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lyndajdickson's review against another edition
4.0
Livvie is a fifteen-year-old girl with synesthesia (she tastes colors and sees sounds), who lives in the shadows of her friends and her older sister Jules, whose leukemia has just returned with a vengeance. Livvie feels invisible to her friends, the boys at school, and even her mother. Why is it, then, that Bianca, the strange Goth girl in her art class, is the only one who seems to see her? What starts out as bonding over their still life projects, slowly evolves into something more. As Livvie's school life and family life become more and more unbearable, Livvie has to find comfort somewhere. But not everyone is pleased with Livvie's new-found happiness. Will Livvie find the strength to stand up for herself for once in her life?
This book packs a lot of issues into one small package. I found Livvie's uncertainty about her sexuality a bit hard to comprehend, until I realized she is only fifteen. Her bad experiences with boys seem to push her toward Bianca, with only one minor reference to a possible attraction to females. It's sad to see how Livvie's mother treats her throughout the book, but the explanation for her behavior is a bit too convenient and not really substantiated by her actions. Livvie's relationship with her sister Jules is the best part of the book. I also love the descriptions of how Livvie perceives sounds as colors, especially the sounds of people's voices; they add such a wonderful nuance, I could almost see them myself. The images with stay with you for a long time after you finish reading.
A poignant story of family, friendship, loss, and first love.
Warnings: LGBT themes, underage drinking, sex scenes (not graphic), assisted suicide, mental health issues, terminal illness.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (31 October): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-unstill-life-by-kate-larkindale.html
This book packs a lot of issues into one small package. I found Livvie's uncertainty about her sexuality a bit hard to comprehend, until I realized she is only fifteen. Her bad experiences with boys seem to push her toward Bianca, with only one minor reference to a possible attraction to females. It's sad to see how Livvie's mother treats her throughout the book, but the explanation for her behavior is a bit too convenient and not really substantiated by her actions. Livvie's relationship with her sister Jules is the best part of the book. I also love the descriptions of how Livvie perceives sounds as colors, especially the sounds of people's voices; they add such a wonderful nuance, I could almost see them myself. The images with stay with you for a long time after you finish reading.
A poignant story of family, friendship, loss, and first love.
Warnings: LGBT themes, underage drinking, sex scenes (not graphic), assisted suicide, mental health issues, terminal illness.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (31 October): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-unstill-life-by-kate-larkindale.html
ladyreading365's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
A great story dealing with teen LGBTQIA issues and deals with cancer. I thought the author did a great job at dealing with some tough issues. I really enjoyed the story and it flowed really well. It's brilliant for ages 17 ➕️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cancer, and Lesbophobia
raeanne's review
2.0
-W/W
-A LOT going on
-Outting
-Homophobia including friends turning on her.
-Abusive and neglectful parent.
-Sister dying of cancer
-Assisted suicide request
-Unconsenual treatment.
-MC has synthesia, which comes across well
-I am sucker for art!
-WOOT Goth Girl!!
-WTF was that at the end? Like it's not that simple and why bring in an unnamed MI to explain a way a bad parent. They exist without MI's ya know?!
-At least the lesbian parents were cool, tho stereotypical.
-Another prom drama
-Prefer Chasing Nirvana, TBH.
-2 stars. Finishable, but problematic and typical. Meh.
-A LOT going on
-Outting
-Homophobia including friends turning on her.
-Abusive and neglectful parent.
-Sister dying of cancer
-Assisted suicide request
-Unconsenual treatment.
-MC has synthesia, which comes across well
-I am sucker for art!
-WOOT Goth Girl!!
-WTF was that at the end? Like it's not that simple and why bring in an unnamed MI to explain a way a bad parent. They exist without MI's ya know?!
-At least the lesbian parents were cool, tho stereotypical.
-Another prom drama
-Prefer Chasing Nirvana, TBH.
-2 stars. Finishable, but problematic and typical. Meh.
stormycorrinrussell's review
5.0
Great book!
