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Moonlight
Gwendolin vive su un'isoletta del New Jersey con la sua famiglia tutta al femminile. Aiuta la mamma a gestire una piccola panetteria, e non sa resistere al profumo di una ciambellina. Ma con i suoi chili di troppo si sente insicura e pressoché invisibile ai suoi compagni di liceo. Fino a quando Wish, il ragazzo con cui ha una relazione a distanza fatta di mail e chat, torna dalla California. Trasformato in un vero schianto! Ma come ha fatto? E come spiegare la sua strana inquietudine quando piove e i bagni di luce notturna sulla spiaggia? Secondo Chris, il nuovo aiuto della panetteria, Wish fa parte dei Luminati, una setta che domina gli elementi naturali attraverso le stelle. Gwendolin non vuole crederci, ma quando la sua isola sta per essere annientata da una tempesta senza precedenti, capisce che è il momento di affrontare Wish e il mistero che lo avvolge. Prima che tutto il suo mondo finisca in fondo al mare.
252 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
21 people are currently reading
3495 people want to read
About the author
Cyn Balog
15 books877 followersCyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She is author of young adult paranormals FAIRY TALE (2009), SLEEPLESS(2010), STARSTRUCK (2011), TOUCHED (2012), and her most recent release: DEAD RIVER (2013).e. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters.
She also writes under the pen name Nichola Reilly. Nichola Reilly is Cyn Balog's post-apocalyptic fantasy-writing alter-ego. The first book in her series, DROWNED, will be releasing from Harlequin TEEN sometime in 2014, followed by a sequel, BURIED, in 2015.
She also writes under the pen name Nichola Reilly. Nichola Reilly is Cyn Balog's post-apocalyptic fantasy-writing alter-ego. The first book in her series, DROWNED, will be releasing from Harlequin TEEN sometime in 2014, followed by a sequel, BURIED, in 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
January 5, 2015
I didn't finish this book. There's a couple of reasons why, the first one being this - and i'm quoting directly from the book
"His eyes are like pools of chlorinated water"
The book was really stupid. I'm not saying it was all bad, but come on, certain descriptions or actions of characters where just so incredibly dumb to the point where I was laughing and I wasn't sure if it was for real. I was so taken aback by so many things that were happening, like this one guy that dressed like a goth and seemed all dark and depressed and then he's like 'it's all an act so that you think I'm that way, but I'm not, I'm actually really smart and by looking this way people don't expect much of me. But trust me, I'm smart' ..... wut?
This was one of those books that I've wanted forever, I marked it as to-read in 2011, I had absolutely loved the cover, and I still think it looks pretty cute. I never actually got around to buying it, but then I saw it on The Book Outlet for 1.99 and I decided to get it - remembering I had wanted it so badly before, and clearly I was an easily impressed teen, I mean, have you read that summary??
... a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives.
.... the Luminati. The Luminati. THE LUMINATI.
it's fucking dumb.
on the plus side, I've grown as a reader.
Don't get me wrong, the book wasn't ALL bad, sure, Dough has an incredible amount of pitty parties throughout the novel for being fat and ugly, but I get her, it's an easy enough subject to relate too, we've all felt like crap but the way we look at a certain point in our lives, so you get where she's coming from and you really want to see her improve her perception of herself, but all in all it was just so hard to read this book, to the point where I was skipping pages until i decided it really wasn't worth it anymore.
dnf.
"His eyes are like pools of chlorinated water"
The book was really stupid. I'm not saying it was all bad, but come on, certain descriptions or actions of characters where just so incredibly dumb to the point where I was laughing and I wasn't sure if it was for real. I was so taken aback by so many things that were happening, like this one guy that dressed like a goth and seemed all dark and depressed and then he's like 'it's all an act so that you think I'm that way, but I'm not, I'm actually really smart and by looking this way people don't expect much of me. But trust me, I'm smart' ..... wut?
This was one of those books that I've wanted forever, I marked it as to-read in 2011, I had absolutely loved the cover, and I still think it looks pretty cute. I never actually got around to buying it, but then I saw it on The Book Outlet for 1.99 and I decided to get it - remembering I had wanted it so badly before, and clearly I was an easily impressed teen, I mean, have you read that summary??
... a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives.
.... the Luminati. The Luminati. THE LUMINATI.
it's fucking dumb.
on the plus side, I've grown as a reader.
Don't get me wrong, the book wasn't ALL bad, sure, Dough has an incredible amount of pitty parties throughout the novel for being fat and ugly, but I get her, it's an easy enough subject to relate too, we've all felt like crap but the way we look at a certain point in our lives, so you get where she's coming from and you really want to see her improve her perception of herself, but all in all it was just so hard to read this book, to the point where I was skipping pages until i decided it really wasn't worth it anymore.
dnf.
October 30, 2011
Ugh! I can't believe I actually read this book! It was pretty bad, but I had to give it a second star because I will admit that I couldn't stop reading the first half. Then I had to force myself to finish the second half once the storyline got completely ridiculous.
