The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett » Book Review

I have NOT been having a good reading week. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti continues my streak of 2-star reviews. This book showed up on my radar during my weekly perusal of Netgalley books. The cover made it look like a fun contemporary and the synopsis promised me an interesting mystery.

This book is also featured in Publishers Lunch's Buzz Books 2016: YA Fall/Winter. Ellen and I had a chance to read and review 2o samplers, including The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett (full review HERE). I wasn't impressed back then, and I definitely am not now.

Hawthorne

Hawthorne, named for the tree and not the writer, is an insufferable teenager. That's not part of the blurb but it very well should be. She is is self-centered, whiny, narcissistic (yes, I know this is the same as self-centered but it's so bad that it needs to be mentioned twice), and irritating.

The first two lines sums it up for me.

"The first thing that happened was Lizzie Lovett disappeared, and everyone was all, "How can someone like Lizzie be missing?" and I was like, "Who cares?" A few days later, there was talk about Lizzie maybe being dead, and it was still kinda boring, but not totally boring, because I'd never known a dead person before."

Is anybody else reading this in a valley girl accent? IT CAN'T BE JUST ME GUYS.

As you can see, the writing is incredibly juvenile. Ellen would have had a fit. But being the nice and open-minded reviewer that I am, I put that aside. I tried to settle into the mind of this obnoxious 17 yr-old girl.

Compassion & Kindness

I absolutely despise people who have no compassion for others. In fact when I was 11, I almost punched a girl because she made a comment about how this earthquake in Punjab should have killed people. And the fact that it hadn't meant the earthquake had 'no pride or dignity'. Whatever that means. My two best friends had to drag me away when they saw the thunderous look in my eye.

Looking back I realize that we were children. At the time I had already gone through life experiences that had taught me the value of human life. And I couldn't bear that someone else was taking it so lightly and uttered such despicable words. I'm not in touch with this girl anymore, but I'm sure she's grown into a kind and compassionate person. After all, she didn't know any better at the time.

Hawthorne has no real compassion for anyone else. And I HATE her for it. I didn't expect her to be moping around, but good god, try to have SOME caring thoughts for Lizzie and the people who are suffering due to her disappearance. Hawthorne is so damn DISRESPECTFUL. If I were her best friend (Emma? Emily?), I would have slapped Hawthorne.

Plot

This isn't a plot-driven novel. In fact, there is barely any plot in it. Since the synopsis mentions Hawthorne inserting herself into the investigation, I thought there would be more, you know, REAL investigating. Instead we just have Hawthorne taking on Lizzie's old job at the diner and gallivanting around with Lizzie's boyfriend.

She does have a theory about Lizzie's disappearance though. But it is just the fucking WORST. I don't want to mention it for fear of spoiling people, so thank god for spoiler tags!

[spoiler]Hawthorne thinks that Lizzie turned into a werewolf. Obviously, I read a ton of supernatural fiction so the concept of were-wolves existing doesn't bother me the slightest. But someone is actually missing. Why the hell would you go around telling people that she's a werewolf? Especially to people who are actually concerned and grieving about her? With absolutely no goddamn proof? WTF is up with that?!??![/spoiler]

Hawthorne constantly says, Lizzie can't be missing. She's too perfect. Things like this don't happen to her. Hawthorne says that about everybody around her. Things are perfect for others. Nobody understands me and my struggles. While I can sympathize with some of those feelings especially when live in a world of social media where it is so easy to compare ourselves to the posts and instagram pictures of others, I CAN'T STAND HOW WHINY SHE SOUNDS ABOUT IT. Dear god Hawthorne. You're not the only one going through crap. OPEN YOUR EYES.

Since this is a character-driven story, we do see Hawthorne evolve and learn from her mistakes. So yes, she does eventually learn that she needs to be less self-involved, more compassionate and respectful but I can't forgive her for being such an ass in the first place.

Romance & Friendship

The romantic elements are the only parts of the book that I didn't mind. Besides the whole going out with a guy whose girlfriend just disappeared, it seemed realistic. There were some elements of her relationship with Enzo that I could personally relate to so that did tug at my heartstrings. The confusing nature of relationships and what it means to be physically and/or emotionally intimate was explored well.

