Author: Dana Reinhardt
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: ebook
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Source: egalley received from publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 2 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This
has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my
open and honest opinion.***
Synopsis
from Goodreads:
Nell knows a secret
about her perfect, beautiful sister Layla. If she tells, it could blow their
world apart.
When Nell and Layla were little, Nell used to call them Nellaya. Because to Nell, there was no difference between where she started and her adored big sister ended. They're a unit; divorce made them rely on each other early on, so when one pulls away, what is the other to do? But now, Nell's a freshman in high school and Layla is changing, secretive. And then Nell discovers why. Layla is involved with one of their teachers. And even though Nell tries to support Layla, to understand that she's happy and in love, Nell struggles with her true feelings: it's wrong, and she must do something about it.
My
Review:
I think by now you guys
probably know that I love books about sisters. Having two sisters myself I can
totally relate to them. So I was excited to hear about this one. I’m sorry to
say that I was pretty disappointed.
The writing style took
some getting used to. It’s narrated by Nell, but kind of in letter format to
her sister. You as the reader are Layla in a way. Nell is speaking to you as
the reader. Once I got used to it though, I loved it. The writing was
absolutely beautiful. So many amazing passages. I highlighted so much in my
Kindle. This author certainly has a way with words.
I loved the main
character’s friendship with Felix. They were the type of friends that you just
know will always work things out. No matter how bad one pisses off the other,
they’re going to get through it together. They are always there for each other
no matter what’s going on in their lives.
The sister relationship
was kind of devastating for me though. The only thing this book showed was the
way the two girls were pulling apart. I remember going through that in high
school with my sisters, but that’s all we saw. We didn’t see any type of
resolution. It was just like one day they were best friends and the next day
they weren’t. It honestly broke my heart.
The biggest problem
with this book was that it didn’t have an ending. In my opinion, we had just
reached the climax and then the book ended. There was no resolution. As the
reader we have no idea how things turn out. Maybe that will work for some
readers, but it didn’t work for me. There were so many things that I wanted to
know. I think that this book would have benefited greatly from an epilogue.
Something to tie things up, show us that it worked out, that everything was
okay. Or that everything wasn’t okay. Whatever the case may be. I just wanted
to know how it resolved itself. If you want to read some gorgeous writing, pick
this book up. If you want to read a book with a clear resolution, this one is
not for you. Happy reading all!
Let's talk! Have you read this one? What did you think of the sisters relationship? What about the ending?
I haven't read this book, but the ending sounds like it would drive me crazy, too!
ReplyDeleteKate @ Ex Libris
Yep, it was pretty frustrating. :(
DeleteI read this book and those were some of my thoughts too. Her sister's secret and the implications of it. Yeah I didn't like the ending at all.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it just didn't work for me. I really wish it had though bc I love reading about sister relationships!
DeleteI haven't read this one, but I've seen it around. I do completely agree that books that don't have a resolution can be a let down. I remember reading a book one time that ended abruptly and just staring at the last page hoping more words would magically appear.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I've done that before. Or like flipping back through absolutely sure that I missed something. Going on Goodreads to look at the page number count to see if I got a defective book. Lol
DeleteOh no, I have this ARC and now I'm not excited about reading it at all. No resolution? What??? Why do authors do this? I just don't understand. I like the letter format, that's different, but I think this ending is going to frustrate me. Oh well! Maybe if I know that going in, it will make it better. Thanks for the honest review! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteYeah.... I don't know. It's so frustrating when they just "leave it up to the readers imagination". No. These aren't my characters. I don't want to guess what happened to them. I want you to tell me. Good luck with it! I hope you enjoy it more than me!
DeleteI didn't even finish. I was not enjoying it at all and "put it on hold" but decided not to finish it. It was not a writing style I usually enjoy and the sister relationship just broke my heart, but not in a good way. It felt so dysfunctional at a level that just didn't even make sense to me. I just wasn't a fan of the book and I couldn't push myself to keep reading :(
ReplyDeleteYes. Exactly my feelings. I just could not connect with the sister relationship at all. It was just awful and it made me want to go hug my sisters.
Delete