If I Stay

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
If I Stay # 1
Publisher: Speak
Number of pages: 262
My copy: paperback, from Fully Booked

On a day that started like any other…

Mia had everything: a loving family a gorgeous, adoring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. Then, in an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left — the most important decision she’ll ever make.

Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifitng story, about memory, music, living, dying, loving.

* * *

One word: wow.

I’ve heard so much about this novel, and I hated that it cost P700+ when I first saw it in Fully Booked Eastwood. When I saw cheaper versions of it in Fully Booked Fort, I knew I had to have it more than I wanted dip stations. Two weeks later, I read it in a day, and I finished with tears in my eyes and a heart that felt like bursting.

When I was a kid, I used to watch TV shows whose storyline involve a the main character losing his/her parents because of an accident and their parents leaving a favorite toy, book or an item that would be a remembrance of the parents. After watching so many things like that, I started to become fearful of my parents’ well-being while they were out and I wasn’t with them. Cellphones are not the in thing then, so I have no way of getting in touch with them as I wait for them to arrive. Oftentimes, I’d end up crying with worry, calling their friends to know where they are and…well, generally making a fool of myself because of my fear.

I felt the same kind of fear while I was reading If I Stay. It’s hard to write what I felt while I was reading it, but there were so many questions racing through my head, questions that I wonder about in real life as well. Like, do people who are close to dying know that they are about to say goodbye? What would I do if I was in Mia’s place? Can I choose to stay if I know I have lost a lot?

If I Stay doesn’t have the answers to those questions, but rather presses them on to the reader. The story starts off happy and carefree, and then Forman quickly plunges the readers into the heat of the action. As a reader, I felt Mia’s pain and confusion, and I learned to care for her deeply as I got to know her through her flashbacks. She’s not the most remarkable character once you got to know her past, save for her cello playing talent, but her pain and her choice makes her a strong character, one that resonates deeply with the readers even long after the book was finished.

It’s not a comforting book, mind you, so don’t read it if you’re feeling down. Despite its slightly morbid theme of death, it is also a book of hope, one that encourage the reader to face life despite all its sadness and loss.

If I Stay is a beautiful, thought-provoking book about life, death and love, and it is definitely one of my favorite reads this year. :)

I leave you with the part of the book that made me cry — skip this part if you don’t want to be spoiled because it may be a bit spoiler-y.

“It’s okay,” he tells me. “If you want to go. Everyone wants you to stay. I want you to stay more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.’ His voice cracks with emotion. He stops, clears his throat, takes a breath, and continues. ‘But that’s what I want and I could see why it might not be what you want. So I just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It’s okay if you have to leave us. It’s okay if you want to stop fighting.”

Rating: [rating=5]

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I think I just Flipped

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I got Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen back when I was in college, the same time I got Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I got those books to cheer me up after a particularly bad day in school, one that involved school stress, a long week of having to re-shoot my photography assignment, processing film and a breakdown at the school’s photo lab (good thing there wasn’t any adult acne involved, or else I would’ve gone crazy that day). I saw this book while waiting for my dad and decided to splurge on it even if I wasn’t sure what it was about.

I’m glad I splurged because Flipped became one of my favorite books. :) This tells the story of Julianna and Bryce, their childhood, their family, school, and kisses. :) I loved the alternating points of view, the overall plot and the lessons the book gave about family, crushes and growing up. But you know what I love most about this now? I just heard that there’s going to be Flipped the movie. :D

Squee!

Okay, most movie versions of books are bad, but I’m willing to give this one a shot. I hope they do justice to Bryce and Julianna’s awkward relationship and their families, especially the egg scene! Oh dear, look who’s excited. :D

Sharing the trailer from Macy‘s blog:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8rz6D5AtME[/youtube]

I’m also re-posting my review of the book from two years ago. I haven’t re-read this recently, because I think my copy is still with my friend. Hm, I should get that back soon.

