Rating: 4/5 Penguins

Quick Reasons: some heavy, mature topics handled with sensitivity and poise; a deep glimpse into internet "fame"--and the ways it touches everyone; endearing, well-rounded characters; just a bit of "love at first sight", but I'm willing to overlook it; really loved that the "bully" wasn't at all who I thought it would be

Huge thanks to Danika Stone, Swoon Reads, Xpresso Book Tours, and Netgalley for sending a free digital galley of this title my way in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.


---"Just short legs."

"Your legs are perfectly sized."

"That should be a compliment," she said, "but it's not. Short is short."

"Petite. Tiny. Wee. Delicate." Laurent glanced at his phone, apparently checking the dictionary. "Aha! Miniature," he announced.

"That is not a compliment," she snorted.---


Let me start by saying: I ADOOOOORED SARAH! I felt she was so super well-written, and tactfully complex. I really, really loved seeing this character in a read like this! While she's not the main character and this isn't HER story, she's so integral to the events and the journey, I feel this might have been a different read without her in it. I am so stoked that Danika Stone wrote her, and wrote her so gorgeously--HUGE penguin flappers to her!

There are so many important and true to life messages found within this book, though the biggest remains internet bullying. I feel that Danika Stone set out with a goal in mind--and managed to reach that goal while still retaining the poise and tact surrounding sensitive subjects that I've come to expect in my favorite reads. There are a LOT of things said in this book, penguins--and the fact that the "bully" wasn't, in the end, who I was expecting--like, at all!--only helped to emphasize some of the biggest messages. I was especially impressed in how Danika Stone brought home "trolling"--and the ways it touches everybody, not just the victim.


---A hundred things ran through Madi's mind: that serial killers really should choose more productive ways to spend their time, that her sister Sarah was going to be out of control when their parents broke the news Madi had been murdered, that it was a really stupid twist of fate that Madi had found the man of her dreams only to love him, and last--

That really looks like a squirrel.---


I was, honestly, just a little disappointed in a few of the relationships. The mom, I felt, was severely lacking in several ways--while I understand that situations like this DO happen, and that even parents have the right to follow their dreams...her interactions with her family felt very fake and surface-only. I didn't feel as if she was really putting HER best foot forward with them, I suppose--even while she expected them to do just that for her. It felt a bit fake, overall, and I'm not real sure why she was even included except to 1.) complicate the family dynamic; and 2.) give a boiling point to Sarah's struggles, which then lead to Madi's struggles. I guess what I'm saying is, she was a catalyst--and while I know this happens in real life, I wasn't real impressed with it here.

In the end, though, this was a super entertaining, cutesy, snarky read--and I adored it! I really really loved the inclusion of Sarah, and the other characters (save the mom) were genuine and well-rounded. While a few of the relationships felt a bit flat and contrived, I had a ton of fun following Madi and the various characters on their journey, and cannot WAIT to see what Danika Stone will do next! I definitely recommend this to lovers of contemporary fiction, catalyst characters, and realistically dropped #truthbombs. Watch your #hashtags, Penguins-- #fandom is on the loose in this read!

Madi Nakama is still a senior in high school, but she's already Internet famous, thanks to her blog about popular culture. When family problems cause her to turn to her online friends for support, her Internet life intersects with her real life, and Madi discovers just how famous she really is. But fame comes at a price. An anonymous fan becomes a troll, harassing her first in private and then in public. As the attacks escalate, Madi begins to suspect everyone around her. Who is the troll? Will Madi's new friendships survive her increasing paranoia? Will she emerge with her online (and offline) reputation intact?

Each chapter begins with a fitting 1980s movie quote. The narrative is interwoven with emails, Tumblr posts and messages, tweets, Snaps, texts (complete with graphics and emojis), and Skype sessions. Part romance, part family drama, part mystery, part suspense/thriller, Internet Famous is modern and fresh, with a bit of nostalgia thrown in for us older readers. I especially enjoyed the 1980s movie references. The only movie I haven't seen yet is Say Anything; it's definitely one I'll have to "rewatch".

Warnings: coarse language.

I didn't want to put this book down. It is a short book, about 300 ish pages. So it was a fairly quick read. I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't perfect by any means. There were something that took off some point for me. First I will mention the love triangle. I thought Madi and Laurent were stinking adorable together. That being said it was a no brainer that they would end up together. But like any love triangle there is always a 3rd wheel that ends up loving the main character. I did really connect with the blogger aspect of the book as that is what I do as well. I enjoyed the different types of media that are thrown into the book from the photos, text messages, and emails. It is a book that has a technology aspect to it that makes it very relatable. I do however think the transitions from the scenes could have been better. I noticed this in the very beginning and it continued through out the book. It made it a little confusing some times. There were also some spots in the book where I felt like some sentences did not flow together good but it wasn't a lot so I could deal with it. I enjoyed the fact that this book talks about cyber bullying and it shows how the character over comes it by getting help. All in all I can say this is a super cute story about love, family, and friendship over coming obstacles thrown in the way. I think that anyone who is connected to social media and loves a short cute story would love this book.

