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aacademia's review
3.0
There were some lovely aspects of his book. Friendship. Kindness. Exploration of family. But ultimately I felt the author tried to tackle too many “issues” and it just led to the book feeling chaotic and rather disjointed. I hoped for more.
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
This was such a great book! Dealing with homelessness, but also abuse, and the relationships with friends! Such a great book!
omgbeansgoreadabook's review
4.0
Plot: Where I Live follows the story of a homeless girl named Linden Rose who resides in the same high school she attends every day.
She's keeping the fact that she's homeless from everyone around her including her two best friends Ham and Seung.
Linden is a witness to the school's most popular girl (and tormenter) Bea getting beaten by what everyone assumes is her meathead boyfriend, but once questions start getting asked, Linden's lies are in danger of being outed.
Writing Style: For some reason, I didn't exactly like how this was written. I always find fault with contemporaries and the way they are written and that doesn't mean that it's written horribly, it just means that it's usually not my favorite style. I think it's because a lot of YA contemporaries leave me with a lot of questions because some of the characters get away with a lot of things that normal people wouldn't be able to get away with in real life. It hinders my connection to the story, and that was my main problem with this one.
Characters: I adored Ham and all of his crazy antics and my heart dropped out of my chest at one scene that featured him. Lips are zipped...you have to read it to get it!
At times I loved Seung but at others I really hated him. I know he was supposed to be shown as loving and caring but a lot of the things he did made me want to slap him. I felt like he was pressuring Linden too much and when she wouldn't budge he got mad then acted like nothing happened? It seemed a little off to me so his character never sat well in my mind.
Linden is so strong but she makes a lot of excuses for Seung that I don't think she should have made. This book deals with a lot of physical violence but some instances throughout the book left me reeling with the words "emotional abuse" as well.
All in all, I give this book a 4/5! I'm so glad I got the chance to read it and review it so major thanks to the publisher and Brenda herself!
She's keeping the fact that she's homeless from everyone around her including her two best friends Ham and Seung.
Linden is a witness to the school's most popular girl (and tormenter) Bea getting beaten by what everyone assumes is her meathead boyfriend, but once questions start getting asked, Linden's lies are in danger of being outed.
Writing Style: For some reason, I didn't exactly like how this was written. I always find fault with contemporaries and the way they are written and that doesn't mean that it's written horribly, it just means that it's usually not my favorite style. I think it's because a lot of YA contemporaries leave me with a lot of questions because some of the characters get away with a lot of things that normal people wouldn't be able to get away with in real life. It hinders my connection to the story, and that was my main problem with this one.
Characters: I adored Ham and all of his crazy antics and my heart dropped out of my chest at one scene that featured him. Lips are zipped...you have to read it to get it!
At times I loved Seung but at others I really hated him. I know he was supposed to be shown as loving and caring but a lot of the things he did made me want to slap him. I felt like he was pressuring Linden too much and when she wouldn't budge he got mad then acted like nothing happened? It seemed a little off to me so his character never sat well in my mind.
Linden is so strong but she makes a lot of excuses for Seung that I don't think she should have made. This book deals with a lot of physical violence but some instances throughout the book left me reeling with the words "emotional abuse" as well.
All in all, I give this book a 4/5! I'm so glad I got the chance to read it and review it so major thanks to the publisher and Brenda herself!
ayyymonie's review
3.0
I have mixed opinions about this book. I enjoyed the quirky characters and yet they felt out of place at times. Their dialogue was often weird and the writing itself seemed to be all over the place. I liked that the topics of domestic abuse and teen homelessness were covered and thought that they were both covered well. But the pacing of the story and the writing sort of threw me off.
mushroomjess's review
2.0
This was not a good read for me and I almost didn't finish it.
While I appreciated the topic of teen homelessness (it was why I read the book in the first place), it never felt like Linden's homelessness was the main issue - there was so many other things going on in the book, ranging from romance to racism to domestic violence. I don't think any of these issues were given the time/depth needed.
On top of that, the writing is all over the place, making it difficult to understand what's going on at times. The characters fell kind of flat for me, and a lot of the dialogue seemed unrealistic. Other parts just made me cringe - "He slithers out of his jacket like the rock-star, sexy gentleman that he always acts like..."
There were also several parts of the novel that I found problematic.
First - the serious bullying between Ham and Toby, for which there are ZERO repercussions. Ham tapes Toby to a toilet and dyes his hair/face, and Toby LITERALLY TRIES TO PIN HAM TO THE SIDE A WALL WITH HIS TRUCK, almost killing him. And then, Toby just has a complete change of character and they start being friends?? None of that makes sense or is okay.
