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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I think this has made my top 5 saddest books of all time. I cried so much. It was beautifully written and I absolutely loved it. I hear the Printz calling!
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sammie. Super smart yet super awkward. But the kid has heart.
She's incredibly intelligent, hardworking, and socially odd, which totally stole my heart because I understand that life and I understand it well.
Sammie's illness ends in dying very young and she's determined to chronicle her youth in a memory book (re: diary, though she refuses to call it that). I couldn't help want to hug her for her admiration of Elizabeth Warren and Beyonce to get her through the last leg of her illness with confidence and strength. Girl power, YES.
You feel her sadness at losing her dream (attending NYU), the anger at failing at a task she excelled at because her body betrayed her (nationals for debate), and having an enormous crush on a boy who was more interesting in theory than in actuality.
Enter her childhood neighbor, who is a miraculous combination of stoner and cute muscle (how that's even possible considering weed gives you the munchies is one for the sages but, hey, that's YA, right?). He is the right one. Knows her past, accepts her future, and doesn't treat her like she's terminal. Your heart will ache for them. And that ending. Facing home.
Avery, thank you for making me want to find another goal to give my all to so that life is a little less boring.
She's incredibly intelligent, hardworking, and socially odd, which totally stole my heart because I understand that life and I understand it well.
Sammie's illness ends in dying very young and she's determined to chronicle her youth in a memory book (re: diary, though she refuses to call it that). I couldn't help want to hug her for her admiration of Elizabeth Warren and Beyonce to get her through the last leg of her illness with confidence and strength. Girl power, YES.
You feel her sadness at losing her dream (attending NYU), the anger at failing at a task she excelled at because her body betrayed her (nationals for debate), and having an enormous crush on a boy who was more interesting in theory than in actuality.
Enter her childhood neighbor, who is a miraculous combination of stoner and cute muscle (how that's even possible considering weed gives you the munchies is one for the sages but, hey, that's YA, right?). He is the right one. Knows her past, accepts her future, and doesn't treat her like she's terminal. Your heart will ache for them. And that ending. Facing home.
Avery, thank you for making me want to find another goal to give my all to so that life is a little less boring.
**Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**
I had pretty high hopes after reading and enjoying A Million Miles Away which was Lara Avery's last YA novel. However, I found this one to fall a little bit short.
I really liked the whole concept. I haven't really read any memory loss novels, so it was very interesting to get into the head of someone who was honestly losing her memory. That has to be so heartbreaking to know that it's happening but also there's nothing that can be done about it.
I also really liked Sammie. I couldn't help but like her, not only because of what she was going through, but because of what kind of person she is. Somehow, she even managed to have humor while writing to her future self who couldn't remember anything.
Sammie had dreams of going to college and was honestly so headstrong. Because of that, I could relate to her. I just had my senior year of high school so I honestly know what it's like to work so hard for so long. All you really want is for all of your hard work to pay off.
Sammie was a nerd. So yes, I can relate to her even more, as can pretty much every other book lover.
Stuart was so amazing and the romance was pretty interesting. He basically has dreams of being a writer, so yet again, he's like going to be the #1 crush for everyone who reads this book. Plus, Sammie had a crush on him for years and Stuart didn't even know it, so it was great to see that kind of all unravel through Avery's writing.
Despite the fact that I liked all of that, there were some things that kind of pushed me away from utterly loving this book. For instance, there was a love triangle. I used to be a fan of love triangles, and honestly I still am sometimes, but I only really think that love triangles are okay in series. That way the characters are way more developed so it makes more sense for them to kind of have difficulties choosing who they want to be with. But in a normal novel? I'm not the biggest fan.
So, there were obviously way more likes than dislikes, which is why I'm giving this novel 3 stars. I'll probably still check out Lara Avery's next novel.
I had pretty high hopes after reading and enjoying A Million Miles Away which was Lara Avery's last YA novel. However, I found this one to fall a little bit short.
I really liked the whole concept. I haven't really read any memory loss novels, so it was very interesting to get into the head of someone who was honestly losing her memory. That has to be so heartbreaking to know that it's happening but also there's nothing that can be done about it.
