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hhudgens's review
1.0
I'm seriously starting to think I read the wrong book. Everyone is raving about the "intense beauty" and I just didn't see it. There was nothing beautiful about this book. It was either boring or annoying. I didn't like any of the characters. Most of them I hated. Flynn was okay. Sometimes I thought he was kind of a dick and that was automatically put off on his Asberger's. I have a family member with it and he is the sweetest guy. He just gets panicky every once in a while and kind of does quirky stuff. Maybe Flynn's was supposed to be more severe. Anyway, I found nothing likeable about this story. The writing was riddled with grammatical errors. I don't know where everyone is getting that the writing was flawless. Words were missing or repeated. Sometimes words were put in that didn't even make sense. Ellie was annoying and self-pitying. She purposefully pushed everyone away then whined about being alone. I won't even go into how deplorable her friends were. I wished Dania had died in labor. Flynn was such a flat character, especially in the excerpts from his point of view. He was mad. He was sad. He was yelling. I had high hopes before I read this book that the author would explore how dynamic the disorder is. I really wanted to see into the mind of Flynn and have my perception changed about the disorder. Instead, she might as well have made him a six year old. He talked that way the entire time...even when they had sex. That kinda made my skin crawl. I thought the book would be about Flynn and Ellie overcoming Flynn's Asbergers, not make it the focus of everything. Flynn wasn't just a guy with it. He was Asberger's...in every scene. I didn't believe that Ellie had grown enough throughout the novel to be able to make the leap to a four year university thousands of miles away by herself. Someone like that would shrug their shoulders, forget the whole thing, and maybe move in with Flynn. Hey, it's a free place to stay right? I had to really push myself to finish this and that was only because I was waiting for some redeeming ending. Ahem. Guess not.
Oh and there was a lot of telling instead of showing...like 90% of the book was Ellie telling how she feels and explaining why she's doing something. It doesn't let the reader get involved much.
Oh and there was a lot of telling instead of showing...like 90% of the book was Ellie telling how she feels and explaining why she's doing something. It doesn't let the reader get involved much.
kaylakaotik's review against another edition
5.0
Reclaiming the Sand is a wonderfully beautiful book. It’s the type of book that will stick with you long after you’ve read it. It’s sweet, touching, heartbreaking, and absolutely perfect.
Told from the perspectives of Ellie and Flynn, the story gripped my heart from the very beginning. Ellie was right. At times, I hated her. I absolutely hated her and how she handled her life. Of course, I held out hope for her. In my heart, I truly felt Ellie wanted nothing more than to be better than what she had been (not just for Flynn, but for herself as well). And she was right again when she said I’d love Flynn. I did, oh so much. Of course, he’s not your typical “book boyfriend.” He’s different. He has Asperger’s (a form of Autism). None of that mattered, though. He has honest (to a fault), he was sweet, and he was innocence. I fell in love with Flynn.
Ellie and Flynn’s story was unlike anything that I’ve read. It was unconventional, full of trials that most people never have to deal with, and full of a love that most of the world longs to experience but won’t. The author writes their story with a beauty that most (let’s be honest, all) romance novels should be jealous of. Even though you’ll likely hate Ellie at times and become frustrated with Flynn, their story will penetrate your soul and stay with you long after you’ve read it.
Reclaiming the Sand is my favorite book (so far) of the year.
Told from the perspectives of Ellie and Flynn, the story gripped my heart from the very beginning. Ellie was right. At times, I hated her. I absolutely hated her and how she handled her life. Of course, I held out hope for her. In my heart, I truly felt Ellie wanted nothing more than to be better than what she had been (not just for Flynn, but for herself as well). And she was right again when she said I’d love Flynn. I did, oh so much. Of course, he’s not your typical “book boyfriend.” He’s different. He has Asperger’s (a form of Autism). None of that mattered, though. He has honest (to a fault), he was sweet, and he was innocence. I fell in love with Flynn.
Ellie and Flynn’s story was unlike anything that I’ve read. It was unconventional, full of trials that most people never have to deal with, and full of a love that most of the world longs to experience but won’t. The author writes their story with a beauty that most (let’s be honest, all) romance novels should be jealous of. Even though you’ll likely hate Ellie at times and become frustrated with Flynn, their story will penetrate your soul and stay with you long after you’ve read it.
Reclaiming the Sand is my favorite book (so far) of the year.
daisybox's review
4.0
Beautiful story about Asperger and unconditional love ! Really REALLY well written. Very emotional, I felt Ellie's struggles, her anger, her pain. Flynn saved her in every way that a person can be saved (I totally stole that line from Titanic but it's so right... but hey Flynn doesn't die in freezing water so...).
