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Perfect Escape
Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. The only way Kendra can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation.
Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.
With undeniable grace and humor, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown explores OCD, the pressure for perfection, and the emotional highs and lows of a complex sibling relationship.
Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But eventually, Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.
With undeniable grace and humor, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown explores OCD, the pressure for perfection, and the emotional highs and lows of a complex sibling relationship.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published July 10, 2012
45 people are currently reading
5724 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Brown
33 books1,632 followersTwo-time winner of the Erma Bombeck Global Humor Award (2005 & 2006), Jennifer's weekly humor column appeared in The Kansas City Star for over four years, until she gave it up to be a full-time young adult novelist.
Jennifer's debut novel, HATE LIST (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009) received three starred reviews and was selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a VOYA "Perfect Ten," and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. HATE LIST also won the Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award, the Louisiana Teen Readers Choice award, the 2012 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award, was an honorable mention for the 2011 Arkansas Teen Book Award, is a YALSA 2012 Popular Paperback, received spots on the Texas Library Association's Taysha's high school reading list as well as the Missouri Library Association's Missouri Gateway Awards list, and has been chosen to represent the state of Missouri in the 2012 National Book Festival in Washington, DC. Jennifer's second novel, BITTER END, (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011) received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and VOYA and is listed on the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults list and is a 2012 Taysha's high school reading list pick as well.
Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.
Jennifer's debut novel, HATE LIST (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009) received three starred reviews and was selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a VOYA "Perfect Ten," and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. HATE LIST also won the Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award, the Louisiana Teen Readers Choice award, the 2012 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award, was an honorable mention for the 2011 Arkansas Teen Book Award, is a YALSA 2012 Popular Paperback, received spots on the Texas Library Association's Taysha's high school reading list as well as the Missouri Library Association's Missouri Gateway Awards list, and has been chosen to represent the state of Missouri in the 2012 National Book Festival in Washington, DC. Jennifer's second novel, BITTER END, (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011) received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and VOYA and is listed on the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults list and is a 2012 Taysha's high school reading list pick as well.
Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 318 reviews
July 19, 2012
Road trip books can go from kookie to serious to fun to depressing. Perfect Escape is a beautiful story that has the perfect blend of happy and sad, leaving us with a heartfelt tale about a girl trying to escape her life, and, hopefully, her brother's OCD.
Overshadowed by her brother's illness her whole life, Kendra is struggling to achieve perfection. She's become an overachiever so that she can balance out Grayson's imperfection. We don't notice Kendra's crumbling mental state at first. She's strong-willed and selfless. Later, as the story moves along, as we learn how hard hard she is on herself, as we see how deeply one person's OCD affects a whole family, we begin to notice the cracks in her seemingly perfect facade. Her character grows and evolves throughout the story, making her someone I could easily sympathize with. I understood her instead of condemning her for her hasty, sometimes terrible, decisions. Her brother Grayson is equally, if not more, compelling. Having OCD, he's a fascinating character study. I've always been intrigued by mental illnesses and we get a first look at all the ups and downs of an often misunderstood disorder. With these highs and lows comes great character depth; Grayson is a very well-rounded, three dimensional character that will wedge himself right into your hearts. The siblings relationship that these two have is by far my favorite part of this novel. They bicker and disagree, they relive memories and laugh about old times - they know each other to through and through, and love each other unconditionally despite it all. I adored this. This impenetrable connection and fierce protectiveness that they share for each other is simply wonderful and glows right through the pages.
Unlike many road trip novels, we don't meet a slew of colourful, though irrelevant, characters over the course of their trip. The people we do meet have a big impact on the story. They weave their way into Kendra and Grayson's journey, becoming exceptional characters that will forever leave a mark on their hearts - and ours. The many adventures and stops on the way is filled with amusing anecdotes and tender moment, in addition to more serious, emotional developments. Though not abrupt, it's not a straight up, cut and dried ending filled with closure. Like life, we don't get everything resolved, we get hope. Hope and belief that everything will work out. Because oftentimes in life, it's the only thing we've got.
