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Undiscovered Gyrl
Only on the internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely.
Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.
Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie's fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.
Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.
Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.
Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie's fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.
Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.
293 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2009
62 people are currently reading
2089 people want to read
About the author
Allison Burnett
18 books72 followersAllison Burnett grew up in Evanston, Illinois, the son of a clinical psychologist and a Northwestern University professor. After graduating from Northwestern, he was a fellow of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Program at the Juilliard School.
His novels include Christopher (a finalist for the 2004 PEN Center USA Literary Award), The House Beautiful, Undiscovered Gyrl, Death By Sunshine, the Escape of Malcolm Poe, Another Girl, the Ghosts of Normal, and The Last Girl Podcast.
Allison adapted Undiscovered Gyrl for the screen and directed the film, entitled Ask Me Anything, starring Britt Robertson, Martin Sheen, Justin Long, and Christian Slater.
Allison also wrote and directed the sequel, Another Girl, starring Sammi Hanratty.
Allison's latest novel is The Last Girl Podcast. While it stands alone as a thriller, it marks the completion of the Katie Kampenfelt Trilogy.
His essays, stories, book reviews, and poetry have appeared on various websites and in multiple publications.
Allison's screenwriting credits include Autumn in New York, Red Meat, Untraceable, Resurrecting the Champ, Feast of Love, Underworld Awakening, and Gone.
His novels include Christopher (a finalist for the 2004 PEN Center USA Literary Award), The House Beautiful, Undiscovered Gyrl, Death By Sunshine, the Escape of Malcolm Poe, Another Girl, the Ghosts of Normal, and The Last Girl Podcast.
Allison adapted Undiscovered Gyrl for the screen and directed the film, entitled Ask Me Anything, starring Britt Robertson, Martin Sheen, Justin Long, and Christian Slater.
Allison also wrote and directed the sequel, Another Girl, starring Sammi Hanratty.
Allison's latest novel is The Last Girl Podcast. While it stands alone as a thriller, it marks the completion of the Katie Kampenfelt Trilogy.
His essays, stories, book reviews, and poetry have appeared on various websites and in multiple publications.
Allison's screenwriting credits include Autumn in New York, Red Meat, Untraceable, Resurrecting the Champ, Feast of Love, Underworld Awakening, and Gone.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
July 22, 2015
I am one of the few people out there who actually enjoys seeing the movie first and reading the book after. I stumbled upon Ask Me Anything on Netflix one late night and was completely captivated. I was instantly taken with how realistic the characters were, being in my late 20's I could completely connect with Katie's emotions and actions. Once the film was over I immediately needed more of the story and ordered the book.
As with the film I was enthralled in the story. Burnett has an uncanny ability to write the emotions and feelings of how it feels to be a young adult in today's society without a cliche demeanor. Subtle spelling mistakes, inappropriate comments or unrealistic ways of thinking capture how we all think and feel at that time in our life. His writing is raw, heartfelt, and surreal. Even for someone like myself, who did not rebel or make harmful decisions as a teenager, I could 100% relate with sympathy and understanding to Katie and the spiraling sensation that can become painful in young adulthood. This book grasps the consequences and vividness of life seen through the eyes of many young people. A refreshing read unlike anything else you'll pick up off the shelf.
As with the film I was enthralled in the story. Burnett has an uncanny ability to write the emotions and feelings of how it feels to be a young adult in today's society without a cliche demeanor. Subtle spelling mistakes, inappropriate comments or unrealistic ways of thinking capture how we all think and feel at that time in our life. His writing is raw, heartfelt, and surreal. Even for someone like myself, who did not rebel or make harmful decisions as a teenager, I could 100% relate with sympathy and understanding to Katie and the spiraling sensation that can become painful in young adulthood. This book grasps the consequences and vividness of life seen through the eyes of many young people. A refreshing read unlike anything else you'll pick up off the shelf.
November 7, 2017
Have you ever wondered what a middle aged white dude thinks being a teenaged girl is like? Have you ever wanted heavy topics such as child molestation, rape, depression, suicide, and abortion to be handled in the worst way possible? Have you ever thought that we need more literary fiction that sets women back further than the Trump administration? Have you ever spent 300 pages wondering who the fuck is in charge of editing over at Random House? WELL YOU ARE IN LUCK FAM.
July 2, 2009
First thing's first: The "gyrl" thing bugs me. In fact, there are a lot of things that stem from the blog format that bug me. I cringed at the typos. Is it too much to ask for our heroine to use Firefox?
So this book started out as a set of entertaining blog entries from a 17 year old who is fooling around with someone 15 years her senior. I might have related to that just a bit. But it didn't take long for me to lose my ability to relate to "Katie". It took a turn for the serious, as she became more and more self destructive and obsessed with finding Prince Charming, but really, how many people ever related to Go Ask Alice? I have to remind myself that sometimes a good book can have a character you don't relate to. Despite all this, I found myself sucked into this world with its backdrop of the election of last year and its cast of fuck-ups. And then came the last few entries. Let's just say I was not expecting those. They'll make you want to reread the book immediately, just to see if it doesn't take on a whole new meaning the second time around.
So this book started out as a set of entertaining blog entries from a 17 year old who is fooling around with someone 15 years her senior. I might have related to that just a bit. But it didn't take long for me to lose my ability to relate to "Katie". It took a turn for the serious, as she became more and more self destructive and obsessed with finding Prince Charming, but really, how many people ever related to Go Ask Alice? I have to remind myself that sometimes a good book can have a character you don't relate to. Despite all this, I found myself sucked into this world with its backdrop of the election of last year and its cast of fuck-ups. And then came the last few entries. Let's just say I was not expecting those. They'll make you want to reread the book immediately, just to see if it doesn't take on a whole new meaning the second time around.
June 23, 2019
I found this book quite hard to read once I realized the author was a male. I had issues with the plot, it was liked he thought of every possible dysfunctional thing that could possibly happen to a teenage girl and wrote it all down. The ending would have been twisted coming from the female perspective, but I found it quite disturbing coming from the male. This author is not one I would read.
January 8, 2011
Throughout most of the book, I was mostly irritated with the main character. I felt like it was the author's perverse fantasy of a teenage sexpot rather than a realistic account of a troubled 17-year-old. He also wrote the story in a way that was very predictable. It was very clear how the story would unfold with each new character. That is, predictable until the end, when it gets flipped upside down and abruptly ends with no closure. The ending left me feeling unsettled and confused, liking the book a lot less in some ways. Couple great quotes in there about loving reading, which I did appreciate, but overall, I was not a fan. In general, I would not recommend. Yes, as the other reviewers said, it was absolutely a page-turner, finished it in less than 24 hours.
January 16, 2015
I find it very difficult to explain my opinion.
This book is good but it contains too many complications.
And I think Katie's character is enigmatic. I couldn't comprehend what she really wanted with her life. I assume her traumatic past is the reason for her perplexing behavior.
I wish Katie was a bit more strong and focused.
This book is good but it contains too many complications.
