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diamondxgirl's review against another edition
5.0
As a person working in a community where suicide clusters took place, I was intrigued by Kling's exploration of a teenager's experiences and lens of the world after the tragedies. Heidi has clearly done her research and handles the character's emotional exploration as well as the topic of suicide with care and reality. Highly recommend for teen/parent pairs looking to talk about the subject!
hoffnungswolke's review against another edition
5.0
Paint My Body Red!!! First things first: I received an ARC through NetGalley.
The book came out yesterday, so if it's something you are interested in, you should check it out.
There is that quote towards the end of the book, that I want to start this review with. Cause it's one of those quotes that I want to write down everywhere and that I had no trouble with tattooing it on my forehead.
"But he should know by now that life isn't black and white - it's red. And in that color is where we spend the whole of what matters, the vibrancy of life, the bloody mess of death, and the pulsing heart of love."
The book is just beautiful. The story is that special kind of sad beautiful, that tugs on every single one of your heartstrings. It's the kind of beautiful when a person goes through a lot and finally is able to start healing. And not just the story is beautiful but also the writing. I'm in love with the author's writing. Cause let's be real, a story about a teenage suicides is a tricky story. I can only imagine how hard it is to write something like that, to write it the right way. The author did it beautifully and tastefully.
The characters were wonderfully written. There were so many layers to every one of them and they were just really well thought out. At first I couldn't connect with Paige, who is the main character of this story. But through the pages she really grew on me. And now that i have finished the book, she is one of those characters that will hold a special place in my heart. She is just that important to me now. She grew so much in the story. I loved the difference between the 'then' and the 'now', how she acted and how she changed.
I also really loved the family aspect of the story. I mean this could have been a story about Paige going to her daddy's farm and meeting Jake and it would have all been about these two and their love and what not. But the author made it about love, but the love of family. Paige reconnecting with her father. Finding a second mother in Anna. Finding Jake, who truly believes in her. Of course they fall in love. But it's beautiful. It's slowly growing. It isn't rushed and it makes so much sense. And the love between Paige and Scout, that beautiful and stubborn horse (the connection between these two brought me back to my love for the tv show Wildfire!!!).
I won't say much about the plot, cause I had seriously no idea what I was getting into when I started reading this book and it surprised me and I feel like it's the best way to read this book. Not knowing and enjoying every turn of event.
The book came out yesterday, so if it's something you are interested in, you should check it out.
There is that quote towards the end of the book, that I want to start this review with. Cause it's one of those quotes that I want to write down everywhere and that I had no trouble with tattooing it on my forehead.
"But he should know by now that life isn't black and white - it's red. And in that color is where we spend the whole of what matters, the vibrancy of life, the bloody mess of death, and the pulsing heart of love."
The book is just beautiful. The story is that special kind of sad beautiful, that tugs on every single one of your heartstrings. It's the kind of beautiful when a person goes through a lot and finally is able to start healing. And not just the story is beautiful but also the writing. I'm in love with the author's writing. Cause let's be real, a story about a teenage suicides is a tricky story. I can only imagine how hard it is to write something like that, to write it the right way. The author did it beautifully and tastefully.
The characters were wonderfully written. There were so many layers to every one of them and they were just really well thought out. At first I couldn't connect with Paige, who is the main character of this story. But through the pages she really grew on me. And now that i have finished the book, she is one of those characters that will hold a special place in my heart. She is just that important to me now. She grew so much in the story. I loved the difference between the 'then' and the 'now', how she acted and how she changed.
I also really loved the family aspect of the story. I mean this could have been a story about Paige going to her daddy's farm and meeting Jake and it would have all been about these two and their love and what not. But the author made it about love, but the love of family. Paige reconnecting with her father. Finding a second mother in Anna. Finding Jake, who truly believes in her. Of course they fall in love. But it's beautiful. It's slowly growing. It isn't rushed and it makes so much sense. And the love between Paige and Scout, that beautiful and stubborn horse (the connection between these two brought me back to my love for the tv show Wildfire!!!).
I won't say much about the plot, cause I had seriously no idea what I was getting into when I started reading this book and it surprised me and I feel like it's the best way to read this book. Not knowing and enjoying every turn of event.
alexa_wroblewski's review against another edition
5.0
"I understand my father. I understand his philosophy. But he should know by now that life isn't black and white—it's red."
Oh man.
I finished this book a few hours ago and am still in sort of a daze about it. Major book hangover happening at the moment.
While I knew this book dealt with a rash of suicides, I was surprised at what else was tackled in this book. Life, loss and love—both good and bad—were addressed.
The author did an amazing job at weaving these somewhat separate stories into one coherent beautiful saga at the center of which was Paige.
