Just a big pile of blech. CBR7 review 32.

I was fairly certain that I had already read my least favorite book of CBR7, the horrid pile of stink called Seating Arrangements. But sadly, I was wrong.

This was worse. And so disappointing, as I’ve read — and mostly liked — all of Gayle Forman’s previous books. She’s a decent writer, as she proved with If I Stay, and good at developing characters that you want to know more about (proof: the companion book to If I Stay, Where I Went, and the combo of Just One Day/Just One Year).

Gayle Forman, I am begging you. Do not write a companion piece to this book. The characters were awful people that I never want to revisit.

I Was Here starts off well enough. Cody, recently graduated from high school in rural Washington, is attempting to deal with the suicide of her best friend, Meg. Meg was away at college in Tacoma, and her death came as a shock to everyone back home.

When Cody heads to Meg’s apartment to gather her belongings, she finds out that maybe Meg had some secrets, and that maybe her death shouldn’t have been such a shocking surprise.

Look, I appreciate Forman’s attempt to tackle issues as serious as mental illness and suicide. But the characters that I was supposed to care about were the worst. THE WORST.

Cody was simply a bitch. I’m sorry her friend died, but she was a very unlikable protagonist. There was nothing about Cody that made me see why the awesome Meg would be her best friend, or why the amazingly hot Ben would be so taken with her. Her mother was a monster, and all of the characters at the college were really quite two-dimensional.

Gayle, I’m willing to give you another chance. I really hope your next book is better. Please don’t turn into Lauren Oliver, torturing me for years, waiting for your next book to be as good as your first.

Scootsa1000’s #CBR6 Review 53: My True Love Gave to Me by Every YA Author in the World

Usually, I review my 52 books and then take a break for the rest of the year. And after this review, I plan to do so. But since this is a holiday-themed book, I figured I would write something up.

My True Love Gave to Me is a book of short stories, all Christmas themed. The stories are written by an all-star team of YA champions: Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins, Laini Taylor, and Kiersten White. Yes, that’s right. Cannonball favorites Laini Taylor, Holly Black, and Rainbow Rowell ALL IN ONE COLLECTION.

I was all set for this to pretty much be the best book ever. A new holiday classic.

And I guess that was my mistake. The book is fine. Some of the stories are actually pretty good. But.

I think writing a short story is a very specific talent. And a bit of a lost art. Especially for authors who specialize in trilogies that never seem to end. Stephen King is really good at it, but Stephen King works very hard at it. He constantly works on short stories to keep himself in fighting form. I’m not so sure that David Levithan is following quite the same writing regimen.

I’ll cut the book some slack. None of the stories are outright terrible.

My least favorites were  Jenny Han’s “Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me” (about a human girl raised as an elf at the North Pole), and Levithan’s “Your Temporary Santa” (a gay, jewish kid dresses up as Santa for his boyfriend’s little sister?).

In the next group, stories that I thought were fine, were Link’s “The Lady and the Fox” (Link is really just too weird for me, but she is great at managing the short story format), “What Have You Done, Sophie Roth?” by Gayle Forman, “Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus” by Myra McEntire, and “Star of Bethlehem” by Ally Carter. They were all just fine. Lonely girl meets magical spirit in the woods every Christmas. Jewish girl and black boy at really WASP-y college bond over Christmas. The town Christmas pageant is saved by the least likely suspect. Hannah Montana escapes the horrible celebrity life and finds Christmas happiness in Oklahoma.

The last bunch were pretty darn good, actually.

I hadn’t heard of Matt de la Pena before, but his story “Angels in the Snow” was quite lovely.

My favorite in the book was Stephanie Perkins’ “It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown.” A simple story about picking out a Christmas tree that made me care and want to know more about the characters. I hoped they would end up happy.

Holly Black’s “Krampuslauf” was weird and fun, and I liked most of it. I preferred the parts of the story that were about normal events, not the supernatural.

“Welcome to Christmas, CA,” by Kiersten White was everything a holiday story should be. Christmas miracles, love, family togetherness, communities coming together. Very nice.

