Thursday, March 14, 2019

In a Nutshell Reviews: YA Edition


In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Fear of Missing Out 
Kate McGovern
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Death and Dying
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Everyone has a fear of missing out on something--a party, a basketball game, a hangout after school. But what if it's life that you'll be missing out on?

When Astrid learns that her cancer has returned, she hears about a radical technology called cryopreservation that may allow her to have her body frozen until a future time when--and if--a cure is available. With her boyfriend, Mohit, and her best friend, Chloe, Astrid goes on a road trip in search of that possibility. To see if it's real. To see if it's worth it. For fear of missing out on everything.
Astrid was lucky. She beat cancer once, but it appeared that cancer wasn't done with her, and this time, fighting back seemed futile.
  • Pro: I instantly fell in love with each and every one of these characters. Astrid was a no brainer, but I also adored Mohit, her mom, and her little brother. I wanted to group hug with them, because I had just met Astrid and couldn't bear to lose her. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be for those, who loved her. 
  • Pro: No sugarcoating, this book got tough towards the end. I am actually crying right now, but no worries, it was not all sad, downer stuff, because this story was filled with so much love, and Wow! What a testament about the life Astrid lived, that she was surrounded by so many people, who love her that much. 
  • Pro: The right to die is quite a touchy subject, and I really appreciated the way McGovern handled it. The approach was honest, emotional, and thought provoking. 
  • Pro: My heart broke over and over again for Astrid, and I hated that she was in this situation, but I admired her strength and her openness with her loved ones, and her determination to decide how she would spend her final days. 
  • Pro: I remember thinking, how lucky Astrid was to have experienced something as wonderful as her relationship with Mohit. Their love and affection for each other was a beautiful thing, and I was glad she had that, as well as her friendship with Chloe, because it helped me get through the really sad parts. 
  • Pro: McGovern didn't only let us view Astrid's pain and grief. We also got to see how her illness affected all those around her, and how they handled it. 
Overall: An emotional, beautiful, and thoughtful story about one girl's struggle with terminal illness, and the choices she was faced with.



The Sound of Drowning
Katherine Fleet
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Meredith Hall has a secret. Every night she takes the ferry to meet Ben, her best friend and first love. Though their relationship must remain a secret, they’ve been given a second chance, and Mer's determined to make it work. She lost Ben once before and discovered the awful reality: she doesn't know how to be happy without him…

Until Wyatt washes ashore―a brash new guy with a Texas twang and a personality bigger than his home state. He makes her feel reckless, excited, and alive in ways that cut through her perpetual gloom. The deeper they delve into each other’s pasts, the more Wyatt’s charms become impossible to ignore.

But a storm is brewing in the Outer Banks. When it hits, Mer finds her heart tearing in half and her carefully constructed reality slipping back into the surf. As she discovers that even the most deeply buried secrets have a way of surfacing, she’ll have to learn that nothing is forever―especially second chances.
She betrayed her best friend, her first love, and thought she had lost him forever. The guilt forced Meredith to isolate and abandon the things that brought her joy, until she met Wyatt. The exact opposite of Ben, Wyatt helped Meredith work through her pain, but would embracing her friendship with Wyatt result in betraying Ben?
  • Pro: Fleet did a fantastic job laying this story out. She kept me reading, because I had to get to the truth, and she expertly meted it out to me, piece by piece. 
  • Pro: I thought I had the whole thing figured out. I believed the big THING was one of two options, and it was revealed, that I was right. And THEN, there was more revealed, which I wasn't shocked by, but didn't expect. And THEN, this third thing came out of nowhere, which really surprised me. All I have to say is, well played, Katherine Fleet. 
  • Pro: We got to know Wyatt, who was fantastic, in real time, while we met Ben mostly during flashbacks and a few nights at the beach. Fleet let me share so many beautiful, and sometimes, painful moments with Ben and Meredith, but I really was able to see why he was such an important person in her life. 
  • Pro: Back to Wyatt. He was such an interesting character. He seemed almost like a caricature, when I first met him, but then his deeper layers were revealed, and that made me really adored him. 
  • Pro: There were a lot of interesting details running in the background of this story. I loved the Outer Banks setting, and the way Fleet sort of made it another character in the book, and it had a big emotional impact on me. There was also: wind sailing, motocross, beach bowling, and The Yellow Rose Cafe to name just a few of those little things that enhanced my enjoyment. 
  • Pro: The ending was bittersweet. Hopeful, but at the same time, a little sad. 
Overall:  A beautiful and heartbreaking romance, which was suspenseful and had me feeling all the feels.  

