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Paper Dolls #1

Paper Dolls: Book One

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For fans of shows and books like "Pretty Little Liars" and "Big Little Lies." This dark romance is set in a private school along the California coast. A charismatic teacher has gotten his hands into something criminal. Two girls find themselves tangled up in his sticky web.Avery Lockhart and Olivia Holbrook are both good at everything they try. Avery is the star of the swim team and Olivia has captured every academic accolade that Huntington Prep has to offer. Yet, as two very different girls from very different backgrounds, their paths have never crossed. That changes when Olivia's favorite teacher assigns her to interview Avery for the yearbook. One simple meeting alters their potential paths, setting into motion a string of events that will make them realize that there's more to life than playing the roles that have been picked out for them.***This is the first book in the Paper Dolls Series. A Best-Seller in the Lesbian Romance genre.***

486 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2017

131 people are currently reading
236 people want to read

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Emma Chamberlain

19 books57 followers

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5 stars
138 (46%)
4 stars
65 (22%)
3 stars
48 (16%)
2 stars
27 (9%)
1 star
17 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for C.
737 reviews78 followers
May 10, 2017
I hate to be the downer but... 2.5*

So all the reviews on this book have been amazing so i figured what the heck...kindleUnlimited and I'm inbetween reads. I dont what it was but i could not get into this book or like the two main characters, Olivia and Avery.
So the book starts off with a pretty heavy topic...teacher (older male)/student (17 yr. old female) affair. It's basically an abusive affair and that made me cringe. But I read on and hoped it would be something close to "The Moments" (loved that book). But it really wasn't...at all. Once the two characters got together and the male teacher was "outed" it basically became a week of two neglected 17yr olds in a sexual circular whirlwind. Talk about going around and around. I just found myself skimming the story to see if it got much better but, to me, after the discovery, it lost me.
I gave it 2.5stars (round up to 3) mainly because it was a kindleUnlimited. I guess its just not my cup of tea.
Profile Image for Jo reece.
551 reviews60 followers
October 30, 2018
Sensitive issues tackled in this book and its done well! Its the beginning of a love story about two young woman Avery and Olivia. Both have two very different up bringing's, both been neglected at some point in there lives which as left some impact on there emotional state.

This story is brilliantly written. Im looking forward to the next book and seeing how there relationship grows.
Profile Image for Kexx.
2,341 reviews104 followers
January 26, 2020
I want to be fair on this series - it had me totally hooked for the first half of the 1st book - but as the angst grew, as hurdle after hurdle was raised, I had to do what the MC seemed incapable of doing - bail out. For me, it was too much, too intense. Sorry.
Profile Image for Danielle's.
Author 1 book169 followers
February 10, 2018
Paper Dolls is a gritty read not for the faint-hearted. Two girls, Both seem to have everything, but if you take a closer look they are both drowning.

Olivia is smart, beautiful and rich. Avery is athletic, gorgeous and popular. These two are complete opposites. Olivia is asked to interview Avery for the yearbook and for the very first time their paths are about to cross. The problem is Olivia doesn't want to do the interview and Avery doesn't want to answer the questions.
Avery has a few dark secrets and doesn't want to think about them. Simple questions just aren't that easy for her.

These two are a hot mess. Avery is dating a school teacher and Olivia is 'seeing' a girl casually. Their relationship with each other is intense, but is passion the way to light the fire? Both are afraid to let anyone close. Once they meet it becomes hard to resist.

Paper Dolls is the start of a new lesbian romance series following these two chapters. I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and dark, but with a happy ending. This book is worth the full 5 stars, however, I'm not sure if I'll read the next one. *kindle Unlimited read.
14 reviews
April 22, 2017
Great read!

