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Longcuts
Ella's life has just turned upside down. Her parents got divorced, and her dad moved to Ohio with his new love, Cynthia. Meanwhile, Ella's mom landed her dream job teaching at a law school-only problem is, it's in the boonies. They move next door to Grace Childs, the queen (and president) of the Snow Ridge sophomore class-gorgeous, popular, rich-you name it, she is it. Mousy gymnast Ella knows she's not one of "Them," but can't resist Grace's charity. Ella soon makes the cheer team-but Grace, shockingly, doesn't. And that's when Ella's life begins to go downhill.
Grace begins to bully Ella in ways large and small. Soon, Ella firmly but gently stands up to her, and that's when Grace's passivity turns to aggression. Ella's life begins to spiral until she finds an unlikely ally in Cynthia. She's on a journey of change, seeking revenge, finding true friendships and learning to speak her truth no matter the consequences. What lengths will she go to to stay true to herself while not letting anyone push her around?
Grace begins to bully Ella in ways large and small. Soon, Ella firmly but gently stands up to her, and that's when Grace's passivity turns to aggression. Ella's life begins to spiral until she finds an unlikely ally in Cynthia. She's on a journey of change, seeking revenge, finding true friendships and learning to speak her truth no matter the consequences. What lengths will she go to to stay true to herself while not letting anyone push her around?
230 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 2, 2022
Before I give my thoughts on the book, I feel compelled to share that I was listening to an audiobook of Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil when I downloaded Longcuts, and this book opens with a quote from the audiobook to which I had just paused before reading the quote.
I was a tad wary of this one at the start because Ella was a huge pushover to the point that she seemed super pathetic. But then this became Mean Girls!! And everyone loves Mean Girls!! There’s even a line that refers to the antagonist as Regina George. I ended up really enjoying this since I love books with a truly hatable villain and with a boss bitch protagonist. This is a really quick read, and I’d recommend it to all fans of YA fiction.
I received an ARC for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was a tad wary of this one at the start because Ella was a huge pushover to the point that she seemed super pathetic. But then this became Mean Girls!! And everyone loves Mean Girls!! There’s even a line that refers to the antagonist as Regina George. I ended up really enjoying this since I love books with a truly hatable villain and with a boss bitch protagonist. This is a really quick read, and I’d recommend it to all fans of YA fiction.
I received an ARC for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 6, 2022
Longcuts by Lisa Doyle ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, it was amazing! Though at the beginning I felt a little reluctant to continue because of Ella being put down so often, I continued. And it was awesome.
The story was beautifully plotted and the characters were so realistic and relatable. We find people like Grace and Cynthia in our life too and it's a great lesson for us to not to stoop to their level. Because Kindess Matters! That's a really amazing message sent out. I love the character development of Ella throughout the story. She grew from a timid and manipulatable girl to a confident and wise one. She learnt many secrets, regretted her horrible actions she did through the Cynthia's influence and earned true friends.
The writing was very engaging and intriguing. I loved the characters, especially Nina, Jono, Cristina and Ainsley. I'd like to read more stories from the author!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, it was amazing! Though at the beginning I felt a little reluctant to continue because of Ella being put down so often, I continued. And it was awesome.
The story was beautifully plotted and the characters were so realistic and relatable. We find people like Grace and Cynthia in our life too and it's a great lesson for us to not to stoop to their level. Because Kindess Matters! That's a really amazing message sent out. I love the character development of Ella throughout the story. She grew from a timid and manipulatable girl to a confident and wise one. She learnt many secrets, regretted her horrible actions she did through the Cynthia's influence and earned true friends.
The writing was very engaging and intriguing. I loved the characters, especially Nina, Jono, Cristina and Ainsley. I'd like to read more stories from the author!
July 7, 2022
"The people you meet in highschool—they don't necessarily grow up or change much. Sometimes, they just get a little older, and not any better."
Ella Bennet's parents have divorced, and she has been forced to move from the city to the suburbs. She is not happy, but she is ready to accommodate to her new life. When her neighbor, Grace Childs, starts to destroy Ella's life, Ella must make a decision. Will she let Grace use her as a doormat, or will she stand up for herself?
