1. This book dealt with sexual assault. How did you think this was handled? Would you call this an "issue" book?
I was really impressed with how it was handled. I think it easily could have been an issue book, but it never felt like that to me at all. It just felt like something that could have happened. I appreciated that tremendously.
2. What did you think of the college setting? We previously read Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund, which was also set in college. Is this "new adult" genre--not quite YA, not quite adult--something you'd like to see more of?
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. More college books, PLEASE. I know that people think that high school experiences are more universal and that's why there are more of them, but as we move into more charters and whatever, that's not going to be true. Just the polls I've done on my flist of what people's high school experiences were like, no two of them were the same. So it shouldn't matter if not everyone's college experience is the same either.
3. Both Lucas and Jacqueline, to some extent, chose their names. What do their choices say?
I think for Jacqueline it was sort of a reclaiming? That she was going to take back the things that mattered to her that she'd lost with Kennedy. with Lucas (and I typed Landon there first), it was his way of honoring his mother, obviously. But maybe too it was breaking with the past and his way of moving forward? I don't know.
4. Lucas and Jacqueline also hid things from each other. What did you think of that?
I sort of wish the secret keeping had been shorter, but since Jacqueline was aware of the secret he was keeping from her, it didn't bother me as much as it might have. (Plus, telling him she knew would have deprived the book of makeouts and I quite enjoyed that aspect.) Her keeping the fact that she knew the truth about his mom from him... I get why he thought it was a violation. But I don't know how she would have initiated that conversation in a good way. She was trying to spare him hurt, I think, and yet made it worse. Idk. People are complicated, yo.
5. This book was self-published. Were you aware of that? Does it matter to you?
I was aware, and I was so, so impressed with how put together it was because of that. I don't think I should be, I feel like all self-published books should strive for this, but I've also read enough of them to know that most of them do not achieve this standard.
6. Anything else you want to discuss?
I looooooooved Erin. And the girls at the sorority meeting. Mostly, I just loved that everyone had such depth.
Or maybe they think they're more alienating? But I don't know. Not everyone goes to college, but a lot of people do! And I gotta think people might want to know what they missed or younger kids might want to know what they have to look forward to. And I didn't have that great a college experience, so it's not like it's a nostalgia thing for me. (Neither are the high school books for that matter.)
Yeah, that's kind of how I saw the names, too. Both of them kind of seemed like reclaiming?
I get why he thought it was a violation. But I don't know how she would have initiated that conversation in a good way. She was trying to spare him hurt, I think, and yet made it worse. Idk. People are complicated, yo.
Yeah, I think that kind of sums up all of the secret keeping for me. I definitely got uncomfortable . . . but I probably SHOULD have been uncomfortable? And all of their decisions were very understandable. Not sure I would've done much different. Plus, the whole thing about Jacqueline googling for Lucas's mom's obituary . . . that's such a great, realistic, modern touch.
I feel like all self-published books should strive for this, but I've also read enough of them to know that most of them do not achieve this standard.
Yep. That's why I don't want to get read of traditional publishers. It's not even typos and grammar mistakes, really. Those are annoying, sure, but what I really want is the story level editing. The Dear Author review of Love Unscripted got me thinking of that because I'm still mad that book wasn't better edited. It could've been the celeb story I want!
I was really impressed with how it was handled. I think it easily could have been an issue book, but it never felt like that to me at all. It just felt like something that could have happened. I appreciated that tremendously.
2. What did you think of the college setting? We previously read Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund, which was also set in college. Is this "new adult" genre--not quite YA, not quite adult--something you'd like to see more of?
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. More college books, PLEASE. I know that people think that high school experiences are more universal and that's why there are more of them, but as we move into more charters and whatever, that's not going to be true. Just the polls I've done on my flist of what people's high school experiences were like, no two of them were the same. So it shouldn't matter if not everyone's college experience is the same either.
3. Both Lucas and Jacqueline, to some extent, chose their names. What do their choices say?
I think for Jacqueline it was sort of a reclaiming? That she was going to take back the things that mattered to her that she'd lost with Kennedy. with Lucas (and I typed Landon there first), it was his way of honoring his mother, obviously. But maybe too it was breaking with the past and his way of moving forward? I don't know.
4. Lucas and Jacqueline also hid things from each other. What did you think of that?
I sort of wish the secret keeping had been shorter, but since Jacqueline was aware of the secret he was keeping from her, it didn't bother me as much as it might have. (Plus, telling him she knew would have deprived the book of makeouts and I quite enjoyed that aspect.) Her keeping the fact that she knew the truth about his mom from him... I get why he thought it was a violation. But I don't know how she would have initiated that conversation in a good way. She was trying to spare him hurt, I think, and yet made it worse. Idk. People are complicated, yo.
5. This book was self-published. Were you aware of that? Does it matter to you?
I was aware, and I was so, so impressed with how put together it was because of that. I don't think I should be, I feel like all self-published books should strive for this, but I've also read enough of them to know that most of them do not achieve this standard.
6. Anything else you want to discuss?
I looooooooved Erin. And the girls at the sorority meeting. Mostly, I just loved that everyone had such depth.
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Yeah, that's kind of how I saw the names, too. Both of them kind of seemed like reclaiming?
I get why he thought it was a violation. But I don't know how she would have initiated that conversation in a good way. She was trying to spare him hurt, I think, and yet made it worse. Idk. People are complicated, yo.
Yeah, I think that kind of sums up all of the secret keeping for me. I definitely got uncomfortable . . . but I probably SHOULD have been uncomfortable? And all of their decisions were very understandable. Not sure I would've done much different. Plus, the whole thing about Jacqueline googling for Lucas's mom's obituary . . . that's such a great, realistic, modern touch.
I feel like all self-published books should strive for this, but I've also read enough of them to know that most of them do not achieve this standard.
Yep. That's why I don't want to get read of traditional publishers. It's not even typos and grammar mistakes, really. Those are annoying, sure, but what I really want is the story level editing. The Dear Author review of Love Unscripted got me thinking of that because I'm still mad that book wasn't better edited. It could've been the celeb story I want!
Reply
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