I signed up for the Sunday Street Team for Danika’s last YA book, so I had to sign up for this one. As I stated in my review of her last book, I’m a huge believer in fandoms. And while this book was less fandom-y, I still really enjoyed it. I received a copy from Netgalley to review, and ended up giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

One thing I should mention off the bat is the kinship I felt with Madi. I have a hard time interacting with people outside of the internet as well, at least initially. I am very introverted and I don’t open up until I really know someone. So yay for a main character I can relate to. And let me just say that I fully appreciated Laurent and his French self. *drools* Such a fine specimen of YA/NA male goodness. He’s going on my book boyfriend list.

Before I go any further into what I loved about Laurent, and some other characters, let me just say that I really disliked Madi’s mother, and an authority figure who I’ll refer to as She Who Must Not Be Named. The authority figure was kind of an evil witch, and Madi’s mother needed to get her head out of her butt in my opinion. Gross image, but so true. I’m kind of glad she was MIA throughout most of the book. #sorrynotsorry

Madi’s sister, Sarah, was a great secondary character. I loved how Madi interacted with her most of the time, and how they helped one another (mostly Madi helping Sarah, but Sarah came through for Madi in her time of need against the troll). Speaking of the troll, I pretty much knew who it was from the moment they started trolling. Not sure if everyone else who read this is in the same boat, or if I’m just a great guesser. I’m curious to know. So the big reveal was more of an affirmation of my suspicions. I always want to be surprised by books, and it rarely happens.

Okay, so lets talk about Laurent. He’s gorgeous, geeky, artistic, and speaks French at random times. I had to translate like a quarter of what he said, but seriously, I want someone to speak French to me all day, every day. He’s beyond perfect, the whole package. The flirtation between Madi and Laurent is half the reason why I couldn’t put the book down. There were some serious sparks between these two. And to kind of get off topic, but not really, I liked how Madi’s dad encouraged her to be with Laurent. He knew that Laurent made Madi happy, and he wanted her to have something that kept a smile on her face. Yay Madi’s dad! His parenting (later in the book) made up for her disaster of a mom.

I didn’t keep track of any lines, because the ones I wanted to save were mostly French…and kind of gave things away. Just read the book so you can swoon over Laurent too!

Final note: Another great book from Danika. Also, in case anyone is confused by the YA/NA tags, I think the subject matter is within the YA category. But with Madi being 18, and Laurent being in college, they’re NA aged. I can’t wait to see what Danika comes up with next. P.S. The ending of this book is seriously swoony.

In Internet Famous, Danika Stone has created a literary world fit for bloggers, fans, and basically anyone who loves fandoms. This book is fast-paced and filled with a roller coaster of emotions mainly centering on falling in love, time crunching, graduating high school, and dreadfully dealing with trolls and cyberbulling. With a realistic approach, Stone has allowed her characters, especially Madi and Laurent, to explore a world that suggests that true friendships can develop even if it’s through the mutual love of fandom, movies, memes, and art.

As the main character, Madi has a lot on her plate. Not only is she finishing up her high school career by completing online classes, she is also running a highly praised blog. Additionally, she is also trying to make sure her sister, Sarah, who is on the autism spectrum, lives a life of routine and comfort. I’m a huge fan when sibling relationships are explored in literature, and I adored Madi and Sarah’s interactions–even when they were fighting. Madi and Sarah may have their differences, but they find common ground in movie nights, and their interactions also show how much they love and dearly care for each other.

As previously stated, Madi runs a blog dedicated to her love for fandoms and reliving them. She allows her fans to vote for the fandoms that they would like her to live blog, watch/rewatch, or even read/reread. I loved how active Madi is with her fans and she gives them an outlet to interact and voice their opinions too. I’m not going to lie, although I loved when Internet Famous focused on rewatching 80s movies, I was crossing my fingers for a Buffy rewatch. But overall, I felt that as a blogger with such a huge fan base, Madi did not allow her fame overshadow the reasons why she blogged: it’s fun, enjoyable, and it let her be herself while globally interacting with people who also love fandoms.

Internet Famous also contains one of the best developing relationship stories I have read in a long time. Madi and Laurent’s relationship slowly develops and burns throughout the pages. I like that they take the time to get to know each other. This is not an instant-love relationship, but instead a romance that develops through online interaction, real-life interaction, the exchange of swoony texts, and coffee dates. Both characters communicate really well with each other, and I loved how honest and straightforward they often were in each other’s. The swoony relationship in this book was definitely my favorite part.

