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Twigs
One pint-sized girl. Ten supersized crises. And it’s high noon.
They call her “Twigs,” because she’ll never hit five feet tall. Although she was born early, and a stiff breeze could knock her over, Twigs has a mighty spirit. She needs it, as life throws a whole bucket of rotten luck at her: Dad’s an absentee drunk; Mom’s obsessed with her new deaf boyfriend (and Twigs can’t tell what they’re saying to each other). Little sister Marlee is trying to date her way through the entire high school; Twigs’ true love may be a long-distance loser after a single week away at college, and suddenly, older brother Matt is missing in Iraq. It all comes together when a couple of thugs in a drugstore aisle lash out, and Twigs must fight to save the life of the father who denied her.
They call her “Twigs,” because she’ll never hit five feet tall. Although she was born early, and a stiff breeze could knock her over, Twigs has a mighty spirit. She needs it, as life throws a whole bucket of rotten luck at her: Dad’s an absentee drunk; Mom’s obsessed with her new deaf boyfriend (and Twigs can’t tell what they’re saying to each other). Little sister Marlee is trying to date her way through the entire high school; Twigs’ true love may be a long-distance loser after a single week away at college, and suddenly, older brother Matt is missing in Iraq. It all comes together when a couple of thugs in a drugstore aisle lash out, and Twigs must fight to save the life of the father who denied her.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2013
7 people are currently reading
1540 people want to read
About the author
Alison Ashley Formento
7 books19 followersAlison Ashley Formento is the author of the young adult novel TWIGS (Merit Press), and award-winning picture books THIS TREE COUNTS!, THIS TREE 1, 2, 3, THESE BEES COUNT!, THESE SEAS COUNT! and THESE ROCKS COUNT! (Albert Whitman & Co.). She's written for The New York Times, Parenting, The Writer and several other magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
September 18, 2013
With first person narratives, there’s always the risk that the narrator comes across as unlikeable. Well, Madeline Annette Henry, aka TWIGS, takes unlikeable to a whole new plateau. I hated her with a passion best reserved for anchovies, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, white vinegar, and chlamydia. She’s eighteen with the maturity level of an eight year-old, or maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt and say her brain capacity matches her size, so she’s a fifth-grader. She stomps like a four year-old, shrills like a six year-old, and rollerblades like a fourteen year-old, and has acquired more than enough immaturity to last her for the rest of her life.
Self-centered doesn’t even begin to do her justice. Let’s just stop the universe for Twigs. We should all be gracious enough to kiss her feet, comb her hair, and bask in all of her less than five foot glory. Her warped sense of reality helped escalate this novel into fantasy. With a strong attachment to a father that abandoned her and her family, a strong sense of antipathy to a mother who has moved on with her life, even if it occasionally takes her into the bedroom, and sometimes involves black lace thongs, a strong sense of disregard for her popular cheerleader sister, and hostility for every single one of her mother’s boyfriends, she’s a real prize for your eighteen or nineteen year-old son, just make sure you feed him enough alcohol and roofies to help seal the deal.
If she cheats and steals with the same ease she reserves for lying, and elbow smashing, she’ll be forcibly removed from Hinkney Community College and in prison before she’s twenty. There’s a special cell for where she’s going, and she’s one downward spiral away from flitting off into oblivion. In the end, though, the world would be better off without her and her egotistical manner. What she may lack in size she makes up for with her obnoxious and odious demeanor.
Enough whores filled this story to take Sin City by storm. The term was handed out more often than Snickers bars at a Mars convention. Despite the number of characters involved in this tale, there didn’t appear to be a sympathetic one amidst this bunch of misfits and miscreants. It reminded me of a couple dozen juvenile delinquents headed for detention on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of winter.
The plot moved along like a series of nightmares, or it could always be worse scenarios, but even that particular antidote proved less than satisfying, as I managed to stop caring and start cheering for the end well before the halfway point of this tale. By the end of the novel, I felt like I had witnessed a 20-car pileup on I-25 in the middle of rush hour.
A word of advice for Twigs. If you hate your life that much, then you better damn well change it, otherwise you have no one to blame but yourself. Even if the mirror might crack as you spew forth a cantankerous rage that bests even the most prolific two year-old temper tantrums on YouTube. It’s all up to you, or then again, maybe it isn’t.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
Self-centered doesn’t even begin to do her justice. Let’s just stop the universe for Twigs. We should all be gracious enough to kiss her feet, comb her hair, and bask in all of her less than five foot glory. Her warped sense of reality helped escalate this novel into fantasy. With a strong attachment to a father that abandoned her and her family, a strong sense of antipathy to a mother who has moved on with her life, even if it occasionally takes her into the bedroom, and sometimes involves black lace thongs, a strong sense of disregard for her popular cheerleader sister, and hostility for every single one of her mother’s boyfriends, she’s a real prize for your eighteen or nineteen year-old son, just make sure you feed him enough alcohol and roofies to help seal the deal.
If she cheats and steals with the same ease she reserves for lying, and elbow smashing, she’ll be forcibly removed from Hinkney Community College and in prison before she’s twenty. There’s a special cell for where she’s going, and she’s one downward spiral away from flitting off into oblivion. In the end, though, the world would be better off without her and her egotistical manner. What she may lack in size she makes up for with her obnoxious and odious demeanor.
Enough whores filled this story to take Sin City by storm. The term was handed out more often than Snickers bars at a Mars convention. Despite the number of characters involved in this tale, there didn’t appear to be a sympathetic one amidst this bunch of misfits and miscreants. It reminded me of a couple dozen juvenile delinquents headed for detention on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of winter.
The plot moved along like a series of nightmares, or it could always be worse scenarios, but even that particular antidote proved less than satisfying, as I managed to stop caring and start cheering for the end well before the halfway point of this tale. By the end of the novel, I felt like I had witnessed a 20-car pileup on I-25 in the middle of rush hour.
A word of advice for Twigs. If you hate your life that much, then you better damn well change it, otherwise you have no one to blame but yourself. Even if the mirror might crack as you spew forth a cantankerous rage that bests even the most prolific two year-old temper tantrums on YouTube. It’s all up to you, or then again, maybe it isn’t.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
August 15, 2013
Firstly I have to say that I absolutely adore the cover. It's so pretty and beautifully simple. I actually was drawn to this book because of its cover.
So now this is the story of Twigs. She has a lot to deal with. Her father has left, her mom is dating again, her little sister suddenly has a boyfriend, her own boyfriend has left for college, and her older brother has gone missing in Iraq. Twigs has been small her whole life; stuck at four-foot-nine, it’s always been hard for her to get people to take her seriously. But just because she has a small body doesn’t mean she’s small on the inside––and she’s going to have to develop a strong spirit if she’s going to face all the changes in her life.
The plot was good but the thing is that I wasn't that happy or that disappointed either. But I would have liked it much better if the story was stretched a bit longer where we could see Matt( Twigs's brother)actually coming home as well as see Twigs's and Cooper's relationship develop further. Nevertheless I still enjoyed the book.
Twigs as the main chracter was written beautifully. Also loved Cooper and Matt though he didn't actually make an appearance in the book. Twigs & Cooper sure made me laugh here and there and the conclusion to the story was cute.
All in all it was a good book and if you want a simple yet enjoyable read Twigs is the book for you.
So now this is the story of Twigs. She has a lot to deal with. Her father has left, her mom is dating again, her little sister suddenly has a boyfriend, her own boyfriend has left for college, and her older brother has gone missing in Iraq. Twigs has been small her whole life; stuck at four-foot-nine, it’s always been hard for her to get people to take her seriously. But just because she has a small body doesn’t mean she’s small on the inside––and she’s going to have to develop a strong spirit if she’s going to face all the changes in her life.
The plot was good but the thing is that I wasn't that happy or that disappointed either. But I would have liked it much better if the story was stretched a bit longer where we could see Matt( Twigs's brother)actually coming home as well as see Twigs's and Cooper's relationship develop further. Nevertheless I still enjoyed the book.
Twigs as the main chracter was written beautifully. Also loved Cooper and Matt though he didn't actually make an appearance in the book. Twigs & Cooper sure made me laugh here and there and the conclusion to the story was cute.
