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caffeineaddict980's review against another edition
5.0
'What good is a glossy outside, anyway, if all your insides are nothing but a shredded-up mess? Sooner or later whatever's inside comes out, right?"
This book is the most heartbreaking but beautiful novel that focuses around loss and the pain of grief that comes hand in hand with that loss.
Wow.
I have no words for how amazing this book really was.
A difficult read.
This book is the most heartbreaking but beautiful novel that focuses around loss and the pain of grief that comes hand in hand with that loss.
Wow.
I have no words for how amazing this book really was.
A difficult read.
bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about a girl named Rowan who's life is changed in the amount of time it takes for her to skip school and get caught. Is it really that simple? Yes, it is because all the events that follow wouldn't have happened the way they did, if Rowan had just been where she should have been. Rowans world is turned upside down and she must find a way to deal with it and continue to go on. This is a powerful and moving story of what grief does to a person and how it is very different for everyone. A can't miss kind of book I just adored.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
4.0
Here’s what I expected when I picked this book up: creepy, over-protective parents; a girl who’s somehow involved with an awful crime, witnessing a shooting or robbery or something; and then her family being harassed by the criminals or something along those lines. Let me tell you, that is not what this book is about at all. Rowan does cut school and there is a terrible crime (I don’t want to say what because even though it’s at the beginning of the book I still think it’s a spoiler) and it does have devastating consequences on her family, but it’s all so much more subtle and nuanced and devastating than anything I imagined going in.
First off, I loved Rowan’s parents. Maybe it’s because I’m an adult and not a teenager, but I didn’t think they were too sheltering at all. They were just trying to protect her from all the bad in the world, something her father is all too familiar with as a police officer, and trying to help her make good decisions. Sadly Rowan doesn’t always make good choices, which was probably my least favorite part of the book. I didn’t mind the decisions she was making, they just seemed really out of character for her. From getting drunk and fooling around with a much older guy when she was 13-years-old to getting drunk at a party and then wandering around town at 16-years-old, I just didn’t get it. Rowan’s best friend, this annoying girl named Nadia, is certainly a bad influence, but I also didn’t get why Rowan, someone who’s so nice, would be friends with someone like Nadia, who seems pretty awful. I also didn’t understand why Rowan seemed to have no other friends, there must have been nice, normal girls in her town.
Anyway, Rowan witnesses this accident and it’s not so much the horror of what she sees that haunts her, it’s the effect the accident has on those around her that’s so terrible. When the video goes viral the problem isn’t the people or associates of the those who committed the crime, the problem is the general public. People online rush to judgement and leave rude, hurtful, and judgmental comments and people in Rowan’s real life, from her school bus driver to her classmates say terrible things to Rowan. I love the internet, but it also allows people to be real a-holes and that was abundantly, sadly clear here.
There’s really two tragedies in this book, the first one, the crime that starts the story off (also, be warned that the book briefly switches to third person perspective to tell the story of the accident, but then switches back to Rowan’s first person perspective for the rest of the book) and then the tragedy that’s an indirect result of the crime that really comprises most of the story. Me Since You is probably the realest, most terrible portrayal of grief I’ve ever read. It was not easy to read, it was sad and painful and I cried for probably most of the book, but still, in the end I really liked and admired what Laura Wiess did. She certainly didn’t take the easy way out.
As much as I admired the way Laura Wiess handled must of the story, I also thought parts of it dragged which is why, even though I did really liked this book, I didn’t give it more than four stars. At the beginning I questioned why there was so much focus on Rowan’s job at the dry cleaner, but I will say, but the end I liked how that particular story line wrapped up. And as real as Rowan’s grief was I wish she would have relied on Eli a little bit more. I liked him tremendously and I was sad he didn’t figure into the story in a bigger way.
