To say that my feelings are torn on this novel is to put it lightly. I liked the premise of this novel and had high hopes for the story to draw me in. Unfortunately, something was missing for me. I kept grasping at straws trying to connect to any of the characters and found my hands empty.
Biggest Flirts follows Tia Cruz and her relationship with new comer Will Matthews. They have an immediate attraction to each other, but they're looking for different things. The situation becomes even more awkward once they realize they are both in the drumline of their school's marching band.
What really bothered me throughout the novel was the two main characters. Both of them were so immature, and I could not believe that they would act they way they did as seniors in high school. Tia and Will kept on making the same mistakes with not only each other, but with their lives in general. Tia is all about having fun and not thinking about the future, and I hated it. I couldn't connect to a character who was so flippant about her future. Will, on the other hand, was too serious. He always thought of the repercussions of everything he did all the time and it was so annoying. The only time I liked either of these characters was when they were together.
The representation of Tia's family was so well done. Not only was the dynamics between Tia, her sisters, and her dad seem real, but so did the problems they encountered. Once I found out more about Tia's past, I appreciated her a lot more than I did. I wish that we learned about her past earlier in the novel just because I liked her much more afterwards. Though the familial aspect of the story was just a sub-plot, it was what kept me going when I was struggling through the novel.
One thing that just annoyed me so much was the marching band aspect of the story. I am a member of my high school's marching band, and it was portrayed unfairly. I completely understand how that marching bands all rehearse differently, but the marching band in Biggest Flirts wasn't even a little bit similar to mine. There were so many times that I thought there would be scenes at the football games or a competition where something crucial would occur, but we didn't see the marching band outside of their practices.
The reason I still like this book is purely because of the beginning and ending. While the bulk of the book was disappointing, Echols gave her all in the first and last fifty pages. I can't say I like this book, but I by no means hate it either. I probably will not be continuing on with the series, but might check out some of her other works. Her writing style was an aspect I like as well and I've always wanted to look into her novels for quite a while now.
With that, I give this book
2.75 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment