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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I really wasn't sure what to make of this book. I liked the cover and really, by reading the description, you know what the story is... I'm still wondering why I picked up this book in the first place?
The only thing I liked was that it was an easy & fast read. I understood Beth's grief & anger and while, as a third party, I understood the need to forgive and am able to sympathise with Beth, I struggled to empathise with her. And I believe most readers will be in the same position.
I struggled also with the parents. It's really hard not to be judgemental (as the novel is told from Beth's perspective and we feel a lot of what she feels; being ignored and treated unfairly) and yet, at the same time, I cannot place myself as a parent whose child's death preceded theirs.
I do, however, liked Chase. He was acting out and had to face the consequences. He's trying hard to fix himself with whatever limited opportunity he has. He's trying to do the right thing.
There is a twist; if you can call it that. It was pretty clear earlier on that there was something not quite right about one of the characters so it wasn't that big of a surprise. If you're looking for a fast easy read without too much thinking involved, One Small Thing is for you. I did struggle with a few things but if you don't think too hard, I think you'd enjoy it anyway.
Thanks to Harlequin Books for copy of book in exchange of honest review
The only thing I liked was that it was an easy & fast read. I understood Beth's grief & anger and while, as a third party, I understood the need to forgive and am able to sympathise with Beth, I struggled to empathise with her. And I believe most readers will be in the same position.
I struggled also with the parents. It's really hard not to be judgemental (as the novel is told from Beth's perspective and we feel a lot of what she feels; being ignored and treated unfairly) and yet, at the same time, I cannot place myself as a parent whose child's death preceded theirs.
I do, however, liked Chase. He was acting out and had to face the consequences. He's trying hard to fix himself with whatever limited opportunity he has. He's trying to do the right thing.
There is a twist; if you can call it that. It was pretty clear earlier on that there was something not quite right about one of the characters so it wasn't that big of a surprise. If you're looking for a fast easy read without too much thinking involved, One Small Thing is for you. I did struggle with a few things but if you don't think too hard, I think you'd enjoy it anyway.
Thanks to Harlequin Books for copy of book in exchange of honest review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow it’s like the author thought ‘how jacked up can I make a character’s life’ and then came up with this book.
The guy was wonderful. But I really hated everyone else. That story was all right too. More of a 3.5 but I didn’t want to round down to a 3.
The guy was wonderful. But I really hated everyone else. That story was all right too. More of a 3.5 but I didn’t want to round down to a 3.
Fans will enjoy this. Nice blend of issues and romance. Satisfying conclusion. Sympathetic characters.
Three and a half stars
Three and a half stars
A good story-line, but almost every character was stereotypical and one dimensional. I find myself so irritated with many of the characters, it distracted from the story.
Thank you Harlequin Teen for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 41%
I tried guys but this book isn't for me. One Small Thing is one of my highly anticipated books this year and sadly it turned out to be a disappointment. I rarely put a book in a DNF pile and as much as I hated a book, I'll finish it no matter what. However, all the characters in this book pissed me off and I ran out of patience.
The story centers on death and grief. It's about seventeen year old Beth Jones whose sister tragically passed away due to a car accident. Since her sister's death, her parents had an irrational fear of losing another child and became overprotective on her. No parent wants to outlive their child and I understand what they're going through but they've forgot paying attention to their remaining child. I swear Beth's parents are the most ridiculous parents EVER and they made me furious.
Beth feels suffocated by their strictness and disobeys them in every way she can. One night, she went to a party and meets Chase. Sparks fly between them but things turned complicated when she found out he's the reason why her sister died.
With a lot of teenage angst and migraine-inducing drama, I lost my interest. It was stressful to read this book and the townspeople are horrible. I don't want my hairline to recede by finishing this book. Will I give this another shot? Probably not. I'm so relieved but it doesn't mean I'll stop reading Erin Watt's books. I'm just not a fan of this one. I'm sorry.
DNF @ 41%
I tried guys but this book isn't for me. One Small Thing is one of my highly anticipated books this year and sadly it turned out to be a disappointment. I rarely put a book in a DNF pile and as much as I hated a book, I'll finish it no matter what. However, all the characters in this book pissed me off and I ran out of patience.
The story centers on death and grief. It's about seventeen year old Beth Jones whose sister tragically passed away due to a car accident. Since her sister's death, her parents had an irrational fear of losing another child and became overprotective on her. No parent wants to outlive their child and I understand what they're going through but they've forgot paying attention to their remaining child. I swear Beth's parents are the most ridiculous parents EVER and they made me furious.
Beth feels suffocated by their strictness and disobeys them in every way she can. One night, she went to a party and meets Chase. Sparks fly between them but things turned complicated when she found out he's the reason why her sister died.
With a lot of teenage angst and migraine-inducing drama, I lost my interest. It was stressful to read this book and the townspeople are horrible. I don't want my hairline to recede by finishing this book. Will I give this another shot? Probably not. I'm so relieved but it doesn't mean I'll stop reading Erin Watt's books. I'm just not a fan of this one. I'm sorry.
***Thank you to NetGalley for providing my copy of ONE SMALL THING by Erin Watt in exchange for my honest review.***
This book had a lot of potential. The idea for this book was different from most YA books and that's what kept me reading. However, there were a lot of things I really didn't like about the book. First, the main character Beth was so annoying. She wanted to be treated like an adult but she kept acting like a spoiled brat which made her a hard character to sympathize with and respect (don't even get me started on her parents). Second, the last 20% of the novel was ridiculous because so many ridiculous things were added to the plot and yet everything seemed resolved perfectly by the end.