Second - It seems like Linden is made out to be the villain in a domestic violence situation. Seung (and it seems like others too) actually blame her for kissing Reed AFTER it's been announced to the school that he has a history of abuse. This is just never discussed again in the novel, and Seung and Linden get together and everything is fine. This normalization of victim blaming is not okay.
AND THEN - people knew Linden was homeless but didn't do anything to help her?? Surely teachers at the school have an obligation to do something. I also didn't appreciate how Seung was angry/ignored Linden for not telling him she was homeless.
There are so many other things too but I just don't have the energy to go into them all. One more quick thing though - Linden witnessed her mother get brutally murdered. She should be affected by this. There should be more than a few lines of her remembering her mother, but she seems to be more concerned about Sexy Seung.
I think the themes explored in Where I Live are so so important, but the way they were written just didn't seem realistic to me, and because of this, their importance was dulled.
While I appreciated the topic of teen homelessness (it was why I read the book in the first place), it never felt like Linden's homelessness was the main issue - there was so many other things going on in the book, ranging from romance to racism to domestic violence. I don't think any of these issues were given the time/depth needed.
On top of that, the writing is all over the place, making it difficult to understand what's going on at times. The characters fell kind of flat for me, and a lot of the dialogue seemed unrealistic. Other parts just made me cringe - "He slithers out of his jacket like the rock-star, sexy gentleman that he always acts like..."
There were also several parts of the novel that I found problematic.
Spoiler
First - the serious bullying between Ham and Toby, for which there are ZERO repercussions. Ham tapes Toby to a toilet and dyes his hair/face, and Toby LITERALLY TRIES TO PIN HAM TO THE SIDE A WALL WITH HIS TRUCK, almost killing him. And then, Toby just has a complete change of character and they start being friends?? None of that makes sense or is okay.
Second - It seems like Linden is made out to be the villain in a domestic violence situation. Seung (and it seems like others too) actually blame her for kissing Reed AFTER it's been announced to the school that he has a history of abuse. This is just never discussed again in the novel, and Seung and Linden get together and everything is fine. This normalization of victim blaming is not okay.
AND THEN - people knew Linden was homeless but didn't do anything to help her?? Surely teachers at the school have an obligation to do something. I also didn't appreciate how Seung was angry/ignored Linden for not telling him she was homeless.
There are so many other things too but I just don't have the energy to go into them all. One more quick thing though - Linden witnessed her mother get brutally murdered. She should be affected by this. There should be more than a few lines of her remembering her mother, but she seems to be more concerned about Sexy Seung.
I think the themes explored in Where I Live are so so important, but the way they were written just didn't seem realistic to me, and because of this, their importance was dulled.
teenage_reads's review
4.0
Plot:
*Trigger Warning: Domestic violence*
Linden was close to her mother. Always listening to her, and hid in the closet with her headphones on, whenever her mother asked. To keep Linden safe, to keep her hidden and unknown. When the man that found them, usually looking for sex or money, took her mother's life, Linden ran, rather being free than a ward of the state. She found her grandmother, and stayed with her, even though with her dementia her grandmother never found out who she was. When she passed, Linden decided to stay in that small town, go to school, graduate, and go off to university, like her mother wanted her to do. Linden never plan on being part of the triangle. Her, Ham and Seung: “The guys came along when I needed friends the most” (48). Ham and Seung friends since second grade, took Liden in, and the triangle was born: “Fifteen hundred people in this town and I had the privilege of meeting the perfect two” (48). But then there was Bea. Pretty, popular, someone Linden could not stand. When Bea shows up to school with a bloody lip, Linden knew she could not watch Bea make the same mistake as her mother. Looking out for Bea’s jerk boyfriend, Toby, her ex-boyfriend and hottie Reed, Linden navigates her way through the school, marked as her home, and try not to let Seung, whom she desperately loved, to see this homeless side of her.
