evabeaver's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
bookshelfmonkey's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great but I needed more.
The concept behind this book is amazing and something that I've never really seen before (although the easiest comparison would be to Every Day). I loved this book but I needed more. The book was pretty short so the idea behind it was never really explored. The book had a large abstract fantasy element but it was never explained beyond the basics. I felt confused and I really believe that if this had been a longer book, it would have been perfect.
The beginning of the story was nice, and I felt like I knew the main character from the first chapter. Everything got started nicely and I loved the beginning and the ending but it really felt like the middle was skipped out. The beginning and ending made up most of the book but the middle felt like a poorly-made montage of the highlights. I wanted to get to know the characters more and I wanted to learn more about the concept behind this book.
There weren't very many characters but I loved all of them when they were introduced but they were never really allowed to develop. I wanted to learn more about them and their relationships with the others.
This book was great, which is why it needed so much more.
The concept behind this book is amazing and something that I've never really seen before (although the easiest comparison would be to Every Day). I loved this book but I needed more. The book was pretty short so the idea behind it was never really explored. The book had a large abstract fantasy element but it was never explained beyond the basics. I felt confused and I really believe that if this had been a longer book, it would have been perfect.
The beginning of the story was nice, and I felt like I knew the main character from the first chapter. Everything got started nicely and I loved the beginning and the ending but it really felt like the middle was skipped out. The beginning and ending made up most of the book but the middle felt like a poorly-made montage of the highlights. I wanted to get to know the characters more and I wanted to learn more about the concept behind this book.
There weren't very many characters but I loved all of them when they were introduced but they were never really allowed to develop. I wanted to learn more about them and their relationships with the others.
This book was great, which is why it needed so much more.
taliaissmart's review against another edition
2.0
Jenny Valentine’s prose is gorgeous and vivid, but on the whole I found this story confusing and abrupt. I loved the opening few chapters, but beyond that I wished that the short parts were longer and the long parts were shorter.
camiip's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
_dracul0ra_'s review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
cris3ma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
always_need_more_books's review
3.0
In the beginning, before Novo showed up, my mum and me moved to the seaside. Then the first of July, 11.34am. Novo arrived. I was like an atom in his orbit. Alone with him, feeling the pull. Suddenly in the moment, in the Now.
Then a terrible, unthinkable Now. One that could tear my family apart. But Nows can be undone, rewritten, changed.
Goodbye to life as I know it.
And Hello Now…
We never find out for sure in this book if Jude is a boy or a girl (I assumed girl) so in this review I will refer to Jude as a she, just because it is really hard to write a review without using he or she in it!
Jude and her mum are moving to the seaside, something Jude definitely isn’t happy about, especially as the house they are moving to has a sitting tenant, one that lives right in the middle of the house. Henry Lake is elderly and has lived in the house for many years, and the estate agents selling point is that he will probably die soon and leave them in peace!
One day, Jude is looking out of the window and sees a boy called Novo arrive in a battered black car. Instantly drawn to him, Jude follows him through town and to the beach where they make an instant connection. There is something other-worldly about Novo – he seems to have magical powers and soon draws Jude into his world. They go diving underwater and sail boats out to sea. Jude realises she is somewhere else but is alarmed by her mother’s reaction when she appears to have gone missing. She has no idea how long she’d been gone.
I liked Henry as a character and liked his connection to Novo and what was happening between Novo and Jude. The book shows how love can be all encompassing and overwhelming, how sometimes it isn’t always a happy ending.
This is a difficult book to review. I just found it all a bit difficult and weird. It is aimed at the YA audience so maybe a real YA reader instead of 47 year old me would be more accepting of the plot. I liked that we never find out the gender of Jude and I did wonder if I would of noticed this, if it hadn’t been pointed out to me. Once I realised we weren’t told, I read the book trying to decide and I ended up flitting between Jude being a girl and a boy!
I did enjoy the writing and the imagination that went into this, but it was just all a bit strange and I can’t say I knew what was real and what wasn’t. This is a short book so was a quick read. It just wasn’t for me.
Then a terrible, unthinkable Now. One that could tear my family apart. But Nows can be undone, rewritten, changed.
Goodbye to life as I know it.
And Hello Now…
We never find out for sure in this book if Jude is a boy or a girl (I assumed girl) so in this review I will refer to Jude as a she, just because it is really hard to write a review without using he or she in it!
Jude and her mum are moving to the seaside, something Jude definitely isn’t happy about, especially as the house they are moving to has a sitting tenant, one that lives right in the middle of the house. Henry Lake is elderly and has lived in the house for many years, and the estate agents selling point is that he will probably die soon and leave them in peace!
One day, Jude is looking out of the window and sees a boy called Novo arrive in a battered black car. Instantly drawn to him, Jude follows him through town and to the beach where they make an instant connection. There is something other-worldly about Novo – he seems to have magical powers and soon draws Jude into his world. They go diving underwater and sail boats out to sea. Jude realises she is somewhere else but is alarmed by her mother’s reaction when she appears to have gone missing. She has no idea how long she’d been gone.
I liked Henry as a character and liked his connection to Novo and what was happening between Novo and Jude. The book shows how love can be all encompassing and overwhelming, how sometimes it isn’t always a happy ending.
This is a difficult book to review. I just found it all a bit difficult and weird. It is aimed at the YA audience so maybe a real YA reader instead of 47 year old me would be more accepting of the plot. I liked that we never find out the gender of Jude and I did wonder if I would of noticed this, if it hadn’t been pointed out to me. Once I realised we weren’t told, I read the book trying to decide and I ended up flitting between Jude being a girl and a boy!
I did enjoy the writing and the imagination that went into this, but it was just all a bit strange and I can’t say I knew what was real and what wasn’t. This is a short book so was a quick read. It just wasn’t for me.
violet_judy's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
I didn't like this book. For me it was way to lyrical and felt like it was trying too hard. I didn't like the writing style and couldn't connect to the characters. But I did love Henry.
I didn't like this book. For me it was way to lyrical and felt like it was trying too hard. I didn't like the writing style and couldn't connect to the characters. But I did love Henry.