Sunday, September 18, 2016

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here Review...



Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her weed-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. And if they ever find out what Scarlett truly thinks about them, she’ll be thrust into a situation far more dramatic than anything she’s ever seen on TV… 


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REVIEW:

I don’t know where to start with this book.  I won this ARC along with several others in a giveaway from Penguin Random House way back at the beginning of the year but due to lack of time I am just now starting to sit down and read them.  I had every intention of doing a Giveaway with this book but several pages ripped in a major way when they got stuck in something and I tried to pull it out when I didn’t realize it was stuck L.  I could have kicked myself for doing that.  Now that the rambling is over let’s talk about the book not the catastrophe that is my life lately.
 
Scarlett Epstein is growing up in a small town in New Jersey, which she hates.  When her favorite TV show is cancelled she can’t seem to cope with it.  So as a writer she and her online fanfic friends decide to write a story ARC that kind of follows the TV show.  Scarlett uses the people in her own life to write her installments in order to cope with the things life throws at her.  The guy she has liked since they were young has started dating her nemesis and it pushes him into the popular group at school.  When he is at school with his friends he is a real class A jerk but when they are talking alone he seems really nice.  Can these two and their non-school friends pull each other out of the rut they are stuck in?  Does Scarlett get the guy in the end?  Does the guy come to his senses or live a double life forever?  Does reality about things finally hit everybody?
 
This is a great and well written coming of age story.  The characters grow and learn with each other.  There were so many fun aspects of this book including the fanfic story that Scarlett is writing in installments.  There is fun back story and interesting new aspects.  I can’t believe how much real life was worked into the story itself.  The characters were amazingly written, fun and dynamic.  The writing style was amazing.  The plot was unique for a coming of age story.  It isn’t your everyday story and that is a nice change.  There were moments where I felt the flow and pace move off track some but it didn’t take too long to get back on track. 
 
I would totally recommend this book if you are looking for a great coming of age story.  I felt like a part of this book because I still often feel like Scarlett did as a teen.  It is a book about finding out where you fit in and growing into your place in life.  It is an ongoing struggle in life but I know for me it was always my teenage years where I felt it most.  Anna has struck an amazing cord with this book and it should be a must read on your reading list and at the top of that list.
 
4.5 growing stars

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