TX3 - Most Unique Books!

The wonderful people over at The Broke and the Bookish posted another Top Ten Tuesday discussion for today, April 8th, my Top Ten Most Unique Books! I'm just going to do my top five today but these are some of the most unique books I have come across. Obviously I love all the cult favorites, but I feel like those have all had knockoffs made in their shadow and therefore are no longer "unique." So here is my top five most unique books, thus far: 

What do you think of these books?

Do you agree?

What are your most unique picks?

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Synopsis: 

It's been three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life.

And three years he's spent wondering why.

When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.

Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good - or can you really have a second chance at first love?

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Oh. My. Goodness. No words… As I’ve said before, the Just One Day series was not my favorite. If I Stay was good! Where She Went? ASTOUNDING! If you don’t like this book then you have no soul. Just kidding, not but really…

Hands down I can say that I loved this one even more then the first and I really liked the first! May even be the best contemporary book I have every read.  Just read it. READ IT DAMIT!

~Spoiler Free Review~

Writing:  Gayle Forman outdid herself. I fear for Forman that Where She Went will forever be a hard act to follow. The writing is raw, powerful, chaotic, torturous, passionate, and simple. Forman had my emotions on a rollercoaster that I couldn’t get off. Her powerful style explores torment, ache, and the optimism of possibility that is just out of reach. Beautifully written! Foreman has blessed her readers with everything one could possibly want in a sequel and then some. It’s clear to me that Forman obviously has a talent for making a character so real that you can feel their ever emotion. She’s a brain ninja. Forman got into my head, made a mess of it, and left me to pick up the pieces. I understood Adam more so than I have EVER felt in touch with a male protagonist. Maybe even more so than Harry Potter… (gasp!)

I LOVED the musical lyrics scattered throughout the book. If I wasn’t already right alongside the characters already this would have sealed the deal. Since I was already 100% present though, these lyrics just made it all the more real! This was genius as these lyrics were another form to express the pain and loss through song. I have a recommendation:

Dear Gayle Forman,

I’m a big fan.

Thank you for reading my review.

Please make the Shooting Stars album!

Thank you,

Danielle

Characters: I will always treasure these two characters. My heart goes out to Adam right from the bitterness on page one. I can honestly say I felt every bit of sorrow, despair, and rage with Adam throughout his journey. Adam is intense, damaged, and flawed.  It’s the things he only admits to himself that are so vulnerable. I could literally feel his self-destruction. The lyrics to his songs were both loving and haunting. For me, he was a very tangible and tainted character that did not come across as unrealistic, or cheesy, or juvenile. I believe every expression of his love for Mia and was rootin’ for him throughout the whole book. He is broken, ruined, miserable, talented, and oh so loving! Seriously, this boy can love…

Oh Mia. WHY!!! (Deep breaths… count to ten)

 I went from liking Mia in book one, to hating Mia, to loving and understanding Mia. I was surprised at how much confusion and resentment towards Mia was building up in me and it wasn’t until the bridge that I wanted her to get what was coming to her, and then I understood. The clarity that Mia brings to this book is breathtaking. All things considered, Mia is strong, compassionate, and genuine. If I could choose a book character to have as my own daughter, I would choose Mia! She’s a fighter, she’s a lover, and she’s a survivor.

Plot: This book was a fantastic display of loss and forgiveness. One of my top couples of all time, whether or not it is a happy ending or not, my lips are sealed.  I will add that I got the closure I desperately needed. This is not what I expected for a sequel after If I Stay but I was not left disappointed in the least bit. Again, I enjoyed the format with the flashbacks that were easy to follow. This is Adam’s story, his journey, his memories through flashbacks of the past with Mia, and without. We get to see the man that Adam as become, and what he wants to be. We see his devastation, watch his rising fame, and share an open-wound that is healed by music, but never fully closed.

Great storyline, great flow, great design.

