The After Girls by Leah Konen

A small synop from the author's webpage:  Ella, Astrid and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide, the girls’ world is shattered. Shouldn’t they have seen this coming? Couldn’t they have saved her?

As Ella hunts for answers and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the after world. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid’s dark secrets, and the answers to the questions they never dreamed of asking will change their lives–forever.

My Take

I really loved the characters in this book.  They were so unique yet tied together through their friendship.  I'm sure when a friend commits suicide, those left behind so shoulder those feelings of responsibility or at the very least have nagging questions as to why. 

There was a line I loved in this book as well.  Sydney was talking about her long time love interest Max (not the ideal guy for her).  She said, "He wanted everything from her and nothing all at once."  I know I've been there more than once!  So perfectly said. 

The story moved along at a decent pace.  It didn't totally enthrall me, but I did like it.  I'm giving this one 4 ghostly kisses!

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

A brief bit from the author's website:

Macy’s summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development. But Macy’s plans don’t anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or … Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn’t fit Macy’s life at all–so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So … happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before? Sarah Dessen delivers a page-turning novel that carries readers on a roller coaster of denial, grief, comfort, and love as we watch a broken but resilient girl pick up the pieces of her life and fit them back together.

My Take:

I picked this book up towards the end of summer and thought maybe it would be a way to usher the summer out and fall in.  Loved the characters in this book!  Especially those on the more quirky side.  The grief that Macy is carrying around with her every day was so huge, but she didn't see the elephant (of her grief) strapped to her back.  Watching the love between she and Wes develop was wonderful.  It was like a gift that eased the burden of all of that grief and made it all more manageable.  I think so often we go through life thinking we can manage it all, no matter how great the weight.  It was nice to see her grow in the end to realize that it's not so bad to need to lean on someone at times.  I'm giving this one 5 sawoony kisses!  Oh, and tomorrow is my birthday!!  Woo hoo!!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

I don’t generally write reviews of movies, but hey it was adapted from a book and I feel compelled to do so with this one.  Here’s a bit about the film from its website: Adapted from the acclaimed bestseller by Jonathan Safran Foer, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is a story that unfolds from inside the young mind of Oskar Schell, an inventive eleven year-old New Yorker whose discovery of a key in his deceased father’s belongings sets him off on an urgent search across the city for the lock it will open. A year after his father died in the World Trade Center on what Oskar calls “The Worst Day,” he is determined to keep his vital connection to the man who playfully cajoled him into confronting his wildest fears. Now, as Oskar crosses the five New York boroughs in quest of the missing lock – encountering an eclectic assortment of people who are each survivors in their own way – he begins to uncover unseen links to the father he misses, to the mother who seems so far away from him and to the whole noisy, dangerous, discombobulating world around him.

 

My Take

In the mind of a child everything has a reason for happening.  There is the ever present “why” tied to everything until the sea of whys have been quelled in their landscape.  Some things have no answers, no reasons, nothing solid and concrete to hang on to.  Oskar is a young boy longing to discover an answer or at least some legacy left behind by his father that will help him make sense of what has happened; to show him how to go on from the very painful existence he’s experiencing since his father’s death.  His father used to send him on expeditions.  Expeditions that were the most masterfully crafted experiences to challenge Oskar in facing his fears, pushing his boundaries, and yet all of that cloaked in the adventure of it all.  Oskar most assuredly faces challenges with sensory processing issues and more than likely Asperger’s Syndrome (a condition on the autism spectrum).  Clinging to the memory of his father he sets out in search of the lock to fit the key he found in his father’s belongings.  Along the way, he meets a myriad of people who may not know what the key fits but they each bring their own gifts to Oskar.  He may help some of them to find answers of their own on his journey.

