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Posts Tagged ‘Families’

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The Inexplicable Logic of My LifeThe Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh wow! Reading this was like being on a rollercoaster of emotions. Such beautiful writing that had me connected and a part of the story and loving the characters, and then all of sudden having that feeling of a block of cement in my stomach while my heart broke a little with the tragedies that were unfolding.
I absolutely loved Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ and I had high expectations of this one. And while the writing was beautiful, it did take me a little while to get right into the story and realise what it was all about.
Sally (Salvador) was a strong character who just about always did the right thing and because of this, it was a little heartbreaking to see him struggle with his identity and where he fit in.
Samantha and Frito, Sally’s two friends were fantastic characters, each having their own demons to battle but in the end, this group of three friends had such a strong relationship it was hard to think of anything stopping them.
And the basis of their strong relationship was Sally’s father, Vicente. Yes, he wasn’t perfect but he came damn near close to being. How could anyone not be positively impacted by him.
Overall, this was a perfect read, it left me feeling differently about the world and also left me feeling love and hope.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for the ARC via NetGalley

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Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , on August 22, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Holding Up the UniverseHolding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was busting out of my skin to read this book as I absolutely loved All the Bright Places and while it didn’t give me all of the feelings that ATBP did (like my heart had been ripped out and chewed up and I didn’t stop crying for hours), I really enjoyed it.
I really liked Libby and connected with her hopes and fears. I didn’t feel sorry for her at all, and I think that is what I liked so much about her – she knew who she was and what she wanted and had so much guts to confront all of the assholes that she had to deal with, she didn’t feel sorry for herself and deserves respect and admiration.
I liked Jack also, but didn’t really connect with him. It was interesting reading about someone with face blindness and how he coped with it, the strategies that he had development just to get through each day and what he thought he had to do to fit in.
Overall I enjoyed this story which highlights the age-old fact that it is what is on the inside that counts, that being kind is like magic to some people and that there are loads of assholes in the world.

Thanks to Penguin UK and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

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When We Collided by Emery Lord

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , , on April 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »

When We CollidedWhen We Collided by Emery Lord
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a four and half star read for me. I really, really liked it and it was so easy to read. I connected with the characters, Jonah and Vivi were both stars in this book, no matter how much they sometimes drove me crazy. The alternating chapters gave a good insight into the different aspects of the story.
I don’t want to give anything away but I found this story and the portrayal of the characters authentic and very real, which I think is one reason I was slightly frustrated, because this was just an example of a true story and what different experiences people go through. I really liked there were characters who understood that it is ok to be sad and to feel things and we don’t always have to be happy.
There were many passages that were written flawlessly and expressed the feelings and situations in such a beautiful way. Overall, A great 4 1/2 star read.

“I know I act like I don’t have a care in the world…. but Jonah, I’ve prowled the dirtiest back alleys of sadness, okay? And I know what it’s like to fight for your life on those mean streets. So if you need someone to vent to or someone to be quiet with or someone to talk you ear off, I can be that person. I’m not scared of the dark places.” pg. 89

‘Even the constellations can see us now: we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.’ pg. 185

“I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz, you know? Every girl wants to be Dorothy Gale or maybe Glinda. I never wanted to be the tornado.” pg. 317

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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Posted in reviews, tagged , , on January 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The Statistical Probability of Love at First SightThe Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Challenge : YA Contemporary

I loved this book, loved, loved, loved it. You could say I have a crush on it. I finished it a few hours ago and I am still looking at it lovingly while it sits on my coffee table. Basically I look at it, then sigh with a big smile on my face. It is a great girl meets boy story, there are many cute moments throughout but it also goes a bit deeper than that, looking at how a 17 year old is feeling about her father getting remarried, the anger she is feeling and also the sadness. Everything felt very real to me, all of the characters were authentic and the chemistry between Hadley and Oliver…I wouldn’t say it was sizzling but it was definitely bubbling away. This will stay as one of my feel good books, whenever I need a pick me up, this will do the job!

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