In Internet Famous, one of the subject matters that made my stomach twist in knots was the focus on trolls and cyberbullying. The truth of bullying makes my stomach ache, and a lot of this book focuses on the negative outcomes that come from putting your opinions and life online. Danika Stone captures the realistic negativity that internet trolls add to people’s lives, especially the hate that Madi receives from one of her online fans. Although I was not a fan of cyberbullying pumping up Madi’s angst, I think Stone handles this topic very well.

Overall, Internet Famous is the perfect book to curl up with this summer. Through a unique writing style of memes, texts, Tweets, and picture posts, this book blends together laugh-out-loud moments, great friendships, and swoons. But it also focuses on maturity, facing negative feedback from the real world, and finding the perfect balance of what should and should not be put out in the cyber world. Definitely give this fun, fast-paced book a chance, especially if you are dedicated blogger, a blogger follower, or a fandom lover.

I was part of a promotional blog tour for this book!

Since Internet Famous is the second book I have read by Danika Stone, I had an idea of what to expect. I definitely wasn’t disappointed in this story of a blogger who is struggling with an internet troll. The main character is warmhearted and relatable, and there are actually serious topics discussed in the story. This is a cute and quick read that is perfect for the summer.

This book is all about the life a teen blogger who a huge fanbase. She makes online friends who later become real life friends, but her fame isn’t all sunshine. Madi finds herself getting harassed by an internet troll who is capable of ruining her life, online and offline. Throughout the book, there are text messages, Tumblr posts, tweets, and Snapchats, which I found to be so entertaining. If you are a fan of fandom and internet books, especially Dankia Stone’s previous book, All the Feels, you will definitely enjoy Internet Famous.

I really enjoyed Madi’s character. She is a diligent blogger, a strong online student. and just so relatable. Madi is so caring towards her dad and her autistic sister, and is able to handle a situation when things go wrong. I loved her awkwardness and compassion, and she seemed so real to me. One of my favourite things about Madi is the fact that she actually acts like a teenager. I hate it when a YA character sounds like an old lady, so I’m glad that this book avoided that.

While Internet Famous seems like a light and fluffy read, there are actually serious topics discussed in the book. Cyberbullying plays a big part in this story, and it is so important to understand how to deal with an internet troll when it gets serious. Also, the main character’s sister has autism, and I feel like this book does a good job of portraying the importance of routine and what it is like if drastic changes occur. This book has the perfect balance of sweet and significant content, which I absolutely adored.

Internet Famous is the story of a teen blogger who is awkward and caring. It perfectly balances fluff and important topics, which I admired. I would recommend this to those looking for a good, current read this summer.

I thought the Nakama household's family dynamic was interesting. Madi's parents were mostly inattentive in the beginning of the book and, at that point, it seemed like the only one trying to keep everything running smoothly in the household was Madi, especially when it came to Sarah's needs. I couldn't really understand how their mother could be so selfish and irresponsible and just abandon her family like that; she was probably my least favorite of them. I do appreciate the fact that their parents had semi-active roles in the story rather than just being mentioned in the beginning then suddenly being forgotten entirely and never seen again. Madi and Sarah were my favorite characters among their family because I loved seeing how their sisterly relationship changed and grew throughout the story. Like Madi, I'm really close to my younger sister as well and can be very protective. It was heartwarming to see how far they had come from the beginning of the book to the end; how, no matter their conflicts and occasional frustrations, their closeness and bond remained the same and as strong as ever.

I liked Madi and found that I could really relate to her for several reasons. Firstly, she's a blogger like me! While I was reading this book I also happened to do a re-watch of a show, live tweeted it, then did a blog post about it - just like Madi does for her blog, MadLibs. I couldn't help but find the similarity amusing, especially since it was completely unintentional. Fortunately, I don't get a million hits per post because I don't think I could handle being "Internet Famous" like she is. Haha Secondly, she is immersed in fandoms and social media, just like me and many other young people in our society. I have only begun to read stories that involve fandoms and I'm gradually realizing that they hold a soft spot in my heart because, being a self-proclaimed fangirl since birth and fangirl blogger, I can relate to it so much. Like Madi, I can't imagine myself ever not being involved with social media and fandoms. After all, it's a fangirl's life for me! ;)

I am also way better with online and written communication than I am with face-to-face interactions because I can be so awkward and get anxious around new people, so I completely understood Madi's apprehension and anxiety. She is also very insecure about herself, which I not only found relatable but realistic of a girl her age. Even though Laurent constantly tells her otherwise and showers her with reassurances, Madi still doubts her self-worth and keeps wondering why Laurent is even interested in her. To her, Laurent is "perfect" while she is just a "huge nerd", as if that was reason enough for their relationship to not make sense.

