| Title | : | How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (How to Ruin, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0738709611 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780738709611 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 |
| Publication | : | First published October 8, 2006 |
Moshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home.
Unfortunately for 16-year-old Amy Nelson, “moshav” is not Hebrew for “shopping mall.” Not even close. Think goats, not Gucci.
Going to Israel with her estranged Israeli father is the last thing Amy wants to do this summer. She’s got a serious grudge against her dad, a.k.a. “Sperm Donor,” for showing up so rarely in her life. Now he’s dragging her to a war zone to meet a family she’s never known, where she’ll probably be drafted into the army. At the very least, she’ll be stuck in a house with no AC and only one bathroom for seven people all summer—no best friend, no boyfriend, no shopping, no cell phone…
Goodbye pride—hello Israel.
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (How to Ruin, #1) Reviews
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Ok, before I start reviewing the book I have to say a couple of things a bout Israel. I live in Israel. My mom lived in the US for 20 years and moved to Israel because of my dad, therefore I read only english books and speak english better then I speak hebrew.. Sad I know. I started reading this book knowing it will be a fun read about a book that's written from Americans perspective about Israel. About Israeli's and American's being together. While I was reading this book I understood that the author didn't really know many things about Israel. Understandable. But when you write a book you need to make sure you have all the right facts. So before I tell you what I thought about the book I have to clarify some things that bothered me throughout the book.
first of all, in the twenty first century teenagers name's aren't usually Osnat, Ofra. It's more like: Maya, Mia, Noa, Dana, Natalie...
2. I am 19, which means that I am a soldier.We, soldires, are not, I repeat, are NOT bodyguards or work in any security company. We do not stand in airports with guns, outside of clubs (which we don't call disco- number three of the list that bothered me) checking I.D's and being called when there's a fight- That is for the police to take care of.
What we REALLY do is: guard our country. Not the clubs or hotels, but the country itself! So reading about soldiers being like bodyguards just had me wanting to explain to you all that it's not true.
3. We don't say disco anymore. My dad didn't even say disco when he was a teen. When we want to party, we call it A PARTY. Like-"hey, let's go to a party" not "hey let's disco"..... Just no.
4. People don't lick one another at clubs. Sorry to burst you guys' bubble... Well I guess weirdos do, but it like never happens here.
Now about the book:
I, actually, really liked it. When I started reading it I thought it will be horrible, but I instantly liked it and read it in one sitting. Amy was, sometimes, annoying and too much to handle. I liked that she grew throughout the book.
I LOVED the cute relationship between Avi (a typical guy name, even now lol) and Amy. It took some time but I'm happy it happened.
I can't wait to read the second book and see what happens to Amy when she's in the US. I hope Avi will be involved.
Overall it was a fun read. I found myself laughing and smiling to myself most of the time. I really recommend this book. But again, I had to explain some stuff. -
Damn, I haven't written a review in forever. Seriously, I am like 13 books behind or something. So, I am going backwards, reviewing the freshest ones first. Here goes.
This is my second Simone Elkeles book. I read Perfect Chemistry, and enjoyed it, but for some reason it took me two years to pick up another Elkeles.
I'm not sure if How to Ruin a Summer Vacation was the right one for me. Young Adult books are supposedly marketed for teenagers, but I'm not so sure about that one. Just looking at my friends here on Goodreads, most of them are women who love YA just for the escape it provides from life. Even as an honest-to-goodness teenager, I know very few of my peers actually read YA for fun. I am truly an anomaly. Maybe not here on a book site for nerds, but in real life, definitely. Anyway, what was my point?.....oh, yes. To me, Amy was annoying and stereotypical as a shallow, overdramatic American teen girl. Mehbe to "older" readers of YA (I'm not calling you guys old...just more matured), Amy provides a sense of humorous nostalgia. "Ah yes, I remember those days when I would freak out on people for absolutely no reason and cause people to cry for my own twisted sense of self-satisfaction!" But, gah, Amy was annoying She was almost a caricature, her emotions and reactions were so exaggerated. My God, my mother has my permission to beat me down with a hose if I ever acted that way. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty over-dramatic, but I don't assume I am getting drafted into the Israeli Army just because my father is taking me there on vacation. And she was so bitchy and moody and selfish and self-absorbed and lots of other whiney bad things!
Anyway, besides my intense dislike of Amy, I will grudgingly admit, there were some funny parts, and I was grinning through a lot of it. The romance was pretty heated towards the end, even though I cannot see the reason why anyone would want to kiss Amy apart from finally getting her to shut up.
