Customer Reviews

Perfectly Invisible: A Universally Misunderstood Novel (Perfectly Dateless)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Daisy Crispin is a journal writing teen on the verge of leaving high school behind, she just has three more months to get thru. She has a partial scholarship to Pepperdine University, and while her parents tell her they will help her with the rest it isn't a sure thing.Along with this she boyfriend trouble and her best friend Claire wants he to sell trings,(rings that fit on two fingers at once). Most of all though she feels invisible, how will things change for Daisy during her final months of high school?

Even though this is the second book in the Universally Misunderstood series it can easily be read as a stand alone work, I didn't read the first book and had no problems jumping right into this story. Teens on the verge of graduating from high school and all of the drama and angst that goes along with it. I think teen girls will certainly find someone to relate to in this story. Daisy's character was often laugh out loud funny, a quirky girl that I often felt was a bit of a drama queen. I did feel her parents were a bit strict and unreasonable at times.

While this book is geared toward teens I found it an enjoyable,quick read with a positive christian message woven in.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy Crispin is almost done with high school. Then she will finally be able to get away from her controlling parents and chase her college dreams. But the loss of her job throws a kink into her perfect plans. She'll never raise enough money for college without a job. And why is her sort-of boyfriend completely ignoring her? Does he like another girl? It had better not be her best friend, because that would be so wrong. As Daisy struggles to figure out how to achieve everything she's always wanted, she starts to wonder if all she ever wanted is all she thought it would be.

I'm so glad Kristin Billerbeck wrote a sequel to Perfectly Dateless! The characters in that book were wonderful, and now we get to spend more time with them. This book was fun, filled with one misunderstanding after another, lots of teenage angst, and lots of laughs. I loved how Daisy grew over the course of this book. These were two great books, and would make a wonderful gift for any teenage girl who loves to read.

With three months left in high school, Daisy Crispin knows she has little time if she hopes to permanently reverse her reputation as the school's social pariah. She has a partial scholarship to an elite university lined up and the interest of a handsome foreign exchange student. Life is look up - or did she speak too soon? Before Daisy can say "Class of 2011," her crush is ignoring her, her job falls victim to the recession, and her ultra-conservative, flaky parents squash her dreams of making university a reality (and move her into their garage). Her quest to be known is succeeding for all the wrong reasons in a spectacular fashion. Before the year ends, Daisy has some eye-opening lessons to learn on the subject of perception versus reality if she has any hope of a normal life post-high school.

Daisy's introduction in Perfectly Dateless was a fresh, funny, and authentic slice of teenage angst and drama shot through with solid truths. Her second adventure, while retaining much of Daisy's fresh, honest voice, gets bogged down by an increased dose of negativity and whininess. I love a healthy dose of snarky humor, but Daisy seems to have lost all the personal ground she gained in Dateless, instead reverting to levels of self-centeredness and self-pity that are more than a bit off-putting.

Despite my issues with Daisy's near-constant and unproductive moaning about her unfortunate lot in life, Perfectly Invisible isn't without its charms. The pacing and story flow are noticeably improved in comparison to its predecessor. Billerbeck maintains her gift for capturing a realistic, snarky-but-(generally) likeable teen voice. And while Daisy's parents are so ultra-conservative they unfortunately border too often on caricatures, when it comes to her teenage heroine Billerbeck is a master at balancing cultural relevance with genuine faith. One hopes that if we get to follow Daisy's adventures to college, some of the lessons she learns here stick.

Kristin Billerbeck perfectly captures the awkwardness of boys and high school in her newest book. Those are days that I don't wish to personally relive but it's fun to do so via characters in books. Daisy is one such character who is living out all those socially awkward times I used to have when I was a senior in high school. Though in her case, drama seems to follow her a lot more than the normal person has to experience.

I admit that there were several times throughout the book that I felt like a kid whose attention span keeps switching. I felt like the story lines kept jumping around and Daisy was going back from one thing to another. It wasn't confusing but it was overwhelming at times. I felt like all the different subplots could have been separate stories on their own. The whole situation with Claire's brother seemed very out of place to me in the story.

I really liked Daisy's grandparents as I felt they were level headed and more understanding than her actual parents. Daisy's father wasn't so bad in this book but I'm still not a fan of her mother. It's explained why she acts the way she does but it doesn't mean that I have to like her. I will admit that I can understand their uneasiness with Daisy hanging out with a 24 year old as she is only 17. I know that she feels like she can trust Gil but I personally feel odd about the whole relationship myself. I'm ok with him paying the cell phone bill since she had used it for work but I draw the line with her kissing him on the cheek. I will agree with her parents that right now, a close friendship with him is probably not the best situation to be in right now.

While this might not have been my personal favorite YA book, I still that a lot of teens will enjoy reading Daisy's story. However, I do not recommend reading this book unless you have read the first book in the series. There are many things mentioned in this book that come straight from the first book and missing out on that story will make you confused. I am hoping that there will be at least one more book in this series because I feel that the ending doesn't feel too wrapped up. I feel like there's still more up Daisy's sleeve and we need one more adventure from her.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first one in the series. I thought it was an okay Christian YA book. Somehow I ended up getting annoyed with the characters especially Daisy. This is the second book in the Universally Misunderstood series and I recommend reading them in order. I thought the title fit the book. The faith element is very light so mainstream readers might like them too. My favorite series by this author will probably always be the Ashley Stockingdale series. :)

Review copy provided by publisher.

