Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

“Just because you'd left something behind didn't mean that it had gone anywhere.”  - Morgan Matson, Second Chance Summer 

 

Another Morgan Matson book! This one made me cry like a baby, so y'all already know this is gonna be a good one.

This week's book follows Taylor, a girl who's downright infamous for running away when things get tough. As her family makes their way to their house in the mountains--their first summer there in five years--Taylor is forced into the realization that she can't run away from everything. Not her former best friend and first crush, both still hurting over their last summer together, and certainly not her father's recent diagnosis, which is quickly tearing her world apart.

I'm going to repeat myself, because I feel like this is worth mentioning twice--DO NOT PICK UP THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU WANT TO CRY. This book saw me sobbing for a solid fifty pages straight. These pages will forever be stained with my tears. If you're looking for a summer read, THERE ARE MUCH, MUCH BETTER CHOICES.

That being said, this book was good. In the ranking of Matson books, I'd probably rate Since You've Been Gone at the top, followed by this book, and then Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. Her characterization remains excellent--her characters are varied, flawed, and real. Her portrayal of family life, especially the relationship between the three siblings in this story, are especially great.

There were certain things in her writing, though, that started to catch my eye as I made my way through the story. I don't know if it wasn't present in her other books, or if I just never noticed it before, but I started to pick out phrases that bogged the story down unnecessarily. Statements that were over-explained, references to previous points in the text that were spelled out, to ensure that the reader didn't miss it. They started to distract me from the story, as I picked out every phrase that could be reworded or taken out entirely.

But here's the thing...I make the same mistakes. All. The. Time.

Never in my entire life as a writer has this ever happened, but all of these errors or flubs that I plucked out of the story, I immediately thought, "I would have done this." It sounded almost like I was reading my own story, a book I forgot I wrote, picking out all the mistakes that I never notice until my seventeenth runthrough. It was a little comforting and very weird--but also interesting. 

Aside from that, though, Matson's book--while somewhat predictable, in more ways than one--was a beautifully tragic tale that I couldn't put down. (I only did once, by force, because I was an idiot who forgot my copy at work once. Way to go, self.)

Final rating: four stars.

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

"The best discoveries always happen to the people who weren't looking for them." - Morgan Matson, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

This wasn't my first Morgan Matson book, but it's the one that I've owned the longest. I've heard many, many, many good things about this book, but never actually got around to reading it.

But now it's summer, and since Sarah Dessen doesn't have a new book coming out this year (//sobs quietly in corner//), then I have to start picking up other contemporaries. Enter: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, stage right.

After Amy's dad died in a sudden and tragic accident, a lot of things changed--her brother Charlie went into rehab, for one. Her mother decided to move the family across the country, for another. And now, her mom wants her to drive the family car to their new home, and enlists family friend Roger to drive, giving them the itinerary and the funds to get on their way.

The itinerary, though, is....lacking. (In interest, adventure, and fun....pretty much everything you'd want from a road trip.) So instead, Amy and Roger take a detour--and a big one, at that. The two of them each have baggage that extends beyond the trunk of their car, and each new stop brings them each closer to coming to terms with it--and closer to each other. 

What to say about this book? Well, for starters, it made me have an intense and dire need to go on a road trip of my own. (My bank statement doesn't agree with this, nor does the fact that I don't actually have a car. Or a driver's license. Or anyone who's willing to do all the driving for a cross-country adventure.) But that's okay, because it broke my dreams in a very well-written way!

One of the things I really like about Maston's book is the way she paces them. This book, in particular, framed much of their journey in a sort of literary montage, formed by snippets of conversation as they made the long trek from California to Conneticut. It was something that I don't normally see, as most books normally skip through the boring bits and cut straight to the action. But these snippets provided great insight to the progression of their friendship, without dragging the story on. It sped up the narrative without rushing it--a difficult balance, sometimes, but a rewarding one.

The thing with this book, though, was the Big Tragic Thing that was alluded to throughout the story wasn't as shocking as she might have hoped it would be. It was very, very easy to pick up on and guess what it was, long before the flashabck that expalined it, and that almost took away from the story in a way that doesn't normally happen. I don't care about being caught off guard, necessarily, but it was just so painfully obvious what had happened that it was almost frustrating that we didn't find out what it was until almost the end of the story.