Highly character driven and dealing with very real issues, Perfect Escape will make you feel every emotion you can muster. If you loved Saving June, and fans of contemporary novels focusing on mental illness and sibling relationships must add this to their reading list!
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
Overshadowed by her brother's illness her whole life, Kendra is struggling to achieve perfection. She's become an overachiever so that she can balance out Grayson's imperfection. We don't notice Kendra's crumbling mental state at first. She's strong-willed and selfless. Later, as the story moves along, as we learn how hard hard she is on herself, as we see how deeply one person's OCD affects a whole family, we begin to notice the cracks in her seemingly perfect facade. Her character grows and evolves throughout the story, making her someone I could easily sympathize with. I understood her instead of condemning her for her hasty, sometimes terrible, decisions. Her brother Grayson is equally, if not more, compelling. Having OCD, he's a fascinating character study. I've always been intrigued by mental illnesses and we get a first look at all the ups and downs of an often misunderstood disorder. With these highs and lows comes great character depth; Grayson is a very well-rounded, three dimensional character that will wedge himself right into your hearts. The siblings relationship that these two have is by far my favorite part of this novel. They bicker and disagree, they relive memories and laugh about old times - they know each other to through and through, and love each other unconditionally despite it all. I adored this. This impenetrable connection and fierce protectiveness that they share for each other is simply wonderful and glows right through the pages.
Unlike many road trip novels, we don't meet a slew of colourful, though irrelevant, characters over the course of their trip. The people we do meet have a big impact on the story. They weave their way into Kendra and Grayson's journey, becoming exceptional characters that will forever leave a mark on their hearts - and ours. The many adventures and stops on the way is filled with amusing anecdotes and tender moment, in addition to more serious, emotional developments. Though not abrupt, it's not a straight up, cut and dried ending filled with closure. Like life, we don't get everything resolved, we get hope. Hope and belief that everything will work out. Because oftentimes in life, it's the only thing we've got.
Highly character driven and dealing with very real issues, Perfect Escape will make you feel every emotion you can muster. If you loved Saving June, and fans of contemporary novels focusing on mental illness and sibling relationships must add this to their reading list!
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
June 14, 2017
Quick review for quick read. So a few confessions on my read of "Perfect Escape" - I read this book in a matter of a 2 hour marathon reading session and it was a random read I picked up from my library. I loved the other books I'd read from Jennifer Brown, so "Perfect Escape" was a definite pick up for me for the author as well as the promise of a roadtrip family story with coming of age leanings and a character with a disability (OCD).
Yet, the story itself didn't hit me as hard as I would've liked despite knowing the direction it was going. Even after turning the final page - despite many tied ends with respect to the conflicts and resolutions - something about the read left me wanting more, particularly with the major betrayals Kendra makes in the course of the narrative. The long and short of "Perfect Escape" is about Kendra, a young woman pressured to be perfect in a family that seems overrun by tending to the needs of Kendra's brother, Grayson. She feels left out and pressure to be the one without issues or flaws. Kendra's deeply involved in a cheating scam (among other things) that threatens to upend the perfect future she's worked, so she grabs Grayson and the two of them go on an impromptu road trip. Grayson is heavily opposed to the trip on several levels, but he goes along for the ride despite not knowing his sister's motivations.
In a sense, Kendra tries to make this road trip a means to an end: to help her brother, to reclaim a part of her past that she lost, to have experiences she hasn't had before. It's a coming of age tale and sibling story that I appreciated on several levels, though I'll admit I wasn't particularly fond of Kendra's character (Grayson, however, I liked following through the whole narrative). I also applauded the novel for showing Grayson's OCD tendencies in a realistic manner, showcasing his struggles/sentiments and giving him a prominent voice to speak from. I think Kendra ultimately learns through the course of the novel that she can't "fix" him nor can she escape her life or reclaim the past as she once experienced it. Yet it still felt like the novel didn't have the same gut punch that Brown's other narratives like "Hate List" and "A Thousand Words" had for me after turning the final page. Still, it's a narrative that I think should be taken for what it offers - I liked following the road journey of Kendra, Grayson, and even Rena and baby Bo for the parts they were featured in. I just wish that some of the coming to terms and plot threads could've been tied up a bit better.
