I picked this book for a number of reasons. One, it had been recommended to me a few times by a few different people (my YA book club being one of them.) Two, I bought a copy of it with the $50 Barnes & Noble gift card I got from work. I've been making an effort lately to read books I already own.
Every single recommendation you've heard about this book is true. I started this book on a Friday and could not put it down. I had to go to my dress fitting on Saturday and was annoyed (ANNOYED to get fitted for my wedding), because I wanted to finish the book so badly.
Cather is the girl you're following around for the majority of the book, but she has a twin sister Wren, who has a pretty significant effect on her life, for obvious reasons. I love how it's fan fiction that brings Cath out of herself, that makes her open up to people. I love that, while her family loves each other so freakin' much, they have a lot of things that they have to work out. I love that the problems in the beginning of the book are not necessarily the problems at the end of the book. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Cath and Levi. I mean.... I can not remember a time when I have been so invested in a couple. They kill me with cute.
This is definitely Cath's coming of age story, and I think that Rowell does it in the best possible way. It's not all at once, or sudden, and Cath hasn't transformed into this different person by the end of the book. She's still... her, but just with a little bit more umph.
This book is my most favorite book so far this year and don't be surprised if it shows up a few more times around here.
I had not heard of this book before Cassy picked it for us to read, but I'm so glad that she did. One of the best compliments I can give a book is that it is compelling, that it drove me to finish it, and this book is incredibly compelling.
These characters are so real. They're like actual people I could have known during my first year of college. And I think that without thinking they're like any specific people I knew; they're like their own people. (Actually, I take that back; I knew somebody a lot like Nick. But that doesn't make him a less well-written character.)
This book clearly got into both of us and demanded to be read; Cassy was interrupted by wedding stuff, and I stopped watching the first season of Game of Thrones for a whole night to sit quietly and read. Priorities.
I think there's a specific audience for this book, though. I'm not sure that older adults would appreciate the young voices (they might see more of the whining and... teen-ness) and anyone younger than early high school usually can't identify with the college life yet. So I don't think it's the kind of YA that spans other age groups, personally, but I've been wrong before.
These characters are so real. They're like actual people I could have known during my first year of college. And I think that without thinking they're like any specific people I knew; they're like their own people. (Actually, I take that back; I knew somebody a lot like Nick. But that doesn't make him a less well-written character.)
This book clearly got into both of us and demanded to be read; Cassy was interrupted by wedding stuff, and I stopped watching the first season of Game of Thrones for a whole night to sit quietly and read. Priorities.
I think there's a specific audience for this book, though. I'm not sure that older adults would appreciate the young voices (they might see more of the whining and... teen-ness) and anyone younger than early high school usually can't identify with the college life yet. So I don't think it's the kind of YA that spans other age groups, personally, but I've been wrong before.
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