Amazon.ca:Customer reviews: Late to the Party

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 21, 2022

I really like the author and this book. Right from the start you get into the emotion behind the action. The caracter are teen but as an adult i found it funy and cute, quite beautiful. If you want a relaxing afternoon reading thats the one for sure.

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Marina

Amazing Sapphic Coming of Age

Reviewed in Brazil 🇧🇷 on October 5, 2021

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I picked this up because I wanted a fun sapphic YA to distract myself with and I was surprised to discover that it is so so so much better than I thought it was going to be. I'm not the biggest fan of romance, I enjoy having a crush/relationship plot mixed into the story, but I can't stand books where that is the sole focus. I also hate the trope "enemies to lover", so this being a "strangers to friends to lovers" made me appreciate the romantic side of the book more. If you're like me, you should give Late to the Party a try and, if you're not, a little heads up that the relationship takes a while to develop.

The novel is much more a coming of age than a romance, where the protagonist is figuring out who she is and what parts of herself she wants to change. A great surprise was seeing Codi reevaluate her friendships, their dynamics, and how you can truly love somebody, but feel like you're at a better place when you're not interacting with them. This has such a good message, it says that it's okay to need time and space for yourself when you're changing and growing. The period between being a teenager and becoming an adult (17-20) can be really confusing and stressful, and I think this book captures it perfectly.

It was also just a plain, fun read: there were parties, silly games, and tiny adventures that you go on with your friends when you're all giddy and excited about life, midnight road trips. The relationship that we see develop between Codi and Ricky is so pure and fun and it reminded me so much of that period when you're getting to know a new friend and you begin to bond and discover little things about them. Quindlen captured both the good and the bad about being a teenager, or, at least, she captured everything that I remember from my teenage years and it was interesting to look upon those things from a different perspective. I'm an only child, so I can't say for certain if the relationship between Codi and her brother is a good portrayal of how real siblings behave, but it added a nice layer to the story and it helped round up the protagonist's personality.

One of the characters that I couldn't stand was Maritza, she was nasty and judgemental and all-around an unpleasant person. That might be because we see her through Codi's eyes during a troubling time of their friendship, but this didn't happen with JaKory, whom I love. Especially when you compare her to the other characters, specifically Richy's friends, I just don't understand how Codi wishes to keep a person like that in her life.

All in all, 100% recommend picking up Late to the Party.

5 people found this helpful

JessReadsWithPride

I couldn't put it down!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2022

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really, really, REALLY loved this book. I started it at 4pm and finished at 7pm tonight. That's how much I loved it. I couldn't put it down.

I related to Codi because I was shy, and never wanted to go out of my comfort zone, but unlike Codi, I did nothing about it it. Reading about how she plucked up the courage to get out of her own bubble, meet new and friends, get what she wanted with the girl she really liked made my heart feel all the feelings.

I hope one day I have a friend like Ricky who helps me get the girl. I hope my friends will be like Natalie and make sure she's the right woman for me. I hope I get a girlfriend like Lydia, who knows I'm shy and scared, and never kissed or done anything with a girl before and still loves me anyway.

I really liked that everyone was supportive of everyone. That there was no homophobia content. I loved how pretty much everyone was queer in some way or another.

I wished Codi could of let her best friends in a little bit more, instead of pushing them away, but I completely understood how she felt like she could only be her old self with them because that was all they saw in her. I loved how she tried to reconcile their friendship by making sure her best friend, JaKory got his boy.

This was a really cute book, and @kellyquindlen has quickly become one of my must-read authors.

One person found this helpful

Claudio

Cute and heart warming

Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on June 21, 2022

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This is more a book about friend ship than romance, but it manages to paint both in the fresh watercolours of youth. You can't help but hope this group of friend will last forever, I know I'll miss them.