Bottom Line: This is a sad book. Get the tissues ready because it’s pretty much one tragedy after another. But it’s so worth it. Sometimes we need to read books that just make us cry and this is definitely one of those and it’s damn good at what it is. Rowan’s grief just seeps through the pages and really love what Laura Wiess did with her story.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
First off, I loved Rowan’s parents. Maybe it’s because I’m an adult and not a teenager, but I didn’t think they were too sheltering at all. They were just trying to protect her from all the bad in the world, something her father is all too familiar with as a police officer, and trying to help her make good decisions. Sadly Rowan doesn’t always make good choices, which was probably my least favorite part of the book. I didn’t mind the decisions she was making, they just seemed really out of character for her. From getting drunk and fooling around with a much older guy when she was 13-years-old to getting drunk at a party and then wandering around town at 16-years-old, I just didn’t get it. Rowan’s best friend, this annoying girl named Nadia, is certainly a bad influence, but I also didn’t get why Rowan, someone who’s so nice, would be friends with someone like Nadia, who seems pretty awful. I also didn’t understand why Rowan seemed to have no other friends, there must have been nice, normal girls in her town.
Anyway, Rowan witnesses this accident and it’s not so much the horror of what she sees that haunts her, it’s the effect the accident has on those around her that’s so terrible. When the video goes viral the problem isn’t the people or associates of the those who committed the crime, the problem is the general public. People online rush to judgement and leave rude, hurtful, and judgmental comments and people in Rowan’s real life, from her school bus driver to her classmates say terrible things to Rowan. I love the internet, but it also allows people to be real a-holes and that was abundantly, sadly clear here.
There’s really two tragedies in this book, the first one, the crime that starts the story off (also, be warned that the book briefly switches to third person perspective to tell the story of the accident, but then switches back to Rowan’s first person perspective for the rest of the book) and then the tragedy that’s an indirect result of the crime that really comprises most of the story. Me Since You is probably the realest, most terrible portrayal of grief I’ve ever read. It was not easy to read, it was sad and painful and I cried for probably most of the book, but still, in the end I really liked and admired what Laura Wiess did. She certainly didn’t take the easy way out.
As much as I admired the way Laura Wiess handled must of the story, I also thought parts of it dragged which is why, even though I did really liked this book, I didn’t give it more than four stars. At the beginning I questioned why there was so much focus on Rowan’s job at the dry cleaner, but I will say, but the end I liked how that particular story line wrapped up. And as real as Rowan’s grief was I wish she would have relied on Eli a little bit more. I liked him tremendously and I was sad he didn’t figure into the story in a bigger way.
Bottom Line: This is a sad book. Get the tissues ready because it’s pretty much one tragedy after another. But it’s so worth it. Sometimes we need to read books that just make us cry and this is definitely one of those and it’s damn good at what it is. Rowan’s grief just seeps through the pages and really love what Laura Wiess did with her story.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
kimching232's review against another edition
4.0
Sixteen-year-old Rowan Areno's life changes as she watches her father spiral deeper and deeper into depression. After failing to convince a man not to commit suicide with his newborn son, Rowan's dad, a police officer, blames himself. The depression hits, and after fighting a hard battle, her dad loses and commits suicide, leaving Rowan lost and disappointed. What's worse, he didn't even leave a note!
Me Since You is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed because of its uniqueness and how deeply I connected to it. Instead of starting the story after the suicide like most books would, Me Since You started from the very beginning and took me through the entire journey - the depression, how it was fought, the suicide, how it affected the ones left behind, and finally, the healing process. Laura Weiss possessed the ability to make the readers understand, and by doing so, took everyone in an emotional roller coaster ride.
During Rowan's healing process, she met Eli, who was also battling his own demons. I loved how Eli was not pushy at all, while being able to be there for Rowan. He gets Rowan's situation, even though his experience is not exactly the same. I loved how in finding solace with each other, Rowan and Eli were finally able to reconcile with their own tragedies.
