whisperingchapters
Written on Jul 3, 2016
Guys guys guys! *jumps up and down* You need this book!! Seriously, it's a must! It's so much fun! It was oh-so-enjoyable.
Harper sent in an application to be an intern at Shift magazine, but she kind of lied. You see, the position available was for the journalist to have dating experience—the good and the bad—so she could give advises to the readers. Sadly, Harper barely has any experience in this department so she gets in by lying. Moving to New York and being an intern is Harper's dream come true. In order to write great columns, she needs to experiment the dating aspects of life and so she embarks on a journey of dating, but in the process she learns about herself as well.
I was drawn to Harper's personality from the get-go. I don't know why, but I could see her as my friend, as a next door neighbor—basically, as someone real. When she moved to New York, I feared she was going to change drastically, and in a way she did, but in a positive way. I felt like being in NY lead her to discover who she really was and experience new things in her life. She got to make friends, she got to be independent for a while and see how that was like. She also had to really learn how much being responsible means, especially when being on her own.
Nothing came easy for Harper. I could feel her struggle and even relate to it when it came to coming up with blog posts. Sometimes, I get so blocked when writing a review and it's really frustrating. Reading about Harper having the same difficulties made me realize that people who work at magazines go through the same struggle, and it's possibly worse, since they also have to experiment things.
Even though Harper is a dating blogger, you'd think this book would focus a lot on guys. And while there are guys, especially one who has the spotlight, this story focus wasn't Harper's relationship. The focus was more on her experience at Shift magazine and her interactions with the other interns/friends.
THE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS (AND OTHER STUFF):
1. I loved that the story included the blogs that were being talked about and it works in the readers favor to get tips ;)
2. I also loved a few secondary characters like Aunt Vee, who's not Harper's blood-related aunt, but is Harper's mom's best friend. Aunt Vee and her fashion sense were great! Her personality was hilarious and her fashion advises had me writing down a few tips for myself.
3. And I cannot forget about Princess the pug. She's a character all on her own and after reading this book, I WANT A PUG!!
4. There's another character, Gigi, who's an intern as Harper. I wasn't so sure about her in the beginning since she didn't take a liking to Harper, but their friendship blossomed and I just loved how great these two girls meshed.
5. Another thing I loved was the author's writing. It was very eloquent! Not only that, I felt like I was in New York, walking through the streets, going to parties, and hanging out.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME, BUT DIDN'T COMPLETELY BOTHER ME:
The ending wasn't entirely realistic. Harper did something she shouldn't have done, and while she paid the consequences, she got a second chance. I feel like if the ending had been different, this would have been perfect for me. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. Aside from the ending, the rest of the story felt very realistic.
OVERALL:
Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies is the perfect Young Adult story for readers who are looking for a story that has that chick-lit feel to it. It's a fun, light, hilarious, quick-read that makes you feel good and empowered to go after what you want (just don't lie to get there).
I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.