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endlessreader's review against another edition
2.0
It's so disheartening to realize that it's been a long while since I've read an honest to goodness GREAT YA book (a YA book rated higher than 3 stars). It was in March. A whole four months ago. It's not for lack of trying, either. Unfortunately for me (and I guess just for me because the ratings for this book on GR are through the roof), Signs of You was no exception.
Signs of You had so much potential to be great. I tend to like books that deal with loss, so I had assumed that I would like this one. And, for the most part, I did like the parts that focused on coping with the lost of a loved one. That was the one aspect of Signs of You that I thought was mostly well done. It's everything else that lost me.
The whole St. Ignacious thing bored me to freaking tears. It was so, so underwhelming. In fact, the whole paranormal aspect of this book was underwhelming. It just never clicked for me. And seeing as how that's a big bulk of Signs of You, that means that the book as a whole never clicked for me. I was also bored by all of the main characters and disliked Riley for most of the book considering she spent most of her time worried about romance when real shit was going down. These characters just weren't engaging. The only characters I was interested in were Riley's dad and that out of college librarian with the Peter Pan collared shirt (who didn't have a name because she was barely in the book, but managed to be more interesting than everything and everyone else). Yeah, not good. I also didn't buy the whole romance thing that happened in the end considering that the MC spent most of her time infatuated with a whole other person.
Overall, I found Signs of You to be completely underwhelming. I was never engaged with the story and thought it dragged way too much (which is surprising given how short it is). And so my quest to read a YA novel that's not just okay/mediocre this summer continues.
Signs of You had so much potential to be great. I tend to like books that deal with loss, so I had assumed that I would like this one. And, for the most part, I did like the parts that focused on coping with the lost of a loved one. That was the one aspect of Signs of You that I thought was mostly well done. It's everything else that lost me.
The whole St. Ignacious thing bored me to freaking tears. It was so, so underwhelming. In fact, the whole paranormal aspect of this book was underwhelming. It just never clicked for me. And seeing as how that's a big bulk of Signs of You, that means that the book as a whole never clicked for me. I was also bored by all of the main characters and disliked Riley for most of the book considering she spent most of her time worried about romance when real shit was going down. These characters just weren't engaging. The only characters I was interested in were Riley's dad and that out of college librarian with the Peter Pan collared shirt (who didn't have a name because she was barely in the book, but managed to be more interesting than everything and everyone else). Yeah, not good. I also didn't buy the whole romance thing that happened in the end considering that the MC spent most of her time infatuated with a whole other person.
Overall, I found Signs of You to be completely underwhelming. I was never engaged with the story and thought it dragged way too much (which is surprising given how short it is). And so my quest to read a YA novel that's not just okay/mediocre this summer continues.
thepagemistress's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 Stars
This book unfortunately just didn't do it for me. The story started off well, getting to know the characters, but then it took this odd twist and felt way too far fetched. I ended up rolling my eyes through some parts of the book. I really wanted to like this especially since contemporary is a genre I don't read much. On to the next I guess :)
This book unfortunately just didn't do it for me. The story started off well, getting to know the characters, but then it took this odd twist and felt way too far fetched. I ended up rolling my eyes through some parts of the book. I really wanted to like this especially since contemporary is a genre I don't read much. On to the next I guess :)
tarheeltiff's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. I legitimately turned the page and got the Acknowledgments page in the eBook and had to do a double take. There is no real conclusion to this story at all...which I guess makes sense since the plot is shaky to begin with. The narrator was too whiny for my taste. And something about the writing and dialogue felt forced, like it was trying to hard to be relevant and yet profound at the same time. I did like Noah though.
catiebug's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book, but it felt like it was missing something. Like it ended when it shouldn't have. I feel like there was more that could've been explored and explained to make the story better. It just kind of stopped when it was really just getting deeper into things.
clarino910's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
I read this book in a total of 1.5 days, and it was such a simple, beautiful masterpiece.
Though I know Emily France took a great deal of creative liberty with the artifacts of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, I thought it was immensely interesting to learn about the true philosophies that I had not heard of before.
I have a personal family connection to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, so that is another reason I took interest in his theories in particular.
Going into this book, the thing I was most curious about was the portrayal of the religions that I figured would be mentioned (since the book deals with theological themes, ideas, and artifacts). I, as a Catholic, was glad to see my religion and other religions represented very respectfully. So if you are concerned about that going into this book, I promise there is no reason to be.
