Started Reading: August 27, 2024
Finished Reading: September 1, 2024
I have read 100% of this book
Verdict: It was OK (3 of 5 stars)
I think this story is important due to the content, and I also think it being made into a movie is a good thing. The plot flowed well and it was an easy read in the sense that it wasn't a book I avoided and had to force myself through. The content was NOT easy to read, obviously.
All of that said, I felt the character of Lily was a classic fanfic Mary Sue. We barely get an idea of her appearance, she's quirky in the cutest ways, successful at everything she does, and all the eligible boy characters are madly in love with her. This is all textbook fanfic energy, because it encourages the reader to imagine herself as the main character.
I also found the journal entries unrealistic. Many portions of Lily's letters to Ellen were definitely not written by a teen girl. The wording was off and oddly sophisticated more often than not, and it was a lot of dialogue for journaling. I get that it was necessary for exposition, but I think it was a really lazy way of accomplishing that goal.
These complaints do not make it a bad book, but it's definitely not on a literary level with some of my favorites. I'm invested now and will be reading the second book as well.