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The Oracle of Dating #1
The Oracle of Dating
For five bucks, the Oracle of Dating will tell
* How to flirt
* If that cute guy you're crushing on likes you, too
* Whether your new romance will last through lunch period
* And much more
What she won't tell you? Who she is.
No one at Kayla's school knows she's the famous Oracle of Dating— the anonymous queen of dating advice. She doesn't even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make Kayla focus on everyone else's love life.
But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart—the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating—and she knows just where to find one….
* How to flirt
* If that cute guy you're crushing on likes you, too
* Whether your new romance will last through lunch period
* And much more
What she won't tell you? Who she is.
No one at Kayla's school knows she's the famous Oracle of Dating— the anonymous queen of dating advice. She doesn't even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make Kayla focus on everyone else's love life.
But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart—the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating—and she knows just where to find one….
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
9 people are currently reading
1917 people want to read
About the author
Allison van Diepen
10 books952 followersAllison van Diepen is the author of many teen novels, including Takedown, Street Pharm, Snitch, Raven, The Oracle of Dating, The Oracle Rebounds, and The Vampire Stalker. Her novels have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and New York City Public Library Books for the Teen Age.
Her latest is the heart-pounding ON THE EDGE series set in Miami. ON THE EDGE and LIGHT OF DAY are in stores now. The final installment is RUN THE RISK, due out in early 2017.
Her latest is the heart-pounding ON THE EDGE series set in Miami. ON THE EDGE and LIGHT OF DAY are in stores now. The final installment is RUN THE RISK, due out in early 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
June 13, 2010
No one at Kayla’s school knows she’s the famous Oracle of Dating—the anonymous queen of dating advice, given through her own Web site. Kayla doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make her focus on everyone else’s love life. But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart—the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating--and she knows just where to find one...
Review:
It's no secret that I adore Harlequin Teen books, so as you can imagine I was ecstatic when I got the chance to read this. Thankfully enough, The Oracle of Dating was, without a doubt, the cutest book I've read so far this year, and a fantastic start to a new series!
You know those type of characters that you would love to have as friend in real life because they’re chic, smart, and fun? Well Kayla along with all her funny friends were that type. I loved how real they were and how the problems they faced were ones all teens go through; it was definitely high point. Plus, I really enjoyed seeing a real type of relationship between Kayla and Jared. Since unlike half the teen books out there, they became friends first and gradually worked their way up to being more.
The plot and the writing worked perfectly together, producing an awesome product, if I do say so myself. I loved reading Kayla/The Oracle’s dating advice and blog posts along with all the drama that occurred. And while the plot was a bit predictable, it never truly detracted from the overall story.
In all, The Oracle of Dating has a bit of everything that leads to gretness including relatable characters, laugh out loud funny scenes, a sweet romance, and dating advice, of course, which leaves this to be a book I'll definitely be suggesting come May. Great job yet again Harlequin Teen!
My first thought reading this book was it was going to be okay.Then as I started to read it my review change.I became in love with the characters it was really easy to do so.Even in Pride and prejudice it was hard to become in love with the characters that easy.The plot made it easy to identify with the characters.It seemed so easy to find yourself with them
this is a to-read book :)
oh and thanks to the author
Review:
It's no secret that I adore Harlequin Teen books, so as you can imagine I was ecstatic when I got the chance to read this. Thankfully enough, The Oracle of Dating was, without a doubt, the cutest book I've read so far this year, and a fantastic start to a new series!
You know those type of characters that you would love to have as friend in real life because they’re chic, smart, and fun? Well Kayla along with all her funny friends were that type. I loved how real they were and how the problems they faced were ones all teens go through; it was definitely high point. Plus, I really enjoyed seeing a real type of relationship between Kayla and Jared. Since unlike half the teen books out there, they became friends first and gradually worked their way up to being more.
The plot and the writing worked perfectly together, producing an awesome product, if I do say so myself. I loved reading Kayla/The Oracle’s dating advice and blog posts along with all the drama that occurred. And while the plot was a bit predictable, it never truly detracted from the overall story.
In all, The Oracle of Dating has a bit of everything that leads to gretness including relatable characters, laugh out loud funny scenes, a sweet romance, and dating advice, of course, which leaves this to be a book I'll definitely be suggesting come May. Great job yet again Harlequin Teen!
My first thought reading this book was it was going to be okay.Then as I started to read it my review change.I became in love with the characters it was really easy to do so.Even in Pride and prejudice it was hard to become in love with the characters that easy.The plot made it easy to identify with the characters.It seemed so easy to find yourself with them
this is a to-read book :)
oh and thanks to the author
June 14, 2011
I love these sweet teen romances. Whenever I'm feeling blue they are here to bring my spirit up.
September 1, 2010
The Oracle of Dating is an adorable young adult novel! It has a set of great characters, an interesting storyline, and some really cool dating advices! It's better than I'd expected!
Kayla is an ordinary girl who has had two disastrous relationships before. She cleverly uses her knowledge about love relationships to create a website specialized to help teens in their love life. She is the oh-so-famous Oracle of Dating, and no one even knows it. She has a serious crush on fellow art class classmate, Jared, but is unsure about how he feels for her.
Her best friend Viv is an Indian girl whose her parents will only let her date an Indian boy. The problem is, she is in love with a guy with white skin, and she doesn't know what to do. And so, she consults The Oracle of Dating. Kayla, being so excited about her friend's feelings, urges her to follow her heart. And so Viv does. When Viv's parents know about this, they decides to ground her for 6 weeks and Kayla starts to blame herself for this.
Kayla, being a sister, is very protective of her older sister Tracey, who has been hurt a lot of times in love relationships. Kayla also gives advices to her sister and I can see that she really cares about Tracey. She can be pejorative sometimes, especially when it comes to love relationships.
I love to see how Kayla's character grows as she learns about the things in life. I also enjoyed the presence of Jared because he sounds so amazing and is just the perfect match for Kayla. He is not a pushy or possessive guy, but acts just nice - like a friend, with a liking and closeness that is not overboard. They are such a sweet couple! :)
Through this book, I can see that the author does have a great sense of humour. I laughed when I read this book because the descriptions of the scenes and the character's inner thoughts are quite hilarious sometimes. As most young adult novels, this book has no lacking of popular but mean characters.
Overall, this was a fun, absorbing and out of the ordinary book. I'm now patiently waiting for the sequel, The Oracle Rebounds! I certainly won't miss it!
Kayla is an ordinary girl who has had two disastrous relationships before. She cleverly uses her knowledge about love relationships to create a website specialized to help teens in their love life. She is the oh-so-famous Oracle of Dating, and no one even knows it. She has a serious crush on fellow art class classmate, Jared, but is unsure about how he feels for her.
Her best friend Viv is an Indian girl whose her parents will only let her date an Indian boy. The problem is, she is in love with a guy with white skin, and she doesn't know what to do. And so, she consults The Oracle of Dating. Kayla, being so excited about her friend's feelings, urges her to follow her heart. And so Viv does. When Viv's parents know about this, they decides to ground her for 6 weeks and Kayla starts to blame herself for this.
Kayla, being a sister, is very protective of her older sister Tracey, who has been hurt a lot of times in love relationships. Kayla also gives advices to her sister and I can see that she really cares about Tracey. She can be pejorative sometimes, especially when it comes to love relationships.
I love to see how Kayla's character grows as she learns about the things in life. I also enjoyed the presence of Jared because he sounds so amazing and is just the perfect match for Kayla. He is not a pushy or possessive guy, but acts just nice - like a friend, with a liking and closeness that is not overboard. They are such a sweet couple! :)
Through this book, I can see that the author does have a great sense of humour. I laughed when I read this book because the descriptions of the scenes and the character's inner thoughts are quite hilarious sometimes. As most young adult novels, this book has no lacking of popular but mean characters.
Overall, this was a fun, absorbing and out of the ordinary book. I'm now patiently waiting for the sequel, The Oracle Rebounds! I certainly won't miss it!
March 3, 2024
Sixteen-year-old Kayla is just your average, ordinary teenager by day, but at night, she becomes a dating superhero. Kayla’s super hero name? The Oracle of Dating. And like most superheroes, Kayla’s identity is a secret. Ok, she’s not actually a superhero, but Kayla did start a secret Web site to help those needing advice on love and relationships. She has an extraordinary ability to tell the dating-challenged exactly what they need to hear, even if it’s not what they want to hear.
Unfortunately, when her friend asks for advice, Kayla lets her personal relationship get in the way of her good judgment. On top of that, Kayla can’t get Jared Stewart, the new boy in school off her mind. If only she could learn to take her own advice.
Positives:
-Kayla is a wise-beyond-her-years girl who isn’t afraid to share her knowledge with her followers and friends and even her 20-something older sister. She actually gives really good dating advice most of the time.
-I really like that she has standards and values and isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes. She’s an intelligent girl who is kind and thoughtful, and cares deeply for her friends and family, and they care deeply about her.
-The use of Web sites, Facebook, and Paypal add another dimension to this book that hasn’t been present in any of the other books I've read. It's nice to see a teen girl who has a sense of business and responsibility.
Negatives:
-I didn't think the story was that great. I actually put the book down for a couple of weeks when I was probably 80% done. That's not a good sign.
-I felt like it would appeal more to younger teens than older ones (especially from the look of the cover), but there was a lot of talk about sex, especially with Kayla’s older sister who was in her twenties, and a ton of raunchy sexual comments and innuendo, and quite a bit of mature language.
-But the biggest thing that bothered me was the way that Jared treated Kayla. He did treat her really well sometimes, but other times he was seriously a jerk. I don’t want to give anything away, but I didn’t like that he tried to push a girl (not Kayla) to have sex with him so that she would break up with him, and this is shown as a good thing because he’s sparing her the humiliation of being dumped.
Overall, I’d say that this book reminded me a lot of The Lonely Hearts Club (my review), but I thought LHC was so much better, with a much better cast of characters. Not to mention an awesome guy who knows how to treat a girl.
I'd say pass on this one!
~Andye
Unfortunately, when her friend asks for advice, Kayla lets her personal relationship get in the way of her good judgment. On top of that, Kayla can’t get Jared Stewart, the new boy in school off her mind. If only she could learn to take her own advice.
Positives:
-Kayla is a wise-beyond-her-years girl who isn’t afraid to share her knowledge with her followers and friends and even her 20-something older sister. She actually gives really good dating advice most of the time.
-I really like that she has standards and values and isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes. She’s an intelligent girl who is kind and thoughtful, and cares deeply for her friends and family, and they care deeply about her.
-The use of Web sites, Facebook, and Paypal add another dimension to this book that hasn’t been present in any of the other books I've read. It's nice to see a teen girl who has a sense of business and responsibility.
Negatives:
-I didn't think the story was that great. I actually put the book down for a couple of weeks when I was probably 80% done. That's not a good sign.
-I felt like it would appeal more to younger teens than older ones (especially from the look of the cover), but there was a lot of talk about sex, especially with Kayla’s older sister who was in her twenties, and a ton of raunchy sexual comments and innuendo, and quite a bit of mature language.
-But the biggest thing that bothered me was the way that Jared treated Kayla. He did treat her really well sometimes, but other times he was seriously a jerk. I don’t want to give anything away, but I didn’t like that he tried to push a girl (not Kayla) to have sex with him so that she would break up with him, and this is shown as a good thing because he’s sparing her the humiliation of being dumped.
Overall, I’d say that this book reminded me a lot of The Lonely Hearts Club (my review), but I thought LHC was so much better, with a much better cast of characters. Not to mention an awesome guy who knows how to treat a girl.
I'd say pass on this one!
~Andye
June 28, 2010
"I know lovesickness. I know how painful it can be. Even if your loved one is not a vampire, even if he's that boy in class--if you can't have him, it hurts. It aches."
Sage words from the Oracle of Dating! I devoured this book in a couple hours (thanks to Alice at A Severe Book Addiction for recommending it!). I wish I'd had a copy when I was actually in high school...although even now, at the worldly old age of 24, I found myself really soaking up a lot of the Oracle's wisdom, committing some of the finer points to memory.