Mandy G.

the queer coming of age story I needed back in high school

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 29, 2020

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This book destroyed me. Codi's story was so relatable, I found myself nodding, cringing, and swooning along with her for all 300 pages. I wish there were more pages so that I could continue smiling down at this absolutely wonderful, precious gem of a story.
One of my main issues with most high school coming of age stories is this firm divide between the "high school is basically a college party" narrative and the "we're socially awkward, we don't engage in that" kind of narrative. I think that this book made brilliant and poignant commentary on how people are not inherently divided into the "party kids" and the "social outcasts"–that people fall into groups based on comfort, interest, or intervention, and tend to stay where they feel safe and secure. So much of this story is about moving throughout different friend groups, experiencing friendship in different ways and coming to terms with the labels you've both given to yourself and received from others. As a bit of a "floater" myself in both high school and college, I could completely understand and empathize with that desire to find a new environment to try out different versions of yourself.
As much as I loved the friendship aspect of this book, I have to say, this is one of the most realistic and utterly adorable queer romances that I have ever read. I loved watching Codi and Lydia evolve through their friendship and DAMN those moments of mutual pining between the two of them were GOLDEN. I loved that when the characters had ~moments~ they acknowledged that they might actually be ~moments~ instead of brushing off the growing relationship between them. Yes, obviously they don't always make a move but that's normal. This romance was just. it was just. WOW. everything from the friendly crush phase, to the major crush phase, to the blossoming romance phase had me clapping my hands and fist bumping the air, it was great.
Moral of the story, this book is precious and I will be aggressively thrusting it into the arms of every reader and non-reader I meet from now until the end of time.

11 people found this helpful

Izzy

Amazing read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 7, 2021

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This is a story for anyone who feels like they need more space to be the person they want to be. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book my whole life. I saw all my own thoughts and feelings echoed in the main character, Codi, and it felt amazing to be seen through an amazing work of fiction like this, and hear messages that I most definitely needed to hear. It was a very enjoyable read, the characters were super easy to fall in love with and root for. There is a multitude of different experiences and feelings portrayed in this book, focusing on the complications of friendship and love, and I found myself not wanting it to end. This was also one of the only times I’ve read a book with a few loose ends, that I felt like didn’t need to be tied up. I’m going to be thinking about this book for a long time.

Phoebe Ellman

Perfect Summer Read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2020

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This book was such a treat to read! Codi was a great protagonist and I found myself constantly rooting for her as she branched out and explored new parts of herself and dared to break out of the boxes she'd found herself trapped in. Her character feels deeply real and her flaws felt deeply human. The other characters were all compelling as well and I loved how much subtle queer representation there was throughout the novel. I especially love that this focused on a wlw story and how Codi grappled with many things but never the way she felt about girls - she confidently knew who she was! I also appreciated how genuine the dialogue and storyline felt in this book! A lot of YA can feel like the author doesn't know how actual teens talk, but this one was perfect. As someone who felt a lot like Codi growing up in high school, never going to parties or doing wild things and always feeling like I'd been missing out on something, reading this book was such a wonderful reminder of that moment in my life and a way to experience it all through Codi's eyes. Ultimately, the book is a celebration of learning to not get trapped in some strict idea of the life you're meant to live, while simultaneously embracing the person you are, for all its quirks and flaws and goodness. I loved every moment of it! Would highly recommend!

One person found this helpful

carolina

OMG I LOVED IT

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 20, 2022

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To start off I just have to say this is one of my favorites by this author. Codi is a character that I now hold very close to my heart. I see myself in her so much. I think it also provides great representation for kids going through these kinds of struggles in high school who are not sure of themselves and who are apart of the LGBTQ+ community. If you haven’t read it yet you need too! You will fall in love with all the characters and maybe even learn something about yourself while reading! Thank you Kelly so much for writing this book, it is one that I will keep with me for a very long time.

One person found this helpful

Eva

Ojalá haber leído este libro durante mi adolescencia, pero nunca es demasiado tarde para leerlo.

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on February 27, 2022

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Buena lectura juvenil. Es una lectura centrada en la adolescencia, en el descubrimiento personal y en la diversidad. La autora consigue adentrarte en las inseguridades y en las dificultades de la adolescencia a la hora de la aceptación personal en cada uno de los personajes.
Me hubiera encantado chocarme con este libro cuando era adolescente y empezaba a descubrirme a mi misma.

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Carolina Barra

Perfect!

Reviewed in Brazil 🇧🇷 on November 21, 2022

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This is an amazing story about love, friendship and mostly about knowing and loving yourself! It is my favorite book from this author!

5 star		74%
4 star		17%
3 star		7%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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