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carlisajc's review against another edition
4.0
*I was given an advanced copy of this novel to read and review by the publisher. This in no way affects my opinion of the book!*
4.5 Stars
When Netgalley sent me an email promoting this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. They described it as a book for Lauren Oliver fans—aka me. And after reading it, that description is pretty dead-on. But You Were Here by Cori McCarthy is also very much it’s own unique thing. And it was a really cool reading experience for me.
This book is about grief. That basically covers the major themes and plot. Jake died in a terrible accident…and he left his friends and family in his wake, not sure how to handle his loss. And this book explores five of those people—Jaycee, Mik, Zach, Natalie, and Bishop. Jaycee’s probably the “main” protagonist as Jake’s sister, but the others are suffering just as much, even five years after his death.
But this book was beautiful. I thought the writing was superb, and each character was so intricate and unique. The chapters switch off between them, and it was so interesting to see how they think and interact and deal with the tough stuff that life hands to them. They were all unique and they all had flaws and they all were so real that I just wanted to be their friend and give them a hug. Even though I don’t really relate to any of them personally. And I think to master that is a true feat. To honestly represent grief in five so very different characters is beautiful and wonderfully done in this book.
And each chapter and perspective was very distinct. Bishop, for instance, was an artist, so each of his “chapters” was simply one of his pieces that he works on throughout the story. He kind of leaves his mark everywhere he goes, so his parts of the book show those. And the different formats that are throughout, the distinct voices, really help us get to know the characters even better. And I super loved that.
I think my favorite part might have been the Mik chapters. After Jake’s death, Mik goes selectively mute…which would be difficult to represent in a novel. So they changed things up and his chapters were illustrated in a graphic novel-type format. And it was awesome. Truly. What better way to represent how he thinks and feels than to do it visually? Man, I loved them.
Notable Quotes
So, for me, it was the characters that made me love this story. Each and every one was so utterly real and believable. Each was so unique. Each was flawed, but relatable. And each was dealing with a grief that’s common to many around the world every day. This is a story of family and friendship, growing and loving, learning to deal with life’s hardships and move forward to a better day. This was a beautiful story, and I completely recommend it to you.
4.5 Stars
When Netgalley sent me an email promoting this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. They described it as a book for Lauren Oliver fans—aka me. And after reading it, that description is pretty dead-on. But You Were Here by Cori McCarthy is also very much it’s own unique thing. And it was a really cool reading experience for me.
This book is about grief. That basically covers the major themes and plot. Jake died in a terrible accident…and he left his friends and family in his wake, not sure how to handle his loss. And this book explores five of those people—Jaycee, Mik, Zach, Natalie, and Bishop. Jaycee’s probably the “main” protagonist as Jake’s sister, but the others are suffering just as much, even five years after his death.
But this book was beautiful. I thought the writing was superb, and each character was so intricate and unique. The chapters switch off between them, and it was so interesting to see how they think and interact and deal with the tough stuff that life hands to them. They were all unique and they all had flaws and they all were so real that I just wanted to be their friend and give them a hug. Even though I don’t really relate to any of them personally. And I think to master that is a true feat. To honestly represent grief in five so very different characters is beautiful and wonderfully done in this book.
And each chapter and perspective was very distinct. Bishop, for instance, was an artist, so each of his “chapters” was simply one of his pieces that he works on throughout the story. He kind of leaves his mark everywhere he goes, so his parts of the book show those. And the different formats that are throughout, the distinct voices, really help us get to know the characters even better. And I super loved that.
I think my favorite part might have been the Mik chapters. After Jake’s death, Mik goes selectively mute…which would be difficult to represent in a novel. So they changed things up and his chapters were illustrated in a graphic novel-type format. And it was awesome. Truly. What better way to represent how he thinks and feels than to do it visually? Man, I loved them.
Notable Quotes
"That’s what regret does well and grief does better: rips out your energy and leaves you feeling each and every heartbeat."
"‘Do you guys know what a Gordion knot is?’ Bishop asked. ‘Some people think that it represnts time. A tangle of sorts, but basically, it implies that anything that happened is still happening. That the past is never gone. The future already exists. Spirals upon spirals.’ He cleared his throat. ‘So really, everyone who was ever here is still here. In a sense.’"
