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unaesthetic_reading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide
jennifermreads's review against another edition
3.0
Jude is on the East Coast when she learns her best friend has been found dead. While everyone in her circle of friends believe it was suicide, Jude is convinced it was something more sinister and she returns to sunny California determined to prove it.
First off, I love the author’s premise that bad things can happen anywhere! People always have this vision of Californians: we are all tanned and love to surf when, in fact, relatively few of us live near a beach or have been on a surf board. California is diverse and even the seemingly beautiful, star touched cities have a dark undercurrent.
Jude’s circle of friends each have their secrets – and it seems everyone shared those secrets with Maggie but Maggie never really dug deep with any of them. Jude slowly realizes the friend she thought she knew wasn’t the girl she really was. With each turn of the page, new revelations occur, scratching the way to the truth that was Maggie’s death.
Despite its dark subject matter, this was a light read that I paged through quite quickly. I never really had a breathless “no!” moment, though; I just didn’t have the emotional response I would hope to gain through a story with such dark overtones.
First off, I love the author’s premise that bad things can happen anywhere! People always have this vision of Californians: we are all tanned and love to surf when, in fact, relatively few of us live near a beach or have been on a surf board. California is diverse and even the seemingly beautiful, star touched cities have a dark undercurrent.
Jude’s circle of friends each have their secrets – and it seems everyone shared those secrets with Maggie but Maggie never really dug deep with any of them. Jude slowly realizes the friend she thought she knew wasn’t the girl she really was. With each turn of the page, new revelations occur, scratching the way to the truth that was Maggie’s death.
Despite its dark subject matter, this was a light read that I paged through quite quickly. I never really had a breathless “no!” moment, though; I just didn’t have the emotional response I would hope to gain through a story with such dark overtones.
kimberlydyer's review against another edition
2.0
I was expecting a Veronica Mars type murder mystery. It's not a murder mystery. It's a slow study of the main character's life and how her deceased best friend tied everyone together and how they cope and move on. It's more along the lines of Joy Preble, which isn't a bad thing, just not what I was expecting.
taylorreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I received an advanced copy of this book from First to Read in exchange for an honest review.
This book reminded me a little of Pretty Little Liars, only with way more depth and less, but believable, drama. In the same way that Ali seemed to know everything about her friends, Maggie Kim knows all of her friend’s secrets but no one knows her own, no one knows why she would supposedly kill herself. Her best friend Jude can’t believe it, doesn’t believe it. She is convinced that someone had to have murdered her friend. Also in the style of PLL once Maggie is dead the whole group of friends realize that they aren’t really friends, they were just a group of people who were all friends with Maggie. With the help of her friend who-wants-to-be-more Joey she attempts to find out just what happened the night her best friend died.
Jude was an interesting main character. Normally I can lose myself in a MC and really relate to their feelings and such. With Jude there was a disconnection. I didn’t understand some of her actions. She ruins a fancy dinner/wake for Maggie by bringing up the fact that one of her “friends” had an STD and cheated on his girlfriend. Something only Maggie was supposed to know. The way she treated Joey was just mean, she used him like a tissue and discarded him when she was done. The way she treats her mom is appalling, mine would have slapped the bejesus out of me if I had treaded her like that. It makes you wonder what happened to her to make her act like this. Flashbacks and small signs from the present make you realize that something traumatic happened to her but you don’t find out until the end of the book. Once I realized just what Jude was living with I understood why it was so hard for me to connect to her.
Joey. Poor Joey..
The ending, the “discovery” of what actually happened that night was kind of a let down after all of the build up (which seems horrible to say considering what just what went down).
I did enjoy this book, I like who-done-its and this one was an intriguing one. Will I read it again, no. It was difficult to become invested in the story and connect with the characters. But I would recommend it to someone who likes rich kids and mysteries.
This book reminded me a little of Pretty Little Liars, only with way more depth and less, but believable, drama. In the same way that Ali seemed to know everything about her friends, Maggie Kim knows all of her friend’s secrets but no one knows her own, no one knows why she would supposedly kill herself. Her best friend Jude can’t believe it, doesn’t believe it. She is convinced that someone had to have murdered her friend. Also in the style of PLL once Maggie is dead the whole group of friends realize that they aren’t really friends, they were just a group of people who were all friends with Maggie. With the help of her friend who-wants-to-be-more Joey she attempts to find out just what happened the night her best friend died.
Jude was an interesting main character. Normally I can lose myself in a MC and really relate to their feelings and such. With Jude there was a disconnection. I didn’t understand some of her actions. She ruins a fancy dinner/wake for Maggie by bringing up the fact that one of her “friends” had an STD and cheated on his girlfriend. Something only Maggie was supposed to know. The way she treated Joey was just mean, she used him like a tissue and discarded him when she was done. The way she treats her mom is appalling, mine would have slapped the bejesus out of me if I had treaded her like that. It makes you wonder what happened to her to make her act like this. Flashbacks and small signs from the present make you realize that something traumatic happened to her but you don’t find out until the end of the book. Once I realized just what Jude was living with I understood why it was so hard for me to connect to her.