All in all it was a good book and if you want a simple yet enjoyable read Twigs is the book for you.
June 12, 2013
I received a copy of this book through net galley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This book was so hard to finish. In the first few chapters, I really wanted to root for the main character, Madeline Henry, AKA Twigs. Twigs is a pint-sized girl with massive problems. First of all, she's about to go to community college and doesn't want to be referred to as Twigs anymore, but yet when people call her Twigs, she doesn't consistently correct them. Her mother was a bit mean. She tells her she will always be Twigs. The mother frustrated me the most because I felt like the absent mom was just one more problem tacked on to Twigs' life problems. By the time we see what a jerk her mom is we already know that Twigs' friends and boyfriend are all away at college living lives without her, her Dad has left and does not contact her and her brother is MIA in Iraq. It was all just too much. I really wanted a redeeming supporting character or moment. Twigs had a nice joking text message at the beginning of the book, but it comes and goes. In fact, lots of things come and go in this book. Twigs' have so many problems that it is hard to juggle them.
The version of this book I read was hard to read because there were numerous typos. Names were not capitalized consistently. Periods were missing at the ends of sentences. Sentences didn't start with capital letters. The chapter headings were a mix of capital and lower case letters. Maybe this will be fixed, but it made the already trying reading process even more frustrating. I can pardon a few typos, but this was bad.
I also didn't like how Twigs refers to her mom's boyfriend as Deaf Lou. I know she is cynical, but for someone with almost nothing going right in her life, I didn't like that she referred to him by his disability. It was unnecessary. In fact, including a deaf character could have been a redeeming aspect of the book, but labeling someone based on their disability was annoying. Twigs is pretty judgmental at times. She refers to someone she barely knows as a whore on multiple occasions.
The one redeeming factor of the book was I felt Twigs' reactions to learning her father is not her biological father and her reactions to the "mean girl" she meets when she visits her boyfriend at college were believable.
I think in general this book suffers from taking on too much. Like I said, when I first started, I wanted to root for Twigs, the girl who was left behind with her brother at war and her friends all off at college, but then enter the problems with her mom and dad and a little sister who apparently was a know-it-all and it was like "enough already!"
This book was so hard to finish. In the first few chapters, I really wanted to root for the main character, Madeline Henry, AKA Twigs. Twigs is a pint-sized girl with massive problems. First of all, she's about to go to community college and doesn't want to be referred to as Twigs anymore, but yet when people call her Twigs, she doesn't consistently correct them. Her mother was a bit mean. She tells her she will always be Twigs. The mother frustrated me the most because I felt like the absent mom was just one more problem tacked on to Twigs' life problems. By the time we see what a jerk her mom is we already know that Twigs' friends and boyfriend are all away at college living lives without her, her Dad has left and does not contact her and her brother is MIA in Iraq. It was all just too much. I really wanted a redeeming supporting character or moment. Twigs had a nice joking text message at the beginning of the book, but it comes and goes. In fact, lots of things come and go in this book. Twigs' have so many problems that it is hard to juggle them.
The version of this book I read was hard to read because there were numerous typos. Names were not capitalized consistently. Periods were missing at the ends of sentences. Sentences didn't start with capital letters. The chapter headings were a mix of capital and lower case letters. Maybe this will be fixed, but it made the already trying reading process even more frustrating. I can pardon a few typos, but this was bad.
I also didn't like how Twigs refers to her mom's boyfriend as Deaf Lou. I know she is cynical, but for someone with almost nothing going right in her life, I didn't like that she referred to him by his disability. It was unnecessary. In fact, including a deaf character could have been a redeeming aspect of the book, but labeling someone based on their disability was annoying. Twigs is pretty judgmental at times. She refers to someone she barely knows as a whore on multiple occasions.
The one redeeming factor of the book was I felt Twigs' reactions to learning her father is not her biological father and her reactions to the "mean girl" she meets when she visits her boyfriend at college were believable.
I think in general this book suffers from taking on too much. Like I said, when I first started, I wanted to root for Twigs, the girl who was left behind with her brother at war and her friends all off at college, but then enter the problems with her mom and dad and a little sister who apparently was a know-it-all and it was like "enough already!"
May 2, 2017
This is such a unique book! Twigs got her nickname because she was born premature and very very tiny. At 18 she is not even 5 feet tall but she sure is full of spunk and attitude! She works at a drug store and that's where she first meets Helen, a woman scorned who has a complete breakdown in the store, throwing hair dye and screaming. As Twigs tried to calm Helen down she has no idea that Helen will become her lifeline in the days to come. Twig's finds out her older brother Matt went AWOL in the Army, her mother is dating a deaf guy, her boyfriend is away and college and strangely distant, her younger sister is sexually active, amongst other crises. Fed up by her family and the way they treat her she retreats to Helen's house. Oddly, thoughout the chaos in the house as Helen tried to come to terms with her cheating hudband and her impending divorce, Twigs finds peace in the house. Will her family ever take her seriously? Will Matt ever return? What's going on with her boyfriend? You will find all this out and more if you read this amazing novel.
I could not choose a favorite character in this. I love them all! Helen is so wild and full of life, I admire her so much. She just feels so much and refuses to hide her feelings. From throwing hair dye in the drug store to smashing her soon to be ex husband's car with a sledge hammer, she does everything to extremes. Maybe she should stop to think of the consequenses but she doesn't. Not sure if that makes her awesome or crazy but either way, I love her.
Twigs is so full of attitude and spunk all wrapped up in a tiny body. She is obviously going through major drama in her life and at first she runs from it- straight to a woman with just as much chaos. But she's not afraid to stand up for herself and not be treated like a baby, which happens all the time due to her size.
I loved this book. I plan on buying and reading it over and over again. It's a really powerful novel. No one character plays the victim role and that's refreshing. It's just a great novel all around, from story to character development to flow. Definitely one for the bookshelves.
I could not choose a favorite character in this. I love them all! Helen is so wild and full of life, I admire her so much. She just feels so much and refuses to hide her feelings. From throwing hair dye in the drug store to smashing her soon to be ex husband's car with a sledge hammer, she does everything to extremes. Maybe she should stop to think of the consequenses but she doesn't. Not sure if that makes her awesome or crazy but either way, I love her.
Twigs is so full of attitude and spunk all wrapped up in a tiny body. She is obviously going through major drama in her life and at first she runs from it- straight to a woman with just as much chaos. But she's not afraid to stand up for herself and not be treated like a baby, which happens all the time due to her size.
I loved this book. I plan on buying and reading it over and over again. It's a really powerful novel. No one character plays the victim role and that's refreshing. It's just a great novel all around, from story to character development to flow. Definitely one for the bookshelves.
September 15, 2013
I couldn’t bring myself to finish reading Twigs. I managed to slough through half of the book before setting it aside with a sigh of exasperation. My problems mainly stem from Twigs herself. She’s an asshole. She’s judgemental and rude and mean for no reason. She hits a guy she’s never even met with a car on purpose. She’s inconsiderate and most of her narration is complaining about something or other, though she never considers that an alternative to complaining might be getting off her ass and doing something about her crappy life.
As well as Twigs’ less than stellar personality, I thought the plot was exceptionally unexceptional. There never seemed to be anything happening. On the surface, the Matt storyline should be exciting and compelling. I, as the reader, should want to know what happened to him. But, though Twigs expressed her distress at Matt’s disappearance several times, I never got a good impression of what she actually felt. She didn’t seem to care about finding Matt, so neither did I. Though the Matt plot was the one that stood out most to me, there were far too many other sub-plots going on at once. It felt as though the book lacked a central plot and was more of a concoction of sub-plots thrown together haphazardly. They didn’t cohere or make sense – the drama between Helen and her husband, Twigs’ absentee, alcohol father and neglectful mother, her boyfriend putting distance of the physical and emotional nature between them. They all seemed very sub-jointed. It is entirely possible that this problem was resolved in the latter half of the book, but I didn’t feel any desire to find out.