First, I couldn't stand the main character. Gwendolyn (aka Dough) is full of self-loathing which, while perhaps not completely unrealistic for some teens, got really old, really fast. I felt like the constant self-deprecation and ridiculous rants on how fat and disgusting she is went on way too long, and her disbelief that anyone could care about her because of her appearance was exhausting! Anyway, the main reason Dough is in such a tizzy about her weight is because her "boyfriend," whom she has not seen for years, Wish, is moving back to NJ after spending several years in CA. When Wish arrives back to their coastal community, everyone seems to be under his spell, and Dough can't figure out why such a handsome and charismatic guy would want anything to do with her.
I thought I was going to like this book, because I thought WIsh was going to like Dough regardless of her appearance, and as I was reading the first half, before Wish arrived home, I was eager to see how he would accept or reject Dough. But, here's where it got crazy: the story takes a crazy supernatural turn which seemed totally unnecessary and flat-out ridiculous to me. Plus, it just confirmed that Dough was correct that nobody gorgeous and charming like Wish would actually really love her for her. I don't want to explain the supernatural side to this story because, if, despite my warning that this book is a waste of time, someone still wants to read it, you should get to be shocked by the ridiculousness of it all for yourself.
First, I couldn't stand the main character. Gwendolyn (aka Dough) is full of self-loathing which, while perhaps not completely unrealistic for some teens, got really old, really fast. I felt like the constant self-deprecation and ridiculous rants on how fat and disgusting she is went on way too long, and her disbelief that anyone could care about her because of her appearance was exhausting! Anyway, the main reason Dough is in such a tizzy about her weight is because her "boyfriend," whom she has not seen for years, Wish, is moving back to NJ after spending several years in CA. When Wish arrives back to their coastal community, everyone seems to be under his spell, and Dough can't figure out why such a handsome and charismatic guy would want anything to do with her.
I thought I was going to like this book, because I thought WIsh was going to like Dough regardless of her appearance, and as I was reading the first half, before Wish arrived home, I was eager to see how he would accept or reject Dough. But, here's where it got crazy: the story takes a crazy supernatural turn which seemed totally unnecessary and flat-out ridiculous to me. Plus, it just confirmed that Dough was correct that nobody gorgeous and charming like Wish would actually really love her for her. I don't want to explain the supernatural side to this story because, if, despite my warning that this book is a waste of time, someone still wants to read it, you should get to be shocked by the ridiculousness of it all for yourself.
August 8, 2011
3.75 stars
A YA romance with a paranormal element.
I liked that this was the first book I've read with an overweight heroine where she doesn't have to lose weight or change herself to win the guy - she starts out the book already winning him just as she is. She just has to realize it.
Gwendolyn, "Dough", is overweight, from the wrong side of the tracks, works in her mom's bakery (where it's easy to grab a white cream donut or 2 or more), has a stick-thin twig of a younger sister, lots of snark, and no friends other than her long distance boyfriend. She's known Wish forever, and now he's coming back to town, a gorgeous specimen of the male species. But maybe he's just a little too perfect.
I found Gwen to be a believable heroine and enjoyed her coming into her own. There is a bit of a makeover part, where she starts wearing clothes that fit her and projecting confidence, but all of that is to benefit her - there's no "All of a sudden the gorgeous guy notices her" now that she looks different.
The supernatural side was interesting (there are no sparkly vampires, and the magic system was pretty unique), but I wish it had been explored more. Also, there was an alarming lack of consequence for the users of the magic - bad stuff happened and they felt regret, but I think they got off too easy.
A YA romance with a paranormal element.
I liked that this was the first book I've read with an overweight heroine where she doesn't have to lose weight or change herself to win the guy - she starts out the book already winning him just as she is. She just has to realize it.
Gwendolyn, "Dough", is overweight, from the wrong side of the tracks, works in her mom's bakery (where it's easy to grab a white cream donut or 2 or more), has a stick-thin twig of a younger sister, lots of snark, and no friends other than her long distance boyfriend. She's known Wish forever, and now he's coming back to town, a gorgeous specimen of the male species. But maybe he's just a little too perfect.
I found Gwen to be a believable heroine and enjoyed her coming into her own. There is a bit of a makeover part, where she starts wearing clothes that fit her and projecting confidence, but all of that is to benefit her - there's no "All of a sudden the gorgeous guy notices her" now that she looks different.
The supernatural side was interesting (there are no sparkly vampires, and the magic system was pretty unique), but I wish it had been explored more. Also, there was an alarming lack of consequence for the users of the magic - bad stuff happened and they felt regret, but I think they got off too easy.
November 5, 2012
Brief summary:
Gwendolyn "Dough" is in a panic. Her long distance boyfriend, Wish, is coming back to live near her again. She's changed, though. She's gained a lot of weight, is pretty much invisible at school, and is worried what he'll think of his "loser" girlfriend. When Wish arrives, it is obvious he has changed too. He's rock star beautiful and he is instantly the most popular guy around. And yet, he wants to be with Gwen?! The new guy, Christan, working at Gwen's family's bakery thinks he knows why.