And I think Katie's character is enigmatic. I couldn't comprehend what she really wanted with her life. I assume her traumatic past is the reason for her perplexing behavior.
I wish Katie was a bit more strong and focused.
February 27, 2017
THIS BOOK IS DEEP, CAPTIVATING AND UNDERRATED.
July 5, 2009
From the publisher:
Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.
It seems like a great idea, an awesome book along the lines of If I Stay or Wintergirls . Just watch the trailer.
The publisher continues:
Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie’s fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.
Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.
Vintage itself has mounted a "huge, strange online campaign" fueled by social networking as its marketing strategy, complete with its own little army of grassroots publicists.
The biggest problem I have with this whole hoopla is that, while undiscovered gyrl is being marketed as a YA book, it's really an exercise in postmodern reflection that should only be undertaken with discussion and analysis.
In a book group or an English class or with a friend over coffee.
If you like (and understand) J.D. Salinger, this is the book for you. Allison Burnett definitely seems to be the next Salinger.
I do not at all care for Salinger.
Though it will not be released until August 11, undiscovered gyrl has already caused a buzz in entertainment news because of the alleged reports last summer that Miley Cyrus will play the protagonist - even in the nude (Cyrus denies it as an internet rumor) in the movie version (something I've difficulty conceptualizing. The movie, not Miley.)
Some bloggers (like Melissa) love undiscovered gyrl, some hate it (Holly is one), some find it disturbing (like Kelly does). Some aren't sure. Reviews can be submitted by site users at the original undiscovered gyrl site.
However, I can find few who have really analyzed it. I'm not ready to do so here because so few people have read it yet. But I will say that if you need a topic for a paper, the societal perceptions Burnett invokes by using the word "gyrl" is a good place to start. And that I'm absolutely astonished at the number of people who say they can "relate to Katie."
You may remember that I questioned the validity of a white man writing a black point of view. Well, how about a middle-aged man writing as a teenage girl? Yes, that's right. Allison Burnett is a man.
So much more about the novel makes sense, knowing that. It shouldn't, I understand. An author's genitalia have nothing to do with plot and structure and style. But what I perceived as poor characterization instead is explained by gyrl's publicist, as intentional to a
It's the whole point. Burnett is a precipient interpreter of postmodern life. To stop at the surface story is to miss the entire point of undiscovered gyrl.
Bottom line? I didn't care for this book, and I can't get it out of my head. I can't even say that about Catcher in the Rye, which so failed to elicit response from me that I forgot it pretty quickly. I might decide I like undiscovered gyrl (though I doubt it.) I need someone with whom I can marinate on it.
So here's the contest:
When I post this article on the undiscovered gyrl site, I'll be eligible for two additional ARCs of the book. Help me circulate this post and get chances to receive one of them. I will pass one ARC on to the person who can generate the most traffic to my site and one to the person who submits the best reason I'd want to discuss this book with him or her. Shameless plugging? Yes, but I also really, truly think this is a book whose true nature needs to be known. Think of it as me keeping Starbucks in business, since you'll be headed there for delicious intellectual chats over the enigma that is undiscovered gyrl.
CONTEST DETAILS
You're responsible for letting me know if someone sent you here, if you share this on any social network, or if you beat it out in smoke signals; and/or for convincing me you are the right discussion partner for this novel. Leave comments or email me at aerinblogs AT aol DOT com.
Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.
It seems like a great idea, an awesome book along the lines of If I Stay or Wintergirls . Just watch the trailer.
The publisher continues:
Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie’s fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.
Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.
Vintage itself has mounted a "huge, strange online campaign" fueled by social networking as its marketing strategy, complete with its own little army of grassroots publicists.
The biggest problem I have with this whole hoopla is that, while undiscovered gyrl is being marketed as a YA book, it's really an exercise in postmodern reflection that should only be undertaken with discussion and analysis.
In a book group or an English class or with a friend over coffee.
If you like (and understand) J.D. Salinger, this is the book for you. Allison Burnett definitely seems to be the next Salinger.
I do not at all care for Salinger.
Though it will not be released until August 11, undiscovered gyrl has already caused a buzz in entertainment news because of the alleged reports last summer that Miley Cyrus will play the protagonist - even in the nude (Cyrus denies it as an internet rumor) in the movie version (something I've difficulty conceptualizing. The movie, not Miley.)
Some bloggers (like Melissa) love undiscovered gyrl, some hate it (Holly is one), some find it disturbing (like Kelly does). Some aren't sure. Reviews can be submitted by site users at the original undiscovered gyrl site.
However, I can find few who have really analyzed it. I'm not ready to do so here because so few people have read it yet. But I will say that if you need a topic for a paper, the societal perceptions Burnett invokes by using the word "gyrl" is a good place to start. And that I'm absolutely astonished at the number of people who say they can "relate to Katie."
You may remember that I questioned the validity of a white man writing a black point of view. Well, how about a middle-aged man writing as a teenage girl? Yes, that's right. Allison Burnett is a man.
So much more about the novel makes sense, knowing that. It shouldn't, I understand. An author's genitalia have nothing to do with plot and structure and style. But what I perceived as poor characterization instead is explained by gyrl's publicist, as intentional to a
novel [that:] keeps readers guessing as to the identity of its narrator by “putting traditional point of view on its head and playing around with the major identity issues of our age.”
It's the whole point. Burnett is a precipient interpreter of postmodern life. To stop at the surface story is to miss the entire point of undiscovered gyrl.
Bottom line? I didn't care for this book, and I can't get it out of my head. I can't even say that about Catcher in the Rye, which so failed to elicit response from me that I forgot it pretty quickly. I might decide I like undiscovered gyrl (though I doubt it.) I need someone with whom I can marinate on it.
So here's the contest:
When I post this article on the undiscovered gyrl site, I'll be eligible for two additional ARCs of the book. Help me circulate this post and get chances to receive one of them. I will pass one ARC on to the person who can generate the most traffic to my site and one to the person who submits the best reason I'd want to discuss this book with him or her. Shameless plugging? Yes, but I also really, truly think this is a book whose true nature needs to be known. Think of it as me keeping Starbucks in business, since you'll be headed there for delicious intellectual chats over the enigma that is undiscovered gyrl.
CONTEST DETAILS
You're responsible for letting me know if someone sent you here, if you share this on any social network, or if you beat it out in smoke signals; and/or for convincing me you are the right discussion partner for this novel. Leave comments or email me at aerinblogs AT aol DOT com.
September 1, 2009
I was sucked into this voyeuristic mess from page one. Katie Kampenfelt is seventeen, and already everthing our mothers warned us about. Her blog chronicles her excessive drinking and drug use, her sexcapades with her boyfriend and the older man she's sleeping with, and fantasies about her boss. The style, while gimmicky, is relevant - everyone has a blog, everyone thinks their life is newsworthy. And while Katie's blog is indeed different from the rest, what she's writing is nothing you would want for anyone close to you. Like a bad reality show, you can't stop watching. But unlike said reality show, Undiscovered girl is cleverly written, culturally important, and the perfect summer read for young fans of transgressive literature. It's like Bridget Jones, if Bridget were a mal-adjusted, alcoholic, promiscuous teenager. And while most moms of actual seventeen year olds would be horrified to find this book in their daughter's room, you can bet the daring teens will be sneaking around to trade it with their friends.
