Generation Next

Generation Next #1

by Oli White

Generation Next [Hardcover] White, Oli

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2016

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice)]

DNF at Page 105.

I will keep my thoughts short and sweet. I struggled with the pacing of the book and found the writing at times to be info-dumpy which is something I'm not keen on. After generally being extremely excited to read this, the book in the end just wasn't for me.

I don't give star ratings to books I DNF. This is because I didn't read the book from start to finish.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars to this creative, funny and dramatic book written by the amazing @OliWhiteTV

I know there is a lot of controversy when talking about YouTuber books - but I always find myself buying them anyway because I am a massive fan of YouTubers. Whether they wrote the whole book or only half, whether they were asked to release a book or they came up with the idea themselves, there would still be A LOT of work that goes into the process of a book - and I applaud them on that.

CHARACTERS: The characters in Generation Next were so amusing and different and I loved reading about them. Jack, the main character, was easily relatable. I don't usually love books that are written from a male perspective because I feel like I can't relate to them, however this time it was completely different. The other characters in the GenNext team also helped to add to the story line.

STORY LINE / PLOT: I felt that the story was a bit slow in the beginning and I couldn't see where it was heading. This is probably where the half star was taken. I just found myself a little bored during the first third to half. However, about half way through it began to get really interesting and I kept turning the pages as I was eager to find out what was going to happen.

ENDING: The ending and the events leading up to the ending would probably have to be my favourite part of the book. The suspense and plot twist was really exciting and I didn't see it coming. I loved how it wasn't predictable. I also liked how the ending concluded and wrapped up everything that happened, and finished on a light and happy note.

RATING: Despite my Goodreads rating of 4 (why are there no half stars!), I decided to give this book 4.5 stars out of 5!!!!

Highly recommend if you are a fan of Oli's YouTube, or are looking for a light and easy YA read :).

[J.S. Strange]

I can't give this a star rating, because I did not finish. I'm so done with YouTubers being handed publishing deals on a plate, when authors like myself struggle to get noticed and put in more work than any of these people do.

I was skeptical when I came across the book by Oli White (who I had never heard of until seeing the name on the cover), but the premise sounded good and I gave it a chance. But when I opened it, I saw that it was written by 'Oli White and Terry Ronald'. So, basically, Terry Ronald who is an actual author probably did most of the work. But put Oli White's name on it and BAM. BESTSELLER.

I really, really did try to give this the benefit of the doubt. I hoped it would be good because the premise sounded good, but it was dire.

I was fed up of reading a sentence that kept ending in 'you know?' Literally, every other sentence ended with this word, and it was annoying me.

I almost shut the book when I had to read a Snapchat conversation that was from love interest Ella debating whether or not to watch Pretty Little Liars.

And I was fed up of instant falling in love from main character Jack when he set eyes on Ella, and then from that moment on pages and pages being full of 'I miss Ella. Where is Ella? I want to date Ella. I can't possibly ask Ella out. I fancy Ella. I want to be with Ella.' Don't force it. I don't care.

When I started to skip paragraphs, I knew this wasn't for me.

[Samantha]

DNF at 43%

I am so done with reading mediocre books.

First of all, I hated the main character, Jack. I've never met anyone more... self-centered and egoistical than he is. He looks down on the misfits in his new school even though he himself is an outcast and also, he's pretty judgemental for a former bully victim. You'd think that someone who has gone through the experience of being bullied would actually empathize with outcasts right? But no, Jack is just as judgemental as the bullies themselves.

Speaking about bullying, the whole confrontational scene where Jack's friend got bullied was such a cringe-fest, oh my god. I honestly don't know how to describe it. There were people yelling at each other, and then there was a lull in the fighting, and then someone else yelled something that had no connection whatsoever to the previous conversation. It was, frankly, a mess.

Another cringe-y scene was the scene where Hunter's (bully in Jack's new school) older, hot sister suddenly kisses Jack. Umm, what??? Where did that come from?

