brittany_tellefsen's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.25/5
I absolutely flew through this book!
At its core, this is a story about sisters and their complicated, often tumultuous relationship with one another:
Adina and Tovah are fraternal twins, but they could not be more different.
Adina is a musical prodigy, blessed with talent that has always made her stand out. Combined with beautiful curves, Adina has always been the center of attention, but she is not the social one. Her closest confidant is her mother, and she has few friends, but she is sexually active and not shy around boys. She is also the one that rebels against her family's Conservative Jewish lifestyle.
Where Adina is musically gifted, Tovah is academically. An AP student who has won awards and honors for her mind, Tovah has a bright future, intending on attending John Hopkins for college and medical school. She is also more socially adept, surrounded by friends. And she, unlike Adina, respects their religion and honors the customs.
Differences aside, the two were always close, especially after their mother was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, an incurable brain disease where a slow and progressive breakdown of nerves in the brain will cause her to become entirely dependent and unable to function on her own.
But after an incident drives the twins apart, they remain estranged from each other.....and the distance only widens when they are tested for Huntingtons and one of them is free....but the other receives a life sentence.
This books is a lot more intense and a bit darker than you might be expecting. It takes a hard look at the difficulties that come along with being diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the complexities involved in sibling relationships, particularly when one is going to be sick, and the other is not. There is so munch anger and jealousy and sadness, that this book explores and I feel it does it well.
I will say, that neither of the sisters is very likable. Both of them are extremely ambitious, almost to the point that they do not see beyond that ambition. I honestly did not like Adina very much at all. She is very selfish and self-absorbed, often acting jealous and childlike. She makes very rash decisions, is all emotion and does things to intentionally hurt Tovah. She often felt sociopathic to me. It was really hard to connect with her, or even care that she had the disease.
I did appreciate the exploration and representation of Jewish culture. That is not something you typically see in YA novels and it was interesting to learn more about their customs and traditions.
I did have some nitpicks with it, however. There was a small section in here, where the characters are complaining about Christmas decorations, and how people should say "Happy Holidays" rather then Merry Christmas because it is inclusive. But inclusive does not equate to acceptance. I feel we should focus on acceptance first.
If some one is Jewish and wishes me a Happy Chanukah I will wish them one in kind. I will not be offended that someone assumed I celebrated that holiday, because offense was not the intent. If I wish someone a Merry Christmas, it is because that is what I celebrate and I am spreading that celebration to others. You don't have to participate in that holiday to appreciate the thought behind the warm wishes.
I know that was a bit ranty, but I think we spend a lot of time trying to accommodate rather than time to appreciate. If you are not being insensitive about someone's culture, there shouldn't be an issue.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed this book and, as I mentioned above, I was able to fly through it. I don't remember the last time I finish a book in 36 hours. This read so quickly, and I was always curious to see how the dynamic between the two sisters would grow and change.
I absolutely flew through this book!
At its core, this is a story about sisters and their complicated, often tumultuous relationship with one another:
Adina and Tovah are fraternal twins, but they could not be more different.
Adina is a musical prodigy, blessed with talent that has always made her stand out. Combined with beautiful curves, Adina has always been the center of attention, but she is not the social one. Her closest confidant is her mother, and she has few friends, but she is sexually active and not shy around boys. She is also the one that rebels against her family's Conservative Jewish lifestyle.
Where Adina is musically gifted, Tovah is academically. An AP student who has won awards and honors for her mind, Tovah has a bright future, intending on attending John Hopkins for college and medical school. She is also more socially adept, surrounded by friends. And she, unlike Adina, respects their religion and honors the customs.
Differences aside, the two were always close, especially after their mother was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, an incurable brain disease where a slow and progressive breakdown of nerves in the brain will cause her to become entirely dependent and unable to function on her own.
But after an incident drives the twins apart, they remain estranged from each other.....and the distance only widens when they are tested for Huntingtons and one of them is free....but the other receives a life sentence.
This books is a lot more intense and a bit darker than you might be expecting. It takes a hard look at the difficulties that come along with being diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the complexities involved in sibling relationships, particularly when one is going to be sick, and the other is not. There is so munch anger and jealousy and sadness, that this book explores and I feel it does it well.