Longcuts was a book I was wary to read, as I assumed it would take the route of good friendship, but this used the mean girl's trope and executed it well. Ella's character arc and development was the shining grace of the plot. Ella went from being a doormat to a manipulator to an actual good person. Ella's mom and Cnythia were two contrasting influences on Ella, with none being entirely good. When I first met Cnythia, I hated her treatment of Ella's dad, her constant unhappiness. She was not a confident person, only a childish, petty adult. I was happy to be proved right by the end of the book. Ella's mom was wonderful, but she, too, had her faults. Nina's coping mechanism was destructive in small ways. But unlike Cynthia, she realizes her mistakes and tries to make amends. That is the true mark of a mature person. By this, she set herself to be the bigger role model for Ella.
Grace was another girl set on uprooting the lives of others for petty reasons, just like Cynthia. She hated Cristina simply for pressing charges on a guy who had sexually harassed her. She hated Ella for being the better cheerleader. She pressed false charges on Jono, knowing it would ruin his reputation, only because she wanted to get back to Ella. She used people for her own sick purposes and got the payback. As Nina said, 'Let the better woman win."
And in the end, the better woman did win.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lang Verhaal Company for providing me with an ARC of Longcuts in exchange for an honest review.
Ella Bennet's parents have divorced, and she has been forced to move from the city to the suburbs. She is not happy, but she is ready to accommodate to her new life. When her neighbor, Grace Childs, starts to destroy Ella's life, Ella must make a decision. Will she let Grace use her as a doormat, or will she stand up for herself?
Longcuts was a book I was wary to read, as I assumed it would take the route of good friendship, but this used the mean girl's trope and executed it well. Ella's character arc and development was the shining grace of the plot. Ella went from being a doormat to a manipulator to an actual good person. Ella's mom and Cnythia were two contrasting influences on Ella, with none being entirely good. When I first met Cnythia, I hated her treatment of Ella's dad, her constant unhappiness. She was not a confident person, only a childish, petty adult. I was happy to be proved right by the end of the book. Ella's mom was wonderful, but she, too, had her faults. Nina's coping mechanism was destructive in small ways. But unlike Cynthia, she realizes her mistakes and tries to make amends. That is the true mark of a mature person. By this, she set herself to be the bigger role model for Ella.
Grace was another girl set on uprooting the lives of others for petty reasons, just like Cynthia. She hated Cristina simply for pressing charges on a guy who had sexually harassed her. She hated Ella for being the better cheerleader. She pressed false charges on Jono, knowing it would ruin his reputation, only because she wanted to get back to Ella. She used people for her own sick purposes and got the payback. As Nina said, 'Let the better woman win."
And in the end, the better woman did win.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lang Verhaal Company for providing me with an ARC of Longcuts in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2022
Reviewed for NetGalley:
Ella, dealing with her parent’s recent divorce moves to the suburbs next door to the perfect, Grace Childs and the prestigious Childs Family.
After stealing Grace’s cheerleading spot on the school squad, Ella has to deal with the repercussions from Grace.
A quick, simple, intriguing read. Some back and forth battling between Ella and Grace ensue. Nothing incredibly scandalous, but kept my interest.
Ella, dealing with her parent’s recent divorce moves to the suburbs next door to the perfect, Grace Childs and the prestigious Childs Family.
After stealing Grace’s cheerleading spot on the school squad, Ella has to deal with the repercussions from Grace.
A quick, simple, intriguing read. Some back and forth battling between Ella and Grace ensue. Nothing incredibly scandalous, but kept my interest.
May 11, 2022
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Lang Verhaal Company and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
A delightful surprise of a story. I found this one an absolute delight.
A delightful surprise of a story. I found this one an absolute delight.
May 18, 2023
An easy read that had an important message. The author did a great job of writing teenagers, although sometimes it feels like the book was trying a little hard to be cool.
May 1, 2022
Longcuts by Lisa Doyle.
Ella's life has just turned upside down. Her parents got divorced, and her dad moved to Ohio with his new love, Cynthia.
A good read with good characters. 4*.
Ella's life has just turned upside down. Her parents got divorced, and her dad moved to Ohio with his new love, Cynthia.
A good read with good characters. 4*.
June 9, 2022
Overall, I thought this was a really cute yet important book that is perfect for people that want a quick, easy read. I liked Ella's character and her arc a lot, especially through how the book was super similar to Mean Girls.
THINGS I LIKED:
The beginning was super engaging
It did a great job of living inside a teenager's head.
A lot of the prose was both quick and poetic in a real way. It felt very conversational and almost humorous at times.
I actually really enjoyed Cynthia's character as well as Ella's mom. I thought they complemented each other very well in terms of female role modles for Ella.
The side romance was so sweet, especially with the meet not-cute at the beginning!!!
