The Forgotten Sole (Local Sole Book 1)

Maybe Mariko Tamaki just does better with fewer words, because her graphic novels all hit me in the gut with their insights, experiences, and character growth, while this one just left me wondering why I finished it. Mar 28, First Second Books added it Shelves: One of the things I thought was cool about this book was that the title character, Montgomery Sole, was really angry.

And she was angry about mostly a lot of logical things to be angry about though some were slight misapprehensions , and at the end, she didn't learn some sort of moral lesson about how to be kind and forgiving in her heart -- because there are some things it's pretty okay to be angry about.

I think that's pretty great. Nov 08, Jamie Books and Ladders rated it really liked it Shelves: I thought Monty was a really great character and super relatable. I really liked that she had a diverse friend group and that we got to see from her perspective all the things that were affecting them - slurs, people in general, religion, etc.

I did, however, think that this was way too short. I wanted there to be a bit more development of the Eye and the Reverend -- or to delete one of those plot points. I felt like neither was given the right amount of attention and space to come to fruition and because of this they both fell flat. I loved reading about them and their emotions became my emotions. I was laughing and crying with this one and could really get a feel for what the characters were thinking and why they were acting a certain way.

I thought it was great to have Monty be the lead for this reason tbh. I would have liked much more of Naoki though as well! I think she is a really interesting character and we just scraped the surface of her character spin-off? I really liked the character growth in this one and how that evolved but I think more time and therefore more pages in this one would have really helped. Read this as part of the ReadProud Challenge. Apr 29, Rashika is tired rated it really liked it Shelves: All of this creates a really interesting dynamic between the reader and the main character.

Saving Montgomery Sole is a heartwarming novel and made especially so by all the adorable relationships. Montgomery Sole's family is the actual cutest and so realistic. Her two moms are the best and I love the time Tamaki spends giving us their morning rituals to help us better understand how they all function as a family. From one mom running around helping the younger sister find her sock to the other mom yelling at them to get in the car.

Linda Sole

They fight and disagree more often than not and I really enjoyed that. Also Montgomery had some awesome-sauce friends who were the bomb. One of my favorite things about this book was the way it explored religion. Montgomery Sole has a very complicated relationship with religion and is, to a certain extent, frightened of it. Basically important discussions are had which is awesomesauce.

Montgomery can be different but there was shaming involved which made me uncomfortable. Overall though, this is definitely a book worth reading and I would recommend it. Note that I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review May 22, Linnea rated it liked it Shelves: I did enjoy this book because I think it tackled a teenager tantrum in a realistic way, but part of me was also disappointed that some of the rhetoric was that Montgomery is "not that kind of girl" compared to the other teenagers in the book. And I get it, because I felt like an outcast when I was in high school because of my looks or my hobbies or my interests.

And I know that sometimes, teenagers are just flat out mean. So maybe there isn't really a way around it if your protagonist is not a t I did enjoy this book because I think it tackled a teenager tantrum in a realistic way, but part of me was also disappointed that some of the rhetoric was that Montgomery is "not that kind of girl" compared to the other teenagers in the book. So maybe there isn't really a way around it if your protagonist is not a total jerk but happens to know people who are total jerks. So, how do you write a book that shows a teenage girl's dissatisfaction with the behaviors of not-so-nice people?

It's kind of a conundrum in my opinion and while I think Mariko Tamaki did a pretty good job, there were still moments when I thought UGH please don't get into this territory! So I don't know. I'm on the fence about all that. I'm sure that there are teenage girls out there who wear make-up or fashion trends and who AREN'T total jerks. But there just weren't any characters like that in this book.

But maybe Tamaki has those characters in there to exist as a trope? Is it a commentary on other YA books that feature such static characters?

Maybe I'm reading too much into it? The voice of Montgomery is a little childish at first, but about halfway through the book, it's like she's aged a couple years she's supposed to be 16, but honestly, the first half of the book reads like she's closer to 13, which is only a few years but still It's a fairly enjoyable read that deals with issues of angst, growing up, letting go, and trying to be a better person.

