There are few books that make me want to curl up in them and never leave. The Manifesto on How to be Interesting was one of those books. I loved this book, while it also reminded me why I'm immensely happy that I am not in high school anymore. Although, I like to believe that high school is awful for everyone that may not be the reason. For some people high school is actually the best years of their life (I feel so sorry for those people). But for some people, like Bree and like myself, high school was awful. However, in my high school, while I did have many issues, I didn't really have problems with the popular kids or any kids since I was invisible and actually liked it that way.

Bree decides to take her own life and flip it on its end. She goes from social obscurity to one of the popular kids almost overnight. She decides to integrate into the popular crowd after she receives another rejection letter from a publishing company about her book. Dejected she decides to write about the popular crowd to become a better writer. To become interesting. Being interesting, or leaving her mark on the world, is one of the running themes in the book. Which is a new phenomenon for my generation, leaving our mark on the world. We all want to be remembered. And I don't think it's to be famous, but because we realize how precious and short life is and we don't want people to forget us. Bree doesn't want to be forgotten, but who doesn't. We want to be remembered after were gone, and Bree does want to be remembered.

Through her research into the popular crowd she realizes something though, popular kids are not that different from regular kids. They may not be in the same economic class or have the same problems, but they do have problems. They are real people not 2D cardboard cutouts. They have insecurities and issues with their hair and skin and wanting people to like them. Bree is a beautiful character, with flaws, just like the popular kids. She is not perfect, and she is learning to mend herself at the end, with her finally accepting that she may need help from a therapist. I found myself rooting for Bree thoughout the book, wanting her to triumph. And not with her book or finding out the secrets of the popular crowd. I wanted her to triumph in learning to love herself. I am so happy I decided to randomly buy this book. Excuse me while I go and read every book by Holly Bourne.

5/5 ( )

My niece gave me this book while I was on vacay in the Philippines. I cried when she gave it to me, yeah, the way to my heart is through a book, lol!

I have mixed feelings about the protagonist, she's the type of character you'd love to hate. Bree is an only child of wealthy parents, she's smart and pretty. Yes, her dad isn't home all the time because of his job, and her mom is a bit self-absorbed, but these issues aren't that bad and hopeless. Why then is Bree so resentful of her parents? Why does she hate her life so much? Why does she deliberately make herself unattractive? Then one day she decides to reinvent herself as material for her writing and chronicles it on a blog called The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting. Some of the choices she makes made me cringe, but as the story unfolds you get to understand why Bree is the way she is. She's clearly a troubled girl who needs help.

The story touches on real-life issues that teenagers (even adults) are facing, like bullying, self-harm, inappropriate relationships and the need for validation. Ultimately this is the story of a girl's journey to self-love and redemption.

I liked it and I'm keeping an eye out for more Holly Bourne books next time I visit a bookstore ( )

Easy to read book even though it took me 3 days to finish it (work issue). I give it 3 stars because I sometimes felt disconnected with the characters especially in the scenes between Bree and Logan. I just didn't find the supposedly "feelings" there. And Holdo deserves more pages. ( )