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stinky8's review
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.75
This book was heart breaking and heart warming at the same time šš
dorayanki's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
elyssamiller's review against another edition
3.0
This book was so average I almost couldnāt finish it. When I first got this book I had pretty high hopes. The book has an interesting concept and a beautiful cover. Once I started reading this book it was so hard to continue it was unbearable. The book did not become interesting until chapter 12 which is over 100 pages in.
In this book Tessās āboyfriendā Jonah kills himself but then she finds out Jonah wasnāt who she had been talking to for s majority of the time. Although it was explained so many times why Daniel would do such a thing as pretend to be Jonah, I just couldnāt imagine that. Thereās a thing called catfishes, but this was cat-fishing to the extreme.
I have nothing against Peter Bognanni at all, except for his writing style. This book couldāve been written so much better. If it had the slightest bit more of detail in it, it very well couldāve been a 4 star book. When reading I typically find it hard to read a book when there is too much detail because it becomes boring, but for the most part it was the opposite in this book. Throughout the whole book it lacked in detail, except for a few spots that had way too much. There was no balance in his writing and I really wish there had been.
One last complaint is I couldnāt connect with any character in the book. When reading something I always connect with AT LEAST one character but in this book there is no emotional attachment for me. The characters were so bland it was pitiful.
Overall, I do not recommend reading this book unless youāve already read everything else and have tons of time. The font of this book was the best part (since itās quite large). So if you want a quick read that you wonāt like Iād say go for this one.
In this book Tessās āboyfriendā Jonah kills himself but then she finds out Jonah wasnāt who she had been talking to for s majority of the time. Although it was explained so many times why Daniel would do such a thing as pretend to be Jonah, I just couldnāt imagine that. Thereās a thing called catfishes, but this was cat-fishing to the extreme.
I have nothing against Peter Bognanni at all, except for his writing style. This book couldāve been written so much better. If it had the slightest bit more of detail in it, it very well couldāve been a 4 star book. When reading I typically find it hard to read a book when there is too much detail because it becomes boring, but for the most part it was the opposite in this book. Throughout the whole book it lacked in detail, except for a few spots that had way too much. There was no balance in his writing and I really wish there had been.
One last complaint is I couldnāt connect with any character in the book. When reading something I always connect with AT LEAST one character but in this book there is no emotional attachment for me. The characters were so bland it was pitiful.
Overall, I do not recommend reading this book unless youāve already read everything else and have tons of time. The font of this book was the best part (since itās quite large). So if you want a quick read that you wonāt like Iād say go for this one.
gaymoonreader's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5)
I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, this is a book that I would just classify as mediocre. It definitely deals with suicide and depression. But there were just some aspects of this story that I thought seemed very unnecessary and actually made me like the book less. I was basically ordered to read this book for months by my best friend who absolutely freaking loved this book, and I just don't get it. I just think there are so many better mental health fiction novels out there.
One thing I didn't really like was the romance. It was one of the most annoying and unnecessary parts of the entire book. The story could have had great conversations centered around grief and mental health, but those seemed to almost be completely overshadowed by the romance in the book. I am not talking about the main romance. There is an unhealthy romance that I don't like in the book, and it was just so unnecessary and it honestly just fills me with a certain degree of revulsion.
I also just felt like all of the characters were really flat. There really wasn't that much depth to any of them at all. They just seemed to stay the same throughout the entire book, and I just never connected with any of them. Since I had no emotional connection to them, I didn't care about what they were doing in the story, to be honest. I have to connect to the characters emotionally in order to care about what is happening, and this story just didn't allow for that.
With all of that said, however, I did really like the writing. It was very easy to get through, flowed nicely, and I liked the simplistic style of it. The writing was really what kept me going in the story.
Overall, I definitely had some issues with it, but I think its worth a read if you get a chance, and I am hoping to read more of Peter Bognanni's work in the future!