It wasn't a bad book. I learned a little bit about Israeli culture (my public education failed me in that regard). The star reduction was entirely because of Amy. If you can stand her, there is a good chance you will love this book. -
Ich glaube das ist eins der Bücher, die schon seit Jahren ungelesen bei mir daheim liegt. Hatte zwischenzeitlich sogar vergessen, dass es hier irgendwo rumsteht. Deshalb bin ich froh es jetzt innerhalb eines Tages von seinem traurigen Schicksal als SuB-Leiche befreit zu haben :D
Die Geschichte hat mich zwar nicht vollkommen vom Hocker hauen können und auch unsere 16-jährige Protagonistin fand ich die erste Hälfte des Buches über echt anstrengend und unsympathisch, ABER das Buch lies sich so schön gemütlich weg lesen wie so eine Teenie-Rom-Com auf Netflix. Außerdem fand ich den Schreibstil ganz spannend und passend, vor allem zu Beginn und Ende wirkte es wie eine Stimme aus dem Off bei einem Film, die einen ins Setting hinein- und wieder hinausführt.
Die Entwicklung der Beziehung bzw. der Gefühle passierte irgendwie von einer Seite zur nächsten. Das hat mich etwas irritiert... ansonsten war es ein niedliches Buch mit einem interessanten Setting und einer schönen Charakterentwicklung. Werde den nächsten Teil auf jeden Fall auch noch lesen (da er auch schon genauso lange hier herumliegt wie Band 1, upppps). -
amy is looking forward to a summer of tennis camp and hanging out with her new boyfriend. suddently, her parents change her plans for her. now she is going to israel with her estranged father to meet her grandmother, who is ill. israel is full of unexpected surprises: a sweet grandma, a jealous cousin, a cute but arrogant boy, an annoying dog.
i think i would have really enjoyed this book in 8th grade! unfortunately, i'm not in 8th grade anymore and it takes more than some steamy make-out scenes to appease me. therefore, i present to you my list of beefs:
1. this book is so skimpy on setting research. simone elkeles is half israeli herself, so she really could have made the setting of this book pop. unless, like the main character, she had absolutely no interest in that half of her heritage prior to the book's events. there's a few half-assed references to israeli phrases and the conflict with palestine, but israel is basically used as an exotic location for amy's steamy romance- ie israel is hot & dangerous, and so is avi, amy's new israeli boyfriend. how convenient.
2. amy as a character is not likeable. i found it hard to believe that avi would find her so fun & feisty when she is actually just a bratty pain in the ass. amy does, however, frequently mention how enormous her breasts are. you do the math.
3.amy's cousin, osnat (who amy oh-so sensitively refers to as o'snot) hates amy at first sight (who can blame her?) and tries to make her look stupid whenever possible. but after amy steals her love interest, she sweetly fixes osnat up with another boy (avi: "that was so selfless of you!") and poof! instant besties! hmmm. i don't think so.
4. ditto for amy's relationship with her father, which is suddenly fixed after amy falls for avi. suddenly she wants to take her father's last name and move in with him. there are no problems in amy's life that can't be solved instantly by a steamy make-out session!
5. the most heinous of all: amy decides to convert to judaism after her summer in israel. there are no references to amy's family engaging in any jewish traditions whatsoever. basically amy's grandmother gives her a star of david necklace (oooh! sparkly jewelry!) and tells amy she's a jew. if i was a caring adult in amy's life, i might suggest she is converting purely for avi.
6. the last paragraph. just read the last paragraph. HOW ON EARTH DID THIS GET PUBLISHED?
ok. all done! -
You just can´t go wrong with Simone Elkeles. She turns everything she touches in gold. Check this one out. It was a fun read altogether. A little family drama,some friendship stuff and we can´t forget about romance. Oohhh yeah baby!
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3 1/2 stars
While I liked this book, I'd have liked there to be more of some things in it and less of others.
I'd have liked to read more about Amy's talks with her Safta. She seems to immediately connect with her, worries about her health, but why? Because the older woman has her eyes? This is the basis of her beginning to change, I'd have liked to be in on more of their conversations.
I'd have liked more of the Jewish traditions, the Seder, keeping Kosher, their beliefs.
I'd have liked more of her Israeli family whom we barely got to know, exept for the cousin Amy refers to as Snotty and the toddler, Matan. I'd have liked some sense of her father's relationship with the family. He's lived away for many years, is he close with them? Is there tension because he brought home this daughter no one even knew existed?
