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You Don't Know Me
Sasha, Jodie, Nell and Rose never expected to be famous. They didn’t want to be. In fact, they wanted to keep their band a secret because it’s what they do when they’re being stupid together – dressing up and singing cheesy songs.
But someone has stolen a video they made. It’s online, and it’s been entered into a talent competition. And what’s more … it’s got 24 votes. In only a few hours it’s got 24 votes.
The girls are about to be faced with a big decision that could make them seriously famous.
Just not necessarily the way they hoped …
But someone has stolen a video they made. It’s online, and it’s been entered into a talent competition. And what’s more … it’s got 24 votes. In only a few hours it’s got 24 votes.
The girls are about to be faced with a big decision that could make them seriously famous.
Just not necessarily the way they hoped …
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2013
About the author
Sophia Bennett
172 books259 followersMy name’s Sophia, and I write about girls discovering their inner power. Sometimes they’re fashion designers, sometimes they’re would-be pop stars and sometimes they’re spies. They’re always a lot braver than they know, and I love it when they finally figure that out.
Since I won the Times/Chicken House competition in 2009 my books have been published around the world, from Germany to Brazil and Japan. When I’m not writing them, I tend to be at home in London with my family, or travelling around the place, talking about writing. (More about that here … ) As a writing teacher, I have been a visiting lecturer in writing for children at City University and City Lit, and a Consultant Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.
Occasionally, people ask me what my advice would be to aspiring writers. Check out my writing tips page, on my website. Write every day, and rewrite even more. Follow your heart.
Since I won the Times/Chicken House competition in 2009 my books have been published around the world, from Germany to Brazil and Japan. When I’m not writing them, I tend to be at home in London with my family, or travelling around the place, talking about writing. (More about that here … ) As a writing teacher, I have been a visiting lecturer in writing for children at City University and City Lit, and a Consultant Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.
Occasionally, people ask me what my advice would be to aspiring writers. Check out my writing tips page, on my website. Write every day, and rewrite even more. Follow your heart.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
May 24, 2016
Review can be found on Heart Full Of Books here!
My guilty pleasure reads usually have celebrities or the rise to fame in them. I picked up You Don't Know Me thinking it was going to be a cookie cutter version of this trope; the classic 'girl turns into something she's not because of record label pressure' kind of thing. While it did fulfil the stereotype to a certain degree, I was really surprised by how it defied my expectations. It covered body shaming, cyberbullying and being misunderstood way more than fame, and I'm so pleased it did.
My guilty pleasure reads usually have celebrities or the rise to fame in them. I picked up You Don't Know Me thinking it was going to be a cookie cutter version of this trope; the classic 'girl turns into something she's not because of record label pressure' kind of thing. While it did fulfil the stereotype to a certain degree, I was really surprised by how it defied my expectations. It covered body shaming, cyberbullying and being misunderstood way more than fame, and I'm so pleased it did.
May 10, 2013
I loved The Look. I've been wanting to read this since I heard that the author, Sophia Bennett, had written an new one so I was super excited when I got home one day to find it sat in my living room. There may have been squealing involved.
I've come to expect amazing covers from Chicken House and I definitely wasn't disappointed with this book. Covers aren't something I usually discuss in my reviews but I can't not mention it in this one because, yes, it has gorgeous blue edging. I was actually a little bit sad to read it because I didn't want to damage the cover but I did because, obviously, using my magical powers, I knew that the content inside the book would be even better than the cover, and that's saying something.
A major theme in You Don't Know Me is social networking and I think this is something that needs to be mentioned more in books for this age group. It's hard to think of someone nowadays who doesn't have access to Facebook or Twitter or any other means of social networking. I am one of those people who is constantly checking my Twitter feed- something I'm not too happy about!- and so it was nice to see the consequences of these websites laid out in front of the reader. I was appalled at some of the events that took place and, like with other books, my faith in humanity was somewhat crushed.
This was very much a character driven novel and I loved all of the characters. Written from Sasha's point of view, it was easy to become familiar with the way that Bennett writes and Sasha was very easy to like. I did feel sorry for her; if I was her, I wouldn't have acted the way that she did. That isn't to say that she was unrealistic, because this book was anything but. Jodie, Nell, and Rose, Sasha's best friends, were also extremely well-written and I couldn't help but fall in love with them a little bit. These are four girls, counting Sasha, that I would want to be friends with if they weren't fictional!
You Don't Know Me has quickly become one of my favourite UKYA books. It is instantly recognisable as written by Sophia Bennett because only she could write something like this. It was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I'll definitely be recommending it to all of my friends.
Thank you to Chicken House for providing me with a review copy
I've come to expect amazing covers from Chicken House and I definitely wasn't disappointed with this book. Covers aren't something I usually discuss in my reviews but I can't not mention it in this one because, yes, it has gorgeous blue edging. I was actually a little bit sad to read it because I didn't want to damage the cover but I did because, obviously, using my magical powers, I knew that the content inside the book would be even better than the cover, and that's saying something.
A major theme in You Don't Know Me is social networking and I think this is something that needs to be mentioned more in books for this age group. It's hard to think of someone nowadays who doesn't have access to Facebook or Twitter or any other means of social networking. I am one of those people who is constantly checking my Twitter feed- something I'm not too happy about!- and so it was nice to see the consequences of these websites laid out in front of the reader. I was appalled at some of the events that took place and, like with other books, my faith in humanity was somewhat crushed.
This was very much a character driven novel and I loved all of the characters. Written from Sasha's point of view, it was easy to become familiar with the way that Bennett writes and Sasha was very easy to like. I did feel sorry for her; if I was her, I wouldn't have acted the way that she did. That isn't to say that she was unrealistic, because this book was anything but. Jodie, Nell, and Rose, Sasha's best friends, were also extremely well-written and I couldn't help but fall in love with them a little bit. These are four girls, counting Sasha, that I would want to be friends with if they weren't fictional!
You Don't Know Me has quickly become one of my favourite UKYA books. It is instantly recognisable as written by Sophia Bennett because only she could write something like this. It was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I'll definitely be recommending it to all of my friends.
Thank you to Chicken House for providing me with a review copy
December 14, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. This book is a different kind of book. I usually read paranormal or fantasy.
It's interesting to see how much the girls really care about friendship in the end.
The book is told from Sasha's point of view. Along with Jodie, Nell and Rose, Sasha is part a girlband.
They get famous because a guy hacked into Sasha's phone and uploaded a video of them singing in there room.
After the guy uploaded the video on social media they got really popular and got loads of votes to be in this competition. In the auditions something goes wrong.....
I liked how the girls kept in contact with each other as the story got hectic and the relationship was strained between them, and in a way, how they regretted the decision that they made.
This is my first review.
It's interesting to see how much the girls really care about friendship in the end.
The book is told from Sasha's point of view. Along with Jodie, Nell and Rose, Sasha is part a girlband.
They get famous because a guy hacked into Sasha's phone and uploaded a video of them singing in there room.
After the guy uploaded the video on social media they got really popular and got loads of votes to be in this competition. In the auditions something goes wrong.....