The Oracle of Dating (a.k.a. Kayla) is a 16 year old girl who has only had two boyfriends (and we're using the term loosely here...neither relationship lasted more than a month) - but through observation and natural precociousness has developed a keen ability to advise people of all ages on their romantic pursuits. She runs a website called the Oracle of Dating, where she charges $5 (via Paypal) in exchange for relationship advice.
Though she's sworn off dating herself (at least until college, when she believes boys will finally become more mature - ha!), she predictably soon finds herself falling for someone: a guitar player in a rock band, who sits beside her in art class. Jared is the sort of dreamy-eyed, tormented artist type that every girl (aside from a small percentage who prefer those big trolls on the football team) wishes would court her. He's standoffish, sarcastic, and intense. Having spent most of his life in a series of foster homes, and even a stint in juvie, he's completely uninterested in the whole high school pecking order, and is therefore cooler than everyone. He reminded me of Christian Ozera, actually....mmmmm.
Jared and Kayla have good chemistry, but what I loved most about the book was Kayla. Unlike many heroines in this genre, Kayla has a pretty good attitude and a relatively stable family life. She's not overly snarky, she doesn't resent the popular kids (until one of them makes a pass at Jared), she doesn't dye her hair purple or wear goth clothes. She doesn't take herself too seriously, even as the Oracle. She's also extremely funny, without trying very hard to be. And she gives some awesome advice ("if a guy says he doesn't want a relationship, you should believe him--he doesn't.").
So, a very cute and refreshing read--highly recommended for anyone who enjoys chicklit. This is a YA book, but I think women of all ages would like it. In Kayla's own words, "the Oracle is timeless."
Sage words from the Oracle of Dating! I devoured this book in a couple hours (thanks to Alice at A Severe Book Addiction for recommending it!). I wish I'd had a copy when I was actually in high school...although even now, at the worldly old age of 24, I found myself really soaking up a lot of the Oracle's wisdom, committing some of the finer points to memory.
The Oracle of Dating (a.k.a. Kayla) is a 16 year old girl who has only had two boyfriends (and we're using the term loosely here...neither relationship lasted more than a month) - but through observation and natural precociousness has developed a keen ability to advise people of all ages on their romantic pursuits. She runs a website called the Oracle of Dating, where she charges $5 (via Paypal) in exchange for relationship advice.
Though she's sworn off dating herself (at least until college, when she believes boys will finally become more mature - ha!), she predictably soon finds herself falling for someone: a guitar player in a rock band, who sits beside her in art class. Jared is the sort of dreamy-eyed, tormented artist type that every girl (aside from a small percentage who prefer those big trolls on the football team) wishes would court her. He's standoffish, sarcastic, and intense. Having spent most of his life in a series of foster homes, and even a stint in juvie, he's completely uninterested in the whole high school pecking order, and is therefore cooler than everyone. He reminded me of Christian Ozera, actually....mmmmm.
Jared and Kayla have good chemistry, but what I loved most about the book was Kayla. Unlike many heroines in this genre, Kayla has a pretty good attitude and a relatively stable family life. She's not overly snarky, she doesn't resent the popular kids (until one of them makes a pass at Jared), she doesn't dye her hair purple or wear goth clothes. She doesn't take herself too seriously, even as the Oracle. She's also extremely funny, without trying very hard to be. And she gives some awesome advice ("if a guy says he doesn't want a relationship, you should believe him--he doesn't.").
So, a very cute and refreshing read--highly recommended for anyone who enjoys chicklit. This is a YA book, but I think women of all ages would like it. In Kayla's own words, "the Oracle is timeless."
June 30, 2010
After reading Raven, I was expecting so much more from Allison van Diepen, and I found this book deeply disappointing.
Kayla is 15 going on 16, she is nice, she has a lot of friends, she gives advice on a website called The Oracle of Dating, and swore never to date until college. Enter Jared, the tall, dark and brooding cliché of the week, and there you have the plot.
When you read a romantic comedy there's only so much originality you expect: you are supposed to read them because they are lighthearted, not because of their "awesome" plot turns. In that aspect, this book is no different, and that's OK. That's the reason why I read it, in the first place. So why did it disappoint me so much? I'm not sure, but I'll try to explain it.
First, The Guy. I couldn't stand Jared from the very first time he opened his precious little tortured mouth. I've read more than enough times about this gorgeous-but-lonely-and-tortured-soul stuff. I was seriously hoping for Love Interest Numer Two to make an appearance and get the girl. Such a pity Jared is The One And Only. He is so boring and so full of it.
And second, The Plot. Kayla only thinks about dating, Kayla's friends only speak about dating, Kayla's sister only speaks about dating, etcetera. You get the idea. When I picked this book, I was expecting something closer to Teen Idol, by Meg Cabot (also about a girl who is a love advisor in her free time), but this was so similar and, at the same time, it was nothing alike. I didn't catch myself smiling from time to time, I didn't really care about Kayla, and I think this girl has no life.
So, in the end, I found this book lacking. A stereotypical story, but not in a very good way. I really don't think that there's material enough for a sequel, and I seriously doubt I'll ever read it.
Kayla is 15 going on 16, she is nice, she has a lot of friends, she gives advice on a website called The Oracle of Dating, and swore never to date until college. Enter Jared, the tall, dark and brooding cliché of the week, and there you have the plot.
When you read a romantic comedy there's only so much originality you expect: you are supposed to read them because they are lighthearted, not because of their "awesome" plot turns. In that aspect, this book is no different, and that's OK. That's the reason why I read it, in the first place. So why did it disappoint me so much? I'm not sure, but I'll try to explain it.
First, The Guy. I couldn't stand Jared from the very first time he opened his precious little tortured mouth. I've read more than enough times about this gorgeous-but-lonely-and-tortured-soul stuff. I was seriously hoping for Love Interest Numer Two to make an appearance and get the girl. Such a pity Jared is The One And Only. He is so boring and so full of it.
And second, The Plot. Kayla only thinks about dating, Kayla's friends only speak about dating, Kayla's sister only speaks about dating, etcetera. You get the idea. When I picked this book, I was expecting something closer to Teen Idol, by Meg Cabot (also about a girl who is a love advisor in her free time), but this was so similar and, at the same time, it was nothing alike. I didn't catch myself smiling from time to time, I didn't really care about Kayla, and I think this girl has no life.
So, in the end, I found this book lacking. A stereotypical story, but not in a very good way. I really don't think that there's material enough for a sequel, and I seriously doubt I'll ever read it.
July 23, 2010
Kayla has a secret. She loves her friends dearly, but she’s pretty sure that if they knew she was the Oracle of Dating, they wouldn’t understand. Especially since Kayla hasn’t exactly had an active dating life herself. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t full of good advice! Despite her lack of experience, Kayla is thoughtful, listens to people and knows how to read body language, making her an expert in what people are really thinking but not saying. But when she gives some bad advice to a friend, Kayla begins to doubt herself and her right to dispense advice.
The Oracle of Dating is best described as a G-rated Sex and the City for teens. Kayla has a great group of friends, writes an advice blog on dating and likes to go out and have a good time in New York City… Sound familiar? But that’s not a complaint! The Oracle of Dating does a fantastic job of offering helpful dating advice in a teen-friendly manner. And it’s wonderful to read a story featuring teens with realistic problems and relationships. Both Kayla and Jared (the male ‘lead’) are very likable characters, and Kayla’s spirit and sense of humour will have readers wishing they could hang out with her. The various dating dilemmas are interesting, and Kayla’s budding interest in a classmate keeps the story moving forward.
This refreshing story of friendship and first loves is an enjoyable read with a great message for teens. Adults will be remembering their high school dating days and wishing they’d had an Oracle to help them too!
The Oracle of Dating is best described as a G-rated Sex and the City for teens. Kayla has a great group of friends, writes an advice blog on dating and likes to go out and have a good time in New York City… Sound familiar? But that’s not a complaint! The Oracle of Dating does a fantastic job of offering helpful dating advice in a teen-friendly manner. And it’s wonderful to read a story featuring teens with realistic problems and relationships. Both Kayla and Jared (the male ‘lead’) are very likable characters, and Kayla’s spirit and sense of humour will have readers wishing they could hang out with her. The various dating dilemmas are interesting, and Kayla’s budding interest in a classmate keeps the story moving forward.
This refreshing story of friendship and first loves is an enjoyable read with a great message for teens. Adults will be remembering their high school dating days and wishing they’d had an Oracle to help them too!
April 4, 2010
The Oracle of Dating was very cute. It's informative with lots of crucial teen dating advice mixed with a romantic story-line. It's very fresh in its references to Facebook, blogging and Paypal, among other things.
I am not the target audience for The Oracle of Dating. I'm too old, which was obvious when I saw ROTFLOL and it jolted me right out of the story. Of course, this is a young adult book specifically for teens who wouldn't bat an eyelash at chat-like acronyms and other things I am not hip enough to embrace. More than likely, the inclusion of these trendy things will make the book that much easier to relate to.
There was some underage drinking in The Oracle of Dating, along with some focus on the subject of sex (without any actual sex taking place.) Yet, this is a book I would love my daughters to read. This book has an honest and realistic view of sex as it relates to both teens and adults and its message is clearly beneficial to teens. Think He's Just Not That Into You, fictionalized and written for the younger generations.
I am not the target audience for The Oracle of Dating. I'm too old, which was obvious when I saw ROTFLOL and it jolted me right out of the story. Of course, this is a young adult book specifically for teens who wouldn't bat an eyelash at chat-like acronyms and other things I am not hip enough to embrace. More than likely, the inclusion of these trendy things will make the book that much easier to relate to.
There was some underage drinking in The Oracle of Dating, along with some focus on the subject of sex (without any actual sex taking place.) Yet, this is a book I would love my daughters to read. This book has an honest and realistic view of sex as it relates to both teens and adults and its message is clearly beneficial to teens. Think He's Just Not That Into You, fictionalized and written for the younger generations.
August 6, 2012
Delightful little novel! I actually read this in one single sitting; couldn't bear to be torn from the storyline.
It's been a while since I've left high school so I didn't think I would relate so well with teen 'drama' and high school life, but the way Ms. van Diepen writes the conflict and how she sketches her characters makes you believe you never really grew up and were still a teen - how she makes the story relatable to any reader, not just teens, is a remarkable feat. You'll cheer and high-five and sob and scream right along with Kayla, and my goodness, what a bunch of quirky characters around her!
Overall, a book I would definitely recommend! If you've got an afternoon to while away and need a good, light, and fun read, this is the book for you.
It's been a while since I've left high school so I didn't think I would relate so well with teen 'drama' and high school life, but the way Ms. van Diepen writes the conflict and how she sketches her characters makes you believe you never really grew up and were still a teen - how she makes the story relatable to any reader, not just teens, is a remarkable feat. You'll cheer and high-five and sob and scream right along with Kayla, and my goodness, what a bunch of quirky characters around her!
Overall, a book I would definitely recommend! If you've got an afternoon to while away and need a good, light, and fun read, this is the book for you.
November 19, 2024
Prior to reading it I figured that The Oracle of Dating would be a light, fluffy story aimed at younger teens and up and, for the most part, that's what I got.
Kayla dispenses dating advice to the masses through her blog and for more personalized information to customers. After helping her sister deal with her relationship issues for years, she decided to make her skills more public and profitable. I liked the idea of the protagonist being an entrepreneurial teen. Kayla is an intelligent, charming and opportunistic (in all best ways) girl. Utilizing technology and her wits, she does a lot of good in the novel and her peers could learn a lot from her. Of course, she's not infallible and some of her mistakes are used to propel the story forward. Her voice is funny and insightful but be prepared for numerous, semi-rambling ruminations on relationships, specific and general. She, and her friends, definitely sound and act like modern teens, but they are a smart bunch.
