ok. so i bought this book on impulse at Borders, like i do with most books. i thought it would be like any other. was i ever wrong. the first thing i did when i finished the book, was read it again. i didn't want it to end, yet i wanted to read the end so bad. :o) the characters were so vivid, both Bella and Edward, and everything about the romance between them makes me smile just thinking about it. i Recommend this book to anybody who likes to read!!

This book is a guilty pleasure! The negative reviewers are, I am sad to say, correct about the downfalls of the story...Bella does love Edward at the expense of her life, her needs, her desires, and she plays the helpless victim role over and over. Edward is domineering and controlling of her, and the anti-feminist themes that this creates make me cringe. Therefore, I could see this book being harmful for anyone who does not have a very good sense of self. But if you know who you are and what you stand for, this book will do no harm to you. I read this book in 4 days and loved every minute of it! I think that in order to really enjoy this book, you need to frame it as a fantasy, because that is what it is. It is a hot, passionate fantasy made even hotter by the fact that all of Edward and Bella's physical contact has an edge of danger. This book is oozing with passion, and I love love loved it! Yes, girls, we do not need to be saved by a man, but darn it it sure is romantic! I think that the draw of this book, for me, was the way it made me feel when reading it. As strong and independent women who can support themselves in the world on our own, we have been taught to be skeptical or to even avoid the idea that we need love to complete us, that we can't live without love, that sometimes we need to be rescued. However, I think that women also need to remember that we are women, we are feminine, beatiful, and part of feminism means that we have the right to make our own choices, and if we want to fantasize about true love and being rescued, that is our perrogative. This book helped me to reconnect with that part of my feminity, and that I think is what I really loved about it. This is also probably the same reason that I liked the movie Pretty Woman, and that I sometimes secretly watch the Girls Next Door on E. I have already ordered books 2 and 3 and look forward to reading them.

I was a lot like other people in that I was nervous about reading a YA author. I wasn't expecting to feel as close to the heroine as I did. Nor was I expecting to love the story as much as I did.
Bella is shy and smart and very sweet. She is in an awkward place at the beginning of the novel. Her mother recently got remarried and Bella has decided to go and live with her father for awhile so that her mom and new step father have time to spend together. Her father lives in a rainy gloomy place that Bella has a very hard time acclimating to, since she has spent most of her life in Phoenix.
She starts a new school and meets an interesting variety of people. Amazingly enough she makes a few friends her first day. There at the new school is where she first spots Edward Cullen. He and his brothers and sisters are by far the most beautiful kids at school. They are also the most aloof and isolated. Bella is immediately intimidated and fascinated at the same time. She finds that she has a class with Edward and thus begins their rather tumultuous and intense relationship. Edward misses a lot of school, she never sees him on a day where there are no clouds, and she never sees him eat. All of these things make her curious and eventually he is forced to share his secret and to admit how much she means to him.
This is a very sweet book. I would say almost perfect for teenagers. Edward loves Bella with a very pure love. He is aware at all times that he could harm her without really even trying. His restraint and pain at holding back his affection for her is very real. Her determination to be a part of his life and to accept his darkness, no matter what, is equally inspiring. This is definitely a book that I will recommend at the bookstore I work.

In Defense of the Book...
Alright, alright. Calm down. So, some of you didn't enjoy the book.
The biggest downfall to this series is not that it is jam-packed with cliches, or that Bella is completely hopeless. The biggest downfall has got to be the marketing--the fact that every one of you disappointed readers had gotten your hopes up for 'the next big thing,' only to find that it wasn't to your liking.
Let me point out that 1) this was written for teenagers. And not in the sense that Harry Potter was written for teenagers--because it wasn't--but this was made specifically catering to the girly longings most teenage girls have. Yes, it appeals to some of us adults. I found it a refreshing change from my complex, heavy-plotted novels that I've grown bored of as of late. 2) Yes, Bella is hopeless. She doesn't think there is an interesting speck to her. Honestly, do any of us think such things? Bella would HARDLY be interesting if she knew she was beautiful. If she had one talent to her, aside from the protection her mind has from any sort of assault, everyone would be griping about that. I remember reading a book about a woman who had a dozen talents. I hated her for it. and 3) Yes, of course the book is remarkably cheesy at times. Sometimes, it's what we want. The series only gets cheesier, mind you. And I loved every moment of it. Almost. (I found myself angry with a certain character in 'Eclipse.' But not angry with Meyer. Still, the anger lasted for quite some time.)
I'm a writer, too. It's made reading books a little less enjoyable, because I'm constantly picking at other novels. I barely finish them nowadays, and if I do, it takes me ages. Of course there were problems with Twilight. There are problems with every novel. And I can see why some people wouldn't enjoy the book just as I can see why so many girls adore it. If you take the book too seriously... if you expect something life-changing, of course you aren't going to like it. But the book was fun. I had fun. Amazingly, I finished all three books in less than a week. I couldn't put them down.

My Review
Despite some flaws in the novel... and I'm not talking about grammatical or spelling errors, I'm talking about odd glitches in the plot... I ADORED it, Stephenie Meyer. I'm amazingly picky about vampire novels, and I HATE romance novels right down to my core. But I loved this series. I loved Bella... she was human to me. She was selfish, and she struggled to be seen as good while all the while letting her desires win over. I loved her attitude, and her sarcasm. I love that she was very weird. And of course, I loved Edward, but that I won't get into. That's only because I'm a girl.
There was never a boring moment, to me, in the entire series. I devoured each book in record time... and quickly moved on to the next. Now, I'm left with a horrible ache as I wait for August to roll around. Maybe I'll try The Host next, to ease my longing. In fact, that has to be one of my complaints--where ARE the dull moments? Do you realize, I stayed up until four AM to finish Twilight, because there was no place I could easily stop reading and fall asleep? I'd be awake, too anxious to sleep... wanting to know what happened next. Now I'm all done with the books released right now... now, I have nothing to do. Some who are not Twilighters would tell me to go read other books. Ha. What a silly thought. :D
I wonder if Stephenie Meyer reads these reviews. If she does, I want her to know I liked the series more than Harry Potter. I could list my reasons why, but that'd take too long. Those comparing the book to Harry Potter also should get something in their heads... it's like comparing Underworld to 'My best Friend's Wedding'. Two completely different types of books, only brought together with the illusion that both series are made for young adults. *shakes head*
Oh well. I guess I'm a twilighter now. *shrugs*

Let's just say, I'm not an avid reader. A friend bought this for me for Christmas. I gulped it up in a matter of hours and went out and bought the next two. 3 days, 3 books, and I read them again.
Reading the negative reviews, its just odd that people are so down on this book. It's light hearted fiction. It's not Dracula. This is a world-wide best seller for a reason. It's a wonderful fantasy. It gives teens and mom's something to daydream about. And now we have men wondering why Edward is so perfect that they are too picking up the book and enjoying it as well. It's making people READ. That's whats really important. Just because a vampire sparkles doesn't mean its bad. Its a creative thing that no one has come up with, it's a positive vampire story. And Bella a whiner? Of course. She's in high school. All teen girls whine about nothing. We have real life teen angst with a touch of a paranormal love story. It makes you smile. I recommend this to anyone. And if you're not a reader, the audio books are great to listen to while stuck in traffic on your way to work.