I liked how the girls kept in contact with each other as the story got hectic and the relationship was strained between them, and in a way, how they regretted the decision that they made.
This is my first review.
June 23, 2015
This was a very nice read!
I liked the characters, I liked their reactions to the issue at hand. I just felt that the thing with Gentleman Dan was too unresolved. ,
As for what happened, I found it believable. Editing and manipulating in TV is a real thing, and, sadly real life relationships suffer for the sake of a fiction. Thankfully, .
The bullying here was mostly online, and it was made clear how nasty people can be when they hide behind fake names and profiles.
I liked the characters, I liked their reactions to the issue at hand. I just felt that the thing with Gentleman Dan was too unresolved. ,
As for what happened, I found it believable. Editing and manipulating in TV is a real thing, and, sadly real life relationships suffer for the sake of a fiction. Thankfully, .
The bullying here was mostly online, and it was made clear how nasty people can be when they hide behind fake names and profiles.
September 1, 2019
I picked this book up on a book sale. I have no idea why I picked it up, but I'm glad I did.
I love this book. This book shows being famous or well know is not that great.
I'm glad in the end that Rose is there friend again.
The story line was prefect.
So I give this a Five star , I would give it more ,but there is only five stars to choose from.
I love this book. This book shows being famous or well know is not that great.
I'm glad in the end that Rose is there friend again.
The story line was prefect.
So I give this a Five star , I would give it more ,but there is only five stars to choose from.
Read
April 5, 2017Abandoned at 20%. There wasn't really anything I disliked about the book but I wasn't excited about reading it. Instead of listening to the audiobook, I was listening to podcasts and radio, so it's time to move on.
I might come back to it someday, but for now it's not floating my boat.
I might come back to it someday, but for now it's not floating my boat.
July 15, 2014
I have never read a book by Sophia Bennett before, and although I do own The Look, it is still waiting to be read. After my recent discovery and love of reading a band themed book, and loving the synopsis of You Don't Know Me, I had to request it, and I am so glad I did. You Don't Know Me is another book that managed to grab my attention immediately and I found it extremely difficult to put it down, so much so that I read while cooking, and the food turned out a bit more well done than usual.
You Don't Know Me follows four girls, Rose, Jodie, Nell and Sasha, best friends in school and also a small band together that messes around and has fun, until the day that Sasha's phone is stolen and one of the girls fun videos is put online on Interface as an entry to Killer Act, the biggest online music competition in the country. The girls, now known as Manic Pixie Dream Girls, soon find themselves in high demand from school friends but all too soon their fame is brought to a sudden halt when they are forced to drop on of the girls from the band and the remaining girls are forced to deal with the backlash.
When I began reading You Don't Know Me I had an idea in my head about who would do the dropping and who would be left behind, and I was shocked to see I was wrong and had guessed the wrong person. As the story unfolds you get to see how it was a huge misunderstanding on both sides. The dropped person believing her friend agreed with everyone else, and the dropper thinking it was better to drop this girl due to ability and desire alone. When it is all revealed in a video montage before the band perform in the finals it is revealed how it was all twisted and portrayed to be the bands fault it truly hit me how things can be purposefully shown in the wrong light. I felt sorry for the band for being painted as the bad people but part of me also wanted to know why they didn't stop and make others aware of what was going on and fight for the member back.
What follows afterwards is just awful, not only to the remaining band members but also the the girl left out who finds fame herself. The girls in the band, especially the person who was made to look responsible for the dropping, are bullied on interface, hateful messages are left, threatening text message are sent, and the people who this girl thought she could rely on turn their backs on her for a short while. She is left alone, drowning in a sea of hate and trying to keep herself above water, to just survive one more day. The feelings portrayed by this girl made me feel so lost for her, and having to dread going back into school is such an awful feeling.
Things aren't all doom and gloom, we have Elliot Harrison, who has a crush on Sasha, and we eventually find out he is responsible for posting the initial video online, but he also comes in handy throughout the book and helps the girls solve a bullying issue and works wonders in the finally chapters to ensure the girls get some positive publicity.
Dan Matthews is a guitar player in the band, Call of Duty who also found fame in Killer Act. He is genuinely a nice person and goes above and beyond to fix a mistake he made and to help Sasha and make her feel better. There is an eventual 'happy ending' for these girls, but I am not going to spoil it by giving away too many details, it made me happy to see how far they have come and how things worked out for everyone involved.
I loved You Don't Know Me for many reasons, the characters are believable and likeable, it's easy to relate to the characters and the problems they go through, but it also brings a powerful message with it. Bullying takes place everywhere, it doesn't discriminate and it can take on many forms. With the help of her friends Sasha is able to stand up for herself and confront her bully, and together they overcome the cyber bullying. No matter who you are or what your circumstances no one has the right to put you down and make you feel less than what you are worth. Don't be afraid to speak out and let others know, report it at childline or thinkuknow, tell a parent or teacher, don't suffer in silence.
I have a lot of respect for Sophia Bennett for openly writing about this major issue and dealing with it in a respectful, tasteful but truthful way. She is not afraid to show the true face of bullying and I will not hesitate to pick up any more of her work.
You Don't Know Me follows four girls, Rose, Jodie, Nell and Sasha, best friends in school and also a small band together that messes around and has fun, until the day that Sasha's phone is stolen and one of the girls fun videos is put online on Interface as an entry to Killer Act, the biggest online music competition in the country. The girls, now known as Manic Pixie Dream Girls, soon find themselves in high demand from school friends but all too soon their fame is brought to a sudden halt when they are forced to drop on of the girls from the band and the remaining girls are forced to deal with the backlash.
When I began reading You Don't Know Me I had an idea in my head about who would do the dropping and who would be left behind, and I was shocked to see I was wrong and had guessed the wrong person. As the story unfolds you get to see how it was a huge misunderstanding on both sides. The dropped person believing her friend agreed with everyone else, and the dropper thinking it was better to drop this girl due to ability and desire alone. When it is all revealed in a video montage before the band perform in the finals it is revealed how it was all twisted and portrayed to be the bands fault it truly hit me how things can be purposefully shown in the wrong light. I felt sorry for the band for being painted as the bad people but part of me also wanted to know why they didn't stop and make others aware of what was going on and fight for the member back.
What follows afterwards is just awful, not only to the remaining band members but also the the girl left out who finds fame herself. The girls in the band, especially the person who was made to look responsible for the dropping, are bullied on interface, hateful messages are left, threatening text message are sent, and the people who this girl thought she could rely on turn their backs on her for a short while. She is left alone, drowning in a sea of hate and trying to keep herself above water, to just survive one more day. The feelings portrayed by this girl made me feel so lost for her, and having to dread going back into school is such an awful feeling.
Things aren't all doom and gloom, we have Elliot Harrison, who has a crush on Sasha, and we eventually find out he is responsible for posting the initial video online, but he also comes in handy throughout the book and helps the girls solve a bullying issue and works wonders in the finally chapters to ensure the girls get some positive publicity.
