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iceangel32's review against another edition
5.0
Wow I just finished this book and wow. I loved it. I really liked that there was two of each chapter from 3-20. Caroline has a decision to make. She will either leave her dying grandma or go out with her friend. In this book you are showed what would happen in both situations. And the end is great, but I will not give it away... well maybe a little hint . However, thinks work out and life turns out the way it is suppose to.
I will leave you with a quote from the book.
"I am saying that we have the freedom to make mistakes, River says, shaking his head. "I'm saying that our mistakes-one mistake or many of them-don't define us. They don't derail us. We end up were we need to be in the end." He pauses. " But hopefully having learned something from our stumbles... having grown into better people because of them."
Spoiler
you wait the whole book for the answer but never get it.I will leave you with a quote from the book.
"I am saying that we have the freedom to make mistakes, River says, shaking his head. "I'm saying that our mistakes-one mistake or many of them-don't define us. They don't derail us. We end up were we need to be in the end." He pauses. " But hopefully having learned something from our stumbles... having grown into better people because of them."
kshanafelt's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting way to look at the meaning/existence of choice and fate. The authors do an excellent job of examining tough issues like life after the death of a loved one and family disagreements. Definitely a book I'd recommend.
michalice's review against another edition
5.0
'Just Like Fate' tells Caroline's story as we follow two different paths she may take by making one decision, to Go or Stay. Before we learn more about 'Just Like Fate' let's take a look into Caroline's history, and that will hopefully explain why her Grandmother's sickness affects her so much. Caroline's parents are divorced, to escape the bickering and tension leading up to and during this divorce and Caroline goes to live with her Grandmother. When she gets the news that her Grandmother is taken ill and rushed to hospital you can understand how this affects her so much. Her Grandmother, the person who was always there for her, is not going to be around forever.
Caroline has two sisters, Natalie and Judith, who is absolutely adorable, and a brother Teddy. In choosing to live with her Grandmother, Caroline leaves them behind, and her sister Natalie resents her for moving out and brings it up constantly. This is one of the main things that forces Caroline to make the decision, to go to a party with her friend Simone, or stay at her Grandmother's bedside. In the 'Go' story, the argument with her sister is basically the final straw, and Caroline uses the party to escape from her sister, and her Mum. In the 'Stay' story, Caroline stays at her Grandmother's bedside.
By choosing to stay Caroline's relationship with her sister and Mother is affected in a positive way. She finally hooks up with her crush, Joel, and while it all seems full of sunshine and rainbows when they are together and alone, things are a whole different story in public. In short, Joel is a big headed egotistical ass and there is no way on this earth he deserves to be with Caroline.
By choosing to go Caroline ends up meeting Christopher, who is persistent in wanting to get her number, and while her relationship with her Father improves slowly, as does her relationship with her sister and Mother, her relationship with Simone is the one to break apart. By going, Caroline ends up staying with her Father, and has to attend a new school, make new friends, and try to figure out what she wants while still faced with the guilt of not being by her Grandmother's bedside. Christopher I instantly loved, and although there were rumours about his past with girls I felt like I could trust his intentions with Caroline.
I loved the near misses that Caroline has with people from her 'Go' story, and how things she wished would happen in her life actually happen but come at the completely wrong time. For example her crush Joel finally admits to having feeling for Caroline in her 'Go' story. I loved getting to see how little bits of the other story made connection to the story you are reading at the time, how you see little glimpses into what could have been, knowing we know the other side of the story.
'Because when your name is Caroline, every one thinks you wants to be serenaded with it. All the time'
[Page 107 UK proof]
I totally get this point and I laughed so loud and so long when I read it. Having a name that can be linked to a song isn't the best thing in the world, and I have two names that can be linked. My middle name is Alice, so I will let you guess which song I got serenade with, it involves swear words in the title. My real name is Michelle, and for a long while I had a very strong hate-hate relationship with The Beatles, and their songs
The telling of 'Just Like Fate' literally draws you in, and I had every intention of only reading a few pages and going back to my current read, and the next thing I knew I had finished the book. 'Just Like Fate' was easy to follow the different stories as along the bottom of the page was GO or STAY, and not once did I get confused over what was going on. The ending of 'Just Like Fate' was perfect, and I liked seeing how it all came together, how all the dots connected like putting the pieces of a puzzle back into place.