Overall rating: 3/5 stars
Yet, the story itself didn't hit me as hard as I would've liked despite knowing the direction it was going. Even after turning the final page - despite many tied ends with respect to the conflicts and resolutions - something about the read left me wanting more, particularly with the major betrayals Kendra makes in the course of the narrative. The long and short of "Perfect Escape" is about Kendra, a young woman pressured to be perfect in a family that seems overrun by tending to the needs of Kendra's brother, Grayson. She feels left out and pressure to be the one without issues or flaws. Kendra's deeply involved in a cheating scam (among other things) that threatens to upend the perfect future she's worked, so she grabs Grayson and the two of them go on an impromptu road trip. Grayson is heavily opposed to the trip on several levels, but he goes along for the ride despite not knowing his sister's motivations.
In a sense, Kendra tries to make this road trip a means to an end: to help her brother, to reclaim a part of her past that she lost, to have experiences she hasn't had before. It's a coming of age tale and sibling story that I appreciated on several levels, though I'll admit I wasn't particularly fond of Kendra's character (Grayson, however, I liked following through the whole narrative). I also applauded the novel for showing Grayson's OCD tendencies in a realistic manner, showcasing his struggles/sentiments and giving him a prominent voice to speak from. I think Kendra ultimately learns through the course of the novel that she can't "fix" him nor can she escape her life or reclaim the past as she once experienced it. Yet it still felt like the novel didn't have the same gut punch that Brown's other narratives like "Hate List" and "A Thousand Words" had for me after turning the final page. Still, it's a narrative that I think should be taken for what it offers - I liked following the road journey of Kendra, Grayson, and even Rena and baby Bo for the parts they were featured in. I just wish that some of the coming to terms and plot threads could've been tied up a bit better.
Overall rating: 3/5 stars
August 10, 2012
I liked this book a lot, but I didn't absolutely love it. It's a character-driven story that's all about the journey. The characters are interesting and sympathetic. I really liked the sibling relationship. I would certainly recommend it to teens.
I think what kept me from completely loving it was Kendra's back-and-forth about understanding herself and her brother. Periodically, she has a revelation about one of them, but then seems to revert back to previous thinking. Then comes another revelation, and so forth. Perhaps this is realistic, but I found myself feeling a bit impatient.
(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Little, Brown!)
I think what kept me from completely loving it was Kendra's back-and-forth about understanding herself and her brother. Periodically, she has a revelation about one of them, but then seems to revert back to previous thinking. Then comes another revelation, and so forth. Perhaps this is realistic, but I found myself feeling a bit impatient.
(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Little, Brown!)
May 4, 2014
*4.5 star rating*
Jennifer Brown,
Okay, I'm obviously kidding (but I bet you didn't know I was) but this book seriously was gorgeous and was such a special read and something powerful and unique. I recommend this to any lover of Sarah Dessen, or just to someone looking for a heart-clenching contemporary-fiction book.
Summary: Kendra is hiding something, and is waiting to not be caught. She cheated on an exam, and did much more than you could think of. She's living a difficult life- having to deal with her older brother who has OCD is a tough job. Her parents strongly rely on her to help them keep her brother safe and try to get the OCD away. But as we all know it, that's nearly impossible to accomplish. One day, Kendra, with her sleeping brother in the passenger seat, drive out- out of the state and keep on driving. Kendra knows that she's risking a lot, but it's worth taking the risk to hide away from everything that troubles her. Her plan is to get to California and find her best friend who moved away because of her brother and her family. Here is an addicting road trip novel that sure will leave you wanting more from Jennifer Brown.
