mdettmann's review against another edition
Things I'm Seeing Without You is about a girl named Tess and how she grieves over her deceased Internet boyfriend (with lots of parent issues, animal funerals, and epic trips and twists along the way)
Basically if All the Bright Places, Boy in the Black Suit, and Goodbye Days got together for a bonfire and shared their feelings and made s'mores, then you'd have this book. It reads a little like typical "all the feels" YA, but I thought Tess was a believable teen, I didn't hate her dad, and there was just enough going on to make this feel like a fresh story. Older teen readers (especially fans of the above books and authors) would enjoy this book.
Basically if All the Bright Places, Boy in the Black Suit, and Goodbye Days got together for a bonfire and shared their feelings and made s'mores, then you'd have this book. It reads a little like typical "all the feels" YA, but I thought Tess was a believable teen, I didn't hate her dad, and there was just enough going on to make this feel like a fresh story. Older teen readers (especially fans of the above books and authors) would enjoy this book.
coleanne's review against another edition
2.0
This book would be good if it was written by someone who was good at writing. It’s a cute story but it’s definitely for younger readers, more of a middle reader than I expected. The characters were not fully fleshed out which made the emotional parts fall flat. I appreciate the premise but it’s mediocre at best.
beestew93's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the concept of this book, because the ideas of grief and loss are always heavier to carry alone & even reading about someone who carries them can feel like gifting part of them to a friend. At the end of the day though, I felt like this book didn’t say much. It was fantastic, beautiful, and sporadic, but didn’t offer much along the lines of practically dealing with grief in a world where life HAS to keep going. It felt like there were unnecessary characters coming to and fro, but I appreciated the author’s interaction with such a hot, painful topic.
clem_mathieu's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
I liked the conversation the author started about grief, love and being in a relationship online. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters... I thought Tess was selfish, Daniel didn't stick to his opinion and Tess' father wanted to be Tess' friend and not her parent.
I liked the conversation the author started about grief, love and being in a relationship online. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters... I thought Tess was selfish, Daniel didn't stick to his opinion and Tess' father wanted to be Tess' friend and not her parent.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
Tess's online boyfriend has committed suicide which has sent her into a self-destructive tailspin. Tess leaves high school to stay with her father, who is a complete narcissist. He has begun planning funerals for pets and people, roping Tess into the whole scheme. Tess actually finds the funeral planning to be a great distraction from her grief, but she still holds out hope that her dead boyfriend, Jonah, may be alive in cyberspace. A mysterious message changes Tess's trajectory and her understanding of her boyfriend.
I did enjoy this book. However, the development of Tess's voice was challenging. She didn't read depressed or like a high school girl. I thought that the funeral layer of the story was super interesting and I liked most of it.
I did enjoy this book. However, the development of Tess's voice was challenging. She didn't read depressed or like a high school girl. I thought that the funeral layer of the story was super interesting and I liked most of it.
taylorg_1005's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
vera_michele's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 Stars
I didn't love this. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and the plot was all over the place. It didn't make sense, and I just didn't like it. It tried too much to make me feel sad.
Spoilers:
I was very uncomfortable about Daniel and how he was pretending to be someone he wasn't. It just made me feel uncomfortable. Plus, you know, the sex came out of nowhere, and felt kind of forced.
I didn't love this. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and the plot was all over the place. It didn't make sense, and I just didn't like it. It tried too much to make me feel sad.
Spoilers:
I was very uncomfortable about Daniel and how he was pretending to be someone he wasn't. It just made me feel uncomfortable. Plus, you know, the sex came out of nowhere, and felt kind of forced.
livrshellis1302's review against another edition
1.0
This book was ehhh for me. Yes, it had a great storyline background. However, as much as I wanted to care for Jonah, Daniel and our main character Tess - I just didn't care for them at all. So when they were sad or annoyed or angry I would sort of roll my eyes at them. I also didn't like Daniels character I have no idea why but he just got under my skin and just annoyed me. Another thing is that I struggled getting through the last 80 pages of this book and that it is sort of linked to me not 'caring' about these characters and their mourning and I didn't. I felt like I didn't care enough about Jonah's death to really be invested in his mini funeral that they gave him towards the end of the book. I also felt like, as a reader, you don't really have a clear view of what Tess was like before she become infatuated with Jonah, and we don't know her as anything else other than that. Now I really wanted to like this book but I really didn't - this is my opinion please don't get offended by it or think it is a personal attack on one of your favourite book just know that this book is just not mine.
thearosemary's review against another edition
2.0
all right, y'all know I don't like to leave negative reviews, so I'll try to keep this short.
*deep sigh*
I'll start off by saying the base plot line for THINGS I'M SEEING WITHOUT YOU made me feel uncomfortable. I can't say much without spoiling the novel, but the romance in this was ... well, manipulative and unrealistic?
I really enjoyed bognanni's discussion of death industry and the idea of the main character becoming a funeral director, but I struggled developing a fondness for the actual characters themselves. Tess was just ... SO unrealistic and erratic. for example, in the beginning of the novel, she theorizes how the world might end with the Big Bang but in reverse (which makes NO sense) and imagines how she would be frozen in time before everything blows up, like having an internal orgasm – "the Long Bang, if you will."
YES. SHE SAID THAT. A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL. the same girl who would jumped into a lake with a computer (and didn't get electrocuted, for some reason) and would go on endless rants about strange things and even when people would clearly grow uncomfortable, she would keep going because she straight up didn't care.
bottom line, it felt like the events of THINGS I'M SEEING WITHOUT YOU unfolded too perfectly. characters or obstacles never obstructed her in a realistic manner, and no matter tess' actions, everyone would forgive her ... pretty quickly, might I add.
anyways, this review is longer than I intended, but it just wasn't for me. I know it's easy for stories to be slightly outlandish at times, but this felt too cookie cutter.
*deep sigh*
I'll start off by saying the base plot line for THINGS I'M SEEING WITHOUT YOU made me feel uncomfortable. I can't say much without spoiling the novel, but the romance in this was ... well, manipulative and unrealistic?
Spoiler
okay so basically, Tess wasn't always just talking to Jonah and it was also his roommate and he doesn't tell her until weeks after Jonah commits suicide?? and somehow, SOMEHOW, Tess ends up forgiving the roommate (which okay yeah, sure) but then ends up in a relationship with him after he confesses to falling immediately in love with her because Jonah talked about her all the time?? okay ... doesn't seem kind of creepy and manipulative at allI really enjoyed bognanni's discussion of death industry and the idea of the main character becoming a funeral director, but I struggled developing a fondness for the actual characters themselves. Tess was just ... SO unrealistic and erratic. for example, in the beginning of the novel, she theorizes how the world might end with the Big Bang but in reverse (which makes NO sense) and imagines how she would be frozen in time before everything blows up, like having an internal orgasm – "the Long Bang, if you will."
YES. SHE SAID THAT. A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL. the same girl who would jumped into a lake with a computer (and didn't get electrocuted, for some reason) and would go on endless rants about strange things and even when people would clearly grow uncomfortable, she would keep going because she straight up didn't care.
bottom line, it felt like the events of THINGS I'M SEEING WITHOUT YOU unfolded too perfectly. characters or obstacles never obstructed her in a realistic manner, and no matter tess' actions, everyone would forgive her ... pretty quickly, might I add.
anyways, this review is longer than I intended, but it just wasn't for me. I know it's easy for stories to be slightly outlandish at times, but this felt too cookie cutter.