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#lovehim #3.5
To Be Continued
Welcome to Webcon. Where the biggest and brightest internet celebrities come face to face with their fans.
Brought up in the 'live for likes' culture, Digi Lynch has amassed an impressive following. His channel is taking off, and Webcon always delivers a boost in numbers, thanks to his rivalry with ex-vlogging partner, Gram Saito.
Gram is popular, confident, and rising to the kind of fame worthy of a second gen internet sensation. And he’s up to his old tricks.
Digi can't turn a corner for fear of being pranked and his reaction blasted online. And after one of Gram's most high scale pranks yet, Digi decides it's time to get even.
The animosity between Digi and Gram heats up as old feelings resurface, and Digi is forced to decide whether a life in the limelight is worth it ...
Before they both go too far.
A YA contemporary novella, To Be Continued is the prequel to Not Gonna Lie and will show you where it all began for Gram and Digi.
Brought up in the 'live for likes' culture, Digi Lynch has amassed an impressive following. His channel is taking off, and Webcon always delivers a boost in numbers, thanks to his rivalry with ex-vlogging partner, Gram Saito.
Gram is popular, confident, and rising to the kind of fame worthy of a second gen internet sensation. And he’s up to his old tricks.
Digi can't turn a corner for fear of being pranked and his reaction blasted online. And after one of Gram's most high scale pranks yet, Digi decides it's time to get even.
The animosity between Digi and Gram heats up as old feelings resurface, and Digi is forced to decide whether a life in the limelight is worth it ...
Before they both go too far.
A YA contemporary novella, To Be Continued is the prequel to Not Gonna Lie and will show you where it all began for Gram and Digi.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2019
13 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
dnf
April 3, 2020I don't want to read about a wretchedly miserable teenager with an abusive parent. So this is another DNF that's about me, not the book.
But here's something that *is* about the book:
I'm hit with a coconut scene that makes my head spin.
A what? What's a coconut scene? And what size and shape is it, that it can hit a person? I reread that line, paged back to see if I'd missed a page, read it again -- until it dawned on me that it was supposed to say "coconut scent."
Proofreading, authors. It's a thing.
At any rate, this story has what might be an appealing premise for the right reader, so I recommend you take a look at the blurb and try a sample rather than rely on my reaction.
But here's something that *is* about the book:
I'm hit with a coconut scene that makes my head spin.
A what? What's a coconut scene? And what size and shape is it, that it can hit a person? I reread that line, paged back to see if I'd missed a page, read it again -- until it dawned on me that it was supposed to say "coconut scent."
Proofreading, authors. It's a thing.
At any rate, this story has what might be an appealing premise for the right reader, so I recommend you take a look at the blurb and try a sample rather than rely on my reaction.
May 2, 2019
Not gonna lie, I almost didn't enjoy this because it was just so hatey. But I absolutely adored Digi. You can't not love him. He's just so...lost, for lack of a better word. Trying to assert himself, get out from under his mother's shadow and become his own person, all the while reluctant to let the familiar go.
Let's talk about Gram. There was nothing I liked about him in the beginning and I kept waiting for Digi to punch him in the face. But the story took a turn somewhere around the 50% mark, and Gram's honesty, the way he opened himself up to Digi, turned him from unfeeling asshole to vulnerable friend.
I don't know how S.M. James manages to put so many feels into a novella, but there you have it. I'm excited to read Digi and Gram's full-length follow-up novel!
Let's talk about Gram. There was nothing I liked about him in the beginning and I kept waiting for Digi to punch him in the face. But the story took a turn somewhere around the 50% mark, and Gram's honesty, the way he opened himself up to Digi, turned him from unfeeling asshole to vulnerable friend.
I don't know how S.M. James manages to put so many feels into a novella, but there you have it. I'm excited to read Digi and Gram's full-length follow-up novel!
April 15, 2019
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
For the full review visit https://wp.me/p220KL-gtC
From that review:To Be Continued (#lovehim #3.5) by S.M. James is the last of the available stories in this author's must read YA series, a fact that's making me sigh already. That it's ending here, on the "first half" of Digi and Gram's story? Worse because this is not one of those happy stories. It's full of pain, the punch in the gut ways only family and those we care for but have blinders on can deal blows. It's being young and trying to figure things out. It's real, sometimes mean and in every way authentic as S.M James gets under these characters skins and emotions like no other.
