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fatimareadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
[4.5 stars]
**Thank you Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review below.**
This book had me smiling goofily at 5 in the morning. Honestly, it was that good. I don't even know why I've put it off for so long, maybe because I was expecting a cheesy YA contemporary but instead got a touching story about a bunch of misfit teenagers who were just trying to find themselves. The story is told through the alternating POVs of Jaycee -- the daredevil, Natalie -- her uptight ex-best friend, Bishop -- a heartbroken artist, Zach -- a slacker with so much going on underneath, and Mik -- a selective mute who challenges Jaycee. Bishop's POV is told through graffitied poetry and Mik's is told through a series of graphic panels. Now, I know this all sounds very confusing, but somehow the story always manages to shift from the prose to the graffiti to the comic panels very seamlessly. All these teenagers have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by Jake's death -- especially Jaycee, his sister.
"We are all his collateral damage.”
I loved Jaycee from the very first page. Her brutal honesty and no-bs, daredevil attitude was extremely compelling; I loved it! Her attitude makes her likable and unlikable at the same time - she's a controversial and dimensional character. She acts crazy half the time, and she's quirky and witty with a very morbid sense of humor. I can honestly say I've never met another character like her. I usually call some characters unique in my reviews, but Jaycee is the epitome of uniqueness. Her personality most probably stems from seeing her brother snap his neck and die before her eyes; the girl's obviously scarred.
Someone else who was definitely scarred by Jake's death is Natalie, or Nat, Jaycee's ex-best friend. Nat witnessed his death, too, but instead of being there for her friend, she ran home and stopped talking to Jaycee, which obviously hurt her. Nat was uptight and I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me as the story progressed. We get to see more of her through her POV and how she's still haunted by Jake's death and suffers panic attacks. I really grew to admire her because she never told anyone and kept everything to herself, letting everyone believe that she was just an uptight bitch. Her relationship with Zach was adorable and I loved their dynamic both romantically and platonically.
Zach has so much going beneath the surface. Everyone thought that he was just a slacker who didn't want to grow up but his POV contradicted that. He was everything I wanted in a character. Half the time, I just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything'll be okay. I honestly can't find the words to describe his character without spoiling things so I'm just going to- *squishes*.
There is one character who I don't 100% adore -- Bishop. Don't get me wrong, I like him but he just seemed ... distant, compared to the others. I didn't understand his heartbreak over Marrakesh so maybe that was the problem, or he was just meant to be portrayed that way. Bishop is obviously a very passionate character and he portrays that in his art. I found the graffiti and word art poetry to be beautiful, moving, and emotional. It's like Bishop pours out his feelings into the art and I admire that about him very much. The one thing that irked me was when he kept pushing Natalie to tell Zach what happened that night. The way he did it just didn't sit very well with me.
Last but not least, Mik -- which is short for Ryan Mikivikious. Mik is a selective mute and he used to be Jack's childhood best friend. I can't say he's my favorite character because I honestly love all of them, but he is definitely the closest. The way his POV was told, through graphic novel panels, was amazing. I loved the art and how the graphics managed to accurately portray the atmosphere and what was going on. I always looked forward to his POV. His character was dimensional in every way & aspect, which I absolutely loved. What frustrated me was how long it took for him to get with Jaycee. The sexual tension was unbelievable! I'm glad it turned out to be totally worth it in the end.
Maybe none of us knew how to grow up.
The different POVs offered massive insight into all of the characters. They all hid things beneath their exterior; I loved how they all helped and challenged each other to find themselves at the end. They were more than a bunch of misfit teenagers, they were a bunch of kids who didn't quite know how to grow up. The way I interpret this story, for every single place on Jack's map that they travelled to, they found a piece of themselves that they buried in the past. I don't mean to be profound, it's just a very moving story. Also, kudos to the diverse characters!
In short, You Were Here features the most dimensional & diverse set of characters, along with intriguing storytelling complemented by beautiful prose and art. It is sure to be an unforgettable read! Keep your eyes peeled for its release on March 1, 2016!
