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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok so this book literally made me so happy. I read it in about 3 hours (yet was still up until at least 2 a.m. because I just had to finish it). It was entirely too easy to devour in one sitting. Dealing with contemporary issues that affect a good number of people in society in both a humorous and serious way, [b: The Year We Fell Down|20896313|The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years, #1)|Sarina Bowen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393588332s/20896313.jpg|40239717] tells the story of a girl who became paralyzed and her foray into the crazy world of college/university.
Corey made this book for me. She is the epitome of what I would hope I would be if I ever became physically disabled. She is equal parts afraid of the impact her disability will have on her life and humorous in her approach to it.
Corey doesn't take shit from anybody.
Nor does she give up when the odds are against her. She is just a machine. She thinks a guy isn't into her? Well fuck that guy, she's going to go and join a sweet sports team and do what she needs to do to be happy, even though she can't walk unassisted. Her attitude is a reminder of what you can do and accomplish in the face of adversity.
I think books like this are really important. Corey shows that yes, it is definitely more than ok to show weakness when something like this has happened to you, but that it's really your attitude that will help you overcome your fears and insecurities. An all-round beautiful and important read.
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET, YOU SHOULD GO AND BUY IT NOW.
Corey made this book for me. She is the epitome of what I would hope I would be if I ever became physically disabled. She is equal parts afraid of the impact her disability will have on her life and humorous in her approach to it.
Was there a guy out there for me, who would refer to his wheelchair-bound girlfriend as a hottie? I really didn't think there was.
But removing my jeans requires me to roll from one hip to the other, like a flopping fish. It's very sexy. Not.
Corey doesn't take shit from anybody.
I pushed myself up on an elbow. "What? Just because I don't want you groping me makes me a chicken? That's bullshit, Hartley. Just because nobody else ever said no to you doesn't make it impossible."
Nor does she give up when the odds are against her. She is just a machine. She thinks a guy isn't into her? Well fuck that guy, she's going to go and join a sweet sports team and do what she needs to do to be happy, even though she can't walk unassisted. Her attitude is a reminder of what you can do and accomplish in the face of adversity.
I think books like this are really important. Corey shows that yes, it is definitely more than ok to show weakness when something like this has happened to you, but that it's really your attitude that will help you overcome your fears and insecurities. An all-round beautiful and important read.
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET, YOU SHOULD GO AND BUY IT NOW.
la recensione sul mio blog http://amicidicarta.blogspot.it/2015/10/recensione-prendimi-per-mano-sarina.html
This is actually 3.5 stars but Goodreads continues to play with my emotions regarding half stars. I loved the character development MC Corey experiences (to the surprise of no one). Corey starts off just fed up with where she is in life and that definitely shows in how she presents herself. You really get to watch her start to accept her new circumstances vs rail at them but also realize that..."Hey. I can still do some things sometimes." I don't believe in knocking heroines for not being positive all the time since I'm a snark monster and that'd make me a hypocrite, but I loved that this book was about her reaching a point of feeling better about the future/ not so much "less" than she did initially, just as much as it was about the romance with Hartley. I do think there were missed opportunities to have her make some friends with disabilities and/ or be inspired to see them crushing life and refusing to be held back, or at the very least for someone to check her for the "gimp" comments. But this book was written in early 2010s if I remember correctly, so maybe the publishing world wasn't there yet.
I was initially annoyed by the Hartley-Stacia relationship and thought Hartley should know better/ respect himself more, but Bowen made that make a little more sense by the end of the book. Corey has more patience than me because even though Hartley was often a rock for her, his behavior towards her felt selfish or inconsiderate as times, especially when it's clear he's figured out she has some feelings for him. I was cheering on the inside when he sorted his own feelings and immediately checked off all steps he needed to do to act on them--though I won't lie, I enjoyed Corey's occasional moments of petty-while-acting-innocent while waiting for him to figure himself out. I loved the moments he shows that he has really taken the time to get to know her and what makes her tick, and I wished there was more of that on Corey's part, though in her defense, he did keep his "shit to shovel" very close to the vest.
Some plot points were a little too perfectly tied up for me, but I have also been reading lots of enemies to lovers so my angst meter is dialed up to 11 right now. Overall Bowen did not disappoint and I remain a fan of her work!
I was initially annoyed by the Hartley-Stacia relationship and thought Hartley should know better/ respect himself more, but Bowen made that make a little more sense by the end of the book. Corey has more patience than me because even though Hartley was often a rock for her, his behavior towards her felt selfish or inconsiderate as times, especially when it's clear he's figured out she has some feelings for him. I was cheering on the inside when he sorted his own feelings and immediately checked off all steps he needed to do to act on them--though I won't lie, I enjoyed Corey's occasional moments of petty-while-acting-innocent while waiting for him to figure himself out. I loved the moments he shows that he has really taken the time to get to know her and what makes her tick, and I wished there was more of that on Corey's part, though in her defense, he did keep his "shit to shovel" very close to the vest.
Some plot points were a little too perfectly tied up for me, but I have also been reading lots of enemies to lovers so my angst meter is dialed up to 11 right now. Overall Bowen did not disappoint and I remain a fan of her work!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was alright, I was hoping for a bit more ice hockey/sports action.
Plus, I was really excited by the disability rep in the beginning only to find out it gets "solved" through the book...
Plus, I was really excited by the disability rep in the beginning only to find out it gets "solved" through the book...
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Man, reading about books set in college make me really miss my college years for some reason. This was a great, quick romance. Sort of friends -to-lovers, but definitely a unique set-up for both our hero and heroine. The ending or last little bit was pretty rushed, but oh well. It didn't deter me from enjoying the novel.