This book holds a special place in my heart because I saw someone close to me fight the same battle, and I really felt a strong connection with the book and its characters. Everything just felt so real, and I commend Laura Weiss for writing about depression and suicide realistically and truthfully. It was truly a great read, and I recommend anyone who finds this interesting to give it a shot.
Me Since You is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed because of its uniqueness and how deeply I connected to it. Instead of starting the story after the suicide like most books would, Me Since You started from the very beginning and took me through the entire journey - the depression, how it was fought, the suicide, how it affected the ones left behind, and finally, the healing process. Laura Weiss possessed the ability to make the readers understand, and by doing so, took everyone in an emotional roller coaster ride.
During Rowan's healing process, she met Eli, who was also battling his own demons. I loved how Eli was not pushy at all, while being able to be there for Rowan. He gets Rowan's situation, even though his experience is not exactly the same. I loved how in finding solace with each other, Rowan and Eli were finally able to reconcile with their own tragedies.
This book holds a special place in my heart because I saw someone close to me fight the same battle, and I really felt a strong connection with the book and its characters. Everything just felt so real, and I commend Laura Weiss for writing about depression and suicide realistically and truthfully. It was truly a great read, and I recommend anyone who finds this interesting to give it a shot.
angelreads's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewed on Angel Reads
I received an e-copy in exchanged for an honest review.
I heard some really great things about Me Since You and I tell you, I wasn't disappointed at all. Apart from crying for 95% of the book, it was just such an amazing heart wrenching read.
I didn't know how to prepare myself for this book. I heard it was emotional but I just couldn't be prepared to any length for how emotional I got reading Me Since You. At the start I was slightly confused but then I got it. I liked that we got to see a rebel side of a girl since we don’t see that too much in YA. I liked that we got to see the dark side of the world. How hateful the world can be.
I found Rowan the main protagonist of Me Since You, very likable. I found what she did very understandable. I just seem to click with her and when I click with the voice of the story, everything else just seems to click as well.
Eli. Oh man I loved Eli. He was sweet, cute and caring. I just want him to be mine. He is so strong but puts this fort up. Then we see Rowan break it down, we see the real Eli who is heartbroken.
After the first incident I let a few tears falls, but the aftermath. They just kept falling and falling. I suggest anyone that reads this to have a bucket and 10 boxes of tissues. I had to put the book down a few times to try and collect my thoughts and calm myself down. As the novel went on it became nearly every chapter I was stoping and recollecting my thoughts. Maybe everyone is different, but as I have said before I am a very emotional person.
Me Since You just broke my heart. The feelings I received, I don’t think, can be explained unless you read it as well.
I have again mixed feelings about Rowan’s mum I understand what she is going through. My heart breaks for her, but I feel that she left her daughter when she need her most. But I am glad things did, to some point, work out.
The Grandparents, arrg yer they didn't agree with me at all. Especially the grandmother. I know she was trying to help, but just… I really enjoyed how Me Since You was written. It was captivating, heartbreaking and played with my emotions.
The ‘Before’ and ‘After’ separation of the novel really added depth to the story. Some authors don’t use the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ well but I think that Laura used it brilliantly. She gives us an insight on how grief effects not only the family, but those around them. I liked that Laura Wiess included different quotes from others. As well as including the grief journals they gave us, well, me as a reader, more of a real insight into Rowan and how she is affected.
Rowan and Eli’s relationship is just so damn cute. They are perfect for each other in more ways than one. They just fit. They know when they are needed and when they aren't.
Me Since You is a gripping. heart- wrenching novel that took me on a ride of emotions. Laura Wiess’s writing is beautiful and breathtaking.
I Give Me Since You 5 Stars out of 5
I received an e-copy in exchanged for an honest review.
I heard some really great things about Me Since You and I tell you, I wasn't disappointed at all. Apart from crying for 95% of the book, it was just such an amazing heart wrenching read.
