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thebookberrie's review against another edition
1.0
Uhh okay this one did not work for me. The idea was interesting at first but the writing and the tone was just really weird and not funny.
This book begins with Maddie planning her summer before college when she learns that her beloved grandmother is dying. Instead of going the slow route, Gram decides she's going out with a bang- an eight week "dying-with-dignity" cruise and she's taking the entire family with her. While Maddie promises to live with no regrets on their trip, she makes new friends on the Wishwell cruise. She goes down memory lane with her grandmother and the rest of her family and grows closer to a cute boy named Enzo. As the trip goes on, Maddie tries to cope with the fact that her Gram isn't going to come home after their amazing summer of new experiences, love, and grief.
This book was an impulse buy for me a few years ago. I saw the cover and I just grabbed it, and only got around to reading it now because it was a random pick. Basically I don't think I was ever interested in this book and even after reading it, meh.
All of the characters in this book were insufferable, flat out. They were judgemental, they were annoying, and honestly a few of them were interchangeable at a point. A book about family and I barely knew anyone. These characters were all adults, with even Maddie turning eighteen in the book... but everyone was immature as hell. So many awkward penis jokes. So many.
The worst character was the mc, Maddie. Every person she meets, she describes by a negative trait they have and even after learning their names, she still calls them by their mildly rude nickname. She describes disabled and sick people as "grotesque" and even mentions how when she was a child, she didn't like looking at them in fear she would become one. Of course throughout the book she learns that hey- maybe sick people are people too but that message is pretty messed up. I get the point is for her to learn to live in the moment and enjoy life but using sick and dying people to teach her that lesson doesn't work for me.
For some reason this book about a family and a girl learning to say good-bye to her grandmother has a pretty strong romance in it- which it could have done without. I'm sorry but it was pretty bad too. It was insta-love at it's finest and I wasn't buying their confessions of love quickly after either. It was pointless and I disliked them together so much. Also it was kind of gross and not romantic at all.
The tone of this book was just bizarre and so was everything that happened. None of this was believable and it was just so weird. The tone and "jokes" make this book seem like it wants to be a dark comedy but nothing is funny and it doesn't do anything to balance out how sad the situation is. I understand with such a situation dark humor could have made everything better but it didn't work. At least not for me. There were also a lot of weirdly repeated phrases.
This entire book was just not my thing and I've gone back and forth between one and two stars but I really didn't enjoy anything about it.
This book begins with Maddie planning her summer before college when she learns that her beloved grandmother is dying. Instead of going the slow route, Gram decides she's going out with a bang- an eight week "dying-with-dignity" cruise and she's taking the entire family with her. While Maddie promises to live with no regrets on their trip, she makes new friends on the Wishwell cruise. She goes down memory lane with her grandmother and the rest of her family and grows closer to a cute boy named Enzo. As the trip goes on, Maddie tries to cope with the fact that her Gram isn't going to come home after their amazing summer of new experiences, love, and grief.
This book was an impulse buy for me a few years ago. I saw the cover and I just grabbed it, and only got around to reading it now because it was a random pick. Basically I don't think I was ever interested in this book and even after reading it, meh.
All of the characters in this book were insufferable, flat out. They were judgemental, they were annoying, and honestly a few of them were interchangeable at a point. A book about family and I barely knew anyone. These characters were all adults, with even Maddie turning eighteen in the book... but everyone was immature as hell. So many awkward penis jokes. So many.
The worst character was the mc, Maddie. Every person she meets, she describes by a negative trait they have and even after learning their names, she still calls them by their mildly rude nickname. She describes disabled and sick people as "grotesque" and even mentions how when she was a child, she didn't like looking at them in fear she would become one. Of course throughout the book she learns that hey- maybe sick people are people too but that message is pretty messed up. I get the point is for her to learn to live in the moment and enjoy life but using sick and dying people to teach her that lesson doesn't work for me.
For some reason this book about a family and a girl learning to say good-bye to her grandmother has a pretty strong romance in it- which it could have done without. I'm sorry but it was pretty bad too. It was insta-love at it's finest and I wasn't buying their confessions of love quickly after either. It was pointless and I disliked them together so much. Also it was kind of gross and not romantic at all.
The tone of this book was just bizarre and so was everything that happened. None of this was believable and it was just so weird. The tone and "jokes" make this book seem like it wants to be a dark comedy but nothing is funny and it doesn't do anything to balance out how sad the situation is. I understand with such a situation dark humor could have made everything better but it didn't work. At least not for me. There were also a lot of weirdly repeated phrases.
