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adelugeofwords's review against another edition
2.0
it was a solid 3 stars, but i didn't really care for any of the characters. and i wished the story focused more on ingrid's recovery and growth. and the on second thought, lowering this to a two stars.
Spoiler
pedophilia was just not necessary??sidbece's review against another edition
4.0
Woah wait that was good?? I mean was it perfect never but good nonetheless these stand-alones always leave me wanting more in the sense that I want to know what happened after idea but it was a pretty satisfying ending
whitney_hutchings's review against another edition
4.0
~3.6~ *edit February 6th (12:19 pm) I am going to add more to the review and I will underline the newly added stuff *
wow.
this review will not be super long because it is late. And yes, i am aware that is it 12:30 but i just had to finish this book.
wow indeed. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book BUT thanks to my dear lizzie (who got this book for me for my birthday) i was able to pick it up and read it.
I love Van. I was literally swooning over him THE. ENTIRE. BOOK. Van felt real. More real because this was a contemporary and Van was just a normal kid in high school. He was everything I want. Everything. His relationship with Ingrid made me want to cry at some parts. I wanted to yell at Ingrid and tell her that Van was worth it and that both of them were perfect.
Anyways, I thought that this book had many great things, it dealt with a lot of stuff that might've been hard to talk about but it wasn't overdone.
There were a few parts of the book that I found myself skimming (because I wanted to get back to Van :) ) but other than that, I couldn't put the book down.
okayyy i am back. More about this wonderful book. I wanted to talk about more of the characters that I loved and wished I saw more of.
First, I wish that I read more about Wilson and Max. They were so lovable and mysterious. I think that it would've been cool to have some flashbacks when the four of them (Van, Wilson, Max, and Ingrid) hung out, I think that would've been really cool and nice.
Max was the one that we saw least of out of them. I wish I was able to get to know him a little better and see his reasons behind the choices that he made. He seemed like he would've been a really interesting character.
Wilson was such a nice guy. I loved the parts that he was in. He was like Ingrid's older brother, for example, helping her when her car battery died. I am glad that we got to see a little more of him but obviously wished there was more.
Caroline. Oh boy did she bother me. I don't even know what to think of her. She was very mysterious, as well, and I have very mixed feelings about her. (if you read the book you would know why).
Seba. I very much dislike him. I can't even explain. He was a jerk and just used Max and Wilson and turned them against Van. Which was very depressing.
Mike. don't. even. get. me. started.
Van. Let's skip over Mike to talk about my dear Van. He is perfect. He is everything that I want in a man. He is gentle with his younger brothers and takes care of them. He stands up for Ingrid when she couldn't for herself and he is a very compassionate guy. I feel like we got enough time to learn about the struggles that he was facing and the hardships that he was going through. I loved the nights that they spent together (him and Ingrid) it was awkward and cute. You can see he just wanted company. He was a serious guy but also funny. He had it all.
Anyways, last but not least, Ingrid. I thought that she was a fun character. I liked reading from her perspective and it was interesting to learn about all of her fears. BUT I wish that she was more open to Van, but I get why she wasn't. I think that her struggles getting back into diving after her accident were really relatable. I mean, I've never been in a sport where I've had a bad accident but I imagine that many others felt/feel that same way that she did.
Thank you Marit Weisenberg for this gift of a book.
That is all. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day! : )
wow.
this review will not be super long because it is late. And yes, i am aware that is it 12:30 but i just had to finish this book.
wow indeed. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book BUT thanks to my dear lizzie (who got this book for me for my birthday) i was able to pick it up and read it.
I love Van. I was literally swooning over him THE. ENTIRE. BOOK. Van felt real. More real because this was a contemporary and Van was just a normal kid in high school. He was everything I want. Everything. His relationship with Ingrid made me want to cry at some parts. I wanted to yell at Ingrid and tell her that Van was worth it and that both of them were perfect.
Anyways, I thought that this book had many great things, it dealt with a lot of stuff that might've been hard to talk about but it wasn't overdone.
There were a few parts of the book that I found myself skimming (because I wanted to get back to Van :) ) but other than that, I couldn't put the book down.
okayyy i am back. More about this wonderful book. I wanted to talk about more of the characters that I loved and wished I saw more of.
First, I wish that I read more about Wilson and Max. They were so lovable and mysterious. I think that it would've been cool to have some flashbacks when the four of them (Van, Wilson, Max, and Ingrid) hung out, I think that would've been really cool and nice.
Max was the one that we saw least of out of them. I wish I was able to get to know him a little better and see his reasons behind the choices that he made. He seemed like he would've been a really interesting character.
Wilson was such a nice guy. I loved the parts that he was in. He was like Ingrid's older brother, for example, helping her when her car battery died. I am glad that we got to see a little more of him but obviously wished there was more.
