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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
This book was really good, and it wasn't what I expected!
I really thought it was going to be a fun, easy read with some laughs and some swoon. And it was to a certain extent. Brie, is dead, and her voice throughout the story is so easy to listen to. The first half is really like I thought it was going to be, nothing too deep (I mean she died and that, but it wasn't written in a sad way!), Brie is learning how to live 'on the other side' and basically be a ghost. She meets Patrick, with his Top Gun leather jacket and every kind of cheese related nickname for Brie that you could imagine. I was getting through the pages, having a good time with Brie and Patrick and then there was a slight shift, and I started to not like Brie for the way she was acting and the things she was saying and doing. And then, the last part of the story - I found it to be very different from the start. It got dark and deep and sad and heartbreaking and once again I was back on Brie's side, wanting her to get through this, to do what she needed to do. And so, it really was a well rounded story and I really liked it.
And, an extra bonus were the names of each of the chapters, they were all named after a song..and a lot of songs from the 80's. Woo Hoo - I am off to make a mixed tape!
I really thought it was going to be a fun, easy read with some laughs and some swoon. And it was to a certain extent. Brie, is dead, and her voice throughout the story is so easy to listen to. The first half is really like I thought it was going to be, nothing too deep (I mean she died and that, but it wasn't written in a sad way!), Brie is learning how to live 'on the other side' and basically be a ghost. She meets Patrick, with his Top Gun leather jacket and every kind of cheese related nickname for Brie that you could imagine. I was getting through the pages, having a good time with Brie and Patrick and then there was a slight shift, and I started to not like Brie for the way she was acting and the things she was saying and doing. And then, the last part of the story - I found it to be very different from the start. It got dark and deep and sad and heartbreaking and once again I was back on Brie's side, wanting her to get through this, to do what she needed to do. And so, it really was a well rounded story and I really liked it.
And, an extra bonus were the names of each of the chapters, they were all named after a song..and a lot of songs from the 80's. Woo Hoo - I am off to make a mixed tape!
Do you ever get that mushy, warm feeling after reading a book? That was what I felt, but with a horrible aftertaste. (Spoilers ahead)
The story begins abruptly—she is dead and that's that. The way she narrated didn't make me the biggest fan of the book at first. I dislike whiny, immature teenage girls, and that's pretty much Brie for you. However, during her funeral, at the sudden mention of Friends (Smelly Cat), I became more interested and read on. In general, it was funny and heartbreaking, but I have to point out a few things I disliked:
1. How immature can she be at 15? I'm turning 15 in a few days, and I don't wear some kind of "friendship bracelet" or take Which Disney Princess Are You tests or refer to some pen I lost when I was a child as the Greatest Pen Ever. Some other retorts I can handle, but some sounded just like a 9-year-old.
2. Parallel to her immaturity, SHE HAD LOST HER VIRGINITY. I have no idea if this is a cultural impact, but seriously? I know it sucks to be a virgin when you die, but this was really weird.
3. Okay. Fine. I liked the gay plot twist. (Not against gays either... it just took me offguard)
4. I did not like the plot's inconsistency. Towards the end, a lot of concepts about afterlife and the "in-between" (to borrow a word from the Lovely Bones... which is similar to this book somehow) were crammed. I felt confused about the Lost Souls thing—how could you give away salvation and then have a happily ever after? *Scratches head*
Overall, the book caught me with different emotions—but overall, a good feeling. :)
The story begins abruptly—she is dead and that's that. The way she narrated didn't make me the biggest fan of the book at first. I dislike whiny, immature teenage girls, and that's pretty much Brie for you. However, during her funeral, at the sudden mention of Friends (Smelly Cat), I became more interested and read on. In general, it was funny and heartbreaking, but I have to point out a few things I disliked:
1. How immature can she be at 15? I'm turning 15 in a few days, and I don't wear some kind of "friendship bracelet" or take Which Disney Princess Are You tests or refer to some pen I lost when I was a child as the Greatest Pen Ever. Some other retorts I can handle, but some sounded just like a 9-year-old.