* * *

Flipped by Wendelin van DraanenFlipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

BRYCE:
My mom didn’t understand why it was so awful that “that cute little girl” had held my hand. She thought I should be friends with her. “You like soccer. Why don’t you go out there and kick the ball around?” Because I didn’t want to be kicked around, that’s why. And although I couldn’t say it like that, I still had enough sense at age seven and a half to know that Julianna Baker was dangerous.

JULIANNA:
What did a kiss feel like anyway? Somehow I knew it wouldn’t be like the one I got from Mom or Dad at bedtime. The same species, maybe, but radically different beast. Like a wolf and a whippet. Only science would put them in the same tree. Looking back, I think it was at least partly scientific curiosity that made me chase after that kiss, but it was probably more of those blue eyes.

I’ve had this book for ages, but I haven’t reviewed it ever (then again, I hardly review books back when I bought this). This, along with Stargirl is one of my favorite young adult books. I bought this on a whim, and ever since I first read it, I’ve loved the story. Julianna, especially, is a very memorable character that I wish a lot of times that I carry the same wonder and sparkle she has. :)

When Bryce Loski moves into the neighborhood, Julianna Baker was mostly interested in having a playmate than a boyfriend. But when she saw his blue eyes, she flipped. Bryce wasn’t interested in the Juli, mostly because she scared him. He spent the next few years running away from her — from avoiding her when she’d visit to play, to asking someone out so she’d stop chasing him (backfired big time), to throwing the gifts she gives him, and every thing he could manage to do. As they grow up, Juli realizes that Bryce isn’t really the guy she thought he is, and Bryce realizes that he really didn’t take the time to know Juli and started seeing her in a new light.

Continue Reading →

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Tweet Heart

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Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick
Hyperion, 264 pages

Claire is a #hopelessromantic.y

Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect.

Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him.

Bennett is a man with a plan.

Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone.

But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected….

Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.

I didn’t get into Twitter until last year, but I’ve had my account for a while now. At work, I think my friends and I converse more in Twitter, and it’s kind of fun to watch and read other people’s updates. Not to mention following authors and celebrities. Sometimes the best gossip can be found in Twitter, don’t you think?

So I was really excited when I saw and read what Tweet Heart was about from Amazon. At first I was frustrated when I saw that there wasn’t any Kindle version, so I decided to just wish and wait for it to get here. Then my friend Jana tells me she saw copies of the book in National Bookstore in Shang, and then comes my search. I finally found a copy of the book in National Bookstore Megamall, and this was one book I wasn’t going to pass up on, regardless of how big my credit card bill is. :P

The moment I opened the book, I understood immediately why there was no Kindle version:

The cover did say it was a book told in tweets, emails and blogs. ;)

I guess I didn’t think that the entire book was told in tweets, emails and  blog posts. I saw the line in the cover, but I didn’t think the book would only contain that.

At first I was disappointed, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. Tweet Heart is a quick and fun read. Claire is indeed a hopeless romantic, who has been pining for lacrosse team captain, JD Whitcomb since she was a kid. Lottie, her best friend, goes from one guy to another, but is always there for her best friend to help her in all her boy troubles (lucky her). Bennett is Claire’s guy best friend, who annoys Lottie most of the time and would rather talk and tweet about anything SciFi (or SyFy, as he often says) but is always there to be a friend to Will. Will is the smart, quiet guy who likes Claire and would listen to her swoon about JD even if it hurts him so.

Tweet Heart is a typical high school romance and mistaken identity. There’s really nothing new about the plot, and if it was told in the traditional way, I don’t think it would have been as charming as it is. But the tweets and emails and blog posts totally made it a different book. Since there was no narration, I had to deduce what happened in between the tweets, and since most of the characters were talkative enough, nothing is ever missing. I wasn’t so sure about the length of the direct messages exchanged, though. I mean, I don’t do much of direct messaging because the notifications spam my inbox. Maybe they turned it off?

