Scan barcode
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
Ok at first I wasn’t so into it but as it got to the end I finally got interested
Ok at first I wasn’t so into it but as it got to the end I finally got interested
twistedreader93's review
4.0
It’s taking me a long time to finish books these days but holy crap I was expecting something like this but still so sad
shewasmadeofdreams's review
4.0
“Never had I ever felt so sad,’’ I say. “But the good kind of sad. The kind that means you really care about something. The kind that means you have something to lose.’’
Raymond Green, or as we get to know him, Ray, is a teenage boy with a story to tell. But not his own story. The story, or as he says it, the history, of his (ex)girlfriend Jane. We follow Ray and his best friend Simon, a vampire and milk obsessed teenager, around Burgerville as they get to know the new girl, Jane. Jane is struggling with herself, she doesn’t want to be in Burgerville but her past also seems to haunt her. Ray and Simon come up with a list of sites around town she simply has to see, and that is where the friendship between them begins to grow.
We see the beauty of friendship and love develop between them in the days ‘before’, and Ray takes us on the hard and miserable road down heartbreak in the days ‘after’.
Side notes:
~ The book deals with some mental health issues we’ve all been through, in one way or another.
~ First love..
~ LGB+ vibes..
~ Historical facts, but in a funny way.
~ Most brilliant history teacher ever, who uses cartoons/strips to teach his classes!
~ There are green cows, or are they not entirely there?
Read full review here: https://wonderlandsfangirl.com/the-history-of-jane-doe/
Raymond Green, or as we get to know him, Ray, is a teenage boy with a story to tell. But not his own story. The story, or as he says it, the history, of his (ex)girlfriend Jane. We follow Ray and his best friend Simon, a vampire and milk obsessed teenager, around Burgerville as they get to know the new girl, Jane. Jane is struggling with herself, she doesn’t want to be in Burgerville but her past also seems to haunt her. Ray and Simon come up with a list of sites around town she simply has to see, and that is where the friendship between them begins to grow.
We see the beauty of friendship and love develop between them in the days ‘before’, and Ray takes us on the hard and miserable road down heartbreak in the days ‘after’.
Side notes:
~ The book deals with some mental health issues we’ve all been through, in one way or another.
~ First love..
~ LGB+ vibes..
~ Historical facts, but in a funny way.
~ Most brilliant history teacher ever, who uses cartoons/strips to teach his classes!
~ There are green cows, or are they not entirely there?
Read full review here: https://wonderlandsfangirl.com/the-history-of-jane-doe/
adelphaba's review
4.0
**DISCLAIMER : I received this book for free as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.**
Let me begin by saying that I had no idea what to expect from [b:The History of Jane Doe|36739332|The History of Jane Doe|Michael Belanger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518404256s/36739332.jpg|55362950]. Based on the description and the lighthearted cover art, I figured it would be an easy read similar to most other YA love stories. What I got was a story that transported me right back to my high school days, easily imagining Jane, Ray, and Simon as students who walked the same halls as I did. The universal feelings of first love, finding one's place in the universe, and moving on are expressed beautifully in the novel. I especially liked the strategy of jumping back and forth in time, from before "the day" to after, though I will admit that the event of "the day" became very obvious to me not far into the story. I'm not sure if that is intended but even if it isn't, it doesn't necessarily take away from the story, just lessens the blow a bit.
Bravo to [a:Michael Belanger|16544562|Michael Belanger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1488976306p2/16544562.jpg] for a spectacular debut!
Let me begin by saying that I had no idea what to expect from [b:The History of Jane Doe|36739332|The History of Jane Doe|Michael Belanger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518404256s/36739332.jpg|55362950]. Based on the description and the lighthearted cover art, I figured it would be an easy read similar to most other YA love stories. What I got was a story that transported me right back to my high school days, easily imagining Jane, Ray, and Simon as students who walked the same halls as I did. The universal feelings of first love, finding one's place in the universe, and moving on are expressed beautifully in the novel. I especially liked the strategy of jumping back and forth in time, from before "the day" to after, though I will admit that the event of "the day" became very obvious to me not far into the story. I'm not sure if that is intended but even if it isn't, it doesn't necessarily take away from the story, just lessens the blow a bit.
