The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
mon_ique's review against another edition
2.0
In the beginning, it was pretty good. Interesting how they could take an over done topic like the death of a parent, and turn it to something new. But, it got increasingly inappropriate, very predictable, and language got worse. One of those books were all is predictable and really not worth reading. One thing that very much annoyed me is that you had to be skinny or no one would find you attractive. -_- There is a point where skinny is NOT attractive anyways so....
cmphill's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. Melissa McAllister's father died of cancer two years ago, and she still is having a hard time. Then she starts her first year of high school, and her best friend Ryan gets a new girlfriend. Courtney, the girlfriend, acts like Melissa's friend, but tries to end Melissa's and Ryan's friendship.
This book is great because it has a hint of everything. Romance, comedy, drama, mystery, and more. I liked it more than I expected to. The ending really made me smile though, it was perfect.
This book is great because it has a hint of everything. Romance, comedy, drama, mystery, and more. I liked it more than I expected to. The ending really made me smile though, it was perfect.
k_wazlib's review
2.0
I don't know what exactly I was expecting from this book. It read very slow, and I nearly gave up on it about halfway through. It just seemed like nothing was really happening, and I still don't know what exactly I'm supposed to take from it. I think that I expected the story to include more of the main character: Melissa, figuring out more about her father and his secrets. While there was a bit of that, it just seemed like we followed a very clueless Melissa through her drab and boring life. I felt hardly any emotion from this book, as it just seemed to bleed together into this blah kind of story.
The only interesting point that I'll most likely take from it is the actual life of glass; a million years.
The plot centered around Melissa beginning high school and wanting to unravel her dead father's journal of facts and ideas. We definitely see the drab bits of high school through her eyes, and we even get a bit of the unraveling, however, by the end I was beginning to wonder what she was actually learning. She finds a name in the journal and spends the whole novel trying to find this person and their connection to her father. By the end, she doesn't care in the least and makes something up for her own comfort. Maybe this is just her being able to move on? I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to meet this person and find out why their name was written in the journal.
I didn't really care for the plot or how it played out. None of the characters really stood out to me or made me feel anything for them. Not a one, which I find very strange. The writing wasn't bad, just a tad too boring and laggy for my taste. The ending was pretty much a happy one that made me feel both indifferent and happy to just finish it.
☆☆/5
Recommend?: If you're looking for a basic go-between book.
If, for some reason, you like reading about irrational and mean older sisters.
The only interesting point that I'll most likely take from it is the actual life of glass; a million years.
The plot centered around Melissa beginning high school and wanting to unravel her dead father's journal of facts and ideas. We definitely see the drab bits of high school through her eyes, and we even get a bit of the unraveling, however, by the end I was beginning to wonder what she was actually learning. She finds a name in the journal and spends the whole novel trying to find this person and their connection to her father. By the end, she doesn't care in the least and makes something up for her own comfort. Maybe this is just her being able to move on? I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to meet this person and find out why their name was written in the journal.
I didn't really care for the plot or how it played out. None of the characters really stood out to me or made me feel anything for them. Not a one, which I find very strange. The writing wasn't bad, just a tad too boring and laggy for my taste. The ending was pretty much a happy one that made me feel both indifferent and happy to just finish it.
☆☆/5
Recommend?: If you're looking for a basic go-between book.
If, for some reason, you like reading about irrational and mean older sisters.
classiccaitlin's review
4.0
Extremely well structured story! The plot flowed well and kept me interested. Haven't read such a well organized novel in a while!
lucillemeeps's review
2.0
This book just kind of seemed to have all of the typical things that you would expect in a YA book of self-discovery. There is the deceased father, the gorgeous and popular pageant show sister, the somewhat cold (former beauty queen) mother, the best friend who becomes handsome all of a sudden, and the super popular boy who takes an interest in our unpopular heroine. Been there, read that. It was predictable, and even though everything sucked for Melissa, I couldn't really find any sympathy for her, because she didn't seem real to me. It wasn't a horrible book- there was just nothing that I haven't seen before.
bykaitrose's review
4.0
The Life Of Glass is Jillian Cantor's second novel and after reading this one I seriously need to check out the first. The Life Of Glass took a little getting into but once I did the writing and the story just blew me away.
