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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne - review

Holly Bourne, The Manifesto on How to be Interesting

Bree is a loser, a wannabe author who hides behind words. But when she's told she needs to start living a life worth writing about, The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting is born. Six steps on how to be interesting.

Earlier this year I read Soulmates by Holly Bourne after my friends' constant raving: I have to admit it definitely wasn't my favourite book. However, as soon as I saw about The Manifesto I knew I wanted to read it.

Surprisingly Manifesto was quite dark; I was expecting it to be kind of clique and Mean Girls-esque, but I was more then wrong. OK, so the book has stereotypical characters but so does school and they just made it more interesting.

I found it easy to relate to Bree. Sure she was slightly annoying at times but aren't most characters? I loved her intelligence and sarcasm as well as her absolute want to be a writer which not many people have. Her guide on how to be interesting was one that I would probably put together myself making it easy to imagine as real. Bree did something which lots of nerdy or bullied kids probably dream of doing someday (excluding the falling in love with a teacher bit which my brain found rather conflicting. Are you supposed to like the relationship or think it's completely and utterly wrong?)

The Manifesto is one of my favourite books that I've read this year. It was funny, dark, perfectly paced and all over relatable and if that hasn't sold you yet, I read it all in one night! The last time I did that was when reading The Fault in Our Stars and we all know how great a book that is!

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop

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