Scan barcode
talya_'s review against another edition
2.0
According to some people, this book amazing, full of big dreams and bigger heart. But I wasn't feeling any of that. First off, this book was written in alternating point of views, by a girl named Lauren and a boy named Colby. This right here seemed like the first mistake- it shouldn't have been a book with alternating POVs. I mean, it helped to see what the other character was thinking, but it just didn't work out for various reasons. One, almost all of Lauren's chapters were told in verse and were incredibly short. In these chapters, she seems like a broken, neglected, lonely and self-conscious girl, who is shy and just wants to be loved, to be accepted. But when we're reading in Colby's point of view, she isn't this way at all. She can sometimes be a tad bit funny or a smart-aleck, her actions not at all reflecting her thoughts.
Colby's POV wasn't too much better. His voice doesn't sound like one of a teenage boy, a senior in highschool, it seems more like a pre-teen or someone entering middle school. It just didn't work. In addition to this, his voice seemed flat and unrealistic because he never conveyed any emotions. His voice is just "so-and-so said this, someone said that, I laughed, she was pretty, football isn't fun." We knew what he was thinking, but the words that would convey his feelings just weren't there. This made it impossible (for me, at least) to relate and put myself in his shoes, to feel like he did. And that's upsetting, because being able to feel and experience what a character does is one of the best parts of reading books. Honestly, the whole book felt flat and shallow, even if it tackled bigger issues.
In my opinion, the romance was not all there. It wasn't even really romance. It was insta-love, which I don't believe to be actual romance. I've read one too many books about people who lay eyes on another person and instantly fall in love, or instantly feel attracted to the other, or automatically feel like a better, happier person. That simply isn't realistic-- it's not real. And despite this attraction that Lauren and Colby felt for one another, they didn't get together until near the end of the book. There were reasons for this, but to me, these reasons seemed pointless, almost as if the author decided to write them into the book for the sole purpose of drawing the novel out longer. Although it's a fairly fast read, I don't find it necessary for the book to be 330+ pages.
All in all, this book just wasn't for me, but someone who is less picky about internal thoughts, feelings, romance, and over used plots might enjoy this a lot.
Colby's POV wasn't too much better. His voice doesn't sound like one of a teenage boy, a senior in highschool, it seems more like a pre-teen or someone entering middle school. It just didn't work. In addition to this, his voice seemed flat and unrealistic because he never conveyed any emotions. His voice is just "so-and-so said this, someone said that, I laughed, she was pretty, football isn't fun." We knew what he was thinking, but the words that would convey his feelings just weren't there. This made it impossible (for me, at least) to relate and put myself in his shoes, to feel like he did. And that's upsetting, because being able to feel and experience what a character does is one of the best parts of reading books. Honestly, the whole book felt flat and shallow, even if it tackled bigger issues.
In my opinion, the romance was not all there. It wasn't even really romance. It was insta-love, which I don't believe to be actual romance. I've read one too many books about people who lay eyes on another person and instantly fall in love, or instantly feel attracted to the other, or automatically feel like a better, happier person. That simply isn't realistic-- it's not real. And despite this attraction that Lauren and Colby felt for one another, they didn't get together until near the end of the book. There were reasons for this, but to me, these reasons seemed pointless, almost as if the author decided to write them into the book for the sole purpose of drawing the novel out longer. Although it's a fairly fast read, I don't find it necessary for the book to be 330+ pages.
All in all, this book just wasn't for me, but someone who is less picky about internal thoughts, feelings, romance, and over used plots might enjoy this a lot.
nklosty's review against another edition
4.0
Bridges and birds? The odd combination of interests of Colby and Lauren suit this book. I enjoyed the building of the plot line although I wasn't surprised by much. Schroeder does a nice job of finding connections for me. 86
kwc1016's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the story, hated the poetry! But I finished the book in a few hours and couldn't sleep til I got to the end. Just wish we could have heard more from Lauren's side.
willwork4airfare's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bridge from Me to You was a surprisingly adorable read! It’s written from the perspective of high school seniors Lauren, whose entries are written in verse, and Colby, written in prose. As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of the verse novels, but alternating between styles like that made it much more bearable. The contrast between the two characters’ voices was much more pronounced. I began to think of Lauren as light and airy, or flowy like her verse, and Colby as more rational and focused. There were even a few of Lauren’s chapters written in prose, for significant reasons. This may be the first time I’ve ever felt that the style contributed to the story instead of just being unnecessarily added. That said, it wasn’t something I picked up on from the beginning, but it’ll add to the experience of a re-read.
