A review by jowillwrite
Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
4.0
"Motion is always preferable
to stagnation.
When you move,things happen."
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
I would say that this book wanted to make me want to sign up for a triathalon.
But that would be a horrible lie.
It did make me want to go back to the beginning and read it again though.
High Points.
It seemed Ms Schroeder had a checklist of everything I dislike in books and she wrote this book just to spite me and show how wrong I am and to make me look silly.
People who shouldn’t be in love, falling in love against all the odds.
“I’ll meet you at the finish line.”
*sobs*
Boys teaching a girl how to be strong.
Taken at face value, yeah. But the girl’s not a bad teacher herself.
Boys buying girls red roses.
I’d still prefer yellow ones, but if it was Nico then I wouldn’t mind getting a bouquet of dandelions.
Boys singing to girls.
Maybe it doesn’t annoy me if it’s to the tune of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’…
Mini Golf.
I… uh…I got nothing.
Flower girls. Running. Lucky. Mint toothpaste. Notebooks. Fear. Acceptance. Greif. Playlists. Dreams. Pasta. Rainy day picnics. Whispering sweet everythings. Beginning. Finish lines.
Low Points.
I still
f e e l
A BIT ANTSY
when
a r e
set out
in eXcItInG
ways.
Just personal preference but I just think that this book didn’t need that.
Heroine.
At the beginning of this book, when we first meet Brooklyn, I made a little note at the end of one her poems.
It read:
*cough*
“I like that this girl isn’t really whingy.”
A few poems later, when my face was permanently like so: :( , I made another little note at the end of one of Brooklyn’s poems.
It read:
*cough*
“:( I want her to be really whingey. Surely that’s better than being numb. Let it out, Brooklyn!”
I loved Brooklyn; I thought she was such a great heroine.
She’s just how I like them: smart, funny, sad, a bit messed-up, honest, vulnerable, determined, compassionate.
Hero.
I’m not telling you anything about Nico because I want you to meet him for yourself. He’s quickly become one of my favourite YA heroes.
He’s just how I like them: smart, funny, a bit sad, messed-up, honest, vulnerable, determined, compassionate.
See what I did there?
Yup, boy helps girl but girl helps boy and they’re equal in their struggles and their strength.
OH! Also, Nico can make Italian food. That’s right.
Italian food.
Theme Tune.
People Help the People by Birdy.
Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I like this version better than the original.
(Sorry lads, I still love the rest of your album.)
God knows what is hiding in this world of little consequence
Behind the tears, inside the lies
A thousand slowly dying sunsets
God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts
I guess the loneliness came knocking.
No one needs to be alone, oh save me.
Sadness Scale.
9/10.
I’m not a crier in real life and I don’t cry at books.
Well, that’s a lie.
In recent memory I’ve cried at two books. Sure I’ve felt emotional at lots of others but physical tears just two.
Now three.
I’m not talking about A Monster Calls stratospheres but I’d say there was a definite misty gleam.
The despair, the loss, the longing, the hope, the laughter, the vulnerabilities of the characters, the reality of it all.
In the ‘About the Author’ at the end of this book it states that Ms Schroeder “loves to write in verse because it allows her to really get at the emotional core of the story.”
And boy, does she.
Recommended For.
People who are determined to finish the race… even if they have a stitch. People who can listen to ‘Fix You’ without sobbing like a small child (Although, actually I don’t like that song. This one, however.) People who measure happiness by how far you can jump on the swings. People who like Italian food. That’s right. Italian Food.
This book is part of my "A Week in Verse" feature on my blog. Find out more here.