subject; it does so in a very unaffected way. There is no tragic cause and effect relationship between Clemmie's sexual orientation and the outcome of her life. In fact, if you were to replace the female love interests in the book with males, it would be any other Contemporary YA Romance.
Yep, that's right folks!
Clemmie is about as normal as they come. No psychotic, drug crazed, freaks of nature coming for your daughters in this one.
What there is, is a warm, well written story about a well adjusted girl, with a solid family, a colorful octogenarian aunt, an PITA of an older sister, and a very "HAWT" (her words...not mine) girlfriend named Han.
Written in journal format, and set in the UK; the set up and slang used in this book may take a little getting used to. Not to worry though, teen drama is universal.
This is a wonderful teen read, which speaks to the insecurities and fears in us all. The need for acceptance, honesty, laughter, and LOVE.
This is an honest review for a written work.
See the review here: http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2012/...
The thing that will stand out to readers most about this read is, though it is one that deals with what is often a touchy subject; it does so in a very unaffected way. There is no tragic cause and effect relationship between Clemmie's sexual orientation and the outcome of her life. In fact, if you were to replace the female love interests in the book with males, it would be any other Contemporary YA Romance.
Yep, that's right folks!
Clemmie is about as normal as they come. No psychotic, drug crazed, freaks of nature coming for your daughters in this one.
What there is, is a warm, well written story about a well adjusted girl, with a solid family, a colorful octogenarian aunt, an PITA of an older sister, and a very "HAWT" (her words...not mine) girlfriend named Han.
Written in journal format, and set in the UK; the set up and slang used in this book may take a little getting used to. Not to worry though, teen drama is universal.
This is a wonderful teen read, which speaks to the insecurities and fears in us all. The need for acceptance, honesty, laughter, and LOVE.
This is an honest review for a written work.
See the review here: http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2012/...
December 9, 2012
Another 365 Days is a year in the life of Clemmie Atkins that takes you on a rollercoaster ride that is teenage love and angst (sometimes the same thing).
I have been devouring YA LGBTQ (boy that’s a lot of letters) books for the past year and this is one that rises to the top like cream. Yummy cream.
I wasn’t sure about the journal or diary style of writing but it worked well and I found myself rather enjoying it. In fact when I had finished reading it I wanted more! So left with wanting more and not having read the first book, 365 Days, I hoped on over to Amazon and bought it. Like I said I hadn’t read the first book but that did not seem to matter. I was quickly caught up on what events might have transpired in the past within the first chapter or two. Not knowing did not hurt this story at all (but I will be catching up and I don't fear that reading the books out of order will be any problem).
I do believe KE Payne has made herself a new fan and I look forward to reading her other books as well. Once I consume the rest of her library I am going to want more so get to writing, please.
I have been devouring YA LGBTQ (boy that’s a lot of letters) books for the past year and this is one that rises to the top like cream. Yummy cream.
I wasn’t sure about the journal or diary style of writing but it worked well and I found myself rather enjoying it. In fact when I had finished reading it I wanted more! So left with wanting more and not having read the first book, 365 Days, I hoped on over to Amazon and bought it. Like I said I hadn’t read the first book but that did not seem to matter. I was quickly caught up on what events might have transpired in the past within the first chapter or two. Not knowing did not hurt this story at all (but I will be catching up and I don't fear that reading the books out of order will be any problem).
I do believe KE Payne has made herself a new fan and I look forward to reading her other books as well. Once I consume the rest of her library I am going to want more so get to writing, please.
January 15, 2013
Got a copy via netgalley.com
Edit:
Disclaimer: I was given a free ebook copy of this book to give an honest review.
Over-all: I disliked this book big time. If I was 16 I probably would have loved it, but my taste has changed as I got older. There also isn't any nostalgia in this book.
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
What I Liked: I liked the fact that it was an glbt themed book. We need more of them.
What I Disliked: The characters were unlikeable stereotypes, and this book was predictable for me.
Edit:
Disclaimer: I was given a free ebook copy of this book to give an honest review.
Over-all: I disliked this book big time. If I was 16 I probably would have loved it, but my taste has changed as I got older. There also isn't any nostalgia in this book.
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
What I Liked: I liked the fact that it was an glbt themed book. We need more of them.
What I Disliked: The characters were unlikeable stereotypes, and this book was predictable for me.
February 19, 2013
*This e copy was provided by Bold Strokes Books in exchange for review *
Another 365 Days wasn’t what I had expected it to be. It wasn’t bad but at the same it was amazing book either, it actually took me few pages to really get into the book. I was pretty close to giving up on the book, when it picked up. I got to admit that once it picked up, it got hard for me to put the book down. Since it took me bit to get into bit, it was bit surprising how much I ended up enjoying the novel. At times, the writing bugged me a bit but I found it impossible to put down, I wanted to know what happens with Clem next. It’s a book worth giving a try.