I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, this is a book that I would just classify as mediocre. It definitely deals with suicide and depression. But there were just some aspects of this story that I thought seemed very unnecessary and actually made me like the book less. I was basically ordered to read this book for months by my best friend who absolutely freaking loved this book, and I just don't get it. I just think there are so many better mental health fiction novels out there.
One thing I didn't really like was the romance. It was one of the most annoying and unnecessary parts of the entire book. The story could have had great conversations centered around grief and mental health, but those seemed to almost be completely overshadowed by the romance in the book. I am not talking about the main romance. There is an unhealthy romance that I don't like in the book, and it was just so unnecessary and it honestly just fills me with a certain degree of revulsion.
I also just felt like all of the characters were really flat. There really wasn't that much depth to any of them at all. They just seemed to stay the same throughout the entire book, and I just never connected with any of them. Since I had no emotional connection to them, I didn't care about what they were doing in the story, to be honest. I have to connect to the characters emotionally in order to care about what is happening, and this story just didn't allow for that.
With all of that said, however, I did really like the writing. It was very easy to get through, flowed nicely, and I liked the simplistic style of it. The writing was really what kept me going in the story.
Overall, I definitely had some issues with it, but I think its worth a read if you get a chance, and I am hoping to read more of Peter Bognanni's work in the future!
emmachu130's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm. So I have no problems with this book, it was just nothing special and I donāt think Iāll remember it in years to come. One of those where people are like āwhat was it about?ā And youāre like ....I actually canāt remember.
I liked most of the characters but found the story a little boring and the plot to be a little scattered and random.
Aaaaaaand there it goes to the dusty forgotten about corner of my goodreads.
I liked most of the characters but found the story a little boring and the plot to be a little scattered and random.
Aaaaaaand there it goes to the dusty forgotten about corner of my goodreads.
gggina13's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not perfect but I enjoyed it. Super, super quick read.
Liked:
Tess's dad was angelic
Daniel was super cute and likeable
Tess's feelings about death are extremely relatable to me
Disliked:
The way Tess spoke. I don't like when YA characters talk like 65 year old men (example: Augustus Waters)
The surface-ness of it all. Nothing was really more than touched on. Is it insta-love? I don't even really know based on the circumstances but she doesn't even really even care that she was misled
Overall I liked the characters and the story but the writing style really felt lightly brushed instead of heavily penned. I like how fast paced it was but I just feel like something is missing.
Liked:
Tess's dad was angelic
Daniel was super cute and likeable
Tess's feelings about death are extremely relatable to me
Disliked:
The way Tess spoke. I don't like when YA characters talk like 65 year old men (example: Augustus Waters)
The surface-ness of it all. Nothing was really more than touched on. Is it insta-love? I don't even really know based on the circumstances but she doesn't even really even care that she was misled
Overall I liked the characters and the story but the writing style really felt lightly brushed instead of heavily penned. I like how fast paced it was but I just feel like something is missing.
romantasylife's review against another edition
3.0
Beware Of Spoilers!!
My Thoughts:
I picked this book up because on the cover it says "Required reading for anyone who's ever loved or lost someone... but especially both." As some of you may know, I lost my grandmother last year and I've been picking up books lately that deals with death and depression. I figured, "hey, this book sounds like a good read." This book is not what I expected it to be at all. I was pretty disappointed in this book.
I feel like it didn't really focus too much on the grieving process. I think it focused too much on Tessa's dads business. I think the funeral aspect of this book kind of ruined it.
Pros:
Quick Read: This book was such a fast read. If I didn't have a job or a toddler, I'm sure I would have finished it in like four hours. The chapters were short, which I love. I love being able to take little breaks in between chapters and this book is a great provider for that.
New Romance: So we know that Tess was technically "dating" Jonah. I feel as if it wasn't a real relationship because I feel like it was just flirting and whatnot. I love that she meets Daniel from this tragedy. Daniel is a great guy and I was totally rooting for him when he was first mentioned in this book.
