Book Reviews Archives - Page 64 of 115

Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Mar 3, 2017

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Pages: 432
Publish date: April 6th, 2017
Publisher: Walker Books Australia
ISBN: 1406372153
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.

The Hate U Give:

I received a review copy of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas from Walker Books Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I don’t know how this review is going to go, I don’t know if I’ll be able to express my thoughts right. If what I am feeling is going to come across. I loved this book and I don’t even know how to start expressing how powerful, poignant and brilliant The Hate U Give is.

The Hate U Give follows sixteen-year-old protagonist Starr who lives in two worlds. The poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and the posh school that she attends. And she likes to keep them very apart. But, that balance is thrown when she is the only witness to a fatal shooting that kills her best friend, by a white police officer. When what she can say can cause chaos not only to her community but to her family Starr has to come to some decisions on what is wrong and what is right.

I loved Starr as the protagonist. She is raw and real and captured me from the get-go. I was thrown into her world and I was intrigued. Starr lives these two lives. The one with her family, in the place she has lived most of her life. But, then she goes to school in a totally different place. I don’t think Starr put on a persona in any of those lives, however, she did let certain traits come out in different ways. Throughout The Hate U Give, my heart broke for Starr, I just wanted to give her a massive hug. Being a teenager is already hell, but having such a burden, such an experience, just.

I loved this novel for many reasons, but something that stood out well and true was how real it was. How raw. I had to read The Hate U Give slowly. At first, I was flying through it, but when I reach the 80-page mark – I was a mess. The tears were flowing and they weren’t going to stop. So I read a couple chapters each day. But, it didn’t matter how many I read – I still cried.

The Hate U Give is so important not just for Americans, but everyone else in the world. It explores how injustice legal systems are. How people are prejudice, how they see someone just by the colour of the skin. By how they look. It’s not only heartbreaking in the book, but because it’s real. Because it’s happening, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

And even though I hated seeing Starr struggling with the decisions that she had to make, I also loved seeing it. Because like the whole book – it was real.

I’d ask him if he wished he shot me too

I loved the sense of family in The Hate U Give. While conventional at times, Starr’s family warmed my heart. They shared so much love between them, even if they didn’t always show it at times. They were there for each other when they need them most.

I also loved the romance, even though most of the foundation of the relationship has been built before the book, I adored seeing it grow. The Hate U Give explores the notion of interracial couples and how they are perceived. It was hard and heartbreaking, but gosh did it put a smile on my face.

Overall, if I could give this more stars I would. The Hate U Give is a brilliant and powerful story. It’s heartbreaking, poignant and so so true. It’s a book that everyone should read, and understand. The Hate U Give explores family, friendship and what is right. I wanted to cry, scream and hurt. So I beg you please pick up this book, read it, take it in and understand.

Have you read The Hate U Give? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Are there any other books that explore that matter that you have read or want to read? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan & Brain Conaghan

Feb 24, 2017

We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brain Conaghan

Pages: 336
Publish date: 9th February 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
ISBN: 1408878860
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his new home. Meanwhile, Jess’s home life is overshadowed by violence. When Nicu and Jess meet, what starts out as friendship grows into romance as the two bond over their painful pasts and hopeful futures. But will they be able to save each other, let alone themselves?
For fans of Una LaMarche’s Like No Other, this illuminating story told in dual points of view through vibrant verse will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the last page.

We Come Apart:

I received an ARC of We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brain Conaghan from Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I didn’t know how I was going to feel about this one, verse isn’t usually my thing and I had yet to read one that I loved. And although I didn’t love We Come Apart, I still very much liked it.

We Come Apart follows two protagonists, Nicu and Jess who are torn apart both on the outside and the inside. When these two are brought together things start to change for the both of them. And some of those things aren’t for the better.

Nicu; oh how he caught my heart. At first, it’s a little hard to really understand Nicu. It’s one of my first verse novels and he also speaks broken English. But, as the novel went on, I came to love him. And understand exactly how he is feeling. Not only is Nicu in an entirely different county, but he is not welcomed at all. It’s the heartbreaking reality of people moving to a place where they aren’t from, it’s even worse when you don’t speak their language or understand the cultural of said country. All Nicu wants to do is live his life, like his wants. He wants to have friends, and being the odd one out isn’t easy.

Jess on the other should fit in, but she doesn’t seem too. Jess was much harder to get along with simply because of her attitude and the way she went a round things. She had this fire in her and I wanted her to let it go. I wanted Jess to be her. But her home life is shit all and school isn’t that much better. So she has taken to stealing, and it breaks my heart – the things that she does.