Dan Matthews is a guitar player in the band, Call of Duty who also found fame in Killer Act. He is genuinely a nice person and goes above and beyond to fix a mistake he made and to help Sasha and make her feel better. There is an eventual 'happy ending' for these girls, but I am not going to spoil it by giving away too many details, it made me happy to see how far they have come and how things worked out for everyone involved.
I loved You Don't Know Me for many reasons, the characters are believable and likeable, it's easy to relate to the characters and the problems they go through, but it also brings a powerful message with it. Bullying takes place everywhere, it doesn't discriminate and it can take on many forms. With the help of her friends Sasha is able to stand up for herself and confront her bully, and together they overcome the cyber bullying. No matter who you are or what your circumstances no one has the right to put you down and make you feel less than what you are worth. Don't be afraid to speak out and let others know, report it at childline or thinkuknow, tell a parent or teacher, don't suffer in silence.
I have a lot of respect for Sophia Bennett for openly writing about this major issue and dealing with it in a respectful, tasteful but truthful way. She is not afraid to show the true face of bullying and I will not hesitate to pick up any more of her work.
November 7, 2015
Ok, Sophia Bennett did it again. She created another book that I loved with characters that I respected and liked and somehow managed to also make the story original.
Our television nowadays is saturated with reality TV shows from idol contests to even pawnshop show (which I really didn't get why it's ever made into a TV show). From my opening statement, you can deduct that I didn't like reality TV show. I always found them fake. And I know whatever it was shown, it has been edited to match some storyline that the producer has concocted to make it interesting. Some people will have to be casted as the villains and some will have to be the heroes. In the real 'reality', nothing is that black and white. Whatever we saw, it's not the complete story.
"You Don't Know Me" is about the bad after effect of this kind of show. This is a story of girl who is casted as villain just for one mistake. One mistake caused her to gain millions of anti fan and being branded/ criticized by mass media. A mistake that happen I believe because of the manipulation of the judges. What happen to the main character is quite real and do happen nowadays. Internet sure is scary... The fact that anyone can write anything in the internet... The fact that anyone can hide behind a user name...So much irresponsibilities with such a huge consequence and no proper regulation.
This book should have been read by more people. WHen I saw that there are only 40+ ratings in Goodreads, I am astounded. That's why I did a mass recommendation. This book is not only entertaining but also making you think.
Our television nowadays is saturated with reality TV shows from idol contests to even pawnshop show (which I really didn't get why it's ever made into a TV show). From my opening statement, you can deduct that I didn't like reality TV show. I always found them fake. And I know whatever it was shown, it has been edited to match some storyline that the producer has concocted to make it interesting. Some people will have to be casted as the villains and some will have to be the heroes. In the real 'reality', nothing is that black and white. Whatever we saw, it's not the complete story.
"You Don't Know Me" is about the bad after effect of this kind of show. This is a story of girl who is casted as villain just for one mistake. One mistake caused her to gain millions of anti fan and being branded/ criticized by mass media. A mistake that happen I believe because of the manipulation of the judges. What happen to the main character is quite real and do happen nowadays. Internet sure is scary... The fact that anyone can write anything in the internet... The fact that anyone can hide behind a user name...So much irresponsibilities with such a huge consequence and no proper regulation.
This book should have been read by more people. WHen I saw that there are only 40+ ratings in Goodreads, I am astounded. That's why I did a mass recommendation. This book is not only entertaining but also making you think.
June 2, 2013
I loved this! I read all 340 pages in a day!
Two wrongs don't make a right.
So different from what I expected, I don't read books like this much; it reminded me of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging; it had same best friend humour.
Seminal Leotards
This story is very contemporary looking at how social media manipulates us into a certain opinion.
With the likes of X Factor and The Voice and even the story of a particular YouTube sensation; it is now even easier to get your 'fifteen minutes'.
For these girls it happens by accident with some iPhone thievery.
This shines the light of Cyber bullying and made me think how dangerous it is now to be so available. These teens like Cher Lloyd; who in the UK has a less than stellar reputation (a bottle of urine was thrown at her on stage ) you wonder how much we really know about them and how much is editing so that public opinion creates drama.
This is a great story and made me tear up a little; what was missing? Why not 5 stars... Love.
If you like YA and books about best friends or x factor type contemporary stardom then this is for you.
I'm so glad I have my autographed copy, thank you Sophia :)
Two wrongs don't make a right.
So different from what I expected, I don't read books like this much; it reminded me of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging; it had same best friend humour.
Seminal Leotards
This story is very contemporary looking at how social media manipulates us into a certain opinion.
With the likes of X Factor and The Voice and even the story of a particular YouTube sensation; it is now even easier to get your 'fifteen minutes'.
For these girls it happens by accident with some iPhone thievery.
This shines the light of Cyber bullying and made me think how dangerous it is now to be so available. These teens like Cher Lloyd; who in the UK has a less than stellar reputation (a bottle of urine was thrown at her on stage ) you wonder how much we really know about them and how much is editing so that public opinion creates drama.
This is a great story and made me tear up a little; what was missing? Why not 5 stars... Love.
If you like YA and books about best friends or x factor type contemporary stardom then this is for you.
I'm so glad I have my autographed copy, thank you Sophia :)
October 29, 2014
I received this book about four or five days ago,I won it in a GoodReads competition. I was asked to read it and give the author my feedback, and what i felt the book was like. I have one word to describe this. Amazing. When i heard that Bennett was a first time author, my expectations weren't very high. But then i read the book and was blown away. This book is tremendous, this is one of the few books that i have read that aren't mostly predictable, but Bennett also gave you time to figure what was happening out, before she truly revealed, and it was outstanding. I am supposed to give this author what I believe she could do to progress in writing and become a better and stronger author. But to be completely honest, there is nothing I can say that could help this author, she is already top-notch, and i can't really see any faults. Sophia Bennett, if you ever get the chance to read this, you are outstanding and inspiring, and you need no one's help to write breathtaking stories, you took Sasha's life and made it worth reading about. She was just an ordinary girl, until you started writing about her. Please never stop writing, this book was one of the best books I've ever read and let me tell you I've read quite a few books in my time. News to everyone, Sophia Bennett is one to look out for in the future, she is going to be big!
January 6, 2018
So going into to this book I expected a cutesy easy read about friendship .. Boy did I get more than I expected!
This story follows a group of friends who accidently end up entered into a masive music competition and then drama unfolds. It covers a lot of serious issues that many teens will relate too, body shaming, bullying, feeling misunderstood, teenage love and heartbreak, friendships and finding were you belong in the world..
At times this book was a sweet read but the unexpected realness of it made it Much better than your average coming of age contemporary.
I really loved the friendship dynamic between the 4 main girls. Each one was relatable in a different way and made it easy to connect to the characters and really get swept up into the story.
Even though there is a romance element to this story I'm glad it focuses mainly on the friendships and the 'love story' takes a bit of a back seat. Its not often in YA that the friendship seems to be more important than the friendship storyline. That's what made this book stand out so much to me.