It started out a little slow. The plotline was very familiar and my initial comments were skeptical, but the story veered away from a lot of the problems I predicted and took a very novel approach to most YA “chick lit”, including others by Lisa Schroeder, herself. I started to get excited about this novel when romance and hooking up took a backseat to true friendship—being there for someone, supporting their decisions and encouraging them for the future, and being a good listener— it wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t the entire book, it still falls into the canon and there are no big shockers about the story, but I am really excited about a market where our teenagers are reading about friendships and relationships like the ones here.
I normally reserve my “!!!” annotations for moments of big sexual tension or butterflies in my stomach, but here’s one I marked off to give you an idea.
She took a classic small town story and made it interesting, endearing, and a story of hope and friendship. I loved it and I recommend it to everyone.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bridge from Me to You was a surprisingly adorable read! It’s written from the perspective of high school seniors Lauren, whose entries are written in verse, and Colby, written in prose. As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of the verse novels, but alternating between styles like that made it much more bearable. The contrast between the two characters’ voices was much more pronounced. I began to think of Lauren as light and airy, or flowy like her verse, and Colby as more rational and focused. There were even a few of Lauren’s chapters written in prose, for significant reasons. This may be the first time I’ve ever felt that the style contributed to the story instead of just being unnecessarily added. That said, it wasn’t something I picked up on from the beginning, but it’ll add to the experience of a re-read.
It started out a little slow. The plotline was very familiar and my initial comments were skeptical, but the story veered away from a lot of the problems I predicted and took a very novel approach to most YA “chick lit”, including others by Lisa Schroeder, herself. I started to get excited about this novel when romance and hooking up took a backseat to true friendship—being there for someone, supporting their decisions and encouraging them for the future, and being a good listener— it wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t the entire book, it still falls into the canon and there are no big shockers about the story, but I am really excited about a market where our teenagers are reading about friendships and relationships like the ones here.
I normally reserve my “!!!” annotations for moments of big sexual tension or butterflies in my stomach, but here’s one I marked off to give you an idea.
Spoiler
At one point, Colby is thinking about making a move because he’s just so overwhelmed with feelings for her, but he doesn’t. “Not so much because of my dad or the team or any of that, but because Lauren and I made an agreement. I don’t want to mess this up. How comfortable we are. How easy it is. And maybe, right now, I need a friend more than I need anything else. Who knows—with everything she’s not telling me, maybe she does too.”She took a classic small town story and made it interesting, endearing, and a story of hope and friendship. I loved it and I recommend it to everyone.
joyousreads132's review against another edition
2.0
It is with heartfelt apologies that I could not find anything remarkably good about this book. It was mind and heart numbing. I believe that when a book couldn’t incite any semblance of emotions from its readers, then it goes without saying that the book failed. It is unfortunate, because I adore Lisa. She’s the lady who got me reading verse novels. I’ve always felt such a connection with her characters when I read her novels regardless of the sparse words. This one, however, is an exception.
To be honest, Lauren and Colby lacked any emotional substance. Even when they were in the grips of their angst, I couldn’t empathize. My general impression is it’s reminiscent of reading a Christian fiction: very clean, and unfortunately, very bland.
This book, at the least, is meant to make you feel good and hopeful that you’ll get through whatever difficulties that may come your way.
To be honest, Lauren and Colby lacked any emotional substance. Even when they were in the grips of their angst, I couldn’t empathize. My general impression is it’s reminiscent of reading a Christian fiction: very clean, and unfortunately, very bland.
This book, at the least, is meant to make you feel good and hopeful that you’ll get through whatever difficulties that may come your way.