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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Bloomsbury, at no cost. It was published in 2015 and they have sent it to me now because the sequel has just been published, and they were sending that to me as well. NICE MOVE BLOOMSBURY VERY CLEVER.
I had forgotten just how much I like an epistolary novel. I mean, I adore Freedom and Necessity possibly beyond reason, but that's a pretty special case. Turns out it works nicely here, too.
Ollie and Moritz start sending letters - yes, actual letters, because Reasons - when Ollie is given Moritz's address by his doctor. Ollie is a hermit for medical reasons and Moritz has a number of issues of his own such that while he's not quite a hermit he's definitely anti-social. Over the letters, the two develop a tight bond that's mostly based on honesty, although their trust is tested at several points. They both keep secrets for a number of reasons - some good, some dubious. They take it in turns to be utterly depressed, often with good reason, and attempt to encourage one another. With varying degrees of success.
Look, yes, this book presumes that 14 and 16 year old boys are capable of and willing to write letters to strangers. It also presumes that said boys are willing to occasionally be emotionally open. These things can indeed be true. These things are not the least probable aspects of the book.
Ollie and Moritz's letters are neatly separated by different fonts, which is a technique I have to admit to loving, as well as by tone. There is little fear of mistaking one for the other: Ollie is exuberant (usually) while Moritz is more formal. Their personalities are very different, due to their childhoods and their homes and their experiences. They make a lovely contrast. There are other characters: parents - biological and adoptive, loving and uncaring (those two sets do not always match); love interests; visitors; casual bystanders. The locations form a key part of the stories, as Ollie and Moritz (literally) navigate their worlds. But really it all comes back to the two boys.
This was an excellent novel. It's YA... and I guess it has other genre elements but explaining those would be spoilers, so... just find out for yourself.
I had forgotten just how much I like an epistolary novel. I mean, I adore Freedom and Necessity possibly beyond reason, but that's a pretty special case. Turns out it works nicely here, too.
Ollie and Moritz start sending letters - yes, actual letters, because Reasons - when Ollie is given Moritz's address by his doctor. Ollie is a hermit for medical reasons and Moritz has a number of issues of his own such that while he's not quite a hermit he's definitely anti-social. Over the letters, the two develop a tight bond that's mostly based on honesty, although their trust is tested at several points. They both keep secrets for a number of reasons - some good, some dubious. They take it in turns to be utterly depressed, often with good reason, and attempt to encourage one another. With varying degrees of success.
Look, yes, this book presumes that 14 and 16 year old boys are capable of and willing to write letters to strangers. It also presumes that said boys are willing to occasionally be emotionally open. These things can indeed be true. These things are not the least probable aspects of the book.
Ollie and Moritz's letters are neatly separated by different fonts, which is a technique I have to admit to loving, as well as by tone. There is little fear of mistaking one for the other: Ollie is exuberant (usually) while Moritz is more formal. Their personalities are very different, due to their childhoods and their homes and their experiences. They make a lovely contrast. There are other characters: parents - biological and adoptive, loving and uncaring (those two sets do not always match); love interests; visitors; casual bystanders. The locations form a key part of the stories, as Ollie and Moritz (literally) navigate their worlds. But really it all comes back to the two boys.
This was an excellent novel. It's YA... and I guess it has other genre elements but explaining those would be spoilers, so... just find out for yourself.
The structure of correspondence does this book well. Two different characters linked by strange challenges. At first I thought things were over-simple, but the book grew and grew on me. Thoughtful character arcs that are believable make this story a good read.
Such a good book! I loved both Ollie and Moritz! I would gladly be friends with either!
I started out hating this book. Ollie seemed too naive and optimistic, while Moritz was mean and pretentious. That changed about halfway through the book when I really started to love them both. I feel like this book would have gotten a 5 star rating from me, had it not turned out to be sci-fi. I just wanted a nice contemporary book about two pen pals who are disabled. But nope.
Overall, it's worth reading, but I am a bit disappointed in it.
Overall, it's worth reading, but I am a bit disappointed in it.
Such a delightfully surprising story, beautifully written and drawn with gorgeous strokes. Highly recommend!
*Disclaimer: I won this book in a GR giveaway*
Wow. Wow. Wow.
It looks like it took a long time for me to read this book, but the timeframe is misleading, as I was unable to read for some time due to work & family obligations. In reality, it took 2-3 days.
I LOVED this book. I'm not saying that because I won it in a giveaway. I'm not saying that because the author not only signed it but also doodled some sketches in the first few pages. I LOVED this book. It was unique, it was clever, I loved the characters, I loved the format (pen pal letters)... I want a sequel!
I don't give many five star reviews. I also don't own that many books, given that I'm such a bookworm. I'm glad I own this one, because I will re-read it.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
It looks like it took a long time for me to read this book, but the timeframe is misleading, as I was unable to read for some time due to work & family obligations. In reality, it took 2-3 days.
I LOVED this book. I'm not saying that because I won it in a giveaway. I'm not saying that because the author not only signed it but also doodled some sketches in the first few pages. I LOVED this book. It was unique, it was clever, I loved the characters, I loved the format (pen pal letters)... I want a sequel!
I don't give many five star reviews. I also don't own that many books, given that I'm such a bookworm. I'm glad I own this one, because I will re-read it.
This book has a very interesting premise...but I found myself board, not enjoying the characters, confused by the timeline, and overall just wanting it all to be over.
I don't have superlatives. The rare overlap of an awesome YA concept with a book totally appropriate for middle grade (advanced) readers. Think Wonder meets I'll Give You the Sun, with a healthy splash of X-Men. I need to put this in my classroom. Stat.
**I received a copy of this from Bloomsbury via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
Wow.......just wow. Struggling to know how to describe this - it's kind of sci fi but not really, a bit of teen romance & angst thrown in and written via a series of letters. The two teen boy protagonists have a lot to cope with in their very solitary lives but writing to each other becomes their lifeline. Had me scratching my head at times in order to suspend disbelief but I literally couldn't stop reading it. Did a bit of net surfing after & discovered there really is an experimental research facility in the area mentioned in the book - that blew my mind a little. Interesting, emotional and just fantastic.
Wow.......just wow. Struggling to know how to describe this - it's kind of sci fi but not really, a bit of teen romance & angst thrown in and written via a series of letters. The two teen boy protagonists have a lot to cope with in their very solitary lives but writing to each other becomes their lifeline. Had me scratching my head at times in order to suspend disbelief but I literally couldn't stop reading it. Did a bit of net surfing after & discovered there really is an experimental research facility in the area mentioned in the book - that blew my mind a little. Interesting, emotional and just fantastic.