3.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
294 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release August 27
Source: Received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The concept for this book struck me as being very similar to Pivot Point's where at a critical juncture, a teenager's life separates and we follow her fate as she explores both option A and B. However while Pivot Point's premise employs characters with supernatural abilities, this book just has it happen for no reason other than for the authors to spend a lot of time musing on fate vs free will.
Here the book splits when Caroline's beloved grandmother falls ill and is rushed to the hospital. On what will be the last night of her life, Caroline has to decide if she will stay there with her family or go out for a night of fun and relaxation with her best friend. I kind of can't believe she even considered leaving as her grandmother seemed to be in very bad shape that last night but in one version she does go.
Caroline's family life is rocky. When her parents divorced, she found the tension so rough that she moved into her grandmother's house while her older brother and sister stayed with their mother who added another daughter with her new husband. Caroline's relationship with her sister Natalie is especially tense for reasons I never quite fathomed. My theory is that Caroline maybe caught her dad cheating on their mother and duly reported the news leading directly to the divorce. That is where the trouble seems to stem from and the sisters are very antagonistic from the start of the book. Other than that, I have no idea exactly why the sisters are so hateful to each other. Luckily in both scenarios, they seem to gain more understanding of each other although in general I found all the relationships lacking.
But the big difference in the stories is Caroline's romantic partnerships. In one version, she meets a cute new guy and begins a relationship with him; in the other, she finally gets to hook up with her long-time crush. And yet both paths lead her to the same seemingly inevitable conclusion so I'm not entirely sure what the point was. There is also a lot of repetitive talk about the meaning of fate with characters saying that certain events were fated-very heavy-handed!
Overall: I love the premise for this novel but found the relationships superficial and I especially never connected with the main character in the way I like to. If you really love the premise and/or are a big fan of the author(s), by all means give it a shot but otherwise, skip.
Cover: Sometimes, when I glance real quick, I think she looks like Emma Stone, which is definitely a compliment though i do prefer Stone as a redhead.
Other Opinions:
Chick Loves Lit
Paperback Treasures
Reading Teen
Hmm... I am curious about this one, but if the ending is the same for both variations of the night, what's the point?
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't imagine not going to the hospital and being with your grandmother if you KNOW it's her last night.
They didn't know it was her last night but they had to know it was coming. The events that happen are very similar no matter which decision she made although there are a few important differences.
DeleteI definitely prefer Emma Stone as a redhead! With that skin of hers, it's so striking. I'm not always a fan of the parallel lives stories, especially if there's a lot of repetition, like this one. Still, I'm interested enough to check it out!
ReplyDeleteAnother Emma fan! I need her to make some more films (and not just Spiderman because she's not in them enough.)
DeleteI also had a few small issues with this book -- I agree with you that the family issues seemed a bit trumped-up in order to justify her leaving her grandmother. But overall I enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI fully appreciate family drama-I just didn't think it worked here and I wish some other reason had been the driving force here.
Deleteugh, sorry to hear that the characters were superficial
ReplyDeleteI wanted so much more after adoring Kasie West's PIVOT POINT.
DeleteFirst time I heard about this story line was with the movie Sliding Doors and I loved it. I don't know who it would work on a book, though. That's why I've avoided Pivot Point and books like that.
ReplyDeleteWell I thought Pivot Point was fantastic but I haven't seen the film-would love to check it out.
DeleteAnd the cover kinda looks similar to Pivot Point too, right? The double/reflective image thing. You know, I'm not sure about this parallel universe/ lives trend in YA. I've read a couple but there just seem to be SO many these days that's it's becoming a little stale, imo. It's hard for me to go into them with a completely open mind because they all sorta read the same I think. But I always want to check out reviews to see if somebody comes up w/ a fresh new take on the genre:)
ReplyDeleteI love the trend but I think I need to sample more before coming to a decision-when it's good, I think it can be very very good.
DeleteCat Patrick's book always sound so great, but the reality leaves me less than satisfied. I've tried two, and yours is the second review that has said to me that this would leave me feeling the same way. She just doesn't quite go all the way there. Think I'll skip it. Great review and bottom line!
ReplyDeleteHeather
That's the experience I've had with Suzanne Young. I still plan to try another Patrick book but if that doesn't work, then I'm steering clear of her books.
DeleteSounds good, but it really does sounds similar to Pivot Point. Not sure whether thats a good thing our not. I do like the parallel universes. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think it was a bad thing in this case because I kept comparing it unfavorably to PP while a reader who hasn't read it might have enjoyed this book.
DeleteHmmm, crazy how different readers interpret books so differently! Haha I loved this book :D I loved the relationship with Caroline and Chris, they joked and had a true connection. I didnt get why the sisters hated each other that much either though. It was kinda weird.
ReplyDeleteI loved the whole "fate exists but our choices lead us down different paths" but that's probably bc I'm a Philosphy major in college and love that sorta thing! Lol
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Dee @ Dee's Reads
Ha-I hated philosophy and assiduously avoided the topic in college. Maybe that is why I had problems with this book.
DeleteI liked Just Like Fate only because it was an easy read, but I found myself yearning for more depth in this book, especially since an important family member died.
ReplyDeleteI found it extremely hard to root for a girl who left her grandmother's side when her grandmother showed no signs of getting better. Who cares about a stupid party! There will be another one. Caroline only has one chance to say goodbye to her grandmother. I totally agree with the development of the relationships to be lacking. I felt like there was something more to each of her relationship, but we never get that. If only the story slowed down and focused on her family, then I would've enjoyed it more. Instead, we get a focus on the romance parts. I really liked Chris, but I was weirded out that only a month past and he and Caroline were totally in love. It was too fast for my taste. And all the reference to fate made me cringe. It's just so cheesy.
I thought there should be a lot more focus on the relationships especially within the family-that development could have made for a much stronger book.
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