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estock36's review against another edition
4.0
First book from Neal Shusterman that I had read. Liked the overall story, but the ending fell short for me.
sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition
3.0
It was interesting but not AMAZING. The concept was good and I feel horrible for Brew. I really like him, my heart breaks for him.
thelibrarylady42's review against another edition
2.0
Bruiser took me a really long time to finish, much longer than it should have. I had a lot of trouble getting into it but once I did (about 100 pages in) it moved much faster.
They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. This is true for most people except friends of Brewster Rawlins. Brewster has the ability to take away pain from the people he cares about, not only take the pain away but completely heal them as well.
While it was an interesting premise it mostly fell flat for me. Tennyson and Bronte are not stupid, in fact they are quiet bright, and figure out part of what Brewster is able to do right away. I can't understand why it takes them so long to figure out he is not only taking away physical pain but emotional as well. Tennyson does figure it out eventually but keeps it to himself for selfish reasons. He doesn't want the good feelings to go away and becomes almost like a drug addict.
The other major problem I have is with the uncle. After all he has done to Brew how can Brew still love him enough to take away his pain. I understand he is the only family Brew has left besides his brother but it seems a bit of a stretch to me that Brew still cares enough.
I just don't seen teens sticking with this one. It was hard for me to stick with it.
They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. This is true for most people except friends of Brewster Rawlins. Brewster has the ability to take away pain from the people he cares about, not only take the pain away but completely heal them as well.
While it was an interesting premise it mostly fell flat for me. Tennyson and Bronte are not stupid, in fact they are quiet bright, and figure out part of what Brewster is able to do right away. I can't understand why it takes them so long to figure out he is not only taking away physical pain but emotional as well. Tennyson does figure it out eventually but keeps it to himself for selfish reasons. He doesn't want the good feelings to go away and becomes almost like a drug addict.
The other major problem I have is with the uncle. After all he has done to Brew how can Brew still love him enough to take away his pain. I understand he is the only family Brew has left besides his brother but it seems a bit of a stretch to me that Brew still cares enough.
I just don't seen teens sticking with this one. It was hard for me to stick with it.
4saradouglas's review against another edition
4.0
2017:
I dipped back into this book because I'm trying to write a character who has reason to avoid getting close to people. I thought immediately of Bruiser, and came back to see how Brewster reacted around others, but I was disappointed. The book tells you he must keep people at a distance, but you never really see it since it starts out with him dating Brontë and immediately getting to know Tennyson better.
2010:
It's a little hard to rate this one. The middle of the book is certainly worth 5 stars, but the end was a definite one star. The concept behind the book is awesome... really grabs you. I loved the twist with Tennyson being almost addicted to him. That was something I didn't see coming. The ending just killed it for me though. Why did it have to be so cheesy? I realize the whole book had a strong fantasy element, but it didn't FEEL that way until the very end. Between the siblings hugging in the kitchen and the phone from the pool ringing, I swear I almost threw up. Disappointing.
I dipped back into this book because I'm trying to write a character who has reason to avoid getting close to people. I thought immediately of Bruiser, and came back to see how Brewster reacted around others, but I was disappointed. The book tells you he must keep people at a distance, but you never really see it since it starts out with him dating Brontë and immediately getting to know Tennyson better.
2010:
It's a little hard to rate this one. The middle of the book is certainly worth 5 stars, but the end was a definite one star. The concept behind the book is awesome... really grabs you. I loved the twist with Tennyson being almost addicted to him. That was something I didn't see coming. The ending just killed it for me though. Why did it have to be so cheesy? I realize the whole book had a strong fantasy element, but it didn't FEEL that way until the very end. Between the siblings hugging in the kitchen and the phone from the pool ringing, I swear I almost threw up. Disappointing.
kamitc's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Not bad. I wanted more enticing paranormal reactions and more romance.
The writing style was...odd. But I didn't hate it.
Idk overall felt like a contemporary book with a splash of paranormal. And I really just love to hide from themes that were all present in this book because they're all too real. I'll stick to my strictly paranormal and fantasy thank you very much.
The writing style was...odd. But I didn't hate it.
Idk overall felt like a contemporary book with a splash of paranormal. And I really just love to hide from themes that were all present in this book because they're all too real. I'll stick to my strictly paranormal and fantasy thank you very much.
gloriabyrd's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
books4susie's review against another edition
4.0
This book had been on my TBR (to be read) pile since it came out. I finally got around to listening to it when it was the daily deal over on Audible. First of all, this book is not what I expected and I should have known better since it wasn’t my first Shusterman read. Brewster Rawlings is wrongly perceived by everyone at school. He is a loner and when you find out why, your heart will break. The Sternberger family is going through a major crisis of their own. When Brewster, Tennyson and Bronte begin to cross paths, things begin to get infinitely worse before anyone can start to see improvement. Brewster isn’t what either Sternberger twin expected.
addybug1125's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
h0ll0whailey's review against another edition
I loved this book so much!!!!!! I love how each chapter was a different point of view so we weren't wondering what the other characters were thinking and feeling. I almost cured in class reading this. It was so sad I wish he would have woken up so everything would be okay. But he didn't. I wanted him to be with Bronte so badly. It was an amazing story