Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.
Disclaimer: On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" refers to a thorough review of the novel plus a spoiler-filled discussion.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
Fans of Morgan Matson, Emery Lord, Robin Benway, Jenny Han & Rainbow Rowell
Background & Backstory?
I actually didn't intend to read this but was in the mood to get out of my school-induced reading slump, so I picked this up for a quick cutesy contemporary.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing? Seriously?
Plot | 80%
Premise | 67%
Characters | 50%
Romance | 60%
Originality | 90%
Cover | 75%
Title | 55%
Feels | 40%
Writing Style | 57%
Pacing | 70%
Ending | 60%
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
45% | I'm not certain I'll read Let's Get Lost simply because the feedback hasn't been stellar but I'll consider it if I'm in the mood for a road trip novel.
Conclusion: Never Always Sometimes was a cute, diverse contemporary with well an unpredictable, well-developed plot and characters.
Goodreads Synopsis: From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle's kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.
A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war—of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.
American Sniper also honors Kyles fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts throughout, Kyles wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Chris.
Adrenaline-charged and deeply personal, American Sniper is a thrilling eyewitness account of war that only one man could tell.
Background & Backstory
This will probably sound ridiculous, but I never intended to read this book. If you're subscribed to my YouTube Channel, you may know this, but I recently became re-obsessed with audiobooks. Since August, I've had my visual book I'm reading - either on my Kindle or as a hard copy - and my audiobook simply because I find it a more productive and efficient use of my time as opposed to watching YouTube for hours on end (come on, we're all guilty of this). For the books I assume will take me a long time to read because of density or reluctance, I listen to them, and I've found this works wonders. American Sniper is a book I've been wanting to read since I saw the movie last February but because of its focus on the military, I knew it would take me forever to pick up a physical copy. I put it on hold via overdrive and when it became available, my thinking was, "What the heck? I might as well listen to it."
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Whoa.
September 4-6 | With that said, American Sniper was everything I expected it to be and I had the same issues with the book as I had with the movie. A problem many reviewers (myself included) have with non fiction is the guilt that comes with any serious critique of the text. Pertaining to a novel, while you are insulting the author's decisions, they still are the AUTHOR'S decisions versus non fiction where you're insulting AN ACTUAL HUMAN BEING'S LIFE AND EXPERIENCE. I deeply admire and respect the sacrifices and choices Chris Kyle made for America, but this review is on how he conveyed his own journey as a sniper.
What I'd like to start off by saying is - Thank God everyone is different and that we have courageous men and women in this world who are willing to defend this country. It's common knowledge with firsthand accounts such as Kyle's, but to be part of the military takes an infinite amount of dedication and commitment. On a much smaller, less significant scale, I have a slight taste with the persistence it takes. I run cross country and there are days when I think to myself, "Who in their right mind would ever want to participate in a sport where the goal is to push your body to the limit and end the day with your tank completely empty?" Enduring is not for the feint of heart and the motivation can't come from someone else yelling at you. Navy SEALS' jobs are unlike anyone else and the training alone is enough to kill 99% of the people on this planet, which is of course, the reason why only the best of the best live to tell the tale.
On the flip side, there is no chance you are catching me any time soon marrying someone in the military. I know I don't have the strength of character to not have my family be my spouse's first priority. It's simply the way I was raised and my personal values. Chris Kyle's marriage and children suffered so much with the amount of dedication he had to the military and his sense of duty was simply extraordinary.
In terms of the way American Sniper was set up, I definitely think Kyle's co-authors could have structured it differently to accommodate for a larger audience of non-military personnel readers. As it was, they did a great job of interspersing other people's perspectives throughout Chris' narration. Nevertheless, as someone who is not familiar with the military, there seemed to be a lot of repetition in terms of Chris Kyle's focus as he regaled the tale of one battle after another. There were a lot of details surrounding what type of gun, situation, and kill it was that meant (on a comprehension level) absolutely nothing to me.
Another issue I hesitate to bring up that I had with Chris Kyle was the way he appeared to so easily fit into the stereotypical redneck mold. The south already gets enough grief with non-country music fans making fun of pick up trucks and beer, but it seemed as if Kyle could have been plucked from one of Luke Bryan's chart topping singles. He had an extreme amount of faith in God and his sense of duty to America was astonishing. It only bothered me because I am unfamiliar with it and I couldn't personally relate.
Conclusion: American Sniper is a fully immersive, uncensored account of Chris Kyle's experience as a Navy SEAL sniper, but more importantly, a dedicated United States citizen.
