Wonder (R.J. Palacio) Book Review

2018 Reading Challenge

11. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Synopsis:

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. 

Wonder begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

My Review:

There are several changes coming into Auggie's life, the main one being in going back to school after being homeschooled all his life. School can be a challenge for anyone - not just the schoolwork, but being accepted and when you're different from everybody else, bullying. And as Auggie expected, it gets off to a rough start as his classmates aren't used to seeing someone like him and give him a hard time. Throughout this story, August challenges his classmates to look beyond his differences and see that underneath it all, he's just like everybody else. I did appreciate the added change of views from other characters, so you could see their perspective at different points of knowing Auggie. You can understand their views before getting to know him, as well as how they came to accept him as a friend, as normal. The transformations of not only Auggie, but his classmates and family members alike, are awe-inspiring.

Change can be hard, but it can also be good. Before going back to real school, Auggie hid his face with an astronaut helmet. Whether or not he believed it at first, going to school and taking off his protection from the outside world was courageous and brave. He became vulnerable, but with that vulnerability came acceptance at the end. He became a one-of-a-kind character.

Everyone knows the old adage to not judge a book by its cover. Wonder spread the same adage except with a person. So just like books shouldn't be judged by its cover, people should not be judged by what they seem on the outside. It matters who they/we are on the inside.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Sadie (Courtney Summers) Book Review

2018 Reading Challenge

10. Sadie by Courtney Summers

Synopsis:
A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.
When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

My Review:
I received an advanced reader's edition of Sadie before it got published last year and wrote a quick review about over on Goodreads, since I have an account there and those were the instructions. The following is what I wrote:

Compelling and suspenseful until the very end. I fell in love with the style of writing, as it was written in podcast form - a unique idea. I hope there's a sequel because I need to know what happened to Sadie!

I would like to thank Macmillan Publishing, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for sending me the advanced copy of the book, as well as what I was sent in the pictures.

Please feel free to check out my Goodreads page as well.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

From the Wreckage (Michele G Miller) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

22. From the Wreckage by Michele G Miller

Synopsis:

“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.”

"Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?”

For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning. Faced with the new reality of her life, she must find a way to rise From The Wreckage and answer the question - how do you get back to normal, when everything that was normal is gone?

My Review:

For most high school students, Friday nights means going to football games, cheering on their respective schools, and then going out to eat/celebrate/hang out at a local pizza place, or wherever it might be, after the game. And for Jules and her friends, that Friday night was no exception. Like any other teen, they didn't think anything bad would happen, except for maybe the occasional fight with their rivals.

Jules and her friends were celebrating their football team's win when they heard something that no one wants to hear: a tornado siren. Unfortunately for them, there was not much time to run for cover and before they knew it, a tornado ripped through the town. Afterwards, while the teens are taken to the hospital for treatment, their parents have to navigate through the devastation to see if their children made it out alive.

From the Wreckage is told in a video format as Jules tells her story of survival in front of a camera for a college admissions project. As she takes us through her experience, we also experience it right along with her. It provides an accurate depiction of what it's like to go through a traumatic event, no matter what it may be. Jules tells of her grief and the healing process of not only herself, but her family, friends, and town as well. She goes on her own personal journey of discovery, growth, love, etc, as anyone would when they go through something like this. It's through the hard times that we learn the most about ourselves.

While From the Wreckage was well-written and told of the many emotions one experiences in tragedy, there were only a couple things that bothered me. It went back and forth between the past, as she was telling her story of that fateful night, and the present, as she struggles to move forward and accept the new normal. It was hard to differentiate between the two at times, but it also kept you wanting to keep reading. And even though her friends were also experiencing the same things as she was, there were times where it felt like only she was going through it. She acted like no one understood, when in fact, there were her classmates who did in fact understand, as well.