So, for me, it was the characters that made me love this story. Each and every one was so utterly real and believable. Each was so unique. Each was flawed, but relatable. And each was dealing with a grief that’s common to many around the world every day. This is a story of family and friendship, growing and loving, learning to deal with life’s hardships and move forward to a better day. This was a beautiful story, and I completely recommend it to you.
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
This story of a group of people broken by the careless death of one boy will pul you in and not let go.
I was unsure about this for the first 20%. It was a sad tale of a traumatized teenage girl who watched her older brother die, lives with her crumbling family, risks her life almost daily and distances herself from any future plans. I do not like to wallow in the dark pool of pain with characters, like the loop Jaycee seemed to be stuck in. Luckily she wasn't stuck for much longer. The past she so desired came to her in the pocket of her dead brothers clothes. This little piece of paper started a journey that was filled with, truths, revelations, broken hearts and hope. By the time I got to 50% I couldn't put it down, I stayed up till 3 am to finish. I had to know, had to see if they found what they were looking for.
The characters were so different and well developed. I hated, loved, cheered and worried over them. Mik. the most mysterious selective mute character had the biggest personality and the biggest draw, his lack of words just made him more fragile. How could you not want this guy to have his dream ? Natalie the type A personality friend with some serious issues. She was the biggest puzzle, a complicated mess who appeared to have it all together. Really, there isn't a character in the book that doesn't have real life after trauma issues. The issues are realistic, believable and left me even feeling sorry for the big jerk in the story.
I loved it. This author is one definitely want to read again.
*ARC provided by the publishers and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I was unsure about this for the first 20%. It was a sad tale of a traumatized teenage girl who watched her older brother die, lives with her crumbling family, risks her life almost daily and distances herself from any future plans. I do not like to wallow in the dark pool of pain with characters, like the loop Jaycee seemed to be stuck in. Luckily she wasn't stuck for much longer. The past she so desired came to her in the pocket of her dead brothers clothes. This little piece of paper started a journey that was filled with, truths, revelations, broken hearts and hope. By the time I got to 50% I couldn't put it down, I stayed up till 3 am to finish. I had to know, had to see if they found what they were looking for.
The characters were so different and well developed. I hated, loved, cheered and worried over them. Mik. the most mysterious selective mute character had the biggest personality and the biggest draw, his lack of words just made him more fragile. How could you not want this guy to have his dream ? Natalie the type A personality friend with some serious issues. She was the biggest puzzle, a complicated mess who appeared to have it all together. Really, there isn't a character in the book that doesn't have real life after trauma issues. The issues are realistic, believable and left me even feeling sorry for the big jerk in the story.
I loved it. This author is one definitely want to read again.
*ARC provided by the publishers and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
fatimareadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
[4.5 stars]
**Thank you Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review below.**
This book had me smiling goofily at 5 in the morning. Honestly, it was that good. I don't even know why I've put it off for so long, maybe because I was expecting a cheesy YA contemporary but instead got a touching story about a bunch of misfit teenagers who were just trying to find themselves. The story is told through the alternating POVs of Jaycee -- the daredevil, Natalie -- her uptight ex-best friend, Bishop -- a heartbroken artist, Zach -- a slacker with so much going on underneath, and Mik -- a selective mute who challenges Jaycee. Bishop's POV is told through graffitied poetry and Mik's is told through a series of graphic panels. Now, I know this all sounds very confusing, but somehow the story always manages to shift from the prose to the graffiti to the comic panels very seamlessly. All these teenagers have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by Jake's death -- especially Jaycee, his sister.
"We are all his collateral damage.”
I loved Jaycee from the very first page. Her brutal honesty and no-bs, daredevil attitude was extremely compelling; I loved it! Her attitude makes her likable and unlikable at the same time - she's a controversial and dimensional character. She acts crazy half the time, and she's quirky and witty with a very morbid sense of humor. I can honestly say I've never met another character like her. I usually call some characters unique in my reviews, but Jaycee is the epitome of uniqueness. Her personality most probably stems from seeing her brother snap his neck and die before her eyes; the girl's obviously scarred.