The first half was a bit slow but it needed to be that way to allow the story and the characters to settle.
And the title, brillant, I loved the metaphor !
The first half was a bit slow but it needed to be that way to allow the story and the characters to settle.
And the title, brillant, I loved the metaphor !
sammyj91's review
5.0
I really liked this book. I never truly hated Ellie though. She could be a real biatch sometimes but she grew up and I really enjoyed reading her story. I couldn't stand Dania at first but in the end I liked her. These characters learned from their mistakes in the end and actually grew up. There is only a handful of books I've read that shows how much the characters matured. I really liked Flynn too and kudos to anyone going through the same thing he and his mom went through. I can't wait to read more from this author!
lunaren's review
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jaywithwhiskey's review
4.0
This broke my heart. Cried throughout the whole thing. Have to say though, Ellie whined throughout the whole book, not even so much whining but repeating her feelings over and over and over again. It was too much and I usually have patience for that. But watching the two of them discover each other was wonderful and having the girl come from an unconventional background.
alienor's review against another edition
2.0
▒ Buddy Read with my favorite Indy girl Chelsea* ▒
*click to read her review
I love reviewing books, I really do. Yet sometimes I come across a book which I don't want to review at all. Why here? Although I did feel contradictory emotions through my read, I end feeling hollow in the end.
As you can guess, I don't like this sensation at all.
#PlotLacking aka I'm not impressed that much
The story was going nowhere. I'm sorry but it's true. That's my truth, anyway. Of course we can argue that it's a journey to forgiveness and acceptance - of course. Yet while the first half did a very good job at setting the scene and introducing these mostly awful characters, the second part lost me at some point. Perhaps I missed something, but in my opinion the story started to drag without real aim, except for waiting for the big revelation that we just KNEW would shatter everything. Don't get me wrong, I was expecting the angst, I really was, but while I thought I was okay with it I realized pretty fast that it was the kind of angst I can't stand : the "I-know-what-will-happen-and-I'm-dreading-it" kind of angst. I can't help but loathe it, because in my opinion that's the easiest kind of angst. The easiest way to make readers feel and to ensure the success of the book. Sorry but I'm not buying it, I'm just annoyed.
#IWantYouToRotInHell aka Why, hello, awful characters!
Now, I don't think I'm picky with characters and I know that I have in me to love evil characters. Hell, I adored Jorg from The Broken Empire and he's such a sick devil. So, nah, I wasn't particularly worried before starting it. But damn, I didn't expect to meet such DUMB SICK BASTARDS. I'll keep it short because I'm feeling judgmental toward them but COME. ON. There's only so many craps I can take, and when the characters make you feel the urge to SKIM whole parts of the book (I resisted), that's problematic, right?
► Dania : You evil irresponsible BITCH. I can overtake a lot of things, but not only this girl is mean, manipulative, but she fucking continues to drink and take drug while she's PREGNANT and that made me rage. Fucking RAGE because she's so STUPID and SELFISH.
► Stu & Shane : What a bunch of selfish sick and disgusting bastards. I don't even want to talk about them.
► Ellie : What can I say about our main character? Did I hate her? Oh yes I did. Yet I tried to understand her, I really tried, and I can't deny that she managed to move me several times - But damn, it seemed that each time I was starting to warm a little to her she HAD to do something stupid or mean or selfish - not to mention the flashbacks that destroyed any pretention to like her I could have. Seeing her sick behavior through Flynn's eyes made me often want to slap her and call her on a shit because what a COWARD. Seriously. Oh, excuse me, am I supposed to feel sorry for her? The truth is, I could have. Really. Because she was put into a considerable amount of shit in her life, I must admit. But despite her evolution, despite the cute moments, despite all that can be seen as beautiful in their story, in the end, I'm leaving her with a bitter aftertaste.
✘ I'm not sure what the story is supposed to teach us. That love overtakes everything? I hate this message. No, I don't think serial-killers and dictators deserve to be loved, I'm mean like that. Therefore even though Ellie is far from being a serial-killer, I JUST CAN'T ROOT FOR HER AND FLYNN. I fucking can't and I'm not sorry for it, because her bunch of friends and her aren't anything but cowards, assholes, and STUPID BULLIES.
I can love villains, but I have absolutely NO patience for stupidity, especially when it HURTS others.
▨ Why would you want to read it? Well, for Flynn of course.