I will try my best not to rant about Hawthorne's friendship with Emily, whose name I had to look up. The author depicts Hawthorne as so self-involved, that she BARELY mentions Emily (it's written in the first person perspective). Part of that had to do with the fact that their friendship went through some ups and downs throughout this book. I practically cheered when Emily detailed some of Hawthorne's character flaws. Honestly, Emily deserves a better friend. Like I mentioned before, Hawthorne does go through some personal growth as the novel ends. In fact, there is a scene where Hawthorne (FINALLY) asks Emily about her life instead of blabbing about her own personal theories. BUT WE DIDN'T GET TO READ ANY OF IT. *sigh* It's still all about Hawthorne. I guess people can't change all that much.

Final Thoughts

I gave this book a fair shot and it just wasn't for me. I have personal issues with people who aren't compassionate to others and take advantage of their friends. I've been Emily several times. GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN.

I gave The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett 2 stars because it was still a quick read and there were a couple of elements that I appreciated. Also I started drinking sangria (pictured HERE) halfway through, so that definitely helped. I will ponder over this rating in the next few days and see if I'd like to lower it.

Happy reading everyone!

 

Blog Tour » The Lost and the Found [Giveaway]

It's a pretty well-known fact that I have an eerie addiction to crime shows. Nightmares didn't stop me from binging all 9 available seasons (at the time) of Criminal Minds. Right now I'm watching Netflix's The Killing which stars Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. . Perhaps I'm a bit disturbed, because I've been fighting of a bizarre attraction to Jamie Dornan (our serial killer) ever since.

Anywho, my point is that I love my crime shows. But I always wonder what happens afterwards. For a girl who has been gone 10 years, what is it like to reintegrate into her family? I've read Jaycee Lee Dugard's memoirs on the subject, but my fascination remains. The premise of The Lost and the Found was unique to me, because I had never read a fictional account of this situation before.

The Good

As you guys may have noticed, Ellen and I have been AWOL recently. In my case, it's been because I've started classes and I participate in a ton of volunteer work. I'm always busy and barely have enough time to read. That's why The Lost and the Found was such a great read for me. I could barely set it down, so every spare minute I had was devoted to this book.

Faith, our main protagonist, was a wonderful character. She was equal parts caring and devoted, but also frustrated and selfish. Her relationships with her family, friends, and boyfriend was real and nuanced. I loved her relationship with her stepfather. He was kind and understanding, and there for Faith in a way her parents could never be.

The author also spent a great deal of time dealing with the media coverage of the situation and the frenzy that arises after a kidnapee like Laurel is found. She mentions the journalists, the tv interviews, the book deals, and the strain that Faith and Laurel's parents have gone through in terms of curating their image to the public all in hopes of finding their lost daughter.

The relationship between Laurel and Faith was interesting to read about. Especially how it slowly grew from being strangers to sisters. That is sisters who fight and can get jealous but also laugh together and combine forces against their parents. It's the definition of true sisterhood after all.

There's also a brief moment when a character in the book discusses how popular Laurel Logan's case was in comparison to that of lower-class or non-white kidnap cases. It's not something I've really thought about too much, but it did affect how I've been thinking of this situation. The argument presented was, was it fair for the police and media to devote this much attention to Laurel Logan when nothing even close to that was devoted to other missing children that were non-white and/or lower-class. It's definitely a tricky situation to address, but I appreciate that the argument was presented so that we can assess it for ourselves.

Not As Good

While I did enjoy the book, I only gave it 3 stars. While I was riveted by the story, I pretty much guessed exactly how it would go. I wasn't truly surprised by anything and I must say that I'm a little disappointed with where it ended up. It's almost like the book dealt with more issues than it could realistically handle. By straddling two main storylines, neither of them could be fully developed or expressed.

While I understand Faith's decision at the end of the book, I disagree with it. [spoiler]She should have told her parents about Laurel's death.[/spoiler]

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Cat Clarke

Cat was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people.
Cat has written non-fiction books about exciting things like cowboys, sharks and pirates, and now writes YA novels. She lives in Edinburgh with a couple of cats, Jem and Scout, who spend their days plotting to spit up furballs at the most inconvenient times. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.

Links: Website || Twitter

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Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow the Tour!

Week 1

9/12: Such a Novel Idea - Review
9/13: The Story Sanctuary - Q&A
9/14: Avid Reader - Review
9/15: Who RU Blog - Novel Secrets
9/16: Novel Ink - Review

Week 2

9/19: Here's the Happy Endings - Guest Post
9/20: Blue Books and Butterflies - Review
9/21: Take Me Away to a Great Read - Mood Board
9/22: Quest Reviews - Review
9/23: Curling Up with a Good Book - Top 10

With Malice & You Know Me Well » Mini-Reviews #2

Meh?