This story follows a group of friends who accidently end up entered into a masive music competition and then drama unfolds. It covers a lot of serious issues that many teens will relate too, body shaming, bullying, feeling misunderstood, teenage love and heartbreak, friendships and finding were you belong in the world..
At times this book was a sweet read but the unexpected realness of it made it Much better than your average coming of age contemporary.
I really loved the friendship dynamic between the 4 main girls. Each one was relatable in a different way and made it easy to connect to the characters and really get swept up into the story.
Even though there is a romance element to this story I'm glad it focuses mainly on the friendships and the 'love story' takes a bit of a back seat. Its not often in YA that the friendship seems to be more important than the friendship storyline. That's what made this book stand out so much to me.
July 14, 2017
beautiful, truly amazing!
read in one sitting coz it just grippes u!
Sasha truly is a best friend if she didn't even notice Rosie's appearance! and has no bad word for her :)
read in one sitting coz it just grippes u!
Sasha truly is a best friend if she didn't even notice Rosie's appearance! and has no bad word for her :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2013
This is a good book for young teenagers. I really liked it and it has real problems that we all face. Want to advance in life, but at what cost for our main character, Sash ? She lets her friend down, in a really hurtful way, but the story has a twist....worth reading.
October 23, 2018
This was a book packed with such positive messages and full of fun that I’ll be suggesting it to a number of students.
Messing about making songs/videos with your mates will, I’m sure, be familiar territory to many readers. Having one of these videos go viral and start a very bizarre situation with a major tv show will be less familiar territory, but the impact it has on the girls will resonate.
Total wish-fulfilment in many ways, but it is conceivable and I think the relationship between the four girls - at all stages - was sensitively handled.
Of course it would have been nice for issues with Dan (this will make sense if you’ve read the book) to be resolved neatly but it was nicely done and nobody came out of the situation looking bad.
Messing about making songs/videos with your mates will, I’m sure, be familiar territory to many readers. Having one of these videos go viral and start a very bizarre situation with a major tv show will be less familiar territory, but the impact it has on the girls will resonate.
Total wish-fulfilment in many ways, but it is conceivable and I think the relationship between the four girls - at all stages - was sensitively handled.
Of course it would have been nice for issues with Dan (this will make sense if you’ve read the book) to be resolved neatly but it was nicely done and nobody came out of the situation looking bad.
May 14, 2013
Loved it. I've been sitting here crying reading those last few pages...
This review was originally posted at Fluttering Butterflies
I loved You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennett so wholly and entirely. And that love starts with the very pretty softly-lit cover and the blue edging on the pages. It's just a very pretty book visually. And that beauty extends to the story within. I love how much this book is about friendship and music and how both of these things help two girls going through a very difficult time, struggling with heartbreak and cyber-bullying.
I've really loved the two previous books by Sophia Bennett that I've read but I think You Don't Know Me is my favourite. It really made me think ... mostly about how there're always more sides to a story. This book centres around this decision made under pressure by a group of girls and it spirals into this horrid display of bullying. Supported by the media and done through social networking sites, text messages as well as name-calling the bullying in this book is quite sad and believable. I could definitely see this happening quite easily and it made me wonder how many times I've possibly contributed to something like this in the same ways.
I think one of the strengths of the book is that You Don't Know Me is told from the perspective of Sasha, the girl who dropped her fat friend on television to further her own chances of winning a talent show. I love that we see Sasha's side of this story and can see how everything isn't as it seems but nobody is really interested in hearing how much Rose's friendship means to Sasha or how the things that happened didn't happen for the reasons that everyone thinks. It's easy to villify someone like Sasha without knowing all the facts.
It wasn't until another character points it out to Sasha how strong she is that I really realised it myself. I love that Sasha made this awful mistake and even though her attempts aren't successful, she does try to apologise to Rose a million times. And in light of the public's perception of her as well as random people on the Internet and her classmates, Sasha still carries on trying to make the best out of a bad situation. All of the details about Sasha's budding song-writing and her attempts at teaching herself the guitar was fascinating to me to read about. I love how she takes all of her feelings about her broken friendship with Rose, about #dropthefatgirl and she puts it all into her music.
There's so much to love about this book. I thought the sweet, almost-there relationship between Sasha and Dan was fantastic. I kept mentally screaming 'kiss her already!' And I loved the seminal leotards and the idea of four happy teenage girls dancing about in feather boas in their bedrooms making music videos before everything hits the fan. I thought there was some excellent information about privacy control on social media sites and I loved Elliot's decisions to manipulate things in favour of Sasha and her bandmates. This book is just right balance of serious and heartbreaking and light and fun. I loved that alongside death threats and horribleness there's also catchy pop-tunes about sunglasses and silly outfits. I really recommend that you pick up this book!
This review was originally posted at Fluttering Butterflies
I loved You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennett so wholly and entirely. And that love starts with the very pretty softly-lit cover and the blue edging on the pages. It's just a very pretty book visually. And that beauty extends to the story within. I love how much this book is about friendship and music and how both of these things help two girls going through a very difficult time, struggling with heartbreak and cyber-bullying.
I've really loved the two previous books by Sophia Bennett that I've read but I think You Don't Know Me is my favourite. It really made me think ... mostly about how there're always more sides to a story. This book centres around this decision made under pressure by a group of girls and it spirals into this horrid display of bullying. Supported by the media and done through social networking sites, text messages as well as name-calling the bullying in this book is quite sad and believable. I could definitely see this happening quite easily and it made me wonder how many times I've possibly contributed to something like this in the same ways.
I think one of the strengths of the book is that You Don't Know Me is told from the perspective of Sasha, the girl who dropped her fat friend on television to further her own chances of winning a talent show. I love that we see Sasha's side of this story and can see how everything isn't as it seems but nobody is really interested in hearing how much Rose's friendship means to Sasha or how the things that happened didn't happen for the reasons that everyone thinks. It's easy to villify someone like Sasha without knowing all the facts.
It wasn't until another character points it out to Sasha how strong she is that I really realised it myself. I love that Sasha made this awful mistake and even though her attempts aren't successful, she does try to apologise to Rose a million times. And in light of the public's perception of her as well as random people on the Internet and her classmates, Sasha still carries on trying to make the best out of a bad situation. All of the details about Sasha's budding song-writing and her attempts at teaching herself the guitar was fascinating to me to read about. I love how she takes all of her feelings about her broken friendship with Rose, about #dropthefatgirl and she puts it all into her music.
There's so much to love about this book. I thought the sweet, almost-there relationship between Sasha and Dan was fantastic. I kept mentally screaming 'kiss her already!' And I loved the seminal leotards and the idea of four happy teenage girls dancing about in feather boas in their bedrooms making music videos before everything hits the fan. I thought there was some excellent information about privacy control on social media sites and I loved Elliot's decisions to manipulate things in favour of Sasha and her bandmates. This book is just right balance of serious and heartbreaking and light and fun. I loved that alongside death threats and horribleness there's also catchy pop-tunes about sunglasses and silly outfits. I really recommend that you pick up this book!
