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molly_dettmann's review
4.0
4.5
After escaping a brutal gang in El Salvador to protect his little brother from having to join them, Phoenix tries to seek asylum, but must confront his violent past and deal with unjust prejudices.
Gretchen was mugged by a young Latino man months before and hasn’t been the same since. She’s homeschooled now and regularly has panic attacks about that night. When she sees Phoenix for the first time she thinks for half a second that he is her attacker and has a panic attack in front of him. Instead of being scared away, Phoenix is drawn to this beautiful, broken girl and she becomes drawn to him as well...
When these two come together and learn more about their pasts, will their be enough to help each other through it all? A story of hope, passion, and what we will do to protect the ones we love.
I loved this story so much!!! It was a love story, but it also tackles issues like gang violence and immigration in a way that really shows what grey topics they really are. I loved Phoenix. He was swoon-worthy, smart, and romantic. I also loved the way Gretchen was portrayed. She became more than just what happened to her. A must-read and add to your school or public library teen collections.
After escaping a brutal gang in El Salvador to protect his little brother from having to join them, Phoenix tries to seek asylum, but must confront his violent past and deal with unjust prejudices.
Gretchen was mugged by a young Latino man months before and hasn’t been the same since. She’s homeschooled now and regularly has panic attacks about that night. When she sees Phoenix for the first time she thinks for half a second that he is her attacker and has a panic attack in front of him. Instead of being scared away, Phoenix is drawn to this beautiful, broken girl and she becomes drawn to him as well...
When these two come together and learn more about their pasts, will their be enough to help each other through it all? A story of hope, passion, and what we will do to protect the ones we love.
I loved this story so much!!! It was a love story, but it also tackles issues like gang violence and immigration in a way that really shows what grey topics they really are. I loved Phoenix. He was swoon-worthy, smart, and romantic. I also loved the way Gretchen was portrayed. She became more than just what happened to her. A must-read and add to your school or public library teen collections.
mcviana26's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it. I guess it was meh. What really ruined it for me was how un-Latino the Latino characters were. I couldn't connect to the characters in general and they didn't seem real enough.
caitlin_delaney's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? No
3.75
holly_marie's review
4.0
I enjoyed this and it talked about such important topics!
The writing was a bit slow in parts and it took me the first 70 pages to get into but after that I quite enjoyed it. I loved that it talked about issues I'd never read about in a YA book before such as asylum seeking and trying to escape from a gang. I liked the main characters, however I found some of the secondary characters rather annoying such as Bree and Ty.
Overall I've given it 4 stars.
The writing was a bit slow in parts and it took me the first 70 pages to get into but after that I quite enjoyed it. I loved that it talked about issues I'd never read about in a YA book before such as asylum seeking and trying to escape from a gang. I liked the main characters, however I found some of the secondary characters rather annoying such as Bree and Ty.
Overall I've given it 4 stars.
hijinx_abound's review
2.0
The story was a decent tale. But I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I felt very removed from the whole narrative. I wanted to like it but it just fell flat.
illbefinealone's review
5.0
Copy received through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
The Radius of Us is a beautiful book. The story is great, it's original and it'll capture your attention right away. The characters are amazingly developed, their interactions seem natural. But what most stood out about this book to me was the writing style. In my experience YA isn't the genre where you can encounter amazing and eloquent writing styles, so Mrs. Marquardt's way of writing surprised me, and amazed me. She has a wonderful way with words, and if the summary doesn't spark up your interest, I promise you that the wordiness of first sentence will captivate you.
P.S. Mrs. Marquardt is joining my list of authors whose style I'm jealous of. The other two authors are Serena Chase and S.Vagus. Oh, if only...
Pre-review notes:
I'm gonna need a while to stomach this. Review in a day or two (or three).
The Radius of Us is a beautiful book. The story is great, it's original and it'll capture your attention right away. The characters are amazingly developed, their interactions seem natural. But what most stood out about this book to me was the writing style. In my experience YA isn't the genre where you can encounter amazing and eloquent writing styles, so Mrs. Marquardt's way of writing surprised me, and amazed me. She has a wonderful way with words, and if the summary doesn't spark up your interest, I promise you that the wordiness of first sentence will captivate you.
P.S. Mrs. Marquardt is joining my list of authors whose style I'm jealous of. The other two authors are Serena Chase and S.Vagus. Oh, if only...
Pre-review notes:
I'm gonna need a while to stomach this. Review in a day or two (or three).
story_sanctuary's review
4.0
I struggled to connect with the chapters from Phoenix's point-of-view at first, but once I was a few chapters in, I was pretty hooked.
The story, though, is definitely what drew me in. I loved that both characters had some kind of trauma to overcome, and that both had to put their own issues aside when it came to helping Phoenix's little brother, Ari. The drawings in the story (Ari's artwork) also added a cool layer to the story. I loved the way those were worked in.
Marquardt has this amazing way of pulling social issues into the story without making it sound overly preachy or letting the issue dominate the character or situation. The story keeps a great balance between all those kinds of elements. The side characters all had some quirks and interesting character, too, which I enjoyed. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance or book that touches on current social issues.
The story, though, is definitely what drew me in. I loved that both characters had some kind of trauma to overcome, and that both had to put their own issues aside when it came to helping Phoenix's little brother, Ari. The drawings in the story (Ari's artwork) also added a cool layer to the story. I loved the way those were worked in.
Marquardt has this amazing way of pulling social issues into the story without making it sound overly preachy or letting the issue dominate the character or situation. The story keeps a great balance between all those kinds of elements. The side characters all had some quirks and interesting character, too, which I enjoyed. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance or book that touches on current social issues.