The Hate List was the first book that I've ever read by Jennifer Brown, and it's the book that encouraged me to get the rest of her books. This is the one that I really wanted to read, so voila! From the beginning, I was absolutely captivated. The idea is so unique and unimaginable. Where did this brilliant author get this idea from? Who knows, but that's the magic of authors' heads. :')
This was such a thrill ride. Suspense left me shocked after every single page. This idea has never been done before, and I am absolutely thrilled that I first encountered it with this book. Best idea I've read about in a while.
Characters: Let's begin with the protagonist, Kendra. She was the reason I deducted a .5 from the 5/5 rating. I seriously would have given this book a 5/5 if Kendra had more sense in her. She was stupid. There I said it.
I didn't like her. She took her poor brother with her, for goodness' sake. I understand that she wanted him to see Zoe and be better, but seriously when he counts rocks and is terrified of overpasses? You really have to be dumb to do that. A normal person would a) Go alone, (b) Confront her parents and ask them for her brother's medicine and don't say where they'll go, or (c) Go with her friends. There, done, ideas that make actual sense and have less risk.
I seriously loved Grayson. He was so adorable and at times I felt so bad for him, but I ended up really adoring him as a character and fighter. Jennifer Brown really does create amazing characters. <3 Rena and Bo were great side characters who made me laugh and who added some action into the book, not that there wasn't any already.
For once here is a book that is contemporary that doesn't focus on romance. I find that there's too many of those out there! This is a contemporary novel that has a strong message and strong characters that relate to many people out there. This was a beautiful adventurous road-trip book that will stun and keep on stunning many people out there. I'd seriously go pick this up, now, tomorrow, or next year. x)
Jennifer Brown,
Okay, I'm obviously kidding (but I bet you didn't know I was) but this book seriously was gorgeous and was such a special read and something powerful and unique. I recommend this to any lover of Sarah Dessen, or just to someone looking for a heart-clenching contemporary-fiction book.
Summary: Kendra is hiding something, and is waiting to not be caught. She cheated on an exam, and did much more than you could think of. She's living a difficult life- having to deal with her older brother who has OCD is a tough job. Her parents strongly rely on her to help them keep her brother safe and try to get the OCD away. But as we all know it, that's nearly impossible to accomplish. One day, Kendra, with her sleeping brother in the passenger seat, drive out- out of the state and keep on driving. Kendra knows that she's risking a lot, but it's worth taking the risk to hide away from everything that troubles her. Her plan is to get to California and find her best friend who moved away because of her brother and her family. Here is an addicting road trip novel that sure will leave you wanting more from Jennifer Brown.
The Hate List was the first book that I've ever read by Jennifer Brown, and it's the book that encouraged me to get the rest of her books. This is the one that I really wanted to read, so voila! From the beginning, I was absolutely captivated. The idea is so unique and unimaginable. Where did this brilliant author get this idea from? Who knows, but that's the magic of authors' heads. :')
This was such a thrill ride. Suspense left me shocked after every single page. This idea has never been done before, and I am absolutely thrilled that I first encountered it with this book. Best idea I've read about in a while.
Characters: Let's begin with the protagonist, Kendra. She was the reason I deducted a .5 from the 5/5 rating. I seriously would have given this book a 5/5 if Kendra had more sense in her. She was stupid. There I said it.
I didn't like her. She took her poor brother with her, for goodness' sake. I understand that she wanted him to see Zoe and be better, but seriously when he counts rocks and is terrified of overpasses? You really have to be dumb to do that. A normal person would a) Go alone, (b) Confront her parents and ask them for her brother's medicine and don't say where they'll go, or (c) Go with her friends. There, done, ideas that make actual sense and have less risk.
I seriously loved Grayson. He was so adorable and at times I felt so bad for him, but I ended up really adoring him as a character and fighter. Jennifer Brown really does create amazing characters. <3 Rena and Bo were great side characters who made me laugh and who added some action into the book, not that there wasn't any already.