Melissa McCallister is starting high school. For most people it's a time of nerves but also of excitement. Not for Melissa. For her it's all nerves. It's been a year since her father died and she still hasn't really moved on with her life. She has one real friend, Ryan, and high school, not to mention the people in it, seem to be tearing them apart. Melissa's older sister is no help being the beauty queen that she is and now that her mom is dating someone, Melissa has nobody to turn to. When a mysterious person from her dad's past shows up, Melissa focuses on that but if she continues to focus solely on the past how will she ever learn to live?
At first, I didn't like Melissa. She is 14 years old but at the beginning of the book she acted much younger. She seemed kind of whiny and self-absorbed but she did some growing throughout the book and I began to like her. Her older sister, Ashley, was another matter. She was very selfish and she didn't grow out of that but she did grow in some other ways. By the end of the book she was tolerable. Ryan was another person I didn't like for most of the book but that was only because of the things he did. Otherwise he seemed to be a good person and I liked him much more by the end. There were other characters with important roles but these three were my favorites.
The Life Of Glass was a bit sad. Any book having to deal with death is going to be sad but this one wasn't too bad. It didn't focus overly much on the death of Melissa's father but just enough to show how it changed the lives of every member of the family. It was sad but it also showed how love can help you move on with your life while never forgetting the past.
Overall, The Life Of Glass was a truly beautiful story that is good for people of all ages, not just teens. If you haven't read it, check it out. I will definitely be buying a finished copy once it hits shelves. I can't wait to get a copy of The September Sisters too so I can see how much I love that one. =]
Melissa McCallister is starting high school. For most people it's a time of nerves but also of excitement. Not for Melissa. For her it's all nerves. It's been a year since her father died and she still hasn't really moved on with her life. She has one real friend, Ryan, and high school, not to mention the people in it, seem to be tearing them apart. Melissa's older sister is no help being the beauty queen that she is and now that her mom is dating someone, Melissa has nobody to turn to. When a mysterious person from her dad's past shows up, Melissa focuses on that but if she continues to focus solely on the past how will she ever learn to live?
At first, I didn't like Melissa. She is 14 years old but at the beginning of the book she acted much younger. She seemed kind of whiny and self-absorbed but she did some growing throughout the book and I began to like her. Her older sister, Ashley, was another matter. She was very selfish and she didn't grow out of that but she did grow in some other ways. By the end of the book she was tolerable. Ryan was another person I didn't like for most of the book but that was only because of the things he did. Otherwise he seemed to be a good person and I liked him much more by the end. There were other characters with important roles but these three were my favorites.
The Life Of Glass was a bit sad. Any book having to deal with death is going to be sad but this one wasn't too bad. It didn't focus overly much on the death of Melissa's father but just enough to show how it changed the lives of every member of the family. It was sad but it also showed how love can help you move on with your life while never forgetting the past.
Overall, The Life Of Glass was a truly beautiful story that is good for people of all ages, not just teens. If you haven't read it, check it out. I will definitely be buying a finished copy once it hits shelves. I can't wait to get a copy of The September Sisters too so I can see how much I love that one. =]
martha_schwalbe's review
I didn't feel like I wanted all my friends and students to read this book.
gubuchu's review
3.0
When her father talks about the life of glass, I found it really interesting. The things that her father knew were very unique to read so it was a plus when reading this book. It's a nice coming of age story, apart from the fact that Melissa is slowly getting over her grief.
This book had a lot of stories going on, so the characters very developed because you got to hear about Ryan's, Ashley's, and Courtney's story so it's interesting. The story also broke away from what you see from the person at first, for example Melissa's aunt who you think is supposed to be uptight, but instead there's more to her. I did find the Sally Bedford mystery, although interesting, a bit strange to add in.
Melissa's a real character and an easy one to relate to. Despite all this, I couldn't exactly get in to the story for some reason, I don't know why. I did find myself irritated at Melissa at the end. The ending wrapped up the book nicely, but somehow I didn't exactly enjoy it. Oh well, this was a nice book to read and I will read the other books the author has.
This book had a lot of stories going on, so the characters very developed because you got to hear about Ryan's, Ashley's, and Courtney's story so it's interesting. The story also broke away from what you see from the person at first, for example Melissa's aunt who you think is supposed to be uptight, but instead there's more to her. I did find the Sally Bedford mystery, although interesting, a bit strange to add in.
Melissa's a real character and an easy one to relate to. Despite all this, I couldn't exactly get in to the story for some reason, I don't know why. I did find myself irritated at Melissa at the end. The ending wrapped up the book nicely, but somehow I didn't exactly enjoy it. Oh well, this was a nice book to read and I will read the other books the author has.
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