Someone else who was definitely scarred by Jake's death is Natalie, or Nat, Jaycee's ex-best friend. Nat witnessed his death, too, but instead of being there for her friend, she ran home and stopped talking to Jaycee, which obviously hurt her. Nat was uptight and I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me as the story progressed. We get to see more of her through her POV and how she's still haunted by Jake's death and suffers panic attacks. I really grew to admire her because she never told anyone and kept everything to herself, letting everyone believe that she was just an uptight bitch. Her relationship with Zach was adorable and I loved their dynamic both romantically and platonically.
Zach has so much going beneath the surface. Everyone thought that he was just a slacker who didn't want to grow up but his POV contradicted that. He was everything I wanted in a character. Half the time, I just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything'll be okay. I honestly can't find the words to describe his character without spoiling things so I'm just going to- *squishes*.
There is one character who I don't 100% adore -- Bishop. Don't get me wrong, I like him but he just seemed ... distant, compared to the others. I didn't understand his heartbreak over Marrakesh so maybe that was the problem, or he was just meant to be portrayed that way. Bishop is obviously a very passionate character and he portrays that in his art. I found the graffiti and word art poetry to be beautiful, moving, and emotional. It's like Bishop pours out his feelings into the art and I admire that about him very much. The one thing that irked me was when he kept pushing Natalie to tell Zach what happened that night. The way he did it just didn't sit very well with me.
Last but not least, Mik -- which is short for Ryan Mikivikious. Mik is a selective mute and he used to be Jack's childhood best friend. I can't say he's my favorite character because I honestly love all of them, but he is definitely the closest. The way his POV was told, through graphic novel panels, was amazing. I loved the art and how the graphics managed to accurately portray the atmosphere and what was going on. I always looked forward to his POV. His character was dimensional in every way & aspect, which I absolutely loved. What frustrated me was how long it took for him to get with Jaycee. The sexual tension was unbelievable! I'm glad it turned out to be totally worth it in the end.
Maybe none of us knew how to grow up.
The different POVs offered massive insight into all of the characters. They all hid things beneath their exterior; I loved how they all helped and challenged each other to find themselves at the end. They were more than a bunch of misfit teenagers, they were a bunch of kids who didn't quite know how to grow up. The way I interpret this story, for every single place on Jack's map that they travelled to, they found a piece of themselves that they buried in the past. I don't mean to be profound, it's just a very moving story. Also, kudos to the diverse characters!
In short, You Were Here features the most dimensional & diverse set of characters, along with intriguing storytelling complemented by beautiful prose and art. It is sure to be an unforgettable read! Keep your eyes peeled for its release on March 1, 2016!
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
**Thank you Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review below.**
This book had me smiling goofily at 5 in the morning. Honestly, it was that good. I don't even know why I've put it off for so long, maybe because I was expecting a cheesy YA contemporary but instead got a touching story about a bunch of misfit teenagers who were just trying to find themselves. The story is told through the alternating POVs of Jaycee -- the daredevil, Natalie -- her uptight ex-best friend, Bishop -- a heartbroken artist, Zach -- a slacker with so much going on underneath, and Mik -- a selective mute who challenges Jaycee. Bishop's POV is told through graffitied poetry and Mik's is told through a series of graphic panels. Now, I know this all sounds very confusing, but somehow the story always manages to shift from the prose to the graffiti to the comic panels very seamlessly. All these teenagers have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by Jake's death -- especially Jaycee, his sister.
"We are all his collateral damage.”
I loved Jaycee from the very first page. Her brutal honesty and no-bs, daredevil attitude was extremely compelling; I loved it! Her attitude makes her likable and unlikable at the same time - she's a controversial and dimensional character. She acts crazy half the time, and she's quirky and witty with a very morbid sense of humor. I can honestly say I've never met another character like her. I usually call some characters unique in my reviews, but Jaycee is the epitome of uniqueness. Her personality most probably stems from seeing her brother snap his neck and die before her eyes; the girl's obviously scarred.