It was so easy to get lost in this story. To feel everything that Olivia and Avery felt. Usually I'll like one character more than the other but with these two, it's hard to not like both them equally. Despite the grammatical errors, the words used to tell their story were intricately woven together. For the lack of better words, it's a beautiful hot mess. Can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Heather Henkel.
1,404 reviews23 followers
May 18, 2017
Intense

This in a really intense book with complex characters and themes. However it is also a very good coming of age story.
21 reviews1 follower
April 9, 2017
A must read

This is a must read. Once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down.
The characters have a wonderful depth that allows you to see the many different aspects of their personalities. Both of the main characters inner thoughts are clearly written to portray their personalities and gives the reader a way to see how their worlds can collide. Although there is a constant line of thought going along with the dialogue it is well balanced with action. The young lovers are refreshing and beautiful in their struggle to come into their own. I can't wait to see how Olivia and Avery's journey to adulthood comes to pass.
I have not encountered many books that have aptly portrayed the beautiful flawed inner workings of fictional individuals so well. This is definitely an amazing adventure that I highly recommend. I can't wait for the next installment.
1 review
May 5, 2017
Wonderful

It was addicting; I didn't want to put it down. I liked that for all the things they were uncertain about, they were never uncertain of their feelings for one another. Their feelings grew quickly and were intense. If I had not experienced something similar to their story, I would have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. This was absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to read more.

Side note: I really enjoyed the author notes considering that I read a ridiculous amount of fan fiction and it reminded me of them. I felt so strongly when The 100 killed off Lexa.
We need stories like this and I can't thank you guys enough for putting it out there. :)
605 reviews10 followers
August 12, 2017
FROM ALONENESS TO TOGETHERNESS!?!

This book is ohh... soo.. Involved with two young women finding Miss Right! Emma, the author, takes us on an adventure that makes our emotions soar one minute and descend the next; YOU might think this chaotic but you have to feel IT to know it's not. You will sometimes feel it's repetitive BUT you need to consider the circumstances, the setting and how WILDLY young women's feelings can go completely out of control!!!

This book will give you a new look at LOVE 💘 in only the way that two young women can see IT!

You'll want to get this book TODAY! You won't regret it.
22 reviews
May 6, 2017
Absolutely fell in love with the characters from the very beginning. It has dark undertones and is tragic while at the same time beautiful and has the ability to make your heart soar. The relationships between the characters is written so well and feels so real. It has some very well written passionate scenes and does not disappoint. I will regularly read this book for the rest of my life. I can only hope the second holds up the theme and tones with which this book is written. Bravo authors, I couldn't have enjoyed this book more.
Profile Image for Chelsea Zimmerman.
190 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2018
This is easily one of the hardest books I've ever trudged through. I'm at least giving it 2 stars because it had amazing potential in the beginning but the second half made me want to pull my hair out. I hardly even read the back half, I skimmed through most of it because we kept getting the same thing from two perspectives over and over again. Also hello, took the lesbian uhaul troupe a little too seriously!! I can easily understand how there are five more books in this series, but from what I can tell there probably only needs to be about two. Holy freaking cannoli.
Profile Image for Dannica.
837 reviews33 followers
October 22, 2018
In May I read the book Liar, Liar, Maxonfire by Blythe Stone. I thought it was overdramatic but also oddly relatable. So I wanted to give her work another try, and I headed for the series she's writing with Emma Chamberlain, Paper Dolls. This is the first book in this series (which I managed to borrow over Kindle). It's...mmm.

Well, Blythe Stone's style remains constant here (tho mixed with Chamberlain's, I suppose) and it's unfortunately quite overdone. It seems like every time one of the main characters says two sentences we need three paragraphs describing their emotions, how upset or in love they are, which is more than I need. I had some other issues too. There is some strong, strong instalove here. Our MCs basically fall in love as soon as they meet, decide that their (nonexistent at this point) relationship is the best thing to ever happen to them, and . And the love here is definitely the most dramatic kind of "true love" possible. In some ways that was kind of fun in a tropey way, but when the greatness of their love for each other continued to be reiterated on every other page, I got kind of tired of it.

Despite this, I actually found I liked the two main characters. They both have a lot of issues, but I liked how the authors made them both different and oddly similar, and how unreliable the narration is, with each POV telling the story from a very subjective standpoint. You can kind of understand how their obsession with each other grows fiercer and fiercer over the course of the story--but honestly, I would call their relationship more based in obsession than love. It starts with some mild stalking and escalates into vows of eternal love combined with a jealousy of each other's friends. And it was certainly an interestingly dysfunctional relationship, but because the narration feels so unreliable, you can't tell whether you as the reader are supposed to see that or think that it's actually healthy. So...idk.