The characterisation of Dim and Dimmer, two bullies at Jack's former school, was quite unbelievable. Unbelievable as in, hard to believe it's real, not like, extraordinary. I say this because when Jack hacked their Facebook accounts, at first they were said to beg him to stop hacking them, but later on, they cornered him and hit him for hacking them? One moment they were victims and another they were taking charge of the situation? What's with the complete change in characteristics?

Another thing I disliked about this book was the whole sappy romance thing. This is exactly the kind of book I hate because the romance pretty much consumes the entire plot. Every 5 fucking sentences, Ella's mentioned. Ella this, Ella that, oh my god I miss Ella, does Ella love me? Blergh.

One more thing that really annoyed me was the way Jack speaks to the reader. There was a lot of "you know?" at the end of sentences. Umm, yes, I know. Am I reading a novel or watching a Youtuber chatting to me in a video?

Thanks to Quercus for sending me an ARC. This is my honest review.

[amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always struggle with the concept of YouTuber books as very often the majority (sometimes all) written by a ghost writer who get little to no credit for the story they have created.
This book was classed as a "Teen" book, but due to the simplistic story line and characters, I feel it would be enjoyed more by a younger person than me (16).
The book had a circular narrative which I struggled with as it didn't make much sense at the beginning and it took me a good few chapter to realise what was happening.
It had a good storyline despite it being very simplistic but was only a quick read.

[Nadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oli was one of the first youtubers I started watching. Although I'm more of a casual fan, when I heard he was writing a book I knew I'd buy it. Although it is written with Terry Ronald, Oli still would've had to put a lot of effort in so of course I'd want to support that. I have to admit I wasn't expecting great things. Youtuber's books aren't known for being the most amazing pieces of literature, but I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the writing style can get on my nerves a little, but then I can be a very picky reader. My main complaint was the unnecessary "you know?" added on the end of sentences. That is a very small thing that others probably haven't even noticed.

I did actually like the characters. Yes, there were a few clique stereotypes, but overall each character was distinguishable from the other. They felt genuine not something every author can achieve. Coming from Hertfordshire (where the book is partially set) it did actually make the characters feel more real. It was strange having a book set in a place I know. Normally it's some random town in the middle of America and I have no clue where they are. It was a nice change to go "hey, my friend lives in that town" instead of "no idea where that State is".

I did love how the characters were diverse. It included LGBT characters and a religious character. I liked how there was no fuss made about it, if a character liked a certain gender, who cares? If one character didn't drink for religious reasons, who cares? Each character was accepted for who they were without pressure to conform. These things weren't hugely focused on, but it still made an impression on me. Towards the end of the book something comes out about one of the characters (I won't say what due to spoilers, but those who have read the book know what I'm talking about). When I first read that plot twist I thought "oh great, get ready for the slut shaming", but it didn't happen! It was really nice to see an accepting take on things in Generation Next.

The plot started quite slowly and I wasn't sure where it was going, but about half way through it picked up. Some of the twists certainly weren't predictable and they were well executed. As all hell breaks loose towards the end Jack's reaction to the events were normal, there wasn't the annoying character-can-go-through-hell-but-is-perfectly-okay trope.

The book wraps up quite nicely. I don't know if there will be sequel, even if there is you can still read and enjoy Generation Next without having to continue the series.

I do have to say well done to Oli. Writing a book is no small task and even with his co author Terry Ronald it took time and effort. I thought it would be a poor and cliched book only successful due to his YouTube career, but he proved me very wrong. So well done to him.

Overall a decent book that certainly beat my expectations. If you're looking for a fun and easy read with a good plot I'd definitely recommend Generation Next.

3.5/5 Stars

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Original review: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2...

So I am almost positive (or at least, very suspicious) that most of the ratings for this book on Goodreads came from Oli’s YouTuber fans because after reading some actual reviews, they were almost entirely negative. And to be fair, I agree with a lot of their points.

This book was all over the place. The characters felt very amateur and there was no real development throughout the book. The plot was also very slow and incredibly predictable. There was a slight plot twist in one part but that was it.

