Jessica WarmanRecensioni
Autore di Between
Recensioni
Between di Jessica Warman
This book is definitely going to be on my end of year favorites list. This is just the type of Mystery/Thriller I like, and I'm kind of mad it wasn't shoved in my face earlier!!
The first thing that jumped out at me was the setting. This whole thing takes place in a town called Shelocta, which is a real town located about 15 miles from where I live. I always find it fun to read books that are set in Western PA-- it gives me an instant connection to the book. Also, this was set in the 90's!! The references weren't enough to put my 90's nostalgia into high gear, but it was cool to go back in time a little.
Then, there's the characters. Remy, the boy next door, was my fave. I don't know why I like the kinds of book boys that are aloof, but you know that if the m/c breaks through their outer shell they'll be adorable, but I do. Remy is the kind of character that is frustrating, but worth sticking with. Sam wasn't someone I super connected with, but the mystery was enough to keep me with her.
The Mystery: I wanted to know what happened to the sister. I wanted to know why in the hell someone would dress as Santa Claus on New Year's Eve. If Steven was supposedly innocent, I wanted to know how/why there would be 2 people dressed as Santa Claus after Christmas. There was so much grief and pain to wade through to get the heart of what happened, but once we got there, there were more answers than I was expecting.
Bonus: Mixed in are police interviews and excerpts from a true-crime book about the case. I love a good epistolary element to break things up & these ones added a lot to the book.
I gotta talk about that ending!!! I won't give any spoilers, but AHHHHH. This ending totally messed with my head and freaked me out. I don't usually sit around thinking someone is going to break into my house, but the night I finished this, I jumped at every creak and shadow.
OVERALL: A YA Mystery/Thriller!! This is just the kind of Mystery/Thriller I like-- very character driven, deals with issues beyond the actual mystery, deep, and twisted. I totally, 100% recommend to anyone looking to get lost in a good mystery.
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books
The appendix of the edition I read had an interview with the author that confirmed something like 95% of this story is veiled autobiography. I found this very troubling. While she can be praised for treating herself so unkindly/realistically, she really seems to...well... keep explaining her side. This added a voyeuristic side to the book that pushed it into negative territory for me.
Introduction
On the night of her 18th birthday, Elizabeth "Liz" Valchar dies. Stuck between life and death, she finds her body knocking against her family's boat long before her friends find her. Liz can't remember anything from her life, or her death. Everything has holes. She has no idea how she managed to drown on her 18th birthday, surrounded by her friends. The only way she can figure it out is by waiting for the memories to hit her, and by silently observing her family and friends as they grieve.
Luckily, she isn't alone. With her in this limbo like state is Alex Berg, a boy who was hit by a car a year prior to Liz's death. They had no connection in life. Liz was popular, and had everything anybody could ever want. Alex was introverted, from a modest family, and spent his school days trying to avoid being bullied. They have no idea why they're together, but slowly, together, they're going to figure out what happened on the nights of their deaths.
Characters
Almost all of the characters are very difficult to like, which is usually what happens when all pf the characters are spoiled rich kids. They are the classic rich kid characters who are all troubled in some way, but I found a lot of their troubles fell a little flat. They are all very real and tough problems, but most of them weren't delved into deep enough for me to really care about them. As a result, a good number of the characters were never very interesting to me, and a couple of them felt completely pointless to the story.
Liz did a lot of growing and maturing throughout the book--a result of seeing herself in her memories--and seeing her grow into a less stuck up version of her was wonderful.
Mystery/Ending
I had predictions about the ending very early on in the book. probably less than halfway through, and when I got to the end, all of my predictions turned out to be right. The ending felt a little predictable to me, and because of this, I wouldn't label it the most effective mystery. However, even though I figured out what was going to happen early on in the book, I still enjoyed reading it as it all unfolded.
Romance
I was very pleased that no romance happened between Alex and Liz. I admit, I really expected that that was what was going to happen when I first started the book, but I think if it did happen, it would have made the story entirely different than what it was and I'm really glad that it didn't go that way.
Conclusion
Despite not truly connecting with many of the supporting characters and essentially figuring out the mystery long before the ending, I did find this book entertaining to read, and I think I will try to read more from Warman. This book does feature a few mature themes, and does depict disordered eating as a large part of Liz's life, so if that is triggering to you, I would stay away from this book.