GOODREADS SUMMARY
Life’s sweet when you’re seventeen and in love, right? Clemmie Atkins certainly thinks so! She’s still madly in love with her girlfriend, the hot and super-confident EMO, Hannah Harrison, and her irritating sister, HRBH, will soon be leaving home to go to university.
But just when it seems that life is finally pretty darn cool, a new distraction at school threatens to upset everything, and the return of the enigmatic and sexy J with a startling confession confuses things further...
Clemmie has another 365 days to try to get her life back on track...but will it be enough?
I had a feeling that this was going be a dark novel. I could tell that, just by looking at the cover, just by the way that girl is sitting there, tells you that she’s pretty upset about something, that there is something that is bugging her. It gives away fact that something big is going happen to this girl, in the book. It makes the reader wonder what is going to happen to her, what is there that she so upset about. Once I read the book, I could see why she’s so upset, considering with everything that happened to her through the book, I’d be upset too. Depressed in her case. Summary also gives it away, that story will be dark one, though I didn’t really how dark it would be till I started reading the book. Cover is one of those attention grabbing, it something that will make any reader curious, get them to pick up the book and at least check the book out.
Hannah. I loved their relationship, even if they were through their tough times in the book. I could tell that they loved each other, even when Hannah broke up with Clemmie because of the teacher, because she thought that there is possibly something there between two of them. I found myself wanting to shake Hannah at that moment and ask her what she was thinking. Even if there was something, she was a teacher and she was student, they could never be something between them two. Instead she ended up breaking up Clemmie’s heart. Despite Hannah breaking her heart, I could see that she still cared for her and I found myself rooting for them to get back together, all through the book. Even when Clemmie was with someone else. The two of them, they had a special bond with each other and I knew that two of them would end up together. I found myself smiling when she proposed to Clemmie.
I loved books that are written in diary format, it gives the reader more of insight on the character. While reading Another 365 Days I felt I got to know the character more, I also felt like I could connect with her because I knew how she was feeling. I found myself liking Clemmie despite the decisions that she made through the book, such as using Alice. But then at times love can make you make decisions that might not be all that smart. At same time I felt pretty bad for Alice, I could tell that she really liked her. To me, Clemmie at times didn’t seem too confident about what and who she wanted. I felt bad for her, with everything she went through, I would feel unconfident too.
The book was pretty realistic, it’s a book that a lot of teens can relate to, because it something that a lot of teens go through at some point. I would recommend this book, to teens. It’s worth checking out, giving it a chance.
Another 365 Days wasn’t what I had expected it to be. It wasn’t bad but at the same it was amazing book either, it actually took me few pages to really get into the book. I was pretty close to giving up on the book, when it picked up. I got to admit that once it picked up, it got hard for me to put the book down. Since it took me bit to get into bit, it was bit surprising how much I ended up enjoying the novel. At times, the writing bugged me a bit but I found it impossible to put down, I wanted to know what happens with Clem next. It’s a book worth giving a try.
GOODREADS SUMMARY
Life’s sweet when you’re seventeen and in love, right? Clemmie Atkins certainly thinks so! She’s still madly in love with her girlfriend, the hot and super-confident EMO, Hannah Harrison, and her irritating sister, HRBH, will soon be leaving home to go to university.
But just when it seems that life is finally pretty darn cool, a new distraction at school threatens to upset everything, and the return of the enigmatic and sexy J with a startling confession confuses things further...
Clemmie has another 365 days to try to get her life back on track...but will it be enough?
I had a feeling that this was going be a dark novel. I could tell that, just by looking at the cover, just by the way that girl is sitting there, tells you that she’s pretty upset about something, that there is something that is bugging her. It gives away fact that something big is going happen to this girl, in the book. It makes the reader wonder what is going to happen to her, what is there that she so upset about. Once I read the book, I could see why she’s so upset, considering with everything that happened to her through the book, I’d be upset too. Depressed in her case. Summary also gives it away, that story will be dark one, though I didn’t really how dark it would be till I started reading the book. Cover is one of those attention grabbing, it something that will make any reader curious, get them to pick up the book and at least check the book out.
