Jessi KirbyRecensioni
Autore di Golden
Recensioni
I thought this book was super well crafted. I really enjoyed the focus on self discovery and dealing with grief. I would def. pitch this book at as the YA version of Wild. I also really enjoyed the main character in this book and how her character arc progressed throughout the novel. I love the progression of the friendship that was in this novel. I thought this book def tugged at heart strings and it really was a fast pace read. I would def check out more books by this author in the future.
Maybe it's just my personality, or maybe I just want to read the darn journal now... But I seriously think this girl has Issues. Granted, I understand her reasons for dithering but OMG will you get on with it already, girl?
Maybe I'm in the wrong mood? Alas no, I find it interesting and absorbing. So it's possible that the root of my problems is myself.
Because if it were me with those journals I'd agonise whether or not to take the journal while checking over the rest of them. It would be a long and painful process. Decision is a spontaneous 'WHAT THE HECK? - YES!' And that would be pretty much the end of it.
Please note that moral obligations, notions etc. would be considered during the agony of Choice. Besides, she is dead. No offence.
POST-READ
Oh. My. God. I want to strangle Hope half to death and beat her bloody until she sees straight. She's such a ...!!!!
OMFG. Did the author use Parker to bring out this tragic epic love-story? Because that's what it feels like to me.
Frost feels more like a filler than a real character of the story actually.
F-k me, I don't see substance here.
I'm totally royally PISSED.
Right. And Frost has officially joined my list of people to strangle if given half a chance.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Although I did like the poetry references, and the part of the book from the moment when the mental agony is blessedly done & over, to the moment of the trip itself. And Parker finally blowing up - IMHO it was a well overdue tantrum.
Otherwise - sad, very sad. A failure to deliver two stories simultaneously in a believable manner.
FINAL VERDICT: Religious avoidance is advisable.
ELABORATION:
There's always a first for everything. This happens to be the first book EVER that I really really wanted to burn. After subjecting it to some creative book-torture (including -but not limited to!- book-throwing).
It left me pissed off and slightly homicidal. I'm afraid I am not quite capable of articulating myself verbally with much sense and without liberal use of profanity. (Although achievement of such a state in a reader can, arguably, be considered an accomplishment in its own right I suppose)
Okay. So it was better than I thought it would be.
I love road-trips. Did I mention I love road-trips?
But what Finn did... That's somewhat twisted. But I can see how it lines up with his personality and situation too.
I liked the lantern scene. I think it's the best way to let go.
P.S. Personally, I think a shrink would have a field day here. And I don't mean the characters.
Anna lost her mother at seven years old, it isn’t until she and her father move to the beach community where her parents met that teenage Anna finally confronts the tragedy head on, beginning to process the hurt, the anger, and the guilt she feels over her mother’s death.
There’s a realism to this one that I really liked, the relationship between Anna and her dad, how they work their way up to talking about these difficult things and Anna trying to outrun her feelings but the emotion gradually building up inside her until she reaches the breaking point, there’s a real life quality to all of that.
I enjoyed the friendships Anna forges, in both cases it felt like there was the potential to go in the direction of rivalry or mean girl pettiness, instead they’re never anything other than supportive which is so heartening to read about. Ashley in particular was a standout to me even though she plays such a small role. I love when a character seems like they might be a one-dimensional stereotype only to end up feeling original, Ashley’s a fresh take on the rich pretty blonde, with such a sweet heart (even if she did throw out some inadvertent insults) that I kept thinking what an endearing heroine she’d be in her own story.
Tyler, the love interest unfortunately felt far less defined than Anna’s friends. I liked him, I thought they had chemistry and I see the value in every now and then having a fluffy teen romance scene as a bit of a breather from the heaviness of dealing with her mother’s death, but by the time the book ended I still didn’t really know anything about Tyler apart from him seeming like a good guy.