The romance between Madi and Laurent was so sweet and, at times, hilariously awkward, especially during their first video-chat session. The little snippets of texting conversations, tumblr reblogging, tweets, and Snapchat photos were adorable and refreshing to see. Their virtual dates were so cute, I had to stop and fangirl a bit (why can't guys in real life be that sweet and apologetically romantic?!). I also feel that the photos also brings more life to the characters and helped tell the love story between Madi and Laurent because they first met through social media after all. There were moments when I felt as if Laurent was too perfect, however, and some of his dialogue seemed unrealistic for a teenage boy. Then again, I've never met French teenage boys so maybe the difference in cultures has something to do with that? I will admit that it is refreshing to see a guy be completely honest with his emotions, not embarrassed to be romantic, and unencumbered with the need to look "cool". And can I just mention real quick and without spoilers that the ending was the. cutest. thing. ever!

I couldn't really guess who the troll was right away, probably not until I was halfway or past halfway through the book, but when it was finally revealed I literally whisper-shouted (because my sister was asleep), "I knew iiiittt!! I knew it was you!!"). The mystery behind the true identity of the troll harassing Madi gave a nice flavor of suspense to the story, but I do feel like a lot of drama could have been avoided if she had just taken her own advice and ignored it. It was frustrating to see her always get riled up by something the troll posted (he's just wants a reaction from you, girl), do what she precisely warned Laurent not to do (reply and provoke him further), then freak out over the escalating angry messages that always followed. I wondered if she even heard herself when she said that to Laurent or simply allowed her temper to get the best of her and she just forgot her own advice. Who knows. This situation, however, seemed believable because not every kid or teenager out there is going to know how to react to or deal with a cyberbully. No one should have to, but it does happen, so I'm glad this book perfectly and realistically displays and identifies cyberbullying; how it can start and then get progressively worse until it becomes not only unsettling, but downright terrifying.
I like Danika's writing style and how she wrote Madi's voice. It's light and simple but engaging, and the change from prose to Madi's blog posts really added to the realism of her character. There were very few, minor mistakes, but I recall one particular instance where the point of view suddenly switched from Madi to Laurent in the middle of the scene. It was confusing and jarred me out of the flow of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading "Internet Famous". As per usual, I was drawn to it mainly because of the lovely cover, but the story itself is why I enjoyed this book so much to give it 4 stars. It's a really cute, heartwarming, and fluffy contemporary (perfect for summer!) about first love, family, friendship, and fandoms. But it also addresses an important issue prevalent in today's society, especially among the youth: cyberbullying, and does so in a realistic and honest way. It's perfect for anyone involved in fandoms and/or blogging, or any form of social media, really. Or if you're just a fan of sweet YA contemporaries like I am. ;)

When I saw the premise for this book, I was immediately excited. Angsty teens, blogging, trolls, and a mystery! This was such a charming book. I did have a few minor quibbles. But overall, once I started this book, I couldn't put it down.

What I Liked:

Characters:

Madi:

I liked that Madi wasn't perfect. She felt more comfortable interacting with people online than in real life. I know many teens in RL (real life) who are like that. I think a reason most teens would rather text than speak on the phone is due to worry about social interactions.

Madi was alternately annoyed by and compassionate towards her younger sister, who had special needs. It can be very tough on one sibling when the household seems to revolves around another with special needs. I grew up in such a household, so I can say that this was very realistic. As much as Madi loved her sister, it was unfair of her parents to ask Madi to do so much of the caretaking. The parents should not have asked so much of her. She was a Senior in high school, for goodness sake!

Sarah:

Sarah had special needs (deliberately undefined in the book) and needed routines in order to keep her calm. When I first saw that there was such a character, I was weary as to how she would be portrayed. I work in special education, so I am very attuned to this. But my concerns were alleviated as the book progressed. Sarah was smart, kind to Madi, and also needed a lot of support. But she was essentially like any other teen. I really appreciated that!


Blogging:

I loved that Madi's passion was for blogging about pop culture! As a book blogger, I can tell you there are some superstars of our community that I would love to meet in real life. I was amazed when I realized that one of these bloggers had the popular blog, two side businesses, and had organized a bookcon while still in high school! While it was a bit unrealistic for Maddie to have so many followers, I found this part of the book to be really fun!

Parents:

I loved that Madi's parents had her back when she got in trouble. I recently read another YA book where the parents let stand a criminal charge of shoplifting with their daughter, even though this was completely out of character for her. I was furious reading that! In this stroy, when something bad happened to Madi, her parents were immediately on her side! As much as Madi considered herself to be an adult, I appreciated the reminder that she was at the in-between stage where parents could still offer guidance.