Loved this book! The conflict was at every turn and the romance was authentic and sweet. I highly recommend it!
Loved this book! The conflict was at every turn and the romance was authentic and sweet. I highly recommend it!
dkgreads's review against another edition
3.0
3 out of 5 Stars
*I received a free copy of this eBook via the author in exchange for an honest review*
“Sometimes things just need to be said. There’s nothing wrong with black and white; it’s the shades of gray that cause problems.”
Ok. I’m just gonna say it: if I had not been asked to read this book, I would not have picked it up to read on my own.
I like to think that I’m a pretty open-minded person. But even as such, I don’t usually go for books that fall into the LGBT genre; it’s just not something that I do. That being said, I decided to give An Unstill Life a try because, regardless of how hesitant I was about that one particular aspect of the book, the rest of the plot sounded like something I would totally go for.
Livvie is your average teenaged girl. She hangs out with her friends. Gets a tattoo. Gossips about boys (well, she listens to her friends gossip about boys). Navigates the social jungle otherwise known as high school. Everything about her life is seemingly average. Until she gets The Call: the one phone call that has the power to unravel every fiber of Livvie’s world. Jules is sick again. The cancer has come back with a vengeance.
“We were pressed together in this tiny space. Yet not together. No one spoke. No one touched except Jules and me. And my arm around her felt like desperation, like I was clinging on, trying to keep her from drowning, even as my own head dipped beneath the surface.”
As Livvie struggles to come to grips with her sister’s relapse, the rest of her life seems to follow suit in taking a turn for the worse. Her two best friends all but abandon her as they discover the joys of dating. An act of presumably harmless fun comes back to haunt her with devastating consequences. Her mom becomes increasingly fanatical in her efforts to find a miracle cure for sister. Jules makes a request that places the weight of the world on her shoulders.
It’s under all of this pressure that Livvie discovers the comfort of Bianca’s friendship. As that friendship turns into something unexpected, something more, Livvie finds herself faced with a whole new set of problems: judegement. Discrimination. Bullying. All of which culminate in the banning of the girls from attending the Winter Formal as a couple.
Ms. Larkindale skillfully taps into what’s it like to be a teenager. The awkwardness. The impulsiveness. The rebelliousness. The growing pains. Then she mines deeper and gives you a look at what it would be like to watch someone close to you slowly slip away, right before your eyes. There’s no two ways about it, this is a very emotionally written book. And I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t always easy to read. The night of the big dance? It killed me. Like, literally slayed me, you guys.
The thing is, a major part of this book was dedicated to Livvie and Bianca’s relationship, and I just wasn’t quite sold on it. I know you’re thinking that I’m saying this because they’re both girls. This isn’t entirely true. I would also be commenting on this if Bianca was, oh say, a Ben.
Now hear me out: I actually thought that Bianca was good for Livvie. She was patient and tried to understand what Livvie was going through. She was supportive and gave Livvie confidence. She encouraged Livvie to face her problems head on instead of running away from them.
“Whatever problems you’re hiding from won’t go away just because you’re not there to face them.”
But even with all of that, I kind of felt like the two were together because of everything that happened rather than in spite of it. Like if Jules hadn’t fallen sick again, her mom hadn’t gone off the deep end, and her friends hadn’t tried to hook her up with the worst possible examples of the male species to ever roam the earth while completely ditching her, she may have never ended up with Bianca. But because all of that did happen, and Bianca was the only one there for her to lean on, she turned to her for all forms of comfort.
I mean, I got the distinct impression that Bianca was all in. She knew absolutely, without a doubt, who she was and where she stood about everything. She was confident in herself and didn’t really give two flips what others thought because of it. Livvie, on the other hand, constantly goes back and forth with whether what she’s feeling for Bianca is right or wrong. She only seems to embrace her feelings after the two of them are caught red handed, and even then I never felt like she fully committed to being gay. Sure, she fights for their right to go to the dance together (which I can’t believe someone was trying to take away, by the way. What kind of backward town still tries to pull that crap? Ugh.) and even gives a speech when the principal threatens to shut it down because they came, but the speech lacked the conviction that I was looking for. She even professes her love for Bianca (on more than one occasion), but it felt more like something she was trying out at the moment, rather than a way of life that she was dedicated to. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.