Cons:
Not Enough Romance: I needed more of Tess and Daniel. We only get a few intimate scenes with them and at the end of the book, they're separated again. I hate long distance relationships in books. It drives me crazy that I don't get any cute cuddly scenes!
Grieving Process: I feel like this book doesn't do the grieving process justice. I've lost a relative, not a significant other. So I could be 100% wrong about this. I just feel like Tess handled everything wrong and took everything a bit too far. There was also just a lack of emotion throughout the book. I just feel like all the characters were blah.
Awkward: There were some awkward parts in this book that made me a bit squeamish. I tend to just think of young adults as kids in high school. Not college students. So when anything sexual is mentioned in a YA book it makes me feel weird. Even though I know the characters are most likely 18+ I feel weird.
Recommend To:
Anyone who likes a quick YA read.
My Rating:
2.5/5 Stars
My Rating:
2.5/5 Stars
maeghin's review
3.0
WARCROSS By Marie Lu
I like this excerpt, it reminds me of ready player one. Adding this to my 'to read' list
JANE, UNLIMITED By Kristin Cashore
Where is this story going? It's really slow moving, didn't spark my interest.
THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE. By Stephanie Perkins
I like this excerpt also, reminds me of the movie scream. Adding to my 'to read' list
THINGS I'M SEEING WITHOUT YOU. By Peter Bognanni
Slow moving, didn't keep my interest
FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS. By Julie C. Dao
While reading I was curious to see where it was going but I'm not sure I'm curious enough to seek it out later.
mandyal's review against another edition
4.0
The book didnāt turn out the way I expected it to be. Everywhere I search the book, it always says that the book is about grief and losing someone you loved. So I thought the book was going to be JUST about grief. And it did in a way, but it didnāt in another way. I think I like the book better about how it turned out to be. It was more a story then a life lesson. Or that how I feel anyway. I lost someone who I loved most in this world and after a year and a halve I am still grieving. I thought that I maybe could get some answers in this book, but it didnāt. But never the less, it was a good story. The one that makes u sad but satisfied.
ashleighmacro's review against another edition
4.0
When I first picked up Things Iām Seeing Without You, I was really unsure about how much Iād enjoy it. Iād read the summary and thought it sounded brilliant, but I had also felt the same way about other YA contemporary books that sounded similarly great but had deceived me.
It didnāt take long for me to realise that this wasnāt going to be one of those books. It exceeded all expectations and I bloominā loved it. The characters seemed to leap right off the page and land feet-first in my imagination. Each is witty and sarcastic in spite of the tragic suicide at the centre of the story, and even though the novel is reasonably short at 336 pages I felt like I knew them by the time the story drew to a close.
I found the quirkiness of Tessās dad particularly refreshing, and the way his profession in the funeral business helped Tess deal with Jonahās death whilst learning more about herself. I didnāt expect a book about grief to take me on quite so many adventures, either, so that was a nice surprise.
Things Iām Seeing Without You is wonderfully written, unexpectedly uplifting and will stay with me for a long time. Iād absolutely recommend reading it, and Iāll be getting stuck in to Peter Bognanniās The House of Tomorrow as soon as I can get my hands on it.
It didnāt take long for me to realise that this wasnāt going to be one of those books. It exceeded all expectations and I bloominā loved it. The characters seemed to leap right off the page and land feet-first in my imagination. Each is witty and sarcastic in spite of the tragic suicide at the centre of the story, and even though the novel is reasonably short at 336 pages I felt like I knew them by the time the story drew to a close.
I found the quirkiness of Tessās dad particularly refreshing, and the way his profession in the funeral business helped Tess deal with Jonahās death whilst learning more about herself. I didnāt expect a book about grief to take me on quite so many adventures, either, so that was a nice surprise.
Things Iām Seeing Without You is wonderfully written, unexpectedly uplifting and will stay with me for a long time. Iād absolutely recommend reading it, and Iāll be getting stuck in to Peter Bognanniās The House of Tomorrow as soon as I can get my hands on it.