As well as Twigs’ less than stellar personality, I thought the plot was exceptionally unexceptional. There never seemed to be anything happening. On the surface, the Matt storyline should be exciting and compelling. I, as the reader, should want to know what happened to him. But, though Twigs expressed her distress at Matt’s disappearance several times, I never got a good impression of what she actually felt. She didn’t seem to care about finding Matt, so neither did I. Though the Matt plot was the one that stood out most to me, there were far too many other sub-plots going on at once. It felt as though the book lacked a central plot and was more of a concoction of sub-plots thrown together haphazardly. They didn’t cohere or make sense – the drama between Helen and her husband, Twigs’ absentee, alcohol father and neglectful mother, her boyfriend putting distance of the physical and emotional nature between them. They all seemed very sub-jointed. It is entirely possible that this problem was resolved in the latter half of the book, but I didn’t feel any desire to find out.
June 14, 2013
I received a copy of this book via net-galley for an honest review, and honestly, I hated it! There was just something about this book that made it hard for me to fall in love and root for the main character. I really just didn't care about Twigs and I found her to be rather rude.
I understand that this book is about a short girl, but did there really have to be such a big fuss about her height? I mean she's short, we get it, move on with the actual story!
More than anything though, I think I just didn't like the way this was written. Some of the things that the author wrote just didn't make sense to me, like this for instance,
"Turning the page, I noticed a photo with the caption, "I'm Grace Kelly's Love Child." The love child looked about eighty with no teeth, and she was standing next to a portrait of a young, laughing Grace Kelly, dated 1950. I gasped at how much it reminded me of Mom when Dad used to tickle her."
I understand that this book is about a short girl, but did there really have to be such a big fuss about her height? I mean she's short, we get it, move on with the actual story!
More than anything though, I think I just didn't like the way this was written. Some of the things that the author wrote just didn't make sense to me, like this for instance,
"Turning the page, I noticed a photo with the caption, "I'm Grace Kelly's Love Child." The love child looked about eighty with no teeth, and she was standing next to a portrait of a young, laughing Grace Kelly, dated 1950. I gasped at how much it reminded me of Mom when Dad used to tickle her."
February 24, 2015
I really got a kick out of this book. Yes, it was silly and over-the-top in places, but I laughed a lot. Reading some of the other reviews on Goodreads, I'm surprised that so many people disliked the main character, Twigs. I thought she was pretty funny. But maybe that's because I've thought about hitting people with my car, too. ;) I do agree that some of her nicknames for people were rude, but poor little Twigs, she was unhappy and angry and lonely, and she was just doing the best she could in her soap-opera life.
As far as a YA book goes, there is quite a bit of cussing and sexual references, but there's not a lot of violence (unless you consider hitting people with cars, iPods, and shampoo bottles violent). I might not recommend this book to my younger teenage friends, but I would definitely recommend it to my friends who read Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series.
As far as a YA book goes, there is quite a bit of cussing and sexual references, but there's not a lot of violence (unless you consider hitting people with cars, iPods, and shampoo bottles violent). I might not recommend this book to my younger teenage friends, but I would definitely recommend it to my friends who read Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series.
January 12, 2014
Twigs is a small girl with a big load of problems. Her mother is starting to date again, her father walked out on the family, and her little sister is focused on the dating and games that come along with high school. Things only intensify when a crazy woman comes into her work, and things get worse from there when she gets the news that her older brother is missing in Iraq. Twigs has to put herself to the test to keep it all together and to fight for what's important to her.
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I wanted to like this book. I did. I was excited to receive it from the Goodreads First Reads program. However the title character, Twigs, made this nearly impossible for me to do so.
One of the things that turns me off of a book the fastest is slut-shaming, and it was clearly a theme in this book. Twigs makes all sorts of snap judgments about women, including her sister and mother, because they have men in their lives. I found this especially irritating in regards to her mother, who is actually dating Lou. Not sleeping around, not having wild orgies in the living room. Dating. Bitter much?
And while we're on the topic of her mom and Lou, Twigs comes off as an extremely rude character. She calls him Deaf Lou. Creatively, this is because he's deaf. Is that really necessary? Would she have called him Fat Lou or Lazy Eye Lou? It's disrespectful and really shows off her true colors, in my opinion.
Another reason why I found Twigs rude and unlikable is because she down talks her college. She goes to a community college that is a lot of students' last resort. We have a college like this in my town too. But she makes a lot of remarks about the people who go there and how it's a joke and a stepping stone and things like that. First off, you go there. Have some self-respect. Good for the people who go there who are trying to do something better with their education. I don't think that's something that's ridicule-worthy. As someone who has had to take breaks from school due to financial hardships, this struck a bad chord with me for sure.
As for Twigs' height, I think it's great that the author gave her lead girl a "flaw" and made it a part of the story. It just wasn't realistic to me, though. I'm barely over five foot myself, and I have never had a stranger comment about my height, even during an unpleasant exchange. Family and friends? Sure. But strangers don't really care, at least in my experiences.
And then there's Helen. The supposed-to-be-lovable-crazy-woman that goes on a tirade at the drug store after she found out her husband was with somebody else. She proceeds to steal his car, and get Twigs involved in other such shenanigans. This may have been quirky to some, but it was all kinds of red flags and disturbing to me. Namely because I've had one of my dad's exes stalk us. It's not cute. It's uncomfortable and unsettling to just see her places, or to find notes taped to your windows.
I'm not even going to get in depth about the amount of drama in this book, because I think that some readers will find it engaging. I personally however found it to be too much, especially when I'm not all too fond of the characters involved with it all.
This is a young adult contemporary genre book. If you enjoy books with a lot of drama or short protagonists, this might be for you, but it wasn't a book for me. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.
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I wanted to like this book. I did. I was excited to receive it from the Goodreads First Reads program. However the title character, Twigs, made this nearly impossible for me to do so.
One of the things that turns me off of a book the fastest is slut-shaming, and it was clearly a theme in this book. Twigs makes all sorts of snap judgments about women, including her sister and mother, because they have men in their lives. I found this especially irritating in regards to her mother, who is actually dating Lou. Not sleeping around, not having wild orgies in the living room. Dating. Bitter much?
And while we're on the topic of her mom and Lou, Twigs comes off as an extremely rude character. She calls him Deaf Lou. Creatively, this is because he's deaf. Is that really necessary? Would she have called him Fat Lou or Lazy Eye Lou? It's disrespectful and really shows off her true colors, in my opinion.
Another reason why I found Twigs rude and unlikable is because she down talks her college. She goes to a community college that is a lot of students' last resort. We have a college like this in my town too. But she makes a lot of remarks about the people who go there and how it's a joke and a stepping stone and things like that. First off, you go there. Have some self-respect. Good for the people who go there who are trying to do something better with their education. I don't think that's something that's ridicule-worthy. As someone who has had to take breaks from school due to financial hardships, this struck a bad chord with me for sure.
As for Twigs' height, I think it's great that the author gave her lead girl a "flaw" and made it a part of the story. It just wasn't realistic to me, though. I'm barely over five foot myself, and I have never had a stranger comment about my height, even during an unpleasant exchange. Family and friends? Sure. But strangers don't really care, at least in my experiences.
And then there's Helen. The supposed-to-be-lovable-crazy-woman that goes on a tirade at the drug store after she found out her husband was with somebody else. She proceeds to steal his car, and get Twigs involved in other such shenanigans. This may have been quirky to some, but it was all kinds of red flags and disturbing to me. Namely because I've had one of my dad's exes stalk us. It's not cute. It's uncomfortable and unsettling to just see her places, or to find notes taped to your windows.
I'm not even going to get in depth about the amount of drama in this book, because I think that some readers will find it engaging. I personally however found it to be too much, especially when I'm not all too fond of the characters involved with it all.
This is a young adult contemporary genre book. If you enjoy books with a lot of drama or short protagonists, this might be for you, but it wasn't a book for me. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.
December 4, 2013
Other reviews at The Book Babe's Reads. Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.
I have several very upsetting things to say about Twigs. First of all, I can't believe I made it through this book! For the about the first 30% of this book, I really wanted to drop it. But I soldiered on, with the false hope that it would pick up for me. But it was all in vain, because to tell you the complete truth, I hated Twigs. The character. Because she was annoying and self-centered and immature and had little development towards anything good.
