stormycorrinrussell's review against another edition
5.0
Great book!
Loved this book! The conflict was at every turn and the romance was authentic and sweet. I highly recommend it!
Loved this book! The conflict was at every turn and the romance was authentic and sweet. I highly recommend it!
dkgreads's review against another edition
3.0
3 out of 5 Stars
*I received a free copy of this eBook via the author in exchange for an honest review*
“Sometimes things just need to be said. There’s nothing wrong with black and white; it’s the shades of gray that cause problems.”
Ok. I’m just gonna say it: if I had not been asked to read this book, I would not have picked it up to read on my own.
I like to think that I’m a pretty open-minded person. But even as such, I don’t usually go for books that fall into the LGBT genre; it’s just not something that I do. That being said, I decided to give An Unstill Life a try because, regardless of how hesitant I was about that one particular aspect of the book, the rest of the plot sounded like something I would totally go for.
Livvie is your average teenaged girl. She hangs out with her friends. Gets a tattoo. Gossips about boys (well, she listens to her friends gossip about boys). Navigates the social jungle otherwise known as high school. Everything about her life is seemingly average. Until she gets The Call: the one phone call that has the power to unravel every fiber of Livvie’s world. Jules is sick again. The cancer has come back with a vengeance.
“We were pressed together in this tiny space. Yet not together. No one spoke. No one touched except Jules and me. And my arm around her felt like desperation, like I was clinging on, trying to keep her from drowning, even as my own head dipped beneath the surface.”
As Livvie struggles to come to grips with her sister’s relapse, the rest of her life seems to follow suit in taking a turn for the worse. Her two best friends all but abandon her as they discover the joys of dating. An act of presumably harmless fun comes back to haunt her with devastating consequences. Her mom becomes increasingly fanatical in her efforts to find a miracle cure for sister. Jules makes a request that places the weight of the world on her shoulders.
It’s under all of this pressure that Livvie discovers the comfort of Bianca’s friendship. As that friendship turns into something unexpected, something more, Livvie finds herself faced with a whole new set of problems: judegement. Discrimination. Bullying. All of which culminate in the banning of the girls from attending the Winter Formal as a couple.
Ms. Larkindale skillfully taps into what’s it like to be a teenager. The awkwardness. The impulsiveness. The rebelliousness. The growing pains. Then she mines deeper and gives you a look at what it would be like to watch someone close to you slowly slip away, right before your eyes. There’s no two ways about it, this is a very emotionally written book. And I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t always easy to read. The night of the big dance? It killed me. Like, literally slayed me, you guys.
The thing is, a major part of this book was dedicated to Livvie and Bianca’s relationship, and I just wasn’t quite sold on it. I know you’re thinking that I’m saying this because they’re both girls. This isn’t entirely true. I would also be commenting on this if Bianca was, oh say, a Ben.
Now hear me out: I actually thought that Bianca was good for Livvie. She was patient and tried to understand what Livvie was going through. She was supportive and gave Livvie confidence. She encouraged Livvie to face her problems head on instead of running away from them.
“Whatever problems you’re hiding from won’t go away just because you’re not there to face them.”
But even with all of that, I kind of felt like the two were together because of everything that happened rather than in spite of it. Like if Jules hadn’t fallen sick again, her mom hadn’t gone off the deep end, and her friends hadn’t tried to hook her up with the worst possible examples of the male species to ever roam the earth while completely ditching her, she may have never ended up with Bianca. But because all of that did happen, and Bianca was the only one there for her to lean on, she turned to her for all forms of comfort.
I mean, I got the distinct impression that Bianca was all in. She knew absolutely, without a doubt, who she was and where she stood about everything. She was confident in herself and didn’t really give two flips what others thought because of it. Livvie, on the other hand, constantly goes back and forth with whether what she’s feeling for Bianca is right or wrong. She only seems to embrace her feelings after the two of them are caught red handed, and even then I never felt like she fully committed to being gay. Sure, she fights for their right to go to the dance together (which I can’t believe someone was trying to take away, by the way. What kind of backward town still tries to pull that crap? Ugh.) and even gives a speech when the principal threatens to shut it down because they came, but the speech lacked the conviction that I was looking for. She even professes her love for Bianca (on more than one occasion), but it felt more like something she was trying out at the moment, rather than a way of life that she was dedicated to. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.
Either way, I would like to make one thing clear though: I Did Like This Book. Really, I did. So please don’t let my 3 Stars deter you from reading it. An Unstill Life is a very well written and emotional read, and you should check it out. It just happened to take me a few steps farther out of my comfort zone than I generally prefer to travel, is all.
“Embrace who you are, and you’ll be a whole lot happier.”