Goodreads Synopsis: Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…
Disclaimer: On Loving the Language of Literacy, the term "BookTalk" means that there will be both a clearly marked spoiler and non-spoiler section of the Review.
Would I Buy It?
75% | Honestly, the only reason I don't own all of Colleen Hoover's books in physical form is because they're classified under "Adult" and therefore are priced accordingly. Translation = they're expensive. Nevertheless if I came across some sort of bargain I wouldn't hesitate for a moment in purchasing all her novels because of how much I love them.
Background & Backstory?
I started making my way through all of Colleen Hoover's novels in January of this year and Confess was the last book I needed to read before being caught up with all of the first novels in her various dualogies and trilogies.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
*angels singing* Ahhhh!
There's a lot of stigma and prejudice that comes with the New Adult genre. A lot of times the simple equation is mysterious boy meets mysterious girl, they have an inexplicable attraction, they can't be together, and there's usually some sort of factor like a child, car accident, or weird family connection that complicates everything. However, Colleen Hoover is something special. The stories she crafts tangle themselves up with reader's feels and wrench their hearts in the process, and of course, her male protagonists are super swoon-worthy.
Lately, Colleen Hoover has added some sort of extra multi-media addition to her novels. Slammed has slammed poetry the characters perform. The songs referred to in Maybe Someday are real ones you can find on Spotify, commissioned just for the book. Confess takes it up another level, incorporating real confessions Colleen Hoover was sent by her readers and the book includes full color artwork based off of those confessions. The creativity of her novels is just another aspect to crown her queen of new adult. [Click here if you want to know more about my opinions in pertinence to The Role of "Pictures" in Young Adult Literature]
Even though I say this after finishing every Colleen Hoover novel, I think Confess may be my new favorite. It all boils down to how much youconnect with the characters and Auburn's story of first love was one that captured my feelings exactly. The prologue is heartbreaking and the way it follows her to the end of the book is shocking and merely supports the evidence that Owen Gentry is bae.
***Spoiler Alert***
Auburn Reed is an extremely determined, passionate, and committed character. Despite the circumstances revolving around her son's - AJ -birth, it was clear how strong their relationship is and how much she cared about him, the lengths at which she went for him were simply extraordinary. Owen Mason Gentry - OMG for short - appeared as a mysterious NA character and the circumstance for hiring Auburn was absolutely hilarious. His admiration and respect for Auburn wasn't like a lot of characters in literature and it was nice for a change to see a good character.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
99.9% | I am so freaking psyched for therelease of November 9 which ironically is coming out on 10th of November this year.
Conclusion: Confess is another astounding work by Colleen Hoover, a model New Adult novel with incredible relationships and characterdevelopment with a unique multi-media spin.
Goodreads Synopsis: National Book Award-finalist Adele Griffin tells the fully illustrated story of a brilliant young artist, her mysterious death, and the fandom that won't let her go.
From the moment she stepped foot in NYC, Addison Stone’s subversive street art made her someone to watch, and her violent drowning left her fans and critics craving to know more. I conducted interviews with those who knew her best—including close friends, family, teachers, mentors, art dealers, boyfriends, and critics—and retraced the tumultuous path of Addison's life. I hope I can shed new light on what really happened the night of July 28.
Disclaimer: BookTalks mean that there are clearly marked spoilers, so proceed at your own risk.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
For fans of mysteries, unreliable narrators, and psychological thrillers like the Mara Dyer Trilogy, We Were Liars, Andrew Smith,
Background & Backstory?
I had no genuine desire to read The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone until my school's library got the book in and my librarian and I delved into this lengthy conversation about how to shelve multi-media novels. With that in mind, coupled with the intriguing premise, I had to read it.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
WTF!
Multi-Media Books | My latest Sofia Speculates dives into the nitty gritty of multi-media novels and my overall opinion of them, but now I want to discuss the way Adele Griffin used art to truly bring this story to life. Addison Stone is an art prodigy, so naturally, Griffin supplies us with photographs of her work from sculptures to drawings to paintings. What is more, there are also photographs of Addison with various characters in the story, aiding readers in picturing certain scenes and crucial events in the overall story arc. I have to admit that not all of the graphics made sense in the context they came from, nevertheless, they enriched the reading experience of this particular story, succeeding in their job of being the various threads making up a great tapestry.