The central story involving Anna, her dad, and her mom wrapped up satisfyingly, however, I wish a few more pages had been tacked on to do the same for Anna’s new friendships and a woman connected to Anna’s mom. It’s not that I didn’t have a pretty strong idea of how that all would have gone, it’s just that those relationships were every bit as crucial to Anna moving forward as the relationship with her dad so I would have liked to have a snippet of their conversations post Anna’s turning point in her mom issues.
● i have a physical copy
○ read an e-version, will definitely purchase physical book
○ read an e-version, a physical book will be appreciated
○ read an e-version, not interested in its physical book
○ a page-turner
● less than 500 pages
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
● took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ i laughed more than a few times
○ it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books i’ve read
● painful & sad (it SHOULD be painful but it’s just sad)
○ tear-jerker (I really thought I would cry in this one but I DIDN’T)
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
○ confusing
○ sooo relatable
○ it is kind of annoying
● it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
● i’m sorry it’s a NAY
○ it’s between YAY and NAY
P L U S
My sister liked it. My brother’s girlfriend DNFed it. For some reason, I’m in the middle. I finished the book but I did not like it at all. Maybe that’s because I’ve read a lot of “happy” books and haven’t read tear-jerkers for a while. Or maybe, it’s just SO SO SO slow. But I liked the start of each chapter. It has some sort of saying about heart. Like this one:
I grabbed that from my tweet. I do a thread of my current read – current feels and pins them. Anyway, there were so many ” . . . ” in dialogues as if the characters can’t finish their sentences. It was bearable for a while until it became annoying. It’s your choice if you’re going to read it but I know I’m never gonna reread it nor recommend it to anyone. Take it as a warning or a challenge.
The relationship Anna had with her dad was, for me, one of the book's highlights. It was obvious how much they cared for each other and I loved how the author portrayed this. The descriptions of the ocean and cottages were also a positive. They were lush and beautiful, and I could easily picture them in my head.
The other big plus was Ashley, Anna's new friend at Crystal Cave. She was a wonderful addition and I loved her from the start. Rich, spoilt and opinionated, I found her a delight. She often spoke rashly but she had a big heart, and was genuinely kind and generous.
A coming-of-age story dealing with grief, "Moonglass" was a nice read, but not a great one.
~MY THOUGHTS~
While this didn't strike a chord with me quite like I wanted it to, I did really enjoy it. A quick, but sweetly poignant story, that is refreshingly told. The tidbits at the beginning of each chapter in reference to the heart and heart transplants were neat.
If you've ever lost someone close to you and their organs were transplanted and wondered what the person or people who received those transplants stories were like then this story could be for you.
~MY RATING~ 4/5 STARS - GRADE=B+
~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot~ 3.8/5
Main Characters~ 4/5
Secondary Characters~ 4/5
The Feels~ 3.8/5
Pacing~ 4/5
Addictiveness~ 4/5
Theme or Tone~ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 4.3/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 4.2/5
Originality~ 4/5
Ending~ 4/5 Cliffhanger~ Nope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Cover~ Very cute.
Narration~ Amanda Wallace, she was sufficiet but forgettable, but in a good way. When you have a bad experience with a particular narrator, it really sticks with you.
Setting~ Coast of California
Source~ Audiobook (Library)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First off, I want to start off by saying I am not a fan of "Girl Online" or "Wild", which is what the Goodreads summary says the book is like. But don't let that discourage you. This is a great stand alone story.
I love "trail" stories (another example being "The Distance from Me to You" by Marina Gessner), so when I read the summary of the book, I knew I just had to read it to find if it was as good as the summary made it out to be. And I am so glad I got a copy of this book.
I enjoyed following Mari's journey and sort of...I want to say enlightenment...after a video she posts goes viral, and not in a good way. I enjoyed meeting Josh and the little pack of friends he travels with. They were all a welcomed edition to the story, including some of the other travelers she meets.
Young Adult fans of girl empowerment stories, trail stories, or even journey stories should get this book. Thanks again, Edelweiss Plus. Loved this!