Review
If you've ever read Cyn Balog's books, they are a little like modern day fables or fairy tales. This book was no different. I found the characters more interesting than the plot. Gwen has an enjoyable sarcastic/ dry humor, and it was easy to feel sympathy for her. She was written well, and I really did cringe at some of her social awkwardness. Wish really was just too sweet, and it was nice to see Christan shed his sketchy bad boy persona for the nerdy guy he really was underneath. I can't say I was very interested in the whole paranormal aspect of the book, but it was a unique angle.
This is a light read. Not a favorite by this author.
Gwendolyn "Dough" is in a panic. Her long distance boyfriend, Wish, is coming back to live near her again. She's changed, though. She's gained a lot of weight, is pretty much invisible at school, and is worried what he'll think of his "loser" girlfriend. When Wish arrives, it is obvious he has changed too. He's rock star beautiful and he is instantly the most popular guy around. And yet, he wants to be with Gwen?! The new guy, Christan, working at Gwen's family's bakery thinks he knows why.
Review
If you've ever read Cyn Balog's books, they are a little like modern day fables or fairy tales. This book was no different. I found the characters more interesting than the plot. Gwen has an enjoyable sarcastic/ dry humor, and it was easy to feel sympathy for her. She was written well, and I really did cringe at some of her social awkwardness. Wish really was just too sweet, and it was nice to see Christan shed his sketchy bad boy persona for the nerdy guy he really was underneath. I can't say I was very interested in the whole paranormal aspect of the book, but it was a unique angle.
This is a light read. Not a favorite by this author.
August 22, 2023
it's like twilight but A LOT worse. Easy read tho ig
March 8, 2015
I picked up Starstruck because I loved Cyn's previous books, Fairy Tale and Sleepless, and I was not disappointed. The story is light but carries depth, and the supernatural element enjoyable and not overplayed. The humor was impeccable and the timing spot on. Dough was such an engaging character and her reactions to different situations were completely realistic. Simply put, I loved it. Wish did get on my nerves a few times, but what guy doesn't? Again, an engaging and realistic character. Oh, and (SPOILER ALERT) if a sequel is released, I a totally rooting for Christian as Dough's new boyfriend. Definitely my favorite character in the novel. All in all, a fun and quick read, worth the time spent.
January 12, 2017
I bought this book at the end of 2015 cause I loved how the cover looked, and it was like $2 at Book Outlet. I started it in Feb 2016, and just couldn't get into it, so I left it on my "currently reading" list until now (Jan 2017).
The entire storyline is just one giant WTF is happening moment. I DID NOT see any of it coming... honestly one of the strangest concepts I've ever read. I give it 3 stars cause it wasn't a horrible story (and it's super short) and it definetly had its moments where I wanted to know more, but the self-loathing main character was just TOO MUCH for me. I love that she was an overweight character who had feelings and emotions like any other teen would, but it just felt so cliche and over-done.
The entire storyline is just one giant WTF is happening moment. I DID NOT see any of it coming... honestly one of the strangest concepts I've ever read. I give it 3 stars cause it wasn't a horrible story (and it's super short) and it definetly had its moments where I wanted to know more, but the self-loathing main character was just TOO MUCH for me. I love that she was an overweight character who had feelings and emotions like any other teen would, but it just felt so cliche and over-done.
July 17, 2013
Oh glory. Yet another novel that fits onto the category of almost-long-enough, chic-flick-paranormal-crossover-wannabe shelf.
It's never quite what it wants, or seems, to be.
POSITIVE elements:
1) it's funny. The whole fat girl approach makes for some cute and hilarious situations, admittedly at Dough's expense.
2) the main character is very original compared to modern ya literature.
3) not much swearing or sexual content.
NEGATIVE elements:
1) three quarters chick flick, one quarter paranormal. Chronologically. Much of the book is very cliché. All the happy endings unfold as you like them. Although certain character developments caught me by surprise, they didn't make the character in question a deeper character. As seen in Gwen's case, her actions to try and attract Wish, though unexpected, actually make her a shallow character. At the end she and Wish go through the overly cliché motions of reenacting every childhood game they played. She is suddenly best friends forever (again) with Wish-unexpected and unfounded. Sure, he just saved her life, but she doubts her memory and she fell out of trust with him. He himself says he can't quit and doesn't know how - if a friend who had become a drug addict saved your life, but told you he couldn't quit and there was no therapy that would work for him, would you be all sunshine-and-daisies I love you so much let's be soul mates forever? No. You would tell him to get clean. Hopefully.
Except Wish isn't a drug addict. He's .... Well.... What he is is integral to the plot of he book and all the characters so....well let me go look... Maybe I should read it again... Nope got everything the first time.... well GEE WhIZ I don't know. this is the problem with sticking sudden paranormality in the last quarter of your novel. Here's what I got: stars, tattoo, sunlight, tornadoes, black shirts and prunes. Christian (aka Mr. Infodump) tells Gwen the island storms that eventually threaten her life are being cause by Wish who isn't using his star power right. The thing is we're never told right out that Wish's power over the starts is making him likeable. Christian hints at it, then Wish says he doesn't like acting like someone he's not. And are the stars making Wish gorgeous? Again we're not really told. At the end suddenly Wish like goes cold turkey on stars and tattoos and tornadoes and whatever and suddenly no one likes him anymore. Yet his exterior doesn't change. Gwen sees his exterior as godlike, but at the end she's all, it's the good old Wish I can love now because he's not wearing black shirts (Bolag must've stressed the fact he was wearing a white shirt about five times). Yet he still looks like a god. Sounds lame to me.