The "It's Not a Biography" Issue | My school's librarian originally had issues with how to shelve The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone because Adele Griffin goes to painstaking measures to get the reader to believe Addison's story is a true one. Obviously, everyone in America would have heard of Addison Stone had she been a real person, but the amount of "newspaper clippings," "magazine articles," and "photographs" of her truly added to the larger-than-life image Adele painted of her protagonist. My librarian also pointed out that she would have loved to know how Griffin accumulated all of the photos/images and the whole behind-the-scenes process of creating this book.
Is this book a mystery? | One of the issues the librarian and I discussed was the mystery behind Addison Stone. As readers, we delve deeper and deeper in Addison's life, every bit and piece of people's narration being thrown onto the grand canvas known as the big picture of this story. But because of the way it ended, on has to ask themselves if Adele Griffin intended for it to be a mystery. I accepted the truths the author presented, but another reader could have easily interpreted the premise as a call to action "to find out what really happened." The best comparison I can make is with the book We Were Liars in terms of the type of character Addison was as well as the air of mystery and "something is not alright" that surrounded the novel.
Toxic Relationships & Teenage Love | The majority of the bookish community detests insta-love and love shapes of any kind. While it can be annoying, I never usually effected as much as I was with the dynamics between Addison, Lincoln, and Zach. She become so involved, both emotionally and physically with the both of them at different times. I have never once read about a relationship in a novel before and said to myself, "She should get out of this ASAP because of how bad he is for her." because I truly believe that she may not have gone to the same extremes she did, had it not been for the unhealthy relationships she was involved in,
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author? 50%
There is obviously no way Adele Griffin could possibly write another book like this, and I wouldn't be able to expect that either, but based off of everything that made up The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone, I will likely pick up another book by Adele Griffin.
Conclusion: The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone is a gorgeously accomplished multi-media, multi-perspective masterpiece surrounding one unforgettable girl and an even more unforgettable story that will stay with you.
18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.
DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible....
JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister....
MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window.....
In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out.
Disclaimer: Sometimes you read a book and you NEED to discuss all of your spoilery feels surrounding it. The spoilers in this review are clearly marked with asterisks, so you may skip over those sections if you do not want to be spoiled. Background & Backstory?
I had heard a lot of prepublication buzz about this book and loved the simplicity of the cover, but hadn't considered reading it until one of my best book BFFs of all time Nath from Codes and Writes raved about it. I respect her opinion surrounding books quite a lot and she talked so highly of this book that I made my parents get it for me for Christmas during our trip to Strand Books in NYC.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
Plot - Premise - Originality | 98% You have to admit that this book has an awesome premise. At a glance, it seems like The Walled City is a brilliantly crafted dystopian science-fiction novel, but in actuality, the publisher considers it realistic fiction because of the different elements of the world that are perfectly legitimate to consider in our present day 21st century state. The way a brilliant premise is executed is usually what I criticize most in a novel, but Graudin did it flawlessly. Not once did I feel as if I had read this kind of story before, and I enjoyed the asian elements the book possessed as well.
Characters | 90%The Walled City had some of the most complex, unique characters I have ever read about that could rub heads with character of Legend by Marie Lu. We had Dai who I described to Nath as "A Day-like character with a June-like upbringing," which means that was sarcastic, intelligent, athletic, and had a mysterious past. He was my favorite as well as the strongest character during the story as well as the instigator during most of the story. Then there was Mei Yee who was such a broken character forced to survive extreme circumstances no human should, and she came out of the experiences without her soul being crushed. And finally there was Jin who was stubborn and determined and hadn't let her truly crappy life get in the way of her light.
Relationships | 70% Something Nath brings up a lot in our frequent Legend conversations is the value of family and how strong a sibling-siblings or parent-child relationship can be. Jin's desire to be reunited with Mei Yee was truly tangible and I enjoyed this element of the story so much.
***Spoiler Alert***
Nevertheless, I thought it was an odd decision to make it Mei Yee and Dai who were romantically attracted to each other. They didn't seem like good candidates for togetherness and their personalities clashed a lot in my mind when you thought about their relationship from a more statistical point of view. However, Dai and Jin would have made a much more believable couple because their passion for life would have been at the same level. Yet, Dai needed the motivation to rescue Mei Yee and what better motivation is there besides love?
***End Spoiler***
Writing Stye | 80% Everyone knows that I am an absolute sucker for multi-POV books and this book would not have wowed me half as much if it the three characters hadn't given me such a panoramic view of the story from three very different stances in society. In a dark world of drugs and crime, there was the vagrant, the prostitute, and the upperclass criminal which ensured the fact that I was in for a wild ride.
