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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Raw, and honest. Wasn’t afraid to show how vulnerable being sick really is. Showed so many aspects most people don’t get in depth about.
The character develop on Mia was amazing. You got to see her journey with acceptance of her life, not being angry at it.
Zac and Mia’s relationship is so complex, and beautiful. They both rely heavily on each other. And I feel like all of us have a Zac or a Mia in our life. I’d recommend.
The character develop on Mia was amazing. You got to see her journey with acceptance of her life, not being angry at it.
Zac and Mia’s relationship is so complex, and beautiful. They both rely heavily on each other. And I feel like all of us have a Zac or a Mia in our life. I’d recommend.
I am rating this novel a 3 star review.
Basically, the story is about two teenagers with cancer. Zac has leukemia and Mia has Osteosarcoma . Zac is more laid back whereas Mia is an antsy and rebellious. Zac gets comfort from his family and friends, whereas Mia pushes her family/friends away. Zac helps Mia through a lot of her emotions when dealing with her cancer. Both experience different emotions than the other one. This is a good book about coping and living in the now.
This book has John Green vibes to it but falls short for me. I felt like the writing was good in this novel, but something was lacking. It is not a tearjerker as these novels typically are. The novel was character-centered, yet I did not feel as though I really knew Mia or Zac entirely. Mia’s character was still mysterious and frustrating to me by the end of the novel. I wish they would have discussed Zac and Mia’s family a little more. Additionally, I felt like there was a lot more to learn bout the characters. I felt like something was lacking there.
SPOILER ALERT: Read the next paragraph at your own risk: This is not a romance story. It is more about friendship and an unusual friendship. Although, there are sparks, I felt like nothing really happened there. I was left disappointed.
Basically, the story is about two teenagers with cancer. Zac has leukemia and Mia has Osteosarcoma . Zac is more laid back whereas Mia is an antsy and rebellious. Zac gets comfort from his family and friends, whereas Mia pushes her family/friends away. Zac helps Mia through a lot of her emotions when dealing with her cancer. Both experience different emotions than the other one. This is a good book about coping and living in the now.
This book has John Green vibes to it but falls short for me. I felt like the writing was good in this novel, but something was lacking. It is not a tearjerker as these novels typically are. The novel was character-centered, yet I did not feel as though I really knew Mia or Zac entirely. Mia’s character was still mysterious and frustrating to me by the end of the novel. I wish they would have discussed Zac and Mia’s family a little more. Additionally, I felt like there was a lot more to learn bout the characters. I felt like something was lacking there.
SPOILER ALERT: Read the next paragraph at your own risk: This is not a romance story. It is more about friendship and an unusual friendship. Although, there are sparks, I felt like nothing really happened there. I was left disappointed.
This book is about two Australian teens with cancer and show how they handle it in completely different ways. There are both points of view but it starts with Zac stuck in his room recovering from a bone marrow transplant. I enjoyed his voice and his sense of humor. His ways of dealing with his cancer involve math and statistics. Mia is something else. She is angry and bitter. They unexpectedly become friends. One reason I needed to keep reading is because I had to know if Mia was able to get past her anger and bitterness. She really wasn't a nice person, but she was a pretty, popular teenage girl who suddenly was in this situation she couldn't smile her way out of. I enjoyed this story. Not too many tears. I recommend for fans of YA.
Where was Zac when I was in high school? Okay, so he's a fictional character, and he lives on the other side of the planet, but still... He's funny, sweet, cares about others, athletic (when he's not having chemo or radiation treatments), works with wood to build furniture, and plays Clue with his mom. What's not to love? I loved the part of the book where he realizes a cute girl is in the hospital room next door and he sends his mom out to buy him a hat, so he can hide his bald, puffy head (treatments caused hair loss, plus steroids caused swelling). He tells her to get a cool hat like something Ryan Reynolds would wear. She comes back with a weird hat and says the guy at the store told her it was something Burt Reynolds would wear. Total generation gap miscommunication - and I could picture the horrified look on his face when he saw that weird hat. The contrast between Zac and Mia is impossible to miss. He's a laid back country fellow, happy to hang out with his mates and help around the family olive grove/petting farm. Mia is rebellious, beautiful, angry, playing loud music and screaming at her mother to go away. She's used to being a "hot" girl with a cool boyfriend (who wears cool hats), shopping and clubbing with her friends, and refuses to see that her cancer treatment is more important than the spring formal.