► Flynn : Meet this adorable, kind and smart man, whose utter and complete love for Ellie makes him forgive her for EVERYTHING and makes me want to shake him. To be frank, what bothered me the most is the fact that I can't understand WHY Flynn wants to be Ellie's friend in the first place, let alone LOVES her. Don't get me wrong, I adored him (how couldn't I?) yet a little part of me stays mad because HE DESERVES BETTER ← See? That was me being a judgmental bitch. And I'm not even sorry for that.
#BigMissOnMe aka Maybe this book isn't for me
Finally, I can look at all the aspects of the problem, if I'm being frank, here's what I think : if I was giving the choice to read it knowing how I would feel in the end, I wouldn't read it.
▨ As for the ending?
Totally anticlimactic.
Therefore I can't decently give it a positive rating, even if I can't deny that it was well-written. This being said, I can understand why people loved it, their reviews point really well why this book is beautiful - but all this touching beauty was completely lost on me and I can't base my rating on what I am SUPPOSED to feel. Because even if there were some parts where I felt overwhelmed, most of the time it was just the opposite : underwhelming and disappointing.
✘Conclusion? This book wasn't for me. Let me just forget it now.
*click to read her review
I love reviewing books, I really do. Yet sometimes I come across a book which I don't want to review at all. Why here? Although I did feel contradictory emotions through my read, I end feeling hollow in the end.
As you can guess, I don't like this sensation at all.
#PlotLacking aka I'm not impressed that much
The story was going nowhere. I'm sorry but it's true. That's my truth, anyway. Of course we can argue that it's a journey to forgiveness and acceptance - of course. Yet while the first half did a very good job at setting the scene and introducing these mostly awful characters, the second part lost me at some point. Perhaps I missed something, but in my opinion the story started to drag without real aim, except for waiting for the big revelation that we just KNEW would shatter everything. Don't get me wrong, I was expecting the angst, I really was, but while I thought I was okay with it I realized pretty fast that it was the kind of angst I can't stand : the "I-know-what-will-happen-and-I'm-dreading-it" kind of angst. I can't help but loathe it, because in my opinion that's the easiest kind of angst. The easiest way to make readers feel and to ensure the success of the book. Sorry but I'm not buying it, I'm just annoyed.
#IWantYouToRotInHell aka Why, hello, awful characters!
Now, I don't think I'm picky with characters and I know that I have in me to love evil characters. Hell, I adored Jorg from The Broken Empire and he's such a sick devil. So, nah, I wasn't particularly worried before starting it. But damn, I didn't expect to meet such DUMB SICK BASTARDS. I'll keep it short because I'm feeling judgmental toward them but COME. ON. There's only so many craps I can take, and when the characters make you feel the urge to SKIM whole parts of the book (I resisted), that's problematic, right?
► Dania : You evil irresponsible BITCH. I can overtake a lot of things, but not only this girl is mean, manipulative, but she fucking continues to drink and take drug while she's PREGNANT and that made me rage. Fucking RAGE because she's so STUPID and SELFISH.
► Stu & Shane : What a bunch of selfish sick and disgusting bastards. I don't even want to talk about them.
► Ellie : What can I say about our main character? Did I hate her? Oh yes I did. Yet I tried to understand her, I really tried, and I can't deny that she managed to move me several times - But damn, it seemed that each time I was starting to warm a little to her she HAD to do something stupid or mean or selfish - not to mention the flashbacks that destroyed any pretention to like her I could have. Seeing her sick behavior through Flynn's eyes made me often want to slap her and call her on a shit because what a COWARD. Seriously. Oh, excuse me, am I supposed to feel sorry for her? The truth is, I could have. Really. Because she was put into a considerable amount of shit in her life, I must admit. But despite her evolution, despite the cute moments, despite all that can be seen as beautiful in their story, in the end, I'm leaving her with a bitter aftertaste.
✘ I'm not sure what the story is supposed to teach us. That love overtakes everything? I hate this message. No, I don't think serial-killers and dictators deserve to be loved, I'm mean like that. Therefore even though Ellie is far from being a serial-killer, I JUST CAN'T ROOT FOR HER AND FLYNN. I fucking can't and I'm not sorry for it, because her bunch of friends and her aren't anything but cowards, assholes, and STUPID BULLIES.
I can love villains, but I have absolutely NO patience for stupidity, especially when it HURTS others.
▨ Why would you want to read it? Well, for Flynn of course.