I'd have liked there to be more interaction with her father, whom she treated like dirt as she did almost everyone in the book. She didn't seem to be at all happy until the hot boy kissed her and that changed everything.
Now for the less. I'd have liked to have a little less about her boobs bouncing around. The first chapter told me she has some big ones so I got it, they bounce, they're in the way. More than enough about them, like they were characters in their own right.
Less of her being a total brat to everyone. Why did Avi fall for her? Does he enjoy bratty girls? Maybe he liked her big boobs, since he'd seen her naked. And how exactly did that even happen, in a small house, no one noticed a very large teenage boy going into a girl's bedroom?
But I liked Avi and once I knew some of his backstory, I understood their attraction a bit more. He has pushed his feelings away in much the same way that Amy has pushed people away to protect her feelings. I think in some way he recognized that in her from the first. I liked how irritated she was by him, constantly telling herself that she wasn't interested in how gorgeous he was, etc.
All in all, I did like the story. It's a fun quick read and I'll continue on with the series. Hopefully, Amy really has grown up some and the next book she'll be a little more likeable. -
I'm sorry, is it just me or this book actually feels broken and incomplete?
Ok, let's start from the beginning. The protagonist Amy is one of the most annoying characters I've ever encountered in a book. And I mean it. Her head is a hollow space filled with crazy thoughts, constantly triggered by what appears to be ADD on the loose, and a boobs fixation that's just about over the roof. And her emotions? Don't even get me started there, 'coz there's nothing positive I can say about that. People, she's very deep into Oompa Loopma Land, that's fo show...
There is something missing in this story, and it's missing really bad. So bad, that I caught myself asking: Was Simone Elkeles in some kind of a hurry while writing this book? Was she rushing things so much that she missed some obviously important parts of the storyline? To put it simple--things happened. But how, that I cannot say. Why? Because the most important stuff was never written.
Nevertheless, this book actually made me laugh a couple of times (and quite frankly I'm feeling generous tonight), so I'm giving it 2 stars. Although I'm not sure if I'll read the other two books of the series or any other of Simone Elkeles' books, for that matter. -
Hmm, I don’t have too much to say about this one. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation was a quick and fun read; a pretty predictable story addressing all the typical teenager problems and insecurities. The romance was cute, the love interest hot and the heroine...well, she was a piece of work. I can definitely see why people don’t like her. She’s overdramatic, shallow and selfish but in this typical teenage OMG-everything’s-so-unfair-and-the-whole-world-is-against-me kind of way. Several times I found myself rolling my eyes at Amy but mostly I thought her overdramatic temper tantrums were pretty hilarious.
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Not sure why. But I keep coming back to this series every few years. I was a teenager when I first read this. Now I'm an adult. My opinions have changed. Maybe if I read this for the first time now I wouldn't like it as much as I did then. But it's like reading the Twilight or Harry Potter series as a teen & then as an adult & seeing the difference. You know there are issues. But it's also fond memories that keeps the series in your favorites.
Also because Avi will always remain one of my all time favorite book boyfriends. If I could snag a man like that in real life, would do so blink of an eye. Also cause they're a cute couple. The female protagonist...as an adult I can list out her issues. But because I read her pov as a teen for the first time, I'm letting it go.
The couple on the cover played a huge part in me liking the series as well. They're the infamous couple on the covers of the LUX series. That dude is H-O-T.
So I won't change the rating my teenage self gave this series. -
Amy has plans for her summer.
They don’t include her father, Ron, and his surprise trip to Israel. Or the dog who eats her Ferragamo sandal, the snotty cousin who barely tolerates her, or sheep.
Much less rude-hot-guy-without-his-shirt.
But then Amy’s plans didn’t include her awesome grandmother either. Or the trip down the rapids of the Jordan river. Or the hike up Mt. Masada.
Sometimes the best moments are totally unplanned.
Simone Elkeles is one of my new favorite authors. I haven’t found a novel of hers that I didn’t enjoy. How to Ruin Your Summer Vacation was a light-hearted jog through teen-angst. With just enough serious moments to convince me that Amy wasn’t . . . what everyone in Israel first thinks she is. -
Я очень люблю серию «Идеальная химия» Симоны Элькелес, в свое время это была моя первая серьезная работа по редактуре любительского перевода, и она покорила меня (особенно первая книга). Прекрасные герои, запретная любовь и препятствия, которые должны были преодолеть влюбленные. Я влюбилась в стиль и язык Симоны, и в ее, пусть местами и наивные, но такие притягательные сказки о любви.
