A review by heykellyjensen
Invincible by Amy Reed
In a weird way, this reminded me a little of the Lurlene McDaniel books I used to eat up as a teen. But this isn't romantic, really. Evie is a hard-edged, deeply broken, flawed, and pained teen girl who has had a miraculous recovery from a cancer death sentence. We know who she was before her illness through what she tells us -- she was popular, a cheerleader, well liked, and a "good kid." When she's in recovery though, a thing that was a total surprise (that's not spoiler, since it's in the description), she's grappling with being given life again when This new space she's in causes her to rebel and push away her old life. When she meets Marcus, everything is thrown into a tailspin again, as she wants to leave her long-time boyfriend for this new guy.
But he's not everything she thinks he is. Rather, he's not the influence she wants him to be, and as she discovers, she can't make him be the person she wants him to be.
Where this book reminds me of McDaniel is not in the cancer story. Rather, it's in the way the romance, as well as a reminder about those hospital-centered relationships, build and we're given a full story, but with enough hanging over in the end to want to pick up the second volume. This is part one of a duology, and I'm looking forward to part two.
You're not supposed to like Evie. But she's very easy to empathize with. Not because she's suddenly had her life changed, but because SO MUCH happens at a critical moment that she's in deep shock and grief.
Solid writing, compelling story, and signature Amy Reed toughness. This would make a much better read alike to, say, Tiffany Schmidt's SEND ME A SIGN than it would THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.
Spoiler
her best friend from the hospital dies suddenly.But he's not everything she thinks he is. Rather, he's not the influence she wants him to be, and as she discovers, she can't make him be the person she wants him to be.
Where this book reminds me of McDaniel is not in the cancer story. Rather, it's in the way the romance, as well as a reminder about those hospital-centered relationships, build and we're given a full story, but with enough hanging over in the end to want to pick up the second volume. This is part one of a duology, and I'm looking forward to part two.
You're not supposed to like Evie. But she's very easy to empathize with. Not because she's suddenly had her life changed, but because SO MUCH happens at a critical moment that she's in deep shock and grief.
Spoiler
Near the end, it's suggested she's suffering PTSD, which is entirely plausible, whether she wants to believe it or not.Solid writing, compelling story, and signature Amy Reed toughness. This would make a much better read alike to, say, Tiffany Schmidt's SEND ME A SIGN than it would THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.