Thursday, July 23, 2015

Biggest Flirts (The Superlatives #1) by Jennifer Echols

Synopsis: "Tia and Will’s lives get flipped upside down when they’re voted Yearbook’s Biggest Flirts in this sassy novel from the author of Endless Summer and The One That I Want.

Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laidback swagger. 

As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…"

Title: Biggest Flirts
Series: The Superlatives #1
Genre: contemporary romance, YA
Pages: 317
Ages: ?? (Explained in review)
My Rating: 2 stars
One Word: Blegh
Fave Quote: ?? (had to find a fave quote when the whole book was pretty disappointing)

Review
Echols definitely accomplished one thing for sure: she got wrapped up in the stereotypical high school dramas, making the novel a hell of a lot more vexing.

I guess I'm getting too old for these books, but I'm only 16, younger than the main characters of this story! And they seemed like the immature ones. I mean, Will Matthews? I've never met a guy as over-dramatic as him. When he was confessing all his problems with Tia, I got confused between his and Tia's dialogue because he was acting like a girl! And why was he dying for a girlfriend anyway? Just stay single for a couple of days instead of moving right onto another girl!

"He pulled the phone from his pocket and glanced casually at the screen. As soon as he saw it, though, his jaw dropped. He tapped the phone with his thumb again.
'Fuck!' he shouted in a sharp crack that bounced against the bleachers. He turned toward the goalpost, reared back, and hurled his phone-quite an athelic feat, considering he was still wearing his snare drum"
 (55).

Drama queen much?

I admit, I picked up this book because I wanted to break up my reading with a simple, no-thinking, summer book, but this was just a little too simple. Simple as in lower level that is, because there were extra pieces to this story that either should've been gone completely or needed more details in order to make some sense as to why it's in the story. Tia's other two sisters (excluding Violet), for instance, were mentioned way too frequently yet didn't even show up in the novel! I thought Izzy would at least considering she worked down the street from Tia.

I was very confused with Echols's maturity level for this book, as well, considering the beginning contained some more graphic scenes which I was fine with, but mixed with childish conversations and bantering? Was this book made for teenagers or little kids? Echols, you can have mature titillating scenes with mature characters or vice versa, but they can not be intertwined.

Lastly, Tia and her friends. *blegh* Kaye and Harper are the classic stereotypical high school girls. Let me tell you, folks, there is no such thing as a high school like Echols's version here. There are no cliques (at least not separated between cheerleaders and football players and such) and absolutely no talk 24/7 about relationships!!! Yeah there's dating and all but teenagers aren't revolved around it and it's problems! I was ambivalent over Tia considering she annoyed the hell out of me with her unrealistic personality and the "always talking and fearless" way about her (like when she goes up to the stadium and talks in the microphone without hesitation?) but I also loved it because I sort of wished I could be as ballsy as her to be honest.

Overall, a sappy story with cheesy jokes and bland characters. The only reason why it received 2 stars instead of 1 (aside from being a nice rater) is that I honestly didn't mind this story outline and thought it was very unique for a contemporary young adult; just not written well enough to gain my sympathy over the characters or any sort of emotion for that matter.
★★

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