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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
When I started the book, it was a bit slow for me. I had a hard time understanding the plot because I wasn't used to jumping from after to before to after again. Then I paused for a bit, and read some of the reviews. Lots of mixed reviews. So I gave up on that and I just continued reading. I picked up the pace when I got used to the writing style.
It was a story about Micah and Janie. Janie and Micah. About anything. About everything. It was a story about lost, grief and friendship gone wrong. It's a story about Janie and Micah but nobody knew about them. Except for Dewey. And their parents. Because Janie made up a stupid rule. And Micah was too in love to ever say no to her.
Until one day everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. And it was too late for them to fix anything and everything.
The plot was all over the place but once I got used to the writing style, it was easier to catch up. And when I did, it got sadder. Micah was the voice for After. Janie was the voice for Before. And nobody listened to Before. People only started listening After. After the tragedy. After a house was burned down to the ground. After everything was too late to be saved and there was only Micah left to be blamed. It got sadder and sadder till the end.
And there's nothing more you could do for the sad people. You read their stories and you hope for them to get different endings. But nothing is fair. The world is not fair. The story of Micah and Janie could never end. But it did. And you would hope for a different ending. Especially for Janie.
It was a story about Micah and Janie. Janie and Micah. About anything. About everything. It was a story about lost, grief and friendship gone wrong. It's a story about Janie and Micah but nobody knew about them. Except for Dewey. And their parents. Because Janie made up a stupid rule. And Micah was too in love to ever say no to her.
Until one day everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. And it was too late for them to fix anything and everything.
The plot was all over the place but once I got used to the writing style, it was easier to catch up. And when I did, it got sadder. Micah was the voice for After. Janie was the voice for Before. And nobody listened to Before. People only started listening After. After the tragedy. After a house was burned down to the ground. After everything was too late to be saved and there was only Micah left to be blamed. It got sadder and sadder till the end.
And there's nothing more you could do for the sad people. You read their stories and you hope for them to get different endings. But nothing is fair. The world is not fair. The story of Micah and Janie could never end. But it did. And you would hope for a different ending. Especially for Janie.
Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my views & opinions below.
This is the first Amy Zhang book I’ve ever picked up. All I could say is that it was so-so. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the writing but… I can’t say the same about the story itself. I tend to usually steer clear of books with poetic or nonlinear prose because I feel like the writing kind of takes away from the reader’s ability to connect with the story. I don’t know, maybe it’s just the books that I’ve read, but so far, I haven’t encountered a single book written in nonlinear prose that still left me able to empathize with the characters and their story. (Except for [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829]).
Let me tell you, when I started reading this book, I was confused for 35% of it. That was probably because of Micah. He didn’t even know what was going on around him and his forgetfulness made him a very unreliable narrator. Janie, on the other hand, was a bit more of a complex character. She was sweet and naïve, yes, but she was also rude to people and obnoxious. She has so many personality traits that her character gave me a whiplash sometimes. However, the extremes of her personality were very compelling to read about. Her fairytale fantasies were whimsical and quirky which I think contrasted with Micah’s bleak grayness. Even though I couldn’t connect with either of them, it was interesting to read about their downward spiral and the toxicity of their relationship with each other and other people.
What bothered me about this story was the way Janie treated Micah. Micah would do anything for Janie, which she was quite aware of, and Janie used that to manipulate him. Why did she tell him she loved him and then date other people? Why did she ignore him at school but talk to him outside it? Janie practically had Micah at her beck-and-call and he was too spineless to do something about it. In a weird/sick way, it was fascinating watching all of this unfold.
The main factor that irked me about this book was its predictability. It was obvious where the story was going, which made it lack a sense of urgency. The inability to connect with any of the characters contributed to that, too. Yes, Janie and Micah were two very emotional narrators but it was just very difficult to devote myself to their story. Also, was it just me or was the ending extremely lacking? So many loose ends, unanswered questions and zero impact. When I finished the book, it was less of an “oh damn” moment and more of an “oh okay” moment.
There are so many conflicting emotions about this book. The writing was magnificent and outstanding, but the story itself failed to pull me in. The unreliable narrators were very hard to connect with and the story was predictable. I adored the writing but disliked the story. The struggle is real. I won’t be dissuaded by this book, though. I’ve heard tons of good things about Amy Zhang’s [b:Falling into Place|18163646|Falling into Place|Amy Zhang|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393613084s/18163646.jpg|25526485] so I will definitely be giving that shot!