I didn't know how to prepare myself for this book. I heard it was emotional but I just couldn't be prepared to any length for how emotional I got reading Me Since You. At the start I was slightly confused but then I got it. I liked that we got to see a rebel side of a girl since we don’t see that too much in YA. I liked that we got to see the dark side of the world. How hateful the world can be.
I found Rowan the main protagonist of Me Since You, very likable. I found what she did very understandable. I just seem to click with her and when I click with the voice of the story, everything else just seems to click as well.
Eli. Oh man I loved Eli. He was sweet, cute and caring. I just want him to be mine. He is so strong but puts this fort up. Then we see Rowan break it down, we see the real Eli who is heartbroken.
After the first incident I let a few tears falls, but the aftermath. They just kept falling and falling. I suggest anyone that reads this to have a bucket and 10 boxes of tissues. I had to put the book down a few times to try and collect my thoughts and calm myself down. As the novel went on it became nearly every chapter I was stoping and recollecting my thoughts. Maybe everyone is different, but as I have said before I am a very emotional person.
Me Since You just broke my heart. The feelings I received, I don’t think, can be explained unless you read it as well.
I have again mixed feelings about Rowan’s mum I understand what she is going through. My heart breaks for her, but I feel that she left her daughter when she need her most. But I am glad things did, to some point, work out.
The Grandparents, arrg yer they didn't agree with me at all. Especially the grandmother. I know she was trying to help, but just… I really enjoyed how Me Since You was written. It was captivating, heartbreaking and played with my emotions.
The ‘Before’ and ‘After’ separation of the novel really added depth to the story. Some authors don’t use the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ well but I think that Laura used it brilliantly. She gives us an insight on how grief effects not only the family, but those around them. I liked that Laura Wiess included different quotes from others. As well as including the grief journals they gave us, well, me as a reader, more of a real insight into Rowan and how she is affected.
Rowan and Eli’s relationship is just so damn cute. They are perfect for each other in more ways than one. They just fit. They know when they are needed and when they aren't.
Me Since You is a gripping. heart- wrenching novel that took me on a ride of emotions. Laura Wiess’s writing is beautiful and breathtaking.
I Give Me Since You 5 Stars out of 5
agrutle's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
This book was filled with grief. Rowan was a typical teenage girl, skipping school, missing curfew and partying with her friend Nadia. She's not very good at it because she gets caught just about every time. Her parents are strict, her dad, Nick, is a cop, so he worries about her. One day though he is just angry that she skipped school and he takes her home. While he takes her, he gets a call to go to a scene where a man is standing on a ledge with his baby strapped to him. There's also a boy named Eli there at the wrong place and the wrong time, he's the one that called 9-1-1. He's trying to get the man to get off the ledge or hand over his baby, but this man, he's determined to end things.
Nick tries to hold the guy off, wait for the response team to get there but he's unsuccessful, the man jumps and takes his three month old son with him. Nick is devastated and then the video from his car is leaked and that doesn't help matters. In fact it makes people call for his blood. He should be FIRED! How can the police just sit back and let a man stay on the force that was incompetent? He should have to pay for that baby's funeral.
On and on it goes and Rowan can see that it's taking a toll on her father, he sinks further and further in to a depression. It becomes too much for him and he does something drastic. It leaves Rowan questioning everything. If she hadn't been skipping school then maybe he would still be here, he wouldn't of gotten depressed, and he wouldn't of killed himself and left them alone.
All the while Eli is there for Rowan. Then Rowan pushes away everyone, she doesn't work she doesn't do anything but wake up and remember everyday that he's gone and he won't be back to pick up his dry cleaning or finish the book he left half read.
Watching the journey Rowan takes is heart-wrenching. She lives in the guilt and sadness for quite a while and then it almost seems like she just starts feeling a little bit better. Her mother though it takes a huge fight with her parents to get her to wake up and realize that she has to live and move on from the guilt she feels.
