12YOBookClub discussion

A discussion thread for our December 2018 book club pick!

Such a fun concept, but absolutely horrible execution with this novel? There were simply too many characters to address within such a short time frame. Not only was the family huge, but there were a lot of main characters and reoccurring characters all of which had their own "personalities" although none of which were flushed out enough. Because of this we were left trying to remember everyone's "story" and position in this world, which was difficult, when most of the main characters themselves weren't even impactful. Outside of this, I couldn't stand the behavior of the main character at all. The whole premise of the book revolves around her warped feelings of herself, her future, and her family. Which would be fine if she genuinely came to terms with that and solved the problems that caused, but instead Charlotte (called Charlie by most) just ignores her behavior for the most part and only gives two bad apologies. I don't think I've ever read a book in my life, especially one THIS LONG, where I genuinely felt as if the main character shouldn't even be represented in the book at all? But let's be honest, for anyone who has read this story, all the marks were missed with this one. If anyone's story deserved to be told here it should have been Mike, who's life was turned upside down by his mother's betrayal-- instead of the daughter who almost throws her life away in preserve a version of herself that was never real. Like....what was the genre of this? Was it a romance, a coming of age book, a book about familial ties? Because everything seems like it's being attempted here and all of it sadly, falls short.

This one really hurt for me because I am such a big fan of Morgan Matson's other books. It's not that I didn't like this book but I didn't like it as much as her other ones. Her other books left me so emotional and crying with tears of joy and sadness. I urge you to not let this flop deter you from checking out some of her other books!

I think Matson strayed away from her usual format with her books and that's a major reason why I didn't think this book was as well rounded. I applaud her for trying something different, but I missed the little extras that I am so accustomed to with her other books, like lists and playlists, etc.

I think another thing that caught me off guard with this book is that there were so many characters but only one point of view. In her other books, she usually switches between two different characters to tell the story.

Overall, I would and plan on reading more of her books, but now I'm more hesitant to read them. I'm hoping that this one book was just a flop.