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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed a story where the main character is a 13 year old girl. But it was an enjoyable read and I wanted to see the two of them have more adventures!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
A very charming coming of age story not quite like anything I've read before.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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:
No
First off, thank you NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions of this book are my own.
I LOVE this book. I do not want to ruin it with spoilers. Just let me say there was nothing I didn't like. I couldn't put it down. I finished it yesterday, but I can't stop thinking about the two main characters. They feel so relatable. I definitely felt the introvert connection with them both. I am new to Catherine's books, but if any of them are written in the same style as this one I am looking forward to reading them.
Ru and Gabriel will be me for a very long time.
I LOVE this book. I do not want to ruin it with spoilers. Just let me say there was nothing I didn't like. I couldn't put it down. I finished it yesterday, but I can't stop thinking about the two main characters. They feel so relatable. I definitely felt the introvert connection with them both. I am new to Catherine's books, but if any of them are written in the same style as this one I am looking forward to reading them.
Ru and Gabriel will be me for a very long time.
medium-paced
3/5 stars. I like this author and saw this book recommended - it really, honestly, gave me Young Sheldon vibes but with a more irksome narrator. The premise was interesting and it was a short read overall. As harsh as it may sound, this book is forgettable.
I absolutely adored this book.
I love books about friendship and this was definitely one of those. But it was about so much more as well. It was also about adventure, and grief, and living your life.
There were many adventures with this book: the ones Ru and Gabriel had, and the adventure of reading about them.
I want to be Ru. I want to be Gabriel. I want to have adventures, and I want to have them with Ru and Gabriel.
Part of what intrigued me so much was the fact that two of the items on Ru's College List are on my Bucket List: seeing the Aurora Borealis, and being out in the open and seeing the sky filled with stars. This story gave me hope and inspiration to make them happen.
Another thing I loved about this book was that Ru and Gabriel were such great characters. I cheered them on and nearly cried when they were separated. And nearly cried again when they were reunited.
Oh, how I hated Aunt Bitsy.
Any book that can bring out all those emotions is one I'll never forget.
More stars if they'd been available.
I love books about friendship and this was definitely one of those. But it was about so much more as well. It was also about adventure, and grief, and living your life.
There were many adventures with this book: the ones Ru and Gabriel had, and the adventure of reading about them.
I want to be Ru. I want to be Gabriel. I want to have adventures, and I want to have them with Ru and Gabriel.
Part of what intrigued me so much was the fact that two of the items on Ru's College List are on my Bucket List: seeing the Aurora Borealis, and being out in the open and seeing the sky filled with stars. This story gave me hope and inspiration to make them happen.
Another thing I loved about this book was that Ru and Gabriel were such great characters. I cheered them on and nearly cried when they were separated. And nearly cried again when they were reunited.
Oh, how I hated Aunt Bitsy.
Any book that can bring out all those emotions is one I'll never forget.
More stars if they'd been available.
What an absolutely amazing book!
Catherine Ryan Hyde must have had great fun writing this one, sharing her longterm interest in astrophysics photography (I LOVE the cover!) and her exceptional research skills (and possibly personal experience?).
With Ru only being 13 years old and having lived a rather sheltered life where everyone focused on how "freakishly smart" she was, she had done very few things girls her age would have done - making friends, finding hobbies, etc.
When she's sent off to collage she befriends Gabriel (17 years old), who just like her has trouble making friends. they develop a solid sibling-like bond. Gabriel doesn't seem bothered by her intelligence but instead focuses on being her support, on teaching her about "normal" life.
To escape being forced to live with her Aunt, Ru convinces Gabriel that they should take off on a road trip. Together they try to tick off as many items as possible from Ru's bucket list, including to see the Aurelia Borealis and Atlantic puffins in the wild.
The bond between Ru and Gabriel is very well portrayed and so is the emotional and intellectual journey that Ru experiences - from just being freakishly smart, to being a young girl with interests and ambitions, and an understanding of the world outside the text books.
Getting hold of a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde is always a treat, both for the soul and the brain - and I often learn something new from her stories too.
eARC via NetGalley, thank you! Views are my own
Catherine Ryan Hyde must have had great fun writing this one, sharing her longterm interest in astrophysics photography (I LOVE the cover!) and her exceptional research skills (and possibly personal experience?).
With Ru only being 13 years old and having lived a rather sheltered life where everyone focused on how "freakishly smart" she was, she had done very few things girls her age would have done - making friends, finding hobbies, etc.
When she's sent off to collage she befriends Gabriel (17 years old), who just like her has trouble making friends. they develop a solid sibling-like bond. Gabriel doesn't seem bothered by her intelligence but instead focuses on being her support, on teaching her about "normal" life.
To escape being forced to live with her Aunt, Ru convinces Gabriel that they should take off on a road trip. Together they try to tick off as many items as possible from Ru's bucket list, including to see the Aurelia Borealis and Atlantic puffins in the wild.
The bond between Ru and Gabriel is very well portrayed and so is the emotional and intellectual journey that Ru experiences - from just being freakishly smart, to being a young girl with interests and ambitions, and an understanding of the world outside the text books.
Getting hold of a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde is always a treat, both for the soul and the brain - and I often learn something new from her stories too.
eARC via NetGalley, thank you! Views are my own