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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
This was a terrifically fun and good book. I really enjoyed the characters, the mystery and how our main character just could connect and see things.
Mila is a wonderful girl and I loved her a whole lot. She was smart, interesting and finally, she didn't fall head over heels as soon as she meets a guy, instead it takes time for her to fess up the feelings.
I loved her being a British girl, it made the whole going to the US a whole lot more fun. Her expectations, her thoughts, everything was funny and nice to read about. How she thought the country was nice, but found out that not everything is what it seems.
You also see her grow. Starting as a girl who just likes solving puzzles, she grows more mature, more adult. However, as she also said, she doesn't always like it and wishes (quite a few times) that she could just go back to what she was.
I liked her relationship with her best(?) friend. How even though the two are clearly growing apart, they still try to be friends, try to be there for each. I really enjoyed reading about them both, how they were in the past and how great the fitted together. Sadly people grow up, find other friends and friendships just fall apart.
The other characters were pretty decent, though I felt like they were just all characters in the big mystery that Mila had to solve. Every character she met (even her dad) was just a piece of the puzzle. Everyone had something to do with Matthew, all the lines connecting to him.
The big revelation was a bit of a surprise and I felt so sorry for Mila. She didn't deserve this, not at all and I am happy to see that she reacted as she should. Didn't pretend, didn't twirl around it, no, she was upfront about it, clearly showing her anger, her sadness.
The sentences took me some getting used to, even after 100 pages. They went like this: "I guess nobody heard anything from him, she says, but doesn't wait for an answer. She knows that any hearing from him would have been the first thing I reported. How are you my darling? Are you lonely?
A little, I say. Though at this moment it would be more honest to say a lot."
As you can see this little part shows the sentence structure, and how at times, it was highly confusing. At times I was wondering if someone was still saying something, or if someone was saying anything at all. If thoughts were actually said aloud or were just thoughts.
Also big plus points to this cover and also the book. I really liked how I could open the cover and see another set of signs on the next page. :)
There was just one little thing I didn't like particularly. Something I can forgive a normal person, but not a writer who is supposed to do research. There is a constant talk about our main character's mom going to Holland. Unless the writer meant the region then it is ok, but otherwise it is not correct. My country is called the Netherlands. And again I can forgive a normal person this, because I am already happy that they know it exists. However, writers should have done research, should have checked things. And it really sounds weird coming from someone who lives across the pond (aka the UK).
All in all though, this is a book I would highly recommend to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Mila is a wonderful girl and I loved her a whole lot. She was smart, interesting and finally, she didn't fall head over heels as soon as she meets a guy, instead it takes time for her to fess up the feelings.
I loved her being a British girl, it made the whole going to the US a whole lot more fun. Her expectations, her thoughts, everything was funny and nice to read about. How she thought the country was nice, but found out that not everything is what it seems.
You also see her grow. Starting as a girl who just likes solving puzzles, she grows more mature, more adult. However, as she also said, she doesn't always like it and wishes (quite a few times) that she could just go back to what she was.
I liked her relationship with her best(?) friend. How even though the two are clearly growing apart, they still try to be friends, try to be there for each. I really enjoyed reading about them both, how they were in the past and how great the fitted together. Sadly people grow up, find other friends and friendships just fall apart.
The other characters were pretty decent, though I felt like they were just all characters in the big mystery that Mila had to solve. Every character she met (even her dad) was just a piece of the puzzle. Everyone had something to do with Matthew, all the lines connecting to him.
The big revelation was a bit of a surprise and I felt so sorry for Mila. She didn't deserve this, not at all and I am happy to see that she reacted as she should. Didn't pretend, didn't twirl around it, no, she was upfront about it, clearly showing her anger, her sadness.
The sentences took me some getting used to, even after 100 pages. They went like this: "I guess nobody heard anything from him, she says, but doesn't wait for an answer. She knows that any hearing from him would have been the first thing I reported. How are you my darling? Are you lonely?
A little, I say. Though at this moment it would be more honest to say a lot."