Но почему то остальные серии автора не произвели на меня такого же впечатления. Я открывала и начинала читать «Как разрушить летние каникулы» с надеждой и каким-то детским предвкушением. Мои мысли были буквально «Уж Элькелес меня не разочарует! В топку остальные романы!». Но всем мои мечты были разбиты в дребезги.
«Как разрушить летние каникулы» скучная и абсолютно неинтересная история, без грамма очаровательной романтики, которая была присуща «Идеальной химии» и с раздражающими героями. Главная героиня глупая, избалованная и капризна… Я не люблю таких героинь, даже если автор создает их намеренно, пытаясь показать, как они изменятся к концу книги. К тому же Симона не смогла показать достойное перевоплощение. Все что получает читатель – краткие сведения в Эпилоге.
Мне так же не хватило событий книги, развития отношений между героями. Автор совершенно не уделяла внимания второстепенным героям и взаимоотношениями между ними. Между отцом героини и его семьей, которую он давно не видел. Между кузиной героини и ее другом-будущим парнем.
Продолжение прочитаю, но это определенно не та серия, каждую книгу которой, я буду ждать с нетерпением.
Моя оценка: 5/10 -
This got on the 2007 Teens' Top Ten List????? This book was horrible. The only reason it didn't get 0 stars from me was because I was able to finish it - barely. Even until the very end the main character was a selfish brat. Having 3 whole conversations with a grandmother that she's never met before and loves her and decides she wants to become Jewish; the conversations were short and shallow. The authors description of a kayak makes me wonder if she's ever seen one. Amy and Avi say nothing but insults for a month to each other, kiss, and then are suddenly in love. Yes, I know that teens's emotions go to the extreme but this book was completely unrealistic.
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Hmmm goodreads ratings are odd. I mean this was okay. Probably slightly better than 2.5 stars, but certainly not 5 stars and all the raving comments. Maybe if i was a teenager I might like it but the protagonist annoyed me. but then it was a story of redemption which was nice and yes I'll probably continue with eh series :) Haha, yes I'm not a "deep" reader in my mid-week reading slumps"
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I'll tell you one thing, I won't be jumping on the Simone Elkeles fanwagon for this book.
Ok, I hated this book (yeah and I still gave it two stars, so what?). Amy had to be up there with one of the worst protagonists ever. Wow. She was rude, spoiled, immature, obnoxious, selfish... you get the point. At the beginning of the book she gets mad at her dad and says some mean things (they have a history so it's not surprising) to him. She makes a point of saying that she's not really that rude ("truly, I'm not", she says). Yeah right! If I used foul language I know which word I'd use to describe her, and no it's not technical! (hahahaha, get it?? Foul? Technical foul? Like in basketball? Hahahahaha. Oh man, that was funny!).
Anywho, I'm not buying anything that happened. Her love story is so unbelievable... just thinking about this gives me a headache. I think I would have liked it more if she had been more likable. Why do authors do this to their main characters? Ugh. And don't tell me she had to be written that way. The girl in
Geek Charmingdid a much better job at playing the self-centered role.
I liked that we got a glimpse at the Israeli culture, I just wish that there was more to it. We got a small glimpse near the end during Amy's "metamorphosis".
I've read some of her other books and even though I say the endings are cheesy, I still like them. This ending was just ridiculous. I couldn't believe how nicely everything wrapped up in the end. Seriously, I expected a unicorn to come walking by holding a rainbow at any minute. Yes, it was just that ridiculous.
And really, did we have to read about her big swinging boobs every 5 pages???!?!?! I wouldn't recommend this book, mainly because I hated it. If you're going to read it, it's pretty clean. She mentions her boobs every five minutes. There is some making out and some implied "petting". If you can handle Amy, then more power to you (obviously a lot of people loved this book! I'm one of the small percentage that didn't). I gave it two stars because for some crazy reason I finished it. -
What a great book! I've come to really enjoy Simone Elkeles' writing, and How to Ruin a Summer Vacation did not disappoint...not one bit! I loved the storyline, characters, setting, dialog and plot. From beginning to end, it was all perfectly blended and executed. Every character in the book added substance to the novel and I came to care for every one of them. In addition, the storyline progressed at a perfectly rapid pace, which kept me riveted the entire time.