I really like the Erin Watt duo so even though I didn't like this book as much as the other ones I will keep reading from this author.
This book had a lot of potential. The idea for this book was different from most YA books and that's what kept me reading. However, there were a lot of things I really didn't like about the book. First, the main character Beth was so annoying. She wanted to be treated like an adult but she kept acting like a spoiled brat which made her a hard character to sympathize with and respect (don't even get me started on her parents). Second, the last 20% of the novel was ridiculous because so many ridiculous things were added to the plot and yet everything seemed resolved perfectly by the end.
I really like the Erin Watt duo so even though I didn't like this book as much as the other ones I will keep reading from this author.
4 out of 5 Stars
One Small Thing was an enjoyable read. I loved Beth and Chase.
One Small Thing was an enjoyable read. I loved Beth and Chase.
I have to say this book is a little different from my usual read, I don’t read a lot of YA in general but I really enjoyed this book and am so pleased to be a part of the book tour for it run by Harper Collins Publishers.
Beth, 17, lost her sister Rachel, 3 years ago. Since then she has been struggling with her parents suffocating behaviour and the strict rules they impose upon her. They are all still coming to terms with Rachel’s death. Beth’s parents don’t seem to have accepted the fact that Rachel has gone and Beth doesn’t seem to be able to cry.
Things reach breaking point for Beth when she discovers her Mother has intercepted her college applications and are insisting she goes to a local school and continues to live at home. Pushed to the point of rebellion Beth goes to a party, meets Chase and loses her virginity to him in a one night stand.
It’s only afterwards that Beth comes to realise that this gorgeous boy with the dark blue eyes who makes her heart beat faster, is the one boy she should never fall in love with.
Beth is struggling. Struggling with coming to terms with her sister’s death, struggling with her parent’s ridiculous behaviour and struggling with her feelings for Chase. As a reader, I half wanted to scream at Beth to stay away from him, but the other half of me could completely understand how torn she felt. How now she had fallen for him it was impossible to stay away from him despite knowing their relationship would never be accepted. Sometimes knowing you have to stay away from someone makes you want them all the more.
Throughout the book, Beth’s parents become stricter and some of their behaviours definitely comes across as unreasonable. Removing her bedroom door, taking her car away and intercepting her college applications are controlling actions that push Beth further away from them. However, I could empathise with them. They are grieving parents who just want to protect their youngest daughter and keep her safe, they just go about it the wrong way.
And Chase. Chase who made a mistake 3 years ago and is still paying for it. Beth can forgive him but can anyone else? Her parents hate him, his own father has disowned him and the other high school kids terrorise him. It was difficult to hate Chase for what he had done as he comes across as so remorseful for what he has done. Determined to pay the price of his actions he rarely reacts to the school bullies and takes it all in his stride.
The teenage relationships here are quite believable. Beth is often arguing with her best friend Scarlett, as teenage girls do. And then there is Jeff who was Rachel’s boyfriend before she died. Jeff seems to be looking out for Beth at first but is he as nice as he seems?
The ending of this book, for me, was perfect, I do like it when things all come together and this ending certainly wrapped things up in a neat little bow.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
I was gifted this book as part of the book blog tour, all views are my own.
Beth, 17, lost her sister Rachel, 3 years ago. Since then she has been struggling with her parents suffocating behaviour and the strict rules they impose upon her. They are all still coming to terms with Rachel’s death. Beth’s parents don’t seem to have accepted the fact that Rachel has gone and Beth doesn’t seem to be able to cry.
Things reach breaking point for Beth when she discovers her Mother has intercepted her college applications and are insisting she goes to a local school and continues to live at home. Pushed to the point of rebellion Beth goes to a party, meets Chase and loses her virginity to him in a one night stand.
It’s only afterwards that Beth comes to realise that this gorgeous boy with the dark blue eyes who makes her heart beat faster, is the one boy she should never fall in love with.
Beth is struggling. Struggling with coming to terms with her sister’s death, struggling with her parent’s ridiculous behaviour and struggling with her feelings for Chase. As a reader, I half wanted to scream at Beth to stay away from him, but the other half of me could completely understand how torn she felt. How now she had fallen for him it was impossible to stay away from him despite knowing their relationship would never be accepted. Sometimes knowing you have to stay away from someone makes you want them all the more.
Throughout the book, Beth’s parents become stricter and some of their behaviours definitely comes across as unreasonable. Removing her bedroom door, taking her car away and intercepting her college applications are controlling actions that push Beth further away from them. However, I could empathise with them. They are grieving parents who just want to protect their youngest daughter and keep her safe, they just go about it the wrong way.
And Chase. Chase who made a mistake 3 years ago and is still paying for it. Beth can forgive him but can anyone else? Her parents hate him, his own father has disowned him and the other high school kids terrorise him. It was difficult to hate Chase for what he had done as he comes across as so remorseful for what he has done. Determined to pay the price of his actions he rarely reacts to the school bullies and takes it all in his stride.
The teenage relationships here are quite believable. Beth is often arguing with her best friend Scarlett, as teenage girls do. And then there is Jeff who was Rachel’s boyfriend before she died. Jeff seems to be looking out for Beth at first but is he as nice as he seems?
The ending of this book, for me, was perfect, I do like it when things all come together and this ending certainly wrapped things up in a neat little bow.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
I was gifted this book as part of the book blog tour, all views are my own.