Joey. Poor Joey..
The ending, the “discovery” of what actually happened that night was kind of a let down after all of the build up (which seems horrible to say considering what just what went down).
I did enjoy this book, I like who-done-its and this one was an intriguing one. Will I read it again, no. It was difficult to become invested in the story and connect with the characters. But I would recommend it to someone who likes rich kids and mysteries.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith is a poignant young adult mystery.
Jude is out of town when she finds out her best friend, Maggie Kim, is dead. Immediately flying back to Pasadena, she does not believe Maggie committed suicide; instead she is convinced her friend was murdered. Enlisting the aid of Joey, Jude immediately alienates a few of their mutual friends with her cutting remarks but she remains undeterred in her search for the truth. Battling a slew of demons of her own, Jude's investigation uncovers some surprising revelations about her friend but most importantly, she discovers a few startling truths about herself.
Jude is devastated by Maggie's death and although her friend made a few suicidal threats in the past, she is convinced that Maggie would never actually take her own life. Instead of focusing on her loss, she instead concentrates on piecing together the last few days of Maggie's life. Beginning with their circle of eclectic friends, Jude's caustic comments set everyone on edge but she really does not care overly much about their hurt feelings or the damage wrought in the aftermath. She is a little bothered by the realization that while Maggie is her best friend, she might not have been Maggie's best friend.
Through flashbacks, Jude reminisces about their friendship and Maggie springs vividly to life. Vivacious, popular and a bit enigmatic, Maggie is larger than life and she embraces life wholeheartedly. She is an astute observer whose friends found it very easy to confide in her but in retrospect, she gave up very little information about herself. Her family is wealthy but money does not necessarily exempt them from experiencing problems or heartache. Jude uncovers unexpected information about both Maggie and her family but she still harbors doubts Maggie committed suicide. It is not until after Maggie's funeral that Jude learns what happened to Maggie, but as she discovers, learning the truth does not lessen the pain of her friend's death.
Pasadena is a gritty, raw and realistic young adult novel that deals with some pretty tough subject matter. Sherri L. Smith handles these difficult topics in a forthright and sensitive manner and these issues add a considerable amount of depth to the plot and the characters. Jude is initially a little too abrasive but as more details about her life emerge, she becomes much more sympathetic and easier to like. While the mystery surrounding Maggie's death is completely satisfying, the novel concludes on a rather bittersweet note for Jude.
Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith is a poignant young adult mystery.
Jude is out of town when she finds out her best friend, Maggie Kim, is dead. Immediately flying back to Pasadena, she does not believe Maggie committed suicide; instead she is convinced her friend was murdered. Enlisting the aid of Joey, Jude immediately alienates a few of their mutual friends with her cutting remarks but she remains undeterred in her search for the truth. Battling a slew of demons of her own, Jude's investigation uncovers some surprising revelations about her friend but most importantly, she discovers a few startling truths about herself.
Jude is devastated by Maggie's death and although her friend made a few suicidal threats in the past, she is convinced that Maggie would never actually take her own life. Instead of focusing on her loss, she instead concentrates on piecing together the last few days of Maggie's life. Beginning with their circle of eclectic friends, Jude's caustic comments set everyone on edge but she really does not care overly much about their hurt feelings or the damage wrought in the aftermath. She is a little bothered by the realization that while Maggie is her best friend, she might not have been Maggie's best friend.
Through flashbacks, Jude reminisces about their friendship and Maggie springs vividly to life. Vivacious, popular and a bit enigmatic, Maggie is larger than life and she embraces life wholeheartedly. She is an astute observer whose friends found it very easy to confide in her but in retrospect, she gave up very little information about herself. Her family is wealthy but money does not necessarily exempt them from experiencing problems or heartache. Jude uncovers unexpected information about both Maggie and her family but she still harbors doubts Maggie committed suicide. It is not until after Maggie's funeral that Jude learns what happened to Maggie, but as she discovers, learning the truth does not lessen the pain of her friend's death.