The notion of family is a big focus in We Come Apart. But, not in a good sense. I know I say that we need to have a good family portrayal in books, but sometimes Nicu and Jess’ families need to be front and center. Jess’s home life, is full of violence and hate. It’s heartbreaking seeing both Jess and her mum waste away. While Nicu’s family hated leaving Romania and put so much pressure on Nicu. Not only that, they want to marry Nicu off to a nice Romanian girl.

I had a love/hate relationship with the romance aspects of We Come Apart. It all happens fast, and even though I think they have some amazing connection. I am not entirely sure if it was all real. Nicu cared a lot for Jess, like a hell of a lot. But, I am not sure how much Jess felt the same. She is really closed off and even though we were in her head. I still wasn’t sure how she felt.

The writing style of We Come Apart is very unique. Like I’ve said before I haven’t read much verse, but now I am totally intrigued. I haven’t read anything by each of the authors. So, I couldn’t tell the different between the two. I loved the aspect of Nicu’s broken English, but it was also very hard to read at times.

Overall, We Come Apart is a poignant, heartbreaking story of two different people brought together by strange circumstances. It explores the notion of love, family, friends and what it’s like it be different. We Come Apart will tear you apart with this heart wrenching, but also a beautiful story.

Have you read We Come Apart yet? What did you think? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read anything else by the authors? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Feb 19, 2017

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Pages: 350
Publish date: February 2017
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780008183011
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

How can you have a future if you can’t accept your past? Mel Hannigan doesn’t have it easy. Mourning the death of her firework of a brother, facing the loss of three friendships that used to mean everything to her and struggling to deal with a condition that even her closest friends don’t know about.
To protect herself and everyone else, Mel tries to lock away her heart, to live quietly without pain – but also without hope. Until the plight of an old friend, and meeting someone new, shows her that the risk is worth taking, that opening up to life – and who you really are – is what can make everything glorious… And that maybe Mel can discover a tragic kind of wonderful of her very own. A beautiful, captivating story about living with mental illness, and loving – even with a broken heart.

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful:

I received a copy of A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstorm from Harper Collins Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

This is one of those book that is hard to review. It’s one of those books, where readers are going to have lots of different thoughts. There are lots of different ways that mental illness can present, people experience if differently and people relate to it differently. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good representation of bipolar and the ways it can affect people.

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful follows sixteen-year-old protagonist Mel, whose bipolar disorder makes life unpredictable. But, when old friendships start to come to the surface. New friendships start to come to life and the wall that Mel has built around her life start to crumble.

Mel is the kind of protagonist that you don’t love, but you also don’t hate. I really enjoyed her emotions, her realness. I felt so much for her, that I wanted to hold her tight. A lot has happened in Mel’s life and her bipolar makes it that much harder. Throughout a lot of the novel we don’t exactly know what has happened to Mel, and we are taken on a ride.

The friendships in A Tragic Kind of Wonderful weren’t great – per say. But, they were also real. It’s heartbreaking to see throughout how friendships can tear you apart. But then there are those that build you up.

Mel also had a hard relationship with her family, that really torn her apart at times. But it was also great to see that they were there for her. That they cared for her. Here we have a family that has gone through so much heartbreak. And not only do they have to deal with one family member with mental illness, but nearly the whole family.

The romance in A Tragic Kind of Wonderful wasn’t my favourite. But I also didn’t hate it. I felt that it moved too fast, and I was taken back at time at how their relationship worked. On the other hand it was totally cute at the same time.

I saw a couple of reviews saying that her life took over the book, but I don’t agree with this. Mental illness are about balance, and when that balance is tipped, things change. Outcomes are different. So the book shouldn’t just be about the mental illness, but the balance that they create. And I think this book explores both.

Dr Jordan told me everyone with bipolar disorder is different – endless variations of moods, emotions, intensity, frequency, reactions, episodes, delusions, breakdowns…

I think this is perfect. This is one story of many. And that is why I liked it, it not only shows her story, but shows the outcomes and explores that there isn’t just one possibility with mental illness.

Nevertheless, towards the end of the book I was confused at what was happened. The reader was jumping here and there. And because of the state that Mel was in, it made it hard to really pin point what was happening.

Overall, A Tragic Kind of Wonderful is a difficult read. It explores life, family and friendships. A poignant novel that explores mental health and the influence it has on the person, their families and everyone around them. A Tragic Kind of Wonderful is a beautiful story that evokes all types of emotions.