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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
This book started off with a lot of cliche elements that came together to make a truly unique and captivating story.
This is my first book of 2023. I found it on John Green’s recommendation list. I’m a mess. Personally, I’ve always believed that everyone, everything is connected somehow. I believe in destiny. The way the author wove the threads of each character’s life throughout the book is beautiful. I was sad when the book ended, but satisfied with how it ended. Great book.
I'll Be There is a really hard book to talk about. It feels like it could be a few stories in one and I'm finding it hard to decide where this book resides in the book world. It's very hard to categorise. We've got a young man trying to take care of his younger brother as their father deals with mental health problems, a romance that feels a little rushed and happens at just the glance of a person and a odd survival story line after an terrible accident.
Now, I love Sam and Riddle, and this may sound a little odd because this story is about them but I wish it was more about them! I told you, it sounds odd. I think if the story would have really concentrated on the two brothers and gone into more detail about their past and their dad's past I would have liked the story more. We are shown how their father can be and it's more than cruel but I feel like we are not told enough about how everything happen to them and how things have been allowed to get to this stage. It's not the father's fault he is the way he is, he's ill. I just wanted more detail and history.
I also can't help but think that somethings seem a little far fetched within this story, I can't really mention them as it will give away several big story lines but you can't help but wonder how so many things keep happening to these two boys in such a short space of time and some of them just seem a little unbelievable.
3 out of 5 stars because I really liked Sam and Riddle, I just wish I knew more about them.
Amazing. Such a heartfelt ending, I loved it. So many little things that have more impact than anyone could guess... Ah I don't even know what I'm saying. I just loved this book.
I was skeptical at first, but I am totally on board with this story. It was dramatic and tearful, but the writing won me.
Wow guys. This book.. just WOW. Going into it, I had absolutely NO real idea of what it was about. And for that, I am glad. And, because of that, this will be quite a short review because I do not want to spoil it for the rest of you!
That being said, I can still tell you that this book was just heart-breakingly amazing. (I know that's not really a word.. oh well.) For one thing, there are SO many characters. And it's not just dual point of view; it's from the point of view of at least 10 different people- focusing mainly on a select few. It was fun getting to hear and read things from various sides of the story.
It could be considered your typical middle-high class girl meets poor boy, and they fall in love kind of story- but it isn't. All I can say is that if you are looking for a truly beautiful albeit heart wrenching at times story, PLEASE pick this one up to read. I was amazed.
Well done Holly Goldberg Sloan. Well done.
That being said, I can still tell you that this book was just heart-breakingly amazing. (I know that's not really a word.. oh well.) For one thing, there are SO many characters. And it's not just dual point of view; it's from the point of view of at least 10 different people- focusing mainly on a select few. It was fun getting to hear and read things from various sides of the story.
It could be considered your typical middle-high class girl meets poor boy, and they fall in love kind of story- but it isn't. All I can say is that if you are looking for a truly beautiful albeit heart wrenching at times story, PLEASE pick this one up to read. I was amazed.
Well done Holly Goldberg Sloan. Well done.
I don't normally write reviews for books I read but I felt obliged to make an exception for this one. This is one of those books that touches me emotionally; I spent several hours after devouring it to just think about the characters. And if there's a character I simply love, it's Riddle. At first I thought it would be a typical boy meets girl, cheesy, YA novel but I was completely wrong. It's a heart breaking story about two young boys who've had such an unfortunate upbringing with a father who, for lack of better words, is a complete arse. Not to mention an alcoholic, schizophrenic thief. Sam and Emily's relationship is not in fact the main plot of the story, I believe it's the relationship between the two brothers and the development of Riddle as a young man. For a child, who at the start of the novel is scared of getting a haircut due to his abusive father, to develop into such an innocent and warming character who cares for his brother in times of desperate need and eventually beings to trust other people, shows how a little warmth and compassion can go along way for someone who has been neglected by his parental figure. The lack of dialogue also makes me believe the novel is almost told from Riddle's point of view, he doesn't talk due to his chronic asthma but soon after meeting Emily's parents he is prescribed an inhaler so his breathing gets better and he becomes more confident, talking more. He loses his inhaler when his dad takes the boys away, which I believe represents how Riddle felt suffocated by his controlling and mentally ill father but he was comforted by Emily's family, which shows that all the young boy needed was love.
In short this book is heartbreaking and warming at the same time. It isn't a typical boy meets girl, it's a thrilling novel which displays brotherly love at its finest.
Absolutely fantastic novel.
In short this book is heartbreaking and warming at the same time. It isn't a typical boy meets girl, it's a thrilling novel which displays brotherly love at its finest.
Absolutely fantastic novel.
This story had all the elements I like in a story. There was of course a teen romance, but it wasn't annoying (yeah!). Sure sometimes it was super angsty but mostly it was about really making a connection with someone. What I really liked about the story was the unsolved mysteries aspect of the tale. I also think riddle was probably the best part of the story. If you like underdog stories then you'll like I'll be there.
Absolutely beautiful writing, but this book could've easily been summed up in a few sentences. It was just too long, and the characters were too . . . perfect or something.