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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I was actually very pleased with the way that this novel went. I enjoyed it far more than expected, but I just tore through it so quickly it felt SO short!
I loved Charlotte, she seemed like just the right mix of sweet and spunky. I can't even imagine how it must have felt to slowly be forgotten by the people you love, it's like reverse Alzheimer's or something. She handled it remarkably well, she just wanted to protect the people that she loved.
Sarah was a little ditzy and oblivious, but she wasn't a horrible character, just overly privileged. But I LOVED Harlin, even if he was a high school dropout (stay in school kids). He and Charlotte loved each other so much, it was a pleasure to read about, and it hurt me so much to see him grapple with what to do when he knew charlotte kept lying to him. However, the jacket summary said that he thought Charlotte was cheating on him, and I never came across that sentiment.
Angel books can be...preachy, and filled with Bible stories. This was a COMPLETELY different take, much more service oriented, not as pious. I was astounded at the strength of need Charlotte felt to help people, and how far it was taken-she was in so many dangerous situations! I really enjoyed the whole development of the Forgotten.
Development that I hope will be expanded on in the sequel is the characters of Monroe and Onika-I feel like they played an instrumental role in the book but the character development was shallow and done rather quickly.
My favorite part was when Charlotte was on the bridge, at the very end-the scene was heartwrenching and beautiful and there was a great plot twist.
I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the sequel.
I loved Charlotte, she seemed like just the right mix of sweet and spunky. I can't even imagine how it must have felt to slowly be forgotten by the people you love, it's like reverse Alzheimer's or something. She handled it remarkably well, she just wanted to protect the people that she loved.
Sarah was a little ditzy and oblivious, but she wasn't a horrible character, just overly privileged. But I LOVED Harlin, even if he was a high school dropout (stay in school kids). He and Charlotte loved each other so much, it was a pleasure to read about, and it hurt me so much to see him grapple with what to do when he knew charlotte kept lying to him. However, the jacket summary said that he thought Charlotte was cheating on him, and I never came across that sentiment.
Angel books can be...preachy, and filled with Bible stories. This was a COMPLETELY different take, much more service oriented, not as pious. I was astounded at the strength of need Charlotte felt to help people, and how far it was taken-she was in so many dangerous situations! I really enjoyed the whole development of the Forgotten.
Development that I hope will be expanded on in the sequel is the characters of Monroe and Onika-I feel like they played an instrumental role in the book but the character development was shallow and done rather quickly.
My favorite part was when Charlotte was on the bridge, at the very end-the scene was heartwrenching and beautiful and there was a great plot twist.
I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the sequel.
I found this book kind of dull. It was a lot of the same "powerful need" after "powerful need", which caused her to alienate and shut out the world around her. I just felt like I had read this book before. I WILL say though that Suzanne Young does have a voice and I look forward to reading something by her again.
A Need So Beautiful breaks new ground with the angel concept and delivers an engaging story about love, fate and sacrifice where there are no easy answers. The main character struggles to choose the correct path and faces impossible choices. I appreciated the original approach taken with this story, but felt disconnected with the characters, possibly due to the audiobook narration, which I didn’t find a perfect match to the story.
The main character Charlotte is sort of an angel, and her talent is feeling a Need, a pull that won’t be ignored, whenever someone nearby needs help. She gets a type of psychic bond with the person in need of help and relays some information to them that will change their life. However, each time she does help someone it causes irreparable harm to her body and makes her become more and more forgettable to those closest to her.
Charlotte has close relationships on earth that are in jeopardy due to her unique ability. I liked that she has a long-term boyfriend in the story. She and Harlin have some sweet interactions, although their relationship is tested as Charlotte’s gift gets in the way. She does have a mentor of sorts that she can turn to for advice, but that doesn’t make her difficult choices any easier.
Charlotte’s struggle to fulfill her destiny to help others versus prioritizing her own desires was thought provoking. She faced real consequences with her actions, whether it was ignoring the Need, or accepting it. Both choices had high stakes attached and make the reader conflicted as well.
The audiobook narrator’s voice did not line up with how I expected Charlotte to sound, and caused me to have less of an emotional connection with the character. I guess with Charlotte’s life experience and tragedies I expected her to sound less naive. The reader handles the other characters voices fine, including the British accent of Monroe. Even though the story is fast paced I struggled to get through the audiobook and had to put it aside for a break.
What sets A Need So Beautiful apart from other books about angels is the unique paranormal talent, the thought provoking difficult choices, and the surprising twists and turns. The ending is a game changer, and that alone makes me curious to read the sequel, but probably the book version next time. The sequel, A Want So Wicked, is due out in July 2012.
