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rachd24's review against another edition
4.0
Check out my full review of On The Other Side here: https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2016/08/03/review-on-the-other-side/
I'm not a big fan of magical realism, preferring all things fantastical to remain in a fantasy world. That being said, I could accept the magical realism elements in this story – to a degree. At certain points the magical realism crosses over from the fantastical side of the story, to the realistic, and that’s where my wee brain draws a line! Upon reflection, there is quite a fairytale-esque feel to the novel.
Even with my general avoidance of magical realism, I really enjoyed this book and the story. This could be because I am slightly biased towards Carrie, having been subscribed to her YouTube channel, for around 3 years or so now, or it could be because aside from the magical realism elements, the story itself, the characters, and the writing were actually very entertaining, heartfelt, and emotive.
Many of the characters in Carrie’s novel resemble her and her real-life chums. Evie herself is described as having brown eyes, and curly blonde hair, and Vincent sounds like he could pass for Pete Bucknall, Carrie’s real-life boyfriend. At times I was both distracted by the fact I was seeing Carrie and Pete in my head as the characters, and at times I really enjoyed it.
Pictures do not do this book justice – the dust jacket, end papers, and the naked book are all superb. This book is aimed at adults (18+), but has been cleverly written to be suitable for mature younger readers too. I didn’t feel there was anything “inappropriate” in the story, but younger readers may not fully understand or appreciate the significance of themes such as love and death.
While I genuinely enjoyed the story overall, there were a couple of minor issues I had with the read. First of all, no time reference is given in the novel. There are two distinguishable timelines, but at no time are either of these given a point of reference. This was interesting because for readers from any generation, they should essentially be able to relate to the story and characters more easily. However, for certain elements of the story, the time period plays a crucial role in setting the scene.
Time-frame gives a story context, and without that anchor, there were times when I got a little confused. The story has Evie at both 27 and 82, with a 55 year gap in the story-line. Is Evie 82 in 2016, and 27 in 1934? Or is Evie 27 in 2016, and 82 in 2071? Who knows?? Of course, this is the literal side of me. If you consider the magical realism and fairytale-esque elements, is time-frame really necessary? Probably not.
A small issue I had was the lack of discussion surrounding LGBT characters. At least three characters were LGBT, and with two of them their sexuality is simply mentioned and then the story moves on. Carrie has said she did this intentionally, so as to not make a big deal out of it. You don’t discuss a character’s straight-ness, do you? Touche, and valid point. But I felt LGBT characters were intentionally included in this novel, and it was possibly a great opportunity missed. However, she isn’t exactly a spokesperson for the LGBT community, and I can appreciate her stance on wanting to normalise LGBT characters in stories, as opposed to making something out of it.
The last part of the story I had a problem with was poor Jim! Such a sweet, adorable and lovable character seems to always get the short end of the stick throughout his entire life, and now it looks as though he’ll be getting it throughout the afterlife as well!
With some of the “drama” that surrounds YouTuber book deals (Do they deserve book deals? Did they write the book themselves? Is it even any good? Etc.), I’m pleased to say that I’ve seen minimal negative conversation about Carrie’s book, and from the little research that I’ve done, it does appear that she writes her own books. Aside from that, for dedicated Hopefuls there are little Easter Eggs (of sorts) peppered throughout the story that are really heartwarming to read.
I'm not a big fan of magical realism, preferring all things fantastical to remain in a fantasy world. That being said, I could accept the magical realism elements in this story – to a degree. At certain points the magical realism crosses over from the fantastical side of the story, to the realistic, and that’s where my wee brain draws a line! Upon reflection, there is quite a fairytale-esque feel to the novel.
Even with my general avoidance of magical realism, I really enjoyed this book and the story. This could be because I am slightly biased towards Carrie, having been subscribed to her YouTube channel, for around 3 years or so now, or it could be because aside from the magical realism elements, the story itself, the characters, and the writing were actually very entertaining, heartfelt, and emotive.
Many of the characters in Carrie’s novel resemble her and her real-life chums. Evie herself is described as having brown eyes, and curly blonde hair, and Vincent sounds like he could pass for Pete Bucknall, Carrie’s real-life boyfriend. At times I was both distracted by the fact I was seeing Carrie and Pete in my head as the characters, and at times I really enjoyed it.
Pictures do not do this book justice – the dust jacket, end papers, and the naked book are all superb. This book is aimed at adults (18+), but has been cleverly written to be suitable for mature younger readers too. I didn’t feel there was anything “inappropriate” in the story, but younger readers may not fully understand or appreciate the significance of themes such as love and death.
While I genuinely enjoyed the story overall, there were a couple of minor issues I had with the read. First of all, no time reference is given in the novel. There are two distinguishable timelines, but at no time are either of these given a point of reference. This was interesting because for readers from any generation, they should essentially be able to relate to the story and characters more easily. However, for certain elements of the story, the time period plays a crucial role in setting the scene.
Time-frame gives a story context, and without that anchor, there were times when I got a little confused. The story has Evie at both 27 and 82, with a 55 year gap in the story-line. Is Evie 82 in 2016, and 27 in 1934? Or is Evie 27 in 2016, and 82 in 2071? Who knows?? Of course, this is the literal side of me. If you consider the magical realism and fairytale-esque elements, is time-frame really necessary? Probably not.
A small issue I had was the lack of discussion surrounding LGBT characters. At least three characters were LGBT, and with two of them their sexuality is simply mentioned and then the story moves on. Carrie has said she did this intentionally, so as to not make a big deal out of it. You don’t discuss a character’s straight-ness, do you? Touche, and valid point. But I felt LGBT characters were intentionally included in this novel, and it was possibly a great opportunity missed. However, she isn’t exactly a spokesperson for the LGBT community, and I can appreciate her stance on wanting to normalise LGBT characters in stories, as opposed to making something out of it.
