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Faking 19
Two girls. Two fake ID's. One little white lie.
On the surface, seventeen year-old Alex has it made. She's beautiful and smart, plus, she's best friends with M, the absolute most popular girl in school. Feeling bored with their affluent Orange County suburban town, Alex and M decide to check out L.A.'s glitzy nightlife scene.
Pretending to be nineteen, Alex and M, meet Trevor and Connor, two rich older guys. At first, Alex can't believe her luck—she gets to hang out at hip Hollywood house parties and downtown L.A. clubs. These weekend trips into the city become the perfect distraction for Alex, who is secretly struggling with her failing senior-year grades, her absentee father, and her clueless mom.
But after the initial fun wears off for Alex, she is forced to reevaluate her friendship with M, who is hiding some secrets beneath her perfect Burberry-clad exterior...
On the surface, seventeen year-old Alex has it made. She's beautiful and smart, plus, she's best friends with M, the absolute most popular girl in school. Feeling bored with their affluent Orange County suburban town, Alex and M decide to check out L.A.'s glitzy nightlife scene.
Pretending to be nineteen, Alex and M, meet Trevor and Connor, two rich older guys. At first, Alex can't believe her luck—she gets to hang out at hip Hollywood house parties and downtown L.A. clubs. These weekend trips into the city become the perfect distraction for Alex, who is secretly struggling with her failing senior-year grades, her absentee father, and her clueless mom.
But after the initial fun wears off for Alex, she is forced to reevaluate her friendship with M, who is hiding some secrets beneath her perfect Burberry-clad exterior...
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
55 people are currently reading
2338 people want to read
About the author
Alyson Noel
81 books15.8k followers*Note to readers: I'm slowly adding to the long list of books I've read, books I'm reading, and books I want to read. I only add books I loved, hence all my ratings are 5 stars.
Alyson Noël is the #1 NYT best-selling author of many award-winning and critically acclaimed novels for readers of all ages.
With 9 NYT bestsellers and millions of copies in print, her books have been translated into 36 languages, and have topped the NYT, USA Today, LA Times, Publisher’s Weekly, Wall Street Journal, NCIBA, and Walmart Bestsellers lists, as well as several international bestsellers lists.
She is best known for THE IMMORTALS series, THE RILEY BLOOM series, and SAVING ZOË, which was adapted into a movie now available on Amazon.
Upcoming works include:
RULING DESTINY- book 2, in the STEALING INFINITY series
STEALING INFINITY- Optioned for TV by Valhalla Entertainment - available now!
FIELD GUIDE TO THE SUPERNATURAL UNIVERSE - Optioned for TV by producers Charles Matthau and Michael Zoumas with Andrew Orenstein and Matt Hastings attached as show runners
Born and raised in Orange County, California, she’s lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan and is now settled in Southern California. Learn more at www.alysonnoel.com.
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/alyson_noel
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlysonNoel/
Facebook:
Official me: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alyson...
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/alysonnoel/
Alyson Noël is the #1 NYT best-selling author of many award-winning and critically acclaimed novels for readers of all ages.
With 9 NYT bestsellers and millions of copies in print, her books have been translated into 36 languages, and have topped the NYT, USA Today, LA Times, Publisher’s Weekly, Wall Street Journal, NCIBA, and Walmart Bestsellers lists, as well as several international bestsellers lists.
She is best known for THE IMMORTALS series, THE RILEY BLOOM series, and SAVING ZOË, which was adapted into a movie now available on Amazon.
Upcoming works include:
RULING DESTINY- book 2, in the STEALING INFINITY series
STEALING INFINITY- Optioned for TV by Valhalla Entertainment - available now!
FIELD GUIDE TO THE SUPERNATURAL UNIVERSE - Optioned for TV by producers Charles Matthau and Michael Zoumas with Andrew Orenstein and Matt Hastings attached as show runners
Born and raised in Orange County, California, she’s lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan and is now settled in Southern California. Learn more at www.alysonnoel.com.
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/alyson_noel
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlysonNoel/
Facebook:
Official me: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alyson...
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/alysonnoel/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
September 5, 2012
Before Reading: Oh, look! Alyson Noel's very first book!
I can't wait to read it! The Immortals was so goddamn awful that it made me so ANGRY!! I hope her first book is so much better than her immortal fantasy crap!
After Reading:
What the damning fuck did I just read!!!??
WARNING: This review has A LOT of spoilers. But, then again, SINCE WHEN DO I GIVE A FUCK?!
Almost, but not quite.
This is the stupidest girly book I'd ever read!!
Alex is a fucking idiot, the plot is ridiculous, and the writing was awful!!
GAH!! Don't believe me? Well, here goes . . .
Alex, the main character, is extremely rude and stupid. And she's extremely judgmental of ever girl she meets.She pretty much calls every girl a bitch. "Oh, this annoying girl just wants my paper, so she can turn it to the teacher! What a bitch!!" And let's not forget this little gem:
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH.
And let's not forget how dependent she is of M (Madison), her best friend. I bet that if M told her to rob a bank, she'll do it in a hearbeat. The plot is that they pretend to be 19, so they can get into clubs and anything adult. Then, they meet two older guys: Trevor, who is the guy version of Gwen Stefani. And Connor Firth (Yes! That's his name!) who is "Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley's kid if they haven't broken up and she hadn't gotten knocked up by that other guy who thought he wasn't the dad but then it turned out he really was."
Yes, that's exactly how Connor is described. If you don't believe me, check this book out, and go to page 57.
And he's British. Oops, sorry! I mean English. That's so original. *rolls eyes*
And he has swimming-pool blue eyes. Enough said.
Moving on . . .
Alex is obsessed with Richard Branson. You know the man who is extremely rich and wrote that book Losing My Virginity. And she's also obsessed--obviously--with virginity. She is so obsessed that you're going to have get used to the fact that it's all over the book.
Losing her virginity is her main goal before graduating. Which is something that she'll never accomplish. Graduating, that is. You see, for some strange reason (it's never explained), Alex suddenly doesn't care about her grades and her education. She's the poster girl of "I don't give a fuck about nothin'". As long as her dad pays her scholarship for college, it doesn't matter, right? Not only is she rude and stupid, she is also a spoiled brat. That explains everything.
And remember when I said that she's obsessed with losing her virginity before graduating? Mainly because her friend M is telling her to do that. What a wonderful friend. When she meets Connor again (and after her friend forces her to have sex), she has this thought:
What the hell does that even mean?! Start what? Touching a penis? You want the guy to start touching his penis before you do? You enjoy watching someone masturbating before you? I-I-I-I . . . Wow. I have no words.
And after a very few hangouts, they're at his house, the music is set, they take off their clothes.
And she gives him a blowjob.
This might as well be Alex's theme song: ITALIAN, BUT SUITABLE. AND IT WILL MAKE YOUR EARS BLEED.
See that? That's quality writing right there. Tara Gilesbie will be so proud.
And the act of statutory rape was done.
Yikes.
When she wakes up, she thinks she's in love with him!!! I guess sex does equal love after all.
And when she accidentally reveals her secret of being only 17,--cue to Connor freaking out that he had sex with a minor--she just shrugs and says:
UGH. What a cold-hearted bitch. You tricked this guy into sleeping with you (and making him commit a crime by accident, no less!) and that's all you can say?
Why, you--
He did forgive her (!!!), but they didn't come back together.
Phew.
And what about M (Madison)? If Vee from Hush, Hush and her were competing for the "Worst Friend" award, it will be a tie!!
A tie!!
Just because your family is rich, doesn't mean that you have to force your friend to do whatever you want. Then again, I was expecting Alex to become independent and be her own person. But Madison life isn't perfect! Gasp. What? Her father is cheating on her mother, and her mother doesn't care. And she does drugs. Cocaine, to be exact. Alex did knew that she was doing drugs, but all of the sudden she is all:
"NO!! M doing drugs?! Why? I can't even!! Why? But she is so perfect! How could this happen?!"
