"Time does not care how precious it is,
how hard you are trying not to squander it.
Time passes."
how hard you are trying not to squander it.
Time passes."
--Melissa Kantor, Maybe One Day
Genre: YA ContemporaryPublisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 304
Publication Date: February 18th, 2014
Source: eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss--Thank you!!
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Previous Books in Series: Standalone
Goodreads Description
Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.
Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.
Even when she isn't sure what to say.
Even when Olivia misses months of school.
Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.
The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.
Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.
Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.
Even when she isn't sure what to say.
Even when Olivia misses months of school.
Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.
The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.
The Belle
The Voice. Wow. Guys, I don't know where to start with this one. I'm still kind of drying the tears I cried during THIS BOOK. Breaking it down will be easier. So I start with the narration which was my absolute favorite part. Zoe is the sole provider of this story and what a story it is. Zoe's voice is prominent and distinct from the first page. You hear her. She is real. She is somebody you were probably friends with in high school and if you were lucky enough to have your own Zoe then you should consider yourself very lucky indeed. Zoe is snarky and says what's on her mind and I felt like she read like a real teenager. She says the word 'fuck,' she gets angry, she tries to see perspective, she is an AMAZING character. She has her flaws but we all do. It is what made her that much more real to me. She recognized in herself the faults she did have and owned up to them. She is just a phenomenal character and I wish I had somebody like Zoe in my life when I was in high school.
The Friendship. You guys. The relationship between Zoe and Olivia is one of beauty and shows love in one of the purest forms. They love each other so much that you can feel it coming off the pages. Oh, the agony of seeing your friend go through something like this hurt to read about. Their story and friendship is simply amazing and, shit, I'm gonna start crying. I need to stop. The friendship is beautiful! That is all!
The Perspective. I loved that Melissa Kantor gave us this story from Zoe's perspective. It is said a few times in the book but I will say it here as well. People are always focused on the sick person, and they should be, but I LOVED that this story shows us what is is like to have to sit back and watch somebody you love go through this. I think it is an outlook that is often overlooked but sometimes just as hard.
The Dancing. I have been a dancer all my life and I love any story that involved dancing, especially ballet. The class Zoe taught, the small insights into their life prior to the opening of the book, I loved it all. If anything I wanted more of their life during the peak of their dancing just because it is something I love to read about.
The Friendship. You guys. The relationship between Zoe and Olivia is one of beauty and shows love in one of the purest forms. They love each other so much that you can feel it coming off the pages. Oh, the agony of seeing your friend go through something like this hurt to read about. Their story and friendship is simply amazing and, shit, I'm gonna start crying. I need to stop. The friendship is beautiful! That is all!
The Perspective. I loved that Melissa Kantor gave us this story from Zoe's perspective. It is said a few times in the book but I will say it here as well. People are always focused on the sick person, and they should be, but I LOVED that this story shows us what is is like to have to sit back and watch somebody you love go through this. I think it is an outlook that is often overlooked but sometimes just as hard.
The Dancing. I have been a dancer all my life and I love any story that involved dancing, especially ballet. The class Zoe taught, the small insights into their life prior to the opening of the book, I loved it all. If anything I wanted more of their life during the peak of their dancing just because it is something I love to read about.
The Beast
The Tears. I cried. Kind of a lot. That hurt. And I was so close to saving this book and reading it while on my trip...THANK GOD I DIDN'T DO THAT. I would have been semi-ugly crying on the plane. How embarrassing...not that I haven't done that before. I have bad luck picking vacation books. I've cried at a coffee shop...poolside...on a plane...not pretty. Woof.
Should You RSVP To This Ball?
Yes. If you love books with beautiful relationships and want all the feels then you will devour this book. I know a lot of people want to stay away from books dealing with illness and things of the life, so if that is you, stay away because this book will rock your emotions and make you feel all the feels.
I just finished this one last week and loved it. I literally sobbed at the end, but I like when books can make me do that. Zoe was such a great, real character and I loved reading from her perspective. I also loved the dance aspect as I used to dance when I was younger. This was such a heart-wrenching story but it was done so so well.
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to reading Maybe One Day! I love the fact that it focuses on an amazing friendship, because that's always something I look for in my contemporary reads.
ReplyDeleteI actually had a lot of issues with this book, but I did LOVE the friendship part. I wish I had such an amazing friendship in my life, because Zoe and Olivia are just wonderful. They are like sisters. And oh yes, I was crying towards the end. I didn't really like Zoe all the time though, though I do think she was amazingly realistic. And the dancing!! I love books that focus on dancing.
ReplyDeleteHi again! I also liked the chosen POV here. It reminded me of Fault Line. We see how the person is affected by watching a person they care about suffer. It's very interesting. I still had issues with this book. The pacing was strange, and some things were developed enough. But when it comes down to the friendship, it was great and perfect. I loved how Zoe and Olivia were with one another. I think we need more girl friendship books!
ReplyDelete