Originally posted on http://brilliantlynovel.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/an-unstill-life-by-kate-larkindale/
*I received a free copy of this eBook via the author in exchange for an honest review*
“Sometimes things just need to be said. There’s nothing wrong with black and white; it’s the shades of gray that cause problems.”
Ok. I’m just gonna say it: if I had not been asked to read this book, I would not have picked it up to read on my own.
I like to think that I’m a pretty open-minded person. But even as such, I don’t usually go for books that fall into the LGBT genre; it’s just not something that I do. That being said, I decided to give An Unstill Life a try because, regardless of how hesitant I was about that one particular aspect of the book, the rest of the plot sounded like something I would totally go for.
Livvie is your average teenaged girl. She hangs out with her friends. Gets a tattoo. Gossips about boys (well, she listens to her friends gossip about boys). Navigates the social jungle otherwise known as high school. Everything about her life is seemingly average. Until she gets The Call: the one phone call that has the power to unravel every fiber of Livvie’s world. Jules is sick again. The cancer has come back with a vengeance.
“We were pressed together in this tiny space. Yet not together. No one spoke. No one touched except Jules and me. And my arm around her felt like desperation, like I was clinging on, trying to keep her from drowning, even as my own head dipped beneath the surface.”
As Livvie struggles to come to grips with her sister’s relapse, the rest of her life seems to follow suit in taking a turn for the worse. Her two best friends all but abandon her as they discover the joys of dating. An act of presumably harmless fun comes back to haunt her with devastating consequences. Her mom becomes increasingly fanatical in her efforts to find a miracle cure for sister. Jules makes a request that places the weight of the world on her shoulders.
It’s under all of this pressure that Livvie discovers the comfort of Bianca’s friendship. As that friendship turns into something unexpected, something more, Livvie finds herself faced with a whole new set of problems: judegement. Discrimination. Bullying. All of which culminate in the banning of the girls from attending the Winter Formal as a couple.
Ms. Larkindale skillfully taps into what’s it like to be a teenager. The awkwardness. The impulsiveness. The rebelliousness. The growing pains. Then she mines deeper and gives you a look at what it would be like to watch someone close to you slowly slip away, right before your eyes. There’s no two ways about it, this is a very emotionally written book. And I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t always easy to read. The night of the big dance? It killed me. Like, literally slayed me, you guys.
The thing is, a major part of this book was dedicated to Livvie and Bianca’s relationship, and I just wasn’t quite sold on it. I know you’re thinking that I’m saying this because they’re both girls. This isn’t entirely true. I would also be commenting on this if Bianca was, oh say, a Ben.
Now hear me out: I actually thought that Bianca was good for Livvie. She was patient and tried to understand what Livvie was going through. She was supportive and gave Livvie confidence. She encouraged Livvie to face her problems head on instead of running away from them.
“Whatever problems you’re hiding from won’t go away just because you’re not there to face them.”
But even with all of that, I kind of felt like the two were together because of everything that happened rather than in spite of it. Like if Jules hadn’t fallen sick again, her mom hadn’t gone off the deep end, and her friends hadn’t tried to hook her up with the worst possible examples of the male species to ever roam the earth while completely ditching her, she may have never ended up with Bianca. But because all of that did happen, and Bianca was the only one there for her to lean on, she turned to her for all forms of comfort.
I mean, I got the distinct impression that Bianca was all in. She knew absolutely, without a doubt, who she was and where she stood about everything. She was confident in herself and didn’t really give two flips what others thought because of it. Livvie, on the other hand, constantly goes back and forth with whether what she’s feeling for Bianca is right or wrong. She only seems to embrace her feelings after the two of them are caught red handed, and even then I never felt like she fully committed to being gay. Sure, she fights for their right to go to the dance together (which I can’t believe someone was trying to take away, by the way. What kind of backward town still tries to pull that crap? Ugh.) and even gives a speech when the principal threatens to shut it down because they came, but the speech lacked the conviction that I was looking for. She even professes her love for Bianca (on more than one occasion), but it felt more like something she was trying out at the moment, rather than a way of life that she was dedicated to. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.
Either way, I would like to make one thing clear though: I Did Like This Book. Really, I did. So please don’t let my 3 Stars deter you from reading it. An Unstill Life is a very well written and emotional read, and you should check it out. It just happened to take me a few steps farther out of my comfort zone than I generally prefer to travel, is all.
“Embrace who you are, and you’ll be a whole lot happier.”
Originally posted on http://brilliantlynovel.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/an-unstill-life-by-kate-larkindale/
xan_van_rooyen's review against another edition
5.0
Gah! I hated so many of the characters in this book and my heart broke for Livvie and Bianca.
A beautifully written and poignant story dealing with more than one controversial issue, I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary issue-driven read.
I only wish there'd been a clearer hint at setting so that I had a better understanding of the context of this story. That said, this story is all about the characters so setting really isn't all that important.
A great LGBT positive read!
