Book Thoughts: Crazy

Title: Crazy
Author: Han Nolan
*Imported from tumblr*

This book took me a while to get into at first because the narrative style is so different — a lot of Jason’s thoughts and memories are narrated by these imaginary friends he has made up to keep him company, and that was really weird for me to adjust to. But once I got into it, I actually thought it was really cool and added a lot to the story, because you really get to see things the way Jason sees them.

Jason’s mom has died, his dad is losing his mind, and Jason is struggling to care for both himself and his crazy father. When he gets noticed at school, he gets sent to a lunchtime counseling group with the school psychologist, and despite his resistance, he makes friends. Making friends won’t stop the tidal wave of bad news about to crash down on Jason — but it just might help him survive.

I thought this was a beautiful story. Heartbreaking, absolutely, but beautiful. A starkly honest look at mental illness and its impact, and… just wow. I absolutely recommend it. 

Book Thoughts: Forgotten

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
*Imported from tumblr.*

London’s memory works backwards: every night when her memory resets, she remembers nothing of her past. Instead, she remembers the future — things that haven’t happened yet. But when she keeps meeting a boy she can’t remember meeting (in the future) and unearths a shocking memory of something from the past, London’s already complicated life gets a lot more interesting.

I was expecting something paranormal from the description, but aside from London remembering the future, there’s nothing weird about Forgotten. It’s a powerfully honest story of love, loss, psychological trauma, and friendship. It’s beautifully written (and the romance is perfect), and I am immensely glad I read it. If you're thrown by the seemingly paranormal/unnatural premise, I encourage you to read it anyway. It is a beautiful story about a girl falling in love, a family in grief, and a friendship working to survive a strugge. Read it!

Book Thoughts: 34 Pieces of You

Title: 34 Pieces of You
Author: Carmen Rodrigues

I just read this one as an e-book on PulseIT, and wow.

I'm honestly not sure what I think of this book. Chronologically, it was a little hard to follow with the nonlinear storytelling; some of the actual events were a little hard to follow too because I kept getting the characters' voices mixed up and forgetting whether it was Jessie, Sarah, or Jake narrating. I would have liked more backstory about the characters, too.

BUT. But. Emotionally it was a pretty powerful read, a really interesting way to handle the death of a teenager and a loved one. I wish we'd been able to see things from Ellie's perspective, but maybe the point was that none of them could see things from Ellie's perspective.

I had a hard time putting this one down - it drew me in and made me want to keep reading. Fascinating take on the different characters' emotions. I just wish there had been a little more - it ended too soon. The issues in this book are very real and definitely played with my emotions. I recommend it for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Ellen Hopkins.

Book Thoughts: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson

I read this book on Simon & Schuster's PulseIt site over a couple of hours (when I should have been doing summer homework. This was much more interesting, though). It absolutely kept me hooked - even though I predicted pretty much by the end of the first chapter what would happen, I still was excited to find out how it happened, and it's really more of a character novel than a plot novel anyway. And the characters are great, so it's awesome.

Amy Curry's father died in a car accident three months ago. For the last month, she's been on her own in their California home: her mom is in Connecticut, and her twin brother is in rehab in North Carolina. In all that time and then some, she hasn't driven. Amy doesn't drive anymore, not since the accident. So when she has to get the car from Cali to Connecticut, her mom calls in the son of an old family friend: Roger. Roger's driving the car for her, because he'll be staying at his dad's house in Pennsylvania for the summer, but he only agreed to drive the whole way because he's hoping to encounter his ex-girlfriend, Hadley. What neither of them realize is how much they'll end up helping each other with their issues.

The characters are really relatable; I especially related to Amy, because even though she's very different from me in a lot of ways, her feelings are so real and understandable and human. And Roger, too - he's flawed, he's sweet, he's one of the most real fictional male leads I've encountered in a long time, which makes him really quite awesome. And the story is simple and sweet and cute, just like a fun summer read should be, but it also deals with a lot of deep dark issues.

The five words I would pick to describe this book: heartbreaking, heartwarming, sad, sweet, and smiley.

The phrase I would use to describe what you should do now: Go read this book ASAP, because it's awesome.

Oh! And I almost forgot to mention the playlists! Amy and Roger spend a lot of time on their road trip making playlists. Roger's playlists include Jack's Mannequin - a band I really like that hardly anyone at my school/church/etc ever seems to have heard of - as well as other alternative bands that are awesome (and some I don't know - new music yay!) and Amy's are comprised of show tunes and Elvis. Need I say anything more about how awesome this is?

Book Thoughts: All Unquiet Things

Title: All Unquiet Things
Author: Anna Jarzab

I will admit it took me a while to get into it, but after the first few chapters I was completely hooked. Long story short, ALL UNQUIET THINGS is essentially a murder mystery. A year before the story starts, Carly Ribelli is found dead with four gunshot wounds to the chest. Her uncle, the father of her cousin and best friend, Audrey, was convicted of the murder, but Audrey doesn't believe her dad is guilty. So Audrey enlists the help of Carly's ex-boyfriend, Neily - who was still in love with Carly - to help her figure out who really did it. The story alternates between Neily and Audrey's perspectives. It's really well-written, maybe a bit slow at times but still very engaging, and the story - oh my goodness. Some of it is a bit hard to believe, but Anna Jarzab makes it believable. And the characters are so real and well-developed and amazing. There is some language and content that might not be appropriate for younger teens, but to anyone who doesn't mind that stuff, I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this book. Readreadread. It's awesome.