Also--and this is extremely shocking for me--I didn't find myself caring a whole lot about the romantic attraction between Amy and Roger. Their friendship was great, and I enjoyed the way they got to know each other and interacted throughout their journey. But I feel like the chemistry between them was rather lacking, which is something I don't often (or ever) find myself saying about a rom-com contemporary. Normally I hop on board the ship right away, but no matter how far their feelings progressed, I just wasn't feelin' it. (This can't be said for any other of her books, though, which I am grateful for.)

What I did love, though, was the slew of characters we met as they travelled from state to state on their detour. I loved the snapshots of the lives we saw, how it compared and contrasted to our main characters. More importantly, I love how each location brought Amy a step closer to where she needed to be, teaching her the things she needed to learn and showing her how to move on from the grief that was plaguing her at the start of the novel. 

All in all, it's a fantastic summer read, and I would definitely recommend it--although you may find yourself planning a grand adventure of your own afterwords.

Final rating: four stars. (Maybe 4.2, even!)

Until later,

Justyne

Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

WARNING!

The following is a review of the SEQUEL to Between the Lines, and as such, you probably shouldn't read it if you haven't read the first book!

Firstly: I am irrationally irritated that his novel has been continuously described and marketed as a companion to Between the Lines, because I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't think it is. This is really the second half of Delilah and Oliver's story, and you're really just missing out on a huge chunk of it if you pick up from here. This book is a continuation of its predecessor, and as such, it is a SEQUEL.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Off the Page picks up around three months after the end of Between the Lines, and Oliver and Delilah are living Happily Ever After (except not really because like high school and Mild Teen Drama and whatnot). The beginning was probably my least favourite part of the whole thing, simply because of the whole "fantasy-character-in-the-Real-Modern-World trope that the story had goin' on. And I mean, yes, it was definitely integral to the story, and if Oliver hadn't been stumbling over himself with all this new modern technology and societal standards that didn't exist in his book, then it would've been incredibly unrealistic, and I'd be complaining about it. I'm not even sure why I hate this trope so much, exactly...I just do. I tried to write a whole book revolving around it, and now I've all but rewritten the entire thing because I hated myself for doing it in the first place!

Anyhow. After they get over their Mild Teen Drama, and Oliver becomes a semi-competent teenager, things start to get interesting--the book starts to reject Oliver and Edgar's switch from the end of the first book, and starts to revert all of the changes Edgar made to the story to make it more fun for him--and now, it's trying to get Oliver back into the book.

Like I said before, I had a hard time getting into this story at first, but once the ball got rollin', I REALLY started to enjoy myself. This book played around with the magical components of the storybook a bit more, this time with a few more consequences than we saw in the first one. (Or at least, that I remember seeing..I should probably reread that book.) 

This book was the kind of book that you really can't take too seriously or think too hard about. I feel like they almost put too many magical rules in--I mean, I can get behind the whole all-magic-comes-with-a-price bit, but it was built up to be more complicated than it really needed to be, which only left me lost and confused. (Granted, I live most of my life in a constant state of lost and confused, so it's really not much different.)

THE ENDING THOUGH, OH MY GOD. Y'all KNOW how much I love a good ending, and this book gave me everything I hoped and dreamed for going into this book. 

The reason I loved Between the Lines in the first place was because it felt like I was reading a real modern day fairy tale--a fairy tale about fairy tales! What could be more perfect? And we all know that the best part about any fairy tale is the Happily Ever After, and God, do these books nail that. If I had to rate either book on its ending alone, it would get a perfect score.

And just like Between the Lines, Off the Page had some BEAUTIFUL illustrations that just tied the whole theme of the book together!

I think I initially rated this book 5 stars? Sure, let's go with that.

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Keeping the Moon

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! This week we revisit my favourite author for one of her earlier books--Keeping the Moon! (Techincally another reread, but it's been so long since I've read this particular novel that I had forgotten 95% of the plot before I sat down to read it again!)

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Colie has always been an outcast. First it was because she was fat. Then, even after her mother skyrocketed to informercial fame with her "FlyKiki" workout videos and helped her shed the extra weight, cruel and untrue rumours began to circulate, ensuring that her life remained as lonely as it's always been. When her mother leaves for her European tour, she sends Colie off to live with her aunt Mira--eccentric, overweight, and the subject of her own rumours that seem to bother Colie more than they bother her.

