Orlagh Collins

Review by: Hayley K(11th grade)
Grade Range: 6th-9th
Genre: Young Adult
Literary Merit: Mediocre
Characterization: Mediocre
Review:
No Filter is about two lovestruck teens and the summer they fall in love. Emerald appears to have it all; her family is wealthy and popular, and she is perfect according to everyone who has met her. However, it’s difficult to maintain the perfect family image when your family is a complete wreck. Emerald is sent to spend her summer break with her grandma in Ireland after discovering her mother’s attempted suicide. She takes the opportunity to escape from her not so perfect life and decides to completely cut off all her connections to her home in England by ditching all social media and chats with her friends. Her love interest Liam also carries a weight on his shoulders, and he must choose between complying with his father’s wishes or following his dream to become a songwriter. Throughout No Filter both characters must face the hardships of growing up by discovering what is most important in their lives.

No Filter contains a series of serious topics such as drugs, alcohol, and mental illness. The themes were poorly portrayed in the book as the plot progressed. Emerald is portrayed as not caring for her mother’s wellbeing, and we mostly see Emerald resenting her mother throughout the novel. Emerald had many values in the beginning of the book that were thrown out in the later chapters. Her one fear was to not become like her alcoholic mother, but after she meets Liam, she immediately sneaks out, goes to a party and gets drunk to the point that she’s smashed. The scene shows that Emerald is hypocritical and does not confront her own mistakes, and yet this character trait is never fully addressed within the book. The cliche characters in No Filter had no character development or personality. Emerald is a snobby, pretentious girl with a wealthy background and Liam is a party animal and a jerk to his family. Neither of them act like teens, which can be seen in the way they talk, text, and interact with their surroundings. Neither felt real to me at all. We as readers are supposed to compare ourselves to the characters, but I was secretly wishing the worst for the characters. The romance throughout the novel felt rushed. Less than a third of the way through the book, the two characters had fallen head over heels in love with each other. They were so in love that Emerald would lie to her grandmother to be with Liam most of the time. Another flaw was the multiple references to contemporary pop culture. Every chapter had a least one pop culture reference which were not only laughable in which references were used, but they also will age this book very badly in the future. Overall No Filter had no conflict resolution as the end drew near. The ending left me with too many questions and not enough answers.

Recommendation: If you like face paced romance books with some drama attached along the line, this book is for you! Other than that, I would pass on this book.… (mais)