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A review by bookishly_faith
Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu
2.0
(I received this copy on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!)
I'm thinking that maybe [a:Jennifer Mathieu|6549106|Jennifer Mathieu|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1415034495p2/6549106.jpg]'s books aren't my thing. I can totally appreciate that she writes very well about difficult subjects, but I'm not a big fan of the plots of her books and the way her books are written. If you REALLY like realistic books about teens, you might like this book more than I did. So note, my criticisms are all my opinion. You may end up liking this book for the reasons I didn't like it.
This book is about Ethan and Caroline; two people who were affected by a kidnapping. Ethan is the guy who has been kidnapped for 4 years while Caroline's autistic brother, Dylan, was kidnapped recently by Ethan's captor. Together, these characters try to figure out how to live with the aftermath of this situation.
[b:Afterward: A Novel|29370366|Afterward A Novel|Jennifer Mathieu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1457997724s/29370366.jpg|47463591] is told in dual POVs by Caroline and Ethan. I think my favourite chapters were by Ethan. I liked reading about him and his situation. He has been living for the past 4 years with his captor, trying to act normal in front of the world but in his head, fear blocks out his worst memories. Watching him struggle to feel like a normal teenage boy was really interesting to watch. His therapist was also interesting, but lacking some originality. I like that the characters were diverse.
I think the part I didn't like about this book was just how realistic it was (which might not be a problem for some people). Don't get me wrong, I hate it when the characters don't seem like teenagers, but this book was so realistic, it made me uncomfortable. I didn't like reading about Caroline and her relationship with Jason or her experiences with drinking and smoking weed. I also wasn't a fan of the stream of consciousness kind of writing that this story was told in. I was wondering where exactly this book was leading to and what the story actually accomplished.
I think depending on your feelings toward contemporaries, you may have different opinions than I do. If you like really blunt and realistic contemporaries that talk about serious issues, this book might be your cup of tea. I wasn't a huge fan of [b:The Truth About Alice|16068341|The Truth About Alice|Jennifer Mathieu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391607111s/16068341.jpg|21860558], but if you were, you might like this book more than I did.
I'm thinking that maybe [a:Jennifer Mathieu|6549106|Jennifer Mathieu|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1415034495p2/6549106.jpg]'s books aren't my thing. I can totally appreciate that she writes very well about difficult subjects, but I'm not a big fan of the plots of her books and the way her books are written. If you REALLY like realistic books about teens, you might like this book more than I did. So note, my criticisms are all my opinion. You may end up liking this book for the reasons I didn't like it.
This book is about Ethan and Caroline; two people who were affected by a kidnapping. Ethan is the guy who has been kidnapped for 4 years while Caroline's autistic brother, Dylan, was kidnapped recently by Ethan's captor. Together, these characters try to figure out how to live with the aftermath of this situation.
[b:Afterward: A Novel|29370366|Afterward A Novel|Jennifer Mathieu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1457997724s/29370366.jpg|47463591] is told in dual POVs by Caroline and Ethan. I think my favourite chapters were by Ethan. I liked reading about him and his situation. He has been living for the past 4 years with his captor, trying to act normal in front of the world but in his head, fear blocks out his worst memories. Watching him struggle to feel like a normal teenage boy was really interesting to watch. His therapist was also interesting, but lacking some originality. I like that the characters were diverse.
I think the part I didn't like about this book was just how realistic it was (which might not be a problem for some people). Don't get me wrong, I hate it when the characters don't seem like teenagers, but this book was so realistic, it made me uncomfortable. I didn't like reading about Caroline and her relationship with Jason or her experiences with drinking and smoking weed. I also wasn't a fan of the stream of consciousness kind of writing that this story was told in. I was wondering where exactly this book was leading to and what the story actually accomplished.
I think depending on your feelings toward contemporaries, you may have different opinions than I do. If you like really blunt and realistic contemporaries that talk about serious issues, this book might be your cup of tea. I wasn't a huge fan of [b:The Truth About Alice|16068341|The Truth About Alice|Jennifer Mathieu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391607111s/16068341.jpg|21860558], but if you were, you might like this book more than I did.