Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Title: Me Since You
Author: Laura Wiess

Release Date: 18th February 2014

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice?

Before and After. That’s how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old—a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived.

If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger’s shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother — and herself — from the endless replay of heartache and grief.

Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

In A Nutshell:

Me Since You is a raw and honest portrayal of grief and depression. It is the story of a family’s struggle to hold it all together when their life has been ripped apart and the special people who stick around hoping to eventually see a smile or ray of sunshine shine through once again.

My Review:
When a book so perfectly reflects real life emotions, how can you fault it? Me Since You will take hold of your heart and squeeze it until you feel as though you can no longer breathe. Just like the characters, you will cry until you didn't think it was possible to cry anymore. And then you’ll cry some more.

Me Since You is one of the most emotionally draining books I have ever read yet it is so beautiful and real in how it portrays depression and grief and everything that comes with the territory. After a heartbreaking tragedy strikes Rowen’s small town, the events that follow directly change the course of her and her family’s life. There are snide comments and vicious opinions, a town reeling from the devastating effects of suicide, the spiralling depression that engulfs Rowen’s father, and the anger and resentment felt through not understanding mental health issues. There’s the wishing that everything can just go back to the way it was, the confusion, the hurt, the pain, and the hole that is left when someone is suddenly gone.

The novel carefully examines how families, immediate and extended, are effected and how everyone grieves differently. Friendships can crumble or grow stronger depending on how individuals react and understand the process when everything in life changes and there is no easy answer as to how or when to move on. There is also a strong element recognising the healing power of animals and the love and bond between humans and four-legged friends. While I do not have personal experience in the types of tragedy Rowen lives, I do know something about grief and while this book will demand that you have a box of tissues next to you, for at least half the book, it will leave you a better, more understanding person for reading it.

Me Since You is a raw and honest portrayal of grief and depression. It is the story of a family’s struggle to hold it all together when their life has been ripped apart and the special people who stick around hoping to eventually see a smile or ray of sunshine shine through once again.

The Mimosa Tree by Antonella Preto

Title: The Mimosa Tree
Author: Antonella Preto

Release Date: 1st April 2013

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

It’s the summer of 1987 and Mira is beginning her first year at uni. She’s got a radical new haircut, and an all-black wardrobe — she should be having the time of her life.

But it’s hard to get excited about anything when you’re being smothered by your crazy Italian family, enrolled in a course you’re not interested in, and expecting nuclear warfare at any moment.

Even a new best friend and the magnetic boy from art class can’t wipe away the image of a looming mushroom cloud. And Mira’s right. Her world is about to explode, but it’s not the skies she should be checking.

In A Nutshell:

The Mimosa Tree is a story about grief, growing up and the importance of family. Cancer is a strong element of the novel but the story connects because it is surrounded by the everyday happenings of life. The novel will have you laughing, crying and seething in frustration but as you will see, it is how people react and cope in difficult situations that define who they are and who they will become.

My Review:
The Mimosa Tree is a snapshot of the life of seventeen year-old Mira who is an only child growing up in a traditional Italian family in Australia. It’s 1987 and Mira has finally left high school behind. Entering university, she hopes for bigger and better things, for real friends with the same passions and interests as her. But it’s hard to make friends when she dismisses those who don’t appear to be like her and with a stifling and bossy extended family who have an opinion on every facet of her life.

Adjusting to the university workload and an irritating but persistent new friend helps keep Mira somewhat sane from her meddling aunt Via. But, when her mother’s cancer returns, Mira’s life is turned further upside down. With the illness kept a secret from those not in the family, Mira takes her grief and frustrations out on unsuspecting people, such as her new friend Felicia. Mira keeps everything bottled up, becoming isolated because she only really has her exasperating aunts to talk to, which is not ideal.

Mira’s aunt Via angered me so much that I almost put the book down a few times. She was just so incredibly frustrating and pushy and I would go mad if someone like her was always meddling in my life. But, I do understand why she is the way she is and that it is just her way of showing she cares.

I loved Mira. I don’t think a lot of people would probably feel the same way. She’s negative, grumpy and judges people too quickly, but it’s all about protecting herself from getting hurt. It’s a coping mechanism and since she has never had any real friends, it’s hard for her to accept people, particularly when she has a particular image in her head of what new friends might be like. She is an honest character and I love Antonella Preto for writing her.