And the cover art is beautiful! And if you're into a full sensory experience when you read, the hardback book just feels so nice in your hands when you read it. It's a good shape for reading, if that makes any sense. I want to give this 4 stars, but I think I have to settle with 3. May 20, Kelly added it Shelves: This was really underwhelming and I felt Montgomery's voice was middle grade, not 16 at all.

Aug 25, Faith Hicks rated it it was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful look at the clash between queer families and fundamentalist Christianity. That part made me tear up a bit. Mariko Tamaki is a treasure. Jul 17, Megan rated it it was ok Shelves: At first I started reading this and thinking that Montgomery Sole was intentionally supposed to be unlikable and petty and insufferable.

After finishing, I'm not so sure. We were definitely supposed to see her go on an arc and grow, but I'm not sure she realized just how much of a dick she was being throughout the entirety of the book. Montgomery Sole is a year-old girl living in Aunty, California, which as far as I can tell, is not a real city. The city is sort of ill-defined. We don't exactl At first I started reading this and thinking that Montgomery Sole was intentionally supposed to be unlikable and petty and insufferable.

We don't exactly know how big it is or where it's supposed to be in the state, but there are a lot of people there who like yoga and flip flops and suntans, and Montgomery hates them all, every last one of them. Montgomery hates popular kids, the "cool girls" and whatnot, and while there are most certainly instances in the book where we see examples of just how awful these people are, it's kind of stuffed in the last chunk of the book and so the entire first part of the book seems like Montgomery is just being super judgy and thinking of herself as a special snowflake that is Different and therefore more interesting.

For instance, Monty keeps an ongoing itemized list throughout the book of things she finds neat next to smiley faces, and things she finds inexplicable and doesn't ever want to understand next to sad faces. Examples of smiley faces: There are problematic ones on both sides. The fact that Montgomery thinks albino people might have "special powers" is just ridiculous and not quirky or cute at all. It's actually pretty fucked up, considering if you google that phrase at all, the first several items are news stories about people with albinism being persecuted, hunted, and butchered because other people think they have these special powers.

This is not explored AT ALL, it's literally just listed after Montgomery hears other people gossiping and saying another character looks like an albino. On the other list, Montgomery mentions people's obsession with getting rid of all body hair. I'm all for body hair positivity, but Montgomery misses some crucial nuance in these discussions.

Anyway, almost none of these complaints have much to do with the actual Plot of the book, which is slow to appear. The book jacket says "When Montgomery wears the Eye of Know, strange things happen, all targeted at people she despises. We slog through 93 pages of, well There's also this subplot happening where Montgomery is really pissed off about a homophobic preacher coming to live in her town hanging up these signs all over the place. She feels targeted from the outset of the book because someone glues a cross to her locker and she has two moms.

This plot also drags on. The preacher has a kid in school who Montgomery also hates even though she's never spoken 2 words to him. She assumes he is also homophobic, but lo and behold, he's not. But she doesn't find out until after she screams at him for being homophobic. The strengths of this book are the few and far between scenes where we actually delve into the hatefulness that Montgomery has experienced, such as girls at a soccer game who see her moms kiss and make snide jokes about them being dykes and how they "might rape them," or Montgomery's own grandparents, who tell her that Jo isn't her real mother and all children need a father, or a boy she likes pressuring her to become sexual in their first semi-private encounter then flipping out on her and calling her slurs for refusing his advances then going on to tell his buddies that she was a slut that begged him to have sex with her.

These are painful scenes, but the most realistic and mature. It might be the only time in the book that the dialogue feels real although you're sad to say so. My disappointment with the book mostly stems from Montgomery realizing that she shouldn't have judged the preacher's son so soon without knowing anything about him, and having a good talk with her moms about how it's okay to be sad and stressed out sometimes and it's good to talk about it with people she trusts, but not realizing that a lot of her other behavior was pretty petty and mean and didn't make her any better than the people she hated.

