Book Blog #255: Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich

Title: Dear Evan Hansen
Author: Val Emmich
# of Pages: 368 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be? No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.
Review: “I had to die for them to notice I was ever alive” (191).

For some reason, I thought this book addressed an LGBTQ+ struggle. Although there is an LGBTQ+ character, the character's sexuality is not a main issue in this story.

This is a strange adaptation since it started as a play and was turned into book (instead of the other way around). Although I have not seen the play yet, I can imagine how this story would be more interesting as a musical than as a novel. The story is relatively mundane; Evan Hansen is an underdog high schooler who gets caught up in a lie that makes him more popular at his school.

What I do like about the story is how Evan struggles with his lie. Is a lie bad if it bring more good than harm? Although this idea to address this struggle comes from the original play rather than being Emmich's brain child, this conflict was well portrayed in the book.

However, this is not saying that the conflict is BETTER portrayed in the novel than the play. There is first person POV switching between Evan and Connor (although there are only a handful of Connor chapters). Although I wasn't as bothered by the POV switching as I usually am, it was still disorienting when the first POV change happened since the chapter was not clearly labeled. POV switching isn't so much of a problem for plays; I wonder if Emmich followed the layout of the play too closely.

If you're a fan of the play or you have any interest in reading this book at all, go for it! It's a relatively short read. However, if you're on the fence, maybe just watch the musical.

Book Blog #254: Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon M. Draper
# of Pages: 295 (paperback)
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Melody is not like most people. She can’t walk. She can’t talk. She can’t write. All because she has cerebral palsy. But she also has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school, but NO ONE knows it. Most people—her teachers, her doctors, her classmates—dismiss her as mentally challenged because she can’t tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by her disability. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow.
Review:

"I have spastic bilateral quadriplegia, also known as cerebral palsy. It limits my body, but not my mind...We all have disabilities. What’s yours?"

Man, there are some REALLY good children's books out there.

I had low expectations; I haven't read a good YA book in a long time, and this book is aimed toward middle grade and younger audiences. I had no idea what to expect.

Out of My Mind is a touching story told from the first person narration of young girl with cerebral palsy. Melody reveals the internal struggles she experiences in a body that does not match her mind. This book will reveals what it is like to live with cerebral palsy and how frustrating it is to be accepted in a world with such a condition.

Like Small Steps, I loved how this story allowed the reader to see through the eyes of someone with cerebral palsy and experience the difficulties that come with communicating, building relationship, and operating in a not-so-accessible world. Although this is a work of fiction (unlike Small Steps), this story is much more emotionally moving than an autobiography (there were times where I was tearing up; it's been a long time since that's happened).

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE, not just young readers. Yes, the writing style is simpler to make it easier for younger reader to read. However, the story itself is rich with experiences and is an enlightening read for everyone.

Book Blog #173: The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Title: The Spectacular Now
Author: Tim Tharp
# of Pages: 294 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: So, my girlfriend, Cassidy, is threatening to kick me to the curb again, my best friend suddenly wants to put the brakes on our lives of fabulous fun, my mom and big sister are plotting a future in which I turn into an atomic vampire, and my dad, well, my dad is a big fat question mark that I’m not sure I want the answer to.

Some people would let a senior year like this get them down. Not me. I’m Sutter Keely, master of the party. But don’t mistake a midnight philosopher like me for nothing more than a shallow party boy. Just ask Aimee, the new girl in my life. She saw the depth in the Sutterman from that first moment when she found me passed out on the front lawn. Okay, so she’s a social disaster, but that’s where I come in.

Yes, life is weird, but I embrace the weird. Let everyone else go marching off into their great shining futures if they want. Me, I’ve always been more than content to tip my whisky bottle and take a ride straight into the heart of the spectacular now.
Review: I didn't even know this book existed until I heard about the movie. I didn't know about the movie until I watched the movies TFIOS and Divergent. I wasn't really interested in watching the movie, but when I saw The Spectacular Now at the book store, I figured that I'd better read it in case I happen to watch it some time in the future.

Going into the book, I didn't really know to much about the plot. By briefly scanning the synopsis, it seemed to be a typical slice-of-life novel, which are usually enjoyable to read. But I couldn't get into TSN. I couldn't connect at all with any of the characters, and the plot wasn't interesting enough to draw me in. I went days straight without reading just because I didn't feel like reading it. Even the ending, which sometimes saves books from receiving a two star rating from me, fell flat. Maybe it was too realistic? Even so, an ending could be realistic without leaving the reader feeling dissatisfied.

Not recommended .

Book Blog #156: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Title: My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
# of Pages: 423 (paperback)
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.
Review: A long time ago, I saw someone watching a movie about, from what I could tell, a girl who does not want to donate to her sister anymore. I walked away without ever knowing how it ended and never expected to hear anything about it every again.

But then I was at my local library and saw a poster with a book recommendation on it. It caught my interest because the book's cover had JODI PICOULT in big letters on it. Although I have always thought it was strange when the author's name is bigger than the title, it is obviously effective because it caught my attention. I began to read the synopsis and then realized it was the same plot as the movie. I got my hands on a copy as soon as I could and cracked it open eagerly.