After an unexpected shift at the Last Chance restaurant, Colie is offered a waitressing job, where she meets Morgan and Isabel. The two are best friends, as close as you can be, and together they team up to teach Colie the art of confidence, standing up for yourself, and most importantly, friendship.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Some of Dessen's earlier books--That Summer, Dreamland, and, of course, Keeping the Moon--are shorter, probably because she was a newer author at the time. These books are half the size of all of her newer stuff, but thankfully, the pacing doesn't suffer because of it. A smaller book for a smaller story--exactly how it should be!

One of the biggest differences I noticed when comparing this to her newer stuff is that many of her newer books involve conflicts between the main character and their parents--something I talked about in my last review. But this time around, the conflict was almost entirely focused on Colie. It was more internal than external, which is something that I love to see. Internal conflicts are always more interesting because they're much more personal; it's not something that we see going on a lot because it's something we most often keep to ourselves. 

The thing that sucked about this, though, was that Colie's mother was hardly present in the book. Their relationship was an interesting one--they seemed rather close, and Colie's admiration of her mother and her mother's bravery was apparent throughout the story, and their relationship is one that I would have liked to see a little more of.

Speaking of relationships, the romantic one between Colie and Norman was a little...disappointing. The romance is one of the biggest reasons I'm such a hardcore Dessen fan, but whereas her other books spread the romance out throughout the story, this one seemed to happen in a more compact fashion towards the end. We had a couple moments here and there, but for the most part it wasn't addressed until the very end, after Colie had just about finished her journey to self confidence. I would have liked to see their relationship develop a little more, just so that it doesn't feel quite as rushed towards the end.

The other relationships, though, were spot on. The friendship Isabel and Morgan shared was compelling and real. Dessen's trend of including a compelling cast of side characters wasn't lost in this book, and I loved seeing these two interact. I only wish Colie had found someone with whom she could be the same way. She always seemed, to me, like an outsider to their friendship. Including someone she could bond with has closely as Isabel and Morgan would have been fantastic to see.

And finally, Mira. Sweet, sweet Mira. Reading about Mira was an interesting experience for me. In the beginning, Colie was embarrassed to be seen with Mira in public--and, since she's fifteen, I could definitely see where she was coming from. I'm sure at that age that I'd be cringing, too. (I probably did, actually, the first time I read this book.)

But now, as a twenty-year-old semi-surviving the Real Adult World, I didn't feel the need to cringe at all. In fact, Mira quickly became my favourite character--her quirky personality was downright adorable, and the fact that she was so confident in herself was absolutely inspiring. She heard the whispers, what the townsfolk said about her, and she straight up didn't care. Not a care was given by that woman, and it was fantastic. She never shied away from who she was, and she never tried to change--not even when Colie's mother sent her all of her workout tapes and equipment.

Both Colie and Mira called Kiki the brave one, and I'm not denying that she is--but Mira was just as brave, if not more so. I'm almost glad that Colie didn't get the chance to stand up agianst her aunt's bullies, because Mira didn't need it in the slightest.

THE STAR-Y BIT

Overall, I did enjoy this book--I mean, c'mon, how can I not enjoy a Sarah Dessen book--but it fell short to where some of her other books have soared. I give it four stars.

Review: Saint Anything

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again!

This week, I'll be reviewing Sarah Dessen's newest--Saint Anything. Enjoy!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Sydney has always been the invisible one, living in the shadow of her charming and self-destructing brother Peyton. Even now, after a drunk driving accident lands him in jail and a young boy paralyzed, Sydney feels lost amongst the endless lawyers and court dates. To her parents, she is the least of their concerns.

Then she meets Layla, self proclaimed expert of boys and french fries. With her comes her older sister Rosie, graceful and beautiful beyond compare; her mother Mrs. Chatham, sweet with a heart of gold, never letting anyong fall through the cracks; and brother Mac, quiet and oh-so-observant. They welcome her immediately, and accept her into their world filled with pizza, lollipops, and bluegrass music echoing into the late summer nights.

