Antisocial is reminiscent of "Mean Girls" with an updated premise and vocabulary. Anna's school has been the target of a hack that has affected everyone in the student body (and even a teacher). Everyone's secrets are being revealed and the consequences include ruined friendships, lost college admissions, and broken dreams. More than just a cautionary tale on the dangers of the internet, Antisocial is realistic in its premise and execution.

The plot for Antisocial got a lot of potentials and somehow it did manage to get its message across. It may not be as impressive as I thought it would be but still an interesting take on the life of high school students in the time of extensive social media use. The high school stereotyping scenario is a bit overused but I've come to make peace that it is necessary. Anna as the main character is okay, nothing exceptional. And though I sympathize with her social anxiety disorder, I feel like she is inconsistent sometimes with it. I am not knowledgeable with the disorder at all, it is just merely an opinion based on what I read. The author did handle the issue of anxiety pretty well, though.

I like how there's diversity of characters, Anna herself is half-Columbian. Like the main character, the supporting characters are all okay. No one really stands out and I can't connect with any of them. Also, I am not so sold on how everything was solved. I know it's supposed to be inspiring or whatever but it just didn't work for me. I am not moved at all. But I like how it all ends, not perfect but very realistic.

Antisocial is a reminder for everyone of us who uses not only the social media but the internet in general, on how easy it is for hackers to obtain information on people. So, yeah, let's be careful. Overall, it is still a good read what with the lesson of the story. It tackles relevant issues most teens are facing nowadays where social acceptance is so important for them. If you are looking for a fun read this is not your book at all. I may not enjoy it as much but maybe it will appeal more to young adults as they can relate more to the story.

At first I wasn't sure about this one. The idea of the students at a tony private high school being terrorized by a teenage hacktivist who has infiltrated their phones and is spilling all their darkest secrets isn't exactly the most original idea out there. (Hello, Pretty Little Liars and Get Even., etc.)

The book's protagonist, Anna, suffers from social anxiety. I thought it was interesting that the story was told through that lens -- from the point of view of someone to whom social interaction in general and social media in particular feels fraught with peril. The depiction of social anxiety in the story felt a bit uneven. Yes, Anna was seeing a therapist and taking medication, but at times her anxiety felt more like a convenient plot device meant to up the stakes.

Another main weakness of the book is that it felt to me like it was relying on stale stereotypes of high school life. The way Anna describes all the groups in her school feels ripped from Clueless circa 1995: jocks, cheerleaders, drama kids, student council, techies, etc. There's also an inherent pitfall in using texting slang -- or any kind of slang -- which is that even before the book is published, the words feel out of date. The other was that at times the book felt preachy, like a PSA to teenagers from a well-meaning adult.

In any case, as the story opens, Anna has crossed social lines by dating a basketball player. The two have already broken up, but she's not completely over him. Then she secretly hooks up with a close friend of hers, an event that gave the book a slightly triangle-y feel. Yes, she and the new guy have a lot in common, but she also worries that he's a rebound fling.

When the book finally got going, it got better. As mentioned above, someone starts hacking the students' phones and spilling their darkest secrets. This causes Anna social anxiety to ratchet up at a time when her romantic life is complicated. She has two best friends and the hacking also puts a hug strain on their relationship.

In the end, I didn't find this nearly as interesting as a similar book I reviewed a few weeks earlier, The Takedown, but it had its moments.

Antisocial was not what I expected it to be. Plus, the teens attitude towards sex was off-putting. Disappointed.

This will appeal to plugged in teens who like mysteries. Anti-Social is one of many books this year that will make readers question technology's presence in their lives. Readers will relate to Anna, a teen with anxiety who has recently been dumped, and feel for her as she tries to get back in her friend groups' good graces. The story is focused on a leak of all personal information, searches, and communication from students' cell phones and it begs readers to consider the things we hide assuming our information is always safe. Overall, this book is fast paced with a relatable main character. The ex-boyfriend/best friend love triangle is interesting and the fate of the characters after the leaks keep readers engaged. The book has a suicide and self-harm scene and it's important to provide those trigger warnings before recommending to readers.

