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maxgardner's review against another edition
4.0
This review is for an advanced reader's copy.
What impressed me most about this book was the way that Patty Blount handled the intense, hard-hitting scenes. While I can't say that I thought she was always on point with her writing, she did do an amazing job with the really emotional scenes, especially within the last 100 pages of the book. How the characters acted, what they said...by the end, I felt horrible forDan Kenny and relieved that there may be hope. The final couple of chapters left me glued to my seat, and there was one moment where I actually pulled away from the book because I did not want to know what was about to happen.
I thought the pace was a bit off, though, and the story seemed to drag at times. The dialogue also came off as unnatural in some scenes because I didn't feel it was really how teenager's would speak to each other. The characters did get kind of annoying, especially Julie (and especially especially Dan and Julie's interactions). The back-and-forth romance plot line took away from the main one that I was more interested in, which was Dan overcoming his guilt for his past transgression. I wanted to see that delved into more, but instead half of the story seemed too focused on their blooming, dysfunctional relationship. I got tired of it really quick, after the second or third time the same chain of general events happened - everything was fine, then all of a sudden one of them would overreact over something that didn't seem like a realistic trigger, then Dan would be really pissed off. It just got old fast.
But I thought she did a decent job wrapping it up. I was really surprised at the end, regardless of the obvious hints throughout. Blount did a good job convincing me and leading me off the trail that I immediately suspected the story would take. I was pretty upset with the ending, though, as it seemed unfinished and unresolved. I wanted more about the closure, and once again she brought it back to the love story and focused on that. I think this book had great potential to be a much deeper analysis of overcoming guilt and forgiving yourself, but instead it sacrificed that depth for the romance aspect.
Maybe there will be more to the ending in the published version (I guess I'll find out in a month). For now, I still gave it four stars because I believe that Blount has promise and the scenes that I was most interested in and that I thought were most important were done extremely well. I would still recommend it to someone, regardless of my problems with the romance.
What impressed me most about this book was the way that Patty Blount handled the intense, hard-hitting scenes. While I can't say that I thought she was always on point with her writing, she did do an amazing job with the really emotional scenes, especially within the last 100 pages of the book. How the characters acted, what they said...by the end, I felt horrible for
I thought the pace was a bit off, though, and the story seemed to drag at times. The dialogue also came off as unnatural in some scenes because I didn't feel it was really how teenager's would speak to each other. The characters did get kind of annoying, especially Julie (and especially especially Dan and Julie's interactions). The back-and-forth romance plot line took away from the main one that I was more interested in, which was Dan overcoming his guilt for his past transgression. I wanted to see that delved into more, but instead half of the story seemed too focused on their blooming, dysfunctional relationship. I got tired of it really quick, after the second or third time the same chain of general events happened - everything was fine, then all of a sudden one of them would overreact over something that didn't seem like a realistic trigger, then Dan would be really pissed off. It just got old fast.
But I thought she did a decent job wrapping it up. I was really surprised at the end, regardless of the obvious hints throughout. Blount did a good job convincing me and leading me off the trail that I immediately suspected the story would take. I was pretty upset with the ending, though, as it seemed unfinished and unresolved. I wanted more about the closure, and once again she brought it back to the love story and focused on that. I think this book had great potential to be a much deeper analysis of overcoming guilt and forgiving yourself, but instead it sacrificed that depth for the romance aspect.
Maybe there will be more to the ending in the published version (I guess I'll find out in a month). For now, I still gave it four stars because I believe that Blount has promise and the scenes that I was most interested in and that I thought were most important were done extremely well. I would still recommend it to someone, regardless of my problems with the romance.
aly_bu's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. A lot. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is the absolute incapability of all three of the main characters to communicate. This book could have ended on page 3 if Julie and Dan had just grabbed a coffee, sat down, and explained why they each did what they did. I guess that would have eilimnated the purpose for the book, but oh well. That's why.
ridureads's review against another edition
3.0
It's a 3.5, actually. I really liked it but I was hoping it was more intense like the other book by the writer.
maryanne19's review against another edition
4.0
I'm so torn between 4.5 and 5 stars.
This story is gripping and beautifully written.
The only reason I'd give it 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because the ending left things a little ambiguous. Usually, I like my stories tied up nice and neat. LOL
This story is gripping and beautifully written.
The only reason I'd give it 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because the ending left things a little ambiguous. Usually, I like my stories tied up nice and neat. LOL
askine09's review against another edition
4.0
I was given a review copy of this book at BEA by a very enthusiastic representative of Sourcebooks (really hope she decides to go through with the idea of a book vlog, she'd be great at it).