Thoughts:
Brenda Rufener took such a unique tale, with three storylines, and nailed them together in this interesting story of Linden Rose. The three story lines being the romance between her and Seung, Bea’s abuser, and the fact than Linden did not have a home. These problems rely on each other in a way, that for them to be solved, all three have to be solved. The way Rufener described Linden homelessness was what will bring in people to read this story. From making sure she can get into school at night, washing her clothes in the bathroom sinks, to where she sleeps and hid her items. Rufener starts off the story listing Linden’s three rules of being homeless, and how later on in the story she broke them in order to help Bea, or let Seung into her heart. With Seung, you can tell there was something more to their friendship from the beginning. While Seung moves from the friend zone to something more, the triangle plays a heavy role in this story, as for Linden, when she had no money or food, a Ham Sandwich was all she needed. Bea and her abuser, also a plot that is hard to write about, but Rufener did her best. With Bea not willing to come out about it, Linden knows, based on what happen to her mother, what will happen if Bea does not speak up for herself. There was some unnecessary drama in the middle, like between Bea and Seung, her ‘One of Two’ where the second was never found out. Then there was Ham, and his revenge part of Toby, which was ridiculous, and unnecessary. Follow up on Reed and Linden, which made sense, but again unnecessary. Where the beginning was what hooked you, the middle with its plot fillers, the ending Rufener hits close to home, given Linden the story book ending she deserves, and the triangle she deserves.
*Trigger Warning: Domestic violence*
Linden was close to her mother. Always listening to her, and hid in the closet with her headphones on, whenever her mother asked. To keep Linden safe, to keep her hidden and unknown. When the man that found them, usually looking for sex or money, took her mother's life, Linden ran, rather being free than a ward of the state. She found her grandmother, and stayed with her, even though with her dementia her grandmother never found out who she was. When she passed, Linden decided to stay in that small town, go to school, graduate, and go off to university, like her mother wanted her to do. Linden never plan on being part of the triangle. Her, Ham and Seung: “The guys came along when I needed friends the most” (48). Ham and Seung friends since second grade, took Liden in, and the triangle was born: “Fifteen hundred people in this town and I had the privilege of meeting the perfect two” (48). But then there was Bea. Pretty, popular, someone Linden could not stand. When Bea shows up to school with a bloody lip, Linden knew she could not watch Bea make the same mistake as her mother. Looking out for Bea’s jerk boyfriend, Toby, her ex-boyfriend and hottie Reed, Linden navigates her way through the school, marked as her home, and try not to let Seung, whom she desperately loved, to see this homeless side of her.
Thoughts:
Brenda Rufener took such a unique tale, with three storylines, and nailed them together in this interesting story of Linden Rose. The three story lines being the romance between her and Seung, Bea’s abuser, and the fact than Linden did not have a home. These problems rely on each other in a way, that for them to be solved, all three have to be solved. The way Rufener described Linden homelessness was what will bring in people to read this story. From making sure she can get into school at night, washing her clothes in the bathroom sinks, to where she sleeps and hid her items. Rufener starts off the story listing Linden’s three rules of being homeless, and how later on in the story she broke them in order to help Bea, or let Seung into her heart. With Seung, you can tell there was something more to their friendship from the beginning. While Seung moves from the friend zone to something more, the triangle plays a heavy role in this story, as for Linden, when she had no money or food, a Ham Sandwich was all she needed. Bea and her abuser, also a plot that is hard to write about, but Rufener did her best. With Bea not willing to come out about it, Linden knows, based on what happen to her mother, what will happen if Bea does not speak up for herself. There was some unnecessary drama in the middle, like between Bea and Seung, her ‘One of Two’ where the second was never found out. Then there was Ham, and his revenge part of Toby, which was ridiculous, and unnecessary. Follow up on Reed and Linden, which made sense, but again unnecessary. Where the beginning was what hooked you, the middle with its plot fillers, the ending Rufener hits close to home, given Linden the story book ending she deserves, and the triangle she deserves.
angelune's review against another edition
2.0
i'm not gonna lie to y'all... i read this in january and i don't remember a single thing about this book, besides the homeless thing and the protagonist wanting to bone her best friend. that's huh, not good.
reagans_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Car accident
lili_darknight's review against another edition
4.0
Táto kniha sa venuje naozaj neveľmi frekventovanej téme, ktorá sa však nás všetkých nejakým spôsobom dotýka. Mnoho z nás však pred ňou doslova zatvára oči a to je to, čo sa dialo aj v tejto knihe. Linden očividne nezapadala do svojej verzie príbehu, ale ako to už býva, ľudia vidia len to, čo chcú vidieť a aj keď majú pochybnosti, radšej sa nepýtajú, aby to náhodou nezničilo predstavu, ktorú si vytvorili o spoločnosti.
Keď som sa do knihy púšťala, myslela som si, že kniha sa bude venovať tomu, ako túto tému riešiť, ako si hlavná hrdinka nájde túto dokonalú rodinu a oni ju príjmu medzi seba. Mýlila som sa, o tom táto kniha nie je a je to hlavne aj kvôli charakteru hlavnej hrdinky. Linden ako postava síce veľmi nevybočuje z radu iných postáv študujúcich na priemernej americkej strednej škole, ale predsa sa líši.
