Scan barcode
irishlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Really well-written, true-to-life description of female friends whose paths diverge when adolescence strikes.
davidjordan's review against another edition
4.0
An unusually compelling and well-written coming-of-age story for two contemporary teenage girls in New England. It takes a good bit of talent for an author to create a riveting story from a believable real-life type situation. Messud has the ability to lead the reader to expect the absolute worst, then surprises with something different and unanticipated.
suburbanlawns's review against another edition
1.0
sorry, but this was a legitimate waste of my time.
UGH, seriously. this book said absolutely nothing about grief. there was no point. the characters lacked depth and cassie was an object. i have no idea what point this novel was trying to make, except maybe "preteens are self absorbed."
UGH, seriously. this book said absolutely nothing about grief. there was no point. the characters lacked depth and cassie was an object. i have no idea what point this novel was trying to make, except maybe "preteens are self absorbed."
tschonfeld's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve always liked Messud’s writing style. This was a quick read but did not disappoint.
linzer712's review against another edition
3.0
I like the idea of this book much more than I like the book itself. It’s the type that when I describe it to someone, plot and character-wise, it will sound great, but while reading I kept waiting for it to become more, to resonate more, to feel more, well, real.
I could relate to the mystery of an identity-forming friendship that is suddenly, inexplicably lost. Whether it breaks or fades, if you’re not the one doing the breaking or fading it feels as if you’ve lost a limb and are horribly off-kilter while grasping for answers that will probably never come. This kind of loss (which like in this book usually happens in middle or high school for the first time) changes you, the way you see yourself and the world. And while this book explored and even focused on those feelings, while reading somehow I only felt the edges of them, maybe because the narrator’s voice just didn’t resonate, which was ultimately unfulfilling.
I could relate to the mystery of an identity-forming friendship that is suddenly, inexplicably lost. Whether it breaks or fades, if you’re not the one doing the breaking or fading it feels as if you’ve lost a limb and are horribly off-kilter while grasping for answers that will probably never come. This kind of loss (which like in this book usually happens in middle or high school for the first time) changes you, the way you see yourself and the world. And while this book explored and even focused on those feelings, while reading somehow I only felt the edges of them, maybe because the narrator’s voice just didn’t resonate, which was ultimately unfulfilling.
megancrusante's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I expected, though I did read it in one sitting so I clearly liked it anyhow.
misha_ali's review against another edition
4.0
An engaging story of the deep childhood friendships and how they fray into adulthood. I wish we had balanced this out with more of the POV character's inner world to give more of an insight into her life rather than her reactions to Cassie. Overall, an interesting and well-written account of childhood and watching the familiar become unfamiliar.
zellm's review against another edition
2.0
This book was aggressively mediocre. The writing style felt passive and did a lot of telling rather than showing. I feel like there wasn't much done with Cassie's character, and yet Julia's character's existence totally revolves around her. So there weren't any strong characters in a majorly character-driven story.
wiseyesgirl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I bought this book so many years ago. My mom told me I would never read it. (She was right) I didn’t pick it up till much later when I was a depressed freshman in high school. I saw myself in Julia and my best friend in Cassie. (yikes) I think every teenager girl should read this story about female adolescence, so they know they aren’t alone in their feelings of boredom of home or fear of the future.