Upon first glance, I really thought that I might like this. Maybe I'd get into the rhythm of the book (everything kept happening all at once, with no explanation to be heard) and it'd be okay. But I never got used to it. I'm still slightly confused as to what all happened, because there was some serious drama going on in this book. And most of it was stupid.
But let's get back to Twigs. I can't stand her, I truly can't, and I'm curious as to how anyone could! Apparently, babies and dogs both like her (she even uses the same phrase in each instance), yet no one from the real world seems to. Except for Helen, who likes her after she throws hair dyes (?) on her. Violently. So of course Twigs (after meeting Helen on the street randomly, again), proceeds to go spend the night with her, alone, without telling anyone where she's going and without a cell phone. This almost makes me want to go spend the night with someone I don't know... no it doesn't. Especially since Helen is...well... to say the least, she's a little bit psycho.
Your husband cheats on you? Okay, go destroy a pharmacy. What about when he's out with a girl (or whore as you like to call him)? You convince Twigs to steal his car with you, and she breaks his arm on the way out. Atta girl! But what about *gasp* when you get home with his car? Whatever shall you do with it? Oh, how about you smash it to pieces then have a neighbor drive it to the hospital (where he's being treated for a broken arm) and leave it outside. Awesome, your debt to society is paid. OMG WHY ARE YOU SPENDING THE NIGHT WITH HER? You don't know her, and you watched her do all of this before you spent the night. ALONE. WITHOUT A CELL PHONE.
Call me crazy, but that does not sound like a safe friend to stay with. Or be around. As the book wore on, though, I do have to admit that Helen does have some sane moments that make her okay. But she's pretty crazy, regardless. I keep trying to talk about Twigs, but I've been sidetracked. So, again.
Twigs was... how do I put this? She doesn't think things through.... She's prone to making untrue judgments... She only cares about herself... She's annoying... Nope, I just don't know how to put this, so please just understand that I didn't like her, and I don't know how to explain it.
The only light part of this book was Coop. I enjoyed several of the scenes that he was in; because he made it lighter and funnier. He really was a sweetheart, and I wish that he had been around more often. All in all, Twigs just wasn't the book for me. I don't know how to say it any better than that.
I have several very upsetting things to say about Twigs. First of all, I can't believe I made it through this book! For the about the first 30% of this book, I really wanted to drop it. But I soldiered on, with the false hope that it would pick up for me. But it was all in vain, because to tell you the complete truth, I hated Twigs. The character. Because she was annoying and self-centered and immature and had little development towards anything good.
Upon first glance, I really thought that I might like this. Maybe I'd get into the rhythm of the book (everything kept happening all at once, with no explanation to be heard) and it'd be okay. But I never got used to it. I'm still slightly confused as to what all happened, because there was some serious drama going on in this book. And most of it was stupid.
But let's get back to Twigs. I can't stand her, I truly can't, and I'm curious as to how anyone could! Apparently, babies and dogs both like her (she even uses the same phrase in each instance), yet no one from the real world seems to. Except for Helen, who likes her after she throws hair dyes (?) on her. Violently. So of course Twigs (after meeting Helen on the street randomly, again), proceeds to go spend the night with her, alone, without telling anyone where she's going and without a cell phone. This almost makes me want to go spend the night with someone I don't know... no it doesn't. Especially since Helen is...well... to say the least, she's a little bit psycho.
Your husband cheats on you? Okay, go destroy a pharmacy. What about when he's out with a girl (or whore as you like to call him)? You convince Twigs to steal his car with you, and she breaks his arm on the way out. Atta girl! But what about *gasp* when you get home with his car? Whatever shall you do with it? Oh, how about you smash it to pieces then have a neighbor drive it to the hospital (where he's being treated for a broken arm) and leave it outside. Awesome, your debt to society is paid. OMG WHY ARE YOU SPENDING THE NIGHT WITH HER? You don't know her, and you watched her do all of this before you spent the night. ALONE. WITHOUT A CELL PHONE.
Call me crazy, but that does not sound like a safe friend to stay with. Or be around. As the book wore on, though, I do have to admit that Helen does have some sane moments that make her okay. But she's pretty crazy, regardless. I keep trying to talk about Twigs, but I've been sidetracked. So, again.
Twigs was... how do I put this? She doesn't think things through.... She's prone to making untrue judgments... She only cares about herself... She's annoying... Nope, I just don't know how to put this, so please just understand that I didn't like her, and I don't know how to explain it.
The only light part of this book was Coop. I enjoyed several of the scenes that he was in; because he made it lighter and funnier. He really was a sweetheart, and I wish that he had been around more often. All in all, Twigs just wasn't the book for me. I don't know how to say it any better than that.
Read
February 25, 2014Madeline Henry has been known as Twigs since her older brother gave her the name shortly after her premature birth. When her tiny little arms and legs were described as twigs, he latched onto the name and it stuck.
Twigs is now eighteen and in a few short weeks she'll be starting college at the local community college. She succeeded in making it through high school and worked hard at the Uptown Pharmacy to earn the tuition to attend Hinkney Community College all on her own. Her drunken father left the family some time ago. Her mother has gone through a string of one night stands and is now involved with a deaf guy she met at the school for the deaf where she works. Twigs' little sister is a cheerleader more interested in having the right color of nail polish for her toenails than she is in what's going on in the family. Their older brother Matt is in Iraq and usually manages to send an email home once a week, but Twigs begins to worry when she realizes they haven't heard from him in two weeks.
As the story opens, everything seems to be a crazy mess for Twigs. She is faced with an insane customer at Uptown Pharmacy. The woman is crying hysterically in the hair dye aisle, and when Twigs attempts to offer her help, the woman hurls an open bottle of hair dye in Twigs' direction. The dye splatters everywhere including all over Twigs' own hair. Even more strange, the woman heads to the register where she makes a small purchase and uses a credit card she says is her husband's to pay and insists that Twigs credit the purchase for $1000. What Twigs doesn't know is that she will soon meet up with the woman again only to become mixed up in the nasty end of the woman's marriage.
When it comes to life at home, Twigs feels totally ignored. Her mother is focused on the new man in her life, and her sister is involved with a giant black, football player with a strong belief in the power of God. Twigs tries to stay out of their way and focus on work and getting ready for college, but when a late night knock at the door promises to bring bad news about her brother Matt, Twigs can't handle the possibility that he might be dead and she takes off.
Between the crazy lady from the pharmacy, her fears for her brother, her boyfriend already off at college, her absent father, and her neglectful mother, Twigs is pretty sure the world is out to make life as difficult as possible. Can she survive despite the odds set against her? Or should she just give up now?
In her debut novel author Alison Ashley Formento creates a character that will capture the hearts of her readers. I immediately fell in love with Twigs and cheered for her until the very last page. Her resilience and determination were so positive and refreshing that I'm sure she will stay with me long after I completed the final chapter. I look forward to what Formento offers her readers next.
Twigs is now eighteen and in a few short weeks she'll be starting college at the local community college. She succeeded in making it through high school and worked hard at the Uptown Pharmacy to earn the tuition to attend Hinkney Community College all on her own. Her drunken father left the family some time ago. Her mother has gone through a string of one night stands and is now involved with a deaf guy she met at the school for the deaf where she works. Twigs' little sister is a cheerleader more interested in having the right color of nail polish for her toenails than she is in what's going on in the family. Their older brother Matt is in Iraq and usually manages to send an email home once a week, but Twigs begins to worry when she realizes they haven't heard from him in two weeks.
As the story opens, everything seems to be a crazy mess for Twigs. She is faced with an insane customer at Uptown Pharmacy. The woman is crying hysterically in the hair dye aisle, and when Twigs attempts to offer her help, the woman hurls an open bottle of hair dye in Twigs' direction. The dye splatters everywhere including all over Twigs' own hair. Even more strange, the woman heads to the register where she makes a small purchase and uses a credit card she says is her husband's to pay and insists that Twigs credit the purchase for $1000. What Twigs doesn't know is that she will soon meet up with the woman again only to become mixed up in the nasty end of the woman's marriage.
When it comes to life at home, Twigs feels totally ignored. Her mother is focused on the new man in her life, and her sister is involved with a giant black, football player with a strong belief in the power of God. Twigs tries to stay out of their way and focus on work and getting ready for college, but when a late night knock at the door promises to bring bad news about her brother Matt, Twigs can't handle the possibility that he might be dead and she takes off.
