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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I wrote up a whole thing and then I realized I basically just wrote the review I need for class, so I don't want to post it yet. So suffice to say that this book is beautifully poignant and sweet, with a lot of humor and more truth than I would have expected to find. Yes, it is a cancer book, but it's about people first, friendship/love second, it's not emotionally manipulative (unlike some books I could mention), and, above all, it feels genuine.
Great for fans of [b:Eleanor & Park|15745753|Eleanor & Park|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341952742s/15745753.jpg|17225055] by Rainbow Rowell, [b:Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|12000020|Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328320260s/12000020.jpg|16964419] by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and (of course) [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg|16827462] by John Green.
Great for fans of [b:Eleanor & Park|15745753|Eleanor & Park|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341952742s/15745753.jpg|17225055] by Rainbow Rowell, [b:Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|12000020|Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328320260s/12000020.jpg|16964419] by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and (of course) [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360206420s/11870085.jpg|16827462] by John Green.
When I first found out I won an advance copy of Zac and Mia on Goodreads, I was psyched. But after the initial excitement wore off, a bit of panic set in. Knowing the little bit I knew about the story going in, I immediately knew I was bound to inevitably compare the story (two teenagers, diagnosed with cancer, trying to beat the odds) to the quite similar, The Fault In Our Stars. (along with everyone else who reads this book or anything about it, by the way).
Still I loved The Fault In Our Stars and I decided, if they can write a zillion "single girl in her twenties" or "ill fated vampire love stories", two stories about teenagers with terminal illnesses are not the end of the world (no pun intended).
However, the further I got into this book the more I realized it was good- I mean *really* good. Yes, Zac and Mia is basically the Australian version of The Fault in Our Stars, if you really need to make comparisons. Fans of one story will most likely like the other, or at least spend oodles of time creating colorful Venn Diagrams to compare the two. But Zac and Mia also more than that. It's a completely unique story that deserves to be read. It just happens to revolve around a similar premise.
What happens next is the real twist. Will Zac and Mia garner more attention statewide BECAUSE of the success of TFIOS? Or will it be eclipsed by the success of its predecessor. Only time will tell.
Still I loved The Fault In Our Stars and I decided, if they can write a zillion "single girl in her twenties" or "ill fated vampire love stories", two stories about teenagers with terminal illnesses are not the end of the world (no pun intended).
However, the further I got into this book the more I realized it was good- I mean *really* good. Yes, Zac and Mia is basically the Australian version of The Fault in Our Stars, if you really need to make comparisons. Fans of one story will most likely like the other, or at least spend oodles of time creating colorful Venn Diagrams to compare the two. But Zac and Mia also more than that. It's a completely unique story that deserves to be read. It just happens to revolve around a similar premise.
What happens next is the real twist. Will Zac and Mia garner more attention statewide BECAUSE of the success of TFIOS? Or will it be eclipsed by the success of its predecessor. Only time will tell.
More like a 3.5. It was a good story but I didn't feel attached to the characters much. I think I would have liked to have see their build up differently? I don't know. Still a decent read.
Zac and Mia is a book told by the perspectives of two very different teenagers. Zac is a seventeen year old active farm boy suffering myeloid leukaemia and now stuck in confinement after a bone marrow transplant. With only his supportive (yet at times a little overbearing) mother, nurses and the Internet for company, Zac is intrigued by the new admission to the hospital room next to his. Mia isn't quite as okay with her diagnosis as Zac. She's angry and in denial. Her prognosis is the best of anyone in the ward but all she can see how the cancer in her leg is taking her former life away from her.
I liked how Betts broke up this book - the first part is entirely told from Zac's point of view, the last solely Mia, and the middle section alternating perspectives per chapter. The way it was told kept me rather anxiously reading on to make sure the characters were okay. Zac is someone I instantly enjoyed reading about. He's smart and funny - his bone marrow's alter ego, Helga! - but also incredibly logical. His fixation with maths and statistics showed that he knew his odds but was trying to be the one who beat them. Mia was harder to like - she's pricky and snarky but from reading her side of things you can see that it's just a cover for how scared she is. The relationship between them was a joy to read. They are unlikely friends but their shared experiences give them a bond that few can possibly understand. I love the interactions between them - from Mia obnoxiously blasting Lady Gaga to Zac's knowledge of the ridiculous ways people have died. This book despite the serious nature of cancer did leave me grinning at times.
