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A review by emilyrbedwell
Before You Go by James Preller
4.0
First Impressions: This wasn't a book I knew much about, but the little description on Netgalley sounded good, so I thought I would check it out. There are not enough books out there written from a strong teen male point of view, so I wanted to see if this book stood up and apart from other contemporary YA novels dealing with life and death. From the beginning, the lyrical writing style set the introspective tone of the book. Even the first few pages made good use of color. Right away, you know something bad is going to happen, before you even know who the characters really are. The first few pages set up a change you know is coming, even if you're not sure what it will take to get to that moment in time.
First 50 Pages: BEFORE YOU GO feels like a coming of age story, much in the vein of Gayle Foreman's IF I STAY. With Jude, we experience the monotony of Jude's first job, and experience his first experience with teen love. I spent the first few chapters of this book trying to figure out who the players in the prologue really were. You know there is something dark coming, and it affects the tone of the book, regardless of how "normal" the events unfolding appear. BEFORE YOU GO is well written, and begs to be read slowly. For Jude, this is summer as usual; nothing extraordinary, just a rite of passage that must be endured.
Characters and Plot: The main character, Jude, is well fleshed out and seems to have a purpose. He has had some rough patches in life, and feels like his family is just going through the motions. The other characters are there, almost superficially. Jude's friends, especially Corey, all serve purposes, but still feel like stereotypes right out of teen movies. Becka, the love interest, is a little more developed, but even she feels like the typical teenage girl love interest. Beautiful, sassy and friendly like the girl next door. Even the adults don't really understand the teenagers, and Jude's fast food bosses take their jobs a little too seriously.
The plot is pretty straight forward. You know there is going to be a car accident involving four friends from the first page. You know that someone lives, but you don't know their names. The first half of the book leads up to that moment, building suspense in the normal moments of life. You learn about the sadness Jude and his family carry quickly. The plot is there, but carefully woven into everyday life.
Final Thoughts: BEFORE YOU GO is a quick read, and that was almost a little disappointing. At just 200 pages, this book felt short. Once the accident happens, the wrap-up almost feels..incomplete. I felt like the meat of the story was just getting started when it got to the end. I actually double checked to see if there was more to the book that I didn't get with my original download, but there wasn't. If there is anything disappointing about this story, it is that the resolution almost feels cheap, like the author didn't really know what to do when one of his characters encountered the death of one of their own.
Overall, this is a good book, worthy of being read. There is something a important about reading a strong male teen character written from a male author. While the story is not overly unique, it is told well and thought through.
First 50 Pages: BEFORE YOU GO feels like a coming of age story, much in the vein of Gayle Foreman's IF I STAY. With Jude, we experience the monotony of Jude's first job, and experience his first experience with teen love. I spent the first few chapters of this book trying to figure out who the players in the prologue really were. You know there is something dark coming, and it affects the tone of the book, regardless of how "normal" the events unfolding appear. BEFORE YOU GO is well written, and begs to be read slowly. For Jude, this is summer as usual; nothing extraordinary, just a rite of passage that must be endured.
Characters and Plot: The main character, Jude, is well fleshed out and seems to have a purpose. He has had some rough patches in life, and feels like his family is just going through the motions. The other characters are there, almost superficially. Jude's friends, especially Corey, all serve purposes, but still feel like stereotypes right out of teen movies. Becka, the love interest, is a little more developed, but even she feels like the typical teenage girl love interest. Beautiful, sassy and friendly like the girl next door. Even the adults don't really understand the teenagers, and Jude's fast food bosses take their jobs a little too seriously.
The plot is pretty straight forward. You know there is going to be a car accident involving four friends from the first page. You know that someone lives, but you don't know their names. The first half of the book leads up to that moment, building suspense in the normal moments of life. You learn about the sadness Jude and his family carry quickly. The plot is there, but carefully woven into everyday life.
Final Thoughts: BEFORE YOU GO is a quick read, and that was almost a little disappointing. At just 200 pages, this book felt short. Once the accident happens, the wrap-up almost feels..incomplete. I felt like the meat of the story was just getting started when it got to the end. I actually double checked to see if there was more to the book that I didn't get with my original download, but there wasn't. If there is anything disappointing about this story, it is that the resolution almost feels cheap, like the author didn't really know what to do when one of his characters encountered the death of one of their own.
Overall, this is a good book, worthy of being read. There is something a important about reading a strong male teen character written from a male author. While the story is not overly unique, it is told well and thought through.