Girls on Fire - Robin Wasserman

Rating: ★★★★☆

Publication Date: May 5, 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 368 pages
Goodreads

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

It seems that since Gone Girl, the amount of suspenseful literary novels is just increasing. Girls on Fire is contemporary, beautifully written and revolves all around a plot that has twists and turns on every single page. It's been praised by so many people that I was excited to read this and I wasn't disappointed.

Girls on Fire is the story of Hannah and Lacey and starts off in a Thirteen kinda way: girls become friends and one drags the other one on the path of teenage rebellion and destruction. Except, there's more to this story. Lacey isn't just a bad influence; she somehow seems to have information on the suicide of one of their classmates. What does she know? And how far will Hannah go in this friendship?

What I loved most about this book is the amazing writing. We alternate between Hannah and Lacey's perspective and though they're both teenage girls, they have distinctively different reading voices and both manipulate the reader in different ways. Hannah just tells the story, while Lacey's narrative is like a letter to Hannah explaining her past. I loved Lacey's dark sense of humour and her seemingly 'smart' thinking about the most dumb decisions. They're real teenagers and I loved the portrayal of their friendship.

The plot is also perfectly worked out. A story like this revolves all around the element of shock and I definitely was shocked - though personally, I found the ending a little bit far fetched and unrealistic, which is why it's not a perfect read for me. The author had to wrap everything up in a neat way, and that happened, but I was left unsatisfied with the reasoning and the actions of the characters I grew so close to throughout the story.

Girls on Fire is a suspenseful read that you won't want to put down until you finish it. And then you'll be thinking about it for a long time after. I won't forget these characters, these voices that remain so lively in my head. It's the perfect summer read for when you need a break from all those loved up contemporary books and want to take a walk on the dark side.

 

New Hampshire Book Haul

It's book haul time again! Last week I was in New Hampshire to visit my boyfriend and of course, a trip to Barnes & Nobles was on top of my to do list! I bought seven books - and only stopped at that because I knew I wouldn't be able to bring them home in my suitcase if I got more! But Barnes & Nobles sure is tempting!

The haul is a bit of a mix of everything, so I'm just randomly going through the list and say why I picked these books!

  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Okay, I know. I'm the last person in the world to read this book, but I'm SO excited to finally start it! When I saw it, I just couldn't leave it! (Goodreads)                   
  • The Circle by Dave Eggers: This book is on my boyfriend's TBR list and because he didn't want to buy any more books (I know, he's crazy), I got it. For him, but I said it was for me. Reading the back, this book actually looks really interesting, so I'm excited to try it! (Goodreads)                                                     
  • Ruby by Cynthia Bond: This will be my first book of the Bailey's Fiction shortlist. I want to read and review the whole list and figured I'd start with the book Oprah loves. Plus, it's small enough that it was easy to take on the plane with me!  (Goodreads)                                                                                      
  • Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: Again, one of those books that everyone has read except for me. I've finally really become familiar with modernism, so I decided to push myself and try a postmodernist book. Not sure how this will go, but I figure you can expect a lot of confused Goodreads statuses while I read this! (Goodreads)                                                                                                                                       
  • The Heiress by Sarah Shepard: Though surprisingly, I'm not a PLL fan, I loved the Lying Games books and was excited to pick up this Sarah Shepard book. Mostly because it also was a bargain and it looks pretty. The reviews on Goodreads are pretty brutal, but I'm hoping this will be a good, brainless and enjoyable read. (Goodreads)                                                                                                                        
  • I'm Glad About You by Therese Rebeck: Never heard of this book before, but I loved the bright blue colour and the blurb featured fascinating characters, so this was an easy one to pick up. Hopefully I'll read this in the near future. (Goodreads)                                                                                                           
  • Classic American Short Stories: You didn't think I would go to Barnes & Nobles and leave without one of their classics? I purely bought this book, because it looks good. And because I like short stories. But mostly, because IT'S GORGEOUS. (Goodreads)
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The Paris Wife - Paula McLain

Rating: ★★★★★

Publication Date: February 27, 2011
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 314 pages
Goodreads

The Paris Wife is based on the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and Hadley. While often written about, by Hemingway himself and scholars researching his life, Paula McLain's story focuses on Hadley's point of view and what her life was like living with one of the most talented, and complicated, man of the 20th century.  

When I started this book, I wasn't too sure what I'd think of it. I know quite a bit about Hemingway by now, but I knew close to nothing about Hadley and she came across as one of the most boring characters ever. She falls in love with Ernest the moment she sees him and suddenly her whole life is revolving around this man she barely knows. However, somewhere between their engagement and wedding, I fell in love with Hadley. 

Hadley is definitely one of the most simple characters in the beginning of the story. She's quite old (mid to end twenties) and is eager to find someone she can love and start a family with. But that need for something so simple, happiness and family, turns out to be her strength throughout the story. While all the other characters, mostly writers, strive for life long acknowledgment, greatness, wildness,... Hadley is the calm in the storm and the easiest character to relate to in the story. She might want something simple, but she's incredibly strong and able to handle any situation Ernest throws at her - and best belief that he involves her in many difficult situations.

Paula McLain's writing is beautiful and she really takes Hadley on a journey from young girl to grown woman, across continents and in many different situations. Hadley evolves, but always stays true to herself and I can't deny that I teared up at the end of the story. Because Hadley's wish for happiness is so easy I wanted her to succeed so badly at this. She's willing to give so much and to comprise so much of who she is, just to keep her family, midway through the book enriched with a son, together. And yet, as we all know through the myth of Hemingway, she doesn't succeed. And knowing that, seeing things slowly falling apart and knowing Hadley won't be able to bring them back together, is heartbreaking.