I will say, that neither of the sisters is very likable. Both of them are extremely ambitious, almost to the point that they do not see beyond that ambition. I honestly did not like Adina very much at all. She is very selfish and self-absorbed, often acting jealous and childlike. She makes very rash decisions, is all emotion and does things to intentionally hurt Tovah. She often felt sociopathic to me. It was really hard to connect with her, or even care that she had the disease.
I did appreciate the exploration and representation of Jewish culture. That is not something you typically see in YA novels and it was interesting to learn more about their customs and traditions.
I did have some nitpicks with it, however. There was a small section in here, where the characters are complaining about Christmas decorations, and how people should say "Happy Holidays" rather then Merry Christmas because it is inclusive. But inclusive does not equate to acceptance. I feel we should focus on acceptance first.
If some one is Jewish and wishes me a Happy Chanukah I will wish them one in kind. I will not be offended that someone assumed I celebrated that holiday, because offense was not the intent. If I wish someone a Merry Christmas, it is because that is what I celebrate and I am spreading that celebration to others. You don't have to participate in that holiday to appreciate the thought behind the warm wishes.
I know that was a bit ranty, but I think we spend a lot of time trying to accommodate rather than time to appreciate. If you are not being insensitive about someone's culture, there shouldn't be an issue.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed this book and, as I mentioned above, I was able to fly through it. I don't remember the last time I finish a book in 36 hours. This read so quickly, and I was always curious to see how the dynamic between the two sisters would grow and change.
kiperoo's review against another edition
5.0
This book is achingly real. I found the relationships, especially between the sisters and Adina's with her viola teacher, so, so well done. Not at all pretty or neat, these characters are as messy and complicated as real-life people. The combination of getting tested for HD and waiting to hear back from colleges gave the story such depth, and the family life and insight into a contemporary Jewish family today (lived the Hebrew sprinkled throughout) was absolutely refreshing. Great book for anyone suffering from senioritis!
austenmostardently's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookbirder's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great book about an interesting topic of two sisters - one with Huntington’s and one without. It mentionned a lot of topical items such as casually talking about somebody’s two Moms, and being aware of the fact that having no plan after high school is fine.
My overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it passed very quickly. My only real problem was that the ending seemed unrealistically happy. I also do not remember the writing style standing out as particularly impressive - not that I am a very good judge for this.
My overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it passed very quickly. My only real problem was that the ending seemed unrealistically happy. I also do not remember the writing style standing out as particularly impressive - not that I am a very good judge for this.
elinacre's review against another edition
4.0
i don't even remember how i stumbled onto this book, but glad i did! there's so much passion and pressure in high school, and although i'm not a twin or a music prodigy or a wannabe (gonnabe) surgeon or jewish or dealing with intense medical diagnoses, i found so much to relate to in adina and tovah. i appreciated the jewish traditions and bits of hebrew sprinkled through the book, and the different views the girls have about religion. (note for readers advisory: language and sexy times and self harm and drinking, fyi.)
emilynye's review against another edition
3.0
Really enjoyed seeing the Jewish representation in a work of fiction totally separated from the Holocaust, especially where they weren’t merely culturally Jewish, and where their Jewishness wasn’t the entire plot device.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 5
Character Score: 5
Believability Score: 4
Uniqueness Score: 5
Writing Style Score: 4
Excitement Factor Score: 3
Story Line Score: 4
Title Relevance Score: 3
Artwork Relevance Score: 5
Overall: 4.22
Character Score: 5
Believability Score: 4
Uniqueness Score: 5
Writing Style Score: 4
Excitement Factor Score: 3
Story Line Score: 4
Title Relevance Score: 3
Artwork Relevance Score: 5
Overall: 4.22
doremelodie's review against another edition
4.0
Dual POV. Huntington’s disease. Chronic illness.
So much more intense than just family drama. It is complicated by a genetic illness, passed down to one twin and not the other. Witnessing one sister continue to live life while the other waiting for death. Giving away sex in hope to exchange it for love. Aspiring for a dream that a whole life was dedicated towards.
So much more intense than just family drama. It is complicated by a genetic illness, passed down to one twin and not the other. Witnessing one sister continue to live life while the other waiting for death. Giving away sex in hope to exchange it for love. Aspiring for a dream that a whole life was dedicated towards.