smilesgiggle's review
5.0
Finished in one sitting - how could you not? This book is like a soft blanket with embedded nails for the hurt and trauma of Julian.
I loved the juxtaposition of Adam and Julian's POV - one loved and supported, one abused and neglected. Recovery and trauma are key points - as well as the struggle of those to assist with recovery. The energy and need for attention.
Just so well done. I have highlights all over - the gorgeous descriptions of pain, friendship, darkness, light.
I loved the juxtaposition of Adam and Julian's POV - one loved and supported, one abused and neglected. Recovery and trauma are key points - as well as the struggle of those to assist with recovery. The energy and need for attention.
Just so well done. I have highlights all over - the gorgeous descriptions of pain, friendship, darkness, light.
justiceofkalr's review
3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Theoretically it’s fantastic, but in reality I just never really connected to any of the characters.
tay123's review
4.0
The way the story was told it's a reminder that child neglect happens more often than we think. It was a sad story but it showed a lot of reality.
atirandomness's review against another edition
3.0
This dual POV story follows Adam as he uncovers the shocking reality that his former foster brother, Julian, is facing. It's a story about friendship (among other things) which is my favorite topic to cover because friends are awesome!!
I have conflicting emotions about this one. It was an enjoyable read but it felt like a beautiful story written by a very talented child. Let me explain (or try to explain) what I mean.
The overall story, not the character’s perceptions of the situations in the story, but the plot itself, has the emotional maturity of a middle grade child. The writing is inconsistent and has the scattered, capricious quality of a child's imagination.
-The plot sort of bounces around in different directions without really taking us anywhere. Especially where Adam’s friends were involved. The whole Emerald/Adam saga (I think that's her name) seemed like an author's whim. Their entire relationship felt gratuitous because the author never really did anything with it.
-The subject matter is traumatic, however, I appreciate these sort of topics and the depth and perspective they bring to YA. But here the disturbing circumstances are just used as a prop to move the story forward and I never really connected with it.
-There are also a lot of unexplained/unresolved issues like that fact that literally every single adult in the book is completely incompetent. Especially the school staff. I have ADHD so I know firsthand how challenging it can be for teachers to identify and/or address learning disabilities in the classroom but the way adults responded to Julian's issues was jarring to the point of being eye-rollingly unrealistic. I briefly entertained the possibility that the author was going for unreliable narrator and the lack of trusting adults was just the perception of a deeply traumatized teenager but nah.. that isn't it either. The teachers are all bullies, the school psychologist gives 17 year old Adam the trust and responsibility of a PhD grad student, the hospital staff just said to hell with HIPPAA laws and severe child abuse was merely an annoying inconvenience to police officials. Unnecessary, romanticized portrayal of adults. Reptar is the only thing missing from this world where kids rule and grown ups drool.
-The ending was abrupt. Rushed. And sort of off topic at times. Like the author thought: “Wait. What was I writing about again?! Oh yeah, abuse nshit or something like that”.
On the other hand there were good things about this story.
.
.
-While I dislike the way mental health and learning disorders were addressed, I loved the way they were portrayed. There was a fair representation of the affects years of manipulation and abuse can have on a young, impressionable mind. Julian's guilt and self-blame were raw and we got two sides of the same coin as he began to seek the approval of Adam. Also Julian's dyslexia and especially Adam's ADHD were very well done.
-I really loved Adam. He was the most developed character in the book. I enjoyed his friendship with Julian and the natural way it developed. Adam becoming protective "big brother" paired with the way Julian began to idolize him was realistic and relatable.
-I liked Charlie too. We get subtle glimpses of his big heart despite his antagonistic ways which could be easily explained away by his age and family situation.
I’m giving 3 stars because it was a decent trip. We just got lost a lot and wasted gas
I have conflicting emotions about this one. It was an enjoyable read but it felt like a beautiful story written by a very talented child. Let me explain (or try to explain) what I mean.
The overall story, not the character’s perceptions of the situations in the story, but the plot itself, has the emotional maturity of a middle grade child. The writing is inconsistent and has the scattered, capricious quality of a child's imagination.
-The plot sort of bounces around in different directions without really taking us anywhere. Especially where Adam’s friends were involved. The whole Emerald/Adam saga (I think that's her name) seemed like an author's whim. Their entire relationship felt gratuitous because the author never really did anything with it.
-The subject matter is traumatic, however, I appreciate these sort of topics and the depth and perspective they bring to YA. But here the disturbing circumstances are just used as a prop to move the story forward and I never really connected with it.