Only to be disappointed.

There are point-of-view changes. And not just between two people; it switches between Anna, Brian, Jesse, Sara, etc in first person. And to make it worse, Picoult threw in a few flash backs too. It's a terrible mix. I am beginning to question her writing style since the only other book I've read of hers is Between the Lines which she co-wrote with her daughter.

Nevertheless, I tried my best to enjoy it. It was pretty good besides the POV, but it didn't make a strong emotional connection with me until the very, very end (which, by that time, was too late). The writing was borderline sloppy, but not the worst I've seen as far as structure.

If you are interested in the plot, then yes, I recommend it.

Book Blog #151: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Title: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
Author: Matthew Quick
# of Pages: 273 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was--that I couldn't stick around--and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol. Maybe one day he'll believe that being different is okay, important even. But not today.
Review: I can't say if my expectations for this book were met because I don't know what I was expecting.

If you couldn't tell by the synopsis, this is not a light-hearted book with a happy-ever-after ending. While this book is powerful emotionally, everything seems so over exaggerated for me. The futuristic chapters are out of place, although they may have flowed better with the rest of the books if they weren't so...dystopian.

Sometimes, this book reminded me of John Green's writing style; there'll be something so profound...that aspect of the book I love.

I don't think I'd ever read this book again. If you are interested in reading it, they do. But otherwise, it's no rush...

Book Blog #85: Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler

Title: Love? Maybe
Author: Heather Hepler
# of Pages: 267 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: Just because Piper's birthday is on Valentine's Day does not mean she's a romantic. In fact, after watching her father and then her stepfather leave, she's pretty sure she doesn't believe in love at all. Then her friends concoct a plan to find them all Valentine's dates, and somehow Piper finds herself with the most popular guy in school. But true love never follows a plan, and a string of heartfelt gifts from a secret admirer has Piper wondering if she might be with the wrong guy.  
In this heartwarming romance, true love is more than a maybe - and it might be closer than you think.
Review: There goes four days of my life that I'll never get back.

I bought this book months ago because it was on sale (probably sometime after Valentine's Day). I didn't like the cover at all; it's too plain for me. However, I have to give it some credit; it represents the book well (no sarcasm).

What really ticked me off was our protagonist, Piper. The best way to describe her is how the supporting characters describe her: cynical (a word that her friends are constantly calling her) and stupid.

"'For such a smart girl, you sure can be stupid sometimes'" (Hepler 243).

This quote does a great job of reflecting my thoughts of Piper. Hepler tries to portray Piper as a smart girl who always seems to have homework that she needs to finish, etc., etc. Yet she gets caught texting in class (if she's going to text, at least be smarter about it) and is missing stuff relating to her love life that even her friends have picked up on!!! It's very frustrating when the protagonist is completely oblivious.

The second major dislike I have for this book is the writing style. Sentence structure was awkward at times to the point where it disrupts the flow of the plot. Hepler's character development is sloppy; she was still developing Piper's mom half way into the book!

To sum it all up, this book was bad. I would not read it again, nor would I recommend it to anyone.

Book Blog #83: Tracker by Gary Paulsen

Title: Tracker
Author: Gary Paulsen
# of Pages: 96 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Adventure
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: For John Borne's family, hunting has nothing to do with sport or manliness. It's a matter of survival. Every fall John and his grandfather go off into the woods to shoot the deer that puts meat on the table over the long Minnesota winter.

But this year John's grandfather is dying, and John must hunt alone. John tracks a doe for two days, but as he closes in on his prey, he realizes he cannot shoot her. For John, the hunt is no longer about killing, but about life.

Review: What did I just read?

I've read two of Paulsen's works before, and I thoroughly enjoyed them, thus why I was so eager to start Tracker. While I was surprised how short the book was, I was expecting a good read.

If I could describe Tracker in one sentence, I would say that Tracker is about a boy who is distraught over his grandfather and has a sick obsession with a deer. There it is. You don't even have to read the book because there really is nothing to it. The ending is abrupt, and the whole plot is pointless. Am I missing something here? Is this a part of a bigger story? Because I think I just wasted an hour of my life.

No, I don't recommend this book.

Book Blog #73: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
# of Pages: 470 (hardback)
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: 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.

Review: I think it's funny that when I read the back of the book, I thought, "Hey, it's like that Groundhog's Day movie!" and then almost the exact same thing is said IN THE BOOK! It was obviously an inspiration to Oliver.

However, knowing this, I prepared myself to hate the book. The proof is right there in the book itself; the plot isn't going to be original. Plus Sam, our protagonist, is one of those mean-popular-girl types; not exactly very likable.

She makes bad choices and her boyfriend sucks, which is why it bugs me when she said some crap about me being just like her.

Here's a quote:

"Is what I did really so much worse than what anybody else does? Is it really so much worse than what you do? Think about it" (Oliver 81).

