Okay, so I'm like a lot of folks. I spent many years reading YA books and enjoying them, but after a while I got bored andMild spoilers ahead 3.5 stars
Okay, so I'm like a lot of folks. I spent many years reading YA books and enjoying them, but after a while I got bored and annoyed by some of the recurring tropes. So now I pick up YA books (fantasy especially) with caution. Either I pick them up when I'm in the mood for YA books specifically, or if I think a particular YA book will not have the things that annoy me. I picked this one up thinking it would be one of the latter, especially given its high rating on Goodreads (4.5), but I was a little bit disappointed to be honest. To start the characters were just all a bit immature. There was a lot of secrecy and Bree was constantly sitting on information that could have helped others. Not to mention she just did lots of stupid, stubborn stuff I would expect from a teenager (which to be fair she is obviously). Also does every YA fantasy have to have some black tie event where they dress up in ball gowns? Am I seriously the only one that can't help but roll her eyes when the MC tries dress after dress until she finds the perfect one and her best friend gasps at how pretty she looks?
The other thing that annoyed me is that as far as I can tell, every single evil character was racist. You might be wondering why I would have a problem with that. My problem is that I feel it's unimaginative at best and lazy writing at worst. Racism is evil. But surely, not every evil person is racist or motivated by racism? Even the demons (!!!!!!!) were racist.
Another thing that I really dislike and that the book had is love triangles.
Having said all that, what I really liked was how the author didn't just write a POC character, but themes of racism and it's history are masterfully interwoven into the story. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
Another YA trope that was present was trials. I tend to like this trope which is why I didn't mention it above, but it is still pretty typical YA.
I've been looking forward to reading this book since it came out, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.
Prudence has always been a perfectionist, so whenI've been looking forward to reading this book since it came out, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.
Prudence has always been a perfectionist, so when she gets a C on the biology project she's been working so hard on, she blames her partner. After all, Quint didn't do anything she asked him to do. He was unreliable and always late, and he didn't even bother being on time for their presentation. But her teacher's remarks are that a lack of teamwork caused the grade, and while he's willing to give them a second chance, they have to do it together. But getting Quint to agree seems impossible. When she suddenly finds herself equipped with powers to deliver karmic justice after hitting her head, she can finally get payback for everything Quint put her through. But they don't seem to work on him, and the more Prudence finds out about him, the more she starts to wonder if she never understood Quint at all.
Prudence makes for a very frustrating and annoying character perspective to spend 400 pages with. I found her off-putting and judgmental, and while she does change and grow as the story progresses, I spent more than 50% actively disliking her. She jumps to conclusions based on no evidence, leading to a few "karma" incidents that do harm to other people, but where she tells herself she was in the right. One of them left an especially bad taste in my mouth--after she uses her powers, a girl falls down from where she was painting over a billboard and breaks her leg. Prudence suffers a very minor moment of guilt, but she easily sweeps it away and continues using her powers, even after acknowledging she almost killed someone. After all, it's not her fault; the universe decided! This lack of holding herself accountable was honestly the last straw.
I did like Quint a bit more, and I really enjoyed everything related to the rescue center and the animals. Those elements are the only thing that kept me going. It's nothing at all like Free Willy but it has some similar themes, and I love that movie.
The romance, what little there was of it, had potential, but the expected dramatic conflict was written in a way they shouldn't have been able to come back from. This is something I'm seeing more and more, where the couple says things to each other during the conflict scene but then everything is forgiven and forgotten by the end. I didn't believe it here, and I don't think you just let the kind of things that were said in this book slide.
The addition of the instant karma powers doesn't add much to the story, other than being a way to cause conflict and muddle the waters. From the synopsis you might think that it's the focus, but it really isn't. This aspect was even more forgettable than the romance....more
The setup immediately reminded me of Haikyuu, so when I read that Pacat was inspired by Haikyuu, it all made perfect sense. I love rivals being forcedThe setup immediately reminded me of Haikyuu, so when I read that Pacat was inspired by Haikyuu, it all made perfect sense. I love rivals being forced to see each other as teammates, and I think this has the potential to tackle some more serious themes as well. I can't wait to see where it goes....more
This book had a lot of hype surrounding its release but we were ultimately a bit let down by the story.
Yara and I both read this so for the f2.5 stars
This book had a lot of hype surrounding its release but we were ultimately a bit let down by the story.