-There are also a lot of unexplained/unresolved issues like that fact that literally every single adult in the book is completely incompetent. Especially the school staff. I have ADHD so I know firsthand how challenging it can be for teachers to identify and/or address learning disabilities in the classroom but the way adults responded to Julian's issues was jarring to the point of being eye-rollingly unrealistic. I briefly entertained the possibility that the author was going for unreliable narrator and the lack of trusting adults was just the perception of a deeply traumatized teenager but nah.. that isn't it either. The teachers are all bullies, the school psychologist gives 17 year old Adam the trust and responsibility of a PhD grad student, the hospital staff just said to hell with HIPPAA laws and severe child abuse was merely an annoying inconvenience to police officials. Unnecessary, romanticized portrayal of adults. Reptar is the only thing missing from this world where kids rule and grown ups drool.
-The ending was abrupt. Rushed. And sort of off topic at times. Like the author thought: “Wait. What was I writing about again?! Oh yeah, abuse nshit or something like that”.
On the other hand there were good things about this story.
.
.
-While I dislike the way mental health and learning disorders were addressed, I loved the way they were portrayed. There was a fair representation of the affects years of manipulation and abuse can have on a young, impressionable mind. Julian's guilt and self-blame were raw and we got two sides of the same coin as he began to seek the approval of Adam. Also Julian's dyslexia and especially Adam's ADHD were very well done.
-I really loved Adam. He was the most developed character in the book. I enjoyed his friendship with Julian and the natural way it developed. Adam becoming protective "big brother" paired with the way Julian began to idolize him was realistic and relatable.
-I liked Charlie too. We get subtle glimpses of his big heart despite his antagonistic ways which could be easily explained away by his age and family situation.
I’m giving 3 stars because it was a decent trip. We just got lost a lot and wasted gas
kthomas4415's review
5.0
This book.. my heart.. my poor broken heart.
I cannot say enough good things! I went one such an emotional roller coaster and couldn't stop reading.
I pretty much can compare this book to a YA version of a Child Called It. Poor broken babies, I want to adopt all of them out of foster homes immediately.
I cannot say enough good things! I went one such an emotional roller coaster and couldn't stop reading.
I pretty much can compare this book to a YA version of a Child Called It. Poor broken babies, I want to adopt all of them out of foster homes immediately.
feyzan_theravenboy's review
5.0
4.84 stars
Plot = 4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters = 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing = 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Why is time like that? Why does it slow down in the places you don’t want it to, but it speeds away when you’re happy?”
“It didn’t…feel like nineteen days. It was like a thousand years…longer than my whole life before it. Why?”
"I remember when Julian was a little kid, he was so stubborn, but maybe that’s a good thing to be—a force of will that doesn’t die no matter how many horrible things happen to you."
My Thoughts
This book was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. It was one big emotional punch to the gut. Reading what happened made me quite uncomfortable and angry. Something no book has ever made me feel before. When I reached to a certain plot point, it became almost impossible for me to put the book down. I stayed up to finish the book because I needed to know how it was going to end.
Every character in the book was relatable in their own way. Julian and Adam were little marshmallows. I loved them more than I ever have loved any fictional character. Adam was the perfect brother and a friend to Julian, and Julian was too good for this world. We don't often see two males with close bonds outside the gay context. It was really refreshing to see Julian and Adam caring about each other and expressing it as guys often think that expressing their feelings for one another makes them look weak, which is ridiculous. Charlie and Emerald were great too. I loved how Charlie went from disliking Julian to caring about him. And I hated Russell with a burning passion. If I could, I would punch him in the face for what he did. His cruelness and callousness matched with Doleres Umbridge. I don't think I need to say anything more about him.
My only issue was with the ending. It was predictable, something that has been done a million times before.
Summary
In this book we follow two main characters: Adam and Julian. Adam is serving as an aide to the school psychologist. One day the school psychologist asks him to track down a kid who has been dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is his former foster brother - Julian. Adam hasn't seen him since his uncle took him away 5 years ago. Adam excited to reconnect with him but soon he discovers that something is off about him. He isn't the same chatty boy anymore that he once knew. Adam becomes a brother/friend to Julian and helps him with blending in. But Julian is keeping secrets that Adam is determined to find out.
There is a trigger warning for abuse so keep that in mind before going into this book. That being said I think this is an important book that everyone should read.
Plot = 4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters = 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing = 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Why is time like that? Why does it slow down in the places you don’t want it to, but it speeds away when you’re happy?”
“It didn’t…feel like nineteen days. It was like a thousand years…longer than my whole life before it. Why?”
"I remember when Julian was a little kid, he was so stubborn, but maybe that’s a good thing to be—a force of will that doesn’t die no matter how many horrible things happen to you."
My Thoughts
This book was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. It was one big emotional punch to the gut. Reading what happened made me quite uncomfortable and angry. Something no book has ever made me feel before. When I reached to a certain plot point, it became almost impossible for me to put the book down. I stayed up to finish the book because I needed to know how it was going to end.
Every character in the book was relatable in their own way. Julian and Adam were little marshmallows. I loved them more than I ever have loved any fictional character. Adam was the perfect brother and a friend to Julian, and Julian was too good for this world. We don't often see two males with close bonds outside the gay context. It was really refreshing to see Julian and Adam caring about each other and expressing it as guys often think that expressing their feelings for one another makes them look weak, which is ridiculous. Charlie and Emerald were great too. I loved how Charlie went from disliking Julian to caring about him. And I hated Russell with a burning passion. If I could, I would punch him in the face for what he did. His cruelness and callousness matched with Doleres Umbridge. I don't think I need to say anything more about him.
My only issue was with the ending. It was predictable, something that has been done a million times before.
Summary
In this book we follow two main characters: Adam and Julian. Adam is serving as an aide to the school psychologist. One day the school psychologist asks him to track down a kid who has been dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is his former foster brother - Julian. Adam hasn't seen him since his uncle took him away 5 years ago. Adam excited to reconnect with him but soon he discovers that something is off about him. He isn't the same chatty boy anymore that he once knew. Adam becomes a brother/friend to Julian and helps him with blending in. But Julian is keeping secrets that Adam is determined to find out.
There is a trigger warning for abuse so keep that in mind before going into this book. That being said I think this is an important book that everyone should read.
mdettmann's review
4.0
Holy moly, what a heartbreaking and brutal read! Julian's parents died in an accident when he was in kindergarten and Adam's family take temporary custody of him. However, soon after, Julian is taken in by his uncle and Adam doesn't hear from him again until the start of high school when Adam is a senior and Julian is a freshman. While Adam rekindles a brotherly friendship with Julian, he also begins to slowly uncover the horrifying abuse Julian has been enduring from his uncle.
Wow! I can't say I loved this book because the abuse Julian goes through is awful, but I thought this was a well-written story dealing with this topic. I loved Adam's and Julian's friendship and I thought the author also did a great job capturing the conflict Adam faces dealing with this situation as well. 4.5 for sure. The last 100 pages flew by as the story took it up a notch, so if you feel like it's a little slow to start, don't stop. Definitely an older read, or for fans of Orbiting Jupiter.
Wow! I can't say I loved this book because the abuse Julian goes through is awful, but I thought this was a well-written story dealing with this topic. I loved Adam's and Julian's friendship and I thought the author also did a great job capturing the conflict Adam faces dealing with this situation as well. 4.5 for sure. The last 100 pages flew by as the story took it up a notch, so if you feel like it's a little slow to start, don't stop. Definitely an older read, or for fans of Orbiting Jupiter.
brookeaverick's review
4.0
I have complicated feelings about this book. The book centers around two boys: Adam, a charming and universally likeable senior at the center of the “popular crowd”, and Julien, a shy and socially ostracized freshman, who also happens to be Adam’s former foster brother. Adam is assigned to work with the school counselor for part of his senior year, with the focus of his internship being escorting Julian from his classes to the counselors office. As Adam and Julien reconnect, Adam slowly finds out the truth about what is really going on with Julien.
I definitely couldn’t put this book down. I was completely invested in the relationships between the characters, and cared deeply about Julien’s wellbeing. However, when we start to get a glimpse into what is really happening to Julien off scenes, I found it to be almost too much. I can’t put my finger on what exactly bothered me, but there was something unsettling about the way many of the tougher scenes were written. I guess it was just a little over dramatic and overdone for me, but still a great book nonetheless and would recommend it to lovers of young adult books! Be prepared, it’s an emotional one 😢.
I definitely couldn’t put this book down. I was completely invested in the relationships between the characters, and cared deeply about Julien’s wellbeing. However, when we start to get a glimpse into what is really happening to Julien off scenes, I found it to be almost too much. I can’t put my finger on what exactly bothered me, but there was something unsettling about the way many of the tougher scenes were written. I guess it was just a little over dramatic and overdone for me, but still a great book nonetheless and would recommend it to lovers of young adult books! Be prepared, it’s an emotional one 😢.