Nothing but Books discussion

Starts - 14 December
Buddies - Amelie and Sylvs

Yay!!

Okay so I'm thinking if we are reading the book for a week then maybe we should read 50 pages each day???

So, I’ve got an ebook copy of the book and it doesn’t have a page count, but I checked and there’s 39 chapters so maybe we could read a certain amount of chapters a day instead?? Do you want to read 5 chapters a day??

Amelie wrote: "So, I’ve got an ebook copy of the book and it doesn’t have a page count, but I checked and there’s 39 chapters so maybe we could read a certain amount of chapters a day instead?? Do you want to rea..."

Sure sounds good if that works for you :)

Ok, great!

I’ve read the first 5 chapters now! I like Liz’s character and her introverted nature, and I’m finding it interesting learning about her family situation and struggles, and her dream of following in her mother’s footsteps. I felt so bad for her when she didn’t get the scholarship, and how she’s now resorting to winning the prom queen competition despite her discomfort with publicity and attention. I can’t wait to read more about how she’ll get through this and her interactions with the other competitors. It’ll be interesting to read about her struggles to win the prom competition with her lack of popularity and status as a black girl, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the anti-racism and LGBT themes will come to play in the novel. How are you finding the book so far? :)

Amelie wrote: "I’ve read the first 5 chapters now! I like Liz’s character and her introverted nature, and I’m finding it interesting learning about her family situation and struggles, and her dream of following i..."

I finished the chapters too and now am starting to read the other 5. Liz seems likeable and nice but so far my favourite character is Mack. She seems super bubbly and friendly and I can see why Liz liked her from the start. I'm glad the first interaction between them wasn't too cringe and instalovey!

Also I get what you're saying about Liz and completely agree. When I read about her wish to follow in her mum's footsteps it just broke my heart and the kind of effort and length she'd go to get there i.e, running for Prom Queen. I'm really excited to see where Leah Johnson takes the story from here :)

Okay so I'm currently on Chapter 10. I really like Jordan's character and think he's really complex. If I didn't know this was going to be an LGBTQ+ book, I would've thought Jordan and Liz would get together. Honestly the build up from chapter 5-10 is very enemies-to-lovers-esque hehe but I still love Mack the most and I reckon they would make an even cuter couple <3

I’ve just finished chapter 10, and I agree that Jordan seems like a really cool character and I’m curious to read more about his interactions with Liz. I hope Liz and Jordan will be able to rebuild their former friendship, and that he might start being more comfortable being himself rather than the person everyone wants him to be to fit in at their school.

Mack also seems like such a sincere person, and I loved how she stood up for Liz. It’s really cool how Mack is not afraid to defy social norms and simply be herself, and I hope she’ll be able to encourage Liz to bring out her individuality too. I’m excited to see how Liz and Mack’s relationship will develop, especially due to the fact they’re both in the running for prom queen, and I can’t wait to read about more of their interactions!

Yay! Last night I got to chapter 15 and I feel that we got to know Mack a bit more especially with her mother's death. I can definitely see the connection between herself and Liz with their similar music taste too! I'm really excited to see where their relationship heads. My prediction is that either there will be two Prom Queens (Mack and Liz) or there will be two queens and two kings. Really it's all up in the air and I have no idea how this will end (which is definitely a good thing)

I’ve just finished chapter 25, and I’m also really enjoying reading about Liz and Mack’s relationship. Their interactions are so adorable, and they have so much in common! It was really cool how Mack is cousins with one of the members of Kittredge Band, and how she took Liz on a date to one of their concerts! I’m glad they’re dating, but it’s sad they’ve chosen to keep it as a secret from everyone else. I really wanted Liz to be more direct and explain her reasons why and her circumstances of how she’s in the running for Prom Queen because she missed out on the scholarship into Pennington. I think Mack deserves to know the truth since she’s already shared so much about herself already and has proven herself to be trustworthy, and it’s possible she might even have a solution to the problem since her cousin is a member of a famous band.