This movie was a symphony of emotion where not a sour note was struck.  The emotions were far ranging and ran the gamut of the human experience.  The characters are rich, deep and honest.  Thomas Horn, who plays Oskar gives an amazing performance.  This is his first movie and we’re bound to see more of him for many years to come.  Tom Hanks plays his wildly creative, extremely loving father that we get to know through flashbacks.  Sandra Bullock plays his loving, albeit grief stricken mother.  The rest of the cast is wonderful as well.  This movie is phenomenal and should be experienced.   I wish I could give more than 5 kisses but these 5 will have to be the answer.   Now get yourself to the movies. J

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

This is one of the books for the Contemps Challenge. To find out more about it, please click on the link provided HERE. Here’s a blurb about the book from Ms. Summer’s website: When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but are some questions better left unanswered?


My Take

Eddie’s father committed suicide and she’s become consumed with wanting to know why. I can see how that would could easily become an obsession. It’s difficult enough when people die without throwing in the fact that they committed suicide. It’s also easy for kids to absorb some of the blame for things. They feel that surely they played some part in things. I felt for Eddie trying to grapple with everything and only having her best friend Milo to count on.

Her mother is too deeply mired in grief to even realize the pain that Eddie is in. She’s checked out, emotionally anyway. She can’t see to her own emotional needs, let alone be there for Eddie.

Eddie meets Culler Evans, a student of her father’s. They begin exploring clues left behind by Eddie’s father as Eddie grows closer to Culler. She clings to each message in hope that it will give her the answer she’s been longing for. How will this triangle between Eddie, Milo and Culler work out?

This book was as lovely as a book about a girl’s agonizing trip through grief can be. There’s hope in Eddie’s and Milo’s relationship. The writing was wonderful, evocative, and thought provoking. In the end you realize that sometimes there are no answers. I’m giving this one 4 kisses!

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Here's a super brief bit about this book from Ms. Schroeder's website: Chasing Brooklyn, Simon Pulse, 2010 an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee; a 2011 Texas Tayshas selection

A romantic companion novel to I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME about a girl and a boy and the ghosts who haunt them. Another story of love, loss, healing and hope for the fans of Lisa's first novel.

My Take
 
Okay, I haven't yet read I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME.  But we know by now that I love a great verse novel.  Lisa Schroeder is one of the best at writing novels in verse. 
 
Brooklyn's boyfriend Luca has died and she's doing her best to cope.  When another of their friends dies he hurls her back into the depths of despair.  She's wondering how of if she will ever manage to claw her way completely out of it. 
 
Nico is Luca's brother and he's coping with the loss of Nico in his own ways.  Gabe's death makes him angry and is another hurtle for him to clear.  Luca begins, through ghostly visits, making it clear that Nico needs to reach out to Brooklyn so that they both can heal.
 
They both had to come to realize that it's okay to go on living your life.  They also struggled with their feelings and trying to determine if establishing a relationship with one another was a betrayal to Luca.  Will they remain friends or will that ultimately be too much for them?
 
This book was the best verse novel I've read yet.  The story was deeply emotional and the verse was lovely.  Nico was such a great guy and Brooklyn was as lovely as the flowers she draws.  This book was poignant and spoke to the healing powers of love.  I'm giving this one 5 kisses!
 

You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz

Here's a bit from Ms. Schutz's lovely website: Annaleah and Brian had something special—Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn’t need anyone else. It didn’t matter that it was secret. All that mattered was what they shared.


And then, suddenly, Brian dies. And while everyone else has their role in the grieving process, Annaleah finds herself living on the outside of it, unacknowledged and lonely. How can you recover from a loss no one will let you have?

My Take

Yes, another book in verse.  This one was all free verse.  More than being about loss it was about overcoming grief.  Figuring out how to move on with you life and feeling okay in doing so.  The sudden loss of her secret boyfriend Brian, paralyzes Annaleah.  She's flash frozen and defined by that moment.  Slowly, she begins to understand that she cannot move beyond it all without the help of those that surround her.  I loved the words of wisdom that Brian's grandmother departed to her.  Although, my favorite quote from the book is, "Someone should arrest him before he befriends someone else."  In the moment it was funny.  The cover is beautiful as well.  I'm giving this one 4 kisses!

