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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
This was good book to read, and I read it very quickly once I started. This is a book about a child who went through something very traumatic and was her story of how she coped both healthily and otherwise.
This was really good, I thought the tension between Julia and her mother was very well-drawn and almost palpable. Some of the pacing was a little odd, very slow to begin with and then rushed at the end. I thought it was an excellent look inside depression although I would have liked a little more of her process of recovery.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
I REALLY wanted to like this book. It started strong but there was so much going on that the story fell apart for me. Many characters and story threads were introduced, but many were not picked up again or resolved. Julia, the main character and narrator, irritated me. Yes, she is (very understandably) depressed but she was also downright unlikeable in much of the book. I enjoyed the Hispanic culture and saw some of my life reflected in the story. Overall, though, I was more distracted by what bothered me about the story.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
4.5 stars
I identified with this book so much, because Julia is a lot like me in her interests and personality and everything. (And I also come from a Family-oriented culture, though my mom wasn't as relentless in her insisting that I stay somewhere nearby).
This book is an important family story, with a female friendship, and tells the story of someone who is at a different income level. It's such an important book, and Julia's hilarious first-person narration helped the story even more.
The part that felt weak, however, was the love subplot. I felt like it came out of nowhere over 100 pages in, built up too quickly, and then we get a good chunk of the book without it. A lot of underdeveloped love subplots are fine that way in my opinion, but seeing how important of a part of Julia's story this love subplot is, it shouldn't have just gone by so quickly with little development after that much buildup.
I identified with this book so much, because Julia is a lot like me in her interests and personality and everything. (And I also come from a Family-oriented culture, though my mom wasn't as relentless in her insisting that I stay somewhere nearby).
This book is an important family story, with a female friendship, and tells the story of someone who is at a different income level. It's such an important book, and Julia's hilarious first-person narration helped the story even more.
The part that felt weak, however, was the love subplot. I felt like it came out of nowhere over 100 pages in, built up too quickly, and then we get a good chunk of the book without it. A lot of underdeveloped love subplots are fine that way in my opinion, but seeing how important of a part of Julia's story this love subplot is, it shouldn't have just gone by so quickly with little development after that much buildup.
Granted, I'm partial to Adrienne Rich and Emily Dickinson–loving, angsty teenagers, but this is exactly the sort of YA novel I wish was around when I was a kid. Julia is a great character, and the story covers a wide range of heavy topics without ever feeling weighed down by them. I wish I knew more teenage girls to give this to!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated