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melbsreads's review
4.0
Trigger warnings: toxic friendships, murder (in the past), bullying, .
31/3/2021
I stand by everything I said last time. The end.
2/8/2019
This is an unusual book, being equal parts a straight up contemporary story about a 15 year old girl struggling with friendship issues and her changed family dynamic, and the story of the same 15 year old girl being given an assignment to research the case of the Somerton Man and forming a bond with her history teacher as a result.
As a history nerd from a very young age, I loved getting to see the characters engaging with history and becoming invested in doing research through being handed an assignment like this. But as a school employee, a solid chunk of my reading experience was "....................this is not how curriculum works" with a side of "uh, history teacher dude, you are ASKING for trouble here wtf are you doing??".
All of that being said, I loved the straight up contemporary side of the story as much as I loved the way history and true crime is woven into things. Lara is a delightful character and it's difficult to see her falling into line with whatever Ashley tells her to do, and struggling to deal with her older sister swanning off overseas and effectively creating a whole new life without her. I loved that the school musical is at the core of the story. I loved the friendship she develops with new girl, Kate, and the romance that crops up because they were both adorable.
I really liked the way things played out in the end although part of me feels like the whole thing could have been done without the disappearance of her teacher and the backstory that goes along with him. But that's probably a Me Thing more than a Book Thing.
Spoiler
mentions of a romantic relationship between a teacher and an underage student (in the past)31/3/2021
I stand by everything I said last time. The end.
2/8/2019
This is an unusual book, being equal parts a straight up contemporary story about a 15 year old girl struggling with friendship issues and her changed family dynamic, and the story of the same 15 year old girl being given an assignment to research the case of the Somerton Man and forming a bond with her history teacher as a result.
As a history nerd from a very young age, I loved getting to see the characters engaging with history and becoming invested in doing research through being handed an assignment like this. But as a school employee, a solid chunk of my reading experience was "....................this is not how curriculum works" with a side of "uh, history teacher dude, you are ASKING for trouble here wtf are you doing??".
All of that being said, I loved the straight up contemporary side of the story as much as I loved the way history and true crime is woven into things. Lara is a delightful character and it's difficult to see her falling into line with whatever Ashley tells her to do, and struggling to deal with her older sister swanning off overseas and effectively creating a whole new life without her. I loved that the school musical is at the core of the story. I loved the friendship she develops with new girl, Kate, and the romance that crops up because they were both adorable.
I really liked the way things played out in the end although part of me feels like the whole thing could have been done without the disappearance of her teacher and the backstory that goes along with him. But that's probably a Me Thing more than a Book Thing.
strangelyfamiliar's review
4.0
A light, charming YA novel about growing up, realising friends aren't always what they seem, and finding your people, which also weaves in the mystery of the Somerton Man.
geekybookgirl2's review
5.0
All That Impossible Space is an interesting well written YA contemporary with complex characters, relatable moments and an intriguing mystery at its core. I loved this book by Australian debut author Anna Morgan and at times found it impossible to put down. I liked how she wrote about toxic friendships, high school, family, first love and growing up in the shadow of a sibling.
Despite growing up in Adelaide I didn’t know that much about the Somerton Man, a true Australian mystery of an unidentified man found dead at Somerton beach in 1948. It was interesting learning about the theories surrounding the case and Anna Morgan did a great job at blending the facts with fiction.
I really liked Lara Laylor, a year 10 student who is looking into the Somerton Man mystery for a history assignment. She is also dealing with the sudden departure of her sister Hannah and growing apart from her best friend Ashley. I liked how Anna Morgan showed how toxic the friendship was from the start and how it keeps growing throughout the story.
The book also deals with the teacher-student relationship and how the line can be blurred between innocence and inappropriate behaviour. To Lara she thinks Mr Grant likes her as a student and is understandably angry when he suddenly disappears without an explanation. To her, he was a great teacher who was interested in her theories. As she becomes more obsessed in solving both mysteries, it helps her to navigate her own problems. So, it was sad when the truth finally came out about Mr Grant and how it caused her to rethink her interactions.
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it.