Maybe the reader is supposed to get it her best friend does say she's becoming sort of like a villain when she's going around wielding the power to physically hurt people she doesn't like but the book feels very on-the-surface. It's too scattered; you get one present day Mystery Club scene and that's it. Very short scenes of her interacting with her family. Two scenes with her friend from the froyo place.

Mostly it's just internal, judgey monologue, and everyone seems sort of like a stereotype, not too complex and not too interesting. I will probably not read Mariko Tamaki again. I'm a little surprised the book's overall rating is as high as it is, or that my favorite author gave an awesome blurb on the back of the book to recommend it.

Dec 18, Mrs. Reed rated it liked it Shelves: When I read YA books, I of course try to think of not only my reaction as an adult, but how I would have felt about it as a teenager and how the teenagers I know would feel about it. In this book's case, I just couldn't separate my opinions from how I would have felt about it and how "most" teens would feel about it. I think that this would have been a great book for me to have read as a teenager, because I think that our protagonist, Montgomery, is g I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

I think that this would have been a great book for me to have read as a teenager, because I think that our protagonist, Montgomery, is guilty of what I really didn't understand at her age. The book takes us through her journey of knowing that she's an outsider and resenting anyone who is an insider; of knowing she's going to be judged and feeling really angry and helpless about it--to the extent of not letting anyone "in.

I think that teenagers who also feel this way will not only love this book, but hopefully learn to open themselves up a bit through reading it. Montgomery herself has lesbian parents, but I think that any kid who feels like an outsider could relate to her situation.

She has learned to be very defensive, largely through dressing differently from everyone else. I thought that the attention given to her clothes was really interesting. Looking back on my own young adulthood, I know that I used dressing differently as a way to show that I felt differently and though differently--and obviously, that's something that a lot of kids do. That said, this definitely isn't a book that I would read with a whole class, or even with a book group.

Instead, it's the kind of book that I would have a copy or two of hidden in my closet until I could be sure I knew its perfect reader. It's definitely not the kind of book to use to hook the reluctant readers. Instead, it's a nice treat for the intellectual outsiders who can handle its rather slow-moving plot.

As an adult reader, I realized pretty quickly that Kenneth wasn't going to be a clone of his dad and that Montgomery was going to have to learn to judge him by who he was and not who his dad is. I bet that most teenagers will figure that out, too. I think that it's okay that this big part of the storyline is so predictable to the reader, because it makes it that much more interesting to watch Montgomery as she struggles to learn it for herself. I think the running allusions to The Outsiders would make a really fun essay for some high school student at some point.

Montgomery is reading it in school and then the kids are putting on the play. There are some provocative moments when all the popular boys are drafted into becoming "outsiders," and a fun moment when the kids don't take off their costumes. There's that clothing motif again! Mar 20, Laura rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a smart, funny, sad, frustrating, and cool book. It started off a little slow, and then picked up speed from there. I wavered between 3 stars and 4 for the slow beginning, but settled on 4 for how it picked up as it went along.

The story follows a typical teenager, who has two moms and a little sister and is living in a small town somewhere in California. White comes to town, and wants to get rid of people like Montgomery Sole's family. And she purchases the Eye of Knowing off the internet, which appears to have magical powers. And knowing more than that would give the whole story away. I liked how the dialogue felt like something that teenagers would say, especially when she is talking with her moms. There aren't enough stories about everyday lives of children of same sex couples.

My only complaint is that there is nothing that makes it clear where in California this small town is supposed to be. The only hint that it might be in Southern California is that she talks about wearing sandals and that they go out to the desert at some point. Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. Admittedly this book had to grow on me as in the first sections the age of the main character's voice confused me.

