Take a photo of a barcode or cover
genieinanovel's Reviews (752)
Wow. Wow. Wow!
Let’s face it, the book had me from the summary, let alone the actual story. The book starts off with Taylor and her friends at the concert, which as it’s turning into a rally for a Presidential candidate, ends in devastation when a bomb goes off. Then we’re lead to Dustin, who’s stopped by the police after getting an anonymous tip, and is arrested for the bombing. In turn, he calls up an old friend, Jamie, to represent him and prove his innocence.
While Taylor is left with regrets of not helping her friends get out of the concert hall, she spirals into her OCD habits that she’d finally gotten control over, and is obsessed with wanting to catch the person behind the bombing. Her anxiety and paranoia hits an all-time high as her stress levels go up, and she’s a character you feel very sympathetic for, even in her impulsive moments. I feel like I could relate to Taylor in some way, if I were to put myself in her shoes, as I know I’d definitely spiral somehow and blame myself for not doing more to help my friends if I’d been in that situation.
Then you have Dustin and Jamie, who are old childhood friends, but haven’t spoken in years because Dustin basically dropped off the face of the earth after joining the Army. Dustin has a hard past, which can make it understandable why he’s chosen to be framed for this crime. Only, he’d gotten his act together and found God in the years that he was away, so while he’s being falsely accused, he turns to his Creator to take care of the situation. Meanwhile, he’s also dealing with a close friend (his best friend’s wife) dying from cancer. So it seems like Dustin can’t catch a break. Jamie, on the other hand, will do whatever she can to prove her friend’s innocence, despite his ghosting her, because she knows in her heart that he’s innocent and that it’s the right thing to do.
What I love about Dustin and Jamie is that they lean on their faith in this time of trouble. For God to lead them to the right answers and how to do the right thing when the right thing will hurt people close to them. I also love how Jamie didn’t even think twice to help her old friend, despite how he just left her in the dust after he’d left town. It’s something I would have done, which is how I related to her character the most, along with her deep-rooted faith from childhood.
While I was partly right about trying to figure out who was behind the bombing and framed Dustin, I wasn’t completely. The person I suspected was involved, but not in the way I thought. I had the motive right though, so there’s that. But the main part of the story is not so much figuring out whodunnit, but how Dustin’s innocence is proven before his own life is destroyed for good.
This is a book I highly recommend to anyone, Christian or not, who’s looking for a book that will keep you turning the page to find out what happens next.
Let’s face it, the book had me from the summary, let alone the actual story. The book starts off with Taylor and her friends at the concert, which as it’s turning into a rally for a Presidential candidate, ends in devastation when a bomb goes off. Then we’re lead to Dustin, who’s stopped by the police after getting an anonymous tip, and is arrested for the bombing. In turn, he calls up an old friend, Jamie, to represent him and prove his innocence.
While Taylor is left with regrets of not helping her friends get out of the concert hall, she spirals into her OCD habits that she’d finally gotten control over, and is obsessed with wanting to catch the person behind the bombing. Her anxiety and paranoia hits an all-time high as her stress levels go up, and she’s a character you feel very sympathetic for, even in her impulsive moments. I feel like I could relate to Taylor in some way, if I were to put myself in her shoes, as I know I’d definitely spiral somehow and blame myself for not doing more to help my friends if I’d been in that situation.
Then you have Dustin and Jamie, who are old childhood friends, but haven’t spoken in years because Dustin basically dropped off the face of the earth after joining the Army. Dustin has a hard past, which can make it understandable why he’s chosen to be framed for this crime. Only, he’d gotten his act together and found God in the years that he was away, so while he’s being falsely accused, he turns to his Creator to take care of the situation. Meanwhile, he’s also dealing with a close friend (his best friend’s wife) dying from cancer. So it seems like Dustin can’t catch a break. Jamie, on the other hand, will do whatever she can to prove her friend’s innocence, despite his ghosting her, because she knows in her heart that he’s innocent and that it’s the right thing to do.
What I love about Dustin and Jamie is that they lean on their faith in this time of trouble. For God to lead them to the right answers and how to do the right thing when the right thing will hurt people close to them. I also love how Jamie didn’t even think twice to help her old friend, despite how he just left her in the dust after he’d left town. It’s something I would have done, which is how I related to her character the most, along with her deep-rooted faith from childhood.
While I was partly right about trying to figure out who was behind the bombing and framed Dustin, I wasn’t completely. The person I suspected was involved, but not in the way I thought. I had the motive right though, so there’s that. But the main part of the story is not so much figuring out whodunnit, but how Dustin’s innocence is proven before his own life is destroyed for good.
This is a book I highly recommend to anyone, Christian or not, who’s looking for a book that will keep you turning the page to find out what happens next.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when reading this book, but I was definitely not disappointed. After being held captive for four years, Charlotte is finally rescued when her captor is hospitalized, and she is finally reunited with her family. Only, they’re not the family she remembers. Her parents are divorced, her sister is the opposite of how she used to be, and to top it off, her dad remarried and has another child.
