I'm pretty sure we all know the quote, "We read to know we are not alone," by C.S. Lewis. That sums up w*Reread in November 2013 - still great.
5 stars
I'm pretty sure we all know the quote, "We read to know we are not alone," by C.S. Lewis. That sums up what this book means to me. This book is the closest that has ever come to being a reflection of me and my life up to now. It is so relatable, and when I find books like that, I start crying. Needless to say, this book is an all-time favorite for me - one of the most special books I have ever read. However, not everyone will have that reaction to this book. So I'm going to try to point out the merits aside from how this is such a great reflection of me, and then I'll get to the validation-of-my-life-story parts after that.
Adorkable is adorable. HA. I thought I might as well get that out of the way first of all. If you're a blogger, you will have an instant connection to Jeane, because I feel like all of us are to a certain extent outsiders in our real life worlds. But at the same time, through blogging and through Twitter and such, we've found like minded people who are spread far and wide but who definitely mean something. If you've felt that discrepancy between online life and real life, between your online personality and your real life personality, between how people see you in real life and how they see you online - you need to read Adorkable, because it hits the nail on the head.
Both main characters I absolutely loved. Jeane, I already mentioned, the blogger, is eccentric and at times horribly stuck up and conceited. But at the same time, you can feel that there's much more to her than that. When she's defensive and closed off, you know there's something else to the story. I related to that part a lot, and I'll get to that later. But Jeane does send a great message about owning who you are and not apologizing for that, about finding your own voice and making it loud and clear, and about standing for something and being independent. Michael, the popular boy who "hates" her, is just a winner. He comes off as quite abrasive at first, in his ignorance, but he really quickly grows from that. He's just a truly caring, golden boy. His devotion and attentiveness to others really made me swoon. To be honest though, I swooned from his first mention.
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Adorkable is told from the alternating perspectives of Jeane and Michael. Usually I don't like alternating perspectives at all, but this is probably my favorite book that's done that so far. The two personalities are extremely distinctive, and due to their circumstances (the love-hate thing) you need that look into their inner thoughts. It's hilarious when they're oblivious to each other's feelings and intentions. They also contradict themselves in their narrations every once in a while, which becomes clear when it switches perspectives again. It's a very unique writing style that is absolutely absorbing. You really get to know two fleshed out characters very well and see development on both sides, as they learn from each other. Authors, if you want to do alternating perspectives, read this book. This is how you make it convincing.
So I know you're wondering about that romance. This may be my favorite written romance ever. I'm thinking now if I have a bookish (canon) couple that tops it, and I'm not sure I do. You'll probably know I'm a huge fan of love-hate relationships, and this one hit all the right notes. The chemistry was astounding. There will be involuntary flailing and squealing - you have been warned. Sarra uses all the right tropes, like the kiss-you-to-shut-you-up thing, and seriously, that's one device that will definitely make me like your book. Then the transitions in and development of the relationship, the ups and downs, it was all very real, absorbing, and addictive. AND HOT. VERY HOT. I just loved every minute of it, and I don't know how to make that more clear. A GIF? Sure. As a matter of fact, I have the perfect one.
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But let's wrap this up so it's not entirely a novel of a review. If you read my extremely long and personal post of last week and related to it or had massive feels because of it, read this book. Because we're now to the part about how this book relates to me. It's my life story. All of the feelings I poured into that post last week were also in this book, along with more things. How Jeane is as a person is extremely close to how I am - except that I'm a little less abrasive (I hope) and I don't dress quite as crazily. I won't rehash last week's post, because I'm trying to keep this short, but I've felt like an outsider all of my life, I've been shunned and looked down on by my mother, of course I am also a blogger, and I'm extremely defensive. I don't really let people close to me too easily for fear of getting hurt. I keep myself busy so that I don't have to think about complicated feelings. I avoid confrontation like it's the end of the world. So I understood a lot of Jeane's behavior that other readers might not.