Over the course of the story you see how Zac and Mia influence each other and how they and their friendship change over time. This is a book for fans of Nicholas Sparks and John Green, or other writers whose books have you going through a box of tissues as you read - because you are alternating with laughing out loud and crying so hard that you can't see the pages. It shows the very true way that teens with cancer react to their situations and cope, or not, with everything that results from their diagnosis. But it also shows how you can find friends in even the most dismal circumstances of your life.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Over the course of the story you see how Zac and Mia influence each other and how they and their friendship change over time. This is a book for fans of Nicholas Sparks and John Green, or other writers whose books have you going through a box of tissues as you read - because you are alternating with laughing out loud and crying so hard that you can't see the pages. It shows the very true way that teens with cancer react to their situations and cope, or not, with everything that results from their diagnosis. But it also shows how you can find friends in even the most dismal circumstances of your life.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Actual rating 4.5/5
So, I read Zac and Mia after reading Hive by A.J Betts and I can safely say that I wasn’t disappointed. The book follows two cancer patients, Zac and Mia, throughout their treatments. I can understand why people are comparing it to The Fault In Our Stars but in my opinion Zac and Mia is so much better and I will talk about why in a sec.
While reading Zac and Mia I found myself getting super attached to Zac and it scared me a little, past experiences reading books like this have left me broken hearted. I’m glad to report that Zac makes to it to the end of the book, along with Mia and that’s all I’ll say. During the beginning of the book while Zac was in the hospital and constantly throughout the book I would want to give him a big and long hug. He is just the sweetest person and always has the best in mind for those around him. When his mum was being a bit suffocating with attention he would still be kind towards her. Zac’s choice to try and help Mia even after, and especially due to the way she acts also made me love him more.
Speaking of Mia, she’s a very difficult character to love due to her actions. I did however end up loving this. She’s quite rude and rash in her decisions throughout the entire book and tends to push away those that care about her. She’s also angry, very very angry and rightfully so. Being diagnosed with cancer is a horrible thing. Once getting into her point of view I could understand more and more why she behaved the way she did. Mia truly believed she was unlovable due to how her mother treated her. On top of that add her cancer and treatment and I can understand why her self-esteem and self-respect was so low. I’ve known many people in my life that had a battle with cancer and even one that reminds me a little of Mia. That may add to my love for Mia along with how refreshing it was to read about an unapologetic angry teen. I will admit though that as much as I loved her, some of the things she said did make me flinch a little bit but that just adds to her angry character.
Another thing that I absolutely loved was the fact that there’s no romance! Hallelujah, a miracle has occurred, a YA book without romance. There were moments where their friendship could have developed into something more and while reading it I was secretly (not so secretly) hoping it would. Upon finishing the book and reflecting on the book I realised how much I loved and was relieved that they stayed friends. Again, just like Mias character, this lack of romance was amazing to read. I could count the number of books I’ve read that don’t have romance on one hand and I’m very glad to add this book to the list.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Zac and Mia and I’m very exited to read other books written by A.J Betts. If you liked The Fault In Our Stars, and even if you didn’t, I think that you’ll love this book.
So, I read Zac and Mia after reading Hive by A.J Betts and I can safely say that I wasn’t disappointed. The book follows two cancer patients, Zac and Mia, throughout their treatments. I can understand why people are comparing it to The Fault In Our Stars but in my opinion Zac and Mia is so much better and I will talk about why in a sec.
While reading Zac and Mia I found myself getting super attached to Zac and it scared me a little, past experiences reading books like this have left me broken hearted. I’m glad to report that Zac makes to it to the end of the book, along with Mia and that’s all I’ll say. During the beginning of the book while Zac was in the hospital and constantly throughout the book I would want to give him a big and long hug. He is just the sweetest person and always has the best in mind for those around him. When his mum was being a bit suffocating with attention he would still be kind towards her. Zac’s choice to try and help Mia even after, and especially due to the way she acts also made me love him more.