It's not easy to tell a story that has become general knowledge for so many people. Hemingway is known as the womanizer with four wives and yet never faithful to any of them. It's a task and Paula McLain navigates it beautifully. Knowing the ending only enhances the story and the depth the characters are given means you'll never look at Hemingway, or Hadley, the same way again.

 

Plain Jane - Kim Hood

Rating: ★★★★☆

Publication Date: April 11th 2016
Publisher: The O'Brein Press
Genre: YA
Pages: 304 pages
Goodreads

I've reviewed Kim Hood's first book Finding a Voice last year and I wasn't too crazy about it. I thought the topic was amazing and important, but the writing just didn't go in depth enough for me to really connect with the characters. With Plain Jane, Hood tackles other important topics, physical and mental health, but this time the writing makes it incredibly easy to connect to all the characters. 

As the title suggest, Jane feels like she's plain and nothing special. Her younger sister Emma has cancer and all the focus is constantly on her and her treatment. While Emma is practically famous in their small Irish town, Jane wants nothing more than to explore more than the live she's living right now. With practically no parental help, Jane has to figure out if she really does like her boyfriend, how she can achieve more than her classmates and she also has to try to keep her more and more confusing thoughts in check.

Though Jane thinks she's plain, very early on in the narration the reader gets the idea that Jane's thoughts aren't that usual. Hood subtly weaves in more and more doubt in the reader's mind about Jane's mental health and about the way she observes things. Though first person narration is often considered inferior (even though I love it), in this book it works perfectly. We see what Jane sees and hear what Jane hears... or thinks she sees and hears. The unreliability of the main character is one of the biggest strength of this story. 

I also love that the focus of this story is on Jane and not Emma. Though we are introduced to Emma's cancer struggles, it is never the main focus of the story. It's all about how the cancer influences Jane and how it switches the focus on how everyone is so distracted by Emma that Jane flies under the radar and is a 15 year old living with the freedoms of a college student. This obviously plays a huge part in her development and, also new for YA, the parents are never blamed for it. They really try to be there for Jane, but it's virtually impossible for them. For once, the fact that the parents don't play a direct role in the story is normal and explained instead of a mystery.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Plain Jane. I think at times, I still would have liked more depth in the story and for the whole plot to be slowed down. Certain elements are still rushed, but I really related to Jane and I loved reading this story. There are important topics in here, but it doesn't read like a mental and physical health instruction booklet - it's just a great story that sticks with you after you've finished it. 

 

 

 

When We Collided - Emery Lord

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: YA
Pages: 352 pages
Goodreads

I received this book for review from Bloomsbury. Though I am extremely grateful, this in no way influences my opinion.

When We Collided starts out as a typical YA novel. Quirky female character from the big city goes to a small town and meets a cute local boy with issues. Though it seemed predictable at the start, something about Emery Lord's writing kept me reading. There was immediately an undertone of a deeper story and I couldn't wait to find out exactly where these characters would go.

To say I wasn't disappointed is an understatement: I was blown away. I won't reveal much of the plot here, because I think the element of surprise is a great bonus if you read this story, but I can tell you that the characters are amazing. When We Collided alternates between the perspectives of Vivi and Jonah. Vivi initially kind of annoyed me, because she wanted to be special for the sake of being special. However, as early as the end of chapter one, some things just don't add up about her and I couldn't wait to find out what made her the way she is.

Jonah on the other hand is a completely different story. I immediately fell in love with him and that feeling only grew during the story. There are so few guys in YA who are narrators and genuine good guys - now we finally have Jonah. After the death of his father, he has to take care of his family and I loved how realistic this was portrayed. His mother is depresses, so clearly all the older sibling step up and take care of the younger ones, but they complain about it! They hate it at times, are angry and resentful towards their mother, which are natural feelings that are rushed over in other YA novels. Jonah might be somewhat of a hero, but only because he has to be, not because he necessarily wants to be. 

Clearly, when unpredictable, big city VIvi and responsible Jonah 'collide', sparks are about to fly. Thanks to Emery Lord's realistic writing style, it's never a cliché love story and the plot is tight and exciting enough to keep you reading until the very last word.

Villa America - Liza Klaussmann

Rating: ★★★★★

Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 426 pages
Goodreads

 

Villa America is the fictional story of Sarah and Gerald Murphy, two rich and important Americans who played a key role in the development of FItzgerald's work, who even devoted Tender Is the Night to them. 

Even though I've delved into Fitzgerald and his work, I wasn't very familiar with Sarah and Gerald Murphy and was excited to discover their world. The first noticeable thing is Liza Klaussmann's amazing writing throughout the whole story. The plot takes place over thirty years and jumps between Gerald and Sarah's voice, but Klaussmann effortlessly alternates the character. Every character, sometimes others are narrators too for short periods of them, has their own distinct voice and takes you into their own world in this most natural way. This makes the book very enjoyable to read and it's so easy to connect with each and every character.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Sarah and Gerald's journey. They're believable characters, though they lived an unbelievable life. In their villa in southern France, Hemingway and Fitzgerald walk in and out while discussing the likes of Picasso. It seems like a dream now, but both Sarah and Gerald have very real issues to deal with. The main undertone of this book is the hidden homosexuality of many male characters. World War I profoundly changed men, and the way people viewed love. When you almost lost your life fighting for your country, doesn't it seem weird that you have to hide who you love? This is the thinking of many male characters, though most of them keep their homosexuality hidden well into the story. It unravels beautifully towards the end and enhancing the love story between Sarah and Gerald.

At the core of this book is the fact that Sarah and Gerald Murphy, just like Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, were ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. They lived through their worst nightmares during World War I and are left picking up the pieces of themselves, and the world, in the time period after. Though often sees an extravagant and irresponsible generation, Villa America shows the very real struggles of these people and why their pain translates so beautifully in art.