Caroline has two sisters, Natalie and Judith, who is absolutely adorable, and a brother Teddy. In choosing to live with her Grandmother, Caroline leaves them behind, and her sister Natalie resents her for moving out and brings it up constantly. This is one of the main things that forces Caroline to make the decision, to go to a party with her friend Simone, or stay at her Grandmother's bedside. In the 'Go' story, the argument with her sister is basically the final straw, and Caroline uses the party to escape from her sister, and her Mum. In the 'Stay' story, Caroline stays at her Grandmother's bedside.
By choosing to stay Caroline's relationship with her sister and Mother is affected in a positive way. She finally hooks up with her crush, Joel, and while it all seems full of sunshine and rainbows when they are together and alone, things are a whole different story in public. In short, Joel is a big headed egotistical ass and there is no way on this earth he deserves to be with Caroline.
By choosing to go Caroline ends up meeting Christopher, who is persistent in wanting to get her number, and while her relationship with her Father improves slowly, as does her relationship with her sister and Mother, her relationship with Simone is the one to break apart. By going, Caroline ends up staying with her Father, and has to attend a new school, make new friends, and try to figure out what she wants while still faced with the guilt of not being by her Grandmother's bedside. Christopher I instantly loved, and although there were rumours about his past with girls I felt like I could trust his intentions with Caroline.
I loved the near misses that Caroline has with people from her 'Go' story, and how things she wished would happen in her life actually happen but come at the completely wrong time. For example her crush Joel finally admits to having feeling for Caroline in her 'Go' story. I loved getting to see how little bits of the other story made connection to the story you are reading at the time, how you see little glimpses into what could have been, knowing we know the other side of the story.
'Because when your name is Caroline, every one thinks you wants to be serenaded with it. All the time'
[Page 107 UK proof]
I totally get this point and I laughed so loud and so long when I read it. Having a name that can be linked to a song isn't the best thing in the world, and I have two names that can be linked. My middle name is Alice, so I will let you guess which song I got serenade with, it involves swear words in the title. My real name is Michelle, and for a long while I had a very strong hate-hate relationship with The Beatles, and their songs
The telling of 'Just Like Fate' literally draws you in, and I had every intention of only reading a few pages and going back to my current read, and the next thing I knew I had finished the book. 'Just Like Fate' was easy to follow the different stories as along the bottom of the page was GO or STAY, and not once did I get confused over what was going on. The ending of 'Just Like Fate' was perfect, and I liked seeing how it all came together, how all the dots connected like putting the pieces of a puzzle back into place.
alidy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
em_reads_romancex's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful book! I cried...I sobbed...I grinned...I threw the book at the wall...I LOVE CAT PATRICK!!!!!
sleepygirlreads_'s review against another edition
3.0
I ship Chris and Caroline, I ship them so hard! But I'm not sure how I feel about the rest of the novel. Not what I was expecting, but not if it was a good surprise or not.
nagam's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed it. Written flawlessly by Cat and Suzanne - I couldn't distinguish between their voices, which I loved. I love the concept of the story - one scenario and two different reactions and outcomes - and seeing how everything played out.
Full review on RATHER BE READING:
One reality: Caroline’s grandmother is dying. No one knows how much time she has left.
Two scenarios: Escape the sadness and family drama to go to a party with her BFF, Simone, or stay with her grandmother.