May 26, 2010
This seems like a real account of someone you probably know. A real girl telling a real story about something that could really happen. But yet, it's never really boring. Burnett writes it in a way that feels like you're sharing juicy gossip with one of your best girlfriends, constantly.
Definitely a chick book. Or maybe even a very sensitive boy book. But classified by gender or not, it's a story that will actually bring up true emotions and maybe even make you remember painful anecdotes of your real life.
The end is a kicker as well. but don't skip ahead just yet, if you read the end first, the whole experience would be ruined. It's almost as if you're living a whole different life through "Katie Kampenfelt."
Definitely a chick book. Or maybe even a very sensitive boy book. But classified by gender or not, it's a story that will actually bring up true emotions and maybe even make you remember painful anecdotes of your real life.
The end is a kicker as well. but don't skip ahead just yet, if you read the end first, the whole experience would be ruined. It's almost as if you're living a whole different life through "Katie Kampenfelt."
August 11, 2009
What attracted me to Undiscovered Gyrl was the premise. It’s about a girl who blogs anonymously and supposedly with honesty. She is a 17 year old teenager who lives her life without really thinking of the consequences. She has a boyfriend Rory who is more or less her age and she is also having an affair with an older guy whom she calls Dan and who already has a girlfriend. She takes a year off before joining college because she feels she isn’t ready.
She calls herself Katie. Although Katie lives her life recklessly she does realize from time to time that what she is doing is wrong. But she is unable to stop. As she continues to blog we come to know more about her life which mostly consists of partying, taking drugs and indulging in sexual relations. As a reader you get to know only what she projects to the world. We can see that her actions will have bad consequences. The things Katie does are disgusting and reckless. And although I never liked her I didn’t hate her too. I felt really bad for her and what she was doing to her life. I was hoping for something to change.
The end was a big surprise. I was expecting something different and was wondering how it will end, but I didn’t see it coming. For a moment when I turned the last page, I was stunned. I was like, ‘That’s it, over?’. I really wanted to know more. You know how it feels like when the power goes off just before the climax? That’s exactly how I felt. I kept thinking about it for a couple of days until I could finally make some sense out of it.
So the question is did I like it? It was engrossing and un-putdownable. It got some strong reactions from me. It made me think. It was different. So in a way yes, I liked it. And considering the author is a man, he did a great job with the voice of Katie.
One thing I didn’t like in the book was the constant ridiculing of other cultures. Be it Katie’s father’s words or her own, it was like the author was trying to create humor by making fun of others. And although I do understand it was part of Katie’s and her father’s character, it was just too much at times. I don’t know what the exact reading range of Undiscovered Gyrl is, but I wouldn’t give it to someone below 16.
First posted at http://violetcrush.wordpress.com/2009...
She calls herself Katie. Although Katie lives her life recklessly she does realize from time to time that what she is doing is wrong. But she is unable to stop. As she continues to blog we come to know more about her life which mostly consists of partying, taking drugs and indulging in sexual relations. As a reader you get to know only what she projects to the world. We can see that her actions will have bad consequences. The things Katie does are disgusting and reckless. And although I never liked her I didn’t hate her too. I felt really bad for her and what she was doing to her life. I was hoping for something to change.
The end was a big surprise. I was expecting something different and was wondering how it will end, but I didn’t see it coming. For a moment when I turned the last page, I was stunned. I was like, ‘That’s it, over?’. I really wanted to know more. You know how it feels like when the power goes off just before the climax? That’s exactly how I felt. I kept thinking about it for a couple of days until I could finally make some sense out of it.
So the question is did I like it? It was engrossing and un-putdownable. It got some strong reactions from me. It made me think. It was different. So in a way yes, I liked it. And considering the author is a man, he did a great job with the voice of Katie.
One thing I didn’t like in the book was the constant ridiculing of other cultures. Be it Katie’s father’s words or her own, it was like the author was trying to create humor by making fun of others. And although I do understand it was part of Katie’s and her father’s character, it was just too much at times. I don’t know what the exact reading range of Undiscovered Gyrl is, but I wouldn’t give it to someone below 16.
First posted at http://violetcrush.wordpress.com/2009...
March 1, 2021
Undiscovered Gyrl - RESEÑA
Si seguís nuestro Instagram, puede que sepáis que elegí este libro como mi favorito de 2020 y ahora voy a (intentar) explicar por qué.
Esta es una de esas historias que no parece nada del otro mundo, pero que cuanto más lees más te envuelve (es como ver un accidente de coche y saber que está pasando algo malo pero no poder apartar la mirada, para que me entendáis).
Conocí este libro porque vi la película con Britt Robertson. No me gustó demasiado pero seguí viéndola y fue una decisión inteligente, porque el final me dejó MUY INTRIGADA. Y luego me enteré de que había un libro y claro… ¡tenía que leerlo! Y aunque tardé un poco en conseguir el libro, mereció la pena.
A través de entradas en un blog vamos conociendo a Katie Kampenfelt (que no es su verdadero nombre), que se ha tomado un año sabático y nos relata sus salidas con su amiga Jade, sus peleas con su madre, con su padre, con su novio, su lío con un profesor universitario o su trabajo en una librería (con un jefe con antecedentes). Todo es bastante caótico y frenético (la chica es un desastre andante, para que nos vamos a engañar, pero por eso precisamente es interesante) en comparación con la perfección de los Spooner, la familia para la que hace de canguro (familia que quizás no es tan perfecta como la hace parecer).
El final me parece lo mejor del libro, sin lugar a duda. No quiero hacer spoiler, pero ya desde el principio nos dicen que “Katie” ha cambiado detalles para que no la reconozca ningún conocido. ¿Pero hasta qué punto se ha distorsionado la realidad? Solo tenemos su versión de los hechos, así que es difícil saber las cosas que son verdad y las que son mentira.
En definitiva, es una historia sin grandes giros dramáticos, simple y plana, sobre una chica que tiene o que crea muchos problemas allá por donde pasa. Pero hay bastantes sorpresas y salseos (sobre todo al final) y por eso no puedes dejar de leerlo. Y cuando llegas al final te quedas con ganas de más.
Hay un segundo libro que me muero por leer porque espero que me aclare alguna cosa que quedó abierta, pero a saber cuándo puedo leerlo… Mientras tanto seguiré recordando lo muuucho que me gusta este primer libro.
-Ali
Si seguís nuestro Instagram, puede que sepáis que elegí este libro como mi favorito de 2020 y ahora voy a (intentar) explicar por qué.
Esta es una de esas historias que no parece nada del otro mundo, pero que cuanto más lees más te envuelve (es como ver un accidente de coche y saber que está pasando algo malo pero no poder apartar la mirada, para que me entendáis).