Cyberbullying/Mystery:

In the novel, Madi was being harassed online by a troll. As most teens do, Madi tried, at first, to handle this on her own. But, this person was crafty and knew how to cover their tracks. I was genuinely scared for Madi when the trolling escalated. And I was kept guessing until the end as to the identity of the troll.

Texting:

Texting was an important part of this novel, which was appropriate given today's culture. I loved that many of the interactions between Madi and her mom, and Madi and Laurent, were done as texts. There were even pictures being sent back and forth! This was delightful.

80's Movies:

Madi blogged about many classic 80's movies including:

Sixteen Candles

Back To The Future

The Breakfast Club

Some Kind Of Wonderful

and The Lost Boys

Madi's spot on observations of these movies made me want to watch them again to see if I agreed with her!

What I Was Mixed About:
"Missing Parent" syndrome:

If you follow my reviews at all, you will know that this is one of my pet peeves in books. The trope of one (or both) parents being out of the picture seems to be a main theme in YA. In this novel, Madi's mom suddenly left to teach for a semester overseas. But out of sight, in this book, did not mean out of mind. Madi's mom did constantly text and Skype with her. And that is why I didn't find this plot device too annoying.

The Perfect Guy:

Laurent, the French exchange student, was (of course) drop dead gorgeous. I know that his being so handsome played into Madi's insecurities. But I think it would have been fine if Laurent was more average. He already had the mystique of being a French exchange student! He didn't need to be perfectly handsome, too.

Danika Stone is one of the best authors I've come across in terms of contemporary writing, particularly when she's writing about fans and fandom. Her previous book on the subject, All the Feels, was about what it felt like when a beloved character is killed off and what any one of us might do to try and bring them back.

In Internet Famous, we're introduced to Madison "Madi" Nakama, an Internet famous blogger, who finds that she's got a troll to deal with that could bring her online and real life personas crashing together, something she's been extremely careful to prevent due to her father's job as a conservative columnist for a local paper whose column is nationally syndicated and her previous experience with a troll that drove her out of a beloved fandom.

Not being an author or blogger of Madi's status or any sort of famous, I wasn't familiar with Madi's tension regarding meeting her fans in real life, a scene that occurs early on when she and Laurent, the swoon worthy male lead of the book, going into NYC for a meet up of the MadLibbers (Madi's fan name). The description of her nervousness, of seeing the people lining up to meet her and being unsure of how to handle it, made me wonder if that's how authors feel when they're at signings or conventions. It felt so realistic that it gave me a whole new respect for them, putting themselves out there to meet their fans.

The characters we spent the most time with (Madi, Laurent, Madi's sister Sarah) were well fleshed out and I felt like these were real people that I could picture seeing in real life. Each had their own distinct identities, though I would've been interested in getting to know a bit more about Sarah's interests because while we learned a lot about her in terms of how she affected Madi's life, I didn't get the biggest sense of who she was. It wasn't her story, though, so I understand why that might've been.

Danika's experience working with special needs students offered her the experience needed to write an authentic, I felt, portrayal of Sarah and her position on the spectrum and her family's handling of trying to find a diagnosis. It was obvious that care went into writing Sarah.

There were two characters that I didn't like in the novel, one of which was the reason that I rated this book 4 rather than 5 stars. The troll being the first horrible character: that character I found well written, hate filled as they were. While we do find out the identity of this person, even prior to that and the "explanation" of their behavior, it's the portrayal of their actions that terrified me. Even after a stunt they pulled, such as filling Madi's comment section with curse words and vitriol or calling her school and filing false claims, I was still filled with a sense of dread. Madi and Laurent might have been having a good time, but I still had that pit in my stomach that said the troll was there, waiting. What a creepy, sticking villain.

The second character I strongly disliked was Madi's mother, Julia. She wasn't present for most of the story and that was the problem. Early on, she leaves for a research position in Oxford, the second sort of assignment that's taken her away from her family since learning of Sarah's diagnosis and how they can manage it. What infuriated me about her was that she showed a complete lack of regard for what happens to Sarah when her schedule is disrupted, what kind of effect it has on Madi who has to step in and become something of a surrogate mother, and the worst part is, this is never resolved in the book. Julia does help Madi with her problem at school vs a mean spirited vice principal and says that she supports Madi not starting college right after graduation, but that didn't feel like resolution. It felt like the issues of Julia abandoning the family, of not understanding how her actions affected her children, got glossed over.

Danika's books always have something to offer me and I love her writing style: very easy to sink into, very easy to binge read. I finished Internet Famous over the course of a day and enjoyed it quite a bit, leaving me wondering when the next book will come my way.

Talk. About. Relevant.