This entire book was just not my thing and I've gone back and forth between one and two stars but I really didn't enjoy anything about it.
nhi_nguyen's review against another edition
3.0
I'm just so...disappointed. I hate to feel this way about book but it's my honest opinion. I was hoping to get a deep and moving story. This...was so not it. I really like the concept of the book. Which was why I picked it up in the first place. But...
I also like the family and friendship aspect of the book. It wasn't well-done but it made the book a little bit more enjoyable.
I wanted to love it...but sadly, I was disappointed.
There were several things I didn't like about this book. The first was the beginning. We start off right away and the pacing felt off to me. Everything was going by so fast. Not only that, I got introduced to so many characters. I'm not good with names in real life and in books so it was a struggle to figure out who's who because I was introduced to them way too quickly. It was overwhelming, honestly. The characters aren't that well-developed but, fortunately, that changed the more I got into the story. There was a lot of dialogue and explanations of stuff that was happening. But it felt like I was reading a textbook. I didn't feel anything for the MC because I wasn't able to read about her that much. I hope this makes sense. A lot of characters are pretty judgemental and it got annoying very quickly. I really hate talking bad about the book but I want to share my opinion.
The whole book was about tying up "loose ends", judging from the synopsis and the title of the book. But there were rarely mentions of tying up "loose ends". One was at the beginning and one near the very end. I don't know if I'm emotionless or what but I didn't feel anything when some of the passengers
Spoiler
got put to sleep. Which I found as an interesting way to die. I mean this in the nicest way possible but it sounds like putting pets to sleep. I know my dog was put to sleep (rip Tia) and I couldn't help but compare it to that. But it's a painless and peaceful way to leave the world. I've never known anyone who died like that.It seemed like it took me forever to read this book, even though it was only two days. Since it read so much like a textbook, I felt like I was dragging through it. I almost DNF it, but I was so invested and I really wanted to know the ending so I finished the book. The ending was sweet, but not the best ending I've read to a sentimental book.
There's some stuff I have to warn you about. There are multiple references to crude and inappropriate stuff. So if you're sensitive to things like that or don't want to read about that stuff, I suggest not picking up this book.
While there were quite a few things I did not enjoy about this book, there were a few things I did like. It made me not give this book a two-star. The first was the romance. I found it was cute and honestly, the best written part of the story. Gram was definitely my favorite character. She was funny and a crazy grandmother who we all want.
Spoiler
When Gram died, I did feel for Maddie...so I'm not that emotionless afterall.Maybe it was because I read a book about pancreatic cancer (ironically) before I read this one. But I didn't feel any emotions I would normally feel when I read sad books. Maybe I wasted my money by getting it but the cover is gorgeous so I might keep it for that reason only.
I wanted to love it...but sadly, I was disappointed.
janerouth's review against another edition
4.0
After the first few pages I thought this was going to be a DNF - senior in high school and her superficial thoughts about her superficial party-girl friends. I can take some of that, but not a lot. I'm very glad I stuck with it, what a surprisingly rich, funny book. Spoiler alert: grandma is terminally ill, and wants the family to go on a cruise with her. Some family drama, but most go, including our teen POV. The rest of the book was a lovely mix of sadness, loss, death, illness, rekindled romance, theme parties, cupcakes, growing, snark, humor, and learning. I was very impressed with this book.
keen23's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of uncontrollable sobbing on my part, during the third act of this book.
inkandbooksforever's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was a fast, easy going read. There is not much to think about, just to reflect on the adventures the characters are going through. It gives a nice perspective on death and how teens (and adults) can view it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
gharv03's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book a lot! It was extremely entertaining as well as distracting from my crazy life. It was a nice get a way and an enjoyable easy read.
subzera's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating 2.5 stars
This just wasn't for me but those last few chapters were very good. If only the whole book would've been like that.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
I liked the concept of this book and I feel like for such a hard topic, it was dealt with and handled very well. However, the plot just felt flat to me. I liked the destinations the cruise went to and the experiences the characters had there were interesting. But overall, it was boring for me. There was too much drama and an aspect of instalove that I did not appreciated. I like how it ended up incorporating the title and the meaning of it into the story but it wasn’t enough for me to enjoy.