Conocí este libro porque vi la película con Britt Robertson. No me gustó demasiado pero seguí viéndola y fue una decisión inteligente, porque el final me dejó MUY INTRIGADA. Y luego me enteré de que había un libro y claro… ¡tenía que leerlo! Y aunque tardé un poco en conseguir el libro, mereció la pena.
A través de entradas en un blog vamos conociendo a Katie Kampenfelt (que no es su verdadero nombre), que se ha tomado un año sabático y nos relata sus salidas con su amiga Jade, sus peleas con su madre, con su padre, con su novio, su lío con un profesor universitario o su trabajo en una librería (con un jefe con antecedentes). Todo es bastante caótico y frenético (la chica es un desastre andante, para que nos vamos a engañar, pero por eso precisamente es interesante) en comparación con la perfección de los Spooner, la familia para la que hace de canguro (familia que quizás no es tan perfecta como la hace parecer).
El final me parece lo mejor del libro, sin lugar a duda. No quiero hacer spoiler, pero ya desde el principio nos dicen que “Katie” ha cambiado detalles para que no la reconozca ningún conocido. ¿Pero hasta qué punto se ha distorsionado la realidad? Solo tenemos su versión de los hechos, así que es difícil saber las cosas que son verdad y las que son mentira.
En definitiva, es una historia sin grandes giros dramáticos, simple y plana, sobre una chica que tiene o que crea muchos problemas allá por donde pasa. Pero hay bastantes sorpresas y salseos (sobre todo al final) y por eso no puedes dejar de leerlo. Y cuando llegas al final te quedas con ganas de más.
Hay un segundo libro que me muero por leer porque espero que me aclare alguna cosa que quedó abierta, pero a saber cuándo puedo leerlo… Mientras tanto seguiré recordando lo muuucho que me gusta este primer libro.
-Ali
November 21, 2018
Kate is a shitshow, a product of unaddressed psychological issues from traumatic experiences. She’s wild and unapologetic about everything she does, and she is desperate for attention.
I had a hard time rooting for her when she was so destructive, but I think that was the point. Kate is perfectly happy screwing anyone and everyone and sees it as a confident power move. That wasn’t the case for me, and I definitely held no regard for the men she was after either.
Probably the most disappointing part of the book is the very end. For it all to build up and spread out and become this tangled mess and then abruptly end with no climax.....I understand what the author was going for, but it felt cheap. Like she knew there was no good way to end it so she just didn’t do it.
I had a hard time rooting for her when she was so destructive, but I think that was the point. Kate is perfectly happy screwing anyone and everyone and sees it as a confident power move. That wasn’t the case for me, and I definitely held no regard for the men she was after either.
Probably the most disappointing part of the book is the very end. For it all to build up and spread out and become this tangled mess and then abruptly end with no climax.....I understand what the author was going for, but it felt cheap. Like she knew there was no good way to end it so she just didn’t do it.
November 6, 2009
Wow. What a book. This is a story about a 17/18 year old girl - it is told in blog form. The main character is not a likable person. She is on the verge of becoming an alcoholic and is quite mean to friends and family. There are a lot of similarities between her and her father. This is good for a quick read. Spoiler Alert (sorta of): The reason for the 3 star is because of the ending. It seems like a cheap shot by the author.
January 3, 2019
Not a bad way to start off the 2019 reading year. I loved the writing, it made the story flow so seamlessly that it kept me addictively flipping pages even though I didn't always appreciate the heavy topics dealt with. And there are A LOT!
As a rule I don't usually appreciate books written in an epistolary or blog/journal type style but this one was written well enough it made me change my mind.
As a rule I don't usually appreciate books written in an epistolary or blog/journal type style but this one was written well enough it made me change my mind.
September 26, 2021
I picked up this book because I saw the movie first and it put me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Even though I saw the movie, Katie Kampenfelt dragged me into the rabbit hole with her. I didn’t think it would happen because I saw the movie, but the ending of the book made me feel more empty than the movie.
May 3, 2022
tw | racism, ableism, csa, homophobia, abuse
honestly... this book was kind of weird but kind of sad but kind of a lot.
honestly... this book was kind of weird but kind of sad but kind of a lot.
February 4, 2023
ending was a coppppp out!!! also I would not have bought this if I knew it was written by a man but read it anyway lol
October 19, 2020
I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like it. It was a quick and compelling read. I just... didn't like it. With culture and technology, it was all over the place. I was the same age as the narrator Katie in 2007-2008, which is when the book took place (I also graduated high school in 2007, same as Katie). The way she communicated with her friends made no sense to me. Emailing your friends all the time? That's not a thing that teenagers did in 2007. Emailing was for teachers and adults. We texted constantly. We called each other, but we never used landlines. We chatted on AIM. We wrote on each other's Facebook walls about "inside jokes" and party plans. We checked MySpace for new music. And yes, some of us wrote dumb blogs, just like Katie's blog. In short, we were conceited idiots, just like most teenagers, just like Katie. Technology, particularly the technology of how teenagers communicate, changes rapidly. If you're going to write a novel based on a very specific and relatively modern time frame, you need to know the very specific types of social media and communication that were occurring during that time period. Many authors get around this by using more vague time periods, such as when you can tell that someone was in high school "during the late 90s." Needless to say, this was not researched enough prior to the author writing this book.
What I liked about actual anonymous blogs when I was a teen were the insight into others' feelings that didn't exist in my "real life" conversations with friends. When I read these blogs, I felt less alone, like my never-shared inner thoughts and feelings didn't make me a freak. There were others like me out there, no matter what we pretended to be on the outside. Others who faked self-confidence, flirtatious moxie and feelings of invincibility. Others who struggled with shame, self-loathing and self-judgment, who agonized over the gain of three pounds, who tried to pretend they had it all together when on the inside, everything was falling apart.
I would have read maybe 2-3 entries of Katie's "blog" and moved on, because even her blog entries, the one place where a teenage girl should show her inner thoughts, are vapid.
Katie's insights were few and far between. Unlike many other readers, I did not find her to be a particularly sympathetic character. Even when she would get close to genuine emotion beyond her own selfish needs, the author would hold back by blaming it on her period and saying "Hormones, baby!" The mentions of PMS and changes in emotion related to hormones/menstruation were written in a completely unrelatable manner. I cringed every time Katie started talking about her period and her hormones (which happened a LOT, by the way) because I knew it would be just another part that didn't capture what it felt like to be a teenage girl. Even the descriptions of depression felt like it was only scratching the surface of Katie's inner thoughts and feelings. The "Ha!" was so jarring that I almost had to stop reading just because of that. Also, SPELL CHECK EXISTED IN 2007. The reoccurring mentions of this were irritating.
I understand an non-sympathetic narrator. I often like novels like that. It just doesn't work for the format of a teenage girl's blog.
I can't in good faith give this a 3 star review. 2.5 stars.