Oh, cry me a fucking river.
At the second half of this book, she becomes an even bigger bitch, and Alex finally realizes that. Then, Alex became all mad that M's mother accused her of giving drugs to M, and she finally dumps her.
And the writing. Oh, the writing. So much telling. I couldn't take it. Never in my life have I seen so much telling. Besides Melody Carlson's writing. Shudder. There was also the verbal tic of "I mean". I hated that in The Immortals series the verbal tics were "I put my lips together", "squinting", and FUCKING "tingle and heat"!! I GET IT!! MOVE THE FUCK ON!! But, here, the "I mean" tic was extremely overused. I actually COUNTED how many times it was used!!
Number of times that "I mean" was used: 123 times!!
That's right!! 123 "I means" in a 224 paged book. That's at least 1.8 "I means" in one page. Sometimes there were 3 "I means" in just one page.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
The only good thing was the ending. Alex wins some art contest, smiles at M, and finally gets her happily ever after. Yaaaaay.
And guess what? It took Alyson Noel FIFTEEN years to do this book!
FROM HER SITE.
Laziness or incompetence. You decide.
I know this is her first book, but still!
It was terrible!!
Peace out!
Until next time!
BONUS TIME!!
I SERIOUSLY NEED IT!!!
I can't wait to read it! The Immortals was so goddamn awful that it made me so ANGRY!! I hope her first book is so much better than her immortal fantasy crap!
After Reading:
What the damning fuck did I just read!!!??
WARNING: This review has A LOT of spoilers. But, then again, SINCE WHEN DO I GIVE A FUCK?!
Almost, but not quite.
This is the stupidest girly book I'd ever read!!
Alex is a fucking idiot, the plot is ridiculous, and the writing was awful!!
GAH!! Don't believe me? Well, here goes . . .
Alex, the main character, is extremely rude and stupid. And she's extremely judgmental of ever girl she meets.She pretty much calls every girl a bitch. "Oh, this annoying girl just wants my paper, so she can turn it to the teacher! What a bitch!!" And let's not forget this little gem:
"Probably more like that girl who plays Sabrina the Teenage Bitch." pg. 45
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH.
And let's not forget how dependent she is of M (Madison), her best friend. I bet that if M told her to rob a bank, she'll do it in a hearbeat. The plot is that they pretend to be 19, so they can get into clubs and anything adult. Then, they meet two older guys: Trevor, who is the guy version of Gwen Stefani. And Connor Firth (Yes! That's his name!) who is "Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley's kid if they haven't broken up and she hadn't gotten knocked up by that other guy who thought he wasn't the dad but then it turned out he really was."
Yes, that's exactly how Connor is described. If you don't believe me, check this book out, and go to page 57.
And he's British. Oops, sorry! I mean English. That's so original. *rolls eyes*
And he has swimming-pool blue eyes. Enough said.
Moving on . . .
Alex is obsessed with Richard Branson. You know the man who is extremely rich and wrote that book Losing My Virginity. And she's also obsessed--obviously--with virginity. She is so obsessed that you're going to have get used to the fact that it's all over the book.
Losing her virginity is her main goal before graduating. Which is something that she'll never accomplish. Graduating, that is. You see, for some strange reason (it's never explained), Alex suddenly doesn't care about her grades and her education. She's the poster girl of "I don't give a fuck about nothin'". As long as her dad pays her scholarship for college, it doesn't matter, right? Not only is she rude and stupid, she is also a spoiled brat. That explains everything.
And remember when I said that she's obsessed with losing her virginity before graduating? Mainly because her friend M is telling her to do that. What a wonderful friend. When she meets Connor again (and after her friend forces her to have sex), she has this thought:
"It's not that I've never touched a penis before, because I have, but I just don't want to be the one to start that." pg 54
What the hell does that even mean?! Start what? Touching a penis? You want the guy to start touching his penis before you do? You enjoy watching someone masturbating before you? I-I-I-I . . . Wow. I have no words.
And after a very few hangouts, they're at his house, the music is set, they take off their clothes.
And she gives him a blowjob.
This might as well be Alex's theme song: ITALIAN, BUT SUITABLE. AND IT WILL MAKE YOUR EARS BLEED.
Then all of sudden he's inside me and we do it again. And then we go to his bedroom and fall sleep. And it didn't hurt, and I didn't bleed, so go figure. pg 97
See that? That's quality writing right there. Tara Gilesbie will be so proud.
And the act of statutory rape was done.
Yikes.
When she wakes up, she thinks she's in love with him!!! I guess sex does equal love after all.
And when she accidentally reveals her secret of being only 17,--cue to Connor freaking out that he had sex with a minor--she just shrugs and says:
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I disappointed you, I'm sorry I lied. But I had a nice time last night. Thank you."
UGH. What a cold-hearted bitch. You tricked this guy into sleeping with you (and making him commit a crime by accident, no less!) and that's all you can say?
Why, you--
He did forgive her (!!!), but they didn't come back together.
Phew.
And what about M (Madison)? If Vee from Hush, Hush and her were competing for the "Worst Friend" award, it will be a tie!!
A tie!!
Just because your family is rich, doesn't mean that you have to force your friend to do whatever you want. Then again, I was expecting Alex to become independent and be her own person. But Madison life isn't perfect! Gasp. What? Her father is cheating on her mother, and her mother doesn't care. And she does drugs. Cocaine, to be exact. Alex did knew that she was doing drugs, but all of the sudden she is all:
"NO!! M doing drugs?! Why? I can't even!! Why? But she is so perfect! How could this happen?!"
Oh, cry me a fucking river.
At the second half of this book, she becomes an even bigger bitch, and Alex finally realizes that. Then, Alex became all mad that M's mother accused her of giving drugs to M, and she finally dumps her.
And the writing. Oh, the writing. So much telling. I couldn't take it. Never in my life have I seen so much telling. Besides Melody Carlson's writing. Shudder. There was also the verbal tic of "I mean". I hated that in The Immortals series the verbal tics were "I put my lips together", "squinting", and FUCKING "tingle and heat"!! I GET IT!! MOVE THE FUCK ON!! But, here, the "I mean" tic was extremely overused. I actually COUNTED how many times it was used!!
Number of times that "I mean" was used: 123 times!!
That's right!! 123 "I means" in a 224 paged book. That's at least 1.8 "I means" in one page. Sometimes there were 3 "I means" in just one page.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
The only good thing was the ending. Alex wins some art contest, smiles at M, and finally gets her happily ever after. Yaaaaay.
And guess what? It took Alyson Noel FIFTEEN years to do this book!
FROM HER SITE.
Laziness or incompetence. You decide.
I know this is her first book, but still!
It was terrible!!
Peace out!
Until next time!
BONUS TIME!!
I SERIOUSLY NEED IT!!!
November 24, 2012
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Alyson Noël took me for a joyride in FAKING 19 into the oh-so-fabulous, wild party life of two beautiful high school seniors in SoCal. At first glance, Alex may seem like she has it all. She's pretty, smart, and her best friend is the most popular girl at school, M. But the truth is, Alex has some pretty hefty family problems and she's undergoing a major identity crisis. Oh, and on top of all that, she's failing all of her classes and might not graduate from high school, never mind college.
Alex wasn't always this way. Freshman and sophomore years, she was on top of her game, a straight-A honors student. Those were her glory years. Now, she'd much rather hit the L.A. club scene with M every night instead of worrying about something trivial like her grades. It doesn't matter anyway; her dad won't pay for her to go to college, so what's the point?