Honestly though, the kicker was this scene towards the end of the book, [spoiler]where Jeane ends up alone on Christmas day and comes to the realization that she has absolutely nowhere to go, and when shit hits the fan, there's no one for her to call either.[/spoiler] If I wasn't in the car, reading this, with a colleague next to me, I would have been bawling. If I had been at home reading this, I would have just laid down on the floor and curled up into a ball. (Yeah, I do that sometimes, no judging.) Why? I've had that exact experience. I know exactly how that feels. And that all just came rushing back. I'm honestly almost in tears as I'm typing this. Experiences like that suck and hopefully most people don't know how that feels. You may not relate to it as well as I did, but know that that scene and the underlying emotions were right on the mark.
Summing Up:
I didn't know anything about this book when I picked it up. I had never heard of it, but it was at Boekenfestijn, a Dutch book fair, for, I think, 2 euros. I quickly read the back and instantly knew this was for me. As such it was the first of the 9 books I bought at Boekenfestijn that I read. I expected it to be enjoyable and that I would have a few laughs, but I never expected it to be a book that would be so dear to my heart. It's by far the best spent 2 euros of my life.
I loved everything about this book. I have an everything-I-wanted shelf on Goodreads, and this definitely has a spot on there. From the two awesome main characters, their depth, growth, witty banter, and awesome romance, to the great British humor and pop culture references, to the themes of finding your own voice and celebrating your uniqueness, to the relatable scenes that had me crying, to the perfect ending... I honestly don't have a single complaint. I mean, look at this massive review, and I still feel like I'm not doing this book justice. (I barely even talked about the plot, EEP.) asdfjkl; If it were up to me, everyone in the world would be required to read this.
Anyone who wants to have an understanding of who I am as a person needs to read this book. It covers all the pain and insecurities I had in high school and college, and it aptly had me tearing up at those parts. However, it's also an inspiration to me. An inspiration in that I need to just be me and feel confident and reassured in that. It's also a reaffirmation of the love in this blogging community, and it has motivated me to keep blogging and expanding my life here. I'm going to own the fact that I'm a blogger, and I'm never going to be ashamed of that or hide that from others. To top it all off, it's given me a lot more ideas and goals that I want to accomplish as a blogger - so look forward to that!
This is not just a Debby Book. This is the Debby Book.
A Midsummer's Nightmare is going on my favorites shelf. I read this heartfelt and authentic contemporary in one sitting, literally unable to pu5 stars
A Midsummer's Nightmare is going on my favorites shelf. I read this heartfelt and authentic contemporary in one sitting, literally unable to put it down, and I felt the full spectrum of emotions while reading it. I laughed out loud. I cried (for real). This book holds a special place in my heart. Contemporary doesn't get any better than this.
Let me first focus on how relatable this plot was to me, because that is one of the things that really compelled me to keep reading until I was done in the middle of the night. My parents are divorced. It was not a friendly divorce. To this day my mother will still complain to me about my father, which makes my relationship with her strained at best. My father remarried, and though after the divorce the court decided I should live with my mother, I ended up pretty much running away from her in favor of my father. Divorce is a tricky subject, especially when it's a messy one. It messed me up pretty bad. And in A Midsummer's Nightmare it really messed up Whitley. But it was totally authentic. I knew everything she was going through. I knew how hard it was, having been through it myself. So that made this story extremely endearing to me.
This means that I loved the main character, Whitley. Not only did I love her authentic voice, but she had a pretty badass attitude as well. Though at the beginning she may come across a bit self-absorbed, she's clearly partying to escape and trying desperately to keep herself whole. I also related to how she shut herself off from having friends, after she'd been jilted by her old friends. But make no mistake, this is a character growth novel, and I absolutely loved it. As you continue reading, you keep peeling back layers of her personality and understand why she is the way she is. And she changes herself as well.
I also loved Nathan and the romance. Kody Keplinger is a master at creating romantic chemistry, guys, seriously. All the scenes that were even remotely romantic pretty much had me drooling. It was awesome. And Nathan is just an absolutely wonderful character: funny, nerdy, but hot and athletic, with a slightly mysterious past, and all around lovable. Though I wish that at some points he wouldn't have let his principles get in the way and just let the hotness happen... he was still awesome and the relationship was good the way it developed. I loved every second of it.