About the story: Amy Nelson has always believed that her birth was a mistake. She was the product of a romantic interlude between her mom and dad when they were in college. Her parents never married and her strained relationship with her Israeli father caused her to lose affection for him and regard him as no more than a "Sperm Donor." At sixteen, her expectations of people and life are low because she knows firsthand how it feels to be disappointed. So when her father decides to take her to his homeland one summer, she flips her lid...literally. Not only does she not want to spend the next three months in Israel, a war ridden country, she is convinced she'll never fit it. Well that's when the story kicks off.
As the novel progresses, Amy meets the family she's never known and the friends that come along with. During her stay in Israel, she struggles to overcome prejudices that come with the territory of being American, and along the way she learns what it's like being a part of a whole new culture, as well as what it's like to live in the Middle East. The lessons she learns along the way are valuable and witnessing her growth from the beginning to the end of the novel was rewarding as a reader.
Overall, there were some fun LOL moments and hilarious narrative and dialog that despite the serious themes infused in the story, I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride. I can't wait to read Elkeles' next novel on How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation. I'm hooked! -
Not the best. I didn't like Amy and thought she was pretty annoying for most of the narrative. I appreciated the coming-of-age theme but I felt like that came up short and Amy's whole "I'm Jewish" realization seemed kind of rushed and forced. I didn't think the relationship between Amy and Ron was developed enough and don't even get me started on how surface-level Amy and Avi were. Read her other books instead.
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Es increíble la manera de escribir de Elkeles. Es el primer libro que leo de esta autora y me ha encantado. No me esperaba para nada una historia así, realmente aprendí mucho sobre la cultura Israelí, y los personajes me enamoraron por completo.
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1. Read: 15.03.2013
2. Read: 24.06.2016 -
I must be in the summer-ish mood since I wanted to read this book.
I was also kind of excited because I wanted to know how this character was going to ruin a vacation. I have personally ruined tons of vacations (not necessarily all in the summer) due to being sick. Name any family vacation - I've been sick. Like the plague kind of sickness that basically ruins all of the fun for my family. IT'S NOT MY FAULT MOM AND DAD.
They probably got my sick in the first place. Pftt .. adults.
Now reading this book, I didn't really like the MC. So I probably wont read the second book... yet. Amy was so god damn annoying. She was bitchy, beyond moody, and completely selfish. AND OH MY GOD ALL OF THE DAMN WHINING SHE DID.
Back to my vacations, when I was sick I didn't whine once. Nope, because my parents would give me a god damn shot of Nyquil. A SHOT PEOPLE. I was passed out in like 2 seconds (long enough to get my ass in bed).
Other than Amy being in the book, I really enjoyed it. I've never been to Israeli and I thought learning the culture was nice. I just wish I got a different MC that's all. -
I never would have thought, after reading Elkeles' steamy, hardcore romance novels, that she would be able to write and pull off a light, cute Chick-Lit read. But she SO did! How to Ruin a Summer Vacation surpassed all my mediocre expectations. I had an inkling that the romance would be worthwhile from past experiences, but so was everything else; from the loveable, quirky characters to the interesting religious background and how could I forget--- the main hottie!
Amy's fabulous Summer plans are thrown into the trash when her SD (sperm donor), who is also kind of her father (but then again, doesn't a father embody someone you don't just see once a year?) wants to take her away to his (and, as much as she hates to admit it--her) homeland; the Holy Land of Israel. As hard as she tries, Amy just can't wriggle out of this one. From Moshavs to pesky relatives, this vacation is going to suck... but despite everything, it may turn out to be the best three months of her 16-year-old life.
This book has it all down. A memorable, fun protagonist, a sweet, modest romance that isn't too sudden or unrealistically mature and a wonderfully eccentric group of characters. Amy may have been slightly annoying at times, but the thing is, that was just part of her character. She was born and bred in America, into an extremely wealthy lifestyle. It would have been a bit too idealistic if she had turned out to be perfectly normal and quirk-free. There were times when she acted spoilt, but I understood where she was coming from. It was so satisfying to get to watch her grow and embrace herself and her culture with open, albeit slightly unwilling arms. She could be serious when necessary, but she was also so hilarious! Especially her encounters and conversations with one certain Israeli hottie. ;) The secondary characters, such as Aunt Yalda, Maren, Osnot, etc, were also very well-developed and contributed significantly to the story. This book is a perfect example of the saying 'there are no small parts, only small actors'.
Along with Amy, I too learnt a lot about the Israeli culture, and even though this is a fairly easy-going read, the depth in which Elkeles delved into the Jewish ways of life opened my eyes to some extremely surprising, fascinating things. She also managed to dispel a few common stereotypes of Jewish people and Palestinians, which was super cool. I think it's awesome that Elkeles was able to use her own beliefs and values to turn what could have been a pleasant Rom-Com to something indefinitely more.