Overall, it was amazing. I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but this will definitely be going in my list of top-books-I-read-this-year. This story really got under my skin and I had to read it all in one sitting and I couldn’t put it down. If Adam and Mia’s story ends here I would say that it was well done. I would love to see another book however I don’t want it to be a letdown… why wreck a good thing? I only want another book if it can somehow trump this one. Sometimes I stumble onto books that touch my life in a way no other books can, THIS is one of those books. I’m sure it will be a re-read for me throughout my life. Forman, I am forever grateful for Adam and Mia’s story. Where She Went is a must read for everyone!

I definitely want to read more from Gayle Forman in the future. I can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeves. Since I’m both hot and cold on Forman’s work please comment and let me know if you have read anything else by her that you would recommend. I want more…

“You were so busy trying to be my savior that you left me all alone.”

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“I needed to hate someone and you’re the one I love the most, so it fell on you.” 

It was amazing.

★★★★★

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Synopsis: 

Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.

I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.

Stay, he says.

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heart-achingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.

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Wow, that was deep… I’ll be honest, I was REALLY nervous going into this book  for two reasons. One, I was not the biggest fan of the Just One Day/Just One Year books. And Two, I heard that this book would make me cry like a baby, and that’s not necessarily something I crave. I did not know what I was getting myself into when I started this book. What I DID end up getting was a book about love, family, sorrow, life choices, and pure bliss. There is an exquisite display of depth of emotion through the eyes of a young girl and her journey through a limbo of life and death. She has lost ALMOST everything…

~Spoiler Free Review~ 

Writing:  I was very pleasantly surprised by Gayle Forman here. Like I said previously, not her biggest advocate from previous books but wow! Fell in love with her here in If I Stay! Forman has absolutely earned my admiration with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed how the format of this book went from present time to past memories without getting the reader lost in between. I felt that I was able to really grasp the characters by Forman giving bits and pieces throughout the entirety of the book. She was able to make me feel so much sympathy for characters I had only had a measly 200 pages to bond with. This is a very quick, easy read that was thought provoking and left me with a heavy heart and a happy soul.

Side note, the scenes about the main characters family were exquisitely written.

Characters: What is not to love about Mia? If I were to be put in her shoes I doubt that I would have had as much strength and grace as was displayed by Mia. She was relatively low on the typical YA drama and angst and these missing aspects made her so much more enjoyable and a main character and narrator.  Mia as a character, combined with Forman’s amazing writing, made Mia easy to follow and understand. I could feel her defeat, her love, her desperation, and her loss. 

I liked Adam, and his lopsided grin. I more so love the relationship that Mia and Adam have. I think it is unusual for YA novels to have a “real” relationship. Not the typical insta-love that is so popular, or the best friend who’s always loved you kind of thing. I really feel as though Adam and Mia have a young love that could last. Don’t get me wrong, they have some relationship hiccups and insecurities, but I think this makes them all the more realistic!

And that moment with her grandfather?! Sobbed… Love Mia’s Grandparents.

Plot: Was the plot perfect? Not completely. However, I’m much more forgiving of a few missteps in the plot when the characters are so fantastic. The “plot” was more just a roller coaster of feelings and a chronicle of Mia’s life. The emotions and the issues were understated and they were dispersed between the pages with stunning sentimental memories. The story, while heartbreaking, never seemed to cross into the over-the-top and sappy territories that YA novels often can and do. I enjoyed the love story quite a bit. I found the intimate scenes enjoyable and gushy over the top. In other words, this book avoids the most typical YA drawbacks.I also really enjoyed the aspect of music that is ever so present and is a very essential player in this book. It is used to form bonds, to change lives, and to bring peace and clarity.

Overall, this is a powerfully emotional read. A tragic tale of an unimaginable loss that changes everything you thought you knew and will make you thankful for every blessing in life. Is it sad? Totally. Is it worth it? Worth every word. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a book around life and death and the unknown. For anyone looking for some great YA family relationships or just want a good sob. In my opinion this is a must read for all fans of YA contemporary novels. This is a piece of work that displays exactly how talented Forman is. And that ending?! Ugh… book #2 here I come.

