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kamckim's review against another edition
4.0
Nice book. Young adult suspense isn’t really made genre, but this was a quick read. It’s the second in a series, but you can read this one and get the backstory. The first book seems interesting, and there’s a third one coming out. I’m have plenty of students who would really enjoy this one.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
4.0
Holly Goldberg Sloan is an incredible writer. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I liked this one even more. I appreciate the great depth of her characters. Often, coincidences are categorized as poor writing, but Sloan uses them intentionally and in a clever way---defying literary assumptions about quality writing. The book is quite suspenseful, and readers will have the urge to race through it to learn how the plot unravels. The way Sloan builds the plot details is very thoughtful and meticulous, and I found myself constantly reflecting about how intelligent she is. This sequel is well worth the read. It is a difficult one to put down! It reads like a very literary mystery and would be a great text for teachers to have in their classrooms. One aspect that I love about this series is it turns our concept of family on its head; it will teach readers about the power of a strong family unit---traditional or not.
excessivenarwhal's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cupcakegirly's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book at ALAMW and I got excited just listening to one of the publicists at Little Brown get excited. At the time, I wasn't aware that it was actually the sequel to book one, I'll Be There, and while it can be read as a stand alone, I think in order to truly understand what these characters have been through, reading the first book is a must.
Holly Goldberg Sloan's poetic prose drew me in immediately and her ability to tell the story from not just one or two POVs, but from all of the character's POVs left me a little awe-struck. One would think so many different voices would get distracting but it doesn't, and she weaves them together so seamlessly that you don't even realize you've slipped from one character's head into another until you're already there. In both books, she lays out a story that reminded me of a connect-the-dots picture. Up close, it looks like nothing more than a bunch of dots dispersed across a page, but once you finish, you're better able to see how each of those dots is joined together to form a bigger picture.
I was a few pages into Just Call My Name before realizing there was, in fact, a book that came before it, and I wanted to have all the pieces to this story puzzle before continuing. So I found a copy of I'll Be There at my library, read it as fast as I could and loved it. I was fully invested in Emily, Sam and Riddle and when I came to the final page I had tears pooling in my eyes and a smile plastered on my face. I was happy knowing they would all be okay, satisfied with the way it all ended.
And here's where my feelings get mixed up...
I don't think every story needs a sequel. Doing so means more characters, more strife and sometimes it changes how the reader views the original characters overall. (Okay, so maybe just this reader, but still.) Sam, Emily, Riddle and the rest of the Bell family have already been through hell and back in book one, so why drag them through it all again? I guess maybe some readers wanted closure as far as Sam and Riddle's father goes, but for me, I had that in book one. And yeah, Sam is naive and will come up against some of the things he did in this book, but again, he and Emily were tested enough in book one. The ending for this one felt rushed and even though the romance isn't the main focus, I still wanted to see more happy times for Sam and Emily.
Having said all of that, this is definitely worth the read, it's a great example of sacrifice, forgiveness and love, and the writing is fantastic!
Holly Goldberg Sloan's poetic prose drew me in immediately and her ability to tell the story from not just one or two POVs, but from all of the character's POVs left me a little awe-struck. One would think so many different voices would get distracting but it doesn't, and she weaves them together so seamlessly that you don't even realize you've slipped from one character's head into another until you're already there. In both books, she lays out a story that reminded me of a connect-the-dots picture. Up close, it looks like nothing more than a bunch of dots dispersed across a page, but once you finish, you're better able to see how each of those dots is joined together to form a bigger picture.
I was a few pages into Just Call My Name before realizing there was, in fact, a book that came before it, and I wanted to have all the pieces to this story puzzle before continuing. So I found a copy of I'll Be There at my library, read it as fast as I could and loved it. I was fully invested in Emily, Sam and Riddle and when I came to the final page I had tears pooling in my eyes and a smile plastered on my face. I was happy knowing they would all be okay, satisfied with the way it all ended.
And here's where my feelings get mixed up...
I don't think every story needs a sequel. Doing so means more characters, more strife and sometimes it changes how the reader views the original characters overall. (Okay, so maybe just this reader, but still.) Sam, Emily, Riddle and the rest of the Bell family have already been through hell and back in book one, so why drag them through it all again? I guess maybe some readers wanted closure as far as Sam and Riddle's father goes, but for me, I had that in book one. And yeah, Sam is naive and will come up against some of the things he did in this book, but again, he and Emily were tested enough in book one. The ending for this one felt rushed and even though the romance isn't the main focus, I still wanted to see more happy times for Sam and Emily.
Having said all of that, this is definitely worth the read, it's a great example of sacrifice, forgiveness and love, and the writing is fantastic!
ivy_reads_'s review against another edition
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
taliereads's review against another edition
5.0
Great book!!! I don’t usually read realistic fiction but this was great! Lovely romance and a great thriller! Sort of good girl bad/quiet boy vibes!I also ended up reading the second book before the first and still managed to follow along and all made sense! I loved it def recommend!
froydis's review against another edition
3.0
This was an ok follow-up to the first novel, but falls somewhat short for me. It was a bit too much like the original, and the plot line with Sam's father felt a bit too soap-opera-y for me. It was great to see these characters again, and the suspense was pretty good. The ending felt a bit neat and tidy, but was nonetheless satisfying. A good read if you've read and loved the first one.
xassteriax's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
This book just wasn’t meant for me. We didn’t jive. Just was very boring to me.
shyleek's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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? No
3.5
This book didn't quite pack the emotional punch of it's prequel, I'll Be There. It was adventurous. It maintained the writing style. And I still loved all the characters. If I'll Be There needed a sequel I don't feel like this is the one it needed.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
It's to the author's credit I didn't realize this was a sequel until fairly late in the read - there was some Previously... but it really didn't feel like that!
The focus here on what family is, what loyalty and friendship are is impressive. It really does make one think about how one defines all three, particularly when home/family may not be the safest or easiest place to be. Less impressive was the series of coincidences that had to happen to make the Big Crisis happen. Had there actually been a manhunt, or even an awareness that there was a problem that might involve the Bells, Sam and Riddle.
ARC provided by publisher.
The focus here on what family is, what loyalty and friendship are is impressive. It really does make one think about how one defines all three, particularly when home/family may not be the safest or easiest place to be. Less impressive was the series of coincidences that had to happen to make the Big Crisis happen. Had there actually been a manhunt, or even an awareness that there was a problem that might involve the Bells, Sam and Riddle.
ARC provided by publisher.