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ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
The Beginning of After is a moving tale of grief and hope. Laurel's parents and younger brother are killed in a car accident during her junior year of high school. With the help of her only remaining relative, her grandmother, Laurel tries to pick up the pieces of her life, while forging a tentative connection with David, the son of the man responsible for the accident.
Although I found the writing to be a bit clunky in the first couple of chapters, it got much better, and I was so caught up in the story that any minor writing issues didn't bother me. Laurel's grief felt very realistic. There weren't a lot of big, sobbing, grief in all caps sort of moments. Her grief is quiet and very real. She's trying to get on with her life, but sometimes she doesn't know what to do next. Everyone in her life is walking on eggshells around her, and she just wants to feel normal again.
I liked Laurel's growing relationship with David. The two were once childhood friends, but they haven't been close for years. In the aftermath of the accident, David is also an orphan of sorts (his mother is dead and his father is in a coma). In the months after the accident, he drifts in and out of Laurel's life. They're connected by their shared grief and by David's dog, Masher, who Laurel looks after. David isn't an easy person to like, but there's something between them that Laurel can't deny, even when he's frequently gone from town.
I really enjoyed this book. Laurel is a likable, realistic heroine, and I was caught up in her struggle to keep her life together in the face of her terrible grief. Despite the sad topic, the author keeps the story from becoming too depressing, and there's an undercurrent of hope running through the book.
I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.
Although I found the writing to be a bit clunky in the first couple of chapters, it got much better, and I was so caught up in the story that any minor writing issues didn't bother me. Laurel's grief felt very realistic. There weren't a lot of big, sobbing, grief in all caps sort of moments. Her grief is quiet and very real. She's trying to get on with her life, but sometimes she doesn't know what to do next. Everyone in her life is walking on eggshells around her, and she just wants to feel normal again.
I liked Laurel's growing relationship with David. The two were once childhood friends, but they haven't been close for years. In the aftermath of the accident, David is also an orphan of sorts (his mother is dead and his father is in a coma). In the months after the accident, he drifts in and out of Laurel's life. They're connected by their shared grief and by David's dog, Masher, who Laurel looks after. David isn't an easy person to like, but there's something between them that Laurel can't deny, even when he's frequently gone from town.
I really enjoyed this book. Laurel is a likable, realistic heroine, and I was caught up in her struggle to keep her life together in the face of her terrible grief. Despite the sad topic, the author keeps the story from becoming too depressing, and there's an undercurrent of hope running through the book.
I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.
steph01924's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect to like this book so much. Everything about it: the way it handled its content, the characters, the writing, it just worked. I felt choked up sometimes but not overwhelmingly so. I felt like I went through the grieving process with Laurel without drowning in it. I devoured this book in an afternoon, and enjoyed every second.
The only note that drew me out of the story were the text messages. It felt way too trendy to misspell/abbreviate practically every word. It was hard to understand and just looked ridiculous (did the author not realize there isn't a word limit on texts now?). But aside from that, the teenagers felt like teenagers, the adults were two-dimensional, the writing just clean and readable.
I'll have to keep an eye out on this author.
The only note that drew me out of the story were the text messages. It felt way too trendy to misspell/abbreviate practically every word. It was hard to understand and just looked ridiculous (did the author not realize there isn't a word limit on texts now?). But aside from that, the teenagers felt like teenagers, the adults were two-dimensional, the writing just clean and readable.
I'll have to keep an eye out on this author.
mel_super's review against another edition
2.0
It was a good book but to be honest it was sooo anticlimactic like so predictable
charms1976's review against another edition
3.0
After all of the hype involved with this book that I have seen around the world wide web, I was a little hesitant on reading and reviewing this book. I wanted it to be as great as what I have heard and didn't want to be disappointed. How can you go wrong with tortured teen angst involving death, forbidden love and life changing events that will shape a teen into a young adult?
The first part of the book was slow in pace for me. I kept wanting it to pick up and move on already. I started to lose interest in Laurel almost halfway through the book because of the constant reminders that her life is lonely without her family. I can understand the devastation that can be involved when you lose your entire family at once due to some horrible accident, but I was getting a little tired of reading her sob story every few pages. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip and move on! There is still life out there that she needed to be living.
