Since You Asked by Maurene Goo Review

(Photo credit: hellosgiggles.com)

 

 

Since you asked… I did not like Since You Asked by Maurene Goo.

            Since You Asked chronicles fifteen-year-old Holly Kim’s sophomore year. After writing a scandalous article for the school newspaper, Holly is given her own newspaper column where she gives her brutally honest opinion about everything regarding high school. As Holly navigates homecoming drama and crushes, she realizes everyone may not be what they seem and high school may not really be as terrible as she originally believes.

            First of all, I must discuss the cover photo. It looks like a freshman girl’s heavily edited Instagram photo, or the Picnik editing on Facebook photos that was popular when I was a freshman in high school. The cover did not give me high expectations for this book. However, it is much worse than I originally expected.

            I absolutely hate the main character Holly. The only thing that she does the entire book is complain. My high school years have gone, and I know that I complained a time or two about assignments and what not. But this girl… ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is worth complaining about. While this may be the author trying to make her relatable, she just comes off bratty at times. One time in particular, Holly complains because her mother is allowing her to pick out her own Christmas presents. She throws an entire fit and it just makes her seem so ungrateful.

            Another major problem I have with the novel is Holly’s column. This is what drives the whole story, but to me, it is very unbelievable that what she would write would appear in a school newspaper. I was an editor for a high school newspaper and if a student wrote something like Holly would, they would never get their own column. Besides, Holly actually swears and tears apart student groups in some of her pieces. This would never be tolerated in a school newspaper. While I understand this is what moves the story along, as someone that was in a school newspaper, it comes across as unbelievable.

            For me, this story just didn’t do it. It only manages to earn 2 stars for this reviewer.

 

Disclaimer: I am not being compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I borrowed Since You Asked from the library.



Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman Review

(Photo: authorsnow.com)

 

How do I breathe without you? If you ever go, How do I ever, ever survive?

            Okay, so no this book is not about Leann Rimes. But, those lines describe this book perfectly. Actually, that’s what I first thought after reading the description. So, was Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman a hit like that Leann Rimes song? Um, not quite.

            Breathing follows Savannah, a fifteen-year-old girl who suffers from severe asthma that often leaves her hospitalized. At the beginning of the summer, Savannah meets Jackson, an older boy that immediately steals her heart. The two instantly become absorbed in a summer romance. However, when Jackson must leave to help his recently divorced mother, Savannah fears that she will not be able to figuratively or physically breathe without him.

            I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from Breathing since I hadn’t read very many reviews on the book. However, I did find the whole tagline to be slightly cheesy, so I feared that the book would suffer the same fate. After reading, my fears were confirmed.

            There’s not denying that the book centers around the romance. I thoroughly enjoyed how Jackson treats Savannah with respect. How well that he treats her is refreshing in a genre overcrowded with drama-filled love triangles and overly flirty/arrogant love interests. Yet, at times, their relationship is almost a little too perfect. Within only a time or two of meeting each other, they become so undyingly in love that it is unbelievable (even if it is a quickly heated summer romance).

            At first, I really liked Savannah. Her country twang and struggles with asthma make her a unique protagonist. However, like many YA protagonist, she pines for her boyfriend throughout the entire book. Let me make this clear. I don’t find girls weak for thinking about a guy or wanting to be with their boyfriend. But when a character literally belittles their friend’s relationship because she doesn’t think it is as real as her’s, mopes for half the book when she can’t see her boyfriend, almost gives up her entire future for said boyfriend, and constantly nags him about everything, I just want to scream because it’s so annoying! I know this is typically, overdramatic teenage girl behavior, but when the main character only whines about her boyfriend and nothing else, it gets old fast.

            My favorite character has to be Savannah’s mom. She adds depth to the story and her hesitancy to trust another man is very believable. She works hard for her family, and even though she can be rough around the edges, it’s clear that she truly cares for Savannah. I absolutely loved her character. While Dog is the typical annoying younger brother, I liked his storyline. Although I could predict it, it adds a nice touch to the story.

            As I mentioned before, I found the breathing aspect to be quite cheesy. Asthma is a unique topic and it is tied up nicely at the end, but the “How can I breathe without you?!” part was just too cheesy. I am not kidding you… Savannah actually says those words to Jackson. I think that I literally cringed.

            Breathing is a good choice if you are searching for a unique summer romance. Despite the somewhat cheesy premise, the book is decent and worth checking out.



Disclaimer: I borrowed Breathing from the library. I am not being compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!