I still feel like the first chapters were a bit off in that way; it just really did not feel like Monty was But after that it felt settled into a young YA and was a lovely realistic story of a girl with gay moms and a gay friend and sexist boys at school and feeling angry for lots of legit reasons about hate and discrimination. The book doesn't try to solve any problems or prese Admittedly this book had to grow on me as in the first sections the age of the main character's voice confused me.

The book doesn't try to solve any problems or present easy answers, but it does show that people are more complex than you might think and suggests that you should give people the benefit of the doubt. I would definitely recommend this for younger teens. It tackles a lot of tough issues but not in an issues book way and it's also very funny with some amazingly spot-on authentic teen dialogue which I'm pretty sure is Tamaki's superpower.

See my full review here. Mar 28, Raina rated it really liked it Shelves: Montgomery Sole has found her comfort zone. She's always felt like an outsider, as the only person in her small town with two moms, but she has found two people who get her. And they've even started a club at their school! The Mystery Club, they call it. Where they investigate unexplained phenomena - basically just hang out, watching movies and geeking out over stuff they find fascinating.

Then, a notorious evangelist moves into town.

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And some people seem to be picking up what he's putting down. And his son is coming to Montgomery's high school! Montgomery prepares to be targeted. I ripped through this on a cross-country flight. I love Tamaki I'm uberproud she follows my Instagram , so look for everything she publishes.

This book is complex, incorporating lots of elements. I took this out to local middle schools in I wish the cover was a little more punchy or evocative of some of the plot elements. Other than that, fantastic.

May 23, Misty rated it really liked it Shelves: Don't know if I would have liked this as much if it wasn't on audio, but as my current gardening listen, it kept me outside with my hands in the dirt long enough to get a little sunburned, so it did its job. Full thoughts to come. May 29, Magen rated it really liked it Shelves: Yes, it's a bit unrealistic and oversimplified. It's rare that things come together so neatly. And I was disappointed that the critical pieces of Montgomery's history were revealed so slowly. You shouldn't let yourself be ordered around and oppressed by your partner.

Uses honesty and words as a way to bully his partner emotionally into feeling less self-assured and more dependent and willing to please. Believe me, I know the type. The book took it pretty mildly, but the signs were all there. For a satisfying life, you need to find balance between your duties, your friends, your love life and, most importantly, alone time. It's super healthy to learn how to be alone, to make the most of it, to love being with yourself and discovering more about yourself each time. Baca buku ini karena disodorin temen.

D Trus, ya udah, coba baca. Tapi cuman global doang, sih. Tentang empat cewek yang sobatan. Trus, mereka berempat ini saling mendukung satu sama lain. Termasuk masalah kisah cinta. Dibanding ketiga sahabatnya, cuma Lucy-lah yang jomblo. Setelah sebelumnya bermaksud pengen balik lagi ama Tonny, kakak Nesta, cowok yang cakep banget. Cuma ternyata, pas udah mau nembak Tonny, ternyata Lucy baru Baca buku ini karena disodorin temen. Cuma ternyata, pas udah mau nembak Tonny, ternyata Lucy baru tahu kalo Tonny udah punya cewek.

Lalu, di saat ketiga sahabatnya menghabiskan waktu liburan bersama pacar masing-masing, ibu Lucy malah mendaftarkan Lucy untuk bergabung dengan ayahnya di semacam kamp natural gitu, deh. Semacam program kembali ke alam, untuk mengembalikan semua energi positif ke dalam tubuh. Sebenernya, sih, banyak yang kejadian lucu selama di acara program ini. Trus gimana Lucy akhirnya ketemu cowok yang nyaris sempurna di sana. Humm, kalo seandainya saya belum baca The Lonely Hearts Club , mungkin saya nggak akan ngeliat kemiripan dari beberapa ceritanya.