I also really liked Sammie. I couldn't help but like her, not only because of what she was going through, but because of what kind of person she is. Somehow, she even managed to have humor while writing to her future self who couldn't remember anything.
Sammie had dreams of going to college and was honestly so headstrong. Because of that, I could relate to her. I just had my senior year of high school so I honestly know what it's like to work so hard for so long. All you really want is for all of your hard work to pay off.
Sammie was a nerd. So yes, I can relate to her even more, as can pretty much every other book lover.
Stuart was so amazing and the romance was pretty interesting. He basically has dreams of being a writer, so yet again, he's like going to be the #1 crush for everyone who reads this book. Plus, Sammie had a crush on him for years and Stuart didn't even know it, so it was great to see that kind of all unravel through Avery's writing.
Despite the fact that I liked all of that, there were some things that kind of pushed me away from utterly loving this book. For instance, there was a love triangle. I used to be a fan of love triangles, and honestly I still am sometimes, but I only really think that love triangles are okay in series. That way the characters are way more developed so it makes more sense for them to kind of have difficulties choosing who they want to be with. But in a normal novel? I'm not the biggest fan.
So, there were obviously way more likes than dislikes, which is why I'm giving this novel 3 stars. I'll probably still check out Lara Avery's next novel.
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
read this for a book club, focusing on disabilities. not my normal genre of choice but it was a very lovely book. made me sad but also hopeful. it would probably give most people the fault in our stars vibes
wtf im so sad this was a masterpiece ive felt every emotion ever
I wasn't expecting to be so invested in this story, but my emotions went through the wringer.
This book was just... so heartwarming, is probably the best way to say it.
I’m left with that, “Well, what do I do with my life now?” sort of feeling, so I know it was a good read!
Learning about Niemann-Pick was intriguing and interesting, and I learnt more as the book went along, much like Sammie did I suppose.
The way the book was written was bittersweet and made it seem so much more personal, making me fall in love with literally every character.
Sammie is an amazing girl, and I love how Avery mentioned the good, the bad, and the deep true emotions Sammie herself and the people around her felt, especially Maddie. I thought there was a raw truth there that although is a sensitive point of view, was important to bring to light.
I can’t lie and say I didn’t expect the ending, but I’m not mad at it. I still enjoyed the ending, it touched me in such a way that although Sammie didn’t have a big group of people around her, the people she did have were so supportive and loving that it made up for it, which I personally relate to.
And, as someone who also fell in love with a person a long time before realising, Avery managed to capture this beautifully.
Although at first I was unsure of this book, I was soon engrossed and finished the majority of it within a few days. I recommend this book as a nice, (mostly) light-hearted and insightful story about a very normal girl, despite her struggles with her disease.
I’m left with that, “Well, what do I do with my life now?” sort of feeling, so I know it was a good read!
Learning about Niemann-Pick was intriguing and interesting, and I learnt more as the book went along, much like Sammie did I suppose.
The way the book was written was bittersweet and made it seem so much more personal, making me fall in love with literally every character.
Sammie is an amazing girl, and I love how Avery mentioned the good, the bad, and the deep true emotions Sammie herself and the people around her felt, especially Maddie. I thought there was a raw truth there that although is a sensitive point of view, was important to bring to light.
I can’t lie and say I didn’t expect the ending, but I’m not mad at it. I still enjoyed the ending, it touched me in such a way that although Sammie didn’t have a big group of people around her, the people she did have were so supportive and loving that it made up for it, which I personally relate to.
And, as someone who also fell in love with a person a long time before realising, Avery managed to capture this beautifully.
Although at first I was unsure of this book, I was soon engrossed and finished the majority of it within a few days. I recommend this book as a nice, (mostly) light-hearted and insightful story about a very normal girl, despite her struggles with her disease.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. From how it was written to learning about a new disease that I didn't at first believe was real (I googled to find out it is, indeed, a real thing). It definitely made me stop and think, which for me, is always a sign of a great book.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sad and liked the style