For all our reviews, visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
For the full review visit https://wp.me/p220KL-gtC
From that review:To Be Continued (#lovehim #3.5) by S.M. James is the last of the available stories in this author's must read YA series, a fact that's making me sigh already. That it's ending here, on the "first half" of Digi and Gram's story? Worse because this is not one of those happy stories. It's full of pain, the punch in the gut ways only family and those we care for but have blinders on can deal blows. It's being young and trying to figure things out. It's real, sometimes mean and in every way authentic as S.M James gets under these characters skins and emotions like no other.
For all our reviews, visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
May 23, 2019
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
🔥 Heat Level: N/A – PG rating
A great introduction to Digi & his life both on and off ‘screen’!
I loved this story and these characters and S.M. set the perfect scene of Webcon and the rivalry between Gram and Digi. I felt for Digi and his anxiety, fear, body issues, problematic mother and the world he has to live in. His issues were so relatable and authentic I felt it all.
I would definitely recommend reading this before Not Gonna Lie and while it’s all written from Digi’s point of view you can still feel that there’s more to Gram’s story than he puts forward. This story deals heavily with social media and online bullying and S.M. writes so authentically that I felt hurt and enraged as each incident occurred. While not really a happy ending as such, more a “what’s next, it will definitely have you primed for the next book!
I love Digi and really look forward to finding out what happens next for him and Gram in Not Gonna Lie!
Thanks for reading! For great stories, reviews and more please visit https://bookstattoosandtea.wordpress.com 📚
🔥 Heat Level: N/A – PG rating
A great introduction to Digi & his life both on and off ‘screen’!
I loved this story and these characters and S.M. set the perfect scene of Webcon and the rivalry between Gram and Digi. I felt for Digi and his anxiety, fear, body issues, problematic mother and the world he has to live in. His issues were so relatable and authentic I felt it all.
I would definitely recommend reading this before Not Gonna Lie and while it’s all written from Digi’s point of view you can still feel that there’s more to Gram’s story than he puts forward. This story deals heavily with social media and online bullying and S.M. writes so authentically that I felt hurt and enraged as each incident occurred. While not really a happy ending as such, more a “what’s next, it will definitely have you primed for the next book!
I love Digi and really look forward to finding out what happens next for him and Gram in Not Gonna Lie!
Thanks for reading! For great stories, reviews and more please visit https://bookstattoosandtea.wordpress.com 📚
May 7, 2019
great little book to fill in on the background for the next book I've read these all in order and have loved the story lines and the characters I've gotten these books free from the author for my honest review and opinion and I will keep reading them because I enjoy how S.M. James writes and let's you get to know people in the books and their background I always feel I know about them I don't feel I'm missing pieces 😁👊👍📖
April 24, 2021
Social Media Denied
Great take from the eyes of a child social media star. Thrust into the light by his mom. The over sharing about his life by his mother. He just wants a normal life. Great start. Let’s see where it goes... 4.0 for crickets and chickens.
Great take from the eyes of a child social media star. Thrust into the light by his mom. The over sharing about his life by his mother. He just wants a normal life. Great start. Let’s see where it goes... 4.0 for crickets and chickens.
May 18, 2019
Review in English and Polish || Recenzja po angielsku i polsku
Since he was born, Digi Lynch hasn't really had a private life, as his mother's shared every little thing concerning their everyday life on her blog. Having no other choice, Digi has followed in her footsteps and has been a popular vlogger for years. The problem is that vlogging doesn't make him happy and requires him to constantly fight his shyness, introversion, reluctance to share information about every aspect of his life with strangers. He is the exact opposite of his old friend and now also his rival, Gram Saito, who lives for his fans and loves what he does. And although Digi would happily hide in his room and never go out, unfortunately, for the next few days he is going to be forced to bite the bullet, clench his fists and survive a long, intense convention during which meetings with Gram and fans are inevitable.
For a long time, bloggers and vloggers have been a kind of group of minor celebrities and I'm sure that it won't change, as long as the world is crazy about media and virtual world. Therefore, I consider it very important that "To Be Continued", a novella which begins our new adventure with "#lovehim" series, refers to this aspect of our contemporary culture. In this context, the greatest advantage of this story is the subject of pressure, which the life of an Internet star may put on some individuals, because as any lifestyle also this one isn't free from flaws and mental strain. Even more so when the fun turns into a business, and so you have to deal with competition, fans' opinion, need to acquire new audience, nervous routine, and sometimes also almost non-existent private life. Life deprived of secrets, which is a constant struggle for popularity isn't for everyone and that is exactly what we see in this story.