As Sydney enters this world, struggling to balance it with her old one, she begins to find her place. A place where she feels accepted, loved, and anything but invisible.

THE REWIEW-Y BIT

Have you ever read a book that just gave the feeling of a familiar setting, the whole time? Because to me, Saint Anything felt like a cool summer night, the kind perfect for s'mores and bonfires, with a cool breeze that was just refreshing enough to bring the hot temperature down, but not so much that you needed to dig up some layers. Just...perfect.

It's hard to pinpoint why it felt like that for me.Maybe because the bulk of this book was read in one night, with a window open in my bedroom while the sun set to provide just the breeze I was talking about. Maybe it was because my favourite scene, with the carousel and the talk of Saints and the blue grass festival in the living room, gave off that same vibe.

Either way, I really loved this book.

There's something satisfying with starting a streak of fantastic books, and this book did just that. While I didn't finish this book in five hours (like my last read), it was finished within 36 hours of being bought--something that only ever happens when a highly anticpated book meets and/or exceeds my expectations.

I'm no stranger to Sarah Dessen books. And once again, Dessen's characters shine brightly throughout the book, from french fry connoisseur Layla to slightly condescending, self-proclaimed music expert Eric.

And then there's Sydney.

Before the story even starts, Dessen sets the tone for Sydney's journey with a chord-striking dedication:

"For the invisible girls

and for my readers, for seeing me."

Sydney's desire to be seen for herself, and not for her brother, is so real and relateable for so many people. It's a great quality of all of Dessen's stories that make them so good.

I love the way that Dessen portrays the parents of her characters. A common danger in YA lit is to have the parents mysteriously MIA for the majority of the book, or to have them clueless or useless for just as long. Or the parents are immediately turned into the enemy, mean and strict just for the sake of being mean and strict.

But Dessen doesn't write them off, keep them in the dark or antagonize them for no reason. No, her protagonists don't often get along with their parents...but how many kids do? The difference here is that the parents are human--they make mistakes, but they're trying their best to do what's best for their children. Throughout the story, Dessen's protag often has a second parental figure in their life, an impartial third party who sees both sides of the story.

For Sydney, that's Mrs. Chatham.

Mrs. Chatham sympathizes with Sydney; she knows what Sydney's going through. But she also sees and understands where her parents are coming from, the motivations behind their actions. And it's because of this dual understanding that Sydney is able to reconcile with their parents by the conclusion.

The book wasn't without its issues, of course. My biggest problem was that the whole Eric-and-Sydney storyline is kind of lost throughout the climax and resolution. He's hinted at having feelings for her for a good portion of the book, right up to the point where he asks her out, and then...nothing. She avoids giving her answer, and the issue is never brought up again. Not when Sydney and Mac's secretive relationship was revealed, or when Eric and Layla rekindled their pre-plot romance. I even forgot about it, too, until the cover was closed after the happily ever after. Now, I'm left to wonder.

I also thought that the relationship between Sydney and Mrs. Chatham was extremely underdevelloped. They had their moments, of course, but I feel like their bond could have been used even more throughout the story than it was. 

THE STAR-Y BIT

Forgotten and misused plotlines aside, Dessen's newest quickly earned another five stars from me. Saint Anything has already made it onto my reread list!


Until later,

- Justyne

Review: The Truth About Forever

HELLO, FRIENDS! I fought with myself a little over whether to review this book, as I was afraid of a sliiiiiiiiight presence of prejudice, what with this being my favourite book and all. (This was my fourteenth time reading this book. FOURTEENTH!)

But in the end, I decided that skipping such an important book would be a tragedy. So with that, I give you my review of The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen.

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Jason has gone off to Brian Camp for the summer. For most people, his absence is of little consequence; but Macy Queen is not most people. Her perfect boyfriend has been her anchor, her distraction and salvation from the grief of her father's passing two years prior. Without him, the months ahead seem endless, with little to occupy her time except her dull library job, and her worries over her mother's stress levels.

Soon, though, her thoughts and time are occupied by other things--namely, her new job at Wish Catering, where everything goes wrong and, somehow, all makes sense in the end. And her older sister's spontaneous new project of renovating the beach house, which puts pressure on their mother that she may not be willing to handle. With the help of her new friends, their truths and their insights on forever, Macy begins to move on. She starts to pick through the pieces of her life, and restart her grief where she paused it two years ago.