It was also a great feat for the author to create well-rounded characters even with just their 140-character tweets. Claire is charming, Will is sweet, Lottie is wild, and Bennett! I love Bennett. He is probably the best character in the entire book, and I love all his references to Star Wars, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Joss Whedon and all things geeky (like mounts, for example). Despite his very annoying nature, he’s also a good friend, and I liked that he had a happy ending of his own. :)

A word of warning to the kids (and everyone else for that matter), though: the romance in this novel is between people who see each other in real life, and not just on Twitter. So don’t go starting online romances with people you know on Twitter (or email, or blog, or chat) alone!  Remember that not everyone online is a nice person just because they talk nice.

But I digress. Again, Tweet Heart is a quick and fun read. However, I don’t think all people will like this, especially those who prefer to read narratives in a book. Plus, I don’t think this book will be much of a hit in the future, if Twitter loses its popularity. This book is recommended for today’s generation, and anyone else who enjoys social media and a cute romance. :)

Rating: [rating=4]

2010 Challenge Status:
* Book # 52 out of 100 for 2010

My copy: paperback, Php289.00 from National Bookstore

Cover image & blurb: Goodreads

→ Get Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick from Amazon.com
→ Elizabeth Rudnick’s Website

This review is included in Cym Lowell’s Book Review Wednesdays:
CymLowell

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Karmic Retribution

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Take Me There by Susane ColasantiTake Me There by Susane Colasanti
Publisher: Viking
Number of pages:  304
My copy: ebook

Rhiannon is completely devastated after the breakup with her boyfriend. She wants him back.

Nicole’s ex still wants to be with her, but she’s obsessed with someone else.

James is hopelessly in love with Rhiannon, who doesn’t see that their friendship can be so much more.

Will their desire to take a mean girl down a notch bring these three friends what they want . . . and more?

Set during one life-altering week and told in three realistic perspectives, this engaging, witty novel shows the ups and downs of love, friendship, and karma.

* * *

Okay, so how do I begin.

When I read Susane Colasanti’s When It Happens, I wasn’t terribly impressed. The story was cute and the characters were believable somewhat, but I didn’t really like how the story was written. I guess you could say it was too young for me, but then I’ve read other novels set in high school and liked it just fine.

But I wasn’t about to write Susane Colasanti off. I picked up her second book, Take Me There just recently and finally cracked its covers when I looked for a fantasy break. Take Me There tells the story of three friends: Rhiannon, Nicole and James, on the week that supposedly changed their lives forever. Rhiannon just got dumped, Nicole dumped her boyfriend and James is Rhiannon’s best friend and he wanted to be there for her. The first three days were told in Rhiannon’s point of view first, then the three days were recapped in Nicole’s POV and then James and then the next days were repeated in that order again.

I honestly don’t know how to go about this review without sounding too mean, because I felt really torn about this novel. There were cute moments, and there were a lot of things that I liked somewhat, but they were all shadowed by the glaring annoyances I had while reading the book. Let me count the ways:

  • I brought this up in my Teaser Tuesday post: I had a hard time reading this book because of the way it was written. True, it’s in written in a lot of detail, but half the time I found the details irrelevant, or at least they didn’t make too much impact in the story. It’s like I was in a mind of, well, a teen whose attention shifts from one item to another too quickly. ADD, but not quite. Yes, this is a book about teens, but the way it was written didn’t really appeal to me. Maybe that’s how teens speak, but why write it that way?
  • The story didn’t make sense (at least to me) up until about 100 pages into it. I know Rhiannon’s brokenhearted, but I didn’t want to read 50 pages of all that and only that. And it didn’t help that Nicole basically repeated what happened when it was her turn to tell the story, except that she did say something that Rhiannon didn’t know.
  • Rhiannon’s voice and Nicole’s voice sounded too similar for me, and they were both annoying, IMO. James was better, almost normal, but that was it. Rhiannon seemed to go around and around, and Nicole? Is like, absolutely annoying. With the way she talks? Like this. See what I mean?
  • It felt like there were a million characters in the book, because the other characters just kept on pointing out other people around them. Sure, they only pointed to characters that made sense in the story, but their purpose was dragged out up until the end. It may have been an attempt to put more depth in the story, that it’s not only just about Rhiannon’s heartbreak or Nicole’s ex or James’ love for Rhiannon, but it was hard to keep track of all of them, especially when they all sound alike.
  • By the end of the story, everyone was talking about karma, and all I could think of was, “Where did that come from?” Suddenly everyone seemed to sound like hippies, with all the “I feel so good with him and I realize he could take me there” thing. Maybe I just can’t appreciate it?