Vo svojom živote toho zažila naozaj veľa, o viac toho prišla a tým pádom je vo svojej podstate rezervovaná a bojí sa niekomu úplne otvoriť zo strachu, že by jej opäť bolo ublížené. Zo všetkého najviac sa však bojí podať niekomu pomocnú ruku, pretože by mohlo vyjsť najavo jej malé tajomstvo. Čo je pre Linden nesmierne náročné, nakoľko je veľmi súcitná a vďaka svojej situácii si všíma to, čo ostatným ostáva skryté.
Vzhľadom na to, aká je Linden, som si preto až niekedy počas čítania uvedomila, že táto kniha spracováva tematiku bezdomovectva trochu inak. Áno, poukazuje na ňu, ale na druhej strane mi ju ukazuje z pohľadu niekoho, kto svoju situáciu v podstate nechce riešiť, pretože má strach požiadať ostatných o pomoc. Čo je vo svojej podstate asi ešte lepšie. Vďaka tomu som totiž mohla sledovať Linden nielen pri jej každodennom zápase s časom i okolnosťami, ale aj pri tom, ako sa pôsobením týchto okolností mení, ako sa postupne otvára a dovoľuje si byť zraniteľnou, pretože tak môže pomôcť sama sebe.
Do veľkej miery jej v tom pomáhajú jej dvaja najlepší priatelia, ktorých má Linden nesmierne rada, ale takisto je k nim skôr rezervovaná. Vzťah tejto kamarátskej trojice je asi to, čo ma na tejto knihe bavilo najviac, pretože v ich vzťahu bolo všetko – podpichovanie, niekedy zbytočná dráma, inokedy vtipkovanie, trávenie času a potom také to občasné nerozprávanie sa, pretože sa niekto ofučal. Myslím, že to sú štádia priateľstva, ktorými sme si prešli asi všetci a vďaka tomu kniha pôsobí veľmi reálne.
Vo svojej podstate je však táto kniha skôr oddychovejším čítaním, v ktorom síce autorka chcela poukázať na dôležitú tému, ale zvolila si na to spôsob, ktorý neosloví veľa ľudí, nakoľko je ukrytý v posolstve knihy. Autorka mi vďaka nemu ukázala, že nikto nemôže očakávať zmenu vo svojom živote, ak sa o ňu sám nepričiní – aj tým, že sa rozhodne požiadať o pomoc.
Tu, kde bývam je vo svojej podstate príjemnou a skôr oddychovou knihou, v ktorej som mala možnosť spoznať Linden a sledovať jej prerod z uzatvoreného dievčaťa až po odhodlanú mladú ženu, ktorá si dovolí byť zraniteľná, aby tak konečne mohla požiadať o pomoc, ktorú očividne potrebuje. Vďaka tomuto konceptu som síce mohla obdivovať vývoj jej charakteru, ale na druhej strane sa celá tematika bezdomovectva presunula medzi kulisy.
Autorka síce na túto tému chcela poukázať, ale viac ako to chcela čitateľom povedať, že sa nič nezmení, kým sa ľudia v okolí nezačnú pozerať na to, čo vlastne vidieť nechcú, a takisto kým sa človek v tejto zložitej životnej situácii neodhodlá požiadať o pomoc. To z tejto knihy robí o čosi zaujímavejšie čítanie hlavne pre čitateľov, ktorí sú zvyknutí na čítanie medzi riadkami. Ale rozhodne nepoteší tých, ktorí majú radi jednoduché lineárne knihy, v ktorých všetko dostanú naaranžované na peknom striebornom podnose.
Bohužiaľ túto knihu väčšinou chcú čítať práve títo pohodlní čitatelia. Tí si pri čítaní neuvedomujú, že sa im do rúk dostala nesmierne citlivo napísaná kniha, v ktorej sa hlavná hrdinka musí otvoriť nielen svojim priateľom, ale aj svojej bolesti, aby si mohla uvedomiť, že večným utekaním nič nevyrieši a že ak chce niečo zmeniť na svojom živote, musí sa naučiť žiadať o pomoc. Hoci priznávam, že ak by bol ten úvod o čosi kratší, nenahnevala by som sa.
celá recenzia: http://lili-darknight.blogspot.com/2019/03/naucit-sa-poziadat-o-pomoc-tu-kde-byvam.html
Keď som sa do knihy púšťala, myslela som si, že kniha sa bude venovať tomu, ako túto tému riešiť, ako si hlavná hrdinka nájde túto dokonalú rodinu a oni ju príjmu medzi seba. Mýlila som sa, o tom táto kniha nie je a je to hlavne aj kvôli charakteru hlavnej hrdinky. Linden ako postava síce veľmi nevybočuje z radu iných postáv študujúcich na priemernej americkej strednej škole, ale predsa sa líši.
