3.5/5 stars
Katherine Tegen Books, 2013
375 pages
YA Contemporary
Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
As a big fan of bright colors (you should see some of my outfits!), this cover caught my attention. When I saw a lot of mixed reviews, I was unsure if I wanted to take a risk and give it a try but when I saw it on Amazon Vine, I decided it would be worth it. After finishing, I can see why this book was so polarizing for readers; though there were parts, I found amazing, I also struggled through others, meaning my review is thoroughly mixed.
Honestly I wasn't really sure what to expect plot wise because the back cover suggests a very different story from the more familiar Goodreads summary in list form. That list suggested to me a crazy road trip style story focusing on main character Kiri's investigation into the death of her beloved older sister Suki. What is actually in store is a disintegration of Kiri's neatly ordered world, kick started by a phone call about her sister and expanding across her potential music career, through her family, through her friendship, and encompassing a love interest.
This book is loud and messy (hence the cover totally fits (side note: I'm dying to rock an orange/purple outfit to work one day but can't quite find the right shade of purple to not look too crazy against the orange.)) And I struggled with that. I tend to live more on the orderly side, I'm extremely punctual, I follow the rules. While I initially followed Kiri down her path of discovery, it went too far for my more conservative tastes. I kind of feel like she had a breakdown although I think she'd describe it as an epiphany (she seems to be in a manic state). Being someone who wants everyone she meets (both real and fictional) to experience good mental/emotional/physical health, I wasn't quite sure how to take that.
Kiri's change in personality is brought out by the writing itself, which is at times frantic with short sentences punctuating all that Kiri feels but balanced out with some beautifully poetic passages. Even as I had trouble with the plot and character developments, I continually felt compelled to keep reading and see how everything would shake out.
Overall: I think this is a big colorful book with a lot of heart and some incredible passages of writing. While it is not exactly my kind of book, I'm glad I gave it a try and I would encourage you to check it out and sample some of the writing for yourself before making a decision.
Other Opinions:
Beauty and the Bookshelf
Once Upon a Prologue
Rather Be Reading
Simply Books
The Flyleaf Review
That cover really is eye catching! I am glad I read your review of this. The description you give does sound so different from what I'd expect after reading the Goodreads one about the road trip.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling I wouldn't like this book. I am picky about what I'll put up with from a protagonist when it comes to their behavior. "Loud and messy" kind of puts me off too. Maybe I'll miss out on a great reading experience but probably not.
Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts. I still like the cover and hope you find an outfit with the appropriate orange/purple combination. Maybe you'll find some inspiration on Pinterest! (Sorry I'm addicted so I did a little search): http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=orange%20and%20purple%20outfits
It was a really cool time but it might be better to stick with books that more obviously seem like something you'd like.
DeleteThanks for the pinterest help-I'm so glad so many other bloggers are on there so we can share in the time-wasting that goes on.
Wild Awake was entertaining, but Kiri was just really hard for me to relate to. The novel does what it wants to pretty well, but I'm not the ideal reader for it. I'm not conservative I wouldn't say, but I'm also just a quiet-living person. That scene where she does drugs and goes with that older guy...just no. I could not handle that at all. And she totally would have died in real life. I mean, wow.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't really relate to Kiri at all and really wanted to step in at so many points-I agree that she would have died in real life because wowza did she make a lot of bad decisions.
DeleteWhat I'm taking away from this: We should be clothes friends.
ReplyDelete(I have heard that this one is a really good depiction of mental illness.)
We should be clothes friends-huzzah!
DeleteI'd like to try this one just because it sounds so different. I was really curious to get your take and I suspect mine will be similar -- that there will be things about the book I like, but I suspect it just isn't my kind of book…
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics
So different-the writing and plotting are just crazy! But I did appreciate trying something out of my comfort zone and I'm pleased there have been lots of bloggers who have embraced it.
DeleteYour "overall" paragraph is exactly how our group felt -- we were split, with a couple of us absolutely ADORING this book, and a couple of us being more mixed and recognizing some of its issues. In the end, we all agreed it's well-written and interesting and we were glad to have read it.
ReplyDeleteThere's just so much to it-I like that it's inspiring passionate responses in people and that it didn't play it safe.
DeleteLoud and wild sounds good not sure if this is my type of book but want to give it a try
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely encourage you to check out a few chapters at least-it's interesting and out there but it could really click with you.
DeleteThis wasn't exactly my kind of book either, it was a bit all over the place for me and I couldn't ever quite settle in, but I agree the writing was fantastic! I tend to gravitate toward stories that follow a more logical path, not necessarily a straight line per se, but one that progresses toward an ultimate goal, and this book was more of a frantic scribble than a line:) It was an interesting read though!
ReplyDeleteI like more of a straightforward story myself while this one felt all over the place but the writing was such a standout. I'm glad we gave it a try!
DeleteYeah, I get what you are saying about this book. It's a bit of an odd duck. While I was reading it, I too felt sort of frantic and out of control. I can't pretend to get what Kiri was all about--and there were times were I seriously wanted to reach inside the book and smack her around for being so careless about her self and her safety. But I loved Skunk and the twist w/ him at the end:) Really it was such an unusual book, not like many others out there, and for that reason I really appreciated it.
ReplyDeleteYou TOTALLY need to incorporate some purple and orange into your wardrobe! I LOVE the colors of this book cover, it's one of my favorites of the year:)
I thought the Skunk twist was really neat and it caught me so off-guard. Everything about it stands out: from the cover to the synopsis to the actual contents and that is especially striking to people who read as much YA as us!
DeleteThat orange and purple really does work well together, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI have heard a lot of mixed things about this one too and I'm not sure if I'd like it or not. I'm glad that even though it's not really your kind of book you still managed to enjoy it though.
It's not a color combo I really think about (I tend to pair everything with blue) but I'm seriously coveting it.
DeleteI think there is a lot to enjoy even if some of the character decisions are hard to support.
I feel so conflicted about starting this one, especially since you said some parts are all over the place. I also like to read a book that matches the summary. This isn't one for me, I don't think. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWell part of the summary was just my interpretation-it's not the most straightforward summary to my mind. Still maybe give it a try if you see it at your library? It could be an amazing ride for you!
DeleteAwesome review :) Glad you managed to mostly like it. I gave it a three star. Although I did not find it to be all that good :p it was interesting, but not what I was expecting from the summary, etc, like you said :) But ohh. I do agree with you about the cover, so pretty :)
ReplyDeleteI love the cover-even if the story sometimes disappoints you, it's good to know that we still have pretty covers at which we can stare :)
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