However, Take Me There‘s story did pick up quite well at the end, and I kind of liked how the last few chapters were written, because it made me want to know what happened next. I do have to give credit to Colasanti for creating a story that sounded real, despite its shortcomings. Maybe I couldn’t appreciate it as much because I’m not the target audience of the book.

Will I read more of Colasanti’s works? Probably, but not too soon. I kind of need a break from it, so maybe next time.

Rating: [rating=2]

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Life in Notes

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Life On the Refrigerator Door by Alice KuipersLife on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
HarperCollins, 220 pages

Claire and her mother are running out of time, but they don’t know it. Not yet. Claire is wrapped up with the difficulties of her bourgeoning adulthood—boys, school, friends, identity; Claire’s mother, a single mom, is rushed off her feet both at work and at home. They rarely find themselves in the same room at the same time, and it often seems that the only thing they can count on are notes to each other on the refrigerator door. When home is threatened by a crisis, their relationship experiences a momentous change. Forced to reevaluate the delicate balance between their personal lives and their bond as mother and daughter, Claire and her mother find new love and devotion for one another deeper than anything they had ever imagined.

Heartfelt, touching, and unforgettable, Life on the Refrigerator Door is a glimpse into the lives of mothers and daughters everywhere. In this deeply touching novel told through a series of notes written from a loving mother and her devoted fifteen-year-old daughter, debut author Alice Kuipers deftly captures the impenetrable fabric that connects mothers and daughters throughout the world. Moving and rich with emotion, Life on the Refrigerator Door delivers universal lessons about love in a wonderfully simple and poignant narrative.

When I was a kid, I remember my mom and dad leaving notes for us all over the house — sometimes on the closet, sometimes on the computer monitor, sometimes even on the front door. I do remember them leaving notes on the refrigerator door, and sometimes we do that, too, if only to make use of the magnets that we have managed to collect from wherever we’ve been from all over the years. Most of these notes were reminders, mostly, and sometimes even sorry notes (but those are usually left at the altar), but we were all fortunate enough to see each other a lot that we never had conversations by the refrigerator door.

It’s different for Claire and her mother though. Claire is an active 15-year-old and her mother is a doctor, and both of them hardly see each other within the day, so they both leave notes to each other on the refrigerator door. A little spoiler here, if you may? When Claire’s mom found out that she had cancer, their lives changed but the notes continued, and readers will witness the exchange between the mother and daughter as they struggle with their regular lives and the sickness that changes everything between them.

I thought the book would be filled with random notes and a story in between, but I was wrong — this book was made entirely out of their notes on the door, some short (“I’m at Emma’s.”) and some long, as in actual letters. This made Life on the Refrigerator Door a quick read, but it didn’t make it less of a heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking read. I was left to fill in the blanks in between the notes, to figure out what happened at the last note and the next. It was a picture of a family painted in a different way, both of them (and the separated dad) trying to figure out how to deal with cancer that they were all trying to survive from.

It’s not exactly a happy novel, but it was a hopeful one, and I found myself tearing up especially at the last few pages. I couldn’t help but wish for a different ending, but in a way, the ending is also reality. I can’t really describe it properly because I’m blessed enough to not experience it, but I’m pretty sure people with family or relatives or friends who are battling cancer will be able to appreciate this more than I do.

It’s not a favorite book, but I’m glad I read it. :)

Rating: [rating=3]

2010 Challenge Status:
* Book # 23 out of 100 for 2010

→ Get Life on the Refrigerator Door: A Novel in Notes by Alice Kuipers from Amazon.com
→ Alice Kuipers’ website

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