“I’ll let you go, if you stay.”

I really liked it.

★★★★

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Just One Day & Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Synopsis: 

Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.
 
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the "accidents" of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

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Beginning of the book was good. End of book was good. Middle of this book? Boring…  This would be a two star read for me except for the ending. Now I HAVE to read the second book, stupid cliffhangers. This is a story about finding love of course but it is just as much about the road to self-discovery all told from Allyson’s point of view.

~Spoiler Free Review~

Writing: Gayle Forman does a good job with her writing. Even when the book dragged on in the middle I was able to push through because of the writing style.

Characters: Allyson was alright. She seemed to constantly be in a state of gloom which was a barrier for me. I couldn’t fall in love with her character personally, but she wasn’t bad. You know I love a strong independent woman so I liked her more towards the half of the book when she took matters into her own hands. I can’t tell yet how I feel about Willem. I don’t really find him sexy or funny. It’s apparent he knows how to get around, both with land and the ladies. He’s either a hardcore player or he is a more complicated character. I’m sure this will come out more in book 2 as it is from his POV.

Side note – I loved Dee!

Plot: I really like travel books. Throw in a little romance and I think it makes a nice combo. The romance was… meh.  In my opinion their one day wasn’t romantic enough or even enjoyable enough to dwell on for a whole book. I didn’t get the strong connection between “Lulu” and Willem that I think was trying to be portrayed. I like the idea of this book but again Allyson held me back a bit from loving it. I liked the idea of a whole Paris rendezvous and I think Forman portrayed college life and the “New Adult” genre pretty decent. Without wrecking anything, I like everything after Allyson finishes her first year of college.

Overall: A very respectable book. I wouldn’t read it again and I wouldn’t go around recommending it to people, but good nonetheless. If you like some romance and are interested in reading about traveling then this would be a good book to pick up if you have time. I wouldn’t make a point of cramming it into any upcoming TBR’s though. If you have not read Anna and theFrench Kiss by Stephanie Perkins yet I would recommend that book over this book. 

I liked it.

★★★

Note: This book was the February book choice for The Chick Lits Bookclub. 

Synopsis: 

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.

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Just like its predecessor, the beginning and ending were good but the middle... I understand that it is building the story but I’m dying there for a moment begging Forman to throw me a bone. Still, the love story is very present however Willem, even more so than Allyson, is discovering himself more with every hop across a border. I enjoyed Willem story a little more I think just because I was fonder of the family dynamics in this book but I still had some very similar feelings for book 2. I'll try not to be too repetitive in this review. 

~Spoiler Free Review~

Writing: Again, Forman’s writing is good. The middle was just too much of a drag for me to give anything more than three stars but the writing got me to push through. I mean, C’mon… the ending in Just One Day? Had to find out what happened next!

Characters: Okay, okay. I like Willem. I like him a lot. He’s not my type of guy per say, I don’t find him sexy, but I do find him appealing and I get it now. I enjoyed his road to his self-discovery and his relationship with his mother. A bit of a player but he’s coming around ladies! I’m glad Allyson wasn’t around until the end, her depression couldn’t cramp my read in this book. I liked all of supporting characters in this book.

Plot: Same basic plot as book one but from Willem’s POV. If you enjoy books more along the traveling side you will like this book more than the first. Willem travels more and to very different places too, good diversity in surroundings throughout the book.

Overall: More enjoyable than the first, personally. Couldn’t wait to read the ending after book 1 but STILL didn’t get enough for a two book build up… Again, same as the first, it was good, wouldn’t read it again and wouldn’t recommend you run out and get it. If you are bored and you want to use literature to travel this is a decent pick to do so. 

I liked it.

★★★

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