Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins, 470 Pages
Released: March 2, 2010
Challenges: Completely Contemp Challenge

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

-------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"I wonder idly how long I can go without sleep before I flip my shit and start running down the street in my underwear, hallucinating purple spiders."

This is a very odd review for me, because it was just...I'm a bit mixed about the book, to be honest. I'd heard some great things, and I did think there were some great things - but I also had a few issues with it.

First though, I really, really loved Lauren Oliver's writing.  It's fabulous.  It's lyrical and humorous and filled with imagery and elicits emotions in your chest as you're reading. I felt like I could hear Sam's hummingbird heart when she was in the car with Kent; and could smell Rob's boozy breathe; and was flung into group hugs with Elody, Ally and Lindz; and my heart was in my throat tearing after Juliet, too.

I was also really caught up in the story. It's an interesting concept in itself, and it makes you think about how you live and what your life looks like and the motivations behind actions.  It examines friendships and how much you can really know a person, and what you are to other people - negative or positive. 

My main issue was with Samantha; I just didn't like her very much. At the beginning I found her to be a horrible, weak, mean girl who takes advantage of her status and doesn't care about the aftermath. I actually didn't really feel bad when she died (not to be cruel, of course) - it's unfortunate, but it happens to the best of us, and she wasn't even the best! As she went through each repeat day, I just didn't feel like she improved much. She was still selfish, she was still only trying to save herself, she was still just all about her.

I took into consideration that maybe the reader isn't supposed to like Sam in the beginning so her inevitable learning and "turn-around" mean that much more, but it just never happened for me. Yes, she actually turned out to be a decent girl in the end, doing what was right but it was very...lacklaster. It didn't wow me, I guess.

Somehow, I believed in all the supporting characters much more. They were strong in what they were and what they did and represented in the novel. I'm also a little in love with Kent, but that is because he's framed to be a quiet knight. I'm totally sold on him.

Even though I felt a little detached and slightly underwhelmed, the writing and story itself are entirely worth the read.  A very solid

3.5 stars / 5

Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling #1) by Megan McCafferty
Three Rivers Press, 298 Pages

Released: August 28, 2001

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment--from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

-------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn't a bad mood at all; it's just your sucky personality."

I'm really glad everyone kept recommending the Jessica Darling series, because I quite enjoyed Sloppy Firsts! I was a bit scared since I didn't immediately get into the book, but by page 50 I knew I was hooked.  Jessica Darling is such a hilarious, sorta-cynical dramatic. It definitely reminded me a bit of my own high school experience: the stress and rumors and insecurity and omg what did that means were absolutely spot on.

I liked how Megan McCafferty addressed all aspects of Jessica Darling's life: friends, school, after-school activities, family.  A lot of YA novels I've read seem to brush by some of those categories and I feel like there's a hole in the plot or a deliberate avoidance just to make the novel work out.  Not so with this one: I felt like I knew all of Jessica's life and could see how all of it was intersecting together and influencing the other.

How much Jessica missed Hope was also handled really well and very real, in my opinion.  As a Navy brat, people moving away or even myself moving was the norm. It was never a guarantee who would be back in school with you next year, and it was almost a given that someone's shelf-life at school was 3 years.  Hope's absence was pronounced and done quite well. Perhaps the only thing I missed was hearing Hope's side of the story and how she felt going to a new place with all new people and leaving behind her best friend - of course it's not her story so I can't hold that against Megan McCafferty, but it would be nice (maybe it will show itself more in the future books?) to know.

Also, Marcus Flutie and that poem?  Yes please.  If only boys I knew were that sexy in high school.

a very solid 4 Stars / 5

Review: the sky is everywhere by Jandy Nelson

the sky is everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Dial Books (a Penguin imprint), 272 pages
Released: March 9, 2010

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

I try to fend off the oceanic sadness, but I can't. It's such a colossal effort not to be haunted by what's lost, but to be enchanted by what was.

I miss you, I tell her, I can't stand that you're going to miss so much.

I don't know how the heart withstands it.

I'm unsure how to review this book because there are really only so many ways I can call it brilliant and beautiful and wonderful.  This book is...it's everything. 

It's been awhile since a book made me cry and clutch at it, but here it is: I wept. I carried this book with me everywhere as I paced around the house, reading it and trying to slow down to savor and process.  I could feel Lennie's grief just emanating off the pages, her feelings of loss and being so lost and confused and searching for meaning among everything.  When I first read the book jacket I kind of assumed I'd be mad at her (like Sarah) for turning to Toby since he was her dead sister's boyfriend, y'know? But it's so beautifully crafted and makes so much sense that I felt proud of Lennie when she knew it was wrong and started resisting - something I have no idea if I'd be strong enough to do if I was in her position.  

This entire novel is just...beautiful. It's emotional and poetic and filled with such wonder and is so heartfelt and raw that I can't tell you fast enough how much I want the entire world to read it and know its beauty.  It's so well-written; Jandy Nelson's words just pop off the pages and paint the brightest, most evocative pictures. I feel like I know Joe Fontaine, can see his flailing hands and lightbulb-wattage personality.

I don't know what else to say. Just trust me when I tell you I recommend this more than anything right now, that you will never regret letting these words and this story come into your life.

