jakegreyxx's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is one of those books that I know I had feelings about, but they’re not feelings that can really be explained. It was dark, devastating, and ominous. It was blunt. Nothing was held back or brushed over.
It left me with mixed feelings and questions, while also feeling satisfying and complete.
And I can’t explain it.
I do think it’s important to acknowledge what this book does though, because this is a book following two best friends. One of them is dead in the present day, but there are flashback chapters and letters that show us more of her.
I think the way Kyra’s bipolar is shown and the way those around her react to it is important because it shows both extremes. It shows how people around her treated her differently when she was first diagnosed, how they were cautious and distant, to how they suddenly loved her when they decided she was useful. The two extremes of rejection and support, and how they can both be toxic and harmful.
It also shows how she felt about it, how it affected her and the ways it affected her life. Throughout the book, we get to see what her episodes were like, and what she was like during them.
All of this is shown through a combination of present-day chapters, flashback chapters, and letters Kyra wrote to Corey.
It left me with mixed feelings and questions, while also feeling satisfying and complete.
And I can’t explain it.
I do think it’s important to acknowledge what this book does though, because this is a book following two best friends. One of them is dead in the present day, but there are flashback chapters and letters that show us more of her.
I think the way Kyra’s bipolar is shown and the way those around her react to it is important because it shows both extremes. It shows how people around her treated her differently when she was first diagnosed, how they were cautious and distant, to how they suddenly loved her when they decided she was useful. The two extremes of rejection and support, and how they can both be toxic and harmful.
It also shows how she felt about it, how it affected her and the ways it affected her life. Throughout the book, we get to see what her episodes were like, and what she was like during them.
All of this is shown through a combination of present-day chapters, flashback chapters, and letters Kyra wrote to Corey.
dfaulkenberry's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
scrollsofdragons's review
3.0
A very enjoyable, fast read. Slightly annoyed there were zero answers to a very open ending book.
brookey8888's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a weird book. I was invested the whole time and wanted to know what happened and why everyone was such a freak. It is very open ended though and it is kind of depressing. I do not have bipolar disorder so I don’t know if the representation is good, but from what I know I think it was done fairly well. It was just so sad to me to see how the townspeople treated her. I also loved the asexuality representation in this. Overall I will probably never think of this again, but it was entertaining. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend because it’s just fine(even though I’m giving it a four). This was also sometimes told in a weird way which I didn’t understand. It was like a movie script for no reason for like 4 chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicide, Mental illness, Murder, Bullying, Child death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
joliendelandsheer's review
2.0
Review on my blog The Fictional Reader
I got an ARC of this book at YALC last summer, and was so excited about it. I had read her debut novel This Is Where It Ends before, and ended up loving it (here’s my review). After loving her first book, I knew I wanted to read her second book too. After all, she’s a Dutch author and you’ve got to support the Dutchies, no? But I’m so sad to say I was disappointed by this book.
I’ll start with the positive notes.
I love the fact that this book includes LGBT+ main and side characters. Especially because the main characters are asexual and pansexual -which is clearly stated in the book. We need more representation for ace and pan people, so it automatically made me happy to see the main characters identify as such.
The other positive aspect to this story is the setting. I thought Alaska was a really interesting place, especially because I’m not familiar with it at all. However, someone commented on my review stating that the setting of the book kind of frustrated them because the climate and such was actually incorrect. With the references to the climate and flowers made in the book, it should have been set in South-East Alaska instead. You can find the comment on my video review if you want more info! (Thanks for leaving the comment by the way, I really appreciate your intake because I learned a lot!)
Unfortunately, this is where I have to start talking about the negative aspects already.
From the synopsis you know that the entire town is acting weird, and that they are treating Kyra like a lost daughter and Corey like an outsider. And those three things get repeated again and again and again throughout the book. I felt like the author was yelling these three things at me over and over again to make sure I understood how weird everyone was. Instead of conveying a creepy and sinister atmosphere, it just made me frustrated and annoyed. I felt belittled in a way, like the author thought I wouldn’t be able to figure that out on my own and needed to be told repeatedly.
