This was CUTE! And Quirky! A very quick read that felt very summerish, I mean Claire only mentions the Arizona heat a dozen times, right?

Anyway, this story is about Claire and her unhappiness with her vlog/blog life. Her entire life is on the internet and that makes for a very mopey teenager. What's worse? Her twin sister LOVES vlogging and even wants to do a reality TV show! Yay! Or if you're Claire, ehhhh,,, please no.

Yes, this story is about a teenager having very teenagerish problems. It's also a story about online personality and the pressure of living constantly in the public. And there's quite of bit of fashion and computer coding thrown in.

I definitely enjoyed some of the characters. Claire seemed to be well-thought through, with adorable humor and lovely awkwardness. I mean, it wasn't lovely for her. But it was hilarious.
She was also into coding! More girls into computer science, please! Claire's enthusiasm for web design and to keep learning was infectious.
Also, her aversion to strangers and the public was realistic. It wasn't just about her, but her own past experience that led to a crippling fear of strangers.

Rafael was cute, if a little cookie cutter? His biggest personality trait seemed to be an aversion to technology. I'm going to talk about THAT later. Oh, and he was a great listener.

Poppy, well Poppy, was a bit boring. Claire seemed to see her twin as an internet personality. Poppy was just a walking youtuber and that was about all I got out of her from reading the book. I really wish we could have seen more of Poppy and Claire's relationship shown on page - instead of just bickering about the internet and boys. Oh, and after the adoption secret came out? Why wasn't there more development for that?

Overall, I enjoyed the plot. It didn't drag, and the storyline seemed fairly realistic. Well, mostly. There were some seemingly weird time jumps that momentarily confused me. I don't really like having to turn the page back several times to figure out where we are now. Did that happen? Yes.

One question I had - Claire's lying was never exactly justified? I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY SHE DIDN'T TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH SOMETIMES. Especially her own sister??????? Okay, I was just confused.

There were also some unbelievable moments that led to me either shaking my head, or almost not continuing. Especially when those moments were VERY early on in the story.

Number one? Rafael claiming he lived in remote villages in India and couldn't use a cellphone because there was no reception. I feel like that's a very privileged American perspective and I really, really wish an editor had flagged that. Because, that's just casting an entire nation in a backwards light, and it's NOT TRUE. I mean, I've dozens of people from India and other nations in Southeast Asia, and all of them had technology. It was just such an ignorant mistake that I almost stopped reading. The only reason I continued past this point was because I was in a meeting and bored and needed something to read to not fall asleep. That's how annoyed I was by this portrayal.

Also, there are plenty of reasons to dislike phones and the invasion of tech into our everyday lives. Living in India should not be one of them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, my next ranty point is a bit spoilery. Putting in spoiler code, so read at your own risk. ;-) The way the search for Claire's birthmother worked, is NOT REALISTIC. Okay, after adoption, ALL of the records are changed. The Birth Certificate WON'T LIST your birth mom. I know this, I'm adopted. And my mom was adopted. So, yep, I'm kind of very annoyed because this information is easily available on the web.

End of spoiler

Really enjoyed this story! Really put into perspective how the internet is. Also thought it was a good story about family and what family really is.

I was kind of on the fence on the romance. It was a slow burn one, but at times it just felt a little out of place.

Although this book was really funny and I enjoyed it, it wasn't really what I was expecting, but I still believe that is is a nice read and the author's writing is great!

Just for Clicks is a dive into the interworkings of a family focused on their social media appearance and the secrets that are hidden underneath years as lifestyle bloggers. Claire and Poppy offer an interesting contrast with changing ideals and focuses.

Family dynamics are an essential aspect to Just for Clicks and the line of loving someone and doing what is best for them is hit with full force as Claire contemplates her relationship with her mother and sister.

While I enjoyed both Claire's determination and realness as a character, I couldn't create a sufficient connection or care for Poppy even with Claire's point of view.

There was so much that happened in the story certain aspects received less attention than they should have, creating a bit of a jumble of ideas that weren't satisfactorily resolved.

This is an adorable social media involved story. It's a fast and fun read. Great for a relaxing day.

Claire is probably one of the biggest disasters I've had the pleasure of reading about in the last couple of months. It's very important to note that "disaster" in this case definitely does not mean disaster of a character, it just means she's a bit of a disaster of a person. Which I, personally, found highly relatable. 