Well, Sam, I did exactly what you asked. I went ahead and thought about what you did; bully a girl just because your friend doesn't like her, treat a childhood friend like crap, get in a car with an irresponsible driver, etc. etc. And then asked myself, "Self, have I ever done these things before?" The answer was no. No, I don't hate a person when I don't even know them because I DON'T know then. If my friend has a problem with a person, then it's HER problem. Unless someone has done something to ME that pisses me off, I'm not going to poor beer on her head (not to mention that I wouldn't DRINK beer at her age). Kent didn't do anything to her except become a person that HE wants to be, not a person society wants him to be. Yet Sam acts like he personally offended her or something.  The next one's pretty obvious; there are about a billion ads on the internet about it (although there are a whole bunch on TV now about texting and driving).

Yet, somehow, in someway, I grew to love the book. Sam is able to fix the mistakes in her life by reliving her last day seven times, and how much she grew from the beginning of the book really touched me. The only little, itsy-bitsy detail that bugged me was that Sam was driven by a selfish need. She didn't want to that to be stuck in the time loop forever; she knew she was dead and she wanted to hurry up and move on to the next world.  The only reason why she fixed her mistakes is because she wanted to go to the afterlife.

But, selfish or not, it's in interesting thought. What if everyone is forced to relive their last day to realize and fix their mistakes? Everyone, in that week of their last day, would learn to appreciate their life a bit more and get the closure that they really need, just like Sam. She got to see her parents happy as she left home that day. She gave her sister their grandmother's necklace, which allowed Sam to see her sister's joy one last time. Sam got to kiss Kent and, most of all, got to save a life. Even though these actions may have been a day late and a dollar short, they allowed her to finally be at peace with herself.

So, yes, there was some stuff that I really, really didn't like, which is why I didn't give Before I Fall five stars. But I found it entertaining, and it touched my heart. Do I recommend it? Of course I do!

Book Blog #39: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
# of Pages: 288 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness
Rating:★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss—her life—and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend’s memory and feeling guilty for not being able to help save her. In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, awardwinning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all—hope.

Review: Well, gosh. This book was surprisingly depressing. It shouldn't have been though, surprising. I knew what this book was before I began reading.

The cover looks mysterious and...ice-like, I guess. Seems like an appropriate cover according the the title.

The big thing that I really didn't like about this book was how the protagonist came about her solution to her problems. Not everyone is going to see ghosts of her best friend who died  (which was another thing that I didn't like. I wish the author supplied more details about the best friend before she died. Ad not in those out-of-order flashbacks either).

I'm having a really hard time writing a view about this book, though. The reason? Anorexia is a sensitive topic to, well, most people. The extent of my knowledge about it is none of your concern. But I really didn't enjoy reading this book. Some of you reading might love this book, whether you can relate to it or not. I didn't. So don't tell me that I'm wrong or I can't understand something. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

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Read the first draft here!

Book Blog #32: Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Glass
Author: Ellen Hopkins
# of Pages: 681 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Poetry
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby. 

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

Review:  So here's my problem.

I don't understand two things; meth and poems. I don't understand how people can be addicted to something so awful or why someone would make a book of poems (I'm a poem hater. Sorry).

See, I actually liked Crank. I felt sorry for how messed up Bree/Kristina was. But Glass was practically the same story with a different setting.

I'm tired of hearing how messed up Kristina is. She obviously doesn't WANT to stop. It's hard to believe that she used to be a good student.

I'm glad I finished the book.

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Read the original post here!

Book Blog #29: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
# of Pages: 537 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Rating:★★★★☆
Synopsis: Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

Review: At first I hated it.
And then I loved it.

No one told me it was a book of poems. Or at least something that looked like poems. But that's exactly what it was.

I hate poems.
I love poems.

Bree/Kristina was so messed up. I hated her for doing that to herself. But in the end, I just felt sorry for her.

Ellen Hopkins does something to you, inside. She makes you feel for her characters, makes you feel their despair, their happiness, their sickness. And in the least amount of words possible.

This book was the worst thing I ever read.
This book was the best thing I ever read.

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Read the original post here!

Book Blog #23: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
# of Pages: 216 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Rating:★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. 

 Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

Review: Let's see, there were characters smoking pot, underage drinking, abuse, and not to mention...the nasty.

Ah, the cruelties of life.

The movie cover is actually better than the original cover. I just don't get the latter one. It's butt ugly.

Sometimes I forget that this book took place in 1991. I was surprised that Charlie (our lovely narrator) wasnt as worldly as the rest of us. And then I remembered that Google wasn't invented yet.

Charlie is far from a roll model. He hangs our with seniors when he's only a freshmen  (but since he get held back a grade, he's technically a sophmore) and makes a lot of bad decisions. I was cringing throughout the book.
But I guess that just goes to show that I haven't read that many books that show the reality of high school students. It was really eye-opening to think that some people actually live like this.

I'm sorry about this really short review, but I don't really have anything to say. I'm a bit speechless, y'know? I might edit this after I've watched the movie, but for right now...

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Read the original post here!