As you can see this little part shows the sentence structure, and how at times, it was highly confusing. At times I was wondering if someone was still saying something, or if someone was saying anything at all. If thoughts were actually said aloud or were just thoughts.
Also big plus points to this cover and also the book. I really liked how I could open the cover and see another set of signs on the next page. :)
There was just one little thing I didn't like particularly. Something I can forgive a normal person, but not a writer who is supposed to do research. There is a constant talk about our main character's mom going to Holland. Unless the writer meant the region then it is ok, but otherwise it is not correct. My country is called the Netherlands. And again I can forgive a normal person this, because I am already happy that they know it exists. However, writers should have done research, should have checked things. And it really sounds weird coming from someone who lives across the pond (aka the UK).
All in all though, this is a book I would highly recommend to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
5.0
Read for 5th grade book club. This book did that thing that the best YA novels do...it addresses REALLY intense issues in an age-appropriate (but not patronizing) way. But, I should mention that only one of the 5th graders loved it (while all the moms did)...
christiana's review against another edition
2.0
This kept my attention the whole time, but when I really think about it, not that much happened. And I was disappointed by not that much happening. And on top of that, there was no resolution. I've never read a Rosoff (couldn't make it through There Is No Dog ) so maybe this just means Rosoff's stuff is not for me. Ugh, big fat pass.
emma_wens's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
laflormorada's review against another edition
4.0
Mila, an exceptional girl with a knack for reading people. She senses things around her that others can't perceive. When her father's best friend disappears, her abilities are needed to help solve the mystery. At first it's an exciting trip searching for someone who doesn't want to be found, but when she begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together, things get complicated -- It turns out the world of adult emotions is a really messy place. Are there simply some truths that are best left unfound?
This poignant book reminded me of the way I felt reading The Fault in Our Stars. It's more suspenseful and not as sad but opens you up to the beauty and pain of love and loss.
This poignant book reminded me of the way I felt reading The Fault in Our Stars. It's more suspenseful and not as sad but opens you up to the beauty and pain of love and loss.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
Three and a half stars really, but I rounded up as it was Meg Rosoff. A slightly strange and slight novel with some big themes: families, absence and truth. I couldn't make out if Mila was meant to be more than just empathetic and I found her voice a little too adult at times. But I loved that her family was so warm and loving and completely stable - something of a rarity in YA fiction!
sparklethenpop's review against another edition
3.0
So, I first put this book on my holds list because the map of Upstate NY on the cover showed places like Gloversville, Johnstown, and Amsterdam. Yes, this is a silly reason to pick a book but the Gloversville factor is what first introduced me to Richard Russo. Anyway, as far as I could tell, they were never in Gloversville or any of those places. They did spend time in Lake Placid and I'm not sure their depiction was totally accurate. I can't believe that so many people in Lake Placid (a site of an Olympic Games and a world known winter sports destination) would constantly be complimenting the main character on her British accent. I've never spent much time in Lake Placid but they made it seem very small townie, which may be true, but not very worldly, which I don't think is true.
Anyway, as for the actual story, it was a somewhat fun but complicated mystery until it wasn't. There was an twist at the end that made me question why I had bothered to read the first almost 200 pages? I wasn't prepared for the way it ended at all.
Anyway, as for the actual story, it was a somewhat fun but complicated mystery until it wasn't. There was an twist at the end that made me question why I had bothered to read the first almost 200 pages? I wasn't prepared for the way it ended at all.
mischief_in_the_library's review against another edition
5.0
I went into this with pretty much no expectations in either direction. I've read one Meg Rosoff that I thought was pretty quirkily great, and one that I didn't care for that much. But the language used was extremely satisfying, I liked the character, and I generally like books with adult topics from a child's perspective. A five star review generally means I really enjoyed the book, but suspect I could get more out of it if I went back and read it again, and want to do that as soon as I finish it. And that's how I felt at the end of this one.
lannthacker's review against another edition
3.0
[FINALIST] Mila's unflinching view of two unhappy families from her position as a keen observer in a happy one.