I absolutely recommend this whole heartedly. A beautiful story. Something I'm likely to revisit again and again.
Oh man.
I finished this book a few hours ago and am still in sort of a daze about it. Major book hangover happening at the moment.
While I knew this book dealt with a rash of suicides, I was surprised at what else was tackled in this book. Life, loss and love—both good and bad—were addressed.
The author did an amazing job at weaving these somewhat separate stories into one coherent beautiful saga at the center of which was Paige.
I absolutely recommend this whole heartedly. A beautiful story. Something I'm likely to revisit again and again.
ideallyportia's review against another edition
4.0
UPDATE!! THIS IS AVAILABLE TODAY!!
**I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
Honestly, I did not expect to love this book and enjoy it as much as I did. When it came up for review, I read the synopsis, thought it sounded interesting, so I went for it. I did not expect to become so invested in it, or to let it force me to feel so much.
What do you do when people all around you, your peers, are dying? By suicide? You start to wonder if maybe something is in the water. Then you seek out ways to help you cope and to feel something other than shock and sadness. In this case, Paige's search for something to distract her only lead to more trouble. So she is forced to go spend the summer between high school and college with her father, who lives on an amazing ranch and whom she hasn't seen in years.
At the ranch, Paige becomes a new person. She finds herself, she finds happiness and love, while also being forced to face other forms of loss that she never expected. I absolutely fell in love right alongside her, and I also felt the pain and loss with her. I cried like 3 times during this book, I guess I'm feeling extra emotional these days. I don't even like horses! (that seems like a crazy thing to say, but its not. oh and no animals were harmed in the creation of this story.) In the end, Paige comes out stronger and braver than she ever was before.
What I did not know was that this was inspired by actual events, but one the author mentioned it, I remembered it in the news. In Palo Alto, in 2009, there was a cluster of teen suicides in a similar fashion as the book. The author tried to make some kind of sense out of it and wanted to protect her own children from the "contagious" suicides, so she created Paige and her story as an outlet. Originally, I though maybe something paranormal would be tied to it, but this story was much more meaningful than I could have expected.
This is a great contemporary novel that deals with SO MANY things, not just suicide. I definitely recommend this one!
**I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
At my death paint my body with red paint and plunge it into fresh water to be restored back to life, otherwise my bones will be turned into stone and my joints into flint in my grave, but my spirit will rise. ―Crazy Horse
Honestly, I did not expect to love this book and enjoy it as much as I did. When it came up for review, I read the synopsis, thought it sounded interesting, so I went for it. I did not expect to become so invested in it, or to let it force me to feel so much.
What do you do when people all around you, your peers, are dying? By suicide? You start to wonder if maybe something is in the water. Then you seek out ways to help you cope and to feel something other than shock and sadness. In this case, Paige's search for something to distract her only lead to more trouble. So she is forced to go spend the summer between high school and college with her father, who lives on an amazing ranch and whom she hasn't seen in years.
How hard, how almost impossible it is to cling to the beautiful moments that keep us alive? Keep us fighting through those dark times when those moments are few and far between?
At the ranch, Paige becomes a new person. She finds herself, she finds happiness and love, while also being forced to face other forms of loss that she never expected. I absolutely fell in love right alongside her, and I also felt the pain and loss with her. I cried like 3 times during this book, I guess I'm feeling extra emotional these days. I don't even like horses! (that seems like a crazy thing to say, but its not. oh and no animals were harmed in the creation of this story.) In the end, Paige comes out stronger and braver than she ever was before.
What I did not know was that this was inspired by actual events, but one the author mentioned it, I remembered it in the news. In Palo Alto, in 2009, there was a cluster of teen suicides in a similar fashion as the book. The author tried to make some kind of sense out of it and wanted to protect her own children from the "contagious" suicides, so she created Paige and her story as an outlet. Originally, I though maybe something paranormal would be tied to it, but this story was much more meaningful than I could have expected.
This is a great contemporary novel that deals with SO MANY things, not just suicide. I definitely recommend this one!
amburhostyn's review against another edition
5.0
I have loved Heidi R. Kling's writing ever since I first read Sea, so when I heard about Paint My Body Red, I was extremely excited!!! The description sounded dark and edgy, with the promise of some romance involving a swoon-worthy cowboy, which sounded pretty amazing to me. Sure enough, I started the book, and couldn't put it down!