With Malice is supposed to be a suspenseful, psychological thriller. Ellen already wrote up an excellent review a little while ago (HERE). I didn't have much to add, so I thought a mini-review would work out best.

At its core, With Malice is a story of 2 girls and their love for each other, and how important of a part the media can play in determining the innocence or guilt of an individual. Jill is a quiet, bookish girl who is focused on her studies while Simone is an outgoing personality who is more focused on having a good time than thinking about college. The other major difference is their families. Jill's parents are divorced but well-off while Simone's parents are religious and still married, but struggle with their finances. Despite these differences, Simone's and Jill's friendship thrives from the time they were little.

Since this had been marketed as a thriller, I was expecting a lot more out of this novel. For one, I didn't realize that most of the book would be Jill recovering from the car accident in the hospital/rehab. We get bits and pieces from her memories as she slowly recovers them. It is interspersed with interviews, transcripts and any other evidence collected by the Italian authorities. It was interesting enough, but it lacked actual action.

Perhaps it is as Ellen said in her review. I'm too old for teen angst and drama. I suppose more importantly, I'm too old to invest and believe in teen angst and drama. Nothing came as a surprise to me.

I rated it 3 stars because I didn't have very high expectations. It was a quick and easy read. After having written this review, I am considering lowering my rating to 2 or 2.5 stars. But I will let my original rating stand for now.

I am glad that I chose to borrow it from my library, however. I don't foresee ever re-reading this one.

[rating stars="three-stars"]

[book-info number="1"]

This was unexpected. It's the only way I can describe my reaction to reading this book. Ellen (as always) has written up a wonderful and more coherent review (HERE).

You Know Me Well is not a work of genius by any means. If I had picked this book up at any other time, I would have given it the requisite two to three stars and moved on. I still decided on the three stars because while I could relate to the book, I didn't feel the magical spark for the entire novel, just for very specific bits and pieces of it.

Kate & Mark

I can see why a lot of people wouldn't enjoy Kate's character. However, I could relate to her. The running away, the questioning of friends and relationships. I'm in a similar position myself, so I could sympathize with the alienation she was feeling with her friends. I could Understand.

And Mark just broke my fucking heart. I'm sure many of you out there have gone through the process of unrequited love. It's awful. It's always there nagging at you in the back of your mind and you just wish you could STOP. It appears at the most inconvenient times. It pops up as a painful reminder just when you wonder if you're finally getting over it all. As you might be able to tell, I'm in the midst of that process myself.

Mark's sadness made me relive my own sadness. It was cathartic, and much needed.

It's time for me to go wallow in ice cream guys...

Poppy & The Movie Version » Mini-Reviews #1

Mini-Review

I almost feel like a TERRIBLE person for just giving this book 2 stars. This is what Ellen would call an 'issue' book. In this case, we tackle how mental illness can affect not just the individual suffering from it, but also the other family members. In The Movie Version, our focus is on Amelia.

Amelia is a typical teen girl with an older brother, Toby, and two younger twin brothers. She and Toby are incredibly close and throughout the book, we get to see instances from the past that really bonded the two together. I am a huge sucker for strong sibling relationships, and I chuckled with nostalgia at their 'Secret Sibling Society'.

Unfortunately, the pacing of the book wasn't for me. Essentially we are experiencing a year in Amelia's life but I couldn't connect to her very much. I liked the portrayal of her family (especially with the twins, making sure they are two separate characters instead of one) and even though I would occasionally get frustrated with Amelia and her friendships, I understood what she was going through. This book also featured the most realistic romantic and sexual relationship in any YA novel I have ever read. I LIKED so many aspects of this novel, but it wasn't a gripping read.

Just a warning, as the title suggests, Amelia is a movie buff. So there are a TON of quotes and movie references thrown about. That did jar me at first because I didn't always get the references, but I managed to keep going without letting it bother me.

It felt too 'meh' for me.

[rating stars="two-stars"]

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[book-info number="1"]

Mini-Review

I read Poppy a little while ago, and can't seem to remember too much about it (not a good sign). It's marketed as young adult but I think it would be more appropriate for middle-grade readers.

I liked Poppy as a character. She is hard-working and cares deeply for her family. When she gets the opportunity to assist the war effort as a VAD (essentially a volunteer nurse), she jumps at the chance and pours her heart and soul into the work. I really liked the historical elements of the novel. We get to see everyone's initial attitude toward the war and the slow shift that takes place as injured and dead soldiers flood back to England. This is also the beginning of women's independence as they shift from the private sphere to the public sphere in order to aid the war effort and to replace jobs that were previously occupied by men.