How do we move on from tragedy or loss or any rough time in our life? How do we accept having a new normal when everything that we know changed forever? From the Wreckage does a good job at trying to explain and show that. The answer is that there is no easy answer. It becomes a day by day process, taking things one step at a time. While time may make things easier, better, and more acceptable as everyday life starts returning back to "normal", the fear, grief, anger, and any other emotion doesn't ever truly go away; we just don't deal with those emotions as much as when it first happened. Nothing stays the same forever and change is hard for anyone to overcome, but it is possible. And it's important to remember that the grieving process can take any length of time; while it might take a month or so for one for example, it could take a year for another. We all grieve differently, in our own time and place and no matter how long it takes, it's okay. There is no definitive answer as to when it is acceptable to move on.

While I am writing this, our country is once again dealing with a mass shooting tragedy with the school shooting in Parkland, FL. While things need to change, like banning assault weapons, I can only offer prayers to those dealing with loss and fear. I know it's not enough, but I think about it like this. Right now, they're dealing with grief of losing friends, children, teachers, etc, and even if there would be a gun control change, those seventeen people still lost their lives and their friends and loved ones will still have to deal with their loss.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Forever Mine (Elizabeth Reyes) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

4. Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year old Sarah’s life is turned upside down when her single mom is sent to jail. She’s forced to move, leaving behind everything she’s ever known, including her best friend Sydney. Lost and bitter in a new school, her one goal is to save money and move back home. Then she meets Angel Moreno. Enigmatic but gorgeous, Angel is almost too good to be true. Except for one thing, his archaic belief that guys and girls can never be “just friends”. The problem? Sarah’s best friend Sydney is not a girl. With their unexpected romance intensifying to places neither ever experienced, how long can Sarah keep Angel in the dark about the guy waiting for her back home?

My Review:

First, this book is best suited for young adults. Unfortunately, I wouldn't highly recommend it as it was a disappointment overall. There were some good points, but I feel it didn't live up to its potential.

When Sarah has no choice to move to another state and school, she isn't thrilled to say the least. Instead of trying to fit in and get to know anyone, Sarah spends all her time finding ways to get back home as soon as possible. She figures that she'll only be there for a couple months at the most - she's used to her mom getting out in jail and getting out within a good time frame due to minor infractions, but this time, it may be different.

Everything starts to change when she meets Angel through his sister. Angel's the complete opposite of Sarah, but a relationship starts to form nonetheless. It takes them places they never thought possible. Angel is one of the first people to care about Sarah in a long time. The main issue with Angel is that he was controlling in their relationship and Sarah tolerated it, for some reason. I'm sorry, but no boyfriend or girlfriend should be telling the other who to hang out with, what to wear, etc. Sarah wasn't perfect either, as she didn't want to tell him that her best friend back home was a guy, rather than a girl. Angel was adamant in that girls couldn't just be friends with guys. That was what most of the story was about - Sarah going back and forth between telling Angel about Sydney and then losing the courage to do so, but one conflict wasn't enough to keep the story interesting and flowing. And if she would have been honest about Sydney in the first place, the whole situation could have been different.

While Angel didn't like Sarah talking to other guys, he did have the right intention for one man. In this story, Sarah begins training with the track team. Unbeknownst to her, the coach has been known for sexually harassing/assaulting the members. He sets them up to go running for better training/practice on a mountain trail and makes his move sometime during the run since it's a private area. Sarah did catch on at that point, but managed to fight him off and succeeded in getting away. This was the only time throughout the book that I praised Sarah for her actions. Once Angel became aware of where she was, he tried his best to get there in time to rescue her. He arrived just as Sarah was running away and she was able to run into his safe arms. And the coach's past and actions finally caught up to him.

