Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I really liked this. This is the YA book version of Sliding Doors.
*3.5 this book was light-hearted and cutesy and it sends a good message. But it definately romanticizes the grief that a person goes through. I would have preferred a different obstacle in Carolines life that would have led to a hard decision to two different paths.
More reviews can be seen on Boricuan Bookworms
Have you ever been at a crossroads? Ever had to make a huge decision and didn’t know what to choose? Have you ever thought, “what if”? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Just Like Fate is the book for you!
Caroline has a tough decision on her hands: stay by her grandmother’s side during her final hours, or go to a party with her best friend. That choice will split up Caroline’s life into two different paths: the path where she stayed and the part where she went. Now her fate is going to be lived in two different ways, problem is, there can only be one…
I was really afraid to read this book because I had initially thought that Caroline’s choice should be obvious: Stay. I was completely prepared to judge and hate her if she chose to abandon her grandmother for a stupid party. That’s exactly what I did at first. I hated how selfish she was in the chapters that were about how she left. I hated how much she avoided conflict. Basically I just resented her so much because of the fact that she had “abandoned” her family for a stupid party.
But, as the story went on, I realized how wrong I was. Caroline wasn’t a bad person; she had reasons to make the choices she did. Caroline was human, thus prone to mistakes just as we all were. Do I condone her choices? Maybe not, but I do understand them. After coming to this realization, I can finally conclude that Caroline is actually really down to earth.
Surprisingly, the story actually progresses very smoothly and even though it’s narrating the same moment in Caroline’s life in two different ways, it’s easily understandable. I liked how in the “Stay” moments Caroline had a certain personality and in the “Go” chapters she had another one. It made Caroline to be a really complex character.
Know what else is complex in this book? The romance. If Caroline had chosen to stay, she would have been with Joel, the guy who’s she’s been in love with since forever. He normally never talked to her, but now he’s getting closer to Caroline. I didn’t like Joel at all. Other than the fact that he had a girlfriend when he started to get close to Caroline made me realize how much of a jerk he actually was. Not to mention the fact that he’s the crappiest boyfriend I’ve ever read about in a book. Sure, he was nice to her at times, and came up with the occasional romantic gesture, but other than that I couldn’t like him much. Chris is another story. He’s the boy Caroline would’ve met if she had chosen to go. Chris is a college student, who for some reason understands Caroline when no one else seems to. He’s funny, geeky, attractive and honest, but word around campus is that he’s the biggest player. I liked Chris. I’m actually Team Chris in this book. Chris was different, he was mature. It’s true that he was secretive, and rumors didn’t help him much, but nevertheless, I liked him. So you see, each boy had his pros and cons in this book and yet, I enjoyed the romance in this book so much. It made me laugh, giggle, squeal and even gasp in excitement. It was a really wholesome romance.
This book doesn’t focus completely on the romance. It also talks about the importance of family. At the beginning of the book, Caroline’s family is in shambles. She has to work through that to make her family better. Caroline’s grandmother was the biggest part of this change and thanks to her many things go into place.
The ending was the make or break moment for me. I was afraid to know which choice Caroline had actually made. How was I going to react if I knew she had actually chosen to go? What if she had actually chosen to stay? Which was the real world? Surprisingly, the authors threw us a curveball. They made us realize, that whatever choice Caroline actually made, if it was bound to happen, it would have. They made us realize that everything just fell into place.
Overall, this was a beautiful, romantic and heart-felt story about deciding what you want and how things sometimes just happen because they’re supposed to.
Rating: 4 stars
Finished copy provided thanks to Hardie Grant and Egmont in exchange for an honest review!
Have you ever been at a crossroads? Ever had to make a huge decision and didn’t know what to choose? Have you ever thought, “what if”? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Just Like Fate is the book for you!
Caroline has a tough decision on her hands: stay by her grandmother’s side during her final hours, or go to a party with her best friend. That choice will split up Caroline’s life into two different paths: the path where she stayed and the part where she went. Now her fate is going to be lived in two different ways, problem is, there can only be one…
I was really afraid to read this book because I had initially thought that Caroline’s choice should be obvious: Stay. I was completely prepared to judge and hate her if she chose to abandon her grandmother for a stupid party. That’s exactly what I did at first. I hated how selfish she was in the chapters that were about how she left. I hated how much she avoided conflict. Basically I just resented her so much because of the fact that she had “abandoned” her family for a stupid party.