Then there were the sudden screenplay parts, which were so weird. This book is mainly told in regular prose, with letters from Kyra scattered in between. The letters make sense, after all, Corey is reading what Kyra wrote to her. But what’s with the screenplay? It has no place in the plot or story at all? It made me feel like suddenly the author got tired and instead of crafting sentences, she figured a screenplay chapter here and there would make it easier.
My third issue is the relationship between Kyra and Corey. So, Corey says Kyra is her best friend and that she’s going home to find out what happened to her. Corey moved away from their small town in Alaska seven months ago. All this time, Kyra has been writing Corey letters about her life in the town, where she has been treated like a pariah for years because she’s bipolar. In her letters, it’s clear that Kyra is going through a serious depression. Yet Corey hasn’t even bothered to answer one of her letters. How can you call yourself a best friend when you haven’t contacted the person in 7 months, even though they were clearly reaching out and needed help?
Speaking of the bipolar rep. I’m unsure whether I liked the way they talked about Kyra being bipolar in here. I feel like Corey really looked down on Kyra because of it? Always using her mental illness as an excuse. I mean, she did want Kyra to take medication and go to therapy, which is good. But then there are moments like this:
That made me feel… off.
Lastly, I was left confused about the characters’ motivations, and especially the town. Ignoring the fact that this town is basically a mini-cult and everyone in it is basically a psychopath or sociopath, some of the characters just felt like they were there to serve the plot but didn’t make sense. For example, there’s a person called Aaron in this book. He’s from the town, and he’s part of their weird vibe-thing. But then suddenly out of nowhere he stands up for Corey. Without talking to her, without any change in his situation. That just doesn’t make sense to me.
All in all, this wasn’t my favorite book. I would highly recommend the author’s other book called This Is Where It Ends as I gave that one 5 stars. However, I don’t think I could recommend this one to you.
I got an ARC of this book at YALC last summer, and was so excited about it. I had read her debut novel This Is Where It Ends before, and ended up loving it (here’s my review). After loving her first book, I knew I wanted to read her second book too. After all, she’s a Dutch author and you’ve got to support the Dutchies, no? But I’m so sad to say I was disappointed by this book.
I’ll start with the positive notes.
I love the fact that this book includes LGBT+ main and side characters. Especially because the main characters are asexual and pansexual -which is clearly stated in the book. We need more representation for ace and pan people, so it automatically made me happy to see the main characters identify as such.
The other positive aspect to this story is the setting. I thought Alaska was a really interesting place, especially because I’m not familiar with it at all. However, someone commented on my review stating that the setting of the book kind of frustrated them because the climate and such was actually incorrect. With the references to the climate and flowers made in the book, it should have been set in South-East Alaska instead. You can find the comment on my video review if you want more info! (Thanks for leaving the comment by the way, I really appreciate your intake because I learned a lot!)
Unfortunately, this is where I have to start talking about the negative aspects already.
From the synopsis you know that the entire town is acting weird, and that they are treating Kyra like a lost daughter and Corey like an outsider. And those three things get repeated again and again and again throughout the book. I felt like the author was yelling these three things at me over and over again to make sure I understood how weird everyone was. Instead of conveying a creepy and sinister atmosphere, it just made me frustrated and annoyed. I felt belittled in a way, like the author thought I wouldn’t be able to figure that out on my own and needed to be told repeatedly.
Then there were the sudden screenplay parts, which were so weird. This book is mainly told in regular prose, with letters from Kyra scattered in between. The letters make sense, after all, Corey is reading what Kyra wrote to her. But what’s with the screenplay? It has no place in the plot or story at all? It made me feel like suddenly the author got tired and instead of crafting sentences, she figured a screenplay chapter here and there would make it easier.
My third issue is the relationship between Kyra and Corey. So, Corey says Kyra is her best friend and that she’s going home to find out what happened to her. Corey moved away from their small town in Alaska seven months ago. All this time, Kyra has been writing Corey letters about her life in the town, where she has been treated like a pariah for years because she’s bipolar. In her letters, it’s clear that Kyra is going through a serious depression. Yet Corey hasn’t even bothered to answer one of her letters. How can you call yourself a best friend when you haven’t contacted the person in 7 months, even though they were clearly reaching out and needed help?