Laini Taylor’s “The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer” was very Laini Taylor-y. Like an old-fashioned fairy tale that doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending. It was dark, yet romantic. I’m not sure I liked the story, but I loved the writing.

Lastly, we have Rainbow Rowell’s “Midnights”. I liked the story of these two friends and how their relationship progresses over the years, checking in on them on New Year’s Eve every year. I wanted to read more about them. My issue with it was that as a short story, it felt incomplete. It seemed more like a chapter out of an unfinished book to me. I would definitely read that book, if Rowell wanted to write it. It just didn’t really work as a 20 page story.

I love the idea behind this book, I just wish I had enjoyed it a little bit more.

Scootsa1000’s #CBR6 Review 7: Just One Year by Gayle Forman

You know how after you read a really great book, you just can’t stop thinking about it? You go over the details and characters and plot developments in your head over and over, lots of times wishing there was more to read about this wonderful world the author created. You know that feeling?

I didn’t have that when I read this book. In fact, its barely been a week since I finished it, and I’m having trouble remembering exactly what this book was all about.

Many Cannonballers are familiar with Gayle Forman’s “she said/he said” pair of books, If I Stay and Where She Went — two books that tell pretty much the same story from different points of view. If I Stay was lovely. Where She Went was less so, but I still liked it, and thought it was an interesting approach to storytelling.

Last year, Forman came out with Just One Day, telling the story about quiet Allyson, who meets flashy Willem while on holiday in Europe. They spend 24 hours together in Paris, and it changes everything for Allyson. Just One Year is its companion piece — the same story told from the perspective of Willem and how his encounter with Allyson changed him as well.

The reason I don’t think this pairing worked quite as well is simple: I just didn’t really like Willem that much. Where She Went was a greater success because Adam was a strong, interesting character that we all felt an incredible amount of sympathy for. Willem? Not so much. A womanizer who travels constantly in order to avoid family and financial obligations? No thanks.

Forman’s descriptions of the various destinations on Willem’s travels were the greatest part of the book: Mexico, Paris, Mumbai, and Amsterdam were all brought to life on the page. Sadly, I couldn’t really say the same for the characters or the plot.

 

Scootsa1000’s #CBR5 Review 18: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Sometimes I’ll discover a new writer and devour as much of their work as I can really quickly. And while I usually enjoy the books, I do find that some authors have a tendency to repeat certain important themes that are relevant to them. Jennifer Weiner usually writes about a girl who used to be fat, who became less fat by swimming, and does not have a father figure in her life. Sarah Dessen really likes the beach, seems to dislike parents of all kinds, and usually has a non-reported date rape show up at some point in her books. And I guess Gayle Forman really likes the idea that every story has two sides.

Her first set of “he said/she said” books were If I Stay and Where She Went, which told the same story from different perspectives. One book I liked much more than the other, but still a refreshing way to tell a love story.

Forman is in the midst of repeating herself with her new characters from Just One Day. In this book, we meet Allyson, a “good girl” who has had her entire life planned out for her by her parents, and who has never gone astray from these plans. Until she meets a handsome actor while she’s touring Europe with a teen tour group, and she suddenly runs off to Paris with him.

They spend a single day together, and for Allyson, her entire life changes.

While I didn’t completely buy that Allyson would trek halfway around the world to try and find a boy that she spent 24 hours with, I did like the way that Allyson was written. I felt bad for her when she couldn’t acclimate to life in college, and I loved her friend Dee. I was relieved when she and her mom finally re-evaluated their status as mother and daughter, which ended up strengthening — and ultimately saving — their relationship.

And I’m sure Willem was super cute and fun, and I”m glad he made her realize all of these hidden things about herself. But still. I’m not sure that the last 50 pages needed to happen. An independent trip to Paris to replay the night they shared? Sure. But her impromptu visit over to Amsterdam seemed more like stalking to me.

In any event, I’m curious to see how Forman presents Willem’s side of the story in her next book. And Forman’s writing makes the story worthwhile, even if I don’t necessarily believe the plot (a problem I also had with Where She Went). And it really, really made me want to go back to Paris.