3.88 AVERAGE


I found the daughter-father relationship beautiful and compelling, even if the father is--let's face it--not a character who would typically gain a lot of reader sympathy. Loo loves him, though, and that love that began to shape how I felt about Hawley.

The biggest problem for me was not Hawley's profession, but the book's length. I will confess that I did not need to hear about quite so many violent adventures from his past, especially when they seemed so much more conventional than his attempt to settle down with his daughter. Every time we returned to Loo, the story came to life in beautiful and unexpected ways.

Thank you very much to Dial Press and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! It was a trip.

I really enjoyed this story, even if it did teeter a bit close to the YA genre that I normally try to avoid. It is told as a series of flashbacks and present day moments, interspersed. For each chapter in the past you get a chapter in the present, and while I don't mind this sort of narrative, after a while I was really chomping at the bit to figure out the truth of what happened to Loo's mother! The pacing was really really great, but like I said, at some points I had wished for just a bit more. I liked the mechanic of utilizing bullet scars as jumping off points for memories.

I was also very grateful that there wasn't much weight placed on the romance aspect of the story. The fact that the author chose to have them separate was actually surprising and I'm glad that she decided to show that aspect of a high school relationship. Thank god, because I really enjoyed the relationship of Sam Hawley and Loo a lot more. I initially read the sample chapter before receiving the book, and it also happens to be the lead off chapter in the book, which I'm glad for, because it was so strong. Hawley teaching his daughter to shoot a gun- it was so beautifully described with intermixed dialogue that fit the tension of the scene so well. I think that one will haunt me for a bit.

Unfortunately, the ending was entirely predictable. I had called it an entire two chapters before we got there, and sort of had to roll my eyes and truck onward. It wasn't disappointing, though! Just a little frustrating when juxtaposed with a strong first chapter.

I found myself wishing for more of Loo and her grandmother. I enjoyed their dynamic and felt like she had a legitimate reason for acting the way that she did (kudos to the author for beautifully rendering these sort of complex relationships between her characters without sacrificing their sense of 'family' toward each other).

It looks like a few readers were disturbed by the violence- I wasn't, but then, I wasn't disturbed by Gone Girl either. So, word of warning I guess.

All in all, I rated this book 3.5/5 stars, but I don't round up or down, so 3 stars on Goodreads it receives.

I genuinely didn’t know what to expect with The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley when I picked it up. Clearly I had liked what I’d seen as I had a copy of the book for review, but I hadn’t reread the PR sheet before I started.

I was so SO unprepared for the journey my heart would take with this one. It’s funny, because I’ve seen some reviews since I finished this book, and people didn’t enjoy it. I on the other hand, devoured it. From start to finish I was completely invested in it. The story, the characters, the whole thing just grabbed me.

The format for TTLOSH (yes I’m shortening it because I’ll keep mentioning it!) is partly what made it for me. Told using alternating chapters, the reader is taken on two journeys. Samuel Hawley’s past and how he got to where he is, and the present told through Loo’s eyes. Perfectly crafted, this dual narrative barrels towards an unexpected conclusion. No spoilers in saying that, I just didn’t see where it was going.

There are so many themes running through TTLOSH. There is a crime element (yay!), but there is so much more. I found Loo’s voice read like a YA novel. It chronicled love, loss, relationships, friendships, grief and the relationship between her and her dad.

Reading Loo’s thoughts was like going back in time to my teenage self. When I say that, I mean the inexplicable feelings and turmoil that takes place when you’re young. Learning lessons, figuring out your place in the world, who takes up space in your heart and so on. I also found her childish sense of wonderment regarding the sky/solar system and the sea to be so endearing, and completely familiar because I get that. I look up regularly, and we truly are infinite in a world of stars.

Samuel ‘s chapters were a whole different voice, as you would expect, but equally gripping. With a past like his, it would be difficult not to be hardened to people and life in general, but these chapters break down his walls brick by brick. I am loath to choose who I liked reading about more to be honest but by the end of TTLOSH I was definitely leaning towards Samuel.