Yara and I both read this so for the first time, this'll be double the opinions!
Yara I definitely understand the appeal of this book in some aspects; it's fun, high school senior year, fun characters, male narrator, NYC and the author seems like a nice person.
And tbh I didn't hate any of the characters but just didn't love any either. And while I liked Corrine to a certain extent and could relate to her at the beginning, the change she goes through is unnaturally fast for me and I feel like she is just not believable. The third time Henri says he told her something and he was so in awe of her because she was not judgmental at all, I think I rolled my eyes. I just don't think that's realistic for one, and feel its one of many descriptions in the book that make her a special pixie girl.
So yeah, I don't dnf very often, but there you have it. ...more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: please check out #OwnVoices reviews for a better impression ofARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: please check out #OwnVoices reviews for a better impression of the representation in this book.
3.5 stars
Jivan is a Muslim girl who is striving to join the middle class. After placing a comment on Facebook that is critical of the police's actions during a recent terrorist attack, she is arrested as a suspect in the bombing. According to the government, she has anti-nation sentiments.
Lovely is a hijra, a transgender woman, trying hard to become an actress. She has the talent according to her teacher, but is often faced with prejudice when all she's doing is trying to live.
PT Sir is a gym teacher who longs to be important. When a microphone malfunctions at a rally for a right-wing political party, PT Sir steps up and fixes the problem. He thrives under the appreciation, eager to do whatever is necessary to increase his own relevance.
The lives of these three people intertwine in this story about class, discrimination, corruption, and justice.
This is a difficult book to read because of the subject matter, but the writing is cleverly done. Each character has a distinct voice, and even though each chapter is prefaced with the name of the POV character, it almost doesn't feel necessary. I'd recognize Lovely's use of language easily, and the way the sentences were structured reminded me of the time I spent living in the Arab Gulf states. There are a lot of immigrant workers there, most of them from India, and I could almost hear Lovely speaking to me in that same rhythmic way.
The story isn't really about one thing in particular but feels more like a snapshot of the difficulties faced by normal people in India. It rings true to me even though I've never been there, because I recognize the same issues from having lived in a different developing country, where freedom of speech is lip service and an ill-conceived social media post can absolutely land you in prison. I'm sure more people will feel the truth in this, and it makes the book powerful in a way I wouldn't have expected, considering it's less than 300 pages.
The choice of words feels very purposeful sometimes. I think PT Sir is an excellent example of this. His POV is the only one written in third person, and he's the only character without a name. I found myself wondering if this was because he represents the average person, someone not important enough to be known by name in the grand scheme of things, even though all he wants is to matter. Definitely a lot of food for thought.
One thing that did stand out to me, even as someone who isn't from India, is that even though we are told Jivan is Muslim, nothing in the book actually shows that she is. I've come to understand from reading #OwnVoices reviews that Jivan is actually a Hindu name, which makes this even weirder.
I do think the middle part dragged a bit compared to the beginning and end, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Definitely worth reading....more
This is a very short book so it'll be a quite short review.
I absolutely loved the first book. It gave a glimpse into the unbelievable lives of the NHThis is a very short book so it'll be a quite short review.
I absolutely loved the first book. It gave a glimpse into the unbelievable lives of the NHS staff in England and Adam Kay obviously has a gift for humor and writing. Both books are a little bittersweet. There is a lot of dark humor in there but also some heartbreaking events. I absolutely recommend that everyone reads the first book. It gives a whole new perspective on what hospital personnel deal with day in and day out.
I almost never laugh out loud while reading, but both of Adam Kay's books have been the exception, where I've laughed out loud multiple times.
Excerpt from the book:
I put the Sonicaid probe onto a mum's abdomen in antenatal clinic and turn it on, waiting for the familiar SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH of baby's heartbeat. Nothing. Bloody batteries. I flick the on/off switch a couple more times, then apologize to the patient. 'Sorry, I think this one's dead.' As the mum's face collapses like a bouncy castle at closing time, I urgently clarify: 'The Sonicaid! The Sonicaid!'
CWs:(view spoiler)[abuse, bullying, sexual assault, mentions of suicide, suicidal ideation, assault (hide spoiler)]
Dreams are hopeful because they ex
CWs:(view spoiler)[abuse, bullying, sexual assault, mentions of suicide, suicidal ideation, assault (hide spoiler)]
Dreams are hopeful because they exist as pure possibility. Unlike memories, which are fossils, long dead and buried deep.