June 4, 2015
Cover: Bunt und auffällig, doch zeigt es sehr schön die unterschiedlichen Typen der vier Freundinnen und nimmt auch noch Bezug auf den Song „Sonnenbrille“ im Buch. Gefällt mir sehr gut!
Umsetzung: Zunächst war ich weniger angetan, als ich das Rezensionsexemplar erhalten habe. Wieder ein Jugendbuch, das sich mit Castingsshows beschäftigt, den kurzen Moment des Ruhms, den Teenager sich wünschen. Nach den ersten dreißig Seiten warf ich meine Zweifel über Bord. Das Buch war angenehm zu lesen und mit Leichtigkeit stellte Bennett dem Leser die vier Mädchen vor, um die es sich dreht. Es startete als eine warme Geschichte, Freundinnen, die in etwas reinstolpern, das größer als sie selbst ist. Aber auch größer als ihre Freundschaft?
Nach den ersten 100 Seiten klebte ich praktisch an den Seiten, da ich mitten in die Geschichte gezogen wurde. Sehr gut recherchiert und sehr glaubwürdig verwandelt sich der Traum, eine Casting-Show zu gewinnen, in die absolute Hölle für die vier Mädchen. Sie wissen nicht, wie sie damit umgehen sollen. Man will sie sie verbiegen, Fremde beschimpfen sie im Internet und die Medienmacher erklären sie zum Spielball ihrer niederen Absichten. Und das Publikum scheint sich für alles zu interessieren, nur nicht die Wahrheit.
Figuren: Die Geschichte ist aus Sashas Sicht erzählt. Sie wirkt auf den ersten Seiten ein wenig naiv, was sie jedoch liebenswürdig macht. Sasha ist dieses „Aber andere sind doch viel besser als ich“-Mädchen und ich habe mit Spannung verfolgt, welchen Weg sie im Buch einschlägt. Zeitweise war sie furchtbar überfordert, dennoch habe ich mitgefiebert, ob sie die Freundschaft zu Rose noch retten kann und wie sie ihrer Rolle entkommen will, in die das Internet sie gesteckt hat.
Bennett schafft eine nahtlose Auflösung, die den Leser zufrieden zurücklässt. Gerade das Ende ist realistisch und die Aussage, die leise im Hintergrund mitschwingt, hat mich lächeln lassen. Kein Kitsch, kein übertriebenes Gehabe – ganz, ganz toll.
Sprache: Leicht und locker fließt der Text dahin. Die Mädchen benehmen sich durchweg wie Teenager und es war erschreckend, wie bekannt mir die eingefügten Schnipsel aus dem Netz vorkamen. Gleichzeitig ist Sashas Gefühlswelt sehr stark beschrieben, Ängste, Sorgen, Zweifel sind äußerst lebhaft umgesetzt.
Fazit: Wow. Seit langem endlich wieder ein Jugendbuch, das mich schlichtweg überzeugt und zufrieden zurücklässt. Ein bisschen Liebe, ganz viel Freundschaft. Aber auch ein authentischer Blick auf die Auswirkungen von Cybermobbing und hinter die Kulissen von Castingshows.
Daher vergebe ich 5 von 5 Sternen an #rausmitderdicken und erteile eine Leseempfehlung. Nicht nur für Jugendliche, sondern auch für Erwachsene geeignet.
Umsetzung: Zunächst war ich weniger angetan, als ich das Rezensionsexemplar erhalten habe. Wieder ein Jugendbuch, das sich mit Castingsshows beschäftigt, den kurzen Moment des Ruhms, den Teenager sich wünschen. Nach den ersten dreißig Seiten warf ich meine Zweifel über Bord. Das Buch war angenehm zu lesen und mit Leichtigkeit stellte Bennett dem Leser die vier Mädchen vor, um die es sich dreht. Es startete als eine warme Geschichte, Freundinnen, die in etwas reinstolpern, das größer als sie selbst ist. Aber auch größer als ihre Freundschaft?
Nach den ersten 100 Seiten klebte ich praktisch an den Seiten, da ich mitten in die Geschichte gezogen wurde. Sehr gut recherchiert und sehr glaubwürdig verwandelt sich der Traum, eine Casting-Show zu gewinnen, in die absolute Hölle für die vier Mädchen. Sie wissen nicht, wie sie damit umgehen sollen. Man will sie sie verbiegen, Fremde beschimpfen sie im Internet und die Medienmacher erklären sie zum Spielball ihrer niederen Absichten. Und das Publikum scheint sich für alles zu interessieren, nur nicht die Wahrheit.
Figuren: Die Geschichte ist aus Sashas Sicht erzählt. Sie wirkt auf den ersten Seiten ein wenig naiv, was sie jedoch liebenswürdig macht. Sasha ist dieses „Aber andere sind doch viel besser als ich“-Mädchen und ich habe mit Spannung verfolgt, welchen Weg sie im Buch einschlägt. Zeitweise war sie furchtbar überfordert, dennoch habe ich mitgefiebert, ob sie die Freundschaft zu Rose noch retten kann und wie sie ihrer Rolle entkommen will, in die das Internet sie gesteckt hat.
Bennett schafft eine nahtlose Auflösung, die den Leser zufrieden zurücklässt. Gerade das Ende ist realistisch und die Aussage, die leise im Hintergrund mitschwingt, hat mich lächeln lassen. Kein Kitsch, kein übertriebenes Gehabe – ganz, ganz toll.
Sprache: Leicht und locker fließt der Text dahin. Die Mädchen benehmen sich durchweg wie Teenager und es war erschreckend, wie bekannt mir die eingefügten Schnipsel aus dem Netz vorkamen. Gleichzeitig ist Sashas Gefühlswelt sehr stark beschrieben, Ängste, Sorgen, Zweifel sind äußerst lebhaft umgesetzt.
Fazit: Wow. Seit langem endlich wieder ein Jugendbuch, das mich schlichtweg überzeugt und zufrieden zurücklässt. Ein bisschen Liebe, ganz viel Freundschaft. Aber auch ein authentischer Blick auf die Auswirkungen von Cybermobbing und hinter die Kulissen von Castingshows.
Daher vergebe ich 5 von 5 Sternen an #rausmitderdicken und erteile eine Leseempfehlung. Nicht nur für Jugendliche, sondern auch für Erwachsene geeignet.
June 13, 2016
After enjoying The Look by Sophia Bennett last year I was desperately excited to get my hands on a copy of this book and when I finally did I wasn't disappointed. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
You don't know me is a book about friendship and betrayal set within an XFactor esque style contest. I must admit the very fact it had this link did make me pause and wonder if it was the book for me but actually it was awesome. You start the book by meeting four ordinary friends. They spend the majority of their free time messing around together doing daft things and one afternoon the daft thing they do is write and perform a song which they record on a camera phone. The phone goes missing and the next thing they know they are entered into a song contest and gained hundreds of votes rapidly propelling them into the top 10 most popular acts in the competition. They think it is all a bit of a laugh until they a invited to perform live in front of judges and told to drop one of their members because she doesn't have the right look even though she has more talent than the rest of the group.