The romance in this novel is laughable at best. It is very insta-lovey. I have no idea how it happened. Though as I recall, it all began from a glance. A glance like no other.

IS THIS THE GLANCE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT???

Cause let's be real. I only look at chocolate cake that way. I'm clearly not cut out for human love.

I think this would be a decent historical fiction book for early middle-schoolers. If I knew that from the beginning, I might have been a little more generous with my rating. But because it was marketed to me as a young adult historical fiction novel, I expected a lot more.

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I'm finally getting caught up with my reviews, guys! *does a little happy dance*

A Study in Charlotte » Book Review

I was prepared to have A Study in Charlotte occupy my literal and figurative favorites shelf. After all, I'm an absolute nut when it comes to anything Sherlock Holmes. But sadly, this book just didn't do it for me.

Charlotte & Jamie

Charlotte Holmes is the descendant of Sherlock Holmes. Though is anybody out there (besides me) astonished at the fact that Sherlock managed to spawn children? I'd just as well believe that he somehow cloned himself rather than go through the icky ordeal of procreation.

Jamie Watson is the descendant of Dr. John Watson. Seeing as how John was a bit of a ladies' man, this part is more believable. Jamie is sent to a boarding school in Connecticut after acquiring a rugby scholarship. And lo and behold, that's where Charlotte happens to be!

Mycroft Holmes: Oh, Sherlock, what do we say about coincidence?
Sherlock Holmes: The universe is rarely so lazy.
- BBC's Sherlock "The Sign of Three"

Jamie has a strong fascination with his counterpart, Charlotte. He also hopes to be a writer like his ancestor, and wishes for a bond with Charlotte like his predecessor had with Sherlock. He finds out that Charlotte has been solving crimes for Scotland Yard since the age of 10 and has been well-trained in deductive and reasoning skills.

Fascinating, right? But I found it all SO dull. To me, this was essentially a retelling. Even with the change of setting, the contemporary time period (both of which had already been done before), the Holmes and Watson families, and changing Holmes to a female character, nothing felt fresh. Everything was recycled from the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Even down to the existence of the Moriarty family.

Friendship & Romance

My friend's little sister is named Jamie. So when I skimmed through the synopsis, I thought ooh, female friendship! Alas I realized that not to be the case. I always worry when either of the main characters are female. In fact that was the very reason why I refused to watch Elementary. I did not want a romantic dynamic to come into play at all. Luckily romance between Watson and Holmes did not come into play in Elementary (at least as far as I've watched). I sadly cannot say the same for A Study in Charlotte.

Luckily romance didn't play a central role in the story. But I found myself SO BORED. Honestly, I have very high standards when it comes to Sherlock Holmes. I need it to be clever. BBC's Sherlock did a wonderful job in modernizing Holmes and Watson, by creating strong yet likeable characters with a bond everyone can't help but root for, and updating the stories to fit the contemporary time period. And let's face it, Season 3 was basically fan fiction come to life *fans self*.

Last Thoughts

NOTHING surprised me in this book. The mystery should have intrigued me, but I just didn't care. I should have been cheering on the friendship that develops between Watson and Holmes but again, I couldn't care less. My favorite character was Milo, only because he was almost an exact replica of Mycroft (aka Mark Gatiss) from Sherlock.



I should have just re-watched Sherlock instead. I may give the next book in the trilogy a try when it releases next year. But I sure as hell won't be re-reading this one.

The Assassin Game » Book Review

I'm so disappointed! The blurb had me practically salivating right before I requested it on Netgalley. A boarding school? A secret society? A game of assassin? SIGN ME UP. I foolishly thought this would be a darker version of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

I couldn't have been more wrong. And dear friends, I must confess a grave fault of mine. I HATE BEING WRONG. My blood seethes, I plot out the most epic of revenges, I... I should stop now. *waves* I'm normal, I swear!

Begone Tropes!

The Assassin Game features two of my hated tropes, lack of parental presence and the absence of authentic female friendship.

I know the story is set at a boarding school, but that's not an excuse to completely ignore the parents (unless it's more of a reform boarding school, I suppose). Our main character, Cate, goes on and on about how her parents don't care for her. That they got rich and suddenly left their old life behind and had no use for their daughter. It just didn't make much sense to me. There didn't seem to be a reasonable explanation for their absence and lack of interest in her.