I also wanted to read more about David but the author kept writing him out of the story over and over again. Maybe having David travel was in the best interest of the character, but it wasn't in the best interest to keep the reader interested in the story. I needed more interaction between Laurel and David to keep me interested and would have loved to have seen them work through this crisis together. Instead, both characters had to work through it alone with the exception of Laurel's Grandmother.
Overall it was just an okay book that might appeal to readers of slowly paced angst. I prefer a little more action and dialogue between the two main characters to keep me interested for a long story.
The first part of the book was slow in pace for me. I kept wanting it to pick up and move on already. I started to lose interest in Laurel almost halfway through the book because of the constant reminders that her life is lonely without her family. I can understand the devastation that can be involved when you lose your entire family at once due to some horrible accident, but I was getting a little tired of reading her sob story every few pages. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip and move on! There is still life out there that she needed to be living.
I also wanted to read more about David but the author kept writing him out of the story over and over again. Maybe having David travel was in the best interest of the character, but it wasn't in the best interest to keep the reader interested in the story. I needed more interaction between Laurel and David to keep me interested and would have loved to have seen them work through this crisis together. Instead, both characters had to work through it alone with the exception of Laurel's Grandmother.
Overall it was just an okay book that might appeal to readers of slowly paced angst. I prefer a little more action and dialogue between the two main characters to keep me interested for a long story.
patke's review against another edition
2.0
Full review on Sniff Books, Not Drugs: http://tinyurl.com/44k98q6
To Sum It Up
Sincere story about loss, tragedy, and acceptance. Heartbreaking characters that support one another and the readers as well.
Thanks a bunch, Netgalley!
To Sum It Up
Sincere story about loss, tragedy, and acceptance. Heartbreaking characters that support one another and the readers as well.
Thanks a bunch, Netgalley!
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this book. I don't know if it was really that long. I read it in a day. But, the beginning felt dragged out. Maybe it could have been condensed? Laurel is a likeable enough character. So is David. It might have been nice to get some of David's point of view. But, maybe this wasn't the right type of YA book for that. Laurel's parents and brother die in the same accident that kills David's mother. Maybe David's father is to blame. David and Laurel haven't been friends in years since they were much younger. David is now friends with a group of kids that are called The Railroads or something like that. Laurel is an excellent student. Extracurricular activities and all. The thing I did like about the book was the realistic stages of grief. The way Laurel behaved with her Nana and best friend. I am unsure about her and David's relationship. Not unsure. Just... David's way of dealing with the grief was to be gone. Emails, random visits, and a kiss suddenly had Laurel making decisions based on him. Although the ending did seem organic. I would recommend.
heyjudy's review against another edition
4.0
~3.5 (maybe more)/5
[Also at my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-beginning-of-after-by-jennifer.html ]
I had higher hopes for this book. At least, in the romance department. I had heard that there was more than there actually was; or, I took it to believe that there was more.
There was swoon, I will say that, but not a lot of physical stuff, until the very last bit of the book.
Um, anyway: this book is about Laurel, who’s family gets in a car accident with Davids parents, a boy she’s known since she was little, but isn’t very close with anymore. A lot of the book focuses on her trying to face what happened and get over it.
She tries to play it cool, like she’s alright, pretty quickly, before facing that she’s having a hard time and misses them and doesn’t want to do anything. It was pointed out a couple of times that she was being selfish, focusing only on herself and not on the people around her that are still there for her, but I didn’t really agree with that. First of all, she does have some reason to be, at first, but then later, for quite a bit of the book, it didn’t feel like she was focusing on herself. She just wasn’t focusing on anything, and just didn’t seem all there. Which is understandable as well.
I liked Laurel enough, understood her and maybe felt a little bit of a connection with her, but not enough. She didn’t pull me in or capture me like some have; which, I guess, is also understandable in some way, with how she was written. She just wasn’t there for a lot of the book, not feeling anything and trying not to feel anything, which I did kind of enjoy reading about. Not enough, though, I guess.