So, as a blogger, I feel like I had a particular connection to this book and some of the things Madi dealt with both as a blogger and internet presence. When I first finished Internet Famous I remember thinking that fame is truly bittersweet. We, the ones integrated into the online community of our various fandoms and industries, have this chance to become more than just a blog post or Twitter handle. It's not only exhilarating but also terrifying putting yourself out there and from that perspective, I couldn't have related to Madi more.

But this book isn't just about her blog's success. Madi deals with boy troubles, family drama, and caring for her sister who is on the autism spectrum. On that last note, I wanted to say that I wanted to like how their relationship was represented. I think Sarah's character growth was beautiful and amazing, but the way that Madi acted in some situations contradicted how she described living with Sarah and the need to stay on a schedule. I loved Sarah's character and was so happy she played such a large role in this book.

As for the family drama, I really hated Madi's mom. She was selfish and never got called out on it by anyone but Madi, and maybe that's the lens we're supposed to read through because this is Madi's story but I found it hard to believe that her dad would just let her mom keep leaving like that and the way they handled telling Sarah wasn't great.

Then there's the romance. Okay, so this book is pretty fluffy. The romance between Madi and one of her fans kind of freaked me out a little bit. Probably a personal thing but I find the idea of meeting a bunch of random strangers, one of which you start dating pretty directly after, shocked me a bit. Then again, I'm not a people person so my reading experience took it in a different direction than likely intended. Also, Laurent felt like a dream. Too perfect. Everything he said or did was super swoon-worthy to the point of being TOO swoony.

But I did enjoy the book. I liked that it talked about cyberbullying and took the plot through how it can start from nothing and turn into something horribly toxic. Which probably sounds weird that I liked that, but I mean in the way that it was all handled. The troll didn't win the day.

And yet I come back to Madi and I have to say that I don't know if I really liked her. I thought the way the author told the story through both regular prose but also private messages and media postings was really interesting and gave the book a different life than it would have had with just the plain text. But Madi's character was a bit over the top. Every reaction is leading to an explosion which pushed the plot forward and I wonder if there would have been a story if she hadn't done certain things (*casually avoiding spoilers*).

So... I enjoyed Internet Famous. It was light and fluffy and fun, but it wasn't super great. I'd definitely read more by this author, though, and look forward to what she has in store for us next!

Internet Famous kind of let me down. While the author’s other book, All the Feels, doesn’t make it to my favorites list, I actually enjoyed it when I read it last year, and so I was excited to pick this up and was expecting another 4-star read. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

There are a lot of things I enjoyed, of course. Madi, the main character, is a teenager, and her personal problems were also around family and school, two themes already explored in Stone’s previous book, and that I believe are important to discuss. Madi had a lot of responsability thrown over her shoulders, especially when it came to her sister, Sarah, who has special needs. The sibling dynamics here were very interesting to explore – I’ve never seen a point of view such as Madi’s, when it comes to Sarah, – and the maturity and patience she showed were notorious. I wouldn’t, however, say the same thing about her parents. Her mom is physically gone for most of the book, and while I understand it was meant to be another burden (as it affected Sarah), I thought it to be unnecessary. Their dad, on the other hand, was very present, always ready to tell the girls to stop doing something or to ask Madi if she could quiet down her sister. Otherwise, the neighbours might hear the noise – and no one would want such a scandal! It’s understandable, though, having in consideration the status of their dad, but still, Sarah’s not, as Madi actually stated, her kid, and I would have liked to read about a better parents-children relationship. What also kind of put me off was the fact that Madi and Sarah’s parents were like this, but then they would be really cool to Madi and let her do a lot of things – it was difficult to picture them as parents sometimes, honestly.

There is one other detail I thought it was uncalled for: instalove. Romance is, as the synopsis claims, quite a big part of the plot, and we couldn’t just ignore it. Pure fluff, that’s what it was. The idea of it was certainly a good starting point, but I wasn’t a big fan of how it progressed. The love interest was also too perfect to be believable, I was constantly rolling my eyes – at least, I laughed a few times!

My favorite aspect of this book is that it’s about a blogger. Madi not only has to worry about her real life, she also needs to take care of her blog, and most importantly, she needs to be careful not to mix both, which, eventually, is what happens. Her blog is about pop culture and she posts reviews of the movies she watches. Then, she also discusses her thoughts with her friends – her online friends. It was amazing seeing their interaction, and it reminded me of my own online friends. It’s my favorite part about blogging! Although, not everyone on the Internet is nice, and that was represented here too. Bad comments appear every once in a while, and there’s even a troll, and we get to see Madi’s (and the community’s) reaction. It was so similar to what we now see on Twitter – that’s one aspect I love in Stone’s book, the accuracy.

