Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by adamantly_andrea
15 Minutes by Jill Cooper
3.0
Time travel is never a good idea. Especially when you go back in time to change the past. And poor Lara has learned this the hard way - clearly she's never seen a movie involving time travel. Part of me can't blame her. She changed the past to save her mother. Of course, this changes things drastically and eventually for the worse.
This is a quick read, I finished it in less than a day, but it was interesting to see how Lara dealt with the changes in her life. Every time she would trust Rick, her boyfriend from her old life, with something I wanted to yell at her. I understand her need/want to trust him, but in this timeline they haven't seen each other for years and she can't trust him. She just can't - they're not even friends! At the same time, she can't really trust people in this timeline because she doesn't know them. She didn't wake up with all her memories, but gets them gradually over time through massive headache and nosebleeds. Those brain hemorrhages sure prove to be rather intrusive.
I have to give Lara credit for handling everything that is thrown at her and knowing practically nothing about her life. She acts quick and takes everything rather well. What makes her human and believable though is that she is remorseful about what she has done. She thinks over her old life and cannot believe she "traded it" for her life now because not only did it drastically change her life, but those of people she cares about.
None of the other characters really stuck out to me. Donovan seems like a legitimately good boyfriend as he truly cares about Lara and wants to help her with her plans, whatever they may be. It seems like it's more than just your average high school relationship, especially based on what Lara has involved herself in. (Any more detail would be too spoilery.) The two characters who probably stick out the most though are Molly and Mike, her younger siblings. They are top cute; around 5 years old, I think.
What I really liked about the novel, is that we find things out as Lara does. Who the bad parties, who can really be trusted, and the truth behind the mysteries she encounters. As far as the plot goes, there isn't really any big plot twists, but a slow reveal with each puzzle piece falling gradually into place. Nothing is really a huge shock. I was engaged in the plot and curious to find out if Lara would succeed in her task or not.
There were times where I spotted a couple plot holes. For instance, when you time travel, you don't end up in your original body, you're an observer. Lara, however, would time travel and re-do certain things to work out for her benefit.I would have liked to see more interaction with the secondary characters, Donovan especially, and perhaps a more fleshed out plot.
However, can I just talk about how much I love the ending? Love, love, love. If you're a fan of time travel novels, with thrill and mystery thrown into the mix, 15 Minutes is a novel you'll want to check out.
This is a quick read, I finished it in less than a day, but it was interesting to see how Lara dealt with the changes in her life. Every time she would trust Rick, her boyfriend from her old life, with something I wanted to yell at her. I understand her need/want to trust him, but in this timeline they haven't seen each other for years and she can't trust him. She just can't - they're not even friends! At the same time, she can't really trust people in this timeline because she doesn't know them. She didn't wake up with all her memories, but gets them gradually over time through massive headache and nosebleeds. Those brain hemorrhages sure prove to be rather intrusive.
I have to give Lara credit for handling everything that is thrown at her and knowing practically nothing about her life. She acts quick and takes everything rather well. What makes her human and believable though is that she is remorseful about what she has done. She thinks over her old life and cannot believe she "traded it" for her life now because not only did it drastically change her life, but those of people she cares about.
None of the other characters really stuck out to me. Donovan seems like a legitimately good boyfriend as he truly cares about Lara and wants to help her with her plans, whatever they may be. It seems like it's more than just your average high school relationship, especially based on what Lara has involved herself in. (Any more detail would be too spoilery.) The two characters who probably stick out the most though are Molly and Mike, her younger siblings. They are top cute; around 5 years old, I think.
What I really liked about the novel, is that we find things out as Lara does. Who the bad parties, who can really be trusted, and the truth behind the mysteries she encounters. As far as the plot goes, there isn't really any big plot twists, but a slow reveal with each puzzle piece falling gradually into place. Nothing is really a huge shock. I was engaged in the plot and curious to find out if Lara would succeed in her task or not.
There were times where I spotted a couple plot holes. For instance, when you time travel, you don't end up in your original body, you're an observer. Lara, however, would time travel and re-do certain things to work out for her benefit.I would have liked to see more interaction with the secondary characters, Donovan especially, and perhaps a more fleshed out plot.
However, can I just talk about how much I love the ending? Love, love, love. If you're a fan of time travel novels, with thrill and mystery thrown into the mix, 15 Minutes is a novel you'll want to check out.