Of course, the feels are obviously there for Charlotte as she realizes the truth of her family’s brokenness after she’d been taken. She can’t help but feel like if she hadn’t disappeared, her family would still be whole and she and her sister would be doing everything in their Dream Book as they planned. It was thinking of her family that helped her survive, and it was hard for her to adjust to everything being different. Not to mention the PTSD that she suffers after being rescued, which makes some of her adjusting a little harder.
For the most part, I just felt bad for Charlotte and her family, especially her twin sister. And even more so when we learn the other reason why Alex was upset about her sister’s kidnapping. Charlotte’s dad, however, he was a different story. At first I was annoyed by him as he was always trying to get Charlotte to do interviews and go on trips with him to be the ambassador for his foundation to find missing children. It’s a great cause, but you can tell he loved the spotlight a little too much. Then he went as far as to name his third child after Charlotte, which I get was supposed to be in Charlotte’s honor, but I think naming the baby the same as his elder child was going too far. The same honor could have been done with just using Charlotte as a middle name.
One aspect of the book that I admired was how clean it was for YA fiction, especially with a topic like this. Obviously, in her captivity, Charlotte was abused and raped, but it never went into detail like you might expect it to. Or even how her captor killed the previous girl – all we know is that she was killed, not how.
What really shocked me was that this novel had its own plot twists. I expect them from mysteries and thrillers, of course, but this book was pretty straightforward in that it would focus on Charlotte’s recovery, as well as her family’s, and figuring out who the girl before Charlotte was (or The One Before, as Charlotte refers to her). So I was surprised when there were other plot twists along with this story that gave the story more depth as well as the characters.
Overall, I completely recommend this book. It’s a change of pace no matter what genre you usually read, even if it’s contemporary, because the story is just so unique and moving.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Of course, the feels are obviously there for Charlotte as she realizes the truth of her family’s brokenness after she’d been taken. She can’t help but feel like if she hadn’t disappeared, her family would still be whole and she and her sister would be doing everything in their Dream Book as they planned. It was thinking of her family that helped her survive, and it was hard for her to adjust to everything being different. Not to mention the PTSD that she suffers after being rescued, which makes some of her adjusting a little harder.
For the most part, I just felt bad for Charlotte and her family, especially her twin sister. And even more so when we learn the other reason why Alex was upset about her sister’s kidnapping. Charlotte’s dad, however, he was a different story. At first I was annoyed by him as he was always trying to get Charlotte to do interviews and go on trips with him to be the ambassador for his foundation to find missing children. It’s a great cause, but you can tell he loved the spotlight a little too much. Then he went as far as to name his third child after Charlotte, which I get was supposed to be in Charlotte’s honor, but I think naming the baby the same as his elder child was going too far. The same honor could have been done with just using Charlotte as a middle name.
One aspect of the book that I admired was how clean it was for YA fiction, especially with a topic like this. Obviously, in her captivity, Charlotte was abused and raped, but it never went into detail like you might expect it to. Or even how her captor killed the previous girl – all we know is that she was killed, not how.
What really shocked me was that this novel had its own plot twists. I expect them from mysteries and thrillers, of course, but this book was pretty straightforward in that it would focus on Charlotte’s recovery, as well as her family’s, and figuring out who the girl before Charlotte was (or The One Before, as Charlotte refers to her). So I was surprised when there were other plot twists along with this story that gave the story more depth as well as the characters.
Overall, I completely recommend this book. It’s a change of pace no matter what genre you usually read, even if it’s contemporary, because the story is just so unique and moving.
Rating: 4.5 stars
As with McManus’s previous books, this one doesn’t waste much time before getting right into the death of a fellow student, which will grip you right away because then you wonder how and why this happened in the first place. So from the start, you have the crime and the mystery.
What I like in the beginning is that you get a little glimpse into each character’s life right before the three meet up and decide to ditch school for the day, so you have a little understanding of who these teens are. Ivy is the classic overachiever, goody-two-shoes student, Mateo has the broken family background and is working part-time jobs to help his mom, and Cal is the misfit who doesn’t really fit in a typical high school stereotype. Right away I liked the boys; Mateo because of his caring nature for his family and Cal for his misfit, artistic personality. Ivy was a little annoying at times, but I did feel for her because she was often in the shadow of her younger brother.
The characters are each harboring a secret that affects the other characters and situation that they’re in. Cal’s is revealed pretty early on, and Mateo’s makes the situation more complicated, but also gives the three a clue as to where to look to find out why their fellow classmate was murdered. Ivy’s was not as related to their situation, but it does affect her relationship with Mateo, and seems pretty not-like her character. But it shows that, like all teenagers (and people in general), she’s not perfect and sometimes makes the wrong choices.
As expected, there are little clues to figuring out who was behind the murder in this story, and it becomes kind of predictable. There are a few twists that are not expected, and make you want to keep on reading through to see if you’re right about who’s behind it all.
However, I personally found this story to not be as gripping as McManus’s other books. Maybe it’s because the characters ended up falling a little flat halfway through the book. As much as I liked them, they also seemed to have a similar way of talking, which got me mixed up when I was on a new chapter. I just also feel like there was something missing from this book. I didn’t finish it with that “what the hell did I just read?” or “what a book!” reactions like I did with McManus’s past ones.