But, as the story went on, I realized how wrong I was. Caroline wasn’t a bad person; she had reasons to make the choices she did. Caroline was human, thus prone to mistakes just as we all were. Do I condone her choices? Maybe not, but I do understand them. After coming to this realization, I can finally conclude that Caroline is actually really down to earth.
Surprisingly, the story actually progresses very smoothly and even though it’s narrating the same moment in Caroline’s life in two different ways, it’s easily understandable. I liked how in the “Stay” moments Caroline had a certain personality and in the “Go” chapters she had another one. It made Caroline to be a really complex character.
Know what else is complex in this book? The romance. If Caroline had chosen to stay, she would have been with Joel, the guy who’s she’s been in love with since forever. He normally never talked to her, but now he’s getting closer to Caroline. I didn’t like Joel at all. Other than the fact that he had a girlfriend when he started to get close to Caroline made me realize how much of a jerk he actually was. Not to mention the fact that he’s the crappiest boyfriend I’ve ever read about in a book. Sure, he was nice to her at times, and came up with the occasional romantic gesture, but other than that I couldn’t like him much. Chris is another story. He’s the boy Caroline would’ve met if she had chosen to go. Chris is a college student, who for some reason understands Caroline when no one else seems to. He’s funny, geeky, attractive and honest, but word around campus is that he’s the biggest player. I liked Chris. I’m actually Team Chris in this book. Chris was different, he was mature. It’s true that he was secretive, and rumors didn’t help him much, but nevertheless, I liked him. So you see, each boy had his pros and cons in this book and yet, I enjoyed the romance in this book so much. It made me laugh, giggle, squeal and even gasp in excitement. It was a really wholesome romance.
"You're the only girl I want," he says. "I love you." He pulls away to laugh softly, looking surprised at his own words. His eyes are wide and vulnerable, as if a word from me can crush him. "I'm totally in love with you," he murmurs.-Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young
This book doesn’t focus completely on the romance. It also talks about the importance of family. At the beginning of the book, Caroline’s family is in shambles. She has to work through that to make her family better. Caroline’s grandmother was the biggest part of this change and thanks to her many things go into place.
The ending was the make or break moment for me. I was afraid to know which choice Caroline had actually made. How was I going to react if I knew she had actually chosen to go? What if she had actually chosen to stay? Which was the real world? Surprisingly, the authors threw us a curveball. They made us realize, that whatever choice Caroline actually made, if it was bound to happen, it would have. They made us realize that everything just fell into place.
Overall, this was a beautiful, romantic and heart-felt story about deciding what you want and how things sometimes just happen because they’re supposed to.
Rating: 4 stars
Finished copy provided thanks to Hardie Grant and Egmont in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed The Originals and Revived by Cat Patrick, but this book did not interest me. It could be because of the slow pace, or just my overall lack of enthusiasm about the concept.
3,5 stars
I love stories that deal with split timelines and was interested to see how this topic would be tackled in Just Like Fate.
There are two diverging timelines based on the main character's decision to go to a party or stay with her grandmother who might be dying. The story is separated into STAY or GO chapters and deal with the implications of Caroline's decision.
I did not expect to like the GO timeline more than the STAY timeline mainly because I did not think I could sympathise with a character who chooses a party over a grandmother whom she has a close relationship with. However, I wanted Caroline's life to go well in both timelines. Her choices can be frustrating sometimes, but that's what makes her a realistic character. I prefer the character development in the GO timeline, but I like how both timelines tackle the "runner" aspect of Caroline's personality.
Caroline starts off having a tense relationship with most of her family members and I like how her relationship with her family is explored in both timelines, especially with her siblings.
With that said, the romance aspect takes precedence and I wish more emphasis was placed on Caroline's character development and her relationship with her family instead.
I like the concept of the romantic relationship in the STAY timeline, an ideal that doesn't hold up, but Joel is definitely not it. It's frustrating to read about Caroline and the decisions she makes based on and because of her relationship with Joel, but it's a great juxtaposition to the GO timeline.
The reason why the GO timeline is my favourite is because of Caroline's relationship with Chris. They have a relationship that seems so natural and easy and I love their banter, cuteness and chemistry. The scenes with them made me grin!
The execution of the split timelines concept is great. I like how the timelines have similarities, but also impactful differences and how they converge at the end.
Finally, I appreciate the message that Just Like Fate is conveying. The choices we make define who we become. Mistakes might not define us, but they make us who we are. Ultimately, we will get to where we need to be.