The main story looks at the decision the girls in the group have to make and why they decide to make it and then looks at the fallout as a consequence. What I liked about this book was it said a lot about true friendship and what it means to be loyal to another person. It also had a brilliant message about such reality tv singing contests and the way in which they treat the participants in order to boost ratings and make money for the people running the shows. I also loved seeing the role that social media had within the book and the way in which it just heightened all the issues the girls were facing because of the input of hundreds of thousands of strangers. Quite honestly I was completely fascinated by this aspect all the way through and it made me think about the role it plays in society and how it isn't always a good thing.
I can't tell you about the ending even though I want to rave on about it for ages but I can say I loved it. It suited the book completely and was just so brilliantly awesome and a perfect way to end it. Loved it!
All in all a brilliant read and and has left me wanting to read more from the marvellous Sophia Bennett.
You don't know me is a book about friendship and betrayal set within an XFactor esque style contest. I must admit the very fact it had this link did make me pause and wonder if it was the book for me but actually it was awesome. You start the book by meeting four ordinary friends. They spend the majority of their free time messing around together doing daft things and one afternoon the daft thing they do is write and perform a song which they record on a camera phone. The phone goes missing and the next thing they know they are entered into a song contest and gained hundreds of votes rapidly propelling them into the top 10 most popular acts in the competition. They think it is all a bit of a laugh until they a invited to perform live in front of judges and told to drop one of their members because she doesn't have the right look even though she has more talent than the rest of the group.
The main story looks at the decision the girls in the group have to make and why they decide to make it and then looks at the fallout as a consequence. What I liked about this book was it said a lot about true friendship and what it means to be loyal to another person. It also had a brilliant message about such reality tv singing contests and the way in which they treat the participants in order to boost ratings and make money for the people running the shows. I also loved seeing the role that social media had within the book and the way in which it just heightened all the issues the girls were facing because of the input of hundreds of thousands of strangers. Quite honestly I was completely fascinated by this aspect all the way through and it made me think about the role it plays in society and how it isn't always a good thing.
I can't tell you about the ending even though I want to rave on about it for ages but I can say I loved it. It suited the book completely and was just so brilliantly awesome and a perfect way to end it. Loved it!
All in all a brilliant read and and has left me wanting to read more from the marvellous Sophia Bennett.
February 21, 2014
I’ve had You Don’t Know Me for a while now, but after reading The Look, I knew I had to bump it up the to be read list. It leapfrogged many other books. I loved You Don’t Know Me. It’s an emotional story that really makes you think.
I absolutely loved how The Look looked. It had a beautiful cover and lovely pink page edges. The same goes for You Don’t Know Me. You can see by the book image that it has a lovely cover. Very softly-lit. What you can’t see is that it has beautiful blue page edges. So pretty. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by a cover, but you can’t help it when the book is so beautiful. Luckily the story is so good too, so it was a win-win situation for me.
You Don’t Know Me is a story about music, friendship, hard times and the perils of the internet! Although I am probably older than the average reader of this book, I could definitely relate to it. I have experienced cyber-bullying before and it’s nasty. People can be so cruel when they’re anonymous. Sophia Bennett has captured this feeling wonderfully. It felt real.
This book really made me think. The internet is a wonderful but dangerous place. It can be so easy to say something you don’t really mean or wouldn’t say to somebody’s face. The trouble is, when it’s out there, it’s out there for so many people to read and spread even further. You Don’t Know Me shows the reader how dangerous social networking sites can be. It’s completely believable which is sad. Cyber bullying happens easily and frequently.
Sophia Bennett has created some incredibly real characters. I was moved by it, but I was glad that there were some lighter, funny moments. You Don’t Know Me has a great balance between the emotional and the humorous. I’d recommend you pick up a Sophia Bennett book. You won’t regret it!
I absolutely loved how The Look looked. It had a beautiful cover and lovely pink page edges. The same goes for You Don’t Know Me. You can see by the book image that it has a lovely cover. Very softly-lit. What you can’t see is that it has beautiful blue page edges. So pretty. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by a cover, but you can’t help it when the book is so beautiful. Luckily the story is so good too, so it was a win-win situation for me.
You Don’t Know Me is a story about music, friendship, hard times and the perils of the internet! Although I am probably older than the average reader of this book, I could definitely relate to it. I have experienced cyber-bullying before and it’s nasty. People can be so cruel when they’re anonymous. Sophia Bennett has captured this feeling wonderfully. It felt real.
This book really made me think. The internet is a wonderful but dangerous place. It can be so easy to say something you don’t really mean or wouldn’t say to somebody’s face. The trouble is, when it’s out there, it’s out there for so many people to read and spread even further. You Don’t Know Me shows the reader how dangerous social networking sites can be. It’s completely believable which is sad. Cyber bullying happens easily and frequently.
Sophia Bennett has created some incredibly real characters. I was moved by it, but I was glad that there were some lighter, funny moments. You Don’t Know Me has a great balance between the emotional and the humorous. I’d recommend you pick up a Sophia Bennett book. You won’t regret it!
February 20, 2015
Die Geschchte nimmt eine wirklich überraschende Wendung, die man nicht erwartet hatte. Süß ist auch, dass man am Beginn jedes Kapitels den Akkustand ablesen kann und er mit jedem Kapitel immer mehr abnimmt. Alles in allem ein wirklich schönes Buch für zwischendurch, das sich nicht nur mit Freundschaft als Thema beschäftigt.
December 19, 2013
This story of high-school best friends and bandmates kept twisting in ways I didn't expect. This is solid contemporary fiction with a good dose of music and fashion. Dear Everyone: publish more Sophia Bennett books in the US!
December 20, 2015
So sweet! It made me cry.
March 19, 2019
Up there with Love Song - such a great, feel good book.
I love reading Sophia Bennett's books when I want to escape to my younger teenage self. This is a wonderful story of friendship, heartache and the up and down fickleness of fame.
Very neatly packaged, with a nice balance of plot twists and teenage angsts. Strongly recommended if you want to read something fun, light-hearted and just really pleasurable.
Great book!
I love reading Sophia Bennett's books when I want to escape to my younger teenage self. This is a wonderful story of friendship, heartache and the up and down fickleness of fame.
Very neatly packaged, with a nice balance of plot twists and teenage angsts. Strongly recommended if you want to read something fun, light-hearted and just really pleasurable.
Great book!
December 12, 2019
This was surprisingly a very good story. I loved how it was written and how the characters were explored during their ups and downs. It was also a piece of hopeful literature where ex-girlfriends don't turn up mean and hateful. They're semi-real people where they made mistakes and act like normal people do in different situations.
I loved that about this book. And as much as I loved the romantic twist but it wasn't given proper closure IMO.
I loved that about this book. And as much as I loved the romantic twist but it wasn't given proper closure IMO.