I also found myself quite appalled at the lack of strong friendship within the story. Isn't that the pinnacle of an excellent boarding school tale? Cate is supposedly best friends with Daniel and Marcia. She is on the outs with Daniel because she kissed him last year while rebounding off another quasi-relationship. Marcia, on the other hand, is her roommate but is practically absent in their friendship throughout the entirety of the book.

I'm also going to briefly mention the setting. The school is located on a remote island (owned by Cate's family) that can only be accessed by the mainland during low tide. The headmaster of the school has banned recreational use of technology and internet. I believe all this was written to maintain an aura of intrigue and mystery. But it just came across as a little over the top and ridiculous.

The Game

The premise of the story is that an elite secret society is playing a game, The Game. And Cate has finally been invited to join. There is a Killer amongst their midst, who will ingeniously target his/her fellow players via harmless pranks that will 'kill' them until someone manages to unmask him and 'win' the game. Vaughn, Cate's childhood friend (from before her family got rich), joins the game as well. But suddenly, people are starting to get seriously hurt.

This was supposed to be exciting and thrilling. I just found it lackluster and long-winded. Cate didn't play much of a role in this mystery until the very end. For the most part, she was a witness. Or the occasional sidekick. She wasn't the driving force behind the story. Just an unfortunate participant. Which, unfortunately, made reading from her perspective quite dull.

The Good

Fortunately, there were some redeeming aspects to the novel. For one, this kept me guessing till the very end. However, I did hit a certain point when I stopped caring and just wanted everything to be over. Cate also had some redeeming qualities to her that helped keep me interested. Even though she mostly remained a passive character, there was a moment when she stood up to all the people that she was trying to impress in order to do the right thing by a friend. She also displayed moments of startling maturity when it came to handling some traumatic experiences with Daniel. And I enjoyed her relationship with her art teacher, especially because it was a close yet appropriate connection.

Closing Thoughts

I wish I had enjoyed The Assassin Game more. But as I come to the end of this review, I just feel a profound sense of relief. That I can finally move on to something else, and not have to think about this book anymore.

Ciao, my friends! Have a wonderful (and safe) 4th of July!

Paper Princess » Book Review

Whaaaaaaaat on earth did I just read? And why, oh why, did I like it so??? This isn't quality literature by any means. Ellen described it as having a jaunt through the gutter in her review (here), and I'd have to agree.

I think of Paper Princess as having consumed a Big Mac from McDonalds. You bite into it, and it's delicious and you crave more. But after it's over, you're left with a faint feeling of nausea and/or disgust but also may have developed a mini-addiction to it.

Ella, our Paper Princess

Our main character, Ella, has been supporting herself since her mom's death by stripping. She is a focused student living in abject poverty so as to avoid the foster care system and get herself into college. In walks Callum, her father's best friend, who wants to take her into his mansion so she can live in luxury and comfort with his five teenage boys.

She resists as much as she can, but she ultimately decides that this is what is best for her and tries to make the most out of her situation. And I LOVED her for it. She is a survivor.

The Royal Brothers

THEY ARE ASSHOLES. Actually everyone in the story is an asshole. But we shall focus on our five boys. The oldest is Gideon, who's usually away at college but comes back on weekends. He seems nice enough. Reed is next, and he is the one to be obeyed. He also happens to be Ella's love/lust interest. Then we have Easton, followed by the twins, Sebastian and Sawyer.

Easton was my favorite brother, because he had the most genuine brother/sister relationship with Ella. And I'm a sucker for those kinds of relationships. Probably because I've always wanted an older brother. Instead I ended up with a baby sister and a baby brother that I'm basically another mom to. Thanks parents.

Have I mentioned that the brothers are assholes? No?

ASSHOLES.

But they come around. Sort of.

And then, you kind of fall for them as characters.

I don't know how or why it happened. But now I kind of love them all. Please don't judge me.

Recommend?

This reads like a fast-paced, slightly better written version of Fifty Shades with less creepy characters for the new adult genre. If you are in any kind of a reading slump, I would tell you to pick this up. I guarantee you that you'll read it one sitting.

All I can say is that Ellen and I are eagerly anticipating the next installment.

We also have a spoilery discussion post coming up. Stay tuned!

Every Ugly Word » Book Review

This review is my attempt to finally get through some of my Netgalley backlogs in the hopes that I can pull up my dismal feedback ratio to a reasonable level. I was supposed to review this more than a YEAR ago.

Let that sink in guys... and let the walk/write of shame, begin.