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read any of these books?
Let us know in the comments!

32 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, Sam how do you find these gems that make me want to smile while tearing up? I didn't expect Fear of Missing Out to touch on the right to die, and I find myself wondering how the author tackles something like this after reading your review.

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    1. FOMO was a tough book. Terminal illness is never easy, but reading about a teen having to deal with it and how it impacts everyone, who loves them, was heart wrenching, but eye opening too.

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  2. I really think The Sound of Drowning is one I would really enjoy. I need to add it. Great reviews!

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    1. I loved it. Like I said, I was guessing, but still surprised with the direction of the story.

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  3. Oh yay! I'm glad you enjoyed these so much! Fear of Missing Out sounds a little too deep for me, but I know a lot of people enjoy those kinds of reads. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Definitely a book that left me crying and thinking about things.

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  4. both of these look wonderful and very emotional. Glad you enjoyed them both

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    1. One left me smiling and one left me sobbing, but both were great.

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  5. havent heard of either one, but sounds like a couple of good reads.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  6. Both of these sounds so emotional and heartbreaking. Cancer books are so hard for me.

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    1. FOMO was super heartbreaking, but the author did a good job helping me see the positive things too

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  7. Okay, I'm getting choked up just reading your review of Fear of Missing Out. It sounds so good but so overwhelmingly emotional. I love that Astrid had such a great support system around her. (And now I'm all sniffly... )

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    1. I am crying a little just responding to the comments. I am telling you! It's on my list of will-always-make-me-cry books, but it was a wonderful reading experience.

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  8. Sam you have my dying with your THING!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL Seriously I don't know if I should pick this one as you've intrigued me or if I should stay far far away as I hate love triangle! Sophie @bewareofthereader

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    1. I could get FOMO being a tough book for many people, but I definitely appreciated the issues the author addressed and it's hard to talk about the love triangle in Drowning without saying too much, but, believe me, it's not as bad as you think.

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  9. Glad to hear The Sound of Drowning is good. I've had my eye on that one.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I really enjoyed it. I would have liked more at the end, because I am greedy, but I was fully engrossed in the story.

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  10. These sounds splendid and you are on a roll this year with the great reads!

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    1. They were better than I anticipated, which is always a good thing

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  11. Oh wow, Fear of Missing Out sounds so moving. I'll definitely need my tissues when I read that one. Great reviews!

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    1. It hit me hard, and over a week later, the tears are back just talking about it

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  12. I haven't heard of these but they look really good.

    Ash @ JennRenee Read

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  13. These both sound amazing. These types of heartbreaking reads get me every time.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. FOMO was by far more heartbreaking, whereas Drowing had sad parts, but was a bit lighter

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  14. Lovely reviews! Both of these books sound really, really good, neeed to add them to my TBR :D

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    1. Thanks! Both books were sort of painful, but in a good way. FOMO is the tragic tears book, but I knew that going into it.

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  15. A terminal illness and then a heartbreaking romance. Ooo I see why you have stock in tissues. I am going to have to read Fear of Missing Out. But think this will trigger me and what happened with my sister so I am unsure I can handle it yet. Great reviews.

    Mary

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    1. FOMO had sad parts, but it was a beautiful book about accepting the life you have and living it the way you want to. This idea that although her life was short, it was packed with many wonderful moments. You know I am crying just thinking about the book right now.

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  16. It sounds like these two books were amazing. Fear of Missing Out sounds like it is going to be such an emotional book that will leave me with tears running down my face too. A moving one <3 And the second novel... I love when author plays you perfectly, and knows how to make you think you have everything figured out but there is actually an EXTRA LAYER hiding there!

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    1. I knew what I was getting myself into with FOMO, which helped, but it's one of those books I will continue to make me shed tears as I talk about it. Sound of Drowning took me a little bit by surprise. I throughly enjoyed both.

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