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The Book of Tomorrow
by Cecelia Ahern
I didn't know until I was halfway through this that the author was the same one who wrote [b:P.S. I Love You|366522|P.S. I Love You|Cecelia Ahern|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174154637s/366522.jpg|2742631]. I haven't actually read it, and it got some decent word-of-mouth, but from the movie previews I had decided (accurately or not) that it was too schlocky for my tastes and, frankly, if I had known that Ahern was the author, I probably would never have picked up this book. And that would have been a shame.
This book was excellent contemporary YA with a magical kick. You’ve got the spoiled, selfish, self-destructive heroine, which just invites oodles of fun and room for growth. There’s the mystery/intrigue of the shifty, too-cheery Aunt and silent Uncle. There’s the drama of the comatose mother and the suicided dad. Lots of angst and reflection and maturation and mystery. AND there’s a diary that writes about the future. It was all awesome.
I honestly didn't know what direction the book was headed until the end with the magical element. It was pretty classic contemporary YA in the main plot--the broken family life, the fallen rich, popular girl, the bad life choices made out of pain. But then there was this diary that wrote tomorrow's entries and the aunt became more suspicious and I figured somehow the two were tied together, but it definitely didn't come out like I expected until near the end. To be fair, the end was maybe a touch melodramatic, but it was still all good.
The one hitch was the romance—it really wasn’t there, and even the ultimate love interest was kind of “meh” (I mean, he was a decent guy, but nothing overly swoon-worthy, mostly because he got very little screentime). Honestly, I think Ahern’s heart wasn't in the romance. It felt kind of tossed in, all "crap this is a YA, there's an obligation for romance, right? Let's throw in some cute guy!" It would’ve been a great book without it (but would’ve been a better book if it had been done well—I think part of the problem was that the love interest just wasn’t in the book that much and he showed up very late to the party).
Oh, and there was a wild(ish) beekeeping nun. And a burned-down castle. And secrets. So much fun! I was surprised by how thoroughly I enjoyed this book.
This book was excellent contemporary YA with a magical kick. You’ve got the spoiled, selfish, self-destructive heroine, which just invites oodles of fun and room for growth. There’s the mystery/intrigue of the shifty, too-cheery Aunt and silent Uncle. There’s the drama of the comatose mother and the suicided dad. Lots of angst and reflection and maturation and mystery. AND there’s a diary that writes about the future. It was all awesome.
I honestly didn't know what direction the book was headed until the end with the magical element. It was pretty classic contemporary YA in the main plot--the broken family life, the fallen rich, popular girl, the bad life choices made out of pain. But then there was this diary that wrote tomorrow's entries and the aunt became more suspicious and I figured somehow the two were tied together, but it definitely didn't come out like I expected until near the end. To be fair, the end was maybe a touch melodramatic, but it was still all good.
The one hitch was the romance—it really wasn’t there, and even the ultimate love interest was kind of “meh” (I mean, he was a decent guy, but nothing overly swoon-worthy, mostly because he got very little screentime). Honestly, I think Ahern’s heart wasn't in the romance. It felt kind of tossed in, all "crap this is a YA, there's an obligation for romance, right? Let's throw in some cute guy!" It would’ve been a great book without it (but would’ve been a better book if it had been done well—I think part of the problem was that the love interest just wasn’t in the book that much and he showed up very late to the party).
Oh, and there was a wild(ish) beekeeping nun. And a burned-down castle. And secrets. So much fun! I was surprised by how thoroughly I enjoyed this book.