I think I just had a hard time with this whole book. I had a hard time with Laurel, the romance was taking too long, nothing really seemed to be capturing me or putting me off; it was all just, eh.
It did get better near the ending, I will say that. I started to enjoy it a bit more as it got more interesting, the romance really got going, and the ending was good. It left at a good place, and even though I would have liked to see more of her going to college and being with David, that was enough for me.
[Also at my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-beginning-of-after-by-jennifer.html ]
I had higher hopes for this book. At least, in the romance department. I had heard that there was more than there actually was; or, I took it to believe that there was more.
There was swoon, I will say that, but not a lot of physical stuff, until the very last bit of the book.
Um, anyway: this book is about Laurel, who’s family gets in a car accident with Davids parents, a boy she’s known since she was little, but isn’t very close with anymore. A lot of the book focuses on her trying to face what happened and get over it.
She tries to play it cool, like she’s alright, pretty quickly, before facing that she’s having a hard time and misses them and doesn’t want to do anything. It was pointed out a couple of times that she was being selfish, focusing only on herself and not on the people around her that are still there for her, but I didn’t really agree with that. First of all, she does have some reason to be, at first, but then later, for quite a bit of the book, it didn’t feel like she was focusing on herself. She just wasn’t focusing on anything, and just didn’t seem all there. Which is understandable as well.
I liked Laurel enough, understood her and maybe felt a little bit of a connection with her, but not enough. She didn’t pull me in or capture me like some have; which, I guess, is also understandable in some way, with how she was written. She just wasn’t there for a lot of the book, not feeling anything and trying not to feel anything, which I did kind of enjoy reading about. Not enough, though, I guess.
I think I just had a hard time with this whole book. I had a hard time with Laurel, the romance was taking too long, nothing really seemed to be capturing me or putting me off; it was all just, eh.
It did get better near the ending, I will say that. I started to enjoy it a bit more as it got more interesting, the romance really got going, and the ending was good. It left at a good place, and even though I would have liked to see more of her going to college and being with David, that was enough for me.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
This is a well written and heart wrenching account of grieving and the process of moving on from tragedy. It is not happy book to say the least, though it does have its lighter moments and the end is hopeful. It certainly has an effect on my mood when I was reading it, which says a lot for the strength of the writing. It is long and it is very character driven, there is little excitement in the plot. It is about a girl coming to terms with losing her family, being at peace with the person responsible, and making a new life for herself. I can't say I enjoyed it because it made me seriously gloomy, but I appreciate what it for what it is.
ckausch's review against another edition
3.0
While I didn’t shed any tears over this one, it is an absorbing read...
Laurel takes a job at a local veterinarian’s office; it is a fairly close drive but far enough away that her co-workers don’t know her as the girl-whose-family-died. It gives her a safe place where no one stares and whispers, and she finds healing in the work she does with the animals. She even volunteer’s to take in David’s dog, Masher, when David can’t take care of him. I looooooved Masher. He’s adorable!
But, there were times I felt like the way Laurel and her grieving are written are a little light. I was also bothered by how easily Laurel and her best friend grow distant. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it just didn’t feel like an honest story about loss, death, sadness, grief, love, friendship, and moving on.
Full review at http://dogearedandwellread.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/the-beginning-of-after-by-jennifer-castle/
Laurel takes a job at a local veterinarian’s office; it is a fairly close drive but far enough away that her co-workers don’t know her as the girl-whose-family-died. It gives her a safe place where no one stares and whispers, and she finds healing in the work she does with the animals. She even volunteer’s to take in David’s dog, Masher, when David can’t take care of him. I looooooved Masher. He’s adorable!
But, there were times I felt like the way Laurel and her grieving are written are a little light. I was also bothered by how easily Laurel and her best friend grow distant. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it just didn’t feel like an honest story about loss, death, sadness, grief, love, friendship, and moving on.
Full review at http://dogearedandwellread.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/the-beginning-of-after-by-jennifer-castle/