For once here is a book that is contemporary that doesn't focus on romance. I find that there's too many of those out there! This is a contemporary novel that has a strong message and strong characters that relate to many people out there. This was a beautiful adventurous road-trip book that will stun and keep on stunning many people out there. I'd seriously go pick this up, now, tomorrow, or next year. x)
July 5, 2012
Thousands of miles of bad road! This story of a sister and an OCD brother running away after the sister is caught cheating is tiresome. The sister complains and feels sorry for herself for over 300 pages. The book also does not feel the need to resolve any of the problems in the end. It's just painfully bad.
September 5, 2012
Having read a lot of roadtrip novels this summer, this was by far my least favorite. I had a difficult time connecting with most of the characters and found myself not really caring what happened to them. I wish Jennifer Brown would rewrite this and turn it into Rena's story instead.
October 18, 2017
This was a good book, made me laugh, cry and reinforce we don't always have to be perfect. Kendra is used to everyone treating her brother differently because he has "difficulties" being OCD. She has always acted as perfectly as she can to make up for the trouble her parents have with her brother. When her world comes crashing down around her, she finds her brother counting again and decides to take a road trip with him and fix him. Only she doesn't "fix" him, but she does fix their relationship and realizes that everyone has their own struggles to get through.
May 7, 2017
"Perfect Escape" by Jennifer Brown is another fantastic read. I'm starting to believe that woman can't do anything wrong when it comes to writing.
Just as with her other books, she isn't scared to pick up a difficult topic in this book and doesn't shy away of showing flawed characters, people who make mistakes and who aren't always good. And an ending that is fitting to the story and not forced into a happily ever after mold.
And that's why I loved it. I loved the rawness of the emotions, I loved that at times I really wanted to slap the crap out of the characters. And I loved how it made me feel.
Now don't get me wrong, there were plenty of moments in which Kendra annoyed the daylights out of me. She's a teenage girl who messes up in school and takes her OCD-ridden brother on a road trip. That's a recipe for some disastrous moments - but isn't that what truly makes people grow?
Well, I could understand her need to be perfect and I got that she always felt like she was second to her brother Grayson or even more so third, because there was also his OCD that took up a lot of attention. And I totally understand that this must be tough on a teenager whose feelings are already all over the place as is - add to that the pressure of being the good one, of not letting anyone down and then a wrong choice too many - yeah, that could make everyone snap.
But then there were times that she was just so caught up in her head, fixiated on her own problems and not seeing that her brother wasn't doing the things he did on purpose. At times she just came across really selfish but even then I could see where she was coming from. It was really hard to hate her even in the moments when she was a self-centered cow.
And then there was Grayson. I don't know what to say about him. Twenty, a genius, and completely controlled by his OCD. And I don't mean the kind of OCD people joke about like...I don't like raisins in my bread. No, I mean the kind of OCD that cripples you, completely takes over who you are and who you could be and controls every little aspect of your life. That's what Grayson goes through. And my heart broke for him, every single time. His despair was palpable, it was real and it was so damn raw and intense. Even though told from Kendra's POV, it didn't lessen the impact of what Grayson goes through every single day of his life. The fact he was still standing, still trying- that's true strength.
And the bond between the two siblings was amazing to see, especially for an only child like me. Even in the moments when they more or less hated each other, they still deeply cared for one another and were putting the other first. Despite the difficult topic there were many funny moments and the banter between them had a lot to do with it. The situations they got into were often challenging, sometimes sad, then funny again but all of them were touching in their own way.
I enjoyed this book a lot and can highly recommend it.
4 that-was-quite-a-trip stars.
Just as with her other books, she isn't scared to pick up a difficult topic in this book and doesn't shy away of showing flawed characters, people who make mistakes and who aren't always good. And an ending that is fitting to the story and not forced into a happily ever after mold.
And that's why I loved it. I loved the rawness of the emotions, I loved that at times I really wanted to slap the crap out of the characters. And I loved how it made me feel.
Now don't get me wrong, there were plenty of moments in which Kendra annoyed the daylights out of me. She's a teenage girl who messes up in school and takes her OCD-ridden brother on a road trip. That's a recipe for some disastrous moments - but isn't that what truly makes people grow?
