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kristyna16's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
I am a big fan of Jolene's work, so when I saw Has to Be Love on NetGalley I made my request and kept my fingers crossed, and within hours I was approved. When I first got this from NetGalley the synopsis did not mention anything about a bear attack, or losing her Mum so I didn't know that was a big factor in the book until I began reading.
As the synopsis says, Clara was attacked by a bear when out walking with her Mum, in the forest right outside her house. Clara was lucky to survive with only scars, her Mum was not so lucky and died. However, if you asked Clara she would say she was not so lucky. Her scars are the bane of her existence, and she is willing to delay college and have surgery to get them removed, so her face can be normal, and so that she doesn't have to see the sympathetic glances or hear the whispering. So she can go to Cambridge and hold her head up high and not have to worry about the looks she will get.
As Has to Be Love begins, I did feel sorry for Clara. The accident makes her very self conscious, and her life in Alaska means she has been sheltered growing up, she sees the same faces in school, church, and work. She has no experience of the 'outside world', and doesn't really have a grasp of who and what is out there for her. When Rhodes comes into the picture I could see where it was heading, and I think the rush of having a new face who clearly shows an interest in her, meant Clara made mistakes. Mistakes with her actions, her feelings, and others feelings. Leading to a lot of heartbreak but also opening new chapters for her. I think her relationship with Elias was easy, they had been together before the accident, and he was with her after the accident, but she wants more than he can give, and I think her feelings of being torn between her religion and her needs led her to Rhodes. Yes, Clara is flawed, but aren't we all in some way, and unfortunately for Clara, her choices not only affected herself, but others around her.
Clara was a determined young lady, she has her future all mapped out for herself, have surgery, go to college and live the life she missed out on, but with this came the failure to see what she had already. Her determination to focus on the surgery clouded her judgement and she had no back up plan in place.
But what we also get from Has to Be Love is the feeling of hope, that things may not work out for you, but that there is always another way to fix things, and when fences do fall, and bonds are broken, there is a way to rebuild them, to get some semblance of normality back again.
Has to Be Love took me on an emotional ride, of love, laughter, sadness, and tears. I devoured the pages of this book, needing to know if what I thought was going to happen would come true. There were twists and turns along the way, and a few things I did not see coming, but I really enjoyed the ride.
Final Verdict
Has to Be Love was another enjoyable read from Jolene, I ended up liking the characters more than I thought I would, and although it wasn't the perfect ending I expected, it did end on a somewhat happy note.
As the synopsis says, Clara was attacked by a bear when out walking with her Mum, in the forest right outside her house. Clara was lucky to survive with only scars, her Mum was not so lucky and died. However, if you asked Clara she would say she was not so lucky. Her scars are the bane of her existence, and she is willing to delay college and have surgery to get them removed, so her face can be normal, and so that she doesn't have to see the sympathetic glances or hear the whispering. So she can go to Cambridge and hold her head up high and not have to worry about the looks she will get.
As Has to Be Love begins, I did feel sorry for Clara. The accident makes her very self conscious, and her life in Alaska means she has been sheltered growing up, she sees the same faces in school, church, and work. She has no experience of the 'outside world', and doesn't really have a grasp of who and what is out there for her. When Rhodes comes into the picture I could see where it was heading, and I think the rush of having a new face who clearly shows an interest in her, meant Clara made mistakes. Mistakes with her actions, her feelings, and others feelings. Leading to a lot of heartbreak but also opening new chapters for her. I think her relationship with Elias was easy, they had been together before the accident, and he was with her after the accident, but she wants more than he can give, and I think her feelings of being torn between her religion and her needs led her to Rhodes. Yes, Clara is flawed, but aren't we all in some way, and unfortunately for Clara, her choices not only affected herself, but others around her.
Clara was a determined young lady, she has her future all mapped out for herself, have surgery, go to college and live the life she missed out on, but with this came the failure to see what she had already. Her determination to focus on the surgery clouded her judgement and she had no back up plan in place.