This book had a ton of ups and downs, more downs than anything. I wasn't expecting it to be as sad as it was. It seemed that everyone that was around Rowan had experienced some sort of loss. Also I wasn't a fan of her friend Nadia and in the end what happens with Nadia is a good thing.
This book was filled with grief. Rowan was a typical teenage girl, skipping school, missing curfew and partying with her friend Nadia. She's not very good at it because she gets caught just about every time. Her parents are strict, her dad, Nick, is a cop, so he worries about her. One day though he is just angry that she skipped school and he takes her home. While he takes her, he gets a call to go to a scene where a man is standing on a ledge with his baby strapped to him. There's also a boy named Eli there at the wrong place and the wrong time, he's the one that called 9-1-1. He's trying to get the man to get off the ledge or hand over his baby, but this man, he's determined to end things.
Nick tries to hold the guy off, wait for the response team to get there but he's unsuccessful, the man jumps and takes his three month old son with him. Nick is devastated and then the video from his car is leaked and that doesn't help matters. In fact it makes people call for his blood. He should be FIRED! How can the police just sit back and let a man stay on the force that was incompetent? He should have to pay for that baby's funeral.
On and on it goes and Rowan can see that it's taking a toll on her father, he sinks further and further in to a depression. It becomes too much for him and he does something drastic. It leaves Rowan questioning everything. If she hadn't been skipping school then maybe he would still be here, he wouldn't of gotten depressed, and he wouldn't of killed himself and left them alone.
All the while Eli is there for Rowan. Then Rowan pushes away everyone, she doesn't work she doesn't do anything but wake up and remember everyday that he's gone and he won't be back to pick up his dry cleaning or finish the book he left half read.
Watching the journey Rowan takes is heart-wrenching. She lives in the guilt and sadness for quite a while and then it almost seems like she just starts feeling a little bit better. Her mother though it takes a huge fight with her parents to get her to wake up and realize that she has to live and move on from the guilt she feels.
This book had a ton of ups and downs, more downs than anything. I wasn't expecting it to be as sad as it was. It seemed that everyone that was around Rowan had experienced some sort of loss. Also I wasn't a fan of her friend Nadia and in the end what happens with Nadia is a good thing.
nannasa16's review against another edition
5.0
http://katnissbraid.blogspot.it/2013/12/me-since-you-unmesedaindie.html
*ARC COPY FROM NETGALLEY*
that's so perfect, it's just heartbreaking, raw, sad and true.
a journey through depression and life choices, full review coming soon on ;DIAVS
*ARC COPY FROM NETGALLEY*
that's so perfect, it's just heartbreaking, raw, sad and true.
a journey through depression and life choices, full review coming soon on ;DIAVS
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
Me Since You by Laura Weiss is one of those books that I went into knowing I was going to shed some tears and sure enough, it happened. When I finished this book I sat thinking about what I would write without and I know that my review will most likely not do this story justice. At its simplest, this book is about realizing life isn't always fair and then dealing with all the things that are thrown at you.
Rowan is sixteen and doing whatever she can to feel a sense of freedom. Her father is a local police officer and just like most sixteen year olds, Rowan wants to do what she wants, wear what she wants and get out from under her parents’ thumbs. When Rowan and her best friend Nadia are invited to hang out with some senior boys on senior skip day, they jump at the chance. Unfortunately for Rowan, plans change a bit and because she knows she will never make it back with enough time to make it to work on time, she can’t go.
This is the event that becomes the catalyst to a whole bunch of “what ifs.” Because she is left at the McDonalds, Rowan’s father, Nick, happens to see her and while home with her trying to figure out what she thought she was doing, gets a call that there is someone threatening to jump off the overpass with his 3 month old son. When Nick responds to the call and is unable to influence the jumper, Corey, to get down not only does his life change but so do Rowan’s, her mom’s, and another bystander, Eli. There is a massive ripple effect as it is called in the book.
