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prettymessreading's review
3.0
***3 STARS***
I didn't see that one coming.
The title, the cover, the blurb and everything thing else I saw about this book didn't prepare for what I read. It was so much more than I ever imagined.
This book opens up your eyes to how a teenage girl sees herself and how her mother's presence and absence defines her in her everyday life.
Angus is a beautiful and talented eighteen year old girl who is set off on a journey into a new life as a freshman in college. Angus is also broken and is trying her best to put herself back together enough to function in day to day life.
The author captivates the reader in a series of present time experiences, journal entries and letters to tell the story of Angus. Angus broke my heart. Her shear lack of self-worth was so difficult to read without crying. She reminded me of so many girls today who come from broken homes and can't seem to figure out how they are to go about and conquer life.
This is a beautiful coming of age story that I recommend for any person who may question their place in the world. I recommend this story for those who just need an example of how to grew and heal after being knocked down for so long.
I didn't see that one coming.
The title, the cover, the blurb and everything thing else I saw about this book didn't prepare for what I read. It was so much more than I ever imagined.
This book opens up your eyes to how a teenage girl sees herself and how her mother's presence and absence defines her in her everyday life.
Angus is a beautiful and talented eighteen year old girl who is set off on a journey into a new life as a freshman in college. Angus is also broken and is trying her best to put herself back together enough to function in day to day life.
The author captivates the reader in a series of present time experiences, journal entries and letters to tell the story of Angus. Angus broke my heart. Her shear lack of self-worth was so difficult to read without crying. She reminded me of so many girls today who come from broken homes and can't seem to figure out how they are to go about and conquer life.
This is a beautiful coming of age story that I recommend for any person who may question their place in the world. I recommend this story for those who just need an example of how to grew and heal after being knocked down for so long.
mdotace0's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't sure about this halfway through when I realized that the book was about a 19 year old girl carrying out a pregnancy because her mother has abandoned her-- but then there are some really nice moments and it becomes more and more probable that this character would do just that.
Also there's one moment in which the main character is at the pool with her new also pregnant teen friend and she's like having a nice time and then she thinks about how her brother killed himself. I thought that shift felt true to life. Her dread is always with her.
Also there's one moment in which the main character is at the pool with her new also pregnant teen friend and she's like having a nice time and then she thinks about how her brother killed himself. I thought that shift felt true to life. Her dread is always with her.
cuppadecafplease's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aimawaymessage's review
5.0
Super enjoyable writing style and captivating characters. This one really hit me. 💖
nostradamusbuddy's review
5.0
Everyone has a word to describe their college experience: Adventurous. Boring. Daring. Typical. Mine is Lonely. The same goes for Agnes. Just the other day, I was speaking with a friend and she said "What is it like to get off the phone with a parent and feel good? Like everything is better?" So many college stories focus on community, finding yourself in a new pseudo-family, which is uplifting and wonderful, but ultimately forgets those who are unable to move passed their past.
Agnes leaves for college and at the same time, her mother leaves their home without a word. In an attempt to chronicle life without her mother, Agnes writes a series of letters, each philosophical and highly relatable to readers who have lost touch with their parents. There's a saying we've all been told - you'll understand when you're older, or, you'll understand when you're a parent. For Agnes, becoming a parent makes her understand herself rather than her mother.
Iskandrian's novel is incredibly important for young woman who are embarking on on college for the first time without a support system, who feel vulnerable, lonely, and fundamentally misunderstood by their peers on an intensely personal level.
Agnes leaves for college and at the same time, her mother leaves their home without a word. In an attempt to chronicle life without her mother, Agnes writes a series of letters, each philosophical and highly relatable to readers who have lost touch with their parents. There's a saying we've all been told - you'll understand when you're older, or, you'll understand when you're a parent. For Agnes, becoming a parent makes her understand herself rather than her mother.
Iskandrian's novel is incredibly important for young woman who are embarking on on college for the first time without a support system, who feel vulnerable, lonely, and fundamentally misunderstood by their peers on an intensely personal level.
sophronisba's review
3.0
Messy but affecting. There's a major development near the end of the novel that felt implausible and unearned to me, and that spoiled the book for me a bit. I wish we had more backstory, particularly about the protagonist's brother--his relationship with the rest of the family seems both pivotal to family dynamics and a bit murky.
thisblondeisbooked's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A new college student, Agnes is stuck between her broken home and life on campus. Agnes feels like she has no one to count on. Her brother is dead and mother has disappeared. As Agnes struggled to find her footing, she writes letters to her mother in attempts to conjure a closeness with her and attempts to translate her experiences to herself. When Agnes finds out she is pregnant at 19, she must learn what it's like to be a mother to her own child and to herself.