Sometimes a book just rips your heart out with how raw and honest they are. Stories that lives with you, stories you're glad you got to read no matter how painful they are because they are so beautiful in their heartbreak. Send is a book like that.
I grew to love Dan and the other characters for their complexity and wealth of emotion. These are characters who do not live in a vacuum, and whose choices have consequences - sometimes horrible ones.
Forgiveness (of others and oneself), consequences, vengeance, love, bullying, bitterness, family, friends, and hope. It's a lot to have in one book, but Patty Blount pulls it off wonderfully. She weaves it all together in a complex story with depth and resonance far beyond the central themes in Send.
Send is a book that needs to be read, not least because of the dialog it can begin on topics like bullying, punishment, forgiveness, and how the consequences of our actions can reach far beyond ourselves.
My full review is here: Send (review is in Norwegian).
Sometimes a book just rips your heart out with how raw and honest they are. Stories that lives with you, stories you're glad you got to read no matter how painful they are because they are so beautiful in their heartbreak. Send is a book like that.
I grew to love Dan and the other characters for their complexity and wealth of emotion. These are characters who do not live in a vacuum, and whose choices have consequences - sometimes horrible ones.
Forgiveness (of others and oneself), consequences, vengeance, love, bullying, bitterness, family, friends, and hope. It's a lot to have in one book, but Patty Blount pulls it off wonderfully. She weaves it all together in a complex story with depth and resonance far beyond the central themes in Send.
Send is a book that needs to be read, not least because of the dialog it can begin on topics like bullying, punishment, forgiveness, and how the consequences of our actions can reach far beyond ourselves.
My full review is here: Send (review is in Norwegian).
introvertedbear's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I definitely enjoyed reading it and read every single word. In fact, I read some parts so quickly that my brain couldn't process what was happening, and I had to force myself to slow down. The opening was very enjoyable. I even developed a crush on the main character. He was sweet, trying to stick up for others and help them. Besides, I also kind of have a voice inside my head like his, except not as extreme, so I can connect with him. I liked reading in his perspective until he started repeating things he already said, but that's a different story.
Then the middle section of the book came, and I started to grimace. My crush instantly disappeared at that scene. The scene which really added no worth to the book in my opinion and only added to my dislike for Julie. However, that's probably me being biased because of my crush.
When it comes to bullying and cyberbullying, I have little to no experience in my life with those topics, so I don't feel like I'm qualified to talk about the themes of the book. Honestly, I kind of understand all the talk about not forgiving and forgetting or forgiving and such, but then I don't think I understand what was happening with that topic in the context of the book. I do think that it's wonderful that Blout was able to combine all of those topics into one book, something I don't think many people can do without struggling and thinking a lot about why and how bullying works or doesn't work.
Towards the end of the book, I felt like the story started to fall apart. The opening was fantastic, the middle was so-so, but by the end of the book, I was ready to slap a big one-star on the book and be done with it. It's like I was on a reading roller coaster and the cart flew off the track and crashed with a firey explosion, but I got up and walked away only with a maimed leg when I should've been dead. The ending was definitely over melodramatic and unnecessary in my opinion. Dan seems pathetic in the falling action, and how does no one on the beach notice? I really love how Dan prepares to move forward with his life, but at the same time, it seems horrible because he's described as skinny and not appearing too well.
I won a copy from Joy Prebble's blog, and the author actually wrote me notes. It was awesome ^_^. She's a really nice person, and I hope she writes another novel some day. I'd like to read more of her fiction work.
Then the middle section of the book came, and I started to grimace. My crush instantly disappeared at that scene. The scene which really added no worth to the book in my opinion and only added to my dislike for Julie. However, that's probably me being biased because of my crush.
When it comes to bullying and cyberbullying, I have little to no experience in my life with those topics, so I don't feel like I'm qualified to talk about the themes of the book. Honestly, I kind of understand all the talk about not forgiving and forgetting or forgiving and such, but then I don't think I understand what was happening with that topic in the context of the book. I do think that it's wonderful that Blout was able to combine all of those topics into one book, something I don't think many people can do without struggling and thinking a lot about why and how bullying works or doesn't work.
Towards the end of the book, I felt like the story started to fall apart. The opening was fantastic, the middle was so-so, but by the end of the book, I was ready to slap a big one-star on the book and be done with it. It's like I was on a reading roller coaster and the cart flew off the track and crashed with a firey explosion, but I got up and walked away only with a maimed leg when I should've been dead. The ending was definitely over melodramatic and unnecessary in my opinion. Dan seems pathetic in the falling action, and how does no one on the beach notice? I really love how Dan prepares to move forward with his life, but at the same time, it seems horrible because he's described as skinny and not appearing too well.