Hannah. I loved their relationship, even if they were through their tough times in the book. I could tell that they loved each other, even when Hannah broke up with Clemmie because of the teacher, because she thought that there is possibly something there between two of them. I found myself wanting to shake Hannah at that moment and ask her what she was thinking. Even if there was something, she was a teacher and she was student, they could never be something between them two. Instead she ended up breaking up Clemmie’s heart. Despite Hannah breaking her heart, I could see that she still cared for her and I found myself rooting for them to get back together, all through the book. Even when Clemmie was with someone else. The two of them, they had a special bond with each other and I knew that two of them would end up together. I found myself smiling when she proposed to Clemmie.
I loved books that are written in diary format, it gives the reader more of insight on the character. While reading Another 365 Days I felt I got to know the character more, I also felt like I could connect with her because I knew how she was feeling. I found myself liking Clemmie despite the decisions that she made through the book, such as using Alice. But then at times love can make you make decisions that might not be all that smart. At same time I felt pretty bad for Alice, I could tell that she really liked her. To me, Clemmie at times didn’t seem too confident about what and who she wanted. I felt bad for her, with everything she went through, I would feel unconfident too.
The book was pretty realistic, it’s a book that a lot of teens can relate to, because it something that a lot of teens go through at some point. I would recommend this book, to teens. It’s worth checking out, giving it a chance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2013
Firstly, I loved this book. It is extremely funny and seriously engaging; once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. Although obviously fictional and in some cases larger than life, the characters are often realistic (I love Clemmie and Great Aunt May in particular) and there are many grains of truth in the situations that they find themselves in, however outrageous they may appear. I laughed with Clemmie when things were going well, and commiserated with her when they weren’t. Her confusion over the different women in her life was so well written that KE Payne could have been writing out my teenage years. Or rather, the teenage years that I wished I’d had!
Secondly, I must just point out that “Another 365 Days” is a sequel, so if you haven’t read the first part then please read it before you read the second one. Would you expect to understand all the characters of “The Subtle Knife” if you hadn’t read “The Northern Lights”? No, of course you wouldn’t. And would that be the author’s fault? No, of course it wouldn’t. So if you want “Another 365 Days” to make sense, please read “365 Days” first. Or, if you can’t be arsed to do that, then please don’t criticise “Another 365 Days” because you didn’t understand who some of the characters were because you didn’t read the first part. Pretty basic huh?
Thirdly, if you don’t have a sense of humour then this book isn’t for you. Why? Because it’s freaking hilarious! Of course, what’s hilarious to some people isn’t hilarious to others. This is very British humour. VERY British humour. In the vein of Victoria Wood, Emma Kennedy, those sort of writers. Another review on here made me feel like bashing my head against a brick wall because the reviewer, through all her scathing remarks, just really announced to the world that she has no sense of humour. If you weren’t in line when senses of humour were handed out, then please, go read a crime novel. If you only like vampire novels be warned: there are no sharp teeth in this book, so don’t criticise it for not having any.
Fourthly, I have a Masters Degree in Linguistics, and I couldn’t find any significant bad grammar or spelling mistakes in this book. I honestly don’t know what other readers are talking about when they’re saying that it’s littered with mistakes: that simply isn’t true. The spelling is British because the writer is British. There’s a difference between being British and being wrong. Now, this business of spelling mistakes admittedly may be because other readers have had a review copy, rather than the final edit. An experienced reviewer from, say, Kirkus (who gave the book a very good review), would read a review copy and appreciate that any spelling mistakes will be edited out at the final stage (and therefore not feel the need to jump on them and wave them in the air like some kind of trophy). However, I’m not sure whether reviewers from netgalley (and let’s face it, netgalley will dole out free copies of books to anyone with a laptop and a reading light) have the experience to appreciate that anything other than a final copy of a book can be expected to have the odd mistake in it. I’ve worked as a proof reader, and trust me, I’ve never read a perfect draft copy of any book. I do wonder at the wisdom of a publisher giving out free copies to netgalley before they have apparently been finalised. If I were a writer, I’d be incredibly frustrated to think that non-final drafts of my book were going out to reviewers.
The only thing about “Another 365 Days” that I would question is why Bold Strokes Books market it as YA fiction. Although the characters are young, I suspect that KE Payne’s book may find its biggest fans among slightly older readers with some life experience behind them that can look back at their younger days, and Clemmie’s actions, with a wry smile.
Secondly, I must just point out that “Another 365 Days” is a sequel, so if you haven’t read the first part then please read it before you read the second one. Would you expect to understand all the characters of “The Subtle Knife” if you hadn’t read “The Northern Lights”? No, of course you wouldn’t. And would that be the author’s fault? No, of course it wouldn’t. So if you want “Another 365 Days” to make sense, please read “365 Days” first. Or, if you can’t be arsed to do that, then please don’t criticise “Another 365 Days” because you didn’t understand who some of the characters were because you didn’t read the first part. Pretty basic huh?