Paint My Body Red is about Paige. When she was younger, her parents divorced, and her mom moved her to California, away from her family's ranch in Wyoming. She goes back years later, after a series of suicides takes place involving students from her school, and when she gets to the ranch, she sees just how much it has changed and how her father's health has declined due to ALS. While the circumstances of her return were sad, I loved seeing Paige make herself at home once again on the ranch. I loved seeing her get to know her father again, and their relationship was one of my favourite parts of the novel. I loved seeing her get to know the woman that her father loved, Anna. And I especially loved seeing her friendship with Jake evolve. I just really loved this story! The characters immediately pulled me in, and I genuinely cared for Paige. It was amazing to see how time on her father's ranch helped her overcome what she experienced back in Palo Alto.
While there is a romantic element to Paint My Body Red, I loved that the story wasn't defined by romance. Instead, the story was largely about Paige healing and growing stronger on the ranch. The story itself was told in an extremely interesting way. Paige narrates the entire book, but it alternates between her present and the events that happened to her back in California, which she records in her diary. Writing out what happened acts as a catharsis for Paige, and her time on the ranch helps her ground herself. She's able to find happiness and joy despite the people she lost, and the abuse that she suffered. I absolutely loved this method of revealing Paige's past—it was unique and engaging.
I also loved the romance in the story, and thoroughly enjoyed Jake and Paige together. I loved their banter, and they brought out the best in each other. They worked extremely well together, and it was fantastic to see their relationship evolve from friendship into something more, especially since it was founded on trust. I also really loved that Jake was a cowboy! There's something so attractive about a boy with the manners of a gentleman, who is still willing to kiss the crap out of a girl. ;) Even better that he never pressured Paige, and that their relationship was never rushed.
Overall, I absolutely loved Paint My Body Red. I loved that it was such a dynamic story, and that it covered such important topics. Suicide, rape, depression, and life-threatening illnesses should never be brushed aside, and I thought it was amazing that Heidi R. Kling approached all of those topics in Paint My Body Red. This story is so important, and it delivers such a powerful message about life, valuing the life you're given, and working to overcome the things that hold you back. I thought that it was a complex, mysterious, and captivating story, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!
Paint My Body Red is about Paige. When she was younger, her parents divorced, and her mom moved her to California, away from her family's ranch in Wyoming. She goes back years later, after a series of suicides takes place involving students from her school, and when she gets to the ranch, she sees just how much it has changed and how her father's health has declined due to ALS. While the circumstances of her return were sad, I loved seeing Paige make herself at home once again on the ranch. I loved seeing her get to know her father again, and their relationship was one of my favourite parts of the novel. I loved seeing her get to know the woman that her father loved, Anna. And I especially loved seeing her friendship with Jake evolve. I just really loved this story! The characters immediately pulled me in, and I genuinely cared for Paige. It was amazing to see how time on her father's ranch helped her overcome what she experienced back in Palo Alto.
While there is a romantic element to Paint My Body Red, I loved that the story wasn't defined by romance. Instead, the story was largely about Paige healing and growing stronger on the ranch. The story itself was told in an extremely interesting way. Paige narrates the entire book, but it alternates between her present and the events that happened to her back in California, which she records in her diary. Writing out what happened acts as a catharsis for Paige, and her time on the ranch helps her ground herself. She's able to find happiness and joy despite the people she lost, and the abuse that she suffered. I absolutely loved this method of revealing Paige's past—it was unique and engaging.
I also loved the romance in the story, and thoroughly enjoyed Jake and Paige together. I loved their banter, and they brought out the best in each other. They worked extremely well together, and it was fantastic to see their relationship evolve from friendship into something more, especially since it was founded on trust. I also really loved that Jake was a cowboy! There's something so attractive about a boy with the manners of a gentleman, who is still willing to kiss the crap out of a girl. ;) Even better that he never pressured Paige, and that their relationship was never rushed.
Overall, I absolutely loved Paint My Body Red. I loved that it was such a dynamic story, and that it covered such important topics. Suicide, rape, depression, and life-threatening illnesses should never be brushed aside, and I thought it was amazing that Heidi R. Kling approached all of those topics in Paint My Body Red. This story is so important, and it delivers such a powerful message about life, valuing the life you're given, and working to overcome the things that hold you back. I thought that it was a complex, mysterious, and captivating story, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!
daylafm's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really surprising read! Review coming soon.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
melissayabookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful, sensitive writing about difficult subject matter. I've read tons of books in which teen suicide and healing from the suicide of a friend or a loved one is a major theme, so I can say with some authority that Heidi Kling does a great job presenting it. It's a love story and a mystery rolled up in one, it's about coming to terms with what has happened, and finding a way to have a positive effect in the world from a negative experience. But at the same time, it's unlike any of the "suicide" books I've ever read. I loved this book, and found myself staying up late, night after night, to finish it. I don't want to give anything away, except that you've got to read this book.
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