Mira really frustrated me at times because she doesn’t do anything around the house to help her mother out. This really bugged me because I viewed her as a selfish, spoilt child and couldn’t understand why she didn’t help out more. Then I realised that that isn’t the way the Italian home works. That is the wife’s job, to take care of everything around the house. At least, this is my impression of how it was 25 years ago.

People deal with grief in their own ways and existing relationships are often altered, some for better, some for worse. What Mira discovers is that while family is incredibly important, they are not always enough and sometimes you need the support of people outside the situation to help you cope.

The Mimosa Tree is a story about grief, growing up and the importance of family. Cancer is a strong element of the novel but the story connects because it is surrounded by the everyday happenings of life. For Mira, the difficult transition from high school to university, becoming an adult and learning how to cope with a very sick mother is different to the way in which her father and aunts react. The novel will have you laughing, crying and seething in frustration but as you will see, it is how people react and cope in difficult situations that define who they are and who they will become.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington

Release Date: 1st May 2011 (Aust). 22nd November 2011 (US)

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one - so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going - California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down - again.

In A Nutshell:
Saving June pretty much had me before I even opened the book. And once I started it, I was in love. As many of you know, I love road trip books. I also love books about music. And swoon-worthy guys and imperfect girls and crazy adventures. And polaroid photographs.... Hannah Harrington somehow managed to grab all my favourite things and put them in her debut novel.

Saving June will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh, cry, swoon and blush. It’s tender and breath taking, filled with love, loss, grief, uncertainty and forgiveness.

My Review: (longest review EVER. Sorry!)
Um, wow...

Saving June pretty much had me before I even opened the book. And once I started it, I was in love. As many of you know, I love road trip books. I also love books about music. And swoon-worthy guys and imperfect girls and crazy adventures. And polaroid photographs.... Hannah Harrington somehow managed to grab all my favourite things and put them in her debut novel.

Our three main characters, Harper, Laney and Jake are all quite distinct personalities and while they initially end up on the road trip by way of necessity and blackmail, the three of them survive and learn a few lessons in life.

Harper is easy to relate to, even if a bit clichéd. She's the younger sister who has never felt good enough, always living in her older sister's shadow. But what happens when said older sister is gone? And gone without an explanation? She can’t just slip into the role of the good, helpful daughter, she has her own grief to contend with. Everyone grieves in their own way and Harper's way is to pay homage to June's dreams, not to pretend like it was 'God's divine plan' and all pain will pass.

“As soon as I learned, early on in life, that I could never live up to June, I’d made it a point to be her polar opposite“…. “But I wasn’t interested in being like June, and I definitely didn’t want to live in June’s shadow. Even if mine was less impressive, at least it was my own.”

I love the friendship between Harper and Laney, both have quite distinct personalities but each complements the other. Laney takes everything in her stride, always knows what to say and has a sense of adventure. She has a penchant for vintage clothing, over-sharing and a fascination with movie stars who died young. Harper, however, is the kind of girl who won’t do something she doesn’t want to. She won’t take s*** from anyone and will stick up for what she believes in. She likes hoodies and black nail polish and isn't good with emotion. They are each other’s buffers and will always be there for the other.

Jake is annoying, sweet, opinionated, considerate, music obsessed and totally swoon-worthy. He may present the bad-boy image but he’s not all that he seems and I totally wish he would make ME a 'mixed CD'. The banter between he and Harper is so delicious and I love how he slowly manages to break down her tough exterior.

“At first my stomach twists, and I feel vaguely ashamed, or guilty, or something, for noticing that. But then I think –so what. So what if he’s hot, sometimes. Like every time I look at him. Besides, annoying he may be, but he’s had his shining White Knight Moment, what with the whole saving-me-and-my-best-friend-from-a-brawl-and-probable-jail-time thing. Even if I’m no damsel in distress and he’s miles away from Prince Charming, such displays of gallantry, combined with his not-bad-okay-actually-pretty good looks, make my strange lusty feelings completely justified. Practically obligatory, even.”

As Harper, Jake and Laney get closer to their final destination, they come across a few unexpected events along the way. They end up in the thick of a protest rally in Chicago, get sweaty in a punk mosh-pit, risk rattlesnakes while camping, chill out in a blues lounge in St. Louis, realise that refrigerators can make interesting art, discover Harper can throw a mean right-hook, get sexy with The Doors all while emotions are running high and personal secrets and insecurities come to light.

