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art1610's review
The ending was really sweet! I loved Jordy and Penn and Jade and Tom and Erin and that was too many ands. Jordy is really sweet, straight-forward, sweet, funny, and sweet. Maguire is nice, innocent and selfless. Totally recommend it.
Bye!!!
Bye!!!
silver_anchor4's review against another edition
4.0
To be completely honest, I didn't have a lot of expectations for this book. I only picked it up because the plot didn't sound completely boring and the cover was colorful. I was in need of a colorful-cover-book.
I began reading the book while stuck in traffic. My mother was driving me home from my first appointment with my new psychiatrist. The first few pages didn't seem at all special to me, but they were well written and kind of entertaining, so I kept reading. An hour later, still stuck in traffic, I found myself laughing out loud, completely immersed in the story. My mom kept giving me concerned looks, but I almost didn't notice. The plot was great, the characters were relatable, the humor was on point. I was really surprised at how well the author depicted mental illness and CBT. This was one of few books I've read were the therapist wasn't a complete unhelpful jerk or totally absent. Of course, as said in the author's note, creative liberties were taken with mental illness and CBT, but she managed to keep it real.
I finished the book that same night; it was so good I just couldn't stop reading. I was smiling when I put it down, not only because of the story, but also because of the author's note. Most authors who write about mental illness forget to remind you that what you just read about does happen to people and could even be happening to you; but the fact that she didn't forget warmed my heart.
I completely loved this book. The main characters were very real and so... human; I couldn't help but see myself in them sometimes. This book made me think about things I usually try to ignore and I found hope in its pages; hope that one day, I can too face my fears head on, take back my life and make peace with the universe.
Second read:
Still good. I've been feeling a little down lately and hadn't read a book in a long time, mostly because I just couldn't find the energy. But I remembered this one and felt like going back to it. It was a really good decision.
I began reading the book while stuck in traffic. My mother was driving me home from my first appointment with my new psychiatrist. The first few pages didn't seem at all special to me, but they were well written and kind of entertaining, so I kept reading. An hour later, still stuck in traffic, I found myself laughing out loud, completely immersed in the story. My mom kept giving me concerned looks, but I almost didn't notice. The plot was great, the characters were relatable, the humor was on point. I was really surprised at how well the author depicted mental illness and CBT. This was one of few books I've read were the therapist wasn't a complete unhelpful jerk or totally absent. Of course, as said in the author's note, creative liberties were taken with mental illness and CBT, but she managed to keep it real.
I finished the book that same night; it was so good I just couldn't stop reading. I was smiling when I put it down, not only because of the story, but also because of the author's note. Most authors who write about mental illness forget to remind you that what you just read about does happen to people and could even be happening to you; but the fact that she didn't forget warmed my heart.
I completely loved this book. The main characters were very real and so... human; I couldn't help but see myself in them sometimes. This book made me think about things I usually try to ignore and I found hope in its pages; hope that one day, I can too face my fears head on, take back my life and make peace with the universe.
Second read:
Still good. I've been feeling a little down lately and hadn't read a book in a long time, mostly because I just couldn't find the energy. But I remembered this one and felt like going back to it. It was a really good decision.
evermoreliterary's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: its 2018 and I still want a story from Daniel please. Who do I need to beg to get this done?!
-----------------
Wow. This book blew me away. I honestly dont have words. But I'm going to try to write a review anyway. This is one of the best contemporary books I've read. Each and every character is developed so beautifully its hard not to love them all equally. I loved the growth in the relationships between characters as well as the growth in relationships with the characters and themselves.The personal growth in this novel is BEAUTIFUL. If you are worried this is another case of 'boy meets girl. boy saves girl." YOU WOULD BE WRONG. Maguire doesnt need anyone to save her but herself-- and following her journey in doing just that left me with such a positive feeling. And holy heck can I PLEASE get a spin off story about Daniel? He quickly became a favorite character of mine and I need more in my life!! Fabulous. Fabulous!!!
And thus ends whatever words I managed to find to write a review.
Don't read my words. You don't need them. Just read this book. You do need to do that.
DO IT.