Despite growing up in Adelaide I didn’t know that much about the Somerton Man, a true Australian mystery of an unidentified man found dead at Somerton beach in 1948. It was interesting learning about the theories surrounding the case and Anna Morgan did a great job at blending the facts with fiction.
I really liked Lara Laylor, a year 10 student who is looking into the Somerton Man mystery for a history assignment. She is also dealing with the sudden departure of her sister Hannah and growing apart from her best friend Ashley. I liked how Anna Morgan showed how toxic the friendship was from the start and how it keeps growing throughout the story.
The book also deals with the teacher-student relationship and how the line can be blurred between innocence and inappropriate behaviour. To Lara she thinks Mr Grant likes her as a student and is understandably angry when he suddenly disappears without an explanation. To her, he was a great teacher who was interested in her theories. As she becomes more obsessed in solving both mysteries, it helps her to navigate her own problems. So, it was sad when the truth finally came out about Mr Grant and how it caused her to rethink her interactions.
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it.
shimauchiha's review
4.0
If it wasn't given to me, I never would have picked up a book about a white teenage girl going to a private school in a western country. I can't say reading this book has changed that for the future.
However, it's an easy fast read, it's well-written and there is a decent attempt at characterisation. It's just that there is only so much to care about when the characters are who they are:
Lara, the second daughter who feels invisible, gives way too much to a pushy best friend and gets obsessed with a history assignment about a mysterious man.
Kate the new girl with an artistic streak who teaches her about friendship.
Jo's the new boyfriend, Ash the pushy best friend, Hannah the rebellious older sister on her gap year, etc.
How much can you really feel for those characters considering they're the same ones that have dominated media for eons?
So the verdict is, I did enjoy this book. I thought the quality was high for what it was. But I wouldn't have picked it up and I don't recommend it, because these characters don't need any help, they're probably already in the books and movie that are in front of you right now.
P.S: All that being said, the history assignment itself, based on the real mystery of the Somerton man was the most interesting thing about the book. So much so, that I'm finishing this review to go google related facts for the indeterminable future!
However, it's an easy fast read, it's well-written and there is a decent attempt at characterisation. It's just that there is only so much to care about when the characters are who they are:
Lara, the second daughter who feels invisible, gives way too much to a pushy best friend and gets obsessed with a history assignment about a mysterious man.
Kate the new girl with an artistic streak who teaches her about friendship.
Spoiler
and has a tortured past involving a reality show audition gone wrong!Jo's the new boyfriend, Ash the pushy best friend, Hannah the rebellious older sister on her gap year, etc.
How much can you really feel for those characters considering they're the same ones that have dominated media for eons?
So the verdict is, I did enjoy this book. I thought the quality was high for what it was. But I wouldn't have picked it up and I don't recommend it, because these characters don't need any help, they're probably already in the books and movie that are in front of you right now.
P.S: All that being said, the history assignment itself, based on the real mystery of the Somerton man was the most interesting thing about the book. So much so, that I'm finishing this review to go google related facts for the indeterminable future!
ares3's review
3.0
I have been so into crime lately! I guess I’m just in the crime mood. This book was pretty good, but not the best.
megan_alice's review
4.0
A map is a metaphor. Close enough and distant enough to what it describes so that you can understand it. It is not the thing itself, despite the trick of language... I guess I'd begun to think of the Somerton Man and Mr Grant as a metaphor, a map. That if I solved the mystery of who this unknown man was, if I found my teacher, it could help me figure out who I was, too.
This book felt a little slow to start but then it picked up and it had my full attention.
Lara is always coming in second - to her friend Ashley, and to her older sister Hannah who's trekking around Europe. She's convinced to join a musical she doesn't want to be in, she's dealing with liking a boy, and she's just trying to get through Year 10. When her new history teacher Mr Grant gives her an assignment to investigate the real mystery of the Somerton Man, she feels seen for the first time. But then Mr Grant mysteriously disappears and Lara is left with two cases to solve.
This coming-of-age story explores toxic friendships and the idea of finding your place in the world. Combined with the real life Somerton Man mystery, I found this book to be very intriguing.
This book felt a little slow to start but then it picked up and it had my full attention.