Synopsis

Claire is 17 years old and internet famous. It's about one of the only things she has in common with her twin sister Poppy. Their mom's blog about them went viral when they were babies and they've been a brand ever since. While Poppy is basking in the spotlight, Claire wants out. She wants to go to College halfway across the country, she doesn't want to do vlogs anymore and she certainly doesn't want strangers knowing every little detail of her personal life. But when Claire finds her mom's old journal, everything seems to spiral out of control.


The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Firstly, let's start with the pros. 

CLAIRE CODES!!
This is very cool and also very awesome and it's actually mentioned several times over the course of the book and serves as a pretty big plot point later on.

The romance was very adorable 10/10 would recommend
Claire meets a boy called Rafael. He's a bit of a grandpa since he doesn't have a phone. And yes, this is going exactly where you think it is. I do think that he and Claire compliment each other very well; in some things they're polar opposites and in others they're pretty much one person. But they always find a way to make it work and I love that. It's also a very slow burn gooey romance featuring friends to lovers, in case you're into that.

The little social media inserts between chapters
In between chapters (and sometimes even during a chapter) there are these social media messages, for example messages between various people, emails, YouTube comments and other things of the likes.

That goddamn plot twist
Shook me all night long is all I'm gonna say on that topic.

The conflict between Claire and Poppy about two thirds through the book
I loved this because I could genuinely understand both sides. My personal feelings were definitely more with Poppy but I understand why Claire was upset by Poppy's reaction.


The Cons

Rafael's introduction was a bit sudden. 
And by that I mean who the fuck sits down at a stranger's table and starts eating their food. But I did like Rafael a lot and while I wish Claire would've commented on that more, what she does say in that scene is very on brand.

The Social Media aspect
This can definitely be seen as a pro but for me, personally, it just didn't work out the way I wish it had. Several parts of this book make it seem like teenagers just spend all their time online and can never be persuaded to look up from their phones. And while that may be true for some, the majority definitely still knows the value of real life connections. 

Conflict
This book takes a simple situation and somehow turns it into a complete mess within two pages. Everyone angsts over things that just aren't that bad, realistically. If someone lied to me and said they played chess when they didn't... I would not call them a spawn of Satan and wish for them to burn in hell. It just ain't that dramatic, peeps!

One line
Towards the end, there's one line where Claire doesn't want to ask Rafael for help because she's afraid of bringing up her baggage again and because she thinks he won't like her anymore if she does. This is a throwaway line and it didn't hugely impact my enjoyment of this book but it hit somewhere too close to home. I'm trying to get better at opening up to people and this line did not help with that at all. 

Claire's whiny tendencies
You know what? I'm just gonna say it. Claire's a door mat. She pretty much never expresses her discomfort verbally and sends dubious signals instead. Yeah, her mom and sister should've picked up on that earlier but guess what? Claire could've also just told them once and for all that she didn't want all of this. I feel like a lot of things could have been avoided like that.

Flat characters
Some of the characters felt flat to me and I found myself wishing they were more fleshed out. A great example for this is Poppy. The narrative about her constantly changes and it's hard to keep up. It's also confusing because some of the interpretations just straight up conflict and it's weird. She's also shamed a lot for wanting influence, as she calls it. And I honestly don't get why. Why is wanting to succeed in media not seen as an ambitious goal? Poppy is incredibly hardworking and dedicated and yet it seems like she is completely egoistical for a good portion of this book. 


A list of iconic moments

"Rafael insists on living in the nineties" 
Me, browsing the internet from my laptop while texting someone: oh mood lmao

"A handshake. He tried to give me a good night handshake."
"Thanks to social media, there are so many ways to be ignored"
Oh ain't that the gospel truth

Candy Bar S'mores
"I think I need to be angry."
         "Do you want me to punch you in the face?"
         "No, but thank you for offering."
"I've been falling in love with you since our court-ordered eye contact"
Can you believe they invented romance

"I feel strong and in control instead of vulnerable and overexposed" As someone with anxiety: that's the dream


Bottom Line

I feel like this could've been an epic 10 star contemporary. If only some things had been changed. My main issue with this book was the character work. A lot of the characters felt one-dimensional and I couldn't really connect with them. But nevertheless, this is an easy read and if you wanna read, go for it! I think this is a great debut novel and I'm confident that these problems will sort themselves out over time.

I read the arc via netgalley in exhange for an honest.

Just For Clicks is a young adult novel about internet famous teenagers Claire and Poppy. Their whole life has been shared with world started with their mothers mommy blog and then their own youtube channel and instagram.