What I liked about actual anonymous blogs when I was a teen were the insight into others' feelings that didn't exist in my "real life" conversations with friends. When I read these blogs, I felt less alone, like my never-shared inner thoughts and feelings didn't make me a freak. There were others like me out there, no matter what we pretended to be on the outside. Others who faked self-confidence, flirtatious moxie and feelings of invincibility. Others who struggled with shame, self-loathing and self-judgment, who agonized over the gain of three pounds, who tried to pretend they had it all together when on the inside, everything was falling apart.
I would have read maybe 2-3 entries of Katie's "blog" and moved on, because even her blog entries, the one place where a teenage girl should show her inner thoughts, are vapid.
Katie's insights were few and far between. Unlike many other readers, I did not find her to be a particularly sympathetic character. Even when she would get close to genuine emotion beyond her own selfish needs, the author would hold back by blaming it on her period and saying "Hormones, baby!" The mentions of PMS and changes in emotion related to hormones/menstruation were written in a completely unrelatable manner. I cringed every time Katie started talking about her period and her hormones (which happened a LOT, by the way) because I knew it would be just another part that didn't capture what it felt like to be a teenage girl. Even the descriptions of depression felt like it was only scratching the surface of Katie's inner thoughts and feelings. The "Ha!" was so jarring that I almost had to stop reading just because of that. Also, SPELL CHECK EXISTED IN 2007. The reoccurring mentions of this were irritating.
I understand an non-sympathetic narrator. I often like novels like that. It just doesn't work for the format of a teenage girl's blog.
I can't in good faith give this a 3 star review. 2.5 stars.
December 7, 2009
Honestly, I was surprised by the book. It’s set up as a blog-to-book, and in it you watch as the narrator (the definition of the “unreliable narrator” to be sure) grows as a blogger, and disintegrates in some ways as a person. The idea of being able to be completely open in the anonymity is, at first, a relief and exciting thing for her, later it seems to be something that pushes her to more extreme and outrageous behavior… if for no other reason than to get a reaction from her readers.
Personally, there are parts of this that scare the hell out of me. I have a 16 and 15-year-old, neither of which are really that into blogging and stuff… now. Maggie, on the other hand, is 10 and a bit extroverted. ”Katie” tells about her mother and her boyfriend’s fighting, her dad and his girlfriend’s abusive relationship, and how she pits everyone against each other to get what she wants. She continually tells her readers that there is NOTHING sexual behind her boss’s generosity, but relays stories about him in such a way as to leave it almost obvious. She degrades herself over “Dan,” her college instructor on-the-side, and you can’t help but feel pity for her… she so wants to be loved, she’s willing to turn herself into that girl who waits desperately for his girlfriend to go away so she can devour the scraps.
With Undiscovered Gyrl, Allison Burnett reveals a very real picture of the modern teenage life. Unable to read and comprehend a book a year unless assigned by a teacher, but reads and responds to 20 emails, IMs and text messages a second. She couldn’t fathom doing homework without the TV on, CD blaring and the Google open on the computer. It makes me glad I’ve not given any of my kids a cell phone. They don’t have TVs in their bedrooms, even. We just got a second computer last June, so maybe mine will be safe…
Here’s the thing: Undiscovered Gyrl is very graphic and I even learned a few sex-things from reading it. I never knew what a “box job” was before this book. But it’s not porn, per se, and it all goes into the story for a purpose. It is shocking… at least for me, an over-30-parent. “Katie” isn’t totally unsympathetic, yet says things at times that make me want to slap the snot out of her. She’s so stupid and I just want to grab her up and say, “Wake up! You’re throwing your life away!” But, if there’s one thing I got out of this book it’s this: The fact it came from an adult would render it meaningless all together
Click for full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20...
Personally, there are parts of this that scare the hell out of me. I have a 16 and 15-year-old, neither of which are really that into blogging and stuff… now. Maggie, on the other hand, is 10 and a bit extroverted. ”Katie” tells about her mother and her boyfriend’s fighting, her dad and his girlfriend’s abusive relationship, and how she pits everyone against each other to get what she wants. She continually tells her readers that there is NOTHING sexual behind her boss’s generosity, but relays stories about him in such a way as to leave it almost obvious. She degrades herself over “Dan,” her college instructor on-the-side, and you can’t help but feel pity for her… she so wants to be loved, she’s willing to turn herself into that girl who waits desperately for his girlfriend to go away so she can devour the scraps.
With Undiscovered Gyrl, Allison Burnett reveals a very real picture of the modern teenage life. Unable to read and comprehend a book a year unless assigned by a teacher, but reads and responds to 20 emails, IMs and text messages a second. She couldn’t fathom doing homework without the TV on, CD blaring and the Google open on the computer. It makes me glad I’ve not given any of my kids a cell phone. They don’t have TVs in their bedrooms, even. We just got a second computer last June, so maybe mine will be safe…
Here’s the thing: Undiscovered Gyrl is very graphic and I even learned a few sex-things from reading it. I never knew what a “box job” was before this book. But it’s not porn, per se, and it all goes into the story for a purpose. It is shocking… at least for me, an over-30-parent. “Katie” isn’t totally unsympathetic, yet says things at times that make me want to slap the snot out of her. She’s so stupid and I just want to grab her up and say, “Wake up! You’re throwing your life away!” But, if there’s one thing I got out of this book it’s this: The fact it came from an adult would render it meaningless all together
Click for full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20...
December 15, 2009
Allison Burnett's book is the story of everything I hate about internet blogging, stereotypical self-absorbed teenagers, and popular fiction all roled into one. It's too full of sex for Young Adult Fiction, but, at the same time, too juvenile for regular Fiction.
In Undiscovered Gyrl (p.s. what the hell is with always spelling "gyrl" with the "y"? is it "indie" or something? no. it's dumb) Burnett presents the life of Katie Kampenfelt as she portrays herself through a blog she starts the summer she graduates high school through her first year, in which she defers college. She uses an alias and changes details to keep her real identity secret. How do I know this? Because it's, like, a big deal that she keeps coming back to in her blog, along with self-indulgent questions about "are 350 unique views of my page a good thing?"
In terms of actual content of the blog, it mostly involves Katie drinking and behaving in a promiscuous manner (re. sex with much older, married and engaged men) and talking about how hot her "bod" is and how bad she feels about cheating on her boyfriend. I think the most telling statement is when she expresses relief that the psychologist her mother sends her to is a woman, because obviously a male shrink would "sprout a boner" listening to her talk about her life.
I GUESS THE REST OF THIS REVIEW IS A SPOILER, BUT THIS BOOK SUCKS, AND I DON'T RECOMMEND IT, SO FEEL FREE TO READ ON: When Katie disappears, her mother discovers the blog and in attempts to gather information about where Katie (real name: Amy) may be, she makes a few entries and it comes out that much of Katie's statements may be completely false.
So, I get it, Allison Burnett, your using the diary format (trendily updated to the digital era as a blog) for your book, and combining it with an unreliable narrator. Awesome. Too bad I can't think of any character in your book I actually felt a connection with, including your heroine, who I think I hated, I was kind of hoping that you would definitively have Katie/Amy's mom find her body at the end so at least I could have some closure and not have to worry about a sequel. Oh well. Lame premise. Lame characters. Lame book.
