Monday, August 7, 2017

Review: The Art of Feeling - Laura Tims

The Art of Feeling
Laura Tims
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven’s New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places, this contemporary YA novel explores the friendship between a girl in constant pain and a boy who feels nothing at all.

Since the car accident, Samantha Herring has been in pain, not only from her leg injury, but also from her mother’s death, which has devastated her family. After pushing away her friends, Sam has receded into a fog of depression.

But then Sam meets Eliot, a reckless loner with an attitude and an amazing secret—he can’t feel any pain. At first, Sam is jealous. But then she learns more about his medical condition…and his self-destructive tendencies. In fact, Eliot doesn’t seem to care about anything at all—except maybe Sam. As they grow closer, they begin to confront Sam’s painful memories of the accident—memories that may hold a startling truth about what really happened that day.
I think books dealing with grief are winning a special place in my heart. I have been so knocked out by them lately and The Art of Feeling is yet another to add to my "stupendous read" list.

This book was about loss. Sam and her family lost their mother due to a hit and run, but mom meant different things to different members of the family, and they all dealt with the loss in different ways. As far as Sam was concerned, she didn't only lose her mom, she lost the ability to walk without assistance, which meant, she lost her ability to be part of the lacrosse team and her place in that social circle. Essentially, Sam was lost. My heart went out to her, and I was rooting for her to have a breakthrough the entire book.
"I'm losing him, just like I lost Mom, my mobility, my friends, my sport. I'm going to lose everyone who defines me and everything that makes me special until I dissolve into nothingness."
This book was about feeling and not feeling. Sam was plagued by chronic physical pain, but as she physically ached, she felt nothing emotionally. Until Eliot. I have so many thoughts on this part of the story. I loved all the connections Tims made between physical and emotional pain, and all the different ways that people deal with this pain. I was most struck, though, with the idea of someone who could not feel physical pain being the one, who helped someone else feel again.
"But I do know one thing, and it's that the blankness that I usually feel went away the second I got into his car and it hasn't come back."
I was so enthralled by Eliot. He was beyond socially awkward, self-destructive, and fairly abrasive, but I was so drawn to his character. Maybe it was his obsession with the Meyers-Briggs types or his brutal honesty, but he was so interesting. And once he discovered there was more to him than he thought, there was some really special parts of him that shined through.
"I can't figure out if I like him or not. If I do, that's concerning."
There is a little mystery. Sam is unable to remember the accident, but as time passes, she begins to remember snippets here and there. Tims placed these puzzle pieces so thoughtfully throughout the story, and it was sort of shocking when we learned the truth.

This was a book that did not depict grief in a one-size-fits-all way. I loved that Tims showed how each member of Sam's family was handling her mother's death. Their approach to grief was so varied, and to me, that was very real. We don't all grieve in the same way. Some numb their feelings with drugs and alcohol. Some run away from it, and call it "moving on". Some try to stuff the pain down with food. Others have a major depressive episode. The people in this book were quite broken, and it was watching them trying to combat the pain that was so special for me. They had setbacks, but I kept having hope for them.
"Grief is a tapeworm chewing holes in the brain, making it so you don't remember things.."
Although there is a lot of sad and heavy stuff in this book, there is a lot of humor and happiness too. Tims what I always need when I read a book like this. She balanced out the sad with the happy. I cried, but I also laughed, and that is what I need as a reader.


I enjoyed this book immensely! It made me feel way too much and I couldn't have asked for more. Great story, great characters, and enough closure in the ending that I was truly satisfied. I totally hugged this book.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.







The beginning of the book has a lot of talk concerning Meyers-Briggs personality types. I am ISTJ. I have taken various versions of this test, time and time again, and I always come out ISTJ (since my teens). I would say it describes me well.





















Have you ever taken the Meyers-Briggs test?
Let us know in the comments!

26 comments:

  1. Eliot is such a unique character, I think as is the idea of someone with chronic pain versus a character like Eliot.

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    1. It was an interesting to select this condition for him, and I loved the way Tims used it in the story while comparing and contrasting the different types of physical and emotional pain, as well as that numbness that some fall into while their grieve.

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  2. I had not heard of this book before today, but this sounds amazing, Sam! I love the sound of Eliot's character and I normally love books that deal with loss. I'll have to look for this one at the library.
    Wonderful review! :)

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    1. I had wanted to read Tims' last book, so when I saw this one, I sort of jumped at the chance to read it. I am so glad I did, because it really filled my heart up in so many ways.

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  3. This is new to me. I love when a book with a heavy subject can still have humor to it. I am an ADVENTURER (ISFP-T) when I took the test earlier this year :)

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    1. Hmm, I am seeing a lot of introverts here (isn't there a reader joke about that?). This book had sad parts, but it was never depressing. I have had to DNF books, because they were depressing, and I that's a hole I struggle with staying out of, but this was perfect. These characters were not stuck, they were moving forward, and although everything was not perfect, there was hope.