Thirdly, if you don’t have a sense of humour then this book isn’t for you. Why? Because it’s freaking hilarious! Of course, what’s hilarious to some people isn’t hilarious to others. This is very British humour. VERY British humour. In the vein of Victoria Wood, Emma Kennedy, those sort of writers. Another review on here made me feel like bashing my head against a brick wall because the reviewer, through all her scathing remarks, just really announced to the world that she has no sense of humour. If you weren’t in line when senses of humour were handed out, then please, go read a crime novel. If you only like vampire novels be warned: there are no sharp teeth in this book, so don’t criticise it for not having any.
Fourthly, I have a Masters Degree in Linguistics, and I couldn’t find any significant bad grammar or spelling mistakes in this book. I honestly don’t know what other readers are talking about when they’re saying that it’s littered with mistakes: that simply isn’t true. The spelling is British because the writer is British. There’s a difference between being British and being wrong. Now, this business of spelling mistakes admittedly may be because other readers have had a review copy, rather than the final edit. An experienced reviewer from, say, Kirkus (who gave the book a very good review), would read a review copy and appreciate that any spelling mistakes will be edited out at the final stage (and therefore not feel the need to jump on them and wave them in the air like some kind of trophy). However, I’m not sure whether reviewers from netgalley (and let’s face it, netgalley will dole out free copies of books to anyone with a laptop and a reading light) have the experience to appreciate that anything other than a final copy of a book can be expected to have the odd mistake in it. I’ve worked as a proof reader, and trust me, I’ve never read a perfect draft copy of any book. I do wonder at the wisdom of a publisher giving out free copies to netgalley before they have apparently been finalised. If I were a writer, I’d be incredibly frustrated to think that non-final drafts of my book were going out to reviewers.
The only thing about “Another 365 Days” that I would question is why Bold Strokes Books market it as YA fiction. Although the characters are young, I suspect that KE Payne’s book may find its biggest fans among slightly older readers with some life experience behind them that can look back at their younger days, and Clemmie’s actions, with a wry smile.
January 26, 2013
I did enjoy this, but I wasn't exactly blown away by it. It was a really quick and engrossing read without being anything overly amazing.
The story is told from the POV of Clem, in diary format with one entry for every day of the year. Some are pages long, some are just one line, but every day is there, which I thought was really cool - no cheating by skipping a whole chunk of time here! And Clem had a really consistent voice throughout so it really read realistically like a teenage diary... but sometimes she just really grated on my nerves a bit ;) (OMG she was SO sex-obsessed!!) She was REALLY dense at times, totally not understanding common sayings and so on that a 16-year-old WOULD understand. Those instances felt like really cheap laughs, but they weren't that amusing, rather a little pathetic since she's not like 8 years old.
I kept getting a vague Sugar/Sweet vibe as well, perhaps just the fact that they're both British? But there felt like a lot of similarities in the general feel, mostly with an uncomfortable level of vague 'chavviness' and yes, I am a terrible snob so I did spend a little bit of time looking down on certain characters ;)
(Also I really need to grab one of my British friends and get them to explain the school system to me, because I was super confused about Alice and Han going off to college, while Clem was still at school, but they were all previously in the SAME year at school together, and also college is not university, and omg this poor Australian is LOST.)
Great Uncle Elvis was a hoot by the way. :D
Ick though, I could not STAND 'J' in the slightest. I really hated how she had so little regard for Clem and Han's relationship and was just so intent on basically getting Clem to cheat on Han :/ And how she wouldn't take no for an answer even when Clem actually managed to tell her that she was with Han and J should nick off. She was an incredibly unappealing character! Although to be honest, I didn't find any of the characters particularly appealing. Still interesting to read about, though. -- Actually, of all characters, probably the one I liked the best was Clem's older sister, referred to only as HRBH (her royal bloody highness :P)!
The story is told from the POV of Clem, in diary format with one entry for every day of the year. Some are pages long, some are just one line, but every day is there, which I thought was really cool - no cheating by skipping a whole chunk of time here! And Clem had a really consistent voice throughout so it really read realistically like a teenage diary... but sometimes she just really grated on my nerves a bit ;) (OMG she was SO sex-obsessed!!) She was REALLY dense at times, totally not understanding common sayings and so on that a 16-year-old WOULD understand. Those instances felt like really cheap laughs, but they weren't that amusing, rather a little pathetic since she's not like 8 years old.