In Undiscovered Gyrl (p.s. what the hell is with always spelling "gyrl" with the "y"? is it "indie" or something? no. it's dumb) Burnett presents the life of Katie Kampenfelt as she portrays herself through a blog she starts the summer she graduates high school through her first year, in which she defers college. She uses an alias and changes details to keep her real identity secret. How do I know this? Because it's, like, a big deal that she keeps coming back to in her blog, along with self-indulgent questions about "are 350 unique views of my page a good thing?"
In terms of actual content of the blog, it mostly involves Katie drinking and behaving in a promiscuous manner (re. sex with much older, married and engaged men) and talking about how hot her "bod" is and how bad she feels about cheating on her boyfriend. I think the most telling statement is when she expresses relief that the psychologist her mother sends her to is a woman, because obviously a male shrink would "sprout a boner" listening to her talk about her life.
I GUESS THE REST OF THIS REVIEW IS A SPOILER, BUT THIS BOOK SUCKS, AND I DON'T RECOMMEND IT, SO FEEL FREE TO READ ON: When Katie disappears, her mother discovers the blog and in attempts to gather information about where Katie (real name: Amy) may be, she makes a few entries and it comes out that much of Katie's statements may be completely false.
So, I get it, Allison Burnett, your using the diary format (trendily updated to the digital era as a blog) for your book, and combining it with an unreliable narrator. Awesome. Too bad I can't think of any character in your book I actually felt a connection with, including your heroine, who I think I hated, I was kind of hoping that you would definitively have Katie/Amy's mom find her body at the end so at least I could have some closure and not have to worry about a sequel. Oh well. Lame premise. Lame characters. Lame book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2009
Okay, for once I'm going to skip to my own little made-up synopsis. There are four specific words that sum up this story, in a nutshell: crudely honest yet deceitful. Straight-up. The fact that it's written in blog-format is just a bonus, I swear. By the time you get through the first few posts of self-knowing to self-questing, you're hooked. I got a head-ache from reading straight from the start to page 174. ('Course, that could have been also because it was the middle of the night.) The sexual innuendo is definitely most of the main reason, everything else, random facts. You will laugh at the most saddening parts because you inevitably know what's going to happen next, yet it still manages to catch you by surprise because you sure as hell aren't psychic. Undiscovered Gyrl, I guess you could say is a discovering novel. Makes sense, right? "Kate" remains anonymous throughout, but yet how can she? She's telling a life-story, but is it really hers? You don't know who she is, so....It's riveting and quite appalling at times, a can't look away sort of thing. This might be one of the shortest reviews ever, but no doubt it is one of the best. Book, not review. ;) (Although...)
I was initially think of making this a "crudely honest" review, to portray the fragility of the main character but also of the arrogant strength that young adults cannot survive without (that Allison so dearly states, and for that I thank him!). Hopefully, I can at least go out with a bang! How's this:
Recommended to all YAs out there deferring from their freshman year of college, (males get ready for boners and females, changing of the undies will soon be in order) for you will not stop 'til you pass out from trying stand-up when you've been in your reading position so long--has happened, beware!
Warning: Wrote review with still a third of the novel left to cherish; if I had reviewed it after finishing it all (like normal people, bleh) I would have most likely forgotten what I had read the previous day, has happened!
I was initially think of making this a "crudely honest" review, to portray the fragility of the main character but also of the arrogant strength that young adults cannot survive without (that Allison so dearly states, and for that I thank him!). Hopefully, I can at least go out with a bang! How's this:
Recommended to all YAs out there deferring from their freshman year of college, (males get ready for boners and females, changing of the undies will soon be in order) for you will not stop 'til you pass out from trying stand-up when you've been in your reading position so long--has happened, beware!
Warning: Wrote review with still a third of the novel left to cherish; if I had reviewed it after finishing it all (like normal people, bleh) I would have most likely forgotten what I had read the previous day, has happened!
August 10, 2009
The back cover for "Undiscovered Gyrl" declares "only on the Internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely."
That statement sums up a lot of the life of first-person narrator, Katie Kampenfelt. Katie has decided to defer her college for a year to find out what she really wants to do in life. She chronicles this journey via her popular blog that picks up a lot of hits, comments and e-mails about Katie and her lifestyle.
"Undiscovered Gyrl" is told in the conversational style of a personal blog, complete with mis-spellings, grammar errors and drunk typing entries. All of that makes the novel a fascinating read as we get to know more about Katie and while we may not necessarily like her, we do at least understand a bit more about what drives her.
Katie is stuck in neutral while life seems to be happening around her. She yearns for a true love, but is clearly having some issues from her parents divorce. At several points in the story, you'll wonder how much of what Katie is reporting here is true and how much of it comes from her own need to entertain the readers and friends she's made on her blog. At several points, Katie is clearly concerned about her readership base numbers.
"Undiscovered Gyrl" is a book I liked but didn't love. It's not a three-star book, but it's not exactly four. Call it three and a half.
Part of that is that despite having a compelling and readable voice in Katie, the character herself isn't always likeable. Readers will find themselves conflicted on how to feel about Katie and her choices in the novel. Like life, some are good, some are bad and a lot of them have unintended consequences. What does come through time and again is Katie's loneliness and desperate need to love and be loved. In that, the novel is haunting and some of the events later in the story will keep you thinking long after the book is through.
That statement sums up a lot of the life of first-person narrator, Katie Kampenfelt. Katie has decided to defer her college for a year to find out what she really wants to do in life. She chronicles this journey via her popular blog that picks up a lot of hits, comments and e-mails about Katie and her lifestyle.
"Undiscovered Gyrl" is told in the conversational style of a personal blog, complete with mis-spellings, grammar errors and drunk typing entries. All of that makes the novel a fascinating read as we get to know more about Katie and while we may not necessarily like her, we do at least understand a bit more about what drives her.
Katie is stuck in neutral while life seems to be happening around her. She yearns for a true love, but is clearly having some issues from her parents divorce. At several points in the story, you'll wonder how much of what Katie is reporting here is true and how much of it comes from her own need to entertain the readers and friends she's made on her blog. At several points, Katie is clearly concerned about her readership base numbers.
"Undiscovered Gyrl" is a book I liked but didn't love. It's not a three-star book, but it's not exactly four. Call it three and a half.
Part of that is that despite having a compelling and readable voice in Katie, the character herself isn't always likeable. Readers will find themselves conflicted on how to feel about Katie and her choices in the novel. Like life, some are good, some are bad and a lot of them have unintended consequences. What does come through time and again is Katie's loneliness and desperate need to love and be loved. In that, the novel is haunting and some of the events later in the story will keep you thinking long after the book is through.
January 20, 2010
17 year old Amy has just decided not to go to college for a year and to kill time she begins to write a blog. Writing under the name of Katie she begins to amuse her readers with tantalizing tidbits of her life. By changing names and pertinent facts she is able to keep her sordid tales about sex, drugs, drinking, and the dysfunctional relationship with her parents and much older men, anonymous.