But what we also get from Has to Be Love is the feeling of hope, that things may not work out for you, but that there is always another way to fix things, and when fences do fall, and bonds are broken, there is a way to rebuild them, to get some semblance of normality back again.
Has to Be Love took me on an emotional ride, of love, laughter, sadness, and tears. I devoured the pages of this book, needing to know if what I thought was going to happen would come true. There were twists and turns along the way, and a few things I did not see coming, but I really enjoyed the ride.
Final Verdict
Has to Be Love was another enjoyable read from Jolene, I ended up liking the characters more than I thought I would, and although it wasn't the perfect ending I expected, it did end on a somewhat happy note.
bianca89279's review against another edition
3.0
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This was a coming of age novel, about making life altering decisions, about choosing between what you want and what you think your loved ones want for you.
Our heroine, Clara, is 17 years old and she's a Mormon. She's been disfigured by a bear attack that also killed her mum. Her boyfriend, Elias, is a very nice guy, who's a devout Christian.Clara and Elias have been friends forever and moved seamlessly into a romantic relationship. While Elias is happy to stay put in the little Alaskan town of Knik and wants to settle down, Clara has dreams of following into her mum's footsteps and attend Columbia University. She has dreams of becoming a writer.
Clara has to make lots of difficult choices. What to do? Which option to pick?
Jolene Perry did a great job conveying her angst and worries, and also her hopes. Clara also struggles with giving into her hormonal needs that contradict her religious beliefs. While there's a relatively strong religious undertone, it's not preachy, which is why I managed to read to the end. I'm not sure if it can be classified as a Christian romance, as I've never read or would knowingly read such books.
For what it was, this wasn't too bad, although it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
3 - 3.5 stars
This was a coming of age novel, about making life altering decisions, about choosing between what you want and what you think your loved ones want for you.
Our heroine, Clara, is 17 years old and she's a Mormon. She's been disfigured by a bear attack that also killed her mum. Her boyfriend, Elias, is a very nice guy, who's a devout Christian.Clara and Elias have been friends forever and moved seamlessly into a romantic relationship. While Elias is happy to stay put in the little Alaskan town of Knik and wants to settle down, Clara has dreams of following into her mum's footsteps and attend Columbia University. She has dreams of becoming a writer.
Clara has to make lots of difficult choices. What to do? Which option to pick?
Jolene Perry did a great job conveying her angst and worries, and also her hopes. Clara also struggles with giving into her hormonal needs that contradict her religious beliefs. While there's a relatively strong religious undertone, it's not preachy, which is why I managed to read to the end. I'm not sure if it can be classified as a Christian romance, as I've never read or would knowingly read such books.
For what it was, this wasn't too bad, although it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
3 - 3.5 stars
colecordium's review against another edition
4.0
It was really good but I had some problems with it. Details later in a review. Thanks to netgalley for the review copy.
jessicaharleee's review against another edition
medium-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
3.0
- The moments Clara longed for and mourned her mom were compelling and relatable.
- Rhodes is a PREDATOR. Everyone was way too calm about this.
- I was so tired of hearing about her scars every 2.5 seconds.
- The purity culture and religion elements were nauseating, but know in my young adult years I would’ve found them so sweet and relatable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief
brendaclay's review against another edition
3.0
Another novel from Netgalley. Clara, an Alaskan high schooler, wants much more than this provincial liiiiife, but worry about her widowed dad and self-consciousness over her scarred face are holding her back from her New York City dreams. She's also torn between safe long-term boyfriend Elias and sexy "older man" Rhodes. I appreciated various unique aspects of this story that set it a little apart from the YA pack, but for some reason I just didn't love it.
zareena's review against another edition
4.0
My Rating: 4 stars
Review originally posted on The Slanted Bookshelf.
My gosh, I have so many different thoughts and opinions about this book. I started out loving Has to Be Love, was super conflicted in the middle, but thought the ending was pretty spectacular. Like I said, conflicted.