Writing Style – 2 out of 5 stars
I think this is the part of the book that I disliked the most. I didn’t understand it or enjoy it in anyway. It was dry and very simple. It was supposed to be funny but I didn’t find it humorous or entertaining at any point. Some of the jokes were inappropriate and weird, they made me uncomfortable and kind of upset as well. The writing style was very bland and I didn’t feel like it transmitted emotion very well, at least it didn’t make me feel anything.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
Yet another part of this book that I wasn’t a fan of. I don’t know what the author’s intention was but the character just felt like caricatures. Their personalities were too extreme and I didn’t find it believable. Maddie annoyed me. She’s insecure, and judgemental and shallow. She’s self-centered and annoying. I didn’t understand her or like her in any way. I couldn’t connect with her and I didn’t feel sorry for her. It made the story so much harder to read. I think one of the only character I actually liked was her Gram. She’s was cooky and crazy but really sweet. She stood up for what she wanted and she tried very hard to make her family be more accepting and aware of other people, even though it didn’t work that well most of the time. Wes was also a character that I liked, his intentions were good and he was a sweetheart. But then again, he wasn’t actually a part of that cray family. I feel like there were too many side characters. They didn’t feel developed enough and they could easily be confused by the reader. Most of them were over the top, dramatic and unrealistic. I wanted to feel for them and it just didn’t happen.
Emotionally
The plot is farfetched. We follow Maddie whose Gram drops some news the summer before she’s leaving for college. She’s dying of cancer and she wants to take them on a cruise in which she’ll die with dignity at the end. First thing I wanted to mention is that I read this book with another book blogger and while I managed to finish it, she DNF’d halfway through. We were both really disappointed because it was our first buddy read and it ended up not being an enjoyable book for either of us. That being said, I liked the premise of the story and of the cruise ship. I loved seeing all the places they traveled to and why Gram picked them and the adventures they had there. That part was really interesting and even sweet in some parts. And I liked some of the secondary characters, some of the other patients on the ship managed to tug at my heart strings which was nice. But that’s it. The actual story line, the one from the main character’s perspective which we’re supposed to connect to felt flat and boring. I didn’t connect with Maddie, her interests, her personality, her thought process, nothing. And I didn’t connect with her family either which the majority felt like caricatures of really judgemental and self-centered people. I quickly saw where Maddie got her winning personality. And yet, my biggest issue with this book is with the writing style and that’s why I mentioned above that this book is not for me. The writing is supposed to be funny, sarcastic but in an almost in your face, rude way. And while some people have been able to accept it and fall in love with it, it bothered me. It was impersonal and unemotional. It wasn’t funny to me at all, I felt insulted quite a few times actually, and it further disconnected me from the characters and from the story.
I didn’t like Maddie. At all. From the very beginning. I found her to be really self-centered, shallow and insecure. She made a big deal about leaving her friends for the summer and yet we know nothing about them besides the fact that she’s always designated driver to three other teenage girls. Her one actual friend is someone she doesn’t spend time with, who she doesn’t want to be seen one and who she’s convinced herself to think they have nothing in common. Even after her Gram finally passed away, she still only thought about her grief and her family had to rally around her and get her to live again. It just felt like she was really selfish and I didn’t connect or understand her at all.
The romance in this book had instalove written all over it. Besides the fact that the guy was too exotic and mixed for his own good, I didn’t get much from his personality. I didn’t understand why they were attracted to each other besides the fact that they were both teenagers on a cruise for people who are dying. Their relationship developed way too fast and was too intense, specially considering all the supposed emotional hits Maddie was taking with her Gram’s upcoming goodbye. It bothered me how her family wasn’t aware of her relationship and how quickly it was developing. The family was too focused on being judgemental of the other passengers and their lives and it was sickening in one specific case. I was disturbed. Quite frankly, they were just unrelatable characters.
Overall, I was really disappointed with this book. I didn’t enjoy the writing style, it felt too jarring, unemotional and it disconnected me from the plot. The characters were flawed to a maximum percent and I didn’t care or connect with them. I didn’t support the romance and I felt like it developed too quickly and took too much of a spotlight from the rest of the plot. I will most likely not be reading another book by this author.
This just wasn't for me but those last few chapters were very good. If only the whole book would've been like that.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
I liked the concept of this book and I feel like for such a hard topic, it was dealt with and handled very well. However, the plot just felt flat to me. I liked the destinations the cruise went to and the experiences the characters had there were interesting. But overall, it was boring for me. There was too much drama and an aspect of instalove that I did not appreciated. I like how it ended up incorporating the title and the meaning of it into the story but it wasn’t enough for me to enjoy.
