"I had nowhere to go.
Besides, when I talked to the other kids,
they would make fun of me because I spoke like the books I read.
Used word like 'fretted.'"
--Kristin Halbrook, Nobody But Us
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen, 272 pages
Publication Date: January 29th, 2013
Source: ARC received from Epic Reads in giveaway! :)
Goodreads Description:
They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.
Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.
Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending.
Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.
Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending.
My Thoughts
Alright. Like I've stated on Twitter and you can see one of my recent Top Ten Tuesday, I don't dive into YA Contemporary too frequently. I don't know why. I adore John Green and everything he writes, but I don't know, it just seems like a lot of the synopsis' of the contemporary genre don't grab my attention. Normal every day people in the normal every day world is very out of what I'm used to. Maybe I feel as if a dystopian world isn't occurring or the protagonists aren't fighting some epic battle or evil force that love can't exist...I don't know what my problem is...crazy is probably the answer :)
Regardless of my own trepidation I have resolved to step out of my comfort zone and read more YA contemporary. This book was my first step and I wasn't completely disappointed. I liked this book enough but it didn't wow me. The two main characters, Zoe and Will, both come from very rough backgrounds; Zoe's father beats her up constantly and Will is basically an orphan because his mother left him at a neighbor's as a child and never came back so he lives in a group home in Zoe's town. When Will turns 18 they decide to get out of their situation, leave and start a new life for themselves. However, not all of this goes as planned.
The beginning of the book I really liked, about the first 1/3 of it I was really enjoying the story. My heart bled for these kids. They got dealt a real crappy hand in life and all they want to do is better the situation that life gave them. The writing in these scenes is excellent. I felt their desperation, their happiness, their hopelessness, their hope, all in their respective situations. I was rooting for them to succeed in making their lives better with each other.
But then around the middle of the book things started to slow down. The situations they found themselves in became repetitive like the story-line was on a continuous loop. I had a few deja-vu instances where I asked myself, 'Didn't we just do this?' And how the relationship evolved I am still unsure of how I feel about it. I liked how they were each able to find the good in the other person but they clung to goodness they saw in the other person and didn't see anything else. Will has a severe temper that got them into more than one mess. Zoe, who if we forgot has an abusive father, recognizes the similarities in behavior...but that's about it. She sees it and instead of turning away from him, becomes even more attached; another vicious cycle?
The middle of the book was very slow moving for me but then the last, I don't know, maybe 90 pages is on warp speed. It felt rushed. The momentum and climax of the story only started happening in the very end and it felt like too much too quickly. I felt the end was a little abrupt. I did really like how the author had short, quick chapters back and forth between Zoe and Will but how the story ended...I don't know, it didn't sit well with me. The red flags that were occurring were overtly ignored. The relationship was not a particular good one and I felt like it was romanticized inappropriately.
Overall, I thought the book was okay. It wasn't great, it had moments I enjoyed but just didn't follow through for me.
Don't worry guys! I'm not shunning contemporary because I didn't love this book! I have quite a list waiting for me of recs from amazing book friends :) Until next time!
Regardless of my own trepidation I have resolved to step out of my comfort zone and read more YA contemporary. This book was my first step and I wasn't completely disappointed. I liked this book enough but it didn't wow me. The two main characters, Zoe and Will, both come from very rough backgrounds; Zoe's father beats her up constantly and Will is basically an orphan because his mother left him at a neighbor's as a child and never came back so he lives in a group home in Zoe's town. When Will turns 18 they decide to get out of their situation, leave and start a new life for themselves. However, not all of this goes as planned.
The beginning of the book I really liked, about the first 1/3 of it I was really enjoying the story. My heart bled for these kids. They got dealt a real crappy hand in life and all they want to do is better the situation that life gave them. The writing in these scenes is excellent. I felt their desperation, their happiness, their hopelessness, their hope, all in their respective situations. I was rooting for them to succeed in making their lives better with each other.
But then around the middle of the book things started to slow down. The situations they found themselves in became repetitive like the story-line was on a continuous loop. I had a few deja-vu instances where I asked myself, 'Didn't we just do this?' And how the relationship evolved I am still unsure of how I feel about it. I liked how they were each able to find the good in the other person but they clung to goodness they saw in the other person and didn't see anything else. Will has a severe temper that got them into more than one mess. Zoe, who if we forgot has an abusive father, recognizes the similarities in behavior...but that's about it. She sees it and instead of turning away from him, becomes even more attached; another vicious cycle?
The middle of the book was very slow moving for me but then the last, I don't know, maybe 90 pages is on warp speed. It felt rushed. The momentum and climax of the story only started happening in the very end and it felt like too much too quickly. I felt the end was a little abrupt. I did really like how the author had short, quick chapters back and forth between Zoe and Will but how the story ended...I don't know, it didn't sit well with me. The red flags that were occurring were overtly ignored. The relationship was not a particular good one and I felt like it was romanticized inappropriately.
Overall, I thought the book was okay. It wasn't great, it had moments I enjoyed but just didn't follow through for me.
Don't worry guys! I'm not shunning contemporary because I didn't love this book! I have quite a list waiting for me of recs from amazing book friends :) Until next time!
I totally agree with you. I felt the same way. I liked the characters but not together. I couldnt get invested in them as a couple. I think I wouldve liked to hear more about their personal stories than what we got.
ReplyDelete