itsmytuberculosis's review against another edition
2.0
What did I think, you ask dear Goodreads?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That's what I think. I picked up this book for the interesting format. It's written entirely in script format. I have never ever seen anything like it and being an intense theatre nerd was drawn to the idea of the book. I fell in love with the idea, not the book. There were some parts of the book that I loved. I loved how we didn't have to deal with a freaking out of sexuality or the "but I don't like girls" crisis. I also liked how flawed of a character Phrye was. (I still have no idea how to pronounce her name and still say it Fry or Free in my head.) You got to see how wrapped up she got in Mia and COMPLETELY ignores everything else happening around her. The entire book you start to get a feeling of what is happening with the best friend (which isn't confirmed until the end) about how Phyre's actions are getting out of hand.
Somethings I wasn't so hot on the book was the lack of plot. It seemed I was simply reading a book about pining and borderline stalking people will get you nowhere. I expected more of the rise and fall of liking someone, however it was more of the rise that kept going until a 300 meter drop off. Also it seemed that whatever school they went to it suspended in some alternate reality with horrible teaching methods.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That's what I think. I picked up this book for the interesting format. It's written entirely in script format. I have never ever seen anything like it and being an intense theatre nerd was drawn to the idea of the book. I fell in love with the idea, not the book. There were some parts of the book that I loved. I loved how we didn't have to deal with a freaking out of sexuality or the "but I don't like girls" crisis. I also liked how flawed of a character Phrye was. (I still have no idea how to pronounce her name and still say it Fry or Free in my head.) You got to see how wrapped up she got in Mia and COMPLETELY ignores everything else happening around her. The entire book you start to get a feeling of what is happening with the best friend (which isn't confirmed until the end) about how Phyre's actions are getting out of hand.
Somethings I wasn't so hot on the book was the lack of plot. It seemed I was simply reading a book about pining and borderline stalking people will get you nowhere. I expected more of the rise and fall of liking someone, however it was more of the rise that kept going until a 300 meter drop off. Also it seemed that whatever school they went to it suspended in some alternate reality with horrible teaching methods.
punkystarshine's review against another edition
4.0
Overall content/reading experience 3.5 stars, but 0.5 stars for . I don't like reading in the second person, because it's like MY EYES ARE BROWN DAMMIT, and it's not like it was a long letter to someone, because we never learned the name of the "you" so that threw me off a little. Plus, the format was a little strange, especially when there was a script within the script. Also, by the way, if this was a screenplay, it would be one of those kind of short, mostly silent indie movies because 90% of what happens in this book happens inside Phyre's mind. (PS. Phyre is an awesome name.)
That said, a fun, fast read.
Spoiler
no one having an existential crisis over being gay. Just confusion, mostly.Spoiler
I realized about halfway through the book that "I" loved Phyre the way Phyre loved Mia and let me tell you right now I did not appreciate being forced into experiencing unrequited love first hand because it happens enough in my real life THANK YOU VERY MUCH.That said, a fun, fast read.
rcketbarrage's review against another edition
5.0
I was so not ready for this book to be over. More please?
leesuh's review against another edition
3.0
When I read that Between You & Me by Marisa Calin was written in a screenplay format I was equal parts intrigued and horrified. Once upon a time I was a cinematography major, so I’m well aware that screenplays are meant to be adapted, not read as a novel. Then I started reading the book and was equal parts peeved and grateful. Let me explain. Between You & Me is not a screenplay. I sort of don’t want to even say it’s written in screenplay format. I’ll settle with: Between You & Me is written in very broken screenplay format. That’s the part that peeves me. The gratefulness comes in because the changes made to the formatting of a traditional screenplay (for this novel) make it much easier to read (as a novel). So that’s the formatting, but there are bigger fish to fry.
Throughout the duration of the novel the main character’s (Phyre’s) best friend is referred to as “You”. The reader has no idea of gender or characteristics basically at all. Not knowing anything about that character is/was the most compelling aspect of the story. There was a lot left to individual interpretation when it came to “You” and I found the character’s gender was always changing in my mind depending on the small details we got in Phyre’s narration. I have an idea of what gender “You” is, but who am I to say? I would really love to have a chat with the author and find out for sure… but not knowing is definitely part of the fun and intrigue of the story.
Aside from the mystery of “You” I was a little bit underwhelmed with the plot. While I felt Phyre’s crush on Mia—her theater teacher—was very interesting, it was sort of dull. There was next to no action and most of what the audience read was Phyre longing for her teacher, who just so happened to be her first female crushee (You like that? Thought of it myself. Hah.) ever. Nothing was ever acted on or questioned at length and, really, I felt like nothing was going on in Phyre’s life. I did find one quote about Mia and Phyre’s relationship interesting, though. Phyre says: “I don’t know if I want to be her or kiss her but I know my heart is ready to explode.” I won’t elaborate on that because I feel like we’ve all probably admired or liked someone so much we just weren’t sure. (In my case it would be something like a “girl-crush” on another female. I don’t necessarily want to be romantic with them, but I love what they do or who they are as a person and probably look up to them. So much for not elaborating, right?)
As something of a side note: Phyre is the main character in a play Mia is directing at the high school. I found it quite interesting (but admittedly a little cliché) that the play parallels Phyre’s life. Honestly, I was looking forward to the play within the book more than I was the book itself. May I read more of that please? Thank you.
All in all I liked Between You & Me, but I’m nowhere near in love with it. I feel like the concept had a lot of potential but the execution felt a little forced and unfinished. The whole thing could have used a tad more work. I would have gladly read extra pages to have a better-rounded novel. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more by Marisa Calin. I think she has good stories to tell and I want to be there when she tells them.
