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thesummer's review
3.0
Spoiler alert!
Amy Reed has been one of my favourite authors for a long time. However, I really was not happy with Over You.
Namely, the end.
Although I suppose I should start this review with the beginning.
Very interesting writing in this, with first person, but also second person. Amy Reed, of course, pulls this off very well, with gorgeous prose as always. The scenes are vivid and full, without having long descriptions of places.
The characters, as ever, are amazing. This is Amy Reed's greatest gift. It was excellent to have a female protagonist like Max, clever and aware of what is happening in her life, showing that people make mistakes, even when they're not stupid like the characters in the majority of YA novels. Sadie, her inseparable best friend, is self-destructive and has issues, and Max is continually loving her and helping her, so much that her own life is neglected all the time. Dylan was an asshole, if a hot and mysterious one at first.
The pacing flows along, and this book is certainly addicting.
However.
That ending left me very unsatisfied.
Yes, I understand the author's point- that in life, things rarely get tied up perfectly with a bow, but, well, I kind of hate it when authors do this- try to get completely realistic with things.
Because people read stories for a reason.
It's to experience lives they never could.
And part of that deal is that you give an adequate ending with closure.
This book has no closure.
Very little, at least. Yes, we see Max grow as a character, and it ends with her going home to patch things up with her family.
But, so much of the book centred around her and Sadie that the end felt like a wide, gaping, hole. It's a beautiful thing that they were so close, and all we got at the end was a "You should drink less" and an awkward goodbye. No tears, no nothing. Just emptiness and a feeling deep in my stomach that I have been cheated somehow.
Maybe Max and Sadie were beyond repair. I don't believe that- Sadie could have done some growing up and they could still have their bond, albeit a different one. Instead, Max leaves and Sadie is to live on a weed farm for the forseeable future, without any real resolution to her drinking and self-destructiveness. Even if they were broken, I would have liked more of a resolution to their years of friendship than what we got.
I don't know. I'm still feeling a bit of a mess.
Amy Reed has been one of my favourite authors for a long time. However, I really was not happy with Over You.
Namely, the end.
Although I suppose I should start this review with the beginning.
Very interesting writing in this, with first person, but also second person. Amy Reed, of course, pulls this off very well, with gorgeous prose as always. The scenes are vivid and full, without having long descriptions of places.
The characters, as ever, are amazing. This is Amy Reed's greatest gift. It was excellent to have a female protagonist like Max, clever and aware of what is happening in her life, showing that people make mistakes, even when they're not stupid like the characters in the majority of YA novels. Sadie, her inseparable best friend, is self-destructive and has issues, and Max is continually loving her and helping her, so much that her own life is neglected all the time. Dylan was an asshole, if a hot and mysterious one at first.
The pacing flows along, and this book is certainly addicting.
However.
That ending left me very unsatisfied.
Yes, I understand the author's point- that in life, things rarely get tied up perfectly with a bow, but, well, I kind of hate it when authors do this- try to get completely realistic with things.
Because people read stories for a reason.
It's to experience lives they never could.
And part of that deal is that you give an adequate ending with closure.
This book has no closure.
Very little, at least. Yes, we see Max grow as a character, and it ends with her going home to patch things up with her family.
But, so much of the book centred around her and Sadie that the end felt like a wide, gaping, hole. It's a beautiful thing that they were so close, and all we got at the end was a "You should drink less" and an awkward goodbye. No tears, no nothing. Just emptiness and a feeling deep in my stomach that I have been cheated somehow.
Maybe Max and Sadie were beyond repair. I don't believe that- Sadie could have done some growing up and they could still have their bond, albeit a different one. Instead, Max leaves and Sadie is to live on a weed farm for the forseeable future, without any real resolution to her drinking and self-destructiveness. Even if they were broken, I would have liked more of a resolution to their years of friendship than what we got.
I don't know. I'm still feeling a bit of a mess.
morganschneider's review against another edition
5.0
amy reed has done it again! i don't like this as much as "beautiful", but it's close. excellent portrayal of sensitive topics that i happen to personally relate to: bisexuality, power imbalances in friendship, and disconnected family. i like reed's writing because she creates cautionary tales by showing, not telling, perfectly.
tesch18's review
4.0
Pretty good. Very interesting narrative and way of story-telling, though the plot itself seemed a bit stagnant at times. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
ninareeds's review
3.0
Good, but not amazing. Very well written, but I wish I had felt more connected to everything instead of just looking in..:)
reluming's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amy reed!! i really think she does something nobody else is doing in YA. there's something very raw and undiluted about her writing that i really love. reading her books is like having a vivid dream. the way she interspersed these gorgeous little vignettes about the ancient greek pantheon to supplement the story was so interesting and smart and different! and i simply love when she writes those stream-of-consciousness scenes that get weird and surreal, fantastic and sad. there's so much poetry and light in this book about a toxic friendship, that frantic sense of being caught in something you don't know if you want to end.
amdame1's review against another edition
2.0
Rule #4 = girls cause drama. And when you get two really narcissistic, co-dependent girls with lots of family problems there is a LOT of drama, too much drama. Neither of the girls is very engaging, however, I can see teen girls liking all the angst. There's also lots of drinking, pot smoking and some sexual situations. Better for high school than middle school.
bookish_owl's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. A fairly solid portrayal of toxic friendships, and I appreciated Max's slow growth and how realistic it felt. That said, something was just lacking here for me at the core, and ultimately I felt like this book could've been stronger overall. Maybe it's just a case of "it's me, not you" in regards to Over You.