2. Parallel to her immaturity, SHE HAD LOST HER VIRGINITY. I have no idea if this is a cultural impact, but seriously? I know it sucks to be a virgin when you die, but this was really weird.
3. Okay. Fine. I liked the gay plot twist. (Not against gays either... it just took me offguard)
4. I did not like the plot's inconsistency. Towards the end, a lot of concepts about afterlife and the "in-between" (to borrow a word from the Lovely Bones... which is similar to this book somehow) were crammed. I felt confused about the Lost Souls thing—how could you give away salvation and then have a happily ever after? *Scratches head*
Overall, the book caught me with different emotions—but overall, a good feeling. :)
So many fun and heartbreaking (in a totally good way!) twists in this book. Plus it's uber funny and practically comes with a built-in playlist.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really wanted to give this book a two star, but felt that I didn't dislike the book that much.
Bree was an okay character, i wouldn't have made some of the choices she did, but realize that if she didn't make these choices, she wouldn't have learned anything and we wouldn't have had the ending we got. She is also far from my favorite characters list, but i could tolerate her! Bree also created most of her own problems.
Patrick... Patrick is a star all on his own. He was such a cutie, i really liked him. What I didn't like was his romance/reincarnation love with Bree. Maybe the author had it there as a learning stone or just a plot twist for us readers, but I felt the book would have been fine without it. SO MUCH DRAMA!
Besides the reincarnated love plot twist ending, i enjoyed the ending! I loved that Bree fixed things with her ex-boyfriend in the end! That was my favorite part of the entire book! Bree's character development was another star and i was impressed by most of it! :)
I recommend this book to people who are looking for a little fuff in their life. The last star is also given because this book made me feel something! Mostly frustration, but i was happy was some things Bree did. Happy reading!
Bree was an okay character, i wouldn't have made some of the choices she did, but realize that if she didn't make these choices, she wouldn't have learned anything and we wouldn't have had the ending we got. She is also far from my favorite characters list, but i could tolerate her! Bree also created most of her own problems.
Patrick... Patrick is a star all on his own. He was such a cutie, i really liked him. What I didn't like was his romance/reincarnation love with Bree. Maybe the author had it there as a learning stone or just a plot twist for us readers, but I felt the book would have been fine without it. SO MUCH DRAMA!
Besides the reincarnated love plot twist ending, i enjoyed the ending! I loved that Bree fixed things with her ex-boyfriend in the end! That was my favorite part of the entire book! Bree's character development was another star and i was impressed by most of it! :)
I recommend this book to people who are looking for a little fuff in their life. The last star is also given because this book made me feel something! Mostly frustration, but i was happy was some things Bree did. Happy reading!
I couldn't put this book down, it was absolutely incredible.
I reread it a second time immediately after I finished it and there are so many Patrick moments where you just go "OHHHHHHH." It all makes sense.
I reread it a second time immediately after I finished it and there are so many Patrick moments where you just go "OHHHHHHH." It all makes sense.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I added this book to my TBR pile so long ago that the only reason I remember what it's about is because I've been looking for it in a multitude of libraries for about that long. I didn't think the premise was particularly unique when I started--it reminded me of "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin quite a bit--but I was interested enough in the characters to push on.
Brie's voice was what kept me reading as long as I did. She's both your typical teenage girl and she's not. Whatever her special spark was, it was something I don't find in a lot of contemporary heroines, and it made me keep going even when I was thinking 'this is cliched' or 'I've seen this before.'
My only real problem with Brie was that she suffered from naive narrator syndrome occasionally. In the case of a few characters--Larkin and Patrick, for example--I was wondering how she could be missing what was so obvious to the reader. Or at least, this reader.
I hit my angry wall mid story, and put the book down for a few hours only to pick it up again the next day because I had to know how it ended. This wasn't a happy story, and there were certainly times when things seemed so hopeless I wasn't sure how they'd ever get resolved.
That being said, this is also the first book I've read in ages to make me cry. The ending left me a bit confused, I won't lie, but the emotion was so real that it broke pieces of my heart a little bit.