Amy longs to be discovered and truly loved, but there is so much about herself and life she needs to discover first and the lessons aren’t always easy.
When I was younger the book to read was Go Ask Alice, the supposed real life diary of a good girl gone bad with a heavy dose of drug abuse. This book reminded me of that one, immediately. I guess because the blogs of today are the diaries of yesterday. It has the same concept, except I think this one is solidly more compelling. I began reading this book with the promise that after 20 pages I would clean my house… 290 pages later I finally finished the book and was at least able to vacuum before the hubby got home.
It is a hard book to set down, and the blogs are all interesting although some are simple, some childish and selfish, some are sexy and some are downright sad. While reading I wondered how someone so physically and mentally mature could be so emotionally immature. She was at once a child and a whore, innocence and corruption; half the time I wanted to smack her, the other half I wanted to hold her.
I can highly recommend this read; on entertainment value alone I would have given it 5 stars. However, the ending was unnecessarily dismal and left you with more questions than answers and no real closure. I hate that. I am not a fan of unanswered questions or cliffhangers; I like a tidy clean ending. But maybe that’s just me. Enjoy!
Cherise Everhard, January 2010
Amy longs to be discovered and truly loved, but there is so much about herself and life she needs to discover first and the lessons aren’t always easy.
When I was younger the book to read was Go Ask Alice, the supposed real life diary of a good girl gone bad with a heavy dose of drug abuse. This book reminded me of that one, immediately. I guess because the blogs of today are the diaries of yesterday. It has the same concept, except I think this one is solidly more compelling. I began reading this book with the promise that after 20 pages I would clean my house… 290 pages later I finally finished the book and was at least able to vacuum before the hubby got home.
It is a hard book to set down, and the blogs are all interesting although some are simple, some childish and selfish, some are sexy and some are downright sad. While reading I wondered how someone so physically and mentally mature could be so emotionally immature. She was at once a child and a whore, innocence and corruption; half the time I wanted to smack her, the other half I wanted to hold her.
I can highly recommend this read; on entertainment value alone I would have given it 5 stars. However, the ending was unnecessarily dismal and left you with more questions than answers and no real closure. I hate that. I am not a fan of unanswered questions or cliffhangers; I like a tidy clean ending. But maybe that’s just me. Enjoy!
Cherise Everhard, January 2010
October 25, 2009
Allison Burnett: The Master of Identities
Allison Burnett is able to absorb every facet of his created characters so completely that each of his books gives the reader the feeling that the first person narrator is the actual writer. Visit his previous books - CHRISTOPHER: A TALE OF SEDUCTION and THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL - and try to be convinced that the idiosyncratic characters are not real and writing their own memoirs. Now in UNDISCOVERED GYRL Burnett further challenges himself by writing a novel in the first person who happens to be both a girl and a female artifice created by the media we now live by - the internet. He manages to make this Katie creation so credible that her incredibility works! Who is she really - spoiled mouthy high school graduate or the femme fatale she creates with the device of the blog?
Burnett's writing style is so fluid that he makes this initially wild idea for a novel capture the reader's attention and makes us go along with the preposterous shenanigans of a character about whom we know little except for the persona she manufactures, scratching our heads at times trying to figure out how the deception will play out, while most of the time just voyeuristically going along for the ride. He knows his craft and after his sojourns into the edgy worlds of his previous two novels, he has the guts to pull us further into those places most of us only silently peek at as we surf the www. This book is entertaining as a novel: this book is a real examination of where we are now in this distorted world of quasi-real communication and identities!
Grady Harp
Allison Burnett is able to absorb every facet of his created characters so completely that each of his books gives the reader the feeling that the first person narrator is the actual writer. Visit his previous books - CHRISTOPHER: A TALE OF SEDUCTION and THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL - and try to be convinced that the idiosyncratic characters are not real and writing their own memoirs. Now in UNDISCOVERED GYRL Burnett further challenges himself by writing a novel in the first person who happens to be both a girl and a female artifice created by the media we now live by - the internet. He manages to make this Katie creation so credible that her incredibility works! Who is she really - spoiled mouthy high school graduate or the femme fatale she creates with the device of the blog?
Burnett's writing style is so fluid that he makes this initially wild idea for a novel capture the reader's attention and makes us go along with the preposterous shenanigans of a character about whom we know little except for the persona she manufactures, scratching our heads at times trying to figure out how the deception will play out, while most of the time just voyeuristically going along for the ride. He knows his craft and after his sojourns into the edgy worlds of his previous two novels, he has the guts to pull us further into those places most of us only silently peek at as we surf the www. This book is entertaining as a novel: this book is a real examination of where we are now in this distorted world of quasi-real communication and identities!
Grady Harp
July 1, 2009
I got this from ShelfAwareness. It was an easy read - breezed through it in a day. I understand that the movie rights have already been sold & they are making a movie of this with Miley Cyrus in the lead role which seems appropriate.
This is a series of blog entries which on the surface sounds like it might be something different & cool, but in reality reads just like any other book done in diary form. The story is pretty basic & the characters are fairly stereotypical. I didn't really find anything surprising or disturbing about this book - it all seemed pretty predictable to me with behavior that felt about normal for teenagers at the end of or just outside of high school. Maybe I ran with a fast crowd.
In any event, I think this has been done before & better. I kept thinking of Go Ask Alice (which ran through my middle school like a bad case of food poisoning) or the more recent Beauty Queen. Both of these are filled with teen angst, disaffection, disillusion, & confusion combined with risky behavior & poor decisions in both the life & sexual arenas. This seemed like the PG-rated version of these two books & wasn't as well-written.
Ultimately, I wanted this book to be more transgressive than it was so it gets a mildly entertaining but not much to it review from me.
This is a series of blog entries which on the surface sounds like it might be something different & cool, but in reality reads just like any other book done in diary form. The story is pretty basic & the characters are fairly stereotypical. I didn't really find anything surprising or disturbing about this book - it all seemed pretty predictable to me with behavior that felt about normal for teenagers at the end of or just outside of high school. Maybe I ran with a fast crowd.
In any event, I think this has been done before & better. I kept thinking of Go Ask Alice (which ran through my middle school like a bad case of food poisoning) or the more recent Beauty Queen. Both of these are filled with teen angst, disaffection, disillusion, & confusion combined with risky behavior & poor decisions in both the life & sexual arenas. This seemed like the PG-rated version of these two books & wasn't as well-written.
Ultimately, I wanted this book to be more transgressive than it was so it gets a mildly entertaining but not much to it review from me.
May 16, 2018
A compulsively-promiscuous, troubled teen blogs about her interpersonal relationships throughout the year off between high school and university.
*** Trigger Warnings: Child Sex Abuse, Rape, Domestic Abuse ***
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ - did not like it
Genre: young adult fiction, ya contemporary
Pros: none
Cons: racism, annoying main character
If you enjoy reading books about characters who are racist, ignorant, self-centered, and downright annoying, then you will love this book. If you prefer to actually like the characters you read about, don't even bother with this one.