“We may be drawn to our fates like magnets, but whatever we pickup along the way means something. Mistakes mean something.”
I love stories that deal with split timelines and was interested to see how this topic would be tackled in Just Like Fate.
There are two diverging timelines based on the main character's decision to go to a party or stay with her grandmother who might be dying. The story is separated into STAY or GO chapters and deal with the implications of Caroline's decision.
I did not expect to like the GO timeline more than the STAY timeline mainly because I did not think I could sympathise with a character who chooses a party over a grandmother whom she has a close relationship with. However, I wanted Caroline's life to go well in both timelines. Her choices can be frustrating sometimes, but that's what makes her a realistic character. I prefer the character development in the GO timeline, but I like how both timelines tackle the "runner" aspect of Caroline's personality.
Caroline starts off having a tense relationship with most of her family members and I like how her relationship with her family is explored in both timelines, especially with her siblings.
With that said, the romance aspect takes precedence and I wish more emphasis was placed on Caroline's character development and her relationship with her family instead.
I like the concept of the romantic relationship in the STAY timeline, an ideal that doesn't hold up, but Joel is definitely not it. It's frustrating to read about Caroline and the decisions she makes based on and because of her relationship with Joel, but it's a great juxtaposition to the GO timeline.
The reason why the GO timeline is my favourite is because of Caroline's relationship with Chris. They have a relationship that seems so natural and easy and I love their banter, cuteness and chemistry. The scenes with them made me grin!
The execution of the split timelines concept is great. I like how the timelines have similarities, but also impactful differences and how they converge at the end.
Finally, I appreciate the message that Just Like Fate is conveying. The choices we make define who we become. Mistakes might not define us, but they make us who we are. Ultimately, we will get to where we need to be.
*I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss for review. Thanks!*
4.5 stars
Although I didn’t expect it to, this book made me feel a lot and in the end, I sighed and smiled. This was such a beautiful story. Both sad and full of hope and love and friendship.
Caroline’s grandmother is very sick, probably dying. Along with her family, Caroline has been by her side since the stroke. With so much pressure building, all she wants is to escape and when Simone, her best friend, offers to take her to a party on that fateful Friday night, she ends up at a crossroads . Will she stay with her grandma? Or go to the party with Simone? Her decision splits her fate into two different paths and she’s about to live them both. But which one is the right one?
Oh my god, this boo is just… Epic. It’s so damn relatable too. It’s insane. The writing is great, I felt so much reading this book. Probably because a lot of people can relate to this. The story has three parts. Before, Stay and Go. First we have Before and after that you have one chapter Stay, the next Go and after that again Stay and so on. I liked the perspective that gave me. We saw how each of the two choices affected her life and family and friends and even love-life. Yeah, maybe it was a bit predictable, but honestly? I don’t care. It was just a beautiful, amazing story and it ended just as I hoped it would and that’s all that really matters in the end for me.
I really liked the characters. Caroline is very easy to relate to. I mean, I know how she felt most of the time because I’ve been there. I understood it. I loved Simone and Natalie and Teddy and Chris and maybe even Joel. And I loved how everything blended together in the end. So beautiful!
We end up where we need to be in the end.
page 292
Amazing book with more depth to it than I expected at first and written so beautifully. I absolutely recommend this book to everyone who ever lost a loved one and everyone who is fortunate enough to have never gone through that pain.
Warning! This book can and probably will make you cry. Especially if you cry easily while reading a book like this. It’s a sob-fest, that’s for sure. So.. better keep the Kleenex close!
Received Arc at ALA13
I did enjoy the book and thought the two story lines was a great way to make the point of the book
I did enjoy the book and thought the two story lines was a great way to make the point of the book
Received an arc via the publisher in return for a review
What really caught my attention before starting to read this book was the parallel story lines created by the two authors collaborating on this book - namely [a:Cat Patrick|4254441|Cat Patrick|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1294773177p2/4254441.jpg] & [a:Suzanne Young|164576|Suzanne Young|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1357757103p2/164576.jpg]. The female protagonist in the storyline is Caroline. Her whole world is about to be ripped apart when she is given bad news in school from her principal. A few days later when Caroline should really be supporting her family she is given a choice - stay with the rest of the family in the
. Another element of the storyline I didn't believe to be necessary was the Tricia character in the Go storyline when Caroline starts at her new school. Because apparently in your first week at a new school -
Overall it is a cute if sometimes confusing and unbelievable novel.