Some authors these days think putting a crapload of metaphors and similes on every page will improve their writing. it doesn't. here's a quote referring to a look of surprise:
"She looked like an alien was going to pop out of her belly."
Tell me, since when is astonishment shown by swelling of the abdomen? Since when does surprise have anything to do with mutated newborns?
A lot of other things go unexplained. How exactly does the tattoo work? How in the world did Wish NOT know Chris was a (ex)star-tattoo-tornado guy too? Why is Chris so uncaring about killing his girlfriend? He was like, "well I got into this cult and started experimenting, yeah accidentally killed my girlfriend- she died of fever, was always kind of small anyway-moved here to get a new life." And excuse me, but changing the position of the sun will NOT affect a tiny little 60000 people town on an island only, leaving the rest of the world unaffected. WILL NOT. Gosh the more I think about it the more nonsensical it gets!
I'll leave it at this. Too confusing to spend time on.
It's never quite what it wants, or seems, to be.
POSITIVE elements:
1) it's funny. The whole fat girl approach makes for some cute and hilarious situations, admittedly at Dough's expense.
2) the main character is very original compared to modern ya literature.
3) not much swearing or sexual content.
NEGATIVE elements:
1) three quarters chick flick, one quarter paranormal. Chronologically. Much of the book is very cliché. All the happy endings unfold as you like them. Although certain character developments caught me by surprise, they didn't make the character in question a deeper character. As seen in Gwen's case, her actions to try and attract Wish, though unexpected, actually make her a shallow character. At the end she and Wish go through the overly cliché motions of reenacting every childhood game they played. She is suddenly best friends forever (again) with Wish-unexpected and unfounded. Sure, he just saved her life, but she doubts her memory and she fell out of trust with him. He himself says he can't quit and doesn't know how - if a friend who had become a drug addict saved your life, but told you he couldn't quit and there was no therapy that would work for him, would you be all sunshine-and-daisies I love you so much let's be soul mates forever? No. You would tell him to get clean. Hopefully.
Except Wish isn't a drug addict. He's .... Well.... What he is is integral to the plot of he book and all the characters so....well let me go look... Maybe I should read it again... Nope got everything the first time.... well GEE WhIZ I don't know. this is the problem with sticking sudden paranormality in the last quarter of your novel. Here's what I got: stars, tattoo, sunlight, tornadoes, black shirts and prunes. Christian (aka Mr. Infodump) tells Gwen the island storms that eventually threaten her life are being cause by Wish who isn't using his star power right. The thing is we're never told right out that Wish's power over the starts is making him likeable. Christian hints at it, then Wish says he doesn't like acting like someone he's not. And are the stars making Wish gorgeous? Again we're not really told. At the end suddenly Wish like goes cold turkey on stars and tattoos and tornadoes and whatever and suddenly no one likes him anymore. Yet his exterior doesn't change. Gwen sees his exterior as godlike, but at the end she's all, it's the good old Wish I can love now because he's not wearing black shirts (Bolag must've stressed the fact he was wearing a white shirt about five times). Yet he still looks like a god. Sounds lame to me.
Some authors these days think putting a crapload of metaphors and similes on every page will improve their writing. it doesn't. here's a quote referring to a look of surprise:
"She looked like an alien was going to pop out of her belly."
Tell me, since when is astonishment shown by swelling of the abdomen? Since when does surprise have anything to do with mutated newborns?
A lot of other things go unexplained. How exactly does the tattoo work? How in the world did Wish NOT know Chris was a (ex)star-tattoo-tornado guy too? Why is Chris so uncaring about killing his girlfriend? He was like, "well I got into this cult and started experimenting, yeah accidentally killed my girlfriend- she died of fever, was always kind of small anyway-moved here to get a new life." And excuse me, but changing the position of the sun will NOT affect a tiny little 60000 people town on an island only, leaving the rest of the world unaffected. WILL NOT. Gosh the more I think about it the more nonsensical it gets!
I'll leave it at this. Too confusing to spend time on.
February 16, 2011
I was really excited when I heard of Cyn Balog's Starstruck. I originally read Ms. Balog's Fairy Tale and I absolutely loved it. So needless to say I was excited about the chance for an early reviewer's copy.
I found the synopsis intriguing and unique since you rarely read a book where the heroine is obese. The fact that it had some fantasy elements made it even more seductive for me. And while I did like some of these elements, I really had a hard time reading this book. For starters, you are reading through Gwen's perspective. Gwen, whom although has these great inner dialogues, does nothing to stand up for herself, takes major verbal abuse from her classmates, goes from one humiliating situation to the next and spends most of her time comparing herself to her younger, much prettier and thinner sister. To be honest, she made me feel as depressed as she was. I truly tried to like her, but I just couldn't get out of the funk that she put me in.