I also didn’t like how the book didn’t really focus on the entire group of kids because that was what was hinted in the synopsis. Instead, it focused solely on Jack which kind of sucked because he is a terrible person. He’s very douche-like and very insensitive. He’s also incredibly selfish and very self-absorbing. In a way, I found him to be very too-faced. For example, he was bullied in this old school yet when he first came to this new school, he was so judgmental to the people around him and it also felt that he was very shallow because it seemed as if he was only into Ella because of her looks. Even with his new group of friends, he constantly judged their looks and how nerdy/geeky they were. He just wasn’t the greatest character.

I think the biggest problem with this book is that is geared towards YA but I honestly think that considering the plot and the characters, I would recommend this for MG readers instead. The only issue though is that there is a scene where sex is involved in which case MG wouldn’t really be suitable. This is why I’m conflicted because some of the topics seem much more serious but with the writing level and the plot/characters, it’s hard to consider this as an actual YA novel.

Overall, this book needs a lot of work and I actually contemplated DNF-ing it but I was already halfway through and it was a quick read so I decided to just finish it. I definitely won’t be picking up book two though.

[Ivan Magnus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made a lot of bad decisions when I was young and buying and wasting my time reading this is one of the things I regret the most. This TERRIBLE and a sad excuse for a "book". Clearly published just to make money off from kids. I wish I could get my money back.

[Elizabeth Dewfall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a typical you tuber book

[Liam Rutland · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are even slightly thinking about buying and reading this book, I would strongly recommend that you do. It is so addicting and never gets boring, I struggle to put this book down.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone that didn't have high expectations for the book in the first place, after I was done I realized I should have lowered them even more. But what else could I expect from a fiction book written by a YouTuber? Before I go any further, I wouldn't say that I dislike Oli but I wouldn't say I'm a fan of him either. Overall, I rate this one out five and that's me being kind.
1) It was too fast paced for the amount of conflicts that were in the book.
2) Many of the conflicts that were introduced, didn't have consequences or anything to follow after. What was worse was that there was very little to no build up for the conflict.
3) A lot of social issues were introduced but never amounted to anything. If each had their own time independently, each issue could have flowed with the story. Instead, they were just in the way and had nothing to do with the overall plot.
4) There were too many conflicts. It's better to have an external conflict that relates to all of the characters and an internal conflict that deals with each individual character, but each character had multiple conflicts. It would have been alright if there had been more time spent on them and not just on Jack.
5) The main character, Jack, wasn't good by any means and there were no changes to make you feel sympathy for him. A good way to draw sympathy for good main character that has bad qualities could be done in a way that Arthur Miller did in Death of a Salesman. In Death of a Salesman, the main character, Willy, wasn't a nice man, for example he cheated on his wife. But Willy drew out some sympathy because he had a very bad case Alzheimers.
6) There was a forced romance between Jack and his love interest. It was constantly shoved down my throat and the way Jack thought about her was not only creepy, but obsessive.
7) There was little to no focus on the other characters, just little bits and pieces throughout the book. Because of that, it made them very forgettable and not make me care about them or any of the problems they were dealing with. For example, as someone that is part of the LGBTQ community, I'm always hoping for a character that's in it as well. While there was a lesbian, instead of being excited, it was more like a meh feeling because it seemed as though it was just thrown in there for to be a wow factor, as is much of the books content.
8) What was the biggest deal breaker for me was how predictable it was. The foreshadowing, if you could call it that, was poorly done and didn't take a genius to predict what was going to happen. The plot was extremely generic, like one that I might've thought of when I was ten. Even the way it was written was a poor generic attempt at a book. When I finished reading it, I felt as if I read a children's book with more adult content.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not believe that everyone can be a writer. Anyone can be a writer, but not everyone should be.

I got to page 105 and had to give up. The plot, supposed to be about a group of friends making it big, was mostly centered around a typical geek white heterosexual teenage guy coming out of his shell in high school. The first hundred pages were mainly him pining after a girl and directing all his attention towards her. We're supposed to believe he made this amazing website with his friends, but there is more mentions of Ella in those 100 pages than anyone or anything else. And the best of all? She friendzone him, yet I am 100% sure he spends the next few chapters trying to make her realize her boyfriend is an arsehole (because of course his "competition" could not be a good guy, she had to date the jerk)

There were also the pictures and text screenshot, most of which could have simply been described instead of pasted like a bad scrapbook (the GenNext card on page 75 should have been placed one sentence higher to make more sense, and the logo on page 59 didn't need it's own picture). I don't know if it's supposed to be a new, "hip" way of writing books for teenagers, but it just looks like laziness to me.

