lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
Such a wonderful book! I totally loved ALL of it.
liine95's review against another edition
5.0
una lectura dura. que pregunta realmente cual es la mejor opcion cuando amamos a alguien. cuando sabes que pase lo que pase les heriras. caleb atropella a maggie y se enamora de ella pero el tiempo no se puede echar hacia atras aprender de los errores nunca es facil. me encanto el mensaje
geo_ix's review against another edition
4.0
Hmm what to say what to say. My reasoning from deducting one star from a book I loved, and took no time at all to read? THE FUCKING ENDING! Just when I fell in love with Caleb, he does something like THAT?!? Anyway, I feel like, it shouldn't have been like that! I mean, they barely fell in love! Why didn't she tell him what she remembered before he left?
My favourite character? The old lady! She was a cheeky old thing! Always trying to mend things that were broken. Like Maggie. That girl was seriously feeling sorry for herself. She wished Caleb never came back from Juvi, that his life was hard once he was back, that he couldn't play sports because she couldn't. Once she comes to her senses, and falls back in love with Caleb, she realises how stupid she was. It isn't until she confronts his ex girlfriend who is talking shit about her, that she finally becomes herself again, she grows her back bone, and goes to town on the girl, giving her a piece of her mind. What I think is funny, is all of her progress, is thanks to Caleb. Granted, the old lady helps out, but because of Caleb jumping back into her life, and him sticking up for her – even though she leaves herself guessing if she is the reason for all his fights – and even when she thinks he's joining in on her bullying, it makes her grow up, and see that the world is the same, but different, and nothing is going to get better in her life, when she just sits around waiting.
She only ever did things to please people, and was so consumed by anger all the time. It was lovely to see her growth as a character, but it ended too soon for me and left me aching for more. One day, when I read book two, I hope its just as good as this one, but with a damn better ending between her and Caleb.
The main object of this story, is not for her to forgive Caleb, but to forgive everything and everyone, even herself. It's a story of growth, and finding yourself again after being in the dark.
My favourite character? The old lady! She was a cheeky old thing! Always trying to mend things that were broken. Like Maggie. That girl was seriously feeling sorry for herself. She wished Caleb never came back from Juvi, that his life was hard once he was back, that he couldn't play sports because she couldn't. Once she comes to her senses, and falls back in love with Caleb, she realises how stupid she was. It isn't until she confronts his ex girlfriend who is talking shit about her, that she finally becomes herself again, she grows her back bone, and goes to town on the girl, giving her a piece of her mind. What I think is funny, is all of her progress, is thanks to Caleb. Granted, the old lady helps out, but because of Caleb jumping back into her life, and him sticking up for her – even though she leaves herself guessing if she is the reason for all his fights – and even when she thinks he's joining in on her bullying, it makes her grow up, and see that the world is the same, but different, and nothing is going to get better in her life, when she just sits around waiting.
She only ever did things to please people, and was so consumed by anger all the time. It was lovely to see her growth as a character, but it ended too soon for me and left me aching for more. One day, when I read book two, I hope its just as good as this one, but with a damn better ending between her and Caleb.
The main object of this story, is not for her to forgive Caleb, but to forgive everything and everyone, even herself. It's a story of growth, and finding yourself again after being in the dark.
lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
1.0
This book is the reason why I hate young/new adult contemporary books, because it is almost always guaranteed implausible situation after implausible situation, idiocy and fucked up drama.
I know that in Romanceland a lot is forgiven, but there are things that are just stupid.
In real life, falling in love with the guy who ran you over and left you for dead as if you were an animal that crossed his path would mean you were a serious mental case, but I admit that it was what drew me in to this book.
Also, you find out later things didn't exactly happen that way, which makes it marginally better.
But that wasn't what drove me crazy.
First of all, you would think that one would do one's best to get getter after a serious illness/accident/etc.
Not Maggie. She would whine and moan and complain about her physical therapist and how he forced her to push herself.
Excuse me, bitch, but it's his job. And do you want to get better or not? Do you really think it's preferable to have dead meat in the place of what once was a normal leg than push yourself to the limit and, yes, feeling pain in the process?
Her behaviour didn't make any sense to me.
Also, what kind of love/hate/whatever relationship was there between Caleb and Maggie? First they hate each other's guts and she is obviously scared of him and then she gives him a glass of water and it's love at first sight.
What the hell kind of logic is that?
Let's not even talk about the fact everyone is messed up in the head, from Caleb and Maggie to both their parents, his sister and ex-friends and so on.
And that ending? Complete balderdash.