Lara is always coming in second - to her friend Ashley, and to her older sister Hannah who's trekking around Europe. She's convinced to join a musical she doesn't want to be in, she's dealing with liking a boy, and she's just trying to get through Year 10. When her new history teacher Mr Grant gives her an assignment to investigate the real mystery of the Somerton Man, she feels seen for the first time. But then Mr Grant mysteriously disappears and Lara is left with two cases to solve.
This coming-of-age story explores toxic friendships and the idea of finding your place in the world. Combined with the real life Somerton Man mystery, I found this book to be very intriguing.
novelty_reads's review
5.0
I'm not even going to lie but I was surprised I liked this as much as I did. It's not really my genre: mystery however this novel was intertwined with contemporary particularly focusing on toxic friendships and on first loves.
The book is a #loveozya and set in both Melbourne and Adelaide surrounding the case of the Somerton Man in 1948 and of a young girl named Lara who is trying to discover more about him for an assignment given to her by her history teacher: Mr Grant. Who was he? How did he die? Did anyone know him? while juggling the struggles of year 10, the school musical production, her friend Ash and the mysterious new girl at school.
What can I say except I loved it? I honestly wished the book continued. I loved the characterisation of all the characters and how they all seemed the age they were portrayed to be. The book was said to be "Perfect for fans of Cath Crowley and Fiona Wood" and I can see that. I read Take Three Girls last year and I can definitely see the similarities between the two. There was a heap of content about toxic friendships turned to bullying and about standing up for yourself. I could even see the change in the characterisation of Lara and how she went from passive: quiet, shy and unwilling to speak her mind to make her friends happy to speaking up and being brave and confident.
Also I loved how the case of the Somerton Man was left unsolved. In YA or books in general mysteries tend to be solved. Even when they are real life mysteries the author makes some sort of ending that seems logical or makes sense to the murder/disappearance etc. But with All That Impossible Space Anna Morgan didn't try to tie loose ends and I really respected her for that. Come on, the best mysteries are left unsolved (because then we'd get a heap of Buzzfeed Unsolved Episodes ;) )
All in all, a wonderful debut. I loved it so much and wished for it to continue! I can't wait to discuss this with my book club later this month!
ACTUAL RATING: 4.5 STARS
The book is a #loveozya and set in both Melbourne and Adelaide surrounding the case of the Somerton Man in 1948 and of a young girl named Lara who is trying to discover more about him for an assignment given to her by her history teacher: Mr Grant. Who was he? How did he die? Did anyone know him? while juggling the struggles of year 10, the school musical production, her friend Ash and the mysterious new girl at school.
What can I say except I loved it? I honestly wished the book continued. I loved the characterisation of all the characters and how they all seemed the age they were portrayed to be. The book was said to be "Perfect for fans of Cath Crowley and Fiona Wood" and I can see that. I read Take Three Girls last year and I can definitely see the similarities between the two. There was a heap of content about toxic friendships turned to bullying and about standing up for yourself. I could even see the change in the characterisation of Lara and how she went from passive: quiet, shy and unwilling to speak her mind to make her friends happy to speaking up and being brave and confident.
Also I loved how the case of the Somerton Man was left unsolved. In YA or books in general mysteries tend to be solved. Even when they are real life mysteries the author makes some sort of ending that seems logical or makes sense to the murder/disappearance etc. But with All That Impossible Space Anna Morgan didn't try to tie loose ends and I really respected her for that. Come on, the best mysteries are left unsolved (because then we'd get a heap of Buzzfeed Unsolved Episodes ;) )
All in all, a wonderful debut. I loved it so much and wished for it to continue! I can't wait to discuss this with my book club later this month!
ACTUAL RATING: 4.5 STARS
meegreads's review
4.0
3.75/5
Very accurate reflection on high school and changing relationships. Other storylines were a bit predictable but overall an enjoyable read
Very accurate reflection on high school and changing relationships. Other storylines were a bit predictable but overall an enjoyable read
cecooper's review
3.0
I loved the characters and friendship dynamics but found the mystery element lacking. I also thought that the ending was unsatisfying.