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dannireadsallthetime's review against another edition
2.0
I got through this one really quick and I am glad I did as I didn't like it that much. I just didn't really see how fate was chasing Justin, I understand he saved his brothers life but then I don't know why he thought fate was after him, and why he thought changing his name would help, and why he said he didn't get on with his family when there was no evidence of that. There was a lot of questions I needed answers to, I think the idea was there but there was a lot that didn't really add up. Shame, as How I live Now is one of my favourite books.
elinix's review against another edition
4.0
Clever, funny, with a rich language, a really clear voice and some great characters.
matthew_p's review against another edition
3.0
Quick and funny, with a killer final chapter. It's still rattling around in my head.
gnomely's review against another edition
this book was so important to my teen self. justin is wracked with existential anxiety which really spoke to me as a fourteen year old. i loved the blurry lines between the reality and imagination, and the way 'fate' as a character leans on the fourth wall.
reading it again as an adult, i feel a lot more distanced from justin's self-absorbed teen angst than i was at fourteen, plus the over-dramatic purple prose that makes everything from drinking milk to running cross country deep and important and dramatic, while accurate to the way i felt at that age, is just tiresome to me now.
and that's what i think makes great YA. this book really dug in deep to my teen psyche, said: "hey, here's someone who's as lost as you are." no judgement, just understanding.
now that i've moved on from that frame of mind, re-reading this book was frustrating. it's meandering, unconventional, and doesn't seem to go anywhere at all.
but i appreciate this book for how much it resonated with me when i was younger. don't know how to feel about it now.
reading it again as an adult, i feel a lot more distanced from justin's self-absorbed teen angst than i was at fourteen, plus the over-dramatic purple prose that makes everything from drinking milk to running cross country deep and important and dramatic, while accurate to the way i felt at that age, is just tiresome to me now.
and that's what i think makes great YA. this book really dug in deep to my teen psyche, said: "hey, here's someone who's as lost as you are." no judgement, just understanding.
now that i've moved on from that frame of mind, re-reading this book was frustrating. it's meandering, unconventional, and doesn't seem to go anywhere at all.
but i appreciate this book for how much it resonated with me when i was younger. don't know how to feel about it now.
bookish_wanderer's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely one of the strangest books, if not the strangest, I've read. I don't really know how to feel about it, and honestly I considered not finishing it.
A lot of it didn't make sense to me at all. It's full of chaotic events, and unrealistic elements, that don't really blend together. A lot of different point of view, which is disturbing. I felt like the story was going nowhere, and the end did nothing to improve that feeling. I'll admit that some parts still made me laugh. I also really liked the Prince family, especially Dorothea and how down to earth and blunt she is. But overall, it wasn't a good read for me.
A lot of it didn't make sense to me at all. It's full of chaotic events, and unrealistic elements, that don't really blend together. A lot of different point of view, which is disturbing. I felt like the story was going nowhere, and the end did nothing to improve that feeling. I'll admit that some parts still made me laugh. I also really liked the Prince family, especially Dorothea and how down to earth and blunt she is. But overall, it wasn't a good read for me.
mumrik's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I like this book because I find both the story and the main character, Justin, interesting. It made me think. I didn't really understand all of it but maybe you're not supposed to either?
I figured the major message in the book is that there's no use expecting the worst all the time, because - inevitably - both good and bad things are going to happen.
I like this book because I find both the story and the main character, Justin, interesting. It made me think. I didn't really understand all of it but maybe you're not supposed to either?
I figured the major message in the book is that there's no use expecting the worst all the time, because - inevitably - both good and bad things are going to happen.
bookbitereviews's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this novel and it kept me reading, even though i don't know why it kept me reading. It's a very good novel to read when you just feel like reading a classic and i LOVE that it reminds me so much of The Catcher in the Rye. I really want to own this novel so i can put it next to J.D. Salinger's novel. I love the negativeness that Justin gives off through the novel and i love all the characters. I recommend this to all.
marteslibrary's review against another edition
2.0
This is is possibly more like a 3.5.
The process of reading this book:
The Start:
- Okay, well this is interesting
- What!?
- What is going on?
- Is Peter gay?
- Oh, Agnes is annoying
The Midway Point:
- Did they have sex or not?
- Oh, no! The invisible dog!
- Plane!
- Crash!
- Agnes continues to annoy
- Alice the Rabbit, is a male
- Dorothea, the Stalker
The End:
- Fate, is a bastard
- Run, Forrest. Run!
- Meningitis
- Chapter fifty-seven to fifty-nine; Meg Rosoff's trademark, rushed endings
The process of reading this book:
The Start:
- Okay, well this is interesting
- What!?
- What is going on?
- Is Peter gay?
- Oh, Agnes is annoying
The Midway Point:
- Did they have sex or not?
- Oh, no! The invisible dog!
- Plane!
- Crash!
- Agnes continues to annoy
- Alice the Rabbit, is a male
- Dorothea, the Stalker
The End:
- Fate, is a bastard
- Run, Forrest. Run!
- Meningitis
- Chapter fifty-seven to fifty-nine; Meg Rosoff's trademark, rushed endings
safiyyah_98_'s review against another edition
2.0
I have no idea what i just read, this book made absolutely no sense. The characters were strange and there was no plot ever fully explained.