Antisocial by Jillian Blake
Wow--this is a book every teen needs to read! Anna has social anxiety disorder, she was just dumped by her older boyfriend, the one she ignored all her friends for, and she's worrying about her future after high school; unfortunately, she's about to deal with a whole lot more. This is a grossly accurate portrayal of what would happen if your phone--- all your texts, updates, and pictures were hacked and pushed out to the student body; yep, your friends, your ex-boyfriend, your teachers, E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E. It's realistic enough to be terrifying! A MUST purchase for your YA collection.

Anna Soler and her friends are in their senior year. Instead of spending her last days of high school with her friends, Anna chose to abandon them for her shiny jock boyfriend, Palmer, who eventually dumped her inexplicably over the holidays. After the breakup, she wants in again with her old group of friends. While working to earn back their friendship, something huge happened in their school. An email containing a list of google searches was sent to all the students. Then one by one, the hacker starts knocking off the popular kids from their thrones by revealing which (humiliating) google search entries are theirs along with other personal information such as photos and text messages. Anna who was briefly associated with the popular crowd via her ex-boyfriend becomes worried that her personal info will be leaked also and the image that she is projecting to the world will be shattered.

For context, I will mention that the students in this high school subscribe to social strata labels: Instas are the popular, good-looking athletes, jocks and cheer squadders; Hoodies are the nerds and techies; Thesbos are thespians, artists, vloggers; and Future Leaders are the members of student council. (I know, I hate their clique names, too!) Anna and friends are the little rebels who do not hang out with their own kind. Anna paints and is therefore a Thesbo. Nikki is a stage crew in the drama club, so technically also a Thesbo. Andrew is a lacrosse player, an Insta. Jethro and Haven are both math geeks, the Hoodies. And Rad is the editor in chief of the school paper so she is a Future Leader.

The book depicted a really interesting setting of school frenzy which is caused by a leak of the intimate details the students themselves input in their smartphones. A perfectly stratified high school descended into chaos. It ruined reputations, friendships, prospects for college, and a lot of other things. It’s a crisis that tipped the balance of social order. For example, a bullied kid used the leak as ammo to get back on the popular kids who bullied him before. (This is wrong, kids!) Another instance is when one closeted gay student, whose secret sexuality was revealed by the leaks, took it upon himself to out the other closet gays. (Also wrong, do not do this!) Under normal circumstances, these displays of bad behavior are unacceptable especially under school premises but the leaks made it all happen. This is the most appealing part of the book for me because it sheds a light on how self-absorbed everyone can be. In the normal world order, the popular kids are the ones who seemed narcissistic and did all the stepping down on others. But when the world turned upside down, those on the dregs of the social strata became rabid with revenge and were quick to jump and topple them populars from their pedestal.

As for Anna, the leak of her data means total collapse of the friendship that she is trying to re-build. Then, two of her friends, Haven and Jethro, are the suspects of the hacking incidents. Her other friends are not safe neither: Nikki is a collateral damage from the leaks of a Thesbo student, Rad’s data are leaked and it seems that she and Andrew are using each other to protect their reputation. There is a little romance in the book and I guiltily indulged myself in it. A bit of a love triangle because Anna is still a bit hang up with Palmer and then enter long-time in the friend zone Jethro who has a cute crush on Anna since forever.

“Antisocial” is about the absurdity of fiercely protecting our images in the society to the point of lying, backstabbing and betraying other people. It’s a dog eat dog world, welcome everyone! That seemingly nice and sweet guy is not what he appears to be. That supposed friend is badmouthing you to look cool. These kind of people do not deserve to be happy and end up being friends forever, but in the end the book copped out. The tension was there and it’s tight but it was let down by a loose ending. The whodunit element is nothing special. Then there is this school art show near the end that is supposed to be cathartic and eye-opening but I did not feel anything. The ending is not exactly that bad (others might love it?) but for me it is common and corny. The premise of the book has a lot of potential to have a fascinatingly dark ending, which is what I kinda want. Instead, it became adamant on delivering a lesson of how we should just hug it all out and forgive bad friends who do and say horrible things about each other because (apparently) toxic relationships are better than being alone. I wouldn’t advise against reading this book because it highlights and poses questions that are relevant in this day and age of social media but how about this for a moral story: when you have toxic friends, you can ditch them and find new ones.

I tried to read this book but I just couldn't get into it. I did not like the writing in this book at all. I didn't want to not finish it but I just felt like I was forcing myself to read it and couldn't do it.