Then there was Wish. I thought the plot revolving around his membership in the Luminati would lighten the story for me, but I just found him as boring as Gwen was. He was mediocre to say the least. Not to mention the whole Luminati thing didn't really start until half way through our book. The first half was just Gwen complaining about her weight, comparing herself to almost every thin girl in school, stuffing her face with all the donuts that crossed her path, and wondering why Wish doesn't break up with her from the first moment he lays his eyes on her. I found the whole thing stressful.
Sadly, I just couldn't get into this one. I tried to like Gwen and, there were moments when she made me laugh with her dark humor and witty comments, but sadly those were few and scattered too far apart.
I found the synopsis intriguing and unique since you rarely read a book where the heroine is obese. The fact that it had some fantasy elements made it even more seductive for me. And while I did like some of these elements, I really had a hard time reading this book. For starters, you are reading through Gwen's perspective. Gwen, whom although has these great inner dialogues, does nothing to stand up for herself, takes major verbal abuse from her classmates, goes from one humiliating situation to the next and spends most of her time comparing herself to her younger, much prettier and thinner sister. To be honest, she made me feel as depressed as she was. I truly tried to like her, but I just couldn't get out of the funk that she put me in.
Then there was Wish. I thought the plot revolving around his membership in the Luminati would lighten the story for me, but I just found him as boring as Gwen was. He was mediocre to say the least. Not to mention the whole Luminati thing didn't really start until half way through our book. The first half was just Gwen complaining about her weight, comparing herself to almost every thin girl in school, stuffing her face with all the donuts that crossed her path, and wondering why Wish doesn't break up with her from the first moment he lays his eyes on her. I found the whole thing stressful.
Sadly, I just couldn't get into this one. I tried to like Gwen and, there were moments when she made me laugh with her dark humor and witty comments, but sadly those were few and scattered too far apart.
February 27, 2011
The beginning of this novel reads like a contemporary YA story. There really isn't any hint of supernatural elements until you get about 100 pages in, which is a lot considering this novel is only 256 pages long. The ONLY hint you will get is that Wish has somehow morphed into a head-turning hottie since the main character, Gwen, saw him last.
Gwen was a breath of fresh air. She's a girl with a bit of a weight issue, who wears her insecurities on her sleeve. That really drew me in. It made me want things to work out for her with Wish.
Wish seems like the perfect boyfriend. A guy who was her childhood best friend turned into a long-distance boyfriend. He's loyal, attentive and unbelievably gorgeous. He won me over because even though he's good-looking now, he still loves Gwen. That makes him a great guy in book, even if he dabbles in some supernatural, star manipulator to make people think he's hot.
I also liked Christian. The guy working at the bakery who has a troubled past. He really gets the ball rolling on the supernatural plot and I kinda wanted more to happen with him and Gwen.
All and all. I really liked it. The beginning was great and really set up the characters well, but the second half felt kinda rushed. There really wasn't a huge ah-ha moment when the truth comes out, which I kinda waited for. I would've also liked to seen Gwen maybe be tempted to change herself up using the stars or at least heavily thought about it just to add some more stakes and twists, but it didn't.
I liked this one. It read really well and I enjoyed the characters and the premise of the novel. Read it if you like stories about being the real you.
3.5
www.youngadultbookworm.blogspot.com
Gwen was a breath of fresh air. She's a girl with a bit of a weight issue, who wears her insecurities on her sleeve. That really drew me in. It made me want things to work out for her with Wish.
Wish seems like the perfect boyfriend. A guy who was her childhood best friend turned into a long-distance boyfriend. He's loyal, attentive and unbelievably gorgeous. He won me over because even though he's good-looking now, he still loves Gwen. That makes him a great guy in book, even if he dabbles in some supernatural, star manipulator to make people think he's hot.
I also liked Christian. The guy working at the bakery who has a troubled past. He really gets the ball rolling on the supernatural plot and I kinda wanted more to happen with him and Gwen.
All and all. I really liked it. The beginning was great and really set up the characters well, but the second half felt kinda rushed. There really wasn't a huge ah-ha moment when the truth comes out, which I kinda waited for. I would've also liked to seen Gwen maybe be tempted to change herself up using the stars or at least heavily thought about it just to add some more stakes and twists, but it didn't.
I liked this one. It read really well and I enjoyed the characters and the premise of the novel. Read it if you like stories about being the real you.
3.5
www.youngadultbookworm.blogspot.com
July 31, 2011
I read Cyn Balog's Sleepless before, and was pretty bummed out about the direction the story went. Likewise, I experienced the same frustration with this novel.
The Luminati story could definitely have been explored deeper. I was promised something supernatural/paranormal, but all I got was a mere mention of tattoos and astrology perfecting people's lives. Ummm, what? Care to explain some more, Balog? The Luminati are probably supposed to be mysterious and awesome, but I find them lacking and boring. I just didn't understand it. Or rather, the author didn't try to create much of a background for them. Just like she failed to create the world of Sandmen for me in her other novel. Without some solid background to fall upon, I had a hard time understanding what the Luminati stood for. Ultimately, it was a love story.