STAY vs. GO
Have you ever thought about a pivotal moment in your life and realized that if you had gone down another path, absolutely everything might have ended up differently? For me one of those big moments is if I had actually dated my long-term crush/best guy friend in high school. Or maybe the moment when I liked this other guy and he and his dad made a bet about how many phone numbers he could collect while we were at camp. (Let me add: it was church camp.) Thanks to social media, I have been able to keep up with where both of those guys have ended up throughout the years, and let me just say, I’m really glad things have worked out the way they are. (And yes, I do realize I sound stalker-ish.)
Just Like Fate is a beautiful exploration of how Caroline’s choices and decisions in the past have shaped how she moves forward. One particularly excellent portrayal is in regards to her family. Her parents are divorced, and both are remarried. Caroline barely speaks to her father, and her mother’s remarks always seem to be a little underhanded. She remained close with her brother, Teddy, but is somewhat estranged from her older sister, Natalie. Her youngest sister, Juju, is too young to grasp the majority of what’s going on. Natalie and Caroline have a ton of friction between them since Caroline decided to move in with her grandmother during the divorce because she couldn’t handle the change. Natalie feels like Caroline always runs away from problems and never sticks around to solve anything. Caroline sees Natalie as a goody-two-shoes who is judgmental and stuck-up. Teddy is the glue that tries to hold everything together, but as a college student he’s got his own life to live.
When the situation arises with her grandmother in the hospital, Caroline is once again faced with a tough decision. Does she do the hard thing and push through all the family drama to be by her grandmother’s side, or does she go to a party with her best friend, Simone, and forget about about her problems? Both scenarios and outcomes are laid out before the reader in alternating Stay and Go chapters. My reading time was a bit spotty when I first began Just Like Fate, not allowing me a good chunk of time to get into the flow of the story. Once I was finally able to push aside my responsibilities and focus, I felt like I could really connect with Caroline and the flow of the story.
With the two different scenarios comes different obstacles and characters. Joel is the boy that Caroline’s always wanted to date; she’s loved him from afar for quite a long while. Then there’s Chris, the college guy who is incredibly funny and sarcastic. Both seem appealing in their own ways until Caroline is confronted with having to make some decisions. (This seems to be a common theme, doesn’t it?) There are some pretty big ups and downs with Simone as well that felt very realistic; they have to figure their way out of some uncomfortable situations and Caroline has to learn how to talk through things instead of turning inward. While I definitely loved the guy aspect that strung my romantic side along, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the bigger questions: Was it possible for Caroline to mend the broken relationships with her father and sister? Could she become a stronger woman if she had to confront life instead of always fleeing? Despite how we react to a situation, do we arrive at different conclusions?
Just Like Fate was an engaging, fast-paced read. I’ve very much enjoyed Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young’s individual work in the past, but I certainly hope they’ll consider writing more together in the future. For now, you should definitely be pre-ordering this book so you can gobble it up as soon as possible.
Full review on RATHER BE READING:
One reality: Caroline’s grandmother is dying. No one knows how much time she has left.
Two scenarios: Escape the sadness and family drama to go to a party with her BFF, Simone, or stay with her grandmother.
STAY vs. GO
Have you ever thought about a pivotal moment in your life and realized that if you had gone down another path, absolutely everything might have ended up differently? For me one of those big moments is if I had actually dated my long-term crush/best guy friend in high school. Or maybe the moment when I liked this other guy and he and his dad made a bet about how many phone numbers he could collect while we were at camp. (Let me add: it was church camp.) Thanks to social media, I have been able to keep up with where both of those guys have ended up throughout the years, and let me just say, I’m really glad things have worked out the way they are. (And yes, I do realize I sound stalker-ish.)
Just Like Fate is a beautiful exploration of how Caroline’s choices and decisions in the past have shaped how she moves forward. One particularly excellent portrayal is in regards to her family. Her parents are divorced, and both are remarried. Caroline barely speaks to her father, and her mother’s remarks always seem to be a little underhanded. She remained close with her brother, Teddy, but is somewhat estranged from her older sister, Natalie. Her youngest sister, Juju, is too young to grasp the majority of what’s going on. Natalie and Caroline have a ton of friction between them since Caroline decided to move in with her grandmother during the divorce because she couldn’t handle the change. Natalie feels like Caroline always runs away from problems and never sticks around to solve anything. Caroline sees Natalie as a goody-two-shoes who is judgmental and stuck-up. Teddy is the glue that tries to hold everything together, but as a college student he’s got his own life to live.