I really liked this book, and it was such a quick read, I blew through it in less than a day. Antisocial was described as Pretty Little Liars meets WikiLeaks, which piqued my interest and had me putting this book at the top of my TBR pile (which is rather large). And once I got into this book, I wasn't disappointed.

The main character, Anna, has some serious social anxieties. So when she returns to school after being broken up with by the coolest guy in school, she has some trouble readjusting, especially because she dropped all of her friends to start dating Palmer. Lucky for Anna, one of her best friends is there to save the day, even if the rest of her friends aren't so ready to forgive her so quickly for leaving them in the dust.

Once the hacking/data-leak element of this book kicked in, I was hooked. I had to know who was behind the hacks and what their motives were. Were they ever going to be discovered, or were they going to get away without punishment for the chaos and pain and hurt and trouble that they caused amongst the students? I had to know.

I think that this book did a really good job of keeping me wondering just what was going to happen, and I never really felt like it was being predictable, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. However, I feel like the ending didn't provide me with enough closure, and I was left wanting just a little bit more, despite all that we got in the end. All in all though, this was a great read.

Antisocial's message is so important in this day and age where every aspect of our lives is held somewhere online. The face that we present to the world online is hardly ever how we really are in person, and as such, there is a divide between who we want people to believe we are, and who we actually are. This book points out both the bad and the good that come with such an online presence, and made me think a lot about what I share online. Not in the "what if a future employer sees this?" kind of way, but in the "Does this represent who I really am?"

Antisocial by Jillian Blake is a young adult novel about teens dealing with social issues after their phones and social media accounts get hacked. Every photo, internet search and message on their phones are made public creating a lot of gossip at first but then it all turns crazy. Anna Soler is a senior at Alexandria Prep High School. She just lost her boyfriend, Palmer Meade, who is also the star basketball player and none of her friends wants anything to do with her mainly because she ditched them for Palmer. Blake does a great job creating characters and settings that are modern day and current with today's teens. I felt like the plot line was very believable and extremely interesting. While there were moments that I felt where cringe worthy, I still felt like I had to know what was going to happen next. This book as an element of rawness and vulnerability that young people today possess. I really felt like this book was a really fun read that I could not put down.

3.5 stars

Let me start off by saying I believe everyone who uses social media should read this book.
It will open your eyes on how easily you can be found on the internet.
Doxxing, Personal life, RL vs Social life.
And if you are a parent with kids in the millennial era this is def something you should read.

I liked the story, I did. BUT......

I didnt really feel a connection to any of the characters to be honest.
But then again i think most females are catty doesn't matter what age you are. So there's that. Catty girls. UGH.
Sad.
And then I think OMG my daughter is starting high school next year and I wonder how I'm going to survive it.
Cause i will tell you now I will want to cut a b*tch for treating her in any sort of catty way...
But I'm deviating from the story.

Girls, jocks, nerds..... you will find it all here.
Doxxing, public shaming, secrets revealed, public outing, STDs, anything and everything will be found in the pages of this book.

Mare~

Anna has split up with her boyfriend and basketball star over the Christmas break and no, he gave her no reason for the split.

We also learn Anna suffers with Anxiety and so her social phobia doesn't help the issue around high school clique's.
Add into the mix that her friends - whom she hasn't hung out with or kept up to date with - are now ignoring or just putting up with her coming back to them.

There's also the matter of kind, goofy Jethro whom Anna has nearly had a thing with twice. She totally hasn't admitted she likes him and has kept denying it. Yet when he helps her out at a party, it seems there's a lot of feeling still there!

Next, there's the small matter of a serious social media leakage of people's most private stuff online they though was theirs alone.
People's internet history, messages, photo's etc end up being the talk of the school and cause many relationship issues among the friends. Anna and her group seem to think it's the work of Haven, a jock who's known for doing and sharing things for a kick but this is extreme even for him they agree, so they need to learn who's doing it and stop them.

The book is super important in this day and age of technology growing constantly and the pressures of social media, social acceptance and the fact it can take it's toll and also bring out the worse side of people. It also shows in the book how it can endanger future education and job offers as pictures are out there for the world to see.

If you like The Clique book series and TV shows, Gossip Girl and 90210, I'm sure you'll enjoy this like I have!

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me a copy to review for them!

I really enjoyed this book! Full review is on the blog!