Well, I could understand her need to be perfect and I got that she always felt like she was second to her brother Grayson or even more so third, because there was also his OCD that took up a lot of attention. And I totally understand that this must be tough on a teenager whose feelings are already all over the place as is - add to that the pressure of being the good one, of not letting anyone down and then a wrong choice too many - yeah, that could make everyone snap.
But then there were times that she was just so caught up in her head, fixiated on her own problems and not seeing that her brother wasn't doing the things he did on purpose. At times she just came across really selfish but even then I could see where she was coming from. It was really hard to hate her even in the moments when she was a self-centered cow.
And then there was Grayson. I don't know what to say about him. Twenty, a genius, and completely controlled by his OCD. And I don't mean the kind of OCD people joke about like...I don't like raisins in my bread. No, I mean the kind of OCD that cripples you, completely takes over who you are and who you could be and controls every little aspect of your life. That's what Grayson goes through. And my heart broke for him, every single time. His despair was palpable, it was real and it was so damn raw and intense. Even though told from Kendra's POV, it didn't lessen the impact of what Grayson goes through every single day of his life. The fact he was still standing, still trying- that's true strength.
And the bond between the two siblings was amazing to see, especially for an only child like me. Even in the moments when they more or less hated each other, they still deeply cared for one another and were putting the other first. Despite the difficult topic there were many funny moments and the banter between them had a lot to do with it. The situations they got into were often challenging, sometimes sad, then funny again but all of them were touching in their own way.
I enjoyed this book a lot and can highly recommend it.
4 that-was-quite-a-trip stars.
July 27, 2022
Strange but still enjoyable
July 6, 2017
Meh. There wasn't anything much to this novel. Kendra wasn't anything special or interesting; if anything, she was sort of unlikeable and boring, like I wasn't invested in her character at all. Most of the 350+ pages of the book consisted of their road trip, and even then, nothing much happened except for a few flashbacks. They met a girl named Rena at the first motel they stayed at and eventually took her with them, which ended up being pointless. Seriously, what was the point of her character? She did not contribute anything to the storyline.
After that, they stay at motel after motel. Kendra complains about her brother's symptoms the whole time and literally nothing interesting happens throughout the story. Sure, you can read Kendra's thoughts since it is a first-person narrative, but her thoughts aren't interesting. Her personality wasn't interesting. She did not talk about her hobbies or her philosophical views on life, all she ever talked about was how she tried to be perfect all her life and how she kept being stuck in her brother's shadow, etc. That's it. "Oh, is Zoe even going to be there?" "Is Grayson going to get better?" "I feel so guilty for running away but I can't turn back now." Yawn.
Some improbabilities that I've noticed:
1.) How did Kendra's phone last her 3 days without ever getting charged? Was there any mention of a phone charger at all? What the hell kind of phone was she using?
2.) I don't think cheating on several tests was a good enough reason to take on a 3-day road trip across the country with your mentally ill brother. Seriously, it's just....no.
3.) Zoe was a fucking bitch. Seriously.
And I know the point of their road trip was for it to end up having no point (refer to the spoiler in #3), I know Jennifer Brown intended to do that, but it just ended up being really disappointing and eyeroll-inducing. Hopefully her other books would be better than this one.
After that, they stay at motel after motel. Kendra complains about her brother's symptoms the whole time and literally nothing interesting happens throughout the story. Sure, you can read Kendra's thoughts since it is a first-person narrative, but her thoughts aren't interesting. Her personality wasn't interesting. She did not talk about her hobbies or her philosophical views on life, all she ever talked about was how she tried to be perfect all her life and how she kept being stuck in her brother's shadow, etc. That's it. "Oh, is Zoe even going to be there?" "Is Grayson going to get better?" "I feel so guilty for running away but I can't turn back now." Yawn.
Some improbabilities that I've noticed:
1.) How did Kendra's phone last her 3 days without ever getting charged? Was there any mention of a phone charger at all? What the hell kind of phone was she using?
