Kathryn White (4)

This is my third, and so far, favorite book by this author. I absolutely loved the story because Ms. White manages to illustrate Abigail's emotions well, her frustrations, her happiness, and the dialogue is realistic as well.

I just wish a couple of things had been touched upon/explored more - without being too spoilery, I will mention that the instance where Abigail is almost hurt by a car, I wish that had been explored more since after that day it seems to have been dropped off, I wish show more Abigail had been more assertive/confrontational about it especially given how she had been brushed off about it. We also never get an explanation for why Glad did a 180 on Abigail, but since this book has a swquel, I hope that's explored.

Abigail can be immature and histronic at times, but then Samuel could be a real jerk at times, especially about Chastity and how he knew that Chastity bothered Abigail but he pooh poohed about it. I don't blame Abigail the least bit for hating Chastity and wanting to claw her eyes out, I would have done the same if I were in that position! I just wish Samuel was more understanding about it, he could be so frustrating at times! (but hey, the author conveys this well through Abigail's POV, so kudos to her! She conveyed what she was trying to convey)

I absolutely loved this book, and I am more than eager for its sequel as while all the books this author have written are solid, this one is by far my favorite. show less

Review:

Abigail's unique personality was evident from page one, and was a riot of enjoyment every page thereafter. I loved her character, her back-and-forth mood swings, her intelligent, yet crude, language, and the way she approached every situation, from cats and family members, to mortal enemies, etc. I also liked Abigail's relationship with Samuel; they played off of each other flawlessly even though they sometimes seemed like polar opposites. Their dispositions were very realistic and show more easy-to-relate to, often causing me to shake my head, laugh out loud, or cuss a blue streak right along with them. The book is based on Australian author Kathryn White's blog, and is formatted as a collection of time-ordered blog entries, each delving in to Abigail's thoughts and feelings about her ever-changing state of mind. I enjoyed reading the diary-esque entries which added to the overall tone and made the novel feel more modern. The pacing was not as steady as I am used to, but I felt that it went along with the flow of the plot-line, especially since Abigail herself was unsteady about the future. I always enjoy reading books where I learn new vocabulary, and I definitely got an earful from Being Abigail, particularly her definitions of skank and wanker (not what you'd think...). The only problems I saw were with grammar, and they did not take away from the novel's readability. Overall, well-developed characters, believable scenarios, and a plot full of attitude make this book a worthwhile and fun read!

Rating: On the Run (4/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. show less

I enjoyed this book and its twists and turns. There were several things I was able to clue in, but a couple of things completely took me by surprise, and I must give the author kudos for that.

My only real complaint is that I wish this book was a little longer. It's a somewhat quick read, more of a novella, and while I enjoy novellas as much as novels, there's a few things in here that I think could have been expanded more, particularly the whole thing with the LSD and paranormal show more investigation.

I found the character of Ivory Black to be curious. I will admit there were a couple of points in the story that at first, didn't make sense to me, but then they were explained or cleared up later, so by the end of the story, all the important questions that I had during this point or that of the story, were answered. It's quite obvious that Black had serious issues, ones that he tried to cover up by lying to himself (especially with what he did to Alice) but then this is nothing new as I know people who delude themselves into minimizing their (serious) mistakes. His behavior towards Peppa makes this even more clearer.

I found this author's writing style itself very accessible and easy to read. She has a great way of describing things sometimes, and some really funny lines/dialogue. For those who complain about spelling mistakes, give it a break! British spelling is just as valid as American spelling, so I had no issues at all with the spellings of certain words, the British spelling in no way detracted from the story or made it hard to read. show less

The only downside to this book is that it's a prequel, so Abigail in here is more bratty, but then we've all been teenagers, haven't we? ;)

Overall an enjoyable book, and Kathryn White has a style of writing that literally has me smiling at some of the descriptions she uses or certain sharp pieces of dialogue.