A review by mountie9
You Are Not Here, by Samantha Schutz
5.0
The Good Stuff
* Absolutely wonderful, absorbing and real, you will not want to put it down
* Unusual, raw and poignant
* I'm at a loss on how to express how wonderful I though this book was. If you have ever lost someone you love, you will recognize all the thoughts and emotions that Annaleah goes through in her grieving process
* Must go find more of the author's books tomorrow - seriously impressed
* The last chapter is sad and beautiful and hopeful
* Some nice light humour
* Secondary characters bring in some nice brief insight
* Easy quick read that really could grab the attention of a reluctant reader
* Truly heartbreaking at times, I dare you not to tear up at least a little
The Not so Good Stuff
* The short prose that at first glance looks like poetry may turn some off (it almost made me put it down) very glad I didn't
* Once again a Mom is useless, but as I have mentioned before, teens think we are, so I really should let that go
* Not for those who are only in to fluff
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"I am a different kind of ghost. There are no traces of me here except for my fingerprints. Brian was the only other person who shared my memories here. And now that he is gone, I am their sole keeper."
"It is the day after Brian's funeral. The sky should be black. Lightning should knife through the air. There should be blast of thunder. Rain should fall in bullets and shatter windshields."
"Brian died, not you, Annaleah. Your life can't stop just because his did."
"Definitely not Mr. Lowry. He was giving me a D in history. I don't think someone who gave you Ds would speak at your funeral."
What I Learned
* Grief sucks and it is really lonely. Yeah, never mind, I have lost my Mom and my Dad -- learned that horrible lesson long ago.
* Nothing more intense than teenage love
Who should/shouldn't read
* Teens who have lost someone they love -- never mind in general teens will love this. Catches their feelings and thought processes dead on -- bought me back to those years and the heightened emotions
* Pretty much anyone who has lost someone, will understand Annaleah's grief and living and learning through it
* A must have for any high school or public library
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review
* Absolutely wonderful, absorbing and real, you will not want to put it down
* Unusual, raw and poignant
* I'm at a loss on how to express how wonderful I though this book was. If you have ever lost someone you love, you will recognize all the thoughts and emotions that Annaleah goes through in her grieving process
* Must go find more of the author's books tomorrow - seriously impressed
* The last chapter is sad and beautiful and hopeful
* Some nice light humour
* Secondary characters bring in some nice brief insight
* Easy quick read that really could grab the attention of a reluctant reader
* Truly heartbreaking at times, I dare you not to tear up at least a little
The Not so Good Stuff
* The short prose that at first glance looks like poetry may turn some off (it almost made me put it down) very glad I didn't
* Once again a Mom is useless, but as I have mentioned before, teens think we are, so I really should let that go
* Not for those who are only in to fluff
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"I am a different kind of ghost. There are no traces of me here except for my fingerprints. Brian was the only other person who shared my memories here. And now that he is gone, I am their sole keeper."
"It is the day after Brian's funeral. The sky should be black. Lightning should knife through the air. There should be blast of thunder. Rain should fall in bullets and shatter windshields."
"Brian died, not you, Annaleah. Your life can't stop just because his did."
"Definitely not Mr. Lowry. He was giving me a D in history. I don't think someone who gave you Ds would speak at your funeral."
What I Learned
* Grief sucks and it is really lonely. Yeah, never mind, I have lost my Mom and my Dad -- learned that horrible lesson long ago.
* Nothing more intense than teenage love
Who should/shouldn't read
* Teens who have lost someone they love -- never mind in general teens will love this. Catches their feelings and thought processes dead on -- bought me back to those years and the heightened emotions
* Pretty much anyone who has lost someone, will understand Annaleah's grief and living and learning through it
* A must have for any high school or public library
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review