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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I quite liked it.
Writing wasn't great, the main character was annoying at times. But despite this I very glad I read it.
It's a book about the interaction of destiny and free will, and it makes an interesting point. That is, that your choices are not any less legitimate just because the end result is predestined. I found this to be a very interesting idea and something to think about.
Writing wasn't great, the main character was annoying at times. But despite this I very glad I read it.
It's a book about the interaction of destiny and free will, and it makes an interesting point. That is, that your choices are not any less legitimate just because the end result is predestined. I found this to be a very interesting idea and something to think about.
I am in a glass case of emotion right now.. <3 http://jenuinecupcakes.blogspot.com/2013/06/just-like-fate-by-cat-patrick-suzanne.html
Caroline has been at Gram's bedside since her stroke--just like the rest of her family. The only problem is that Caroline's closest family is Gram. She barely knows her mother and she can't speak to her older sister without it turning into a fight.
Caroline wants to be there for Gram the way Gram has always been there for her. But she also wants desperately to get away for a little while. Just one night.
When her best friend invites Caroline to a party she has to decide if she should stay with Gram or go to the party.
Both paths will lead Caroline down different roads with very different results. One might bring closure and one might bring something unexpected. But only one is the right choice in Just Like Fate (2013) by Suzanne Young and Cat Patrick.
Just Like Fate is part of a spate of recent books featuring alternate universes and parallel lives.
Unfortunately unlike other books this one doesn't have any science basis (or even a magical one) for Caroline's living two lives. It's not an ability or an artifact. It seems to just be a thing that happens.
While the story is still interesting, alternating between "Stay" and "Go" chapters, it was never quite as compelling as my current favorite alternate universe book Pivot Point.
Although we meet them at a low point it was nice that Caroline had a non-traditional family in Just Like Fate as well as supportive friends. There are two endearing male leads. And Caroline is an approachable heroine even if you might not agree with all of her choices.
The main problem with this book for me personally (and possibly for other readers) is that Caroline's grandmother is dying in the wake of cancer and a stroke. My aunt died suddenly from a stroke this fall. I thought enough time had passed to be able to read this book. Then I started to hyperventilate and tear up when the aftermath of the grandmother's stroke was described.
While I'm sure Just Like Fate is delightful for other readers and will appeal to anyone who likes the idea of living two different choices, my personal experiences made this book a very difficult read.
Possible Pairings: If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Parallel by Lauren Miller, Fair Coin by E. C. Myers, The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski, Pivot Point by Kasie West
*This book was acquired for review from the publisher at BEA 2013*
Caroline wants to be there for Gram the way Gram has always been there for her. But she also wants desperately to get away for a little while. Just one night.
When her best friend invites Caroline to a party she has to decide if she should stay with Gram or go to the party.
Both paths will lead Caroline down different roads with very different results. One might bring closure and one might bring something unexpected. But only one is the right choice in Just Like Fate (2013) by Suzanne Young and Cat Patrick.
Just Like Fate is part of a spate of recent books featuring alternate universes and parallel lives.
Unfortunately unlike other books this one doesn't have any science basis (or even a magical one) for Caroline's living two lives. It's not an ability or an artifact. It seems to just be a thing that happens.
While the story is still interesting, alternating between "Stay" and "Go" chapters, it was never quite as compelling as my current favorite alternate universe book Pivot Point.
Although we meet them at a low point it was nice that Caroline had a non-traditional family in Just Like Fate as well as supportive friends. There are two endearing male leads. And Caroline is an approachable heroine even if you might not agree with all of her choices.
The main problem with this book for me personally (and possibly for other readers) is that Caroline's grandmother is dying in the wake of cancer and a stroke. My aunt died suddenly from a stroke this fall. I thought enough time had passed to be able to read this book. Then I started to hyperventilate and tear up when the aftermath of the grandmother's stroke was described.
While I'm sure Just Like Fate is delightful for other readers and will appeal to anyone who likes the idea of living two different choices, my personal experiences made this book a very difficult read.
Possible Pairings: If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Parallel by Lauren Miller, Fair Coin by E. C. Myers, The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski, Pivot Point by Kasie West
*This book was acquired for review from the publisher at BEA 2013*
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Actual rating: 2.5
I was dissapointed. This book was confuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusing.
I had nooo clue what school she was going to first off. Sometimes shes at her old school sometimes shes at her new school. WHAT????