In this book, Whitley discovers what it means to be loved by family, which has been completely foreign to her since the divorce, friends, and, of course, Nathan. The friendship element also really touched my heart. Whitley befriends (begrudgingly at first) Harrison, a totally handsome yet gay guy living in Hamilton. He immediately wants to be friends with her - they just click, and throughout the book he's the best supporter she could have. It was absolutely beautiful.
What got to me most, however, was the relationship with her father. Because of the strained relationship with her mother, she put her father on a pedestal, but soon figures out there's things about him she didn't know. Long story short, and without spoilers, they have a confrontation scene and it totally made me cry. I don't cry during books. I can probably count the books I've cried during on one hand. And dammit is it hard to read with tears in your eyes! But it was beautiful and emotional and really hit the message home.
Summing Up:
Kody Keplinger adds a second book of hers to my all-time favorites shelf. And make no mistake, if people were to ever ask me for contemporary recommendations, I would say Kody Keplinger first. With the authentic voices she gives her characters and her drool-worthy romance, she has become one of my favorite authors. A Midsummer's Nightmare was extremely relevant to me personally, and maybe not everyone will be as touched by it as I was, but either way, it's a great story with an awesome cast of characters and an important message. I loved every bit of it.
GIF it to me straight!
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Recommended To:
Everyone, especially readers with divorced parents....more
Every once in a while, a book comes along with a synopsis and a cover which convince you, no matter what, you will love that book. You don't ne5 stars
Every once in a while, a book comes along with a synopsis and a cover which convince you, no matter what, you will love that book. You don't need to read any reviews or reactions, you just know. It doesn't happen too often. I believe the last time I had it, it was with Stormdancer. But then, along came All Our Yesterdays. I just knew it. However, with previous reads that I had high hopes for ultimately letting me down, I was still nervous about it. But that was unwarranted for All Our Yesterdays. Make no mistake, I love this book.
I'm kind of in love with the time travel concept, so that is what instantly drew me in. It's so well executed that it's hard to do it justice with this review. Time travel is a delicate concept because... how do you tackle it? How do you deal with the paradoxes? Cristin Terrill had no problem with it. She is a master storyteller and the intricate beauty of this story puts this book on my favorites list and her next books on my to-read list as well.
I think what draws me to time travel and parallel universe stories is that it all comes down to the choices we make and their implications. But what All Our Yesterdays does so well is that it uses that to create very complex characters. Let it be known now, I love me a complex villain. Seriously. You give me a book where the villain can show that certain motivations or principles are driving his actions, that there's a logic to it, that it could be perceived as "right", and I will love that book. And that book, in this case, is All Our Yesterdays. The villain is scary and creepy and wrong. But you see his development to that point as well. You see what drives him. You see that he truly believes he's doing good. You almost sympathize with him. But it's also wrong. God, I just love the complexity. It really makes you think.
The other characters, the main characters, Finn and Em, also drew me in. I not only love their personalities, with Em being fiercely loyal and determined and Finn being strong but also very funny, but I love the character development. The story alternates between Marina and Em, Marina from four years in the future, in Marina's present. What Cristin Terrill does really well is show two personalities for the two points of view that are in essence still the same person (and the narration does read as such) but where one, Em, has been weathered by time and become much more mature due to the hardships she has faced. It reads seamlessly and beautifully and is very skillfully done. As the story progresses, you gradually see how both main characters and the villain ultimately become their future selves, which means top notch character development.
As with most young adult novels, there is romance involved here. However, the story is mostly driven by action and the romance doesn't overshadow that. But the romance, guys... Finn and Em... they steal my heart. It began with her, as Marina, her younger self, calling him "the idiot". I was sold. You'll probably know I love me a love-hate relationship, and this is no exception. It was beautiful, both in the younger Marina, who gradually sees more sides of Finn and begins to dislike him less, and the older Em, who loves Finn and can count on him to support her, always. And Finn is just awesome aside from all that because of his amazing ability to always be able to lighten the mood but still be serious when necessary. I love Finn so much, guys, I should just stop now before this becomes a total gush fest. Just one thing: soul mates. Yep.