One day, when Alex and M are out on the town, they meet a couple of cute, older British guys. Connor and Trevor are attractive and charming, and the girls immediately fall for them. Connor owns a record label and is filthy rich. Alex thinks that he just might be her ticket out of her dull life, and then she won't even need that college education her counselor so desperately wants her to achieve.
But when everything doesn't go exactly as Alex fantasizes, she realizes that the only person she can count on is herself. Ultimately, Alex discovers that there's more to life than who's wearing the prettiest dress or who snags the hottest guy.
Even though this book is about gorgeous teenage girls going clubbing in L.A., Alyson Noël still manages to create characters that I can identify with. Underneath the glamorous exterior, Alex is just another girl struggling to get through her high school years. Along the way, she learns an invaluable rule of life: Success is a gift that you give to yourself.
Alyson Noël took me for a joyride in FAKING 19 into the oh-so-fabulous, wild party life of two beautiful high school seniors in SoCal. At first glance, Alex may seem like she has it all. She's pretty, smart, and her best friend is the most popular girl at school, M. But the truth is, Alex has some pretty hefty family problems and she's undergoing a major identity crisis. Oh, and on top of all that, she's failing all of her classes and might not graduate from high school, never mind college.
Alex wasn't always this way. Freshman and sophomore years, she was on top of her game, a straight-A honors student. Those were her glory years. Now, she'd much rather hit the L.A. club scene with M every night instead of worrying about something trivial like her grades. It doesn't matter anyway; her dad won't pay for her to go to college, so what's the point?
One day, when Alex and M are out on the town, they meet a couple of cute, older British guys. Connor and Trevor are attractive and charming, and the girls immediately fall for them. Connor owns a record label and is filthy rich. Alex thinks that he just might be her ticket out of her dull life, and then she won't even need that college education her counselor so desperately wants her to achieve.
But when everything doesn't go exactly as Alex fantasizes, she realizes that the only person she can count on is herself. Ultimately, Alex discovers that there's more to life than who's wearing the prettiest dress or who snags the hottest guy.
Even though this book is about gorgeous teenage girls going clubbing in L.A., Alyson Noël still manages to create characters that I can identify with. Underneath the glamorous exterior, Alex is just another girl struggling to get through her high school years. Along the way, she learns an invaluable rule of life: Success is a gift that you give to yourself.
December 17, 2012
I first would like to say that I am very tired at the moment and apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors you might see throughout this review.
We might not even call this a review. More of a rant. If you are a fan of Alyson Noel's book "Faking 19," I think that is grand. We are all entitled to our own opinions and that's what makes literature and life, in general, great.
However, I have a very different view and perspective of this book. The author must have been drunk while writing this load of garbage. I do realize this was her first novel, but really? C'MON.
Plot: Basically take Gossip Girl and Twenty Boy Summer and mix them together! Sounds great right? WRONG! Although I ADORE those novels, this book was a nightmare. I had no idea where the plot was heading towards! 200 pages later, I kept thinking, "What is the actual purpose or plot of this book?!" it was excruciating to finish this book.
Imagine this: Two best friends, Alex and M. They live in Orange County, California and are seniors. They start going on trips to L.A. and 15 pages into the book.... THEY MEET SOME GUYS. Shocker right. Also, this is another book where they take virginity so lightly. M says losing your virginity is not a big deal and Alex says that her virginity isn't even sacred. Like um. So both pretend to be 19 and that is basically it. I bet you are screaming with joy right now on how amazing this book sounds! Yeah. It could've been an AMAZING book. Like maybe a one night stand robbery or a wreck? But no. Just clubs. Nothing new.
Characters: OH GOD. The characters.
Alex - For me to like a book, my main priority is to like the main character. Unfortunately, I had no sympathy or feelings whatsoever towards Alex.
Alex used to be the Golden Girl. Straight As. Talented. Then she just throws it all away. She no longer cares about school. Doesn't care about getting into college. All Alex does is be virginity obsessed and a little puppet towards M. Oh, mentioning M, that annoyed the utter crap out of me when she would call her friend by her initial the entire time! I only found her real name once in the book, Madison. Anyways, let me mention some of the things she does about her grades. And some other sentences and remarks she makes.
Pg. 111 "I mean, I didn't even read the questions. I just made a perfect zigzag by shading in the a, b, c, d, and circles..."
?????
And let's not forget the comments she makes while losing her virginity!
Pg. 96 "And it didn't hurt, and I didn't bleed, so go figure."
Next M - M had to be the most intolerable character I have ever read about. She and Alex say "I mean" and "Let's go to L.A." at least, I don't know.... A MILLION TIMES. Secondly, she is the worst friend anyone could possibly have. She is selfish, rude, and overall anybody you would not want as a friend.
As for the romance, it sucked along with everything else. Towards the end, I started to like Guy, but then Alyson just took him out of the story!
Well I'm now very tired, and I could go on for days and days about this mess on paper.
Have a wonderful holiday break everyone!
We might not even call this a review. More of a rant. If you are a fan of Alyson Noel's book "Faking 19," I think that is grand. We are all entitled to our own opinions and that's what makes literature and life, in general, great.
However, I have a very different view and perspective of this book. The author must have been drunk while writing this load of garbage. I do realize this was her first novel, but really? C'MON.
Plot: Basically take Gossip Girl and Twenty Boy Summer and mix them together! Sounds great right? WRONG! Although I ADORE those novels, this book was a nightmare. I had no idea where the plot was heading towards! 200 pages later, I kept thinking, "What is the actual purpose or plot of this book?!" it was excruciating to finish this book.
Imagine this: Two best friends, Alex and M. They live in Orange County, California and are seniors. They start going on trips to L.A. and 15 pages into the book.... THEY MEET SOME GUYS. Shocker right. Also, this is another book where they take virginity so lightly. M says losing your virginity is not a big deal and Alex says that her virginity isn't even sacred. Like um. So both pretend to be 19 and that is basically it. I bet you are screaming with joy right now on how amazing this book sounds! Yeah. It could've been an AMAZING book. Like maybe a one night stand robbery or a wreck? But no. Just clubs. Nothing new.
Characters: OH GOD. The characters.
Alex - For me to like a book, my main priority is to like the main character. Unfortunately, I had no sympathy or feelings whatsoever towards Alex.
Alex used to be the Golden Girl. Straight As. Talented. Then she just throws it all away. She no longer cares about school. Doesn't care about getting into college. All Alex does is be virginity obsessed and a little puppet towards M. Oh, mentioning M, that annoyed the utter crap out of me when she would call her friend by her initial the entire time! I only found her real name once in the book, Madison. Anyways, let me mention some of the things she does about her grades. And some other sentences and remarks she makes.
Pg. 111 "I mean, I didn't even read the questions. I just made a perfect zigzag by shading in the a, b, c, d, and circles..."
?????
And let's not forget the comments she makes while losing her virginity!
Pg. 96 "And it didn't hurt, and I didn't bleed, so go figure."
Next M - M had to be the most intolerable character I have ever read about. She and Alex say "I mean" and "Let's go to L.A." at least, I don't know.... A MILLION TIMES. Secondly, she is the worst friend anyone could possibly have. She is selfish, rude, and overall anybody you would not want as a friend.
As for the romance, it sucked along with everything else. Towards the end, I started to like Guy, but then Alyson just took him out of the story!
Well I'm now very tired, and I could go on for days and days about this mess on paper.
Have a wonderful holiday break everyone!
October 30, 2011
This reminds me of McCafferty with her use of language.
I really like McCafferty - Jessica Darling's books are like Seinfeld, but teenage girl. To me.
When I was about halfway through this, I read the other reviews. Anyone who gave this a bad review, doesn't appreciate voice.
I found it realistic, while still remaining fun. Definitely a worthwhile read.
I really like McCafferty - Jessica Darling's books are like Seinfeld, but teenage girl. To me.