Every Ugly Word

This is a difficult book for me to describe, let alone review. I was just so surprised by how much it moved me. I thought it would be like many of the other contemporary YA books out there. Compelling enough, but lacking some fundamental depth. However, Every Ugly Word didn't pull any punches.

The novel starts off with Ashley, the main character, sitting in a psychiatrist's office at an inpatient mental facility. She is desperate to leave that day, and the only way to do so, is by recounting the events that led to her commitment in the hopes that the doctor would believe that she has recovered enough to go home. Every chapter begins with conversation and analysis with the doctor, followed by an episodic account of her life. This served the dual purpose of building tension within and across chapters while giving us information and background on our protagonist.

There is an element of magical realism within the story. Ashley can see an older version of herself in the mirror and has frequent conversations with her. Older Ashley tries to be a source of support for current Ashley, in the hopes that the younger Ashley would choose a different path and have a healthier outcome.

I was very intrigued by the author's choice to use that element in her story. I have been in outpatient therapy for several years for a variety of issues, one of them being trauma. In therapy, I have been frequently encouraged to 'talk to the little girl inside me'. It sounds wonky, I know. But it's done in an effort to help you be there for yourself through those past traumatic memories without having to rely on others, especially those who have been unsupportive in the past. I found the parallels between the aforementioned therapy technique and Ashley communicating with her older/younger self quite surprising. I wonder if the author had made that connection on purpose, or if it just happened to be a coincidence.

The romance in the book is also very realistic. Most contemporary YAs make the fatal mistake of introducing the concept that love conquers all, even trauma and mental illness. And nothing could be farther from the truth. In the beginning of the book, Ashley views Matt with love-blind glasses. But as the novel progresses, we see Ashley realizing that Matt is just as flawed as everyone else. She realizes that Matt can't fix her, and that sometimes there is nothing to fix. There is nothing to do but to just get through those terrible moments with whatever willpower there is left, and have hope for a better future.

There is a wonderful quote towards the end of the book that sums up what it's like to go through a horrific event and feel how different you are. How empty, yet hopeful.

"I was afraid because, even after everything I'd overcome, I still had holes. My dreams were coming true - but they weren't filling the gaps. I still felt... less than. I'd decided to keep fighting, keep searching for answers. Because as long as I did that, there would always be a chance my holes would heal. I could have hope. My gaps only became inevitable when I stopped believing they could be filled."

Every Ugly Word is free through Kindle Unlimited.

Everything, Everything Review

First line of this review I wrote, preserved for posterity:

"Wow! This book was really good."

Let's try that again, with coffee:  

Everything, Everything was an utter pleasure to read.  I closed the proverbial cover — I read the ebook — a few hours ago, and I'm already planning to dive in again.

An author called Nicola Yoon technically wrote this novel, but her character, Madeline Whittier, is so sparkling with life, I'm convinced that she, and not Yoon, penned a memoir.  I was that full of belief.

Madeline is very sick.  She has that rare condition known as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID).  Exposure to the world would kill her, so she lives inside her carefully sealed, air-filtered home.  Every person Madeline comes in direct contact with has to be medically vetted and decontaminated, so aside from special occasions, she only ever sees her nurse, Carla, and her mother.  Her mom and Carla try to give Madeline the best life possible, filling it with fierce love, rigorous education, and adorable traditions.  As a result, Madeline is an intelligent, funny, radiant young woman.

That's not to say her life of confinement hasn't done a number on her.  Madeline has to fight off low moods, and when a family moves into the house next door, it causes her caretakers some concern.  After all, Madeline has a history of getting attached to the neighbors, and once spun into a depression when a family moved away.  Despite their worries, Madeline is immediately captivated by the new neighbors, especially by the intriguing son, Olly, who wears all black, does street gymnastics, and has definitely figured out that Madeline is watching.

This story was very evocative of Romeo and Juliet.  I mean, Madeline even has a hilarious nurse!  I would not go so far as to call it a re-telling — it's not — but it captures the obsession between and insane plotting of young lovers so well.

However, the book isn't just a romance.  It's a coming-of-age tale as well.  It has a great cast of supporting characters.  It veers in bold, unexpected directions.  It's funny.  It's moving. It's a character-driven book that keeps you on the edge of your seat.  It's Everything, Everything.

I'm racking my brain to think up some criticism, but I can't come up with much of anything.  It could be that I was so taken by this novel that I've become critically blind.  I will say that there was part of the book that I couldn't read.  I was so worried for the characters that I skipped ahead to a less heart-stopping part.  But even that isn't a bad thing!  If anything, it just reiterates my point of how believable and engaging the book was.