What really caught my attention before starting to read this book was the parallel story lines created by the two authors collaborating on this book - namely [a:Cat Patrick|4254441|Cat Patrick|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1294773177p2/4254441.jpg] & [a:Suzanne Young|164576|Suzanne Young|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1357757103p2/164576.jpg]. The female protagonist in the storyline is Caroline. Her whole world is about to be ripped apart when she is given bad news in school from her principal. A few days later when Caroline should really be supporting her family she is given a choice - stay with the rest of the family in the
Spoiler
hospiceSpoiler
to stay with her grandmotherOR
go to a super cool party with lots of - get excited! - college boys! 
Here the plot develops as each author takes the reader down each road. The Stay road or the Go road. We see the decisions that Caroline makes in each path in regards to her relationships with her parents, her older sister Natalie, her crush Joel, new boy Chris and her best friend Simone.
The underlying theme of the novel is that no matter how many weird mistakes you do, how many arguments you have with people or how many seriously bad choices you make what happens is what was meant to happen. The story shows the reader that we all have our own fates and no matter how much we regret mistakes, we will all end up in a content position that we were heading to all along.
It was a sweet story line but there were a couple of things that I either hated or didn't think necessary. One thing I really hated was Caroline and Joel's relationship - specifically Joel. At first he seemed to be the sweet guy that Caroline has known since she was a kid and they are going to live happily ever after but that all goes awry because
Spoiler
Joel is a JackassSpoiler
a psycho-cheerleader will jump you in the bathroom because her boyfriend spoke to you.... onceOverall it is a cute if sometimes confusing and unbelievable novel.
I am speechless. I honestly doesnt have any idea how would I rate it. Just like Fate helped me tremendously in getting over my book slump. A definitely must read. Mini review to come.
Review originally posted on 07/09/13 at www.fictitiousdelicious.com
WARNING: Do NOT start his book at 11:00PM like I did. You will not go to sleep until 3:00AM and you'll be REALLY tired the next morning. This is a book you'll want to devour in one sitting.
It's hard to pinpoint what I love the most about this book.
Is it the vulnerable heroine that is written in an authentic teen voice? Maybe. Sweet Caroline (duh-duh-duuuuuh) is the EXACT kind of heroine I've come to expect from Cat Patrick. She's faced with an obstacle, she makes some poor choices and then she deals with them.
Is it the the fact that there are two swoony boys to swoon after? Oh, now you're getting closer. Suzanne Young already made me fall head over heels in love with one fictional character this year and she's done it again here. Both Joel and Chris have traits that will make you SOL (sigh out loud) but there is a clear winner here. Don't be afraid of getting caught in a love triangle, friends. You'll know the best outcome for Caroline when you finish this story (and if she gets it!)
Is it the fact that we really get two stories at once? Yes. Yes, this is it! There is only one Caroline, but we get to see her live through the two paths she has available to her while she sits with her Gram on her death bed. Does she stay with her Gram through the night, or does she go to a party with her BFF? We get to see what happens in both instances and it is a ton of fun. I can't think of a single book out there that is like this.
Put this one on your end of summer reading pile. I've gone ahead and pre-ordered it to add to my newly minted shrine to Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young.
WARNING: Do NOT start his book at 11:00PM like I did. You will not go to sleep until 3:00AM and you'll be REALLY tired the next morning. This is a book you'll want to devour in one sitting.
It's hard to pinpoint what I love the most about this book.
Is it the vulnerable heroine that is written in an authentic teen voice? Maybe. Sweet Caroline (duh-duh-duuuuuh) is the EXACT kind of heroine I've come to expect from Cat Patrick. She's faced with an obstacle, she makes some poor choices and then she deals with them.
Is it the the fact that there are two swoony boys to swoon after? Oh, now you're getting closer. Suzanne Young already made me fall head over heels in love with one fictional character this year and she's done it again here. Both Joel and Chris have traits that will make you SOL (sigh out loud) but there is a clear winner here. Don't be afraid of getting caught in a love triangle, friends. You'll know the best outcome for Caroline when you finish this story (and if she gets it!)
Is it the fact that we really get two stories at once? Yes. Yes, this is it! There is only one Caroline, but we get to see her live through the two paths she has available to her while she sits with her Gram on her death bed. Does she stay with her Gram through the night, or does she go to a party with her BFF? We get to see what happens in both instances and it is a ton of fun. I can't think of a single book out there that is like this.
Put this one on your end of summer reading pile. I've gone ahead and pre-ordered it to add to my newly minted shrine to Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young.