This book is such a hidden gem and was incredible. It was a slow start but it picked up about 60 pages in. The story takes place in the early 90s and is set over Agnes' pregnancy. It is written through two perspectives - present day and through letters Agnes writes to her mother, who disappeared from her life. After years, she and her father are still struggling to accept that her brother committed suicide and the fact that her mother is not coming home. When Agnes finds out that she is pregnant, she learns to become her own mother and what it means to be pregnant alone. Parts of this story were definitely heavy but it was an emotionally rewarding read. I grew to love Agnes and her journey on getting ready to become a mother. I felt her pain through her letters to her own mother, and I loved watching her develop into a mother that cared for her child, no matter how scared and alone she felt. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the flow of this book. I was also thoroughly surprised to see that this book didn't have too many ratings on Goodreads and Amazon. The only reason this book was not a 5 star rating was because I would have liked to see what happened with some characters that played a role in Agnes' life at the end.
(Trigger warnings: abandonment, drug and alcohol use, suicide, suicidal thoughts, abortion and discussions of abortion)
This book is such a hidden gem and was incredible. It was a slow start but it picked up about 60 pages in. The story takes place in the early 90s and is set over Agnes' pregnancy. It is written through two perspectives - present day and through letters Agnes writes to her mother, who disappeared from her life. After years, she and her father are still struggling to accept that her brother committed suicide and the fact that her mother is not coming home. When Agnes finds out that she is pregnant, she learns to become her own mother and what it means to be pregnant alone. Parts of this story were definitely heavy but it was an emotionally rewarding read. I grew to love Agnes and her journey on getting ready to become a mother. I felt her pain through her letters to her own mother, and I loved watching her develop into a mother that cared for her child, no matter how scared and alone she felt. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the flow of this book. I was also thoroughly surprised to see that this book didn't have too many ratings on Goodreads and Amazon. The only reason this book was not a 5 star rating was because I would have liked to see what happened with some characters that played a role in Agnes' life at the end.
(Trigger warnings: abandonment, drug and alcohol use, suicide, suicidal thoughts, abortion and discussions of abortion)
simsarah79's review against another edition
4.0
A story told through the eyes of Agnes. She's in college, her first year and a lot has happened to her recently. Her older brother committed suicide and a couple years later, just after she leaves for college her mother takes off.
Set in the 90's we follow Agnes as she experiences her pain of having a mother who leaves and also how she navigates growing up. Basically it sucks. It's hard.
She meets a boy though and they fall in love. The boy, nicknamed Tea Rose goes to England for the school break and when he comes back he's fallen in love with someone else.
What he doesn't know is that Agnes is pregnant.
And the story continues.
I liked it a lot in the beginning, the writing was clear and easy with the slightest hint of the protagonist being somewhat eccentric but not too much.
But something happened as the story unfolded. The ending was satisfying but a couple chapters before the ending were lacking.
But it's a debut.
I look forward to more from her. Definite promise.
Recommended for people looking for something to fill in the gap between a long awaited book.
Set in the 90's we follow Agnes as she experiences her pain of having a mother who leaves and also how she navigates growing up. Basically it sucks. It's hard.
She meets a boy though and they fall in love. The boy, nicknamed Tea Rose goes to England for the school break and when he comes back he's fallen in love with someone else.
What he doesn't know is that Agnes is pregnant.
And the story continues.
I liked it a lot in the beginning, the writing was clear and easy with the slightest hint of the protagonist being somewhat eccentric but not too much.
But something happened as the story unfolded. The ending was satisfying but a couple chapters before the ending were lacking.
But it's a debut.
I look forward to more from her. Definite promise.
Recommended for people looking for something to fill in the gap between a long awaited book.
glitterandtwang's review against another edition
5.0
I am alarmed to discover that I left feedback for this on Netgalley, but did not review it. I requested it because I liked the cover, and was surprised by just how immediately engrossing it was -- a character-driven coming-of-age story that captures an emotional disconnect between mother and daughter in a way that I could hardly have imagined seeing in print. It's a really lovely book for anyone who has ever felt lonely or disconnected.