When I was about halfway through this, I read the other reviews. Anyone who gave this a bad review, doesn't appreciate voice.
I found it realistic, while still remaining fun. Definitely a worthwhile read.
May 22, 2013
Unlike most people, I actually found this book in my library as part of a two-novels-in-one book called 'Keeping Secrets.' The blurb was as follows:
'We usually tell our best friends everything. Our crushes, our embarrassing stories, our secrets-but sometimes there are truths so deep and dark that we can't tell anyone. Not our parents, not our sisters...not even our best friends. Some secrets are so unspeakable that we keep them safely locked away so no one will ever discover them.
But what happens when they become more than you can handle alone? In these two magnificent novels, two girls can't tell anyone about the terrible burdens they carry. But as they're about to learn, it's not our secrets that matter-but those who will still love us once they learn the truth.'
Oh fab, I thought, this sounds good. I was really looking forward to what these 'secrets so unspeakable' might be; to reading about 'the terrible burdens' the protagonists carry. I absolutely couldn't wait. So I promply began to read the first story of the book, 'Faking 19.' I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more.
It started off well. It was about a girl named Alex who used to be a popular, straight-A student but for some unexplained reason her grades went downhill (which was one of the major qualms in the book for me - the author never told us why this was). Anyway, she and her popular rich-girl best friend, M (another qualm - what sort of annoying, idiotic name is that? When her real name was revealed, it bore no relevance to the story whatsoever!) go off to LA where they meet two older guys, Connor and Trevor. Alex lies about her age, claiming to be 19, which is where the title comes from.
This turned out to be completely pointless, however, because halfway through the story she confesses her real age to him. So he breaks up with her. And then they're back together. And then they break up. You get the idea. And the rest of the book continues in this dull, repetitive fashion - with M treating Alex like dirt a couple of times in between - and that's when it begins to feel like a very long episode of Gossip Girl.
I just kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. There was one point where Alex and Connor slept together and I thought, aha, I bet Alex gets pregnant! I bet that's the big terrifying secret that she can't tell anyone! But did it happen? No.
Then there was another time when Alex caught her best friend snorting lines of cocaine. And I thought, Oh God, this is it, Alex is going to fall into heroin addiction or something and THAT's going to be the big unspeakable secret! Did it happen? No.
So what was the big secret?
Ready?
Wait for it...
There wasn't one.
Yup, you heard right! There was no big secret whatsoever. No devastating climax. No action. Just a tangled series of sub-plots, where Alex meets a guy, Alex is refused money from her father, and Alex fails a test at school. And that's essentially everything that happens in this book. No joke.
I'm being very generous and giving this book three stars because although I was disappointed - no, downright deceived - it wasn't God-awful. It wasn't so terrible that I had to force myself to read it, like a number of other books. And although this book was so lacking in action, the last book I read before this was filled to the brim with action and plot twists and THAT, I can say, was 10x worse.
I'm just glad that I borrowed this from a library and didn't waste seven quid on it. I'd only recommend it if you're looking for a quick chic-flick to amuse you for a few hours. Disappointment!
'We usually tell our best friends everything. Our crushes, our embarrassing stories, our secrets-but sometimes there are truths so deep and dark that we can't tell anyone. Not our parents, not our sisters...not even our best friends. Some secrets are so unspeakable that we keep them safely locked away so no one will ever discover them.
But what happens when they become more than you can handle alone? In these two magnificent novels, two girls can't tell anyone about the terrible burdens they carry. But as they're about to learn, it's not our secrets that matter-but those who will still love us once they learn the truth.'
Oh fab, I thought, this sounds good. I was really looking forward to what these 'secrets so unspeakable' might be; to reading about 'the terrible burdens' the protagonists carry. I absolutely couldn't wait. So I promply began to read the first story of the book, 'Faking 19.' I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more.
It started off well. It was about a girl named Alex who used to be a popular, straight-A student but for some unexplained reason her grades went downhill (which was one of the major qualms in the book for me - the author never told us why this was). Anyway, she and her popular rich-girl best friend, M (another qualm - what sort of annoying, idiotic name is that? When her real name was revealed, it bore no relevance to the story whatsoever!) go off to LA where they meet two older guys, Connor and Trevor. Alex lies about her age, claiming to be 19, which is where the title comes from.
This turned out to be completely pointless, however, because halfway through the story she confesses her real age to him. So he breaks up with her. And then they're back together. And then they break up. You get the idea. And the rest of the book continues in this dull, repetitive fashion - with M treating Alex like dirt a couple of times in between - and that's when it begins to feel like a very long episode of Gossip Girl.
I just kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. There was one point where Alex and Connor slept together and I thought, aha, I bet Alex gets pregnant! I bet that's the big terrifying secret that she can't tell anyone! But did it happen? No.
Then there was another time when Alex caught her best friend snorting lines of cocaine. And I thought, Oh God, this is it, Alex is going to fall into heroin addiction or something and THAT's going to be the big unspeakable secret! Did it happen? No.
So what was the big secret?
Ready?
Wait for it...
There wasn't one.
Yup, you heard right! There was no big secret whatsoever. No devastating climax. No action. Just a tangled series of sub-plots, where Alex meets a guy, Alex is refused money from her father, and Alex fails a test at school. And that's essentially everything that happens in this book. No joke.
I'm being very generous and giving this book three stars because although I was disappointed - no, downright deceived - it wasn't God-awful. It wasn't so terrible that I had to force myself to read it, like a number of other books. And although this book was so lacking in action, the last book I read before this was filled to the brim with action and plot twists and THAT, I can say, was 10x worse.
I'm just glad that I borrowed this from a library and didn't waste seven quid on it. I'd only recommend it if you're looking for a quick chic-flick to amuse you for a few hours. Disappointment!
February 13, 2013
Plot summary:
Faking is about two main characters, Alex and Alex's best friend, who she calls "M," Her full name is never revealed in the book. The story takes place in California, near L.A.
Alex comes from a low income family since her parents got divorced ten years ago. M and Alex are 17, so she still lives with her mother, who got the bad end of the divorce settlements. She is a very good writer and is very intelligent, but after her sophomore year, she hasn't put much effort into her grades and has been receiving lots of c's. Her grade point average has diminished, and there is no hope of her going to college except for her rich father.
M's family is very wealthy and she enjoys shopping. Although M's Gucci sunglasses are real, and Alex's are faux, they still remain best friends. M is more of a partier than Alex, and she is much more experienced when it comes to boys. Even though she has made some bad decisions, Alex still loves M anyways.
They meet two rich 21 year olds in LA, and their worlds turn upside down.
Main Characters:
Alex, 17, meets a boy named Connor, and is the first one to tell him that they are 19. Alex I best friends with M, who is the most popular girl in school.
M, 17, is best friends with Alex, who has lots of family issues. M always gets free stuff from the sandwich shack, because one of the guys has a crush on her. Her favorite brand is Burberry.
Connor, 21, Alex's boyfriend.
"Plaid Pants," M's 21 year old boyfriend infamously called plaid pants after she first met him, exchanged numbers, but never caught his name,
Alex's dad, is super rich and owns his own recycling company. Owns a poshe and still doesn't pay child support.
Alex's mom, works three jobs , and can barely pay for their family.
Mrs. Gross, yup that's her real name! She is Alex's annoying counselor.
Dynamic Character:
I think the dynamic character in the story is Alex because she changes the way she thinks about M and M doesn't change her ways.
Key Issues:
1. Alex's future
2. What could happen to the girls roaming LA with 21 year olds?
3. The secrets M hides.
Just to name a few.
The theme of this book is Friendship is stronger than anything.
What were your personal reactions to the book?
My friends and I all come from middle class families, so I haven't delt with one of my friends being richer than me, or having more designer this and that than me.
