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rose_d's review against another edition
3.0
Full review on http://iamaloserkdireviews.blogspot.com
Danny is a guy who lost quite some in his life. His father has passed a few years back and before graduation he also lost his mother due to a many year battle with cancer. Contact with his adopted sister is barely there. The only contact they really have is between emails every week, though it feels to him more like a scheduled time to talk than to real interest shown by her. And then there is Holland, his ex-girlfriend who suddenly broke up with him and vanished.
To discover more about his mother and her battle with cancer he flies to Tokyo to their apartment to talk with the people there and most of all her doctor. In a country where he barely speaks the language he finds out all about secrets his mother kept and he needs to figure out what to do with all the new information.
I have to admit, it was for me a bit difficult to get through in the beginning. I wondered where the story was really going to and I found it a bit annoying that there were two plots in the book namely the death of his mother and the break up with his girlfriend. When I was about two-third into the book it finally started to make sense a bit and the two storylines came in together, though at that point I wasn't completely feeling the book anymore.
---
I still don't really know what to give this book, but I am going to settle on 3.5 hearts, because the setting was great and I did like the storyline of his mother and figuring out who she really was which was a big part of the book.
Danny is a guy who lost quite some in his life. His father has passed a few years back and before graduation he also lost his mother due to a many year battle with cancer. Contact with his adopted sister is barely there. The only contact they really have is between emails every week, though it feels to him more like a scheduled time to talk than to real interest shown by her. And then there is Holland, his ex-girlfriend who suddenly broke up with him and vanished.
To discover more about his mother and her battle with cancer he flies to Tokyo to their apartment to talk with the people there and most of all her doctor. In a country where he barely speaks the language he finds out all about secrets his mother kept and he needs to figure out what to do with all the new information.
I have to admit, it was for me a bit difficult to get through in the beginning. I wondered where the story was really going to and I found it a bit annoying that there were two plots in the book namely the death of his mother and the break up with his girlfriend. When I was about two-third into the book it finally started to make sense a bit and the two storylines came in together, though at that point I wasn't completely feeling the book anymore.
---
I still don't really know what to give this book, but I am going to settle on 3.5 hearts, because the setting was great and I did like the storyline of his mother and figuring out who she really was which was a big part of the book.
beths0103's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really quick read for me and I appreciated that aspect of it since I had just come off reading a really long, dense biography, but I think what kept me from loving this one was how, despite the grief Danny must endure at the loss of his mother and the fact that he pretty much has no family left, everything else in the novel felt a little too neat and well-constructed. As I was reading I often found myself saying, "Well that's convenient." I don't think the logistics at the real-life loss of a parent and being a teenager on your own would be that simple. Not that Danny's life is simple. He has some major pain to work through and a big bombshell that is laid on him about 2/3 into the novel that I never saw coming. At the same time, I also felt there were a lot of situations and logistics that were created for Danny out of convenience and simplicity of writing. Still, I enjoyed reading this book, and I especially enjoyed Danny's journey in Japan and meeting Kana, who was by far my favorite character.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
4.0
When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney is just as awesome as all the reviews have been saying. I admit to being a little skeptical but I shouldn't have been. Daisy Whitney is a fabulous contemporary author and When You Were Here will not disappoint readers.
When You Were Here is different from Daisy Whitney's previous books since it is told from a male point-of-view. I always worry when female authors write from a male perspective but Daisy Whitney nailed it! Danny was the perfect mix of sensitive, sweet, kind, and yet, totally still a teenage boy. He thought about sex and drugs and everything else that teenagers think about. He was far from perfect! He was grieving for his mother and he was completely lost. He always thought she would be around for his graduation but when she doesn't make it that far, Danny decides that he needs to know what happened. Why didn't she hold on just a little longer? So Danny heads to Tokyo on a crazy journey that reveals secrets, not just about his mom but about himself, and about Holland, the only girl he's ever loved.
The characters in When You Were Here were all completely amazing. Danny, Holland, Kate, Kana, every last person that Danny came in contact with was so special. They all played a part in Danny's life and in his journey moving on after his mom's death. Holland wasn't easy to read and she so wasn't your typical love interest. Sure she was pretty but she was smart and she had this depth to her that was such a big part of why Danny loved her. Kate, Holland's mom, was like a second mom to Danny. She was best friends with his mom and she hated seeing what her death did to Danny. Kana was completely unpredictable and exactly what Danny needed. She showed him Tokyo like a native but with a fresh eye. The best part about Danny and Kana's relationship was that it was totally platonic. They never felt anything other than friendship for one another and you just don't see that enough in YA.