Ending | 70% It is rare that I will find a dystopian/fantasy-esque novel that is a standalone and most of the time, I am left wanting more from the author. I honestly don't know how Graudin did it, but she wrapped up all the loose threads into this neat little package. While I disliked the events themselves that happens, I loved the buildup to them.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author? 70% There was something so unique and individual in terms of the feelings The Walled City gave me that I want to feel again, so I most definitely will be picking upGraudin's other works such as All That Glows.
Conclusion: An exhilarating, vivid, and fascinating standalone told from three unlikely perspectives that is the epitome of a story.
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
Disclaimer: A BookTalk means that this review contains spoilers, but if you HAVE NOT read this novel, the spoiler-ey paragraphs have asterisks -more commonly known as stars- to inform you of when spoilers begin.
This book breaks down all my pre-concieved boundaries in terms of buying/re-reading. I sincerely want to buy this book and have it in my collection because THAT is how effected I am. While the cover is fitting and embodies the novel quite well.... I hate it and don't really want that on my bookshelf. Hopefully, a new cover (that's not that hideous movie cover) will be released soon.
Background & Backstory?
I picked this book up for the reasons a lot of people have in the past couple of months. On February 20, 2015, the book-to-movie adaptation is coming out. So, of course, I HAD to have the bragging rights of reading the book before the movie. There's a lot of hype around this novel, even before the news of the movie became big, I was SOOO close to giving this novel a 5/5 stars, and know exactly why people love this novel as much as they do.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
Expected, but appreciated. I have so much respect for Kody, Bianca, and Wesley.
Inexplicable Feelings: In 2014, I read five or so books that I was so confused about. I had no idea what to feel because there were ALL of the feels. The difference between a feels-filled books and the inexplicable feelings, is that these books range from TWO to FIVE star ratings. I may have hated the story, I may have loved it, but something in common with all of these books is the fact that they have made me think.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED the story, message, characters, and dynamics between various relationships. The dialogue and themes are rough.... but not necessarily gritty. The writing style, not the voice, is what killed that last half star for me. The dialogue, plot threads, and character molds (at first sight) were all hackneyed and done before. This is Keplinger's DEBUT novel, and the fact that it's so highly praised, and is being made into a movie is absolutely WONDERFUL. I would have preferred a smidgeon more of editing.
High School: If you look at ANY trailer for a movie set in high school, they give you this appearance like it's one for one and all for themselves. There are the certain labels and classifications people draw and call each other. Almost as if there's instantaneous self-damnation. If you believe in something for a single second.... that's who you become. High School is torture according to movies, and if done right, that is the best kind of contemporary novel setting. An author, such as Keplinger, who is able to find a perfect balance between an original plot and the setting because it provides reliability to the target audience without being a total cheese fest.
Sluts, Whores, and Bitches, We've Got Them All.... Kinda: Yes, I did use those words on my blog. I've come to a conclusion recently about use of language in blog posts. I'm not going to go dropping F-Bombs in reviews of Middle Grade novels.... but if I'm reviewing a book with a certain kind of language, and I need to use that word to further express my thoughts about the book.... I'm not going to keep typing asterisks between the first and last letter. That's a little noob-blogger of me. [Mini-Rant Over]
Anyways, Kody Keplinger deals with the topic of slut-shaming quite perfectly. There's the "DUFF" Bianca, who starts sleeping with Wesley, and for a sort of "darkest moment" for her character, she believes that she is a whore and a slut. By definition, she couldn't be, and by society's judgment.... society is screwed up anyway on their perspective of women. The term "slut" has absolutely NO positive connotation in society, and is only used as a degrading insult that does nothing to depict a person's character. To people squeamish of sluts, alcohol abuse, divorce, and cheating, Keplinger basically tells you to DEAL WITH IT in a way that is neither offensive to the reader or to gritty, but perfectly comprehendible to the non-booknerds of the world.
***The side character, Vicki, is brought into the light in a brief chapter when rumors of her being pregnant are spread. She is immediately slut-shamed, because it's true that she has a habit of "sleeping around." With Bianca's new-found revelation of labels just being another hurdle for teenagers during the track meet of life, she comforts Vicki, and assures her that she's not a slut.***
Wesley aka Zach Goode in an Average High School: If you haven't read the Gallagher Girls series, this will make 0% sense, but if you have.... do see how clever I am? Despite the attempt to portray him as a "bad boy" he didn't feel bad, and I quite enjoyed the dynamic between him and Bianca. She tells him to (how shall I say this PG-13?) shove his persona and douche-bag attitude up his behind quite a few times. Despite his sarcasm and womanizer stereotype, I loved him and he was probably my favorite character. Even if everyone knows bad boys can't be tamed.... let the booknerd wish what she wants.