I won a copy from Joy Prebble's blog, and the author actually wrote me notes. It was awesome ^_^. She's a really nice person, and I hope she writes another novel some day. I'd like to read more of her fiction work.
meghanfulmer's review against another edition
4.0
I was debating between 3 and 4 starts, but ended up giving it 4 because I was very interested in what was going to happen and really wanted to keep reading. My biggest disappointment was that the author did not spend a lot of time describing the bullying that was occurring--instead, she mainly talked about the effects of the bullying. I think that for young adults to really get the anti-bullying message, it would be helpful for them to see examples of bullying so they can better identify bullying behaviors in themselves and others.
zoemig's review against another edition
1.0
Some novels age better than others and unfortunately I feel like Send by Patty Blount, despite only being published 8 years ago (which is definitely how long I have had it on my shelf given that this is an advance copy...sorry!) has not aged well.
Send is the story of Dan, who is starting the year at a new high school with a new name, because of something horrible he did in his past. This is a story about the consequences of bullying, told from the perspective of the perpetrator, once they have had plenty of time to recognize and regret their actions. It's heartbreaking to see how much damage Dan has caused, to not only his victim but also himself and his family. At the same time, Send is written in a way to be overly sympathetic to him and make it seem like his actions were "not the bad" on their own. I'm also not sure that I really believe that Dan would have faced the consequences he did for his action, but I know the reader is supposed to view the punishment as unfair.
I actively disliked Dan's perspective and especially the character of Kenny, who was somewhat of a metaphor but also just annoying. I felt pretty disconnected from Dan and the dialogue felt inauthentic, but maybe it was just dated. There's supposed to be a big twist in the book which is definitely not a twist at all and so it just made me annoyed at another one of the characters. I don't if I would have enjoyed Send more when it was first published or when I was a teen, because I do think the premise had potential, but reading it now it was definitely not a book for me.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review.
Send is the story of Dan, who is starting the year at a new high school with a new name, because of something horrible he did in his past. This is a story about the consequences of bullying, told from the perspective of the perpetrator, once they have had plenty of time to recognize and regret their actions. It's heartbreaking to see how much damage Dan has caused, to not only his victim but also himself and his family. At the same time, Send is written in a way to be overly sympathetic to him and make it seem like his actions were "not the bad" on their own. I'm also not sure that I really believe that Dan would have faced the consequences he did for his action, but I know the reader is supposed to view the punishment as unfair.
I actively disliked Dan's perspective and especially the character of Kenny, who was somewhat of a metaphor but also just annoying. I felt pretty disconnected from Dan and the dialogue felt inauthentic, but maybe it was just dated. There's supposed to be a big twist in the book which is definitely not a twist at all and so it just made me annoyed at another one of the characters. I don't if I would have enjoyed Send more when it was first published or when I was a teen, because I do think the premise had potential, but reading it now it was definitely not a book for me.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review.
owlsly's review against another edition
4.0
Ok so i got teary eyed at the end there. It was so good. I feel like you could understand how much pain he was in, how much he was tormenting himself cause he feels so much guilt he feels he can't live an ordinary life like a normal kid, know matter how much he tries. I totally wish the ending was better. It left so many questions. Like how was Brendon doing, was he getting the help he needs? Do Dan/Kenny and Julie meet up again and get together? Also how the hell does Jack Murghy (Liam's and Julie's father) not go to prison for a long time. Like he almost beat a kid to death and shot his daughter, but he got let out so quickly. Like Dan/Kenny got put in juvie for almost a year for sending a photo online not knowing the consequences he was doing, he didn't know that he was making someone hurt so bad that he killed himself (which I know is bad given Liam killed himself) but Jack literally was out to kill Dan. But he got a slap on the wrist and let go, like how? he was set on killing someone and almost did, so he should be locked up in prison for a long time.
I'm not even sure this is a review, I feel like I was just ranting on and on about this book. But any who I still loved reading this book and I think others should read it too. It was really good. I guess I'm sorta satisfied about the ending although it could of been better, it was still a good finish and I am glad I read it.
I'm not even sure this is a review, I feel like I was just ranting on and on about this book. But any who I still loved reading this book and I think others should read it too. It was really good. I guess I'm sorta satisfied about the ending although it could of been better, it was still a good finish and I am glad I read it.