Flo's Review
So, you may remember that I was lucky enough to get a random ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Marni Bates' book Awkward, which I read in one sitting and absolutely fell in love with. So when I had the opportunity to get Decked With Holly, I was on it like Buddy the Elf is on Christmas spirit. But I'm not quite sure what I think of this book and exactly how to place it. So this review may be a little all over the place.
Okay, first -- I love that this is a holiday story and the main characters are named Holly and Nick. Cheesy, but cute. Especially since Nick is actually Dominic, and he was already a character from an earlier book! Did Marni already know she was going to do that, or did it just end up happening that way?! Hmm....we may have to have a guest interview with Marni on the blog and ask her. If you can think of any other questions, leave them in the comments. If we have enough, I'll ask her.
But back to the review. The story took place over the holidays, but something was missing to give it the holiday feel. I know that Holly was not all about Christmas spirit and that it takes place on a cruise ship, but still. I kind of feel like if it's going to take place during the holiday season, I should get that holiday feeling from it. I also wasn't really into some the sweeping generalizations/stereotypes of different types of people. Nothing hateful, of course, and a lot were definitely taken to the extreme to be funny parodies, but still there were several instances in the story that kind of made me go, "Hmm..." And, on a minor note, I don't think Holly should have been a ReadySet fan. I think the way she reacted to Nick initially and afterward was not the way a fan would react to meeting a celebrity they knew and liked. I think it would have worked better if they were Jen's favorite band -- or even her cousins. Also, the hated and interactions between Holly and her cousins seemed a little too over the top. Again, I understand that they made her life miserable, but I don't think even that would make "showing them" first on the list of reasons to fake date a celebrity, ya know? With the "oh yeah, and my best friend and I will be popular" or "I'll be famous" factor to come in second.
All that being said, I can't say I disliked the book. Once I picked it up, it was very hard for me to put down, and I read it in two sessions. Like Awkward, Marni Bates again had great transitions between chapters that compelled you to keep reading. And even though you knew what was going to happen between Holly and Nick, it was fun to keep reading with anticipation of the time when they both would finally realize their feelings.
Sounds like I should start with Awkward if I'm going to give Marni Bates a try. I'm sure you weren't relating her reaction to how you would react around JoeMac??? Perhaps that influenced your views of this book?
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