Tapi, untuk alasan ini, saya jadi kepaksa kasih dua. Meski saya mungkin unfair, karena saya sendiri ga tau mana yang terbit duluan atau ada maksud mereka mencontek. Eh, saya nggak tahu kalo ternyata ini serial. Belum nemu buku lainnya. Baru nemu buku pertamanya.

D Tapi buat bacaan ringan, buku ini lumayan banget, kok: Aug 26, Amanda Yeargin added it Shelves: This book was about all of them getting out of school, ready for the summer and dealing with boyfriends. Since everybody has a boyfriend except Lucy, she feels left out. Nesta has Simon, T. So all her mates have a mission. Get Lucy a Boyfriend. Soon they realize they just can't find anybody. But when she goes on a relaxation trip with her dad and izzie and her mom. Izzie is digging it but lucy isn't. But then she meets Daniel and is like finally we found someone.

But is having a boyfriend that is hovering a lot that awesome. One connection i have is a text-to-world. Sometimes girls can have hovering boyfriends just like Lucy did. As in the book it says either be a goddess or a doormat. Goddessis like making the shots and the doormat is being walked on, being controled. And lucy was a doormat. To me i think thi swhole series deserves a 5.

Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki

I picked 5 stars because the way it relates in the real world is soo cool. Like when they get up to the part where problems begin then you don't wanna put the book down. I also like that it is in Britian. Sep 10, Cooper rated it it was amazing. Delightful, charming, cute YA novel featuring Lucy and her three good friends. This is the first in the series that I read and ended up enjoying reading about Lucy and her pals summer and remembering what it was like at that age to have ones heart broken.

I admire Lucy and loved how she didn't need to define herself by whether she had a boyfriend or not. When she was kind of dumped, she looked at her options for the summer holiday including finding another boy and decided that she wanted to fi Delightful, charming, cute YA novel featuring Lucy and her three good friends.

When she was kind of dumped, she looked at her options for the summer holiday including finding another boy and decided that she wanted to find an interesting alternative. She didn't need a boy to be happy. My favorite part was probably when Lucy went to the retreat with her father. The thought of having to massage a complete stranger's feet just creeped me out and I laughed with Lucy and her father were making the most of it but not really having the best of times.

The characters reminded me of my childhood friends and the fun-filled summers we had. I'm glad that she writes Lucy and her friends as strong young women who are interesting in their own right and who want to enjoy their summer vacation. Can't wait to read another in the series. Jan 21, Julia rated it liked it. The Mates, Dates books are great in general!

I read this one and really liked it! They are very teen novels particually for the older teen but they are filled with lots crushes with boys, things with friends and lots more! It tells about 4 friends living in London even though a few words are British such as the bathroom is loo in England, the only majorly used word that is not used in America that I could find is snog which means kiss. One of the the down sides to these books are that each b The Mates, Dates books are great in general! One of the the down sides to these books are that each book is told by a different friend and it gets confusing.

Also it seems to only appeal to a certain audience as most teen books do. These books, however, aren't the best books for a younger teen such as a 12 or 13 year-old. Even though the girls in the are 14 the seem to act older and could pass for 16 or Don't worry though, these books in my opinion may only appeal to older teens, but they do not have references of sex all the time such as the series Gossip Girl.

These books are great and I would recommend them, but only to a certain kind of person. I give this book 3 stars. Dec 04, Felicia rated it really liked it. I had a long bus trip and grabbed a couple of the series from a local bookstore. I had no idea they were part of a huge series.

Over the years I had forgotten the names of the books but every now and then would try to find them. I finally found them this year from a Goodreads list. I really enjoyed this series. I think the main reason is because the books were released in and the girls are I was 13 in so can co 3. I was 13 in so can connect with a lot of the pop culture aspects mentioned throughout the series.