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This is the first Amy Zhang book I’ve ever picked up. All I could say is that it was so-so. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the writing but… I can’t say the same about the story itself. I tend to usually steer clear of books with poetic or nonlinear prose because I feel like the writing kind of takes away from the reader’s ability to connect with the story. I don’t know, maybe it’s just the books that I’ve read, but so far, I haven’t encountered a single book written in nonlinear prose that still left me able to empathize with the characters and their story. (Except for [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829]).
Let me tell you, when I started reading this book, I was confused for 35% of it. That was probably because of Micah. He didn’t even know what was going on around him and his forgetfulness made him a very unreliable narrator. Janie, on the other hand, was a bit more of a complex character. She was sweet and naïve, yes, but she was also rude to people and obnoxious. She has so many personality traits that her character gave me a whiplash sometimes. However, the extremes of her personality were very compelling to read about. Her fairytale fantasies were whimsical and quirky which I think contrasted with Micah’s bleak grayness. Even though I couldn’t connect with either of them, it was interesting to read about their downward spiral and the toxicity of their relationship with each other and other people.
What bothered me about this story was the way Janie treated Micah. Micah would do anything for Janie, which she was quite aware of, and Janie used that to manipulate him. Why did she tell him she loved him and then date other people? Why did she ignore him at school but talk to him outside it? Janie practically had Micah at her beck-and-call and he was too spineless to do something about it. In a weird/sick way, it was fascinating watching all of this unfold.
The main factor that irked me about this book was its predictability. It was obvious where the story was going, which made it lack a sense of urgency. The inability to connect with any of the characters contributed to that, too. Yes, Janie and Micah were two very emotional narrators but it was just very difficult to devote myself to their story. Also, was it just me or was the ending extremely lacking? So many loose ends, unanswered questions and zero impact. When I finished the book, it was less of an “oh damn” moment and more of an “oh okay” moment.
There are so many conflicting emotions about this book. The writing was magnificent and outstanding, but the story itself failed to pull me in. The unreliable narrators were very hard to connect with and the story was predictable. I adored the writing but disliked the story. The struggle is real. I won’t be dissuaded by this book, though. I’ve heard tons of good things about Amy Zhang’s [b:Falling into Place|18163646|Falling into Place|Amy Zhang|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393613084s/18163646.jpg|25526485] so I will definitely be giving that shot!
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I wasn't sure what to think when I finished this book. I liked the male narrator...but was confused by the female character. I couldn't figure out how the girl who was narrating was tied to the vision the male narrator had of her and the vision the rest of the school had of her...they didn't mesh (I think the idea was she was supposed to be misunderstood...but it was really just confusing). There was a lot of swearing and drug use. At the beginning and in the end, I felt this author was rewriting Papertowns in a weird way...sort of like fan-fiction but with new characters. So in the end...I liked some parts and REALLY didn't like other parts.
I've written many a rant in my time. But this one needs to be the roast to end them all.
This is going to be a stream of consciousness review, because I’m so fucking angry and I don’t want to think about this but my fingers are twitching with fury and I need to do something.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/this-is-where-the-world-ends-review/
Also, this will be teeming with spoilers, absolutely filled with them, but I don’t care and neither should you because nobody should ever goddamn read this stupid book.
Janie Vivian is a manic pixie dream girl. She has a stupid, manic pixie dream girl name, and manic pixie dream girl bright red hair, and a manic pixie dream girl obsession with a fucking pile of rocks, and cutesy, manic pixie dream girl alcoholism, and inspires obsessive, defining love into the hearts of boring guys like only a manic pixie dream girl could.
Everyone just looooves Janie. Teachers love her and treat her like the ocean fucking birthed her into the hallways of a public high school. The popular group welcomes her with open arms, for some goddamn reason. Her best friend loves her enough to bring her Starbucks every morning, which is frankly just financially irresponsible for a high school student, but what fucking ever.
But nobody loves Janie like Miiiicahhhh.
Janie and Micah are best friends, supposedly. They have been for years, supposedly. They have the most unrealistic and toxic and cringeworthy relationship ever. Wait, no, not cringeworthy. A million times more than cringeworthy. Scream-and-tear-out-the-pages-and-throw-them-into-a-pit-of-acid worthy. Rolls off the tongue.