Someone else who was definitely scarred by Jake's death is Natalie, or Nat, Jaycee's ex-best friend. Nat witnessed his death, too, but instead of being there for her friend, she ran home and stopped talking to Jaycee, which obviously hurt her. Nat was uptight and I didn't like her at first, but she grew on me as the story progressed. We get to see more of her through her POV and how she's still haunted by Jake's death and suffers panic attacks. I really grew to admire her because she never told anyone and kept everything to herself, letting everyone believe that she was just an uptight bitch. Her relationship with Zach was adorable and I loved their dynamic both romantically and platonically.
Zach has so much going beneath the surface. Everyone thought that he was just a slacker who didn't want to grow up but his POV contradicted that. He was everything I wanted in a character. Half the time, I just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything'll be okay. I honestly can't find the words to describe his character without spoiling things so I'm just going to- *squishes*.
There is one character who I don't 100% adore -- Bishop. Don't get me wrong, I like him but he just seemed ... distant, compared to the others. I didn't understand his heartbreak over Marrakesh so maybe that was the problem, or he was just meant to be portrayed that way. Bishop is obviously a very passionate character and he portrays that in his art. I found the graffiti and word art poetry to be beautiful, moving, and emotional. It's like Bishop pours out his feelings into the art and I admire that about him very much. The one thing that irked me was when he kept pushing Natalie to tell Zach what happened that night. The way he did it just didn't sit very well with me.
Last but not least, Mik -- which is short for Ryan Mikivikious. Mik is a selective mute and he used to be Jack's childhood best friend. I can't say he's my favorite character because I honestly love all of them, but he is definitely the closest. The way his POV was told, through graphic novel panels, was amazing. I loved the art and how the graphics managed to accurately portray the atmosphere and what was going on. I always looked forward to his POV. His character was dimensional in every way & aspect, which I absolutely loved. What frustrated me was how long it took for him to get with Jaycee. The sexual tension was unbelievable! I'm glad it turned out to be totally worth it in the end.
Maybe none of us knew how to grow up.
The different POVs offered massive insight into all of the characters. They all hid things beneath their exterior; I loved how they all helped and challenged each other to find themselves at the end. They were more than a bunch of misfit teenagers, they were a bunch of kids who didn't quite know how to grow up. The way I interpret this story, for every single place on Jack's map that they travelled to, they found a piece of themselves that they buried in the past. I don't mean to be profound, it's just a very moving story. Also, kudos to the diverse characters!
In short, You Were Here features the most dimensional & diverse set of characters, along with intriguing storytelling complemented by beautiful prose and art. It is sure to be an unforgettable read! Keep your eyes peeled for its release on March 1, 2016!
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
cathyolibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I feel like I was there. The graphic chapters added so much, popping the characters to life right off the pages. Great characters to cheer on at this brink of childhood to adulthood. Thanks to Netgalley for the early read.
flux_6174's review against another edition
3.0
I think I'm reading the wrong books at the wrong time with a wrong intention, and so, this was totally messed up for me. The characters were well-written but way over the edge, but manageable since it had multiple perspectives. (Don't get me wrong, grief is tough process, and the way each person processes it is different and it was really well-depicted here, along with the other various themes of friendship, lies, and all that mess most teens get into). I don't think I would've gotten through this if it was only Jaycee's perspective, or if they were no visual artworks in between. Apart from that, the plot was very slow and boring, but, it had substance to it - as in, it had depth unlike some similar themed books. I finished it somehow as I needed closure for the characters, but I'm left here unsatisfied and feeling like I wasted a whole load of time (about 2 hours) on it.
I think I should stop reading these kind of books, I don't think- I uh-it's just not healthy for me...
lanaglennon's review against another edition
5.0
Pardon my language, but holy crap.
I adored this book. I started it yesterday, and I read straight through until I had to go to something mandatory for my dorm. Then I woke up early this morning to finish it.
First off, the writing is spectacular. McCarthy writes in such a way that I can clearly picture what's happening. I love the way that McCarthy integrates art with the book, and it perfectly fits the characters that she puts it in with. McCarthy wrote the characters in a way that I could relate to, and they were completely realistic. The characters all had depth to them, and the depth of the characters was explored.
The storyline was good, and it definitely had some twists and turns that surprised me. The book kept me on my toes at all times, and had my heart pounding. When the characters felt happy, or sad, or angry, I felt it along with them. I fell in love with the characters, and when I finished it, it kind of felt like I had lost a friend, or I had finished a part of my life.