Speaking of Mia, she’s a very difficult character to love due to her actions. I did however end up loving this. She’s quite rude and rash in her decisions throughout the entire book and tends to push away those that care about her. She’s also angry, very very angry and rightfully so. Being diagnosed with cancer is a horrible thing. Once getting into her point of view I could understand more and more why she behaved the way she did. Mia truly believed she was unlovable due to how her mother treated her. On top of that add her cancer and treatment and I can understand why her self-esteem and self-respect was so low. I’ve known many people in my life that had a battle with cancer and even one that reminds me a little of Mia. That may add to my love for Mia along with how refreshing it was to read about an unapologetic angry teen. I will admit though that as much as I loved her, some of the things she said did make me flinch a little bit but that just adds to her angry character.
Another thing that I absolutely loved was the fact that there’s no romance! Hallelujah, a miracle has occurred, a YA book without romance. There were moments where their friendship could have developed into something more and while reading it I was secretly (not so secretly) hoping it would. Upon finishing the book and reflecting on the book I realised how much I loved and was relieved that they stayed friends. Again, just like Mias character, this lack of romance was amazing to read. I could count the number of books I’ve read that don’t have romance on one hand and I’m very glad to add this book to the list.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Zac and Mia and I’m very exited to read other books written by A.J Betts. If you liked The Fault In Our Stars, and even if you didn’t, I think that you’ll love this book.
I so loved this book. All of it. After hearing AJ Betts talk about some of the background to this story it made me love it even more.
Now to track down the tv series....
Now to track down the tv series....
I've been waiting for this book for a while. The idea of the two characters needing each other in different ways was intriguing to me, so lets get started! The book alternated between both Zac and Mia's point of view. I like that. I feel like it's more personal than a blanket third person POV. Zac was a pretty good character in my opinion. Zac was funny and witty, and I really liked his interactions with his mom (and his entire family), and his obsession with numbers and stats (although it was kind of sad). I'm also a fan of Zac and Mia's interactions.
Moving on to Mia... she's basically kind of a bitch. Mia was that popular beautiful girl, leader of the pack. When we first see her in the cancer ward she's a raging mess, but I can kind of understand that. We learn that she has the type of cancer that has very high survival odds but the loss of her hair and fact that she has to miss school dances. Again, I could understand, I assumed her fear of having cancer manifested into superficial worries. In actuality, I think she really was more upset about what her friends would think. It was pretty sad really.
As with all great books there was great character development that I don't want to say too much about but so you know, Mia get's her act together. There was lots of great little details in this book and I really liked the ending. I feel like it was very realistic. Two thumbs up.
3.75/ 4 stars
Moving on to Mia... she's basically kind of a bitch. Mia was that popular beautiful girl, leader of the pack. When we first see her in the cancer ward she's a raging mess, but I can kind of understand that. We learn that she has the type of cancer that has very high survival odds but the loss of her hair and fact that she has to miss school dances. Again, I could understand, I assumed her fear of having cancer manifested into superficial worries. In actuality, I think she really was more upset about what her friends would think. It was pretty sad really.
As with all great books there was great character development that I don't want to say too much about but so you know, Mia get's her act together. There was lots of great little details in this book and I really liked the ending. I feel like it was very realistic. Two thumbs up.
3.75/ 4 stars
This book hit me right in the feels! So many emotions were swirling around my head when I read this! I read this while I was sick so I read it in one sitting and my god did it make me cry! I am seriously turning into a person who will cry at the drop of a hat, especially when a character in a book I am reading is hurting. I truly enjoyed this book!
(Found reviews on my computer for books I read last year that I never posted so that is why I have written as if it was back then)
(Found reviews on my computer for books I read last year that I never posted so that is why I have written as if it was back then)
For a good majority of the book, I was simply annoyed with Mia. I hated her character because of how selfish she was. Everything was about her no matter how much Zac would do for her. Yet, just about when Part 3 started, the change in her character was easy to see. She started caring about someone other than herself and began to accept her situation. She forced Zac to believe in himself again That is the mark of a good writer. Being able to seamlessly change a character's attitude and a reader's perception. I thought this was wonderfully written. I have never read a book set in Australia so I was intrigued by the language and the beautiful imagery. The secondary characters, however, were some of my favorites. I loved Zac's mother because of how much she reminded me of my own, and Bec. When I got bored in the first half, those characters made me come back to the story.
Very well done!
Very well done!