Either way, I would like to make one thing clear though: I Did Like This Book. Really, I did. So please don’t let my 3 Stars deter you from reading it. An Unstill Life is a very well written and emotional read, and you should check it out. It just happened to take me a few steps farther out of my comfort zone than I generally prefer to travel, is all.
“Embrace who you are, and you’ll be a whole lot happier.”
Originally posted on http://brilliantlynovel.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/an-unstill-life-by-kate-larkindale/
*I received a free copy of this eBook via the author in exchange for an honest review*
“Sometimes things just need to be said. There’s nothing wrong with black and white; it’s the shades of gray that cause problems.”
Ok. I’m just gonna say it: if I had not been asked to read this book, I would not have picked it up to read on my own.
I like to think that I’m a pretty open-minded person. But even as such, I don’t usually go for books that fall into the LGBT genre; it’s just not something that I do. That being said, I decided to give An Unstill Life a try because, regardless of how hesitant I was about that one particular aspect of the book, the rest of the plot sounded like something I would totally go for.
Livvie is your average teenaged girl. She hangs out with her friends. Gets a tattoo. Gossips about boys (well, she listens to her friends gossip about boys). Navigates the social jungle otherwise known as high school. Everything about her life is seemingly average. Until she gets The Call: the one phone call that has the power to unravel every fiber of Livvie’s world. Jules is sick again. The cancer has come back with a vengeance.
“We were pressed together in this tiny space. Yet not together. No one spoke. No one touched except Jules and me. And my arm around her felt like desperation, like I was clinging on, trying to keep her from drowning, even as my own head dipped beneath the surface.”
As Livvie struggles to come to grips with her sister’s relapse, the rest of her life seems to follow suit in taking a turn for the worse. Her two best friends all but abandon her as they discover the joys of dating. An act of presumably harmless fun comes back to haunt her with devastating consequences. Her mom becomes increasingly fanatical in her efforts to find a miracle cure for sister. Jules makes a request that places the weight of the world on her shoulders.
It’s under all of this pressure that Livvie discovers the comfort of Bianca’s friendship. As that friendship turns into something unexpected, something more, Livvie finds herself faced with a whole new set of problems: judegement. Discrimination. Bullying. All of which culminate in the banning of the girls from attending the Winter Formal as a couple.
Ms. Larkindale skillfully taps into what’s it like to be a teenager. The awkwardness. The impulsiveness. The rebelliousness. The growing pains. Then she mines deeper and gives you a look at what it would be like to watch someone close to you slowly slip away, right before your eyes. There’s no two ways about it, this is a very emotionally written book. And I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t always easy to read. The night of the big dance? It killed me. Like, literally slayed me, you guys.
The thing is, a major part of this book was dedicated to Livvie and Bianca’s relationship, and I just wasn’t quite sold on it. I know you’re thinking that I’m saying this because they’re both girls. This isn’t entirely true. I would also be commenting on this if Bianca was, oh say, a Ben.
Now hear me out: I actually thought that Bianca was good for Livvie. She was patient and tried to understand what Livvie was going through. She was supportive and gave Livvie confidence. She encouraged Livvie to face her problems head on instead of running away from them.
“Whatever problems you’re hiding from won’t go away just because you’re not there to face them.”
But even with all of that, I kind of felt like the two were together because of everything that happened rather than in spite of it. Like if Jules hadn’t fallen sick again, her mom hadn’t gone off the deep end, and her friends hadn’t tried to hook her up with the worst possible examples of the male species to ever roam the earth while completely ditching her, she may have never ended up with Bianca. But because all of that did happen, and Bianca was the only one there for her to lean on, she turned to her for all forms of comfort.
