Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If we're being honest, I truly feel this book doesn't even deserve one star for it's target audience being young adult. It's meant to be a fluffy romance read, which I am typically a fan of, but this story didn't even get close to hitting the mark. I have enjoyed watching Zoe Sugg's vlogs going on three years now and had high standards for "Girl Online", as Zoe had stated writing was a passion of hers. I picked it up from Amazon for ten bucks (a serious steal for hardcover!) and eagerly awaited for the package to arrive. Due to the summary, I was expecting a story in the vein of Kody Keplinger meets Sarah Dessen -- a quick teen romance read with an underlying message and a touch of drama. Instead, I received a book that felt more suited for a middle schooler. Disappointed and unable to read past the first chapter due to the childish writing, I tried to return the book to Amazon. While I was refunded for my purchase, I was told to not return the item. Apparently, it will occasionally cost them more money to get an item back than to just leave it with the customer. I ended up skimming through -- not reading beginning to end, as I already had a bad taste in my mouth from the first chapter. I decided to skip through pages in order to understand the plot and characters. Usually I try to be transparent in reviewing books, and if I dislike one I typically say it was an unpleasant or unenjoyable read. However,"Girl Online" is a special case as I will simply say to you -- I hated it. Of course the main character, Penny, has a famous, attractive boy after her who just happens to (*SPOILER ALERT*) be in a fabricated relationship with another female singer, for the sake of their careers -- doesn't that happen everyday? The entire story reads like a poorly thought out fantasy of the author. The target audience for this book shouldn't be set above fourteen, just skimming through it proves that. It's bursting at the seams with cliches, bland writing, and cardboard characters. In other words, I am heavily disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it, no matter the authors situation. If you were considering purchasing this book as a present for anyone, or even for yourself, I highly recommend you look to other authors within the YA genre such as: For 14 & Up: Rainbow Rowell - "Fangirl" Jenny Han - "The Summer I Turned Pretty" For 12 & Up: Sandy Hall - "A Little Something Different" Lisi Harrison - Pretenders