Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Review: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Title: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
Author: Liz Czukas
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads



Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

Review by Nara

Since this is a book about a girl who is obsessed with making lists, I think it's quite appropriate to review it in list form. So, here's a Top Five Facts (/Opinions) About Top Ten Clues You're Clueless.

1. Seriously, the main character is one of the most interesting I've come across in contemporary YA. She suffers from Type 1 Diabetes, loves making lists, is refreshingly awkward and is entirely relateable.

2. The romance was adorable. I have to admit that it was perhaps just that little bit underdeveloped, which was one of the reasons why I didn't rate this book more highly. Then again, the romance wasn't the main focus of the book, so I suppose it being that slight bit underdeveloped didn't have a big impact on my opinion of the book.

3. There's a diverse range of characters. I think perhaps because of this movement for increasing diversity in YA, a lot more authors are starting to include diverse characters. What I liked about this book was that the diversity didn't seem to be thrown in for the sake of it. Instead there was definitely a casualness to it- the characters just happened to be diverse, if that makes sense.

4. The secondary characters are fantastic. Sure, the diversity is good, but more than that, they're well developed and interesting. I'd take a well developed white-washed cast of characters over a terribly developed diverse cast of characters any day.

5. This book is a fluffy, adorable read that's perfect to read when you're in the mood for something light and fun. As is Liz Czukas' other book (Ask Again Later), actually, so you should give that a go too.

Really liked it

Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 3.5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 3.5/5