2.) I don't think cheating on several tests was a good enough reason to take on a 3-day road trip across the country with your mentally ill brother. Seriously, it's just....no.
3.) Zoe was a fucking bitch. Seriously.
And I know the point of their road trip was for it to end up having no point (refer to the spoiler in #3), I know Jennifer Brown intended to do that, but it just ended up being really disappointing and eyeroll-inducing. Hopefully her other books would be better than this one.
July 26, 2015
This is probably one of the most realistic representations of a sibling relationship that I've ever seen. Kendra and her brother, Grayson, are so real. Their relationship is flawed. They live in each others' shadows. They criticize each other and mock each other and tear each other to pieces. The fact that Grayson has OCD makes it all the more interesting, causing even more challenges that the two of them have to overcome. And they do overcome them. They overcome them together, and I love them for it.
The whole book is brilliant, actually. The roadtrip, the other characters that Kendra and Grayson meet, everything. By the end of this book, you'll want to go on a roadtrip through the midwest and stop at every attraction you see. You'll want to strike up friendships with each person you meet. Perfect Escape manages to make long stretches of highway seem charming and desirable. This is a book that makes you long to experience life and make the most of things.
Powerful. Inspiring. Incredible. A beautiful book.
The whole book is brilliant, actually. The roadtrip, the other characters that Kendra and Grayson meet, everything. By the end of this book, you'll want to go on a roadtrip through the midwest and stop at every attraction you see. You'll want to strike up friendships with each person you meet. Perfect Escape manages to make long stretches of highway seem charming and desirable. This is a book that makes you long to experience life and make the most of things.
Powerful. Inspiring. Incredible. A beautiful book.
June 10, 2012
Originally posted at www.teenbookguru.com
**This review is based on an Advance Readers Copy (thank you so much, Jennifer!! <3)**
Perfect Escape is touching, heartwarming, and poignant... I LOVED Jennifer Brown’s latest novel! It actually brought tears to my eyes... but in the best way possible. After reading this, I felt sad, happy and really grateful that I was privileged enough to read this amazing novel before it is released. Thank you, Jennifer! <3
It’s a story about siblings, and family -the best kind!- and how no matter what happens, they are always going to be there for you. It made me feel oh so thankful and happy to have my family here and present... there were times when I felt like running up to my mom and giving her a big hug for no reason!! Perfect Escape really makes you appreciate everything - from being able to go to sleep without worrying about cockroages, to just having your brother or sister safe and happy with you!! :’)
I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters as well! They were all really relatable and so different and complex. Especially Kendra, who I personally found to be very relatable. She makes mistakes, and in the beginning she was always trying to please everyone, and she was running away from all of her missteps and failures, but towards the end she started to realize that sometimes, you just have to face your mistakes, and also, that sometimes, the person you have been looking for has been there all along... right by your side. She’s a bit of an overachiever, which I TOTALLY get, and she’s always trying to make up for her brother, which definitely adds to the stress and kind of pushes her over the edge. Her character definitely hit home, for me. I guess everyone makes mistakes, and finds it hard to own up to them, and at times it seems like it's the end of the world, just like Kendra, so I think (and hope!) that everyone will love her just as much as I did and will feel a strong connection with her.
And Grayson. Oh, Grayson. He kind of scared me at times! And, I really pitied Kendra at times for having to live with him, even though I know that’s mean. I mean, imagine living and spending your whole childhood with a perfectly normal, capable, sweet and smart brother, but then having to watch his OCD change him into a completely different and scary person?? The flashbacks that Brown put into the book of when Grayson was ‘normal’ completely broke my heart!! I wanted that little boy back... not only for Kendra, but for myself!! Although, I have to admit... Grayson REALLY surprised me in the end! He showed a side of himself that I never really knew was there anymore. But that’s all I can say about the ending, cause I don’t want to give anything away to you guys!!
