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beccajoek's review against another edition
3.0
I love Beth Revis....however I did not love this book. it just never captured me. I felt like nothing happened for half the book.
bookstakenzie's review against another edition
3.0
SPOILERS!!!!!!
I really liked this book, but it was slightly confusing and repetitive and I wanted the problems to be solved. Honestly, I really wanted him to choose Sofía in the end. I really liked his relationship with Pheobe though, and how his father gets slightly redeemed when Pheobe sees him crying. I think sometimes author's should try not to have the "things get better over time" resolution. There is nothing left for Bo except for helping Pheobe and making his own choices, and while I think that's reasonable for him to live, it seemed to me that Bo should have picked death. It's like there are two sides of Bo. We have the good, brotherly side that saves Harold and wants to live, and then we have the Bo with powers who loves Sofía. Sorry for me contradicting myself. Hard to chose between a 3 or 4.
I really liked this book, but it was slightly confusing and repetitive and I wanted the problems to be solved. Honestly, I really wanted him to choose Sofía in the end. I really liked his relationship with Pheobe though, and how his father gets slightly redeemed when Pheobe sees him crying. I think sometimes author's should try not to have the "things get better over time" resolution. There is nothing left for Bo except for helping Pheobe and making his own choices, and while I think that's reasonable for him to live, it seemed to me that Bo should have picked death. It's like there are two sides of Bo. We have the good, brotherly side that saves Harold and wants to live, and then we have the Bo with powers who loves Sofía. Sorry for me contradicting myself. Hard to chose between a 3 or 4.
a_payne's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 2.5
I feel like this book portrays mental illness in a real original and unique way. And I love the idea behind it and the message it conveys and all. But, there's something about it that just didn't click with me. I found myself not really wanting to read it but having to force myself to. There wasn't something big enough to make me feel like I had to keep turning the pages. I'm glad I finished it though.
I feel like this book portrays mental illness in a real original and unique way. And I love the idea behind it and the message it conveys and all. But, there's something about it that just didn't click with me. I found myself not really wanting to read it but having to force myself to. There wasn't something big enough to make me feel like I had to keep turning the pages. I'm glad I finished it though.
tawneereads's review against another edition
3.0
After hearing rave reviews, I was really disappointed in this book. I think it may have been a little better if I had gone into it not knowing anything about it, but knowing some of the synopsis kind of ruined the "mystery." Also, it was entirely too long!! I'm not opposed to long books by any means, but there were so many points where I was bored and felt like I was reading pointless information.
maotatoe's review against another edition
1.0
I hated this book, a lot.
This book had such a good basis and the beginning was so promising but I don't think I have ever been so let down by an ending of a book. The book is a jumble of confusion and honestly feels like a first draft wrote at 5 am. The word choice is simple and meaningless and the story just never had enough 'umph'. Sorry for those who loved and for those who are considering, this book is no prodigy of books, it's mainly eh with a few good lines. In conclusion, it's got a unique plot but the writing is very mediocre and average.
Edit:
I still am so angry about the "twist" in this book. Like I wake up in a cold sweat and loathe how mental illness is written and depicted in this book. It's been 7 years and I am still mad.
This book had such a good basis and the beginning was so promising but I don't think I have ever been so let down by an ending of a book. The book is a jumble of confusion and honestly feels like a first draft wrote at 5 am. The word choice is simple and meaningless and the story just never had enough 'umph'. Sorry for those who loved and for those who are considering, this book is no prodigy of books, it's mainly eh with a few good lines. In conclusion, it's got a unique plot but the writing is very mediocre and average.
Edit:
I still am so angry about the "twist" in this book. Like I wake up in a cold sweat and loathe how mental illness is written and depicted in this book. It's been 7 years and I am still mad.
corky12's review against another edition
5.0
TLDR: If you enjoy a unreliable narrator or want a well-written book about someone struggling with mental illness, pick this up! Phoebe is unnecessary, but you can look past her for some great (very flawed) characters and a winding story. Even I struggled with figuring out which world was real, immersing me further in the protagonist's confusing world.
A World Without You is a harrowing look at mental illness. It never diagnoses the protagonist, veering away from stereotypes a diagnosis may cause. Bo believes himself to be a time traveler; and the reader is swept along his story of traversing times, losing his girlfriend in the timestream, and doing his best to get her back. While he grapples with controlling his new power, everyone else at his boarding school is dealing with this same girlfriend's supposed suicide and a group of government officials inspecting the school for medical negligence.
