The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BEWARE OF SPOILERS! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

I love this style of narration, and the switching of narrators. It almost felt like we were reading someone's diary, and when we got thrown into an entirely different diary, it changed our perspective. Throughout the book, we aren't sure whose version of events was true and whose was false. In the end, though, I suppose no one is unbiased towards any story, especially their own. I was very sympathetic towards Rachel (and not just because we share a name), and as the book went on, I grew quite defensive of her, especially for those short segments when we lived in Anna's perspective.

All 3 women in this story have a lot in common once everything plays out, as much as Anna refuses to admit it. Rachel and Megan in particular have many similarities. They both desire love and closeness, and are searching for something to fill the void in their hearts. Losing someone so young (for Megan, her brother; for Rachel, her father) puts you in a vulnerable position that can end in heartbreak if you choose the wrong person to be your support and lifeline.

Some people in the book were terrible, but no one was perfect. Really the best person in this book was Rachel's flatmate, Cathy. Not only did did she give a depressed alcoholic divorcee a place to stay for more than 2 years, despite the fact they were never that close, it sounds like Cathy put up with a lot from Rachel, and only asked her to leave once things got truly unacceptable. And even that request she eventually took back. Cathy was immensely supportive of Rachel's sobriety and tried to help her along that path in any way she could, and even helped find her a job once she finally learned she'd been fired. It's hard to ask for a better friend, actually.

Here's hoping Rachel can stick with the good people in the future and ignore the ones with bad intentions.

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I Was Here

I Was Here by Gayle Forman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD! BE AWARE!

There's something intrinsically sad about a book that starts off with teenage suicide. What's even more sad about this book is trying to figure out with Cody how exactly her best friendship with Meg fell apart over the course of just a few months, so much so that she wasn't even aware that Meg was depressed enough to be seriously considering suicide.

Of course Cody had her reasons for drawing away from Meg - it seemed like Meg had everything and was getting the life they both always wanted, but Cody could only dream of. Of course, things often aren't how they seem. It comes as a shock to Cody when she finds out that Meg had been battling depression and suicidal thoughts since high school, but we as readers can see it coming a mile away. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and it's easy to look back and say, if Meg and her parents had been more honest with Cody about Meg's early struggles, maybe she would have seem more warning signs along the way. But it's possible that things would have turned out exactly the same.

I have mixed feelings about Cody and Ben's relationship. First of, I am a skeptic. Their relationship was way too deep too quickly, and I was actually a little relieved when she broke of contact with him. In the end, though, I was grateful that Cody had someone like Ben to be there for her when she was spiraling in her obsession with catching the guy whom she blamed for Meg's death. Yeah, their relationship started messy, and had a lot of messy, confusing moments. But nothing is perfect.

Also, how awesome was Cody's mom in the end? She spent so much time not being a very good mom, but she sure pulled through when it mattered most.

Cody's hunt of the online predator (I can think of nothing else to call him) who encouraged Meg towards suicide was almost scary at times. She didn't seem to have any regard for her own safety, and in her attempts to attract his attention, there were times when she seemed to teeter right on the edge of her own depression. The only positive that came of Cody's hunt is that hopefully __ will be held in some way accountable for Meg's death, and he at least won't be able to talk anyone else into doing something similar.

I guess the main thing to take from a book like this is: hug your loved ones. Pay attention to them and listen to them. Be there for them. Don't live life with regret. For those who are battling depression, please remember you have people that love you. Life is worth living. Just make it one more day.

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Vanishing Girls

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book definitely surprised me, and that's always a good thing. When I finally figured out what was going on, I actually flipped back and re-read sections of the book. It's hard to even write about it, because the things that frustrated me about this book, like wanting to yell at the sisters for not just sucking it up and talking to one another, were rendered inapplicable at the end. I can't really say anything more without majorly spoiling the book, so if you've read this already, click on through to Goodreads and see my thoughts there. All in all, I definitely enjoyed this one. I read most of it on a plane ride from LA to Seattle, and then stayed up to finish it that night, because I wanted to know what was going to happen. And I totally cried at the end.

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My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was picking something to listen to on a road trip with my parents, this brought back memories of watching the Dick Van Dyke show with them (in reruns) when I was little. I have also loved Mary Poppins since I was a child, and mom loves it too. I thought my dad would enjoy this one, too, but his review was: "eh. I like books better." Ha.

I loved the stories from the past, both of his childhood and the early days of trying to make it as entertainer any way possible. My favorites were the stories of the making of Mary Poppins, as well as that of the Dick Van Dike show.

It's hard to hear his view of spirituality, especially of how he was turned off from organized religion - bigots have no place in a church, and I'm sad that turned him off.

A lot of these racially-charged and political stories from the 60s and 70s are much more personal to my parents, and I think it's harder for them to listen to stories from that time than it is for me, because to me it's just history, and it's interesting to hear his perspective as a relatively famous entertainer.

