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karenleagermain's review against another edition
5.0
I think what made this book so good, is Moriarty was able to take simple circumstances and create complex characters. It's subtle. The book doesn't have any big dramatic turning points. It's driven completely by characters, rather than plot. The characters make it compelling. Moriarty is a strong writer and she doesn't need to rely on anything theatrical to write a fantastic novel. I breezed through the book and was left wanting more.
bb_kittydogmama's review against another edition
3.0
I’m hovering between a 3 and a 4. This is a good book. I’m glad I read it. But it was not one that I couldn’t put down. If you need a light read go for it!
liltuck's review against another edition
4.0
I found the inquisitive perspective refreshing and really enjoyed watching Evelyn grow and find herself. I was a little disappointed with the ending but overall a great story
spauffwrites's review against another edition
3.0
A coming of age story with a languid pace and well-drawn characters. I didn’t love it, but it was an easy, comforting read.
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book was not only enjoyable but well written! I have to say, I often don't have a lot of faith in "modern young adult books", but it was clear to me that Moriarty wrote this book because of her personal experiences and what she knows. I have a theory that authors write best when they're writing about what they know. Perhaps Moriarty didn't grow up with all of the struggles exhibited by the main character, Evelyn, but you can tell she certainly had some significant coming of age experiences in rural Kansas.
My biggest criticism of the novel is that Moriarty may have tackled one too many coming of age themes. While the novel was well-written overall, I think she may have conveyed the story even more skillfully if she had limited the main character Evelyn to only tackling two or three events rather than a a hefty handful.
Overall, I thought this book really spoke from the author's heart, and I appreciated her story-telling style and voice. I feel that this is a very high-quality and modern coming of age/young adult novel which should be celebrated.
My biggest criticism of the novel is that Moriarty may have tackled one too many coming of age themes. While the novel was well-written overall, I think she may have conveyed the story even more skillfully if she had limited the main character Evelyn to only tackling two or three events rather than a a hefty handful.
Overall, I thought this book really spoke from the author's heart, and I appreciated her story-telling style and voice. I feel that this is a very high-quality and modern coming of age/young adult novel which should be celebrated.
garrison1989's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't really like this novel. I felt like the novel was going great during the first few chapters, but towards the end i felt like the novel had no purpose. The ending left me with a lot of unanswered questions.
andreathereader's review against another edition
4.0
Evelyn is a normal young girl, living with her free-spirited young mom, working on a first crush and deciding which teachers she likes best, when something as simple as a car breaking down alters the course of her life. Evelyn’s mom has no way to get to work, so she can’t earn money to fix the car. When she ends up pregnant and alone, that truly begins their downward spiral. Never have I read something which so clearly describes how easy it is to fall into poverty.
Both the characters and dialogue are done very well and you understand why the characters do the things they do. The relationships are the real stars of the story – mother and daughter, girlfriends and boyfriends. As each person gets older, their relationships change and they have to either adapt or let go. The dialogue isn’t snappy, but it feels real.
The writing is lyrical and descriptive. It’s full of lines like these:
I really came to care about the people in the story. I wanted to help them. I wanted to pay their bills and buy them a new car and get them back on their feet. To me, that’s a sign of a good book, when you actually care about what is going on. If I’m reading passively, that’s okay, too, but I like being drawn into the story.
There is sadness, but there is also lightness as Evelyn grows older and shapes her dreams. There are just a few times where I felt like Evelyn still has the voice of a younger child, even though she is supposed to be older. Maybe that is deliberate of Moriarty, though, to indicate Evelyn’s emotional age.
I am a little let down by the ending, simply because there is no ending. There is no big reveal or climax, the story simply fades away. It leaves it open and I can understand that, but personally, I enjoy an actual end to the story, a feeling of finality.
The Sum Up: A serious, heartfelt story that will make you think. You’ll empathize with Evelyn and her family and friends, but you’ll also smile.
Both the characters and dialogue are done very well and you understand why the characters do the things they do. The relationships are the real stars of the story – mother and daughter, girlfriends and boyfriends. As each person gets older, their relationships change and they have to either adapt or let go. The dialogue isn’t snappy, but it feels real.
The writing is lyrical and descriptive. It’s full of lines like these:
Her voice makes me think of water running through a faucet, a whistling sound, happy and light. “You must be Evelyn’s mother!”
~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Goldman talks, one arm moving back and forth between them, like a bridge for his words to fall onto and bounce more easily into Travis’s ears.
I really came to care about the people in the story. I wanted to help them. I wanted to pay their bills and buy them a new car and get them back on their feet. To me, that’s a sign of a good book, when you actually care about what is going on. If I’m reading passively, that’s okay, too, but I like being drawn into the story.
I know that sometimes when you are really worried about something, it ends up not being nearly as bad as you think it will be, and you get to be relieved that you were just being silly, worrying so much over nothing. But sometimes it is just the opposite. It can happen that whatever you are worried about will be even worse than you could have possibly imagined, and you find out that you were right to be worried, and even that, maybe, you weren’t worried enough.
There is sadness, but there is also lightness as Evelyn grows older and shapes her dreams. There are just a few times where I felt like Evelyn still has the voice of a younger child, even though she is supposed to be older. Maybe that is deliberate of Moriarty, though, to indicate Evelyn’s emotional age.
I am a little let down by the ending, simply because there is no ending. There is no big reveal or climax, the story simply fades away. It leaves it open and I can understand that, but personally, I enjoy an actual end to the story, a feeling of finality.
The Sum Up: A serious, heartfelt story that will make you think. You’ll empathize with Evelyn and her family and friends, but you’ll also smile.
laden_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I got this because it was free or nearly free on the kindle and I'm pleased to report that it's lovely. It's an engaging and touching story about growing up-stark, honest and resonant.
jjordankc's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this!!! I listened to the audio version of this book and looked forward to my long drives to and from work. I'm not sure if it's the writing that I loved or the reading performance, but I adore the main character Evelyn and all of the characters came to life - Travis, Tina, Eileen, Deena, Traci, etc. I want to know what happens to Evelyn after this story ends, and I feel like I genuinely care for her and want to see her future and potential unfold. I also enjoyed that the book was set in Kansas and a small portion at KU. I loved the Reagan era themes and the religious journey that Evelyn experiences through this story.