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  4. You and the grief books have been like a match made in heaven lately. And thankfully there seem to be plenty out there for you. It sounds like Tims really nailed it with her depictions of grief and how each member of the family experienced it. And I'm intrigued by Eliot's character.

    Like you, every time I've taken the Meyers-Briggs test I *always* get the same result: INFJ (Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judgment) and it totally fits me.

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    1. You would think with how much I talk about needing fluff, I would be put off by grief books, but these YA authors are killing it this year. They are touching and heartfelt without being depressing, and I think that's why I am ok with them. Eliot was something very special. He hid a lot of his emotional pain by being abrasive. I heart was overjoyed that he met Sam. And Meyers-Briggs is some sort of witchcraft, because it is scary how it predicted me so well.

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  5. I've never heard of this one before, but it sounds exactly like my kind of book. I love books about grief, especially when they contain a little bit of mystery. Sam and Eliot both seem like awesome characters. Great review, Sam!

    Lauren @ Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

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    1. I seriously loved this book so much. I went through every emotion, and it was a great experience.

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  6. This sounds so very much like something I would enjoy too. I also am drawn to books about grief and I'm glad there was some happy and humor to balance it out. Great review!

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    1. I am such a grief monger lately. I don't know why, but I can say there have been tons of amazing books dealing with grief A big thing I believe is that we are all individuals with individual experiences, and I love how all these books show how we can grieve and heal in different ways.

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  7. Oh wow, this sounds like a book I would love, especially based on the comparison to All the Bright Places. That book just wrecked me so I'll definitely have to check this one out. Great review!

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    1. I guess they compare it to ATBP because of maybe the dynamic, maybe the awesome banter, but this was better, because you know. I am sort of wrecked just thinking about that. Finch <3 This ending was hopeful, so a better experience for me.

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  8. GAH I really cannot wait to read this book! I just read a book that made me cry so hard I almost threw up though, so I need a breather ;) So I have taken the Myers-Briggs many times, and I always forget what I am, but then I take it and it's the same thing and then I'm like "ohh RIGHT" so this time I saved it to my phone. Okay it's ENFP (I hope you appreciate that I located my phone to tell you this ;) ) Great review, I am excited to get to this one!

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    1. I only cried a bunch during one part, otherwise, the sad parts are manageable. I totally appreciate you finding your phone to tell me this. =) I remember being on a line with you at BEA in Chicago, so I thought you would be extrovert (in a good way, like "I want to know her" sort of way).

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  9. This sounds like a really great book. I do like books that deal with grief well. I don't think I have taken the Myers-Briggs test. I wonder what I would be?

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    1. I have taken the long, short, and in-between versions of MB and I always test the same. I am not shocked by the outcome, but rather, the consistency. Coming out of the hard sciences, I often poke fun at the social sciences, but this test impresses me.

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  10. I completely agree! This is such a powerful and amazing book and I'm so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. :) Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

    P.S. I'm pretty much a mix between an ISTJ and an INTJ depending on the day lol. Glad to see another ISTJ blogger. :)

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    1. Hmmm, you are blowing holes in my faith in the MB test. I am so consistent with my results. Yes! Someone else who read the book! Did you cry when you know what happened? I totally cried.

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  11. One of my friends is obsessed with the Meyers-Briggs test. I am ESTJ. :D This definitely isn't a book for me (I can't do tough-issue YA contemporary) but I love that it isn't just sad and heavy - humor is always good, even in stories dealing with grief. I'm glad you enjoyed this book, Sam!

    Have a wonderful week. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. I am becoming total trash for these books, as long as they are not depressing, I am totally in. Another extrovert! Alright.

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  12. What a brilliant sounding book. I like the idea of exploring the physical and emotional pain and the links between the two. I mean, it is one of those books that seems it'll hit you in the feels but one which will stick with you and make you think whilst being enjoyable.

    I've taken the Meyers Briggs test before and I am INTP but I've had ISFP as well. I don't know if the test was accurate but it's interesting. I always end up being introverted, I know that much.

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    1. Introverts! *high five* I totally loved this book and wanted to hug it. I made me laugh and cry and really think about a lot of things too. Just a wonderfully lovely book.

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  13. I'm so interested in this book, partially because of the MBTI aspect of it. I've seen someone else bring it up in their review in the past, too. I'm an INFP (my bf is an ISTJ!). But yes, this sounds lovely, and it seems to tick all the right boxes for me. Plus, there's a dog in the cover! I don't think I've seen anyone mention the dog, but I'm sure he/she is important. :P Lol.

    Cass @ Words on Paper

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    1. There's a dog in the book too, and he is all sorts of fabulous. Described as the ugliest dog, but the family adored him. It was fun the way the author incorporated the MBTI into the story. It was something Eliot was obsessed with.

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