I kept getting a vague Sugar/Sweet vibe as well, perhaps just the fact that they're both British? But there felt like a lot of similarities in the general feel, mostly with an uncomfortable level of vague 'chavviness' and yes, I am a terrible snob so I did spend a little bit of time looking down on certain characters ;)
(Also I really need to grab one of my British friends and get them to explain the school system to me, because I was super confused about Alice and Han going off to college, while Clem was still at school, but they were all previously in the SAME year at school together, and also college is not university, and omg this poor Australian is LOST.)
Great Uncle Elvis was a hoot by the way. :D
Ick though, I could not STAND 'J' in the slightest. I really hated how she had so little regard for Clem and Han's relationship and was just so intent on basically getting Clem to cheat on Han :/ And how she wouldn't take no for an answer even when Clem actually managed to tell her that she was with Han and J should nick off. She was an incredibly unappealing character! Although to be honest, I didn't find any of the characters particularly appealing. Still interesting to read about, though. -- Actually, of all characters, probably the one I liked the best was Clem's older sister, referred to only as HRBH (her royal bloody highness :P)!
December 5, 2012
I have to be upfront here, Another 365 Days isn’t normally the sort of book that I’d read but the central character, Clemmie Atkins, is of a similar age to a character I’m writing in my current project so I thought I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did because while I’m about as far away from the YA LGBTQ demographic that this book is aimed at as is possible, I’m always appreciative of a good story, and K E Payne has created just that.
I hadn’t read the first book, 365 Days, but a quick read of the book’s blurb meant that I was soon up to speed with the events of the previous year and found myself enjoying the emotional rollercoaster ride that is Clemmie’s life. While there were several instances regarding Payne’s depiction of Clemmie as somewhat dim that I felt pulled me out of the story momentarily, they were few and far between and I found myself empathising with her. Though I’ve never been a teenage lesbian girl, I have been young and fallen in and out of love while navigating the minefield of teenage social etiquette, and so the situations, if not the specific details, felt familiar and comfortable.
The diary format works well, and Payne captures the way a seventeen year old girl thinks and talks accurately, something I have experience having a seventeen year old step-daughter myself. Some of the actual situations are presented in a slightly sugar coated manner, particularly the reactions to her coming out, all of which are largely positive (which is no bad thing) but unfortunately not always the way things are, and again I speak from experience having witnessed friends go through some ugly episodes over the years.
There also seem to be a disproportionately high number of, in Clemmie’s words, ‘hot girls’ who are more than willing to experiment with their Sapphic side of things which is, of course, great for her, but again possibly not a true reflection of reality. (That said, I don’t speak from experience in this arena, of course, so may just have been unaware of this whole sexual strata when I was that age.)
These are minor criticisms, however, as Another 365 Days succeeds on the level at which it is pitched, as a lightweight romp through the coming of age rites of a teenage girl. As such I polished it off in couple of days and while I can’t say it’s going to appear on any of my favourites lists any time soon, I did enjoy it as a change from my normal reading habits and I’m sure that it’ll go down a storm with its intended audience.
I hadn’t read the first book, 365 Days, but a quick read of the book’s blurb meant that I was soon up to speed with the events of the previous year and found myself enjoying the emotional rollercoaster ride that is Clemmie’s life. While there were several instances regarding Payne’s depiction of Clemmie as somewhat dim that I felt pulled me out of the story momentarily, they were few and far between and I found myself empathising with her. Though I’ve never been a teenage lesbian girl, I have been young and fallen in and out of love while navigating the minefield of teenage social etiquette, and so the situations, if not the specific details, felt familiar and comfortable.
The diary format works well, and Payne captures the way a seventeen year old girl thinks and talks accurately, something I have experience having a seventeen year old step-daughter myself. Some of the actual situations are presented in a slightly sugar coated manner, particularly the reactions to her coming out, all of which are largely positive (which is no bad thing) but unfortunately not always the way things are, and again I speak from experience having witnessed friends go through some ugly episodes over the years.
There also seem to be a disproportionately high number of, in Clemmie’s words, ‘hot girls’ who are more than willing to experiment with their Sapphic side of things which is, of course, great for her, but again possibly not a true reflection of reality. (That said, I don’t speak from experience in this arena, of course, so may just have been unaware of this whole sexual strata when I was that age.)
These are minor criticisms, however, as Another 365 Days succeeds on the level at which it is pitched, as a lightweight romp through the coming of age rites of a teenage girl. As such I polished it off in couple of days and while I can’t say it’s going to appear on any of my favourites lists any time soon, I did enjoy it as a change from my normal reading habits and I’m sure that it’ll go down a storm with its intended audience.
January 6, 2013
This review also appears on my blog At the End of the Story.
________________________________
So this book is a sequel or something- just found out, when I got to reviewing. I thought something along the same lines when I was reading but whatever, probably not gonna pick that one.