To a great extent, "To Be Continued" also raises the subject of wasted opportunity for friendship and, consequently, for something more. It shows how important it is to trust someone and feel physical and mental comfort in their company. And although in this case S.M. James refers mostly to a "business" relationship, which means cooperation and coexistence of bloggers/vloggers, the reader can successfully find here many universal principles which may apply to our boring, everyday life. It doesn't matter who we are, the rules of friendship are the same, just like in the case of those on which love is built. Well, if we can't feel safe in one's company and we have to watch our back all the time, is there a chance to create a strong, friendly relationship?
However, this is not all that this truly wonderful, although short, novella has to offer, because "To Be Continued" also raises many other, serious and relevant topics that closely relate to our everyday life. As examples we can list the problem of bulimia, low self-esteem, inability to meet parents' expectations, attempt to find oneself and discover one's sexuality. Believe me, this little story has more content than many thick books. And although not every topic mentioned here has been elaborated, the fact that Digi and Gram's story continues in "Not Gonna Lie" is like a promise that all these subjects will come back.
To sum up, "To Be Continued" is a wonderful, valuable novel you can't simply ignore. It's not only a well-written and extremely interesting story about finding one's path in life, it's also a small repository of life wisdom that moves us and teaches us many important things. In short, I recommend you "To Be Continued" with all my heart.
_______________________
Digi Lynch od dnia narodzin nie posiada prawdziwego życia prywatnego, ponieważ jego matka dzieli się na swoim blogu każdą drobnostką dotyczącą ich codzienności. Nie mając tak naprawdę innego wyboru, Digi idzie w jej ślady i już od lat jest popularnym vlogerem. Problem w tym, że vlogowanie nie sprawia mu przyjemności i wymaga od niego bezustannej walki ze swoją nieśmiałością, introwersją, niechęcią do dzielenia się z obcymi informacjami na temat każdej dziedziny życia. Jest zupełnym przeciwieństwem swojego dawnego przyjaciela, a teraz rywala, Grama Saito, który żyje dla swoich fanów i kocha to, co robi. I chociaż Digi najchętniej zaszyłby się w pokoju i w ogóle z niego nie wychodził, to niestety przez najbliższe dni będzie zmuszony zagryźć zęby, zacisnąć pięści i przetrwać długi, intensywny konwent, podczas którego spotkania z Gramem i fanami są nieuniknione.
Blogerzy i vlogerzy już od dłuższego czasu stanowią jedną z grup pomniejszych celebrytów i jestem pewna, że to nie ulegnie zmianie, jak długo świat zafiksowany będzie na punkcie mediów i świata wirtualnego. Za bardzo istotny uważam więc fakt, że właśnie do tej strony naszej współczesnej kultury odnosi się „To Be Continued”, nowelka rozpoczynająca naszą kolejną przygodę z serią „#lovehim”. W tym kontekście największą zaletę tej historii jest poruszony tu temat presji, jaką na niektórych jednostkach może wywierać życie gwiazdy internetu, gdyż tak jak w przypadku każdego stylu życia, także i ten nie jest pozbawiony wad i obciążenia psychicznego. Tym bardziej, kiedy zabawa przeradza się w biznes, a więc należy liczyć się z konkurencją, opinią fanów, potrzebą pozyskiwania nowych, nerwową rutyną, a czasem także z niemal nieistniejącym życiem prywatnym. Życie pozbawione sekretów i będące bezustanną walką o popularność nie służy każdemu i właśnie to widzimy w tym opowiadaniu.
„To Be Continued” w dużym stopniu porusza także temat zmarnowanej szansy na przyjaźń, a w konsekwencji także na coś więcej. Pokazuje bowiem, jak ważne jest zaufanie względem drugiej osoby, odczuwanie w jej towarzystwie komfortu fizycznego i psychicznego. I chociaż w tym wypadku S.M. James odnosi ten problem do relacji „biznesowych”, a więc współpracy i współegzystowania blogerów/vlogerów, to czytelnik z powodzeniem może odnaleźć tu wiele uniwersalnych zasad odnoszących się do jego szarego, codziennego życia. Nie ważne bowiem kim jesteśmy, zasady którymi kieruje się przyjaźń są takie same, podobnie zresztą jak ma to miejsce w przypadku budowanej na niej miłości. Bo jeśli nie możemy czuć się bezpiecznie w towarzystwie tej drugiej osoby i zawsze mamy się na baczności wietrząc podstęp, to czy istnieje szansa na stworzenie jakichkolwiek silnych, przyjacielskich relacji?