Between the crazy lady from the pharmacy, her fears for her brother, her boyfriend already off at college, her absent father, and her neglectful mother, Twigs is pretty sure the world is out to make life as difficult as possible. Can she survive despite the odds set against her? Or should she just give up now?
In her debut novel author Alison Ashley Formento creates a character that will capture the hearts of her readers. I immediately fell in love with Twigs and cheered for her until the very last page. Her resilience and determination were so positive and refreshing that I'm sure she will stay with me long after I completed the final chapter. I look forward to what Formento offers her readers next.
May 23, 2013
TWIGS by Alison Ashley Formento (Pre-Publication Review)
Twigs Henry is trying to make a new start, beginning with ditching her nickname and presenting herself as her real name, Madeline Annette Henry. No one who knows her is going along with this, but since she is starting college, at least there it should stick. Except that it doesn't. Sigh.
Right now, nothing is going right. Her dad has disappeared, her mother has gone through a string of men in the meantime. She seems to have no love for Twigs. Her brother Matt is off in Iraq, and hasn't written at the usual time for two weeks. Twigs' boyfriend Brady has gone off to a fancier college and isn't staying in touch very well. Her sister Marlee is only 14 and is everything short of hooking up with her latest guy.
Enter a crazed customer at the pharmacy, throwing hair dye everywhere, including on Twigs' hair and uniform. This woman is Helen Raymond, about to divorce her cheating husband. In an unlikely turn of events, Helen talks Twigs into a friendship and becomes the most loving person in Twig's life. And the adventure continues from there!
End: Perfect. Could end here, or could also lead to a 2nd book
Tags: Identity, teen angst, parentage, unlikely friendships, community college, cars.
Permalink: http://martysreads.blogspot.com/2013/...
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/...
ALSO posted on Amazon.
Twigs Henry is trying to make a new start, beginning with ditching her nickname and presenting herself as her real name, Madeline Annette Henry. No one who knows her is going along with this, but since she is starting college, at least there it should stick. Except that it doesn't. Sigh.
Right now, nothing is going right. Her dad has disappeared, her mother has gone through a string of men in the meantime. She seems to have no love for Twigs. Her brother Matt is off in Iraq, and hasn't written at the usual time for two weeks. Twigs' boyfriend Brady has gone off to a fancier college and isn't staying in touch very well. Her sister Marlee is only 14 and is everything short of hooking up with her latest guy.
Enter a crazed customer at the pharmacy, throwing hair dye everywhere, including on Twigs' hair and uniform. This woman is Helen Raymond, about to divorce her cheating husband. In an unlikely turn of events, Helen talks Twigs into a friendship and becomes the most loving person in Twig's life. And the adventure continues from there!
End: Perfect. Could end here, or could also lead to a 2nd book
Tags: Identity, teen angst, parentage, unlikely friendships, community college, cars.
Permalink: http://martysreads.blogspot.com/2013/...
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/...
ALSO posted on Amazon.
May 27, 2013
I got so frustrated for Twigs, a teeny tiny 18-year-old. She is getting ready to head off to community college (not the university where her boyfriend is), works in a drugstore with an oppressive boss, there are some hoodlums that keep trying to steal from the drugstore, her sister is perfect, her mom has taken up with yet another boyfriend, and her dad is gone...somewhere. Then, her brother disappears while he is in Iraq.
Wile this can make it sound like a soap opera, it did not read that way. Twigs feels real....and it feels like she has had some terrible luck blown her way. Her support systems are practically nonexistent and readers can feel her pain. What makes this work, though, is the support systems that do spring up to help her through these tough times.
This is a book for upper middle grade readers, due to the implied sex and a few profanities. It's an easy read and would be a good title to put in the hands of any student whose life seems to be failing apart. My girls who like "dram" will like this, although it's more suburban and more adult than a Bluford book. It's closer to Anderson's Speak, but without the highly charged issues in Speak.
Wile this can make it sound like a soap opera, it did not read that way. Twigs feels real....and it feels like she has had some terrible luck blown her way. Her support systems are practically nonexistent and readers can feel her pain. What makes this work, though, is the support systems that do spring up to help her through these tough times.
This is a book for upper middle grade readers, due to the implied sex and a few profanities. It's an easy read and would be a good title to put in the hands of any student whose life seems to be failing apart. My girls who like "dram" will like this, although it's more suburban and more adult than a Bluford book. It's closer to Anderson's Speak, but without the highly charged issues in Speak.
May 29, 2013
If you've ever thought that you've had the worst week ever, Madeline Henry, also known as Twigs by everyone who knows her, has you beat. Twigs, a petite young lady, goes through the most tumultuous week in history, just as she is about to start college, but not just any college, Hinkney Community College, in nowheres-ville Arkansas. With all of her friends, as well as her boyfriend, away at "real" universities and her brother Matt in Iraq, Twigs feels completely isolated and alone, yet this is not the worst of her problems.
An ideal book for teenagers who are in a transition period in their lives, Twigs takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster of a girl who is doing her best to become a young lady and find out who she really is, in more ways than one. In the novel, the protagonist learns that true family is not always those with whom you share blood, but actually is a strong, yet sometimes strange, bond that you can find in the weirdest of places.
An ideal book for teenagers who are in a transition period in their lives, Twigs takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster of a girl who is doing her best to become a young lady and find out who she really is, in more ways than one. In the novel, the protagonist learns that true family is not always those with whom you share blood, but actually is a strong, yet sometimes strange, bond that you can find in the weirdest of places.
August 30, 2013
If you like soap operas, you will love this book.
Holy hell.
Honestly, I should have been prepared for what I was getting into based on the publisher's blurb - but it was almost as bad (or good, if you like that kind of thing) as a tele-novella.
Like whoa.
THE DRAMA. OH MY GOD THE DRAMA.
I'm 99% sure it is statistically impossible for one person to endure the level of sheer drama that Madeline "Twigs" Henry went through over the course of this book. If it wasn't so sad it would have been laughable!
To recap...
You will love this book if:
-you ride the drama llama to work each day
-someone has ever thrown hair dye at you
-you too are stuck with an unfortunate nickname you're desperate to be rid of
-you are vertically challenged and want to read about the lives of others just like yourself
Otherwise... you might want to skip this one.
Holy hell.
Honestly, I should have been prepared for what I was getting into based on the publisher's blurb - but it was almost as bad (or good, if you like that kind of thing) as a tele-novella.
Like whoa.
THE DRAMA. OH MY GOD THE DRAMA.
I'm 99% sure it is statistically impossible for one person to endure the level of sheer drama that Madeline "Twigs" Henry went through over the course of this book. If it wasn't so sad it would have been laughable!
To recap...
You will love this book if:
-you ride the drama llama to work each day
-someone has ever thrown hair dye at you
-you too are stuck with an unfortunate nickname you're desperate to be rid of
-you are vertically challenged and want to read about the lives of others just like yourself
Otherwise... you might want to skip this one.
March 4, 2016
Small and challenged by all kinds of problems, Twigs (she can't convince anyone to use her real name, Madeline) struggles to deal with what life hurls at her. Her dad has deserted the family. Her mother's bringing men into the home for overnighters. Then her soldier brother goes missing in the Middle East. Is there more that can happen? Yes. The love of her young life has gone away to college and seems to have forgotten her.
That's a lot to handle for anyone, but she tries.
The story has some quirky characters that lend texture to the plot and give Twigs some interesting "people" to interact with. Also Twigs is an unusual character herself--very tiny, already hardened by life events, but resilient, too. You won't be able to predict what will happen from one of her trials to the next.
That's a lot to handle for anyone, but she tries.
The story has some quirky characters that lend texture to the plot and give Twigs some interesting "people" to interact with. Also Twigs is an unusual character herself--very tiny, already hardened by life events, but resilient, too. You won't be able to predict what will happen from one of her trials to the next.
May 31, 2013
Twigs is a tiny 18 yo. young lady. She's not having a great week... Her boyfriend is heading off to a fancier college, leaving her behind to attend a community college, Mom has another new boyfriend, Dad is gone somewhere and brother is missing in Iraq...