Di solito scrivere recensioni per libri con voti così alti mi viene semplice perché sono talmente eccitata, talmente euforica per quello che ho letto che sprizzo amore da ogni poro, ma con After questa semplicità mi viene negata, perché di semplice questo libro non ha proprio niente.
Leggere After è stato un viaggio inaspettato. Dalla trama, dall'incipit, dai primi capitoli, sembrava dovesse trattarsi di un paranormal thriller a tutti gli effetti. con una carica di tensione molto alta; invece si è rivelato un cammino introspettivo, attraverso i personaggi, alla scoperta delle persone che siamo e che vorremmo/dovremmo essere.
Liz e Alex sono due persone diametralmente opposte: lei bella, popolare, viziata, ricca e con un'anima fragile come cristallo; lui anonimo, che deve lavorare per vivere e nascondersi per sopravvivere, ma che si rivela molto più forte e determinato di chiunque altro Liz abbia mai incontrato.
Il mistero della morte di Liz (e di quella di Alex) viene rivelato a poco a poco, ma... continua a leggere su http://theinkspell.blogspot.it/2016/08/recensione-after-di-jessica-warman_25.htm...
* It was a quick read. I finished it in a few hours and I was (mostly) entertained while reading.
* Secondary characters were interesting. I’m not sure why some were included though (I’m talking about you, Noah)
* Some of the long passages about random stuff were obviously used as filler, but it was sometimes rather interesting. Sometimes
* Sam’s father stole the show. His quiet derision and dislike of himself was heartbreaking to read. I felt terrible for him.
The Bad & the Annoying
* Not much leading up to ending. No climax really, just “here’s what happened”. I wanted more oomph.
* The rushed “and this is what happened to so-and-so” sucked. A little blurb about the rest of the characters lives does not an ending make.
* We never really find out what happens to Turtle and that really pissed me off. At least tell me [Spoiler]
* Nothing was really solved. [Spoiler]. I need to know!
* Gretchen was a cold ass bitch. I don’t understand why she and Abby [Spoiler]
Questions I Have After Reading:
WHAT happened to Turtle? What did that monster do to her?
Were Gretchen and Abby lesbians? i didn’t get their relationship. it seemed like a big ol’ clusterfuck.
Why was Noah even in the story? What was his role, anyway? He didn’t do anything but be annoying. Oh, and apparently, he smells. Yuck.
My Notes While Reading
Chapter 10
Sam’s mom is one hell of a character but the dad, who is always in the background, seems a little more human. His sorrow and heartbreak is pitiful and really shows that the author can write.
“And I deserve that. Don’t shake your head, because you know it’s true. This is my life and my hell, and this is where I have to stay, because if Sharon or Sam or Gretchen calls my name and I’m not there … I don’t know. I can’t think about it. It kills me every morning. I hear her screaming for me every morning.”
Chapter 11
Not sure what to make of the mom. She’s pretty fucked up all around. She was even before Turtle disappeared. Sam has a weird relationship with her.
“She’s not happy, Remy. She’ll never be happy. But at least now she doesn’t sleep for twenty hours a day. Now she doesn’t have to use prescription eyedrops because her eyes are so dried out from crying—crying every day for so many years that it’s starting to permanently affect her vision.”
Conclusion:
I’m kind of pissed now that I think about all that stuff. I give it a solid 3.5.
Alice and Rachel are twins, monochorionic and monoamniotic twins. They share so close a bond that when one disappears the other feels, right away, that something is wrong and when she starts experiencing physical trauma that she can’t account for, it accelerates her desire to find out what’s happening to her sister.
A few chapters into Beautiful Lies, Jessica Warman throws in a little twist and I had to re-read the earlier chapters to see if there were flags that indicated what was going on. The narrative is written in first person and a little further into the story I realized that the narrator is unreliable. I was not prepared for the unraveling of the mystery that happened after!
I would like to elaborate, but it’s difficult to review this story because I don’t want to spoil any parts. I can say this though, there is an unreliable narrator, twins who look so identical that even their family can’t tell them apart and a mystery that kept me turning the pages well into the wee hours of the morning. The tale that Warman weaves is tangled and complex, I wasn’t sure what to trust and what to believe. The ending, what a fabulous ending!