As I have mentioned, Jake is hugely music obsessed and it is a constant theme throughout the book. From bands such as The Rolling Stones and the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, Hole, Ani DiFranco, Eric Clapton, The Kinks, The Doors, John Coltrane, Johnny Cash, The Beach Boys, ABBA and Bob Dylan, plus many, many more, classic rock and jazz are covered. All through the book I was thinking I would try and make a playlist of all the songs talked about and then to my delight, at the end of the book were three playlists. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

“And that’s what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you.”

If you are a peanut butter fan, you probably won’t be able to eat it again without thinking of Jake and blushing. And I don’t think I’ll be able to listen to ‘Tears in Heaven’ by Eric Clapton without swooning at the thought of page 219. And ‘Touch Me’ by The Doors without thinking of pages 298-304. And OMG the song at the end!!!

Saving June will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh, cry, swoon and blush. It’s tender and breath taking, filled with love, loss, grief, uncertainty and forgiveness. I constantly felt that I was sitting in the fourth car seat, next to Laney and totally wanted to jump in and add my own music commentary to Jake’s.

For fans of The Sky is Everywhere and Where She Went.

More Hannah Harrington? Yes please!

Second Opinions
inkcrush
Irresistible Reads

Also, Nic at Irresistible Reads has done a "My Book Boyfriend" post on Jake. Check it out for some yummy quotes and Jake inspired pics :)

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Title: Between
Author: Cyndi Tefft

Release Date: 1st June 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries

In A Nutshell:
Between is the perfect mix of love, loss and longing. With tear-jerking moments, delicious scenes of desire and a twist I never saw coming, Between went from a so-so book to a wow book.

My Review:
Between begins with Lindsey being involved in a car accident. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a meadow and accompanied by a gorgeous Scottish man who she feels an instant attraction to and who is to lead her to the pearly gates of heaven. I had two initial reactions in the first few chapters. One was, 'Oh no, please don't go all God preachy on me'. The second was 'Oh no, not another love at first sight, you are my one true love even though I have barely said ten words to you'. Haha not the best first impression but both were based on my own opinions of religion and love. The beginning is not bad, it's just not what I normally enjoy. This should have been enough to stop me reading, leave it in the unfinished pile and start something new. But I didn't. I kept reading, and oh my gosh, I am so glad I did because I quickly became completely absorbed in it and didn't do anything for the rest of the day.

Instead of going straight to heaven, Lindsey decides to stay with Aiden for a little while until she feels ready to move on. Being in this state of limbo, Aiden has the ability to cast the two of them anywhere they want, as long as he has been there in the past (before he died). Aiden takes Lindsey through a journey of his memories from his home at Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands to his uncle's house in Versailles, they dance in a ballroom with Louis the 14th and wander the streets of Paris in the 1700's. Lindsey quickly discovers she also has this ability to cast and as their feelings for each other intensify, Lindsey shares her memories with Aiden. But as the gates of heaven call her, their time together is running out. Will their love be enough or will they lose each other forever?

And then just when I thought I knew how the story was likely to pan out...BAM! Tefft threw me a major curve-ball. In comes a contemporary twist that totally shocked me and took Between to a whole other level, something I was so not expecting!

Mixed with delicious smoking-hot scenes and total tear-jerking moments, family and personal relationships are examined, feelings voiced, insurmountable grief exposed and pain, loss, love and desire are all experienced. Between has it all.

How pretty is the cover?! Simple but effective. Also, after visiting Scotland (and Eilean Donan Castle) three years ago, I fell in love with the place so I love to find books that mention Scotland.

You can purchase Between as an ebook or paperback from Amazon or as an ebook from Smashwords

Visit Cyndi's blog here or find Between on Goodreads.

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Title: Love is the Higher Law
Author: David Levithan

Release Date: 1st November 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:
First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

My Review:
Love is the Higher Law is a story about three teenager from New York City who were not directly affected by September 11th but whose lives were forever changed.