5 Stars / 5

and millions more!

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

Simon & Schuster, 344 Pages
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Grade: YA (15+) Some sexual content

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

---------------Goodreads Summary

Notable Quote
"There sometimes isn't much difference between a knight's quest and a fool's errand."

5 stars / 5

OMG. Is it possible to have a perfect book? Because I'm fairly certain this is it.  Anything and everything you could possibly want out of a novel is in here. Strong protagonist who has lost her way due to a tragedy and embarks, if not reluctantly, on a trip to find herself?  Adorable sidekick boy who cheers her up and becomes her friend while unknowingly seeking his own journey that crosses perfectly with hers?  A fabulous trip across the country with pictures, interesting details, funny insights, and playlists?  IT'S ALL HERE.

I was a little worried moving through the book that it would all seem too cheesy (two strangers forced to road trip together...we can fairly predict where it will go), but it really, truly was not. Everything flowed well and the progression of their friendship and individual growth was excellently paced and very real. The little touches of photos and other scrapbook paraphernalia were fantastic, adding one more element that made this book such a stand-out.

I really think this is the closest a book can get to perfection. Even the tragedy and struggles Amy and her family are going through are crafted so perfectly, where your heart goes out to them and you feel the loss and sadness just emanating from the pages. Somehow a book that had almost none of Amy's family physically on the trip was all about them.

Two things, though.  I was incredibly distracted by the use of "but" in the novel.  Did anyone else think that it seemed to be used improperly? I kept seeing it in paragraphs where the two sentences weren't really contrasting.  (No? Just me? I'm the weird one? Moving on...)

Lastly, I read a hardcover version from the library, I think a first print? Anyway, there was a small typo that made me laugh:

Amy's gangster, yo.

Review: Fade by Lisa McMann

Fade (Dream Catcher, Book 2) by Lisa McMann
Simon Pulse, 248 Pages
Released February 10, 2009

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared....
---------------------Goodreads summary

Notable Quote

"Endless speculation only leads to dead ends."

This entire series is incredibly fascinating to me. It's so original and something that I would never in a million years think to conceive. When I read Wake (Book 1), I was riveted. It was such a novel idea and seeing Janie work through controlling her ability alongside this newfound relationship with Cabel - a boy with just as much darkness as Janie - was interesting. I remember speeding through it.

Unfortunately, Fade didn't have that same effect. It was still good, and I'm still curious about the entire situation and what will happen in Book 3. I was grateful for the introduction of Miss Stubin to explain a bit more about this ability. I thought the case Janie took on was creepy and perfect for what she could do, and I'm still intrigued (and, admittedly, smitten) with Cabel.

But the entire book seemed kind of...forced. I didn't find the case at Fieldridge High believable - it seemed halted, a bit jumbled, and then resolved so quickly it was almost like it was just another day. Cabel pulling away when it got real was typical and expected. Janie's shutting down when he went away was typical and expected. Yes, it fits with their character types (alone, used to looking out for self, lost after they get their first taste of love/caring), but I had hopes they would be stronger than that.  The scandal and culprits were also predictable to me.

I do still want to see how Janie and Cabel will figure out their life together and if her life will follow the downward spiral of Dream Catchers before her. I'm hoping Fade just succumbed to the curse of Book 2s in a trilogy, that its function is more of the informative bridge to an explosive ending.

3.5 Stars / 5

Review: Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

Speak, 182 pages
Released August 26, 2002
MG/Ages 10+

Tree is twelve years old and too tall: six feet, three and a half inches and growing. He's never really been able to fit in at school or on the basketball team, and since his parents' divorce he isn't even comfortable in his own home. Tree copes by helping people like his grandpa, a Vietnam vet who's just had part of a leg amputated, and Sophie, a new girl at school who is being teased by the popular kids. In helping his grandpa learn to walk again, and in listening to Sophie's advice that he be himself, Tree begins to heal, to stand tall. But when a flood threatens his town and his home, Tree's newfound confidence is put to the test.

----------Amazon.com Summary

Notable Quote

"Sometimes you've got to shout the truth and wake people up."

3 stars / 5

Despite the rating, I did actually like this book and found nothing to complain about. It's a simple story of a boy, named Sam but nicknamed Tree due to his tall size (6'3" in 7th grade!), coping with his parents' divorce through helping his Vietnam vet grandfather and befriending a new girl at school.  In every way, it's how a Tall Boy learns to Stand Out.

It's a sweet story, and though I have not experienced anything Tree does (I was 5'2" in seventh grade and my parents are, thankfully, still together), it feels very real. Joan Bauer does fabulous with a male protagonist, nailing the tone and dialogue (or lack thereof, as the case of a 12-year-old awkward boy always is).  I was made to feel for Tree and root for him.  I was sad at how his family seems to be crumbling, happy when he had breakthroughs, hopeful when he has friends and family that love him.

But still...I'm very "meh" about the book itself.  Perhaps I just didn't connect to it because I'm not like Tree at all, but nothing excited me.  It was predictable in a safe way, had a very clear rise and fall and resolution, and was generally just another story for me.  I would recommend Middle Graders read this, as it may speak to them and offer a character to connect with.

Still...quick, good read; but passable.  Library read, if you get around to it.