I've never been to Tokyo and to be completely honest, I never really thought I would want to go there. However, after reading When You Were Here, it's shot to the top of my list of places to visit. The setting is one of the best things about When You Were Here. I truly felt like I was seeing Tokyo with Danny. All the places he visited and the things he saw were just so vivid. I would recommend this book for the setting alone!
Things were not as they seemed with Danny and his family and I couldn't predict a single thing. Every secret was so well-guarded. I was taken by surprise so many times! I was really learning everything at the same time that Danny did. That helped me connect to him even more.
Overall, When You Were Here is Daisy Whitney at her best. If you haven't read anything by her yet, I would recommend this one as a good place to start. I can't wait to see what she writes next!
When You Were Here is different from Daisy Whitney's previous books since it is told from a male point-of-view. I always worry when female authors write from a male perspective but Daisy Whitney nailed it! Danny was the perfect mix of sensitive, sweet, kind, and yet, totally still a teenage boy. He thought about sex and drugs and everything else that teenagers think about. He was far from perfect! He was grieving for his mother and he was completely lost. He always thought she would be around for his graduation but when she doesn't make it that far, Danny decides that he needs to know what happened. Why didn't she hold on just a little longer? So Danny heads to Tokyo on a crazy journey that reveals secrets, not just about his mom but about himself, and about Holland, the only girl he's ever loved.
The characters in When You Were Here were all completely amazing. Danny, Holland, Kate, Kana, every last person that Danny came in contact with was so special. They all played a part in Danny's life and in his journey moving on after his mom's death. Holland wasn't easy to read and she so wasn't your typical love interest. Sure she was pretty but she was smart and she had this depth to her that was such a big part of why Danny loved her. Kate, Holland's mom, was like a second mom to Danny. She was best friends with his mom and she hated seeing what her death did to Danny. Kana was completely unpredictable and exactly what Danny needed. She showed him Tokyo like a native but with a fresh eye. The best part about Danny and Kana's relationship was that it was totally platonic. They never felt anything other than friendship for one another and you just don't see that enough in YA.
I've never been to Tokyo and to be completely honest, I never really thought I would want to go there. However, after reading When You Were Here, it's shot to the top of my list of places to visit. The setting is one of the best things about When You Were Here. I truly felt like I was seeing Tokyo with Danny. All the places he visited and the things he saw were just so vivid. I would recommend this book for the setting alone!
Things were not as they seemed with Danny and his family and I couldn't predict a single thing. Every secret was so well-guarded. I was taken by surprise so many times! I was really learning everything at the same time that Danny did. That helped me connect to him even more.
Overall, When You Were Here is Daisy Whitney at her best. If you haven't read anything by her yet, I would recommend this one as a good place to start. I can't wait to see what she writes next!
joyousreads132's review against another edition
4.0
Danny's father died of a horrific car accident.
Danny's sister left in search of her roots in China.
Danny's girlfriend unceremoniously dumped him when she left for college.
Danny's mother lost her battle with cancer.
Just when he thought there was nothing left of his shattered heart to break, he finds out that his broken heart can still be reduced to a million other pieces.
Echoing the angst-ridden perspective of Adam Wilder ([b:Where She Went|8492825|Where She Went (If I Stay, #2)|Gayle Forman|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347810457s/8492825.jpg|10706553] by Gayle Forman), Danny Kellerman let the readers decide for themselves whether or not to surrender to tears or detach themselves from his story altogether. I, for one, was on the verge of being completely destroyed on several occasions but didn't fully give in. There was something mechanical, manly, and utterly brave in the way Danny told his story. I wouldn't say that the author failed to incite emotions, rather, she perfectly captured how a boy such as Danny could handle each and every heartbreak life threw his way. Fair warning, if you were a ninny who cries at the drop of a hat, then you might just be a mess after reading this book.