I guess, this book was alright despite the fact that I abandoned it. Actually, I was thinking of maybe giving it three or so stars while reading('cause that just happens ever since I joined GR- the rating bar creeps into my mind and I'm constantly evaluating the book) and I thought it was so-so. The book reminded me of Confessions of Georgia Nicholson- if, you know, Georgie were seventeen, actually in love, irritating most of the time, lesbian, not-weird-crazy just teenager-crazy, angsty a lot. Not to say I didn't enjoy the main character- she was fun(?) but not relatable. I just kept laughing even when she went through .
It's not that this book infuriated or even offended me. I've slugged through worse books- I don't why. But this one was just not my cup of tea. Many people will probably like it but the character was too self-centered for me to continue much longer. It's not like I hat such characters- they make for a good laugh but one can only have so many self-obsessed people in their lives or books and that slot for me has been filled by Georgia. So it went to shit halfway through. And I just read the blurb- who the F is this mysterious and sexy J? (Yeah I just skimmed through the ARC and it's just another girl.)
And the spelling errors and grammatical mistakes were too many to count. Also though, it read like a true teen's diary, the book just couldn't manage to pull it off.
One thing I must say in favor is that I really liked the way that the author occasionally added her mood or emotion in one word with a hash after some paragraphs.
Maybe I'll pick this book once again sometime to finish it but probably not in the near future.
Many thanks to publishers for providing a copy through NetGalley.
________________________________
So this book is a sequel or something- just found out, when I got to reviewing. I thought something along the same lines when I was reading but whatever, probably not gonna pick that one.
I guess, this book was alright despite the fact that I abandoned it. Actually, I was thinking of maybe giving it three or so stars while reading('cause that just happens ever since I joined GR- the rating bar creeps into my mind and I'm constantly evaluating the book) and I thought it was so-so. The book reminded me of Confessions of Georgia Nicholson- if, you know, Georgie were seventeen, actually in love, irritating most of the time, lesbian, not-weird-crazy just teenager-crazy, angsty a lot. Not to say I didn't enjoy the main character- she was fun(?) but not relatable. I just kept laughing even when she went through .
It's not that this book infuriated or even offended me. I've slugged through worse books- I don't why. But this one was just not my cup of tea. Many people will probably like it but the character was too self-centered for me to continue much longer. It's not like I hat such characters- they make for a good laugh but one can only have so many self-obsessed people in their lives or books and that slot for me has been filled by Georgia. So it went to shit halfway through. And I just read the blurb- who the F is this mysterious and sexy J? (Yeah I just skimmed through the ARC and it's just another girl.)
And the spelling errors and grammatical mistakes were too many to count. Also though, it read like a true teen's diary, the book just couldn't manage to pull it off.
One thing I must say in favor is that I really liked the way that the author occasionally added her mood or emotion in one word with a hash after some paragraphs.
Maybe I'll pick this book once again sometime to finish it but probably not in the near future.
Many thanks to publishers for providing a copy through NetGalley.
April 10, 2013
(NOTE: I did not finish this book. Please keep that in mind while reading this review.)
read more: http://www.sarcasmandlemons.com/2013/...
why i didn't finish it
I really wanted to like this. I was so excited about it. You don't see a lot of LGBT books where the focus is really on the character's growing up and romance and where they feel comfortable in their own skin. I gave it good shot, but by halfway in, I knew I just couldn't stick with it. The voice is fun and very high school, but it's just slow. She breaks it off with Han, there's something with Alice, there's something with Han--halfway through and I still have no idea who this J is, and I've felt like I read an entire book's worth of plot. It was very will-they-won't-they in a way that I couldn't connect with. Normally that doesn't bother me; I think it was because most of the action focused on the will-they-won't-they, with not much else going on. I needed more tension to keep me going. I needed the big plot to start earlier, or the beginning to start later.
why you might like it
It's very well written, apart from the pacing. Clem's voice is witty and bubbly and very teenage. You can imagine this really being a teenager's diary--only a little cleverer with the jokes, of course. There are some steamy (but age-appropriately steamy!) scenes and a lot of sweetness. There's also a lot of joking about teenage things like Emos and skateboarding and hot teachers that makes you really feel like you're back in high school. Or, if you are in high school, that you'll find very familiar. Clem is also very multidimensional. She knows she's using people and she's conflicted over it; but you still root for her because you can feel her heartbreak.