Why did you give the rating that you did?
I gave this book 4 stars because it was a good read, with a nice ending. It didn't exactly take my breathe away, though.
Who might like this book?
12-30ish year old girls,
Other info:
This book contains cuss words and sexual content, so it's for more mature readers.
Faking is about two main characters, Alex and Alex's best friend, who she calls "M," Her full name is never revealed in the book. The story takes place in California, near L.A.
Alex comes from a low income family since her parents got divorced ten years ago. M and Alex are 17, so she still lives with her mother, who got the bad end of the divorce settlements. She is a very good writer and is very intelligent, but after her sophomore year, she hasn't put much effort into her grades and has been receiving lots of c's. Her grade point average has diminished, and there is no hope of her going to college except for her rich father.
M's family is very wealthy and she enjoys shopping. Although M's Gucci sunglasses are real, and Alex's are faux, they still remain best friends. M is more of a partier than Alex, and she is much more experienced when it comes to boys. Even though she has made some bad decisions, Alex still loves M anyways.
They meet two rich 21 year olds in LA, and their worlds turn upside down.
Main Characters:
Alex, 17, meets a boy named Connor, and is the first one to tell him that they are 19. Alex I best friends with M, who is the most popular girl in school.
M, 17, is best friends with Alex, who has lots of family issues. M always gets free stuff from the sandwich shack, because one of the guys has a crush on her. Her favorite brand is Burberry.
Connor, 21, Alex's boyfriend.
"Plaid Pants," M's 21 year old boyfriend infamously called plaid pants after she first met him, exchanged numbers, but never caught his name,
Alex's dad, is super rich and owns his own recycling company. Owns a poshe and still doesn't pay child support.
Alex's mom, works three jobs , and can barely pay for their family.
Mrs. Gross, yup that's her real name! She is Alex's annoying counselor.
Dynamic Character:
I think the dynamic character in the story is Alex because she changes the way she thinks about M and M doesn't change her ways.
Key Issues:
1. Alex's future
2. What could happen to the girls roaming LA with 21 year olds?
3. The secrets M hides.
Just to name a few.
The theme of this book is Friendship is stronger than anything.
What were your personal reactions to the book?
My friends and I all come from middle class families, so I haven't delt with one of my friends being richer than me, or having more designer this and that than me.
Why did you give the rating that you did?
I gave this book 4 stars because it was a good read, with a nice ending. It didn't exactly take my breathe away, though.
Who might like this book?
12-30ish year old girls,
Other info:
This book contains cuss words and sexual content, so it's for more mature readers.
October 10, 2010
Faking 19 by Alyson Noel tells the story of Alex, a high school senior who has lost sight of everything that used to be important to her. A former popular girl, Alex has let her grades slip and spends all her time traveling to LA with her best friend M.
Alex and M meet two guys at a party in LA and quickly fall for them. Alex lies and tells her new friend Connor that she is 19 years old and a student in college. M is a wild girl and Alex often leaves her out partying because she isn’t ready to go home. Although Alex also yearns to be older, she still has some semblance of what is important.
Honestly, that’s as much summary as I can give because nothing really happened in this book besides Alex sneaking to LA several times and arguing with her friend M.
Needless to say, I was thoroughly bored throughout the story. I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen. I kept waiting for M to start treating Alex like a real person. It didn’t happen. I almost put this book down, but it kills me to not finish a book, so I completed it.
Alex and M meet two guys at a party in LA and quickly fall for them. Alex lies and tells her new friend Connor that she is 19 years old and a student in college. M is a wild girl and Alex often leaves her out partying because she isn’t ready to go home. Although Alex also yearns to be older, she still has some semblance of what is important.
Honestly, that’s as much summary as I can give because nothing really happened in this book besides Alex sneaking to LA several times and arguing with her friend M.
Needless to say, I was thoroughly bored throughout the story. I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen. I kept waiting for M to start treating Alex like a real person. It didn’t happen. I almost put this book down, but it kills me to not finish a book, so I completed it.
September 19, 2013
Ugh this book, I was going to give it 2 stars but I changed my mind. I didn't like any of the characters in this book at all, have the same feelings for this book as I did for Art Geeks and Prom Queens which another book of Alyson Noel's but I actually started out liking that book, this one I wanted to end from the first chapter.
Alex I wanted to strangle she complains how she can't go to college and get a scholarship when she won't even hand her assignments in or start her homework to begin with and she has a weird fetish for Richard Branson where she actually writes erotic fan fiction with him and her as the stars *shudders* Alex also lies to an older guy that she is 19 and wonders why he freaks when she says she is actually 17. But then I lost sympathy for the guy when he slept with her again after that.
Also her best friend M is just a terrible friend and Alex continues to forgive her... Alex needs to kick that bitch to the curb.
Also like Art Geeks and Prom Queens everything got wrapped up nicely and a happy ending for Alex with everything in her favor.
Alex I wanted to strangle she complains how she can't go to college and get a scholarship when she won't even hand her assignments in or start her homework to begin with and she has a weird fetish for Richard Branson where she actually writes erotic fan fiction with him and her as the stars *shudders* Alex also lies to an older guy that she is 19 and wonders why he freaks when she says she is actually 17. But then I lost sympathy for the guy when he slept with her again after that.
Also her best friend M is just a terrible friend and Alex continues to forgive her... Alex needs to kick that bitch to the curb.
Also like Art Geeks and Prom Queens everything got wrapped up nicely and a happy ending for Alex with everything in her favor.
September 26, 2012
I listened to this on audiobook, and the narrator's voice was so perfect, it really captured the right tone, and voice is everything to this book. A sweet and slightly after school specialish story of a girl whose slow social and academic drowning might be a cry for attention from her remote, absent and busy parents. A cool portrait of la rich bitches gone sem-wild, and how friends can go too far and maybe even become toxic. Beautifully and artfully written by a thoughtful and capable writer. Not sure this is authentic girl talke (side note, it's funny how technology has made this feel a wee bit dated, did people really have private land lines in 2005? And no texting at all), but it certainly feels emotionally real and is quite touching at the end, when Alex wakes up and grabs hold of the steering wheel of her own life.
August 5, 2016
This book evidently disappointed me to the core.
After reading it,I just couldn't believe I had done that.
I really didn't get the whole story.
I mean,yes I understand the author was trying to give us a breakdown of the dangers of peer pressure and leaving a ragged life but then I was expecting something more insightful and convincing.
After reading it,I just couldn't believe I had done that.
I really didn't get the whole story.
I mean,yes I understand the author was trying to give us a breakdown of the dangers of peer pressure and leaving a ragged life but then I was expecting something more insightful and convincing.
September 22, 2017
What the actual f*ck?!
There are so any problems with this book that I can't even fathom how it got published in the first place! There is so much girl hate in this book that it hurts. Such a shame since I love me a good female friendship but this one is so poorly written and horribly developed that it feels more like slut-shaming and over-the-top phoniness instead. Oh, and wee also get this bratty, brain-dead teenager as our MC.
So, the almost non-existent plot follows Alex, a senior who has completely lost herself in the seas of misfits in high school. From prom queen and star student to almost failing her senior year, Alex has fallen so far that if she doesn't apply herself again she would be faced with the consequences of not being able to graduate with the rest of her class. There's also the typical YA contemporary stuff: falling in love, family problems, stupid insecurities.......
This book is just cliche after cliche.
So, for our MC, we have Alex, an ignorant and oh-so-desperate teen. I cannot grasp the level of stupidity that has overtaken her brain. She is such a bitter character that just flounders through life, aimlessly, without grasping the reality of the consequences.You simply get sick of her stuck up act and her always playing the victim card. And good god. How will she survive in the real world? I am truly scared for her. Alex is the type of stupid who would accidentally fall off a building because she needed another bar on her cell phone. Yeah. Stupid.
