Friday, January 24, 2020

Blog Tour: Echoes Between Us - Katie McGarry


Echoes Between Us
Katie McGarry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Tor Teen
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Acclaimed author Katie McGarry's breakout teen novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose:

Veronica sees ghosts—more specifically, her mother’s ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines that consumes her whole life and keeps Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting makes her wonder if there is something more going on….

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it all…including their lives?
REVIEW

What happens, when the golden boy and the school weirdo pair up for an assignment? They find an unexpected source of support and friendship in one another, which evolves into more. Both Sawyer and Veronica were not dealt the easiest hands in life, and the perception of who they were and the baggage they carried did not necessarily reflect their reality. However, they found they were stronger together than they were apart.

Veronica was the quirky weird girl

Veronica had lost her mother to brain cancer, and was now, facing the truth about her own brain tumor. She vowed not to follow in her mother's footsteps. She wanted to live each day to its fullest, as if the tumor did not exist. The way she celebrated holidays on non-designated days created this picture of Veronica as extremely odd. The reality was, that her days were numbered. She wanted to "celebrate" with her friends and family before it was too late. There was pain and suffering, yet she tried to stick to the status quo. Although I didn't agree with all her choices, I understood her motivation. Still, my heart ached for her and for those who loved her.

Sawyer was the golden boy

Sawyer looked like the world was his oyster. He was popular and king of the swim team, but he battled demons left and right. He carried a lot of anger towards his father, who left his family. He was also angry with his mother, an alcoholic, who heaped a great deal of responsibility and pressure on him.  Then, he had a coping mechanism, which was unhealthy, and it all seemed to be spinning out of control. I wanted to give this kid a great big hug, and then take him away to somewhere, where he could just enjoy the last bit of his childhood.

They found comfort in each other

Veronica and Sawyer made a most unlikely couple, but they were fantastic together. Though this may have started out as a purely physical attraction, it grew to be something much deeper, as they both peeked behind the curtain and really saw each other. This was where I got my romance fixes. They came in small doses, but each one was perfection.

They faced difficulties

Because, this was a Katie McGarry book, I expected her to take on some serious topics in a raw and honest way. This story dealt with death, grief, addiction, depression, and serious illness. She took on each issue in multiple ways, and I loved that how she attacked them from so many different directions. Those varied perspectives allowed me to consider each problem in a different way, and also gave the appropriate depth to the issue at hand.

They had a great community to support them

Whenever I read a book, where the main characters faces so much adversity, I NEED them to have some sort of support system. Yes, Sawyer and Veronica eventually had each other, but before that, they had some really wonderful people in their corners.

Veronica's father wasn't perfect. He didn't impose too many rules and was still dealing with his own pain and grief, but his love for his daughter was undeniable. He was also living with the loss of his wife, but he always made time to Veronica. Whether it be a waffle breakfast or a not-quite-the-holiday celebration, dad did his best to be present and put a smile on his daughter's face.

Veronica also had a fantastic group of friends. Scarlet, Leo, Nazareth, and Jesse were her "people". They loved her and cared for her, and would do just about anything for her.

Sawyer was also sort of blessed in the friend area, though he didn't initially realize it. He enjoyed a wonderful relationship with his little sister, and it was a treat to see them on page together, but he also had two friends, who stepped up their roles, when they really needed to, while his sponsor rounded out his team.

Overall

This was a beautifully written and emotional story of love, connection, and appreciating the "now", which left me brimming with warmth and happiness.

* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.



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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. She is the author of the Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road series.













Do you believe in ghosts?
Let us know in the comments!

35 comments:

  1. Great review, Sam! Katie just never disappoints. I felt for V's dad so much. The grief he was dealing with and the fears he had for Veronica... I don't know how he functioned. And the friend groups (and Knox) were so great.

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    1. The community the MC belongs to is such an important part of a story for me, and I feel like McGarry always puts a great one together.

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  2. Yay! I am so glad you loved this too! One of my favorites from this author. I just really loved the slight paranormal element to it, it added so much to the story!