Note: I received this copy in exchange for a review. The price of the book and its origin in no way affected my stated opinions.
read more: http://www.sarcasmandlemons.com/2013/...
why i didn't finish it
I really wanted to like this. I was so excited about it. You don't see a lot of LGBT books where the focus is really on the character's growing up and romance and where they feel comfortable in their own skin. I gave it good shot, but by halfway in, I knew I just couldn't stick with it. The voice is fun and very high school, but it's just slow. She breaks it off with Han, there's something with Alice, there's something with Han--halfway through and I still have no idea who this J is, and I've felt like I read an entire book's worth of plot. It was very will-they-won't-they in a way that I couldn't connect with. Normally that doesn't bother me; I think it was because most of the action focused on the will-they-won't-they, with not much else going on. I needed more tension to keep me going. I needed the big plot to start earlier, or the beginning to start later.
why you might like it
It's very well written, apart from the pacing. Clem's voice is witty and bubbly and very teenage. You can imagine this really being a teenager's diary--only a little cleverer with the jokes, of course. There are some steamy (but age-appropriately steamy!) scenes and a lot of sweetness. There's also a lot of joking about teenage things like Emos and skateboarding and hot teachers that makes you really feel like you're back in high school. Or, if you are in high school, that you'll find very familiar. Clem is also very multidimensional. She knows she's using people and she's conflicted over it; but you still root for her because you can feel her heartbreak.
Note: I received this copy in exchange for a review. The price of the book and its origin in no way affected my stated opinions.
February 18, 2013
Written as a diary "Another 365 Days" is the story of Clemmie. A simple way to put it is to say that this is the story of another 365 days in Clemmie’s life, a year that takes us in a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings. From love to heartbreak, we wander through deception, betrayal, pain, laughter, fear and a lot of hormones.
Being in love as a teenager is never easy and it is a lot harder if you are not what people expects you to be. Clem is a gay girl who has been in a relationship with Han for a year but nobody knows because they keep it as a secret. She has to live and deals with her feelings in private and with nobody to trust. In order to get some help she starts coming out to people, which I imagine is not an easy task, there’s a lot of fear and doubt involved, and I think the book makes a good job portraying the situations.
The book moves fast because of the style, as a personal diary it not always has daily entries. Sometimes there are short glimpses of her life and others we can read more when something meaningful happens in her day. This allows us to get close to Clem but we only see her point of view. We only get to know the other characters from what she writes, which is why sometimes it’s hard to form an opinion about them but it doesn’t make it any less entertaining.
Clem is way too dramatic at times and because of the strangest circumstances, she has a tendency to make a big deal out of everything and has a hard time making decisions. Besides all this, she is a funny character.
Another 365 Days is a sequel but you can read it as a standalone book because is easy to figure out what happened in the first book. It is a fast reading, funny at times and a with a believable argument about the teenager-gay world.
*** I received an ecopy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***
Being in love as a teenager is never easy and it is a lot harder if you are not what people expects you to be. Clem is a gay girl who has been in a relationship with Han for a year but nobody knows because they keep it as a secret. She has to live and deals with her feelings in private and with nobody to trust. In order to get some help she starts coming out to people, which I imagine is not an easy task, there’s a lot of fear and doubt involved, and I think the book makes a good job portraying the situations.
The book moves fast because of the style, as a personal diary it not always has daily entries. Sometimes there are short glimpses of her life and others we can read more when something meaningful happens in her day. This allows us to get close to Clem but we only see her point of view. We only get to know the other characters from what she writes, which is why sometimes it’s hard to form an opinion about them but it doesn’t make it any less entertaining.
Clem is way too dramatic at times and because of the strangest circumstances, she has a tendency to make a big deal out of everything and has a hard time making decisions. Besides all this, she is a funny character.
Another 365 Days is a sequel but you can read it as a standalone book because is easy to figure out what happened in the first book. It is a fast reading, funny at times and a with a believable argument about the teenager-gay world.
*** I received an ecopy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***
January 16, 2013
2 and 1/2 stars
I'd like to thank Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the opportunity to read this story.
The story is told in a diary style. The diary is written by Clemmie a 17 years teenager, who a year ago realized she was gay, and has a stable relationship with Hanna, an EMO classmate. During the course of the year in which we accompany Clemmie, she is torn between whether or not coming out to hes parents and friends, I found this, one of the most strong and credible points in the history, everything that Clemmie felt and thought about this issue felt real.
While reading the book I found out that is has a first part, fortunately by what is said in this book the things that happened in the first are quite deductible.
The story was good and I was entertained. But there were some things that made the story week. To begin, the fact that so many girls, including the most attractive one in the whole school, also a few boys, were interested in Clemmie, who considers herself unattractive. It's something that usually happens in several novels, an unattractive girl who has many fans, and I think it something a little hard to believe. I did not like how extremely clueless our protagonist was, for example in one moment she thought a metrosexual is a person who has sex on the metro, to name one example, because there are several situations like this one. Another flawed was the hole Emo`s subject, way too exaggerated. Even so the story is funny, original and very easy to read.