The humor in the novel was the highlight for me. I found myself laughing aloud numerous times while reading it. The vignettes about Tracy, Kayla's sister, and her dating woes were especially funny. Still, there were a few pitfalls to be found. For the most part, every scene served some sort of a purpose but there were a few that, while interesting, didn't do anything to for the plot. At one point, Kayla and her friends sneak into a nightclub for her birthday celebration. It's a fun scene to be sure, but aside from the chance to further get to know Kayla and her diverse group of friends, it seemed to just be randomly tacked onto the story or unnecessarily long. The Tracy scenes suffer from the same issue. I definitely found them to be the most funny parts of the book, but they kind of detracted from Kayla's story.
Besides the girl-gets-boy focus of the story, there wasn't a very complex plot here. Kayla's issues with her father, Tracy's unresolved single status and the loose threads left hanging about Kayla's friends were all lent this an unfinished feeling at the end, despite Kayla's triumph. It felt more like the beginnings of a story than a complete one. At first, I wasn't too sure how I felt about that. However, after finding out that a sequel is coming, I've decided that it's fine with me - but the publisher should think about making that a more obvious fact...
To continue reading this review, visit my blog The Eclectic Book Lover.
Kayla dispenses dating advice to the masses through her blog and for more personalized information to customers. After helping her sister deal with her relationship issues for years, she decided to make her skills more public and profitable. I liked the idea of the protagonist being an entrepreneurial teen. Kayla is an intelligent, charming and opportunistic (in all best ways) girl. Utilizing technology and her wits, she does a lot of good in the novel and her peers could learn a lot from her. Of course, she's not infallible and some of her mistakes are used to propel the story forward. Her voice is funny and insightful but be prepared for numerous, semi-rambling ruminations on relationships, specific and general. She, and her friends, definitely sound and act like modern teens, but they are a smart bunch.
The humor in the novel was the highlight for me. I found myself laughing aloud numerous times while reading it. The vignettes about Tracy, Kayla's sister, and her dating woes were especially funny. Still, there were a few pitfalls to be found. For the most part, every scene served some sort of a purpose but there were a few that, while interesting, didn't do anything to for the plot. At one point, Kayla and her friends sneak into a nightclub for her birthday celebration. It's a fun scene to be sure, but aside from the chance to further get to know Kayla and her diverse group of friends, it seemed to just be randomly tacked onto the story or unnecessarily long. The Tracy scenes suffer from the same issue. I definitely found them to be the most funny parts of the book, but they kind of detracted from Kayla's story.
Besides the girl-gets-boy focus of the story, there wasn't a very complex plot here. Kayla's issues with her father, Tracy's unresolved single status and the loose threads left hanging about Kayla's friends were all lent this an unfinished feeling at the end, despite Kayla's triumph. It felt more like the beginnings of a story than a complete one. At first, I wasn't too sure how I felt about that. However, after finding out that a sequel is coming, I've decided that it's fine with me - but the publisher should think about making that a more obvious fact...
To continue reading this review, visit my blog The Eclectic Book Lover.
August 18, 2010
The Oracle Of Dating – Allison van Diepen
Teil 1 von ? (The Oracle Of Dating)
VÖ: Mai 2010, Harlequin Teen
Eigentlich wusste ich ja, was mich in diesem Buch erwartet. Das Cover schreit förmlich Teenie-Bla-Geschichte, aber irgendwie fand ich das Cover auch unheimlich süß und dachte, so für zwischendurch halte ich das schon mal aus. Das Buch hat in mein Zwischendurch zwar gut reingepasst, aber viel Spaß hat es nicht gemacht.
Themen/Schlagwörter
Typische Teeniethemen: wert mit wem warum. Außerdem geht es speziell um Anziehungskraft und das Knistern, das zwischen zwei Menschen entstehen kann oder eben nicht.
Inhalt
Die 16jährige Kayla führt in geheimer Mission die Website „Oracle of Dating“, auf der sie gegen eine kleine Summe Geld Ratschläge übers Flirten und Daten verteilt. Ihre Freunde kennen die Website zwar, wissen aber nicht, dass Kayla dahintersteckt. Im echten Leben verteilt Kayla eigentlich genauso gern Ratschläge und himmelt außerdem den Außenseiter Jared an. Als er ihr immer deutlichere Flirtzeichen gibt, überlegt sie sogar ihren Vorsatz bis zum College keine Jungs zu daten über Bord zu werfen. Ob Jared das wert ist?
Charaktere & Beziehungen
Protagonistin Kayla ist für meinen Geschmack etwas zu bedacht und durchgeplant. Sie lässt nie den nervigen Teenager raushängen sondern handelt immer gewissenhaft gehandelt, gibt Acht auf ihre Freunde und legt viel Wert auf richtige Entscheidungen. Die Idee mit ihrem Orakel-Blog finde ich süß, obwohl ich sehr überrascht war, dass es überhaupt Leute gab, die 5$ für so einen Service bezahlt haben (und zwar bevor sie eine Antwort vom Orakel bekommen haben). Über das Internet kann ich mir so was noch ganz gut vorstellen, aber dass Kayla sogar ihre 10 Jahre ältere Schwester in Sachen Männer und Dating berät, ist einfach albern. Ich habe selbst eine Schwester, die 9 Jahre älter ist als ich und ich hätte ihr mit 16 Jahren bestimmt keine Ratschläge zu ihrem Liebesleben gegeben, zumindest nicht so. Klar hat man mal die Meinung, dass gerade DER Typ nicht gut für seine Schwester ist, aber Kayla hat das alles immer so logisch und erwachsen begründet, dass sie einfach nicht mehr wie ein Teenager dabei rüberkam.
Kaylas Schwarm Jared hat mir am besten gefallen, auch wenn er ein Klischeecharakter ist. Musiker, Künstler, ein wenig einsam und natürlich total sexy. Trotzdem mochte ich Jared und konnte gut nachvollziehen, warum Kayla ihn so attraktiv findet.
Von den restlichen Charakteren kriegt man leider nicht so viel mit. Kaylas Schwester Tracey dient eigentlich nur dazu, um von ihren Männergeschichten zu berichten. Die Eltern der beiden geben interessante Charaktere ab, die aber zu 90% im Dunkeln stehen gelassen werden. Kaylas Freunde haben zwar alle ihren eigenen klitzekleinen Erzählstrang, aber das war auch das einzige, woran ich sie auseinander halten konnte. Für mich gab es da nur den semi-Schwulen, das Mädchen mit den strengen indischen Eltern, das andere Mädchen, das einen Freund hat, aber trotzdem fremdknutscht (was übrigens nie weiter zur Rede gestellt wird) und noch ein Mädchen, das übrigbleibt.
Handlung
Die Story ist seicht und vorausschaubar. Natürlich habe ich das genau so erwartet, aber ich war irgendwann doch überrascht wie furchtbar langweilig so was ist.
Was mir gefallen hat, waren die Website-Einschübe. Immer mal wieder kann man einen Blick auf eine Liste oder einen Blogeintrag von Kayla werfen, was das ganze etwas auflockert. Leider waren auch diese Einschübe inhaltlich eher langweilig und haben mich extrem an Artikel aus Mädchenzeitschriften erinnert, die ich alle schon zig mal gelesen hab. Ich bin wohl einfach zu alt für so was.
Richtig geärgert hat mich der plötzliche Perspektivenwechsel in der Mitte des Buches. Eigentlich wird die Geschichte von Kayla in der Ich-Form erzählt. Mittendrin wechselt die Perspektive aber für ein paar Seiten zu einem allgemeinen Erzähler, der von Traceys Leben berichtet. Was soll das? Das kann man doch in ein Gespräch verpacken, wenn die Hauptfigur das nicht selbst erlebt, es aber trotzdem erzählt werden soll. Für mich ist das Faulheit pur auf Seiten der Autorin. Dass ein Lektor das hat durchgehen lassen, finde ich auch bedenklich.
Sprache/Stil
Sprachlich ist das Buch in Ordnung. Es liest sich schnell und leicht weg, enthält keine Spektakuläritäten und plätschert Hand in Hand mit der Handlung vor sich hin.
Zusammenhang
Erschrocken habe ich festgestellt, dass noch im November diesen Jahres ein zweiter Teil (The Oracle Rebounds) erscheinen wird. Auf meinem Lesestapel wird der sicher nicht landen.
Offene Fragen
Wird Tracey je einen Mann für sich finden? Interessiert mich das überhaupt?
Ist Ryan nicht doch schwul?
Fazit
Dieses Buch ist genau das, was ich von dem Genre erwartet habe – seicht und schnell zu lesen. Leider war es auch relativ langweilig und hat nur zwei einigermaßen plastische Charaktere gehabt. Positiv fand ich die Einbindung von Blogbeiträgen, Umfragen und ähnlichem. Wenn ich um einiges jünger wäre (oder mir eine vorausschaubare Handlung nichts ausmachen würde), hätte mir dieses Buch bestimmt besser gefallen.
Optische Gestaltung
Ich muss zugeben, dass ich das Cover echt gerne mag – diese Mischung aus Foto und Krakeleien (die übrigens geprägt sind, fässt sich super an). Es passt super zum Inhalt des Buches. Der ist übrigens auch hin und wieder mit kleinen Zeichnungen versehen (die leider meistens nicht den Inhalt widerspiegeln). Diese Zeichnungen und verschiedene Schriftarten lockern den Lesefluss etwas auf.
Trivia
www.oracleofdating.com gibt es wirklich, vermutlich geführt von der Autorin.
Teil 1 von ? (The Oracle Of Dating)
VÖ: Mai 2010, Harlequin Teen
Eigentlich wusste ich ja, was mich in diesem Buch erwartet. Das Cover schreit förmlich Teenie-Bla-Geschichte, aber irgendwie fand ich das Cover auch unheimlich süß und dachte, so für zwischendurch halte ich das schon mal aus. Das Buch hat in mein Zwischendurch zwar gut reingepasst, aber viel Spaß hat es nicht gemacht.
Themen/Schlagwörter
Typische Teeniethemen: wert mit wem warum. Außerdem geht es speziell um Anziehungskraft und das Knistern, das zwischen zwei Menschen entstehen kann oder eben nicht.
Inhalt
Die 16jährige Kayla führt in geheimer Mission die Website „Oracle of Dating“, auf der sie gegen eine kleine Summe Geld Ratschläge übers Flirten und Daten verteilt. Ihre Freunde kennen die Website zwar, wissen aber nicht, dass Kayla dahintersteckt. Im echten Leben verteilt Kayla eigentlich genauso gern Ratschläge und himmelt außerdem den Außenseiter Jared an. Als er ihr immer deutlichere Flirtzeichen gibt, überlegt sie sogar ihren Vorsatz bis zum College keine Jungs zu daten über Bord zu werfen. Ob Jared das wert ist?
Charaktere & Beziehungen
Protagonistin Kayla ist für meinen Geschmack etwas zu bedacht und durchgeplant. Sie lässt nie den nervigen Teenager raushängen sondern handelt immer gewissenhaft gehandelt, gibt Acht auf ihre Freunde und legt viel Wert auf richtige Entscheidungen. Die Idee mit ihrem Orakel-Blog finde ich süß, obwohl ich sehr überrascht war, dass es überhaupt Leute gab, die 5$ für so einen Service bezahlt haben (und zwar bevor sie eine Antwort vom Orakel bekommen haben). Über das Internet kann ich mir so was noch ganz gut vorstellen, aber dass Kayla sogar ihre 10 Jahre ältere Schwester in Sachen Männer und Dating berät, ist einfach albern. Ich habe selbst eine Schwester, die 9 Jahre älter ist als ich und ich hätte ihr mit 16 Jahren bestimmt keine Ratschläge zu ihrem Liebesleben gegeben, zumindest nicht so. Klar hat man mal die Meinung, dass gerade DER Typ nicht gut für seine Schwester ist, aber Kayla hat das alles immer so logisch und erwachsen begründet, dass sie einfach nicht mehr wie ein Teenager dabei rüberkam.
Kaylas Schwarm Jared hat mir am besten gefallen, auch wenn er ein Klischeecharakter ist. Musiker, Künstler, ein wenig einsam und natürlich total sexy. Trotzdem mochte ich Jared und konnte gut nachvollziehen, warum Kayla ihn so attraktiv findet.