Just like mental health, there's a stigma associated with sexual abuse/harassment/assault and rape. It's not something that's talked about seriously enough. And if a woman does say she was, no one really listens. Society, at times, makes it seem that it's always the woman's fault for any reason like she consented, she dressed a certain way so she had it coming, etc. Let's not forget at the same time, that it also happens to men, maybe not as much, but still. We should not have to feel ashamed and feel guilty just because it's not taken seriously. As a female, I understand that if you were a victim, it's not easy to talk about. It will take time to come to terms with the actions. If anyone has been a victim and needs to let it out, be heard, etc, here are some links to check out:

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network - you can find help centers around the country and there's a hotline number to call
Women Organized Against Rape - my local rape crisis center

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Holding On Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

13. Holding On by Rachael Brownell

Synopsis:
For five years Becca has been struggling to hide her feelings for her best friend, Brad. Now she finally has a chance to move on. She’s in a new city, she’s attending a new school, and she’s met the first guy besides Brad who’s held her attention in a long time. Not only is Ethan attractive, he’s an amazing tennis player, and he might just be Becca’s match on and off the courts.
Brad has loved Becca for as long as he can remember. Now that Becca’s family has moved two thousand miles away, Brad may finally be ready to lay his heart on the line and do whatever it takes to hold on to Becca.
But is Brad too late? Or will Ethan’s secret drive Becca back into Brad’s arms? Torn between her love for Brad and the promise of something new and exciting with Ethan, Becca has an almost impossible choice to make, the choice between letting go or holding on.

My Review:
     Holding on to the past and knowing when to move on. That's what this book is all about. When Becca's family moves, she has to choose whether to hold on to her past or move on from what she once knew. In this case, it's mostly about teenage love. Becca spend most of her life being best friends and having feelings for Brad (and watch from the sidelines when he gets a girlfriend). When she starts getting settled in to another city 2,000 miles away, Becca encounters a couple guys and begins to fall for Ethan. For Brad, it takes Becca leaving to realize how much he wants to be with no one but her.
     This was a decent story and pretty accurate in regards to teenage relationships. I liked how Becca handled the move maturely, unlike most teens would have. Becca, Ethan and Brad had good character development. It did seem to take some time for the plot to move on, but it still was engaging. I admired Ethan's character near the end with the whole situation about Brad and Becca's need to be with him at a hard time.
     Holding on to the past can make it hard to enjoy the present. Letting go and moving forward isn't easy either. Rachael did a good job of portraying that.

♥Meg♥

Note: I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but there were some problems (and still are) problems with the computer keyboard.

The Fault in Our Stars Book Review

2015 Reading Challenge

30. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
      Theme/Topic: book that made you cry

Synopsis:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My Review:
I have now read this for the third time, but it fit the particular topic/theme. Geared to teens and young adults, I believe that this is the kind of book that adults can get something out of as well - The Fault in Our Stars has been listed as a young adult book that adults should read (according to Goodreads) or something similar to that. This is an example of a typical teen love story. The only difference is that they have cancer. Anybody, no matter what, deserves  to have fun and fall in love. I believe that this story represents how everyone should have an outlet to help them get through the hard times like a favorite book/author like Hazel or video games like Gus and Isaac.

Since I chose The Fault in Our Stars as the book that made me cry, I'm going to elaborate on the moments that have done exactly that. I'm going to list three examples. For the most part, they are going to be from the first time I read this (so you can get a true reaction/fresh perspective). If you haven't read this yet or seen the movie, consider yourself warned.

Spoiler Alert Warning - Spoiler Alert Warning

1. When Gus dies. This is one moment that gets me every time. When I read this the first time, I actually never saw that coming.
2. When Gus asks Hazel and Isaac to write an obituary for him and when they read it at the church to Gus. I can understand that Gus wants to know what they think about how he affected their lives. You don't think that somebody will ask you to write an eulogy before they die. It bothered me more when Hazel read hers.
3. When Gus told Hazel that his cancer came back. Looking back onto it, I can say I saw it coming. To me, that moment is the turning point of the story. Since this book is based on characters with cancer, I figured that someone would die (in particular Hazel). When Gus said that he "lit up like a Christmas tree", I wasn't expecting that.

I want to mention that I have currently read 38 books so far and am close to finishing two more at the moment.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