I love the cover of this book.. it's simple yet very beautiful. I kinda enjoyed twig's adventure. Her life was quite physical and emotional roller coaster and I think this is ideal read for teenagers who's going through some tough times. There were a lot of things going on and to be honest I had a hard time keeping up with her life. I didn't love or hate this book so it took me awhile to finish it.
Despite of everything, I can say that this is a well written book that teenagers would definitely enjoy Twig's adventures. :)
I love the cover of this book.. it's simple yet very beautiful. I kinda enjoyed twig's adventure. Her life was quite physical and emotional roller coaster and I think this is ideal read for teenagers who's going through some tough times. There were a lot of things going on and to be honest I had a hard time keeping up with her life. I didn't love or hate this book so it took me awhile to finish it.
Despite of everything, I can say that this is a well written book that teenagers would definitely enjoy Twig's adventures. :)
August 31, 2013
Review originally posted at Bettering Me Up.
I seem to be in a NetGalley funk this past week. I've read some real gems and some real...not gems. And by "read," I mean "no way could I finish this book."
I really wanted to like this book, but there was SO. MUCH. GOING. ON. that it was hard to keep track of everything. Really, how much melodrama does one person attract?
This is the review that most resembles what I would write if I wanted to spend more time on this book.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I seem to be in a NetGalley funk this past week. I've read some real gems and some real...not gems. And by "read," I mean "no way could I finish this book."
I really wanted to like this book, but there was SO. MUCH. GOING. ON. that it was hard to keep track of everything. Really, how much melodrama does one person attract?
This is the review that most resembles what I would write if I wanted to spend more time on this book.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
May 25, 2013
Read this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Loved this story and didn't want to put it down until I finished. Twigs is having a bad time. Boyfriend gone off to college, her Dad isn't around, Mum's got a new boyfriend so has her (way too young) sister. In fact nothing is going right. Then things get even worse when her brother disappears. The story isn't a comedy but quite a few times I found myself laughing out loud over a comment made by a character and what a cast of supporting characters there were. My favourite was Coop, not my usual hero but life would never be boring with him.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Loved this story and didn't want to put it down until I finished. Twigs is having a bad time. Boyfriend gone off to college, her Dad isn't around, Mum's got a new boyfriend so has her (way too young) sister. In fact nothing is going right. Then things get even worse when her brother disappears. The story isn't a comedy but quite a few times I found myself laughing out loud over a comment made by a character and what a cast of supporting characters there were. My favourite was Coop, not my usual hero but life would never be boring with him.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
August 1, 2013
This was a goodreads giveaway book I received. It was an enjoyable fiction story with a character that one could relate to, at least in part. She encounters quite a mix of personal problems but ends up discovering more about herself than she could have ever imagined.
September 21, 2013
I give this one 3 1/2 stars (I'll round up to 4). The story itself was good! It dealt with some heavy stuff, but somehow, by the end, I wanted to call it a cute read. I don't know. I'll put up my full review after it goes live on my blog!
September 29, 2013
Read the review on my blog:
http://thaliasbooks.tumblr.com/post/6...
http://thaliasbooks.tumblr.com/post/6...
September 23, 2013
Found this book to be pretty good. It's a story about the struggles of a family and friendships. And a lot of secrets. Definitely a lot of life lessons in this book.
February 6, 2014
It was great it left me speechless. Really! ;)
August 27, 2018
While a bit overdramatic, unrealistic, and sort of soap-opera, I did enjoy this in a guilty pleasure way. I rarely sympathized with the main character, and found her insufferable for most of the book, but I think that's what makes Twigs an interesting protagonist. Sometimes the universe throws a ton of shit at you all at once, and you've gotta deal with it the best way you can.
I believe this could have used another round of editing, honestly. Caught several spelling errors, formatting errors, and missing letters, but not frequently enough to take away from the reading experience. It seems you either love or hate this book, and I'm squarely in the middle. Is it my favorite? No. Yet, I somehow read it in one sitting and am kinda bummed it's over.
I believe this could have used another round of editing, honestly. Caught several spelling errors, formatting errors, and missing letters, but not frequently enough to take away from the reading experience. It seems you either love or hate this book, and I'm squarely in the middle. Is it my favorite? No. Yet, I somehow read it in one sitting and am kinda bummed it's over.
October 9, 2013
“Twigs” was an okay book, but failed to live up to its potential. From the description, I thought I’d be getting a pretty good little contemporary with a hefty dose of self-discovery and a spunky heroine. What I got instead was mediocre, at times caused eye-rolling, and occasionally heartwarming enough to give me mixed feelings overall.
At the start of the novel, Twigs is killing time at her boring townie job in the local pharmacy, toying with different ways of saying her real name. She’s been called Twigs all her life and would like to be called “Madeline” now that she’s beginning college. This suggests to the reader, “This is going to be a reinvention novel. Twigs will grow and learn and come into her own.” And she does – kind of. She corrects her family a couple of times, her boyfriend’s friends once, and makes a big deal about it when her snotty professor argues about names in class. But really, Twigs never stuck to her guns on the Madeline issue, and it remains not just a loose end, but a totally forgotten one, like so many others in this novel.
Whenever something happens to her, Twigs rages or cries and waits for someone else to fix her problems. At no point does she haul herself up and solve her own problems like the 18-year-old adult she keeps reminding everyone she is. I expected her to be spirited, to stand up for herself and earn respect, kind of like Emerson in the Hourglass series, who is also small but formidable and well-liked. She’s small, so she feels that she absolutely must be feisty, but she usually goes about it by running away from her problems and then bursting back into the room later to cause a scene and get mad. Example: a shiny military car shows up, and they just KNOW it’s got to do with Matt. So Twigs escapes out the back door, skates away, and eventually goes back demanding answers, screaming and swearing at everyone in the room and whining that they won’t tell her anything. Hey Twigs? You literally skated away from the man with the answers. Stop being such a drama queen.
Her other complaint is her “loser” status. Twigs has no friends left in town, makes no attempts to make friends at college, yet constantly complains about Brady being gone and being a “loser” who was forced to go to a crappy school. In the next breath, she admits that she’s there because she never worked hard enough in high school and got bored with math. She hates her job and her idiot boss but doesn’t look for another one. She’s threatened by a couple of jerkwad boys but never calls the cops even when they steal from the store. In short, Twigs has some real problems but refuses to DO anything about them except complain. (Sidenote: I was highly aggravated with the way Formento treated the community college. Twigs and Cooper are both constantly bashing their school. Getting an education is something to be proud of, and just because their school isn’t Ivy League doesn’t mean they can’t get something valuable if they just tried. It sends a terrible message to anyone who has struggled and is proud to be working toward their degree at a college like this. It’s elitist and while it may have been intended as humor, it never achieved that tone. It was only ever condescending.)
Twigs has a rough family history, but instead trying to make the most of her own life, she wallows. Her awesome brother Matt is missing in Iraq, but even near the end, when she makes a trip to the boyfriend’s college, confronts a girl trying to steal her man, and reconnects with her dad and there’s a dramatic incident at work, her brother is barely on her mind. If that were my brother, no job or family or boyfriend drama could keep me from making HOURLY inquiries. My sole purpose in life would be to make phone calls and harass anyone who could help me until my brother was safe. We don’t even get much resolution on Matt even though there is more story to be told there. But nope, Twigs is mostly worried about Twigs.
The single redeeming relationship in this novel is with Helen, who in addition to being her own big pile of crazy is also a sweet woman who has room in her heart for the hurting Twigs. Helen is going through divorce and lost a child, so poor, pathetic, needy little Twigs is like a project for her. She’s caring like Twigs’ mother isn’t, and genuinely cares about all the drama in Twigs’ life. This strange connection, once forged, is the only relationship where Twigs actually gives back and doesn’t take, take, take the entire the novel.
The end was just plain ridiculous. The scenes near the end accomplished nothing except to tie up a floating plot string with the thug teen guys and give Twigs a “heart-wrenching” reconciliation with her father. I would’ve much preferred it if she had acted like the grown-up she keeps insisting she is and stop being so dramatic.
As a whole, Twigs tried to accomplish too much and ended up disappointing me with its lack of depth and annoying heroine. Sometimes it seemed like Formento had picked “common YA plot lines” out of a hat and then crammed all of them into her novel. It is all over the board, and while I think the author was trying to show one of those weeks where everything that CAN go wrong DOES go wrong, all these crises and her whiny reactions to them were just over the top for me as a reader.
The review "Twigs" first appeared on StarlightBookReviews.com.
At the start of the novel, Twigs is killing time at her boring townie job in the local pharmacy, toying with different ways of saying her real name. She’s been called Twigs all her life and would like to be called “Madeline” now that she’s beginning college. This suggests to the reader, “This is going to be a reinvention novel. Twigs will grow and learn and come into her own.” And she does – kind of. She corrects her family a couple of times, her boyfriend’s friends once, and makes a big deal about it when her snotty professor argues about names in class. But really, Twigs never stuck to her guns on the Madeline issue, and it remains not just a loose end, but a totally forgotten one, like so many others in this novel.
Whenever something happens to her, Twigs rages or cries and waits for someone else to fix her problems. At no point does she haul herself up and solve her own problems like the 18-year-old adult she keeps reminding everyone she is. I expected her to be spirited, to stand up for herself and earn respect, kind of like Emerson in the Hourglass series, who is also small but formidable and well-liked. She’s small, so she feels that she absolutely must be feisty, but she usually goes about it by running away from her problems and then bursting back into the room later to cause a scene and get mad. Example: a shiny military car shows up, and they just KNOW it’s got to do with Matt. So Twigs escapes out the back door, skates away, and eventually goes back demanding answers, screaming and swearing at everyone in the room and whining that they won’t tell her anything. Hey Twigs? You literally skated away from the man with the answers. Stop being such a drama queen.
Her other complaint is her “loser” status. Twigs has no friends left in town, makes no attempts to make friends at college, yet constantly complains about Brady being gone and being a “loser” who was forced to go to a crappy school. In the next breath, she admits that she’s there because she never worked hard enough in high school and got bored with math. She hates her job and her idiot boss but doesn’t look for another one. She’s threatened by a couple of jerkwad boys but never calls the cops even when they steal from the store. In short, Twigs has some real problems but refuses to DO anything about them except complain. (Sidenote: I was highly aggravated with the way Formento treated the community college. Twigs and Cooper are both constantly bashing their school. Getting an education is something to be proud of, and just because their school isn’t Ivy League doesn’t mean they can’t get something valuable if they just tried. It sends a terrible message to anyone who has struggled and is proud to be working toward their degree at a college like this. It’s elitist and while it may have been intended as humor, it never achieved that tone. It was only ever condescending.)
Twigs has a rough family history, but instead trying to make the most of her own life, she wallows. Her awesome brother Matt is missing in Iraq, but even near the end, when she makes a trip to the boyfriend’s college, confronts a girl trying to steal her man, and reconnects with her dad and there’s a dramatic incident at work, her brother is barely on her mind. If that were my brother, no job or family or boyfriend drama could keep me from making HOURLY inquiries. My sole purpose in life would be to make phone calls and harass anyone who could help me until my brother was safe. We don’t even get much resolution on Matt even though there is more story to be told there. But nope, Twigs is mostly worried about Twigs.
The single redeeming relationship in this novel is with Helen, who in addition to being her own big pile of crazy is also a sweet woman who has room in her heart for the hurting Twigs. Helen is going through divorce and lost a child, so poor, pathetic, needy little Twigs is like a project for her. She’s caring like Twigs’ mother isn’t, and genuinely cares about all the drama in Twigs’ life. This strange connection, once forged, is the only relationship where Twigs actually gives back and doesn’t take, take, take the entire the novel.
The end was just plain ridiculous. The scenes near the end accomplished nothing except to tie up a floating plot string with the thug teen guys and give Twigs a “heart-wrenching” reconciliation with her father. I would’ve much preferred it if she had acted like the grown-up she keeps insisting she is and stop being so dramatic.
As a whole, Twigs tried to accomplish too much and ended up disappointing me with its lack of depth and annoying heroine. Sometimes it seemed like Formento had picked “common YA plot lines” out of a hat and then crammed all of them into her novel. It is all over the board, and while I think the author was trying to show one of those weeks where everything that CAN go wrong DOES go wrong, all these crises and her whiny reactions to them were just over the top for me as a reader.
The review "Twigs" first appeared on StarlightBookReviews.com.
December 4, 2017
How complicated can an ordinary girl, on an ordinary day, be? Life's not simple for Twigs- but she makes it through, somehow. An endearing story.
dnf
November 11, 2020Twigs just called her mother a whore for having relationships after breaking up with her husband (and Twig’s father). No thank you
February 28, 2023
The ending was my favorite part, pretty good fast read. Only took me a few hours.
March 2, 2016
Title: Twigs
Author: Alison Ashley Formento
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Merit Press
Length: 272 pages
Original Publishing Date: September 18th, 2013
Series: Standalone
Where I got it: NetGalley
Links: Goodreads Amazon Author's Website
Synopsis from Goodreads:
"One pint-sized girl. Ten supersized crises. And it’s high noon.
They call her “Twigs,” because she’ll never hit five feet tall. Although she was born early, and a stiff breeze could knock her over, Twigs has a mighty spirit. She needs it, as life throws a whole bucket of rotten luck at her: Dad’s an absentee drunk; Mom’s obsessed with her new deaf boyfriend (and Twigs can’t tell what they’re saying to each other). Little sister Marlee is trying to date her way through the entire high school; Twigs’ true love may be a long-distance loser after a single week away at college, and suddenly, older brother Matt is missing in Iraq. It all comes together when a couple of thugs in a drugstore aisle lash out, and Twigs must fight to save the life of the father who denied her."
Main characters: 2/5
Okay, can I just get a nitpick out of the way? "Twigs"? Really? Beyond her ridiculous nickname, Twigs is an abnormally short teenager trying to get through a tough patch. She was fiery and sharp; sometimes a little too fiery for her own good. I liked her flaws and weaknesses, but ultimately she was pretty unremarkable.
Secondary characters: 3/5
I LOVED Coop. He was such an asshole, but that made him intriguing. He had a way with words and using them to get himself into trouble. The rest of the secondary cast was slightly larger-than-life. They were ridiculous and over-the-top. Particularly Helen, Stu and Dink. Again, I liked that none of these characters were perfectly, or even likeable at times. You go through hating every character here. Sometimes that over-the-top aspect went a little too far where you think, would this really happen?
Writing style: 3.5/5
I am a fan of Formento's writing style: her descriptions are accurate, detailed and often funny. Her dialogue is clever, witty and realistic. Overall, her writing style is mature and subtle, but also youthful. The only problem is that I was not interested in what I was reading. Part of that was that the pacing of the story dragged. A lot. It made it difficult to get through the book.
Plot: 3.5/5
I could feel the small town setting coming through the writing and I was fascinated by Twigs' description of her neighbors, her job, everything. However, the plot combined with the pacing just fell a little flat. I'm not exactly sure what it was either. I think part of it may have been that Formento was trying to cover a lot of different crises' in Twigs' life and the reader gets pulled around a lot and we don't focus much on any conflict.
Ending: 2.5/5
The ending itself was sweet and had a good wrap up. However, there were a couple things that didn't get the attention they deserved, and some that really needed to be addressed (Brady).
Best scene: The climax scene at the pharmacy
Positives: The writing, some of the ridiculous situations, the unique setting and plot points, Coop
Negatives: Pacing, unmemorable main character, her name, pacing, not enough attention to some details at the end
Cover: The photo itself is pretty but I don't like the font
Verdict: Unique setting and characters don't save this book from the dragging writing style
Rating: 5.8/10 (3 stars)
Your Thoughts: Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, will you be adding it to your TBR list? Let me know!
Author: Alison Ashley Formento
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Merit Press
Length: 272 pages
Original Publishing Date: September 18th, 2013
Series: Standalone
Where I got it: NetGalley
Links: Goodreads Amazon Author's Website
Synopsis from Goodreads:
"One pint-sized girl. Ten supersized crises. And it’s high noon.