Pasadena is a gritty, raw and realistic young adult novel that deals with some pretty tough subject matter. Sherri L. Smith handles these difficult topics in a forthright and sensitive manner and these issues add a considerable amount of depth to the plot and the characters. Jude is initially a little too abrasive but as more details about her life emerge, she becomes much more sympathetic and easier to like. While the mystery surrounding Maggie's death is completely satisfying, the novel concludes on a rather bittersweet note for Jude.
notlikethebeer's review against another edition
3.0
This was okay? It was interesting for sure, and I liked the atmospheric setting. However, I mostly just feel that it was underdeveloped. There's no real getting to know many of the characters - I wanted a lot more from the other friends of Maggie, in particular her other best friend (who's name I've now forgotten!); and even from Maggie herself, who felt very bland, and Jude, who I never really understood. On the plus side, . As for the 'reveal', whilst the specifics were more interesting, it felt very rushed and unrealistic, leaving the reader behind for the sake of a hasty finish. The specifics were more interesting, but I think could have been explored a lot more, particularly as a bit of a reflection on... well, The American Dream I guess.
Spoiler
I was expecting it to be like so many other similar books, where it turns out that the central best friend is holding everyone's secrets and using them as blackmail, and it was really refreshing that that wasn't the casekatiethepenguin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alisa4books's review against another edition
3.0
Readable YA with decent representation of mainstream teens and their issues. Not deep characters and not an uplifting book although there are hopeful elements. Honest and straightforward discussions. Not a noir by any stretch of the imagination.
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
When Jude's best friend is found dead in her family's pool, the official story is suicide—but Jude can't imagine that Maggie would kill herself. She had too much to live for. Jude takes it upon herself to figure out who might have done it and why.
So it's a murder mystery, after a fashion. But the book's strongest point is not that mystery—it's the depth of character Smith brings to the page. These are not cookie-cutter characters; they're a diverse bunch (racially, socioeconomically, experientially, disability-wise)...and, more importantly, the things that make them 'diverse' are used to inform their characters rather than to define them. This is something that's so often done wrong in YA lit, and I'm thrilled to see it done right here.
Now, in terms of the plot... It's also pretty interesting to see Jude develop. Her situation is complicated in a way that the reader isn't allowed to fully understand until late in the book, and also in a way that can't be easily or tidily 'fixed'. Some of the secondary characters—teens—are so clearly playing at being adults, and while Jude scoffs it's clear that she's still looking for something else, a way to get past the limitations of her current life. And part of that means understanding what happened to Maggie, who had all the advantages Jude hasn't had.
It's worth discovering the whodunnit for yourself, soooo be warned that the following really is a massive spoiler:
I wish this had been discussed more thoroughly in the book, because it's such a complex situation, and I kept jumping from one interpretation to the next. Because first: No, that's dumb; all it means is that when there are no more time-buying treatments for her brother, her parents will have lost both children. Second: But there does seem to be something in the idea that she's clearly always been the less-favoured child and couldn't bear the idea of always knowing that they would have preferred her brother to live. And third: No, there's still an element of dumbness to it; if it really was even partly logic based on finances, she could have picked another university—a less expensive one—and/or applied to scholarships and/or taken out loans.
And yet I understand it, at least as frightened teenage logic. It's sad, but I can more or less understand why Maggie might think choose this path. Still wish there'd been more time to discuss it within the book, but it's interesting food for thought.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
So it's a murder mystery, after a fashion. But the book's strongest point is not that mystery—it's the depth of character Smith brings to the page. These are not cookie-cutter characters; they're a diverse bunch (racially, socioeconomically, experientially, disability-wise)...and, more importantly, the things that make them 'diverse' are used to inform their characters rather than to define them. This is something that's so often done wrong in YA lit, and I'm thrilled to see it done right here.
Now, in terms of the plot... It's also pretty interesting to see Jude develop. Her situation is complicated in a way that the reader isn't allowed to fully understand until late in the book, and also in a way that can't be easily or tidily 'fixed'. Some of the secondary characters—teens—are so clearly playing at being adults, and while Jude scoffs it's clear that she's still looking for something else, a way to get past the limitations of her current life. And part of that means understanding what happened to Maggie, who had all the advantages Jude hasn't had.
It's worth discovering the whodunnit for yourself, soooo be warned that the following really is a massive spoiler:
Spoiler
As Jude comes to discover, Maggie's death was both self-inflicted and intentional; she killed herself, in effect, because there wasn't enough money to pay for both her Ivy League education and her terminally ill brother's (next) surgery.I wish this had been discussed more thoroughly in the book, because it's such a complex situation, and I kept jumping from one interpretation to the next. Because first: No, that's dumb; all it means is that when there are no more time-buying treatments for her brother, her parents will have lost both children. Second: But there does seem to be something in the idea that she's clearly always been the less-favoured child and couldn't bear the idea of always knowing that they would have preferred her brother to live. And third: No, there's still an element of dumbness to it; if it really was even partly logic based on finances, she could have picked another university—a less expensive one—and/or applied to scholarships and/or taken out loans.
And yet I understand it, at least as frightened teenage logic. It's sad, but I can more or less understand why Maggie might think choose this path. Still wish there'd been more time to discuss it within the book, but it's interesting food for thought.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.