Either way, I would recommend this book to anyone. There's not a whole lot of strong language, there is mention of sex, and there is definitely violence and some things that are described in detail, so I would say 16+ most likely.
Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
I adored this book. I started it yesterday, and I read straight through until I had to go to something mandatory for my dorm. Then I woke up early this morning to finish it.
First off, the writing is spectacular. McCarthy writes in such a way that I can clearly picture what's happening. I love the way that McCarthy integrates art with the book, and it perfectly fits the characters that she puts it in with. McCarthy wrote the characters in a way that I could relate to, and they were completely realistic. The characters all had depth to them, and the depth of the characters was explored.
The storyline was good, and it definitely had some twists and turns that surprised me. The book kept me on my toes at all times, and had my heart pounding. When the characters felt happy, or sad, or angry, I felt it along with them. I fell in love with the characters, and when I finished it, it kind of felt like I had lost a friend, or I had finished a part of my life.
Either way, I would recommend this book to anyone. There's not a whole lot of strong language, there is mention of sex, and there is definitely violence and some things that are described in detail, so I would say 16+ most likely.
Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
Four years after the accidental death of daredevil Jake Strangelove on the night of his high school graduation, two teens are still reeling from the trauma: Jake's sister, Jaycee, who has become a razor-tongued loner, and Jaycee's former best friend, uptight control freak Natalie. On each anniversary of her brother's death, Jaycee revisits "The Ridges," a former TB asylum now abandoned building where Jake liked to hang. Jake's former friend, mysterious selective-mute Mik, joins her. But this year, Natalie, her on-again/off-again boyfriend Zach, and Zach's friend Bishop, worried about Jaycee, follow.
The narrative gives us all five characters povs: Jaycee's in the first person; Natalie and Zach's in the third; Mik's via brief graphic novel panels; and Bishop's via the graffiti art he creates during each of the group's trips to revisit different abandoned buildings/sites which Jake had explored. Bishop's was the only one which felt underdeveloped, largely because his trauma was not about Jake, but about a girl who dumped him.
Loved how the stereotypes each of the characters seemingly embodied gradually unfold to reveal nuanced, individual people, all dealing with multiple traumas (with big and little "t"s) in very different, often incompatible ways.
The narrative gives us all five characters povs: Jaycee's in the first person; Natalie and Zach's in the third; Mik's via brief graphic novel panels; and Bishop's via the graffiti art he creates during each of the group's trips to revisit different abandoned buildings/sites which Jake had explored. Bishop's was the only one which felt underdeveloped, largely because his trauma was not about Jake, but about a girl who dumped him.
Loved how the stereotypes each of the characters seemingly embodied gradually unfold to reveal nuanced, individual people, all dealing with multiple traumas (with big and little "t"s) in very different, often incompatible ways.
alannar2422's review against another edition
5.0
Very Beautiful book, I loved this and savored every page.
mindfulbanter's review against another edition
dnf @ p60
NetGalley ARC
Gosh, I really wanted to like this book. But the entire time it felt like I was dragging my feet reading this book. I mean, I couldn't get a real sense of the character's 10% into the story. I didn't really get who anyone was, and the changing perspectives felt like an Ellen Hopkins poetry book gone wrong.
I did like Mik's (that was his name right?) chapters being told in comic, and that's an amazing trait to keep, but I wanted to claw my eyes out to the point where I'm just going to shelf this and maybe later this year I'll pick it up again. For now, I can't even give this a rating. I felt it was well-written, but for something that's supposed to be character driven, I was driven off course.
NetGalley ARC
Gosh, I really wanted to like this book. But the entire time it felt like I was dragging my feet reading this book. I mean, I couldn't get a real sense of the character's 10% into the story. I didn't really get who anyone was, and the changing perspectives felt like an Ellen Hopkins poetry book gone wrong.
I did like Mik's (that was his name right?) chapters being told in comic, and that's an amazing trait to keep, but I wanted to claw my eyes out to the point where I'm just going to shelf this and maybe later this year I'll pick it up again. For now, I can't even give this a rating. I felt it was well-written, but for something that's supposed to be character driven, I was driven off course.