Scan barcode
bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
2.0
Ridiculously unbelievable and it felt like the book was trying so hard to be emotional. Good writing though. Two stars for that. It was just the story's execution, I guess.
diany's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stephxsu's review against another edition
2.0
Fully of quirky, ambiguous characters and insightful moments, GIRL SAVES BOY, teen author Steph Bowe’s debut novel, is one of those books about which I’m not sure how to feel. It has its moments, but also has the inconsistences and leaps that mark it as the work of a young author.
Good things first: GIRL SAVES BOY contains the occasional passages that are so beautiful they’ll inspire you to buy a copy of this book, highlight those passages, and go back to them when you want to reread moments of insight. These particular passages reflect on a wide range of topics that people think about long past their adolescent years, from death, to the definition of identity, to the feeling of loneliness. They read of the kind of wisdom that generally comes from decades of introspection, so it’s remarkable that 16-year-old Steph Bowe is able to articulate those thoughts so wonderfully.
That being said, I was never able to fully connect to the characters in this book. They felt to me more like actors attempting to fit a role than actual conflicted teenagers. Part of it was their dialogue, which felt very unnatural for teenagers. For example, Sacha and his best friend Little Al spoke to one another of emotional problems with a depth and scope that is usually only found on affected theatre productions. The way the characters reacted to one another just wasn’t believable to me. There were many conflicts thrown into the story—Sacha’s strained relationship with his father, Jewel and her mother, Little Al’s romantic issues—but most of them were never fully fleshed out, either too conveniently resolved or left unfinished.
GIRL SAVES BOY left me feel puzzled and even a little disappointed that I felt like, other than those few moments of pitch-perfect human insight, the characters did not feel authentic enough that I could connect with them.
Good things first: GIRL SAVES BOY contains the occasional passages that are so beautiful they’ll inspire you to buy a copy of this book, highlight those passages, and go back to them when you want to reread moments of insight. These particular passages reflect on a wide range of topics that people think about long past their adolescent years, from death, to the definition of identity, to the feeling of loneliness. They read of the kind of wisdom that generally comes from decades of introspection, so it’s remarkable that 16-year-old Steph Bowe is able to articulate those thoughts so wonderfully.
That being said, I was never able to fully connect to the characters in this book. They felt to me more like actors attempting to fit a role than actual conflicted teenagers. Part of it was their dialogue, which felt very unnatural for teenagers. For example, Sacha and his best friend Little Al spoke to one another of emotional problems with a depth and scope that is usually only found on affected theatre productions. The way the characters reacted to one another just wasn’t believable to me. There were many conflicts thrown into the story—Sacha’s strained relationship with his father, Jewel and her mother, Little Al’s romantic issues—but most of them were never fully fleshed out, either too conveniently resolved or left unfinished.
GIRL SAVES BOY left me feel puzzled and even a little disappointed that I felt like, other than those few moments of pitch-perfect human insight, the characters did not feel authentic enough that I could connect with them.
joyousreads132's review against another edition
3.0
This book was written when the author was sixteen years old. I'm serious. And if you ever have the chance to read it, you'll never know that it was. Steph Bowe's writing seems so mature and it's scary that she's so young and have this much talent already. I can't wait to read more of her stuff. I wish it wasn't so expensive to acquire books from Australia. One thing's for sure, she'll be added on to my growing list of Aussie authors to watch for.
Though my rating for this book seems like it's middle of the bar, Girl Saves Boy is still so much better than some of the contemporary fiction that I've read this year. For such a young author, Steph Bowe penned a very insightful novel tackling one of the most sensitive and difficult of topics: Death. We have a couple of characters who's got first-hand experiences and had to make their own choices about how their lives must go on while grieving.
In my honest opinion, the weak point of this novel is the lightning-fast romance. And perhaps the main reason was because Sacha was terminally ill and he owed Jewel his life; or because Jewel has been a misanthrope most of her life that she'd grab at the first opportunity to love someone. But I can't fathom falling in love that quick in a matter of less than a week (give or take). It just doesn't seem all that realistic.
The ending left a lot in the open. It's a good thing and a bad thing. Ultimately though, I think it was a cop-out ending. As much as I hate to see a character die, I think that ending the book the way it did, didn't really fulfill my expectations. When I read the synopsis, I readily knew what was in the offing. But upon finishing the book, I was just left with all these feelings that I had no outlet for. It's weird to psych yourself up for a gruelling, tear-jerker of a read and finding out that it was all for naught.
VERDICT: The best thing about contemporary fiction from Aussie authors is their ability to tell a story the way it is but not for the purpose of shock value. Some of the situations that come up as part of the character's identity wasn't really what could be classified as the norm. Her writing is very gutsy, refreshing and more often very intelligent. I'm really excited to see how far Steph would go. Based on her debut, her future in writing seems endless.
Though my rating for this book seems like it's middle of the bar, Girl Saves Boy is still so much better than some of the contemporary fiction that I've read this year. For such a young author, Steph Bowe penned a very insightful novel tackling one of the most sensitive and difficult of topics: Death. We have a couple of characters who's got first-hand experiences and had to make their own choices about how their lives must go on while grieving.
In my honest opinion, the weak point of this novel is the lightning-fast romance. And perhaps the main reason was because Sacha was terminally ill and he owed Jewel his life; or because Jewel has been a misanthrope most of her life that she'd grab at the first opportunity to love someone. But I can't fathom falling in love that quick in a matter of less than a week (give or take). It just doesn't seem all that realistic.
The ending left a lot in the open. It's a good thing and a bad thing. Ultimately though, I think it was a cop-out ending. As much as I hate to see a character die, I think that ending the book the way it did, didn't really fulfill my expectations. When I read the synopsis, I readily knew what was in the offing. But upon finishing the book, I was just left with all these feelings that I had no outlet for. It's weird to psych yourself up for a gruelling, tear-jerker of a read and finding out that it was all for naught.
VERDICT: The best thing about contemporary fiction from Aussie authors is their ability to tell a story the way it is but not for the purpose of shock value. Some of the situations that come up as part of the character's identity wasn't really what could be classified as the norm. Her writing is very gutsy, refreshing and more often very intelligent. I'm really excited to see how far Steph would go. Based on her debut, her future in writing seems endless.
illbefinealone's review against another edition
3.0
What kind of a ending was that? What's gonna happen?
You can't just expect me to be satisfied with this!
You can't just expect me to be satisfied with this!
menrk's review against another edition
2.0
I love reading about unique characters like Stargirl and Bradley (There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom), so I was truly looking forward to reading this book. However, as usually happens with expectations, mostly everything fell short for me.
It was a nice attempt, but it felt like too much was happening in so little time and characters were just the same person spouting off words of wisdom. Jewel was a promising heroine, but she turned out not like the preconceived angsty girl that I was made to believe. Sacha, Sacha, where do i begin? Gosh, I hate talking mean about sick fictitious characters, but I really wanted someone whom I could root for like Izzy (Izzy, Willy-Nilly) and Hazel (The Fault in Our Stars).
Sigh.
It was a nice attempt, but it felt like too much was happening in so little time and characters were just the same person spouting off words of wisdom. Jewel was a promising heroine, but she turned out not like the preconceived angsty girl that I was made to believe. Sacha, Sacha, where do i begin? Gosh, I hate talking mean about sick fictitious characters, but I really wanted someone whom I could root for like Izzy (Izzy, Willy-Nilly) and Hazel (The Fault in Our Stars).
Sigh.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
2.0
2.5.
This felt like a first novel, a young one. The voice wasn't as mature as I'd hope, but the teen dialog felt too old. There was a bit much on the melodrama side, almost too many coincidences.
I'm interested in seeing what this looks like when it comes to the US from Egmont. I hope it's smoother.
This felt like a first novel, a young one. The voice wasn't as mature as I'd hope, but the teen dialog felt too old. There was a bit much on the melodrama side, almost too many coincidences.
I'm interested in seeing what this looks like when it comes to the US from Egmont. I hope it's smoother.
ivettexandrea's review against another edition
3.0
Este libro me dejo con gusto a poco, quisiera saber que sucede después con la vida de Sasha ¿es mucho pedir? Dios, soy una mosoquista pero quiero saber más. La historia esta genial, pero le falta un epilogo más amplio.
melbsreads's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warnings: cancer, self harm, death of a sibling (in the past), death of a parent (in the past), death of a grandparent (in the past), drowning, mental health, eating disorder.
Reading this for the first time in the aftermath of Steph Bowe's untimely death was a kick in the teeth in the year that is 2020. But I loved how front and centre the friendships were in the story, even when they're messy and complicated and uncertain, because that's how friendships are sometimes. It's a bittersweet book that's ultimately about grief and acceptance.
I love that it didn't shy away from difficult topics, particularly where the protagonists' parents are concerned. This was a fabulous debut and Steph's voice and writing will be very much missed in the Australian YA world.
Reading this for the first time in the aftermath of Steph Bowe's untimely death was a kick in the teeth in the year that is 2020. But I loved how front and centre the friendships were in the story, even when they're messy and complicated and uncertain, because that's how friendships are sometimes. It's a bittersweet book that's ultimately about grief and acceptance.
I love that it didn't shy away from difficult topics, particularly where the protagonists' parents are concerned. This was a fabulous debut and Steph's voice and writing will be very much missed in the Australian YA world.