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This book is adorable and the illustrations are amazing. It's very simple which is great for beginning readers. It's engaging and so cute.
I picked up this book reluctantly. I’m not that much into grieving stories and tragedies but it looked promising. I was quite interested in how the internet aspect played into the story, so I gave it a go.
The whole Youtube star thing really threw me off. I mean, with the whole musical.ly craze, I wasn’t exactly sure how to imagine Dallas Kade. Is he a bratty teen with a pretty boy face and a diehard fandom? Or is he an earnest guy just making music he likes? I wasn’t exactly sure. I also dislikes the forced upon “do-gooder” image that Dallas had. One of his famous songs is called Younity. It just seemed too over the top for it to be realistic. I also can’t get over the fact that Dallas Kade received no scrutiny ever? As a white boy that got famous off of Youtube, he never had people targeting him? It seems hard to believe.
As for the fandom drama, this is something I think was shown really well. There are many aggressive fans online that probably need to think things through before they post them. Dallas Kade’s fandom was no exception and I think the author did a really good job of showing the hate. Some of the things were over the top, but I overall it was believable.
The author did seem to imply that social media was overall a horrible thing when it really isn’t. Yes, awful people exist and the internet is only a reflection of that. The book implies social media is what makes people kill themselves and puts all the bad stuff in the world but social media is also what made Dallas Kade famous. It sort of hypocritical.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Morally, I just couldn’t back Gen waiting. I feel that this book spent too much time just showing how guilty Genevieve felt than actually why she couldn’t go to the police at once. She spent so much time feeling sorry for Freedman and talking about how sorry she felt for him but she never actually did anything for the longest time. I felt no pity for her at that moment because I couldn’t believes was taking so long. I feel like this part of the book dragged on for quite a bit and I kept waiting for it to be over. In my mind, there really was no other option but the book suggested otherwise.
That being said, I really like the awareness the book brought to sleeping while driving and accidents in general. It was a good thought.
Final thoughts: Give it a read if you like books about remorse and grieving or just death in general, but don’t pick it up if you want something quick.
(Hey. If you like this review and want to check out more like it, visit https://willreadanything.wordpress.com. Thanks!)
The whole Youtube star thing really threw me off. I mean, with the whole musical.ly craze, I wasn’t exactly sure how to imagine Dallas Kade. Is he a bratty teen with a pretty boy face and a diehard fandom? Or is he an earnest guy just making music he likes? I wasn’t exactly sure. I also dislikes the forced upon “do-gooder” image that Dallas had. One of his famous songs is called Younity. It just seemed too over the top for it to be realistic. I also can’t get over the fact that Dallas Kade received no scrutiny ever? As a white boy that got famous off of Youtube, he never had people targeting him? It seems hard to believe.
As for the fandom drama, this is something I think was shown really well. There are many aggressive fans online that probably need to think things through before they post them. Dallas Kade’s fandom was no exception and I think the author did a really good job of showing the hate. Some of the things were over the top, but I overall it was believable.
The author did seem to imply that social media was overall a horrible thing when it really isn’t. Yes, awful people exist and the internet is only a reflection of that. The book implies social media is what makes people kill themselves and puts all the bad stuff in the world but social media is also what made Dallas Kade famous. It sort of hypocritical.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Morally, I just couldn’t back Gen waiting. I feel that this book spent too much time just showing how guilty Genevieve felt than actually why she couldn’t go to the police at once. She spent so much time feeling sorry for Freedman and talking about how sorry she felt for him but she never actually did anything for the longest time. I felt no pity for her at that moment because I couldn’t believes was taking so long. I feel like this part of the book dragged on for quite a bit and I kept waiting for it to be over. In my mind, there really was no other option but the book suggested otherwise.
That being said, I really like the awareness the book brought to sleeping while driving and accidents in general. It was a good thought.
Final thoughts: Give it a read if you like books about remorse and grieving or just death in general, but don’t pick it up if you want something quick.
(Hey. If you like this review and want to check out more like it, visit https://willreadanything.wordpress.com. Thanks!)
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Books about teenage mental illness are risky reads. Sometimes you get a thoughtful narrative about perseverance and sometimes you get a wailing, pitiful rant. So though I was hesitant to read this book, I was also intrigued.
I knew as soon as I started that this wasn't going to be the run-of-the-mill YA mental illness novel. Mostly because I realized that the first chapter was told in the point of view of her mother. Julia was probably the most fleshed out character from all of them. We get a lot of insight into her thoughts and how she struggles to cope with her daughter's diagnosis. The most important part is that she supports no matter what. Though Julia isn't a perfect character (at times I found her quite whiny), she is able to put aside her own problems to make sure she is there for her daughter. Julia is also able to realize that her daughter has bipolar disorder because of a chemical imbalance instead of the classic "it's all in her head" trope. It's uncommon to see supportive parents in book about teen mental illness.
As for Sage herself, she was an okay character. I wish that the author has given her more chapters because it would've helped understand her actions better. Though she had some undesirable traits, the author made it clear that they were because of her illness or because of how dysfunctional her family was. Most of Sage's bad decisions seemed justifies. Overall, she was just another teen in NYC. Nothing extremely different.
Mike, Sage's father, was quite immature. I was hoping that there would be some redeeming moment in the book but sadly I hadn't warmed up to him at the end. He was still distant and unreliable and he blamed Sage's "daddy issues" on just being a teen. He didn't really make an effort to understand his daughter and only tried to please her through materialistic good. It seemed that he wasn't fit to be a father because he was so juvenile.
