From Goodreads: In a perfect world,
sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA
novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her
life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary. But
when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet
section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite
books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome
as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can
she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the
real thing?
My Rating: 2 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira was
a novel I put on my wishlist as soon as I heard about it because it promised a
bookworm as its protagonist. Sadly, this debut ended up being a disappointing
read. I wasn’t a fan of its plot, and thought Bandeira tried too hard to appeal
to bookish people.
As mentioned, a huge reason I was compelled to read Bookishly Ever
After was because I thought I would instantly connect with the main character. Unfortunately,
I ended up finding Phoebe more annoying than charming because she came across
as a stereotype. Yes, we bibliophiles love to read and discuss fictional worlds
and characters, but our lives don’t only revolve around them!
I also wasn’t expecting the plot to be so driven by the romance. Nothing
really happens in the book other than Phoebe doing her best to impress Dev
using her favourite heroines’ lines. (There are excerpts from Phoebe’s
favourite novels included in Bookishly Ever After, which I felt was unnecessary
because it didn’t add anything to the plot.) Moreover, the purpose of the
secondary characters only seemed to be to drive the plot along (so it wasn’t
surprising that they lacked depth). For example, Phoebe’s best friend is extremely
pushy and convinces Phoebe that Dev is right for her, Phoebe’s sister
conveniently comes back home from college once in a while to make Phoebe
outfits from her favourite books, and to prove that a diverse romantic interest
– Dev is Indian – can be handsome, he must be cast into a Bollywood movie.
Bookishly Ever After was released by Spencer Hill Contemporary
in January 2016.
Comments
About the Cover: Huh, I just noticed the cover says, “Ever After Book One.”
I didn’t realize this was going to be a series because Bookishly Ever After
reads like a standalone.
