Sophie Reads YA: Danika Stone

#RockMyTBR 2017 Challenge

Review: Internet Famous by Danika Stone

10:00

Internet Famous
Series: None
Author: Danika Stone
Published June 6th 2017 by Swoon Reads

Goodreads Synopsis
High school senior and internet sensation Madison Nakama seems to have it all: a happy family, good grades, and a massive online following for her pop-culture blog. But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.

Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.
Goodreads

Review
In Internet Famous, blogger Madi's life does a complete 180. At first, she has it all: a lovely family, perfect school life, and really big online following on her MadLibs blog. However, it soon changes when her mam walks out, and an online troll starts to threaten her. She has always kept her real and online lives separate, and this hacker is threatening to bring them together, which could have huge repercussions, not least that fact it could hinder her chances of graduating high school. Her final project is linked to her blog, and if it's taken down, or hacked, it could mean she fails her course, and with the help of online crush, Laurent, they work together to ensure that the troll is stopped.

I enjoyed Madi as the main character, as she was definitely relatable, and seemed so real and honest. She cared about her family, including her Autistic sister, Sarah, who is really struggling after their mam walked out, and that just endeared her to me more. With the book being written in a range of mediums - texts, blog posts, prose, etc. - it was nice to see how this added to the story, more than it would've done if it was all prose. This was my first book by Danika, but I definitely don't think it will be my last!

Dates Read:
September 3-4, 2017

Rating
3 Stars

#RockMyTBR 2017 Challenge

Review: All the Feels by Danika Stone

10:00

All the Feels
Series: None
Author: Danika Stone
Published June 7th 2016 by Swoon Reads

Goodreads Synopsis
College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.
Goodreads

Review
I honestly can't even remember when or how I heard about this book, but everything about it appealed to me, and I ordered is as soon as I could. The main character in All the Feels, Liv, is obsessed with the Starveil movie series, and when her favourite character, Spartan, is killed off, she is distraught. She can't cope with it, and decides to start an online campaign, along with the hashtag #SpartanSurvived, to show people that still love the character, and hopefully bring him back. She even ropes in best friend, Xander, to cosplay as Spartan in the videos she creates, and the more time they spend on the #SpartanSurvived campaign, the more Liv finds herself falling for Xander.

This book was the first of Stone's that I read, and I think it's my favourite of the two, as I definitely found myself invested more in this story than in Internet Famous. Liv's character was fantastic, relatable and such a geek, and I could understand her obsession with Spartan the more we read thorough the book. She was trying to juggle her real life with life in fandom, and I loved seeing the contrast between them. The drama with her mam was a bit unnecessary, and the reason why the book is only a 4, but all the scenes with Xander were swoony and he definitely was her perfect love interest. Always dressing in cosplay, and being even more of a geek than she was, no one would've been a better match for Liv. If you're a fan of the Once Upon a Con series, give this one a go too.

Dates Read:
September 16-20, 2017

Rating
4 Stars