Elizabeth Eulberg's debut novel THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB is undeniably fluffâbut it's the best kind of fluff, with a likable and realistic protagonist, a predictable yet sweet romance, and an avoidance of typical fluff gender stereotypes.
Penny's character was deep, no-nonsense, and thus extremely enjoyable. Unlike the typical protagonist in this genre of YA, Penny is happily free of the tendency to obsess over boys or freak out over every little mishap. Freed of this trope, Penny becomes a remarkably astute, clever, and strong girl, and we like her so much as a result.
The secondary female characters were mostly flat stereotypes and rather annoying. They fail to act as nice counterparts to Penny's well-developed character. On the other hand, I thought that most of the male characters were interesting to read about, even if their negative qualities tended to be slightly exaggerated in order to justify the formation of the Lonely Hearts Club.
Readers can probably almost instantly pick out Penny's eventual love interest, but thankfully Penny is not the âlove/lust at first swoonâ kind of protagonist, and instead we can see the cute, gradual development of their romance and her realization that the original rules of the Lonely Hearts Club can be modified. Most of the plot points contributing to Penny's eventual eye-opening are cheesy and clichéd, but the strength of the main characters makes sure that this book does not disintegrate into another tries-too-hard-to-be-hip-and-YA chick lit feel-good novel.
Despite the fact that the characters and the plot are rather forgettable, the feeling that this book elicits will stay with you. The core of it is, after all, a story of staying true to yourself and not giving up your identity for the sake of a boy. If anyone wants a quick and easy lighthearted read, I will not hesitate to recommend THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB. A great âfluffâ debut!
Penny's character was deep, no-nonsense, and thus extremely enjoyable. Unlike the typical protagonist in this genre of YA, Penny is happily free of the tendency to obsess over boys or freak out over every little mishap. Freed of this trope, Penny becomes a remarkably astute, clever, and strong girl, and we like her so much as a result.
The secondary female characters were mostly flat stereotypes and rather annoying. They fail to act as nice counterparts to Penny's well-developed character. On the other hand, I thought that most of the male characters were interesting to read about, even if their negative qualities tended to be slightly exaggerated in order to justify the formation of the Lonely Hearts Club.
Readers can probably almost instantly pick out Penny's eventual love interest, but thankfully Penny is not the âlove/lust at first swoonâ kind of protagonist, and instead we can see the cute, gradual development of their romance and her realization that the original rules of the Lonely Hearts Club can be modified. Most of the plot points contributing to Penny's eventual eye-opening are cheesy and clichéd, but the strength of the main characters makes sure that this book does not disintegrate into another tries-too-hard-to-be-hip-and-YA chick lit feel-good novel.
Despite the fact that the characters and the plot are rather forgettable, the feeling that this book elicits will stay with you. The core of it is, after all, a story of staying true to yourself and not giving up your identity for the sake of a boy. If anyone wants a quick and easy lighthearted read, I will not hesitate to recommend THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB. A great âfluffâ debut!
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