Caroline. Oh boy did she bother me. I don't even know what to think of her. She was very mysterious, as well, and I have very mixed feelings about her. (if you read the book you would know why).
Seba. I very much dislike him. I can't even explain. He was a jerk and just used Max and Wilson and turned them against Van. Which was very depressing.
Mike. don't. even. get. me. started.
Van. Let's skip over Mike to talk about my dear Van. He is perfect. He is everything that I want in a man. He is gentle with his younger brothers and takes care of them. He stands up for Ingrid when she couldn't for herself and he is a very compassionate guy. I feel like we got enough time to learn about the struggles that he was facing and the hardships that he was going through. I loved the nights that they spent together (him and Ingrid) it was awkward and cute. You can see he just wanted company. He was a serious guy but also funny. He had it all.
Anyways, last but not least, Ingrid. I thought that she was a fun character. I liked reading from her perspective and it was interesting to learn about all of her fears. BUT I wish that she was more open to Van, but I get why she wasn't. I think that her struggles getting back into diving after her accident were really relatable. I mean, I've never been in a sport where I've had a bad accident but I imagine that many others felt/feel that same way that she did.
Thank you Marit Weisenberg for this gift of a book.
That is all. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day! : )
lizziehutchings's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars !!!
"Sometimes it feels powerful to shut off. But I've realized that isn't life. It's sort of half of one. And I don't want that for you."
Wow, I really enjoyed that one! Great weekend read, especially for the late-nights, if you want to be ironic.
Here are the deets (I can't believe I just wrote that...) -
Characters.
The social problems and PTSD of the main character, Ingrid, went pretty deep and they were interesting to read about. I was very intrigued with her past and struggles, and of all the characters in the book. I did have a couple of problems with them, however. I really had a desire to know a lot more about the side characters, but I felt like the author barely touched on them at all (i.g. Max and Wilson).
Also, Van was such a sweetheart. Unfortunately, his character was extremely heavy with the tropes. Like seriously. Hot, popular guy who is dating that hot, popular senior girl. Give me a break. I really wanted to see the softer side of Van, and I felt like the author tried to achieve that but didn't quite hit the mark. We got to see, what, one scene with his family and his younger sibs.
Relationship. ;-)
Okay. This was the best part of the book for sure. I thought Van was a little shallow, but I thought their relationship was absolutely adorable and certainly worth reading this book for. They were like childhood crushes ignited by a shared quality. Their scenes were so cute. Loved it.
Plot.
Here is where I thought the book lacked the most. The author tried to split the focus between the romance and the mystery, and I have to say. It should have just been the romance. The mystery plot-twist was very "ohp!"-worthy, and I just was--ahg. Super shocked. But I have to say. The author was like . . .
"Oh there's this super creepy house, and one time there was a light that flickered on and off."
me: "Nosferatu." (10 points if you get that reference)
Translation. I didn't really give a crap about what was going on in the house, I just wanted more character and relationship work in the book! Please!
I mean, when the first climax happened, I was like "oh wow." No emotion was implied in that "oh wow." Didn't really care about that plot line. So, why didn't I care? I don't really know, but I feel like that's the author's job to write an intriguing mystery that makes me bite my fingernails. Not just a subplot for whimst chapters I would rather have skipped. (Pretty sure whimst is not a word, but admit it, you all knew what it meant. Petition "whimst" for dictionary.com please).
Anywho. This review was way too long, so for that, I deeply apologize for occupying more of your precious time than was necessary.
But have a fantastic evening
"Sometimes it feels powerful to shut off. But I've realized that isn't life. It's sort of half of one. And I don't want that for you."
Wow, I really enjoyed that one! Great weekend read, especially for the late-nights, if you want to be ironic.
Here are the deets (I can't believe I just wrote that...) -
Characters.
The social problems and PTSD of the main character, Ingrid, went pretty deep and they were interesting to read about. I was very intrigued with her past and struggles, and of all the characters in the book. I did have a couple of problems with them, however. I really had a desire to know a lot more about the side characters, but I felt like the author barely touched on them at all (i.g. Max and Wilson).
Also, Van was such a sweetheart. Unfortunately, his character was extremely heavy with the tropes. Like seriously. Hot, popular guy who is dating that hot, popular senior girl. Give me a break. I really wanted to see the softer side of Van, and I felt like the author tried to achieve that but didn't quite hit the mark. We got to see, what, one scene with his family and his younger sibs.
Relationship. ;-)
Okay. This was the best part of the book for sure. I thought Van was a little shallow, but I thought their relationship was absolutely adorable and certainly worth reading this book for. They were like childhood crushes ignited by a shared quality. Their scenes were so cute. Loved it.
Plot.