Bravo to [a:Michael Belanger|16544562|Michael Belanger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1488976306p2/16544562.jpg] for a spectacular debut!
averyblue's review
2.0
Another average high school love story, but it happens to talk about mental health. Though the content regarding mental health is important and given due attention and discussion in this book, I found the writing and characterization otherwise bland and unsophisticated. The world has enough high school love stories centering around ambiguously white, privileged, heterosexual characters. A quarter through, it couldn't hold my attention and I skimmed through the rest to see if it got any better. It didn't, really.
the_pooh's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
where's the romance? where's the coming of age? where's the mystery? where's the plot?
peetan's review
2.0
Book about mental illness and first loves and the heartache of a broken world
Pros: deep story - was sad when it ended
Cons: DARK
Beyond Poorly written
Super dramatic - almost laughable
Like John Greene books but worse
Rating:4/10
Pros: deep story - was sad when it ended
Cons: DARK
Beyond Poorly written
Super dramatic - almost laughable
Like John Greene books but worse
Rating:4/10
bookapotamus's review
4.0
I was really intrigued by the description of this book and happy when I won the chance to read and review it. The History of Jane Doe is an ode to first loves, and a journey through mental illness. It's fun, it's sad, it's heartbreaking while also being heartwarming.
Ray is a high-schooler history-buff in love with Jane. She enters his life and him and his best friend Simon are forever changed. But she hides some deep dark secrets that torment her and Ray has a hard time seeing into her head, as is usually the case when loving someone who is depressed, and he struggles to find his way through her dark past so that they can have a future. This is a history of her life, written by Ray, flipping between the past and present of one devastating day when everything changes.
Michael Belanger writes that he's experienced some painful episodes in his life, and it's evident in how eloquently he decribes feelings of sadness and darkness. I can imagine this book will make quite a few people very sad, as most everyone knows someone who suffers from depression, or anxiety, or other forms of mental illness. But I also think it will probably help just as many. I applaud him for his candor and insights into a rarely talked-about issue.
If you love 13 Reasons Why, or anything by John Green, you will love this story. The witty banter between Ray and Jane, Simon and Mary is refreshing and fun, and it's an interesting look into mental illness, how things in life can trigger it, and change a person, and and exploration of how it affects all those around you, and how even though you may think you are ending your suffering, you are ultimately just passing it on to those who loved you.
What I took away most from this is that even if you feel like you are drowning in darkness and can't see past the shadows, you never know what a light you'll be to someone else.
Ray is a high-schooler history-buff in love with Jane. She enters his life and him and his best friend Simon are forever changed. But she hides some deep dark secrets that torment her and Ray has a hard time seeing into her head, as is usually the case when loving someone who is depressed, and he struggles to find his way through her dark past so that they can have a future. This is a history of her life, written by Ray, flipping between the past and present of one devastating day when everything changes.
Michael Belanger writes that he's experienced some painful episodes in his life, and it's evident in how eloquently he decribes feelings of sadness and darkness. I can imagine this book will make quite a few people very sad, as most everyone knows someone who suffers from depression, or anxiety, or other forms of mental illness. But I also think it will probably help just as many. I applaud him for his candor and insights into a rarely talked-about issue.
If you love 13 Reasons Why, or anything by John Green, you will love this story. The witty banter between Ray and Jane, Simon and Mary is refreshing and fun, and it's an interesting look into mental illness, how things in life can trigger it, and change a person, and and exploration of how it affects all those around you, and how even though you may think you are ending your suffering, you are ultimately just passing it on to those who loved you.
What I took away most from this is that even if you feel like you are drowning in darkness and can't see past the shadows, you never know what a light you'll be to someone else.
lispylibrarian's review
4.0
My review can be found: https://lispylibrarian.weebly.com/lispy-librarian-vlog-blog/the-history-of-jane-doe-by-michael-belanger-review