The pace of writing was also a bit dodgy, along with the writing itself that felt more like a friend talking to you than reading a book. If I want to have a friend talking to me, I will call or text them. When I read a book, I want to avoid the overuse of exclamation points and the side remarks every time the main character feels something.

[Gina Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread 🔁
********
Started off slow, then was decent, but it really picked up the pace once the idea of gen next was formulated. Didn't like Ella and Jack as a couple from the jump because of an abundance of reasons ranging from infidelity and the annoying repetition of how much he liked her. Overall, it was still a decent book but not one I would gravitate towards again.

[Victoria Vecchiarello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generation Next by Oli White is by far one of my favorite books. Once I began reading, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in less than 4 days. The story begins with a teenage boy arriving at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The first chapter leads up to right before he steps on stage for a big interview. The next chapter brings you back five months to where the whole journey begins and the narrator, Jack, has his first day at a new school. Jack is a tech-savvy, smart seventeen year old boy who was bullied and beat up so bad that he had to transfer schools. At his new school he meets a group of 3 kids who are considered “nerds”. This group consists of Austin, Sai, and Ava. At first Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to become friends with these people but once he hangs out with him, he realizes they aren't much different than he is. He also meets this girl, Ella Foster, and she immediately becomes a love interest. A couple chapters into the book, Ella is introduced to the group of friends who are working on a project outside of class. This project is life changing, and goes viral quickly. Each teenager in this group has their own talent. Jack however is the one who came up with the idea for the project when they are watching a boring interview with a band that have the same questions that are always asked. Jack decides they should interview celebrities in a new, interesting way that will appeal to viewers. They upload these interviews on a website they create and call it Generation Next. The book doesn't just focus on this project, it also includes relationships, drama, and high school parties. The characters in the book experience many ups and downs with the website, each other, and those trying to tear them apart. The storyline leads right back up to the interview that is explained in the beginning and then it goes beyond to see what happens afterwards. Although the book is fiction, I could really connect to it. The characters are around my age and doing things such as graphic communications and working on computers. They also deal with the drama that is included in high school. Oli White also makes the story easy to follow and understand. I would highly recommend this book because many teenagers may relate. Generation Next is intended to have an audience between the ages of 13-21.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oli White's debut novel and first of the Generation Next series proves to be a fun, YAL romp through fame in the YouTube era and bullying while also failing to surprise. The main character and narrator, Jack, is a bit dense but in an understandable and teenage way. The rest of the protagonist group entertain well enough yet lack any real depth or complexity beyond their token diversities. The story follows Jack from rock bottom in the hospital after being savagely beaten by bullies at his old school, to a new school with a beautiful girl and nerdy new friends, to the height of indie-start-up fame and fortune, with slight detours of embarrassment and camera-phone blackmailing—not in that order exactly, thanks to flashbacks and such throughout the novel. White even tossed in a dose of family medical drama to add further conflict to weigh on young Jack's shoulders, bringing him crashing down during a huge opportunity in America when added to his stress over a lost possible girlfriend and that girlfriend's sex tape being used as blackmail. If you're looking for a quick, fun, fast-paced YAL read, give this a shot. It's a solid first book, but I'm not planning on reading anything else in the series.

[Marta Pona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why this book has mixed reviews; readers either love it or can't finish it.

The storyline was simplistic and predictable, and the main character seemed very self-absorbed. However, the author does a good job to capture the realities of a present-day teen and the world of social media. The book is rated as a YA novel for its sexual content, a twist in the plot which could have been easily replaced with a different set of circumstances. This, in turn, would have made the novel a page-turner for 12-year-old readers.