Everything Is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis

Here's a link to the author's website, Ms. Ann Dee Ellis.  Here's a bit about the book from it's goodreads page: Stuck at home caring for her severely depressed mother and abandoned by her father, Mazzy has only the day-to-day dramas of her neighborhood to keep her busy. But between flirting with the boy next door and worrying about the fact that she's flat-chested, Mazzy has to face the fact that her mom is emotionally paralyzed by a family tragedy. As readers delve into the story, they'll eventually discover what it was that tore Mazzy's family apart, and they'll see what it takes to put it back together.

My Take

Mazzy is quite the colorful character.  She is doing her best to care for her mother who is in the throes of severe depression.  I love the fact that we aren't slammed with the tragedy that plagues this family right in the beginning.  We meet the various characters through Mazzy. 

The devastating effects that tragedy can have on the family is evident within the pages of Everything Is Fine.  Mazzy is doing her best to convince everyone around her and even herself that everything is indeed fine.  This is another lovely book of verse.  I loved that Mazzy started using art as an outlet for her feelings as well.  I'm giving this one 3 1/2 sweet kisses!

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Here's a quick bite from the book's goodreads page: Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

My Take
 
Wow, Vera is quite a character!  I enjoyed this book a lot.  The characters were vibrant.  The writing was engaging. 
 
My heart went out to Vera once she and Charlie parted ways.  I loved how Vera wasn't willing to compromise herself or her beliefs for anyone.  She knows who she is and she won't be anything less.  This book dealt with some kinda' heavy issues, but kept the humor in things too.  I loved Vera's sarcasm. 
 
I think the only tiny nitpicks I have about it are 1- I kept waiting to hear the history of the Pagoda and I don't think we ever did.  2- I wanted to know what was in the envelope (you'll know which one I'm talking about if you read it).  It would have tied things up nicely in the end for me.  All in all, I loved this book.  The cover even kinda' rocks. :o)  I'm giving it 3 1/2 smooches!
 

Freefall by Mindi Scott

Here's a blurb from Ms. Scott's website: How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he’s ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .

My Take
This is one of the books in The Contemps Challenge.  Grief is a difficult thing to deal with.  Adults grapple with it, but it's even tougher as a teen.  It's difficult to go on with your life and be happy without feeling guilty for doing so sometimes.  Seth McCoy is trying to overcome so much; his feelings of loss, his stage fright, his lack of anyone to talk to, his inability to cope with everything he's mired in.  Rosetta is like a breath of fresh air that blows into Seth's life at just the right moment.

I really enjoyed this book.  It got me to thinking about the process of letting go and letting things happen.  Thinking about the fact that we are also a culmination of our experiences, good or bad that we've encountered in our lives.  Rosetta is smart and funny.  Seth is such a great guy.  He's complex, loyal, and tender but such a regular guy too. 

I love how Seth's determined to carve his own path through life.  Not just letting himself wind up a drop-out in a dead end situation.  It's great he gives IC class a real chance and let it change how he dealt with his own issues too.  I think both guys and girls would love this book.  I'm giving it four big smooches!

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Here's a quick bite from Denise Jaden's website: A terrible secret. A terrible fate. When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don't know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith's final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.

My Take

 

One of the things I liked about this book was the fact that Brie was the fact that her mourning was not cliche.  It was messy and confusing.  Brie and Faith were so different and I thought it was great to see those differences. 

 

I think one of the hardest things for people to process is loss.  Adults have a hard time with it, let alone teens.  Brie's friends aren't sure what to say to her or how to behave around her.  I like the character of Tessa, who she becomes friends with.  Alis was great as well.  I'm hoping there may be another book to this down the line. 

 

I loved the part in the end between Brie and her mother.  The fact that Tessa kinda' found herself through it all.  Oh and growing up one of my best friends name was Rena.  Alis's sister is Reena.  Interesting enough the book I'm currently reading (Dreamland) has a character name Rina also.  Just a funky little coincidence I thought I would mention.  This book was fast paced, well written, wonderful book.  I'm giving it four kisses!