I feel that this book meant well, but the execution was lackluster. Probably because this is yet another story where the main characters are teenagers against the world. The plot had everything going for it--a good hook, environmentalism and anti-consumerism, fashion, and a fitting sci-fi dystopian vibe. However, the entire thing lacked cohesion. The world-building could have been better. There wasn't enough information such as HOW did these trends and their dire importance to the structure of their society come to be? That was my biggest question. Overall though, for a YA novel, this wasn't too bad. It was a quick read if you don't overthink it, and there was just enough modern satire in it to keep a teen's attention.

Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos

9780544388505

355 Pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Books
Release Date: May 5, 2015

Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Futuristic

Marla works as a buyer for a design company. After several failed purchases, she is demoted to the basement to be a drafter. Ivy is a pop singer and an icon, but her shine is fading. She is being replaced by a younger singer.

There is an aptitude test children must take to decide their future. If they pass, they are considered TAPS and are the creative force that drives the music, arts, and fashion industries. If they fail, they are Adequates and must find something else to do with their lives. Even the TAPS are not in total control of their lives. Their image is the most important thing about them so the corporations behind them tell them what to do and how to act, even who to love. The adults are known as the Silents and play roles behind the scenes. No one is called mom and dad.

To be honest I had a hard time getting into the book. The characters felt so flat and fake, and I was afraid I would not be able to finish the book. I stayed with it and was so glad I did. The story picked up and the characters were able to show their real selves.The cover has “Revolution never goes out of style” on it so I waiting for something to happen. The revolution comes in the later part of the book so you have to wait for it. When it happens, it is really good. For so long they went along with society instead of standing up for themselves, until enough was enough.

I liked the idea of this rather than the actual product. The message of what we deem relevant on any given minute and who is treated with respect and who isn’t on what they look like or what they do. Some parts of this was a little too unbelievable to fully appreciate the message. The romance was also something that could have been taken out and it wouldn’t have made a difference except that it would have made the book better.

Material Girls is a quick read but sadly it wasn't good for me. I've been struggling with books lately and I thought this YA would help me (which is the genre I usually go with I'm in a reading funk), and it sadly didn.t
Shallow and forgettable.

I really wanted to love this one! And there was nothing *wrong* with it, exactly. I just found the worldbuilding too slow for me, personally. I didn't get the nuances of what was going on, so I wasn't invested. I know people who did very much enjoy it, though, so that's probably my issue, not the book's.

Thanks for the chance to read it.

Unable to read due to format - Adobe isn't working on my computer.

I have to say that I did not really like this read. I tried and tried to get into it but ended up not finishing it because I lost interest. I would say give this one a chance for yourself though. I just couldn't get into it. The idea was great, it just fell flat for me.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Project Runway meets Divergent in this insightful young adult novel that looks at fashion and consumerism in a world where children are the gatekeepers of culture and staying young and trendy are the keys to success.

I was drawn to this book by the blurb and the quote on the front cover:

"Revolution never goes out of style."

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am probably not the target audience for this novel - but I have read my fair share of YA/dystopian books over the years to have a pretty good handle on the genre.

And this one seemed to be a case of "Great idea - poor delivery"...

Now, that's not to say it is a bad book, per se. But it isn't the book I was promised on the cover. What I got was a story that was far too slow to develop, characters that didn't work together as a romantic arc, far too much slang that got VERY annoying VERY quickly, and a finish that seemed quite removed from the rest of the story - so much so that I immediately went looking to see if there was any plans for future books.

Finally, pushing a social message is fine if the story you are telling is good. Otherwise, it starts to feel like the message is more important than the story - and that's what I think happened here, I am afraid.


Paul
ARH

I couldn't get into this book and as a result, did not finish.

I am sorry, It would not let me download it onto my phone so I did not get a chance to read it.

Sorry, requested but did not find the time to review.

I didn't get around to reading this after seeing reviews of people that I share similar interests with.

Reviewing soon on my blog - great premise, loved most of the characters.

Loved this book. It reads well with AUDACITY, by Melanie Crowder. See Goodreads link.