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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Clearly someone read [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg|16827462] and [b:Looking for Alaska|99561|Looking for Alaska|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394798630s/99561.jpg|919292] and wanted to write something similar. Instead of cancer it's TDR-TB (which doesn't exist yet - but the author has a MBE and knows and researched the history of TB). Instead of a boarding school it's a sanatorium. Plus a dual narratuve.
It's well written with fleshed out characters. Characters act like normal teens. She built an interesting world that we kind of saw, and with her background as a bioethicist it was realisitic. However, this is a YA sick people romance book and not a scifi book. You get glimpses of how people would react if there was an incurable TB epidemic, but the focus is on the 2 main characters.
Struggled with the rating, 3.49 probably. I enjoyed reading it while sick in bed (again). It's definitely something [a:John Green|1406384|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353452301p2/1406384.jpg] fans would love. However, you do feel like you've read this book before.
It's well written with fleshed out characters. Characters act like normal teens. She built an interesting world that we kind of saw, and with her background as a bioethicist it was realisitic. However, this is a YA sick people romance book and not a scifi book. You get glimpses of how people would react if there was an incurable TB epidemic, but the focus is on the 2 main characters.
Struggled with the rating, 3.49 probably. I enjoyed reading it while sick in bed (again). It's definitely something [a:John Green|1406384|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353452301p2/1406384.jpg] fans would love. However, you do feel like you've read this book before.
This story starts with the not-far-fetched premise that tuberculosis has made a comeback. Infected teens are quarantined at a "camp." Of course, trapping teens together creates drama, but Schneider doesn't overdo it. Instead, she takes her time building interesting, realistic characters and focusing on the relationships they forge. This is a nice follow-up to her earlier book, "The Beginning of Everything."
ALRIGHT HERE WE GO Y'ALL THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ANGRY AND SEMI-COHERENT REVIEW RIDDLED WITH GIFS AND SPOILERS (which will be marked you can read this even if you're planning on reading this book--but honestly do you not value my opinion at all?!)
ugh!!! i had such high hopes for this book!
but, no. just like the love between two archetype'd robyn schneider characters, my beliefs were scorned. it was just the beginning of everything: maybe we'll die how sad is that let's be pretentious we're so young so full of life so much wasted potential edition. some amazing unique special snowflake she-doesn't-know-she's-beautiful perfect specimen of a girl falls in luuuuuuv with a hot guy. a completely vanilla, absolutely no interesting qualities type.
mary sue sadie would dieeee. and it would be so saaaad and change mr. vanilla's life forever. boo hoo.
what a coinky-dink that in this group of five friends, the survival rate of the disease is four out of five. SOMEONE'S GOTTA DIE. well, two people in this case. but whatever.
i don't even know how to organize this review. so many things pissed me off. I NEVER EVEN WRITE FULL REVIEWS. I SCRAWL THINGS.
but when i don't like a book, i usually have that feeling going in! and despite my strong dislike of the beginning of everything, i still thought i was going to like this book!
this is mainly due to the following reasons:
1) i only heard good things
2) the premise is pretty cool
3) alright, fine, the cover rocks.
so with my expectations in mind, let's set up the plotline. this is going to be like mildly detailed so if you still want to read the book you should probably skip this part.I'M SORRY I KNOW I SAID THIS WOULD BE SAFE TO REAd
poor widdle lane has TB. except it's now inexplicably different. it's completely resistant to drugs,and yet the mortality rate at a sanatorium where everyone has it is a mere 20%. also it's EXTREMELY CONTAGIOUS!!! but omg why are my parents worried lol i'm fine also they only have a 10% chance of contracting it if they're in contact with me but they'll be fired if they "test positive for exposure" (wtf??)
so the science here doesn't really check out.
anyway, lane arrives at this top-notch expensive sanatorium, granted opportunities anyone else with TB would literally kill for (and that's just in the US). and he hates it there.
maybe i'm not being fair. but this is an epidemic, possibly a pandemic, and his only symptoms are being tired once in a while and coughing sometimes, and this kid is chilling having amazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences with his perfectly quirky popular clique, who are just too cool to deal with these people trying to help them, and they could only ever possibly flourish in this obscure scenario. honestly i cannot picture these kids at a public high school.
SPEAKING OF WHICH, why are there only teenagers in this place?!
anyway he falls in with this group and then falls in love with unique beauty over there, blah blah blah. occasional insertion of coughing fit as a reminder that This Typical And Boring Love Story Is Beautiful Because They Might Die. how deep.
then more stuff happens and shit hits the fan but it's all right but then it's A MILLION TIMES WORSE.
except that at the page that probably inspired tears in some of people who cry during john green books, i cracked an incredulous grin.
don't waste your time on this book.
ugh!!! i had such high hopes for this book!
but, no. just like the love between two archetype'd robyn schneider characters, my beliefs were scorned. it was just the beginning of everything: maybe we'll die how sad is that let's be pretentious we're so young so full of life so much wasted potential edition. some amazing unique special snowflake she-doesn't-know-she's-beautiful perfect specimen of a girl falls in luuuuuuv with a hot guy. a completely vanilla, absolutely no interesting qualities type.
Spoiler
and the love is scorned in both books can you believe it oh my god it's the twist no one saw comingSpoiler
except like, no. i predicted from the get-go thatwhat a coinky-dink that in this group of five friends, the survival rate of the disease is four out of five. SOMEONE'S GOTTA DIE. well, two people in this case. but whatever.
i don't even know how to organize this review. so many things pissed me off. I NEVER EVEN WRITE FULL REVIEWS. I SCRAWL THINGS.
but when i don't like a book, i usually have that feeling going in! and despite my strong dislike of the beginning of everything, i still thought i was going to like this book!
this is mainly due to the following reasons:
1) i only heard good things
2) the premise is pretty cool
3) alright, fine, the cover rocks.
so with my expectations in mind, let's set up the plotline. this is going to be like mildly detailed so if you still want to read the book you should probably skip this part.
poor widdle lane has TB. except it's now inexplicably different. it's completely resistant to drugs,
so the science here doesn't really check out.
anyway, lane arrives at this top-notch expensive sanatorium, granted opportunities anyone else with TB would literally kill for (and that's just in the US). and he hates it there.
maybe i'm not being fair. but this is an epidemic, possibly a pandemic, and his only symptoms are being tired once in a while and coughing sometimes, and this kid is chilling having amazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences with his perfectly quirky popular clique, who are just too cool to deal with these people trying to help them, and they could only ever possibly flourish in this obscure scenario. honestly i cannot picture these kids at a public high school.
SPEAKING OF WHICH, why are there only teenagers in this place?!
anyway he falls in with this group and then falls in love with unique beauty over there, blah blah blah. occasional insertion of coughing fit as a reminder that This Typical And Boring Love Story Is Beautiful Because They Might Die. how deep.
then more stuff happens and shit hits the fan but it's all right but then it's A MILLION TIMES WORSE.
except that at the page that probably inspired tears in some of people who cry during john green books, i cracked an incredulous grin.
don't waste your time on this book.
Usually, I wouldn't give this type of book five stars. But something within it struck me hard and resonated so deeply that I can't bear to give it any fewer.
Spoiler
On the surface, this novel is a YA that explores relationships, illness, and being an outsider/fitting in. It includes all the typical clichés of edgy teens, their love triangles, and their unrealistic ability to get up to mischief with very little adult interference. It is a simple read. But once inside the pages, this book dives into so much more. I am in the rare situation of being able to relate almost exactly to the main character in an isolated inpatient hospital, and so the story really hit something deep within me. The tightness of the friendships and the strength of the 'belonging' he found once in that place he initially resented so much, caused a phantom scar on my chest to ache. I found myself in tears over the book's messages of what living actually means. That we need to stop spending our lives as if they were 'someplace to get through on the way to somewhere else.' That what we might become is not as important as who we are now, because it is the person today that has the power to leave a mark. That you may not be able to control the suffering that is inflicted on you, but you can choose how to deal with it, how to control the rest of your life and make it as joyful as you can - because, in the end, it is the good times that you will treasure forever.