As always, I also loved the structure of the book! This author’s books are easy to read because they have texts, pictures, pop culture quotes, and – new!! – blog posts. The light humor is very appreciated and welcomed, too. All was well in the first chapters, maybe even half of the book, but then the (unnecesary) drama began. I also thought some characters were very childish regarding some situations, and the whole find-out-who-the-troll-is was quite obvious. It’s a solid 3 stars for me, though.

I loved the 80's movie quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I'm happy that I went in to Internet Famous with no remembering what it was about. It's been a long time since I've jumped in to a book without a fresh take on the synopsis. The benefit to this here is that I got more than I bargained for, I was counting on a fun, cute book, didn't know that there was a mystery internet stalker.

I thought Laurent was completely adorable. I loved the little mix of french and his genuine likeability. I also really liked Sarah, Madi's sister. I liked how Danika Stone added the element of having a family member who is on the spectrum in to the story without making it overwhelming, but also showing the real struggles that are present.

While I enjoyed the story, I didn't find Madi memorable or relatable at all. I found the fact that the stalker got serious and she was just "oh it'll just go away" was ridiculous for someone who had dealt with it before. I also forgot her name when I was writing this review and had to look it up, so... not memorable.

I haven't read many books that deal with cyber bulling and thought this was fairly well done, I thought a bit it escalated too quickly, but then I'm pretty sure she mentioned something about it happening before so I'll give that a pass.

In conclusion, don't be a troll. No one likes trolls.

5 Words: Online friendships are real, yo.

This was pretty cute and fluffy, there were a lot of mountains made out of molehills and feeding trolls, but ultimately it was a quick and enjoyable read that's perfect for summer and lovers of fandoms.

I do think that if Madi had been more chill there wouldn't have been as much of a story, but I loved Madi's blog posts and live coverage of rewatches. This is very much a current book and anyone familiar with social media and blogging will recognise pretty much everything in this book.

I liked the mix of styles, between Madi's narrative, her blog and messages between friends.

I have a bit of a soft spot for fandom stories, and this one worked really well.

I am total a fan of Stone's last book, All the Feels. It was such a fun story with a cute romance, and Stone has done it again with Internet Famous.

There were so many things to love about this charming story.

Madi and Laurent

I was a Madi fan. How do you not love a girl, who was driven out of an online community by a ruthless troll, and then turned her expulsion into clickty-click cash? I know I couldn't help but admire how Madi made lemons out of lemonade, created a warm and welcoming online community, and became a sort of internet celebrity. I found Madi to be very sweet, a good sister, and a good daughter.
Laurent was so sweet and charming. He was bursting with enthusiasm and wore his heart on his sleeve. Both he and Madi had all these adorable quirks that made my love for them grow more and more with each page.

Madi's Blog: MadLibs

I as a teen in the 80s, so when MadLibs did an 80s movie re-watch marathon, I was whole heartedly onboard. I had so much fun being a part of this blog from the live tweets to the MadLibber meet ups, this was a fun fandom to be part of.

The Mixed Format

This book integrates so many life-on-line elements, and they just added to the fun. There were texts, blog posts, emails, and even Snapchat like posts. I thought Stone utilized these elements quite well. She even took us on a virtual date, which was absolutely adorable.

The Romance

Madi and Laurent were so cute together. Laurent was such suave geek! I felt like he really put himself out there. He was sweet, adoring, endearing, supportive, and a phenomenal book boyfriend. So. Many. Swoons.

My overall feelings for Internet Famous were overwhelmingly positive. I adored the exploration of first love and family dynamics, as well as the good and bad sides internet fame. I think there may have actually been some tears of joy with that awesome conclusion. In the end, this book left me with a happy heart and huge smile on my face.

This is the type of story that I love to read after feeling burned out on too many Fantasy reads. It was cute, light hearted, and even had a few real life situations for people to relate to.

First off, I have to say that I was not in love with Laurent. Okay, he was cute, and did some adorably sweet things for Madi, but he was aggravating other times. Made told him that she has issues with meeting people IRL but he kept pressuring her to come out with her fans. He also would let her online fan base know when she was online even when she didn't want that to be known. And let's not get started when he got mad at her over a genuine concern and went completely radio silent. Up until that point he is basically portrayed as perfect throughout the book.

Her parents were also infuriating. Madi's mother essentially abandons her family and responsibilities to go teach across the pond and she acts like it is no big deal. They count on Madi to take care of Sarah, her autistic sister, even though Madi is still pretty much a kid herself. Charles Nakama is so absorbed with his work and trying to keep a perfect family images for his readers, that he fails in his duties as a father. He would rather Madi handle everything than deal with it. I'm glad that both her mother and father shaped up towards the end, but I couldn't even imagine going through life with parents that expected me to do everything when it came to an autistic sibling.