I really enjoyed the book the first 1/2, i felt like everything started to go down after that. The plot twist didnt make sense to me and actually made be a bit upset

I received a copy of this book in a giveaway from the author. I also got approved by Netgalley at the same time😊

Just for Clicks is about 2 sisters who are popular on social media. This book is very important for teens to see how much they put on social media and how they open their lives for everyone to see. It also brings to the forefront how family doesn’t always mean blood. It hits on anxiety and shows how not everyone feels comfortable just going with the flow. It’s ok to just be you. I enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it.

Just for Clicks is a smart YA novel about twins who have grown up on the internet. I’ve always been fascinated with twins. Growing up with a brother who was only a little over a year older than me, we were always pretty in sync until our pre-teen years, where angst sets in. At the heart of this novel is a story about siblings and family with a bit of a twist. I love that Kara McDowell incorporates the internet into this classic story. Although I’m far from being a teenager, I did grow up in a time when my growth can be tracked by likes, follows, comments, and a never ending train of selfies. What I can’t imagine is having all of that controlled by my mom. Would that have been better? More stressful? Kara creates a world I was happy to explore (and Raphael Luna is just a dreamboat love interest). It’s a little scary and a little heartbreaking at times, and towards the end, it all begins to be a little less teeny-bopper fun and it gets a little more real, which I appreciated. I wouldn’t reread this, but I think this is an excellent book for YA girls to read. The story highlights the importance of family, respecting yourself, and keeping people in your life who you have a genuine connection with and who root for you.

This book was full of laughs, delight and enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to read a book and is looking for a great read.

I loved this book!! What an unexpected surprise! The voice was fantastic, the story was thought-provoking and filled with just the right amount of drama, and I super loved Rafael from the start! I also related so so deeply to some of the romantic situations Claire found herself in- we're both terribly awkward hahah. The ending felt a little fast but I read this in a day and enjoyed it SO much. It reminded me of an emma Mills or Jenn bennett book, which is the highest compliment I can give. Longer review to come on the blog.

This book had a lot of potential. It was an enjoyable book and I’m glad I read it but there were some parts that just left me baffled and questioning.

pros
- between each chapter is a page of text messages or emails or forum posts and I found it to be very cute and charming
- Rafael, this sweet soft boy who doesn’t use technology was my favourite character
- Slow burn romance that is heavy on friendship (fav)
- really tackles the idea of social media and how everyone is different in regards to handling ‘fame’ and gives an insight into the negative aspects of it
- Claire is a strong lead and her voice was very strong compared to the other characters
- the plot twist had me for a second
- the COVER IS SO CUTE
- lots of family representation (though more on the dysfunctional side but nonetheless, it was present)
- i liked the insight into the life of daily vloggers and blog famous characters, it’s a really unique and modern concept to be explored

cons
- the writing was very basic. there wasn't anything gripping or made this stand out from any other book
- claire and poppy’s relationship was kind of strange to me. Yes, siblings fight and grate on each other’s nerves but I felt like their relationship was very one-dimensional
- only towards the end did we see their bond as siblings and twins really show through, but throughout the majority of the book they were so detached from each other, it was almost like they were friends rather than TWINS
- there was miscommunication for no reason?? Claire was clearly into Rafael but she mentioned more than once how she was dating this other guy ?? when she wasn’t??
- Poppy and their mom really didn’t care for claire’s feelings or opinions EVER. even when she was clearly uncomfortable with certain things she was just silenced or didn’t speak up for herself
- The ending was resolved wayyy too quickly, the character’s mindset changed in an instant and it was just wrapped up a little too nicely

A good read but personally it wasn’t very memorable.

A book about kids growing up in the spotlight, just because their mom blogged about them, was interesting. How they develop their own social media careers or go the opposite direction. Claire is not thrilled about her social media life. Her sister Poppy lives for it.
Okay, I'm not going to summarize the book, because you can read it in other places. I'm just going to tell you how I felt about the book and if you should read it.

How did I feel about this book?
Well, it was a bit slow to get into, to be honest. I liked Claire enough and Rafael made me want to keep going, because he was sweet and a bit weird (no technology..?!). It's very closely narrated - we feel and live through Claire, which means some of the characters get to be one-dimensional, which is a shame. I liked reading about their growing relationship (starting as friend is the best) and Claire's struggles with wanting a normal life.

Kind of a fluffy read, but with some important stuff to think about. I also love a book what has more than your regular text-flow - so mail and texts and so on in between the chapters were great.