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
**Thank you Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review below.**
This book had me smiling goofily at 5 in the morning. Honestly, it was that good. I don't even know why I've put it off for so long, maybe because I was expecting a cheesy YA contemporary but instead got a touching story about a bunch of misfit teenagers who were just trying to find themselves. The story is told through the alternating POVs of Jaycee -- the daredevil, Natalie -- her uptight ex-best friend, Bishop -- a heartbroken artist, Zach -- a slacker with so much going on underneath, and Mik -- a selective mute who challenges Jaycee. Bishop's POV is told through graffitied poetry and Mik's is told through a series of graphic panels. Now, I know this all sounds very confusing, but somehow the story always manages to shift from the prose to the graffiti to the comic panels very seamlessly. All these teenagers have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by Jake's death -- especially Jaycee, his sister.
"We are all his collateral damage.”
I loved Jaycee from the very first page. Her brutal honesty and no-bs, daredevil attitude was extremely compelling; I loved it! Her attitude makes her likable and unlikable at the same time - she's a controversial and dimensional character. She acts crazy half the time, and she's quirky and witty with a very morbid sense of humor. I can honestly say I've never met another character like her. I usually call some characters unique in my reviews, but Jaycee is the epitome of uniqueness. Her personality most probably stems from seeing her brother snap his neck and die before her eyes; the girl's obviously scarred.
Someone else who was definitely scarred by Jake's death is Natalie, or Nat, Jaycee's ex-best friend. Nat witnessed his death, too, but instead of being there for her friend, she ran home and stopped talking to Jaycee, which obviously hurt her. Nat was uptight and I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me as the story progressed. We get to see more of her through her POV and how she's still haunted by Jake's death and suffers panic attacks. I really grew to admire her because she never told anyone and kept everything to herself, letting everyone believe that she was just an uptight bitch. Her relationship with Zach was adorable and I loved their dynamic both romantically and platonically.
Zach has so much going beneath the surface. Everyone thought that he was just a slacker who didn't want to grow up but his POV contradicted that. He was everything I wanted in a character. Half the time, I just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything'll be okay. I honestly can't find the words to describe his character without spoiling things so I'm just going to- *squishes*.
There is one character who I don't 100% adore -- Bishop. Don't get me wrong, I like him but he just seemed ... distant, compared to the others. I didn't understand his heartbreak over Marrakesh so maybe that was the problem, or he was just meant to be portrayed that way. Bishop is obviously a very passionate character and he portrays that in his art. I found the graffiti and word art poetry to be beautiful, moving, and emotional. It's like Bishop pours out his feelings into the art and I admire that about him very much. The one thing that irked me was when he kept pushing Natalie to tell Zach what happened that night. The way he did it just didn't sit very well with me.
Last but not least, Mik -- which is short for Ryan Mikivikious. Mik is a selective mute and he used to be Jack's childhood best friend. I can't say he's my favorite character because I honestly love all of them, but he is definitely the closest. The way his POV was told, through graphic novel panels, was amazing. I loved the art and how the graphics managed to accurately portray the atmosphere and what was going on. I always looked forward to his POV. His character was dimensional in every way & aspect, which I absolutely loved. What frustrated me was how long it took for him to get with Jaycee. The sexual tension was unbelievable! I'm glad it turned out to be totally worth it in the end.
Maybe none of us knew how to grow up.
The different POVs offered massive insight into all of the characters. They all hid things beneath their exterior; I loved how they all helped and challenged each other to find themselves at the end. They were more than a bunch of misfit teenagers, they were a bunch of kids who didn't quite know how to grow up. The way I interpret this story, for every single place on Jack's map that they travelled to, they found a piece of themselves that they buried in the past. I don't mean to be profound, it's just a very moving story. Also, kudos to the diverse characters!
In short, You Were Here features the most dimensional & diverse set of characters, along with intriguing storytelling complemented by beautiful prose and art. It is sure to be an unforgettable read! Keep your eyes peeled for its release on March 1, 2016!