I read this book in a total of 1.5 days, and it was such a simple, beautiful masterpiece.
Though I know Emily France took a great deal of creative liberty with the artifacts of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, I thought it was immensely interesting to learn about the true philosophies that I had not heard of before.
I have a personal family connection to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, so that is another reason I took interest in his theories in particular.
Going into this book, the thing I was most curious about was the portrayal of the religions that I figured would be mentioned (since the book deals with theological themes, ideas, and artifacts). I, as a Catholic, was glad to see my religion and other religions represented very respectfully. So if you are concerned about that going into this book, I promise there is no reason to be.
laurenjbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars. I really liked the friendship aspect, and the ending was heartwarming but a little sad at the same time. I loved Noah, and Kate was a laugh, and the relationships between Riley and her friends gave me the warm and fuzzies.
However, I didn't like Jay, I found him irritating and 2 dimensional, and some of the phrases and actions of the group made it very, very clear that it wasn't a teenager writing it. The trying-hard-to-be-relateable-to-the-teens aspect really drew me out of the story and made me cringe, same with some of the chapter titles. It felt more like a 2007 YA book than a 2016 YA book, if you know what I mean.
Overall an entertaining read that looks at grief and loss in a new light.
However, I didn't like Jay, I found him irritating and 2 dimensional, and some of the phrases and actions of the group made it very, very clear that it wasn't a teenager writing it. The trying-hard-to-be-relateable-to-the-teens aspect really drew me out of the story and made me cringe, same with some of the chapter titles. It felt more like a 2007 YA book than a 2016 YA book, if you know what I mean.
Overall an entertaining read that looks at grief and loss in a new light.
typedtruths's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Signs of You was both an engaging and emotionally entangling story about grief, friendship and the power of self-awareness. Although the initial hype for the book promised an emotional journey that would make me weep, I found the careful prose and a tightly woven mystery of France’s debut made more of a well-rounded story than a simple sobfest. The realistic dialogue made me laugh, the mysterious plot devices made me shiver with suspense and yes, I cried a little too. But while I undeniably enjoyed this book as a whole, there were a few elements that - in isolation - made me feel a little unsatisfied.
While the characters were by no means unrealistic or ‘unrelatable’, their development was somewhat lacking. Most of the characters, particularly our protagonist, Riley, were defined by their grief. Although the final chapters of the story did largely touch upon this - and some development was achieved - it was a case of too little, too late. I wanted to truly connect to the characters and understand their motivations as the story was progressing, but Kate was the only character with any personality. Noah’s shadiness made it hard to connect with him, while Jay’s mood swings were off-putting. I will say that the emotional aspect of grief, particularly the effect of survivor’s guilt and how it strained familial relationships, was incredibly well-done - with a sensitive touch but still in a blunt, raw style that resonated so, so well with me.
As with most recent YA novels, there was some romantic drama incorporated into Signs of You. Riley has an unrequited crush on her best friend, Jay, but she also has something going on with her other best friend, Noah… so it’s was a love triangle. As always, I will complain that the drama which ensued was perfectly avoidable and completely unnecessary. It added nothing major to the overarching plotline and should been removed to allow the story to have complete focus on the more important plotlines. It was a massive turn-off for me.
The plotline as a whole was undeniably the most interest aspect of the story. The author’s choice of Jesusim as a focus point was unique and fascinating. It certainly appealed to the history buff side of me! Although the author’s note did state that she took some liberties, the research never rang anything but true. It was incredibly exciting, fast-paced and undeniably captivating. Without the mystery driving the story forward, I do not doubt that the tone and pace of the story itself would have dramatically changed... and not in a good way.
With that being said, I did question the character’s reaction to the more startling conclusions their research revealed. For one, connecting their supposed sightings of their dead loved ones to a ‘cursed’ cross necklace was a little forced and unrealistic. Seeing as this is actually a common phenomenon amongst those in mourning, I think it is safe to say that most individuals would blame their grief on their “sightings” and shrug it off. The more and more they uncovered, the less and less I believed that this could genuinely occur. I’m not saying that fantastical stories have to be realistic, but I didn’t quite understand why the characters assumed that the book was anything but fiction. I don’t automatically think all stories are fact and none of the characters were religious. It seems a bit of a stretch to think that some historical figure’s diary was the truth when he was writing about such outlandish ideas. Maybe this could have been elaborated on further?