But unfortunately, not a very good love story, either. I supposed there was was some depth to their relationship, especially considering self-image and looking beyond physical appearances, but the deliverance was lacking. I failed to see a relationship between Dough and Wish. I failed to see much of a personality in Wish, actually. He was neither this or that, and fell flat in the in-between. Which is realistic, but rather bland, so he didn't stand out much. The build-up of a possible love triangle with Christian was uneventful and lame. In short, there was no buildup because nothing happened. There were occasional hints, but again, nothing happened. Alas, Christian was much more exciting and less predictable than Wish. Maybe Dough should have taken some more interest in him.
[Copy from RandomBuzzers.]
The Luminati story could definitely have been explored deeper. I was promised something supernatural/paranormal, but all I got was a mere mention of tattoos and astrology perfecting people's lives. Ummm, what? Care to explain some more, Balog? The Luminati are probably supposed to be mysterious and awesome, but I find them lacking and boring. I just didn't understand it. Or rather, the author didn't try to create much of a background for them. Just like she failed to create the world of Sandmen for me in her other novel. Without some solid background to fall upon, I had a hard time understanding what the Luminati stood for. Ultimately, it was a love story.
But unfortunately, not a very good love story, either. I supposed there was was some depth to their relationship, especially considering self-image and looking beyond physical appearances, but the deliverance was lacking. I failed to see a relationship between Dough and Wish. I failed to see much of a personality in Wish, actually. He was neither this or that, and fell flat in the in-between. Which is realistic, but rather bland, so he didn't stand out much. The build-up of a possible love triangle with Christian was uneventful and lame. In short, there was no buildup because nothing happened. There were occasional hints, but again, nothing happened. Alas, Christian was much more exciting and less predictable than Wish. Maybe Dough should have taken some more interest in him.
[Copy from RandomBuzzers.]
January 29, 2011
Do looks matter? Are they worth compromising your life in order to appear as something you are not? These ideas are explored in Starstruck. I read this one straight through and really enjoyed it. I thought Gwendolyn "Dough" is very likable and sympathetic although she doesn't make you feel sorry for her. She knows she has gained weight and doesn't look like she did when her best friend, Wish, moves to California. Wish has his own secrets and feels as unloved as Dough does, except he has a secret about his appearance. Having a gorgeous, thin, younger sister, Evie, doesn't help her self esteem either.
Dough is constantly berating herself for her weight and when Christian comes to work in the bakery with her, she finds he doesn't talk down to her and treats her as a normal person. I think Dough takes quite a bit away from her talks with Christian even though he is a minor character. He helps Dough solve the mystery around her boyfriend. Things get weird when Wish moves back to New Jersey from California and looks like a movie star. He doesn't seem to notice that Dough has changed. Dough flirts with the popular group through Wish and finds that they are as shallow as she has imagined.
The ending caught me a bit off guard and it is pretty magical. I think this is best suited for teens over 14 and there are mentions of sexual situations, underage drinking and sexual situations although nothing graphic. I received this book at no charge from Book It Forward in exchange for my honest review.
Dough is constantly berating herself for her weight and when Christian comes to work in the bakery with her, she finds he doesn't talk down to her and treats her as a normal person. I think Dough takes quite a bit away from her talks with Christian even though he is a minor character. He helps Dough solve the mystery around her boyfriend. Things get weird when Wish moves back to New Jersey from California and looks like a movie star. He doesn't seem to notice that Dough has changed. Dough flirts with the popular group through Wish and finds that they are as shallow as she has imagined.
The ending caught me a bit off guard and it is pretty magical. I think this is best suited for teens over 14 and there are mentions of sexual situations, underage drinking and sexual situations although nothing graphic. I received this book at no charge from Book It Forward in exchange for my honest review.
February 6, 2012
3.5 stars
I like the voice of the narrator, Dough, in this book. Her sarcasm was funny and her thoughts seemed very real. Her constant negativity did get somewhat irritating after a time though. She's already said she's overweight and unpopular so I did start to feel that it was a little too much when she kept repeating that.
There are some things I was confused about. She seems to have been a normal size girl when she last saw Wish. A typical twelve year old girl would weigh about one hundred pounds but Dough has put on seventy pounds which she says makes her weight two hundred thirty four pounds. So that would mean she was already one hundred sixty pounds. She isn't tall so wouldn't Wish have already known she was a pretty large girl? Either that or the math is very off.
This book really felt like there were two halves that didn't really fit well together. I think if we'd gotten some sense early on the the magic elements I would have felt less jarred when they appeared. Yes, it seemed something odd might have been going on, but the story seemed to suddenly take off in a completely different direction.
The solution to Wish's problem seemed to be solved a bit too easily, but that's just the way I felt about it.
On the other hand, I did really like that Wish loved her just the way she was.
All in all, a bit uneven. Still like this author though.
I like the voice of the narrator, Dough, in this book. Her sarcasm was funny and her thoughts seemed very real. Her constant negativity did get somewhat irritating after a time though. She's already said she's overweight and unpopular so I did start to feel that it was a little too much when she kept repeating that.
