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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
First of all, the writing was lovely... which made me sad, because it made me want to like it more. Don't get me wrong; it's not that this book was bad. It was just... unsatisfactory. The ending felt rushed, and I feel like none of the characters got the kind of emotional catharsis that this kind of book needs. Maybe that was the point? But if it was, that was not clear. That being said, I really liked Janie as a character.
trigger warnings: suicide, sexual assault, alcohol abuse
Amy Zhang's first book, Falling Into Place, is one of my all-time favorite books. And I've had this one on my shelf for a while. I even tried to read it back in 2017 but ended up putting it down because I just wasn't feeling it at the time. But today, I was wanting a quick audiobook to listen to while I was at work so I decided to give this a listen and I'm glad I did. It was a quick read but it packs a punch.
This is about two friends, Janie and Micah, and their destructive relationship. The book opens with Micah waking in the hospital with no memory of the last several months. He's been told that there was a fire and that he's a suspect. The book is then told in alternating POVs, Janie before the accident and Micah after. Over the course of the book, you find out the events leading up to the accident and Micah remembering exactly what happened the night of the accident.
I think the alternating POVs in alternating timelines really worked for this story. It really helped me as the reader get a sense of who each of the characters were and gave them a good arc through the story. The book doesn't get too personal into exactly who Micah and Janie are separate from their friendship, but I liked the way they were developed together. I think that neither of them is particularly likeable, but I also think that's the point. Janie does venture into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory, which is my least favorite trope ever, so I did find that annoying. But I think she toes the line just enough that I was able to push through and not DNF (which is what usually happens when I read MPDG stories). I think the author did a really good job of portraying how helpless Micah felt and how anxious he feels as he's recovering his memories.
This book had a lot to say about the female experience and how girls are expected to act in certain situations. There's a section of the book where Janie is researching the consequences of rapists and it was a harrowing passage to say the least. I think there is some great social commentary to be found in this story, and it's something I remember the author doing well in Falling Into Place as well, so I can appreciate that.
The reason I couldn't give this a full five-star rating is because there was just something about it that was holding me back a little. I think the book needed to be a little longer, I wanted to know the characters even more. And I think the ending was just a little too abrupt and not quite fleshed out enough to fit with the story.
I just think Amy Zhang is an amazing writer and I'll definitely be reading anything she publishes in the future. I liked this book and I would definitely recommend it. It's not your typical YA contemporary. There's some hard-hitting stuff in this book and it's maybe not the easiest read. But it's definitely a good one and I'm glad I decided to give it another go.
Amy Zhang's first book, Falling Into Place, is one of my all-time favorite books. And I've had this one on my shelf for a while. I even tried to read it back in 2017 but ended up putting it down because I just wasn't feeling it at the time. But today, I was wanting a quick audiobook to listen to while I was at work so I decided to give this a listen and I'm glad I did. It was a quick read but it packs a punch.
This is about two friends, Janie and Micah, and their destructive relationship. The book opens with Micah waking in the hospital with no memory of the last several months. He's been told that there was a fire and that he's a suspect. The book is then told in alternating POVs, Janie before the accident and Micah after. Over the course of the book, you find out the events leading up to the accident and Micah remembering exactly what happened the night of the accident.
I think the alternating POVs in alternating timelines really worked for this story. It really helped me as the reader get a sense of who each of the characters were and gave them a good arc through the story. The book doesn't get too personal into exactly who Micah and Janie are separate from their friendship, but I liked the way they were developed together. I think that neither of them is particularly likeable, but I also think that's the point. Janie does venture into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory, which is my least favorite trope ever, so I did find that annoying. But I think she toes the line just enough that I was able to push through and not DNF (which is what usually happens when I read MPDG stories). I think the author did a really good job of portraying how helpless Micah felt and how anxious he feels as he's recovering his memories.
This book had a lot to say about the female experience and how girls are expected to act in certain situations. There's a section of the book where Janie is researching the consequences of rapists and it was a harrowing passage to say the least. I think there is some great social commentary to be found in this story, and it's something I remember the author doing well in Falling Into Place as well, so I can appreciate that.
The reason I couldn't give this a full five-star rating is because there was just something about it that was holding me back a little. I think the book needed to be a little longer, I wanted to know the characters even more. And I think the ending was just a little too abrupt and not quite fleshed out enough to fit with the story.
I just think Amy Zhang is an amazing writer and I'll definitely be reading anything she publishes in the future. I liked this book and I would definitely recommend it. It's not your typical YA contemporary. There's some hard-hitting stuff in this book and it's maybe not the easiest read. But it's definitely a good one and I'm glad I decided to give it another go.
Actual rating: 4.5/5
If there was writing I could hold onto forever, hug and never let go, it would be Amy Zhang's. I adore the way she strings together sentences, creates unique voices for her characters, isn't afraid of the "F" word, and uses metaphors like it's nobodys business.