But change, it seems isn't always easy...or even welcome. So how can she convince her mother that it's for the best?

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Like I mentioned earlier, this was my fourteenth--FOURTEENTH--time reading this book. This review isn't coming from the point of view of an outsider--I know this book backwards, forewards, inside out and diagonally. So let me start out by saying this: this story, at its core, is extremely relateable to myself as a human being from at least three very different points of my life. I'm no Macy Queen, but I feel for her and have felt for her on levels that I have yet to reach with any other characters. After eight years, I know Macy very very well.

The characters have always been one of my favourite aspects of this book. Sarah Dessen has a thing for making her side cast very diverse [need a new FUkKING WORD] and quirky and fun, and this story is home to my favourites--namely Kristy and Bert. Kristy's mature and idealistic outlook on life is refreshing, and Bert is just...well, he's Bert. He's unique, to say the least, and it's imposisble not to love him and all of his quirks.

The only problem with her lovable minor characters is that, sometimes, the main character doesn't shine as well in comparison. In this case, especially, I always felt like Macy kind of faded to the background around her new Wish friends--but then again, who wouldn't, when faced with such a rambunctious crowd?

Sarah Dessen is my favourite author, and has been for a long time. But what really made me love this book, in particular, so much more than her others are the themes. The first one, the main one, is one that has been done probably a million times before. Kristy's whole speech that night of the party, about how your forever can end tomorrow or a million years from now, is basically a revamped version of "seize the day" or "you only live once". But even still, I just loved the way it was said. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it?"

That, paired with the themes of second chances and grief and moving on are tied together so eloquently and, more importantly, effortlessly. Dessen has so many plots going on, all at once, but they all wrap together and move the story along so nicely. So much is happening in Macy's life all at once, but it still doesn't seem overwhelming.

Macy's actions--or lack thereof--throughout the book have me...well, torn. Her decisions take a bit of a two-steps-forward-one-step-back approach, which gets extremely frustrating after a certain point. When she's at odds with her mother towards the end of the book and just doesn't have the courage to sya something, it gets me both steaming mad and incredibly heartbroken. But at the same time, I can't help but admit that it's actually quite realistic. Nobody changes all at once--we change slowly over time, bit by bit, until we become the person we want to be. Sometimes we fall back into old habits, because that's what they are--habits. I'm guilty of it, myself. In this way, it's almost reassuring to see a fictional character behave in a fashion similar to myself. It might be the very reason I find the story so relateable.

And fnially: the climax. That scene where Macy takes off after Wes, running for the first time in years...it makes me smile. It makes me smile so much, even after reading it fourteen times. Their entire relationship as a whole, actually, is one of my personal favourites to read about. They bond over grief and chaos, over the truths that come out in a game stretched on for the majority of the book. Their interactions have always been a pleasure for me to read, no matter how much time passes.

THE RATING-Y BIT

Do I even have to say?


Until later,

- Justyne

Review: The Beginning of Everything

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

YES HELLO, DEAR FRIENDS. Today we are embarking on a new journey, here on Tales of the Unpublished, in which I read and review stories written by people who are actually published. The Tales of the Published, if you will. Ideally, this would be another weekly thing, but alas I don't think I can read that many books on a regular basis. (We'll see, though.) So for now, this'll be updated every other Wednesday. (So the next review will be uploaded on March 4th, then again on March 18th, April 1st, and so on.)

This week's book is The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider.

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Ezra Faulkner was the Golden Boy. Star tennis player, AP student, boyfriend of the most popular girl in school, and dead ringer for Homecoming King. But after a random hit-and-run leaves him with a shattered knee, he's single, crippled (for lack of a better word), and sitting with the local band of misfits in the quad. His formerly perfect life now seems to lie in ruins.

But then he meets Cassidy Thorpe.

Wild and spontaneous, Ezra falls for her and all of the quirks that come with her. The two dive into a relationship filled with treasure hunts and secret movie screenings, all the while marking Ezra's shift to discovering his true identity, and finding what he is truly capable of doing.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

The Beginning of Everything was one of those books that sets out to be the next Super Inspiring Read--a fact you can tell just by reading the synopsis. I'm always a little uneasy when it comes to books like these, because I often find that they try too hard to be something that they're not. This book was both very hyped (back during its initial release, anyway), and filled with negative reviews on Goodreads, so I was a little nervous about starting it.

