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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
What stood out the most to me when reading If You Read This was the emotional dynamism in regards to Brie's feelings surrounding her mother's death and the now complicated relationship she had with her father.
Brie was reaching that age where she started to think about she wanted to be perceived as a person when her mother died and as such she largely considered her mother to be an embarrassing burden in the time leading up to her getting sick. She carries a lot of complex, contradictory baggage because she was robbed of getting past that formative hump ie the very normal I-want-nothing-to-do-with-you phase of late childhood thru adolescence to recognize she didn't love her mother in spite of her faults but because of them. Barring serious personality deficits, it's often the most embarrassing moments that reveal the most love that a parent has for their child.
Her father, somewhat serious though beloved all the same, has become like a stranger to her. Due to work he is rarely home and when he is his concerns relating to Brie are shallow. Their relationship has become so fractured, she has actually come to believe that he wishes she had died rather than her mother.
Her mothers letters were a blessing in that, in a way, her mother was brought back to her however it was also bittersweet as they shined a light on the deep unhappiness brewing just under the surface of her life. Brie wading through this series of internal conflicts was immensely investing.
The three stars is because Getten didn't stick the landing.
She explores the guilt, the anger, the disappointment very well throughout the book. When it comes to concluding these themes she falters.
The whole book you're waiting for Brie to finally unleash all that pent up repression on her father who, though doing his best, has been emotionally neglecting Brie since her mother died. Heck, when the character is first introduced it's in name only as he misses the pivotal twelfth birthday that kicks off the story. So you can imagine my disappointment when the two totally resolve their issues in one single conversation that only grazes the surface of the conflict between the two.
Brie is basically writing soliliquies in her head about how much she despises this man yet when the time to share comes she leaves it at 'I'm mad at you'. And yes, in the midst of stressful and/or important discussions people can often lose their words, but even if she's not the most articulate she should be able to communicate the gist of her grievances. It felt like Getten all of a sudden didn't want engage with the complexity of the circumstances.
She even vaguely retcons her own writing: it is heavily implied at the beginning that her father is intentionally using work as a distraction from his grief, by the end he suddenly has just had difficulty balancing work and life now that they have to live on a single income. Now technically it's entirely possible that Brie has misjudged the situation - she is only twelve after all - but Getten provides no proof. She has Bries' father simply state this as if it's fact when there is no evidence that the family is in dire straits or absolutely needs the money. The only logical conclusion really is that he's purposely avoiding Brie.
The ending while a letdown did not ruin everything. I still generally enjoyed the book. I still would categorize it as a solid recommend it.
Brie was reaching that age where she started to think about she wanted to be perceived as a person when her mother died and as such she largely considered her mother to be an embarrassing burden in the time leading up to her getting sick. She carries a lot of complex, contradictory baggage because she was robbed of getting past that formative hump ie the very normal I-want-nothing-to-do-with-you phase of late childhood thru adolescence to recognize she didn't love her mother in spite of her faults but because of them. Barring serious personality deficits, it's often the most embarrassing moments that reveal the most love that a parent has for their child.
Her father, somewhat serious though beloved all the same, has become like a stranger to her. Due to work he is rarely home and when he is his concerns relating to Brie are shallow. Their relationship has become so fractured, she has actually come to believe that he wishes she had died rather than her mother.
Her mothers letters were a blessing in that, in a way, her mother was brought back to her however it was also bittersweet as they shined a light on the deep unhappiness brewing just under the surface of her life. Brie wading through this series of internal conflicts was immensely investing.
The three stars is because Getten didn't stick the landing.
She explores the guilt, the anger, the disappointment very well throughout the book. When it comes to concluding these themes she falters.
The whole book you're waiting for Brie to finally unleash all that pent up repression on her father who, though doing his best, has been emotionally neglecting Brie since her mother died. Heck, when the character is first introduced it's in name only as he misses the pivotal twelfth birthday that kicks off the story. So you can imagine my disappointment when the two totally resolve their issues in one single conversation that only grazes the surface of the conflict between the two.
Brie is basically writing soliliquies in her head about how much she despises this man yet when the time to share comes she leaves it at 'I'm mad at you'. And yes, in the midst of stressful and/or important discussions people can often lose their words, but even if she's not the most articulate she should be able to communicate the gist of her grievances. It felt like Getten all of a sudden didn't want engage with the complexity of the circumstances.
She even vaguely retcons her own writing: it is heavily implied at the beginning that her father is intentionally using work as a distraction from his grief, by the end he suddenly has just had difficulty balancing work and life now that they have to live on a single income. Now technically it's entirely possible that Brie has misjudged the situation - she is only twelve after all - but Getten provides no proof. She has Bries' father simply state this as if it's fact when there is no evidence that the family is in dire straits or absolutely needs the money. The only logical conclusion really is that he's purposely avoiding Brie.
The ending while a letdown did not ruin everything. I still generally enjoyed the book. I still would categorize it as a solid recommend it.
beccisays's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a really sweet and gentle story about a young girl learning how to continue loving and remembering her Mother after death. The plot loosely follows a scavenger hunt of letters left to her by her late mother as she rediscovers all the ways she can honour her Mother’s memory and adventurous spirit. It’s not too dark or emotional, it strikes just the right balance of heartfelt and heartwarming.
