magnoliabear's review against another edition
5.0
I certainly did not see the ending coming!! What is the saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? ;)
fearoflung's review against another edition
5.0
I have to be honest, when I first started this book, I did not think I was going to finish it. The main characters aggravated me, and the story seemed so typical. Popular girl and unpopular boy are thrown together and both of them find out that the other one is not so bad or different after all. Everyone has struggles and no one has a perfect life. I was very wrong. Even though Liz is a popular girl and Alex is unpopular, and even though they do find out things about each other that they do not expect, this book is anything but your typical popular girl meets unpopular boy story. This is a ghost story, a mystery, a kind of love story, and a story of secrets. It speaks to the fact that there are consequences to your actions, the smallest decision you make can change the course of the rest of your life and afterlife as the case is in this book. The story was very real and kept me guessing the entire way. Normally, I figure things out pretty quickly with mystery stories because I have read so much and seen so many movies and shows that I can usually pick out who the person responsible is before the end. This time, I had no idea what was going to happen. I was completely shocked at the outcome of the story. I was blown away. I loved the book!
bubbleelle's review against another edition
5.0
Between is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. The story is easily relatable and is very well written. The characters have stayed with me months after I've finished reading it. Honestly one of my favorite books to date.
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
Elizabeth Valchar has the perfect life. Pretty, popular and privileged--the world is hers for the taking. Even her eighteenth birthday party is ideal: a night on her father's boat spent with her friends, her boyfriend, alcohol and maybe just a little pot.
Unfortunately when Liz wakes up the day after her party it's obvious that her perfect life is over in every sense of the word.
Liz is dead. Left staring over the side of the boat at her own dead body and watching the horrible fallout as news of her death spreads to her family and friends, Liz has no clear memory of how she died. She doesn't even remember much of her own life.
As Liz struggles to make sense of the person she used to be and what led to her drowning on her birthday, Liz realizes there are some things that are best left forgotten in Between (2011) by Jessica Warman.
Between is an uneasy blend of mystery and paranormal with the smallest dose of suspense thrown in. While the bones of the story are promising as Liz tries to decipher the events leading to her own murder, the execution was inelegant at best.
First and foremost, Liz is not a likable heroine. While she is at pains to tell readers she is a "good kid" Liz's actions often speak louder. Even her transformation over the course of the book does little to make her an approachable narrator. Her sidekick throughout the story remains similarly one dimensional.
While Between has some interesting aspects the writing felt repetitive as Liz explains things repeatedly at different intervals of the story in the exact same way. Other aspects of the story (particularly "Famous Richie" and why he is so famous) felt like gimmicks that added very little to the story. Combined with Liz's often prickly narration these elements made it very hard to get into this book.
The mystery aspect was well handled but too drawn out. Warman also paints a painfully authentic picture of the havoc eating disorders can wreak but again this thread takes so long to develop that much of its potency is lost. The book was also littered with shockingly inadequate adults, adding another layer of frustration.
Fans of books about life after death, particularly The Lovely Bones, will likely find a new favorite read in Between. On the other hand, readers hoping for an eerie mystery would be better served with a different title.
Possible Pairings: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, Fury by Elizabeth Miles, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Unfortunately when Liz wakes up the day after her party it's obvious that her perfect life is over in every sense of the word.
Liz is dead. Left staring over the side of the boat at her own dead body and watching the horrible fallout as news of her death spreads to her family and friends, Liz has no clear memory of how she died. She doesn't even remember much of her own life.
As Liz struggles to make sense of the person she used to be and what led to her drowning on her birthday, Liz realizes there are some things that are best left forgotten in Between (2011) by Jessica Warman.
Between is an uneasy blend of mystery and paranormal with the smallest dose of suspense thrown in. While the bones of the story are promising as Liz tries to decipher the events leading to her own murder, the execution was inelegant at best.