The plot twist about Cynthia was awesome! The ending was perfect too. Both things tied a lot of plot up very neatly but also left room for a future with these characters.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I feel like the author understood how to describie teenage embarassment well but didn't necessarily pick accurate things to be embarassed about if that makes sense. Going in this vein, it felt like sometimes the book was trying too hard to be cool.
THINGS I LIKED:
The beginning was super engaging
It did a great job of living inside a teenager's head.
A lot of the prose was both quick and poetic in a real way. It felt very conversational and almost humorous at times.
I actually really enjoyed Cynthia's character as well as Ella's mom. I thought they complemented each other very well in terms of female role modles for Ella.
The side romance was so sweet, especially with the meet not-cute at the beginning!!!
The plot twist about Cynthia was awesome! The ending was perfect too. Both things tied a lot of plot up very neatly but also left room for a future with these characters.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I feel like the author understood how to describie teenage embarassment well but didn't necessarily pick accurate things to be embarassed about if that makes sense. Going in this vein, it felt like sometimes the book was trying too hard to be cool.
September 15, 2022
Hmm okay okay. I didn’t hate this but I didn’t love it. The bullying aspect of this was incredibly stressful to read (I know that’s part of the point, but sometimes it was too much). Grace was truly horrific and I found myself speed-reading through any scene with her. I also found several major plot points unresolved - for example, there was never any resolution or conflict around Ella’s accident that Grace caused? I do also wish there had been some conversation witnessed between Grace and Cristina and the whole reason why Grace hated her behind the scenes an entire school year. I felt like the Chase storyline was handled awkwardly as well, and Ella’s mom was a little unbelievable. But Jono was great and I loved the final scene. I wouldn’t have hated to see an epilogue!
2 stars for a very earnest try but unfortunately a book that fell short for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an e-copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
2 stars for a very earnest try but unfortunately a book that fell short for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an e-copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2022
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review*
When new girl Ella makes the cheerleading team over Queen Bee Grace, Grace decides to start making Ella's life hell. However Ella isn't going to just sit back and take it, she's going to take revenge and there are no shortcuts here.
I'm so grateful to have received and ARC of Longcuts and I really enjoyed reading it. I was incredibly invested the entire time and was even thinking about it when I wasn't reading. I think this is such a strong point of the book and how it invites you to actively engage with it.
My main critique of the book was that the characters could be a little one dimensional and flat, as they were classic highschool stereotypes. Additionally I think I was a little old to be reading this book. It's definitely YA/Middle Grade and I read a lot of YA but there were times when it did feel a lot like it was meant for a much younger audience, which is fine.
I would definitely recommend this book for girls between 12-16, I have it 3.5 Stars.
When new girl Ella makes the cheerleading team over Queen Bee Grace, Grace decides to start making Ella's life hell. However Ella isn't going to just sit back and take it, she's going to take revenge and there are no shortcuts here.
I'm so grateful to have received and ARC of Longcuts and I really enjoyed reading it. I was incredibly invested the entire time and was even thinking about it when I wasn't reading. I think this is such a strong point of the book and how it invites you to actively engage with it.
My main critique of the book was that the characters could be a little one dimensional and flat, as they were classic highschool stereotypes. Additionally I think I was a little old to be reading this book. It's definitely YA/Middle Grade and I read a lot of YA but there were times when it did feel a lot like it was meant for a much younger audience, which is fine.
I would definitely recommend this book for girls between 12-16, I have it 3.5 Stars.
October 28, 2022
I was pleasantly surprised reading Longcuts. It was a simple, quick read and kept me entertained throughout.
Ella, the main character, is a 16-year-old girl who is intelligent, kind, and flawed, and she acknowledges this while overcoming challenges. While not always ideal, her response to handling challenges was completely understandable as a teen girl may react. The process of personal growth and responsibility unfolded throughout the book brilliantly.
Longcuts was a great read. I recommend it to those who are fans of Mean Girls.
Disclaimer: I received this e-book as an ARC by NetGalley. It does not impact my review of this book.
Ella, the main character, is a 16-year-old girl who is intelligent, kind, and flawed, and she acknowledges this while overcoming challenges. While not always ideal, her response to handling challenges was completely understandable as a teen girl may react. The process of personal growth and responsibility unfolded throughout the book brilliantly.
Longcuts was a great read. I recommend it to those who are fans of Mean Girls.
Disclaimer: I received this e-book as an ARC by NetGalley. It does not impact my review of this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews