Friday, June 20, 2014

Book Review of This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Book Review: (SPOILER FREE)

Title & Author- This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Genre- Young Adult, Teen Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit

Rating- 3/5

Synopsis- "When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?"

Review- Enjoyable but not lovable.  

I wasn't too crazy about this book.  Check out the spoiler section, last paragraph, if you're interested in the details of why I didn't enjoy it.
Not only was I not a fan of the ending but I'm not a fan of Smith's writing style.  There's a whole paragraph or two of description on a place or an event that occurred in the past or is occurring in the present.  There was a good amount of dialogue but I wasn't interested in reading all the descriptions.  

Speaking of dialogue, I wasn't very interested in the characters' conversations.  I found myself lacking enthusiasm as I read.  None of it got my heart racing or my eyes watering.  It made me lack emotion towards any of the characters.  They were fine to read about but none of them had me wanting to see them in every chapter.  

Surprisingly, it didn't take me long to read however, even though I read it in a day, it felt like a week.

That's all I really have to say for the non-spoiler section but if you're interested in hearing what I really didn't like in detail, read the section below!


                                                                                     
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! 

If you read my goodreads' updates on this book, you'll already know what I have to say in this section.

I don't like how the story ends.  The whoopie pie/bet was the only thing I enjoyed about the ending.  The rest of it, I didn't really care for.  I felt disappointed throughout the chapters.  Like, when Ellie and her mother's secret get out about their past, it wasn't that big a deal.  Smith moves on by the next page.  There was so much build up and drama about how they had to be safe and how they had to lay low.  Another disappointment was Ellie's mother's reaction to all Ellie had done.  That made it feel like Smith was trying to wrap up the story as nice and quick as possible.  It was way to cheesy.  After all Ellie's freaking out over what her mother would think, they have a very sappy conversation about how she was a miracle.  Lastly, it wouldn't have surprised me if Smith separated Graham and Ellie in the end.  I really would not have cared.  I didn't feel a connection between the two.  As I read through their story, I kept thinking that they're really good friends to each other.  But as far as romance goes, it was lacking.

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