First and foremost, Liz is not a likable heroine. While she is at pains to tell readers she is a "good kid" Liz's actions often speak louder. Even her transformation over the course of the book does little to make her an approachable narrator. Her sidekick throughout the story remains similarly one dimensional.
While Between has some interesting aspects the writing felt repetitive as Liz explains things repeatedly at different intervals of the story in the exact same way. Other aspects of the story (particularly "Famous Richie" and why he is so famous) felt like gimmicks that added very little to the story. Combined with Liz's often prickly narration these elements made it very hard to get into this book.
The mystery aspect was well handled but too drawn out. Warman also paints a painfully authentic picture of the havoc eating disorders can wreak but again this thread takes so long to develop that much of its potency is lost. The book was also littered with shockingly inadequate adults, adding another layer of frustration.
Fans of books about life after death, particularly The Lovely Bones, will likely find a new favorite read in Between. On the other hand, readers hoping for an eerie mystery would be better served with a different title.
Possible Pairings: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, Fury by Elizabeth Miles, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
brennispersona's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I have a lot of things to say about this one. First off, I really love this book. I always have. I read this book in high school and have claimed it as one of my favorites ever since. I decided to reread it this year with some friends, and it’s still a favorite after all these years.
The issue a lot of people have with this book is the main character Liz, which I understand, but at the same time, that’s the whole point of the book. You aren’t supposed to like her, there would be no character development if you loved her from the start. Plus despite being popular and “perfect” everything is not as it seems. People are the way they are for a reason, and everyone has a story. Now that’s not an excuse, but it is something to think about.
Also, sometimes peoples thoughts are engrained in their mind from their parents, for example appearances, that’s why Liz is so obsessed with hers, she was trained to be that way. It is all she knew how to do.
Also, the ending is kind of predictable, but it also doesn’t ruin the story and is still very enjoyable to see how it plays out.
The issue a lot of people have with this book is the main character Liz, which I understand, but at the same time, that’s the whole point of the book. You aren’t supposed to like her, there would be no character development if you loved her from the start. Plus despite being popular and “perfect” everything is not as it seems. People are the way they are for a reason, and everyone has a story. Now that’s not an excuse, but it is something to think about.
Also, sometimes peoples thoughts are engrained in their mind from their parents, for example appearances, that’s why Liz is so obsessed with hers, she was trained to be that way. It is all she knew how to do.
Also, the ending is kind of predictable, but it also doesn’t ruin the story and is still very enjoyable to see how it plays out.
katyana16's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable, fast read. A bit predictable, but the first half (before obvious twist hints are dropped) was pretty good!
elisa_v's review against another edition
3.0
http://tremblingpages.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/between-jessica-warman/
Na het lezen van Het geestige leven van Lucy Shaw en Het rampzalige verhaal van Jou en mij, maakt mijn hart altijd een sprongetje bij het zien van een boek dat gaat over iemand die dood is en terugkijkt op zijn of haar leven. Op het boek zelf staat aangeduid dat het een thriller is, hiermee ben ik niet helemaal akkoord. Maar goed over naar het verhaal.
Het is lang geleden dat het zo lang duurde voor ik helemaal in een verhaal zat. Ik geloof dat het tot pagina 200 honderd van de 350 heeft geduurd voor ik echt wou verder lezen en het boek niet meer kon wegleggen. Het komt in het begin allemaal nogal cliché over : een rijk populair meisje dat ontdekt hoe gemeen en oppervlakkig ze was. Gelukkig is het verhaal nog veel meer dan dat. Door de flashbacks of herinneringen van Elizabeth krijg je een goed beeld over de personage’s die eerst zo oppervlakkig leken en leer je iedereen zijn verhaal stukje bij beetje kennen.
Het boek begint ook echt als Elizabeth haar eigen lijk ziet drijven in het water. Dit roept natuurlijk direct veel vragen op. Was het een ongeluk? Of is ze vermoord?
