mxhermit's reviews
949 reviews

I have read books that dealt with similar issues to Hollow Beauty, such as Wintergirls or Paperweight. Eating disorders among teenage girls are a sensitive topic and can be written about with thought, care, and respect. I found none of these things in Hollow Beauty.

SPOILERS AHEAD

To begin with, Olivia decides to diet because some boy she barely knows asks her to prom and says she can diet until then. What a terrible & shallow character to decide to diet on a whim like that. Olivia has no self esteem or self respect.

If you're going to decided to lose weight because some jerk makes an offhanded comment, you don't get to be angry (even silently) with your friend when she says you're slim enough already after seeing your diet change to practically nothing. Though, I don't believe she'd noticed in only a day, two at the max.

For someone who explicitly said she doesn't have an anorexic or bulimic bone in her body, suddenly saying "Eating doesn't make sense. Won't I lose the weight faster if I starve?" is absurd. Olivia starts to sound stupider by the minute.

How many times does this need to be said: you do NOT fall in love with someone after a week! Also, it's rude to make plans, then ditch that person because something "better" came along. I can give her a little credit for at least telling Ross she can't come and why because lying never ends well, but it's still a rotten thing to do.

How is it that Olivia can spend the entire book knowing what the signs of an eating disorder are, keeps saying she'll never do that, but turns around and does it? The way she's doing it makes her look like an idiot. I'm supposed to believe she's 18?

Now some comments on her dating Brody.

First of all, letting a guy win because he can't handle being beaten by a girl is a sign of a bad relationship. Second, letting him win shouldn't translate to going further sexually than you're ready for.

"Was I crazy for even considering sex with him?"

YES you loon! He's manipulative and pressuring you to sleep with him. He's a narcissistic asshole you've let destroy you with one comment. Why the hell are you still with him?!

You're repulsed by the idea of having sex with him, but hey, maybe if you drink you'll be able to go through with it? What kind of thinking is that?

OK, no. When you're thinking that drinking will help you relax and maybe the problem in a relationship is you because you won't loosen up and have sex, that sounds like an emotionally abusive relationship.

Now, Ross.

Ross is at least a little creepy. He is watching Olivia so closely he notices teeny tiny things, like the fit of her jeans, the bones in her wrist, etc. If someone told me that, regardless of whether we were friends or not, I'd be weirded out.

I can't say that jumping from one relationship to the next is such a smart idea, especially when the last one was ridiculously abusive. Leaving that, dealing with an eating disorder (yes, that IS what Olivia had), and becoming majorly involved with the next guy just isn't smart. And really, how many ED people can quit cold turkey and "heal" themselves with no help whatsoever? It isn't realistic and gives the wrong idea about someone with this sort of issue.

Summary

The plot sounded like it could be a great book chronicling Olivia's story, but it ended up being terrible.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the description, I thought that this book would be the start of a grand adventure and possibly a new series. It certainly had that potential based on what I'd read. After reading it, my estimation is somewhat diminished, though not completely.

The story itself was good and had a nice development. The execution was a little on the childish side, which made me think that this would be better labeled as a middle grade book rather than a sci-fi young adult book.

The pacing felt a bit rushed. We're barely into the book before things started happening in a rapid fire succession. Maybe a little more fleshing out would've been good?

The art was cool, though at times I wasn't sure whether it was consistent with the book moments that it was meant to represent, which is a huge problem for me.

My final thoughts are that this was a decent book, but I wouldn't say an excellent one. It was more or less fun to read in the moment, but I'm not sure whether it has the staying power for a re-read.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up this book because I love children's picture books that I might be able to share with my son. The fact that it was all about a young hedgehog didn't hurt.

The art was simple, whimsical even. It has a nice balance between colors and line detail that don't detract from the story.

The story itself was also simple, but I think that it had a good message. Children need to be able to explore things on their own, to learn their boundaries and when they need their parents.

I don't understand the reviews that state they think it didn't have a good message. When I looked up facts about hedgehogs after reading them, I discovered that Herbie, at the age he is in the book, would actually have reached maturity and would probably translate to a young adult rather than a 3-5 year old. So, yes, if he was a 3-5 year old, the adventure seems like it could be a bit extreme, but not so much when you take into account the lifespan and maturity cycle of a hedgehog.

The only problem I had with the story line was that, according to the pictures and the weather, the story took place over the course of several weeks, even possibly months. I don't think that really fits with Herbie's development or what he'd actually be doing as a young hedgehog.

So, I think this book was a cute book to share with my son and I think it was interesting for me because it actually got me thinking not only about my parenting, but about hedgehogs and what their lives are like. I didn't know much about them before this book and I like to think it inspired someone to find out more about this adorable, spiky little animal.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story. It brought to mind the plot of a Disney Pixar short, which is usually a good sign.

The art was a middling fine; there wasn't anything that blew me away about it, but it was satisfying.

The difficulty I had with the book lay with the plot. I realize that this book is meant for a young crowd, but I think that there will be more than a few kids that will spot the problems here. The biggest one: there was never any reason given for the stars going out. Secondary: there was never a real reason given for why the stars come back on beyond "the power of friendship". A simple story is great and all that, but I think resolutions that are clear would be a better way to go about telling it.

The message about not letting work being the be all and end all of your existence was a good one. The execution was a bit of a letdown. I might still recommend this book to parents with children in the recommended age group, but I'd probably warn them about the plot holes and maybe suggest that they come up with a reason to tell their kid, just in case.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Baobab was a sad story. It was a good story, make no mistake, but there was a lot of sadness in Maiko's story.

This book seems to be especially needed these days, with more refugee crises happening every day. Maiko has to find his way in this new place and comes up against adversity. There's the class "bully" who teases him about his big ears, there's the little spruce tree which he becomes attached to and which is threatened with being cut down simply because of where it grew.

Maiko doesn't actually do a lot in this book, if by not a lot you understand that it means no quests other than the one that is growing up. It's a difficult time and being in a new place and learning new things doesn't make things easier. By the end of the story, when Maiko turns 8, I think he's finally learning how to settle in with his new friend and the fate of his little spruce tree solidified.

This work was beautifully written. The language wasn't overly simplistic nor was it overly fancy. It found that middle balance where the words seem to engulf you in the story. Nothing magical or fantastical is happening, but you find yourself sinking into the story and feeling for the characters.

The artwork was, too, very good. It was easy to picture these pictures leaping off the page and surrounding the reader as they go through Maiko's story, like something right out of Reading Rainbow.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If it were possible to give zero stars, this is the book that would finally make me want to do just that.

There was possibility in this book, but the execution was terrible. The language made no sense. The book started from out of nowhere. There was nothing to introduce the reader to the characters or world.

I tried to like these characters, but there was nothing to make them stand out. They were one dimensional at best. To be Frank, this book felt like it wanted to be a light novel or maybe an anime script, but whatever it was trying to be, a regular novel was not an accurate goal for it to have.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great idea, but it fell a bit flat for me.

There was a lot of diversity in this book. There were children of different ethnicities, disabled children, etc. However, the scope of diversity didn't save it from a rather weak execution of plot.

The art was cute, perfectly adequate, but there wasn't anything that popped about the book. It had the basics of what a library might include these days: the genres, the computers for research and games, etc. There was a generic rhyme scheme that would be good for little kids learning about rhyming words, but that's about it.