dramagirl2003's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a journey I have been on while reading this story! Outstanding book, I was starstruck! ✨ 🌌
it was simply a really interesting book where the only drama was zack and Vanessa clashing over their different financial upbringings, but then my jaw literally dropped at that massive plot twist near the end!! fully recommend this book to everyone
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
violet_judy's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fantastic. I love that it was told from both point of views which helped us relate to the main characters and allowed us to step further into their lives and understand their motives. All of the characters were relatable and loveable which made it easier to get right into the story. The author deals with family in a real way and even though both families in this story were vastly different they still showed the importance of love. Grief was handled in such a great way showing us that sometimes it can be completely consuming and you just cant get away from that. Zach was so complex and i loved how selfless and hardworking he was while still being conscious of his family which he has to support. Although it did annoy me how he was so stubborn with Vanessa when he left without talking to her but I understand that he was just trying to do something for himself for once. Vanessa was an interesting character to read about as she was so compassionate and strong willed. She helped me understand that everything isn’t so black and white and that i don’t have to stick with my plan no matter what that is at the time. Near the end i was very literally on the edge of my seat and on the verge of tears at the same time. The suspense was killing me and i had to keep reading without any distractions which rarely happens when I’m reading. Also Cece was the best and her relationship with Ada was super cute.
shannonion's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
shelovestoread's review
I don't know how i feel about this one but i am sure about one thing; the ending was way to abrupt and i needed more of zac pov? i think we didn't get a satisfying last word from him, we need his final chapter and his thought as the story was over
eliana_robins20's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
tryingtimes's review
3.0
It took me a while to get into Vanessa's character. I found her pretty entitled at the beginning, but I suspect her change of behaviour could be a result of the writer showing (and not telling!!) that Zach has an influence on her.
Zach is a pretty cliché character. Take the unluckiest guy in the world and you won't even imagine Zach. Zach has it even worse. And it might throw some people off, it might make people sigh and roll their eyes saying how predictable his misery keep following him. But I found him so endearing that I couldn't even think about it. Zach is the type of character you'd want to roll in a blanket and feed until he takes a very deserved nap. I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get to know more about his sisters, who are a big motivation for him to keep fighting but are barely present in the book. It's glimpses here and there, but I wished we'd had a full paragraph on how they behaved, what was their favorite things, etc. We get that Zach loves them so much that he's willing to sacrifice his life in exchange for theirs, but I wished we knew what he was sacrificing everything for. Apart from the fact that one of them is girly and the other is a Star Wars fan, that's pretty much everything we know of them.
Still, I found the writer's style pretty enjoyable. I wished we'd get to know more about Cece, how her family will react to her secret; what Aaron ends up doing regarding the lawsuit; what Zach and Vanessa end up to be, after his last chapter. It's pretty blurry and leaves us in a "imagine waht you want" type of situation. And I get that, as a writer myself. It's nice to imagine your readers reading and then imagine themselves the end of the story. Except that when you're on the other side, it's frustrating AF lol
Zach is a pretty cliché character. Take the unluckiest guy in the world and you won't even imagine Zach. Zach has it even worse. And it might throw some people off, it might make people sigh and roll their eyes saying how predictable his misery keep following him. But I found him so endearing that I couldn't even think about it. Zach is the type of character you'd want to roll in a blanket and feed until he takes a very deserved nap. I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get to know more about his sisters, who are a big motivation for him to keep fighting but are barely present in the book. It's glimpses here and there, but I wished we'd had a full paragraph on how they behaved, what was their favorite things, etc. We get that Zach loves them so much that he's willing to sacrifice his life in exchange for theirs, but I wished we knew what he was sacrificing everything for. Apart from the fact that one of them is girly and the other is a Star Wars fan, that's pretty much everything we know of them.
Still, I found the writer's style pretty enjoyable. I wished we'd get to know more about Cece, how her family will react to her secret; what Aaron ends up doing regarding the lawsuit; what Zach and Vanessa end up to be, after his last chapter. It's pretty blurry and leaves us in a "imagine waht you want" type of situation. And I get that, as a writer myself. It's nice to imagine your readers reading and then imagine themselves the end of the story. Except that when you're on the other side, it's frustrating AF lol
nerfherder86's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written realistic novel about two teens trying to navigate the future against the pull of staying put to take care of family. Interesting setting, an oil drilling town on the California coast. I loved the Carl Sagan quotes and the astronomy references (the girl is a huge astronomy buff). It's also a story about the clash of socioeconomic classes, girl from wealthy background meets working class boy. Also a lot about grief (boy has lost his father). Just a nice story. It does get a little melodramatic near the end, with a natural disaster/action storyline that doesn't quite seem to fit with the rest of the book, but I was invested by then and really found it a fun read.
kylieiskool's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book there were a lot of details and the romance was very well done, also some plot twists and mystery. overall a really good book
morgarelibrare's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars!
Awake in the World tells the coming of age story of two teens, Zach and Vanessa, who live on different ends of town, making them socioeconomic opposites.
Zach has a deeply depressed mother who is still caught up in mourning the loss of her husband, who died in an oil rig accident several years prior. Zach feels like he’s destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, and despite his incredible artistic ability, refuses to apply to college, seeing no point when he has to be the breadwinner and support his mother and young sisters.
Vanessa is newer to town, obsessed with the stars and cosmos, dreaming of studying astronomy at Cornell and being just like her hero, Carl Sagan. She’s overly optimist at times, and believes dreams can be achieved, no matter what obstacles stand in the way. She has a future, and often times can’t seem to understand why others don’t. Vanessa, like Zach, also has “daddy issues” seeing as her father left when she was younger, and love for the stars was something they shared.
A big portion of the book is Zach and Vanessa meeting and developing a relationship, from friends to something romantic. It’s very cute, but also immature at times and not very realistic. The writing style, however, is great! Everything is pretty much straight to the point, without unnecessary details, and it’s easy to follow. Sometimes the characters seem to have the same arguments over and over, which can be quite taxing, but for the most part, the pacing of the story is fast, and flows well.
Overall, a nice, quick read that often deals with deeper issues while still being hopeful and optimistic!
Awake in the World tells the coming of age story of two teens, Zach and Vanessa, who live on different ends of town, making them socioeconomic opposites.
Zach has a deeply depressed mother who is still caught up in mourning the loss of her husband, who died in an oil rig accident several years prior. Zach feels like he’s destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, and despite his incredible artistic ability, refuses to apply to college, seeing no point when he has to be the breadwinner and support his mother and young sisters.
Vanessa is newer to town, obsessed with the stars and cosmos, dreaming of studying astronomy at Cornell and being just like her hero, Carl Sagan. She’s overly optimist at times, and believes dreams can be achieved, no matter what obstacles stand in the way. She has a future, and often times can’t seem to understand why others don’t. Vanessa, like Zach, also has “daddy issues” seeing as her father left when she was younger, and love for the stars was something they shared.
A big portion of the book is Zach and Vanessa meeting and developing a relationship, from friends to something romantic. It’s very cute, but also immature at times and not very realistic. The writing style, however, is great! Everything is pretty much straight to the point, without unnecessary details, and it’s easy to follow. Sometimes the characters seem to have the same arguments over and over, which can be quite taxing, but for the most part, the pacing of the story is fast, and flows well.
Overall, a nice, quick read that often deals with deeper issues while still being hopeful and optimistic!