As many of you know, I have recently returned from visiting New York. While I was there, I visited the 9/11 Tribute Centre which was extremely moving and I was affected way more than I thought I would be. Reading the beginning of the book, which describes the morning of 9/11 from the perspective of our three teenagers, I actually had some trouble getting through the pages, due to the emotional content, and wasn't sure if I would be able to finish reading. Luckily for me, the actual event and description of 9/11 is only at the very beginning of the book. The rest of the story follows Claire, Jasper and Peter and how they react in the months following the aftermath of the attacks.

Claire, Jasper and Peter become stuck in their post 9/11 world, trying to find their place and find meaning in their now changed lives; Jasper trying to feel something and his frustration and anger over not being allowed to help by donating blood, Claire rallying to help, not just 9/11 charities, but all groups, wanting to do something, anything. Claire is a very interesting character, very deep and thoughtful. While feeling completely lost, she marvels at how everyone has come together to help each other (she makes a profound 'speech' on pages 105-106 that I really like). I identified most with her character and found her actions touching, especially the time she spends at Union Square.

In the week after 9/11, New York City becomes something it hasn't been since the days before the steamship: isolated. Even after the bridges and tunnels and airports open again, most of the people who are using them are making a return voyage. The tourists disappear. Bands do not show up. Concerts are cancelled left and right. Museums are empty. New York is filled with... New Yorkers.

(Peter, page 81)

Towards the end of the book it became alot more philosophical, each of the characters talking about how they feel and their new views on the world. While I like this aspect, I would have enjoyed a bit more character interaction between our three protagonists, rather than mostly hearing their thoughts. By the end, we are at a point where it is a year and a half after the attacks. We see how Claire, Jasper and Peter have changed as people. We've watched as they struggled to comprehend what has happened, and the conflicting emotions related to moving on. When is it ok to laugh? To carry on with life?

You may be wondering why I picked a book to read about 9/11 when the sadness was once again quite raw to me (having visited the tribute centre). I actually wasn't so much thinking about what I was about to read, but more whose writing I was about to read. My current quest is to read everything David Levithan has written. He is awesome.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

Title: A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
Author: Emily Horner

Release Date: 28th June 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Cass and her drama-crazy best friend, Julia, were planning a road trip to California. When Julia is killed in a car accident, Cass decides to follow the original plan anyway. Even if she has a bicycle instead of a driver's licence, and even if Julia's ashes are coming along in Tupperware.

This a story about friendship. About love. About travelling a thousand miles just to find yourself. And it's a story about the kookiest high school musical one quiet suburb has ever seen.

My Review:
I really enjoyed A Love Story. It's about one girls quest to confront her grief and discover herself. It is a funny, touching, coming-of-age debut and while I wouldn't go so far as to say Cass is highly likeable, I do think teenagers will be able to relate to at least one of her struggles (including her alternative parents). The main themes are friendship, grief, relationships, self esteem, sexuality, growing up and... musicals!

Although Cass is a smart girl, she hasn't quite figured out who she is or her place in the world and after the death of Julia, while she tells herself the road trip is to honour Julia, it's more about being independent, proving herself to those back home and herself and it also allows her to get away from some of Julia's friends who are striking out at her and each other amidst their grief. It also gives her the chance to get away, think clearly and discover who she is as a person and also what Julia really meant to her.

The story is a little slow and confusing at the beginning, mostly due to the fact that it goes back and forth in time, from 'Then' when Julia was alive and the subsequent road trip and 'Now' after Cass has returned and is working on the musical penned by Julia, 'Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad'. I'm not a big fan of books that go back and forth in time but I quickly got over my initial confusion as I think Emily Horner has done a really good job of keeping the story together and all events relevant.

There are two little paragraphs that have really stuck with me since finishing this book. Neither of them have anything to do with each other (they both just happen to occur at 3am).

The first is this, for no reason other than it made me laugh.

'Okay. Obviously you have not lived.'
'I was once kissed in a motel hallway by a bass player, at three in the morning,'
'Impressive, but unconvincing.'

The second is part of an entire chapter which I love but if I write down the whole chapter, aside from being ridiculously long, it will spoil some of the story. I will say that this chapter, to me, represents the true meaning of friendship.

'Thank you,' I said. Like that would cover it. Like it would come anywhere close to covering it. But what else was there to say at three in the morning?

If I was to compare it with other YA titles, I would say if you mix Will Grayson, Will Grayson, The Sky is Everywhere and Pink by Lili Wilkinson, you have A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson

Release Date: 1st June 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 5/5

"I do not think this is how normal people mourn..."