Breezy, fun, addictive, this book showed me that Elkeles truly is a master of the Contemporary genre. Never again will I doubt her ability to write stellar characters and pragmatically beautiful relationships and romances. An enjoyable read that offers so much more than the stereotypical boy-meets-girl story! -
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
All Amy Nelson wanted was to have a regular summer. To spend time with her best friend, Jessica, and her new boyfriend. But that won't happen for Amy by a long shot. It seems that her estranged father wants her to go back to Israel with him to visit her grandmother. Sure, going to Israel may seem exciting to most people, but not for Amy. Not when there are wars going on and the fact that she has to go with a man that she hardly knows. The one good thing that may come from this is the coolest fashions that her best friend is always telling her about.
Before she knows it, Amy's mother makes her go and she's on the next plane to Israel. Things couldn't get any worse for Amy at this point; well, actually they can. When she arrives, Amy sees something totally different then what she would see at home in Chicago. There seems to be soldiers and guards at every corner. Not only that, but Amy just discovered that she isn't sleeping in a fancy hotel, but more like an old house, with one bathroom and seven other people that she's never met. Then there's her cousin Snotty, I mean Osnat, who seems to hate Amy the moment she sees her, and the no-shirt cute-jerk, Avi, who Amy happens to see everywhere she turns. If only she could just get him out of her mind. There's also her aba, or grandmother, that for someone she hardly knows, Amy discovers there's a deep connection between the two of them.
With an entirely new family and obnoxious people in a totally different country, it seems like this might be the craziest summer yet for Amy.
HOW TO RUIN A SUMMER VACATION, no doubt, was the greatest book I've read in a long time. Not only does the basis of the book pull you in, but the cast of characters all charm their way into your heart. Even though Amy may be a little bratty at times, every obstacle she goes through and every awkward situation for her makes reading the book worthwhile. Simone Elkeles eliminates all the myths we had about Israel and introduces a completely new culture that I, for one, hardly knew anything about. Not only will you begin to appreciate Amy's new culture, but you'll also think about your own culture and how unique it is. The sequel to this book, HOW TO RUIN MY TEENAGE LIFE, will release on June 1, 2007. -
This book was awesome! Simone Elkeles completely rocks!
How To Ruin a Summer Vacation is about a girl named Amy who doesn't want to believe she even as a father and she sure as hell doesn't want to go away with him back to country where war very much exists, for her summer vacation. Needless to say Amy is going to have an awful three months.
Or will she?
I have to say, this book took me by surprise, I guess I didn't know what I was expecting, but I guess it's like that with ever Elkeles book I read, with her other work I'm use to and (somewhat) prefer her flare for dramatic edged-plots, I guess I like her spice more then her sweet...or so I thought I did;)
I really liked the way she moves her characters.
Eventually Amy sees that there is two sides to every story and country for that matter and opens her eyes and her heart long enough to take it all in and enjoy. There was some hard eyeopeners for Amy in this book, but it still rang in as funny, witty and sweet. It has a lot of heart.
Can't wait to continue on with these How to Ruin books! There are amazing and I simply devoured, adore and love it!!!!
Simone Elkeles can do no wrong!! -
Well, after reading the Paradise and the Perfect Chemistry books by Simone I definitely can say I´m a fan of her writing.
She has this unique and very fun way to tell a story and I really like it.
So, I had to start this series of hers as well. Just out of curiousity and pure excitement and... hmm, I´m not too impressed.
It sure is a fun little read. With a lot of humour and drama and politics. But it just was not as great as her other novels. By far not. :(
I really liked the way Simone describes Israel and the current situations. But I could not help but be totally annoyed by Amy, the main character. She was just plain annoying.
The ending of the book suggest that her attitude turns around. So I´m hopeful for the sequel. -
This story is def young adult, but in saying that I read it to kill time and liked it. It made me smile.
It was light, fluffy, funny, witty and a quick read. Everything a YA Rom com should be.
Did I want to punch Amy in the head for being such a whiny bitch? Yes Yes I did. But That was Simone Elkeles objective so it worked.
