25 Roses

by Stephanie Faris

Mia moves from the shadows to the spotlight when her matchmaking plans go awry in this contemporary M!X novel from the author of 30 Days of No Gossip.

Mia is used to feeling overlooked: her perfect older sister gets all the attention at home, and the popular clique at school are basically experts at ignoring her. So when it’s time for the annual Student Council chocolate rose sale, Mia is prepared to feel even worse. Because even though anyone can buy and send roses to their crushes and friends, the same (popular) people always end up with roses while everyone else gets left out.

Except a twist of fate puts Mia in charge of selling the roses this year—and that means things are going to change. With a little creativity, Mia makes sure the kids who usually leave empty-handed suddenly find themselves the object of someone’s affection. But her scheme starts to unravel when she realizes that being a secret matchmaker isn’t easy—and neither is being in the spotlight.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

209 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

Stephanie Faris is the author of the middle grade books 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the Piper Morgan chapter book series. When she isn’t writing books for children, she writes technology, finance, and business content for a variety of websites. She currently lives in her hometown, just north of Nashville. Visit her online at StephanieFaris.com.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and clichéd story, horrendous characters. Bleh, what a disappointment.

Mia was just so-so. I didn't like her attitude. She was so nice in the beginning of the book, thinking of her classmates, thinking how she could make them happy, but then everything went spiralling down. I didn't entirely like how she treated friends, how she just couldn't say no in a normal way.
I also didn't like how she looked at people like they could potentially damage her zero existent reputation. I really hate girl or boys who do that, who treat people like this. Who are afraid to damage their reputation just by sitting with people who aren't the popular/awesome crowd. Who cares that you sit with these people. Oh wait, the magical invisible court of school people. *rolls eyes*

Ashleigh, gosh I really disliked her. Seriously, what kind of friend are you? OH BOOOHOOOO, my best friend is shopping with another girl, and sure she lied, but sorry, why do you ALWAYS have to be around? Can't your friend just have fun/shop with someone else without having to tell you, or without you having to be there? What is the big deal? And how she tried to break up Sun and Mia, it was just disgusting.

Alex was also just horrendous. I didn't like his attitude.

Sun was nice, and I liked that she wanted to change, but then the dramarama started and I just got tired of her.

Kaylee, bleh, I dislike her kind of girl. The popular, oh my gosh everyone must love me or else type.

There was so much unnecessary drama in this book, it was just pathetic and I just wanted to dump the book. However, I just kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, the book would get better. It didn't. :\

And all the "OMG I like this boy, does he like me? Oh, Mia, make it happen." was just hilariously bad.

Also why is everyone so mad at Mia for doing something like this? Seriously, she thought of you guys, she thought you would be happy and all you guys do is bitch at her? What the fuck. Ungrateful little pieces of poop. I would be delighted to have someone buy me a rose, I would be delighted even after finding out it wasn't a secret admirer but instead someone who CARED about me and about the others. Who wanted to see me happy.
I really don't see why it was such a big deal. Why she had to apologize and make things right. Seriously, what is up with the world.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Meradeth Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie is an awesome blogger and I was so excited to win a copy of this! I haven't read a tween novel is way, way too long and loved the sweetness of it. Mia is incredibly identifiable, especially in how she thinks about sending roses to those who don't normally get them. I could completely understand her motivation, and panic at getting in over her head. And after being one of those people who never got a rose/carnation/candy or whatever else they sold in middle and high school, it made total sense to me what she did. It am also so grateful to no longer be in middle school and dealing with that kind of drama ;) The cast of characters were great and felt incredibly authentic, and the little bit of romance was just adorable. I also enjoyed Mia's family and older sister--I liked that they were normal and even if her sister was popular, she wasn't mean to Mia. Bratty older sibs is something that I see a little too often and a healthy sibling relationship was refreshing. Overall, this was a quick and very fun read and I loved it!