And how whiny can this b*tch be? We can't go on for 2 paragraphs without the constant "my life suckkks!!!" or "M is so much prettier than me!!!!" or "nobody understands!!!!" or (my favorite) "I'm so pooorrr!!!!"
Is she for real?
So this b*tch is 'poor' huh? You know, poor people are usually grateful for what they have, you know. And as far as I'm concerned you're not really 'poor' when you have a stock full closet filled with designer clothes. The fact that Alex constantly goes shopping and goes to these restaurants and bars and clubs also makes you question this so-called statement. She really isn't like M where she has daddy's credit card to buy an entire store, but come on. This girl has everything compared to some.The way she appreciates nothing and nobody is so frustrating!
Oh. And how can I forget? This moronic imbecile has *never*, in her white-trash privileged life, ever had to take the bus.
And she claims to be so-called 'poor'. Give me a break.
Just because she's not burning money like her drug user 'best friend', does NOT mean she is 'poor.'
As for the 'best friend' in her life, how were M and Alex ever friends? Claiming to have such a 'rich history' with each other is so hard to believe considering their relationship is consisted of passive-aggressive comments. The jealousy Alex has for M is so infuriating and loaded with so much girl hate it's hard to get past it. Especially when it's in EVERY. SINGLE. CHAPTER.
"She's so rich! She flaunts it right in front of me!"
"She has the easy way out of things since she's soooo rich!"
"She's so much prettier than I am!"
"All the guys only want her, not me!"
"She's going to an IV league school while I'm failing every subject in school!"
"Her future is so much better than mine!"
"She's just sooooo perfect and popular!!!!!"
Alex even went as far as to wish M's parents a divorce because she hates how M has such a 'perfect' family. There's also various times where Alex would just wish M bad luck so she can see her fail. Also, with these girls, they would straight up ignore each other. Not once in the book did Alex and M have a significant conversation. The way Alex and M would ignore each other's problems also upset me a lot. You can definitely catch glimpses of M's worries and anxiety break through. You just want to comfort her and REALLY help her and ask her what's going on. Since you can't do that, isn't it her best friend's job to do that? Aka Alex's job. Countless times Alex would be very aware of this, but she would deliberately choose to ignore it or gloss it over! I'm afraid to have a 'friend' like Alex, honestly. Alex is simply the friend who doesn't care about you. Or doesn't care enough.
And when M broke down in front of Alex confronting her with all her insecurities, what does Alex do? Instead of comforting her best friend or giving M a hug, she just gives her a cup of coffee and wonders when M is going to leave.
Like, seriously?
By the end of this novel, you really just wonder if they were ever friends to begin with. Alex states that their friendship is "not the same anymore," but is that a bad thing? Are they really worse off? At the beginning, you see the cracks in their friendship and how strain it really was.
Then, the ultimate embarrassment for Alex and how I felt embarrassed FOR Alex, is how clingy and desperate she gets with Connor. I mean, don't you have a life? When you get a guy's number and the chances of seeing him again are pretty slim....... if he doesn't call within a week, you know what you need to do? Stop obsessing over this one guy you met ONCE and currently, don't even know his age AND MOVE ON. It was painful to see Alex throwing herself at him. Poor Connor.
It was a 6 YEARS AGE DIFFERENCE! I can let it go if Alex was a mature enough person, but who are we kidding? Even Connor suspected it. He even said he thought Alex acted "younger" than her age. And he didn't mean it in a good way.
But the most pathetic part on Alex's side was that she though Connor was her knight and shining hero. Like he can swoop in and magically make all her troubles disappear. (And labeling them 'troubles' is heavy sugar-coating, my friend.) Alex literally wished for Connor to whisk her away to England so she can abandon all her troubles just like that and start a new life with him. *heavy sigh*
Lastly, the biggest problem I have with Alex is how damn ungrateful and disrespectful she is with literally EVERYONE. Her parents, teachers, friends, classmates, elders, ANYONE WHO STUMBLES ACROSS HER PATH. Like, damn girl. What's yo problem?
Talking bad about everyone is not an attractive trait to have. This girl just naturally excels at it.
And can we just give her a major eye roll when she plays the victim card? Which is like, ALWAYS.
Yes, sure. Go ahead and blame everyone but yourself. Blame your dad. Blame the divorce. Blame the 'perfect' friend that you can never be as good as. Blame your past self. BLAME THE GODDAMN WORLD BECAUSE IT'S TOTALLY AT FAULT FOR YOUR OWN PROBLEMS YOU CREATED YOURSELF. You dug your own grave, Alex. Don't drag others down just because you can't admit it.
There is so much negativity in this book that I can't simply even give it a 2 star rating. There were a few laugh out loud moments but within the constant girl hate, lying and simply Alex's existence altogether, it's too hard to sympathize with a character you hate this much.
March 27, 2019
I’m not going to lie, it was an incredibly cheesy and campy book.
But that being said it was actually quite enjoyable and apart from a few predictable events and problems it was a good book!
But that being said it was actually quite enjoyable and apart from a few predictable events and problems it was a good book!
March 14, 2020
2/5 stars
Didn’t really enjoy this book.
Didn’t really enjoy this book.
March 10, 2016
Faking 19 is about a girl named Alex who lives in Orange County with her mother, and is dealing with the few weeks leading up to her possible graduation from high school. With her best friend M, who also happens to be one of the most beautiful and popular girls in her school, they decide to make their current situation more exciting by going to Los Angeles and experiencing the glamourous lifestyle. After soon meeting Connor and Trevor, two older and wealthy guys from England, the lies about their age any other things start to form. Readers follow Alex and M as they struggle with their social and personal lives, and secrets that they keep buried.
I read The Immortals by Alyson Noël in back in the day, and got completely hooked on her young adult romance writing. Her writing has always been simplistic and real, in the sense that I always get hooked right in but it is also usually an even paced read. Faking 19 proved to keep to the author’s style, but with a definitely more realistic take on a teenage girl. The reader catches up with Alex as she seems to be in quite a funk; she’s failing most of her classes, she isn’t as involved in her school as she used to be, and she is angry at her dad for not helping her and her mother financially when he left. M, Alex’s best friend, might be gorgeous and extremely wealthy but her parents are never home. Alex and M are your stereotypical California girls who are dramatic and “just wanna have fun”. They decide to start visiting L.A. more and eventually meet two older guys from London named Connor and Trevor.
I think the relationships between the girls and the two guys they meet was actually fairly realistic in most ways. I found myself becoming suspicious of Connor though, especially when it came to either of the boys realizing how young they were! I mean come on, I think you would know. …then again, the girls these days do look quite a bit older. Weird. I think the author did a great job of portraying the very different issues that M and Alex share in their home life, but that they are both quite similar in the sense that their parents are a bit absent. I think this read really proved to be a great coming-of-age story, and it dove into a lot of issues that young girls face when they are trying to figure out who they are or who they want to be.
All in all, cute story. This isn’t a genre I would probably read still, but it brought me back to my teen years and was enjoyable. I have no qualms at all with this story, so give it a try if you’re into the Tween/YA genre and want to read something laid back!
I read The Immortals by Alyson Noël in back in the day, and got completely hooked on her young adult romance writing. Her writing has always been simplistic and real, in the sense that I always get hooked right in but it is also usually an even paced read. Faking 19 proved to keep to the author’s style, but with a definitely more realistic take on a teenage girl. The reader catches up with Alex as she seems to be in quite a funk; she’s failing most of her classes, she isn’t as involved in her school as she used to be, and she is angry at her dad for not helping her and her mother financially when he left. M, Alex’s best friend, might be gorgeous and extremely wealthy but her parents are never home. Alex and M are your stereotypical California girls who are dramatic and “just wanna have fun”. They decide to start visiting L.A. more and eventually meet two older guys from London named Connor and Trevor.
