Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Review: The Jelly Bean Crisis by Jolene Stockman



And I really want to want this. But this is my life, my whole life. And it’s more than just success, you know? I want to be happy.

Poppy Johnson is the kind of girl who has her life mapped out. For her, it was simple. She was born to be on Wall Street, and the first step to be an investment banker is by studying at Columbia. She has jelly bean theory to help her reaching her dream. Eat the yucky green jelly bean first, because then the delicious red ones would taste more amazing. Poppy applies the theory to everything in her life. School is her green jelly bean, and it’s the hard work that she has to do before getting the life that she really wants. But after standing so close to the gate of her dream, Poppy starts to freak out. Is it really her dream to become an investment banker? What if her jelly bean theory has been wrong all this time?

The Jelly Bean Crisis exceeded my expectation. I went to this book with something adorable and sweet in my mind, but this book blew me away with the inspiring message behind and the mature yet relatable main character. Poppy is a great character I adore. She reminded me of people I know in real life (aka me), and I’m sure that every teenager can identify themselves with Sophie. Who doesn’t feel scary about the future? When you are sixteen, it seems like every little turn you take can bring your life into a whole different direction.

I think Poppy had to relax because after all, she’s only sixteen. It’s okay to make mistakes and have doubts in mind. She’s still young and it’s her life anyway to spend in any way she wants. Although I completely understand Poppy’s parents worry and her teachers’ reaction to her, I’m glad that Poppy still insists to take time to find her passion in life. In the end, she reaches a conclusion and I felt happy for her.

The Jelly Bean Crisis is the book that I would recommend to any teenager because Poppy sets a good example about finding what you really want to do in life. It’s enticing, sweet, and brilliant, and when you realize, you would find yourself cheering for Poppy in her short journey about finding her true passion in life.

Turns out the Jelly Bean Theory worked on a lot of things. I started brushing my teeth before letting myself read at night, I would finish my homework before watching TV. The theory has worked for home, and for school… but now, standing at the podium, I can’t see how it’s worked for me.


I rate this book: 
Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Enormous thanks for ATOMR Book Blog Tours and Jolene Stockman for providing me the review copy! You can check out the full schedule for the tour here. :)

13 comments:

  1. Lovely review, Hilda! Poppy sounds like a very relatable character for me, especially if we went back a few years ago. I'm pretty certain I will like this book. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  2. This one looks like such a cute yet deep read! It seems like the main character is definitely super relatable, and that's so important for me in books! I love being able to connect with a main character. =) I'll definitely have to pick this one up now, Hilda! Thanks for the fabulous review! <3

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  3. Yay, yet another amazing review for this novel! I've already heard so many good things about it, so I know I just have to get my hands on it ASAP! I'm so glad you were able to connect well to the character of Poppy and the fact that it was a lot deeper than you anticipated is wonderful! Fantastic review, Hilda! :)

    ~Keertana
    Ivy Book Bindings

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  4. This story deals with a difficult time we all seem to go through. Glad you enjoyed this one Hilda and wonderful review. :)

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  5. The future IS very scary. There's so much that could go wrong, and everything looks so hard! I think I've applied the Jellybean Theory to parts of my life; for example when eating food. Like Poppy, I eat my least favourite first and save the best until last. (:

    Poppy sounds like such a wonderful character, I love how you describe her! And she sounds like, as you mentioned, somebody that all readers can relate to.

    Thank you for providing me with a lovely review to read, Hilda!(:

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  6. Amazing review Hilda!!!!! I feel The Jelly Bean Crisis sounds like the perfect book to read because I, and everyone else in the world, have to live without knowing for sure what to do in the future and always try to do the tough things first so we can relax and read/listen to music/play some sport/etc.
    The quote's you choice are utterly epic. I like how real and memorable this book sounds. Poppy sounds like a perfect character to learn from. Can't wait to read this book!!!!

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  7. Awesome review, Hilda! At first, because of the cover i actually thought it was going to rain jelly beans, but, hey! A girl can dream. However, i also think that the jelly bean process that Poppy has is true. I think that everyone somehow thinks about their future like this in some point of their life, even me. I think it sounds fantastic so i'm looking forward to this! :)

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  8. Great review, Hilds! I'm glad you enjoyed this and were able to relate to Poppy, I think almost all teens could understand and sympathise with her situation!

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  9. I've seen 2 reviews for this book today and both have been positive ones. Like you, I expected a cutesy type of story. I'm glad to hear that it's so much more than that. I think I might even connect with Poppy because I'm the kind of person who really thinks hard about the future. Poppy sounds really great!
    I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed the book! :)
    Great review, Hilda. :)

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  10. I just love the cover of this one! And Poppy sounds like a lovely and very likable character. I'm glad this wasn't just some fluffy, cutesy read but something that has inspiring messages and lessons. I'm glad you enjoyed this, Hilda! Brilliant review! :)

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  11. I love the title of this book, and the cover is really cute! I'm glad to hear there was an inspiring message in there too and it wasn't all cutesy. I love books that are inspiring! I also like when the main character is so likable, and easy to relate to. I feel like I dislike more main characters than like them =/

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  12. Oh my goodness I am in LOVE with the cover of this book! I would read it just for that cover, but I'm so glad to hear it was an awesome read!
    Fabulous review Hilda! I'm definitely going to have to go pick up this book soon! :)

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  13. I expected cutesy too and it was so much more! And SO relatable. I was totally with Poppy throughout as well! Lovely review, Hilda :D

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