There are some things I was confused about. She seems to have been a normal size girl when she last saw Wish. A typical twelve year old girl would weigh about one hundred pounds but Dough has put on seventy pounds which she says makes her weight two hundred thirty four pounds. So that would mean she was already one hundred sixty pounds. She isn't tall so wouldn't Wish have already known she was a pretty large girl? Either that or the math is very off.
This book really felt like there were two halves that didn't really fit well together. I think if we'd gotten some sense early on the the magic elements I would have felt less jarred when they appeared. Yes, it seemed something odd might have been going on, but the story seemed to suddenly take off in a completely different direction.
The solution to Wish's problem seemed to be solved a bit too easily, but that's just the way I felt about it.
On the other hand, I did really like that Wish loved her just the way she was.
All in all, a bit uneven. Still like this author though.
October 27, 2015
I have reached the skip-mass-portions-of-text reading phase of this book, starting with page 63. Yet another feel sorry for the poor, misfit, self-loathing fat girl story. More ridiculously bad luck is visited upon unlucky, unplucky "heroine" Dough in a single afternoon than can realistically be expected to happen to anyone in a month...IF that. Nobody is that unlucky--NOBODY. (On top of that, if I have to read one more paragraph of excruciating detail of obesity and self-hatred, I may scream. I get that teens are angsty, and I'm not happy about the 45 lbs. I'm overweight, either, but it doesn't dominate my every waking thought.) This book is too fantastic to be normal and too boring to be fantasy. If it's supposed to have magic in it, as the cover synopsis implies, then that really needs to happen long before the halfway mark, which is how far I've progressed. Fail. On so many levels.
UPDATE:
I skimmed it to the end. The "magic" is pretty incomprehensible and ridiculous. However, I do give props to Balog for the ending "lesson," that we should accept ourselves rather than look for quick and phony fixes or being untrue to ourselves & our friends. Because of the ending, I will give this another star.
UPDATE:
I skimmed it to the end. The "magic" is pretty incomprehensible and ridiculous. However, I do give props to Balog for the ending "lesson," that we should accept ourselves rather than look for quick and phony fixes or being untrue to ourselves & our friends. Because of the ending, I will give this another star.
April 2, 2011
Mermaids....Werewolves, Zombies...Vampires...this book tackles a supernatural figure I have YET to read about, the Illuminati, who are people who can take energy from the stars and use it to manipulate their appearance with dire consequences. IN this book, Gwyndolyn "Dough" is a heavy girl who gets picked on at school becuase of her weight. Her boyfriend Wish, has been away for a while, and when he comes back, everyone is shocked that he is interested in her. He is MOVIE STAR gorgeous. Does he REALLY love her? Or is there more to it? I really thought this was a good, quick read. The plot itself was predictable, but I found that the characters kept my interest and it would be a good read for someone who is tired of all of the other supernatural books and wants something new!
March 28, 2016
Oh, this was just lovely. I thought for a bit that it would be a "fat girl realizes she's beautiful because some boy tells her she is," but that's not really what happens. And the main character is fiercely funny, awkward, and believable; I laughed out loud and cringed right along with her when she embarrassed herself.
May 25, 2014
i really enjoyed reading this - liked the characters and the setting. the supernatural element was slow building, interesting and then really quickly resolved. that bit was weird. Also felt i needed more... is there another one of these coming out?
June 13, 2022
Okay, so here's the thing. I've got a love-hate relationship with this book, because, as most books I've found, it unfortunately starts out fabulous and then the end feels so random and unconnected that it ruins all the "goodness" you read in previous chapters. I'll elaborate in a second.
I began this book while in the car with my mom, and couldn't stop myself from having laughing fits almost every chapter, because the humor that the author snuck into this story is elite; my type of sarcastic, dry humor. Oh man, were there some hilarious things in here, but in the kind of way that you kind of feel bad for laughing. So my main favorite thing was the dry humor, my second favorite was the way the story felt- the writing style and the plot were really easy to follow and picture easily in your mind.
Set on a cute but annoying island full of rude or slightly offbeat characters, everything about this book just had an unexplainable tone that I absolutely loved. But I really, really felt for the main character, Gwendolyn or "Dough". She really struggled with body image and her weight, which was constantly getting made fun of by others- and she always felt indifferent to her sister. So while you get some good laughs, your heart also goes out to Dough because her emotional state and how she's treated is really so uncomfortable and unfair that you want to reach into the book and sock some people in the face (or maybe that's just me, eheh.)
But theeen I feel like it kind of started falling apart. It got so random and a sudden effect of fantasy came into it, which maybe I missed some clues in the first 22 chapters, but after that mark it was like a sudden flood of trying to pack in all this magical stuff. I personally just feel like the author didn't add enough in before the big "aha!" moment which only caused more head-scratching for me.
Anyways, that kind of ruined the book for me, but the first part of this story and how well the characters and realism felt was very enjoyable. Also, there's quite a bit of crude humor and suggestive things; Dough always had to make a romance-related comment about a bunch of things which was pretty unnecessary. And the romance side of this was a little cliche and boring, I'm sorry to say it.
Overall, it's a little trashy and hard to keep up with, but very, very funny. Read the first maybe 16 chapters and leave it at that maybe.