I know that some might be frustrated with this book - mostly because of the unreliability of the narrator - however, I thought that it was brilliantly written and fully engrossing and I found the fact that I wasn’t certain about what to believe and what not to believe added another layer of mystery to the novel. Warman did a great job in keeping the mystery thrilling by dropping little hints, enough to keep you guessing but never enough to give it all away.
The story stayed with me long after I was finished; I was not prepared for the way it gripped me nor the way it ended.
[Review of ARC from BEA]
I was blown away.
Jessica Warman spins the tale of a high schooler named Elizabeth. Liz is pretty, rich, popular, dating a popular boy at school and at the top of the high school social food chain. Liz is a runner. Liz has a secret. Liz is dead.
When Liz awakes to her death she finds that she cannot remember the events leading up to her body being found face down in the water near her parent’s boat.
The biggest thing that struck me about Between was how much I disliked Liz. Yet, I still wanted to hear what she had to say; this is a balance that I don’t often find in books where I dislike the protagonist. Jessica Warman kept the mystery alive long enough to see past Liz’s superficialness and realise that she was a living and hurting teenager just like the people she tormented in her life. Joining her in her death is Alex, a boy from her school who died the year before. In her life she would never be caught dead with him - death is indeed the great equalizer.
As their time together unfolds, Jessica paints a portrait of the life of Alex and Liz through Liz’s eyes. After a point I started to like Liz as a character. She is more complex than we are initially lead to believe and these complexities all tie into the path that leads to her death.
The more I read, the faster I wanted to get to the resolution, while, at the same time, not wanting it to end. The writing is gripping, and as the mystery slowly unraveled, the depth of the players are revealed as well. Yes, you might be able to figure it out before the big reveal, but it was the character development and the emotions that came bursting through the pages that was the most fascinating part of this novel. I could almost close my eyes and see high school again.
Once the story was over and the book was closed I still carried the characters around in my head. It shook me a bit, how easily life can be taken away, how delicate a world we live in and how much the things we think matter don’t matter at all when we die. Sobering, Between is a must-read.
This kept me reading right to the end but I sort of worked out what was happening about three-quarters into the plot. There are a lot of references to alcohol, drugs and sex and some parts are quite graphic and violent. Not for the squeamish but I guess if you are watching "Walking Dead", this might seem pretty tame.
On New Years Eve, with all the adults upstairs partying, the youngsters are in the basement tucked into their sleeping bags when 4 year old Turtle is taken by an individual dressed up as Santa Claus. 7 year old Sam and her best friend Remy witness the abduction and both swear it is a guy in the neighborhood that they know as Steven. Steven, who has some mental issues due to a skull accident in his teen years is arrested and tried for the crime and convicted. 10 years later, the family has moved back into their old house and neighborhood where the incident took place and are facing the memories of the past. After reconnecting with her childhood friend, Remy, all the details of Turtle's abduction begin to come into question for the teens as they examine their emotions and memories of long ago. The truth comes blaring into view as the bits and pieces are finally wound together and the truth of long ago is uncovered. The ending is quick and abrupt and I think could have been a little more detailed, but the mystery is solved.
On New Year's Eve/day 1986, while their parent were still welcoming in the new year, seven year old Sam and her best friend Remy tried to appear asleep as they watched in terror as Santa Claus came through the back yard, opened the sliding glass door and kidnapped Sam's four year old sister. The man they identified spent the next ten years on death row, even though Turtle's body was never found, which is where we come back into the story ten years later. The book then goes back and forth between the time periods little by little giving us more pieces of the story to bring us closer to the truth of what happened to Turtle.
This book, classified as a thriller/mystery also gives us a heartbreaking glimpse of what happens to the broken families after the disappearance of a child. They are each left with their own nightmare; anger and guilt on top of their grief as well as endless questions of what they could have done differently and they still hold out a little hope since the body was never found. The Myers family all were affected differently but were all haunted by the event that shattered their family.
The Myers moved away to put some distance from the tragedy and tried to put themselves back together. As Sam got older, she still had unanswered questions and when circumstance brought them back to their old house 10 years after the kidnapping, Sam reconnects with Remy and the two of them try to come to terms with the possibility that the facts they remembered maybe not being as they seemed.
