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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
A nice read, but it didn’t really stand out to me the way When You Reach Me did. The different perspectives clashed together, and it was sometimes hard to differentiate between them.
Currently rereading.
Currently rereading.
i liked the fact that this book was mostly about friendship, ive been tired of every teen book consisting mostly of romance. but I wanted to hear more from bridge and sherm in the epilogue. also i prefer when u reach me, by stead.
Some parts of this book were a little off for me, but that is probably because I have never lived in the middle of a big city, like the kids in Goodbye Stranger do -- growing up, there were only a few kids my age within walking distance, otherwise I (or they) had to get in a car (usually driven by parents) to hang out together, or even get to a coffee shop or restaurant.
Once I finished it, though, I really liked this book. There are important issues to discuss, like taking and sharing pictures with your cell phone, how teens know with one part of their brains right from wrong but use another part of their brain to make decisions, how friendships evolve and change and how we can hurt each other in devastating ways without ever meaning to at all.
Once I finished it, though, I really liked this book. There are important issues to discuss, like taking and sharing pictures with your cell phone, how teens know with one part of their brains right from wrong but use another part of their brain to make decisions, how friendships evolve and change and how we can hurt each other in devastating ways without ever meaning to at all.
I am a huge Rebecca Stead fan and she does not disappoint with Goodbye Stranger. I listened to this as a audiobook so a couple of times I was distracted, so it took me just a little bit to get the flow and what was going on.
I love the characters she creates, they are fun and imperfect and so real.
I love the characters she creates, they are fun and imperfect and so real.
I really love When You Reach Me, so I was excited to get an ARC at ALA. Stead is a great writer, and has a cast of interesting, diverse, realistic characters. The middle school friendships are well done, as are other relationships in the book, and how the characters interact is realistic. It's more nuanced than a typical girl-meets-boy story.
My main complaint is the alternating story lines--the second person "you" style drives me crazy. But I powered on, because it's Rebecca Stead, and I trusted her to take me somewhere. But when the storylines finally connect, it was a fizzle. Not that it was obvious who the "you" was, but it wasn't a shocking revelation, either. And it didn't warrant the need for the second person perspective--had it been a bigger impact finding out the "you" character, maybe I would have enjoyed it more.
So it's a good contemporary fiction choice for middle grade readers, but not as compelling as her other work.
My main complaint is the alternating story lines--the second person "you" style drives me crazy. But I powered on, because it's Rebecca Stead, and I trusted her to take me somewhere. But when the storylines finally connect, it was a fizzle. Not that it was obvious who the "you" was, but it wasn't a shocking revelation, either. And it didn't warrant the need for the second person perspective--had it been a bigger impact finding out the "you" character, maybe I would have enjoyed it more.
So it's a good contemporary fiction choice for middle grade readers, but not as compelling as her other work.
I read this book for the first time in mifdle school and have reread it twice since and it's crazy how well it hols up even as an adult. It's well written and very tender and compassionate. It's not condescending despite the younger target demographic and it really transports you back to middle school (which is usually a bad thing but still) highly recommend for a comforting but still engaging.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really love Rebecca Stead, and this book is great. I enjoyed the format, and I felt super awesome when I figured out which character was speaking on Valentine's Day. There was one thing I didn't like though-there is a subplot about kids in middle school sending each other mostly naked pictures, and of course they get in trouble, and it's terrible. But no one ever sits them down and talks to them about healthy, consensual relationships! Maybe it happened off page? One of the characters who isn't involved in that does get a brief talk from her mom about her body being her own and no one else's, but that sort of thing really should be more explicit, especially in a book like this. I still liked it, but that part bothered me a lot.
i love this book.
the mystery, the authenticity and just how it felt like i could feel what all the characters were feeling, it was .. beautiful <3
the mystery, the authenticity and just how it felt like i could feel what all the characters were feeling, it was .. beautiful <3