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sallashelves's review against another edition
4.0
Your parents are drifting apart, a relative dies, and nobody is answering your questions. What do you do? You take matters into your own hands, even if it means crossing the bridge to Brooklyn.
Full review:
https://bookstoldmeso.blogspot.com/2018/02/review-crossing-into-brooklyn.html
Full review:
https://bookstoldmeso.blogspot.com/2018/02/review-crossing-into-brooklyn.html
shelvesofsecrets's review against another edition
2.0
I was a bit apprehensive going in to this book, since it's not kind of book I would usually choose. Unfortunately, in this case, my gut feeling was right. This book just didn't work for me.
The characters, especially Morgan, didn't feel all that real and relateable. Her parents were useless and annoyed me a lot. Her grandpa was a asshole. Morgan was spoiled and naive.
Also, I felt like this book majorly overemphasized the income and class gap. It was this huge deal for her to find out her grandpa was poor and another huge deal for her to visit Brooklyn. Maybe things are different in New York/New Jersey, but where I'm from, things are not that divided.
Disliking the characters was a problem I could not overcome in this book. If you can connect with the characters better than me, you might enjoy this one.
The characters, especially Morgan, didn't feel all that real and relateable. Her parents were useless and annoyed me a lot. Her grandpa was a asshole. Morgan was spoiled and naive.
Also, I felt like this book majorly overemphasized the income and class gap. It was this huge deal for her to find out her grandpa was poor and another huge deal for her to visit Brooklyn. Maybe things are different in New York/New Jersey, but where I'm from, things are not that divided.
Disliking the characters was a problem I could not overcome in this book. If you can connect with the characters better than me, you might enjoy this one.
samantha_randolph's review against another edition
3.0
Crossing Into Brooklyn ventures into a smorgasbord of important discussions from gender issues to socio-economic prejudices to highly dysfunctional families. The author, Mary Ann McGuigan, does a remarkable job of presenting realistic situations of societal issues that demand attention in an open, inclusive manner that never overwhelms the reader. Morgan’s journey is not one all have experienced, but her story and the stories of the characters around her are certainly relatable for many and eye opening for others.
This book is riddled with unlikable characters, all of which are tremendously frustrating but also brilliantly realistic. Readers who thirst for stories that contain all the grit, messiness, angst, and hope of humanity should pick this one up immediately. I often found myself wanting to pound my fist down on the table in anger at the characters, but the story provokes the anger and even annoyance in the best possible manner to cause the reader to reflect on why those emotions surface and to encourage the reader to take a closer look at the situation.
The plot drags a little in areas, but the descriptions of Brooklyn life and the characters are usually worth the slower pace. The ending is not for those looking for a happily-ever-after, but it does contain the perfect mixture of good and bad that life often leaves people with in real life. Some areas, particularly the romance, left me feeling a little dissatisfied, but once again, I couldn’t ask for a more true to life story line.
Perfect for readers who seek very realistic young adult novels, Crossing Into Brooklyn will break hearts with human heaviness but leave just the right amount of hope to keep going. Though the story has its flaws, I am overjoyed to read this excellent example of how to use unlikable characters to their fullest and best extent.
Originally posted at YABC: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/17948-crossing-into-brooklyn
This book is riddled with unlikable characters, all of which are tremendously frustrating but also brilliantly realistic. Readers who thirst for stories that contain all the grit, messiness, angst, and hope of humanity should pick this one up immediately. I often found myself wanting to pound my fist down on the table in anger at the characters, but the story provokes the anger and even annoyance in the best possible manner to cause the reader to reflect on why those emotions surface and to encourage the reader to take a closer look at the situation.
The plot drags a little in areas, but the descriptions of Brooklyn life and the characters are usually worth the slower pace. The ending is not for those looking for a happily-ever-after, but it does contain the perfect mixture of good and bad that life often leaves people with in real life. Some areas, particularly the romance, left me feeling a little dissatisfied, but once again, I couldn’t ask for a more true to life story line.
Perfect for readers who seek very realistic young adult novels, Crossing Into Brooklyn will break hearts with human heaviness but leave just the right amount of hope to keep going. Though the story has its flaws, I am overjoyed to read this excellent example of how to use unlikable characters to their fullest and best extent.
Originally posted at YABC: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/17948-crossing-into-brooklyn
dillie12's review against another edition
2.0
The concept and idea was really interesting, but the writing seemed way too rushed and unclear.
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