This is such a bleak read, and I'm having a difficult time reviewing it. Looking at it objectively, this is a good book. The writing is stellar, the characters are nuanced, and it tackles some difficult topics. But I think the sheer multitude of issues this book is trying to tackle caused a disconnect for me.
It probably doesn't help that, within the first few pages of the book, Henry says the following two things:
Out in the world, crawling in a field at the edge of some bullshit town with a name like Shoshoni or Medicine Bow, is an ant.
and
I’m telling you that tomorrow— January 29, 2016— you can kiss your Chipotle- eating, Frappuccino- drinking, fat ass good- bye.
Both lines got my hackles up; one feels like a dig at Indigenous people, and the other is lowkey fatphobic. And I think I just never got over that first impression. Because while I understand that Henry is suffering and going through a lot, that doesn't excuse him from insulting and belittling other people.
There were also a lot of contradictions in the way certain characters behaved that were difficult for me to rationalize. We have Henry's brother, who bullies him just as much at home as he gets bullied in school, including punches to the stomach, but I'm supposed to believe that he's suddenly protective of Henry when bullies at school assault him? Is this one of those, "I'm family so that makes it okay" things? I understand that all of the characters in this book are messed up, but I was getting whiplash from how quickly they went from one way of acting to a different one.
The same goes for Henry himself--(view spoiler)[the entire plot revolves around him getting abducted by aliens, who tell him the world will end and he can save everyone by pressing a red button. Except he doesn't want to, because the world sucks. And the world keeps sucking, because the good things that happen to him are by far outweighed by the bad. And yet somehow, I was supposed to believe that by the end of the book, after countless traumatic incidents and a few days of therapy, Henry feels differently about the world, and I just didn't buy it. (hide spoiler)]
That doesn't mean there was nothing good about the book. The inclusion of different doomsday scenarios was pretty interesting and amusing. I actually liked most of the characters, and how they felt like actual, flawed, human beings. There's a lot of depth to the relationships, and I appreciated the way those evolved and how the characters grew. I can definitely understand why this book had such a huge impact on so many people, it just wasn't the right book for me....more
“And second of all, you literally work for me. You should be servile.” “I thought I didn’t work for you yet?” “Well, you’re trying to,” he snapped. “E
“And second of all, you literally work for me. You should be servile.” “I thought I didn’t work for you yet?” “Well, you’re trying to,” he snapped. “Embrace servility in your soul, and maybe I’ll hire you.” “Do you often encourage servility in the souls of the black women around you?”
After her latest business venture fails and her parents cut her off, Eve drives off in a sulk and finds herself stopping at a bed & breakfast in a small town. They need a chef and she decides to apply for the position. Of course, running over the owner right after the interview doesn't exactly earn her any brownie points, but with Jacob too out of it to run the B&B, Eve finds herself guilted into taking over for a few days.
This was a fun read. I think I still enjoyed Get a Life, Chloe Brown more because, you know, Red, but I really liked both the main characters in this book and that the author wrote a romance between two neurodiverse characters. I thought Eve's arc of growth and acceptance of herself was beautifully done.
The grump and sunshine trope is one I don't always enjoy, and it usually has to do with the sunshine character being too chipper and happy, or the grump being grumpy all the time, relentlessly. But that wasn't the case here, and I thought the trope was really well done. There's grumpiness at the right time, and sunshine at the right time, and plenty in between. There's also some great banter which I always enjoy in my romances.
I did notice that Eve's quirky use of incorrect words, which gets highlighted so much in the first two books, is really not that prevalent in her own book. There are some instances, but my impression before reading this was that it occurred at least once during every conversation she's involved in (because that's kind of what happened in Chloe and Dani's books), but that wasn't the case at all here. It's not that I particularly wanted much more of it, but it is strange that one of the things that was set up as a defining trait of the main character is suddenly in the background.
The conflict was also way overblown, which has been consistent throughout the series. Misunderstandings/miscommunication is one of my least favourite tropes ever and that seems to be the main issue all three books end up dealing with, which definitely reduced my enjoyment towards the end of the book....more
Overall Impressions Y: You've got mail meets Fangirl meets... Notting Hill? H: Plus fat representation, but I think you've hit the n3.5 stars
DUAL REVIEW
Overall Impressions Y: You've got mail meets Fangirl meets... Notting Hill? H: Plus fat representation, but I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Gorgeous cover too.