First thing to know: This book starts slow. I listened to the audiobook, and after an hour and a half, I had no idea how the author could drag out this story for another 11 hours. Though I was tempted to give in, the unreliable narrator aspect drew me in again, and I'm glad I stayed. Bo's story is full of navigating reality. Though I knew the book was about mental illness, I struggled to discern what was really happening and what was all in his head. At times, I succumbed to the belief that his powers were real and a giant conspiracy was brewing to keep his girlfriend missing.
Secondly, his sister Phoebe was not a well-written character. There were very few chapters where I felt her POV was necessary. She is meant to ground the reader in reality, but she had no personality besides self-pity. Phoebe is the generic "sister of the disabled kid" trope (see my review on Rules for why this is problematic), which means she is jealous of how much attention her brother gets and she wishes she were an only child. Unlike other sisters, though, she does not get much better as the story progresses. Even at the end, when she is finally starting to come into her own and treats her brother like an actual human being, her personality is a blank. The book could have used other methods to show not-Bo's reality (and in fact it does!) in much better ways than including a POV from Phoebe.
Lastly, A World Without You is a roller coaster of emotions that I would recommend to anyone who can deal with it. It's long, and the protagonist is very self-absorbed. The characters are flawed and scarred and relatable. Its plot weaves between being a grief-stricken drama, a time travel incident, and a local conspiracy. And readers sometimes cannot tell which is which. The ending wasn't my favorite, but books like this are hard to wrap up with a bow.
If you can get past the negatives and the trigger warnings, A World Without You is a must-read, at least once.
A World Without You is a harrowing look at mental illness. It never diagnoses the protagonist, veering away from stereotypes a diagnosis may cause. Bo believes himself to be a time traveler; and the reader is swept along his story of traversing times, losing his girlfriend in the timestream, and doing his best to get her back. While he grapples with controlling his new power, everyone else at his boarding school is dealing with this same girlfriend's supposed suicide and a group of government officials inspecting the school for medical negligence.
First thing to know: This book starts slow. I listened to the audiobook, and after an hour and a half, I had no idea how the author could drag out this story for another 11 hours. Though I was tempted to give in, the unreliable narrator aspect drew me in again, and I'm glad I stayed. Bo's story is full of navigating reality. Though I knew the book was about mental illness, I struggled to discern what was really happening and what was all in his head. At times, I succumbed to the belief that his powers were real and a giant conspiracy was brewing to keep his girlfriend missing.
Secondly, his sister Phoebe was not a well-written character. There were very few chapters where I felt her POV was necessary. She is meant to ground the reader in reality, but she had no personality besides self-pity. Phoebe is the generic "sister of the disabled kid" trope (see my review on Rules for why this is problematic), which means she is jealous of how much attention her brother gets and she wishes she were an only child. Unlike other sisters, though, she does not get much better as the story progresses. Even at the end, when she is finally starting to come into her own and treats her brother like an actual human being, her personality is a blank. The book could have used other methods to show not-Bo's reality (and in fact it does!) in much better ways than including a POV from Phoebe.
Lastly, A World Without You is a roller coaster of emotions that I would recommend to anyone who can deal with it. It's long, and the protagonist is very self-absorbed. The characters are flawed and scarred and relatable. Its plot weaves between being a grief-stricken drama, a time travel incident, and a local conspiracy. And readers sometimes cannot tell which is which. The ending wasn't my favorite, but books like this are hard to wrap up with a bow.
If you can get past the negatives and the trigger warnings, A World Without You is a must-read, at least once.
vll295's review against another edition
4.0
In this book, we are greeted by Bo who has the power to travel through time. The challenge is that this is only real to him. He meets his match in Sofia, but when she gets locked in the past, he has to find his way back to her. The book jumps back and forth from his perspective, to that of his family who tell the story of mental illness. This book is gut wrenching and interesting. I enjoyed it.
mckinlay's review against another edition
much like [book:Challenger Deep|18075234] i don't know how to rate this. it was really good. but not everyone will like it.
lanagoossen's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
banksonman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Dysphoria
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Drug abuse, Racism, and Vomit