Juleah del Rosario
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Nic Chen refuses to spend her senior year branded as the girl who cheated on her charismatic and lovable boyfriend. To redefine her reputation among her Ivy League–obsessed classmates, Nic begins writing their college admissions essays.REVIEW
But the more essays Nic writes for other people, the less sure she becomes of herself, the kind of person she is, and whether her moral compass even points north anymore.
Nic had lost a lot in the past two years. She lost her mother, her boyfriend, her friends, herself. Her senior year was not the one she imagined, but it was the one, where she came to understand herself and others, step by step, in 500 words or less.
This book was not a lighthearted read. It was raw, real, and painful at times. There was a layer of sadness, which got thicker and thicker, until I was full-on crying. Eventually, though, some light broke through, and hope emerged in the end.
Nic was a tough character to like, but easy to empathize with. She made mistakes she regretted and was emotionally distant, but because I spent the entire book essentially in her head, I sort of understood her. Her feelings of loneliness and brokenness were palpable, and I suffered sympathy pains for her.
Several things stood out for me in this book. One was the writing. I enjoy books in verse. I feel as though a lot of consideration is given for every word chosen and the phrasing that is used, because the author is trying to tell the story in verse. del Rosario's writing was gorgeous, and packed quite a punch. It was emotional and full of vivid imagery. I fully imbibed all her words, and loved the way they felt and made me feel.
The other stars of this book were the essays Nic wrote. Those college admissions essays were not your average fluff. This was where del Rosario confronted many social issues. The approach was interesting and thought provoking, and I felt like the ideas carried more weight in the way they were presented in such a personal way.
I fully appreciated what they essays gave back to Nic. As she explored each of those characters' lives, she found bits of herself in their stories. She came to many realizations about herself. She started that journey towards acceptance of the circumstances, and maybe even started moving on.
Yes, this book was somewhat weighty, but there were some lighthearted and happy moments shared as well, and in the end, I was left hopeful for Nic.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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Do you have a favorite book in verse?
Let us know in the comments!
I like this -- I like that she finds herself in these essays -- it doesn't sound like an easy thing to make work, but it seems like she's nailed the balance of weighty and lighthearted moments.
ReplyDeleteIt's so tricky to get the depth in a book in verse that you can get in a regular narrative, but I thought the author made some good choices, especially when it came to balancing emotions
DeleteI'd much rather read about a flawed character who makes mistakes (i.e. Human) than a perfect character who always does and say the right thing and shows no growth. Nic sounds like a character who has room to grow and one you can empathize with.
ReplyDeleteI think flawed characters are more believable and relatable, because everyone makes mistakes. It's just the nature of the mistake and the size that varies
DeleteHow is it that this is the first time that I have heard of this book? It sounds like it is very hard-hitting and quite realistic. I am looking forward to giving it a try myself. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel like Nic's issues are relatable, and I easily empathized with her
DeleteIt sounds like Nic can be a tough person to always LIKE, but I always appreciate when you can at least sympathize with a character and see why they do the things they do. I like the idea of the college essays she writes for other people.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
The college essays were really interesting, and probably my favorite part
DeleteOooh, I love novels in verse, and I love characters who do dumb things but you come to understand why and then they learn to do better. Definitely want to read this one--great review!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way of putting it, and I thinks it's important to see a character do dumb things and see them be able to atone in some way or at least make it through
DeleteSounds like a very hard book so I’m glad it offered hope at the end. That’s so important to me. Otherwise I just get depressed and can’t recommend the book.
ReplyDeleteI am ok, as long as I get a hopeful ending, though I prefer an HEA
DeleteI haven't read too many books written in verse so that has me curious. I am also kind of drawn to the fact that college admission essays are at the heart of this book - I have been reading a lot of those lately :)
ReplyDeleteThese essays weren't your average essays. I loved them.
DeleteI am definitely interested in this one, but I had no idea it was so heavy. I'm going to have to approach this one completely different than I initially thought.
ReplyDeleteThe synopsis didn't really prepare me for the emotional weight of the book either. Nic was dealing with a lot of painful things and the bad choices she made did not make things any easier, but we got little breaks from it all, and like I said, I felt hopeful at the end.
DeleteSounds like a really tough read, but impactful.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Sad, but hopeful
DeleteA book in verse! I think they are becoming a trend now!
ReplyDeleteBooks written in first person are a hit or miss for me. Its a very close connection to spend an entire book in a character head :) Glad you enjoy the verse style and connected with Nic :)
I think books in verse are tricky, but what I loved about this book, was how del Rosario presented other character's POV via the essays. I thought it was a smart way to give us another viewpoint.
DeleteI think it's often easier to understand characters who have made mistakes when you have the opportunity to be in their head and understand their thoughts about what is happening. I think that's often the easiest way to connect with characters folks may think are unlikable is to see things through their eyes. This one sounds like it really hit you in the feels and now I want to read.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, because you get that stream of consciousness without any outside influence, editing, or interruptions
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