The ending - while touching and sweet at moments - was largely unsatisfying. Without the promise of the sequel, leaving so many elements of the story unanswered is problematic. I’m curious! I want to know whether these ‘powers’ affected the characters for the rest of their lives or whether they were able to overcome them. Were they driven insane like Jay’s father? There’s nothing worse than a mystery without a conclusive aha! moment where all is revealed and everything ties together.
Overall?
This was a fast-paced, exciting read that set itself apart from the other 2016 YA releases. The characters were slightly underdeveloped, but the mystery was engaging and different to anything I’d ever read before. I couldn’t put the book down and flew through the story with relative ease. The romance was as pointless and frustrating as expected, but for a debut, Signs of You was an undeniably solid novel. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s future works and I wish she would release a sequel of some sorts.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Signs of You was both an engaging and emotionally entangling story about grief, friendship and the power of self-awareness. Although the initial hype for the book promised an emotional journey that would make me weep, I found the careful prose and a tightly woven mystery of France’s debut made more of a well-rounded story than a simple sobfest. The realistic dialogue made me laugh, the mysterious plot devices made me shiver with suspense and yes, I cried a little too. But while I undeniably enjoyed this book as a whole, there were a few elements that - in isolation - made me feel a little unsatisfied.
While the characters were by no means unrealistic or ‘unrelatable’, their development was somewhat lacking. Most of the characters, particularly our protagonist, Riley, were defined by their grief. Although the final chapters of the story did largely touch upon this - and some development was achieved - it was a case of too little, too late. I wanted to truly connect to the characters and understand their motivations as the story was progressing, but Kate was the only character with any personality. Noah’s shadiness made it hard to connect with him, while Jay’s mood swings were off-putting. I will say that the emotional aspect of grief, particularly the effect of survivor’s guilt and how it strained familial relationships, was incredibly well-done - with a sensitive touch but still in a blunt, raw style that resonated so, so well with me.
My deepest, darkest fear is that maybe we don’t even get over some things. Maybe we just carry them around, permanently, these heavy dull aches in the heart. And maybe they don’t heal; maybe we just learn to work around the pain.
As with most recent YA novels, there was some romantic drama incorporated into Signs of You. Riley has an unrequited crush on her best friend, Jay, but she also has something going on with her other best friend, Noah… so it’s was a love triangle. As always, I will complain that the drama which ensued was perfectly avoidable and completely unnecessary. It added nothing major to the overarching plotline and should been removed to allow the story to have complete focus on the more important plotlines. It was a massive turn-off for me.
The plotline as a whole was undeniably the most interest aspect of the story. The author’s choice of Jesusim as a focus point was unique and fascinating. It certainly appealed to the history buff side of me! Although the author’s note did state that she took some liberties, the research never rang anything but true. It was incredibly exciting, fast-paced and undeniably captivating. Without the mystery driving the story forward, I do not doubt that the tone and pace of the story itself would have dramatically changed... and not in a good way.
With that being said, I did question the character’s reaction to the more startling conclusions their research revealed. For one, connecting their supposed sightings of their dead loved ones to a ‘cursed’ cross necklace was a little forced and unrealistic. Seeing as this is actually a common phenomenon amongst those in mourning, I think it is safe to say that most individuals would blame their grief on their “sightings” and shrug it off. The more and more they uncovered, the less and less I believed that this could genuinely occur. I’m not saying that fantastical stories have to be realistic, but I didn’t quite understand why the characters assumed that the book was anything but fiction. I don’t automatically think all stories are fact and none of the characters were religious. It seems a bit of a stretch to think that some historical figure’s diary was the truth when he was writing about such outlandish ideas. Maybe this could have been elaborated on further?
The ending - while touching and sweet at moments - was largely unsatisfying. Without the promise of the sequel, leaving so many elements of the story unanswered is problematic. I’m curious! I want to know whether these ‘powers’ affected the characters for the rest of their lives or whether they were able to overcome them. Were they driven insane like Jay’s father? There’s nothing worse than a mystery without a conclusive aha! moment where all is revealed and everything ties together.
Overall?
This was a fast-paced, exciting read that set itself apart from the other 2016 YA releases. The characters were slightly underdeveloped, but the mystery was engaging and different to anything I’d ever read before. I couldn’t put the book down and flew through the story with relative ease. The romance was as pointless and frustrating as expected, but for a debut, Signs of You was an undeniably solid novel. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s future works and I wish she would release a sequel of some sorts.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.