The ending was freaking intense. Though all the rest of the book is also filled with the kind of action that had me furiously turning the pages and loathing having to put the book down, the ending blew my mind. I was on the edge of my seat. I was gasping. I was crying. It was just amazing. And at the end, when you think it's all tied up one way, and it kind of makes you sad, but it works, it still twists another way and asdfjkl; I can't. This is such an intense story... It's seized my heart. I loved it. A perfect ending, which can be read as a stand alone, but still makes me extremely happy there will be a sequel.
Summing Up:
I don't often cry over books (tweeting "I'M CRYING" is seldom serious with me) but All Our Yesterdays definitely got me to shed a tear. I was completely absorbed by the characters, by the concept, by the action, by the romance... I didn't want to put the book down for a second and anxiously watched the page numbers increase, knowing there was less and less left and dreading it coming to an end. However, that ending was intense and perfect, and I can't think of a negative thing to say (because "I want moreeeee; why is it overrrrr?" doesn't count). This is one of my all-time favorite books and an extremely powerful debut by Cristin Terrill. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
GIF it to me straight!
Overall: [image] Two smiley Doctors, Time Lord approved!
Me, over the course of this novel: [image] [image] [image] Emotional rollercoaster.
The last 40 pages: [image]
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It's a good thing I don't have a boyfriend because...
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To Cristin Terrill: [image] Serious props.
Recommended To...
EVERYONE. Just everyone.
**An electronic ARC was provided by JKS Communications for the blog tour, in exchange for an honest review. This, believe it or not, did not influence my opinion. Thank you!...more
Reread in 2018: I still love this book so much. And after going back to it 6 years later, I definitely feel like I had a new experience with it. OtherReread in 2018: I still love this book so much. And after going back to it 6 years later, I definitely feel like I had a new experience with it. Other details stood out to me, other personality aspects made me think and wonder... And yeah. Still love it.
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inifinite stars...
So I had been hearing about this book for ages, really. Almost two years and I just now got around to finally reading it. Considering what I had heard (not much about the story, but the emotions people had about it) I had pretty high expectations, but the book exceeded my wildest dreams.
I cried. I seriously, seriously cried for almost the last quarter of the book. That honestly has never happened before. I don't think I've ever gotten this emotional about a book. But it was crying in the best possible way, because it's so uplifting. I just have to write this review now to release my feelings about it, but I realize a lot of it will sound cliché and unoriginal.
Just. It was so perfect. I was a little apprehensive of the writing style, thinking that I wouldn't really like the epistolary style, but it was perfect anyway, it fit the whole story and really made it even more memorable. What I love about it is that it produces this beautiful honesty about everything. I've been keeping a journal for almost 8 years or so, so I could completely relate to the sort of thoughts that Charlie put down on paper. I really related to him because I too always wonder about why people do things and such.
What I really loved about it is I was taken back to my high school days. I could picture everything completely - similar experiences, similar people, similar thoughts. And still it was different. This is the kind of book that I already know I'm going to read at least 20 times in my lifetime. The thoughts it produces... It really just makes you think and wonder about how you see things. I would almost dare to say it's life changing - excuse all my corniness, but this is truly what I believe right now.
It was completely beautiful. And some people might disagree - say that there is too little plot, or that it's overdone, or that it's not the most original story... But it's really the thoughts it creates, the insights. Some of my absolute favorite media works are my favorites precisely because they're so subtle. And just completely beautiful. (Like one of my all time favorite movies - Up in the Air.)
The ending I honestly didn't see coming, but that's also the moment when you start seeing more connections in the book - the story, the characters, why Charlie is the way he is... It is the kind of ending that immediately makes you want to read the book again, because you just KNOW you're going to see new things.
Summing Up:
Throughout it all, the book is just so uplifting. Taking the ending into account, I just wish that I could be more like Charlie. The way he looks at things is astounding and really, they're just words to live by. So this is definitely one of my all time favorite books and I'm now going to be that annoying little kid bugging everyone she knows to read it.
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