May 3, 2023
This book was super cute and it was exactly what I needed to read right now. I knew that straight from the book dedication - I definitely needed that! It’s a sweet story of friendship and I liked it, despite being quite sad about how things ended up with Sasha and Dan (even though I understood why it had to happen haha). It was a good book to read to break up my usual reading materials too, which are incredibly dark, angsty and dramatic
October 7, 2022
This was such a good book! The story was really interesting and exciting, and the characters were lovely. In true Sophia Bennett fashion, it excellently balanced an incredible plot with raising awareness for an important topic. In this case, Sophia Bennett did a really good job of explaining the dangers and effects of cyber bullying, and why we should think before we post.
7.5/10
7.5/10
![Profile Image for Justyna [regałzikei].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1536838974i/52160537._UY200_CR2,0,200,200_.jpg)
February 10, 2023
Czytałam po norwesku i wybrałam ją tylko dlatego, by rozwijać język, a jest to książka dla młodzieży.
Jakie to było fenomenalne! Jestem zdziwiona jaką tematykę porusza, jak bardzo jest aktualna. To opowieść o hejcie w internecie, manipulacji telewizji i o tym, że nigdy na 100% nie znamy drugiej osoby. Wow! Polecam bardzo :)
Jakie to było fenomenalne! Jestem zdziwiona jaką tematykę porusza, jak bardzo jest aktualna. To opowieść o hejcie w internecie, manipulacji telewizji i o tym, że nigdy na 100% nie znamy drugiej osoby. Wow! Polecam bardzo :)
May 16, 2015
Zitate:
„Es war Freundschaft auf den ersten Blick. Sie kannte Gedichte von meinem Lieblingsdichter Stevie Smith auswendig und führte wie ich ein Album mit Bildern aller entlegenen Orte, die sie eines Tages besuchen will.“
(S.31)
„Die Musik hebt mich hoch, hoch über die Menge. Es ist, als würde ich fliegen lernen und wollte nie wieder landen.“
(S.63)
Inhalt:
Sasha, Nell, Jodie und Rose sind beste Freundinnen. Und sie haben eine Band. Allerdings treten sie nicht öffentlich auf, sondern singen allein für sich.
Plötzlich ist das nagelneue iPhone von Sasha verschwunden. Darauf befinden sich viele, für die Mädchen peinliche Videos, in denen sie zusammen Songs üben und singen. Der aus einer Laune heraus entstandene Hit „Sonnenbrille“ ist ebenfalls zu sehen. Und dann beginnt das Desaster. Eines der Videos, gerade „Sonnenbrille“, taucht bei Killer Act, einer Online-Casting-Show von Interface, auf. Die User scheinen es zu mögen. Es gibt immer mehr Liker. Die Girls-Band befindet sich unter den TOP 100 und wird zum Finale eingeladen. Doch nun müssen sie eine Entscheidung treffen, die die Jury von ihnen verlangt. Und damit treten sie eine gewaltige Lawine los, die ihr ganzes Leben verändern wird. Denn eine von ihnen muss die Band verlassen.
Meinung:
„#rausmitderdicken“ ist eigentlich nicht unbedingt in dem Genre gelagert, das ich normalerweise lese. Doch die sympathische Sophia Bennett konnte mich auf der Buchmesse in Leipzig durch ihre positive Ausstrahlung davon überzeugen, dass ich diesen Ausflug vielleicht doch einmal wagen sollte. Und irgendwie hatte ich auch gerade Lust auf diese Geschichte. Gut, dass „#rausmitderdicken“ schon lesebereit auf meinem SuB lag.
So startete ich also in die Geschichte und war gespannt, was mich erwarten würde. Von Anfang an wurde ich dann auch von Sasha, der Protagonistin, abgeholt und mitgenommen. Mit ihr wagte ich meine ersten Schritte in diese Realität und wurde neugierig auf mehr.
Ich stürzte also in eine Welt von Teenager-Mädchen, wie ich sie mir zum Teil bisher auch immer so ausgemalt hatte. Es war interessant, meine Meinung bestätigt zu bekommen und ich fand es wirklich gut. Kein Wunder – Bestätigung hat immer etwas! Ich erlebte Sasha, Rose, Jodie und Nell in ihrem Alltag. Und danach. Ganz ehrlich, ich freute mich mit ihnen. Sie hatten viel Spaß, konnten sich miteinander über Sachen freuen und hielten zusammen. Und dann kam dieser Tag, an dem sie, eigentlich nur nebenbei und beim Blödsinn machen, ein Video drehen, dessen Song sie den Titel „Sonnenbrille“ geben.
Als Sashas iPhone verschwunden ist, denken sie sich erstmal noch nichts Schlimmes. Doch „Sonnenbrille“ taucht nun bei Killer Act, einer Internet-Casting-Show auf und steigt unaufhörlich im Ranking. Ich konnte die Gefühle der Mädchen nachvollziehen, die das Geschehen natürlich beobachteten, auch wenn die Bewerbung ungewollt war. Und nun geraten sie in einen Medienstrudel, der so nicht absehbar war. Und vor allem werden sie vor eine Entscheidung gestellt, die sie eigentlich nicht treffen wollen. Doch das Ergebnis macht sie letztendlich zu einer öffentlichen Zielscheibe. Denn Rose, im Vergleich zu den anderen Mädchen kräftiger gebaut, muss die Band verlassen. Sie haben sie sozusagen öffentlich diskreditiert. Und darauf werden die Mädchen ab sofort reduziert. Der Shitstorm im Internet trifft sie mit ungeahnter Härte.
Sophia Bennet schreibt locker und flüssig. Ich fühlte mich jederzeit wohl in der Geschichte und konnte die Handlungen der Charaktere zum größten Teil nachvollziehen. Die Protagonistin Sasha erzählt die Handlung aus Ich-Perspektive in der Gegenwart, so dass ich immer aktuell informiert über das Geschehen war. Ernste Themen wie Cybermobbing und erste Liebe packt die Autorin in ein gut strukturiertes Geschehen und versucht, die Handlungen abgemildert an den Leser zu bringen. Und doch konnte ich beim Lesen die Emotionen fühlen, die Mauer, die sich um die Mädchen bildet. Gerade noch berühmt, sind sie nun das Ziel jeglichen Hasses. Gewinner kann es dabei eigentlich nicht geben…
Sophia Bennet versteht es geschickt, die alltäglichen Risiken, vor allem im Internet, glaubhaft darzustellen und darauf hinzuweisen. Sei es im Hinblick auf die Glaubwürdigkeit von Casting-Shows und Internet- Rankings, die Realität lässt sie dabei nicht außen vor und beschreibt zwischenmenschliche Problemstellungen, gerade in der Pubertät, vorstellbar.
Die Geschichte selbst hatte sicherlich ein paar kleinere zähere Stellen, an denen ich nicht spürbar vorangekommen bin, dennoch fühlte ich mich insgesamt gut unterhalten. Nachdem ich mich auf dieses Genre dank des Schreibstils der Autorin wirklich einlassen konnte, ließ Sophia Bennet zum Ende hin mein Herz nochmals höher schlagen, bevor ich mich von Sasha und Co. verabschiedet habe. Dieser Ausflug hat mir auf jeden Fall sehr viel Freude gemacht.