I will only read the next one, giving that I want to see where this mess is going. But I really don't want to.
anxiousbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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
4.5
lucerez's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 30%. Skimmed around after to see if it resolves - it doesn't, and also has very weird pacing. Book feels incomplete - because it is, there's a sequel (if I wanted to suffer more) The characters are both unlikable and written with extremely dated language.
emiliebookworld's review against another edition
A few weeks ago I discovered Simone Elkeles by reading Perfect Chemistry and I immediately wanted to read more. I ordered Leaving Paradise and started reading it right away. I wasn’t disappointed and I felt the same way I did while I was reading Perfect Chemistry. Simone Elkeles just has a way of writing that really draws you into the story and you don’t really emerge until you’ve read the entire book.
A year ago, Caleb went to a juvenile detention facility for having been driving drunk and running into his neighbor Maggie. Today Caleb is released and Maggie is suffering through physical therapy and and has to walk with a limp, most likely for the rest of her life. Maggie and Caleb are told to stay away from each other but there is something that pulls them together, they are the only two people who have even the smallest insight into what the other is going through.
I just love the characters that Elkeles creates, they always feel so real and they jump off the page. Sometimes it feels like I could be having a conversation with them, that’s how real they feel. Maggie and Caleb were great. I really enjoyed reading from both their perspectives but I have to admit that I think I like Caleb’s perspective the best. I don’t really know why. I think as a character I also liked him more than I did Maggie. That’s not to say Maggie wasn’t awesome because she really was, I just liked Caleb better...maybe I’m starting to develop a thing for bad boys...
Like in Perfect Chemistry, the chapters had alternating points of view. I don’t know if the story would be the same if it were just from Caleb or Maggie’s point of view. I find that having that constant change in point of view really draws me into the story. Because of the way it’s written you never know how things are going to turn out until the very end, and even then you’re not sure if that’s really how things are going to stay.
The story itself was really great. There is just something about a love that’s not meant to happen than gets me every time. No matter how many times I read about people who aren’t supposed to be together falling in love, I just start rooting for them, every single time. But there is so much more to Leaving Paradise than Maggie and Caleb’s relationship. It’s about growing up, being self-confident and owning up to what you did or didn’t do. I don’t know how to describe the story without giving too much of it away but I’ll say this: the story is about making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, and taking responsibility.
As good as Leaving Paradise was, Perfect Chemistry is still my favorite. Though had I read them in reverse order, Leaving Paradise may be just be my favorite. The ending sort of left me hanging so I’m really looking forward to Return to Paradise, the sequel that’s coming out on September 1st.
A year ago, Caleb went to a juvenile detention facility for having been driving drunk and running into his neighbor Maggie. Today Caleb is released and Maggie is suffering through physical therapy and and has to walk with a limp, most likely for the rest of her life. Maggie and Caleb are told to stay away from each other but there is something that pulls them together, they are the only two people who have even the smallest insight into what the other is going through.
I just love the characters that Elkeles creates, they always feel so real and they jump off the page. Sometimes it feels like I could be having a conversation with them, that’s how real they feel. Maggie and Caleb were great. I really enjoyed reading from both their perspectives but I have to admit that I think I like Caleb’s perspective the best. I don’t really know why. I think as a character I also liked him more than I did Maggie. That’s not to say Maggie wasn’t awesome because she really was, I just liked Caleb better...maybe I’m starting to develop a thing for bad boys...
Like in Perfect Chemistry, the chapters had alternating points of view. I don’t know if the story would be the same if it were just from Caleb or Maggie’s point of view. I find that having that constant change in point of view really draws me into the story. Because of the way it’s written you never know how things are going to turn out until the very end, and even then you’re not sure if that’s really how things are going to stay.
The story itself was really great. There is just something about a love that’s not meant to happen than gets me every time. No matter how many times I read about people who aren’t supposed to be together falling in love, I just start rooting for them, every single time. But there is so much more to Leaving Paradise than Maggie and Caleb’s relationship. It’s about growing up, being self-confident and owning up to what you did or didn’t do. I don’t know how to describe the story without giving too much of it away but I’ll say this: the story is about making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, and taking responsibility.
As good as Leaving Paradise was, Perfect Chemistry is still my favorite. Though had I read them in reverse order, Leaving Paradise may be just be my favorite. The ending sort of left me hanging so I’m really looking forward to Return to Paradise, the sequel that’s coming out on September 1st.
_alwaysrealokay's review against another edition
4.0
So Caleb and Mwggie are cute together... and Mrs. Reynolds is one amazing women!!!