I'm not quite sure what this book is trying to be. Is it a social commentary? Teen drama? Murder mystery? Antisocial has elements of all of these but never quite decides on an identity. Not particularly compelling.

I did not finish this book. I could not engage with the story or characters.

Antisocial
by Jillian Blake
Random House Children's

Delacorte Press
Teens & YA
Pub Date 16 May 2017

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of Anti-Social through the publisher and Netgalley:

Anna has a social anxiety disorder, she has a tendency to overthink things.

She is the girl who had it all, good friends throughout high-school that is until she fell for a boy.

Anna looses her virginity, to one of her best friends Jethro.

When Anna gets a test from a friend saying that one of the stars of the Basketball stars, is dead.

Antisocial is the story of teenagers who are trying to fit in, trying to understand the world they are growing up with, and growing up with themselves.

I give Anti-Social five out of five stars.

Happy Reading.

PLL and WikiLeaks comparison? I'm in! I was completely psyched to read this book. And I suppose if you consider that I read it all in one sitting, it was wildly successful. So, why only three stars?

Three stars means it's okay. It might be a fiver for you! You'll love the tone of the narration supplied by Anna. You will dive into this crazy cast of characters that you can walk through any high school and pick out kids just like them. Your jaw will drop when you find out who the hacker is! The range of real life issues dealt with is impressive.

So.... ?

For me, this book lacked a sense of urgency. It seemed pretty even keel the whole time until a little bit of an uptick when we find out who the hacker is. And so much of the book skims the surface of so many issues that I found myself wanting a resolution beyond what was supplied by the author and narrator. The very end made me smile.

You may adore this book, and you'd have every right to!

I received this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Jillian Blake, and the publisher, Delacorte Press, for this opportunity.

The moment I received the email to inform me that I had been approved for this arc, I dropped everything and started reading it. The synopsis described this as "Pretty Little Liars meets WikiLeaks" and I was immediately intrigued.

Alexandria Prep is your typical, American high school where each student is defined by their online presence. When the school's web system is infiltrated and the students are targeted at random to have their entire online lives leaked, chaos ensues.

The high school setting and type cast characters were rather cliched. But cliched in a good way. It reminded me of Mean Girls in a literary format. But each of these tightly-formed cliques were detonated from the inside with the leakage of information, proving no one is really as they seem.

Whilst this provided an intriguing narrative, I found the intensity dropped around the midway point before picking back up towards the end. It was a fast-paced and thrilling read, for the most part, but I just wanted a little something more from this.

My main point of discord with this book was with protagonist, Anna. In particular, her anxiety disorder. I understand that no two cases of mental illness are the same, but I found hers to be a little unbelievable. Her social unease disappeared when it was convenient, rather than remaining a constant throughout the book. It wasn't that she was 'cured'; she seemed to exhibit the traits of two different characters as the book progressed. I don't think mental illness was purposefully misrepresented, it just seemed that it was added into the narrative without serving a purpose to the narrative and without perhaps enough research to make it believable.

My own struggle with anxiety makes me perhaps overly sensitive to characters I hope to see myself in. This also wasn't a prominent enough issue to ruin my enjoyment of the book but it did make me struggle to relate and engage with Anna, when I wasn't sure who she really was.

First I have to give a big thumbs up to Jillian Blake for how well she handled the issue of anxiety in her main character. I felt she accurately portrayed this mental health condition particularly as it relates to teens and their particular psychological development.

It was nice to read a book that had such a diverse group of characters with different sexual orientations, cultures, skin colors, etc instead of the normal group of white girls who are all blonde or brunette. There was some of the stereotypes often found in the YA genre but I’m not sure that can be entirely escaped when writing books like these particularly when it’s billed as a mix of Pretty Little Liars meets Wikileaks so expect lots of drama.

Overall the plot line was well written and felt credible as she did a wonderful job creating realistic feeling scenes, true-to-life characters and her dialogue actually read like human conversation.

I liked the intensity she created in her story so it kept my interest. Having such a positive message pouring forth from her words and concluding it on a high note made it worth my time. Due to the increased lack of privacy which has been normalized over this generation, the mirror held up by this book towards social media and the amplified love of gossip that is permeating American culture made for a whole other layer on top of the expected teen drama.

The truly heartbreaking thing about this book is you could very well see this happening in reality due to the issue of cyber bullying becoming so ingrained and nearly as much a part of kids and teens lives as puberty.