The main character Charlotte is sort of an angel, and her talent is feeling a Need, a pull that won’t be ignored, whenever someone nearby needs help. She gets a type of psychic bond with the person in need of help and relays some information to them that will change their life. However, each time she does help someone it causes irreparable harm to her body and makes her become more and more forgettable to those closest to her.
Charlotte has close relationships on earth that are in jeopardy due to her unique ability. I liked that she has a long-term boyfriend in the story. She and Harlin have some sweet interactions, although their relationship is tested as Charlotte’s gift gets in the way. She does have a mentor of sorts that she can turn to for advice, but that doesn’t make her difficult choices any easier.
Charlotte’s struggle to fulfill her destiny to help others versus prioritizing her own desires was thought provoking. She faced real consequences with her actions, whether it was ignoring the Need, or accepting it. Both choices had high stakes attached and make the reader conflicted as well.
The audiobook narrator’s voice did not line up with how I expected Charlotte to sound, and caused me to have less of an emotional connection with the character. I guess with Charlotte’s life experience and tragedies I expected her to sound less naive. The reader handles the other characters voices fine, including the British accent of Monroe. Even though the story is fast paced I struggled to get through the audiobook and had to put it aside for a break.
What sets A Need So Beautiful apart from other books about angels is the unique paranormal talent, the thought provoking difficult choices, and the surprising twists and turns. The ending is a game changer, and that alone makes me curious to read the sequel, but probably the book version next time. The sequel, A Want So Wicked, is due out in July 2012.
The premise of this is interesting but the characters weren't likeable. Charlotte's best friend is completely self-absorbed and for some reason, this is okay with Charlotte. It didn't make sense to me how she could be going through this life-altering situation and still be concerned about things that in comparison are petty. I also didn't believe that . It seemed unrealistic to me.
The ending was interesting if a bit anti-climactic.
Spoiler
going through all of this, at her age, she wouldn't tell either her best friend or her boyfriend.The ending was interesting if a bit anti-climactic.
Y’all Suzanne Young is not a one trick pony. She has more up her sleeve than ninja cheerleaders. While The Naughty List made me laugh (and I will confess, cry a little bit), A Need So Beautiful ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it. If you’ve ever been in love, if you’ve ever had a pain in the ass job to do, A Need So Beautiful is the book for you.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
Charlotte has a Need that draws her to people who need a push in their life to make them better, but she cannot help herself. Every time she helps someone her skin becomes golden light, closer to ascending to a higher plain to be Forgotten by her loved ones, especially her sassy emotionally-scarred best friend and her perfect motorcycle riding boyfriend. The only person who will ever remember her is “Seer” Monroe, a mentor to a chosen line of girls (Buffy, anyone?). The only way to stop becoming Forgotten is to become one of the Shadows and spread evil, destroying the soul and the complexion.
The story was interesting enough to make up for shortfalls; Charlotte, the guardian angel, has a dilemma of self-sacrifice for the good of others. However, she seems willing to go Dark Side for the love of her boyfriend. Her foster mother leaves her three teenagers alone every night, so the issue of underage drinking and sex (both hetero and homosexual) comes into focus. Charlotte’s character was believable, but her mindset being one who has a terminal illness which I thought made the romance too Nicholas Sparks. The last few pages provide a cliffhanger to compel the reader to the sequel.
The story was interesting enough to make up for shortfalls; Charlotte, the guardian angel, has a dilemma of self-sacrifice for the good of others. However, she seems willing to go Dark Side for the love of her boyfriend. Her foster mother leaves her three teenagers alone every night, so the issue of underage drinking and sex (both hetero and homosexual) comes into focus. Charlotte’s character was believable, but her mindset being one who has a terminal illness which I thought made the romance too Nicholas Sparks. The last few pages provide a cliffhanger to compel the reader to the sequel.
Review: http://theliteraturelion.blogspot.com/2011/09/need-so-beautiful-by-suzanne-young.html
Charlotte is continuously being haunted by a feeling that she can't seem to make disappear. She calls it the Need. When the feeling hits, she gets a sudden urge to help someone specifically. She pushes this Need away, as she wants to live her own life, with her amazing bad-boy boyfriend Harlin and best friend Sarah, who's determined to embarrass her rich father.
I really enjoyed reading this from Charlotte's point of view. From the outside she's a typical girl with a great boyfriend but with a rough childhood. On the inside, she's golden, (literally.) She's caring, protective and as an intense love for her boyfriend Harlin. I think Charlotte and Harlin are perfect for each other. Harlin is just as protective of Charlotte as he would be off a baby bird, and he's just so sweet to her. Yet he's got that bad-boy image that just makes readers swoon.