Urteil:
„#rausmitderdicken“ zeigt die Risiken der heutigen multimedialen Zeit auf, punktet zugleich mit authentisch wirkenden Szenerien und Handlungen. Die Zeit an der Seite von Sasha konnte ich genießen und vergebe deshalb 4 Bücher.
Für alle, die sich unbewussten Risiken aussetzen, heftigen Situationen standhalten und einfach mehr als alles andere auf Freundschaft vertrauen.
©hisandherbooks.de
„Es war Freundschaft auf den ersten Blick. Sie kannte Gedichte von meinem Lieblingsdichter Stevie Smith auswendig und führte wie ich ein Album mit Bildern aller entlegenen Orte, die sie eines Tages besuchen will.“
(S.31)
„Die Musik hebt mich hoch, hoch über die Menge. Es ist, als würde ich fliegen lernen und wollte nie wieder landen.“
(S.63)
Inhalt:
Sasha, Nell, Jodie und Rose sind beste Freundinnen. Und sie haben eine Band. Allerdings treten sie nicht öffentlich auf, sondern singen allein für sich.
Plötzlich ist das nagelneue iPhone von Sasha verschwunden. Darauf befinden sich viele, für die Mädchen peinliche Videos, in denen sie zusammen Songs üben und singen. Der aus einer Laune heraus entstandene Hit „Sonnenbrille“ ist ebenfalls zu sehen. Und dann beginnt das Desaster. Eines der Videos, gerade „Sonnenbrille“, taucht bei Killer Act, einer Online-Casting-Show von Interface, auf. Die User scheinen es zu mögen. Es gibt immer mehr Liker. Die Girls-Band befindet sich unter den TOP 100 und wird zum Finale eingeladen. Doch nun müssen sie eine Entscheidung treffen, die die Jury von ihnen verlangt. Und damit treten sie eine gewaltige Lawine los, die ihr ganzes Leben verändern wird. Denn eine von ihnen muss die Band verlassen.
Meinung:
„#rausmitderdicken“ ist eigentlich nicht unbedingt in dem Genre gelagert, das ich normalerweise lese. Doch die sympathische Sophia Bennett konnte mich auf der Buchmesse in Leipzig durch ihre positive Ausstrahlung davon überzeugen, dass ich diesen Ausflug vielleicht doch einmal wagen sollte. Und irgendwie hatte ich auch gerade Lust auf diese Geschichte. Gut, dass „#rausmitderdicken“ schon lesebereit auf meinem SuB lag.
So startete ich also in die Geschichte und war gespannt, was mich erwarten würde. Von Anfang an wurde ich dann auch von Sasha, der Protagonistin, abgeholt und mitgenommen. Mit ihr wagte ich meine ersten Schritte in diese Realität und wurde neugierig auf mehr.
Ich stürzte also in eine Welt von Teenager-Mädchen, wie ich sie mir zum Teil bisher auch immer so ausgemalt hatte. Es war interessant, meine Meinung bestätigt zu bekommen und ich fand es wirklich gut. Kein Wunder – Bestätigung hat immer etwas! Ich erlebte Sasha, Rose, Jodie und Nell in ihrem Alltag. Und danach. Ganz ehrlich, ich freute mich mit ihnen. Sie hatten viel Spaß, konnten sich miteinander über Sachen freuen und hielten zusammen. Und dann kam dieser Tag, an dem sie, eigentlich nur nebenbei und beim Blödsinn machen, ein Video drehen, dessen Song sie den Titel „Sonnenbrille“ geben.
Als Sashas iPhone verschwunden ist, denken sie sich erstmal noch nichts Schlimmes. Doch „Sonnenbrille“ taucht nun bei Killer Act, einer Internet-Casting-Show auf und steigt unaufhörlich im Ranking. Ich konnte die Gefühle der Mädchen nachvollziehen, die das Geschehen natürlich beobachteten, auch wenn die Bewerbung ungewollt war. Und nun geraten sie in einen Medienstrudel, der so nicht absehbar war. Und vor allem werden sie vor eine Entscheidung gestellt, die sie eigentlich nicht treffen wollen. Doch das Ergebnis macht sie letztendlich zu einer öffentlichen Zielscheibe. Denn Rose, im Vergleich zu den anderen Mädchen kräftiger gebaut, muss die Band verlassen. Sie haben sie sozusagen öffentlich diskreditiert. Und darauf werden die Mädchen ab sofort reduziert. Der Shitstorm im Internet trifft sie mit ungeahnter Härte.
Sophia Bennet schreibt locker und flüssig. Ich fühlte mich jederzeit wohl in der Geschichte und konnte die Handlungen der Charaktere zum größten Teil nachvollziehen. Die Protagonistin Sasha erzählt die Handlung aus Ich-Perspektive in der Gegenwart, so dass ich immer aktuell informiert über das Geschehen war. Ernste Themen wie Cybermobbing und erste Liebe packt die Autorin in ein gut strukturiertes Geschehen und versucht, die Handlungen abgemildert an den Leser zu bringen. Und doch konnte ich beim Lesen die Emotionen fühlen, die Mauer, die sich um die Mädchen bildet. Gerade noch berühmt, sind sie nun das Ziel jeglichen Hasses. Gewinner kann es dabei eigentlich nicht geben…
Sophia Bennet versteht es geschickt, die alltäglichen Risiken, vor allem im Internet, glaubhaft darzustellen und darauf hinzuweisen. Sei es im Hinblick auf die Glaubwürdigkeit von Casting-Shows und Internet- Rankings, die Realität lässt sie dabei nicht außen vor und beschreibt zwischenmenschliche Problemstellungen, gerade in der Pubertät, vorstellbar.
Die Geschichte selbst hatte sicherlich ein paar kleinere zähere Stellen, an denen ich nicht spürbar vorangekommen bin, dennoch fühlte ich mich insgesamt gut unterhalten. Nachdem ich mich auf dieses Genre dank des Schreibstils der Autorin wirklich einlassen konnte, ließ Sophia Bennet zum Ende hin mein Herz nochmals höher schlagen, bevor ich mich von Sasha und Co. verabschiedet habe. Dieser Ausflug hat mir auf jeden Fall sehr viel Freude gemacht.
Urteil:
„#rausmitderdicken“ zeigt die Risiken der heutigen multimedialen Zeit auf, punktet zugleich mit authentisch wirkenden Szenerien und Handlungen. Die Zeit an der Seite von Sasha konnte ich genießen und vergebe deshalb 4 Bücher.
Für alle, die sich unbewussten Risiken aussetzen, heftigen Situationen standhalten und einfach mehr als alles andere auf Freundschaft vertrauen.
©hisandherbooks.de
February 17, 2018
How easy it seems by the media, to manipulate people. Rose I thought was very weak, and should have stood up for herself more. Sasha, on the other hand is a very strong girl, to endure what she did.
July 12, 2018
So this was a nice book. The turn of events was very realistic and all the characters were well-developed. I must say, I really liked the idea of Interface. It had strong themes of body image and friendship and I liked that. All in all, a nice read.
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