I really, really liked this book. The evolution of Lane and his character was a fun experience and I liked who he became. The friendship between the five teenagers were adorable and heartwarming. In short, the while concept of this book really got to me. However, I had expected a real sob-fest which I didn't get. Sure, I felt things but it wasn't the real, deep feelings, and the ending felt awfully rushed in some ways. If it wouldn't have been because of the rushed ending I probably would've given it 5/5.
Once again, Robyn Schneider has done it: crafted a beautiful story, a thoughtful romance, but still managing to cram all the nerdiness she could to make me giggle. I love her and you will love this book.
Full review to come on Reverse Chrysalis.
Full review to come on Reverse Chrysalis.
A difficult subject since this book talk about disease. I thought my reading would be more difficult, sad, but at the risk of seeming to have no heart, it was not the case. I was not upset, maybe because I didn’t like the characters more than that.
In this book, Tuberculosis has become incurable, a mutant strain resists to all the previous treatments. Some Sanatorium, are being set up across the United States (and the rest of the world), in hopes of stabilization, or even a miraculous healing of people (here they are teenagers) affected by disease.
We’re going to follow two teenagers, Lane and Sadie. Both have the disease. Lane has just arrived at Latham House, a kind of high school where every student has the disease. He discovers this new universe, his new life. Quickly he spots Sadie, a girl he is certain to have seen before. Sadie quickly spotted Lane too, the boy who hurt her so much at summer camp a few years ago.
The narration of the novel is shared between these two characters, these two points of view. We will follow their stories, love and friendship, their struggles to recover, to not die and hope to return to a normal life. They are separated from their families and friends, the outside world fears these “sick people”. So they trie to survive one more day, hoping that researchers will finally find a miracle cure!
The writing of the novel is fluid, the characters are not unpleasant, but as I said before I didn’t feel more than some sympathy to them … Even if the novel evokes difficult things, I wasn’t affected by the events. I’m not saying that the novel is bad, this book wasn’t for me, at this moment …
http://www.further-west.com/en/extraordinary-means-by-robyn-schneider-book-review/
In this book, Tuberculosis has become incurable, a mutant strain resists to all the previous treatments. Some Sanatorium, are being set up across the United States (and the rest of the world), in hopes of stabilization, or even a miraculous healing of people (here they are teenagers) affected by disease.
We’re going to follow two teenagers, Lane and Sadie. Both have the disease. Lane has just arrived at Latham House, a kind of high school where every student has the disease. He discovers this new universe, his new life. Quickly he spots Sadie, a girl he is certain to have seen before. Sadie quickly spotted Lane too, the boy who hurt her so much at summer camp a few years ago.
The narration of the novel is shared between these two characters, these two points of view. We will follow their stories, love and friendship, their struggles to recover, to not die and hope to return to a normal life. They are separated from their families and friends, the outside world fears these “sick people”. So they trie to survive one more day, hoping that researchers will finally find a miracle cure!
The writing of the novel is fluid, the characters are not unpleasant, but as I said before I didn’t feel more than some sympathy to them … Even if the novel evokes difficult things, I wasn’t affected by the events. I’m not saying that the novel is bad, this book wasn’t for me, at this moment …
http://www.further-west.com/en/extraordinary-means-by-robyn-schneider-book-review/
"And being healthy, being okay, wouldn't feel normal at all. It would feel incredible."
Damn this book and all the feelings it caused. I marked so many quotes in this book which were all very relatable for me as a chronic illness sufferer. Especially this quote above made me fall in love with this book. It portrays life with a chronic illness so perfectly for me.
"If I'm not broken, how come no one can fix me?”
Damn this book and all the feelings it caused. I marked so many quotes in this book which were all very relatable for me as a chronic illness sufferer. Especially this quote above made me fall in love with this book. It portrays life with a chronic illness so perfectly for me.
"If I'm not broken, how come no one can fix me?”