[Ana(stasia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, personally, enjoyed this book a lot. Mia was a little meh at the end, but she did make it right. I've read a few of Stephanie Faris books- Best. Night. Ever., The Popularity Code, and now, this one. Mia has a good group of friends who expand toward the end-Sun, Gillianni, Ashleigh, and Alex. I had my eye on this book for a while, but never checked it out because it just seemed a little boring, but it wasn't. Sure, Mia was kind of only thinking about herself at the beginning, but she made things right with her friends toward the end, and I actually think it was a good idea because it would make people more confident. I also think that the whole Valentines Day chocolate rose thing is not a good tradition for any school. It makes kids who don't get roses feel left out and bad. I have not seen this at any schools other than this one in the book, but I'm just saying. Anyway, overall, this was a pretty good book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia and her best friend are in charge of selling chocolate roses for the sale at school. The grade that sells the most chocolate roses gets to win a special “lock in” as a reward. When Mia’s older sister was in middle school she won, and Mia wants to win too. Mia knows that only a handful of kids in her grade will actually receive roses, as the popular kids usually get them all. It doesn’t seem fair! Mia thinks it would be a nice idea if more people had their faces light up when the roses get delivered, so she takes things into her own hands. In secret, she creates messages for 25 roses (which she buys) and signs them from “an admirer”. What she expects is smiles and happiness, which she definitely sees when people unexpectedly get a rose. Since the roses she sent aren’t signed, everyone is trying to figure out the mystery, making guesses at who likes them. Mia hadn’t anticipated all the boy girl drama the roses would cause, especially for her and her best friends. Meanwhile someone's leaving roses for Mia, and the messages are making her worried. Who is leaving roses for Mia? Will the drama between the boys and the girls end? Will everyone find out what Mia did? Will Mia and her friends win the lock in? One thing is for sure, matchmaking isn’t as easy as it looks!


25 Roses by Stephanie Faris is the first book I've read by this author. I think this is a book that will appeal to girls in grades four and up. Girls who are starting to have crushes on boys will be able to understand the drama going on at Mia’s school. I like that Mia is kind and spends a lot of the book trying to make others smile. I love the idea of brightening up other people’s days with a chocolate rose, and the fact that Mia is nice enough to want more kids to receive roses. I know from experience that sometimes people misunderstand our reasons for doing things, so I worried for Mia at different points in the book. The middle school scene seemed very realistic to me, and I think kids will be able to connect with Mia and relate to the situation at her school.

[Felicity Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though not a novel that I got into straight away I did find myself slowly but surely engrossed in the life of Mia, BFF, Ashleigh, and BMFF (Best Male Friend Forever if like me you are older than the nine to thirteen year old for which the book is marketed), Alex. I admit I did have my concerns that here was a book predominately aimed at an American audience but with its themes of friendship, sibling rivalry, fitting in and first crushes 25 Roses is also a very universal story.

A lively and innocent tale of discovery and realisations. I'm so pleased that rather than a vacuous story of beautiful/popular girl gets their boy that sent out all of the wrong messages here was a tale of 'average' girls, girls with 'baggy clothes and hair with a bad case of the frizzies', standing out because of their new found confidence all brought about by one girl doing what she thought was the right thing.

With a fun cover that is neither too grown-up nor too childish, characters that I'm sure many will relate to/aspire to be and a plot which includes a bit of a mystery - just who is placing those roses and messages in Mia's locker? - I'm sure this will prove a hit with many young readers.

Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: An ARC received for review from the author, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.

[Rachele Alpine]

This was a fun sweet read about a girl with good intentions, that don't turn out the way she planned. As someone who went to a school where Valentine roses were given out every year (and I usually didn't get one), I could totally relate to Mia's desire to make sure all her friends got roses, so they wouldn't feel left out and it wasn't just the typical girls getting them. However, her idea to do this goes astray when she signs them "Secret Admirer" and many of the people in her grade get excited that they have Secret Admirers.

This is a great book for middle schoolers, because of its focus on friendship, making mistakes, and admitting to those mistakes. I loved the relationship between Mia and her two best friends, Ashleigh and Alex, and I was rooting for Mia throughout the whole book!

[Beth Ellyn Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable book. I really wish Stephanie Faris' books existed when I was a kid, b/c I loved stories like this and couldn't get enough of them, but there weren't many out there. The author's voice is completely authentic for this age group.
Mia is relatable and real. She's driven to succeed since her perfect older sister gets all the attention from their parents (every youngest child can relate to this feeling). But of course things go very awry when she tries to do a good deed by sending out those delicious chocolate Valentine's day roses to lesser-noticed kids in the school. Super fun read and I'd highly recommend to any one who loves a good MG read and for those tweens in your life.

[F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the goodreads-first-reads giveaway. Mia is a seventh grader who purchases roses on Valentine's day for her classmates in order to win the prize of a lock-in and to perform a good dead of making others happy. I wish this book was around when I was younger as it is such a sweet and adorable story. It reminded me of when I was in middle school and all the normal feelings that go into wanting to be accepted and feel special. This is a truly special book and I enjoyed it completely. I highly recommend that it is read by middle-school children to show them that they are not alone in what they experience/feel. It should also be read by adults so that they can remember what they too went through at that age and have more empathy for the young-ins.

