oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,268
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Post by oldhickory on Jun 6, 2022 9:05:11 GMT -5
I could see Kristy being a lesbian, but it seems equally likely that she's just a straight late bloomer. Maybe the takeaway from the book is that future-Kristy is open to FWB situations.
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Post by booboobrewer on Jun 24, 2022 22:33:14 GMT -5
I can’t believe my Mother let me read this one when I was a kid. Not sure if she knew what went on. I swear, if my mom knew what went on in BSC she would have never let me throw the latest book on top of the pile at the store. When I was super young and she read Little Sister to me sometimes, she questioned THAT.
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Post by barttaylor on Jun 25, 2022 6:55:06 GMT -5
This is one of my favorites in the series (because of the racy make out scenes), yet the book does piss me off a bit.
Kristy's feelings towards Bart in this book were just confusing and nothing like she acted in previous books of the series. With the she spoke about him, she sounded like she was talking more about Alan Gray rather than Bart himself by calling him a jerk a lot. She also said they were going "steady" but then freaks out when he calls her his "girlfriend" in front of his friends.
Elizabeth came off as a bad parent in this book. That punishment was pretty cruel and she didn't even have a talk with Kristy about what happened and why the No Boyfriends rule exists. The conversation these two could have possibly had might've been a good lesson to teach the readers. But of course, this book failed to do that.
The subplot was pretty gross and boring. I did like the part about Mrs. Prezzioso's reaction to Claudia's outfit though.
I was really disappointed by the ending too. I have no problem with Bart/Kristy remaining friends but after this book, they're only friends in Mind Your Own Business, Kristy and after that Bart dissapears for the rest of the series and only gets mentioned as an "ex-boyfriend". The really didn't have to end one of the best couples of the series. (I'm pretty sure this book was the ghostie's way of getting rid of Bart since they had no idea what to do with him anymore)
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Post by oldmeanie on Apr 3, 2023 12:26:05 GMT -5
I feel the same way you do about this book, barttaylor. Your review could almost be my review.
I re read this one like crazy when I was younger, so it felt very familiar. Kristy and Bart were my favorite BSC couple back then. Now, I still think they're up there, but the progression of their relationship is weird. Kristy has a crush on him in #20, Bart is a massive jerk in Island Adventure, Bart admits to her he likes her in #38 (and is admittedly a little... odd in this one), Kristy worries about her appearance around Jim in both Snowbound and mystery #9, and after that they're just sort of boyfriend and girlfriend and there are no other plots focusing on them until this one.
It feels inconsistent tbh. I like this book, but I sort of wish it didn't happen. I think with better communication they could have just gone back to how they were before. Kristy obviously likes him but isn't ready to be official, and that's okay. I don't like how it just had to end and felt bittersweet. Later, in Abby's Un-Valentine, Kristy admits to Abby that she went out with Bart because she felt pressured to (or something like that). That... really isn't how it felt in the earlier books. And even in this one, Kristy misses him. It just feels messy.
I really hated Kristy's punishment. It's very OTT and Watson and especially Elizabeth needed to have a civil conversation with her. She didn't invite Bart over, he just showed up (I understand her being angry at him, but I think her anger was kind of OTT), and I think it was a misunderstanding. She'd also made a prior commitment to help Abby with the stupid record thing, and Elizabeth should have let her follow through on that because it's very unfair to poor Abby. Or at least Elizabeth could have helped Abby or had someone else in the family help them. And then banning Kristy from talking to her family through the door, then giving her a dinner she knew she hated... it kind of disturbed me if I'm being honest. Wtf Elizabeth? What is this punishment supposed to teach Kristy?
What would she had done if Kristy had a sitting job? I didn't catch that in my many reads of this when I was younger. With how busy the BSC is, I'm surprised Kristy didn't have a sitting job. It's probably just plot convenience. I'm hoping she would've let her go. This book kind of majorly lowered my opinion of Elizabeth (and before I was kinda neutral her). Just awful, awful parenting. It felt borderline abusive if I'm being honest.
I have to admit I felt sort of bad for Bart. Kristy did seem to be sending mixed signals and she barely let him talk when she broke up with him. I guess it does feel in character for her and I can see where she's coming from.
The subplot... blah. It was just awful to read ngl. Peter L at his most obnoxious. Lots of gross moments too. What was the point in the demonstration in the Spiers' barn? Very annoying to read. Why would Peter L think we care about kids setting a bunch of stupid records when the main plot is so interesting and racy (for the BSC)? Come on now.
One last note: Mr. and Mrs. Pike, you have 8 kids, why don't you have more than one plunger (they can break so maybe that's why they had to borrow the Kishis'. But still!)? My household has two people, myself included, and one bathroom, and I have 2 just in case one breaks. Why humiliate poor Mal? Why not ask Maureen if you can borrow hers? Why not run to the store and buy one (they're not expensive)? Wtf Dee Pike lol it's so ridiculous, this is just a Mal is the BSC Butt Monkey moment.
Overall, it's a page turner aside from the annoying subplot. I wished they'd had another book dedicated to Kristy and Bart before this one tbh, they were a fun couple.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,268
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Post by oldhickory on Apr 4, 2023 10:40:34 GMT -5
What is this punishment supposed to teach Kristy? To be sneakier. It also reeks of misogyny. Sam and Charlie aren't allowed to have girls over -- fine. But are they also sent to their rooms, forbidden from speaking, and forced to miss other plans (possibly including work)? No way. You can say it's because Kristy's younger and shouldn't be kissing boys, but freaking Karen has a school husband and I don't see David Michael getting grounded if one of his neighborhood friends laid a kiss on him. It feels like Elizabeth's goal was to keep Kristy "pure" because "boys will be boys" but "good girls know better" and ugh typing this out is gross.
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Post by oldmeanie on Apr 13, 2023 12:29:01 GMT -5
What is this punishment supposed to teach Kristy? To be sneakier. It also reeks of misogyny. Sam and Charlie aren't allowed to have girls over -- fine. But are they also sent to their rooms, forbidden from speaking, and forced to miss other plans (possibly including work)? No way. You can say it's because Kristy's younger and shouldn't be kissing boys, but freaking Karen has a school husband and I don't see David Michael getting grounded if one of his neighborhood friends laid a kiss on him. It feels like Elizabeth's goal was to keep Kristy "pure" because "boys will be boys" but "good girls know better" and ugh typing this out is gross. Yeah this is not a good Elizabeth book. Reading your comment, I really hope you're wrong and it's just Lerangis wackiness. But sadly I think you're probably right. After looking at the series now, she feels overrated in the BSC world. Everyone talks her up, and I won't deny that she did a good job raising the Thomas kids by herself (I also like that she didn't 100% rely on them to watch DM, and gave them all an afternoon off. She totally didn't have to do that), but it's like after she married Watson (who I actually like) she just dropped the ball for some reason. It's weird. I still don't know why Elizabeth and Watson adopted Emily Michelle when they basically planned on having someone else raise her.
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