merry christmas in july, here's a present.

ack. every time i reread this book it surprises me twice. once at how fucking insufferable it is to get through for a large portion of it, and twice when i remember how embarrassingly heart melting the ending is. i have a reputation to maintain, i can't be FEELING like this over a book that isn't even that good!! the thing is, i know i am very very harsh on books that don't mesh with my Vibe, and normally this book would not mesh with my Vibe, but i forgive it. and that takes some power. so i respect it for that.

i love mean girls. this is a well documented fact about me. i loved holly as a narrator, even the selfish, materialistic holly we got early on. my kingdom for more funny, flawed, bitchy narrators instead of quirky shy nerd girl #4959219. (i say this as a quirky shy nerd ""girl,"" quotation marks heavy around the last bit. at least i don't advertise it. much.) i liked the side characters. boz especially. and dave. funny old guys are another weak point of mine.

ethan i didn't like so much. maybe it's because i am very much not straight, but everything surrounding ethan and holly's romance is so PAINFULLY heterosexual i actually have to skim some of it. i promise i'm not someone who stops reading books that even hint at a m/f romance. some of my favorite books have straight people in them! i'm an accepting lesbian! but holy SHIT, man. it felt like we were constantly being reminded that He Is A Boy, She Is A Girl, Instant Chemistry. and urrgghhh, maybe i'm too much of a leftist, but ethan seemed just a little too into patting himself on the back for being a rich kid. like, if this guy did run for president, i'm willing to bet he'd be running republican. (but honestly, at this point, saying a character is future president material is a red flag in itself.) ethan did nothing for me. whatever that gaybaiting situation with ro was just made him more of a glaring story weakness. (holly, you are really into your best friend's looks. and the people she dates. she's constantly referred to as your lost love--but platonic! it's platonic! it's fine!--and honestly you have more chemistry with her than Poor Little Rich Boy. the ending being open to interpretation lets me imagine that you worked some things out down the line and the two of you are happily married.)

so that was a lot of complaining. honestly, the romance was so gag-worthy a lesser book would be like two stars. but the last two chapters, man. the last two chapters. living up to my love of happy endings despite the everything else about me because i am a sucker for that sweet, sweet sappy shit. it is impossible for me to end this book without smiling like a doofus.

Spoiler

the fact that she doesn't end up with ethan is just a bonus for me. no, holly, i am not disappointed that the girl does not end up with the hot guy. i, for one, am overjoyed.

so, yeah. not everyone who comes into this book will like it. most people who have similar taste to me will not like it as much as i do. but hey, even the pickiest of reviewers gotta have their comfort reads. this is mine. at least it's not twilight.