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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
A fresh take on teen romance, Extraordinary Means centers on two teenagers who have been sent to Latham House to recover from their drug-resistant tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, teens are sent to Latham to await the discovery of a miracle drug to cure their tuberculosis. The narrative unfolds through the alternating voices of Sadie and Lane. Lane is in denial of his illness, and is determined not to fall behind his old classmates and maintain his GPA. His determination to continue his AP work, however, quickly compromises his health and he is forced to accept that his is sick. Sadie has been at Latham long enough for her condition to stabilize, but she is neither improving or getting worse. She has a quirky friend group who smuggle in contraband to Latham, and try at all costs to keep some semblance of normalcy in their lives at the risk of getting into trouble. Though Lane and Sadie attended the same summer camp many years ago, the two are hardly friends until Lane proves himself to Sadie's friends and is accepted as part of the group. As Sadie and Lane grow closer to one another and fall in love, news of the miracle drug's creation reaches Latham. The question remains: will it arrive in time to cure them?
There is plenty of humor in Schneider's novel to keep the story from being too overemotional, and the voices of the characters are authentic. Many pop-culture references make this novel current and interesting, at the risk of trying too hard to do so. The author's note at the end of the novel does shine some light on the history of TB, but leaves the reader reflecting on Sadie's philosophy that "living and dying are actually different words for the same thing," instead of the intended message of second chances. For fans who loved John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and are avid tragic romance readers.
There is plenty of humor in Schneider's novel to keep the story from being too overemotional, and the voices of the characters are authentic. Many pop-culture references make this novel current and interesting, at the risk of trying too hard to do so. The author's note at the end of the novel does shine some light on the history of TB, but leaves the reader reflecting on Sadie's philosophy that "living and dying are actually different words for the same thing," instead of the intended message of second chances. For fans who loved John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and are avid tragic romance readers.
reflective
sad
If you didn’t already know the story is set at a tuberculosis sanatorium, you might just start out thinking the characters were at a regular summer camp, experiencing typical teenage situations and feelings: crushes, “cool” tables in the lunch room, defying rules, etc. But the reality of their situation starts to creep in, like kids who jokingly use bread sticks at lunch to pretend they are conducting an orchestra in time to the incessant coughing, or teachers regularly leaving classrooms unattended because they don’t want to be around the students. The story centers on Lane and Sadie. Lane was an ace student, on course to apply for Stanford, and prior to Latham House (the name of the sanatorium) Sadie was a not-so-popular girl who’s taken the opportunity to reinvent herself and is now part of the inner circle. Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love amid a world of med sensors, a disease resistant to drugs, and most notably thoughts of what their lives would be like had they not contracted TB. They want to be normal teenagers, sneaking off campus to town and getting coffee, or off into the woods for parties, but their illness catches up with them, with devastating consequences. -Sara Z
This story is centered around a fake strain of TB that is completely resistant to all the drugs we currently have available to treat the disease. It follows teenagers as they are sent away to a quarantined high school.
While this certainly is not on my all-time shelf (at the top of my book shelf) I really did enjoy reading it. The main characters, Lane and Sadie, are pretty easy to connect to. Lane is an overachiever who focuses more on the way he looks on paper than the way he looks in person, and Sadie is a girl who does everything she can to look cool but is worried that she isn't.
This book has a lot of important themes, and I liked the way it made me think about the way we think about sick people. This book also addressed dignity in death and the reality of it, and it was nice to get a little dose of realism between the parts where Lane and Sadie were falling in love.
All in all, I gave this book a four star rating because I enjoyed reading it, but I will not be reading it again. I did recommend it to my lovely cousin (a recommendation in the form of Christmas gift) so it gets four stars instead of three. If you enjoy teen romance and interesting themes, this book might be worth your time.
While this certainly is not on my all-time shelf (at the top of my book shelf) I really did enjoy reading it. The main characters, Lane and Sadie, are pretty easy to connect to. Lane is an overachiever who focuses more on the way he looks on paper than the way he looks in person, and Sadie is a girl who does everything she can to look cool but is worried that she isn't.
This book has a lot of important themes, and I liked the way it made me think about the way we think about sick people. This book also addressed dignity in death and the reality of it, and it was nice to get a little dose of realism between the parts where Lane and Sadie were falling in love.
All in all, I gave this book a four star rating because I enjoyed reading it, but I will not be reading it again. I did recommend it to my lovely cousin (a recommendation in the form of Christmas gift) so it gets four stars instead of three. If you enjoy teen romance and interesting themes, this book might be worth your time.
Kind of futuristic, kind of "throwback" to the days of the sanatorium, this novel will have you thinking about infectious diseases and the people who are living with them. Lane and Sadie are likable characters and the setting, Latham House, summer camp-boarding school-hospital, helps get those pesky adults out of the way. A little lighter fare than The Fault in Our Stars, but Extraordinary means will appeal to the same readers.
This book was great. I especially loved the inclusion of the effects of being an outcast. It was slightly similar to John Green's book "The Fault in Our Stars", but I found it much more enjoyable.
I liked this okay. I enjoyed the premise of the plot with the TB Sanitarium as the setting. I found a few moments poignant, but overall was underwhelmed by the writing. I listened to it, and found the male reader a bit wearisome, as he seemed to treat every part with the same amount of gravitas, which made much of it seem melodramatic.
The title of this book is perfect as it connects strongly to this story of seriously ill teenagers coping with diagnoses of a horrible new strain of TB. They are placed into isolation from the rest of society in Latham House, a hospital/boarding school. The friendship between 5 students plays out from the perspectives of Sadie, a patient for almost two years, and Lane, a newcomer. These young people are determined to live; to embrace all that they can in a highly regulated institution. So...they go to "extraordinary means" to maintain a sense of normalcy--sneaking in contraband and roaming the grounds after hours, as well as falling in love. As Sadie and Lane become closer, they are faced with the terrifying truth of their situation and they are even more determined to plan a future, to be happy and to make their lives have meaning. Simply put, they want to be "extraordinary". Lovely.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you love John Green, you'll definitely love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Outing