Von den restlichen Charakteren kriegt man leider nicht so viel mit. Kaylas Schwester Tracey dient eigentlich nur dazu, um von ihren Männergeschichten zu berichten. Die Eltern der beiden geben interessante Charaktere ab, die aber zu 90% im Dunkeln stehen gelassen werden. Kaylas Freunde haben zwar alle ihren eigenen klitzekleinen Erzählstrang, aber das war auch das einzige, woran ich sie auseinander halten konnte. Für mich gab es da nur den semi-Schwulen, das Mädchen mit den strengen indischen Eltern, das andere Mädchen, das einen Freund hat, aber trotzdem fremdknutscht (was übrigens nie weiter zur Rede gestellt wird) und noch ein Mädchen, das übrigbleibt.
Handlung
Die Story ist seicht und vorausschaubar. Natürlich habe ich das genau so erwartet, aber ich war irgendwann doch überrascht wie furchtbar langweilig so was ist.
Was mir gefallen hat, waren die Website-Einschübe. Immer mal wieder kann man einen Blick auf eine Liste oder einen Blogeintrag von Kayla werfen, was das ganze etwas auflockert. Leider waren auch diese Einschübe inhaltlich eher langweilig und haben mich extrem an Artikel aus Mädchenzeitschriften erinnert, die ich alle schon zig mal gelesen hab. Ich bin wohl einfach zu alt für so was.
Richtig geärgert hat mich der plötzliche Perspektivenwechsel in der Mitte des Buches. Eigentlich wird die Geschichte von Kayla in der Ich-Form erzählt. Mittendrin wechselt die Perspektive aber für ein paar Seiten zu einem allgemeinen Erzähler, der von Traceys Leben berichtet. Was soll das? Das kann man doch in ein Gespräch verpacken, wenn die Hauptfigur das nicht selbst erlebt, es aber trotzdem erzählt werden soll. Für mich ist das Faulheit pur auf Seiten der Autorin. Dass ein Lektor das hat durchgehen lassen, finde ich auch bedenklich.
Sprache/Stil
Sprachlich ist das Buch in Ordnung. Es liest sich schnell und leicht weg, enthält keine Spektakuläritäten und plätschert Hand in Hand mit der Handlung vor sich hin.
Zusammenhang
Erschrocken habe ich festgestellt, dass noch im November diesen Jahres ein zweiter Teil (The Oracle Rebounds) erscheinen wird. Auf meinem Lesestapel wird der sicher nicht landen.
Offene Fragen
Wird Tracey je einen Mann für sich finden? Interessiert mich das überhaupt?
Ist Ryan nicht doch schwul?
Fazit
Dieses Buch ist genau das, was ich von dem Genre erwartet habe – seicht und schnell zu lesen. Leider war es auch relativ langweilig und hat nur zwei einigermaßen plastische Charaktere gehabt. Positiv fand ich die Einbindung von Blogbeiträgen, Umfragen und ähnlichem. Wenn ich um einiges jünger wäre (oder mir eine vorausschaubare Handlung nichts ausmachen würde), hätte mir dieses Buch bestimmt besser gefallen.
Optische Gestaltung
Ich muss zugeben, dass ich das Cover echt gerne mag – diese Mischung aus Foto und Krakeleien (die übrigens geprägt sind, fässt sich super an). Es passt super zum Inhalt des Buches. Der ist übrigens auch hin und wieder mit kleinen Zeichnungen versehen (die leider meistens nicht den Inhalt widerspiegeln). Diese Zeichnungen und verschiedene Schriftarten lockern den Lesefluss etwas auf.
Trivia
www.oracleofdating.com gibt es wirklich, vermutlich geführt von der Autorin.
June 22, 2020
The writing was charming, and there was a lot of diversity. So many different topics covered in a 250 page book. Kayla is a pretty average character, and I like that she still drinks and likes makeup and fashion. Normally in these books I would expect a “not like other girls” for a main character. She’s smart though, and interesting. I like hearing her insight in practically anything. This book is stereotypical in many ways, and it’s also dated, but it isn’t a new release.
July 16, 2020
Si Peramal Cinta karya Allison van Diepen ini menunjukkan bagaimana percintaan picisan ala anak remaja di Amerika, yang yesssss totally different seperti di Indonesia.
Cukup segar, lucu, dan menyenangkan membaca percintaan ala-ala ini. Ringan dan menghibur, tapi tidak cukup kuat untuk membuat pembaca terkesan.
Cukup segar, lucu, dan menyenangkan membaca percintaan ala-ala ini. Ringan dan menghibur, tapi tidak cukup kuat untuk membuat pembaca terkesan.
March 4, 2023
Je continue sur ma lancée de la lecture de ma PAL dont quelques relectures de mon adolescence.
Celui-ci était très mims, rapide à lire (corps 32 au moins) et plein de bons sentiments… Bref, j’ai 14 ans à nouveau !
Celui-ci était très mims, rapide à lire (corps 32 au moins) et plein de bons sentiments… Bref, j’ai 14 ans à nouveau !
April 2, 2021
I discovered this book in my school library and fall in love with it immediately. I love the main character's personality and I love how the story wasn't overly complicated or dramatic.
March 10, 2014
Paperback 193 pages
Penerjemah: Susan Pasca Lina
Published 2010 by Penerbit Erlangga
Rating 3,5/5
Butuh nasihat tentang cinta? Kunjungi saja situs peramalcinta.com atau telpon di hotlinenya untuk mendapatkan nasihat cinta pribadi. Tapi bagaimana jika si peramal ini memberikan nasihat yang membuatmu membangkang orangtuamu?
Michaela Cruickshank atau sering dipanggil Kayla, 16 tahun, adalah remaja biasa yang mempunyai kehidupan sosial seperti umumnya remaja, bekerja paruh waktu sebagai kasir di sebuah mini market. Yang tidak biasa adalah situs yang ia kelola untuk membantu remaja seusianya yang mempunyai masalah dengan kehidupan cintanya, pergaulannya di situs peramalcinta.com. Dengan biaya 5 dollar, Kayla memberi nasihat yang harus diakui sangat masuk akal, meski terkadang pahit. Tak heran jika situs cukup interaktif ini berjalan dengan sangat lancar hingga suatu hari.....
Setelah acara sekolahnya sukses dengan kencan kilat, Viv, salah satu sahabat Kayla keturunan India, naksir seorang cowok yang bukan keturunan India. Viv, tanpa tahu siapa sebenarnya si Peramal Cinta, meminta nasihatnya. Lakukanlah. Ikuti kata hatimu. Hidup ini terlalu singkat untuk dijalani tanpa seseorang yang kau sukai. Orangtuamu berasal dari generasi dan negara yang berbeda. Cepat atau lambat mereka akan sadar kalau kau punya jalan sendiri (hal. 85).
Semula hubungan Viv berjalan lancar, hingga orangtuanya mengetahuinya, dan menghukumnya. Si peramal Cinta merasa bersalah. Dia membayangkan berapa banyak nasihat yang sudah ia berikan yang berakhir berantakan seperti yang ia berikan pada Viv. Rasa bersalahnnya membuatnya mempunyai keputusan menutup situs peramalcinta-nya. Tanpa disadarinya, banyak klien yang kehilangan nasihat sekaligus artikel2nya, dan tanpa situs ini, Kayla terlihat tak sama lagi seperti dulu. Perubahan ini diperhatikan diam diam oleh cowok cakep yang diam diam Kayla taksir. Sayang, nasihat cinta hanya bisa diucapkan atau tuliskan oleh si peramal tanpa ia bisa melakukannya sendiri. It's really easier said than done....
Membaca buku tinlit ini benar benar membuat refresh otak saya yang hampir seminggu ini tengah membaca buku untuk posbar bulan Maret, The Reader. Alurnya ringan, lucu dan nasihatnya sangat masuk akal. Ada cukup banyak quotations yang bisa ditulis disini, tidak hanya seputar nasihat cinta, tapi juga seputar kehidupan bersosial.
Kejadian itu adalah sebuah pelajaran bagi orang orang yang profesinya adalah membantu orang lain. Kau tak bisa memaksa orang lain untuk menerima bantuanmu. Merekalah yang harus menginginkannya (hal. 41).
Kayla, (saya suka nama ini) adalah seorang pengamat yang selalu mendapat ide menulis artikel dari teman2 di sekelilingnya. Ketika ia galau cowok yang ia taksir apakah juga mempunyai perasaan yang sama karena seusai kencan dia tidak menelpon, ia menulis Telepon atau Tidak Telpon? Ketika seorang temannya susah mendapat teman kencan, ia menulis Pria Idaman Wanita, ketika ia galau apakah cowok yang ia taksir juga mempunyai perasaan yang sama dan itu membuatnya gila, ia menulis Mabuk Cinta: Menginginkan Seseorang yang Tak Bisa Kau Dapatkan. Hahaha... Harus diakui, jika saja situs ini benar benar ada, saya yakin akan sangat laris. Nasihat tidak diberikan oleh seseorang yang sudah dewasa untuk seseorang yang belum dewasa, melainkan diberikan oleh seseorang yang juga tengah mengalami hal yang sama. Tidak perlu seseorang yang expert di bidang percintaan, cukup seseorang yang memiliki empati yang baik dan pengamat yang luar biasa.
Jadi, tertarik untuk meminta nasihat dari si peramal? :D
Read
September 3, 2010Who would you turn to if you needed dating advice? The teens at Kayla’s school turn to “The Oracle.” But, exactly who is “The Oracle?”
Michaela (Kayla) runs a website and blog called The Oracle of Dating where for $5 she dispenses dating advice via phone call, email or instant message. No one knows that she’s the Oracle and Kayla would like to keep it that way. Despite the fact that she gives relationship advice, Kayla has sworn off dating until college…until she gets to know Jared and ends up learning that he’s not the stuck up snob she thought he was. After a disastrous bit of advice gets ones of her best friends grounded for six weeks, Kayla decides the Oracle should close up shop. Is this the end of Oracle or will she make a return appearance when Kayla needs a bit of her own advice?
I’m definitely not in the target audience for Oracle of Dating, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and characters. Kayla is a fun, smart, no nonsense main character. She has a very diverse group of friends, who while secondary characters were all unique and really helped to make Kayla a well-rounded character. Kayla is also close with her older sister, Tracey, to whom she gives lots of dating advice. They’re roles are almost reversed here with Kayla being persistent about the type of gut Tracey should date. There is also a nice side story with Kayla and her stepdad and the two of them getting closer. So the author has made very sure that the reader knows that Kayla’s life is more than just school and the eventual love interest.
It was enjoyable reading a book that did not include a love triangle as a major piece of the plot. In fact, it was clear from the start who Kayla’s love interest would be, the reader can figure it out before Kayla. However, how they finally end up together was not very predictable. The twists and turns that kept the two of them apart are very realistic and teen readers will be able to connect with the story and what Kayla went through. I also really liked how throughout the whole story, Kayla has a lot of people she can go to for advice, but in the end she realizes that she should take her own advice. I think this sends a great message to girls, it’s important to put yourself first sometimes and follow your instincts
***The next paragraph contains a spoiler***
The cover makes The Oracle of Dating look like it might be a middle grades novel, but a majority of the characters are juniors and seniors in high school and with that comes some discussion about sex. There is one part where a character uses sex as a way to get his girlfriend to break up with him that will cause younger reader to maybe ask questions. So, while I wouldn’t have a problem handing this book to a 13 or 14 year old, I’m not sure that I would recommend it to anyone younger than that.
***end of spoiler warning***
Overall, The Oracle of Dating was a quick, fun, quirky read.
Michaela (Kayla) runs a website and blog called The Oracle of Dating where for $5 she dispenses dating advice via phone call, email or instant message. No one knows that she’s the Oracle and Kayla would like to keep it that way. Despite the fact that she gives relationship advice, Kayla has sworn off dating until college…until she gets to know Jared and ends up learning that he’s not the stuck up snob she thought he was. After a disastrous bit of advice gets ones of her best friends grounded for six weeks, Kayla decides the Oracle should close up shop. Is this the end of Oracle or will she make a return appearance when Kayla needs a bit of her own advice?
