Helpful Score: 2
I finished this book a couple of hours ago, but it left me with so much to think about that I decided to wait before writing my review.
This book was very emotional for me to get through. The author wrote it very well--she did not waste any words. As a reader you can tell she really throught through every decision she made in her writing. It definitely deserves the awards it got.
As a parent, I was struck by the characterization of Melinda's parents in the book. If my child changed that much in the course of one summer (in reality one night), I would do more than just yell at her to get motivated. I would want to get her help, find out what caused the change.
As a person, I was struck with everything that Melinda went through, both the night of the party where she became the social outcast and the entirety of her freshman year. I kept finding myself asking, "is high school really like that?" And part of me said, "no this is a dramatization--there are exaggerations." But there is a part of it that rings true--I know that for some students this is how high school feels. In that way the book feels very real and honest.
Overall, I would highly recommend it, but I caution people that it is not a "and they all live happily ever after" fairy tale story. It is realistic. It is gripping. And it is touching.
This book was very emotional for me to get through. The author wrote it very well--she did not waste any words. As a reader you can tell she really throught through every decision she made in her writing. It definitely deserves the awards it got.
As a parent, I was struck by the characterization of Melinda's parents in the book. If my child changed that much in the course of one summer (in reality one night), I would do more than just yell at her to get motivated. I would want to get her help, find out what caused the change.
As a person, I was struck with everything that Melinda went through, both the night of the party where she became the social outcast and the entirety of her freshman year. I kept finding myself asking, "is high school really like that?" And part of me said, "no this is a dramatization--there are exaggerations." But there is a part of it that rings true--I know that for some students this is how high school feels. In that way the book feels very real and honest.
Overall, I would highly recommend it, but I caution people that it is not a "and they all live happily ever after" fairy tale story. It is realistic. It is gripping. And it is touching.
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