Their personal situations as well as their medical conditions contrasted nicely - Zac with the super supportive friends and family who all knew the ins and outs of what he was facing opposed to Mia who didn't even let her friends know. Zac considered Mia to be the luckiest person on the ward but she was the one acting as if she was the only person facing a death sentence. Zac has the family who are all there for each other and there maybe teasing on the farm but when it comes down to it they would do anything for one another. Mia isn't quite so lucky as her mother was a teenager when she had her and neither one seems to know how they should treat the other. These differences contrasted nicely and really showed off how differently people behave when facing a similar beast.
I've seen people compare Zac and Mia to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars - with both books dealing with teens and cancer but for me they both told very different stories. Zac and Mia showed off the darker side - with everything from hair loss to bowel movements being discussed. I liked that Betts showed the ugly side of things as it made it all a little more realistic for me. It felt well researched from both a medical standpoint as well as the personal side of cancer.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It's thoughtful and heartbreaking yet sincere and at times amusing. I highly recommend it.
I liked how Betts broke up this book - the first part is entirely told from Zac's point of view, the last solely Mia, and the middle section alternating perspectives per chapter. The way it was told kept me rather anxiously reading on to make sure the characters were okay. Zac is someone I instantly enjoyed reading about. He's smart and funny - his bone marrow's alter ego, Helga! - but also incredibly logical. His fixation with maths and statistics showed that he knew his odds but was trying to be the one who beat them. Mia was harder to like - she's pricky and snarky but from reading her side of things you can see that it's just a cover for how scared she is. The relationship between them was a joy to read. They are unlikely friends but their shared experiences give them a bond that few can possibly understand. I love the interactions between them - from Mia obnoxiously blasting Lady Gaga to Zac's knowledge of the ridiculous ways people have died. This book despite the serious nature of cancer did leave me grinning at times.
Their personal situations as well as their medical conditions contrasted nicely - Zac with the super supportive friends and family who all knew the ins and outs of what he was facing opposed to Mia who didn't even let her friends know. Zac considered Mia to be the luckiest person on the ward but she was the one acting as if she was the only person facing a death sentence. Zac has the family who are all there for each other and there maybe teasing on the farm but when it comes down to it they would do anything for one another. Mia isn't quite so lucky as her mother was a teenager when she had her and neither one seems to know how they should treat the other. These differences contrasted nicely and really showed off how differently people behave when facing a similar beast.
I've seen people compare Zac and Mia to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars - with both books dealing with teens and cancer but for me they both told very different stories. Zac and Mia showed off the darker side - with everything from hair loss to bowel movements being discussed. I liked that Betts showed the ugly side of things as it made it all a little more realistic for me. It felt well researched from both a medical standpoint as well as the personal side of cancer.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It's thoughtful and heartbreaking yet sincere and at times amusing. I highly recommend it.
Following two very different teens on two very different journeys in a Perth hospital, Zac & Mia by A. J. Betts is about much more than romance. This is a contemporary story about growing up, facing adversity, and finding meaning in life's hardships.
Zac & Mia uses the alternating perspectives of—you guessed it—Zac and Mia to contrast two very different experiences of teenage life and adolescent cancer. Through both Zac and Mia have a diagnosis, their backgrounds and responses are polar opposites. Zac's odds are low; Mia's are high. Zac's family is present; Mia's is distant. Zac will return home to his parents' country property; Mia will head from city to city or wherever else the wind takes her. These core differences make for interesting interactions between the pair.
Throughout Zac & Mia, both title characters discover more about their illnesses and themselves. As Zac recovers from his bone marrow transplant, Mia is dealing with post-treatment ramifications of her own, but with each other, the pair seem able to put the medications and hospital walls aside in favour of finding fun, taking road trips, and living like not-quite-average teenagers. Zac & Mia uses the tropes most readers expect and enjoy from the YA sick-lit subgenre.