► Flynn : Meet this adorable, kind and smart man, whose utter and complete love for Ellie makes him forgive her for EVERYTHING and makes me want to shake him. To be frank, what bothered me the most is the fact that I can't understand WHY Flynn wants to be Ellie's friend in the first place, let alone LOVES her. Don't get me wrong, I adored him (how couldn't I?) yet a little part of me stays mad because HE DESERVES BETTER ← See? That was me being a judgmental bitch. And I'm not even sorry for that.
#BigMissOnMe aka Maybe this book isn't for me
Finally, I can look at all the aspects of the problem, if I'm being frank, here's what I think : if I was giving the choice to read it knowing how I would feel in the end, I wouldn't read it.
▨ As for the ending?
Totally anticlimactic.
Therefore I can't decently give it a positive rating, even if I can't deny that it was well-written. This being said, I can understand why people loved it, their reviews point really well why this book is beautiful - but all this touching beauty was completely lost on me and I can't base my rating on what I am SUPPOSED to feel. Because even if there were some parts where I felt overwhelmed, most of the time it was just the opposite : underwhelming and disappointing.
✘Conclusion? This book wasn't for me. Let me just forget it now.
gabookaholics's review against another edition
4.0
Flynn was definitely the shining star in this book. It made me cringe and want to throw my iPad anytime Ellie made him cry or yell. Ellie is the reason this book got 4 stars. It's definitely a love/hate relationship with her. There were definitely times I considered just stoping reading because I was so upset with what was happening, but I'm glad I read until the end.
daisybox's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful story about Asperger and unconditional love ! Really REALLY well written. Very emotional, I felt Ellie's struggles, her anger, her pain. Flynn saved her in every way that a person can be saved (I totally stole that line from Titanic but it's so right... but hey Flynn doesn't die in freezing water so...).
The first half was a bit slow but it needed to be that way to allow the story and the characters to settle.
And the title, brillant, I loved the metaphor !
The first half was a bit slow but it needed to be that way to allow the story and the characters to settle.
And the title, brillant, I loved the metaphor !
thedaydreamreader's review against another edition
5.0
Review can also be seen in Raves and Reads
I have never encountered a New Adult book that had me wanting to bawl my eyes out at every turn of the page.
Colleen Hoover made my eyes hurt from keeping the tears but not one dropped from them.
The Time Traveler's Wife is a whole different matter (for I have truly used my pillow as my tissue every. single. time.)
But Reclaiming the Sand?
Reclaiming the Sand had my heart breaking and at the same time mending it again.
Then breaking it again. Yet, still mending it once more. It's a cycle of the pains and joys that the characters go through that made me experience such things.
The author, through her words, had my heart after the first three chapters.
She has squeezed the emotions out of it (my heart, I mean) to the point that I just want to cuddle my reader and cry, laugh and even be mad at the characters.
What has inspired such emotions from me is how raw the characters are. Ellie and Flynn had so, so much pain in their pasts, how they relate to others and to one another can really make the readers feel.
Sympathy, joy, hope, anger and contentment.
What I also like so much is that it did not only focus on their relationship but also their dreams, struggles and realities.
It never colored their relationship in a rosy way.
It showed a reality. The reality of hurting others, of not being true to oneself.
The story showed every hurt and the love and patience they learned over time.
Ellie and Flynn can make you feel pain.
They can make you feel happiness.
They can make you feel love.
They can make you hope.
Even when you think all is lost.
I have never encountered a New Adult book that had me wanting to bawl my eyes out at every turn of the page.
Colleen Hoover made my eyes hurt from keeping the tears but not one dropped from them.
The Time Traveler's Wife is a whole different matter (for I have truly used my pillow as my tissue every. single. time.)
But Reclaiming the Sand?
Reclaiming the Sand had my heart breaking and at the same time mending it again.
Then breaking it again. Yet, still mending it once more. It's a cycle of the pains and joys that the characters go through that made me experience such things.
The author, through her words, had my heart after the first three chapters.
She has squeezed the emotions out of it (my heart, I mean) to the point that I just want to cuddle my reader and cry, laugh and even be mad at the characters.
What has inspired such emotions from me is how raw the characters are. Ellie and Flynn had so, so much pain in their pasts, how they relate to others and to one another can really make the readers feel.
Sympathy, joy, hope, anger and contentment.
What I also like so much is that it did not only focus on their relationship but also their dreams, struggles and realities.
It never colored their relationship in a rosy way.
It showed a reality. The reality of hurting others, of not being true to oneself.
The story showed every hurt and the love and patience they learned over time.
Ellie and Flynn can make you feel pain.
They can make you feel happiness.
They can make you feel love.
They can make you hope.
Even when you think all is lost.