Clara – lots of character development
Usually I only talk about the main character but there are three I really want to discuss. First, Clara. I started off liking Clara a lot. She survived the bear attack years ago that killed her mom but left her with scars all down her face. These scars, whether she wants them to or not, drive a lot of the decisions in this book. On one hand I understand Clara’s overwhelming desire to look “normal” and not stand out so much. Clara is terrified to leave her small Alaskan town before her surgery to remove the scars. The author does a wonderful job of bringing Clara’s emotions to life and I really connected with her. Then we get to about the 25% mark. Clara has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Elias for a year or two and it’s serious. Trouble starts to happen when Clara finds out that she got into Columbia and a new, young, hot teacher moves to Alaska. Clara is really conflicted about what to do with her future. On one hand she knows that staying in Alaska is a safe option and she’ll be happy but she’s also painfully aware that there is a whole world out there that she has never experienced.
Now, I have absolutely no issue with characters being conflicted. What I had a major issue with was how Clara refused to communicate with Elias (her boyfriend). She knows that he is thinking about a permanent future with Clara and doesn’t realise that she possibly wants more than her small town. But Clara doesn’t communicate!!! She kept thinking of Elias as holding her back but there is no way he could give her everything she wanted or even discuss it if Clara kept hiding her acceptance to Columbia. This continues for a while and for a while I thought Clara was going to ruin everything. But then stuff happens and Clara starts to realise that she’s made mistakes. I was SO proud of Clara when she finally sat down and asked herself what she wants to do, not what people expect or think she wants. In the last quarter of the book we really see Clara develop into a person who takes responsibility for her actions, learns to stand up for what she believes in, and realises that her scars do not define her.
Elias – loved him!
I want to talk about Elias briefly before I go onto Rhodes (the hot teacher). Right off the bat I adored Elias. He is super sweet and genuinely loves Clara with all his heart. I felt pretty bad for him at times in the book because Clara keeps him in the dark about Columbia and doesn’t give him the chance to either accept Clara’s new path or disagree. Okay, that’s all. But I loved him so much :D
Rhodes – REALLY didn’t like him
Okay, now for Rhodes. Honestly, I disliked him for the whole of Has to Be Love. Yes, he’s charming and hot and is worldly but he’s also a bit of a jerk. When Rhodes moves to Clara’s town he starts teaching at her school but also has dinner at Clara’s house with her dad a lot, so Clara and Rhodes end up being together quite often. Rhodes is essentially a plot device to make Clara realise that leaving her town and travelling the world is entirely possible. And it works. The reason I didn’t like Rhodes was because it seemed like he wanted to cause Clara trouble as well as encourage her to see the world. First of all, he hits on Clara a lot when she’s with Elias, which is really not cool at all. Also, he doesn’t respect Clara. Clara is a Mormon and while she isn’t fanatically devout she is secure in her beliefs and proud of them. Good for her! But Rhodes comes in and starts treating her beliefs as inferior and negative. Really, he needed to mind his own business and but out.
The Ending
Okay, I’ve written pretty much a whole essay on the characters (because there is so much to say!) but I just want to talk about the ending quickly. Because the ending really made Has to Be Love for me. The ending is where we see Clara take a stand and the last few paragraphs were simply perfect. The book doesn’t end with everything tied up in a neat bow but instead leaves you with the message that if there is a will, there is a way. Clara learns to embrace all the possibilities that she has and I loved seeing her do this. Also, not going to give anything away but the author handled Clara and Elias’s relationship beautifully right at the end ;)
All in all, these characters – as frustrating as they were – are real. Yes, I was angry at Clara for a while but I finished Has to Be Love feeling like she was real. So guys, you should read this book!!
Young Adult
4 stars
Review originally posted on The Slanted Bookshelf.
My gosh, I have so many different thoughts and opinions about this book. I started out loving Has to Be Love, was super conflicted in the middle, but thought the ending was pretty spectacular. Like I said, conflicted.