Zac & Mia deals with themes of sickness, mortality, hope, loss, family, and more. I'd recommend this book to fans of Five Feet Apart and Me, Earl and the Dying Girl.
Zac & Mia uses the alternating perspectives of—you guessed it—Zac and Mia to contrast two very different experiences of teenage life and adolescent cancer. Through both Zac and Mia have a diagnosis, their backgrounds and responses are polar opposites. Zac's odds are low; Mia's are high. Zac's family is present; Mia's is distant. Zac will return home to his parents' country property; Mia will head from city to city or wherever else the wind takes her. These core differences make for interesting interactions between the pair.
Throughout Zac & Mia, both title characters discover more about their illnesses and themselves. As Zac recovers from his bone marrow transplant, Mia is dealing with post-treatment ramifications of her own, but with each other, the pair seem able to put the medications and hospital walls aside in favour of finding fun, taking road trips, and living like not-quite-average teenagers. Zac & Mia uses the tropes most readers expect and enjoy from the YA sick-lit subgenre.
Zac & Mia deals with themes of sickness, mortality, hope, loss, family, and more. I'd recommend this book to fans of Five Feet Apart and Me, Earl and the Dying Girl.
I was hesitant to read another teenage cancer book, but this one was quite different from the others, so that was nice. I liked Zac and Mia's story together, and even though I found Mia to be incredibly annoying and rude throughout much of the book, I felt like she and Zac helped each other out when things got too hard.
I was hesitant to read another teenage cancer book, but this one was quite different from the others, so that was nice. I liked Zac and Mia's story together, and even though I found Mia to be incredibly annoying and rude throughout much of the book, I felt like she and Zac helped each other out when things got too hard.
While in the hospital fighting cancer, Zac meets (via knocks on a wall and a Lady Gaga song) Mia, a teenaged girl who knows she used to be sexy- and doesn't remember that she is still beautiful. So begins a long and tumulus friendship that includes shooting stars, blood tinged baths, corn dogs, and a fox at night.
This book started cute and ended beautiful- the middle was rocky. Not because of the writing, but because of MIA. Not a fan of that girl really. At all.
I loved Zac's relationship with his mom. The way they would laugh about gross stuff (and the writing never made it cheesy or immature), about how they would do things together.
I loved Zac's reaction to Mia's music. I loved the way he talked to her, the way he reached out to her. I loved the way he loved alpacas and picking olives and backpacking girls.
I loved his sister.
I loved their love towards Mia, the way they let her batter them, the way they would love her anyway.
The ending was beautiful. (happy, I will not tell you.)
I enjoyed small pieces of it.
(& didn't like much else)
I wasn't as much disappointed with the book as angry at the character Mia. I was really. sick. of her eff bombs. Of her insults and 'BUT I"M NOT BEAUTIFUL ANYMORE' I MEAN COME ON. Seriously annoying and I never quite liked her, even at the end. I liked her in the epilogue, but was insanely sick of her during the rest. Made reading a bit tough.
John Green fans who want another cancer love story might like this book- but be warned- it's rockier than TFIOS!
This book started cute and ended beautiful- the middle was rocky. Not because of the writing, but because of MIA. Not a fan of that girl really. At all.
I loved Zac's relationship with his mom. The way they would laugh about gross stuff (and the writing never made it cheesy or immature), about how they would do things together.
I loved Zac's reaction to Mia's music. I loved the way he talked to her, the way he reached out to her. I loved the way he loved alpacas and picking olives and backpacking girls.
I loved his sister.
I loved their love towards Mia, the way they let her batter them, the way they would love her anyway.
The ending was beautiful. (happy, I will not tell you.)
I enjoyed small pieces of it.
(& didn't like much else)
I wasn't as much disappointed with the book as angry at the character Mia. I was really. sick. of her eff bombs. Of her insults and 'BUT I"M NOT BEAUTIFUL ANYMORE' I MEAN COME ON. Seriously annoying and I never quite liked her, even at the end. I liked her in the epilogue, but was insanely sick of her during the rest. Made reading a bit tough.
John Green fans who want another cancer love story might like this book- but be warned- it's rockier than TFIOS!