The Characters H: I really liked April. I loved how she knew exactly what she wanted and just went for it despite all her fears. She's self-confident and fairly comfortable in her skin but still has insecurities. Just all in all, a very relatable and realistic character. Y: I liked April too but I do have a problem with Marcus. He felt like... he was written by a woman. Like his voice felt not completely realistic. The way he was so accommodating and changed all his problematic behavior super fast after April pointed it out doesn't feel real to me.
The Conflict Y: The most annoying trope ever... person keeps secret, person lies by omission, person tells themself it's for the greater good, other person finds out, other person is hurt and pissed. This is where it diverges from you've got mail, I guess. Meg Ryan was just happy. She didn't make a big deal out of it? H: Yeah it got dragged out way too long. I understand not telling a woman you're taking on a date all about your secret online identity, but there's no reason why he couldn't have told her a few dates in. Y: Exactly. The problems felt forced and over the top. Worried about shedding a public persona that was a total airhead because what? No seriously, what was the problem, I still don't get it. Also why would your carreer end because you write fanfics? I mean seriously, everyone knows: there's no such thing as bad publicity. Except maybe a #metoo scandal. H: I mean, I kind of get that he didn't want to be outed as someone who writes fanfic for the show he's working on. I have no idea how the industry actually deals with it, but I imagine the writers on the show wouldn't be too happy to hear that one of the stars has decided he knows better than them. Not to mention the producers (or was it directors?) who sound like jerks anyway. It's probably really easy to get a bad reputation and make yourself unhireable.
The Writing H: It was nice enough but I could have done without all the interludes. The random scripts and fanfic snippets didn't really add anything for me. Y: Yeah, the fanfic snippets and DMs were kinda boring. H: Disagree about the DMs, they showed some nice development of the relationship between April and Marcus and I appreciated that....more
This was just effortlessly engaging. At first glance, EliCWs:(view spoiler)[Racism, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Grief (hide spoiler)]
This was just effortlessly engaging. At first glance, Elizabeth and Sara don't seem to have much in common—Elizabeth is half British and Jewish, and Sara is Pakistani and Muslim. But when they are made partners in a cooking class taught by Sara's mom, they end up becoming friends. This leads to some friction between Elizabeth and her best friend, Maddie, who shows a racist side of her that Elizabeth didn't know existed.
I think this book had a lot of good conversations about addressing Islamphobia and racism, especially when it comes from people you're close to. It's something Elizabeth struggles with throughout the story, and the authors do a good job of showing how that impacts her budding friendship with Sara as well.
The story beats are pretty predictable, but that didn't make the reading experience any less enjoyable. I read this during Ramadan, and the food descriptions had me salivating. I was also pleasantly surprised by Stephanie's character, who turned out to be a perfect example of how dangerous assumptions can be....more
I don't read a lot of middle grade anymore, but I really enjoyed this. The writing flowed nicely, and the characters kept me engaged. I loved getting I don't read a lot of middle grade anymore, but I really enjoyed this. The writing flowed nicely, and the characters kept me engaged. I loved getting to experience Karachi through the eyes of Mimi and Sakina.
The only thing I did find confusing is that it's never clear what language they're communicating in. This is relevant because Sakina's English and Mimi's Urdu are both not very good, and they're supposed to be learning from each other, but it's usually Sakina not understanding something Mimi says. Either way, though, while her English is broken at the beginning, that stops really quickly, which felt a bit unbelievable if they're speaking in English the entire time.
Also, there's a bit too much of "how you say" used here when Urdu-speaking characters try to use English phrases....more
This was heartwarming and sweet and everything you want in a fluffy, romantic short story. If you enjoyed Love From A to Z and miss reading more aboutThis was heartwarming and sweet and everything you want in a fluffy, romantic short story. If you enjoyed Love From A to Z and miss reading more about Adam and Zayneb like I did, definitely pick this up! Am so happy I finally got to read it.