Writing Style – 2 out of 5 stars
I think this is the part of the book that I disliked the most. I didn’t understand it or enjoy it in anyway. It was dry and very simple. It was supposed to be funny but I didn’t find it humorous or entertaining at any point. Some of the jokes were inappropriate and weird, they made me uncomfortable and kind of upset as well. The writing style was very bland and I didn’t feel like it transmitted emotion very well, at least it didn’t make me feel anything.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
Yet another part of this book that I wasn’t a fan of. I don’t know what the author’s intention was but the character just felt like caricatures. Their personalities were too extreme and I didn’t find it believable. Maddie annoyed me. She’s insecure, and judgemental and shallow. She’s self-centered and annoying. I didn’t understand her or like her in any way. I couldn’t connect with her and I didn’t feel sorry for her. It made the story so much harder to read. I think one of the only character I actually liked was her Gram. She’s was cooky and crazy but really sweet. She stood up for what she wanted and she tried very hard to make her family be more accepting and aware of other people, even though it didn’t work that well most of the time. Wes was also a character that I liked, his intentions were good and he was a sweetheart. But then again, he wasn’t actually a part of that cray family. I feel like there were too many side characters. They didn’t feel developed enough and they could easily be confused by the reader. Most of them were over the top, dramatic and unrealistic. I wanted to feel for them and it just didn’t happen.
Emotionally
The plot is farfetched. We follow Maddie whose Gram drops some news the summer before she’s leaving for college. She’s dying of cancer and she wants to take them on a cruise in which she’ll die with dignity at the end. First thing I wanted to mention is that I read this book with another book blogger and while I managed to finish it, she DNF’d halfway through. We were both really disappointed because it was our first buddy read and it ended up not being an enjoyable book for either of us. That being said, I liked the premise of the story and of the cruise ship. I loved seeing all the places they traveled to and why Gram picked them and the adventures they had there. That part was really interesting and even sweet in some parts. And I liked some of the secondary characters, some of the other patients on the ship managed to tug at my heart strings which was nice. But that’s it. The actual story line, the one from the main character’s perspective which we’re supposed to connect to felt flat and boring. I didn’t connect with Maddie, her interests, her personality, her thought process, nothing. And I didn’t connect with her family either which the majority felt like caricatures of really judgemental and self-centered people. I quickly saw where Maddie got her winning personality. And yet, my biggest issue with this book is with the writing style and that’s why I mentioned above that this book is not for me. The writing is supposed to be funny, sarcastic but in an almost in your face, rude way. And while some people have been able to accept it and fall in love with it, it bothered me. It was impersonal and unemotional. It wasn’t funny to me at all, I felt insulted quite a few times actually, and it further disconnected me from the characters and from the story.
I didn’t like Maddie. At all. From the very beginning. I found her to be really self-centered, shallow and insecure. She made a big deal about leaving her friends for the summer and yet we know nothing about them besides the fact that she’s always designated driver to three other teenage girls. Her one actual friend is someone she doesn’t spend time with, who she doesn’t want to be seen one and who she’s convinced herself to think they have nothing in common. Even after her Gram finally passed away, she still only thought about her grief and her family had to rally around her and get her to live again. It just felt like she was really selfish and I didn’t connect or understand her at all.
The romance in this book had instalove written all over it. Besides the fact that the guy was too exotic and mixed for his own good, I didn’t get much from his personality. I didn’t understand why they were attracted to each other besides the fact that they were both teenagers on a cruise for people who are dying. Their relationship developed way too fast and was too intense, specially considering all the supposed emotional hits Maddie was taking with her Gram’s upcoming goodbye. It bothered me how her family wasn’t aware of her relationship and how quickly it was developing. The family was too focused on being judgemental of the other passengers and their lives and it was sickening in one specific case. I was disturbed. Quite frankly, they were just unrelatable characters.
Overall, I was really disappointed with this book. I didn’t enjoy the writing style, it felt too jarring, unemotional and it disconnected me from the plot. The characters were flawed to a maximum percent and I didn’t care or connect with them. I didn’t support the romance and I felt like it developed too quickly and took too much of a spotlight from the rest of the plot. I will most likely not be reading another book by this author.
papertraildiary's review against another edition
3.0
Maddie is so close to finishing high school when she finds out that her beloved grandma has pancreatic cancer. But not only that – Maddie’s grandma, Astrid, has booked the entire family for an eight week summer ‘vacation’ on a death with dignity cruise to see her off in style. From Maddie’s Loose Ends List of things to do before she starts university, in which she had crossed out ‘change hair colour,’ to Astrid’s list that takes the family all over the world in order to say goodbye, you could say Maddie’s boat has been rocked. >> See the full review at The Paper Trail Diary!