I mean, I got the distinct impression that Bianca was all in. She knew absolutely, without a doubt, who she was and where she stood about everything. She was confident in herself and didn’t really give two flips what others thought because of it. Livvie, on the other hand, constantly goes back and forth with whether what she’s feeling for Bianca is right or wrong. She only seems to embrace her feelings after the two of them are caught red handed, and even then I never felt like she fully committed to being gay. Sure, she fights for their right to go to the dance together (which I can’t believe someone was trying to take away, by the way. What kind of backward town still tries to pull that crap? Ugh.) and even gives a speech when the principal threatens to shut it down because they came, but the speech lacked the conviction that I was looking for. She even professes her love for Bianca (on more than one occasion), but it felt more like something she was trying out at the moment, rather than a way of life that she was dedicated to. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.
Either way, I would like to make one thing clear though: I Did Like This Book. Really, I did. So please don’t let my 3 Stars deter you from reading it. An Unstill Life is a very well written and emotional read, and you should check it out. It just happened to take me a few steps farther out of my comfort zone than I generally prefer to travel, is all.
“Embrace who you are, and you’ll be a whole lot happier.”
Originally posted on http://brilliantlynovel.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/an-unstill-life-by-kate-larkindale/
xan_van_rooyen's review against another edition
5.0
Gah! I hated so many of the characters in this book and my heart broke for Livvie and Bianca.
A beautifully written and poignant story dealing with more than one controversial issue, I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary issue-driven read.
I only wish there'd been a clearer hint at setting so that I had a better understanding of the context of this story. That said, this story is all about the characters so setting really isn't all that important.
A great LGBT positive read!
A beautifully written and poignant story dealing with more than one controversial issue, I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary issue-driven read.
I only wish there'd been a clearer hint at setting so that I had a better understanding of the context of this story. That said, this story is all about the characters so setting really isn't all that important.
A great LGBT positive read!
brokebybooks's review against another edition
2.0
-W/W
-A LOT going on
-Outting
-Homophobia including friends turning on her.
-Abusive and neglectful parent.
-Sister dying of cancer
-Assisted suicide request
-Unconsenual treatment.
-MC has synthesia, which comes across well
-I am sucker for art!
-WOOT Goth Girl!!
-WTF was that at the end? Like it's not that simple and why bring in an unnamed MI to explain a way a bad parent. They exist without MI's ya know?!
-At least the lesbian parents were cool, tho stereotypical.
-Another prom drama
-Prefer Chasing Nirvana, TBH.
-2 stars. Finishable, but problematic and typical. Meh.
-A LOT going on
-Outting
-Homophobia including friends turning on her.
-Abusive and neglectful parent.
-Sister dying of cancer
-Assisted suicide request
-Unconsenual treatment.
-MC has synthesia, which comes across well
-I am sucker for art!
-WOOT Goth Girl!!
-WTF was that at the end? Like it's not that simple and why bring in an unnamed MI to explain a way a bad parent. They exist without MI's ya know?!
-At least the lesbian parents were cool, tho stereotypical.
-Another prom drama
-Prefer Chasing Nirvana, TBH.
-2 stars. Finishable, but problematic and typical. Meh.
marissa_writes's review against another edition
2.0
*** I received a copy of this book for review ***
There are way too many topics thrown into this story... basically drop in all hot button topics into a pot, mix it all up, and throw it all out into the pages of this story. My brain was bogged down with the issues and I still don’t know much about anything else...
I will try to detangle the crazy of my thoughts and write up a bit of a review on my blog though.
There are way too many topics thrown into this story... basically drop in all hot button topics into a pot, mix it all up, and throw it all out into the pages of this story. My brain was bogged down with the issues and I still don’t know much about anything else...
I will try to detangle the crazy of my thoughts and write up a bit of a review on my blog though.