Throughout the duration of the novel the main character’s (Phyre’s) best friend is referred to as “You”. The reader has no idea of gender or characteristics basically at all. Not knowing anything about that character is/was the most compelling aspect of the story. There was a lot left to individual interpretation when it came to “You” and I found the character’s gender was always changing in my mind depending on the small details we got in Phyre’s narration. I have an idea of what gender “You” is, but who am I to say? I would really love to have a chat with the author and find out for sure… but not knowing is definitely part of the fun and intrigue of the story.
Aside from the mystery of “You” I was a little bit underwhelmed with the plot. While I felt Phyre’s crush on Mia—her theater teacher—was very interesting, it was sort of dull. There was next to no action and most of what the audience read was Phyre longing for her teacher, who just so happened to be her first female crushee (You like that? Thought of it myself. Hah.) ever. Nothing was ever acted on or questioned at length and, really, I felt like nothing was going on in Phyre’s life. I did find one quote about Mia and Phyre’s relationship interesting, though. Phyre says: “I don’t know if I want to be her or kiss her but I know my heart is ready to explode.” I won’t elaborate on that because I feel like we’ve all probably admired or liked someone so much we just weren’t sure. (In my case it would be something like a “girl-crush” on another female. I don’t necessarily want to be romantic with them, but I love what they do or who they are as a person and probably look up to them. So much for not elaborating, right?)
As something of a side note: Phyre is the main character in a play Mia is directing at the high school. I found it quite interesting (but admittedly a little cliché) that the play parallels Phyre’s life. Honestly, I was looking forward to the play within the book more than I was the book itself. May I read more of that please? Thank you.
All in all I liked Between You & Me, but I’m nowhere near in love with it. I feel like the concept had a lot of potential but the execution felt a little forced and unfinished. The whole thing could have used a tad more work. I would have gladly read extra pages to have a better-rounded novel. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more by Marisa Calin. I think she has good stories to tell and I want to be there when she tells them.
frootjoos's review against another edition
4.0
Review to come. I'm also designing marisacalin.com for the author. Work in progress!
ssremi's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhat predictable, but overall a solid coming of age story about Phyre, a high school student with a crush on her drama teacher, Mia. The story is told in play format in first person to "you", Phyre's best friend. You never know the gender of "you" but based on your own background and experiences, you'll probably come to a conclusion one way or another. Student-teacher relations are a tricky topic, by Calin handles the issue gracefully and brings us all back to the time when we had a crush on one authority figure or another. The small town setting is well laid out and believable. Phyre's story is one that anyone can relate to, LBGT or straight.
caresays's review against another edition
1.0
The format was gimmick-y and annoying. And it was BORING. Nothing happened???? Basically????
heatherbookely's review against another edition
3.0
What I really liked about this book: the dialogue and actions were very, very realistic for teenagers. I had a crush on a teacher in high school, and in college, and Calin nailed the calculation that goes into every action you perform when you have a crush. The characters also each had a tinge of selfishness that is very much a real thing in the teenage world, where people care about each other but also are really worried about themselves. In that way, it was very realistic. This is why the book gets a 3 and not a 2.
But I could not get over the format of the book. It drove me crazy. The reader is supposed to be the main character's friend, so she talks to you the entire time. Which I hated. I didn't enjoy being told what I was supposedly doing without knowing what I was thinking or feeling, while knowing what Phyre was thinking or feeling. It was jarring. Also, I understand what the author was going for with the script format, especially since Phyre was interested in film and theatre, but UGH. I've had to read scripts, and I've had to write scripts, and the misuse of the format annoyed the hell out of me. You can't have dialogue with some random lines of stage direction while also addressing the audience and throwing in some exposition. I'm sure it's something that other people thought was cute, and that I'm in the minority because not a lot of people have actually had to deal with scripts, but I enjoyed the story less because I kept getting thrown off with what was going on because of how it was written.
Also, I'm sorry, PHYRE? Are her relatives named Eyrth and Wynd and Ayr? Jesus.
But I could not get over the format of the book. It drove me crazy. The reader is supposed to be the main character's friend, so she talks to you the entire time. Which I hated. I didn't enjoy being told what I was supposedly doing without knowing what I was thinking or feeling, while knowing what Phyre was thinking or feeling. It was jarring. Also, I understand what the author was going for with the script format, especially since Phyre was interested in film and theatre, but UGH. I've had to read scripts, and I've had to write scripts, and the misuse of the format annoyed the hell out of me. You can't have dialogue with some random lines of stage direction while also addressing the audience and throwing in some exposition. I'm sure it's something that other people thought was cute, and that I'm in the minority because not a lot of people have actually had to deal with scripts, but I enjoyed the story less because I kept getting thrown off with what was going on because of how it was written.
Also, I'm sorry, PHYRE? Are her relatives named Eyrth and Wynd and Ayr? Jesus.
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
With a similar theme to [b:Every Day|13262783|Every Day|David Levithan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335900520s/13262783.jpg|18464379] by David Levithan, this novel explores the idea that love isn't dependent on gender. Phyre is the first-person narrator of this story, which opens at the beginning of the school year. The 'You' in the title is Phyre's best friend, and her narration cleverly only uses second person, never revealing whether You is a boy or a girl. It's possible to read it both ways, which is a neat and inventive trick.
Phyre is an aspiring actress who develops an obsessive crush on her new drama teacher Mia. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that You has feelings for Phyre.
Phyre is an aspiring actress who develops an obsessive crush on her new drama teacher Mia. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that You has feelings for Phyre.
maustin18's review against another edition
3.0
Harder to get into for me. That may be due to the fact I'm not a strong script reader... who knows.