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A review by labunnywtf
The Opposite of Here by Tara Altebrando
3.0
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
The first thing I thought after finishing this book:
But what the hell does the title mean?!
Seriously, the title has literally nothing to do with what happens in this book. WTF.
The premise for this book is pretty intriguing. Still grieving teenaged girl spending her 17th birthday on a cruise ship with her three best friends and her parents. Suspicious stuff happens, and there's no use doing anything but figuring it out, because this is a cruise ship, and there's certainly not anything else going on at the time.
This book reminds me quite heavily of the Christopher Pike-esque books of my teenagedom. In saying that, I admit that this would be an excellent read for the junior high-high school age bracket looking for some light thrillers.
But also, they could do better.
This book is all over the place. So much of it doesn't make sense, and it gets to that convoluted magic-but-not-magic, we-know-readers-like-supernatural-so-how-do-we-do-this-in-a-contemporary sort of plotting that is just going to throw off your average reader.
Now, there is a twist literally right at the end that I was pleasantly surprised by. I saw some other reviewers who didn't like it, and I acknowledge it comes out of left field, but after the labyrinth maze I walked through reading this book, I found the prize at the end completely perfect.
I can't diss this book, as I said, there is a market for it. I just think a few pinches and tweaks and a firm editor could've done wonders.
The first thing I thought after finishing this book:
But what the hell does the title mean?!
Seriously, the title has literally nothing to do with what happens in this book. WTF.
The premise for this book is pretty intriguing. Still grieving teenaged girl spending her 17th birthday on a cruise ship with her three best friends and her parents. Suspicious stuff happens, and there's no use doing anything but figuring it out, because this is a cruise ship, and there's certainly not anything else going on at the time.
This book reminds me quite heavily of the Christopher Pike-esque books of my teenagedom. In saying that, I admit that this would be an excellent read for the junior high-high school age bracket looking for some light thrillers.
But also, they could do better.
This book is all over the place. So much of it doesn't make sense, and it gets to that convoluted magic-but-not-magic, we-know-readers-like-supernatural-so-how-do-we-do-this-in-a-contemporary sort of plotting that is just going to throw off your average reader.
Now, there is a twist literally right at the end that I was pleasantly surprised by. I saw some other reviewers who didn't like it, and I acknowledge it comes out of left field, but after the labyrinth maze I walked through reading this book, I found the prize at the end completely perfect.
I can't diss this book, as I said, there is a market for it. I just think a few pinches and tweaks and a firm editor could've done wonders.