[Shelley Sly · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 ROSES had the magical ability to transport me back to middle school. Stephanie Faris clearly knows how to write for early teens, between main character Mia's authentic voice and the irresistible, fast-paced dialogue among Mia's peers.

When Mia comes up with a plan to make the less popular kids feel special at her school by sending them anonymous roses, she has no idea how many people -- and friendships -- will be affected. There's got to be a way out of the social mess she's created, but not without some unintentional, additional drama along the way.

This book kept me flipping page after page, chapter after chapter, keeping me completely engrossed in the story. Recommended to middle schoolers and adults who want to feel like they're thirteen again!

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia is one of the sellers of chocolate Valentine roses. Her older sister was a big seller of these roses in the past, and this year the grade who sells the most will get a “lock in” as a reward. So what does Mia do with these things in mind and because she’s a nice person? She buys 25 roses, labels them as being from a secret admirer, and gives them to people who usually wouldn’t get them. Yes, this is a sweet thing to do, but a domino effect of drama between the popular and unpopular and boys and girls ensues. I loved the voice in this. The book is absolutely girly, yet with realistic and serious pre-teen issues.

[Sandra Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved 25 Roses. What a fun read and it had a wonderful message for folks of all ages. From the moment I opened the cover--which by the way is cute as it can be--I was hooked. I rode right along in the car beside Mia and set with her in her classes. She's a great little protagonist: not perfect but with a wonderfully kind heart. I look forward to more stories from Ms. Faris in the future.

[Cheryl Massey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie has outdone herself with this sweet tale.

When Mia is put in charge of the annual Student Council chocolate rose sale, empathy and kindness kick into full gear. Mia's been passed over a time or two...and now it's her turn to improve her peers' lot with a little unexpected attention.

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review forthcoming!

[Sarvenaz Tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and charming, this is such a perfect middle grade novel, especially for Valentine's Day!

[maya venice]

*REREAD*

[Angelina O · Rating 3 out of 5]

25 Roses is about a girl named Mia and her school and family. She thinks her mom and dad like her sister more. Her sister is the popular one at home and at school. Her school is having a chocolate rose sale for Valentines day. They are having the rose sale so they can win a school lock in which is when they get to have a sleepover at the school. She got put in charge of selling the roses so she decides to give roses to the kids who don't usually get included in those kinds of things. She becomes a matchmaker for her classmates. But she doesn't realise the consequences of controlling peoples love lives. She feels that her parents ignore her and pay more attention to her sister. She thinks her parents care more about what her sister is doing and they don't even care to listen to her. She and her best friends get in a bit of drama with each other when her boy best friend begins to act differently. She finally figures out that he likes a girl. In the end they win the school lock down. She realises she shouldn't have tried to be a matchmaker. She makes some new friends and she realises that just because her parents don't give her attention at times doesn't mean that they like her any less than her sister.
I think the theme for 25 Roses is that people should look at situations from different points of view. I think that is the theme because when she gave away the roses at first she didn't realise what that could do and how it could be a bad thing. And by the end of the book she realises all things that could have gone wrong. She looked at it from the point of view of being given the rose and she thought about it. Another reason why is when she realised that she probably shouldn't have butted in when her best friend has a crush. She analysed it and realised that should have just been supportive instead. The last reason is with her sister and her mom and dad. She thought about and realised that just because her parents are not giving her one hundred percent of their time to her does't mean they don't know she is there. She also realised that just because they pay more attention to her sister at times doesn't mean anything.

I thought the book was good it wasn't anything that I couldn't put down. I liked the multiple things that happened and how it showed how she handled it. I also like how it showed girls being supportive of one another since. I liked that because girls are sometimes taught to think of each other as threats. And that we should be jealous of one other but this showed the opposite. I also really liked how it showed the relationship between her, her parents, and her sister. It wasn't to interesting so it kind of got boring to read at times. But I liked it over all.

[Jovanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia Hartley has felt overshadowed by her older sister Kellie for as long as she can remember. Kellie is seemingly perfect to Mia. Even though Mia has a few true-blue friends who will always stand by her side, she feels belittled by Kaylee Hopper and her popular friends. Every year at their school, there is a chocolate rose sale around Valentine's Day to benefit the student council. Annually, it is always the same few people who receive the largest amount of roses. That causes many of the other students to feel left out and in want of a change. Mia steps forward when the opportunity arises for her to represent her grade in the chocolate rose sale. She comes up with a plan to make sure all those who usually do not receive a chocolate rose will not be in want this year. She decides to deliver roses to those people anonymously under the pseudonym of a secret admirer. In the process, she manages to match the hearts of her classmates. Soon enough, the school is buzzing with news about the secret matchmaker. She gets caught up in her popularity and ends up taking things too far. She abandons her real friends in order to gain a popularity status. Mia finally realizes that she has taken things too far as her plan starts to negatively affect those around her. She decides to come clean and reveal herself to her friends and peers in hope of forgiveness.
This book has many positive morals for people of all ages. Mia, like many of us, saw a problem in need of fixing. She had good intentions at heart, but did not go about them in the right way. She realized that friends are like gemstones, and each shine their own unique way. That type of gold should never be ditched for popularity.

[Arllie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why are all the books I read horrible? They have such great potential but the authors turn the best possible idea into the worst result. Mia is THE WORST CHARACTER EVER. She’s mean, snotty, stuck-up, selfish like her awful BFF. Sun was so sweet and yet, just because she liked the same guy as Mia (a guy Mia didn’t even realise she liked) she lied and attempted to sabotage her many many times, even though the claim was ‘she was trying to help people’. She judges people who are different to her (she literally calls Sun weird for being quiet/not speaking).

Ashleigh, her BFF, was just as stuck up but even worse! Alex was...don’t even get me started on him. Apparently, I’m supposed to believe he’s liked Mia for ‘forever’, but then he likes Sun and then all of a sudden (literally out of nowhere)...he doesn’t like Sun anymore because he goes back to liking Mia? How? What caused that change? This book was like a mind game, trying to figure out every single thing that was going on and then never getting the answers. So confusing and so infuriating!

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Valentine's day approaches Mia and her best friend Ashleigh sell chocolate roses in school.



Popular girls always get then so Mia buys extras and adds to the list making less popular people happy to receive one for once only when they want to know who sent them does trouble start



She has a crush on Alex her best friend while Ashleigh is her best friend with a secret crush then she sends roses to Sun a girl who needs a make over...



She gets asked to help do make overs especially by school mean girl who wants everything to go her way all the time including getting a guy.



This was a great book highlighting the good and bad that Valentine's can cause and how friendship means more than any action can show.

[Zoe Liu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is quite short so it didn’t take much time reading it. It is a love story so I would recommend this book to my sister. On Valentine’s Day, anyone can buy and send roses to their crushes and friends, but the same (popular) people always end up with roses while everyone else gets left out. Therefore, Mia decided to play matchmaker for the people usually left out. Overall I enjoyed the book a lot.

[Kenzie Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute story, with totally relatable characters and events. Definitely a delectable read.

[dith ✩ · Rating 2 out of 5]

got this at a school book fair those were good days

[milana waller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and fast paced, a fun read

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received 25 Roses from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Finally a middle grade book that doesn’t revolve around the “my friends want to be popular so they’re ditching me” problem! There’s a place for those books, but there are so many of them that it’s nice to have a different storyline for the same age group in 25 Roses.

Mia’s sick of the popular kids getting the all the loot in the annual Valentine’s Day chocolate rose sale, so as one of the people in charge of selling them, she decides to anonymously send out 25 chocolate roses (at $1 each) to people who won’t get one from anyone else. She even sends one to both of her best friends, Ashleigh and Alex. This kind gesture sets off a whole lot of drama that Mia never could have expected.

The less popular kids are stunned to receive roses and immediately — the next day — Mia notices that they have more confidence and are more interested in what’s happening around them. She’s proud that she made that happen, but she can’t share her feelings with Ashleigh and Alex because they don’t know Mia is behind the whole thing. People also want to know from Mia who their secret admirers are, but Mia refuses to tell. This somehow leads Mia into helping Sun Patterson with a makeover and playing matchmaker to help people talk to their crushes.

Soon it’s all a little too much. Poor Mia is caught between genuinely wanting to help Sun and Kurt and the others and feeling overwhelmed. All she wanted to do was make people feel good! She didn’t want to have to hold everyone’s hands. She doesn’t even have a rose of her own, or a crush. Right?

I like Mia a lot. She has a good heart and good intentions, but she’s flawed too. She feels like the inadequate little sister to perfect Kellie, she’s not always honest with her friends, and she can’t say no when people (who aren’t even her friends) want her help. She doesn’t even realize that she actually does like a boy and when she finally does, she’s already committed to helping someone else who likes him.