Clara – lots of character development
Usually I only talk about the main character but there are three I really want to discuss. First, Clara. I started off liking Clara a lot. She survived the bear attack years ago that killed her mom but left her with scars all down her face. These scars, whether she wants them to or not, drive a lot of the decisions in this book. On one hand I understand Clara’s overwhelming desire to look “normal” and not stand out so much. Clara is terrified to leave her small Alaskan town before her surgery to remove the scars. The author does a wonderful job of bringing Clara’s emotions to life and I really connected with her. Then we get to about the 25% mark. Clara has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Elias for a year or two and it’s serious. Trouble starts to happen when Clara finds out that she got into Columbia and a new, young, hot teacher moves to Alaska. Clara is really conflicted about what to do with her future. On one hand she knows that staying in Alaska is a safe option and she’ll be happy but she’s also painfully aware that there is a whole world out there that she has never experienced.
Now, I have absolutely no issue with characters being conflicted. What I had a major issue with was how Clara refused to communicate with Elias (her boyfriend). She knows that he is thinking about a permanent future with Clara and doesn’t realise that she possibly wants more than her small town. But Clara doesn’t communicate!!! She kept thinking of Elias as holding her back but there is no way he could give her everything she wanted or even discuss it if Clara kept hiding her acceptance to Columbia. This continues for a while and for a while I thought Clara was going to ruin everything. But then stuff happens and Clara starts to realise that she’s made mistakes. I was SO proud of Clara when she finally sat down and asked herself what she wants to do, not what people expect or think she wants. In the last quarter of the book we really see Clara develop into a person who takes responsibility for her actions, learns to stand up for what she believes in, and realises that her scars do not define her.
Elias – loved him!
I want to talk about Elias briefly before I go onto Rhodes (the hot teacher). Right off the bat I adored Elias. He is super sweet and genuinely loves Clara with all his heart. I felt pretty bad for him at times in the book because Clara keeps him in the dark about Columbia and doesn’t give him the chance to either accept Clara’s new path or disagree. Okay, that’s all. But I loved him so much :D
Rhodes – REALLY didn’t like him
Okay, now for Rhodes. Honestly, I disliked him for the whole of Has to Be Love. Yes, he’s charming and hot and is worldly but he’s also a bit of a jerk. When Rhodes moves to Clara’s town he starts teaching at her school but also has dinner at Clara’s house with her dad a lot, so Clara and Rhodes end up being together quite often. Rhodes is essentially a plot device to make Clara realise that leaving her town and travelling the world is entirely possible. And it works. The reason I didn’t like Rhodes was because it seemed like he wanted to cause Clara trouble as well as encourage her to see the world. First of all, he hits on Clara a lot when she’s with Elias, which is really not cool at all. Also, he doesn’t respect Clara. Clara is a Mormon and while she isn’t fanatically devout she is secure in her beliefs and proud of them. Good for her! But Rhodes comes in and starts treating her beliefs as inferior and negative. Really, he needed to mind his own business and but out.
The Ending
Okay, I’ve written pretty much a whole essay on the characters (because there is so much to say!) but I just want to talk about the ending quickly. Because the ending really made Has to Be Love for me. The ending is where we see Clara take a stand and the last few paragraphs were simply perfect. The book doesn’t end with everything tied up in a neat bow but instead leaves you with the message that if there is a will, there is a way. Clara learns to embrace all the possibilities that she has and I loved seeing her do this. Also, not going to give anything away but the author handled Clara and Elias’s relationship beautifully right at the end ;)
All in all, these characters – as frustrating as they were – are real. Yes, I was angry at Clara for a while but I finished Has to Be Love feeling like she was real. So guys, you should read this book!!