I just wish it was longer because I would 100% read more about these two. I don't care if it's just them in living their daily lives....more
I've let the book sink in and after some thought I'm lowering my rating to a three. I know this is a book that is loved by many, and honestly, when I hI've let the book sink in and after some thought I'm lowering my rating to a three. I know this is a book that is loved by many, and honestly, when I heard the premise (a library full of books, each one transporting you to a life where you made a different choice somewhere down the line) I was sure I would love it too. But...
So first things first. Trigger warnings: Attempted suicide, pet death, drug abuse (if I remember correctly...)
The book follows Nora, who at the start of the book is just about hitting rock bottom. She broke off her engagement just after her mother died, her brother is avoiding her and seems to resent the fact that she backed out of a record deal for their band that could have launched their music careers, her father died when she was very young, and just after her cat dies she loses her job. It can't get much worse than this. She decides to end things (this is not really a spoiler) but instead of dying, she finds herself in a seemingly endless library with her old school librarian. The librarian explains that in the library there are an infinite number of books. Each book contains the story of her life if she had made a different choice somewhere down the line. Whenever she opens one and starts reading, she is transported to the same exact date in that life and starts living it. If she likes the life she will naturally settle in it and stay there. But if she feels disappointment she'll be transported back to the library to pick the next book.
Nora wanted to live in a world where no cruelty existed, but the only worlds she had available to her were worlds with humans in them
I'll start with what I did like: I liked the writing style and the prose. This was my first Matt Haig book and I thought the writing was clever and even insightful at times.
What I didn't like is unfortunately a lot more: - It was extremely predictable. The idea of the multi-verse is obviously not new and I don't think that's what the author was going for either. But on every level, this book was predictable. - Nora, to me, was not a realistic character. She excelled in sports, music and science. I'm sure there are such people in the world, but really I think it's a very rare combination. - Each life was covered in such short chapters, just as you're settling in, it already ends and goes to the next one. And this is why it also doesn't work for me as literary fiction. - The story is supposed to give you hope (I think). But to be honest, I just felt a little empty and disheartened by the end of it. For one, I think if you want to give people hope you should write realistic characters. Reading about an athletic musical genius ruining her life over and over again, doesn't really inspire a lot of hope in me. - The ending: the ending doesn't bother me per se, other than the fact that it was completely unoriginal, but somehow it left me feeling depressed.
It was well-written and I did enjoy reading it to a certain extent, so I'm giving it a 3.
--- First reaction:
I'm struggling a bit with the rating for this book. I both can't find a reason to give it 4 stars or not to give it 4 stars.
I will think on it some more and write a proper review soon!...more
We know you're having a tough time in life. It's hard to find friends who think the way you do, who value the same thingDear 16-year-old Heena & Yara,
We know you're having a tough time in life. It's hard to find friends who think the way you do, who value the same things, who dress the same, talk and walk the same. One of you finds this easier to deal with than the other, but there's loneliness in both of you. You're not like other girls (but not in that way) and you don't fit in. You don't know how. And even though you enjoy reading books and watching TV, you know that you'll never be like these characters you love.
But it's okay.
It's hard to imagine now, but in 2019 there will be a book. This book will be about a girl that's like you. She values the same things, dresses the same, talks and walks the same. It'll be a bit too late--you're both older now, and though you enjoyed the book, it would've had more impact if you had it in your hands as sixteen-year-olds. But there is joy to be found in the very fact that it exists, and that the girls who are sixteen now and feel the way you did then, will have something to read that says, "I see you. I know how you feel."
Love, Heena & Yara from 2021
3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 (this is our combined rating--Heena liked this a bit more than Yara did)
This book features Muslim representation we can 100% get behind. The romance is wholesome and heartwarming. The characters are very young (or rather, they act very like the teenagers they are), and the book lacks some depth with regards to the issues it tries to tackle, such as Islamophobia. But if you're looking for a fluffy book with Muslim characters, you can't go wrong with this one....more
While I didn't love this as much as I loved Red, White & Royal Blue, I'd still recommend this if you're looking for a sweet romance with a scifi/mysteWhile I didn't love this as much as I loved Red, White & Royal Blue, I'd still recommend this if you're looking for a sweet romance with a scifi/mystery element.
Ever since I read RWRB, it's been living in my mind as one of those near perfect romances. It had my favourite tropes, I liked the characters and the romance, and it had the kind of writing that's so easy and enjoyable to read. OLS still has the same writing, but it let me down a bit on the other parts.