Should you read it?
Yeah, I think you should.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an review this ARC! The words and thoughts are entirely my own.
/ Denise

This book was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. Social media is part of our lives now. I see lots of people share too much on social media. Kara McDowell wrote this subject really good. It was actually really fast paced book but i couldn't read on my e reader. I don't know it happened only me but the format was weird so i had to read on my computer.

Just for Clicks
by Kara McDowell
Amberjack Publishing
Teens & YA
Pub Date 29 Jan 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Just for Clicks Through Amberjack Publishing and Netgalley:


Claire and Poppy are twins who became accidental social media stars, from the time they were babies their Mom blogged about them. They have been viral stars since they were babies. They are teens now and expected to build their own brand. They enjoy attending NY Fashion Week and they love receiving Fanmail but dealing with internet trolls and would be kidnappers they find maddening.


Poppy takes more to the spotlight than Claire. She’s more interested in the behind the scenes aspect, coding and dealing with technical issues.


When Claire discovers her Mom’s handwritten journals, not the happy blog postings but the ones that reveal a dark secrets.


I give Just For Clicks five out of five star!


Happy Reading!

Initial Excitement & Summary
I was sold on the premise of this one right from the beginning because it's weirdly something I think about a lot. Let me first say that people can make their own decisions and this is just MY opinion - but I can't imagine sharing so much about my children online without their consent. I can see posting some pictures or talking about a few things, but having them reach a certain level of fame before they're old enough to make their own decisions? That's hard for me to figure out. One of my favorite YouTubers has said that she won't feature her children on her channel until they're old enough to understand and decide for themselves, which is probably what I'd do (aside from some pictures here and there). But I digress! The storyline fascinated me because it's definitely going to be an area of contention going forward, as more and more people live SO much of their lives online. This book focused on twin daughters of a famous fashion blogger and how they were essentially pressured into creating their own vlog channel and following in their mother's footsteps.

Story & Characters
I like that this story was both fluffy and young while also having some more serious topics involved. Claire is struggling with her identity because her life has been shaped by her mom's blog. She's famous because she's a twin and is forced to participate in vlogs and Instagram posts all the time... even though she doesn't like it. I don't want to get too into spoilers but the synopsis implies that there's a big secret she uncovers. The book got heavy in those places because it causes Claire to second-guess everything. I liked her as a character for the most part, but she made some very stupid decisions by lying and creating misunderstandings. I can cut her slack because she's a teenager, but I wanted to slam my head against a wall every time she did it. Some things were very common sense "don't lie about that" situations.

Poppy and their mother, Ashley, were also frustrating. I think I started to feel for them more toward the end but it was really hard to read most of the book because of them. They were both very into the online presence, signing up for more sponsorship opportunities, etc. and seemed to completely ignore Claire's lack of interest in them. It was abundantly clear that she didn't want any part of this lifestyle and they didn't seem to care about that. Reading the book from Claire's POV definitely made you want to protect her and sympathize with her, but the end of the story explained things better for everyone else. I was left very satisfied with the ending.

I should mention the romance because Rafael was so cute. He was a little too much (i.e. annoying) at the beginning but I warmed to him very quickly. He was a breath of fresh air in this otherwise-kinda-sad story. He and Claire were a good pair and I definitely added him to my book boyfriend list. I wish there was a bit more about his life in general but I think the author did a good job of including HIS thoughts on parenting and family because of his situation.

TL;DR?
This was a really wonderful debut novel that covered a topic that is personally fascinating to me. Should mommy bloggers post a million pictures of their kids growing up without their consent, before they even know what the internet is? How will this affect those kids later in life? I loved pondering these questions while reading because I've always been curious about this topic. If you're looking for a 2019 debut that manages to balance sweet, fluffy moments of first love with heavier topics of finding out who you are and what you want to be, give this one a read.

This is a great look into how social media can affect a family through all years of life. It was a cute book and I liked the dynamic between the characters. My mom is big into social media now and I am glad she wasn't like that when I was young. I have to ask her to not post a ton of pictures of my children because I want them to be able to establish themselves when they come of age.
Fun, cute story. I think teens will like this one.

Just for Clicks is the story of Claire, who along with her twin sister Poppy have been the subject of her Mum's blog since before they were born. Every moment of their lives is documented, and as they've grown that has expanded into their own vlog, trips to New York Fashion week, to being recognised in the streets. It's everything Poppy has dreamed of - influence - and yet Claire hates everything about it and is counting down to the days she can quit.

I was hooked from the very first page.