Here’s how Janie speaks to Micah: Micah, my beautiful sunflower, you are filled with a light that rivals the stars I hold so dear. We share a soul. Every time I see you, I’ll say that I love you more than everything, and you’ll tell me you love me more than anything, k? It’s cutesy. The couples that are made up of one manic pixie dream and one platter of unseasoned chicken with plain toast always have something cute they say to each other. Okay? Okay. Get it? That was an example. Aren’t I funny and charming and life-changing? Insane and wild and worth it, darling? Thanks. And, um...I love this pile of rocks? I’m going to take some rocks from it and write Virginia Woolf quotes on them and carry them in my pockets? Is that manic pixie-esque enough?
In return for this validation, etc., Micah allows Janie to do shit like this: Never speak to him at school; break into his home; prevent him from studying/scatter his notes; make out with him and then turn around and make out with another guy; be aware for years that he is in looooove with her but just continue leading him on; try to prevent him from being friends with anyone else; tell him his best friend is in love with him just because his best friend is gay and she’s jealous and manipulative and psychotic.
But it’s okayyyy, you guys. Because she’s quirky. She takes shots of vodka without a chaser. She has a thing for metaphors.
Hang on. This is making me angrier. Cookie break.
Alright I’m back.
Everything’s coming up roses for good old Janie Vivian. (I love the two-first-names rule for manic pixie dream girls. Hazel Grace Lancaster; Lindsey Lee Wells; Margo Roth Spiegelman. Or at least weird names - Ramona Flowers; Alaska Young; Holly Golightly. But I digress.)
Anyway, life is just a romp in the park for Janie - or, to put it in her terms, a drunken winter’s night at the quarry spent spewing truisms about nature and life.
But, as we all have learned from books by John Green and movies starring Kirsten Dunst and Zooey Deschanel, things NEVER end up well for a manic pixie dream girl. That wouldn’t be tryhardy-powerful enough; it wouldn’t have the right sickly-sweet meaning to it.
Janie Vivian needs a reason to disappear from the book.
So -
trigger warning -
she
is
raped.
Janie Vivian is raped, and she burns her house down and kills herself because of it.
And Micah is so traumatized he spends the whole book forgetting it anytime someone tells him. We spend 300 pages tracking the truth, and that’s what we fucking get. We get rape as a plot device.
And of course the timing of the suicide is just fabulous. Of course it’s the night Micah grows a backbone. The night he tells her it’s not okay for her to treat him the way she does. She kills herself right after he says it. Like it’s not acceptable to stand up for yourself in a toxic friendship. Fuck off. It’s not extra powerful if you try to ruin a friendship in addition to killing off your main character.
We spend 300 pages chasing what happened - see, Micah’s forgotten an entire goddamn year, because that makes sense - and when we finally get it, the book ends. We get the truth, Micah says “I KILLED HER! NOW I’LL KILL MYSELF!,” Micah’s friend - I wish I was joking - says “Just be a better friend in the future.”
And then the book
Ends.
Like that.
Very cool.
Great message.
Everything definitely got concluded very well, thank you. That was simply wonderful.
And on top of it all, this doesn’t have anything to do with the apocalypse. The “““world ends””” for Micah because Janie killed herself.
Just when I was wishing the heavens really would smite this whole book.
Fuck.
Bottom line: rape and suicide as plot devices, a manic pixie dream girl like you’ve never seen, the most boring male character of all time...and the sum is greater than its parts when it comes to how much I fucking hate this book. I need a rating below one star.
-----ORIGINAL ANGRY RAMBLINGS------
I really, really, really, really, really hated this book.
So much that I don't even know if I can review it.
It's fucking unfair that this terrible fucking book even exists.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. What the fuck?
This is going to be a stream of consciousness review, because I’m so fucking angry and I don’t want to think about this but my fingers are twitching with fury and I need to do something.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/this-is-where-the-world-ends-review/
Also, this will be teeming with spoilers, absolutely filled with them, but I don’t care and neither should you because nobody should ever goddamn read this stupid book.
Janie Vivian is a manic pixie dream girl. She has a stupid, manic pixie dream girl name, and manic pixie dream girl bright red hair, and a manic pixie dream girl obsession with a fucking pile of rocks, and cutesy, manic pixie dream girl alcoholism, and inspires obsessive, defining love into the hearts of boring guys like only a manic pixie dream girl could.