Aside from the story analysis, this being a debut novel for Oli White, a YouTuber, is not as bad as portrayed by some of the reviewers here. It's easy to be a critic, and pick on the aspects we dislike. But if we give a 1-star rating for a book, let's make at least one positive comment about the work.

School librarians often ask kids to give a book a Star and a Wish. So here are mine...
I give this book a Star for a simple-to-follow plot - not every young reader can handle a complex story-line. My wish for the book is to remove the sexual content from the plot - this was completely unnecessary. Avoiding it would have made this book recommendable for upper elementary students.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Jack moves school after being badly beaten up by bullies, he finds himself making friends with a group with his same shared interest in media as well as catching the eye of Ella, whom he first sits next to in class. The group he meets soon invites him to Austin, the group's leader's house to hang out in their technology den where they come up with their GenNext idea from watching gigs online as well as using social media.

As the website takes off being talked about all over the internet, the group face a huge live meeting abroad about the future of GenNext as Hunter's uncle dodgy company want to buy GenNext and threatens releasing a sex tape between Hunter and Ella if they refuse.

Throughout the book, friendship is tested and bullies play a huge role in the story. There's also the fact that Jack's mum faces cancer and he still goes ahead with the meeting abroad which personally I don't think I could do. It was a good book but I would've liked there to have been more about GenNext and what they were posting etc.

[Therese C · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I had some expectations for this book and it didn't reach them. I like Oli White as a youtuber but as a author he isn't as good.
It feels like the story just goes on to quickly in the first part of the book. It's understandable in way for the plot but that leads to that you don't get to know the character as well, only the main character. So they goes from strangers to best friend in a really short amount of pages.
Therefor you don't feel as much for them when something bad happens.

So I have to say that the book gets better in the end, when the timeline isn't jumping forward all the time. But I feel like it too late for that the 100 last pages. If the book had been that good all the way through it might have went along with my expectations better, but since it start of so bad I will only give it 2,5 stars.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it bothered me that the conversations were placed in single quotations, that can be overlooked. It was quite an interesting read and I salute of being able to create a new social media platform. Although some parts seemed rushed, it fit well with the story. I should also acknowledge Terry because I'm sure he helped with the process.

If someone would ask me what book they should read from a Youtuber, I would recommend this one.

When I first heard about it, I thought that I wouldn't buy it. But when I found out it was a fiction book, I decided to give it a go. Thank God I did.

[Madison Rowe]

This book is about Jack Penman. He is very good with technology and has a lot of struggles with bullying. He moves schools and meets a whole new group of friends. They create the website "GenNext" which is amazing for them but causes a lot of struggles. They deal with so many things and have to push through to be the best for GenNext. Eventually, it all comes out good and Jack and Ella finally beat the bullies and Jack gets his dream girl and dream group of friends.

[megan ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! For anyone who has big dreams, want to change the world, or be known for something you love! If you're not one of those people, just read it then! It's amazing! Would give it a million stars but ovbs you cant

[Ye Hang Yeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goddammit, Jack, we don't give a shit about your feelings. I give a shit about your company and the business you're creating. Reading this book feels like I'm reading a Whatsapp conversation. Too narrative.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty boring yet overwhelming to read. It wasn’t bad once you got past some of the authors way of speaking. I don’t really know what to say about it other than it gets pretty chaotic in the middle of the storyline.

[Ashley]

I dnf'ed around the 50 page mark normally I try to give it 100 pages but I just couldn't. The dialogue was so weird and the writing was stiff (no one talks like that) I'm just glad I found it at the Dollar tree for $1 or I'd be upset I waisted money on it

[Austin Perlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m honestly surprised at how much I liked this book! I bought a physical copy several years ago when every YouTuber was releasing a book, but honestly just never read it. I decided to listen to the audiobook and it was pretty good! I was hooked on the storyline and the characters!

[Yanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

In RCHK Library

[Daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book but not the best.

[Bookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though the plot is very old school, the actual idea is very unique.

[☯~☽~•Patricia Mainard•~☾~☯ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book.The book is easy to read, I finished this novel feeling fairly satisfied.