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
cathyolibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I feel like I was there. The graphic chapters added so much, popping the characters to life right off the pages. Great characters to cheer on at this brink of childhood to adulthood. Thanks to Netgalley for the early read.
flux_6174's review against another edition
3.0
I think I'm reading the wrong books at the wrong time with a wrong intention, and so, this was totally messed up for me. The characters were well-written but way over the edge, but manageable since it had multiple perspectives. (Don't get me wrong, grief is tough process, and the way each person processes it is different and it was really well-depicted here, along with the other various themes of friendship, lies, and all that mess most teens get into). I don't think I would've gotten through this if it was only Jaycee's perspective, or if they were no visual artworks in between. Apart from that, the plot was very slow and boring, but, it had substance to it - as in, it had depth unlike some similar themed books. I finished it somehow as I needed closure for the characters, but I'm left here unsatisfied and feeling like I wasted a whole load of time (about 2 hours) on it.
I think I should stop reading these kind of books, I don't think- I uh-it's just not healthy for me...
lanaglennon's review against another edition
5.0
Pardon my language, but holy crap.
I adored this book. I started it yesterday, and I read straight through until I had to go to something mandatory for my dorm. Then I woke up early this morning to finish it.
First off, the writing is spectacular. McCarthy writes in such a way that I can clearly picture what's happening. I love the way that McCarthy integrates art with the book, and it perfectly fits the characters that she puts it in with. McCarthy wrote the characters in a way that I could relate to, and they were completely realistic. The characters all had depth to them, and the depth of the characters was explored.
The storyline was good, and it definitely had some twists and turns that surprised me. The book kept me on my toes at all times, and had my heart pounding. When the characters felt happy, or sad, or angry, I felt it along with them. I fell in love with the characters, and when I finished it, it kind of felt like I had lost a friend, or I had finished a part of my life.
Either way, I would recommend this book to anyone. There's not a whole lot of strong language, there is mention of sex, and there is definitely violence and some things that are described in detail, so I would say 16+ most likely.
Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
I adored this book. I started it yesterday, and I read straight through until I had to go to something mandatory for my dorm. Then I woke up early this morning to finish it.
First off, the writing is spectacular. McCarthy writes in such a way that I can clearly picture what's happening. I love the way that McCarthy integrates art with the book, and it perfectly fits the characters that she puts it in with. McCarthy wrote the characters in a way that I could relate to, and they were completely realistic. The characters all had depth to them, and the depth of the characters was explored.
The storyline was good, and it definitely had some twists and turns that surprised me. The book kept me on my toes at all times, and had my heart pounding. When the characters felt happy, or sad, or angry, I felt it along with them. I fell in love with the characters, and when I finished it, it kind of felt like I had lost a friend, or I had finished a part of my life.
Either way, I would recommend this book to anyone. There's not a whole lot of strong language, there is mention of sex, and there is definitely violence and some things that are described in detail, so I would say 16+ most likely.
Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
Four years after the accidental death of daredevil Jake Strangelove on the night of his high school graduation, two teens are still reeling from the trauma: Jake's sister, Jaycee, who has become a razor-tongued loner, and Jaycee's former best friend, uptight control freak Natalie. On each anniversary of her brother's death, Jaycee revisits "The Ridges," a former TB asylum now abandoned building where Jake liked to hang. Jake's former friend, mysterious selective-mute Mik, joins her. But this year, Natalie, her on-again/off-again boyfriend Zach, and Zach's friend Bishop, worried about Jaycee, follow.
The narrative gives us all five characters povs: Jaycee's in the first person; Natalie and Zach's in the third; Mik's via brief graphic novel panels; and Bishop's via the graffiti art he creates during each of the group's trips to revisit different abandoned buildings/sites which Jake had explored. Bishop's was the only one which felt underdeveloped, largely because his trauma was not about Jake, but about a girl who dumped him.
Loved how the stereotypes each of the characters seemingly embodied gradually unfold to reveal nuanced, individual people, all dealing with multiple traumas (with big and little "t"s) in very different, often incompatible ways.
The narrative gives us all five characters povs: Jaycee's in the first person; Natalie and Zach's in the third; Mik's via brief graphic novel panels; and Bishop's via the graffiti art he creates during each of the group's trips to revisit different abandoned buildings/sites which Jake had explored. Bishop's was the only one which felt underdeveloped, largely because his trauma was not about Jake, but about a girl who dumped him.
