Reviews

Winter Town by Stephen Emond

selena74321's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

I adored the art in this book. However, I felt quite disconnected from the characters. Had I read this 6-7 years ago, perhaps I would’ve been more enthralled with the story. Lucy held a lot of angst and lack of logic that teens often do, so to some extent, I get it. It was a cute little YA romance though, and I’m sure there are a lot of teens out there that would better relate to Lucy and Evan’s struggles. 

vanessamariebooks's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it was filled with so much art work, it was nice reading a book with pictures for a change, since I haven't read a picture since I was really little. Seeing as this book takes place around Christmas/New Year's time, it was a perfect time to read it now. This book was such a quick read and I loved everything, the characters (except for Evan's dad, didn't really like him), the story, Evan and Lucy's relationship, everything was just great. Speaking of Evan and Lucy's relationship, I loved how realistic it was. Neither of them were perfect and their relationship was full of flaws but it was a realistic portrayal. I think more authors can learn a lot about realistic portrayals of relationships from this book. I really liked the character development in this book as well and watching Evan and Lucy grow and finding their own paths. The only thing I wish was different is I wished I knew more about what happened to Lucy in the end when she returned home. I would have like to see what happened with her and her family. Otherwise this was a really great book and I'm really start to warm up to contemporary books, this is only my second contemporary so far but it's good second.

shanyreader's review against another edition

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2.0

This book just dragged on and not much really happened. I put this book on my to-read list years and years ago, so maybe I've just outgrown it. Perhaps if I had read it 5 or 6 years ago, as a teenager, I would have enjoyed it much more.

emiliebookworld's review against another edition

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When I first read the description of Wintertown, I was immediately drawn in, wanting to know more about Evan and Lucy's stories. And then started reading the book and it grew on me even more. By the end of it, the characters and the story had definitely found a place in my heart.

Evan and Lucy were best friends growing up. But then Lucy's parents divorced and she moved away with her mom. Now Evan only sees Lucy once a year during the Christmas holidays, and they pick up where they left off the previous year each time. Except when she arrives this year, Lucy isn't exactly the girl Evan remembers. She's changed and he can't seem to figure out what caused the change. At times Lucy is exactly like she used to be, but at others Evan doesn't recognize her and doesn't know what to do about it all. But Evan is determined to make it work and enjoy the one week a year he gets to spend with Lucy. And at first everything seems to be going great and Lucy and Evan are able to pick up where they off the year before, but then things really change.

This story was absolutely great without falling into clichés or being overdone. I really liked all the illustrations, and the comics at the end of each chapter were incredibly amusing and I loved them. But at first I wasn't exactly sure what to make of the story but the more I read, the more it grew on me and eventually wormed its way into my heart. The way it was told, the first half from Evan's point of view and the second half from Lucy's perspective was the best way it could have been told. It gave away just enough information. I almost liked it better than if the points of view had alternated the whole way through. For this story it was just perfect.

I think I pretty much fell in love with Evan and Lucy. They were incredibly real and I really felt like I could relate to them both, though to Evan more than to Lucy. And I have to admit that for the first half of the story, I didn't really like Lucy. Once I got to know him, I really wanted nothing but the best for Evan and Lucy was most definitely not that. He was just such a genuinely good person and he didn't deserve everything Lucy was putting him through. But then I found out more about Lucy and my opinion of her completely changed. Once I understood everything she had gone through, I hoped that she would do something about it and change her situation. In the end, I was very happy with where both characters ended up and how things turned out for them.

Wintertown was a great and fun read. It is a book I highly recommend, especially for those cold winter days when you want to do nothing more than curl up with a good book. And then you'll just fall in love with the characters and their story.

sc104906's review against another edition

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3.0

Evan and Lucy, best friends, only see each other one week every year. Lucy’s parents divorced and her mother moved away. Lucy comes back to town each Christmas through New Year to stay with her father.

Ivy League bound and uptight Evan is a stark contrast to Lucy the casual drug user and troublemaker. Lucy has really changed this year and Evan cannot figure out why. Her moods shift quickly and drastically. Even though she is difficult, Evan has a hard time suppressing his growing feelings for her.

Can Evan help Lucy?

This novel was a nice fluffy graphic novel/regular novel combo. While everything isn’t tied up in a neat little bow, it is still an interesting story.

eember's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was so cute and wonderful. I loved the art, and I loved Evan. He was just so sweet, and throughout the whole book I just wanted to hug him. But Lucy kind of got on my nerves. I didn't like the way she thought, and how she reacted to things.
Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read. It gave off a really wintery vibe, hence the title. But I'm really considering rereading it come Christmas time.

carnimdream's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

carlylwbug's review against another edition

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3.0

I guess this book wasn't all bad but there was nothing special about it. The drawings kept me interested but the writing was boring. It dragged quite slowly. Maybe it would've been better if I read it during the wintertime but I really don't think it matters. I did like the ending though.

silversparkles50's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

justineduhart's review against another edition

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3.0

Le bon côté d'une nuit sans sommeil et difficile, c'est qu'on peut terminer son livre. Même si ça n'a pas été une grande réussite pour ma part, c'était une histoire pas mal.
La note sera comprise entre 2,25 et 3. J'hésite encore sur la note finale.