The list of what ifs are lengthy – what if Rowan had never skipped, what if Eli had just kept walking on the overpass, what if Nick hadn't been so close to the call…all of these things lead into the bigger question of would things have been different? Unfortunately there is no real answer here.
I thought Wiess did a wonderful job of developing these characters and making me care about (or really dislike) them. Rowan is sixteen and acts like a normal sixteen year old. Nick is used to being the protector and hero and when he feels like he is no longer seen that way, he doesn't know what to do.
Eli has been going through a lot over the last year and this tragedy is just another thing that shakes him to the core. The fact that he and Rowan begin to develop a friendship and then more is not only good for him but he can help Rowan because although he doesn't know exactly what she is going through, he understands enough to know that he will be there for her when she needs him and will back off when she doesn't.
It is rare that I have such anger toward a character but Nadia, who was supposed to be Rowan’s best friend, just seemed to do everything wrong. Not only when Rowan was dealing with the things with her father but from the very beginning of the book. The second she completely bailed on Rowan at McDonalds, I knew in my heart that she wasn't someone I would like and sure enough, she lived up to my expectations.
Another thing I thought Wiess did well was setting up the chapters. The story flowed and each section was introduced with a quote that perfectly fit that part of the story. The addition of the grief journal was perfect and gave me insight into just what Rowan was feeling toward her father. This is a moving story that contains so many emotions - sadness, anger, happiness, loss, grief, and love just to name a few. If you enjoy a beautifully written story with wonderful characters definitely check this one out.
Rowan is sixteen and doing whatever she can to feel a sense of freedom. Her father is a local police officer and just like most sixteen year olds, Rowan wants to do what she wants, wear what she wants and get out from under her parents’ thumbs. When Rowan and her best friend Nadia are invited to hang out with some senior boys on senior skip day, they jump at the chance. Unfortunately for Rowan, plans change a bit and because she knows she will never make it back with enough time to make it to work on time, she can’t go.
This is the event that becomes the catalyst to a whole bunch of “what ifs.” Because she is left at the McDonalds, Rowan’s father, Nick, happens to see her and while home with her trying to figure out what she thought she was doing, gets a call that there is someone threatening to jump off the overpass with his 3 month old son. When Nick responds to the call and is unable to influence the jumper, Corey, to get down not only does his life change but so do Rowan’s, her mom’s, and another bystander, Eli. There is a massive ripple effect as it is called in the book.
The list of what ifs are lengthy – what if Rowan had never skipped, what if Eli had just kept walking on the overpass, what if Nick hadn't been so close to the call…all of these things lead into the bigger question of would things have been different? Unfortunately there is no real answer here.
I thought Wiess did a wonderful job of developing these characters and making me care about (or really dislike) them. Rowan is sixteen and acts like a normal sixteen year old. Nick is used to being the protector and hero and when he feels like he is no longer seen that way, he doesn't know what to do.
Eli has been going through a lot over the last year and this tragedy is just another thing that shakes him to the core. The fact that he and Rowan begin to develop a friendship and then more is not only good for him but he can help Rowan because although he doesn't know exactly what she is going through, he understands enough to know that he will be there for her when she needs him and will back off when she doesn't.
It is rare that I have such anger toward a character but Nadia, who was supposed to be Rowan’s best friend, just seemed to do everything wrong. Not only when Rowan was dealing with the things with her father but from the very beginning of the book. The second she completely bailed on Rowan at McDonalds, I knew in my heart that she wasn't someone I would like and sure enough, she lived up to my expectations.
Another thing I thought Wiess did well was setting up the chapters. The story flowed and each section was introduced with a quote that perfectly fit that part of the story. The addition of the grief journal was perfect and gave me insight into just what Rowan was feeling toward her father. This is a moving story that contains so many emotions - sadness, anger, happiness, loss, grief, and love just to name a few. If you enjoy a beautifully written story with wonderful characters definitely check this one out.
somarostam's review against another edition
4.0
I am definitely not familiar with the author. And anyone who has been following this blog for a long time, knows that I have a knack for trying out new authors that I know nothing about. I really didn't put a lot of expectations into this one but it took me totally by surprise.