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life—and, despite her non-existent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

I loved The Sky is Everywhere. After finishing it, all I wanted to do was pick it up and read it again right from the start. I don't think I have ever had the urge to reread a book straight away after finishing it. It is a fantastic story from first time author Jandy Nelson about life, love, loss and healing.

Despite it's morbid premise, this is a humorous novel about finding yourself, coping with grief, and allowing yourself to be happy again. It is about the tragedy of losing a sister and finding first love, and all the emotions that come with those experiences: the sadness, the confusion, the passion, and the feeling that your heart is going to burst into a million pieces.

Poor Lennie, she is so lost after the death of her 19-year-old sister Bailey. She copes by shutting out her friends and those around her as she doesn't think they can relate to her or understand what she is going through. What she forgets is that they also have lost Bailey. The supporting characters are crazy, eccentric and absolutely loveable; Grams and her roses and the Spotted Lennie Plant, Sarah and her animal vocabulary explosions, and Big and his dead bugs and Pyramids.

Lennie is a 'young' 17-year-old, always having hidden behind Bailey and has about zero experience with boys. When she falls for new boy Joe Fontaine, she immediately feels guilty for moving on and not spending every second of the day feeling depressed and mourning her sister. Her confusion over her feelings for Toby are also understandable. What we as the readers realise long before Lennie, is that she and Toby are drawn together over the enormous grief they share over Bailey's death, not by her having some strange attraction to her dead sisters' boyfriend.

The Sky is Everywhere is beautifully written. The words are so lyrical, they swallow you up and you get lost inside them.

We walk in silence then through the woods and it snaps me back into my senses. The stars and moon are mostly hidden over the thick tree cover, and I feel like I'm swimming through darkness, my body breaking the air as if it were water. I can hear the rush of the river getting louder with every step I take, and it reminds me of Bailey, day after day, year after year, the two of us on this path, lost in talk, the plunge into the pool, and then the endless splaying on the rocks in the sun-

"I'm left behind."

I also loved Lennie's random scattering of poems throughout the book that she leaves all over town. They helped give more insight into how she is feeling and also her relationship with Bailey.

WHEN I'M WITH HIM,
THERE IS SOMEONE WITH ME
IN MY HOUSE OF GRIEF,
SOMEONE WHO KNOWS
ITS ARCHITECTURE AS I DO,
WHO CAN WALK WITH ME,
FROM ROOM TO SORROWFUL ROOM,
MAKING THE WHOLE RAMBLING STRUCTURE
OF WIND AND EMPTINESS
NOT QUITE AS SCARY, AS LONELY
AS IT WAS BEFORE.

A must read for ages 14+.

Beautiful Monster by Kate McCaffrey

Title: Beautiful Monster
Author: Kate McCaffrey

Release Date: 1st May 2010

My Rating: 4/5

It only takes a few blood-stained seconds for Tessa's life to change forever. She wants her old life back. She wants her mum and dad the way they were. She wants her brother.

If it wasn't for Ned, she'd be all alone. He's her greatest support and staunchest ally. He's privy to her deepest secrets, comforts her at night when she cries, holds her and makes her feel loved - when it feels like everyone else has gone. And he knows how to make things okay again. If Tessa can only be perfect, things will get better. The perfect daughter, the perfect marks, the perfect body. But there is a fine line between being in control and being controlled.

Wow where do I start?

Always tackling the important topics for young adults such as cyber-bullying (Destroying Avalon) and drugs use (In Ecstasy), Kate McCaffrey has done it again with Beautiful Monster, focusing on a young girl struggling through her teenage years who has developed an eating disorder following the devastating death of her younger brother.

Beautiful Monster not only deals with the primary issue of body image and eating disorders but also the grief of losing a loved one. As her parents suffer with their own pain, Tessa manages to slip through the cracks, hiding her own pain as she strives to reach her goal weight.

Told in three parts, two years separating each, we accompany Tess as she loses her brother, endeavours to be perfect and keep control over all aspects of her life, copes with her parents, hides her illness, suffers denial and isolates herself from her friends. Then, as her her secret is discovered, we see the aftermath of her treatment and the possibility of a relapse as old foes once again come to light.

Just like her previous books, Beautiful Monster is something every teenage girl should read.