Member Reviews

I really liked the sound of this, but I just don't think the combination of wealthy, social-media obsessed girl combined with rural Ireland quite worked for me.

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Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

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A lovely lighthearted summer read, perfect for on the beach or by the pool. Very likeable characters and a great Young Adult Romance.

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Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

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I unfortunately didn’t place a review on my platforms for this as the story and characters didn’t connect with me. I enjoyed the setting and learning about the characters life but the story just didn’t flow for me enjoy to enjoy it or recommend.

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

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If you're looking for a gooey YA romance and don't really care about much else then this is the book for you. With some pretty average characters at the helm, the great writing holds the story together to give you a sweet love story with all those summer feels.

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I like that this was set in Ireland I've never read a book set in Ireland before and it was interesting. This was an easy read though I didn't like how it was executed, the writing and plot was okay but the main characters romance was mostly cringey though I couldn't help rooting for them a little.

I like the fact that social media was involved as not many books with teenagers and the fact that the main character Emerald decides to have a social media hiatus after having a bad time.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request for a free digital copy in exchange for a review.

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Honestly? This book wasn't for me. At all. I did kind of expect that based on the synopsis and even the cover, but decided to finally read this because it's been on my TBR for months, and my Netgalley ratio is shit at the moment (57% sob). Emerald and [I've already forgotten the guy's name] were cute enough, and I guess I did appreciate the lack of darkness in comparison to the other book I'm currently reading (IT by Stephen King), however so many things just didn't do it for me.
There was absolutely no plot, which I can sometimes deal with in contemporary/fluffy books, but only when I really love the characters and I really did not. Emerald was self-absorbed, bratty and a very annoying person, and the guy was boring as hell.

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I'm very very late with this review. I read the book in the height of summer, which is the perfect time to read it (or maybe now would be the perfect time to read it if the winter cold is making you long for summer again). Either way, here is my short and tardy review...

No Filter is dually narrated by Liam and Emerald over one summer when they meet and fall in love. However, it's much more than a generic love story. It deals with issues such as mental health and suicide, social media, bullying, bankruptcy, complex family relationships. There are lies to be unravelled and secrets to be uncovered.

One of my favourite aspects of the book was the portrayal of teenagers as actual teenagers. They do stupid teenage things without the emphasis being on negative consequences and the book becoming preachy as a result.

I loved the setting of the book. In fact, the reason why I chose this book in the first place was the Irish setting and the author's ties to Ireland. It's always nice to read a young adult novel set closer to home.

Overall, I enjoyed reading No Filter. It might not be for the more cynical among you, but it's definitely worth a read!

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

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This was an easy read, easy to fall into the story and easy to like the characters. It didn't require any effort to be whisked away to a summertime romance and swoon slightly over an Irish songwriting guitar playing character.
For me, this is the type of book to read when I don't want to think about anything and when I want a happy ending. And this really was a happy ending that turned me into a puddle of swoony slush!

Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for my review copy.

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There's no star rating for this book because I didn't finish it. I picked it up and put it down again about a dozen times until, at 30%+ I'd had enough.
I do like my fiction to be fictional, and pardon me for wanting my protagonist to be likeable, but from the very beginning we had a girl who was so pathetic I was put off completely. Winge, whine, woe-is-me, I'm hiding in my room because I'm so annoyed at everyone - that's our heroine.
Then we had our hero who is Irish and boy was that ramed down our throats. Love the accent, love colloquialisms but please, for the love of the reader, use sparingly. It made it hard to read and quickly became annoying.
Emerald is friends with a group of pretty, entitled bullies who begin to bully her online. There is a lot of online stuff and the 'no filter' refers to her online presence. None of it was okay, but her attitude just made me groan. We all have flaws, but we need some redeeming qualities in our heroine. While I don't expect a cinderellesque shining jewel hidden under ashes, there has to something to make me root for her.

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Emerald, our female protagonist is likeable yet somewhat troubled. She's forever checking her social media accounts and lusting over those sometimes-elusive 'likes' 'hearts' or 'shares'. My prior experience of novels that try to emulate the social media age is wholly negative, but this is one of the rare books that actually manages to be 'social media savvy' without being boring or try-hard. Both protagonists are well-rounded, and I think Collins has done a fabulous job of writing in two distinct voices (which is hard to do right!).

Overall, I'd describe this novel as a 'modern day Romeo and Juliet', which I understand is a little cliche, but to be honest, that's exactly how I'd describe this wonderful book. The plot is deep, occasionally heart-wrenching and is populated with well-thought out characters and conflict. Loved it!

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<i>No Filter</i> had a joy to it that transported me back to a summer of being 17 and in love. Em and Liam have a tantalising chemistry that sears the pages and you're desperately rooting for this couple to get their act together! I really liked the portrayal of Em's relationship with her parents and I found her grandmother particularly endearing.
My favourite takeaway from this book though has to be Liam's observation of Em; <i>The more time I spend with Em, the more I reckon she's a swan: unruffled above, but paddling like a mad yoke beneath.</i> 'Cause I reckon we're all swans, really.

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As hard as I tried I just could not get into this book, I found the language too hard to understand (the Irish slang made no sense to an Australian girl like myself!) and found it switched characters too frequently. I couldn't grasp the storyline at all and after reading a third of it gave up (I put it down intending to read it again but didn't). I am sure this would appeal to many people but it wasn't the book for me.

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I have completely fallen in love with book and everyone who lives in it , I think I've found myself a new book boyfriend in Liam it was just overwhelmingly beautiful
A massive 4 star read perfect for your summer holidays

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I was drawn to No Filter initially by the cover. The title 'No Filter' directly contrasts the blue-pink tones that mask the summer sky and the young couple on it scream YA romance. It conjured up ideas of Morgan Matson and Kasie West and although not quite on a par, Orlagh Collins has a decent debut here.

Emerald is in a bit of a crappy place. Her supposed BFFs at school are treating her like crap, the guy she was sort of with is cutting her out, her dad's hardly ever around and her mum finds it difficult to stay sober for more than two seconds. As much as she can't see it at first, what she really needs is a break from her life. So, when her dad sends her to Ireland for the summer to stay with her grandma, Em's far from pleased.

She meets Liam and from the offset, the story becomes somewhat predictable and I've seen romance like this done a million times before. The saving elements were the unique Irish setting, with gorgeous descriptions of an island, and Em's fiery disposition. On the downside, I didn't quite understand what she saw in Liam because he didn't seem to bring anything to the relationship but problems.

The whole story is about learning lessons and it's clear how Em influences those around her. Rather than just a teenager who needs to learn about herself, she is also able to show her parents and Liam, exactly how they need to change too. This sense of agency is uncommon in the YA category (in my experiences) and it was refreshing to see here.

How can I forget the central use of Instagram as a topic for discussion? It was great to see so many modern references and a complete understanding of the teenage mind through social media. Em's addiction to taking selfies and carefully wording the perfect caption is central to the story and her own development and I loved how true to life this whole aspect was.

A light, easy read without too much drama or heaviness, No Filter is what I would call a "beach read". It's okay and you'll probably love it whilst on holiday, but it's not one that I'll hold close to my heart.

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I couldn't finish this - it was like she was trying way too hard to sound like a teenager and it came across as too fake for me (as a teenager) to be able to enjoy. The first few pages had as many 'cool' phrases as possible wedged in there in order to seem fresh. Love this genre but unfortunately this was not for me.

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This was a little bit of a let down, my three stars is really a 2 stars but I gave 1 star to the cover!

This wasn't really something I could get into, I felt I was on a bumpy rollercoaster ride that I felt that wasn't going to stop.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them

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