I think Monroe was another one of my favorite characters in this. He's a big impact in Charlotte's life, as he's a form of protector of Charlotte but he's still a fatherly figure to her. At some points, Charlotte felt that Monroe was betraying her and being by her all the time for the wrong reasons, but in the end those feelings got patched up a little more, so now Monroe is back on track as Charlotte's 'dad.'
The plot was very interesting, and definitely different! I've only read a couple other angel books, and this one would have to go near the top of angel favorites. I really enjoyed how the plot was fast-apced and exciting, yet you got some down-time and were able to enjoy other aspects of Charlotte's life, such as her foster family's life, her romance with Harlin, and her best friend's troubled family.
Overall, this book was very good, but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorites. It didn't exactly have a great spark that made me want to sit down and read this. I actually read a chapter or two, and then set the book down for a half an hour. It was definitely an easy read, and very good otherwise! I'll definitely be reading the sequel!
Charlotte is continuously being haunted by a feeling that she can't seem to make disappear. She calls it the Need. When the feeling hits, she gets a sudden urge to help someone specifically. She pushes this Need away, as she wants to live her own life, with her amazing bad-boy boyfriend Harlin and best friend Sarah, who's determined to embarrass her rich father.
I really enjoyed reading this from Charlotte's point of view. From the outside she's a typical girl with a great boyfriend but with a rough childhood. On the inside, she's golden, (literally.) She's caring, protective and as an intense love for her boyfriend Harlin. I think Charlotte and Harlin are perfect for each other. Harlin is just as protective of Charlotte as he would be off a baby bird, and he's just so sweet to her. Yet he's got that bad-boy image that just makes readers swoon.
I think Monroe was another one of my favorite characters in this. He's a big impact in Charlotte's life, as he's a form of protector of Charlotte but he's still a fatherly figure to her. At some points, Charlotte felt that Monroe was betraying her and being by her all the time for the wrong reasons, but in the end those feelings got patched up a little more, so now Monroe is back on track as Charlotte's 'dad.'
The plot was very interesting, and definitely different! I've only read a couple other angel books, and this one would have to go near the top of angel favorites. I really enjoyed how the plot was fast-apced and exciting, yet you got some down-time and were able to enjoy other aspects of Charlotte's life, such as her foster family's life, her romance with Harlin, and her best friend's troubled family.
Overall, this book was very good, but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorites. It didn't exactly have a great spark that made me want to sit down and read this. I actually read a chapter or two, and then set the book down for a half an hour. It was definitely an easy read, and very good otherwise! I'll definitely be reading the sequel!
Such an interesting premise, and I think it was really well done. Full review later, but I definitely want to read book 2.
I picked this up after reading a stellar review, am currently on chapter 15 and have decided to call it quits. The basic plot has so much potential but the execution is messy and disjointed, the dialogue between the main character and her boyfriend is contrived and in spite of there being a rash of potentially sympathetic characters, I've found that I really don't give a damn about any of them.
I hate not knowing how a book ends- even one I don't enjoy- so I read the last chapter. What a mess. Unless you're a 14-year old girl, this is a book to skip.
I hate not knowing how a book ends- even one I don't enjoy- so I read the last chapter. What a mess. Unless you're a 14-year old girl, this is a book to skip.
This book was an interesting and unique take on angels. I enjoyed reading this book and parts of it are thought-provoking.
I also appreciate that Suzanne Young went into the romance aspect of this book in a non-traditional YA path, where the female protagonist and her love interest are already in a somewhat mature and established relationship. I love seeing Charlotte and Harlin in a healthy relationship, which was unfortunately marred by Charlotte's destiny.
Although I did enjoy this book, I didn't completely loved it. I wish there were some reprieve, maybe some funny moments, to break up the seriousness and dark tone of this book; this book got too monotonous after a while causing pacing of the book suffer. There were times I just wanted the book to end and finally put Charlotte out of her misery.
The ending was heartbreaking and too abrupt. I ended up picking up the next book as I wanted to see if there's more to Charlotte and Harlin.
I also appreciate that Suzanne Young went into the romance aspect of this book in a non-traditional YA path, where the female protagonist and her love interest are already in a somewhat mature and established relationship. I love seeing Charlotte and Harlin in a healthy relationship, which was unfortunately marred by Charlotte's destiny.
Although I did enjoy this book, I didn't completely loved it. I wish there were some reprieve, maybe some funny moments, to break up the seriousness and dark tone of this book; this book got too monotonous after a while causing pacing of the book suffer. There were times I just wanted the book to end and finally put Charlotte out of her misery.
The ending was heartbreaking and too abrupt. I ended up picking up the next book as I wanted to see if there's more to Charlotte and Harlin.