Young Adult
4 stars
lyssamarie's review against another edition
3.0
Title: Has to be Love
Author: Jolene Perry
Publisher: AW Teen
Publication Date: September 2015
Rating: 3.5 stars
Opening Line:
*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Clara was a child, she and her mother would often explore the Alaskan woods behind their home on horseback, four-wheelers, or just on their feet for a walk. Until one chance moment changed everything. Now Clara must find a way to ignore the looks she gets from strangers. They all do it; Clara sees the way their eyes move from her eyes to the scars all over her face. All she wants is to look 'normal' again. She wants to look like herself. During her senior year of high school, Clara gets accepted to her dream school - Columbia University in New York. But how can she leave her home? How can she leave her small town where everybody knows everybody, and trade it for a place where everyone will stare at her like she's a freak? And then there's Rhodes, the new student teacher who just happens to be a student at Columbia. Rhodes, who also happens to give her an extreme case of butterflies and has her questioning her relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Elias. With all these choices and impending decisions to make, how does Clara figure out what's right? How does she know what's best for her? How do you plan for the future when even the present is so unpredictable?
This was another book that took a long time for me to get in to. I started it and read a few chapters and then stopped for a couple days. But of course I have that rule about finishing every book I start, so I picked it back up and flew through the last 80% of the book in one sitting. Yes, I just spent my entire day reading the rest of this book because 1) I don't work until late tonight, and 2) There's nothing better to do. So, like I said, it starts off slow, and honestly stays kind of slow. There are a few steamy moments where it picked up, but other than that, I felt like it took a lot of patience to read.
Clara was an interesting narrator. In more ways than one, I could relate to her. I saw myself two years ago, just getting ready to graduate high school, struggling with the whole college thing. I had everything planned out, I knew where I wanted to go, and then bam!, everything changed and I had to reevaluate my future. It's stressful, it's scary, and it's intimidating. Life is full of decisions, which sucks because I have a hard time making decisions, so I completely understood some of Clara's struggles. I also know what it's like to believe in a religion and have people question you for it, especially the whole 'no sex before marriage' thing. I am very unappealing to a lot of guys for that reason. Clara learned a lot of the same lessons I learned at seventeen.
I really felt sorry for Clara having to deal with her scars. I'm sure it was quite disheartening every time someone stared at her scars or made a comment about them. However, I think she was way too self-conscious about them and let them dictate so many decisions in her life. I'm not sure how I would deal with having my face scarred, but every time Clara made a dumb decision because of her scars, or made a silly, petty comment about them, it made me want to slap her and say at least you are alive. But I guess that was part of the whole character arc, her coming to terms with them and yadda yadda. I understood it, it just annoyed me slightly.
Elias sounded like the kind of guy I need in my life, and I hated how Clara took advantage of that. I understood her desires and wanting more, but wow, I have never known that kind of devotion and would love to experience it. However, I think Elias wanted way more commitment than was needed at his age. Way too soon. Way too young. I agreed with Rhodes - experience is important. And speaking of Rhodes, I loved him for about two seconds. Okay, more like five minutes, but still. I felt like he moved way too fast. It's hard to explain, but you'll see...just read it.
I disliked how slow the book was and how I got a little bored at times, but I really do love the message. It's a great book for high schoolers to read because of all the lessons Clara learns. She learns about over-commitment as well as under-commitment. She learns about staying true to her beliefs. She learns the difference between head vs. heart, and about decision-making between what you want and what your loved ones want. Although the book wasn't outstanding, it was interesting and made me tear up once or twice. It probably had to do with how much I related to Clara, but I liked this book.
Favorite Quote: "I love that idea that someone else's normal is an adventure for me. I love it when I can live somewhere long enough that the adventurous part of a new place begins to feel like every day."
*I read and reviewed and ARC edition of the novel – if anything is misquoted in comparison to the published version, please let me know.
Author: Jolene Perry
Publisher: AW Teen
Publication Date: September 2015
Rating: 3.5 stars
Opening Line:
"My hair flies out behind me as I race on my four-wheeler toward the hardware store."
