Synopsis:
Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan.
Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone.
But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected….
Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.
One of the strengths of the book is how well debut author Elizabeth Rudnick (lizrudnick on Twitter) manages to convey an entire school year, the highs, lows, and drama, all through tweets, some emails, and a few blog entries. DMs (direct messages in Twitter speak) are conveyed on the page in blue, while regular twitter updates are in white. I enjoyed following Claire's school year and love life, even as I couldn't help but groan when Claire's male pals, Will and Bennett, decided to pretend to be her crush in order for Will to get closer to Claire. Not a good idea, but a classic plot that set up plenty of happenings for the core characters.
The major weakness in this book for me was the constant pop culture references. Miley Cyrus quitting Twitter, the Hills, etc, things that have not stood the test of time yet. Bennett is a die-hard sci-fi fan and I enjoyed his comical geekiness but the movies and other things he referenced really are understood by a wider audience than just the teen crowd. I feel like much of the laughter I got from this book, some due to the pop culture references, will not stand the test of time. That's not a bad thing I suppose but it made me wonder how many circs I would be able to get out of this book past a year or two when teens aren't even going to remember some of the events referenced.
I'm also a bit concerned because I know in my community, the teens I know really don't do Twitter. To me, Twitter is for the twenty and thirty-something crowd. (This is just my opinion of course and it could very well be that there are tons of teens out there using Twitter, but I haven't seen it where I live.) So, for some teens, getting the whole tweet thing may not work for them.
This book was light read. Due to the nature of the tweets, there isn't strong character development necessarily but then, there really didn't have to be. I felt like the author did a good job of handling her characters, getting them in the situations they needed to be in, then watching what happened. I finished this book easily in my hour and a half plane ride. It's a great one you can talk about to teens who don't want a heavy book to read, who are looking for something that will not take long to read in fact. I think it has good reluctant reader potential, particularly for girls looking for something a bit romantic.
When it is all said and done, I found Tweet Heart to be an average read. It helped me pass the time but I'm not sure if I'd read another tweet based book.
Other reviews:
Dear Author reviews Tweet Heart
Pop Culture Junkie reviews Tweet Heart
Katie's Book Blog reviews Tweet Heart
Book reviewed from library copy.
