Kate’s Reviews > Guardian > Status Update

Problem 20: On the boat when they are having this discussion... sharing important information... all that good communication jazz -- and then Nikki comes along and opens her big mouth and makes it ALL ABOUT HER AND HER POOR LIFE AND HER POOR SELF AND HER POOR PITY ME AGENDA. Just stop!!!

Problem 19: this is basically Mace the entire book -- WOW NIKKI IS SO STRONG AND AMAZING as she literally does something stupid and risky and then faints in his arms and cries and breaks her arm.

Oh yeah.

That's real strength for ya.

Problem 18: Nikki (eerily like Katniss) realizes that she is manipulative... she realizes she is bitter... she realizes she is filled with anger. And somehow these things are supposed to make us like her more? They are supposed to endow us all with this deep respect for her. IT'S NOT WORKING. Those are flaws, not "cool" traits. Realistic, maybe. Admirable??? NEVER.

Problem 17: Similar to Krissy (who is painted as shallow not because she IS shallow but in a lame attempt to make Nikki look deep), Josh Nolens is thrown under the bus.

He is a jock Nikki apparently had a crush on. But now that the Hotties have shown up... he is SOOOOOO SHALLOW OH MY GOODNESS. Nikki calls him shallow.

Because... what?? He's normal?? HOW DARE SHE.

Problem 17: Nikki uses Krissy as... a joke. She USES her as leverage. As a way to look cool in front of Raven.

(I can't say I've never mocked my own friends to make myself look cooler. But I I feel bad about it later, I apologize if they are hurt. Nikki never does. IT'S LIKE SHE DOESN'T THINK IT'S WRONG?? Because Krissy is, after all, JUST a silly little side character. JUST the fluffy cardboard friend.)

Problem 16: Krissy comes to the beach house to cheer Nikki up and is being (as usual) the sweetest friend. And Niki is treating her (as usual) like the dirt she scraped off her shoe.

But she still calls Krissy her "best friend."

I get the feeling that Nikki thinks that "best friend" is kind of a one-way deal. Krissy is there for HER. She is under no obligation to reciprocate in any way.

Of course.

Problem 15: Nikki ignores her parents when she has them... and then acts like her whole world REVOLVED AROUND THEM once they are gone.

Why.

Problem 14: Nikki is super volatile. Like she is calm one minute AND THEN SHE IS SCREAMING IN ANGER AND OVERWHELMED BITTERNESS BECAUSE OF HER DEAD PARENTS THE NEXT OH MY!!!

(Reminds me of my own poorly-written characters...)

Problem 13: Damon is a ridiculous failure. He LITERALLY says -- "if you jump out of this crashing plane and save me, no one will die... but if you jump by yourself, the plane will crash and kill a bunch of people on the ground."

IT... MAKES... NO... SENSE!

Problem 12: The only people in this story who say mean things about Nikki are like the bad guys or just stupid people in general. Or... the story MAKES them one of those things.

But they are RIGHT.

Nikki is spoiled and selfish and weak.