I’m definitely not in the target audience for Oracle of Dating, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and characters. Kayla is a fun, smart, no nonsense main character. She has a very diverse group of friends, who while secondary characters were all unique and really helped to make Kayla a well-rounded character. Kayla is also close with her older sister, Tracey, to whom she gives lots of dating advice. They’re roles are almost reversed here with Kayla being persistent about the type of gut Tracey should date. There is also a nice side story with Kayla and her stepdad and the two of them getting closer. So the author has made very sure that the reader knows that Kayla’s life is more than just school and the eventual love interest.
It was enjoyable reading a book that did not include a love triangle as a major piece of the plot. In fact, it was clear from the start who Kayla’s love interest would be, the reader can figure it out before Kayla. However, how they finally end up together was not very predictable. The twists and turns that kept the two of them apart are very realistic and teen readers will be able to connect with the story and what Kayla went through. I also really liked how throughout the whole story, Kayla has a lot of people she can go to for advice, but in the end she realizes that she should take her own advice. I think this sends a great message to girls, it’s important to put yourself first sometimes and follow your instincts
***The next paragraph contains a spoiler***
The cover makes The Oracle of Dating look like it might be a middle grades novel, but a majority of the characters are juniors and seniors in high school and with that comes some discussion about sex. There is one part where a character uses sex as a way to get his girlfriend to break up with him that will cause younger reader to maybe ask questions. So, while I wouldn’t have a problem handing this book to a 13 or 14 year old, I’m not sure that I would recommend it to anyone younger than that.
***end of spoiler warning***
Overall, The Oracle of Dating was a quick, fun, quirky read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2010
Okay, so this book really interested me from the minute I heard about it. I was in love with the idea of this book! I wasn't sure how it would go, though I thought Allison van Diepen's other book, Raven, was amazing, because these two are completely different. Luckily, though, I enjoyed this one just as much as Raven!
I liked Kayla from the first page. Her voice was so animated and lively that she really came alive for me. I could so easily identify with her character and put myself in her shoes -- because, let's be honest, pretty much every girl has experienced what she has (minus the Oracle thing, of course), and that makes her so much more connectable. Jared was intriguing and I loved his character from the start, too. He's that classic tough-looking guy who's really a big softy on the inside (well…mostly). I was captivated by Jared and Kayla's scenes -- the tension between them was amazingly shown and when they weren't being all intense-flirty, their scenes were sweet and I loved them. I was rooting from them from the very beginning!
I thought the secondary characters were a little two-dimensional. I didn't really get a sense of their characters and honestly, I thought they were forgettable. It took me a while to keep their names straight, and that doesn't happen often with me. However, the thing I really loved about this book is how genuine the characters are. It's hard to find a book where teenagers act and think and speak like teenagers, real teenagers, not super-unrealistically-mature teenagers. I loved that van Diepen was able to do that with her characters.
So, I mentioned it up there, but I thought the concept of the Oracle of Dating was so much fun. I loved reading those parts about her being the Oracle, and they kept me entertained. The parts with the Oracle, those had the potential to be overused -- the book could have consisted mainly of her website and not nearly enough of her actual life, but the author kept a perfect balance between the two.
That being said, I thought the plot moved a bit quickly at times. Some scenes seemed a bit jumpy, and there were a few parts at the end that just wrapped up a little too nicely and neatly. I was really happy with the end, honestly, but I thought some of the parts could have gone more in depth so they didn't seem so sudden and without reason.
I still really enjoyed this book and I'll definitely be looking out for the second one, which I believe is called The Oracle Rebounds (not sure if that's the final title or not, but that's the one it has now)!
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
Cover: Really cute, simple cover! I love the font used and I think the cover really captures the attention of the average teenage girl. I've noticed that my friends really like covers like this, so I think it will make a teenager stop and look twice. Plus, it just has such a cool title!
I liked Kayla from the first page. Her voice was so animated and lively that she really came alive for me. I could so easily identify with her character and put myself in her shoes -- because, let's be honest, pretty much every girl has experienced what she has (minus the Oracle thing, of course), and that makes her so much more connectable. Jared was intriguing and I loved his character from the start, too. He's that classic tough-looking guy who's really a big softy on the inside (well…mostly). I was captivated by Jared and Kayla's scenes -- the tension between them was amazingly shown and when they weren't being all intense-flirty, their scenes were sweet and I loved them. I was rooting from them from the very beginning!
I thought the secondary characters were a little two-dimensional. I didn't really get a sense of their characters and honestly, I thought they were forgettable. It took me a while to keep their names straight, and that doesn't happen often with me. However, the thing I really loved about this book is how genuine the characters are. It's hard to find a book where teenagers act and think and speak like teenagers, real teenagers, not super-unrealistically-mature teenagers. I loved that van Diepen was able to do that with her characters.
So, I mentioned it up there, but I thought the concept of the Oracle of Dating was so much fun. I loved reading those parts about her being the Oracle, and they kept me entertained. The parts with the Oracle, those had the potential to be overused -- the book could have consisted mainly of her website and not nearly enough of her actual life, but the author kept a perfect balance between the two.
That being said, I thought the plot moved a bit quickly at times. Some scenes seemed a bit jumpy, and there were a few parts at the end that just wrapped up a little too nicely and neatly. I was really happy with the end, honestly, but I thought some of the parts could have gone more in depth so they didn't seem so sudden and without reason.
I still really enjoyed this book and I'll definitely be looking out for the second one, which I believe is called The Oracle Rebounds (not sure if that's the final title or not, but that's the one it has now)!
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
Cover: Really cute, simple cover! I love the font used and I think the cover really captures the attention of the average teenage girl. I've noticed that my friends really like covers like this, so I think it will make a teenager stop and look twice. Plus, it just has such a cool title!
January 17, 2013
What if...
... kata-kata itu muncul di benak Kayla, di pikiran Viv, Sharese..
jika saja kayla jujur pada jared, jika saja Sharese berani bergerak duluan, jika saja Viv ga buru-buru... jika saja begini, jika saja begitu... apa yang terjadi bila demikian?
ya ceritanya cepet abis la Te, mungkin cuma 20 halaman abis itu End #toyor
Berawal dari selera buruk kakaknya yang selalu terlibat dengan pria yang salah, Kayla, siswa tahun kedua SMA Midwood punya rahasia, dia punya situs "Peramal Cinta"
Orang ga perlu punya banyak pengalaman sendiri buat memberikan saran.. Seperti Kayla, walaupun 'baru' dua kali pacaran, tp bukan berarti dia ga bisa kasih masukan buat para pelanggan situsnya.. Dia melihat mendengar dari sekitarnya, dia percaya dia berbuat baik dengan membuka situs dan memberikan saran-saran.. Dan yang pasti, dia mendapatkan uang utk saran-saran yg diberikannya.. Sampai suatu ketika dia sebagai peramal cinta memberikan saran pada salah satu teman dekatnya, dan berakhir dengan musibah.. Kayla kehilangan kepercayaan diri, siapa dia sehingga berani menyebut dirinya Peramal Cinta, memberikan saran-saran bahkan menarik bayaran untuk itu? Semuanya berjalan salah.. Peramal cinta adalah sebuah kesalahan, melanggar aturannya tersendiri untuk tidak terlibat lagi dengan cowok SMA yang pasti akan bikin dia sakit hati...
Ada sebuah tips yg ngena banget, sebenernya banyak tips berkencan di sini, tp yg satu ini bener2 masuk akal, nau ditulis tp belum sempet, ntar aja pas sempet ya gak inget halaman berapa soalnya :D
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Buku ini berlabel Teen Story jadi ya udah taulah ceritanya bakal kayak apa, yah walaupun di bagian menuju akhir masih sempet kaget n liat labelnya lagi sambil bertanya, ini teen story kan yah... yah namanya jg kelakuan anak sma di sana, cuma ga nyangka ampe cukup detil itu diceritain :D
N tipical cerita remaja ada cowok cewek keren, mainstream, ada juga cowok keren, cool, anti - mainstream.
Sayangnya porsi cerita keluarganya dikit, padahal potensinya banyak banget..
Fontnya kecil bangeeeet... suatu perjuangan baca buku sambil momong khansa *ya sapa suruh emak emak baca teen story* :))
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baru liat goodreads, ternyata ini serial yah? ini buku 2 nya
The Oracle Rebounds
Kira2 Esensi mau ngeluarin lanjutannya kah?
---------------------------------------------
17 Jan 2013, Ternyata udah ada terjemahannya :D
... kata-kata itu muncul di benak Kayla, di pikiran Viv, Sharese..
jika saja kayla jujur pada jared, jika saja Sharese berani bergerak duluan, jika saja Viv ga buru-buru... jika saja begini, jika saja begitu... apa yang terjadi bila demikian?
ya ceritanya cepet abis la Te, mungkin cuma 20 halaman abis itu End #toyor
Berawal dari selera buruk kakaknya yang selalu terlibat dengan pria yang salah, Kayla, siswa tahun kedua SMA Midwood punya rahasia, dia punya situs "Peramal Cinta"
Orang ga perlu punya banyak pengalaman sendiri buat memberikan saran.. Seperti Kayla, walaupun 'baru' dua kali pacaran, tp bukan berarti dia ga bisa kasih masukan buat para pelanggan situsnya.. Dia melihat mendengar dari sekitarnya, dia percaya dia berbuat baik dengan membuka situs dan memberikan saran-saran.. Dan yang pasti, dia mendapatkan uang utk saran-saran yg diberikannya.. Sampai suatu ketika dia sebagai peramal cinta memberikan saran pada salah satu teman dekatnya, dan berakhir dengan musibah.. Kayla kehilangan kepercayaan diri, siapa dia sehingga berani menyebut dirinya Peramal Cinta, memberikan saran-saran bahkan menarik bayaran untuk itu? Semuanya berjalan salah.. Peramal cinta adalah sebuah kesalahan, melanggar aturannya tersendiri untuk tidak terlibat lagi dengan cowok SMA yang pasti akan bikin dia sakit hati...
Ada sebuah tips yg ngena banget, sebenernya banyak tips berkencan di sini, tp yg satu ini bener2 masuk akal, nau ditulis tp belum sempet, ntar aja pas sempet ya gak inget halaman berapa soalnya :D
------------------------------------------------------------
Buku ini berlabel Teen Story jadi ya udah taulah ceritanya bakal kayak apa, yah walaupun di bagian menuju akhir masih sempet kaget n liat labelnya lagi sambil bertanya, ini teen story kan yah... yah namanya jg kelakuan anak sma di sana, cuma ga nyangka ampe cukup detil itu diceritain :D
N tipical cerita remaja ada cowok cewek keren, mainstream, ada juga cowok keren, cool, anti - mainstream.
Sayangnya porsi cerita keluarganya dikit, padahal potensinya banyak banget..
Fontnya kecil bangeeeet... suatu perjuangan baca buku sambil momong khansa *ya sapa suruh emak emak baca teen story* :))
-------
baru liat goodreads, ternyata ini serial yah? ini buku 2 nya
The Oracle ReboundsKira2 Esensi mau ngeluarin lanjutannya kah?
---------------------------------------------
17 Jan 2013, Ternyata udah ada terjemahannya :D
May 29, 2010
The Oracle of Dating is such an easy, quick read. Finished it the same day on only 4 hours sleep which really attests to it's likeability. Kayla's voice is real without trying too hard, it was like she was narrating the story to me directly. I even felt the pain of when she says Jared looks like he shaved over a zit - urgh! Kayla feels like someone I would want to know in real life. She's kind and compassionate but still knows when to be brutally honest. She even recognises the mistakes she makes and goes about trying to fix them instead of jumping on her high horse to ride off into the distance.
Kayla has some great dating advice to impart on the world and some of the experiences she goes through remind me exactly of myself. In one passage she describes the way she feels when she speaks to her dad.