But while this book probably wasn't as inspiring as it set out to be, it still succeeded in more ways than one.

First of all: Ezra's growth. Character development is something that can bump a book up from a three star to a five star rating for me, and Ezra's journey hit the nail on the head. His struggles with dealing with the expectations of his teachers, parents, and peers, paired with finding out what kind of person he really was, was a great theme that I think most people would be able to relate to. His shift was gradual, and not without setbacks, which made it realistic, as well.

My favourite part about it was his relationship with Cassidy, and how that melded together with his character growth. In so many books, a protagonist's development kick starts when they meet a new character--normally a romantic interest. A lot of people have issues with this trend, arguing that it makes it seem as though we, as people, need someone else to swoop in and "save" us, as opposed to having the capacity to save ourselves. I don't necessarily agree with that argument, because I believe that a lot of the change we experience in ourselves can be traced back to important people in our lives, romantic or not; we pick up things from the people we care about. In the end, though, I do believe that it is up to us to be willing to make the change.

That being said, I loved that Ezra's growth was independent, but in a way that we didn't realize it until the end. Like Ezra, we were almost tricked into believing that his growth and development was a direct result of his meeting Cassidy. The sequence of events that followed both his journey and their relationship was so perfectly melded together that it was easy to forget that she wasn't the thing that started it all. She did help move him along, by introducing him to things that he wouldn't have otherwise been subjected to--a fact that I would have loved to see acknowledged.

HOWEVER. While Ezra was experiencing his tragedy, Cassidy was going through her own. The death of her brother and the life-altering injury that Ezra endured were undeniably intertwined--a fact that we come to know by the end of the book. Throughout the story, Cassidy was a mystery; there was something deeper, something tragic about her past that she wasn't coming clean with, and once she finally revealed what it was, she just....disappeared. Vanished from his life, with nothing more than a desperate plea to "misremember her".

I loved that concept, of misremembering. It was such an honest and true concept, something that we do on a daily basis. But I didn't like how it applied to Cassidy and her development--or lack thereof. Right when it seemed that we were finally going to see her past, and finally going to see her go through her own development, her own journey was just ended abruptly. The entire book was so focused on Ezra's path to self discovery that they totally neglected the person who should have been growing in parallel alongside them.

The romance was quirky and filled with adventure and it was just so fun to read about. There was a definite element of romanticism, yes, but that's part of what I loved about it! We should be allowed to romanticize things, especially things as harmless as a high school romance in a YA novel. I want to be able to dream and imagine that I can have a relationship filled with as many quirks as this one.

But the way it ended was just so unsatisfying that it kind of ruined it for me. I have no problem with them breaking up; it was the way they broke up that bothered me. Ezra had placed her on a pedestal, and kept her there the whole book. But once she fell from that pedestal, but we didn't get to see the aftermath. We didn't get to see her pick herself up, to see Ezra try and help her through her self discovery the way she helped him. I understand that seeing the true results of this sort of development would be difficult from Ezra's point of view, but maybe the book would have been better off if told from alternating perspectives.

When Ezra and Cassidy met, they were both in the middle of their stories--their "tragedies", if you will. But while Ezra's story came to a neat and final conclusion, Cassidy's was cut off abruptly. We never got to see Cassidy come to terms with her tragedy the way that Ezra did, and the utter lack of conclusion with her character development made the overall pacing seem awkward.

Although the plot suffered, the writing style itself may have saved the book for me. The flashbacks were excellent. They provided excellent segues into different plot points. I was a little iffy about it at first, because the way Ezra was narrating the story didn't seem like the way a high school boy would speak. But by the end, it is revealed that he himself is writing about his experiences, while looking back on it after he's begun college. Even though I had already fallen in love with the writing style, the fact that they had some sort of realistic explanation for it made me love it all the more.

All in all, this book was excellently written--but there was definitely a lot of room for improvement.

THE RATING-Y BIT

Four and a half stars. I would have absolutely LOVED to give it five, if only Cassidy had been given the development she deserved.


Until later,

- Justyne