A beautifully written and poignant story dealing with more than one controversial issue, I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary issue-driven read.
I only wish there'd been a clearer hint at setting so that I had a better understanding of the context of this story. That said, this story is all about the characters so setting really isn't all that important.
A great LGBT positive read!
brokebybooks's review against another edition
2.0
-W/W
-A LOT going on
-Outting
-Homophobia including friends turning on her.
-Abusive and neglectful parent.
-Sister dying of cancer
-Assisted suicide request
-Unconsenual treatment.
-MC has synthesia, which comes across well
-I am sucker for art!
-WOOT Goth Girl!!
-WTF was that at the end? Like it's not that simple and why bring in an unnamed MI to explain a way a bad parent. They exist without MI's ya know?!
-At least the lesbian parents were cool, tho stereotypical.
-Another prom drama
-Prefer Chasing Nirvana, TBH.
-2 stars. Finishable, but problematic and typical. Meh.
-A LOT going on
-Outting
-Homophobia including friends turning on her.
-Abusive and neglectful parent.
-Sister dying of cancer
-Assisted suicide request
-Unconsenual treatment.
-MC has synthesia, which comes across well
-I am sucker for art!
-WOOT Goth Girl!!
-WTF was that at the end? Like it's not that simple and why bring in an unnamed MI to explain a way a bad parent. They exist without MI's ya know?!
-At least the lesbian parents were cool, tho stereotypical.
-Another prom drama
-Prefer Chasing Nirvana, TBH.
-2 stars. Finishable, but problematic and typical. Meh.
marissa_writes's review
2.0
*** I received a copy of this book for review ***
There are way too many topics thrown into this story... basically drop in all hot button topics into a pot, mix it all up, and throw it all out into the pages of this story. My brain was bogged down with the issues and I still don’t know much about anything else...
I will try to detangle the crazy of my thoughts and write up a bit of a review on my blog though.
There are way too many topics thrown into this story... basically drop in all hot button topics into a pot, mix it all up, and throw it all out into the pages of this story. My brain was bogged down with the issues and I still don’t know much about anything else...
I will try to detangle the crazy of my thoughts and write up a bit of a review on my blog though.
bubbadina's review
2.0
Meh.
I'm rating this before I even finish the book, because I'm surprised at how much my opinion on the plot and characters has by the time I'm 70% finished.
Let's start with how much I dislike Livvie's (main character) friends. They aren't even present in most of the story and ditch Livvie for a-hole boyfriends EVEN THOUGH her sister is dying. They only return to terrorize Livvie about her new-found sexual orientation. No "Hello-how-are-you-holding-up-heres-a-hug" kind of friends, more like "so-my-boyfriend-oh-wait-your-sister-is-dying" type of friends. WTF?! Can't even love to hate them.
Livvie- She would not stand up for herself when boys tried to use her (again and again) or when her bitchy friends threw more and more of those dickish boys at her (again and again). Her sister is merely forgotten when she finds herself a girlfriend. And shes my favorite character.
Her mom was just plain selfish. And that's it. Also only popping into the story when the plot thickens to bother Livvie instead of actually caring for her dying daughter's wishes or her living daughter's life. Huh. But not even excitingly antagonist-y.
Bianca was ok.
Livvie's synesthesia made for very interesting descriptions of her experiences. Really loved that part of the book, but it's a shame that the use of description based on her synesthesia dwindled as the book went on, and on, and on. I was very disappointed.
Excuse my rant.
My Recommendation: You might enjoy this one. I didn't.
I'm rating this before I even finish the book, because I'm surprised at how much my opinion on the plot and characters has by the time I'm 70% finished.
Let's start with how much I dislike Livvie's (main character) friends. They aren't even present in most of the story and ditch Livvie for a-hole boyfriends EVEN THOUGH her sister is dying. They only return to terrorize Livvie about her new-found sexual orientation. No "Hello-how-are-you-holding-up-heres-a-hug" kind of friends, more like "so-my-boyfriend-oh-wait-your-sister-is-dying" type of friends. WTF?! Can't even love to hate them.
Livvie- She would not stand up for herself when boys tried to use her (again and again) or when her bitchy friends threw more and more of those dickish boys at her (again and again). Her sister is merely forgotten when she finds herself a girlfriend. And shes my favorite character.
Her mom was just plain selfish. And that's it. Also only popping into the story when the plot thickens to bother Livvie instead of actually caring for her dying daughter's wishes or her living daughter's life. Huh. But not even excitingly antagonist-y.
Bianca was ok.
Livvie's synesthesia made for very interesting descriptions of her experiences. Really loved that part of the book, but it's a shame that the use of description based on her synesthesia dwindled as the book went on, and on, and on. I was very disappointed.
Excuse my rant.
My Recommendation: You might enjoy this one. I didn't.
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