When the situation arises with her grandmother in the hospital, Caroline is once again faced with a tough decision. Does she do the hard thing and push through all the family drama to be by her grandmother’s side, or does she go to a party with her best friend, Simone, and forget about about her problems? Both scenarios and outcomes are laid out before the reader in alternating Stay and Go chapters. My reading time was a bit spotty when I first began Just Like Fate, not allowing me a good chunk of time to get into the flow of the story. Once I was finally able to push aside my responsibilities and focus, I felt like I could really connect with Caroline and the flow of the story.
With the two different scenarios comes different obstacles and characters. Joel is the boy that Caroline’s always wanted to date; she’s loved him from afar for quite a long while. Then there’s Chris, the college guy who is incredibly funny and sarcastic. Both seem appealing in their own ways until Caroline is confronted with having to make some decisions. (This seems to be a common theme, doesn’t it?) There are some pretty big ups and downs with Simone as well that felt very realistic; they have to figure their way out of some uncomfortable situations and Caroline has to learn how to talk through things instead of turning inward. While I definitely loved the guy aspect that strung my romantic side along, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the bigger questions: Was it possible for Caroline to mend the broken relationships with her father and sister? Could she become a stronger woman if she had to confront life instead of always fleeing? Despite how we react to a situation, do we arrive at different conclusions?
Just Like Fate was an engaging, fast-paced read. I’ve very much enjoyed Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young’s individual work in the past, but I certainly hope they’ll consider writing more together in the future. For now, you should definitely be pre-ordering this book so you can gobble it up as soon as possible.
heyjudy's review against another edition
4.0
~3.5/5
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
(May contain spoilers.)
This book started out a little weak, in character and reaction and believable relationships. But it got better the more I read, I started liking the characters more. And the ending, while fitting, makes me a little angry.
Caroline’s grandmother, who she lives with, is dying and gets sent to the hospital. Her mother and sister and brother are there, most of which she doesn’t talk to anymore, ever since her parent’s divorce. And the night her grandmother goes to the hospital, her best friend asks if she wants to go to this party, to take her mind off it all, and she has to decide whether to STAY or GO.
If she goes, she meets this nice college boy, Chris, who’s kind of perfect for her, and she goes to live with her father, while running away from all of her problems, and goes to this new school where everyone hates her. If she stays, she makes up with her mother and sister and lives with them, stays with her best friend and school, and finally gets to go out with Joel, the boy she’s had a crush on for years.
From the beginning, it didn’t make much sense for her character to stay, even if it was the right thing to do. And I honestly think that her going made more sense, and worked better for her character, and that she finally learned not to run away, to be less selfish, to be a better person. I think that her going was better, and so I want to believe that that’s the choice she makes.
Because the ending doesn’t tell us! What is that crap? I started wondering, about 50 pages from the end, if both decisions were going to sync up and they were going to make some statement about both leading to the same place. And while I kind of believe that, sure, that doesn’t make me happy. Because the journey matters, and I need to know which journey she went on, goddamnit. I mean it fits and all that, but I just want to know.
Aside from that. The story started weak, I was starting to think I wasn’t going to like it, when things changed, and it got a lot better. I like how Caroline grew, where her relationship with everyone went and ended up. I knew from very early on that I wasn’t going to like Joel, because he was a jerk. I knew immediately that I was going to love Chris and that he fit perfectly with Caroline, and I was right. They’re perfect together, and I love them, and I love him. I love Chris, he’s awesome.