For those who have seen the film, whether you liked it or not, this is one of those rare times where the book is worse than its film adaptation. When making the film they cut out about 90% of Katie's racism and internalized misogyny, which greatly improved her personality. The character in the film tends to come across more naive and damaged than anything else, but this is not the case in the novel.
Even the very brief mystery at the end wasn't interesting enough to save this book, in my opinion.
Another thing that explains some of the problems I had with this book about a young girl and her issues: it was written by a man and it shows.
Honestly, there are so many other, better books out there about teen girls with issues, read those, don't waste your time on this one.
I also have a book blog :)
*** Trigger Warnings: Child Sex Abuse, Rape, Domestic Abuse ***
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ - did not like it
Genre: young adult fiction, ya contemporary
Pros: none
Cons: racism, annoying main character
If you enjoy reading books about characters who are racist, ignorant, self-centered, and downright annoying, then you will love this book. If you prefer to actually like the characters you read about, don't even bother with this one.
For those who have seen the film, whether you liked it or not, this is one of those rare times where the book is worse than its film adaptation. When making the film they cut out about 90% of Katie's racism and internalized misogyny, which greatly improved her personality. The character in the film tends to come across more naive and damaged than anything else, but this is not the case in the novel.
Even the very brief mystery at the end wasn't interesting enough to save this book, in my opinion.
Another thing that explains some of the problems I had with this book about a young girl and her issues: it was written by a man and it shows.
Honestly, there are so many other, better books out there about teen girls with issues, read those, don't waste your time on this one.
I also have a book blog :)
November 5, 2009
WARNING!! CONTAINS SPOILERS!!
When I first opened the book I thought, "Oh no, not another book in blog." I bought the book without opening it and sampling it. When I was in the store I turned it over and saw that it was a modern Lolita. That was enough for me to buy it. Lolita is my favorite book. But then I saw that the book was one long blog.
After about 100 pages I finally let myself get absorbed. Although, it was pretty childish in story and writing, I loved her brutal honesty. I wish I could be that honest but I don't like sharing my secrets.
The book to me was very typical. It's been done before. I appreciate that the author did not give us happy ending bull. An ending with no closure is a more realistic ending. However, I felt that maybe she ran out of ideas. It was like, she lost creativity and that's why the ending seemed random.
The one big thing that I absolutely loved was that her dating history was the same as mine. She had an immature, obnoxious highschool sweetheart with a horrible temper. I had one of those too. Then she had her intelligent, narcissistic 30 year old who thought he was better than her and brighter. I had one of those. Then she had her 40 year old, witty boss who could lose his reputation if people were to know they were seeing eachother. I had one of those. It was good to see that I had an equal with the same horrible dating history that I've had.
When I first opened the book I thought, "Oh no, not another book in blog." I bought the book without opening it and sampling it. When I was in the store I turned it over and saw that it was a modern Lolita. That was enough for me to buy it. Lolita is my favorite book. But then I saw that the book was one long blog.
After about 100 pages I finally let myself get absorbed. Although, it was pretty childish in story and writing, I loved her brutal honesty. I wish I could be that honest but I don't like sharing my secrets.
The book to me was very typical. It's been done before. I appreciate that the author did not give us happy ending bull. An ending with no closure is a more realistic ending. However, I felt that maybe she ran out of ideas. It was like, she lost creativity and that's why the ending seemed random.
The one big thing that I absolutely loved was that her dating history was the same as mine. She had an immature, obnoxious highschool sweetheart with a horrible temper. I had one of those too. Then she had her intelligent, narcissistic 30 year old who thought he was better than her and brighter. I had one of those. Then she had her 40 year old, witty boss who could lose his reputation if people were to know they were seeing eachother. I had one of those. It was good to see that I had an equal with the same horrible dating history that I've had.
September 23, 2009
This is a difficult review to write. While I liked the book a lot it was still different.
I liked it because it was written in blog form. I have read books written like diaries but never blogs.
Some other things I liked is that the author makes you feel for Katie. She is a troubled teen who drinks, smokes, has a bad relationship with her father, and sleeps with older men. You can't help but feel sorry for her.
Saying this, there are some things in the book that were very bold and detailed. Like Katie's language got rauncy once in a while, and her sex life is explained. And even though Katie is a teenager I wouldn't think that this book would be for a young reader.
And I did not see the ending coming. It ends with Katie's last blog post as:
"Wait, phone ringing. Someboday loves me. Stand by."
I'm not going to say who picks up Katie's blog from here because I don't want to give anything away. But I have to say that I was not expecting the ending. And I am also still wondering what exactly happened. I wish the ending would have been a little different.
I liked it because it was written in blog form. I have read books written like diaries but never blogs.
Some other things I liked is that the author makes you feel for Katie. She is a troubled teen who drinks, smokes, has a bad relationship with her father, and sleeps with older men. You can't help but feel sorry for her.
Saying this, there are some things in the book that were very bold and detailed. Like Katie's language got rauncy once in a while, and her sex life is explained. And even though Katie is a teenager I wouldn't think that this book would be for a young reader.
And I did not see the ending coming. It ends with Katie's last blog post as:
"Wait, phone ringing. Someboday loves me. Stand by."
I'm not going to say who picks up Katie's blog from here because I don't want to give anything away. But I have to say that I was not expecting the ending. And I am also still wondering what exactly happened. I wish the ending would have been a little different.
May 9, 2010
I'm not sure what to say about this book. It's a compelling read, to say the very least. It's definitely good. But the word that I keep coming back to is "disturbing."
A blurb on the back says it's basically an updated Lolita, except that she's telling her own story on a blog. For me, though, it reminded me of Blake Nelson's Girl. That one was about a freshman in high school and Undiscovered Gyrl is about a girl who should be a freshman in college, but she deferred her acceptance for a year.
Throughout the course of the book, Katie has several doomed relationships with men ("relationships" used loosely; "men" used advisedly--one's 32 and one's in his 40s). She's 17 for most of her time with the 32-year-old and 18 for the other guy.
It's just a really sad story and I don't think it's a spoiler to say that it doesn't end well for Katie.
Again, compelling and good. And it's something that should be read, because it illustrates the dangers of drinking and drug use and sex before you're ready for it.
A blurb on the back says it's basically an updated Lolita, except that she's telling her own story on a blog. For me, though, it reminded me of Blake Nelson's Girl. That one was about a freshman in high school and Undiscovered Gyrl is about a girl who should be a freshman in college, but she deferred her acceptance for a year.
Throughout the course of the book, Katie has several doomed relationships with men ("relationships" used loosely; "men" used advisedly--one's 32 and one's in his 40s). She's 17 for most of her time with the 32-year-old and 18 for the other guy.
It's just a really sad story and I don't think it's a spoiler to say that it doesn't end well for Katie.
Again, compelling and good. And it's something that should be read, because it illustrates the dangers of drinking and drug use and sex before you're ready for it.
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