Aint Nobody Got Time For That aka Bianca: She was a stunningly crafted character, intelligent, cynical, and sarcastic. Yet she was forced to cope with various issues and did so perfectly. Despite getting lost in Wesley and "using" him as a distraction, she was solid with herself and who she was. Bianca would not take crap from ANYONE and I respected that in a YA character so much, almost as much as being kick-ass and cold-hearted.
How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Novel?
80% Everyone who has been following my blog for more than a day will know that I DO NOT re-read books. I have practically yelled it from the rooftops and out of the 153 books I read last year.... TWO of them were re-reads. Yet, I legitimately want to re-read it. As in, pick it up RIGHT now and start reading it again. I am certain this will show up in my Top 15 of 2015 and I will re-read this in 2016 for sure.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?
85%
It will be hard to write another novel of the same caliber, and I'm not sure Kiplinger can out-do herself in my eyes, especially because I haven't heard ANYTHING regarding her other novels. Nevertheless, I am 100% willing to give another one a try and will be ecstatic if I can be as emotionally effected by another book of hers.
Conclusion: This is most certainly a memorable and raw Young Adult novel that should be recognized for the barriers it pushes past.
Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.
But not all is at it seems.
Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…
Someone’s altered her memory.
Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.
About the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Beth Revis is the NY Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe series. The complete trilogy is now available in more than 20 languages. A native of North Carolina, Beth’s most recent book is The Body Electric, which tells the story of what was happening on Earth while the characters of Across the Universe were in space.
I have a confession to make. I disliked Across the Universe, Beth's debut novel because I felt it was poorly paced, a tad confusing, and I disliked it because I dislike novels about space in general. Looking back, I can see that was a bit harsh, and I signed up for this tour to see if the book could redeem my opinion of Beth Revis. I am so happy to have read this novel and I see Beth Revis and her writing in an entirely new light now.
What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?
What the frick just happened?
Warning: Whatever you do, do NOT have this book spoiled for you. It relies so much on the plot twists and mind-blowing revelations that it will not be half as enjoyable if it's spoiled. I am trying my best to be vague in this review, but there are so many little pieces of the puzzle that CANNOT be spoiled.
Science Fiction: A common misconception about Dystopian novels are that they are ALL under the umbrella known as Science Fiction. The Body Electric could be classified as a Dystopian novel, but more accurately.... it's Science Fiction. And may I just say.... this was a YA science fiction done right. I've seen Dystopian, Science-Fiction wannabes add a lot of cool technology and try to pass itself off as Science Fiction. On the other hand, books like Ender's Game are obviously Science Fiction with such complex worlds/conflicts, they can hardly be considered Young Adult.
The Body Electric is a perfect combination of a thrilling, fast-paced world and intricate science fiction. The plot is NEVER slowed, but actually hastened by descriptions of new technology and concepts because they're answers to the mind-fudge that just took place. There were so many questions asked about what it means to be human (an oldie, but a goodie). And about the human brain and what it can do (always fascinating). And so many others that would make me want to live there if the government wasn't corrupt.
Romance: There wasn't a LEGITIMATE romance, in this novel... but there was a guy who insisted that he and the protagonist had been together for a long time. I felt so sorry for Jack because of how much he cared about Ella and her reactions to his feelings. At the same time, it was a wise decision to exclude romance because the plot was captivating enough without it, but the hints of it made the story even better.
Praise Hafsah & Her Cover Design: I remember reading the "Journey to a Cover" post in September and was fascinated with the entire process. Of course, you won't recognize the significance of the cover until you read the book, but for a few minutes after finishing, all I could do was stare and revel in how perfectly it encapsulated the story. The bees and circuit boards hadn't made any sense, but they do now.... and the silhouette is perfect.
How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By Beth Revis?
I probably won't pick up A Million Suns or Shades of Earth, but I will definitely put Beth's next book on my TBR because of how much I loved this one.
Conclusion: A brilliantly fast-paced novel with a captivating plot influenced by a future that could be ours.
Goodreads Synopsis: In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.
Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.
Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town’s most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept “separate but equal.”
Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.
Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.
