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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
slow-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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So what did I write yesterday in a review? How nearly every YA/NA book I read now is a DNF. And then I read this book!
This has all the classic hallmarks of a NA/YA nightmare but its deeper, less angsty (despite the characters having much more reason for the angst) and far better written.
Corey is a former ice hockey player who has lost the use of her legs in an accident. In a desperate bid to escape her parents' fussing she goes to Harkness College (her brother's college) where she is in the ground-floor special housing. Across the hallway is a smoking hot boy who also plays hockey and who broke his leg in two places in a drunken climbing accident.
Now I'm sure that Corey's story is disability-lite but it is still thought-provoking and eye-opening - for which I thank Ms Bowen.
I immediately downloaded the second book - that's how much I enjoyed this.
This has all the classic hallmarks of a NA/YA nightmare but its deeper, less angsty (despite the characters having much more reason for the angst) and far better written.
Corey is a former ice hockey player who has lost the use of her legs in an accident. In a desperate bid to escape her parents' fussing she goes to Harkness College (her brother's college) where she is in the ground-floor special housing. Across the hallway is a smoking hot boy who also plays hockey and who broke his leg in two places in a drunken climbing accident.
Now I'm sure that Corey's story is disability-lite but it is still thought-provoking and eye-opening - for which I thank Ms Bowen.
I immediately downloaded the second book - that's how much I enjoyed this.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Blah. I really wasn't in the mood for this, thus the two star rating. In a good day, this would have been three stars. This is very basic NA lit and none of the crucial stuff is wrong. Writing is decent, characters are more fun that annoying and they do have some depth. Story is the same old "an outcast girl falls for the most popular boy in the school, and the boy doesn't know what he wants". The twist is that the girl is paralyzed and can't walk herself.
I tend to be more critical towards books where there is a thing related to health that complicates stuff. It just often feels like writer is trying to milk emotions out of the reader. But I have to give credit that the paralysis was handled quite well and it irritated me only a few times (just because that kind of stuff irritates me). It also makes the main character pretty hard to identify.
This isn't a bad NA book, but I guess I'm just being bitchy and this had a few flaws too. Even though this was mostly well-written, it lacked conflicts and heartbreak. I wanted this book to smash my heart in pieces and it didn't. That's boring. I'm also bored with the too perfect characters. But I know that's how things roll in NA and you just have to be okay with or not read NA.
So, I read this in terrible mood. I was begging for something more and it just didn't deliver. I might try The Year We Hid Away some other time and give Sabrina Bowen another try. But if you are looking for college-romance-drama, this might be entertaining.
I tend to be more critical towards books where there is a thing related to health that complicates stuff. It just often feels like writer is trying to milk emotions out of the reader. But I have to give credit that the paralysis was handled quite well and it irritated me only a few times (just because that kind of stuff irritates me). It also makes the main character pretty hard to identify.
This isn't a bad NA book, but I guess I'm just being bitchy and this had a few flaws too. Even though this was mostly well-written, it lacked conflicts and heartbreak. I wanted this book to smash my heart in pieces and it didn't. That's boring. I'm also bored with the too perfect characters. But I know that's how things roll in NA and you just have to be okay with or not read NA.
So, I read this in terrible mood. I was begging for something more and it just didn't deliver. I might try The Year We Hid Away some other time and give Sabrina Bowen another try. But if you are looking for college-romance-drama, this might be entertaining.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read this book twice.
Is it the most realistic? No. Is it probably a little problematic? Yes. Do I still like it despite that? Definitely.
As a university student I love university/college romances, and this one was fun because any time they're in a dining hall I picture the dining hall I frequented my first year(it's also up a flight of stairs).
Is it the most realistic? No. Is it probably a little problematic? Yes. Do I still like it despite that? Definitely.
As a university student I love university/college romances, and this one was fun because any time they're in a dining hall I picture the dining hall I frequented my first year