To jednak nie wszystko, co kryje w sobie ta naprawdę wspaniała, choć krótka nowelka, albowiem „To Be Continued” porusza także wiele innych, poważnych i istotnych tematów, które ściśle wiążą się z naszą codziennością. Przykładem może być w tym wypadku problem bulimii, niskiej samooceny, niemożliwości sprostania oczekiwaniom rodziców, poszukiwania siebie i swojej seksualności. Wierzcie mi, ta drobna historia kryje w sobie więcej treści, niż niejedna opasła książka. I nawet jeśli nie każdy ze wspomnianych w niej tematów zostaje rozwinięty, to fakt kontynuacji przedstawionej tu historii Digiego i Grama w „Not Gonna Lie” jest niczym obietnica powrotu do wszystkich tych problemów.
Podsumowując, „To Be Continued” to wspaniała, wartościowa nowelka obok której nie sposób przejść obojętnie. Jest nie tylko dobrze napisaną i niesamowicie interesującą historią o poszukiwaniu własnej drogi w świecie, to także mała skarbnica życiowej mądrości, która porusza i uczy. Polecam Wam więc „To Be Continued” z całego serca.
Since he was born, Digi Lynch hasn't really had a private life, as his mother's shared every little thing concerning their everyday life on her blog. Having no other choice, Digi has followed in her footsteps and has been a popular vlogger for years. The problem is that vlogging doesn't make him happy and requires him to constantly fight his shyness, introversion, reluctance to share information about every aspect of his life with strangers. He is the exact opposite of his old friend and now also his rival, Gram Saito, who lives for his fans and loves what he does. And although Digi would happily hide in his room and never go out, unfortunately, for the next few days he is going to be forced to bite the bullet, clench his fists and survive a long, intense convention during which meetings with Gram and fans are inevitable.
For a long time, bloggers and vloggers have been a kind of group of minor celebrities and I'm sure that it won't change, as long as the world is crazy about media and virtual world. Therefore, I consider it very important that "To Be Continued", a novella which begins our new adventure with "#lovehim" series, refers to this aspect of our contemporary culture. In this context, the greatest advantage of this story is the subject of pressure, which the life of an Internet star may put on some individuals, because as any lifestyle also this one isn't free from flaws and mental strain. Even more so when the fun turns into a business, and so you have to deal with competition, fans' opinion, need to acquire new audience, nervous routine, and sometimes also almost non-existent private life. Life deprived of secrets, which is a constant struggle for popularity isn't for everyone and that is exactly what we see in this story.
To a great extent, "To Be Continued" also raises the subject of wasted opportunity for friendship and, consequently, for something more. It shows how important it is to trust someone and feel physical and mental comfort in their company. And although in this case S.M. James refers mostly to a "business" relationship, which means cooperation and coexistence of bloggers/vloggers, the reader can successfully find here many universal principles which may apply to our boring, everyday life. It doesn't matter who we are, the rules of friendship are the same, just like in the case of those on which love is built. Well, if we can't feel safe in one's company and we have to watch our back all the time, is there a chance to create a strong, friendly relationship?
However, this is not all that this truly wonderful, although short, novella has to offer, because "To Be Continued" also raises many other, serious and relevant topics that closely relate to our everyday life. As examples we can list the problem of bulimia, low self-esteem, inability to meet parents' expectations, attempt to find oneself and discover one's sexuality. Believe me, this little story has more content than many thick books. And although not every topic mentioned here has been elaborated, the fact that Digi and Gram's story continues in "Not Gonna Lie" is like a promise that all these subjects will come back.
To sum up, "To Be Continued" is a wonderful, valuable novel you can't simply ignore. It's not only a well-written and extremely interesting story about finding one's path in life, it's also a small repository of life wisdom that moves us and teaches us many important things. In short, I recommend you "To Be Continued" with all my heart.
