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A review by ashction
Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
5.0
Wow. I just... there's no words for how I feel right now.
I really, really didn't expect this book to be like this? I know the cliche to "never judge a book by its cover" is a thing, but I can't think of any book's cover that has misled me so much since I read Anna and the French Kiss when I was 15. I thought, initially, this was a book about a boy and a girl falling in love, never to meet each other until some miracle. In ways, I'm write; there are some smaller miracles, and there is some love, but it's all quite muddy. And most importantly, it's not a boy and a girl, but a boy and a boy, both of whom grow and learn and change for what seems like an optimistic future. I'm so emotional over the entire journey; even more so, I'm emotional because there's a sequel, and it's even better rated on this site, and I'm going to face it soon. But, for now, I want to face this book and deal with the emotions I have and the gratefulness that there's a book like this masquerading as only one genre when it encompasses so many things within YA Lit that I love.
I'd decided pretty early on that Ollie and Moritz were now my adopted sons; Ollie, who appears bright, cheerful, and energetic, and Moritz, my sulky, depressed, closed-off son. Each boy seemed so special almost immediately, and I was enjoying the lightness of the story until, suddenly, it faded a bit. And in turn, we see lots of different aspects of (a potentially fantastical) adolescence; Ollie "faking the happy" and Moritz's distrust, and those aspects of anxiety and fear and depression which are all more difficult and common than I think we ever imagine they are in reality.
I wish I could go on pages of ranting for this book; I'm not as deft with words as either Moritz or Ollie, and I think that the book should speak for itself. Words hold their own power, as Moritz explains to Ollie; I think this novel will show you magic and reality in a way that I'm not sure I've seen the two blended before.
Looking forward to the next novel - but for now, I'm going to savor this one. Definitely a YA book that's special and has affected me, and perhaps that, too, is for the better.
I really, really didn't expect this book to be like this? I know the cliche to "never judge a book by its cover" is a thing, but I can't think of any book's cover that has misled me so much since I read Anna and the French Kiss when I was 15. I thought, initially, this was a book about a boy and a girl falling in love, never to meet each other until some miracle. In ways, I'm write; there are some smaller miracles, and there is some love, but it's all quite muddy. And most importantly, it's not a boy and a girl, but a boy and a boy, both of whom grow and learn and change for what seems like an optimistic future. I'm so emotional over the entire journey; even more so, I'm emotional because there's a sequel, and it's even better rated on this site, and I'm going to face it soon. But, for now, I want to face this book and deal with the emotions I have and the gratefulness that there's a book like this masquerading as only one genre when it encompasses so many things within YA Lit that I love.
I'd decided pretty early on that Ollie and Moritz were now my adopted sons; Ollie, who appears bright, cheerful, and energetic, and Moritz, my sulky, depressed, closed-off son. Each boy seemed so special almost immediately, and I was enjoying the lightness of the story until, suddenly, it faded a bit. And in turn, we see lots of different aspects of (a potentially fantastical) adolescence; Ollie "faking the happy" and Moritz's distrust, and those aspects of anxiety and fear and depression which are all more difficult and common than I think we ever imagine they are in reality.
I wish I could go on pages of ranting for this book; I'm not as deft with words as either Moritz or Ollie, and I think that the book should speak for itself. Words hold their own power, as Moritz explains to Ollie; I think this novel will show you magic and reality in a way that I'm not sure I've seen the two blended before.
Looking forward to the next novel - but for now, I'm going to savor this one. Definitely a YA book that's special and has affected me, and perhaps that, too, is for the better.