If you're a fan of young love, I can't see how this book would disappoint you.  The only scenario I can see where a reader wouldn't like Everything, Everything is if that reader likes edgier fare.  True, Olly brings some badassery to the table, but the novel invariably causes toothache (it's sweet).

For my part, I recommend!  Have a great time reading this one, you all.

Daughter of Deep Silence Review

Remember the TV show Revenge? It was a show with a wacky but compelling first season, about a young women on a mission of... revenge. I'm pleased to say that Daughter of Deep Silence is very similar to Revenge, both in subject matter and tone, but doesn't approach copycat status.  Well done, Carrie Ryan, if the nod to Revenge was intentional, which I kind of hope it was.

Daughter of Deep Silence follows Frances, a girl who was fourteen when unmasked gunmen boarded the cruise ship that she and her parents were passengers on.  Everyone was slaughtered, except Frances and her friend Libby, who escaped by hiding on a forgotten dumbwaiter.  Adrift on a life raft, the girls are discovered by Libby's father's own ship, but too late for Libby to survive.  While convalescing in a hospital, Frances discovers that Grey Wells, a fellow passenger that she had a brief, yet powerful, romance with, and his father, a U.S. Senator, survived the gunmen as well.  Only Grey and his father don't mention any gunmen... they blame an enormous wave for the disaster.  Figuring the Senator, and possibly Grey, had something to do with the attack, and that she is still in danger, Frances goes into hiding. Then, years later, hardened and formidable, Frances plays her own retaliatory hand.

First, let's get some issues of the way.  Much like Revenge, Daughter of Deep Silence has plot holes galore.  There were a ton of things that made no sense.  Fortunately for me, these plot holes didn't bother me so much.  This may not be the case with all readers, but I gave this book a lot of leeway, perhaps because I wanted to enjoy it.  However, I do acknowledge that the plot holes are a legitimate weakness of the book.

Secondly, Frances' actions can be maddening at times.  She waffles at moments, vacillating between being too hard and too soft.  These actions are consistent with her character, however, which is highly conflicted.  I can readily see how some readers would be very put off by Frances.

Thirdly, I have this feeling that the book had quite a bit of unrealized potential.  The novel had a very nice concept and solid characters, but wound up drawing back instead of moving forward a number of times.  I realize that this criticism is quite abstract... What I mean is, is that Ryan could have pushed the envelope a little further to make this book even better.

Now for the things I liked.  The flashback scenes were very effective, I thought.  The contrast between the young girl Frances used to be, and the hard woman she is now was striking.  Her memories are poignant and sepia-toned, knowing as we do how those blissful moments at sea before the disaster were Frances' last happy times.  The romance between a young Grey and Frances was pretty darn sexy, for them being so young.  I mean, wowza.  A standout scene in the book was a memory of Frances and Grey swimming together, playing around with his water-proof phone.  The scene is blissful and passionate and then Ryan transitions that phone into the future with cymbal-crashing shock.  It was my favorite moment of the book.

So, while I'd like to give Daughter of Deep Silence a higher rating, I'm more than aware of its shortcomings.  However, I did legitimately enjoy this book and I look forward to Carrie Ryan's future offerings.

 

 

I'll Meet You There Review

My anticipation for this book was really high, despite my dislike for Demetrios' recent novels, Exquisite Captive and Something Real.  I think the concept of a contemporary romance, filthied by such extreme issues as poverty and amputation caught my interest, frankly.  I'm past the point of my life where I find Dessen-caliber contemporaries compelling — I need a little more grit to muster up my enjoyment, as off-kilter as that sounds.

Additionally, the early favorable reviews of I'll Meet You There had me really excited.  I pre-ordered the book on Amazon, and when I woke up at 1am the morning of the book's release day, I grabbed my kindle from my bedside table, and read the entire book before falling back to sleep.

I'm rating I'll Meet You There at 3 stars, because the book kept my interest so well. It was well written.  I didn't roll my eyes at any egregiously stupid parts, as I'm doing more and more with YA books these days (to my dismay).  I did, however, frown a lot while reading this novel.  Let me explain...

Although I've read a lot of reviews that note how I'll Meet You There has a slow-to-progress romance, that the romantic element of the book is more of a side note, I'm of the opinion that the book is a flat-out romance, no doubt about it.

I have no problem with this.  I love romances.  However, that means that Josh Mitchell, our male protagonist, is technically a romantic hero.  And Josh Mitchell is a, um, different romantic hero than I'm accustomed to.