Second SHE WAS CHEATING ON BOTH CHRIS AND JOEL. When Joel opened up to Coco (thats what im calling her, deal with it) in the auditorium and kissed her it was sweet. After that he got annoying. I liked Chris.
I felt that there was no reason for Natalie to be so harsh, but at times i came to like her.
Simone. Ugh. Every book now has the stereotypical gorgeous, boy crazy, always gets stared at best friend. I mean really?
I was dissapointed. This book was confuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusing.
I had nooo clue what school she was going to first off. Sometimes shes at her old school sometimes shes at her new school. WHAT????
Second SHE WAS CHEATING ON BOTH CHRIS AND JOEL. When Joel opened up to Coco (thats what im calling her, deal with it) in the auditorium and kissed her it was sweet. After that he got annoying. I liked Chris.
I felt that there was no reason for Natalie to be so harsh, but at times i came to like her.
Simone. Ugh. Every book now has the stereotypical gorgeous, boy crazy, always gets stared at best friend. I mean really?
Just Like Fate starts out weak.
After Caroline’s choice, her two paths diverge, but not too dramatically. Aside from a shift in living arrangements, the only big difference in her two worlds is her relationships with boys and her family, and discerning between them requires actively paying attention to whether one is reading a “stay” or “go” chapter, as each chronicles almost identical events that simply involve separate sets of people. Nothing big or monumental happens as a result of her decision that I would not exactly call fateful, so despite the summary making this book sound like an exciting, fast-paced paranormal tale of alternate universes, Just Like Fate reads more like two romance novels awkwardly forced into one. Particularly as the two relationships are too similar to be special, this story can grow dull at times, making readers wish for that one nonexistent moment in which a shocking switch resulting from Caroline’s selection steps forward.
Although I did not appreciate the likeness between these lives, one could argue that their similarity is entirely the point. Watching the little changes unfold and noticing parallels is fascinating, even when the things to be found are a bit boring, and their closeness creates an intellectual side to the novel, which I absolutely loved. The smallness and apparent insignificance of the switches make Just Like Fate that much more realistic, forcing readers to recognize that this story applies to them; everything they do has consequences-big and small-that they cannot predict. Fate plays a role in everyone’s life, but each person can, to some extent, shape what is handed to him or her, and this book’s lifelike quality transforms that idea into something more tangible.
My final thought about this novel’s dealings with parallel universes, however, is one of disappointment. For the entire book, I read the two plotlines as separate entities, an either-or situation with the same mood as a child’s Choose Your Own Adventure book, and I waited impatiently for deeper explanation about how the whole thing worked and how the destinies split and collided. But the authors never address anything interesting like that, choosing instead to just write a beginning and an end and smash two middles in between, and the final chapter leaves readers confused as to what happened in the book. The entire concept is flimsy and floaty with no background information to back it up, and it therefore comes across as weak, scripted, and unnatural, dangling dangerously for readers to poke and prod.
Just Like Fate is relatively entertaining and a bit thought-provoking, but it lacks one essential thing: power. The parallel universes should have been a driving force, a hooking idea, and the paths should have had differences more defining than romance. This book has a creative concept, but it needs something strong, something big, and its perpetual smallness does little for its quality. Just Like Fate starts out weak, and Just Like Fate ends weak, making it a decent but vanishing, non-stellar read.
This review originally appeared at www.litup-review.com.
After Caroline’s choice, her two paths diverge, but not too dramatically. Aside from a shift in living arrangements, the only big difference in her two worlds is her relationships with boys and her family, and discerning between them requires actively paying attention to whether one is reading a “stay” or “go” chapter, as each chronicles almost identical events that simply involve separate sets of people. Nothing big or monumental happens as a result of her decision that I would not exactly call fateful, so despite the summary making this book sound like an exciting, fast-paced paranormal tale of alternate universes, Just Like Fate reads more like two romance novels awkwardly forced into one. Particularly as the two relationships are too similar to be special, this story can grow dull at times, making readers wish for that one nonexistent moment in which a shocking switch resulting from Caroline’s selection steps forward.
Although I did not appreciate the likeness between these lives, one could argue that their similarity is entirely the point. Watching the little changes unfold and noticing parallels is fascinating, even when the things to be found are a bit boring, and their closeness creates an intellectual side to the novel, which I absolutely loved. The smallness and apparent insignificance of the switches make Just Like Fate that much more realistic, forcing readers to recognize that this story applies to them; everything they do has consequences-big and small-that they cannot predict. Fate plays a role in everyone’s life, but each person can, to some extent, shape what is handed to him or her, and this book’s lifelike quality transforms that idea into something more tangible.