I kind of felt like the ending dragged, too--this book is just too long. Somehow, tho, I still kind of want to read the sequel and see if the relationship ends up being fixed or if it stays as obsessive and weird as it is. And I just kind of care about the main characters? I would like to see what happens to them. I think Blythe Stone (and now Emma Chamberlain) is still addictive, a guilty pleasure. Anyways the next book is about a hundred pages shorter so it might be worth a go.

Content warnings: Attempted sexual assault, stalking/obsessive behavior, and abusive sexual relationships (including one between a teacher and a student).
37 reviews
July 8, 2017
This book is awesome!

I've been questioning my sexuality recently, so, I've been on a lesbian romance marathon. This book happened to pop up as a recommendation on Amazon. I literally judged a book by it's cover and decided to buy it! It's available on Kindle unlimited, but I'm not a huge fan of unlimited since I believe authors deserve to make more money for the effort they put in. Anyway, I bought both book 1 and book 2 based on the cover alone :D

I wasn't expecting much to begin with.. because I've read A LOT of lesbian YA novels in the past month or so.. but the second I read the first chapter I knew I was going to love this book.. there's a darkness and depth to the characters and dialogue which most of the lesbian romance novels seem to lack.

I love both the main characters! They are beautiful and flawed and complex and very human.. they hide from the rest of the world but wear their insecurities on their sleeves when it comes to each other.. I REALLY got attached to both of them.

I think it really helps to have chapters written from alternating POVs, because we can see what the relationship means to both the characters. I had a very clear picture of the psychological make up of each of the characters quarter way into the book.. and I really liked how both of them are so different from each other but they are also kind of the same deep inside. Both feel alienated/abandoned and unworthy of love.

The story itself is heavy on dialogue (and internal monologue) and I love that because it takes the trouble to flesh things out to make the characters believable. These really are the questions and insecurities most of us struggle with. I wish we'd all have the guts to be that honest with ourselves and each other though, like these characters.

The sex scenes are hot AF. I wasn't really expecting it, but I really enjoyed reading because the sex kinda helped with the character/plot development.

It's kinda funny too. Avery has a nice sense of humour and their banter is cute if nothing else.

Anyway, Emma and Blythe, you guys are doing a great job and I'm definitely a fan!
Profile Image for J. Peters.
175 reviews13 followers
September 10, 2017
For roughly the first half, I was invested enough in the story. The premise was pretty good, the set up was interesting, and I liked the characters for the most part.

But the problems that were there in the first half became more pronounced for me over time. This is a subjective problem of course, but...

The main characters spend a lot of time in their heads, circling the same questions over and over for the entirety of the novel, even after things start to progress in the relationship front. The book spends so much time in their heads, going over the same things from different perspectives, that by the end, it became a sort of noise.

Like another reviewer here, I ended up speed reading/skimming through a lot of the back half. There was some interesting stuff there, like the conversations with friends at the hotel, but overall...it wasn't enough to keep my interest. It felt like the plot just came to a grinding halt and repeated the same story motions again and again until the end.

Maybe it just wasn't for me, but it reminded me a lot of some fanfiction I've read in the past. A lot of the repetitiveness needed to be trimmed down. I won't be checking out the sequel. I can understand why the book has it's fans though - I just don't think this style of writing is for me.
Profile Image for JulesGP.
650 reviews231 followers
April 28, 2018
Two young women in High School, one a Type A super achiever and the other, a popular, sports star, clash while doing a yearbook interview. As oftentimes happens when you actually meet the near stranger that "you can't stand," those preconceptions fall away and you're left with actually getting to know the real person. After meeting, their falling in love is quick and explosive, more like fire and and dynamite than something easy. This book was not a simple read. Much like their relationship, it was filled with pain and demons. Both Avery and Olivia are embroiled in emotional chaos and violence in their separate lives which would have made the book almost unbearable but for the saving grace of their newfound love and respect for one another. The gentle moments between them as well as their passion keep us invested in them until the end. The last few chapters did become a little scary given the raw intensity of this new love but of course, it also made me curious as to what happens next. Great book.
1,190 reviews5 followers
May 12, 2022
If you are looking for the typical cheerleader-geek feelgood romance you have probably picked up the wrong book. These are two damaged girls finding each other and performing mutual therapy.
It is a very intense book, guess it couldn't not be given the subject matter.
Abusive relationships of different kinds are the girls backgrounds and we find ourselves watching their relationship progress even through their emotional baggage.
A very heavy book but ultimately a message of hope that bad choices are not the end.
Very highly recommended and cant wait to follow Olivia and Avery on the next stage of their journey
109 reviews
April 10, 2021
Love comes around once in a lifetime.

