My 'Rant' Review: Love Story by Jennifer Echols
My Rating: *
This whole book is a pile of - no that's harsh but it was rubbish in my opinion. The ending happened when I felt like I was only 75% of the way through, I thought it was a mistake - like my copy was missing 75 pages. Overall the story wasn't great but then it ended with no resolution, it may as well have been halfway through a sentence. I still wonder how that even happened. Was the author writing and someone lured her away with a huge brownie and she never got back to writing it? Who knows. Either way the plot was possibly the worst I've ever read and executed poorly too. The characters were just plain awful. Just one big pile of suck.
My 'Rave' Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
My Rating: *****
This book was way more than I ever expected. Here are some of the things I loved:
>Caymen - She wasn't annoying as some YA female protagonists have a tendency to be. She was completely relatable, she didn't have it all figured out which made her more endearing. Also her humour was perfect.
>Xander - So sweet, so wonderful, so funny, so cute. He is the most amazing guy and yet he also feels real. The fact that he feels a little lost and his humour make him more accessible as a character.
>The Humour - I adore sarcasm and it isn't used nearly enough in books because it can be hard to convey but it was done expertly in this book, not overdone to the point of silly or underdone to the point where it's hard to tell whether it's sarcasm or bad taste.
>Caymen & Xander - Their relationship builds, it moves through stages of friendship and transitions to a place that feels natural by the latter part of the book. Their connection is tangible throughout the book; the chemistry and the flirtation is intertwined with the story in the most effortless way that allows the reader to see a progression into a relationship. Instant affections in books annoys me but not for the lack of time for development but for the actual development of a relationship. This story provides this development, there is no rush or haste to skip the little touches to get to the big moments.
>The Friendship - I really liked Skye, she is eccentric and lovable. She isn't pushy or annoying in any way, she is simply a good friend. Their friendship is constant within this book and is definitely an important aspect. Part of Caymen being able to grow is by the help and support of her friend.
>Other Characters - I feel that characters such as Mason had the potential to become aggravating, to be used as a tool to make the plot more interesting. That wasn't the case, nor was it necessary, in this book though and his character was used in a way that made me respect him. He was mature and I appreciate that.
>The Conflict - Caymen and Xander both experienced some internal conflict in regards to their future which was handled in a really imaginative way which I loved. Caymen experienced external conflict with all the issues with her Mom/family which develop gradually throughout the book. None of the issues were over dramatized, they weren't unrealistic issues and they were dealt with in ways that were understandable.
>Character Development - There is a lot more character development in this book than I have seen in a lot of other contemporaries of this length. What I like most about the development though is that it isn't forced or drawn out, again it felt natural.
This is the best contemporary book I've read in a long while for all the aforementioned reasons but also because it just gave me that contented feeling of happiness that I get when I read a book that is so great from start to finish. I was worried that a book involving money as an aspect of the plot would irritate me in the ways other who have broached this topic usually do but this book dealt with these issues with humour and without drama. The characters aren't all evil and out to get Caymen, their relationship isn't under any huge threat and there aren't any immature people or parts of the plot. It is very well put together, well written YA - no immaturity necessary.
Thanks for reading!
With all my bookish love,
Jess x
No comments:
Post a Comment