_______________________
Digi Lynch od dnia narodzin nie posiada prawdziwego życia prywatnego, ponieważ jego matka dzieli się na swoim blogu każdą drobnostką dotyczącą ich codzienności. Nie mając tak naprawdę innego wyboru, Digi idzie w jej ślady i już od lat jest popularnym vlogerem. Problem w tym, że vlogowanie nie sprawia mu przyjemności i wymaga od niego bezustannej walki ze swoją nieśmiałością, introwersją, niechęcią do dzielenia się z obcymi informacjami na temat każdej dziedziny życia. Jest zupełnym przeciwieństwem swojego dawnego przyjaciela, a teraz rywala, Grama Saito, który żyje dla swoich fanów i kocha to, co robi. I chociaż Digi najchętniej zaszyłby się w pokoju i w ogóle z niego nie wychodził, to niestety przez najbliższe dni będzie zmuszony zagryźć zęby, zacisnąć pięści i przetrwać długi, intensywny konwent, podczas którego spotkania z Gramem i fanami są nieuniknione.
Blogerzy i vlogerzy już od dłuższego czasu stanowią jedną z grup pomniejszych celebrytów i jestem pewna, że to nie ulegnie zmianie, jak długo świat zafiksowany będzie na punkcie mediów i świata wirtualnego. Za bardzo istotny uważam więc fakt, że właśnie do tej strony naszej współczesnej kultury odnosi się „To Be Continued”, nowelka rozpoczynająca naszą kolejną przygodę z serią „#lovehim”. W tym kontekście największą zaletę tej historii jest poruszony tu temat presji, jaką na niektórych jednostkach może wywierać życie gwiazdy internetu, gdyż tak jak w przypadku każdego stylu życia, także i ten nie jest pozbawiony wad i obciążenia psychicznego. Tym bardziej, kiedy zabawa przeradza się w biznes, a więc należy liczyć się z konkurencją, opinią fanów, potrzebą pozyskiwania nowych, nerwową rutyną, a czasem także z niemal nieistniejącym życiem prywatnym. Życie pozbawione sekretów i będące bezustanną walką o popularność nie służy każdemu i właśnie to widzimy w tym opowiadaniu.
„To Be Continued” w dużym stopniu porusza także temat zmarnowanej szansy na przyjaźń, a w konsekwencji także na coś więcej. Pokazuje bowiem, jak ważne jest zaufanie względem drugiej osoby, odczuwanie w jej towarzystwie komfortu fizycznego i psychicznego. I chociaż w tym wypadku S.M. James odnosi ten problem do relacji „biznesowych”, a więc współpracy i współegzystowania blogerów/vlogerów, to czytelnik z powodzeniem może odnaleźć tu wiele uniwersalnych zasad odnoszących się do jego szarego, codziennego życia. Nie ważne bowiem kim jesteśmy, zasady którymi kieruje się przyjaźń są takie same, podobnie zresztą jak ma to miejsce w przypadku budowanej na niej miłości. Bo jeśli nie możemy czuć się bezpiecznie w towarzystwie tej drugiej osoby i zawsze mamy się na baczności wietrząc podstęp, to czy istnieje szansa na stworzenie jakichkolwiek silnych, przyjacielskich relacji?
To jednak nie wszystko, co kryje w sobie ta naprawdę wspaniała, choć krótka nowelka, albowiem „To Be Continued” porusza także wiele innych, poważnych i istotnych tematów, które ściśle wiążą się z naszą codziennością. Przykładem może być w tym wypadku problem bulimii, niskiej samooceny, niemożliwości sprostania oczekiwaniom rodziców, poszukiwania siebie i swojej seksualności. Wierzcie mi, ta drobna historia kryje w sobie więcej treści, niż niejedna opasła książka. I nawet jeśli nie każdy ze wspomnianych w niej tematów zostaje rozwinięty, to fakt kontynuacji przedstawionej tu historii Digiego i Grama w „Not Gonna Lie” jest niczym obietnica powrotu do wszystkich tych problemów.
Podsumowując, „To Be Continued” to wspaniała, wartościowa nowelka obok której nie sposób przejść obojętnie. Jest nie tylko dobrze napisaną i niesamowicie interesującą historią o poszukiwaniu własnej drogi w świecie, to także mała skarbnica życiowej mądrości, która porusza i uczy. Polecam Wam więc „To Be Continued” z całego serca.