It's an easy read, well written and well told. The twists were a little predictable, but as with most YA novels it's easy to get swept up into the story and just carried along. It was a book I didn't want to put down, and probably could have devoured it in one sitting if time had permitted.

Aside from the enjoyable nature of the book though, it is also one that raises many questions. So many parents post photos and stories of their kids on social media and blogs and their YouTube channels, but it does raise the question of what are the children's thoughts on this? They are minors, so technically the issue of consenting to these posts is up to the parents. But do the parents always have the best interests of their children at heart? Or are their interests self motivated? Do they just want to most likes, the most retweets, the influence that comes with being known as a blogger?

I've got friends who post every aspect of their kids lives online, and others that refuse to post their children's images simply because they can't consent to it, so where do you draw the line? I think it's a sign of a successful, and relevant book that makes you question these things, and possibly rethink your stance on it.

Just for Clicks may be Kara McDowell's debut novel, but I'll bet it won't be her last, and I for one am keen to see what she comes out with next.

**I received a copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Just for Clicks was a fascinating look into the effects of social media, what binds families together, and the quest for self-discovery. It feels like Claire's whole life is planned out, whether that be her sponsored outfit posts, her mother's schedule for her day, or her and twin sister Poppy's plans for the future. But as Claire begins to find out more secrets about her mother's past, Claire realizes that she might have more say in her life than she thinks. But what will that mean for her family?

Being someone who puts a lot of their life on social media, I appreciated the ways McDowell doesn't stray away from the dangers and negatives about social media. It's not all free advance read copies, there's the stress, always being 'on', not to mention the dangers. As Claire begins to find out more about her mother's past, she also begins to discover herself, and what she really wants.

Well, that was lovely.

But I have to say this: the start was excruciatingly slow as we got to know our characters. Not much was happening, and the book couldn't hold my attention. It wasn't until the halfway mark when it got really interesting and things seemed to finally be happening. Once I reached that point, I couldn't stop reading. I'm happy I plowed through because it was worth it, but I shouldn't have had to plow through half of the book before I could finally enjoy it. You could argue that that much exposition is necessary to build the story, but I counterargue that you can take out so many parts of the first half while still retaining the heart and integrity of the story.

I gave it 4 stars, though, because the second half of the book is so deliciously good that it earned it and more. There were twists I honestly didn't see coming, and they served the story well and completed the narrative. One thing that I really love about this book is how smoothly the scenes transition from one to the next. I never got confused about what was happening, and I felt like I was right next to the narrator the entire time—the way it was written really makes it feel like you can see the scene, not just words written on a page.

In fact, while the first half was definitely longer than it could've been, the assured writing keeps you going. The writing in this one is, without a doubt, the best thing about it. I felt like I could trust the author while reading the story, because she knew exactly what she was doing and the direction she wanted to take it. Her assured writing is a promise to the reader that this story is worth their time.

And can I just say . . . RAFAEL AND CLAIRE ARE RELATIONSHIP GOALS!!! Haha, yes, I just mimicked the comments Claire is used to getting and rolling her eyes at. But it's true—I absolutely love this couple. Their relationship is so refreshing, because past the halfway mark, they just go at it and talk. And they actually change each other's lives for the better. They started as two teens infatuated with each other and grew to be two (young) adults (a little) wiser and (a little) older. They match each other well, but not because it's fate, or it's meant to be, or what other unrealistic trope so commonly seen in this genre. No, they match each other well because they work for it. They work for their relationship, and it's for that reason that I am 100% confident they will last a long time.

I also really love how the book dealt with PTSD: with sensitivity. Claire's emotions are so visceral that you feel out of breath when she does. There was this one scene where I related so much to her, as I'm sure a lot of other readers will, too, especially in this digital age where it's so easy to feel suffocated. Like Claire, I, too, want to drive up the mountain and watch the sunset, feeling the wind gently brush past me. I will be alone, but I will not be lonely.

Finally, the theme of the Internet being so pervasive and how it affects our day-to-day lives has been consistent all throughout. Its message may seem cheesy to some—the Internet is the greatest irony in that it gives us so many ways to communicate with each other but at the same serves as the biggest barrier to open and honest communication—but it never felt cheesy. It felt honest, it felt sincere, and it felt so real. It's like these characters are really alive out there, and that's a testament to how the author didn't just write these characters—she breathed life into them.

I'll leave you this to think about:

"We all text and blog and email so often that we feel connected, but we were never really communicating honestly with each other."