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    1. It's interesting to see her incorporating a bit of the paranormal in her books these days. She does it well, and therefore, I welcome it

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  3. Hmm I just commented but Blogger broke I guess? Here goes again! I've never read anything by this author, but this book sounds really good! I've seen a lot of great reviews for it lately. Thanks for sharing! :D

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    1. I think McGarry has a great fanbase, and it's because her books are solid. They have great characters and lots of emotion, but it's authentic. I saw her on a panel, and she is passionate and it comes through in her books.

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  4. great review. sounds like the complete package.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. Her books are always winners for me. It's a no brainer to pick up a McGarry book

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  5. I love McGarry and I'm so glad to hear that this book lives up to her others. Can't wait to read it!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. She always manages to throw something interesting into the mix, and she did so here. There were excerpts from a dairy of TB patient, and though it took me a while to understand its significance, I thought it was a great POV to include, when I reconciled it with Veronica's personal journey

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  6. I loved this so much but it broke me heart Veronica and father and for Sawyer too. I'm so happy to hear enjoyed it too!

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    1. Lots of heartbreak, but lucky for us, McGarry did things that made it easier to swallow, and left me hopeful for everyone

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  7. I found myself looking at this one when I saw on the description that Veronica sees ghosts--particularly her mother's ghost and it had me intrigued! I read a Stephanie Perkins book when she decided to write a thriller and loved it! I was wondering in this was Katie McGarry's foray into the paranormal/contemporary scheme of things.

    So I was wondering, does Veronica's mom's ghost and/or other ghosts play a large role in this story? This is the first review I've read, so I'll have to keep an eye out for others!

    Nice review too!

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    1. There's a paranormal touch, and Veronica's senior project is on validating the existence of ghosts. So, meeting in "haunted" places and with ghost hunters, but it's only a part of the story. This isn't full-on paranormal by any means.

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  8. I've enjoyed McGarry in the past, and I love the opposites attract and bond over shared grief, etc, troupe. I'm so tempted to pick this up, but I need to know if if there's a sad ending!

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    1. The rating would be lower had there been a bad ending. It's good. I was happy with it.

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    2. Thanks! I need to mentally prepare before I tackle a sad ending. :)

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  9. Wasn't this wonderful?! I loved Veronica and Sawyer and I love that McGarry isn't afraid to deal with bigger issues.

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    1. She is definitely not afraid of issues, but I feel she is very fair, when presenting them.

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  10. I actually didn't know this one was contemporary? I saw the cover everywhere and assumed it was a thriller kind of book. It's good to know what this one is really about at long last! And it sounds quite emotional deep - so many topics tackled and presented but it sounds like McGarry knows how to be honest and fair about them.

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    1. It's contemporary, but has some light paranormal touches. McGarry always produces a very emotional books, and my heart broke multiple times as I read this one.

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  11. I loved this book too. Veronica and Sawyer were so great together. I also thought McGarry did a great job of smoothly weaving that paranormal thread through the story. I was a little worried it wouldn't work for me at first, but it totally did. The secondary characters were great too, especially Nazareth.

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    1. Yes, Nazareth was very interesting, and I would love to get to know him better

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  12. I liked this book too. It had a great story and I loved the characters.

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  13. It's always nice to see two people who are so different "on paper" find real love!

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    1. And I felt like they genuinely complemented each other

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  14. I loved this book so much, and had a major book hangover after reading it! It was a 5 star read for me. I loved the way that Veronica and Sayer were there for one another, but like you said, it was amazing to see how they had a whole community of people that were there for them. Wonderful Review Sam!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. There were some really emotional parts for me, but I trusted McGarry the whole time, and she didn't disappoint.

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  15. I always enjoy a good Katie McGarry book. It might not always be different but she sucks me in everytime with her characters and all the different relationships so I'll definitely be checking this one out.

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    1. It the combination of her characters, and the honest way she attacks the issues she includes. She always has me feeling the feels.

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  16. Great review! I can't wait to read this one!!

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  17. Great review! I really loved this one. It surpassed my expectations.

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    1. I always have great expectations when it comes to McGarry, and it's great that she has yet to disappoint me

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