Vo svojom živote toho zažila naozaj veľa, o viac toho prišla a tým pádom je vo svojej podstate rezervovaná a bojí sa niekomu úplne otvoriť zo strachu, že by jej opäť bolo ublížené. Zo všetkého najviac sa však bojí podať niekomu pomocnú ruku, pretože by mohlo vyjsť najavo jej malé tajomstvo. Čo je pre Linden nesmierne náročné, nakoľko je veľmi súcitná a vďaka svojej situácii si všíma to, čo ostatným ostáva skryté.
Vzhľadom na to, aká je Linden, som si preto až niekedy počas čítania uvedomila, že táto kniha spracováva tematiku bezdomovectva trochu inak. Áno, poukazuje na ňu, ale na druhej strane mi ju ukazuje z pohľadu niekoho, kto svoju situáciu v podstate nechce riešiť, pretože má strach požiadať ostatných o pomoc. Čo je vo svojej podstate asi ešte lepšie. Vďaka tomu som totiž mohla sledovať Linden nielen pri jej každodennom zápase s časom i okolnosťami, ale aj pri tom, ako sa pôsobením týchto okolností mení, ako sa postupne otvára a dovoľuje si byť zraniteľnou, pretože tak môže pomôcť sama sebe.
Do veľkej miery jej v tom pomáhajú jej dvaja najlepší priatelia, ktorých má Linden nesmierne rada, ale takisto je k nim skôr rezervovaná. Vzťah tejto kamarátskej trojice je asi to, čo ma na tejto knihe bavilo najviac, pretože v ich vzťahu bolo všetko – podpichovanie, niekedy zbytočná dráma, inokedy vtipkovanie, trávenie času a potom také to občasné nerozprávanie sa, pretože sa niekto ofučal. Myslím, že to sú štádia priateľstva, ktorými sme si prešli asi všetci a vďaka tomu kniha pôsobí veľmi reálne.
Vo svojej podstate je však táto kniha skôr oddychovejším čítaním, v ktorom síce autorka chcela poukázať na dôležitú tému, ale zvolila si na to spôsob, ktorý neosloví veľa ľudí, nakoľko je ukrytý v posolstve knihy. Autorka mi vďaka nemu ukázala, že nikto nemôže očakávať zmenu vo svojom živote, ak sa o ňu sám nepričiní – aj tým, že sa rozhodne požiadať o pomoc.
Tu, kde bývam je vo svojej podstate príjemnou a skôr oddychovou knihou, v ktorej som mala možnosť spoznať Linden a sledovať jej prerod z uzatvoreného dievčaťa až po odhodlanú mladú ženu, ktorá si dovolí byť zraniteľná, aby tak konečne mohla požiadať o pomoc, ktorú očividne potrebuje. Vďaka tomuto konceptu som síce mohla obdivovať vývoj jej charakteru, ale na druhej strane sa celá tematika bezdomovectva presunula medzi kulisy.
Autorka síce na túto tému chcela poukázať, ale viac ako to chcela čitateľom povedať, že sa nič nezmení, kým sa ľudia v okolí nezačnú pozerať na to, čo vlastne vidieť nechcú, a takisto kým sa človek v tejto zložitej životnej situácii neodhodlá požiadať o pomoc. To z tejto knihy robí o čosi zaujímavejšie čítanie hlavne pre čitateľov, ktorí sú zvyknutí na čítanie medzi riadkami. Ale rozhodne nepoteší tých, ktorí majú radi jednoduché lineárne knihy, v ktorých všetko dostanú naaranžované na peknom striebornom podnose.
Bohužiaľ túto knihu väčšinou chcú čítať práve títo pohodlní čitatelia. Tí si pri čítaní neuvedomujú, že sa im do rúk dostala nesmierne citlivo napísaná kniha, v ktorej sa hlavná hrdinka musí otvoriť nielen svojim priateľom, ale aj svojej bolesti, aby si mohla uvedomiť, že večným utekaním nič nevyrieši a že ak chce niečo zmeniť na svojom živote, musí sa naučiť žiadať o pomoc. Hoci priznávam, že ak by bol ten úvod o čosi kratší, nenahnevala by som sa.
celá recenzia: http://lili-darknight.blogspot.com/2019/03/naucit-sa-poziadat-o-pomoc-tu-kde-byvam.html