Rowan's life is boring enough, for a high school student. But things take a different turn when a man decides to suicide on the bridge near her house with his little kid. This devastating incident takes its toll on Rowan's father, the police officer on the scene and one of the witnesses, Eli. Life will never be normal again for Rowan, and a while later, the person she loved her whole life is going to leave her and she has to cope with it alone.
This is a very dark read. It doesn't seem like that in the beginning , considering Rowan and her actions. She is a rebellious teenger who hates being under the control of her strict parents. It almost feels like she does things just to piss them off. Then her officer father witnesses a suicide by a man and his kid, and this changed everyone. This book takes a dark side when another suicide happens in Rowan's family. This book is mainly about suicide and the aftermath of it. How it affects the people who are left behind,not the people who are gone.
Rowan undergoes a lot of changes through the course of this book. Not exactly for the better, but not for worse, either. She just develops and grows up, which is something we need to do in our lives, sooner or later. Her relationship with her mother was a focal point in the story and i loved watching them cope with being left alone with their extreme sadness. It was a refreshing take on the whole aspect of grief and what it really means.
There is also a romance in this story and it was so beautiful. Eli is a broken guy, too. With his father dead and him witnessing a suicide, it changes him a lot. But together, Eli and Rowan try to fix each other and slowly, you fall in love with their determination and everything about them. Watching this whole reckless, sweet, and loyal love unfold was surreal for me.
The end was definitely not what I expected and it took me a little by surprise but it also healed my broken heart over the events in the book. Although this book might be a bit too dark for some people, I really couldn't find anything wrong with it. IT was thought-provoking and intense and it left me with a lot of thoughts, for later, I'm sure it would be for You readers, too.
Rowan's life is boring enough, for a high school student. But things take a different turn when a man decides to suicide on the bridge near her house with his little kid. This devastating incident takes its toll on Rowan's father, the police officer on the scene and one of the witnesses, Eli. Life will never be normal again for Rowan, and a while later, the person she loved her whole life is going to leave her and she has to cope with it alone.
This is a very dark read. It doesn't seem like that in the beginning , considering Rowan and her actions. She is a rebellious teenger who hates being under the control of her strict parents. It almost feels like she does things just to piss them off. Then her officer father witnesses a suicide by a man and his kid, and this changed everyone. This book takes a dark side when another suicide happens in Rowan's family. This book is mainly about suicide and the aftermath of it. How it affects the people who are left behind,not the people who are gone.
Rowan undergoes a lot of changes through the course of this book. Not exactly for the better, but not for worse, either. She just develops and grows up, which is something we need to do in our lives, sooner or later. Her relationship with her mother was a focal point in the story and i loved watching them cope with being left alone with their extreme sadness. It was a refreshing take on the whole aspect of grief and what it really means.
There is also a romance in this story and it was so beautiful. Eli is a broken guy, too. With his father dead and him witnessing a suicide, it changes him a lot. But together, Eli and Rowan try to fix each other and slowly, you fall in love with their determination and everything about them. Watching this whole reckless, sweet, and loyal love unfold was surreal for me.
The end was definitely not what I expected and it took me a little by surprise but it also healed my broken heart over the events in the book. Although this book might be a bit too dark for some people, I really couldn't find anything wrong with it. IT was thought-provoking and intense and it left me with a lot of thoughts, for later, I'm sure it would be for You readers, too.
nikkihrose's review against another edition
4.0
If you've ever read a book by Laura Wiess, you know that she has a way to make every reader feel.
I spend most of my time reading murder mysteries - and yet the traumatic experiences and events of these novels don't come close to affecting me the way Wiess' books do.