Caroline’s relationships with everyone aside from Joel and Chris, I think, should have gotten more attention. We got some stuff, and they did grow by the end, but the reader didn’t actually get to read a lot of that growth. I mean, I think it worked by the end of the book. But a high majority of this book is focused on the romance, which I don’t particularly mind because I love reading romance and would rather read that most of the time, but the other relationships needed more attention, too.
A big part of Carline's fighting with her family and friends only happened because none of the characters were being empathetic. This annoyed me so very much. Particularly her relationship with her sister, for example, who looks at Caroline as a spoiled, whiny brat, because she never tries to see why Caroline does what she does. Not for an instant does she try to think, from Caroline's point of view, why she wouldn't want to stay with her mother, or why she wouldn't want to be at the hospital. Caroline doesn't try to see from her sister's point of view, either. Until suddenly they make up, in like two pages, without any real development. The whole making up process seemed way too fast, not realistic at all.
Overall, I rather liked this book. I wasn’t sure at first, but it was good. I enjoyed it. I’ve read some of Young’s other books and plan to read more, and should be reading one of Patrick’s soon.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
(May contain spoilers.)
This book started out a little weak, in character and reaction and believable relationships. But it got better the more I read, I started liking the characters more. And the ending, while fitting, makes me a little angry.
Caroline’s grandmother, who she lives with, is dying and gets sent to the hospital. Her mother and sister and brother are there, most of which she doesn’t talk to anymore, ever since her parent’s divorce. And the night her grandmother goes to the hospital, her best friend asks if she wants to go to this party, to take her mind off it all, and she has to decide whether to STAY or GO.
If she goes, she meets this nice college boy, Chris, who’s kind of perfect for her, and she goes to live with her father, while running away from all of her problems, and goes to this new school where everyone hates her. If she stays, she makes up with her mother and sister and lives with them, stays with her best friend and school, and finally gets to go out with Joel, the boy she’s had a crush on for years.
From the beginning, it didn’t make much sense for her character to stay, even if it was the right thing to do. And I honestly think that her going made more sense, and worked better for her character, and that she finally learned not to run away, to be less selfish, to be a better person. I think that her going was better, and so I want to believe that that’s the choice she makes.
Because the ending doesn’t tell us! What is that crap? I started wondering, about 50 pages from the end, if both decisions were going to sync up and they were going to make some statement about both leading to the same place. And while I kind of believe that, sure, that doesn’t make me happy. Because the journey matters, and I need to know which journey she went on, goddamnit. I mean it fits and all that, but I just want to know.
Aside from that. The story started weak, I was starting to think I wasn’t going to like it, when things changed, and it got a lot better. I like how Caroline grew, where her relationship with everyone went and ended up. I knew from very early on that I wasn’t going to like Joel, because he was a jerk. I knew immediately that I was going to love Chris and that he fit perfectly with Caroline, and I was right. They’re perfect together, and I love them, and I love him. I love Chris, he’s awesome.
Caroline’s relationships with everyone aside from Joel and Chris, I think, should have gotten more attention. We got some stuff, and they did grow by the end, but the reader didn’t actually get to read a lot of that growth. I mean, I think it worked by the end of the book. But a high majority of this book is focused on the romance, which I don’t particularly mind because I love reading romance and would rather read that most of the time, but the other relationships needed more attention, too.
A big part of Carline's fighting with her family and friends only happened because none of the characters were being empathetic. This annoyed me so very much. Particularly her relationship with her sister, for example, who looks at Caroline as a spoiled, whiny brat, because she never tries to see why Caroline does what she does. Not for an instant does she try to think, from Caroline's point of view, why she wouldn't want to stay with her mother, or why she wouldn't want to be at the hospital. Caroline doesn't try to see from her sister's point of view, either. Until suddenly they make up, in like two pages, without any real development. The whole making up process seemed way too fast, not realistic at all.
Overall, I rather liked this book. I wasn’t sure at first, but it was good. I enjoyed it. I’ve read some of Young’s other books and plan to read more, and should be reading one of Patrick’s soon.