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stephc's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
If you haven’t read The Wednesday Wars - please read that first.
I’ll admit…I’m still kind of ticked off at Mr. Schmidt, if you know what I mean. That was hard to get over - in fact, I don’t think I am. (No spoilers…)
But - - the story, the PEOPLE!
Some of Matt’s story felt a bit far fetched to me. But, still loved the book.
If you haven’t read The Wednesday Wars - please read that first.
I’ll admit…I’m still kind of ticked off at Mr. Schmidt, if you know what I mean. That was hard to get over - in fact, I don’t think I am. (No spoilers…)
But - - the story, the PEOPLE!
Some of Matt’s story felt a bit far fetched to me. But, still loved the book.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
“Friendships start in different ways, Meryl Lee thought. Sometimes they start right away. Sometimes they start slowly. And sometimes, maybe sometimes they don’t have any chance at all.”
librariandest's review against another edition
5.0
It's 1967 and 8th grader Meryl Lee is grieving the tragic accidental death of her best friend. Her parents send her to a fancy boarding school in Maine. At first, Meryl Lee is looked down upon by some of her snobby new classmates. But over the course of the school year, her heart begins to heal and she not only makes friends but alters the culture of the school.
Meryl Lee's storyline hit me as very Anne of Green Gables, so of course, I loved it. But there is a second protagonist (Matt Coffin) that's in more of a crime/thriller novel. At times these two storylines didn't seem to belong in the same book, but it made for a really compelling read overall. When Matt and Meryl Lee meet, it's very satisfying and it begins to make sense why the story naturally belongs to both of them.
I thought this was a middle grade (ages 8 to 12) novel when I checked it out, but it's got a strong teen vibe (The main characters are 13/14 though in my head they seemed like they could be 15/16). There's a teen romance element. There are some truly scary and violent parts. There are numerous literary connections (Grapes of Wrath, The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, Jungle Book, Shakespeare). One of the big themes is the way barriers are reinforced between the privileged students at the boarding school and the local teen girls who work there. The Vietnam War hovers in the background. So, yeah, I'd say this is more in the 12 and up range.
I think Gary Schmidt is a brilliant writer. I love how he keeps the emotions of the characters in the center of the story, especially the way he called Meryl Lee's grief "the Blank" as a way to show that even when she was carrying on with her life her grief was a major presence (or absence?).
Meryl Lee's storyline hit me as very Anne of Green Gables, so of course, I loved it. But there is a second protagonist (Matt Coffin) that's in more of a crime/thriller novel. At times these two storylines didn't seem to belong in the same book, but it made for a really compelling read overall. When Matt and Meryl Lee meet, it's very satisfying and it begins to make sense why the story naturally belongs to both of them.
I thought this was a middle grade (ages 8 to 12) novel when I checked it out, but it's got a strong teen vibe (The main characters are 13/14 though in my head they seemed like they could be 15/16). There's a teen romance element. There are some truly scary and violent parts. There are numerous literary connections (Grapes of Wrath, The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, Jungle Book, Shakespeare). One of the big themes is the way barriers are reinforced between the privileged students at the boarding school and the local teen girls who work there. The Vietnam War hovers in the background. So, yeah, I'd say this is more in the 12 and up range.
I think Gary Schmidt is a brilliant writer. I love how he keeps the emotions of the characters in the center of the story, especially the way he called Meryl Lee's grief "the Blank" as a way to show that even when she was carrying on with her life her grief was a major presence (or absence?).
im_just_that_good's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
The beginning wasn't great but it totally got better. Matt and Meryl Lee were so sweet, and Heidi, Marian, and Meryl Lee's friendship was wonderful. I would totally read this again! (:
dswhite's review against another edition
4.0
This book started slow but as it went on I liked it more and more. The two stories of Matt & Meryl Lee Kowalski were paced nicely and both characters were well developed. The side stories and supporting characters were also well done. The back drop of being at an old girls boarding school was also well done.
ehays84's review against another edition
3.0
I love Gary D. Schmidt. This book has all of the hallmarks of what I love about his writing, notably strong friendships and perseverance through trials with the help of great books. Both Okay for Now and The Wednesday Wars are five star books for me. I wrote him an email thanking him for his writing and telling him how much my middle schoolers love his books. He wrote me back and was very nice. I say all that to make it clear that I don't have it in for him or anything and that part of my criticism here is because of how much I adore the other two books. But this book just has some real problems with it.