Normally, this would be outstanding.  There's a lot of discussion out there about how characters in the romance genre are cliched up the wazoo.  So any diversions from tired tropes are good.  It's great when characters are recognizable as flesh-and-blood people.  Josh Mitchell is a recognizable human character.  I know a ton of douchebags just like him.

Seriously, this character that Demetrios has served to us, is a dick.  The first time readers meet Josh, he calls one the heroine's friends a faggot.  Not okay!  Although Josh makes an apology later (although to the heroine, not to the person he actually, you know, was a homophobic asshole to) he makes lots of douche-bro, meathead faux pas along our romantic journey with him.  Like an emotional imbecile, he repeatedly calls himself a pussy for experiencing PTSD symptoms. He has those nude-girl silhouette bumper stickers on his truck like a big, panting neanderthal. His favorite outlet of frustration is to throw beer bottles out of his truck window at abandoned gas stations like some sort of unimaginative goon.  I could go on, but I won't.

So my problem with I'll Meet You There is that, although Josh Mitchell is representative of many young men, he didn't light my fire.  At all.  For a romance, that's a deathstroke.

So, Something Real, Exquisite Captive, and I'll Meet You There. That's three strikes.  Unless future Demetrios books get utter raves, I'm going to pass on this author's works.

Tampa Review

This novel is not enjoyable to read.  I went through it as quickly as I could, treating it as a grim, grim task.  I'm left very torn over whether it's a book of any worth.  I'm uncertain over the author's motives for writing it.  What am I sure of?

It is a book about a female sexual predator. 

The most convincing arguments I've read that support Tampa praise the book for its examination of predatory female sexuality.  They argue that Nutting's writing is feminist, that treating women as the superior sex — less evil, more saintly than men — actually does women a disservice.  Better instead to acknowledge the full spectrum of female behavior. This is an argument that I understand, and can even get behind.  Because of this point of view, I have a reason to not throw Tampa in the trash.

Nutting uses explicit language.  

It cannot be argued that Tampa isn't sexually explicit.  The question is, does Nutting verge into the gratuitous?  In my opinion, yes.  Nutting has a reason for the lascivious prose — she wants to provoke the reader.  But she goes above and beyond.  I was so provoked by Nutting's language, that my nausea overtook my intellectual reactions.  To be fair, I consider Lolita.  Now universally celebrated, Nabokov's masterpiece elicited horror and disgust at the time of its publication.  It could very well be that, for me, Tampa's hyperbole is masking its worth.

The novel is interpretable.  

I found Tampa to be largely problematic, but the novel does elicit thought and elicit argument. That alone should warrant the book's worth, but does Tampa's repulsive gratuitousness strangle what points it strives to make?  My answer: yes.

 

 

Book Review: When

It's really rare that I buy a book without having read it first, but I made an exception for When, since I was on vacation.  I wish I'd saved the ten bucks.

When has an interesting premise, albeit one that is very similar to Rachel Ward's Numbers.  Maddie Flynn knows the deathdate of every person she sees.  She has a reasonably lucrative business running with her momager, reading deathdates for a price.  But, when she correctly predicts the date that a young boy is murdered, she lands herself in a world of trouble.

The book begins strongly, I felt.  It's nothing new under the sun, for sure, but it was pleasant in the sense that it's classic YA pulp.  It reminded me of the good old days of my teenage years, reading battered paperback "Jenny Carrol" (AKA Meg Cabot) books. However, my enjoyment of When started to deteriorate sharply as the pages kept turning.

My main complaint was the pacing.  The plot starts grinding quickly enough, but then it stalls.  Maddie, our protagonist, falls apart and reacts passively to all her troubles, making for a boring, frustrating reading experience.  I mean, I fall apart and react passively enough in my own life.  I don't want to deal with that nonsense in a pulpy, escapist fiction!  In fact, I made a note on my kindle at the exact moment that Maddie takes initiative.  It was at the 72% mark.

By the time that Maddie takes the bull by the horns, she's was beyond redemption.  Compounding the situation were other issues.  Laurie, our author, attempted to draw out her mystery by keeping Maddie oblivious to certain clues and preventing her from making simple inferences and connections.  As a result, Maddie came across as dumb.  Dumb as a bag of hammers.

So, what could buoy a book with a turgid plot and a poorly drawn protagonist? Supporting characters? Blah.  They were unimpressive.  Romance?  Dead On Arrival.  Beautiful prose?  Not hardly.

I strongly recommend that you pass on this one.