Disclaimer: I received this book from HarlequinTeen via My Heart Hearts Books in exchange for an honest review. *My guest post on My Heart Hearts Books hasn't been published yet, but when it is, the image above will have a link leading to the review*
1. The LGBTQ genre has had quite a breakout in 2014 in terms of how many books have been released dealing with these issues and how they are becoming more widely accepted. Each author has their own story of why they write LGBTQ fiction, maybe a family member, close, friend, or even themselves has fallen in the LGBTQ spectrum. Why did you start writing in this genre and when did you become interested in it?
In every book or short story I’ve written so far, my protagonists have always been LGBTQ. Partly that stems from my own life experience, since I’m gay, but it also stems from what I see as a need for greater representation for LGBTQ characters in fiction, especially young adult fiction. Malinda Lo’s statistics show that despite recent gains, this representation is still far below where it should be in YA.
Also, for the most part, my brain tends to generate stories that focus on LGBTQ characters. So it all works out nicely!
2. Because some people aren’t always accepting of LGBTQ people and many books in this genre have been banned, was there ever a time when you were scared to put Lies We Tell Ourselves out in the world because of this added factor of stress? Instead of just being afraid if people would like/not like your book, was there ever a fear that you would be ostracized because of it or that your book would even be banned in some conservative communities?
This actually hasn’t been something I’ve worried about. Which is good, because there are plenty of other things for a debut author to stress over! :)
3. What inspired you to write this story and come up with such an outrageous premise for this time period? An African American and white person talking to each other civilly, let alone falling in love, let alone the situation being between a GIRL and ANOTHER girl. Did you ever think of your readers would find this unrealistic, or did it just add to the story?
From the moment I first started thinking about the story for Lies We Tell Ourselves, I knew I wanted to explore the question of not just how someone would deal with living through a horrible period in history, but also how it would feel to be living with that and to be dealing with something a slice of the population has always dealt with for all of history, too: having a sexual orientation that doesn’t match the majority’s.
For millennia, people have been forming across traditional societal lines ― race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, background, etc. Sometimes those connections are friendships, sometimes they’re romantic, sometimes they’re something else entirely.
So I don’t think it’s outrageous for two people like Sarah and Linda to form a connection in 1959, despite the boundaries that separate them. Nor do I think it’s unrealistic that they’re both interested in girls. I think there’s a tendency to view the idea of “LGBTQ issues” as a new thing, because only in the past couple of decades have openly queer people have been discussed much in mainstream media. But there have been queer people for as long as there have been, well, people. There were just as many queer people in 1959 as there are in 2014. There just weren’t as many openly queer people.
4. While writing Lies We Tell Ourselves, was there ever a time that you felt a scene was hard to write because of the amount of torment you had to put your characters through, because of research that needed to be done surrounding the circumstances, or to get into an individual character’s head?
All of the above! Lies We Tell Ourselves was by far the most difficult story I’ve ever written for all of those reasons and more. The most challenging part of the writing process was getting into Linda’s head. Linda has held a set of beliefs for her entire life that is abhorrent and that also completely defies logic, so it took a huge amount of intellectual twisting and reaching to try to understand where she was coming from well enough to write from her point of view.
5. I know that I greatly appreciated the fact that Lies We Tell Ourselves was written in two points of view and then the added third at the end. What was your reasoning for this? Why not write the story from just one point of view? And what made you decide to divide the points of views into parts versus every other chapter?
I tried writing Lies We Tell Ourselves in many different ways. I wrote a draft just from Sarah’s point of view, and I wrote the beginning of a draft in alternating chapters. Neither of those worked at all. With just Sarah’s point of view, there wasn’t enough forward momentum to drive the story and provoke Sarah to change. Alternating chapters caused the opposite problem ― it broke up the momentum of the first day of school that makes up most of the first part of the novel, where the story really belongs to Sarah alone. So I tried splitting the difference with an alternating act structure instead.
6. Lies We Tell Ourselves seems like the type of story that you would need to know from beginning to end, and because NaNoWriMo fever is in the air, I am dying to know this. Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I’m a plotter, but I didn’t actually know the story of Lies We Tell Ourselves from beginning to end when I first started writing it. That’s usually how it goes for me when I’m working on a new project. I always make an outline before I start writing, but usually the outline either doesn’t have an ending at all or I realize halfway through the draft that the ending I’d originally envisioned won’t work at all. So although I depend on my outlining process to get me from point A to point B, I usually have to rework my original conception to figure out how I’m eventually getting to point Z.