I think the relationships between the girls and the two guys they meet was actually fairly realistic in most ways. I found myself becoming suspicious of Connor though, especially when it came to either of the boys realizing how young they were! I mean come on, I think you would know. …then again, the girls these days do look quite a bit older. Weird. I think the author did a great job of portraying the very different issues that M and Alex share in their home life, but that they are both quite similar in the sense that their parents are a bit absent. I think this read really proved to be a great coming-of-age story, and it dove into a lot of issues that young girls face when they are trying to figure out who they are or who they want to be.
All in all, cute story. This isn’t a genre I would probably read still, but it brought me back to my teen years and was enjoyable. I have no qualms at all with this story, so give it a try if you’re into the Tween/YA genre and want to read something laid back!
February 4, 2017
RECENZIA NA BLOGU
Kto by si to bol pomyslel?
1) Bolo to dobré. Keby ma od toho v polovici nevyrušia, prečítam to na jeden záťah. Dá sa to pri nedobrej knihe?
2) Neviem, kto je táto Alyson Noelová ale z celého srdca ju ľutujem, že si potom niekto požičal jej meno a napísal pod ním Nesmrteľných. Ak sa bojíte nejakej meh romance, ufňukanej hrdinky, patetického príbehu alebo vlastne čokoľvek, čo ste zažili v Nesmrteľných, nemusíte sa.
3) Máloktorá súčasná contemporary sa zaoberá viac, ako jednou líniou - hrdinka má proste jeden problém a celých 300 strán rieši iba ten, zatiaľ čo ja sa nudím. Tu na 200 stranách dostanete súbežne:
a) peňažné problémy
b) kamarátku, ktorá začala skrývať nejaké tajomstvo (toto sa rozbalí v druhej polovici)
c) problém, ktorý nastane, keď Alex chlapcovi zaklame, že má 19 (a nie svojich 17)
d) vzťah k otcovi, ktorý sa rozviedol a na rodinu kašle
e) blicovanie zo školy a jeho následky
Nenudila som sa, štýlovo to vôbec nepripomínalo Nesmrteľných ani Riley Bloomovú, preklad je fajn, 200 strán je tak akurát a úplný vrchol je, že si idem od Noelky prečítať aj ďalšie knihy. No kto by si to bol pomyslel? 8/10
Kto by si to bol pomyslel?
1) Bolo to dobré. Keby ma od toho v polovici nevyrušia, prečítam to na jeden záťah. Dá sa to pri nedobrej knihe?
2) Neviem, kto je táto Alyson Noelová ale z celého srdca ju ľutujem, že si potom niekto požičal jej meno a napísal pod ním Nesmrteľných. Ak sa bojíte nejakej meh romance, ufňukanej hrdinky, patetického príbehu alebo vlastne čokoľvek, čo ste zažili v Nesmrteľných, nemusíte sa.
3) Máloktorá súčasná contemporary sa zaoberá viac, ako jednou líniou - hrdinka má proste jeden problém a celých 300 strán rieši iba ten, zatiaľ čo ja sa nudím. Tu na 200 stranách dostanete súbežne:
a) peňažné problémy
b) kamarátku, ktorá začala skrývať nejaké tajomstvo (toto sa rozbalí v druhej polovici)
c) problém, ktorý nastane, keď Alex chlapcovi zaklame, že má 19 (a nie svojich 17)
d) vzťah k otcovi, ktorý sa rozviedol a na rodinu kašle
e) blicovanie zo školy a jeho následky
Nenudila som sa, štýlovo to vôbec nepripomínalo Nesmrteľných ani Riley Bloomovú, preklad je fajn, 200 strán je tak akurát a úplný vrchol je, že si idem od Noelky prečítať aj ďalšie knihy. No kto by si to bol pomyslel? 8/10
December 4, 2012
This is one of my favorite books so far and I enjoyed reading it. I liked this book because I felt i could relate to the characters in it. It is a fun and simple book to read which I think any girl would love. It's about a teenage girl called Alex who is a senior and gets bored of school,fails her classes and ditches school some times and instead goes out to the city and parties with her best friend M.They both meet guys which they find cute and say they're 19 years old.But this lie gets them to no good.
September 15, 2011
I grabbed this book because of the author. I've read her Immortal series and thought I'd try something else. Ugh. This book was awful. I wouldn't want my teen girl reading this. Drugs, sex, sneaking out. Plus a lot if the pop references didnt fit a teen in the 2000s. What teen today would know about old t.v shows such as Melrose Place? At the end this book did have a moral. So maybe I should give it 2 stars? Nah.
August 16, 2013
This really wasn't a great book, but yet two years later, I still remember quite a lot of it. Why is that? I don't think it significantly impacted my life that much.
Anyway, from memory, it was a fairly typical trashy teen novel. Entertaining to read in a night when you don't want to think too much about complex concepts (ooh, that kinda rhymes).
Anyway, from memory, it was a fairly typical trashy teen novel. Entertaining to read in a night when you don't want to think too much about complex concepts (ooh, that kinda rhymes).
September 28, 2015
Rigtig fin og super letlæselig. Alex er super sympatisk
August 30, 2021
I read this book with the intention that it would be a "filler book" because I had just finished reading two book series and wanted something a little easier. I ended up liking it much more than I thought. First thing to mention is that the writing was really great and the plot was decently interesting. In fact, the author did such a good job with creating the main character and her family/friends that I absolutely despised them all at the beginning. I couldn't wait to get through the rest of the book and never pick and read it up again. But, my goodness, the character development was phenomenal and I really found myself enjoying the last 30 pages of the book. I really liked the ending. The main character was flawed and made bad decisions but she LEARNED from them and really grew as a person. She felt like a real person with real problems and feelings. The chapters were 4-7 pages long each and I actually quite enjoyed them being so short. However, this book was written around 2005 (or at least, that's when it was copyrighted) and the writing reflects that. There is repeated use of the r slur, unnecessary edgy jokes that were uncomfortable to read and the very real problem of toxic sexual relationships involving minors that just seemed to be glossed over and not addressed properly by the book or the characters in the novel who should've cared (for example: sexual relationships between minors and adults, lying about age to appear older in order to have sex, mom's *lack of* a reaction when teenage daughter (17) reveals she's pursuing someone much older, ...). I think this book had the opportunity to subtly educate readers about consent and safe sex practices but instead choose to describe inappropriate situations that ended up having absolutely no real consequences (which is dangerous for young/teenage readers that pick up this book and think that that kind of behavior is normal in a healthy relationship or that they can get away with this kind of behavior because there are no consequences for their actions).
March 2, 2022
I had no idea what the plot was. The title didn’t really matter as much as I thought it would. Would’ve been cooler if there was some huge event that centered around them lying about their age.
I wasn’t invested in the main character, Alex, and her thought process. She’s failing? Okay. She was the perfect student before, so it’s a big deal? Okay. Why should I care?
Gave it two stars though because I listened to it as an audiobook and it wasn’t a bad way to pass some time while cleaning. Kinda like how you put on your favorite comfort comedy show in the background. Some of the scenes were unironically hilarious. Like the one where Alex dropped the joint in the glass of champagne. Or the one where M makes a rude comment on how she can’t afford anything at the boutique (shop?) they go to in LA. Wow, and the one where they go to a party and M parks in a way so that Alex is basically in/near the rose bushes.
Also, it’s kind of shocking that Alex became this girl that is failing + skipping school and didn’t try any drugs. Like, from the moment she smelled pot in the room that M was in but “she would never do stuff like that” it was pretty obvious that M did do stuff like that, and I’m surprised Alex never got sucked in. So you’re telling you have the self control to avoid drugs because of some “list” but not drop your friend that didn’t really treat you properly.