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Wow. This book blew me away. I honestly dont have words. But I'm going to try to write a review anyway. This is one of the best contemporary books I've read. Each and every character is developed so beautifully its hard not to love them all equally. I loved the growth in the relationships between characters as well as the growth in relationships with the characters and themselves.The personal growth in this novel is BEAUTIFUL. If you are worried this is another case of 'boy meets girl. boy saves girl." YOU WOULD BE WRONG. Maguire doesnt need anyone to save her but herself-- and following her journey in doing just that left me with such a positive feeling. And holy heck can I PLEASE get a spin off story about Daniel? He quickly became a favorite character of mine and I need more in my life!! Fabulous. Fabulous!!!
And thus ends whatever words I managed to find to write a review.
Don't read my words. You don't need them. Just read this book. You do need to do that.
DO IT.
books4susie's review against another edition
Loved Maguire's journey of self loathing and redemption.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I zipped through this book in two sittings---that's how much I loved it. And then I immediately handed it to my daughter to read because I just know that she'll love it too. The story follows Maguire on her journey to conquer her fears. She suffers from PTSD because of an accident that killed her father, brother and uncle (she was the only one in the car to survive) and a later roller coaster accident that left her friends injured while she was unscathed. Because of these incidents, she feels like she's cursed---like her mere presence puts those around her in danger. She keeps herself aloof as much as possible and she develops a series of rituals that she hopes will counteract her bad luck. I think the thing that makes this book SO engaging is the fact that you can completely understand the way that Maguire feels. After all, she really has suffered from some terrifically bad luck. If I were in her shoes, I'm fairly certain I would feel the same---I would suddenly start to see danger everywhere. I mean, how could you not. And, as a reader, you spend the whole book, waiting for something bad to happen because ... well, because bad things happen to everyone and you just know that whatever it is, Maguire will blame herself.
The romance in this book is perfect---I loved that Jordy was a support system for Maguire, but he wasn't a solution to her mental illness issues. This is not a case of love cures all. He helped her work through her fears (and, sure a cute boy did give her a little extra incentive to put herself out there), but all the work was hers. It was also great that parts of the therapy sessions were included in the book---it's nice to see therapy portrayed positively. And the ending was all sorts of perfect! I ended up LOVING Paula Stokes' writing just as much as I'd hoped I would. Now I just need to read the rest of her books!!
I zipped through this book in two sittings---that's how much I loved it. And then I immediately handed it to my daughter to read because I just know that she'll love it too. The story follows Maguire on her journey to conquer her fears. She suffers from PTSD because of an accident that killed her father, brother and uncle (she was the only one in the car to survive) and a later roller coaster accident that left her friends injured while she was unscathed. Because of these incidents, she feels like she's cursed---like her mere presence puts those around her in danger. She keeps herself aloof as much as possible and she develops a series of rituals that she hopes will counteract her bad luck. I think the thing that makes this book SO engaging is the fact that you can completely understand the way that Maguire feels. After all, she really has suffered from some terrifically bad luck. If I were in her shoes, I'm fairly certain I would feel the same---I would suddenly start to see danger everywhere. I mean, how could you not. And, as a reader, you spend the whole book, waiting for something bad to happen because ... well, because bad things happen to everyone and you just know that whatever it is, Maguire will blame herself.
The romance in this book is perfect---I loved that Jordy was a support system for Maguire, but he wasn't a solution to her mental illness issues. This is not a case of love cures all. He helped her work through her fears (and, sure a cute boy did give her a little extra incentive to put herself out there), but all the work was hers. It was also great that parts of the therapy sessions were included in the book---it's nice to see therapy portrayed positively. And the ending was all sorts of perfect! I ended up LOVING Paula Stokes' writing just as much as I'd hoped I would. Now I just need to read the rest of her books!!
hiveretcafe's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted on my blog, Hiver et Cafe
I received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I love this book. I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Girl against the universe is about Maguire -- a teenage girl who is convinced she brings bad luck to those around her. Her past seems to corroborate her thinking, like when her father, brother and uncle all died in a car crash and she walked away completely fine. Her mother has her go to a therapist and there she meets Jordy -- a cute, aspiring pro tennis athlete. The novel follows Maguire and her journey through coping with her fears, falling in love and learning that we're all at the mercy of the Universe.