I'll prob read the rest of the series to see what happens between Amy and Avi. -
Hach... ich bin ziemlich enttäuscht. Leider nicht halb so gut wie die Fuentes-Reihe. :/
~ Rezension folgt... -
After reading Perfect Chemistry and enjoying it, I had somewhat high hopes for this one. I was a bit wary of both the cover and the blurb, but I needed something fluffy, so I picked this up. Sadly it wasn’t everything I wanted, but it did occupy my time and make me laugh.
In a book thats barely 200 pages, it’s hard to get any substantial character development in, which was the main problem for me. Amy was a total brat, and her personality really rubbed me the wrong way. I’m never a fan of over dramatic characters, so Amy and her tantrums drove me crazy. If she had been a bit more mature, maybe I would’ve liked this, but it just didn’t work for me. I might end up continuing the series, but it’s not one of my reading priorities -
Das erste Mal, dass ich eine Reihe der Autorin nicht weiterlesen werde. Diese Geschichte war mir einfach viel zu drüber, nicht authentisch und wirkte stellenweise fast wie eine Comedy-Nummer. Die Anziehung zwischen Amy und Avi war für mich null nachvollziehbar und auch alles andere war mir einfach zu oberflächlich.
Schade, die restlichen Bücher mochte ich eigentlich alle ganz gerne und fühlte mich immer gut unterhalten. -
ZUR AUFMACHUNG
Ich weiß ja nicht... Die Personen, die sie für Amy und Avi genommen haben, finde ich auf jeden Fall sehr passend. Mit gefallen auch die Titel wirklich gut. Vor allem "Nur ein kleiner Sommerflirt", denn das ist es, als was die beiden ihre Beziehung betiteln, was sie aber auf keinen Fall auch tatsächlich ist. Allerdings war das erste, das meine Schwester gesagt hat, als sie das Buch sah "Was ist das denn für ein Schundroman?". Das sieht beim ersten Band tatsächlich ein wenig so aus. Wenn man das Buch gelesen hat, weiß man natürlich, dass das von der Wahrheit weit entfernt ist.
ZUM BUCH
Simone Elkeles hat die Reihe um Amy und Avi geschrieben bevor sie die Leaving Paradise und die Fuentes Romane verfasst hat. Und wie die meisten Autoren das tun, hat Simone hier über das geschrieben, das sie kennt: Israel aus der Sicht einer Amerikanerin, die aber Wurzeln in diesem Land hat. Und genau das spürt man hier auch. Man erkennt deutliche Unterschiede zu ihren anderen Romanen. Zunächst einmal, ist diese Geschichte hier mit sehr viel Humor verbunden. Amy, die im Moshav, in dem ihr Vater aufgewachsen ist, versucht irgendwie Fuß zu fassen, war wirklich äußerst amüsant. Ich denke da an Schafscherduelle und kleine Hunde, die nicht ordnungsgemäß bellen können. Und natürlich an Avi. Avi, den Typen ohne T-Shirt, der sie verwöhnte Ami Zicke nennt und den sie zu Beginn so rein gar nicht leiden kann. Aber wie das so ist, steckt mehr hinter Avi, als Amy anfangs noch glaubte.
Was ich hier auch so toll fand, das war, dass Israel sehr gut rüber gebracht wurde. Die Vorurteile, die Amy zu Beginn hat, werden ziemlich bald ausgeräumt. Auch das war sehr amüsant, wenn die gute Amy beispielsweise der Ansicht ist, dass die Israeliten kein Wort englisch verstehen... Ja, ich weiß, Amy ist ziemlich oberflächlich, aber so ist sie ja nur zu Beginn. Das Buch ist nämlich nicht nur lustig. Amys Safta, also ihre Großmutter, hat Krebs, mit ihrem Vater hatte sie nie eine enge Bindung und fühlt sich, als hätte er niemals um sie gekämpft, weil er ihre Mutter, nachdem klar war, dass sie schwanger ist, nicht geheiratet hat. Und Amy muss sich selbst finden, sie muss ihre Wurzeln finden und begreifen, was für sie im Leben wirklich wichtig ist. Sie wächst über sich hinaus und genau das ist es, was mir so gut gefallen hat. Es gibt eine erstaunliche Charakterentwicklung!
Simone Elkeles scheut auch nicht davor, die Schattenseiten Israels in die Geschichte mit einzubeziehen. Soldaten überall und ein Bombenanschlag, der Amy völlig aus der Bahn wirft. Aber auch hier beschreibt sie die Dinge nicht einseitig. Avi ist beispielsweise mit einem Palestinenser befreundet, trotz der Umstände, die herrschen. Und dann ist da auch die Tatsache, dass jeder junge Erwachsene in Israel zur Armee gehen muss. Avi stehen nach diesem Sommer drei Jahre bevor und das ist etwas, das nicht nur ihre Beziehung nur noch komplizierter macht.
