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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Man I love David Arnold. The way he writes just speaks to me. I easily fell in love with Noah and the journey he went through; it was one I myself am familiar with. And getting to see it written out has been one of the most comforting things to me.
Started on the flight to Belgrade, finished at the bus station waiting to leave Belgrade after some of the craziest 48 hours of my life, which pretty much matches this book. Lots of feelings, lots of wackiness
This book was very good. You have to keep up with the side story’s that are included in the story to understand everything. I was skeptical at first about this book, but it was freaking amazing.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've maybe definitely been Bowie-baited into reading this book. This is strange in a very overwhelming but still entertaining way. Unlike some other YA protagonists, Noah has a very individual personality and his "strange fascinations" are incredibly hyper-specific. I should say this would be way more enjoyable for actual teens although I doubt teen me would have understood the majority of pop culture references back then. It was a bit too much for me but that plot twist was really good. I could also absolutely relate to the fear of things constantly changing as you grow up and the David Bowie references were the cherry on top.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Noah is one key part of a friendship triangle. While he is uncertain about his future, especially because he rejects the one others have put upon him, his best friends and twins are preparing to leave for college. Noah doesn't know who he is without his friends. While he would do anything to stop time and stop everything, even faking a back injury to keep him from the swim team, those who love him know that he has to accept the fact that they are all growing up. Noah meets a strange character at a party and gets hypnotized by him. After this occurrence weird things start happening in Noah's world and he must find that kid to get everything back to normal.
Strange novel that would work for teen boys. I wasn't a fan of the characters. It is a read-a-like to a Zetner book...even if it is scifi/fantasy.
Noah is one key part of a friendship triangle. While he is uncertain about his future, especially because he rejects the one others have put upon him, his best friends and twins are preparing to leave for college. Noah doesn't know who he is without his friends. While he would do anything to stop time and stop everything, even faking a back injury to keep him from the swim team, those who love him know that he has to accept the fact that they are all growing up. Noah meets a strange character at a party and gets hypnotized by him. After this occurrence weird things start happening in Noah's world and he must find that kid to get everything back to normal.
Strange novel that would work for teen boys. I wasn't a fan of the characters. It is a read-a-like to a Zetner book...even if it is scifi/fantasy.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm at a 3.5 star rating with this one, I think. A page-turning back-half is fueling recency bias.
What a wonderfully strange book this was. I was cold to it almost immediately given its frequent pop culture references, which I always feel do less to connect readers with characters and more to tragically date the story at hand. Fascinations also falls into the teens-don't-talk-like-this category at times, as another Goodreads user noted, especially the titular character's younger sister. I am glad I stuck with it, though, because after a very bizarre start it begins to take shape (albeit an equally bizarre shape that really makes you wonder where Arnold comes up with all this stuff).
This is a story about friendship and family, about the love and pain behind us all. Heartfelt moments, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, stand out throughout. I do not think I am left "altered" as one book jacket blurb would have had me believe. I would not recommend this book to a student who does not like to read. I honestly don't know who I would recommend this to. But I will keep this in my classroom library and try to find words for it should a student express their interest.
What a wonderfully strange book this was. I was cold to it almost immediately given its frequent pop culture references, which I always feel do less to connect readers with characters and more to tragically date the story at hand. Fascinations also falls into the teens-don't-talk-like-this category at times, as another Goodreads user noted, especially the titular character's younger sister. I am glad I stuck with it, though, because after a very bizarre start it begins to take shape (albeit an equally bizarre shape that really makes you wonder where Arnold comes up with all this stuff).
This is a story about friendship and family, about the love and pain behind us all. Heartfelt moments, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, stand out throughout. I do not think I am left "altered" as one book jacket blurb would have had me believe. I would not recommend this book to a student who does not like to read. I honestly don't know who I would recommend this to. But I will keep this in my classroom library and try to find words for it should a student express their interest.
4.7 this books is a masterpiece, but the end was actually pretty anticlimactic lol
4.5 Stars. I really enjoyed Noah's world and getting to know him throughout this book. Lost 1/2 a star for pacing issues that had me bored in the middle.