I would definitely recommend the audiobook as the narrator Sara Novak was wonderful, doing the character’s Caribbean accents and mannerisms justice. It’s a shorter listen and I downloaded free as part of the Audible Plus catalogue.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Letters Left for the Living... nicely done for a young audience.
P.S. I Love You was the same idea, but here it's for the UKS2 audience. Brie's much-loved and eccentric mother's death still has her reeling three years later, and her father has thrown himself into his work and barely speaks to his daughter, never laughs, and she can't help but feel unloved.
On her 12th birthday however, Brie is given three letters written to her by her mother before she died. Letters suggesting adventure, secrets and taking her father along for the ride with her. Will he go?
The pain of losing a parent as well as feeling the one left is also lost is nicely conveyed, within the world of the hurting tween/adolescent.
The family relationships here are warm and realistic, with a particularly quirky grandfather. The story itself moves very quickly to a conclusion, the clue-finding and resolution over in mere pages. That being said, there's a funny sequence at a care home that I can imagine going down well on screen.
Quite a quick read, lots to say about fathers and daughters, and the aftermath of a death.
For ages 9-13.
P.S. I Love You was the same idea, but here it's for the UKS2 audience. Brie's much-loved and eccentric mother's death still has her reeling three years later, and her father has thrown himself into his work and barely speaks to his daughter, never laughs, and she can't help but feel unloved.
On her 12th birthday however, Brie is given three letters written to her by her mother before she died. Letters suggesting adventure, secrets and taking her father along for the ride with her. Will he go?
The pain of losing a parent as well as feeling the one left is also lost is nicely conveyed, within the world of the hurting tween/adolescent.
The family relationships here are warm and realistic, with a particularly quirky grandfather. The story itself moves very quickly to a conclusion, the clue-finding and resolution over in mere pages. That being said, there's a funny sequence at a care home that I can imagine going down well on screen.
Quite a quick read, lots to say about fathers and daughters, and the aftermath of a death.
For ages 9-13.
jrae_miller's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I kept having to remind myself that this is a book for middle schoolers, but even then it felt lackluster and not as mysterious as the author had intended. The pacing of finding the letters seemed off (why did they have to go on a big hunt for the last but not the second? ) and even the letters themselves didn't love up to the promises made in the summary: I was expecting something a lot more groundbreaking, especially given the contents.
That said, I do think that Brie's mixed feelings about her parents, grieving, friends, etc. are relatable, and kids dealing with death of a parent would probably find comfort in this book. It just wasn't for me.
That said, I do think that Brie's mixed feelings about her parents, grieving, friends, etc. are relatable, and kids dealing with death of a parent would probably find comfort in this book. It just wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
debitoni's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
srcreads1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jajabla's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mrs_bookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
My heart hurt so much during this book! It's a book of grief but also of magic and family. The setting in this book is absolutely gorgeous. There were also some humorous parts to offset the sadness.
bookofcinz's review against another edition
3.0
Get ready for a heart-warming, adventurous read between a mother and daughter…
In Kereen Getten’s second book, If You Read This we meet Brie who lost her mother to an illness over three years ago. Brie is about to celebrate her twelfth birthday and birthdays are generally had because of how much she misses her mother and would want to have her there. While Brie does have the strong support of her friends, aunts, uncle, father and grandparents she truly misses her mother.
As part of her twelfth birthday celebrations, Brie is given a surprise from her mother- a box filled with letters that leads to a treasure hunt. The treasure being, Brie finding her mother’s special place. Brie gets to hear from her mother through the letters, uncover family secrets and learn more about who she is becoming as a young adult. What secret is her father keeping from her, what will her mother’s secret place be like? Brie finds this all out when she reads each letter.
I am generally not a middle grade reader but I always enjoy Kereen Getten’s writing, because it feels so innocent and heart-warming- also I love the fact that it is set in the Caribbean. I am a huge fan of mother daughter themes and I felt the author did a great job of exploring grief in a middle grader who lost her mother. I also love how much of an adventurer the mother was and how she raised Brie to be brave.
If you are looking for a heart-warming read, filled with adventure- I cannot recommend this book enough! A solid #ReadCaribbean pick!
In Kereen Getten’s second book, If You Read This we meet Brie who lost her mother to an illness over three years ago. Brie is about to celebrate her twelfth birthday and birthdays are generally had because of how much she misses her mother and would want to have her there. While Brie does have the strong support of her friends, aunts, uncle, father and grandparents she truly misses her mother.
As part of her twelfth birthday celebrations, Brie is given a surprise from her mother- a box filled with letters that leads to a treasure hunt. The treasure being, Brie finding her mother’s special place. Brie gets to hear from her mother through the letters, uncover family secrets and learn more about who she is becoming as a young adult. What secret is her father keeping from her, what will her mother’s secret place be like? Brie finds this all out when she reads each letter.
I am generally not a middle grade reader but I always enjoy Kereen Getten’s writing, because it feels so innocent and heart-warming- also I love the fact that it is set in the Caribbean. I am a huge fan of mother daughter themes and I felt the author did a great job of exploring grief in a middle grader who lost her mother. I also love how much of an adventurer the mother was and how she raised Brie to be brave.
If you are looking for a heart-warming read, filled with adventure- I cannot recommend this book enough! A solid #ReadCaribbean pick!