*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Clara was a child, she and her mother would often explore the Alaskan woods behind their home on horseback, four-wheelers, or just on their feet for a walk. Until one chance moment changed everything. Now Clara must find a way to ignore the looks she gets from strangers. They all do it; Clara sees the way their eyes move from her eyes to the scars all over her face. All she wants is to look 'normal' again. She wants to look like herself. During her senior year of high school, Clara gets accepted to her dream school - Columbia University in New York. But how can she leave her home? How can she leave her small town where everybody knows everybody, and trade it for a place where everyone will stare at her like she's a freak? And then there's Rhodes, the new student teacher who just happens to be a student at Columbia. Rhodes, who also happens to give her an extreme case of butterflies and has her questioning her relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Elias. With all these choices and impending decisions to make, how does Clara figure out what's right? How does she know what's best for her? How do you plan for the future when even the present is so unpredictable?
This was another book that took a long time for me to get in to. I started it and read a few chapters and then stopped for a couple days. But of course I have that rule about finishing every book I start, so I picked it back up and flew through the last 80% of the book in one sitting. Yes, I just spent my entire day reading the rest of this book because 1) I don't work until late tonight, and 2) There's nothing better to do. So, like I said, it starts off slow, and honestly stays kind of slow. There are a few steamy moments where it picked up, but other than that, I felt like it took a lot of patience to read.
Clara was an interesting narrator. In more ways than one, I could relate to her. I saw myself two years ago, just getting ready to graduate high school, struggling with the whole college thing. I had everything planned out, I knew where I wanted to go, and then bam!, everything changed and I had to reevaluate my future. It's stressful, it's scary, and it's intimidating. Life is full of decisions, which sucks because I have a hard time making decisions, so I completely understood some of Clara's struggles. I also know what it's like to believe in a religion and have people question you for it, especially the whole 'no sex before marriage' thing. I am very unappealing to a lot of guys for that reason. Clara learned a lot of the same lessons I learned at seventeen.
I really felt sorry for Clara having to deal with her scars. I'm sure it was quite disheartening every time someone stared at her scars or made a comment about them. However, I think she was way too self-conscious about them and let them dictate so many decisions in her life. I'm not sure how I would deal with having my face scarred, but every time Clara made a dumb decision because of her scars, or made a silly, petty comment about them, it made me want to slap her and say at least you are alive. But I guess that was part of the whole character arc, her coming to terms with them and yadda yadda. I understood it, it just annoyed me slightly.
Elias sounded like the kind of guy I need in my life, and I hated how Clara took advantage of that. I understood her desires and wanting more, but wow, I have never known that kind of devotion and would love to experience it. However, I think Elias wanted way more commitment than was needed at his age. Way too soon. Way too young. I agreed with Rhodes - experience is important. And speaking of Rhodes, I loved him for about two seconds. Okay, more like five minutes, but still. I felt like he moved way too fast. It's hard to explain, but you'll see...just read it.
I disliked how slow the book was and how I got a little bored at times, but I really do love the message. It's a great book for high schoolers to read because of all the lessons Clara learns. She learns about over-commitment as well as under-commitment. She learns about staying true to her beliefs. She learns the difference between head vs. heart, and about decision-making between what you want and what your loved ones want. Although the book wasn't outstanding, it was interesting and made me tear up once or twice. It probably had to do with how much I related to Clara, but I liked this book.
Favorite Quote: "I love that idea that someone else's normal is an adventure for me. I love it when I can live somewhere long enough that the adventurous part of a new place begins to feel like every day."
*I read and reviewed and ARC edition of the novel – if anything is misquoted in comparison to the published version, please let me know.
letsgababoutbooks's review against another edition
3.0
*I received this book via Netgalley for review!
Clara is an interesting character, and at first I was not her biggest fan. Truthfully, though, her personal growth led me to approving of her and her choices in the end.
She has had to grow up with scars from the bear attack that she survived, but her mother did not. That alone is a lot to deal with, and led to her being a fairly strong person. She’s a writer, like her mother, and is torn between staying in small town Alaska and going to her mother’s alma mater, Columbia. As her senior year is wrapping up, she is confronted with some huge decisions about life and love and her future.