"Love you too, Dad." Somehow it never feels honest when I say it. It's not that I don't love him. I do. I just don't like him much."
I felt that exact same way when I was Kayla's age of 15-16. I wouldn't admit it to myself though and went through many self imposed guilt trips because I didn't know how to phrase what I was feeling but what Kayla says there sums it up nicely. I still sometimes feel that way today. One of her blog posts is titled "Balancing Time Between Friends and Boyfriends". I made the mistake of giving my life to my boyfriend in high school but luckily my friends were still there for me when it didn't work out. So as you can see this book is very real and honest of how it can be for a teen.
As I said the advice contained in here is great. All teenagers should read this and even those still in the dating game will find it useful as a lot of her advice is directed at her 26-year-old sister. All the characters Allison has created are well-rounded and kind. Not the sort that decide to give up on their friends for the stupidest things which I'm seeing more and more of in books lately. Kayla has to overcome obstacles in both her career and love. The man in question, Jared, is so likeable, I wish he would walk into my world! Despite Kayla's problems, the smile or laughter was never too far away for me. I thoroughly enjoyed The Oracle of Dating and advise at least all the singles out there to read it for a laugh and a good time.
I just found out this is the first of a series so I'm really excited about the next one but a little worried as to what this means for Jared and Kayla!
Cover: I'm not a fan. It's appropriate but I thought that this may be more of a middle grade book because of it.
The Oracle of Dating Series
1. The Oracle of Dating
2. The Oracle Rebounds (out November 1, 2010)
I received a galley of this story from Harlequin Teen through NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Kayla has some great dating advice to impart on the world and some of the experiences she goes through remind me exactly of myself. In one passage she describes the way she feels when she speaks to her dad.
"Love you too, Dad." Somehow it never feels honest when I say it. It's not that I don't love him. I do. I just don't like him much."
I felt that exact same way when I was Kayla's age of 15-16. I wouldn't admit it to myself though and went through many self imposed guilt trips because I didn't know how to phrase what I was feeling but what Kayla says there sums it up nicely. I still sometimes feel that way today. One of her blog posts is titled "Balancing Time Between Friends and Boyfriends". I made the mistake of giving my life to my boyfriend in high school but luckily my friends were still there for me when it didn't work out. So as you can see this book is very real and honest of how it can be for a teen.
As I said the advice contained in here is great. All teenagers should read this and even those still in the dating game will find it useful as a lot of her advice is directed at her 26-year-old sister. All the characters Allison has created are well-rounded and kind. Not the sort that decide to give up on their friends for the stupidest things which I'm seeing more and more of in books lately. Kayla has to overcome obstacles in both her career and love. The man in question, Jared, is so likeable, I wish he would walk into my world! Despite Kayla's problems, the smile or laughter was never too far away for me. I thoroughly enjoyed The Oracle of Dating and advise at least all the singles out there to read it for a laugh and a good time.
I just found out this is the first of a series so I'm really excited about the next one but a little worried as to what this means for Jared and Kayla!
Cover: I'm not a fan. It's appropriate but I thought that this may be more of a middle grade book because of it.
The Oracle of Dating Series
1. The Oracle of Dating
2. The Oracle Rebounds (out November 1, 2010)
I received a galley of this story from Harlequin Teen through NetGalley for review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
September 4, 2014
Pernah melihat iklan yang menawarkan jasa untuk meramalkan hubungan cintamu? Entah itu iklan cetak ataupun iklan di televisi. Banyak orang yang nyinyir, tapi ada juga yang percaya. Lebih banyak lagi yang denial tapi diam-diam selalu membuka bagian horoskop atau astrologi sewaktu membuka majalah, koran atau tabloid. Si peramal cinta ini sepertinya tahu semua hal tentang cinta. Tapi bagaimana dengan kehidupan cintanya sendiri?
Kayla adalah seorang peramal cinta. Tapi tidak ada yang tahu (kecuali kakaknya, Tracey) kalau dia adalah pemilik situs peramalcinta.com yang berwarna biru-pink itu. Sebenarnya bukan meramal karena Kayla tidak menggunakan bola kristal atau kartu tarot bahkan ilmu perbintangan. Tepatnya Kayla memprediksikan nasib cinta kliennya. Kayla juga membuka jasa konsultasi lewat email, chatting, dan telpon. Cukup membayar 5 dollar lewat PayPal, kliennya akan mendapatkan saran yang ampuh untuk menghadapi masalah cinta mereka. Dan klien Kayla bukan hanya remaja-remaja, ada juga yang sudah dewasa. Kayla juga rajin mengisi situsnya dengan artikel-artikel yang menarik seperti Sepuluh Alasan Tepat Membiarkan Cowokmu Pergi atau Tebar Pesona.
Apakah Kayla benar-benar ahli soal percintaan? Apa dia punya banyak pacar? Kenyataannya Kayla hanya pernah dua kali berpacaran dan keduanya adalah bencana. Pacar pertamanya lebih menyukai video game dibandingkan dirinya. Pacar keduanya memilih memutuskannya dengan cara memasang foto profil facebooknya dimana dia sedang berciuman dengan gadis lain. Kayla memutuskan sebaiknya dia berpacaran saat kuliah saja, atau setidaknya saat umurnya sudah 18 tahun.
Tapi rencana itu sepetinya tidak berjalan lancar ketika dia bertemu Jared di kelas seni. Sosok Jared yang cuek tapi cool ditambah bodynya yang menarik membuat perhatian Kayla mulai terpengaruh. Rasanya dia mau melanggar aturan tidak berpacaran sebelum kuliah asalkan Jared bisa menjadi pacarnya. Tetapi gara-gara kencan kilat yang diadakannya di acara pengumpulan dana untuk Yayasan Kanker, Jared malah jadian dengan Brooke, cewek pemandu sorak di sekolah mereka. Kayla jadi patah hati. Masalah semakin rumit ketika saran cinta yang diberikan kepada sahabatnya justru malah membuat sahabatnya itu bermasalah dengan orangtuanya. Kayla jadi ragu, apakah dia benar-benar bisa memberikan saran tentang cinta sementara dirinya sendiri tidak tahu harus berbuat apa. Jalan terbaik adalah menutup situs peramalcinta itu.
Novel ini menarik karena tidak hanya berisi kisah cinta Kayla, tetapi ada banyak pelajaran tentang cinta ala remaja yang bisa diambil di dalamnya. Hanya saja harus disaring dulu, karena remaja di dalam novel ini adalah remaja di Amerika yang tentunya punya budaya berbeda remaja di sini (atau sudah hampir sama ya? *wink*) :)
Kayla adalah seorang peramal cinta. Tapi tidak ada yang tahu (kecuali kakaknya, Tracey) kalau dia adalah pemilik situs peramalcinta.com yang berwarna biru-pink itu. Sebenarnya bukan meramal karena Kayla tidak menggunakan bola kristal atau kartu tarot bahkan ilmu perbintangan. Tepatnya Kayla memprediksikan nasib cinta kliennya. Kayla juga membuka jasa konsultasi lewat email, chatting, dan telpon. Cukup membayar 5 dollar lewat PayPal, kliennya akan mendapatkan saran yang ampuh untuk menghadapi masalah cinta mereka. Dan klien Kayla bukan hanya remaja-remaja, ada juga yang sudah dewasa. Kayla juga rajin mengisi situsnya dengan artikel-artikel yang menarik seperti Sepuluh Alasan Tepat Membiarkan Cowokmu Pergi atau Tebar Pesona.
Apakah Kayla benar-benar ahli soal percintaan? Apa dia punya banyak pacar? Kenyataannya Kayla hanya pernah dua kali berpacaran dan keduanya adalah bencana. Pacar pertamanya lebih menyukai video game dibandingkan dirinya. Pacar keduanya memilih memutuskannya dengan cara memasang foto profil facebooknya dimana dia sedang berciuman dengan gadis lain. Kayla memutuskan sebaiknya dia berpacaran saat kuliah saja, atau setidaknya saat umurnya sudah 18 tahun.
Tapi rencana itu sepetinya tidak berjalan lancar ketika dia bertemu Jared di kelas seni. Sosok Jared yang cuek tapi cool ditambah bodynya yang menarik membuat perhatian Kayla mulai terpengaruh. Rasanya dia mau melanggar aturan tidak berpacaran sebelum kuliah asalkan Jared bisa menjadi pacarnya. Tetapi gara-gara kencan kilat yang diadakannya di acara pengumpulan dana untuk Yayasan Kanker, Jared malah jadian dengan Brooke, cewek pemandu sorak di sekolah mereka. Kayla jadi patah hati. Masalah semakin rumit ketika saran cinta yang diberikan kepada sahabatnya justru malah membuat sahabatnya itu bermasalah dengan orangtuanya. Kayla jadi ragu, apakah dia benar-benar bisa memberikan saran tentang cinta sementara dirinya sendiri tidak tahu harus berbuat apa. Jalan terbaik adalah menutup situs peramalcinta itu.
Novel ini menarik karena tidak hanya berisi kisah cinta Kayla, tetapi ada banyak pelajaran tentang cinta ala remaja yang bisa diambil di dalamnya. Hanya saja harus disaring dulu, karena remaja di dalam novel ini adalah remaja di Amerika yang tentunya punya budaya berbeda remaja di sini (atau sudah hampir sama ya? *wink*) :)
May 31, 2010
My Thoughts: If I had to describe this book in one word, I would use the word, "awesome!" If I had to describe this book in one sentence, I would say "Every girl who has ever liked a boy should read this book."
We meet Kayla who is pretty much average. She has her group of friends, doesn't get out there and date but is every one's friends. She understands every one's problems and has enough of her own. She's had a few boyfriends but neither one was an ego boost. She started a site called The Oracle Of Dating. The Oracle Of Dating is a place where people can IM or call to get dating advice. It also has a website where Kayla can give advice. Kayla starts to like a boy in her glass, Jared. Jared is one of those guys you try not to be attracted too and just want to ignore but that never happens. No matter how much you try to avoid him, you feel yourself pulled into him thinking about him at all hours of the day.
Kayla has to raise money so she has a speed dating night. Of course Jared comes thinking Kayla might be participating but she's not since she's the one in charge. The form he had to fill out afterward and what he wrote, had me just giggling like a schoolgirl. You can feel the sparks between Jared and Kayla all throughout the book. Kayla is unsure Jared likes her and when he starts dating the popular girl, that scares Kayla off even more.
I had so much fun reading this book. The advice Kayla gave all the characters was wonderful. I felt myself transformed back to my high school years wishing I had an Oracle Of Dating, somewhere to turn too when I needed a question answered. Getting to know each of Kayla's friends throughout the book was also a plus. I felt myself blushing, laughing, smiling throughout this whole book and Jared is just so freaking adorable.
Yes, this is a cute girly book. If your looking for something fun and romantic, this is the book you should read next. It is also deeper than it sounds, I could see myself being friends with Kayla and taking her advice to heart. I could see myself falling for Jared. There is also a sequel in the works and I can't wait to read it.
Overall: I loved this book. Its cute, fun, and overall exciting and a thrill to read.
Cover: Really like it a lot. The girls all have such colorful clothes on and it just spices it up a little.
We meet Kayla who is pretty much average. She has her group of friends, doesn't get out there and date but is every one's friends. She understands every one's problems and has enough of her own. She's had a few boyfriends but neither one was an ego boost. She started a site called The Oracle Of Dating. The Oracle Of Dating is a place where people can IM or call to get dating advice. It also has a website where Kayla can give advice. Kayla starts to like a boy in her glass, Jared. Jared is one of those guys you try not to be attracted too and just want to ignore but that never happens. No matter how much you try to avoid him, you feel yourself pulled into him thinking about him at all hours of the day.
Kayla has to raise money so she has a speed dating night. Of course Jared comes thinking Kayla might be participating but she's not since she's the one in charge. The form he had to fill out afterward and what he wrote, had me just giggling like a schoolgirl. You can feel the sparks between Jared and Kayla all throughout the book. Kayla is unsure Jared likes her and when he starts dating the popular girl, that scares Kayla off even more.