Everyone just looooves Janie. Teachers love her and treat her like the ocean fucking birthed her into the hallways of a public high school. The popular group welcomes her with open arms, for some goddamn reason. Her best friend loves her enough to bring her Starbucks every morning, which is frankly just financially irresponsible for a high school student, but what fucking ever.
But nobody loves Janie like Miiiicahhhh.
Janie and Micah are best friends, supposedly. They have been for years, supposedly. They have the most unrealistic and toxic and cringeworthy relationship ever. Wait, no, not cringeworthy. A million times more than cringeworthy. Scream-and-tear-out-the-pages-and-throw-them-into-a-pit-of-acid worthy. Rolls off the tongue.
Here’s how Janie speaks to Micah: Micah, my beautiful sunflower, you are filled with a light that rivals the stars I hold so dear. We share a soul. Every time I see you, I’ll say that I love you more than everything, and you’ll tell me you love me more than anything, k? It’s cutesy. The couples that are made up of one manic pixie dream and one platter of unseasoned chicken with plain toast always have something cute they say to each other. Okay? Okay. Get it? That was an example. Aren’t I funny and charming and life-changing? Insane and wild and worth it, darling? Thanks. And, um...I love this pile of rocks? I’m going to take some rocks from it and write Virginia Woolf quotes on them and carry them in my pockets? Is that manic pixie-esque enough?
In return for this validation, etc., Micah allows Janie to do shit like this: Never speak to him at school; break into his home; prevent him from studying/scatter his notes; make out with him and then turn around and make out with another guy; be aware for years that he is in looooove with her but just continue leading him on; try to prevent him from being friends with anyone else; tell him his best friend is in love with him just because his best friend is gay and she’s jealous and manipulative and psychotic.
But it’s okayyyy, you guys. Because she’s quirky. She takes shots of vodka without a chaser. She has a thing for metaphors.
Hang on. This is making me angrier. Cookie break.
Alright I’m back.
Everything’s coming up roses for good old Janie Vivian. (I love the two-first-names rule for manic pixie dream girls. Hazel Grace Lancaster; Lindsey Lee Wells; Margo Roth Spiegelman. Or at least weird names - Ramona Flowers; Alaska Young; Holly Golightly. But I digress.)
Anyway, life is just a romp in the park for Janie - or, to put it in her terms, a drunken winter’s night at the quarry spent spewing truisms about nature and life.
But, as we all have learned from books by John Green and movies starring Kirsten Dunst and Zooey Deschanel, things NEVER end up well for a manic pixie dream girl. That wouldn’t be tryhardy-powerful enough; it wouldn’t have the right sickly-sweet meaning to it.
Janie Vivian needs a reason to disappear from the book.
So -
trigger warning -
she
is
raped.
Janie Vivian is raped, and she burns her house down and kills herself because of it.
And Micah is so traumatized he spends the whole book forgetting it anytime someone tells him. We spend 300 pages tracking the truth, and that’s what we fucking get. We get rape as a plot device.
And of course the timing of the suicide is just fabulous. Of course it’s the night Micah grows a backbone. The night he tells her it’s not okay for her to treat him the way she does. She kills herself right after he says it. Like it’s not acceptable to stand up for yourself in a toxic friendship. Fuck off. It’s not extra powerful if you try to ruin a friendship in addition to killing off your main character.
We spend 300 pages chasing what happened - see, Micah’s forgotten an entire goddamn year, because that makes sense - and when we finally get it, the book ends. We get the truth, Micah says “I KILLED HER! NOW I’LL KILL MYSELF!,” Micah’s friend - I wish I was joking - says “Just be a better friend in the future.”
And then the book
Ends.
Like that.
Very cool.
Great message.
Everything definitely got concluded very well, thank you. That was simply wonderful.
And on top of it all, this doesn’t have anything to do with the apocalypse. The “““world ends””” for Micah because Janie killed herself.
Just when I was wishing the heavens really would smite this whole book.
Fuck.
Bottom line: rape and suicide as plot devices, a manic pixie dream girl like you’ve never seen, the most boring male character of all time...and the sum is greater than its parts when it comes to how much I fucking hate this book. I need a rating below one star.
-----ORIGINAL ANGRY RAMBLINGS------
I really, really, really, really, really hated this book.
So much that I don't even know if I can review it.
