Book Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

I like to think of a book as a meal- it has an entree, a few sides, sometimes even multiple courses- all flavored by spices or garnish. The quality of each individual part influences the quality of the whole. Ladies and gentlemen, I like  my meals to have some spice to them.

Just Listen was a piece of stale bread, accompanied by some watery soup.

I’ll give a super brief summary of the novel before I continue: Annabel is a high school model who is completely ignored by her former friends. She has two sisters, one of which is struggling with an extreme eating disorder. Annabel is keeping a secret (I won’t tell you what it is, but you can all guess). She meets Owen, who always tells the truth and pretty much seems awesome. He teaches her to speak her mind, and it’s all very magical… Not.

I wish I had something good to say for this book.

I’ll begin with our main character. Annabel, Annabel, Annabel Greene… She gave me no reason whatsoever to root for her. I mean, by the end of the book, I was just tired of her pity party. She made the decision to leave her best friend, to leave the guy who paid attention to her, and to wallow in her misery. Why would anyone want good things to come her way? I sure didn’t.

That aside, I was SO annoyed by Dessen’s use of flashbacks. The entire format of the entire book goes like this: 2 pages of story, AND THEN 25 PAGES of Annabel’s life story (then repeat throughout the book). I understand that SOME of these flashbacks are important to the story, but I really wanted to read what was going on in the present. I was so tired of jumping around in time, hearing the exact same stories over and over. In short, the flashbacks were WAY overused, and I question whether they were important at all, or just used to fill up space.

The message of the book could have been good. I have to admit, Dessen came pretty close to having about 20  good themes- but here was the problem: I got absolutely nothing out of this book, because it was all clearly stated on the surface. I didn’t have an epiphany moment. I didn’t realize something brilliant that can apply to my own life. Why? Because the author went right out and said it! You can’t just write a novel that says “You need to talk about your feelings.” You have to bring the reader slowly to that conclusion so that he/she can fully understand. Basically, this book had ONE layer- the surface one.

Okay, so maybe the book was okay just for an interesting story. Right? Nope. In fact, it was pretty much the most dull, formulaic story I have read in a long time. The girl has lost everything, the girl meets a boy, the boy teaches the girl something, blah blah blah. The story just wasn’t even believable to me. I mean, Owen has anger problems, but he acts just fine for the most part. He seems like a perfect guy who is just always there for her and incredibly patient- he did not seem real. Annabel learns her lesson and recovers over the course of like four days. Yeah, that doesn’t happen.

I could go on forever, but here’s a nice little summary:

Cons- The story was not believable; the main character didn’t have much going for her, Dessen kept ending statements with question marks; the backstories and flashbacks were endless; there was little to no depth, and Dessen tried (and failed) to make every single character a dynamic character.

Pros- Ummmm. Yeah, I got nothing.

With that, I hope you all have good reading.

-Kennedy

“There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s saying.” –Sarah Dessen, Just Listen

Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green

This book baffles me, and I’ll tell you why:

As a writer, I have a dream. A goal that I set for myself, a goal that I want so badly to accomplish, with everything inside of me. That dream is to use my words to change my readers and to change myself. I, as a writer, want to be different. To write something different- something huge- something revolutionary- something that will make you stop reading for just a moment because your head explodes. I want to give you a whole new perspective to the world and to people.

John Green does just that.

I’ve been a John Green fan since before I ever read any of his books. I knew he was awesome ever since I started watching Crash Course with John and his brother, Hank. I knew that I would be in for a treat when I picked up this book. What I did not know was that I would be awake until 4:00 am so that I could finish it in one sitting. I seriously read the first paragraph of the prologue -stopped to say “whoa”- and knew that I would not be putting this book down until I had read every page.

Paper Towns by John Green

Here’s a brief summary for those who don’t know about Paper Towns: Quentin has loved Margo Roth Spiegelman since forever, and they’ve grown up next door to each other. They’ve grown apart a bit over the years, until Margo comes through his window in the middle of the night and takes him on a revenge mission- the best night of Q’s life. Except that Margo disappears the next day. She has simply gone away, but she’s left clues for Quentin to follow. Q follows these clues that were laid out for him, trying to find the girl he loved, but what he finds is that maybe he never knew the real Margo Roth Spiegelman.

John Green has a writing style that is perfect for this type of young adult novel. His words are not overly formal or overly informal- they are exactly the words that his characters would use, and I like that. He weaves characters that are believable, stunning, and piercingly real. He pulls you into the story and emotions, and you come out a different person.

How does he do it?

John Green makes you question everything you knew about life. He understands that nobody can truly understand people, and he provides a million new ways to look at the people you’ve never known. Ladies and gentlemen, I am so happy to say that I have learned as I’ve read Paper Towns. I have learned that I will never fully understand my best friends, just as they will never fully understand me. I have learned that sometimes fake things seem real and real things seem fake. I learned that the future is made up of a million right nows. I have learned that sometimes we will be fed up with the way people are- but we can’t expect them to be who we want them to be. They are who they are, and we love them anyway because we have a million and one problems ourselves.

The only way to understand what an amazing journey Paper Towns is… would be to go on the journey yourself. And I seriously recommend that you read this book. You won’t regret it. You will laugh out loud for a few minutes at a time. You’ll probably learn something from it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll love it.

Best wishes,

-Kennedy

“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last is.” –John Green, Paper Towns

Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

I’m sure we’ve all heard the basic story of Robin Hood- the man who steals from the rich to feed the poor. But there’s one twist that we haven’t seen, and I’m just gonna come right out and say it…. *gulp* Will Scarlet is a girl.

Okay, let me just start out by saying that I am a huge Robin Hood fan. That said, the standard for this book was set HIGH for me. It’s an adventure novel from the point of view of Scarlet, who is disguised as a boy in Robin’s band of merry men. Just before the taxes are due, the sheriff of Nottingham hires a thief catcher- Gisbourne- to catch Robin and his men. What they don’t know is that there’s a secret past between Gisbourne and Scarlet herself.

Though I began this book with mixed feelings, I have to say that I loved it. The legend was classic- with the perfect amount of twisting and turning. Gaughen could not have done a better job. She took a story we all love and packed it tight with humor, suspense (like, whoa, suspense), plenty of action, and she topped it off with perfectly placed bits of romance. (Yes, I did fall in love with BOTH Robin and John, but I shall not tell you who wins.) The novel contains various ranges of emotions we can all relate to- pain, regret, hopeless love, fear, etc.

On characters-

I love a good character. And by good, I mean good and bad. Scarlet was an amazing character because she is kick-butt, strong, fierce, and dreadfully flawed. I dig that. Gaughen wove together a girl who isn’t like anyone else. Who wants to read a book about a girl who is in EVERY single story?? Not me. Robin himself has a great amount of edge added to him. Like, forget heroes, Robin is beast, and I love him. Even John has a mini-twist, in that he will win your heart if you let him. I have to admit that Robin’s character made me so angry at times. But bit by bit, layers were peeled away and I slowly grew to like him.

Overall, I’d say just read the book! Do it! Love it! Talk to me about it!

Looove,

Kennedy

“To me, true love is about finding someone who not only sees and accepts your demons but also is willing to step up and fight them when you stumble.”   -A.C. Gaughen