The oh-so-important Valentine’s Day, drama with friends and boys, run-ins with a mean girl, and a school-sponsored lock-in all make 25 Roses a worthy middle grade book. It’s a fun, easy read that kept me interested for the whole book.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a fundraiser, Mia's middle school sells chocolate roses for Valentine's Day. The roses are delivered anonymously, giving kids with crushes the opportunity to express their feelings without going public. The grade that sells the most roses is rewarded with a class lock-in party. Frustrated that roses have only been sent to the most popular students, Mia secretly chips in some of her own money at the last minute to send roses to 25 people who would otherwise not receive them, thereby causing her class to win the competition. Through this deception, Mia realizes her feelings for her friend Alex just when she has pushed him toward falling for another girl.

This book will make adults everywhere so glad they never have to go back to middle school! The story is just completely exhausting! It is confusing to begin with that Mia would be judged so harshly for buying roses anonymously when that was the entire point of the sale. Beyond that, though, it is almost impossible to keep track of these kids' social lives. Guaranteed, middle school girls would have absolutely no trouble explaining it all, but it does make one wonder how middle schoolers ever get their schoolwork done when so much else demands their energy.

Girls who are themselves embroiled in social drama this Valentine's Day are the clear audience for this title. Pair it with Lauren Barnholdt's Fake Me a Match, another loved-themed story about a school fundraiser gone awry. Also don't miss Stephanie Faris's other middle school novel, 30 Days with No Gossip.

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Mia is used to being invisible. No one pays attention to her at school and her older sister is the golden child. She has two best friends and that's all she needs. Mia volunteers to sell chocolate roses for the seventh grade with the hope of winning a lock-in for them. Knowing that the same popular people only ever receive roses, she buys a few of her own and sends them to people from a secret admirer. When people want to know who their admirers are, Mia starts to play matchmaker, but in her effort to help, everything good in her life unravels. Will she lose her friends and become even worse off at school just because she played Cupid?

This is an adorable children's book perfect for tween girls. Though this isn't my usual type of read, I smiled and laughed and held my breath. I found it easy to relate to Mia, and I cheered her on through the story. It's incredibly well written with flowing prose and never a dull moment. I also was feeling my age because, imagining how cute the characters were, I wanted to pinch a lot of cheeks!

There is a great message of friendship and being yourself. I'd highly recommend this book to people with children between the ages of 8 and 13.

[Anahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

v 25 Roses




I just finished the book 25 roses by Stephanie fairs.The book is about a girl who has a bigger sister who is popular and pretty.The girl is doing a roses sale contest and no wants to buy roses from them so she buys 25 roses with her allowance and puts the words secret admirer on them.




One thing I like is how she expressed herself well you can tell what she's feeling! I like it because its like im seeing her and telling her to.It's just something that comes to my action.




She also later in the book plays matchmaker.I thought at that moment it was a bad idea.She does have problems with it.




I like how she introduced herself in the beginning like it really gives you a picture of her in your mind.Not to mention the cover.




I think that was like what I liked mostly.But I recommend this book to people Who like to read about people's life.

[S.K. Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 ROSES made me smile the entire time!

I definitely recommended this book to middle schoolers . . . and to adults who want to feel like they're thirteen again! This book certainly had that innocence I remember and even the meanies that you find along the way in middle school. Stephanie Faris sure knows how to capture the essence of this age group!

Mia, the main character, is relatable and super adorable. She comes up with a plan to make Valentines day special for the less popular kids. Tired of seeing the same few kids get all the roses every year, Mia sends 25 anonymous roses to her peers. What she didn't expect was how this thoughtful and selfless act would come back and bite her in her caring heart. It was fun read with a wonderful message!

[PJ Sheridan]

**Please note I do not give starred ratings. See my full comments** In 25 Roses, Stephanie Faris has created a fun storyline built around a mishap with the roses kids send each other in school for Valentine's Day. Tweens will find the characters and their relationships relatable and even younger readers will enjoy 'reading up' and imagining what their own middle school experience will be like. Other reviewers have questioned the boys/crush issue--I can tell you it is very real for some kids this age. And it's great for them to be able to explore these feelings through books. The language is very accessible and the story engaging--perfect for reluctant readers.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Checked this book out at my local library because I was curious to see what the fuss was all about. I can see how the cover and Valentine theme of this book can attract a young girl into wanting to read it. I noticed at least three 4th graders reading it in class. Perhaps I was too mature for this book but the drama was ridiculous in my opinion. Mia just wanted to be nice and give roses to everyone who didn’t usually get one. Long story short, she should have acknowledge that the roses were from the kindness of her heart instead of trying to play matchmaker. I was happy to see that she had the courage to let her own crush know how she felt in the end.