Tissues may be required with the reading of this book. That one event set the stage for the destruction of the members of the family and it was heartbreaking to read. There are definitely some chills up your spine moments and the ending blew me away. This is a quick read that will leave you haunted.
When no one else wakes up, Liz goes to investigate on her own.
The things making the noise isn't a fish like Liz first thought; it's a body trapped between the dock and the boat.
Liz's body.
As Liz is forced to unravel both her life (which she can't remember very well) and her death, she learns that she may have been pretty and popular, but her life wasn't as perfect as it appeared to be. Nor are her friends all that they seem - or all that she thought they were.
Fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall will want to check out Between. As in Before I Fall, Elizabeth is the popular, pretty girl with the close group of friends. But, like Oliver's Samantha character, Liz is also not a very likable person. In Between, though, Liz is shown - through another character and memories - just how unlikable she is/was.
The memories are a great way for the readers to learn about Liz's life/her past and how she's gotten to be who she is now - or at least who she was when she died.
The way that Liz's life is slowly unveiled, almost unraveled, for both Liz and the reader is brilliant. Things aren't remembered consecutively so it's hard to know what to trust in a given situation or what each statement really means until you're later given more information. Readers are really taken along with Liz as she discovers who she was in life and what it's going to mean for her in death.
Parts of the story and parts of the characters' personalities that don't seem to fit or don't seem right (or even healthy) you have to wonder if it's a mistake the author made . . . or something we just don't know about yet. It's really magnificently done.
One of the best character studies I've read this year for sure - and maybe ever - Between is also a great mystery that builds and builds and builds until the ends, leaving you wishing you could turn the pages faster and faster. And then sorry that it's all over because it means leaving Liz behind.
Cover Talk: I really love this cover. I do wish it were on a dock, because that would make more sense. But the cover still captures the haunted tone of the book and the mystery. I definitely love it.
First Impressions: I actually don’t remember where I heard about this book. Or if I even heard about it. I bought it on a whim because the cover was pretty and the synopsis sounded really different than what I’d been reading.
First Few Chapters: The first page had me hooked. And after the first chapter, I seriously did not want to put this book down. Jumping from memories to present day was really interesting and I loved
Characters: Elizabeth, or Liz, is the stereotypical spoiled, rich girl on the surface. Clothes, shoes, make-up, and diet is everything to her. But when she “wakes up” to see her body floating in the water, her priorities start to change. Watching her friends and family lives get turned upside down after her death, Liz begins to see them in a whole new light. I really loved seeing Liz’s character change and evolve during this book.
Alex is another teen who died also in “between” worlds. For a year after the hit and run that took his life, Alex has been watching everyone’s lives move on. When Liz shows up, the two of them team up to solve their deaths. Alex is wonderful. In life, he was a nobody. He was not popular and had to work to help him family with money. His snark and sarcasm make him my favorite character in this novel, hands down.
Richie was Liz’s boyfriend. At first I didn’t really like him and I thought Liz’s frequent declaration of love for him was annoying. But as the book went on, I really started to believe in Richie and Liz’s love. It made me sad that Richie made a few mistakes, but overall, I really love this character.
Josie is my least favorite character. I just really didn’t like her and her personality just really irritated the hell out of me. She loved being popular and would do anything to be popular. As Liz’s stepsister (rumor has it, she is a half sister), they were very close. Their friendship never made sense to me, but opposites tend to attract.
Liz and Josie’s other friends that were on the boat each had their moments too. Caroline was the most realist and the most down to earth. Mara and Topher were a rather interesting couple, always together and a little bit too dramatic for my taste. Especially Mara.
Plot: This book is absolutely wonderful. There is such a complex web of mystery to untangle and it was impossible to put down. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. It centers around a group of rich kids who are spoiled, entitled, and just downright mean. They drank, smoked, and did everything under the moon without ever having to face the consequences.
After Liz’s death, it was really interesting to see how everyone in Liz’s life reacted. I really wanted to shake some sense into her friends, but as spoiled, rich kids, none except Richie even seemed to really change. Her family was the hardest to see in the aftermath, especially her father. After losing his first wife, it just seemed so unfair that he lost his daughter too.
There were quiet a few twists to this book. Some I saw coming, some I never saw coming.
Final Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book. Any fan of mystery and ghosts, will really enjoy this book. It was beautifully written and the story was very well done. I will definitely be reading more of Jessica Warman’s books.
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