Danny had the ideal life: supportive, ideal family, alluded to being a popular boy in school, intelligent and who had the perfect love story. He fell in love with the proverbial girl next door when he was a young boy and the girl fell in love back. So when life knocked him down with one blow harder than the next, it was easy to see and predict that he would be well on his way to self-destruction. There was an affair with an older woman (he's only 18) who was also his drug dealer and a valedictorian speech that he abruptly ended with, f*ck highschool, f*ck everyone. One would buckle under the pressure for sure. But Danny dealt with it the only way he knew how. Numbing the pain and grief with drugs while he finds a way to climb out of the impossibly dark oblivion he's in. There was a lot of questions swirling in his mind. Least of all is the puzzling way his girlfriend dumped him. He somehow found a temporary purpose, a trip to Japan to see if he can find answers.
This book would make you want to see Tokyo for yourself. The melding of the eccentric and traditional; the West mixing with the East. There's something about Whitney's view of the country that made it all the more beautiful.
When You Were Here did not make me bawl my eyes out. It did, however, make me grab my chest, massaged it until the choking feeling went away. I felt for Danny; he was so alone and so grief-stricken. He also made me angry for all the questions he refused to ask Holland. But even with all that, he made me wish I could somehow take some of his heartache, own a piece of it just for a little while. Because maybe then he could make sense of what was left of his life.
Danny's sister left in search of her roots in China.
Danny's girlfriend unceremoniously dumped him when she left for college.
Danny's mother lost her battle with cancer.
Just when he thought there was nothing left of his shattered heart to break, he finds out that his broken heart can still be reduced to a million other pieces.
Echoing the angst-ridden perspective of Adam Wilder ([b:Where She Went|8492825|Where She Went (If I Stay, #2)|Gayle Forman|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347810457s/8492825.jpg|10706553] by Gayle Forman), Danny Kellerman let the readers decide for themselves whether or not to surrender to tears or detach themselves from his story altogether. I, for one, was on the verge of being completely destroyed on several occasions but didn't fully give in. There was something mechanical, manly, and utterly brave in the way Danny told his story. I wouldn't say that the author failed to incite emotions, rather, she perfectly captured how a boy such as Danny could handle each and every heartbreak life threw his way. Fair warning, if you were a ninny who cries at the drop of a hat, then you might just be a mess after reading this book.
Danny had the ideal life: supportive, ideal family, alluded to being a popular boy in school, intelligent and who had the perfect love story. He fell in love with the proverbial girl next door when he was a young boy and the girl fell in love back. So when life knocked him down with one blow harder than the next, it was easy to see and predict that he would be well on his way to self-destruction. There was an affair with an older woman (he's only 18) who was also his drug dealer and a valedictorian speech that he abruptly ended with, f*ck highschool, f*ck everyone. One would buckle under the pressure for sure. But Danny dealt with it the only way he knew how. Numbing the pain and grief with drugs while he finds a way to climb out of the impossibly dark oblivion he's in. There was a lot of questions swirling in his mind. Least of all is the puzzling way his girlfriend dumped him. He somehow found a temporary purpose, a trip to Japan to see if he can find answers.
This book would make you want to see Tokyo for yourself. The melding of the eccentric and traditional; the West mixing with the East. There's something about Whitney's view of the country that made it all the more beautiful.
When You Were Here did not make me bawl my eyes out. It did, however, make me grab my chest, massaged it until the choking feeling went away. I felt for Danny; he was so alone and so grief-stricken. He also made me angry for all the questions he refused to ask Holland. But even with all that, he made me wish I could somehow take some of his heartache, own a piece of it just for a little while. Because maybe then he could make sense of what was left of his life.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
amazing story about love and loss
and the power of love and to cherish every moment
And it's a great reminder that we don't really know anyone completely. everyone may hold surprises, no matter how long or how well you've known them
and the power of love and to cherish every moment
And it's a great reminder that we don't really know anyone completely. everyone may hold surprises, no matter how long or how well you've known them
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read in February 2018 and I enjoyed it was much as I did 4.5 years ago. Definitely holds the test of time and I hope it's a book that people are still discovering and getting to read.
I am on a five-star rating role lately and there is nothing wrong with that! When You Were Here wasn’t a book I originally thought I’d give five stars to, I was thinking four or four-and-a-half, but after I finished, while I was reading the acknowledgements, I was hit with this sudden realization that the book was over and I couldn’t stay with the characters and I just started crying. It was weird. But it made me realize how much I loved this book.