What I liked is her quiet strength, and her strong religious beliefs which she both clings to and questions at times. I loved that she came from a religious background, which is not something I see very often in YA, but I think a lot of teens can relate to. Throughout the novel Clara struggled to reconcile her beliefs with her current emotions and wants; I think that the doubt and confusion she experienced is something that many life-long believers deal with as they grow up and are expected to make important decisions. As a christian, I definitely identified with this.
On the other hand, I did not like that she refused to communicate with the people in her life for the longest time. She could have avoided a lot of problems if she just talked to the people around her about what was going on and how she felt. That really frustrated me, as a reader. I also felt that she was quite impulsive.
That being said, I enjoyed this book by the time I finished it. Once I got passed the first half, Clara began to speak up, and to actually deal with the things going on. While she made some stupid decisions, I liked that she learned from them.
This felt to me, in the end, a story about a girl going through what a lot of high school seniors must deal with: she had to figure out her future, her beliefs, and her relationships. These three things might not always coexist perfectly together without some change, but she did as everyone must: continued forward and adjusted.
Most importantly, I think readers can take away the message that in the end, you must do what is right for you, regardless of what others want or expect from you. I think Clara learned to believe in herself more and as her self-esteem rose, she was able to make the right choices for herself instead of worrying about what others thought.
This story did not blow me away or take me by surprise, but I did really like it in the end! The overall message was positive and encouraging!
Clara is an interesting character, and at first I was not her biggest fan. Truthfully, though, her personal growth led me to approving of her and her choices in the end.
She has had to grow up with scars from the bear attack that she survived, but her mother did not. That alone is a lot to deal with, and led to her being a fairly strong person. She’s a writer, like her mother, and is torn between staying in small town Alaska and going to her mother’s alma mater, Columbia. As her senior year is wrapping up, she is confronted with some huge decisions about life and love and her future.
What I liked is her quiet strength, and her strong religious beliefs which she both clings to and questions at times. I loved that she came from a religious background, which is not something I see very often in YA, but I think a lot of teens can relate to. Throughout the novel Clara struggled to reconcile her beliefs with her current emotions and wants; I think that the doubt and confusion she experienced is something that many life-long believers deal with as they grow up and are expected to make important decisions. As a christian, I definitely identified with this.
On the other hand, I did not like that she refused to communicate with the people in her life for the longest time. She could have avoided a lot of problems if she just talked to the people around her about what was going on and how she felt. That really frustrated me, as a reader. I also felt that she was quite impulsive.
That being said, I enjoyed this book by the time I finished it. Once I got passed the first half, Clara began to speak up, and to actually deal with the things going on. While she made some stupid decisions, I liked that she learned from them.
This felt to me, in the end, a story about a girl going through what a lot of high school seniors must deal with: she had to figure out her future, her beliefs, and her relationships. These three things might not always coexist perfectly together without some change, but she did as everyone must: continued forward and adjusted.
Most importantly, I think readers can take away the message that in the end, you must do what is right for you, regardless of what others want or expect from you. I think Clara learned to believe in herself more and as her self-esteem rose, she was able to make the right choices for herself instead of worrying about what others thought.
This story did not blow me away or take me by surprise, but I did really like it in the end! The overall message was positive and encouraging!
asquared92's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book. It sucked me in from the beginning, and I had a hard time putting it down. The characters were intriguing and relatable. Clara’s struggle with her identity and self-image was very human and very heart wrenching. The relationships between characters were flawed, messy, and relatable. Clara’s yearning for something more and at the same time wanting to be safe was thought provoking and an honest depiction of growing up and moving on to the next chapter in life. The ending was good. It wrapped up the story nicely and gave you a good idea as to what was next for Clara. Selfishly, I wanted more story to get lost in and enjoy. This was easily a favorites book shelf kind of book as it had heart, struggle, and self-discovery.