Also she was supposedly this fashion icon but that characteristic didn’t really stick with me. She says something along the lines of (don’t quote me on this) “Everyone knows I’m the queen of fashion” Where is the evidence? The only time she mentions clothes is when she’s getting ready, or when’s she at an event and nervously anticipating how she’s going to be perceived.
This was kinda harsh but if you’re looking for a book with a plot & substance, don’t read this. But if you’re simply here out of curiosity, go for it.
I wasn’t invested in the main character, Alex, and her thought process. She’s failing? Okay. She was the perfect student before, so it’s a big deal? Okay. Why should I care?
Gave it two stars though because I listened to it as an audiobook and it wasn’t a bad way to pass some time while cleaning. Kinda like how you put on your favorite comfort comedy show in the background. Some of the scenes were unironically hilarious. Like the one where Alex dropped the joint in the glass of champagne. Or the one where M makes a rude comment on how she can’t afford anything at the boutique (shop?) they go to in LA. Wow, and the one where they go to a party and M parks in a way so that Alex is basically in/near the rose bushes.
Also, it’s kind of shocking that Alex became this girl that is failing + skipping school and didn’t try any drugs. Like, from the moment she smelled pot in the room that M was in but “she would never do stuff like that” it was pretty obvious that M did do stuff like that, and I’m surprised Alex never got sucked in. So you’re telling you have the self control to avoid drugs because of some “list” but not drop your friend that didn’t really treat you properly.
Also she was supposedly this fashion icon but that characteristic didn’t really stick with me. She says something along the lines of (don’t quote me on this) “Everyone knows I’m the queen of fashion” Where is the evidence? The only time she mentions clothes is when she’s getting ready, or when’s she at an event and nervously anticipating how she’s going to be perceived.
This was kinda harsh but if you’re looking for a book with a plot & substance, don’t read this. But if you’re simply here out of curiosity, go for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2018
"Well, what about giving someone a second chance?"
"Alex, the only one you should be giving a second chance is you." (Ch. 36)
^^^^ This is something I wished Alex, the main character, would have realized sooner. (Mild spoilers !) Time after time her friend, M., would ditch her at an unknown place and Alex would continuously get angry but forgive her. Although she does realize that M isn't all that great in the end, it does make the ending feel a bit rushed.
I didn't care for the Connor / Alex relationship and really hoped that it would have ended a lot sooner than it did. It just didn't feel right and bugged me that even after that her and M would still be willing to pursure guys 6 years older than them. I thought Alex and Guy were really cute together and wished there was more of them. Although there is a focus on romantic relationships in this book, I think the real focus in on Alex and M's friendship and how Alex let's herself be treated. As previously mentioned, it isn't until the last few chapters that Alex realizes her friend isn't good to / for her.
The storyline was predictable and repetitive, but it was a pretty quick read.
This book was simply okay to me, but I kept rooting for the main character and was glad that she was able to fix up her life in the end.
"Alex, the only one you should be giving a second chance is you." (Ch. 36)
^^^^ This is something I wished Alex, the main character, would have realized sooner. (Mild spoilers !) Time after time her friend, M., would ditch her at an unknown place and Alex would continuously get angry but forgive her. Although she does realize that M isn't all that great in the end, it does make the ending feel a bit rushed.
I didn't care for the Connor / Alex relationship and really hoped that it would have ended a lot sooner than it did. It just didn't feel right and bugged me that even after that her and M would still be willing to pursure guys 6 years older than them. I thought Alex and Guy were really cute together and wished there was more of them. Although there is a focus on romantic relationships in this book, I think the real focus in on Alex and M's friendship and how Alex let's herself be treated. As previously mentioned, it isn't until the last few chapters that Alex realizes her friend isn't good to / for her.
The storyline was predictable and repetitive, but it was a pretty quick read.
This book was simply okay to me, but I kept rooting for the main character and was glad that she was able to fix up her life in the end.
September 1, 2025
I’m going to date myself a bit as I write this review. I remember absolutely loving this in high school, which was shortly after its release 20 years ago. Obviously I am not the same type of person or reader I was in high school, nor can I relate to the main character the way I could while I was basically the same age as her. However, I still enjoyed this and am glad I decided to reread it, 20 years later.
There is some language that does not hold up anymore, which is not a surprise, but it certainly wasn’t excessive or anything. Overall I actually really liked Alex. Because of where she lives and who her best friend was, her life certainly didn’t feel relatable to most 17 year olds, but at the end of the day the emotions and struggles she had with school and her family really were understandable. Away from M, she was a much better person than she was when she spent time with her.
Some parts of the ending seemed to wrap up quite quickly but I did like the ending and how the story finished. This isn’t a very long book but overall it didn’t feel rushed.
There is some language that does not hold up anymore, which is not a surprise, but it certainly wasn’t excessive or anything. Overall I actually really liked Alex. Because of where she lives and who her best friend was, her life certainly didn’t feel relatable to most 17 year olds, but at the end of the day the emotions and struggles she had with school and her family really were understandable. Away from M, she was a much better person than she was when she spent time with her.
Some parts of the ending seemed to wrap up quite quickly but I did like the ending and how the story finished. This isn’t a very long book but overall it didn’t feel rushed.
November 8, 2019
Faking 19 is a mildly entertaining book by Alyson Noël, written for teenagers. This book was just okay. It wasn’t my favorite type of book, but it was somewhat interesting. This story is about Alex, a 17-year-old high school senior, who visits LA with her best friend M., and meets an older guy.
I liked the part of the story when Alex was failing all her classes but learned to focus more on being a student and then pulled all her grades up. Also, she worked harder in class.
I liked the part of the story when Alex was failing all her classes but learned to focus more on being a student and then pulled all her grades up. Also, she worked harder in class.
July 1, 2024
This book was really disappointing. I was expecting more than some girl that just wants to complain about everything for almost no reason. This girl had a good future planned and then she decided for whatever reason to throw it all away. She would constantly say how into clothes and make-up she was which was quite annoying. I just got this snobby vibe from her and she didn't really care about anything other than what she wanted or what her best friend M wanted her to do.
March 31, 2025
The book wasn't very good. It actually kind of sucked and annoyed me the whole time. But I somewhat relate with the main character and the struggle of senior year and just wanting to give up. Although I'm not partying it up in LA I have gone from a straight A student to a B's, C's, and D'S student and I'm just trying to make it through but there's so much things I've let distract me and take all my energy that I have nothing else to give.
March 6, 2021
Despite all the prevailing bad reviews
I want to give a shout out to this easy read. It is girly. It is for a teenager. I enjoyed it for the plot and for existentialism questions raised. The language. For someone who keeps improving his second language, this book is a good source to pick up some vocabulary or just solidifying English language patterns.
I want to give a shout out to this easy read. It is girly. It is for a teenager. I enjoyed it for the plot and for existentialism questions raised. The language. For someone who keeps improving his second language, this book is a good source to pick up some vocabulary or just solidifying English language patterns.
December 13, 2017
I expected not to like it after reading all the negative reviews and as I bought it initially on a whim on a sale.
But this book.. atleast the second half made me relate so hard. the friendship.the theme of the book.
yes.
I loved the 2nd half and that's enough.
4.5
But this book.. atleast the second half made me relate so hard. the friendship.the theme of the book.
yes.
I loved the 2nd half and that's enough.
4.5
March 4, 2020
Sadly this book seemed to have no real purpose. It read like a teen girls diary and the characters weren't that likeable. I'm a big fan of YA but this just didn't do it for me unfortunately. The author wrote well so I'd definitely give her other work a go.
February 18, 2025
Cute YA book. Alex figures out the party scene and boys is very surface-level and doesn’t get her anywhere. She matures quite a bit by the end of the book, she enters a writing scholarship contest and graduates.
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