Here is where I thought the book lacked the most. The author tried to split the focus between the romance and the mystery, and I have to say. It should have just been the romance. The mystery plot-twist was very "ohp!"-worthy, and I just was--ahg. Super shocked. But I have to say. The author was like . . .
"Oh there's this super creepy house, and one time there was a light that flickered on and off."
me: "Nosferatu." (10 points if you get that reference)
Translation. I didn't really give a crap about what was going on in the house, I just wanted more character and relationship work in the book! Please!
I mean, when the first climax happened, I was like "oh wow." No emotion was implied in that "oh wow." Didn't really care about that plot line. So, why didn't I care? I don't really know, but I feel like that's the author's job to write an intriguing mystery that makes me bite my fingernails. Not just a subplot for whimst chapters I would rather have skipped. (Pretty sure whimst is not a word, but admit it, you all knew what it meant. Petition "whimst" for dictionary.com please).
Anywho. This review was way too long, so for that, I deeply apologize for occupying more of your precious time than was necessary.
But have a fantastic evening
scburhans's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, if it weren't for some pretty massive pacing issues, I would have given this book five stars. The plot was interesting, the characters were compelling, and the twists kept you engaged, but it took a good third of the book before anything got interesting. It's like you have to slog through 100 pages of mundane, everyday living before you can get into any of the romantic or mysterious intrigue. That being said, once you get to that intrigue, it really sucks you in. One thing that really surprised me about this book was that it had some solid psychological basis, which is rare for fiction - especially YA fiction. I was actually super surprised to see Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in a book, let me tell you, because it's not a commonly used therapy yet. Overall, though, I did genuinely like this book, it's just that it got has enough issues for me to not give it five stars.
Read for the POPSUGAR 2021 Reading Challenge, Prompt: A book about forgetting
Read for the POPSUGAR 2021 Reading Challenge, Prompt: A book about forgetting
megnanpar's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
So compelling! A hidden gem. I really liked the author's writing style. She used to be a screenwriter and it shows: there's a lot of physical description, describing small gestures and-as is weirdly uncommon-exactly how everyone looks. It was immersive. At the same time, you never forget Ingrid is concussed and sleep-deprived. There is a surreal vibe to the whole thing, really nicely reflecting her disoriented and listless state.
After reading this, I remember why I was totally obsessed with contemporary: it's nice to be dealing with real people with relatable dramas, insecurities, and miscommunication-though faeries and cross-realm wars are interesting. Van and Ingrid were so utterly believable, even as they confronted some soapy circumstances. The best contemporary does that, though, it takes dramatic events-sometimes a confluence of them-and makes the characters wade through them realistically.
The only thing I'd change is for the ending to be less rushed. The last 20% of the book was where all the mysteries, conflicts, and mishaps unraveled all at once, and the resolution to each thing was crammed in around fifty pages. I would've liked to spend more than a chapter having characters, especially Ingrid, let out what she'd been keeping in.
Overall, this was a lovely coming-of-age story, with a sweet romance and light mystery that kept me reading till late!
So compelling! A hidden gem. I really liked the author's writing style. She used to be a screenwriter and it shows: there's a lot of physical description, describing small gestures and-as is weirdly uncommon-exactly how everyone looks. It was immersive. At the same time, you never forget Ingrid is concussed and sleep-deprived. There is a surreal vibe to the whole thing, really nicely reflecting her disoriented and listless state.
After reading this, I remember why I was totally obsessed with contemporary: it's nice to be dealing with real people with relatable dramas, insecurities, and miscommunication-though faeries and cross-realm wars are interesting. Van and Ingrid were so utterly believable, even as they confronted some soapy circumstances. The best contemporary does that, though, it takes dramatic events-sometimes a confluence of them-and makes the characters wade through them realistically.
The only thing I'd change is for the ending to be less rushed. The last 20% of the book was where all the mysteries, conflicts, and mishaps unraveled all at once, and the resolution to each thing was crammed in around fifty pages. I would've liked to spend more than a chapter having characters, especially Ingrid, let out what she'd been keeping in.
Overall, this was a lovely coming-of-age story, with a sweet romance and light mystery that kept me reading till late!
sandiereads's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this but can’t remember much beyond the Rear Window and diving and former best friends themes. This is the problem when you don’t update GR right away.
diamondxgirl's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing story of trauma and love and how they both show up in our lives. Full RTC!
paigemcole's review against another edition
5.0
I came across this book in a bookstore while I was shelf-reading and the second I read the synopsis, I knew I needed to read it. After waiting for (what felt like eternity) for my hold to become available, I can 130% say that EVERYONE needs to read this book. There is so much that unfolds and so many topics that are discussed that I feel like whoever reads this will get something out of it. The relationship between Ingrid and Van honestly makes you want to rip your hair out, but like honestly... what book love interests don't?