They call her “Twigs,” because she’ll never hit five feet tall. Although she was born early, and a stiff breeze could knock her over, Twigs has a mighty spirit. She needs it, as life throws a whole bucket of rotten luck at her: Dad’s an absentee drunk; Mom’s obsessed with her new deaf boyfriend (and Twigs can’t tell what they’re saying to each other). Little sister Marlee is trying to date her way through the entire high school; Twigs’ true love may be a long-distance loser after a single week away at college, and suddenly, older brother Matt is missing in Iraq. It all comes together when a couple of thugs in a drugstore aisle lash out, and Twigs must fight to save the life of the father who denied her."
Main characters: 2/5
Okay, can I just get a nitpick out of the way? "Twigs"? Really? Beyond her ridiculous nickname, Twigs is an abnormally short teenager trying to get through a tough patch. She was fiery and sharp; sometimes a little too fiery for her own good. I liked her flaws and weaknesses, but ultimately she was pretty unremarkable.
Secondary characters: 3/5
I LOVED Coop. He was such an asshole, but that made him intriguing. He had a way with words and using them to get himself into trouble. The rest of the secondary cast was slightly larger-than-life. They were ridiculous and over-the-top. Particularly Helen, Stu and Dink. Again, I liked that none of these characters were perfectly, or even likeable at times. You go through hating every character here. Sometimes that over-the-top aspect went a little too far where you think, would this really happen?
Writing style: 3.5/5
I am a fan of Formento's writing style: her descriptions are accurate, detailed and often funny. Her dialogue is clever, witty and realistic. Overall, her writing style is mature and subtle, but also youthful. The only problem is that I was not interested in what I was reading. Part of that was that the pacing of the story dragged. A lot. It made it difficult to get through the book.
Plot: 3.5/5
I could feel the small town setting coming through the writing and I was fascinated by Twigs' description of her neighbors, her job, everything. However, the plot combined with the pacing just fell a little flat. I'm not exactly sure what it was either. I think part of it may have been that Formento was trying to cover a lot of different crises' in Twigs' life and the reader gets pulled around a lot and we don't focus much on any conflict.
Ending: 2.5/5
The ending itself was sweet and had a good wrap up. However, there were a couple things that didn't get the attention they deserved, and some that really needed to be addressed (Brady).
Best scene: The climax scene at the pharmacy
Positives: The writing, some of the ridiculous situations, the unique setting and plot points, Coop
Negatives: Pacing, unmemorable main character, her name, pacing, not enough attention to some details at the end
Cover: The photo itself is pretty but I don't like the font
Verdict: Unique setting and characters don't save this book from the dragging writing style
Rating: 5.8/10 (3 stars)
Your Thoughts: Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, will you be adding it to your TBR list? Let me know!
September 9, 2013
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This is certainly not an uplifting book. Going in I knew that Twigs was going to be dealing with some difficult situations, but her life keeps going from bad to worse, and I came out of the novel a bit depressed.
Personally, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, let alone like many of them. Twigs is a tiny girl, size 4’9. I’m 5’1, so we’re close in height and I understood a lot of the angst that she felt about her size and how people referred to her size all the time. The fact that she also has a baby face and is mistaken to be a child on multiple occasions is also something I experienced a lot at her age, though I never lashed out as Twigs does because it didn’t bother me as much as it bothers her, so I didn’t understand that part, I guess. I feel like, in retrospect, that was her way of coping with everything else that was going on in her life, fighting back about her size since she couldn’t fight back against anything else, but even so, it’s not something I could personally connect with. I’ve also never lived through the hellish nightmare she does, so I think that may be why I don’t connect on the same level about the height issue, etc.
I have no respect for anyone in Twigs’ family, least of all her mother who sleeps around all the time, neglects Twigs (but not the other children), and keeps secrets. Every time she came into a scene, my stomach recoiled because she’s an all around terrible person, and I don’t care if she tells Twigs how much she loves her in the end, or not. Words can’t undo all the damage she’s done to Twigs’ psyche, and I have no love for her.
Twigs’ father is another lowlife. Drunk or not, you don’t run out on your kid because of something that isn’t her fault, that she never had any control over. It takes a while, but once readers get to the point where Twigs’ mother finally reveals the reason dad left in the first place, well, it’s stupid, especially as he blames Twigs and it’s not her fault in the least. I’m sure, as you read, you realize that the dad Twigs has been idolizing has been extremely two-faced, and there is no excuse for his reactions towards Twigs, although everyone seems to think there is, which really irked me as I read.
Marlee wasn’t my favorite for sisters, either, but on the plus side, I didn’t note her trying to date the entire high school. There seems to be only one man in her life, and the relationship seems quite strong, so I was confused as to what the synopsis was originally talking about here. Maybe I missed something early on in the novel. Perhaps?
Basically, Twigs has to deal with some terrible things in her life, and nothing has been easy for her. Watching her go through crisis after crisis was difficult, and I’m glad she’s strong, but she also needs a break. Thankfully, that seems to come in the form of crazy Helen and Coop, a boy from college, but not enough time was spent on either of those characters for my liking. I don’t mind a true to life story, but I also need some more uplifting pieces along the way to keep my sanity.
While some of the events in the novel didn’t seem real to me, I’ve never been in any of the situations that Twigs finds herself in, so I’m not able to make a judgment call on them. This novel doesn’t have much in it in terms of happiness, though, and it created a gloomy mood for me as I read. I have to pick up something a little lighter with a happy ending, I think, to counteract it.
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This is certainly not an uplifting book. Going in I knew that Twigs was going to be dealing with some difficult situations, but her life keeps going from bad to worse, and I came out of the novel a bit depressed.
Personally, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, let alone like many of them. Twigs is a tiny girl, size 4’9. I’m 5’1, so we’re close in height and I understood a lot of the angst that she felt about her size and how people referred to her size all the time. The fact that she also has a baby face and is mistaken to be a child on multiple occasions is also something I experienced a lot at her age, though I never lashed out as Twigs does because it didn’t bother me as much as it bothers her, so I didn’t understand that part, I guess. I feel like, in retrospect, that was her way of coping with everything else that was going on in her life, fighting back about her size since she couldn’t fight back against anything else, but even so, it’s not something I could personally connect with. I’ve also never lived through the hellish nightmare she does, so I think that may be why I don’t connect on the same level about the height issue, etc.
I have no respect for anyone in Twigs’ family, least of all her mother who sleeps around all the time, neglects Twigs (but not the other children), and keeps secrets. Every time she came into a scene, my stomach recoiled because she’s an all around terrible person, and I don’t care if she tells Twigs how much she loves her in the end, or not. Words can’t undo all the damage she’s done to Twigs’ psyche, and I have no love for her.
Twigs’ father is another lowlife. Drunk or not, you don’t run out on your kid because of something that isn’t her fault, that she never had any control over. It takes a while, but once readers get to the point where Twigs’ mother finally reveals the reason dad left in the first place, well, it’s stupid, especially as he blames Twigs and it’s not her fault in the least. I’m sure, as you read, you realize that the dad Twigs has been idolizing has been extremely two-faced, and there is no excuse for his reactions towards Twigs, although everyone seems to think there is, which really irked me as I read.
Marlee wasn’t my favorite for sisters, either, but on the plus side, I didn’t note her trying to date the entire high school. There seems to be only one man in her life, and the relationship seems quite strong, so I was confused as to what the synopsis was originally talking about here. Maybe I missed something early on in the novel. Perhaps?
Basically, Twigs has to deal with some terrible things in her life, and nothing has been easy for her. Watching her go through crisis after crisis was difficult, and I’m glad she’s strong, but she also needs a break. Thankfully, that seems to come in the form of crazy Helen and Coop, a boy from college, but not enough time was spent on either of those characters for my liking. I don’t mind a true to life story, but I also need some more uplifting pieces along the way to keep my sanity.
While some of the events in the novel didn’t seem real to me, I’ve never been in any of the situations that Twigs finds herself in, so I’m not able to make a judgment call on them. This novel doesn’t have much in it in terms of happiness, though, and it created a gloomy mood for me as I read. I have to pick up something a little lighter with a happy ending, I think, to counteract it.
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