It's fucking unfair that this terrible fucking book even exists.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. What the fuck?
Oct 27 2017 Student Book Club 3 stars
Oct 25 2022 Student Book Club 3 stars
Oct 25 2022 Student Book Club 3 stars
This is Where it Ends is a beautiful, gritty story, but it is not a happy one. If this book were made entirely from pinterest writing prompts, it would begin with the simple, one sentence prompt that forever remains my favorite: "I don't know how to put this nicely, so I won't."
The inside cover description for This is Where it Ends is simple, but it is all you need to know - you will learn the rest in due time. But, keep your mind alert, as this story is a complicated, woven fabric of past and present, lies and truths, reality and foggy memories, and fuzzy, drunken thoughts.
As the end creeps closer, you will soon see everything fall apart, while at the same time, fall into place.
This book reminds me a bit of the book We Were Liars, so if you like This is Where the World Ends, you should give this story a try too, or vice versa. ;-)
The inside cover description for This is Where it Ends is simple, but it is all you need to know - you will learn the rest in due time. But, keep your mind alert, as this story is a complicated, woven fabric of past and present, lies and truths, reality and foggy memories, and fuzzy, drunken thoughts.
As the end creeps closer, you will soon see everything fall apart, while at the same time, fall into place.
This book reminds me a bit of the book We Were Liars, so if you like This is Where the World Ends, you should give this story a try too, or vice versa. ;-)
2.5 stars
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape, sexual assault and suicide
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape, sexual assault and suicide
Yeah, I mean, this was alright. I was really hoping to find comfort in this one and relate to it, as someone who has been in a couple really toxic/bad friendships/relationships, however, the protagonists were hard to get along with, which made this book difficult. It also felt a little flat to me, like there wasn't a whole lot of substance to hold the story together. I enjoyed Zhang's prose, but the story itself was just kind of meh. #bookworm #bookish #bookstagram #thisiswheretheworldends
A Young Adult version of Gone Girl
This book is brilliant on every ways. The way every words in this book connect with each other create a masterpiece. And almost everything on this book have a second meaning on it, not just random stuffs written by the author. Plus the cover is just brilliant. I can't wait to have the hardbound version of this book, a must buy for 2016. I love this book from the cover to the last word written.
Yeah, yeah... this tackles one of the cliché topic -; and another cliché , ohhhh long scienc-y word. But it entered into common door but it diverge with the other YAs in these cliché topics, which means it will stand out even though it is quite common. Even looking at the plot might even spoil you on what happened, I am quite happy that I haven't read it, but yeah you know what happened at the turning point and you might even know the ending but the story the lead to those points are well crafted and filled with metaphors.
This is told in two alternating points of view and alternating timelines - [the past] is told by Janie while [the present] is told by Micah. These two characters have problems on their ownAnd in the end you will know why the title is [This is Where the World Ends]. Plus the journal entries/diary of Janie are well-written.
Ohhh.. wrong book.
This book is brilliant on every ways. The way every words in this book connect with each other create a masterpiece. And almost everything on this book have a second meaning on it, not just random stuffs written by the author. Plus the cover is just brilliant. I can't wait to have the hardbound version of this book, a must buy for 2016. I love this book from the cover to the last word written.
Yeah, yeah... this tackles one of the cliché topic -
Spoiler
rapeSpoiler
selective retrograde amnesiaThis is told in two alternating points of view and alternating timelines - [the past] is told by Janie while [the present] is told by Micah. These two characters have problems on their own
Spoiler
one that forgot that tries to remember while the other is a sociopath.Once there was a world’s end... Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.
Ohhh.. wrong book.
1. This book sounds so completely different from Falling into Place. I love Falling into Place. This book, though, not so much.
2. I hate Janie
3. I hate how selfish and self-absorbed she is
4. I despise the friendship between Micah and Janie
5. I still love Amy Zhang's writing style, don't get me wrong
6. I think my problem with reading this book is the fact that I've read The Female of the Species and that book is much stronger in comparison--I mean if we're talking about rape and stuff
So anyway
2. I hate Janie
3. I hate how selfish and self-absorbed she is
4. I despise the friendship between Micah and Janie
5. I still love Amy Zhang's writing style, don't get me wrong
6. I think my problem with reading this book is the fact that I've read The Female of the Species and that book is much stronger in comparison--I mean if we're talking about rape and stuff
So anyway