Abschließend noch ein Unterschied zu den anderen Romanen der Autorin: Dieser hier ist nur aus Amys Sichtweise geschrieben, das hatte ich bei Simone Elkeles bisher ja noch nicht, aber auch das hat mir mal gefallen, weil man eben nicht immer alles über die andere Person schon vorher weiß...
Zum Glück endet die Geschichte hier nicht, sondern wir erfahren in Band zwei wie das mit Amy, Avi und der halben Welt zwischen ihnen so weitergeht.
FAZIT
Schreibstil: 4 Sterne
Charaktere: 4 Sterne
Spannung: 3,5 Sterne
Emotionale Tiefe: 4 Sterne
Humor: 4 Sterne
Originalität: 4 Sterne
Eine amüsante Geschichte, die besonders durch das ausgefallene Setting Israel und die damit verbundenen Konflikte sofort überzeugen kann. Ein wenig anders, als das, was man so von Simone Elkeles gewohnt ist, aber trotzdem sehr gute Unterhaltung! Na dann warte ich jetzt mal gespannt auf Zwischen uns die halbe Welt. Schließlich ist so eine Fernbeziehung nicht immer ganz einfach... -
Ich versprach mir eine locker-leichte, humorvolle, sommerliche Liebesgeschichte, die mich aus meiner sich anbahnenden Leseflaute holen würde und genau das habe ich bekommen. Simone Elkeles erzählt die Geschichte der sechzehnjährigen Amy, die von ihrer Mutter dazu verdammt wird, mit ihrem leiblichen Vater, zu dem sie gelinde gesagt ein eher unterkühltes Verhältnis pflegt, nach Israel zu reisen. Dort soll sie ihre im Sterbebett liegende Großmutter kennenlernen. Zunächst ist Amy davon alles andere als begeistert. Mit ihrem Erzeuger zu einer Familie reisen, der sie zuvor niemals begegnet ist und die noch dazu in einem Land lebt, das als akutes Kriegsgebiet verschrien ist. Nein, danke! Doch mit der Zeit lernt sie nicht nur ihre Familie, sondern das gesamte Land lieben. Und mit ihr, der Leser. Die rauhe Landschaft Israels und das abgeschiedene Leben der Farmer wurden derart schön beschrieben, dass ich ich zeitweise gefühlt habe, als befände ich mich in einer anderen Version von McLeod's Töchter. Die Schafe, die Hunde, die Tatsache, dass alle mitanpacken müssen, vermitteln eine einzigartige Atmosphäre, in die ich nicht oft genug eintauchen kann, selbst wenn ich selbst für einen solchen Lebensstil absolut unbrauchbar wäre.
Ein weiterer nennenswerter Aspekt betrifft die Übersetzung. Selten gelint es einem Übersetzer, den Slang der amerikanischen Teenager glaubwürdig ins Deutsche zu übersetzen. Die Kunst dabei ist es, nicht jedes Wort zu übertragen, sondern eine sinngemäße Übersetzung zu finden. Dabei bleiben dem Übersetzer Freiheiten, welche die Wenigsten wirklich zu ihren Gunsten nutzen. Anders bei diesem Buch. Amys Sprüche konnten mich auch in der deutschen Version einige Male zum Lachen bringen. Ihr theatralisches Teenager-Gehabe ging mir zwar das ein oder andere Mal auf die Nerven, entspricht aber meiner Meinung nach dem Denken und Handeln vieler Jugendlicher auf dieser Welt. Wer handelt schon rational, wenn die Welt sich scheinbar nur um einen selbst dreht und all die pubertären Emotionen verrückt spielen?
Leider driftete die Handlung aus den selben Gründen an einigen Stellen ins Oberflächliche. Dieser Entwicklung schien die Autorin, mit vereinzelten tiefgründigen Szenen entgegen wirken zu wollen. Leider waren eben jene Szenen oftmals zu kurz gehalten, weshalb sie teilweise fast schon aufgesetzt wirkten.
Nichtsdestotrotz halte ich dieses Buch für unterhaltsame Literatur für Zwischendurch, die es geschafft hat, mich einen ersten Schritt ans Judentum heranzuführen, denn was das angeht, bin ich nach wie vor ungebildet. Ich bin gespannt, wie es weiter geht und hoffe auf einen ebenso humorvollen zweiten Band.