Maguire definitely goes on a big self discovery journey in the novel that I really enjoyed being a part of and experiencing with her. Maguire is also a huge book nerd. Apparently she has like 500+ books? I'd love to see her book shelf. She's also really into tennis and I was excited by that because I was like OMG a sport I can understand! (I'm constantly confused by football references in books and in real life). I could definitely see myself being friends with Maguire and her crew.
Jordy is adorable. He's an aspiring pro tennis athlete so he doesn't really go to school and instead does it online. He still has to go in for tests and things though. He goes to the same therapist as Maguire and he ends up helping to coach the girls tennis team that Maguire is trying out for. I love how supportive he is in helping Maguire with her therapy goals and really just how their relationship develops. Jordy has a sister named Penn and I definitely got a kick out of that since it also happens to be the name of a tennis brand.
I love how therapy is depicted in the novel. The novel is divided into the different sessions that she attends at first until the story evolves out of the therapists office. The therapist explains things to Maguire (and by extension the reader) and in an easy way to understand especially for people who have never been to therapy.
The plot definitely has its ups and downs as Maguire goes through the ups and downs of getting better. I was also really invested in Maguire and so I definitely cried at one point. It gave me AALLLL the feels. It was also super cool seeing Pili from In Love With Handmade as a character in the novel!!
While this novel is not at all as mysterious and murder-y as Paula's lasts novel, she still casts her word magic over me and has me totally in love with this book. I adore Maguire and Jordy and the chemistry they have together. This book also has so many things -- sports, romance, tragedy, drama, great friendships and of course a journey of self discovery. I love this book and I definitely hope you do too if you decide to pick it up.
I received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I love this book. I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Girl against the universe is about Maguire -- a teenage girl who is convinced she brings bad luck to those around her. Her past seems to corroborate her thinking, like when her father, brother and uncle all died in a car crash and she walked away completely fine. Her mother has her go to a therapist and there she meets Jordy -- a cute, aspiring pro tennis athlete. The novel follows Maguire and her journey through coping with her fears, falling in love and learning that we're all at the mercy of the Universe.
Maguire definitely goes on a big self discovery journey in the novel that I really enjoyed being a part of and experiencing with her. Maguire is also a huge book nerd. Apparently she has like 500+ books? I'd love to see her book shelf. She's also really into tennis and I was excited by that because I was like OMG a sport I can understand! (I'm constantly confused by football references in books and in real life). I could definitely see myself being friends with Maguire and her crew.
Jordy is adorable. He's an aspiring pro tennis athlete so he doesn't really go to school and instead does it online. He still has to go in for tests and things though. He goes to the same therapist as Maguire and he ends up helping to coach the girls tennis team that Maguire is trying out for. I love how supportive he is in helping Maguire with her therapy goals and really just how their relationship develops. Jordy has a sister named Penn and I definitely got a kick out of that since it also happens to be the name of a tennis brand.
I love how therapy is depicted in the novel. The novel is divided into the different sessions that she attends at first until the story evolves out of the therapists office. The therapist explains things to Maguire (and by extension the reader) and in an easy way to understand especially for people who have never been to therapy.
The plot definitely has its ups and downs as Maguire goes through the ups and downs of getting better. I was also really invested in Maguire and so I definitely cried at one point. It gave me AALLLL the feels. It was also super cool seeing Pili from In Love With Handmade as a character in the novel!!
While this novel is not at all as mysterious and murder-y as Paula's lasts novel, she still casts her word magic over me and has me totally in love with this book. I adore Maguire and Jordy and the chemistry they have together. This book also has so many things -- sports, romance, tragedy, drama, great friendships and of course a journey of self discovery. I love this book and I definitely hope you do too if you decide to pick it up.
indecisivesailorscout's review against another edition
5.0
I'm glad I stayed up extra late to read this even though I should have gone to sleep and it made me cry really hard. It's good to read books like this to remind ourselves to not forget all the good that happens around us and because of us even when the bad things feel so much stronger.