I began this book while in the car with my mom, and couldn't stop myself from having laughing fits almost every chapter, because the humor that the author snuck into this story is elite; my type of sarcastic, dry humor. Oh man, were there some hilarious things in here, but in the kind of way that you kind of feel bad for laughing. So my main favorite thing was the dry humor, my second favorite was the way the story felt- the writing style and the plot were really easy to follow and picture easily in your mind.
Set on a cute but annoying island full of rude or slightly offbeat characters, everything about this book just had an unexplainable tone that I absolutely loved. But I really, really felt for the main character, Gwendolyn or "Dough". She really struggled with body image and her weight, which was constantly getting made fun of by others- and she always felt indifferent to her sister. So while you get some good laughs, your heart also goes out to Dough because her emotional state and how she's treated is really so uncomfortable and unfair that you want to reach into the book and sock some people in the face (or maybe that's just me, eheh.)
But theeen I feel like it kind of started falling apart. It got so random and a sudden effect of fantasy came into it, which maybe I missed some clues in the first 22 chapters, but after that mark it was like a sudden flood of trying to pack in all this magical stuff. I personally just feel like the author didn't add enough in before the big "aha!" moment which only caused more head-scratching for me.
Anyways, that kind of ruined the book for me, but the first part of this story and how well the characters and realism felt was very enjoyable. Also, there's quite a bit of crude humor and suggestive things; Dough always had to make a romance-related comment about a bunch of things which was pretty unnecessary. And the romance side of this was a little cliche and boring, I'm sorry to say it.
Overall, it's a little trashy and hard to keep up with, but very, very funny. Read the first maybe 16 chapters and leave it at that maybe.
March 21, 2021
***Read for Beccas 48hr Bookoplathon- Roll Drop 4: A book Set in the Present Day***
This was a short weird little book. I really liked the portrayal of body image, size bullying, confidence issues. I also liked the main character Gwendolyn 'Dough', the bakery setting and her boyfriend Wish. I found the magic system in this book very strange, it's certainly an unusual take on absorbing powers from the solar system. I don't think this is a 2 star book, but three feels like it's pushing it. I'd be interested in reading something from Cyn Balog in the future I just found the magical aspect of this story a little strange. Pleased to have read it finally and can pass it on to someone who may enjoy it more.
This was a short weird little book. I really liked the portrayal of body image, size bullying, confidence issues. I also liked the main character Gwendolyn 'Dough', the bakery setting and her boyfriend Wish. I found the magic system in this book very strange, it's certainly an unusual take on absorbing powers from the solar system. I don't think this is a 2 star book, but three feels like it's pushing it. I'd be interested in reading something from Cyn Balog in the future I just found the magical aspect of this story a little strange. Pleased to have read it finally and can pass it on to someone who may enjoy it more.
June 6, 2022
I must've read this book when I was like in the 6th or 7th grade. So I don't remember if I thought the book was written well or anything or even ever thought about that stuff. I just remember I liked it a lot and that over the years I'd keep remembering this story and was never able to find this book title until now, 11 years later.
I'm so happy I found this book again and as a 24 year old now, I might just try reading it again just cuz. Maybe then I could give a better review.
I'm so happy I found this book again and as a 24 year old now, I might just try reading it again just cuz. Maybe then I could give a better review.
March 19, 2018
*2.5
This book was good and very easy to read, but there were a lot of hard things that the character went through that weren't discussed as bad or hurtful. There wasn't really a turn around for the character's self-esteem and little to no character growth. I did enjoy the story, but I wish that the concept of the Luminati was more the main focus and not our main character, Dough.
This book was good and very easy to read, but there were a lot of hard things that the character went through that weren't discussed as bad or hurtful. There wasn't really a turn around for the character's self-esteem and little to no character growth. I did enjoy the story, but I wish that the concept of the Luminati was more the main focus and not our main character, Dough.
February 9, 2019
Libro carino, che affronta i disagi dei ragazzi che affrontano nella adolescenza e anche se l'amore può vincere su tutto. Ma ha iniziato ha essere movimentato praticamente alla fine. Non mi è piaciuto per come è stata strutturata la storia ma sopratutto perché sembrava la classica storia tra ragazzi
March 10, 2018
While it was an interesting story, I didn't like this one as much as her others. I felt it needed more story development and less self deprecating thoughts from the main character. I really didn't enjoy this one.
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October 22, 2021What can I say about this book besides: I DID NOT sign up for a high school book, clicks and all. Also, did anyone else sense the chemistry was between Gwen and Christian? After all she said multiple time that wish was her best friend
October 30, 2017
I didn't hate it....
November 1, 2017
0,5 STARS
This is easily the worst book I've ever read.
This is easily the worst book I've ever read.
December 30, 2017
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
January 26, 2018
Quick, easy read. The MC had terrible self-esteem, the love interest was underdeveloped, and the magic element wasn't fully explained. It was just okay.
June 14, 2022
Amazing book kinda wish it was a movie it was definitely worth reading. Didn’t expect to love it but highly recommend!
August 9, 2022
3.5 stars. Interesting idea for a story, but needed a little more detail, maybe?
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