I didn’t necessarily connect with Danny at the start of the book. I liked him, but he was kind of all over the place. He’s throwing massive parties, he’s the valedictorian of his class, he’s hooking up with a doctor (?!?), he’s still in love with his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him, and he misses his mom. It was a lot to process, but I did immediately like Danny’s voice.
As the book went on I came to really like Danny. I liked the brief glimpses we saw of his weird friends, I liked that he hooked up with a much older medical resident he met while accompanying his mom to the hospital, and I loved his dog, Sandy Koufax. I was not a fan of his ex-girlfriend, Holland, at the beginning. I didn’t necessarily blame her for breaking up with him, she went away to college, he was stuck back in high school, that’s a big thing to overcome, but I hated how she wouldn’t just let Danny move on. And that even though they weren’t dating she abandoned a friend she had since childhood as his mom was dying.
Once Danny went to Tokyo I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved Kana, the daughter of Danny’s mother’s apartment’s caretaker, and the energy she brought to Danny and the story. I also really loved Danny in Tokyo. By distancing himself from his mother’s best friend (and Holland’s mom), Kate, I think he really had to step up and grow up. And the fact that he was in a city that he knew and loved, but removed from his partying friends and his much older hook up, really allowed him to come into his own.
Somehow the story wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be. I think the fact that we already know that Danny’s mother is dead and that Danny is dealing with it helped. There were moments were I teared up, mostly when Danny was in Tokyo visiting places his mom frequented and learning about how his mom lived, but I never really cried (except when it was over).
Bottom Line: I don’t make a habit of reading books with male protagonists, but this one really blew me away. I not only loved Danny, but I cared about the supporting characters, particularly Kana and Sandy Koufax. The dual settings of LA and Tokyo worked perfectly together and I really felt like I was in Tokyo seeing and experiencing all the things Danny was seeing and experiencing. It’s a sad book, but it has an uplifting message about living life on your own terms and really treasuring every day. I couldn’t be happier to recommend it.
This review first appeared on my blog.
I am on a five-star rating role lately and there is nothing wrong with that! When You Were Here wasn’t a book I originally thought I’d give five stars to, I was thinking four or four-and-a-half, but after I finished, while I was reading the acknowledgements, I was hit with this sudden realization that the book was over and I couldn’t stay with the characters and I just started crying. It was weird. But it made me realize how much I loved this book.
I didn’t necessarily connect with Danny at the start of the book. I liked him, but he was kind of all over the place. He’s throwing massive parties, he’s the valedictorian of his class, he’s hooking up with a doctor (?!?), he’s still in love with his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him, and he misses his mom. It was a lot to process, but I did immediately like Danny’s voice.
As the book went on I came to really like Danny. I liked the brief glimpses we saw of his weird friends, I liked that he hooked up with a much older medical resident he met while accompanying his mom to the hospital, and I loved his dog, Sandy Koufax. I was not a fan of his ex-girlfriend, Holland, at the beginning. I didn’t necessarily blame her for breaking up with him, she went away to college, he was stuck back in high school, that’s a big thing to overcome, but I hated how she wouldn’t just let Danny move on. And that even though they weren’t dating she abandoned a friend she had since childhood as his mom was dying.
Once Danny went to Tokyo I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved Kana, the daughter of Danny’s mother’s apartment’s caretaker, and the energy she brought to Danny and the story. I also really loved Danny in Tokyo. By distancing himself from his mother’s best friend (and Holland’s mom), Kate, I think he really had to step up and grow up. And the fact that he was in a city that he knew and loved, but removed from his partying friends and his much older hook up, really allowed him to come into his own.
Somehow the story wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be. I think the fact that we already know that Danny’s mother is dead and that Danny is dealing with it helped. There were moments were I teared up, mostly when Danny was in Tokyo visiting places his mom frequented and learning about how his mom lived, but I never really cried (except when it was over).
Bottom Line: I don’t make a habit of reading books with male protagonists, but this one really blew me away. I not only loved Danny, but I cared about the supporting characters, particularly Kana and Sandy Koufax. The dual settings of LA and Tokyo worked perfectly together and I really felt like I was in Tokyo seeing and experiencing all the things Danny was seeing and experiencing. It’s a sad book, but it has an uplifting message about living life on your own terms and really treasuring every day. I couldn’t be happier to recommend it.