The plot itself is very well written. The characters have distinct voices and speaking styles so it's very easy to differentiate between them. The narrative isn't taxing but is still fast-paced. It centers around overcoming obstacles that life gives you, even if they all come at the same time. This book is about recovery and coping. But most importantly, it's about family and how you need to find people that will truly help you though life's toughest moments.
Final thoughts: Read if you want an insightful story about overcoming obstacles.
(Psssst... Like this review? Check out more at https://willreadanything.wordpress.com.)
Books about teenage mental illness are risky reads. Sometimes you get a thoughtful narrative about perseverance and sometimes you get a wailing, pitiful rant. So though I was hesitant to read this book, I was also intrigued.
I knew as soon as I started that this wasn't going to be the run-of-the-mill YA mental illness novel. Mostly because I realized that the first chapter was told in the point of view of her mother. Julia was probably the most fleshed out character from all of them. We get a lot of insight into her thoughts and how she struggles to cope with her daughter's diagnosis. The most important part is that she supports no matter what. Though Julia isn't a perfect character (at times I found her quite whiny), she is able to put aside her own problems to make sure she is there for her daughter. Julia is also able to realize that her daughter has bipolar disorder because of a chemical imbalance instead of the classic "it's all in her head" trope. It's uncommon to see supportive parents in book about teen mental illness.
As for Sage herself, she was an okay character. I wish that the author has given her more chapters because it would've helped understand her actions better. Though she had some undesirable traits, the author made it clear that they were because of her illness or because of how dysfunctional her family was. Most of Sage's bad decisions seemed justifies. Overall, she was just another teen in NYC. Nothing extremely different.
Mike, Sage's father, was quite immature. I was hoping that there would be some redeeming moment in the book but sadly I hadn't warmed up to him at the end. He was still distant and unreliable and he blamed Sage's "daddy issues" on just being a teen. He didn't really make an effort to understand his daughter and only tried to please her through materialistic good. It seemed that he wasn't fit to be a father because he was so juvenile.
The plot itself is very well written. The characters have distinct voices and speaking styles so it's very easy to differentiate between them. The narrative isn't taxing but is still fast-paced. It centers around overcoming obstacles that life gives you, even if they all come at the same time. This book is about recovery and coping. But most importantly, it's about family and how you need to find people that will truly help you though life's toughest moments.
Final thoughts: Read if you want an insightful story about overcoming obstacles.
(Psssst... Like this review? Check out more at https://willreadanything.wordpress.com.)
I really want dot like this book but at some points it felt like the author was just writing to fill in space. If you like fluffy books, this is good but wasn't for me.
THIS BOOK IS MAGNIFICENT. Thrillers really aren't my thing but this was an amazing one (maybe because I have the attention span of a middle grader?). I was worried that there was going to be a lack of closure but surprisingly everything went well. An awesome book and a definite must read.
I loved this book way more than I expected. The concept is so strangely wonderful and I was immediately intrigues. The images are very high quality and pleasing to look at. I love to read the little blurb next to each image which is always surprisingly in depth.
I recently read this book after a friend recommended it to me. It’s not the type of book that I would usually pick up but I agreed to read it after her recommendation.
At first glance it seems intriguing. It’s about a mother who believes her honor roll daughter has just committed suicide until she receives a text that she didn’t. So we follow our protagonist, Kate, as she tries to figure out the cause behind her daughters death. Through her investigations, she finds out that her daughter had a whole other life that she kept secret.
Initially I was really into it. I liked the fast pace and found myself anxiously waiting for Kate to get closure. (I finished this book in two days so you can tell how patient I am.) But once we finally found out what actually happened to Amelia, I felt quite disappointed. The ending I found was underwhelming. I enjoyed the secrets being revealed throughout the book and how we got all the clues in bits and pieces but everything didn’t come together in the end like I was expecting it to.
This book is a suspenseful novel. At times the author hinted at getting some sort of emotional response from the reader but the book never did that for me. It may be because I wasn’t the intended audience of this book. But I personally feel that it didn’t hit that emotional note like the synopsis suggests it would.
Final thoughts: I would definitely recommend this book if you want something fast for entertainment. But pass if you were expecting an emotional or heart wrenching journey.
(Pssst... If you want more reviews, check out my blog https://willreadanything.wordpress.com. Thanks!)
At first glance it seems intriguing. It’s about a mother who believes her honor roll daughter has just committed suicide until she receives a text that she didn’t. So we follow our protagonist, Kate, as she tries to figure out the cause behind her daughters death. Through her investigations, she finds out that her daughter had a whole other life that she kept secret.
Initially I was really into it. I liked the fast pace and found myself anxiously waiting for Kate to get closure. (I finished this book in two days so you can tell how patient I am.) But once we finally found out what actually happened to Amelia, I felt quite disappointed. The ending I found was underwhelming. I enjoyed the secrets being revealed throughout the book and how we got all the clues in bits and pieces but everything didn’t come together in the end like I was expecting it to.
This book is a suspenseful novel. At times the author hinted at getting some sort of emotional response from the reader but the book never did that for me. It may be because I wasn’t the intended audience of this book. But I personally feel that it didn’t hit that emotional note like the synopsis suggests it would.
Final thoughts: I would definitely recommend this book if you want something fast for entertainment. But pass if you were expecting an emotional or heart wrenching journey.
(Pssst... If you want more reviews, check out my blog https://willreadanything.wordpress.com. Thanks!)