Even though the series is based in England I still feel a sense of nostalgia while reading it. I really love the girls and their friendship. I never had a close knit group of friends like this when I was younger so I liked reading about it. They are a bit too boy crazy for my liking but I really did love this series. Aug 19, Kulsum rated it it was amazing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is about a girl called Lucy who doesn't have a boyfriend. A boy called Tony has been begging her to date him for nine whole months but she said no. It was going to be the summer holidays, so she thought why not and wanted to finally go out with Tony.

Instead of telling Tony in person she thought of sending a letter instead. But later that day Tony said to Lucy I am going to move on because clearly you have no feelings for me and well our relationship did not even started. Soon her friends found out and were trying to find Lucy a date so she could have some fun and get over Tony. She meets a guy called Daniel who pampers her, and gets her teddies and flowers etc. Her friends thought Daniel was full of himself.

He always talked about himself and stopped her from seeing Tony because he thought they were flirting with each other. Lucy broke up with her boyfriend. Feb 09, Patricia rated it it was amazing Shelves: Nesta, Izzie, and Lucy are the main characters. It is in London. There was in internal conflict with Lucy. This book is basically how Lucy was going to try to make it official with Tony. When that didnt work out she was on a search for the right guy for herself. Text to self connection. Lucy was pretty much in love with Tony. But something went wrong between them. She still totally liked him and was having a very hard time getting over him.

I could connect to this because in 6th grade I really Nesta, Izzie, and Lucy are the main characters. I could connect to this because in 6th grade I really, really liked this guy, but since I was moving it wasnt going to work out. It took me a while to get over him. I gave this book 5 stars. This book is basically the story of my life. I could connect to this book in so many ways. Jun 26, Ethar rated it it was amazing. A book that will drive you way far from boredom. Lucy, who was fearing relationships finally stands up and decides to put things straight between her and Tony.

But when she starts to feel everything is gonna be perfect Tony lets her down. Sep 19, Lucy rated it liked it Shelves: The main character is Lucy! Lucy later met Daniel. Feb 26, Miss rated it liked it. Lucy finally gets the guts to tell Tony that she likes him and wants to date in a note.

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Tony has gotten sick of waiting though and tells her he wants to move on to other girls. Lucy heartbroken goes home and tells her friends including Nesta Tony's little sister. She tells Nesta to get the note she left for Tony out of the mailbox, but it's too late and Tony has already got a hold of the letter and read it. Lucy decides to focus on herself and dating other people. She meets Daniel whose sweet an Lucy finally gets the guts to tell Tony that she likes him and wants to date in a note.

She meets Daniel whose sweet and affectionate, but smothers her with his affection.

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Daniel becomes controlling and Lucy realizes it before she gets in too deep and ends their relationship. May 21, Samantha rated it it was amazing. Oh how I loved this one! I've made Lucy's mistake before. I sympathized with her. If Hopkins is good at anything, she's good at creating characters that are relatable I love Georgia Nicolson, but she's completely and totally unrelatable - impossible lifestyle! I've mentioned in other reviews about the life lessons she teaches, in this book they're a bit more in your face than usual. Though I applaud Nesta and Izzie for keeping their mouths shut and letting Lucy realize her mistake on her own; Oh how I loved this one!

Though I applaud Nesta and Izzie for keeping their mouths shut and letting Lucy realize her mistake on her own; that's what a real friend does otherwise they're acting pretty much like Daniel! I love this series, deffo recommend! Jan 21, Anjola Thomas rated it liked it.

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This is another book of the series I have read and I liked this one but not a smuch as the others. In this book all the friends have a love interest except for Lucy. Lucy breaks it off with her friend's brother and meets another boy. But, as everything starts to go good, Lucy's new love interest starts to try and change her and becomes controlling.

So, this book is mainly on the "stay true to yourself" theme and to not let a boy control you or ruin your friendships. I recommend this book for gir This is another book of the series I have read and I liked this one but not a smuch as the others. Other than that I had a great time reading this book.

Apr 21, Suki rated it really liked it. Well this was one of my favorites, too. I am really excited to read all of Cathy Hopkins's books.