It’s taken me a couple of weeks to get this review together, and I’d be lying if I said it was easy. This book has stayed with me though. I find myself thinking about it quite regularly, and I think that’s the sign of a great book. Immersive, solid, emotional and gripping, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley has been one of my favourite reads this year.

This review was originally posted on StrupagTold through alternating chapters, past and present, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley slowly uncovers the tale of Samuel Hawley's life.

Hawley has a daughter, Loo, whom he is raising alone following the death of his wife. Hawley and Loo have constantly been on the move, never living in one place for very long. When they decide to buy a house in Olympus, Loo has to adjust to this new way of life - a new school, a new home and more possessions than she could bundle up into her suitcase.

We follow Loo through present time as she lives this new life with her father. Loo's is a coming of age tale, getting older and wondering what a mother's kiss feels like, starting to question who her father is and noticing the way people question the many scars on his body.

Each of Hawley's gunshot scars tells a tale. In between our present-day chapters with Loo, we learn how Hawley acquired each scar, thus slowly revealing to us Hawley's history, and piece-by-piece building his story.

I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the way the story unfolded through this unique storytelling style - the history of Hawley's scar forming the perfect flashback chapters.

Mixed with the innocence of Loo's childhood we have violence. I mean, if you don't like to read about violence, then be warned. Yet it's not all blood and guns, there's the story of love, loss, grief. There's the relationship between a father and his daughter, the tale of a father's protection and a teenage girl trying to find her way in the world.

I have to say that I really loved Hawley. It's a weird situation - am I meant to like this guy? But I challenge you not to!

This story is brutal in places, heart-wrenching in others. It's incredibly well written and the characters of Hawley and Loo make for the perfect balance. It's one of those books where I'm sad to have to leave these characters behind.

Fast read. Back and forth between present and past done well. Coming of age plus heist plus complex family relationships with lots of twists and turns.

Overall, I have pretty mixed feelings about this novel. I never really fell in love with the characters, but I felt that I had to see how the story ended. I wanted to know what happened to Loo's mother and why Hawley was such a bad father, but Loo was so loyal to him. Once I hit the halfway point, I had hoped I would like the characters more, but they still seemed too obscure for me to really understand them. Even though there are several chapters that go into the backstory of each bullet, I still felt as though I hardly knew Hawley and that he had very little character development from his criminal past-self. I was intrigued by the mystery, and so I stuck it out until the end. This is mainly a story about family loyalty above all else, but I never felt like I bought into most of it. I could understand being loyal to those who love you and who raised you, but there was an emotional detachment in Hawley that made him seem too cold to even be capable of real parental love. He was a rough man, who was really only present in his daughter's life when she was causing trouble. And then when he rescued Loo from trouble, he taught her how to hot-wire cars or shoot an automatic rifle.

All of this said, I gave it a decent star rating, becuase I thought it was well written and planned out (albeit slightly wordy at some points in my opinion). I personally didn't need such detailed descriptions of each character that ever came up in the whole novel, but I can't judge too harshly on that.
My full review is up on my blog:
https://ladykatiereads.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/lets-talk-about-the-twelve-lives-of-samuel-hawley-by-hannah-tinti
dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I fell a little in love with Samuel: his grit, his work ethic, his determination to love and keep his daughter safe. Loo and Lily are the essence of Samuel, the singular focus of every bullet he collects in his quest to protect them.

I absolutely loved his book - it’s compelling, exciting and evocative. Sometimes it was so tense I couldn’t put it down and I never knew what was coming next! I enjoyed the flashbacks, which added an extra dimension to the story. It’s probably my favourite of the books I’ve read so far in 2017 and I’d definitely recommend it!

I was really interested and really enjoying this book and then it just ended. Up until the ending it was definitely at least a 4 star read for me and now I'm left going "uh." I don't regret reading it, I read for escape and enjoyment most of the time and this book fits that bill exactly, but I do have to mark it down a star for just not having an ending. It's not even a cliffhanger ending, which I dislike but can handle if it's a series, this book just stops and I'm left feeling confused and annoyed. I can see where the author might feel like the story is told, but I disagree. So, 3 1/2 stars from me.