Despite my lack of reaction after finishing, it’s still a good book, and just because I didn’t love this one doesn’t mean that no one else will. After all, we can’t all love the same books, right?
Rating: 3 stars
*I received a free e-galley from NetGalley of this in exchange for an honest review*
What I like in the beginning is that you get a little glimpse into each character’s life right before the three meet up and decide to ditch school for the day, so you have a little understanding of who these teens are. Ivy is the classic overachiever, goody-two-shoes student, Mateo has the broken family background and is working part-time jobs to help his mom, and Cal is the misfit who doesn’t really fit in a typical high school stereotype. Right away I liked the boys; Mateo because of his caring nature for his family and Cal for his misfit, artistic personality. Ivy was a little annoying at times, but I did feel for her because she was often in the shadow of her younger brother.
The characters are each harboring a secret that affects the other characters and situation that they’re in. Cal’s is revealed pretty early on, and Mateo’s makes the situation more complicated, but also gives the three a clue as to where to look to find out why their fellow classmate was murdered. Ivy’s was not as related to their situation, but it does affect her relationship with Mateo, and seems pretty not-like her character. But it shows that, like all teenagers (and people in general), she’s not perfect and sometimes makes the wrong choices.
As expected, there are little clues to figuring out who was behind the murder in this story, and it becomes kind of predictable. There are a few twists that are not expected, and make you want to keep on reading through to see if you’re right about who’s behind it all.
However, I personally found this story to not be as gripping as McManus’s other books. Maybe it’s because the characters ended up falling a little flat halfway through the book. As much as I liked them, they also seemed to have a similar way of talking, which got me mixed up when I was on a new chapter. I just also feel like there was something missing from this book. I didn’t finish it with that “what the hell did I just read?” or “what a book!” reactions like I did with McManus’s past ones.
Despite my lack of reaction after finishing, it’s still a good book, and just because I didn’t love this one doesn’t mean that no one else will. After all, we can’t all love the same books, right?
Rating: 3 stars
*I received a free e-galley from NetGalley of this in exchange for an honest review*
I first read this book back in 2009 when it was published, and after a reread of it twelve years later, I still love how emotional this book is.
Mia and her family are involved in a fatal accident, leaving Mia as the only survivor in her family, and in a coma fighting for her life. She has the weird experience of being able to witness everything going on around her, including seeing herself be recovered from the accident scene and her family’s grief as they learn the news and wait to find out what will happen to her. Then Mia learns that she gets to choose what happens to her – if she stays or if she moves on to join her parents and little brother once again.
Not only is the present story being told, but Mia narrates flashbacks in her life that pertain to her family, best friend, and boyfriend as she makes the decision to fight for her life or not. The moments that take place in the past give more emotional depth as we learn how much she loves her family and friends, as well as her hopes for her future as a cellist. It makes her decision a hard one; because how can you choose to stay when you know your life is going to be completely different than before? But at the same time, how can you choose to leave your remaining loved ones behind?
Either way, Mia has something to gain and something to lose.
Reading through Mia’s story (a second time) I can’t imagine how someone can make that decision. I think that’s why the author wrote this story the way she did to include the past as a tie-in with Mia’s coma as a way to aide Mia into making her decision. It showed both sides of the coin. And there were moments with her family as they talked to her in her comatose state that just made me tear up. There’s just so much love in this book between all the characters.
It’s a book that’s both devastating and heartwarming, so I can’t not give it all the stars or recommend it enough. I’m glad I decided to reread this book, even if it was just so I could read the sequel that I forgot existed.
Mia and her family are involved in a fatal accident, leaving Mia as the only survivor in her family, and in a coma fighting for her life. She has the weird experience of being able to witness everything going on around her, including seeing herself be recovered from the accident scene and her family’s grief as they learn the news and wait to find out what will happen to her. Then Mia learns that she gets to choose what happens to her – if she stays or if she moves on to join her parents and little brother once again.
Not only is the present story being told, but Mia narrates flashbacks in her life that pertain to her family, best friend, and boyfriend as she makes the decision to fight for her life or not. The moments that take place in the past give more emotional depth as we learn how much she loves her family and friends, as well as her hopes for her future as a cellist. It makes her decision a hard one; because how can you choose to stay when you know your life is going to be completely different than before? But at the same time, how can you choose to leave your remaining loved ones behind?
Either way, Mia has something to gain and something to lose.
Reading through Mia’s story (a second time) I can’t imagine how someone can make that decision. I think that’s why the author wrote this story the way she did to include the past as a tie-in with Mia’s coma as a way to aide Mia into making her decision. It showed both sides of the coin. And there were moments with her family as they talked to her in her comatose state that just made me tear up. There’s just so much love in this book between all the characters.
It’s a book that’s both devastating and heartwarming, so I can’t not give it all the stars or recommend it enough. I’m glad I decided to reread this book, even if it was just so I could read the sequel that I forgot existed.
.jpg)