I never thought I would end up recommending this, but I am. Even if it's not your type of book, give it a shot and keep pushing on. I doubt you'll be disappointed. I certainly wasn't.
Brie's voice was what kept me reading as long as I did. She's both your typical teenage girl and she's not. Whatever her special spark was, it was something I don't find in a lot of contemporary heroines, and it made me keep going even when I was thinking 'this is cliched' or 'I've seen this before.'
My only real problem with Brie was that she suffered from naive narrator syndrome occasionally. In the case of a few characters--Larkin and Patrick, for example--I was wondering how she could be missing what was so obvious to the reader. Or at least, this reader.
I hit my angry wall mid story, and put the book down for a few hours only to pick it up again the next day because I had to know how it ended. This wasn't a happy story, and there were certainly times when things seemed so hopeless I wasn't sure how they'd ever get resolved.
That being said, this is also the first book I've read in ages to make me cry. The ending left me a bit confused, I won't lie, but the emotion was so real that it broke pieces of my heart a little bit.
I never thought I would end up recommending this, but I am. Even if it's not your type of book, give it a shot and keep pushing on. I doubt you'll be disappointed. I certainly wasn't.
I started off really liking The Catastrophic History of You And Me, but as the book went on...I found myself getting really irritated with Brie. Which turned an enjoyable read into an okay one.
I like the idea of Brie having to go through the 5 stages of grief in order to move on. I actually found it totally believable that the dead grieve the same way we do. I really liked the connection between her and Patrick and how it was slowly revealed over the course of the book.
Her journey is an interesting one, and while I understand why Brie acts the way she does, there were points during her journey where I started to lose a lot of sympathy for her. She did come across as petty and bitter and intent on revenge at times. And while I understand her actions because the people who she thought cared about her had a lot of secrets and things to work through...there were a couple times where she went too far, and I didn't find her as sympathetic as I did at the beginning of the book. It really did change how I felt towards her, and not in a good way. Still, she did act how you'd expect, and she's a pretty realistic character. I think teenage me would have related to her and like her a lot more than adult me.
As for her romance with Patrick...I get their connection, but it was never completely there for me. It did make the novel slightly more interesting, but it also felt a bit random. I just wish I got to know Patrick better.
I thought Jackson did a great job narrating and I can totally picture her as Brie. Brie's sense of humor and personality really came through in Jackson's narration.
Let's Rate It: Catastrophic History turned out to be an okay read for me, and it's because Brie eventually got too irritating for my taste. I think teenage me would have really liked her but as an adult...not so much. Still, I think the idea of an afterlife where you have to go through the stages of grief is a really different and unique one. The Catastrophic History Of You And Me gets 2 stars.
I like the idea of Brie having to go through the 5 stages of grief in order to move on. I actually found it totally believable that the dead grieve the same way we do. I really liked the connection between her and Patrick and how it was slowly revealed over the course of the book.
Her journey is an interesting one, and while I understand why Brie acts the way she does, there were points during her journey where I started to lose a lot of sympathy for her. She did come across as petty and bitter and intent on revenge at times. And while I understand her actions because the people who she thought cared about her had a lot of secrets and things to work through...there were a couple times where she went too far, and I didn't find her as sympathetic as I did at the beginning of the book. It really did change how I felt towards her, and not in a good way. Still, she did act how you'd expect, and she's a pretty realistic character. I think teenage me would have related to her and like her a lot more than adult me.
As for her romance with Patrick...I get their connection, but it was never completely there for me. It did make the novel slightly more interesting, but it also felt a bit random. I just wish I got to know Patrick better.
I thought Jackson did a great job narrating and I can totally picture her as Brie. Brie's sense of humor and personality really came through in Jackson's narration.
Let's Rate It: Catastrophic History turned out to be an okay read for me, and it's because Brie eventually got too irritating for my taste. I think teenage me would have really liked her but as an adult...not so much. Still, I think the idea of an afterlife where you have to go through the stages of grief is a really different and unique one. The Catastrophic History Of You And Me gets 2 stars.
Es muy lindo, muy muy lindo, así como también crudo y cruel. Recomendable lejos :')