I love the story from the beginning and how Avery and olivia meet she was going too interview her for the school yearbook they started off not liking one another then they finally got too talk too each other and they ended up fallen for each other but before they got together Avery had a hard time trusting anyone until she meet olivia and they talk about what is going on in they life.
22 reviews
September 14, 2017
How can one described this novel

Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. This book reminds me of my wife and I. The love just doesn't stop. I knew I would marry her at her first smile. That was 53 years ago and I love her more today than then. I will say this to all those that can, read this. In this world we all need more love.
48 reviews
November 23, 2018
It’s all downhill from the beginning.

The story starts out interestingly enough, but at the halfway point takes a severe nose dive. It moves from an actual story to a never ending heap of repeated dialogue, inner monologues, arguments and sex. It had potential, but that potential was wasted in the end.
Profile Image for Boo Vickery.
79 reviews10 followers
March 11, 2019
Best Lesbian romance!!

I think both girls had a great different personality. I loved them both for different reasons.

You felt sad, happy, excited and scared when each of the girls did. I was very happy to read so much of their romance. It is nice to see such a nice book of Lesbian romance, where the characters aren't put down for who they like.

I will be reading more of this series!
Profile Image for Naomi.
24 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2020
🤨🤨

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this , the first couple hundred pages I really like and that would of been 4 stars but it kind of went down hill. It was too long, it honestly could of been like 300 pages at most. Am I going to continue with the series ?? Properly not
But the character relationship at the start was cute.
1 review
July 1, 2025
30% mutual unhealthy obsessive romance presented as 'real love'. 60% smut 10% plot. Hoped the ending would bring some actual story to the table but it ends on a very obviously purposefully unsatisfying 'cliffhanger' with notes of the author referring to the next book so you'll be pushed to buy the sequal.
30 reviews
October 15, 2017
Wow

Thank you for this, sometimes hard to read book. I picked it up and didn't stop till the end. The two main characters are complex but more real somehow. I think the writing is clever but not too full of it's self. I look forward to the next part. But I need to lie down first.😴
Profile Image for Lee.
33 reviews
May 20, 2018
Long But Very Good

I enjoyed this story and can’t wait for the next one. I relate so much to Olivia that it’s a little scary. I love how she is with Avery and even though I think they moved too fast I like them together.
74 reviews3 followers
January 28, 2019
Realistic

As a teacher it was really difficult to read the part evolving Ben. The way these 2 girls are described emotionally made me reflect on my own high school years and how lost I was at the time.
26 reviews
April 17, 2019
Devoured this book! Captures the feelings of my first love as a sophomore in high school. I’ve always felt fortunate to have loved with such intensity and openness.

You only have one first love. I wish all were like Avery’s and Olivia’s.
17 reviews
June 13, 2017
Great read!

I was hooked from the beginning. Thank you for bringing this story to Amazon unlimited. I look forward to more of Avery and Olivia.
Profile Image for Marty Preslar.
Author 3 books14 followers
September 15, 2017
Emotional and powerful

There is a great deal of depth to both protagonists in this story. The emotional rollercoaster they go through in book one left me wanting more.
1 review
October 18, 2018
Awesome!!

Great so far!! Thank you!! I can’t wait to read the other books!! You guys are great!! This is so not a boring book at all!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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