Author: Ashley Herring Blake
Series: -
Genres: YA, Contemporary, LGBT+
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release: May 2nd 2017
Source: eBook
Pages: 336
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BLURB:
All seventeen year-old Grace Glasser wants is her own life. A normal life in which she sleeps in the same bed for longer than three months and doesn't have to scrounge for spare change to make sure the electric bill is paid. Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend—who happens to be Grace’s own ex-boyfriend’s father.
Her attempts to lay low until she graduates are disrupted when she meets Eva, a girl with her own share of ghosts she’s trying to outrun. Grief-stricken and lonely, Eva pulls Grace into midnight adventures and feelings Grace never planned on. When Eva tells Grace she likes girls, both of their worlds open up. But, united by loss, Eva also shares a connection with Maggie. As Grace's mother spirals downward, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on.
EXPECTATIONS: This book has been super hyped, it was at some point turning into the IT of 2017. Also it has queer characters which is always preferable.
THE WORLD: Just like we know it. Small town in USA, high school and part time jobs. Reckless parents and not very likable exes. Also beach and lighthouse.
CHARACTERS: Our main character is called Grace. She is a high schooled however high school is very toned down in this book. Basically she is a pianist genius as well as blaming yourself genius. Basically Grace's mom has serious problems, ever since Grace's dad died her mom started drinking and bringing men around. She could not of course keep the job so they had to move a lot. At the time this story takes place Grace's mom has already dated anything available and not available in their not so big town. Frankly, before I read Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker mother of Grace just really made me mad but now that I am more familiar with narcissistic abusive disorder I would actually say that Grace's mom definitely has it. Basically when Grace's comes back from her music camp her mom managed to find new boyfriend and move all their things into this boyfriend's house. Grace was away in camp for a week! So you can imagine what this book deals with. On top of that the sun of this new boyfriend is Grace's ex boyfriend who after she dumped him posted all their sex texts online. And all her mother said was something like But Grace I really think this will work. I hate the mother for so many reasons but I also dislike Grace big time. The way she acts...I get that she never knew better and she blames herself for everything but often it went too far, I am no familiar with such situation but I think Grace was just often too naive. Other character that also is important in the book is Eva, she is a ballet dancer who just lost her mother and now has to live with her guardians aka Grace's best friends family. Again there was a lot of darkness and weird choices here but I never had to deal with grief like that so I am not a right person to really judge Eva's character.
ROMANCE: Grace and Eva. The romance is very slow but cute.
GOOD: I liked the setting of this book and the arts as well as in general portrait of all main teenagers as being smart and talented.
BAD: The ending. I get that relationship between Grace and her mom of Eva's grief is there to make a story. But my problem was that it never gets solved. Never! Yes we do get sorta happy ending but there is no conclusion, there is no realization of parent's part that what was done was really wrong. I think YA books especially the contemporary ones that deal with grief and sexuality and just understanding yourself should really state clear lessons in the end. I mean why when somebody is bullied there is always a lesson that bullying is bad but when a parent is a bully it somehow gets wrapped up that yeah maybe not really yeah...I just don't get this logic.
OVERALL: I did enjoy it but I don't think it's really the IT book. I don't even thing it is worth 5 or even 4 stars. I think it was an okay read for 3 stars that deals with many problems but does not have a good ending.
What do you think about HOW TO MAKE A WISH?
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