I'd like to thank Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the opportunity to read this story.
The story is told in a diary style. The diary is written by Clemmie a 17 years teenager, who a year ago realized she was gay, and has a stable relationship with Hanna, an EMO classmate. During the course of the year in which we accompany Clemmie, she is torn between whether or not coming out to hes parents and friends, I found this, one of the most strong and credible points in the history, everything that Clemmie felt and thought about this issue felt real.
While reading the book I found out that is has a first part, fortunately by what is said in this book the things that happened in the first are quite deductible.
The story was good and I was entertained. But there were some things that made the story week. To begin, the fact that so many girls, including the most attractive one in the whole school, also a few boys, were interested in Clemmie, who considers herself unattractive. It's something that usually happens in several novels, an unattractive girl who has many fans, and I think it something a little hard to believe. I did not like how extremely clueless our protagonist was, for example in one moment she thought a metrosexual is a person who has sex on the metro, to name one example, because there are several situations like this one. Another flawed was the hole Emo`s subject, way too exaggerated. Even so the story is funny, original and very easy to read.
June 29, 2013
i got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
ok, at first i was in love with this book because it was in a diary form and it was about a girl who was finding herself in high school. well, i think it was high school because it was based in the united kingdom, and the "studies" system is very confusing.
then this book just continued to drag. like really this book could easily, cut 100 pages out of the book to actually get to the point.
so, here is what the book is about. this girl Clemmie goes to a all girls school. she is dating this EMO girl Hannah, and nobody knows because they want to keep it a secret. Then they start telling their friends, and they are ok with it. Now the question is to tell their parents or not. Clemmie and Hannah get into a fight over the new art teacher. Hannah thinks that the art teacher likes her and brakes up with Clemmie. Then Clemmie goes running back to her old best friend Alice.
Alice and Clemmie start to date, an Clemmie is not happy about it because she still loves Hannah. This back and forth continues and continues.
and Then sadly, end of story. It was a waste of time, and i am sorry to anyone who actually has to read it.
ok, at first i was in love with this book because it was in a diary form and it was about a girl who was finding herself in high school. well, i think it was high school because it was based in the united kingdom, and the "studies" system is very confusing.
then this book just continued to drag. like really this book could easily, cut 100 pages out of the book to actually get to the point.
so, here is what the book is about. this girl Clemmie goes to a all girls school. she is dating this EMO girl Hannah, and nobody knows because they want to keep it a secret. Then they start telling their friends, and they are ok with it. Now the question is to tell their parents or not. Clemmie and Hannah get into a fight over the new art teacher. Hannah thinks that the art teacher likes her and brakes up with Clemmie. Then Clemmie goes running back to her old best friend Alice.
Alice and Clemmie start to date, an Clemmie is not happy about it because she still loves Hannah. This back and forth continues and continues.
and Then sadly, end of story. It was a waste of time, and i am sorry to anyone who actually has to read it.
March 14, 2013
I love reading YA books. However, this YA adult did not appeal to me. I think this book is great and many 16 year old girls or younger could relate. However, as an adult, I found that I could not relate to this book. I think if this book was written as a narrative and a story, not from a diary, I would have felt more drawn in to the book. However, I felt like I was reading a 16 year old's diary. Which would be great, if I was a teen or tween. However, as an adult, I grew bored. Like most 16 year olds, Clem focuses on the same issues over and over. However, I liked that she faced real life issues that teenagers today are dealing with. I would highly recommend this book to tweens and teens.
January 17, 2013
The main character in this story is a teen girl, and she keeps a diary of sorts - her diary is the book we read. This would be fine, except that the story has no plot aside from the normal comings and goings of a teen girl. At first she had some conflict with her girlfriend - they were together, then they broke up, then they were together again - but the book continued long after that, when the conflict was over. I didn't mind reading this girl's diary entries, but diary-style books have to work really hard to be interesting, and this one, sadly, was unsuccessful.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for the purposes of review.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for the purposes of review.
May 14, 2013
Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through NetGalley for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Beautiful storytelling that kept me on the edge of my seat!
Really cool cover art!
Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Beautiful storytelling that kept me on the edge of my seat!
Really cool cover art!
January 27, 2015
Not for me. Writing style seems too simplistic
July 12, 2018
* This book was received from NetGalley for review. *
January 17, 2013
Loved it! The first instalment was hilarious and this was even funnier. Can't wait for the next one.
November 15, 2013
Diary style
Fast paced
Very open
Laugh out loud funny
Fast paced
Very open
Laugh out loud funny
Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews