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phscskitty's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
kaylareadsbooks's review
5.0
I love Elizabeth Eulberg, she has always been my favorite author. Her books Prom and Prejudice, The Lonely Hearts Club, We Can Work It Out, and Better Off Friends are some of my most favorite books that I have read before. And this one was no different.
The writing for this story was fun, easy and grabbed you in from the very first page of the book. I didn’t think I was going to like this one because it was so different than what I usually read of the happy go lucky type of books. But I LOVED THIS ONE!
Ally/Amanda is a strong, independent girl who loves her father and her dog. She is well-liked, incredibly smart and very happy with her small town life. She loves the traditions she has with her father and her friends, but she can’t wait to make more for herself and go to college. Her dad cares for her, works hard and keeps a lot to himself about his actual life which has never been a red flag for Ally/Amanda.
Neil and Marian, two of her best friends, remind me very much of my own best friends. They are always there for me no matter what and I have become a member of their families. The way Ally (I’m just going to call her Ally the whole time its much easier) fits in with her friends families and calls their grandma, Grandma, reminded me of my relationship with my friends grandparents.
I loved how dedicated Marian and Neil are to staying by Ally’s side the whole time.
I really enjoyed this book for so many reasons and it really had me thinking about the different characters and their emotions throughout the book. I really want to know more about Ally’s ending and wish we got an epilogue. Do I smell a book 2?
The writing for this story was fun, easy and grabbed you in from the very first page of the book. I didn’t think I was going to like this one because it was so different than what I usually read of the happy go lucky type of books. But I LOVED THIS ONE!
Ally/Amanda is a strong, independent girl who loves her father and her dog. She is well-liked, incredibly smart and very happy with her small town life. She loves the traditions she has with her father and her friends, but she can’t wait to make more for herself and go to college. Her dad cares for her, works hard and keeps a lot to himself about his actual life which has never been a red flag for Ally/Amanda.
Neil and Marian, two of her best friends, remind me very much of my own best friends. They are always there for me no matter what and I have become a member of their families. The way Ally (I’m just going to call her Ally the whole time its much easier) fits in with her friends families and calls their grandma, Grandma, reminded me of my relationship with my friends grandparents.
I loved how dedicated Marian and Neil are to staying by Ally’s side the whole time.
I really enjoyed this book for so many reasons and it really had me thinking about the different characters and their emotions throughout the book. I really want to know more about Ally’s ending and wish we got an epilogue. Do I smell a book 2?
girlinthepages's review
4.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I didn't know much about Past Perfect Life when I saw it sitting inconspicuously at a booth at ALA this winter. The cover was interesting and I heard it compared to Far From the Tree by Robin Benway (a phenomenal book) so I decided to pick it up and try it out. I'm so glad I did, because I flew through Past Perfect Life in less than 24 hours and was fully immersed in the tale of Allison Smith and how her life is completely destroyed and rebuilt by the simple action of submitting her college applications.
Things I Enjoyed:
-Coincidentally enough, this book reminded me of two other books I really enjoyed, both by Robin Benway: Emmy & Oliver and Far From the Tree. It almost felt like a hybrid of the two, but in a good way and definitely with its own voice.
-Mild spoiler: From the summary of the book, you can probably surmise that Ally isn't who she thinks she is because she was abducted by a relative when she was a young child. Thus, she truly has no idea that she's a victim until the FBI comes banging down her door. I think this is such an interesting topic to handle because it seems to happen all the time. So often when we get Amber alerts on our phones, it's due to kidnappings of children by parents or relatives, often times in custody cases gone wrong. It's always so heartbreaking, and leads to so many questions: Why was the child taken? Are they better or worse off? Are they in danger? Were they being taken out of an abusive situation? I like that Ally did get to hear her kidnapper's reasons directly and that they weren't necessarily ones that she expected.
-Though Ally's family (as she knows it) in Wisconsin is small, she has an amazing support system via her best friend's family, the Gleasons. I think we all love a large, loud, and loveable YA family (such as the Grants in Save the Date) and the Gleasons hit the mark on this trope. I enjoyed their characters and the way they were so integrated into the town (the mayor, the sheriff, the controller, etc).
-Supportive grandparents and step-parents!! Seriously, Ally has one of the most supportive and approachable step-parents I've ever read in YA and I think that's so important to show! There's many grandmother figures as well that play a strong role in Ally's life and I just LOVE when books explore family dynamics outside of the nuclear family. Also, Ally finds out she has a half-sibling and I enjoyed reading about the development of her relationship with her sister Sarah, and how Sarah's life was impacted by having an older sister she never knew due to her being kidnapped.
- This book was largely split into two portions: 1) Ally's life before and the reveal of the truth, and 2) Ally dealing with the emotional fallout of finding out the truth. I appreciated that the second half of the book focused heavily on Ally's emotions, which could range from "This will all be OK, I just have to get through this" one moment, and "I CANNOT DO THIS" the next. It was what I assume is a realistic tornado of emotions from a teenager who has been put in an impossible situation.
I like that the narrative showed Ally's frustrations with ALL of her relatives and BOTH of her parents. There's weren't clear cut "sides." Sure, Ally logically knows that one parent was in the wrong for kidnapping her, but also acknowledges "hey, I had a good life." She at times empathizes with the parent who is finally being reunited with her but also gets frustrated by how that parent wants to disregard the woman she's become in favor of who she could have been if she had never left. Ally's character development and reaction to her situation is complex and captivating to read about.
-Eulberg did a great job of setting the tone of Ally's small Wisconsin town- I admit it's a state I know little about but I feel like I know a little bit more after reading this novel, and it was great to see a character with so much state pride!
Things I Didn't Love:
-I'm going to sound like a broken record in my reviews lately but this is another one that probably didn't really need a romance. It was sweet but personally didn't add much to the story for me.
-I wish it had been longer! I was so intrigued by Ally's story and predicament and really felt like I could have read another 100+ pages, seeing how the rest of her senior year panned out and her attending the trial of her relative/kidnapper. There's no real closure for Ally and though I can see why the author left it open ended, I would have loved more.
Overall: An addicting read with a premise so intriguing that you'll likely keep turning the pages and reading this one quickly! Great for readers who like stories that explore family dynamics with dysfunction.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
Things I Enjoyed:
-Coincidentally enough, this book reminded me of two other books I really enjoyed, both by Robin Benway: Emmy & Oliver and Far From the Tree. It almost felt like a hybrid of the two, but in a good way and definitely with its own voice.
-Mild spoiler: From the summary of the book, you can probably surmise that Ally isn't who she thinks she is because she was abducted by a relative when she was a young child. Thus, she truly has no idea that she's a victim until the FBI comes banging down her door. I think this is such an interesting topic to handle because it seems to happen all the time. So often when we get Amber alerts on our phones, it's due to kidnappings of children by parents or relatives, often times in custody cases gone wrong. It's always so heartbreaking, and leads to so many questions: Why was the child taken? Are they better or worse off? Are they in danger? Were they being taken out of an abusive situation? I like that Ally did get to hear her kidnapper's reasons directly and that they weren't necessarily ones that she expected.
-Though Ally's family (as she knows it) in Wisconsin is small, she has an amazing support system via her best friend's family, the Gleasons. I think we all love a large, loud, and loveable YA family (such as the Grants in Save the Date) and the Gleasons hit the mark on this trope. I enjoyed their characters and the way they were so integrated into the town (the mayor, the sheriff, the controller, etc).
-Supportive grandparents and step-parents!! Seriously, Ally has one of the most supportive and approachable step-parents I've ever read in YA and I think that's so important to show! There's many grandmother figures as well that play a strong role in Ally's life and I just LOVE when books explore family dynamics outside of the nuclear family. Also, Ally finds out she has a half-sibling and I enjoyed reading about the development of her relationship with her sister Sarah, and how Sarah's life was impacted by having an older sister she never knew due to her being kidnapped.
- This book was largely split into two portions: 1) Ally's life before and the reveal of the truth, and 2) Ally dealing with the emotional fallout of finding out the truth. I appreciated that the second half of the book focused heavily on Ally's emotions, which could range from "This will all be OK, I just have to get through this" one moment, and "I CANNOT DO THIS" the next. It was what I assume is a realistic tornado of emotions from a teenager who has been put in an impossible situation.
I like that the narrative showed Ally's frustrations with ALL of her relatives and BOTH of her parents. There's weren't clear cut "sides." Sure, Ally logically knows that one parent was in the wrong for kidnapping her, but also acknowledges "hey, I had a good life." She at times empathizes with the parent who is finally being reunited with her but also gets frustrated by how that parent wants to disregard the woman she's become in favor of who she could have been if she had never left. Ally's character development and reaction to her situation is complex and captivating to read about.
-Eulberg did a great job of setting the tone of Ally's small Wisconsin town- I admit it's a state I know little about but I feel like I know a little bit more after reading this novel, and it was great to see a character with so much state pride!
Things I Didn't Love:
-I'm going to sound like a broken record in my reviews lately but this is another one that probably didn't really need a romance. It was sweet but personally didn't add much to the story for me.
-I wish it had been longer! I was so intrigued by Ally's story and predicament and really felt like I could have read another 100+ pages, seeing how the rest of her senior year panned out and her attending the trial of her relative/kidnapper. There's no real closure for Ally and though I can see why the author left it open ended, I would have loved more.
Overall: An addicting read with a premise so intriguing that you'll likely keep turning the pages and reading this one quickly! Great for readers who like stories that explore family dynamics with dysfunction.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
hitbooksnotgirlz's review
5.0
In the beginning of the book, I pretty much forgot that something bad was going to happen. Ally had an amazing life with a caring father and great friends who were like family to her. I got caught up in that, and so it totally surprised me when everything blew up. Even though I should have known it was coming. I liked that the synopsis didn’t mention WHO she was kidnapped by, because it absolutely surprised me. Maybe it should have been obvious, but it wasn’t at all. It was such a great read, and the ending was perfect.
hollynichole88's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a little predictable. The plot was clear from the beginning and it played out exactly as you expected it to. I feel the ending was a little rushed. There was not a lot of clear answers because of how fast it ended. It was very well written and the author had me rooting for the dad from the beginning.
readingpro's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jennifermreads's review
4.0
Received advanced reader copy from publisher via Baker & Taylor book supplier
When Ally applies to college, the application is rejected because there is a problem with her social security number. And two days later? The FBI is standing at her door and her father is standing behind her, with tears streaming down his face, saying “I knew it would catch up to me eventually.”
I kept expecting these characters to appear in my living room. They were so realistically portrayed and described that each one felt like someone I could easily encounter in my own daily life. These sharp characterizations helped me to be easily sucked in to Ally’s story. I agonized with her as she tried to be angry at her father while still wanting her old life. And when she struggled to find a place with her new family, my heart ached and I really wanted to have a sit-down with her mother because, hello, there’s another person to consider here!
This was an emotional story and a page-turner in every sense of the phrase.
When Ally applies to college, the application is rejected because there is a problem with her social security number. And two days later? The FBI is standing at her door and her father is standing behind her, with tears streaming down his face, saying “I knew it would catch up to me eventually.”
I kept expecting these characters to appear in my living room. They were so realistically portrayed and described that each one felt like someone I could easily encounter in my own daily life. These sharp characterizations helped me to be easily sucked in to Ally’s story. I agonized with her as she tried to be angry at her father while still wanting her old life. And when she struggled to find a place with her new family, my heart ached and I really wanted to have a sit-down with her mother because, hello, there’s another person to consider here!
This was an emotional story and a page-turner in every sense of the phrase.
jayyden_kk's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was an enjoyable read!
pickletree_books's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Not the suspense I was expecting. You read that a girl was kidnapped as a child and you assume it's a stranger. I was very disappointed in the reveal and feel I was misled from the start.
I'm from Wisconsin (born and raised), I love the Packers and cheese and the small town feel, but the references got to be a little much. I know the author is also from Wisconsin and was probably excited to get the state in a book, but it felt like it was written by an author who wanted to set their book in Wisconsin and went over the top researching it to throw as much info and as many place names in as possible. Instead of adding to the story, each reference pulled me out.
And I couldn't stand Paula. I skipped a middle chunk to just see how it ended. The ending seemed to resolve too
I'm from Wisconsin (born and raised), I love the Packers and cheese and the small town feel, but the references got to be a little much. I know the author is also from Wisconsin and was probably excited to get the state in a book, but it felt like it was written by an author who wanted to set their book in Wisconsin and went over the top researching it to throw as much info and as many place names in as possible. Instead of adding to the story, each reference pulled me out.
And I couldn't stand Paula. I skipped a middle chunk to just see how it ended. The ending seemed to resolve too