Hey, I get it. I’m definitely not the target audience for this book. And, I don’t think all YA, New Adult or whatever you want to call it, should have a message that is “parent approved.” But, to have a “message” book that so clearly disregards both perspectives – the adult responsible one and the YA impulsive one – does a disservice to the target audience. In Golden, the author didn’t do a good enough job of showing why the MC’s decision was the right one. As a result, Golden will be one of those books that teens love but, when they revisit it as adults, they will wonder what the hell they were thinking.
Sure, the story isn't all that original, but it was interesting and could have been a 5 star read for me, but the fact that the ending seemed so rushed left me feeling slightly disappointed. I wanted more. I wanted to read more about Liv trying to piece her life back together and I wanted to read more of Walker and his storyline. I guess I just wanted more from the story overall.
I wavered between giving this 3 or 4 stars, but I decided on 4 stars because I did enjoy the story and it was a quick read that I didn't want to put down. It's definitely a book you want to pick up when you don't want to read anything too heavy.
I liked Liv, a lot! She was complicated, interesting and I could understand her confusion as she struggled to remember the past, rebuild forgotten relationships and forge new ones. Her development felt real, as did her emotional turmoil. I also loved her family. They were so supportive of Liv and Sam, her older brother, brought some humour to the story. I just wish Walker, the boy who saved Liv from drowning, had had a larger role. He was introduced early on, but was only on the peripheral until nearly the end. I wanted to know him more.
My only grumble about this book was the end. Although I enjoyed how the author brought everything together, it did feel a bit rushed compared to the rest of the novel. Overall, however, "The Secret History of Us" was a touching story of self-discovery and finding out where you belong.
I love the imagery and thought provoking words used in this story. Made me want to find a little cottage on a beach and just forget about the world. I really liked how soft and peaceful this story was. Even with death and heartbreak hiding behind each page.
Definitely a good read. I'm glad I picked this one up.
The opening of the book has some really solid writing with an instant hook. The main character, Liv, is pulled from the water after the car she was in went off a bridge into the bay below. She appears lifeless and is given CPR.
When she awakes in the hospital, she can't remember any details of the accident. Assuming that the amnesia is more of a side effect from being in a week-long coma, Liv tries to remember recent events only to discover she actually can't remember the last four years! She doesn't remember high school, why she isn't friends with her former best friend, or her doting boyfriend, Matt.
Liv has to rely on other people to fill in the gaps. She grows incredibly frustrated because she feels like things are being kept from her on purpose. Desperate for answers, Liv turns to Walker, the guy who was responsible for saving her life the night of the accident. Despite her seemingly perfect boyfriend, she can't ignore the growing feelings she has for Walker. Olivia needs to find what her new normal is and where she belongs in a life she can't remember.
Why I didn't rate this book higher was because the ending was rushed. It was like Kirby was restricted by page count, or perhaps she has another story in the works? Either way, it fizzled, which is too bad because the start of the book was some really great writing.
Autore LibraryThing
Jessi Kirby è un Autore di LibraryThing, un autore che cataloga la sua biblioteca personale su LibraryThing.
Collegamenti
Home page ufficiale (English)
Goodreads (English)
Questo sito utilizza i cookies per fornire i nostri servizi, per migliorare le prestazioni, per analisi, e (per gli utenti che accedono senza fare login) per la pubblicità. Usando LibraryThing confermi di aver letto e capito le nostre condizioni di servizio e la politica sulla privacy. Il tuo uso del sito e dei servizi è soggetto a tali politiche e condizioni.
I thought this book was super well crafted. I really enjoyed the focus on self discovery and dealing with grief. I would def. pitch this book at as the YA version of Wild. I also really enjoyed the main character in this book and how her character arc progressed throughout the novel. I love the progression of the friendship that was in this novel. I thought this book def tugged at heart strings and it really was a fast pace read. I would def check out more books by this author in the future.