Author: Jess C. Scott
Release Date: August 17, 2012
Publisher: JessINK (self-published)
Format: Paperback
Source: From the author.
Buy It: Amazon
Add It: Goodreads
17-year-old Suzie Q, smart kid and closet dance enthusiast, travels with a classmate to a world-class city for an internship program. She finds herself undeniably attracted to the suave hip-hop instructor, Jo.Zee, who recruits her into a dance fitness DVD he is producing. When Suzie sees (or thinks she sees) the real Jo.Zee, she must decide if she will trust him...or her instincts.
1. I've got extremely mixed feelings about this book. While I liked the idea, the execution was poor. The grammar was bad, the editing needed to be more precise, and the style bothered me. I found a ton of typos... It was written in first person, which takes talent that this author does not really have...
2. The details were too specific, especially regarding feelings. Nothing was left to the imagination. Jess spelled out every single emotion so you couldn't put yourself in the character's place.
3. There's a lot of long descriptions of dance routines, which were so hard to follow. I could never picture in my mind the dances that the character(s) were doing. You have to be a Korean-Pop/Hip-Hop dancer to really understand, in my opinion. Maybe that's not a big deal, but there's a lot of it and I would have skimmed over those more if I were not planning to review this book.
4. Now, I really liked the story... and the idea. And I did find myself reading further to see what happened next. However, I found myself being confused by critical story elements, which is not normal for me. I don't get confused by what I read... lol. Not to sound pretentious, but I'm a reading teacher, so my comprehension was not the problem. It was the writing. I had to read entire passages a second time to try and figure out what was going on.
I dunno. I liked the story, but the grammar and writing was sub-par. It all boils down to two things: it screams of being self-edited, and it screams of being self-published. I did not get the feeling that this was written by a professional, but more like someone who thought it might be a fun endeavor.
4. Now, I really liked the story... and the idea. And I did find myself reading further to see what happened next. However, I found myself being confused by critical story elements, which is not normal for me. I don't get confused by what I read... lol. Not to sound pretentious, but I'm a reading teacher, so my comprehension was not the problem. It was the writing. I had to read entire passages a second time to try and figure out what was going on.
I dunno. I liked the story, but the grammar and writing was sub-par. It all boils down to two things: it screams of being self-edited, and it screams of being self-published. I did not get the feeling that this was written by a professional, but more like someone who thought it might be a fun endeavor.
Bleh sorry girl, this book sounds lame! Once I read the blurb I was like "neeeext!". But as they say everything isn't for everyone! Sorry to hear that you didn't like it, but great review nonetheless.
ReplyDelete~ La Toya (La Toya, Literally)
That is basically what I thought when I read it as well! Only without the liking of the story. I skim-read my way to the end after about 100 pages because I wanted to know how it ended, but it just wasn't my kind of story. I agree with you that this book could have done with a lot more editing than it seems to have undergone.
ReplyDeleteThat's a shame, a little bit of editing can go a long way!
ReplyDeleteIt's always disappointing when you don't really love a book. I'm really picking about well edited books, myself. It can be an issue at times.
ReplyDeleteHope you love your next read.
It sounded so promising too. Ah well, here's to hoping that someone, someday will write a story with a similar idea - but edited a little better :)
ReplyDelete