My final thought about this novel’s dealings with parallel universes, however, is one of disappointment. For the entire book, I read the two plotlines as separate entities, an either-or situation with the same mood as a child’s Choose Your Own Adventure book, and I waited impatiently for deeper explanation about how the whole thing worked and how the destinies split and collided. But the authors never address anything interesting like that, choosing instead to just write a beginning and an end and smash two middles in between, and the final chapter leaves readers confused as to what happened in the book. The entire concept is flimsy and floaty with no background information to back it up, and it therefore comes across as weak, scripted, and unnatural, dangling dangerously for readers to poke and prod.
Just Like Fate is relatively entertaining and a bit thought-provoking, but it lacks one essential thing: power. The parallel universes should have been a driving force, a hooking idea, and the paths should have had differences more defining than romance. This book has a creative concept, but it needs something strong, something big, and its perpetual smallness does little for its quality. Just Like Fate starts out weak, and Just Like Fate ends weak, making it a decent but vanishing, non-stellar read.
This review originally appeared at www.litup-review.com.
I feel like alternate universes are the new "it" plot line and I have to say that I am A-OK with that. There are so many things to explore with that plot line and I have to say that I really liked what Cat Patrick and Susanne Young did in Just Like Fate.
This book is in no way paranormal, which I loved. It does not go into alternate universes in the traditional sense. It takes what we know about this type of book and strips it down to its bare minimum. We meet Caroline just as she finds out her Grandmother is dying and one night she has the option to either stay with her family and her grandmother, or go out with friends. And it is here where the real story begins and the authors genius reveals itself. This story is both of those stories rolled into one. In alternating chapters we follow Caroline on each journey and they are both extremely touching and heartwarming.
What I think I loved about this story was its message. That even if you are faced with a difficult choice in your life, and it feels like one is better than the other. It is not. You have to follow what you feel in that moment and everything will turn out alright. Caroline's character was brilliant. She was selfish at times, but also showed extreme love towards her family and especially her grandmother.
This book was an amazing read, and I loved every second of it. The love story, well both love stories were great catalysts for each other and I loved that both drew out the same emotions in Caroline's character. Within both of these relationships she had her character never changed and I loved that. She was always true to who she was and what she loved and that was very apparent at the end of the novel. Which, by the way I loved. If you read this book you will smile from ear to ear at the end because it is just perfect, and you don't even think its what you want until you see it and then you realize just how perfect an ending it is. Brilliant.
This book is in no way paranormal, which I loved. It does not go into alternate universes in the traditional sense. It takes what we know about this type of book and strips it down to its bare minimum. We meet Caroline just as she finds out her Grandmother is dying and one night she has the option to either stay with her family and her grandmother, or go out with friends. And it is here where the real story begins and the authors genius reveals itself. This story is both of those stories rolled into one. In alternating chapters we follow Caroline on each journey and they are both extremely touching and heartwarming.
What I think I loved about this story was its message. That even if you are faced with a difficult choice in your life, and it feels like one is better than the other. It is not. You have to follow what you feel in that moment and everything will turn out alright. Caroline's character was brilliant. She was selfish at times, but also showed extreme love towards her family and especially her grandmother.
This book was an amazing read, and I loved every second of it. The love story, well both love stories were great catalysts for each other and I loved that both drew out the same emotions in Caroline's character. Within both of these relationships she had her character never changed and I loved that. She was always true to who she was and what she loved and that was very apparent at the end of the novel. Which, by the way I loved. If you read this book you will smile from ear to ear at the end because it is just perfect, and you don't even think its what you want until you see it and then you realize just how perfect an ending it is. Brilliant.
If I am going to commit a Book Reviewing Sin and review the book I wish had been written rather than the book that was written, I would say this:
If you are going to take the time and trouble to create dual, alternate universe narratives, asking the reader to evaluate each path and compare the two, then surely you could have come up with something more interesting for your protag to do than date a different guy in each scenario.
In more even-handed reviewer speak, the plot was too flat to stand up to the high concept.
If you are going to take the time and trouble to create dual, alternate universe narratives, asking the reader to evaluate each path and compare the two, then surely you could have come up with something more interesting for your protag to do than date a different guy in each scenario.
In more even-handed reviewer speak, the plot was too flat to stand up to the high concept.