May 12, 2019
To Be Continued, by SM James, is part of the #lovehim series. It's a story full of complications, misunderstandings, and pranks. Having an extreme hate for pranks, this one was tough for me. I like it, but I hate the pranks.
It's a tale of living the life others want for you, with a controlling mother and a nemesis who won't go away. Can't help but to feel for Digi, as his mother controls him, he struggles with Graham, and he struggles with his weight and self confidence.
A cute little novella, To be Continued leads into the next book, Not Gonna Lie.
It's a tale of living the life others want for you, with a controlling mother and a nemesis who won't go away. Can't help but to feel for Digi, as his mother controls him, he struggles with Graham, and he struggles with his weight and self confidence.
A cute little novella, To be Continued leads into the next book, Not Gonna Lie.
April 25, 2019
-To Be Continued- is the introductory short story to the fourth book -Not Gonna Lie- in the lovehim series.
And what an introduction it is! The name is program. This story definitely has to be continued!
This story really drew me in and let the feelings of the characters flow right into me, I just couldnt lie it down. I'm so excited to read the main book to find out how Digis story continues!
Additionally, the story covers a very present and important topic with its social media theme and hopefully inspires some ppl to actually ask themselves how far it actually is ok to go when posting online.
Digi and Gram both grew up as children of social media celebs and both grew to have thousands of followers on their own, but not everyone loves that kind of attention. Digi would love to be on the low and have some privacy, but with his mother on his heels and Gram constantly pranking him, it doesn't seem like he will get some soon. But between the animosity of Digi and Gram there's still something lingering from their past friendship. That is until both take it to far.
Im sure everyone who likes enemies to lovers theme will love this!
And what an introduction it is! The name is program. This story definitely has to be continued!
This story really drew me in and let the feelings of the characters flow right into me, I just couldnt lie it down. I'm so excited to read the main book to find out how Digis story continues!
Additionally, the story covers a very present and important topic with its social media theme and hopefully inspires some ppl to actually ask themselves how far it actually is ok to go when posting online.
Digi and Gram both grew up as children of social media celebs and both grew to have thousands of followers on their own, but not everyone loves that kind of attention. Digi would love to be on the low and have some privacy, but with his mother on his heels and Gram constantly pranking him, it doesn't seem like he will get some soon. But between the animosity of Digi and Gram there's still something lingering from their past friendship. That is until both take it to far.
Im sure everyone who likes enemies to lovers theme will love this!
June 16, 2020
4 stars
If I'm honest this skirted the line of being a little too hateful for me. I don't like to read about mean characters - or even good characters who act mean, even if they feel bad about it afterwards. And part of this book fell in that category, when the boys tried to prank each other and it got a little out of hand.
But on the other hand I couldn't help but like Digi. He was such a sweet and innately good person. To the point where it drove me slightly nuts that he wouldn't stand up for himself more. I constantly wanted to give him a hug. It took a lot longer for me to warm up to Gram. Because the story was told from Digi's POV it was harder to see through Grams borderline shitty behavior to the hurting and insecure person underneath. At the beginning I couldn't really blame Digi for trying to get back at him. But by the end I started to feel for Gram, too, and was looking forward to reading their full-length book.
The only thing that felt a little off to me, was the way the boys were constantly seeking each other out after having been pranked by the other. I wouldn't have wanted to show even more vulnerability to a person who seemed to hate me. I guess, it was because deep down they knew that there was more between them.
So, while I might not have liked everything that happened here, the writing was top-notch and evoked some strong emotions in me. The loneliness, the hurt, the anger, the embarrassment of the characters felt very real and intense. A great accomplishment for a relatively short novella!
If I'm honest this skirted the line of being a little too hateful for me. I don't like to read about mean characters - or even good characters who act mean, even if they feel bad about it afterwards. And part of this book fell in that category, when the boys tried to prank each other and it got a little out of hand.
But on the other hand I couldn't help but like Digi. He was such a sweet and innately good person. To the point where it drove me slightly nuts that he wouldn't stand up for himself more. I constantly wanted to give him a hug. It took a lot longer for me to warm up to Gram. Because the story was told from Digi's POV it was harder to see through Grams borderline shitty behavior to the hurting and insecure person underneath. At the beginning I couldn't really blame Digi for trying to get back at him. But by the end I started to feel for Gram, too, and was looking forward to reading their full-length book.
