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librariandest's review against another edition
3.0
Having just finished [book: Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You] I don't know why I picked up another story about a depressed young man. Too much depressed young man stuff for one week! Anyway, I think this book will strike your average reader as kind of weird because the titular Justin Case (get it?) has an imaginary dog and Fate talks to him and it's neither fun nor whimsical. It's actually mostly philosophical and troubling.
Maybe Rosoff wrote this book as a kind of meditation on the meaning of life for people who question if it even exists (meaning, that is). Maybe the point of this book is that you must learn to deal with uncertainty to be happy. It's deep stuff with minimal action.
I think I would've loved this book at 16 or 17, during my own philosophically dark days. It's definitely better with the greyhound cover.
Maybe Rosoff wrote this book as a kind of meditation on the meaning of life for people who question if it even exists (meaning, that is). Maybe the point of this book is that you must learn to deal with uncertainty to be happy. It's deep stuff with minimal action.
I think I would've loved this book at 16 or 17, during my own philosophically dark days. It's definitely better with the greyhound cover.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
1.0
great idea, bad execution. In about the middle, the whole book took the strangest turn and just never got back on track.
_sarah_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
i really enjoyed Rosoff's other books (how i live now, and what i was), so I want to read everything she's written. and once i read just in case i will have done just that. i'm half-way through it and so far i think it's her most creative of the three. the tone is very different (in a good way) from her other books...
having just finished this book, i can state with some authority that it was a great read. it was whimsical, yet serious. it did a great job of tackling some pretty huge issues...the nature of fate, of luck, of first love. the characters were interesting. and it was a quick read, which is what i'm into these days--a quality plot that keeps me hooked and can be read in under a week.
having just finished this book, i can state with some authority that it was a great read. it was whimsical, yet serious. it did a great job of tackling some pretty huge issues...the nature of fate, of luck, of first love. the characters were interesting. and it was a quick read, which is what i'm into these days--a quality plot that keeps me hooked and can be read in under a week.
mrose21's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book as a teenager, and I think that says it all. I've come back to it as a 22 year old and while I still like the book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I remember.
I can't remember why I liked this book in the first place. I think I liked it because it was so different and now I view it was weird and slightly disjointed.
I doubt I'll reread this again as an adult and I may have to give the book away. A shame really!
I can't remember why I liked this book in the first place. I think I liked it because it was so different and now I view it was weird and slightly disjointed.
I doubt I'll reread this again as an adult and I may have to give the book away. A shame really!
queenofthebooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I don't even know where to start. It was strange to say the least. I'm still not entirely sure what the plot was. At first I thought it was ment to be a depication of schizophrenia and I was intrigued, however the author specifically stated that he didn't have schizophrenia? I'm still confused about what I read but it was certainly original.
laughingrecord's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
royaz92's review against another edition
5.0
YES. This is what actual YA literature looks like. This is what actually goes through the mind of an actual person who is actually grappling with life and adolescence and shit
eversnow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Bullying, Vomit, and Car accident
neenor's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this book was both good and bad at the same time. Portraying Fate as a conscious living thing is really interesting, and plays a major part in keeping the reader reading, because the book itself isn't the most captivating I have read. If you get bored easily by books, this definitely isn't the book for you. In my view, it wasn't written that well, and the way it kept randomly changing from character to character and sometimes without use of punctuation made it really confusing about what was going on at what time. I reckon that if it had been written better, with the character descriptions improved, then it would be a really top quality book. Also, the characters of David/Justin, Agnes, Boy and Dorothea were really interesting and mysterious - but at the end of the book, those mysteries are still unsolved, so the ending can be quite anti-climatic and disappointing.
However, the book did have its good points. The initial storyline is good, and the scenery description is good - especially at the plane crash. During that part in the book, you really feel like you are there, watching the havoc unfold right before your eyes. And even though the ending was anti-climatic, it was sweet, which was - in a way - a nice way to end the book.
However, the book did have its good points. The initial storyline is good, and the scenery description is good - especially at the plane crash. During that part in the book, you really feel like you are there, watching the havoc unfold right before your eyes. And even though the ending was anti-climatic, it was sweet, which was - in a way - a nice way to end the book.
toystory242's review against another edition
4.0
Meg Rosoff has a GIFT for writing--this book was written beautifully, and I really enjoyed it and the characters. However, it is no How I Live Now, which is the other book I read by her. While this one was very interesting and deep, How I Live Now just seemed bigger. However, I still really enjoyed it. :)