I’m curious to know how things will turn out and how long their secret will last for. It would be so cool if there were two Prom Queens, and maybe it could happen if Mack and Liz gained enough popularity and support from the school body. Either way, I just hope they’ll be happy and accepted into the community regardless of whether they win or not. Also, what are your thoughts on Gabi? I think she’s well-intentioned in trying to help Liz win, but her pushiness can be annoying especially with her negative attitude towards Liz’s relationship with Mack.

I’ve finished the book, and I highly enjoyed it! It was such a cute read with great messages of believing in yourself and good LGBT+ representation. Liz’s character development throughout the book was also enjoyable to read about! (view spoiler)[I loved how the school body was really accepting of Liz and Mack’s relationship and fought to eliminate homophobia in the prom competition. I was so glad that Liz and Jordan won, and that scene where Jordan gave his crown to Mack so Liz and Mack could dance was so adorable!! I’m also glad Emme returned, and Rachel was eliminated from the competition! This book was so good, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too! #JusticeForMighty :) (hide spoiler)]

Nice! I love Mack and Liz and I genuinely love how dorky they are together :P I also love Jordan and how he interacts with Liz. At the same time I feel really bad for him with everything that happened with Emme and I'm glad she comes back though (yes I did read your spoiler at the end because I cannot help myself XD)

With Gabi I always thought she was a bit pushy but I guess she still had good intentions. I haven't finished the book just yet (I'm going to read as soon as I quit out of Goodreads) but what would've been a total plot twist would've been if Gabi had a major crush on Liz hence her trying to make her prom queen. That would've resulted in a whole other dimension to the story!

I hope you’ll enjoy it then! I was annoyed with Gabi when I found out about her interference in Liz and Jordan’s relationship, but I’m glad she did redeem herself towards the end, and she still was loyal to Liz. It would’ve been kinda cool if Gabi had a crush on Liz, but I’m pretty satisfied with the ending we received. I think the author fleshes out the characters really well, and this was such a cute and thought-provoking read!

Okay so I finished the book and although the ending was kinda predictable (Liz getting prom queen and getting into her dream course at Pennington) I was really happy with the ending too and loved that Mack and her got together again. I also am really happy the author chose to delve into guy-girl friendship rather than making it a romantic sort of connection with Liz and Jordan. I think that was executed well too. I'm just so happy I read this book this year! I think it was the perfect thing to read before Christmas! Thank you for buddy reading with me we should definitely buddy read something again!

I agree that the ending was great, and this book gave me so many happy feels! Thanks for buddy reading with me too, I enjoyed it, and we should definitely do another buddy read! Maybe we could read a book off both our TBR’s.

Amelie wrote: "I agree that the ending was great, and this book gave me so many happy feels! Thanks for buddy reading with me too, I enjoyed it, and we should definitely do another buddy read! Maybe we could read..."

Haha yes! I have over 50 to choose from XD. I'll probably have one of your TBRs on my pile too!

Ok, if you’re interested in buddy reading any of these books then feel free to let me know. But I’m open to any suggestions that you may have as well.

- Stalking Jack the Ripper
- Carry On
- Radio Silence
- Little Monsters
- A Study in Charlotte
- The Shadows Between Us

Ooh nice picks! I've read 4/6 of those ahaha! With a Study in Charlotte I just read it but I have the rest of the series here with me. I haven't read The Last of August, A Case for Jamie and a Question of Holmes yet :)

Sylvs (NOVELty Reads) wrote: "Ooh nice picks! I've read 4/6 of those ahaha! With a Study in Charlotte I just read it but I have the rest of the series here with me. I haven't read The Last of August, A Case for Jamie and a Ques..."

If you want, I can let you know via a PM whenever I manage to read A Study in Charlotte, so we could buddy read the other books in the series :)

Amelie wrote: "Sylvs (NOVELty Reads) wrote: "Ooh nice picks! I've read 4/6 of those ahaha! With a Study in Charlotte I just read it but I have the rest of the series here with me. I haven't read The Last of Augus..."

Yay cool! Sounds good :)

:)