This review first appeared on my blog.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of those books that as I read it, the constant question that ran through my mind was "How much more bad stuff can this kid endure?"
Danny Kellerman is a few days from graduation and a summer that should be filled with fun, his dog Sandy Kolfax, and his girl. Instead Danny is left dealing with the aftermath of his mother's death and trying to figure out what he's supposed to do now. That question will take Danny on a journey from California to Japan as he tries to piece together the last months of his mother's life and make a decision about who he is and what he wants.
My heart broke for Danny. The last six years of his life were a lesson in how to deal with tragedy. Remarkably, he was able to excel at school, do what teenage boys do while still being there for his incredibly sick mother. But when she dies, he falls apart. He questions everything and figured the only way he could get away from all the sadness surrounding him was to go to Japan and figure out what to do with his mother's apartment there. For me, Japan was the key for allowing Danny to move forward. Not only did he get answers about what was happening with his mother, he found the key to what was happening with himself and his girlfriend, Holland.
There was one character who I absolutely loved. Kana is the daughter of the woman who takes care of Danny's mother's apartment in Japan. She's this mixture of old and new world Japanese culture and a breathe of fresh air in Danny's world. She becomes his best friend and the voice of reason he needs to get past every little detail he gets stuck on. She's able to share information about his mother (since she was her friend too) and give him insight that changes the way the sees his family. She's an absolute delight and a character I longed to read about in the story.
WHEN YOU WERE HERE is a heartbreaking story that transitions over to a coming of age one. While I my first thought is still the question I have above, the author was able to create a story that while depressing at times had me unwilling to put the book down until I knew Danny was going to be ok.
Danny Kellerman is a few days from graduation and a summer that should be filled with fun, his dog Sandy Kolfax, and his girl. Instead Danny is left dealing with the aftermath of his mother's death and trying to figure out what he's supposed to do now. That question will take Danny on a journey from California to Japan as he tries to piece together the last months of his mother's life and make a decision about who he is and what he wants.
My heart broke for Danny. The last six years of his life were a lesson in how to deal with tragedy. Remarkably, he was able to excel at school, do what teenage boys do while still being there for his incredibly sick mother. But when she dies, he falls apart. He questions everything and figured the only way he could get away from all the sadness surrounding him was to go to Japan and figure out what to do with his mother's apartment there. For me, Japan was the key for allowing Danny to move forward. Not only did he get answers about what was happening with his mother, he found the key to what was happening with himself and his girlfriend, Holland.
There was one character who I absolutely loved. Kana is the daughter of the woman who takes care of Danny's mother's apartment in Japan. She's this mixture of old and new world Japanese culture and a breathe of fresh air in Danny's world. She becomes his best friend and the voice of reason he needs to get past every little detail he gets stuck on. She's able to share information about his mother (since she was her friend too) and give him insight that changes the way the sees his family. She's an absolute delight and a character I longed to read about in the story.
WHEN YOU WERE HERE is a heartbreaking story that transitions over to a coming of age one. While I my first thought is still the question I have above, the author was able to create a story that while depressing at times had me unwilling to put the book down until I knew Danny was going to be ok.
pixieolimpia's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't even get through it. The plot was horrible and the main character was really annoying.
biblialex's review against another edition
4.0
Do you like sad things? Yes. Well here you go. (I kid, but it's an excellent book about grief and family and more grief. I'm really selling this, aren't I?)
aridehalgh's review against another edition
3.0
This was book was ok. I liked it.
I felt like as someone who has lost my mum to cancer I felt like I could connect to the story and to Danny in that aspect and felt that Whitney did a really good job of writing about loss in a way that's real and not fluffy. However, as the storyline goes, I had issues. I liked the idea of Danny going to Tokyo for closure but the "plot twist" of the unknown child. I didn't get? It seemed so random and unnecessary. I feel like the story would have flowed a lot better without that!
I felt like as someone who has lost my mum to cancer I felt like I could connect to the story and to Danny in that aspect and felt that Whitney did a really good job of writing about loss in a way that's real and not fluffy. However, as the storyline goes, I had issues. I liked the idea of Danny going to Tokyo for closure but the "plot twist" of the unknown child. I didn't get? It seemed so random and unnecessary. I feel like the story would have flowed a lot better without that!