Perfectly Invisible continues where Perfectly Dateless left off with more of the sometimes funny and often heartrending misadventures of Daisy Crispin. Daisy is a scholarship student (call her a nerd - she does) at an exclusive private school and no matter how hard she tries, she is still mistreated by the "in" girls. Could it be the obviously home sewn clothes or the weird costumes her extremely conservative father wears for his unconventional job?

As her senior year winds to a close, Daisy has met her previous goal of finding a date to the prom (that's an entire other story - see Perfectly Dateless). With graduation and a partial scholarship in sight, she suddenly finds herself surrounded by problems and can't seem to do anything right. It doesn't help that her former crush suddenly becomes interested and the guy she likes doesn't seem to know she's alive. A surprising exhibit at school perpetrated by someone who just wants to help brings Daisy more unwanted attention. With help like that, who needs enemies?

Although I am not in the target audience for Billerbeck's Universally Misunderstood Novels, I have found them delightful. Daisy and her friends seem to be perfectly normal teens. Although they find themselves in some pretty unusual situations, everything fits into the realm of believability. I liked the way some of Daisy's friends spoke into her life by pointing out that sometimes life is just not fair and that maybe Daisy was actually the person with an attitude. A few surprising twists and misunderstandings work out for the best at the end.

Perfectly Invisible is another great book by Kristen Billerbeck for teen girls. It is a lot of fun and teens should be able to identify with some of the characters. They might also learn something valuable while reading it. I heartily recommend this book.

This book was provided for review by

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Perfectly Invisible by Kristin Billerbeck is a wonderful teen fiction novel that you don't have to be a teenager to enjoy! This is fun for the young or just young at heart.

This is book two in this series. Book one is Perfectly Dateless and if you've read it, then I know you don't want to miss another adventure with Daisy Crispin! You could easily read this book as a stand alone, but I have enjoyed following Daisy's whole story and getting to know her and her family and friends.

Daisy is a student at a very prominent private school, but she is not there because her parents are rich! She is there on scholarship, and she is usually forced to wear clothes that are homemade by her mother. Her parents are very quirky and unusual, but they want Daisy to grow up with proper values and not have things handed to her. Daisy is often told that she is an "old soul". She's smart and often wiser than her years.

I VERY highly recommend this book. Kristin is a favorite author of mine. I love her sense of humor! Both of these books in this series are often laugh-out-loud hilarious. Daisy is a character that I think most teenage girls could relate to and would love. I certainly love her! In both of these books, Daisy has to deal with real life issues and she holds onto her values. I thoroughly enjoyed this second adventure with Daisy, and Kristin Billerbeck remains one of my favorite Christian fiction authors!

Daisy Crispin is now in her final semester of high school and now, instead of stressing over who to date for the prom, she has other drama in her life. Max, who danced an amazingly wonderful tango with her at the prom is no longer speaking to her, let alone looking at her. Worse, Daisy's best friend, Claire, is forcing Daisy to sell trings (to hold fingers in Spock's position--Star Trek) and seems to be chasing after Max for herself--and bragging to Daisy that she'll get to kiss Max in the school play.

Daisy has about enough of Claire and almost decides to avoid her, but then Claire discovers a half-brother she never knew existed and she wants Daisy by her side. Daisy can't avoid Claire in her time of need (never mind that Claire has ditched Daisy time and again) so she goes.

As things progress from bad to worse, Daisy wonders if she'll survive the drama long enough to graduate. She can't wait to get out of there and go to college. But then even that seems lost...

PERFECTLY INVISIBLE is the second book in Ms. Billerbeck's A Universally Misunderstood series, and it follows the same character as Perfectly Dateless, the first book in the series. Daisy is sarcastic and funny, and her life has drama enough to give those of us with calm lives a headache.

I was a little confused how someone who wasn't allowed to watch TV could know so much about television shows--maybe from listening to friends talk, I wasn't sure. And there were a few other things that didn't make much sense to me. I had to ask a friend what something was, as I never heard of it before. But all in all, this is a good book. It held my attention all the way through - except the diary entries. They seemed over the top in most cases. I'm giving it 4.5 stars.

Daisy's back and working on a perfect woman journal. Now, we know she's not going to achieve perfection, but it's certainly fun to watch her try.

Daisy's senior year of high school is filled with one disaster after another. We saw the beginnings of this in Perfectly Dateless. It continues. The harder she tries to keep her life under control, the more interesting it becomes.

I certainly would like to continue on with Daisy's adventures, so here's hoping there will be another book showcasing Daisy and her friend Claire. I can see this book leading into that.

BTW You might need a tissue or two at the end of the book.

Perfectly Invisible is an amazing book. Kristin Billerbeck took everyday situations, such as mean girls and over-protective parents, and dramatized them a little to create a gripping read. From a car on the school roof to her best friend kissing her boyfriend, Daisy Crispin struggles through her final year of high school and manages to find herself, and her humility, in the process. This book kept me reading all day and I couldn't put it down. I was very sad when I finished the last page but very content with how Billerbeck created so many plot twists and still managed to finish the book up without leaving any gaps in plot. This is a must read for teenage girls everywhere!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my daughter's own opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."