The last part of the story I had a problem with was poor Jim! Such a sweet, adorable and lovable character seems to always get the short end of the stick throughout his entire life, and now it looks as though he’ll be getting it throughout the afterlife as well!
With some of the “drama” that surrounds YouTuber book deals (Do they deserve book deals? Did they write the book themselves? Is it even any good? Etc.), I’m pleased to say that I’ve seen minimal negative conversation about Carrie’s book, and from the little research that I’ve done, it does appear that she writes her own books. Aside from that, for dedicated Hopefuls there are little Easter Eggs (of sorts) peppered throughout the story that are really heartwarming to read.
rosannaevanscornwall's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
sevve's review
4.0
Bardzo dobrze się bawiłem. Książka bardzo krótka, ale dzięki temu jej tempo jest też wyjątkowo szybkie, zwłaszcza jak na Sandersona. Dla mnie działa to bardzo odświeżająco, tym bardziej, że strasznie męczyłem się ostatnio z Kołem Czasu. Wszyscy bohaterowie mają w sobie coś intrygującego i nawet w tak krótkiej historii Sandersonowi udało się zgrabnie zarysować im fundamenty do dalszego rozwoju.
To chyba jego najbardziej "filmowa" książka. Wydaje mi się, że ze wszystkich jego historii, tą dałoby się bez żadnego problemu przenieść na ekran, nawet z minimalnymi zmianami i działałoby to bardzo dobrze. Wszystko rozgrywa się nieco typowo dla takich hollywódzkich akcyjnaków, co ma swoje plusy i minusy, ale ostatecznie książka daje dużo frajdy. A elementy Cosmere i callbacki do poprzedniej trylogii to wisienka na torcie, która robi apetyt na więcej, bo przypomina, że mimo prostej i przewidywalnej struktury, kryje się za nią wiele więcej.
To chyba jego najbardziej "filmowa" książka. Wydaje mi się, że ze wszystkich jego historii, tą dałoby się bez żadnego problemu przenieść na ekran, nawet z minimalnymi zmianami i działałoby to bardzo dobrze. Wszystko rozgrywa się nieco typowo dla takich hollywódzkich akcyjnaków, co ma swoje plusy i minusy, ale ostatecznie książka daje dużo frajdy. A elementy Cosmere i callbacki do poprzedniej trylogii to wisienka na torcie, która robi apetyt na więcej, bo przypomina, że mimo prostej i przewidywalnej struktury, kryje się za nią wiele więcej.
justmys's review against another edition
Too cutesy for me.
It reads as a mix of a Disney movie mixed with a filmed theatre production. People acting in over the top, unatural ways when moving about scenes (for lack of a better word). In the 65 pages I read the main character didn't seem to have any flaws whatsoever (despite 3 big secrets). She came from a privaledged life, managed to get a job in a matter of days, held no negativity in her life despite abusive parents and experiencing near constant mysogyny at work, and, of course, is a clutz in an endearing way.
I also couldn't work out when anything was set. At first I thought we had gone back 60 years but then it felt a little like 60 years back was also present day? But also not??? Because there was arranged marriage and such? It was all just very higgledy piggledy for me.
I'm sure it's a lovely soft story, like a disney film, musical and summer romance all rolled into one. I just need more tooth and a lot more realism in how my characters are written.
It reads as a mix of a Disney movie mixed with a filmed theatre production. People acting in over the top, unatural ways when moving about scenes (for lack of a better word). In the 65 pages I read the main character didn't seem to have any flaws whatsoever (despite 3 big secrets). She came from a privaledged life, managed to get a job in a matter of days, held no negativity in her life despite abusive parents and experiencing near constant mysogyny at work, and, of course, is a clutz in an endearing way.
I also couldn't work out when anything was set. At first I thought we had gone back 60 years but then it felt a little like 60 years back was also present day? But also not??? Because there was arranged marriage and such? It was all just very higgledy piggledy for me.
I'm sure it's a lovely soft story, like a disney film, musical and summer romance all rolled into one. I just need more tooth and a lot more realism in how my characters are written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
sian_m's review against another edition
1.0
Not for me. I loved the idea of this story and thought I’d enjoy it greatly.
julesxox3's review against another edition
5.0
I am left entirely speechless by this book. Spoken from myself barely a book left me in tears or made me shiver and I'm by all means no person of love stories and yet I had to read this one because of Carrie and it touched things only very less books have ever made me feel. Very less books made me cry and shiver at the same time - and yet this one did it. Carrie does not only write such an extraordinary story with turns you wouldn't have expected to happen she also shows a diversity in her characters drawing the attention to groups of people that are barely shown in fictional media. She makes even the silliest and stupiest things that could never be possible sound real, sound logical and cute.
The book leaves you thinking about your wn future and thinking about what just happened there and after every senctence you want to know what happens next to Evie and her world.
A seriously brilliant book and I can't wait to read more from her!
The book leaves you thinking about your wn future and thinking about what just happened there and after every senctence you want to know what happens next to Evie and her world.
A seriously brilliant book and I can't wait to read more from her!
boomakes's review against another edition
2.0
I'm being generous with 2 stars. I love Carrie as a person but I did NOT love this book.
Less 'womens fiction' and more YA.
Better than I could write though so I'll give her that!
Less 'womens fiction' and more YA.
Better than I could write though so I'll give her that!