Ik kon me in het begin niet helemaal inleven in Elizabeth’s persoonlijkheid , ik vond haar naïef en met vlagen zelfs irritant.Maar dit hoort gewoon bij het verhaal en maakt het levensecht(er). Eens je wat meer inzicht hebt gekregen in haar leven kan je het allemaal wat beter begrijpen. Vooral naar het einde toe vond ik het boek beter en beter worden. Waar het verhaal in het begin oppervlakkig en soms zelfs zeurderig was, werd daarna meer nadruk gelegd op verlies, vriendschap, pijn, de controle over dingen hebben en vergeving. Elizabeth zit zelf ook met veel vragen: ” Hoe is ze zo geworden?” ” Wat is er waar en wat is gelogen?”
Stukje bij beetje geven haar herinneringen al hun geheimen prijs.
Dit was niet mijn all time favorite,maar het was ZEKER geen slecht boek.
Het krijgt van mij 3/5
Na het lezen van Het geestige leven van Lucy Shaw en Het rampzalige verhaal van Jou en mij, maakt mijn hart altijd een sprongetje bij het zien van een boek dat gaat over iemand die dood is en terugkijkt op zijn of haar leven. Op het boek zelf staat aangeduid dat het een thriller is, hiermee ben ik niet helemaal akkoord. Maar goed over naar het verhaal.
Het is lang geleden dat het zo lang duurde voor ik helemaal in een verhaal zat. Ik geloof dat het tot pagina 200 honderd van de 350 heeft geduurd voor ik echt wou verder lezen en het boek niet meer kon wegleggen. Het komt in het begin allemaal nogal cliché over : een rijk populair meisje dat ontdekt hoe gemeen en oppervlakkig ze was. Gelukkig is het verhaal nog veel meer dan dat. Door de flashbacks of herinneringen van Elizabeth krijg je een goed beeld over de personage’s die eerst zo oppervlakkig leken en leer je iedereen zijn verhaal stukje bij beetje kennen.
Het boek begint ook echt als Elizabeth haar eigen lijk ziet drijven in het water. Dit roept natuurlijk direct veel vragen op. Was het een ongeluk? Of is ze vermoord?
Ik kon me in het begin niet helemaal inleven in Elizabeth’s persoonlijkheid , ik vond haar naïef en met vlagen zelfs irritant.Maar dit hoort gewoon bij het verhaal en maakt het levensecht(er). Eens je wat meer inzicht hebt gekregen in haar leven kan je het allemaal wat beter begrijpen. Vooral naar het einde toe vond ik het boek beter en beter worden. Waar het verhaal in het begin oppervlakkig en soms zelfs zeurderig was, werd daarna meer nadruk gelegd op verlies, vriendschap, pijn, de controle over dingen hebben en vergeving. Elizabeth zit zelf ook met veel vragen: ” Hoe is ze zo geworden?” ” Wat is er waar en wat is gelogen?”
Stukje bij beetje geven haar herinneringen al hun geheimen prijs.
Dit was niet mijn all time favorite,maar het was ZEKER geen slecht boek.
Het krijgt van mij 3/5
blaarrosir's review against another edition
5.0
Along the lines of The Lovely Bones, but not as heartbreakingly sad. It's a beautiful story about a girl who dies and her journey to discover why it happened and who she truly is.
mshai's review against another edition
4.0
'Between' is a essentially a mystery, however, personally I found it incredibly thought-provoking. It made me think about what kind of legacy I want to leave behind, whilst also showing that there is always going to be more to people than meets the eye. Every single character had a significant part to play and the relationships between them felt incredibly real to me. Although some of the issues were particularly hard for me to read, for example the copious references to Anorexia, I did truly enjoy reading this book. I understand that Liz's character is hard to relate to, particularly as most people would have felt like Alex did from the very start. I think the choice to have Liz's character so harsh was an important decision of Jessica Warman's to show that everyone's got a story. Don't judge people too harshly, there's always a reason why they are like they are. No excuses, just interesting to remember.