I had so much fun reading this book. The advice Kayla gave all the characters was wonderful. I felt myself transformed back to my high school years wishing I had an Oracle Of Dating, somewhere to turn too when I needed a question answered. Getting to know each of Kayla's friends throughout the book was also a plus. I felt myself blushing, laughing, smiling throughout this whole book and Jared is just so freaking adorable.
Yes, this is a cute girly book. If your looking for something fun and romantic, this is the book you should read next. It is also deeper than it sounds, I could see myself being friends with Kayla and taking her advice to heart. I could see myself falling for Jared. There is also a sequel in the works and I can't wait to read it.
Overall: I loved this book. Its cute, fun, and overall exciting and a thrill to read.
Cover: Really like it a lot. The girls all have such colorful clothes on and it just spices it up a little.
February 4, 2012
A hilarious young-adult, chick-lit novel with an adorable, matchmaking heroine
No one at school, not even her best friend, knows that Kayla, who is almost sixteen, is the Oracle of Dating. Kayla runs a website filled with dating tips, and for the reasonable fee of five bucks paid to her Paypal account, she gives private advice online. Kayla has been helping young women with their love lives for almost five years, but only recently for a fee. She began her career when she was only twelve, offering her much-older sister and her sister's friends dating advice. It was they who dubbed her the Oracle of Dating, their effusive praise and gratitude for Kayla's precocious wisdom ultimately inspiring her to hang out her shingle online.
All has been going swimmingly for some time with Kayla's business until the day her best friend decides to consult the Oracle. It rubs Kayla's nose in the fact that she's been keeping a huge secret from her friend, but she can't resist giving the feedback that her friend so clearly needs. Unfortunately, the advice blows up in her friend's face big time, and Kayla is right there to witness the disaster. Kayla's faith in herself as a dating expert is severely shaken. And her confidence in herself as a girl who can get a date drops precipitously, too, when she can't figure out how to connect with Jared, a gorgeous rocker who's the new boy in school. Too bad there's no one around who can give Kayla some badly needed romantic advice.
Kayla is a great heroine. She genuinely cares about people, yet is often hilariously oblivious of her limitations as a dating guru. And Jared is a great romantic lead. He's not simply handsome and sexy, but smart, talented, and observant enough to be several steps ahead of Kayla a great deal of the time in their relationship--which adds to both the comedy and the romance.
I also enjoyed the subplot with Kayla's twenty-something sister. Kayla's protectiveness towards her big sis is a great plot twist that is both humorous and touching.
I highly recommend this book to fans of chick lit and romantic comedy. For similar books by other authors, I recommend A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker, and Tina Ferraro's three romantic comedies, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, How to Hook a Hottie, and The ABC's of Kissing Boys
No one at school, not even her best friend, knows that Kayla, who is almost sixteen, is the Oracle of Dating. Kayla runs a website filled with dating tips, and for the reasonable fee of five bucks paid to her Paypal account, she gives private advice online. Kayla has been helping young women with their love lives for almost five years, but only recently for a fee. She began her career when she was only twelve, offering her much-older sister and her sister's friends dating advice. It was they who dubbed her the Oracle of Dating, their effusive praise and gratitude for Kayla's precocious wisdom ultimately inspiring her to hang out her shingle online.
All has been going swimmingly for some time with Kayla's business until the day her best friend decides to consult the Oracle. It rubs Kayla's nose in the fact that she's been keeping a huge secret from her friend, but she can't resist giving the feedback that her friend so clearly needs. Unfortunately, the advice blows up in her friend's face big time, and Kayla is right there to witness the disaster. Kayla's faith in herself as a dating expert is severely shaken. And her confidence in herself as a girl who can get a date drops precipitously, too, when she can't figure out how to connect with Jared, a gorgeous rocker who's the new boy in school. Too bad there's no one around who can give Kayla some badly needed romantic advice.
Kayla is a great heroine. She genuinely cares about people, yet is often hilariously oblivious of her limitations as a dating guru. And Jared is a great romantic lead. He's not simply handsome and sexy, but smart, talented, and observant enough to be several steps ahead of Kayla a great deal of the time in their relationship--which adds to both the comedy and the romance.
I also enjoyed the subplot with Kayla's twenty-something sister. Kayla's protectiveness towards her big sis is a great plot twist that is both humorous and touching.
I highly recommend this book to fans of chick lit and romantic comedy. For similar books by other authors, I recommend A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker, and Tina Ferraro's three romantic comedies, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, How to Hook a Hottie, and The ABC's of Kissing Boys
September 12, 2012
Even if I am not a very good fan of contemporary; sometimes, you just need to get away from the books that discuss serious subjects and enjoy a light, fun read. I LOVED the aspect of this book, and I was surprised to hear that this is a series!
Michaela, "Kayla" for short, has a job at at a store, a bunch of loyal friends, and a loving sister and mother. Well, aside from that, she is The Oracle of Dating, the author of a website that gives the best tips on teenage relationships, dating, and love. Judging from that, you would think that she had a hell lot of boyfriends. But, no. She only had two: Case Study no.1 and Case Study no.2. Apparently, she has learned a lot from them.
Kayla is keeping dating at bay until college. She understands teenage boys and knows that she cannot have anything serious with them. But when she meets Jared, every rule flies out of the window. Jared is dark, mysterious, funny and an artist. Definitely not her type. Fortunately, the Oracle of Dating is getting famous, and Kayla gets to help many of her friends who don't even know that she is The Oracle. But not all the advice she gives works out in a good way...
Why is Kayla keeping a secret identity? What will happen between her and Jared? Find out when you read this hilarious, love-able, realistic story of teenage love, angst, and cravings: The Oracle of Dating...
I liked this book too freaking much. I never thought I would like it THAT much. The Oracle of Dating is funny. No, it's hilarious. Kayla has one of the most unique voices I have ever had the pleasure of digging into. She is witty, funny, friendly, and flirty :P I liked her so much. The characters are all very believable. Since the story is about teenagers, you wouldn't expect something serious, but it was fun nonetheless. I liked taking a break from the SERIOUS stuff.
There was really nothing that I disliked about the book. And believe me, this book will appeal to everyone who is in for some good time and some serious laugh-out-loud moments. This book is one of the most enjoyable, lightest books I have read up until now!
Aren't you annoyed at my constant babbling? I know you are.
So, GO GET YOURSELF A COPY! You won't regret it, and if you do. I will send you back the money you spend on the book (Just kiddin').
Michaela, "Kayla" for short, has a job at at a store, a bunch of loyal friends, and a loving sister and mother. Well, aside from that, she is The Oracle of Dating, the author of a website that gives the best tips on teenage relationships, dating, and love. Judging from that, you would think that she had a hell lot of boyfriends. But, no. She only had two: Case Study no.1 and Case Study no.2. Apparently, she has learned a lot from them.
Kayla is keeping dating at bay until college. She understands teenage boys and knows that she cannot have anything serious with them. But when she meets Jared, every rule flies out of the window. Jared is dark, mysterious, funny and an artist. Definitely not her type. Fortunately, the Oracle of Dating is getting famous, and Kayla gets to help many of her friends who don't even know that she is The Oracle. But not all the advice she gives works out in a good way...
Why is Kayla keeping a secret identity? What will happen between her and Jared? Find out when you read this hilarious, love-able, realistic story of teenage love, angst, and cravings: The Oracle of Dating...
I liked this book too freaking much. I never thought I would like it THAT much. The Oracle of Dating is funny. No, it's hilarious. Kayla has one of the most unique voices I have ever had the pleasure of digging into. She is witty, funny, friendly, and flirty :P I liked her so much. The characters are all very believable. Since the story is about teenagers, you wouldn't expect something serious, but it was fun nonetheless. I liked taking a break from the SERIOUS stuff.
There was really nothing that I disliked about the book. And believe me, this book will appeal to everyone who is in for some good time and some serious laugh-out-loud moments. This book is one of the most enjoyable, lightest books I have read up until now!
Aren't you annoyed at my constant babbling? I know you are.
So, GO GET YOURSELF A COPY! You won't regret it, and if you do. I will send you back the money you spend on the book (Just kiddin').
December 13, 2010
I’ve read all of Allison van Diepen's novels, with the exception of Street Pharm, and so far I’ve enjoyed all of them… with The Oracle of Dating being no exception! Her novels are usually more serious and hard-hitting such as Snitch, which deals with gangs in high schools, but it was great to see Diepen stretch her writing skills and write something so completely different!
Kayla has always been good at giving relationship advice, always offering tips to her older sister and her friends. It's what makes her so successful as the elusive Oracle of Dating. Her own two failed past relationships might have put her off dating in high school, but she can still help those who are in need of a little advice. But when Kayla's advice falls through for her own best friend, she begins to question herself if the Oracle is hurting others more than helping. And it doesn't help that thoughts of a certain hot boy in her art class, Jared Stewart, keep popping in her head.... what's a girl to do?
The Oracle of Dating was a pure joy to read. It’s one of those cute, feel-good novels that will leave you smiling from the very first page until the very end. I was having a bit of a down day when I began reading, and in a heartbeat, my mood was already lightened! Allison van Diepen has created a great cast of likable characters, from the main characters like Kayla and Jared, to the side character's such as Kayla's best friends and her older sister. Kayla is sweet and funny, and although she does make a small amount of income with her Oracle of Dating services, she genuinely cares about helping others.
The chemistry between Kayla and Jared flowed easily off the page, and from the very beginning I was eager to see them finally admit their feelings for each other. Plus, the sarcasm the two shared with each other was just another aspect I loved!
I finished the novel all too quickly and I’m almost nervous to read the second novel The Oracle Rebounds, which is in stores now, because I don’t know how Allison van Diepen can top this one! The Oracle of Dating is a light, easy and entertaining read for anyone looking for a novel that will pass the time with a smile.
Kayla has always been good at giving relationship advice, always offering tips to her older sister and her friends. It's what makes her so successful as the elusive Oracle of Dating. Her own two failed past relationships might have put her off dating in high school, but she can still help those who are in need of a little advice. But when Kayla's advice falls through for her own best friend, she begins to question herself if the Oracle is hurting others more than helping. And it doesn't help that thoughts of a certain hot boy in her art class, Jared Stewart, keep popping in her head.... what's a girl to do?
The Oracle of Dating was a pure joy to read. It’s one of those cute, feel-good novels that will leave you smiling from the very first page until the very end. I was having a bit of a down day when I began reading, and in a heartbeat, my mood was already lightened! Allison van Diepen has created a great cast of likable characters, from the main characters like Kayla and Jared, to the side character's such as Kayla's best friends and her older sister. Kayla is sweet and funny, and although she does make a small amount of income with her Oracle of Dating services, she genuinely cares about helping others.
The chemistry between Kayla and Jared flowed easily off the page, and from the very beginning I was eager to see them finally admit their feelings for each other. Plus, the sarcasm the two shared with each other was just another aspect I loved!
I finished the novel all too quickly and I’m almost nervous to read the second novel The Oracle Rebounds, which is in stores now, because I don’t know how Allison van Diepen can top this one! The Oracle of Dating is a light, easy and entertaining read for anyone looking for a novel that will pass the time with a smile.
August 3, 2015
Ma chronique : http://freelfe.blogspot.fr/2015/08/le...
Les secrets d’une blogueuse amoureuse est une série d’Allison Van Diepen, publiée chez les Editions Harlequin dans la collection Darkiss. S’il n’est plus en vente en format relié, vous pouvez toujours vous procurer ce premier tome en e-book, pour 8,49€.
Cette série est clairement destinée à un public adolescent, ce qui ne m’a pas empêché de passer un agréable moment lecture, bien que je n’envisage pas de lire la suite. Ce livre est un livre détente, idéal pour la plage. Il propose une histoire à la fois banale dans son déroulement mais originale dans l’idée de basse, avec une jeune fille qui tient un blog où elle donne des conseils pour aider des personnes dans leur couple. Kayla n’a pourtant pas beaucoup d’expérience dans ce domaine mais ça ne l’empêche pas de d’aider les personnes. Malheureusement, sa vie de bloggeuse va finir par la rattraper… De plus, donner des conseils est différent de les appliquer et Kayla a bien du mal à gérer son attirance pour le beau et mystérieux Jared...
