firedew's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
bigdreamsandwildthings's review
4.0
"But that's the thing. It's not just a little snow. It's never just a little snow. It's never a small storm. It's always a fucking tempest. A total whiteout. Where you can't see your hand in front of your face. Where every step might be the one that takes you right over the edge of a cliff."
This was such a wonderful story about a girl who can't move on from the death of her best friend. It's about coping and grief and heartache so strong that it consumes you on a daily basis. It's also funny, and heartfelt, and sometimes just so cute that it made me swoon. There's a lot to love here, basically.
Ryn is flying from Atlanta to San Francisco with a layover in Denver. But it also happens to be the worst snowstorm of the century in Colorado, and when her New Year's Eve flight is delayed, Ryn ends up stranded in a foreign state, with only hours until the anniversary of her best friend Lottie's death. When she crashes into Xander (literally), all she wants is to apologize and get away from him, get home as soon as possible - but what seems to be the end of her world may actually be a new beginning.
The idea of being stranded at some random airport in a snowstorm gives me anxiety immediately, and I wasn't sure if I could handle a whole book that takes place in exactly that scenario, but despite the closed quarters, this one still felt light. Ryn is trying so hard just to get by, and Xander is a wonderful mystery all on his own. Unravelling both of them over the course of their night together kept my attention and made me want to devour the book in one sitting. Ryn is just trying so hard to stay on her feet, to not allow herself to move on, that it's heartbreaking, while Xander pushes her to do things, to not be afraid of the unknown, and their dynamic was really wonderful.
The plot is simple, obviously: the airport closes down, and everyone in the Denver airport is forced to spend the night on New Year's Eve. Obviously, as this is YA contemporary, some random shenanigans ensue; there's a child prodigy, a couple of airport employees playing Passenger Bingo, a party that is completely wild and unrealistic (in an airport hotel, of course).
Overall, there's some angst, some hilarity, and everything in between that you'd expect out of this genre. That's basically why I took off a star, and why I think I didn't feel as moved by this one as I could have. Everything that I expected, I got. There are no real surprises here. But I did enjoy it, and I think that for the right person, this could be a book that is simultaneously heart-wrenching and heart-warming.
This was such a wonderful story about a girl who can't move on from the death of her best friend. It's about coping and grief and heartache so strong that it consumes you on a daily basis. It's also funny, and heartfelt, and sometimes just so cute that it made me swoon. There's a lot to love here, basically.
Ryn is flying from Atlanta to San Francisco with a layover in Denver. But it also happens to be the worst snowstorm of the century in Colorado, and when her New Year's Eve flight is delayed, Ryn ends up stranded in a foreign state, with only hours until the anniversary of her best friend Lottie's death. When she crashes into Xander (literally), all she wants is to apologize and get away from him, get home as soon as possible - but what seems to be the end of her world may actually be a new beginning.
The idea of being stranded at some random airport in a snowstorm gives me anxiety immediately, and I wasn't sure if I could handle a whole book that takes place in exactly that scenario, but despite the closed quarters, this one still felt light. Ryn is trying so hard just to get by, and Xander is a wonderful mystery all on his own. Unravelling both of them over the course of their night together kept my attention and made me want to devour the book in one sitting. Ryn is just trying so hard to stay on her feet, to not allow herself to move on, that it's heartbreaking, while Xander pushes her to do things, to not be afraid of the unknown, and their dynamic was really wonderful.
The plot is simple, obviously: the airport closes down, and everyone in the Denver airport is forced to spend the night on New Year's Eve. Obviously, as this is YA contemporary, some random shenanigans ensue; there's a child prodigy, a couple of airport employees playing Passenger Bingo, a party that is completely wild and unrealistic (in an airport hotel, of course).
Overall, there's some angst, some hilarity, and everything in between that you'd expect out of this genre. That's basically why I took off a star, and why I think I didn't feel as moved by this one as I could have. Everything that I expected, I got. There are no real surprises here. But I did enjoy it, and I think that for the right person, this could be a book that is simultaneously heart-wrenching and heart-warming.
the_3bs's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A great look into grief, survivals guilt, and just surviving intense feelings
bertina's review
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
brynnc920's review
Dnf, not for me, the main character I found very annoying and dismissive of other characters, which is not relatable for me. I didn’t like her dynamic with the “hero” and it felt very forced. ALSO, terrible, TERRIBLE mental health rep in the section I could somehow stand reading.
I can’t give it a fair rating since I didn’t finish, but I’m not going to force my way through a book that I don’t enjoy. Thanks ya’ll for reading :)
I can’t give it a fair rating since I didn’t finish, but I’m not going to force my way through a book that I don’t enjoy. Thanks ya’ll for reading :)
stationannie's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the premise of this book had a lot of potential, but I found it extremely difficult to like the main character, Ryn. She was unbearably dramatic and immature. I understand she went through something traumatic, but it's not an excuse for behaving like a brat.
However, it appears that one night with a boy (Xander) she meets at the airport while being snowed in changes everything. Suddenly, she becomes a new person. I get that her act of self-discovery wasn't because of the boy necessarily, but rather it was spurred on by him.
Regardless, I just had a difficult time connecting with Ryn. I get this is meant to be a young adult novel, and everyone deals with grief differently, but the way she was written made it hard to like her or root for her.
However, it appears that one night with a boy (Xander) she meets at the airport while being snowed in changes everything. Suddenly, she becomes a new person. I get that her act of self-discovery wasn't because of the boy necessarily, but rather it was spurred on by him.
Regardless, I just had a difficult time connecting with Ryn. I get this is meant to be a young adult novel, and everyone deals with grief differently, but the way she was written made it hard to like her or root for her.
vedika17's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
sar_sch's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
misstawny's review
2.0
DNF because I’m too old for this brand of angst and grief. If it could be rewritten for 30+, that would be great.
mlottermoser's review
2.0
Ryn and Lottie were best friends. Until one day Lottie died in a car crash. Ryn suffers from an inability to grieve and survivors guilt. Her story flits back and forth from small glimpses of her past with Lottie and her current dilemma of being trapped during a blizzard. As a conformist and rule follower I identified strongly with Ryn. But I didn’t love her friend Lottie or some of the strange and unnecessary characters she met at the airport. This book made me bawl. But I’m not sure that I would recommend it to a friend.