I will keep it brief. First of all, the book is too dark. And I don't just mean scary, but I mean far-fetched. I just don't buy this sort of organized crime ring after Matt the whole time. It didn't add up for a few different reasons. It got even more far-fetched when the dad of the other student is somehow in on it and sends the thug after Matt.
There were other elements that were too far-fetched as well, especially Matt being allowed to attend the all-girls school out of nowhere with no-one else at the school putting up a fuss about it. Overall, the stuff with the boarding school was a little too predictable and too plodding.
Finally, I kind of knew it was coming, but the beginning of the story is just pretty much never-ending misery, and pretty much everything at the end wraps up perfectly with a bow on it. Class differences are eradicated. The coals of a long-dead romance are re-lit and a marriage finishes the book. Several characters miraculously survive physical attacks that they surely should have died from. Friendships form in a matter of days after months of bitter differences. I mean, I know the book is called Just Like That, so the point is that things can just sort of happen (both good and bad). But that wasn't enough to save it for me.
I can't fault Schmidt because he has already poured his heart and soul into some other amazing books, and you just can't write a five star book every time, but this book need some more time in the hopper before being published. It got a lot of things right, but more things wrong than we expect from him. I still love his work though.
I will keep it brief. First of all, the book is too dark. And I don't just mean scary, but I mean far-fetched. I just don't buy this sort of organized crime ring after Matt the whole time. It didn't add up for a few different reasons. It got even more far-fetched when the dad of the other student is somehow in on it and sends the thug after Matt.
There were other elements that were too far-fetched as well, especially Matt being allowed to attend the all-girls school out of nowhere with no-one else at the school putting up a fuss about it. Overall, the stuff with the boarding school was a little too predictable and too plodding.
Finally, I kind of knew it was coming, but the beginning of the story is just pretty much never-ending misery, and pretty much everything at the end wraps up perfectly with a bow on it. Class differences are eradicated. The coals of a long-dead romance are re-lit and a marriage finishes the book. Several characters miraculously survive physical attacks that they surely should have died from. Friendships form in a matter of days after months of bitter differences. I mean, I know the book is called Just Like That, so the point is that things can just sort of happen (both good and bad). But that wasn't enough to save it for me.
I can't fault Schmidt because he has already poured his heart and soul into some other amazing books, and you just can't write a five star book every time, but this book need some more time in the hopper before being published. It got a lot of things right, but more things wrong than we expect from him. I still love his work though.
magaramach's review against another edition
3.0
A good book on it’s own, but so thematically different from the rest of the series it almost doesn’t feel like a continuation. Unsatisfying as an end to this series. If you can separate this Meryl Lee and this Holling from the one we know, read it! Otherwise, better not to.
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
5.0
“Friendships start in different ways, Meryl Lee thought. Sometimes they start right away. Sometimes they start slowly. And sometimes, maybe sometimes they don’t have any chance at all.”
katieproctorbooks's review
5.0
Reread 5/2023: Loved it again. So much.
I’m not sure how this guy continues to write absolutely perfect books but I loved this one SO much. I read it slow bc I wanted to savor. I laughed and I cried and I held my breath (bc there are some scary things that happen!!!) but it was absolute perfection.
I’m not sure how this guy continues to write absolutely perfect books but I loved this one SO much. I read it slow bc I wanted to savor. I laughed and I cried and I held my breath (bc there are some scary things that happen!!!) but it was absolute perfection.