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abaugher's review against another edition
3.0
pretty good story, strange ability in the young man, somewhat too abrupt an ending.
amesthechamp's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting plot/idea. I loved it. Really made me think after I finished it.
katieb99's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a while to get into this book. I'm so happy that I stuck with it. This story is so unique because it's so different from any other story. Having a character that is an outcast because of his special characteristics that nobody knows about and slowly but surely you see that brew needs people in his life. I love how through the story you see how brew has to fight so hard to be happy and the people around him happy. Definitely worth the read.
estock36's review against another edition
4.0
First book from Neal Shusterman that I had read. Liked the overall story, but the ending fell short for me.
sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition
3.0
It was interesting but not AMAZING. The concept was good and I feel horrible for Brew. I really like him, my heart breaks for him.
thelibrarylady42's review against another edition
2.0
Bruiser took me a really long time to finish, much longer than it should have. I had a lot of trouble getting into it but once I did (about 100 pages in) it moved much faster.
They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. This is true for most people except friends of Brewster Rawlins. Brewster has the ability to take away pain from the people he cares about, not only take the pain away but completely heal them as well.
While it was an interesting premise it mostly fell flat for me. Tennyson and Bronte are not stupid, in fact they are quiet bright, and figure out part of what Brewster is able to do right away. I can't understand why it takes them so long to figure out he is not only taking away physical pain but emotional as well. Tennyson does figure it out eventually but keeps it to himself for selfish reasons. He doesn't want the good feelings to go away and becomes almost like a drug addict.
The other major problem I have is with the uncle. After all he has done to Brew how can Brew still love him enough to take away his pain. I understand he is the only family Brew has left besides his brother but it seems a bit of a stretch to me that Brew still cares enough.
I just don't seen teens sticking with this one. It was hard for me to stick with it.
They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. This is true for most people except friends of Brewster Rawlins. Brewster has the ability to take away pain from the people he cares about, not only take the pain away but completely heal them as well.
While it was an interesting premise it mostly fell flat for me. Tennyson and Bronte are not stupid, in fact they are quiet bright, and figure out part of what Brewster is able to do right away. I can't understand why it takes them so long to figure out he is not only taking away physical pain but emotional as well. Tennyson does figure it out eventually but keeps it to himself for selfish reasons. He doesn't want the good feelings to go away and becomes almost like a drug addict.
The other major problem I have is with the uncle. After all he has done to Brew how can Brew still love him enough to take away his pain. I understand he is the only family Brew has left besides his brother but it seems a bit of a stretch to me that Brew still cares enough.
I just don't seen teens sticking with this one. It was hard for me to stick with it.
4saradouglas's review against another edition
4.0
2017:
I dipped back into this book because I'm trying to write a character who has reason to avoid getting close to people. I thought immediately of Bruiser, and came back to see how Brewster reacted around others, but I was disappointed. The book tells you he must keep people at a distance, but you never really see it since it starts out with him dating Brontë and immediately getting to know Tennyson better.
2010:
It's a little hard to rate this one. The middle of the book is certainly worth 5 stars, but the end was a definite one star. The concept behind the book is awesome... really grabs you. I loved the twist with Tennyson being almost addicted to him. That was something I didn't see coming. The ending just killed it for me though. Why did it have to be so cheesy? I realize the whole book had a strong fantasy element, but it didn't FEEL that way until the very end. Between the siblings hugging in the kitchen and the phone from the pool ringing, I swear I almost threw up. Disappointing.
I dipped back into this book because I'm trying to write a character who has reason to avoid getting close to people. I thought immediately of Bruiser, and came back to see how Brewster reacted around others, but I was disappointed. The book tells you he must keep people at a distance, but you never really see it since it starts out with him dating Brontë and immediately getting to know Tennyson better.
2010:
It's a little hard to rate this one. The middle of the book is certainly worth 5 stars, but the end was a definite one star. The concept behind the book is awesome... really grabs you. I loved the twist with Tennyson being almost addicted to him. That was something I didn't see coming. The ending just killed it for me though. Why did it have to be so cheesy? I realize the whole book had a strong fantasy element, but it didn't FEEL that way until the very end. Between the siblings hugging in the kitchen and the phone from the pool ringing, I swear I almost threw up. Disappointing.
kamitc's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Not bad. I wanted more enticing paranormal reactions and more romance.
The writing style was...odd. But I didn't hate it.
Idk overall felt like a contemporary book with a splash of paranormal. And I really just love to hide from themes that were all present in this book because they're all too real. I'll stick to my strictly paranormal and fantasy thank you very much.
The writing style was...odd. But I didn't hate it.
Idk overall felt like a contemporary book with a splash of paranormal. And I really just love to hide from themes that were all present in this book because they're all too real. I'll stick to my strictly paranormal and fantasy thank you very much.