Taking on horrific and real emotions, Wiess weaves together fictitious stories that are so well crafted, readers can see the reality of it happening to them, while simultaneously wishing to never have to experience that kind of pain.
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Rowan Areno is a seemingly calm and rebellious teenager, if you can imagine both in one sixteen-year-old girl. In fact, she seems more on the calm side, but between her lackadaisical best friend and having a cop for a father, Rowan feels the need to push the boundaries every once in awhile. Until her one wrong moves lands her in a dangerous position, her parents find out, her dad ends up at home for discipline purposes, and is called to the scene of a life-altering event.
Nothing in Rowan's life is the same after that day, but it takes awhile before she can see it for herself. Watching from the window as her father tries to talk a man and his infant child off the edge of the overpass bridge, Rowan cannot unsee the horror - or the trauma that her father has now endured. And neither can he.
The night before is magical, though. She attends the senior prom as a sophomore with her best friend, and despite it not going remotely as she planned, it is more than she could have ever hoped for. Until she wakes up the next day.
Through a series of events no one could predict, Rowan finds herself battling emotions she never expected to even comprehend. Luckily, Rowan isn't the only one going through it and manages to find comfort in a stranger, Eli, who not only witnesses the same events, but also relates to Rowan's loss on a personal level.
While his presence is comforting, Eli has his own obstacles to overcome and cope with, and struggles to be there for Rowan the way he thinks she needs. Knew to this kind of pain, Rowan is unsure of what she truly needs, and ultimately pushes everyone away until she is left wondering if she is even truly there for herself when she needs the support most.
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A story so deeply rooted in painful emotion, there were times I had to put it down and walk away for the sake of my own mental health. But the desire to know more - how Rowan and her mother would handle it all - and whether or not they would ever find what they were looking for, always kept me flipping to the next page.
Definitely a powerful text, readers should be aware of suicide trigger warnings before picking up this book.
I spend most of my time reading murder mysteries - and yet the traumatic experiences and events of these novels don't come close to affecting me the way Wiess' books do.
Taking on horrific and real emotions, Wiess weaves together fictitious stories that are so well crafted, readers can see the reality of it happening to them, while simultaneously wishing to never have to experience that kind of pain.
---
Rowan Areno is a seemingly calm and rebellious teenager, if you can imagine both in one sixteen-year-old girl. In fact, she seems more on the calm side, but between her lackadaisical best friend and having a cop for a father, Rowan feels the need to push the boundaries every once in awhile. Until her one wrong moves lands her in a dangerous position, her parents find out, her dad ends up at home for discipline purposes, and is called to the scene of a life-altering event.
Nothing in Rowan's life is the same after that day, but it takes awhile before she can see it for herself. Watching from the window as her father tries to talk a man and his infant child off the edge of the overpass bridge, Rowan cannot unsee the horror - or the trauma that her father has now endured. And neither can he.
The night before is magical, though. She attends the senior prom as a sophomore with her best friend, and despite it not going remotely as she planned, it is more than she could have ever hoped for. Until she wakes up the next day.
Through a series of events no one could predict, Rowan finds herself battling emotions she never expected to even comprehend. Luckily, Rowan isn't the only one going through it and manages to find comfort in a stranger, Eli, who not only witnesses the same events, but also relates to Rowan's loss on a personal level.
While his presence is comforting, Eli has his own obstacles to overcome and cope with, and struggles to be there for Rowan the way he thinks she needs. Knew to this kind of pain, Rowan is unsure of what she truly needs, and ultimately pushes everyone away until she is left wondering if she is even truly there for herself when she needs the support most.
---
A story so deeply rooted in painful emotion, there were times I had to put it down and walk away for the sake of my own mental health. But the desire to know more - how Rowan and her mother would handle it all - and whether or not they would ever find what they were looking for, always kept me flipping to the next page.
Definitely a powerful text, readers should be aware of suicide trigger warnings before picking up this book.