The book starts off pretty slow, and it wasn't until about 150 pages in that I really started enjoying myself. Up to that point I felt very ambivalent about what was happening and especially about August. We're not really told or shown much to give us a good feeling of what she's like, other than she's someone who notices things, is bi and is a minimalist. But the more you read, the more August starts to develop a character. Still not one of my favourites though.
I did really like Jane, our second heroine. Her character is much more pronounced right from the start, even though she's stuck on the train and so we're stuck only seeing her in that environment. It's also interesting that she felt so much more solid to me as opposed to August, even though we are following August throughout the story. It's the relationship that develops between them that finally brings August to life, and while I thought it was very sweet, I can't say I'm a huge fan of sex on the train. I've never been to New York but I know what public transport is like and what kind of stuff (read: trash) people leave on the train when they get out. Not a very romantic setting, and definitely not one where it seems fun to imagine sexy times. This took away from the romantic aspect for me.
Overall, I'd say I was more invested in the mystery surrounding Jane than in their relationship. I enjoyed the piece by piece reveals of who she was and what she had been through, but there are some definite plot holes in this part of the story. It also wraps up way too conveniently for my taste: (view spoiler)[I almost got whiplash from how fast we went from Augie is dead to no he isn't to no he is just a bit later. I honestly don't understand the point of making us think for a few pages that he might still be alive, only to kill him after all. (hide spoiler)]
Aside from our main characters, the book features a diverse friend group straight out of a dream. They're all very sweet and also weird, but most of them don't feel very fleshed out. There was an incredibly cute romantic subplot between Wes and Isaiah that I was overly invested in, but other than that I'm not sure I'll remember any of the characters in a month's time. The friend group is delightfully queer and diverse, but part of me felt as if there was an invisible diversity checklist hanging over the book. And while it achieves what it set out to do, the characters lack the depth and nuance to really bring said diversity to life in a way that is memorable and distinct.
This is a fun read, but it requires a pretty high suspension of disbelief. If you can just read the story without focusing on all the parts where it doesn't quite make sense, you'll probably enjoy it....more
This is a story about the different faces we wear depending on who we're dealing with, CWs: sexual assault
Not me realizing I never reviewed this book.
This is a story about the different faces we wear depending on who we're dealing with, and what we choose to broadcast to the public versus what is the truth of us. It also deals with a topic that doesn't get discussed much in the Muslim community, but absolutely should be. I really appreciated the way the author handled the sexual assault, and the journey Janna goes through as she works through what happened to her, even as it broke my heart a little bit.
Janna is an interesting character, and fully 3D. She's empathetic, but also makes mistakes that she then regrets. Even as I was shaking my head at some of her choices, I couldn't help but empathize with what she must be going through. Despite her experiences when it comes to someone's outsides not matching the insides, she's also guilty of snap judgements based on just the outside with regards to Sarah, her brother's fiancée. I really loved seeing the relationship between these two develop, and the support Sarah ends up becoming for Janna throughout this. The female friendships in this book in general are top notch.
Also can I just say, I wish my imam was as awesome as Amu....more
CWs:(view spoiler)[Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt (hide spoil4.5 stars
CWs:(view spoiler)[Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt (hide spoiler)]
It's really hard to write a review for this for some reason. It took me a little while to get into the flow of the writing—it's a bit flowery at times, but it feels intentional, and I stopped noticing it soon enough.
The biggest thing I appreciate about this book is how utterly human and flawed the characters are. They've all done terrible things, and nobody is trying to excuse what they did. Instead, there's so much character growth, and relationship progression, and coming to terms with the bad things that happen in life. Family is such a huge theme here, both the one you're born into, and the one you find for yourself.
Dual timelines can be tricky, but in this case I wasn't interested in one over the other. They were both appealing to me. I loved how it felt like Noah as a thirteen year old, and Jude as a 16 year old, switched personalities. Noah was the quirky one when he was younger, wildly creative and imaginative, and Jude was the one surfing and making lots of friends. Then at 16, Jude is religiously following her grandmother's superstitions and imagining a ghost is haunting her, while Noah is suddenly into sports. Following the threads to figure out what caused this change was such a good journey, and the way everything ends up falling into place was amazing.
I also think the teenagers read like actual teenagers, and not masquerading adults. Would highly recommend this book for its target age group....more
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