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The Woods, Vol. 1: The Arrow

The Woods, Vol. 1: The Arrow by James Tynion IV
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A really intriguing start. This book had the perfect amount of mystery - just enough intrigue to keep you engaged, without crossing over the line into frustrated confusion. In that respect, it kind of reminds me of the tv show Lost, although this adventure is developing at a faster pace.

At this point in the story, we have a ton of questions, and very few answers. What planet were they transported to? How and for what reason? Is it the planet that is making them extra-violent, or was Coach Clay always like that? He did seem surprised by his actions in the end? Maybe there's something that applies the tendencies you already have?

As for the crew in the woods, what is up with Adrian? Did he get some sort of vision from the first standing stone? He was already arrogant and condescending, but he's especially driven and emotionless on his current quest. And what (who?) exactly lives in those woods? What are those creatures and who are those people? Also, does no one know the first rule of scary stories is you don't split up?

As for the pyramid, did that get here in the same way the school did? And what's up with the cave drawings and Cyrillic? More people brought here by the magical force? As for character development, so far, we don't know too much about these characters because we've been focused on their quest, but hopefully we'll get to know then more in the next volume.

I have to also mention, I love Michael Dialynas' artwork. It's strong and graphic without being simple, and I especially love the colors. It's worth it for you to pick this up even if it's for the artwork alone (but the story's fun, too).

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Saint Anything

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Sarah Dessen's books. They are more than just romance, though romantic connection can play a part. Sydney is lost, and feels invisible. I get where her parents are coming from, that how can she be such good friends when just met, but what they don't see is how lost she was before, how they quickly became her whole world.

You can get locked into the person people see you as, and sometimes it takes a new person, new environment, new experiences, and people who have never met the "old" you, to break out. A lot of kids, this happens when they go off to college. It's important for Sydney that she have people that didn't see her as Peyton's sister, but saw her for herself.

How perfect was Mac? He is just so sweet and gentle and really just a nice, dependable guy. I'm not sure how I feel about his used-to-be-fat storyline, because it has whiffs of fat-shame to it. The only thing that makes it better is that his losing weight was a choice he made himself, because he didn't like how he'd become and was afraid he would get worse. His story was an echo of Sydney's in many ways - he didn't really see himself clearly, and needed someone new, who didn't know who he used to be, in order to fully see who he had become.

Ames, of course, was a frustrating character to watch. It was really hard to see how oblivious Sydney's parents were to his true nature, which seems shocking when it was so clear to everyone else what a creepster he was. Also, how could Peyton have been friends with him? Just another in a string of bad decisions? I will say, it was a relief when her mom finally saw that she needed to draw some boundaries, even before he assaulted Sydney.

It was great to see her parents come to her defense, but I'm still frustrated by her dad and his lack of interest in most everything going on in her life. I get that he had a lot going on as well, but letting his wife make all the decisions, even when he can see how wrong and misguided they are, is just as bad as willfully making those wrong decisions.

I wish this book would have gone on a little longer, if only we could see how Sydney and David Ibarra's conversations went, and how their relationship developed, but I guess that's a situation where nothing was going to be solved by one conversation. It's a lot like life, where there is no definite conclusion, but everything is an ongoing process, and you just have to be open and willing to take the next step.

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We'll Always Have Summer

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SPOILERS

This one was hard to read sometimes. Part of me felt like if Belly was going to end up with Conrad, they should have just let her be with Conrad without dragging Jeremiah into it. Belly kept pushing Conrad away, and Conrad kept encouraging her to, until the very end when he finally told her the truth and tried to get her back. And Jeremiah knew the whole time how Belly would always feel about Conrad. I'm annoyed he ignored that for 2 years, and annoyed that he kept pushing their relationship forward while knowing that, but I guess I should he relieved that he finally said enough is enough. Took him long enough.

Conrad. Ugh. This noble idiot stuff really bugs me, especially when it's about a girl who ends up being treated like a possession who is passed back and forth. I get that Conrad was messed up after his mom's death and thought that Jeremiah would be the better, more stable option for Belly, but he didn't have the right to make that decision for her.

I guess you could argue that they needed to go through this horrible and uncomfortable situation to grow up, mature, and truly appreciate one another, but what a painful process. Did Conrad need to see Belly nearly marry his brother in order for him to treasure her? And I still don't get how Belly can go from being let's-break-up angry with Jeremiah to let's-get-married so quickly. That wedding was seriously the worst idea ever.

As for the epilogue, while I appreciate that Belly and Conrad ended up together, it felt like we missed out on the most important part of their story -- how did they get back together? How did they learn to trust and rely on one another? And how in the world was Jeremiah ok with it all? We'll never know, since that was all skimmed over.

I appreciated the Conrad-narrated chapters this time around, since he is such an enigma, and it was always hard to tell how he really felt about Belly.

The main thing I did like about this book was the female relationships. Belly spent so much time in the previous two books obsessing over her relationships with the boys, to the detriment of her development of her female relationships. It was a relief in this book to see her friends with Taylor again and building a new friendship with Anika.

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