The only thing that felt a little off to me, was the way the boys were constantly seeking each other out after having been pranked by the other. I wouldn't have wanted to show even more vulnerability to a person who seemed to hate me. I guess, it was because deep down they knew that there was more between them.
So, while I might not have liked everything that happened here, the writing was top-notch and evoked some strong emotions in me. The loneliness, the hurt, the anger, the embarrassment of the characters felt very real and intense. A great accomplishment for a relatively short novella!
April 15, 2019
To Be Continued is a YA contemporary short novella that works as a prequel, showing the reader what has happened between Digi and Gram prior to Not Gonna Lie. These two teens are living in a world where their lives are captured and shared with the public. Where getting more fans, likes and followers sometimes pollutes your senses on what's real and you find yourself not always being the true you and having no one you can really trust. And then losing it all when it all goes too far. I really enjoyed this glimpse into a part of their world and can not wait to see the continuation in the next book.
I received an advanced reader's copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
I received an advanced reader's copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
April 18, 2019
This is a novella that introduces you to Gram and Digi, two teenagers who have an online presence. While Gram enjoys his life in the spotlight, Digi doesn't and the older he grows the more resentful he finds himself. At the latest convention, Digi keeps running into Gram, who he sees as an antagonist although they used to be close friends. Digi thinks Gram goes out of his way to humiliate him, and while Digi does have a point to a certain extent, you see that Gram cares for him. I liked Digi and could understand his POV, and I even liked Gram, so I hope they can work out their problems in the next book. The book is a part one of a continuing story and I can't wait to see what happens next.
May 18, 2019
Absolute Love
I absolutely love this prequel to Digi and Gram. It's not a HFN ending, but that's all good because I know there's a part 2 in which both guys end up being together. I enjoyed these guys. I may not approve of everything they did to each other, but I see them for what they are. Kids coming into their own. They will make mistakes. And that's fine. I love both these guys, mistakes and all. The end left me feeling so sad that I now have to rush to the next book to see their HEA. I love the fact that Digi is chubby, and not the usual lean kind of teen. Now on to the next book for me.
I absolutely love this prequel to Digi and Gram. It's not a HFN ending, but that's all good because I know there's a part 2 in which both guys end up being together. I enjoyed these guys. I may not approve of everything they did to each other, but I see them for what they are. Kids coming into their own. They will make mistakes. And that's fine. I love both these guys, mistakes and all. The end left me feeling so sad that I now have to rush to the next book to see their HEA. I love the fact that Digi is chubby, and not the usual lean kind of teen. Now on to the next book for me.
May 3, 2019
*this review may contain spoilers
Digi has reached his limit. He's lonely, with only one friend, he can't count on his mother and he's had enough of being under the scrutiny of strangers. He's tired of always feeling inadequate or not good enough, fed up with Gram's taunts and embarrassing pranks.
So,To Be Continued is bittersweet. Sweet thanks to Digi's funny,quirky personality, but there's also a bitter mix of sadness, anxiety and loneliness. The characters captivated me with their story and I look forward to Not Gonna Lie and see what happens next.
Digi has reached his limit. He's lonely, with only one friend, he can't count on his mother and he's had enough of being under the scrutiny of strangers. He's tired of always feeling inadequate or not good enough, fed up with Gram's taunts and embarrassing pranks.
So,To Be Continued is bittersweet. Sweet thanks to Digi's funny,quirky personality, but there's also a bitter mix of sadness, anxiety and loneliness. The characters captivated me with their story and I look forward to Not Gonna Lie and see what happens next.
June 25, 2019
I actually read this one accidentally after Not Gonna Lie, and I must say that I liked that. It was nice to not have the things that happened before that story began. And knowing the characters better through that story, gave this story more meaning as well.
May 15, 2019
Very promising, intense prequel to Not Gonna Lie. Emotions are already running very high between Gram and Digi, but things are still looking bleak, despite the fact that there is clearly something there between them.
You should definitely read this before you start Not Gonna Lie, because it has vital information about both characters. Keep NGL close-by though, because you won’t want to waste even a minute going from one story to the next.
Needless to say, I loved this prequel and I loved Not Gonna Lie even more.
You should definitely read this before you start Not Gonna Lie, because it has vital information about both characters. Keep NGL close-by though, because you won’t want to waste even a minute going from one story to the next.
Needless to say, I loved this prequel and I loved Not Gonna Lie even more.
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