On top of all of this she tackles important and relevant issues in a very multi-layered manner.
It's safe to say I'm definitely a fan of Zhang's work, and she now has a set spot on my auto-buy list.
If there was writing I could hold onto forever, hug and never let go, it would be Amy Zhang's. I adore the way she strings together sentences, creates unique voices for her characters, isn't afraid of the "F" word, and uses metaphors like it's nobodys business.
On top of all of this she tackles important and relevant issues in a very multi-layered manner.
It's safe to say I'm definitely a fan of Zhang's work, and she now has a set spot on my auto-buy list.
This book left me feeling like “What?! That’s it?!!!”
The fact that the bad people never get what they deserve maybe was supposed to reflect real life as that’s usually the case but the ending lacked so much.
The fact that the bad people never get what they deserve maybe was supposed to reflect real life as that’s usually the case but the ending lacked so much.
Not what I was expecting but definitely kept me reading until the very end and my what an end
I have mixed feelings about this one.
The book was too flowery, too metaphorical, to begin with. It sometimes reminded me of [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402749479l/16143347._SY75_.jpg|21975829] by [a:E. Lockhart|173491|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1650379335p2/173491.jpg] but even then, the language Amy Zhang uses is not lucid and smooth flowing enough. Sometimes, I had to re-read some paragraphs because it got confusing at times. The story is heart-wrenchingly beautiful; the characters, not so much.
Janie and Micah are best friends supposedly, but too toxic for each other at the same time. Janie is manipulative and only acknowledges Micah when she needs him, emotionally usually. Micah is in love with Janie so he fails to set boundaries with her, lets her humiliate him passive aggressively and becomes selfish and cowardly when Janie really, actually needs him. They don't interact in public but they're supposedly soulmates.
Janie's character is too eccentric, head in clouds type of girl who can't seem to bear the atrocities of the real world. Micah is the opposite with feet buried too deep in the ground that he can't seem to fly away from things he needs to. Janie's story is tragic in itself but Janie and Micah's story? Heart-shattering.
I really enjoyed being absorbed by the book and the story but still, there seems to be something missing. Maybe the lack of justice? Maybe revenge or redemption? Salvation? A closure like emotion for Janie & Micah? I'm not really sure but somehow, this story feels void of something and incomplete at the same time. Maybe that's why I'm hesitant in giving it a full four stars but the story is good, nonetheless. I'm now eager to read Zhang's first book, too.
The book was too flowery, too metaphorical, to begin with. It sometimes reminded me of [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402749479l/16143347._SY75_.jpg|21975829] by [a:E. Lockhart|173491|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1650379335p2/173491.jpg] but even then, the language Amy Zhang uses is not lucid and smooth flowing enough. Sometimes, I had to re-read some paragraphs because it got confusing at times. The story is heart-wrenchingly beautiful; the characters, not so much.
Janie and Micah are best friends supposedly, but too toxic for each other at the same time. Janie is manipulative and only acknowledges Micah when she needs him, emotionally usually. Micah is in love with Janie so he fails to set boundaries with her, lets her humiliate him passive aggressively and becomes selfish and cowardly when Janie really, actually needs him. They don't interact in public but they're supposedly soulmates.
Janie's character is too eccentric, head in clouds type of girl who can't seem to bear the atrocities of the real world. Micah is the opposite with feet buried too deep in the ground that he can't seem to fly away from things he needs to. Janie's story is tragic in itself but Janie and Micah's story? Heart-shattering.
I really enjoyed being absorbed by the book and the story but still, there seems to be something missing. Maybe the lack of justice? Maybe revenge or redemption? Salvation? A closure like emotion for Janie & Micah? I'm not really sure but somehow, this story feels void of something and incomplete at the same time. Maybe that's why I'm hesitant in giving it a full four stars but the story is good, nonetheless. I'm now eager to read Zhang's first book, too.
I don't know but it's not as good as falling into place
I'm so disappointed. I was so in love with Zhang's debut novel and I admired her so much because she gave me hope that young Asian/WOC authors could write beautiful heartwrenching YA contemporary novels too but this one just shattered my high esteem for her work. Even though Zhang's writing is as arresting and stunning as ever (her characterization is just WOW) and even though she doesn't shy away from how toxic Micah and Janie's relationship is, the plot is just too 13RW for me and god I'm fucking upset.
Next-door neighbors, polar opposites and secret best friends Micah and Janie hide their friendship from their clique-minded classmates until Janie is date raped and she becomes ostracized by her former friends. Micah is having trouble remembering what happened the night of a big party, and while going through therapy, is slowly remembering. Janie is trying to get over the rape but cannot and wants to get back at the boy and ends up in an even more tragic situation.