Un roman plutôt banal donc, mais très prenant. Il se lit très vite et on s’attache très rapidement aux différents personnages dont j’ai apprécié l’évolution au cours de l’histoire. Le ton de celle-ci m’a beaucoup plu aussi : c’est assez désinvolte, avec une pointe d’humour. L’écriture est très fluide et ça se lit vraiment agréablement.
Je ne pense pas cependant lire la suite. La fin me plait telle qu’elle est et peut se suffire à elle-même. De plus, j’ai peur de me lasser avec le second tome car, bien que sympathique, l’histoire est relativement banale. Je garde un bon souvenir de ce livre, que je recommande aux adolescent(e)s intéressé(e)s mais aussi aux plus âgés pour un moment de détente garanti.
Conclusion
Une histoire banale mais très sympathique. Un livre détente, qui se lit très rapidement et sans prise de tête, idéal pour des vacances. L’histoire est captivante même si elle ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard. Les personnages sont attachants et leur évolution est intéressante. Ce premier tome se suffit à lui-même et on ne ressent pas spécialement l’envie de lire la suite.
Les secrets d’une blogueuse amoureuse est une série d’Allison Van Diepen, publiée chez les Editions Harlequin dans la collection Darkiss. S’il n’est plus en vente en format relié, vous pouvez toujours vous procurer ce premier tome en e-book, pour 8,49€.
Cette série est clairement destinée à un public adolescent, ce qui ne m’a pas empêché de passer un agréable moment lecture, bien que je n’envisage pas de lire la suite. Ce livre est un livre détente, idéal pour la plage. Il propose une histoire à la fois banale dans son déroulement mais originale dans l’idée de basse, avec une jeune fille qui tient un blog où elle donne des conseils pour aider des personnes dans leur couple. Kayla n’a pourtant pas beaucoup d’expérience dans ce domaine mais ça ne l’empêche pas de d’aider les personnes. Malheureusement, sa vie de bloggeuse va finir par la rattraper… De plus, donner des conseils est différent de les appliquer et Kayla a bien du mal à gérer son attirance pour le beau et mystérieux Jared...
Un roman plutôt banal donc, mais très prenant. Il se lit très vite et on s’attache très rapidement aux différents personnages dont j’ai apprécié l’évolution au cours de l’histoire. Le ton de celle-ci m’a beaucoup plu aussi : c’est assez désinvolte, avec une pointe d’humour. L’écriture est très fluide et ça se lit vraiment agréablement.
Je ne pense pas cependant lire la suite. La fin me plait telle qu’elle est et peut se suffire à elle-même. De plus, j’ai peur de me lasser avec le second tome car, bien que sympathique, l’histoire est relativement banale. Je garde un bon souvenir de ce livre, que je recommande aux adolescent(e)s intéressé(e)s mais aussi aux plus âgés pour un moment de détente garanti.
Conclusion
Une histoire banale mais très sympathique. Un livre détente, qui se lit très rapidement et sans prise de tête, idéal pour des vacances. L’histoire est captivante même si elle ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard. Les personnages sont attachants et leur évolution est intéressante. Ce premier tome se suffit à lui-même et on ne ressent pas spécialement l’envie de lire la suite.
November 9, 2012
Reviewed by Kelsey Jones for TeensReadToo.com
THE ORACLE OF DATING was a fun and flirty start to what I'm sure will be a great new series. The main character, Kayla, was extremely likable and I loved being able to read about her different experiences. She always kept a level head and never let anyone get the best of her.
In addition to Kayla, she had a great group of friends who always supported her. They were a diverse group who went together perfectly. Each of them was unique and realistic, and Ms. van Diepen did a great job of getting into the head of a modern high school student.
One of my favorite aspects of the novel was reading about Kayla's website - The Oracle of Dating. She gave out great advice and the website was such a huge part of her life. I understood how she wanted to keep it a secret, but I was happy her sister was in on it. Tracey was another fantastic character. She and Kayla had a great relationship, even though at times Kayla seemed like she was the older one, always giving Tracey advice and being a shoulder to lean on when her relationships didn't work out.
The author has a great writing style and the book contained some serious sides, as well. Although Kayla spent a lot of her time giving out dating advice, she'd personally only had two failed relationships. Luckily, Jared enters the picture. I loved Jared. He was the perfect mix of sweet and bad boy that kept both Kayla and the reader guessing. It was great watching their relationship develop, and I was crossing my fingers that everything would work out for them.
Overall, THE ORACLE OF DATING was a great - and original - novel that left me eager to start the sequel, THE ORACLE REBOUNDS, and to see what happens to Kayla and her friends next. I highly recommend picking this one up!
THE ORACLE OF DATING was a fun and flirty start to what I'm sure will be a great new series. The main character, Kayla, was extremely likable and I loved being able to read about her different experiences. She always kept a level head and never let anyone get the best of her.
In addition to Kayla, she had a great group of friends who always supported her. They were a diverse group who went together perfectly. Each of them was unique and realistic, and Ms. van Diepen did a great job of getting into the head of a modern high school student.
One of my favorite aspects of the novel was reading about Kayla's website - The Oracle of Dating. She gave out great advice and the website was such a huge part of her life. I understood how she wanted to keep it a secret, but I was happy her sister was in on it. Tracey was another fantastic character. She and Kayla had a great relationship, even though at times Kayla seemed like she was the older one, always giving Tracey advice and being a shoulder to lean on when her relationships didn't work out.
The author has a great writing style and the book contained some serious sides, as well. Although Kayla spent a lot of her time giving out dating advice, she'd personally only had two failed relationships. Luckily, Jared enters the picture. I loved Jared. He was the perfect mix of sweet and bad boy that kept both Kayla and the reader guessing. It was great watching their relationship develop, and I was crossing my fingers that everything would work out for them.
Overall, THE ORACLE OF DATING was a great - and original - novel that left me eager to start the sequel, THE ORACLE REBOUNDS, and to see what happens to Kayla and her friends next. I highly recommend picking this one up!
January 23, 2011
I found The Oracle of Dating to be a delightful and lighthearted look at relationships. Kayla is a funny and engaging character who is in some ways wise beyond her years. She offers usually sage advice to her older sister and her Oracle customers even though she has only been in two brief relationships herself. She does have a useful reference shelf of relationship self-help books of the Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus variety to augment her own wisdom. However she is in other ways just like any other regular teen facing dating woes, hanging out with friends, and dealing with school. Kayla and her friends party a little bit, sneaking into clubs with fake I.D.s, etc. so Kayla does act like a teen when not working as the Oracle of Dating.
From the beginning there are obvious sparks between Kayla and Jared and it is humorous to see Kayla try to keep from having any sort of attraction to him. Jared's character is also interesting and he perfectly complements Kayla. Kayla's friends unfortunately fall flat. They exist not as individuals but as interchangeable sidekicks for the most part. That is the one really disappointing thing about this novel. Hopefully in future books in the series we will get to know her friends better. Kayla's mother and stepfather are barely around but that is typical for YA novels. When they are around however they are likeable, especially Kayla's stepfather. Kayla's sister is important to Kayla and it is funny to see them interact. Kayla really cares for her sister and does her best to give her older sister good dating advice which I think is sweet.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and entertaining novel. I even laughed out loud at times. I think that teen girls who enjoy authors like Meg Cabot will really like The Oracle of Dating.
From the beginning there are obvious sparks between Kayla and Jared and it is humorous to see Kayla try to keep from having any sort of attraction to him. Jared's character is also interesting and he perfectly complements Kayla. Kayla's friends unfortunately fall flat. They exist not as individuals but as interchangeable sidekicks for the most part. That is the one really disappointing thing about this novel. Hopefully in future books in the series we will get to know her friends better. Kayla's mother and stepfather are barely around but that is typical for YA novels. When they are around however they are likeable, especially Kayla's stepfather. Kayla's sister is important to Kayla and it is funny to see them interact. Kayla really cares for her sister and does her best to give her older sister good dating advice which I think is sweet.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and entertaining novel. I even laughed out loud at times. I think that teen girls who enjoy authors like Meg Cabot will really like The Oracle of Dating.
March 30, 2011
I chose to read this book because this book seemed very interesting where a girl had opened her own business as a dating adviser due to her own personal interest. She would give out dating advices when people asked for it for a cost of five dollars and she also post blogs on popular topics (that people might need to know about if they wanted to continue dating successfully). This book was about how the dating expert, Kayla, used her own dating advices to get herself a boyfriend and of how her own advices had a backfired effect on her friend's romance. Combined together, Allison Van Diepen had woven a story where it was a favorite among teenage girls that was looking for advices on dating. I also chose to read this book because at the time I was looking for a romance book that was mix in with a bit of comedy. I liked this book due to the facts that the book had brought me laughters while I was reading the book. To me, I found it very funny to read about awkward scenes between two characters in a romance book. The characters would always regret what they hadn't done by the end of the scene and I thought that was very funny to read about. In this book, there was a lot of those scenes and so I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I am a teenager just like the main character and we both go to high school. There are a lot of things I can relate to her (like her desire to want to hang out with her friends a lot, her love for reading romance books, and so on), but the one thing that she and I can't relate to each other is that she is into giving out love advices. While I, on the other hand, hardly ever give out advices at all. I won't give recommend this book to a friend because my friends don't like to read romance books, they are more into mysteries and suspense. So I can only recommend this book to people that like to read romance-genre books.
December 15, 2010
The Oracle of Dating was a fun and flirty start to what I'm sure will be a great new series. The main character, Kayla, was extremely likable and I loved being able to read about her different experiences. She always kept a level head and never let anyone get the best of her.
In addition to Kayla, she had a great group of friends that always supported her. They were a diverse group who went together perfectly. Each of them was unique and realistic and Allison did a great job of getting into the head of a modern high school student. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was reading about Kayla's website- The Oracle of Dating. She gave out great advice and the website was such a huge part of her life. I understood how she wanted to keep it a secret, but I was happy her sister was in on it. Tracey was another fantastic character. She and Kayla had a great relationship even though at times Kayla seemed like she was the older one. Always giving Tracey advice and being a shoulder to lean on when her relationships didn't work out.
Allison has a great writing style and The Oracle of Dating contained some serious sides as well. Although Kayla spent a lot of her time giving out dating advice, she'd only had two failed relationships. Luckily, Jared enters the picture. I loved Jared. He was the perfect mix of sweet, bad boy that kept both Kayla and the reader guessing. It was great watching their relationship develop and I was crossing my fingers that everything would work out for them.
Overall, The Oracle of Dating was a great, and original, novel that left me eager to start the sequel and to see what happens to Kayla and her friends next. I highly recommend picking this up!
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
*Reviewed for Teens Read Too
In addition to Kayla, she had a great group of friends that always supported her. They were a diverse group who went together perfectly. Each of them was unique and realistic and Allison did a great job of getting into the head of a modern high school student. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was reading about Kayla's website- The Oracle of Dating. She gave out great advice and the website was such a huge part of her life. I understood how she wanted to keep it a secret, but I was happy her sister was in on it. Tracey was another fantastic character. She and Kayla had a great relationship even though at times Kayla seemed like she was the older one. Always giving Tracey advice and being a shoulder to lean on when her relationships didn't work out.
Allison has a great writing style and The Oracle of Dating contained some serious sides as well. Although Kayla spent a lot of her time giving out dating advice, she'd only had two failed relationships. Luckily, Jared enters the picture. I loved Jared. He was the perfect mix of sweet, bad boy that kept both Kayla and the reader guessing. It was great watching their relationship develop and I was crossing my fingers that everything would work out for them.
Overall, The Oracle of Dating was a great, and original, novel that left me eager to start the sequel and to see what happens to Kayla and her friends next. I highly recommend picking this up!
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
*Reviewed for Teens Read Too
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