Speaking of the bipolar rep. I’m unsure whether I liked the way they talked about Kyra being bipolar in here. I feel like Corey really looked down on Kyra because of it? Always using her mental illness as an excuse. I mean, she did want Kyra to take medication and go to therapy, which is good. But then there are moments like this:
“You don’t think I’m enough like this.” She looked at me then, her eyes sad. […] She was trying to accept her illness, and I was struggling to understand her. “I think you could be so much more. I want to see you happy.”
That made me feel… off.
Lastly, I was left confused about the characters’ motivations, and especially the town. Ignoring the fact that this town is basically a mini-cult and everyone in it is basically a psychopath or sociopath, some of the characters just felt like they were there to serve the plot but didn’t make sense. For example, there’s a person called Aaron in this book. He’s from the town, and he’s part of their weird vibe-thing. But then suddenly out of nowhere he stands up for Corey. Without talking to her, without any change in his situation. That just doesn’t make sense to me.
All in all, this wasn’t my favorite book. I would highly recommend the author’s other book called This Is Where It Ends as I gave that one 5 stars. However, I don’t think I could recommend this one to you.
carolinebucher's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
sarahreading2648592's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kbranfield's review against another edition
3.0
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp is a mystical young adult novel about friendship, mental illness and loss.
Corey Johnson and her family's move from Lost Creek, Alaska to Canada means leaving behind her best friend, Kyra Henderson. The young women have sort of drifted apart since the move in spite of Kyra's letters and Corey's upcoming visit. Shocked to learn Kyra has died, Corey goes to Lost Creek to try to understand what happened to her friend. She quickly discovers the townspeople now consider her an outsider and despite some eerie and threatening occurrences, Corey is determined to understand what happened to Kyra in the months leading up to her death.
While Corey is more of a scientist, Kyra is a gifted painter who used art to help her deal with the manic phase of her bipolar disorder. Corey never dreamed the residents of Lost Creek would believe that Kyra's vibrant paintings were anything other than art. Needless to say, she is stunned to learn that the townspeople finally accepted Kyra into their midst and they believed her paintings were portents of the future.
As Corey tries to uncover the truth about what happened in the aftermath of her move, she is troubled by what seem to be ethereal encounters that she cannot decide are real or a product of her imagination. Even more frightening are the reactions of Kyra's parents and the rest of the town when Corey refuses to stop trying to understand exactly why no one stepped in to help Krya is the months before her death.
Although well-written, the pacing of the novel is extremely slow. Neither Kyra nor Corey are well-developed and the secondary characters are somewhat superficial. Much of the young women's friendship is revealed through a series of non-linear flashbacks so trying to keep up with the time frame in which events are occurring is confusing. Toward the end of the novel, a few chapters appear to be written from the town's perspective and these snippets are presented as if they are scenes from a play. The entire storyline is somewhat unrealistic and the townspeople's collective reaction to what happened to Kyra is too incredibly strange to believe. And Kyra's parents' easy acceptance of the sequence of events is just so bizarre and the way they treat Corey is heartbreaking.
An interesting story with a great atmosphere, Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp is a unique young adult novel that touches on true to life issues. Despite the fantastic setting, readers might be frustrated by the confusing timeline, a hard to believe storyline and a vaguely dissatisfying conclusion that leaves a few unanswered questions.
Corey Johnson and her family's move from Lost Creek, Alaska to Canada means leaving behind her best friend, Kyra Henderson. The young women have sort of drifted apart since the move in spite of Kyra's letters and Corey's upcoming visit. Shocked to learn Kyra has died, Corey goes to Lost Creek to try to understand what happened to her friend. She quickly discovers the townspeople now consider her an outsider and despite some eerie and threatening occurrences, Corey is determined to understand what happened to Kyra in the months leading up to her death.
While Corey is more of a scientist, Kyra is a gifted painter who used art to help her deal with the manic phase of her bipolar disorder. Corey never dreamed the residents of Lost Creek would believe that Kyra's vibrant paintings were anything other than art. Needless to say, she is stunned to learn that the townspeople finally accepted Kyra into their midst and they believed her paintings were portents of the future.
As Corey tries to uncover the truth about what happened in the aftermath of her move, she is troubled by what seem to be ethereal encounters that she cannot decide are real or a product of her imagination. Even more frightening are the reactions of Kyra's parents and the rest of the town when Corey refuses to stop trying to understand exactly why no one stepped in to help Krya is the months before her death.
Although well-written, the pacing of the novel is extremely slow. Neither Kyra nor Corey are well-developed and the secondary characters are somewhat superficial. Much of the young women's friendship is revealed through a series of non-linear flashbacks so trying to keep up with the time frame in which events are occurring is confusing. Toward the end of the novel, a few chapters appear to be written from the town's perspective and these snippets are presented as if they are scenes from a play. The entire storyline is somewhat unrealistic and the townspeople's collective reaction to what happened to Kyra is too incredibly strange to believe. And Kyra's parents' easy acceptance of the sequence of events is just so bizarre and the way they treat Corey is heartbreaking.
An interesting story with a great atmosphere, Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp is a unique young adult novel that touches on true to life issues. Despite the fantastic setting, readers might be frustrated by the confusing timeline, a hard to believe storyline and a vaguely dissatisfying conclusion that leaves a few unanswered questions.
deafchipmunk's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Death is a thief—it slips into our lives and steals what we care about most. It breaks us, and even when we piece ourselves together again, the pain remains."
Can't describe this book as any more or less than mediocre.
I came into this having already read This Is Where It Ends, and 60-ish pages in I was convinced everything that made up this book was better than the latter. Before I Let Go did have a strong start—I was intrigued as to what would happen next with and to find out the mystery behind the death of Kyra and the weird town of Lost Creek. Unfortunately, as the story continued to progress, everything just fell flat. I became less interested with what the book had to offer and nothing was captivating me enough to actually care. Though a strong trait I think Before I Let Go did offer was Kyra's journey from when Corey left Lost to the end in which she tragically dies. I felt quite uneasy and even a bit disturbed reading the events that led up to her death. And the town itself was just eerie, and creepy. Yes the characters were very bland and definitely did not stand out but I think those inexistent characteristics fit the atmosphere really well and I assume that's what Nijkamp was trying to go for. But besides that bit of praise, I couldn't find myself liking anything else that was presented in this book and I know for sure I won't find myself remembering this story, besides perhaps the uncanny presence the setting had.
I'm up to debate as to if I should continue reading more of Marieke Nijkamp's books. Part of me does want to pick up her future books to see if she improves her average writing and story-telling, but another part of me can't be bothered. I guess it all lies down to if future me is up for it or not lol. But to sum things up I didn't quite enjoy this to the point I would recommend it, but I still had a quick and somewhat pleasant reading experience that really didn't require much energy or brain power. Didn't love it but didn't hate it 🤗
Can't describe this book as any more or less than mediocre.
I came into this having already read This Is Where It Ends, and 60-ish pages in I was convinced everything that made up this book was better than the latter. Before I Let Go did have a strong start—I was intrigued as to what would happen next with and to find out the mystery behind the death of Kyra and the weird town of Lost Creek. Unfortunately, as the story continued to progress, everything just fell flat. I became less interested with what the book had to offer and nothing was captivating me enough to actually care. Though a strong trait I think Before I Let Go did offer was Kyra's journey from when Corey left Lost to the end in which she tragically dies. I felt quite uneasy and even a bit disturbed reading the events that led up to her death. And the town itself was just eerie, and creepy. Yes the characters were very bland and definitely did not stand out but I think those inexistent characteristics fit the atmosphere really well and I assume that's what Nijkamp was trying to go for. But besides that bit of praise, I couldn't find myself liking anything else that was presented in this book and I know for sure I won't find myself remembering this story, besides perhaps the uncanny presence the setting had.
I'm up to debate as to if I should continue reading more of Marieke Nijkamp's books. Part of me does want to pick up her future books to see if she improves her average writing and story-telling, but another part of me can't be bothered. I guess it all lies down to if future me is up for it or not lol. But to sum things up I didn't quite enjoy this to the point I would recommend it, but I still had a quick and somewhat pleasant reading experience that really didn't require much energy or brain power. Didn't love it but didn't hate it 🤗