I cannot, absolutely cannot say how much I disliked this book. The prose was badly written, the characters 'monochromatic' and always bitter and angry, and difficult to find sympathy with. The title has nothing to do with the actual events of the story and there is little finesse in any of it.

I was asked to read and review this novel by my wife who had been given an ARC, because she believed she was being too hard in her review. Having read the book now, I have to concur with her review, and actually think she was being kind, to be as positive as she was.

Perhaps I'm just old and cynical. ( )

Everything in this novel is bleak. Mercy's single, asthmatic mother works two waitress jobs, her best friend is not very nice, the town mall is dying, and no one has any hope. The only bright light on the horizon is Mercy's upcoming contest prize trip to meet a movie star. I need to read about happy people living in mansions to erase this depressing story from my mind. ( )

If I had to summarize A Week with Fiona Wonder in a phrase, I would call it a contemporary YA version of Roseanne. It very much has the feel of the show, but with more teen angst, but real angst not fake angst like on teen TV shows. It is very hard to describe, but a wonderful read. ( )

I like this book the characters are well written, interesting.it was a easy book to read I read it quickly.and would recommend this book for anyone interested in reading it. ( )

I'm not one to dislike a book, but this book... First, the summary, cover, and title are all highly misleading. Second, the writing style and execution is weak and seems rushed.

I've scanned the reviews of others and I've found many saying the novel is "depressing." I quite enjoy reading "depressing" novels and I'm not particularly upset that Fiona Wonder is a bit sad, but I can definitely see why others would find this to be a problem. As many reviewers mentioned, they read the book expecting an upbeat coming of age story, when in actuality the book is dark and tries too hard to be deep while stuck on a superficial level.

I still connect with teen angst quite well and I felt that Mercy's (protagonist) angst is forced and fake, as if Kelly Huddleston had never in their life felt any type of angst--as if they'd read of it and tried to emulate it by studying it.

Reading this novel was difficult, as it is quite bland. Word choices, particularly in regards to dialogue, are awkward and unrealistic. I found many misspelled company and product names, which may have been due to copyright, but it would have been a better choice to invent new names and products than to try to re-name well-known products with an awkward generic name.

As previously stated, the book is bland and lacking detail in important places. The few details included are rambling descriptions of directions to the mall and drawn-out email composing. Unimportant background characters are given lengthy introductions and descriptions that are completely unnecessary. The only character development in the entire novel feels forced and abrupt. There is little escalation or foreshadowing, and the development that does occur makes absolutely no sense. Mercy's feelings are never explored. They're danced around and hinted at, but they're explosive and somewhat irrational with no explanation. I felt I understood the feelings of background characters better than I understood Mercy's.

There is not a single likeable or relatable character, except maybe Mercy's peer (and later friend) Robin and her mother's co-worker Gabriel. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if the setting and/or plot were more interesting. The Great Gatsby has zero likable characters and yet, it is a classic due to it's story and message. Fiona Wonder has a sociopolitical message as well, but the idea of this message does not make up for it's poor execution.

The only emotions this novel brought me were annoyance and anger. Not once did I feel happy or sad for any of the characters. The majority of them were selfish, condescending, and self-absorbed with no moments of clarity. Maybe this was a statement Huddleston was trying to make, but it didn't feel like one. The characters literally just feel like soulless, pointless pieces in the most boring, uneventful, angry game of chess of all time. There were many times while reading this book that I felt the overwhelming need to set my e-reader down and physically "face-palm" in secondhand embarrassment for the author.

Reading this novel felt like reading the initial outline (not even the first draft) to what could be a great novel. The story has potential. Even the horrendous characters have potential, if only they were given some time, thought, and a cup of tea. ( )