I really loved the concept of Madi's blog and the incorporation of social media into the book. We got to see Madi's posts, reblogs, texts, and a variation of snapchats between her and Laurent. It definitely kept things interesting.

Madi had to deal without a lot throughout the story. After she "reveals" herself to her fans and starts her relationship with Laurent, a troll comes into her life and threatens to destroy everything. This person knows who she really is, where she lives, and even threatens her father's profession. These are very real issues that people deal with in real life, and I am glad that they were plot points in the book.

If you are in the mood for a light, cute read with relatable real world issues, Internet Famous will be the one for you!

A great read showing how to deal with anxiety and how social media can change your life.

★★★☆☆

Let me start off by saying that the synopsis of this book is absolutely precious. When I read it, I knew I had to have it. As someone who’s been on the internet most (almost all) of my life, I’ve had my own fair share of online romances, and I’ve undergone my fair share of trolling, as well. I love the idea of such a modern love story: girl meets boy online, girl falls for boy online, etc. This book handles that concept delightfully. There are text message exchanges, tweets, tumblr reblogs, and even Snapchat dates. The formatting is just fantastic, and I am such a sucker for these kinds of things.

That said, the writing and the way the story unfolds needs a little work. I found that the writing itself felt young, as did Madi (well, more so than I expect when thinking of high school seniors). Her interactions with Sarah were the most difficult to read. Sarah is on the Autism spectrum, and routine is very key for her. Despite the fact that we are frequently reminded by Madi that Sarah’s routine MUST NOT BE INTERRUPTED, Madi herself interrupts that schedule a few times with little to no repercussions or guilt. More than once, my heart ached a little for how devastated Sarah was, but Madi seemed disconnected from it. While I’m sure that this was a realistic portrayal for many people who have autistic siblings that they primarily take care of, it did bother me, but I didn’t take points off for the rawness.

Madi and Sarah’s parents, on the other hand, were infuriating. We are introduced right into the realization that their mother is leaving the country in a few days, with no warning at all, to take up a temporary teaching job at Oxford University. She has no concern about her children at all, citing over and over again that the girls need to “grow up”. Charles, their father, seems equally unruffled, though we are told that this is a ruse to hide his inner turmoil. Façade or no, Charles needs to get off of his ass and take care of his daughters, instead of hiding behind his laptop 24/7. I raged!

As far as the romance of the book goes, it’s adorable and cheesy (usually in a good way), but Laurent feels like such an overdone character from the moment we meet him. He’s incredibly kind, honest, hot, well-dressed, intelligent, artistic, and French. He has no flaws that we ever become aware of, and Madi’s interactions with him in the first half or so of the book feel like a star-struck schoolgirl with a crush, which is painfully awkward at times.

The troll is the dramatic antagonist of the book, and he plays the part of the typical misogynistic, bratty, “friend zoned” teen boy to the bitter end, complete with remarks about “SJWs” and “stupid feminists”. It was a realistic enough portrayal of many guys that I’ve met over the years, so that was worthy of a few laughs and eye rolls. Madi’s reactions to him are a bit tiring, though. She constantly fusses at her friends if they stick up for her – as true friends are wont to do – but she can’t let the troll peep so much as an emoji at her without an over-the-top, angsty reply (and a threat to block him – in almost every response).

All in all, while the book didn’t pass with flying colors for me, each aspect still had something enjoyable to it. My favorite part of the book was the representation of Sarah’s disorder, which never felt like it was being used as a crutch. As someone with a loved one on the spectrum, I was relieved to see that Sarah’s “otherness” was addressed, yet not exacerbated by the narrative. The author’s note said that Danika herself has a special needs son and works with special needs children in the school system, and I felt like that was very evident in how honestly she portrayed Sarah’s disorder – so I’d like to offer a huge thank you to Danika for that.

While I’m not sure that I would rush to read this one again, I will say that it made for a pretty enjoyable way to spend an evening. There are a few risqué comments, but nothing over the top, so I would feel comfortable recommending this to younger teens. Any young, geeky girl would be able to relate to Madi’s love for the internet and pop culture, as well as the frustrations Madi faces as a woman on the internet. As far as older teens and adults go, I would probably only recommend this if you genuinely enjoy cheesy and fluffy contemporaries.

Internet Famous by Danika Stone is scheduled to be release on June 6, 2017 by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and is a young adult novel. Madison may seem like the girl next door, but in reality she is kind of celebrity in the blogging world with millions of followers who like everything that she writes about. The only thing that matters to Madison (Madi) is her sister. She feels she has to make up for the absence of their mother. Stone creates a fun and sweet story that truly tells what it is like to be both a blogger and an introvert. This makes you wonder who you really are talking to on the internet. I found this to be a lovely read.