Loved how the stereotypes each of the characters seemingly embodied gradually unfold to reveal nuanced, individual people, all dealing with multiple traumas (with big and little "t"s) in very different, often incompatible ways.
alannar2422's review against another edition
5.0
Very Beautiful book, I loved this and savored every page.
mindfulbanter's review
dnf @ p60
NetGalley ARC
Gosh, I really wanted to like this book. But the entire time it felt like I was dragging my feet reading this book. I mean, I couldn't get a real sense of the character's 10% into the story. I didn't really get who anyone was, and the changing perspectives felt like an Ellen Hopkins poetry book gone wrong.
I did like Mik's (that was his name right?) chapters being told in comic, and that's an amazing trait to keep, but I wanted to claw my eyes out to the point where I'm just going to shelf this and maybe later this year I'll pick it up again. For now, I can't even give this a rating. I felt it was well-written, but for something that's supposed to be character driven, I was driven off course.
NetGalley ARC
Gosh, I really wanted to like this book. But the entire time it felt like I was dragging my feet reading this book. I mean, I couldn't get a real sense of the character's 10% into the story. I didn't really get who anyone was, and the changing perspectives felt like an Ellen Hopkins poetry book gone wrong.
I did like Mik's (that was his name right?) chapters being told in comic, and that's an amazing trait to keep, but I wanted to claw my eyes out to the point where I'm just going to shelf this and maybe later this year I'll pick it up again. For now, I can't even give this a rating. I felt it was well-written, but for something that's supposed to be character driven, I was driven off course.
jaxyway's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED. IT.
Please note: This title was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher.
Let me back up -- I strongly disliked You Were Here at first. I hated the main character right off the bat what with her ridiculous death wish, and her shallow, shitty "friends". However, a New Year resolution of mine forced me to press on, and give it a chance without abandoning it around the 25% mark, and boy, am I glad I did.
I'm pretty sure I'm in love with Ryan Mikivikious (Mik) and his selective mutism (which, I should add, annoyed me greatly in the earlier chapters, and later consumed me with a hunger for this motherfucker to speak. When he did, my life felt complete.)
Also -- this was big for me -- the setting for the last quarter of the novel was my old stomping grounds: NE Ohio, specifically the abandoned Randall Park mall (which I've frequented), and the defunct amusement park, Geauga Lake, which I frequented a lot throughout my childhood, and well into adulthood. The rides they discuss, I've ridden. The nostalgia was strong with this novel.
Fans of emotional YA reads are going to gobble this one up; those that have been to Geauga Lake are going to love it.
For more on Geauga Lake, and its current state of neglect, click here (2:14 YouTube video, news broadcast from 2013)
For a drone flyover of Geauga Lake from 2014, click here (4:38 YouTube video)
Please note: This title was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher.
Let me back up -- I strongly disliked You Were Here at first. I hated the main character right off the bat what with her ridiculous death wish, and her shallow, shitty "friends". However, a New Year resolution of mine forced me to press on, and give it a chance without abandoning it around the 25% mark, and boy, am I glad I did.
I'm pretty sure I'm in love with Ryan Mikivikious (Mik) and his selective mutism (which, I should add, annoyed me greatly in the earlier chapters, and later consumed me with a hunger for this motherfucker to speak. When he did, my life felt complete.)
Also -- this was big for me -- the setting for the last quarter of the novel was my old stomping grounds: NE Ohio, specifically the abandoned Randall Park mall (which I've frequented), and the defunct amusement park, Geauga Lake, which I frequented a lot throughout my childhood, and well into adulthood. The rides they discuss, I've ridden. The nostalgia was strong with this novel.
Fans of emotional YA reads are going to gobble this one up; those that have been to Geauga Lake are going to love it.
For more on Geauga Lake, and its current state of neglect, click here (2:14 YouTube video, news broadcast from 2013)
For a drone flyover of Geauga Lake from 2014, click here (4:38 YouTube video)
terrabme's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
I really love this book. I love how it can have five different points of view and yet each one remains so distinct, with a mix of prose and graphic novel and art. There is so much character development mixed with a teaspoon of humor and God there has to be a squele. Maybe about their road trip?
I really love this book. I love how it can have five different points of view and yet each one remains so distinct, with a mix of prose and graphic novel and art. There is so much character development mixed with a teaspoon of humor and God there has to be a squele. Maybe about their road trip?