I got to watch both Kendra and Grayson grow and change in their own ways, and face their own challenges- mental and physical- along the course of the novel, and it really was such a magical thing, getting to know these wonderful characters. The journey was a long one, and I honestly had no clue how it would end. Would they make it to California, or would they turn around and start heading home? Would their parents find them??? But, the wait was definitely worth it, and after it was over I was one sloppy, tearful bundle of happiness. Weird, I know!
Perfect Escape was one very long, messy, and beautiful road trip, full of laughs, tears, and sibling rivalry and love. I loved it, and I can’t wait for all of y’all to read it, because I’m sure that you’ll absolutely love and adore it too!! :’)
5 Muffins - Positively Enticing!
**This review is based on an Advance Readers Copy (thank you so much, Jennifer!! <3)**
Perfect Escape is touching, heartwarming, and poignant... I LOVED Jennifer Brown’s latest novel! It actually brought tears to my eyes... but in the best way possible. After reading this, I felt sad, happy and really grateful that I was privileged enough to read this amazing novel before it is released. Thank you, Jennifer! <3
It’s a story about siblings, and family -the best kind!- and how no matter what happens, they are always going to be there for you. It made me feel oh so thankful and happy to have my family here and present... there were times when I felt like running up to my mom and giving her a big hug for no reason!! Perfect Escape really makes you appreciate everything - from being able to go to sleep without worrying about cockroages, to just having your brother or sister safe and happy with you!! :’)
I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters as well! They were all really relatable and so different and complex. Especially Kendra, who I personally found to be very relatable. She makes mistakes, and in the beginning she was always trying to please everyone, and she was running away from all of her missteps and failures, but towards the end she started to realize that sometimes, you just have to face your mistakes, and also, that sometimes, the person you have been looking for has been there all along... right by your side. She’s a bit of an overachiever, which I TOTALLY get, and she’s always trying to make up for her brother, which definitely adds to the stress and kind of pushes her over the edge. Her character definitely hit home, for me. I guess everyone makes mistakes, and finds it hard to own up to them, and at times it seems like it's the end of the world, just like Kendra, so I think (and hope!) that everyone will love her just as much as I did and will feel a strong connection with her.
And Grayson. Oh, Grayson. He kind of scared me at times! And, I really pitied Kendra at times for having to live with him, even though I know that’s mean. I mean, imagine living and spending your whole childhood with a perfectly normal, capable, sweet and smart brother, but then having to watch his OCD change him into a completely different and scary person?? The flashbacks that Brown put into the book of when Grayson was ‘normal’ completely broke my heart!! I wanted that little boy back... not only for Kendra, but for myself!! Although, I have to admit... Grayson REALLY surprised me in the end! He showed a side of himself that I never really knew was there anymore. But that’s all I can say about the ending, cause I don’t want to give anything away to you guys!!
I got to watch both Kendra and Grayson grow and change in their own ways, and face their own challenges- mental and physical- along the course of the novel, and it really was such a magical thing, getting to know these wonderful characters. The journey was a long one, and I honestly had no clue how it would end. Would they make it to California, or would they turn around and start heading home? Would their parents find them??? But, the wait was definitely worth it, and after it was over I was one sloppy, tearful bundle of happiness. Weird, I know!
Perfect Escape was one very long, messy, and beautiful road trip, full of laughs, tears, and sibling rivalry and love. I loved it, and I can’t wait for all of y’all to read it, because I’m sure that you’ll absolutely love and adore it too!! :’)
5 Muffins - Positively Enticing!
May 20, 2012
Perfection really is a sort of link between sister Kendra and older brother Grayson. She has veered towards overachievement in large part to compensate for his extreme OCD. While he stops trips to Grandma's at Christmas with total screaming breakdowns in the car because he can't handle their driving on overpasses, she moves closer and closer to the top of her class, even when they both lose their perfect neighbor Zoe. Kendra's best friend and Grayson's first love. Her parents can't stand weirdo Grayson's attentions on their little girl, treating his condition as contagious and destructive.
In the three years since Zoe left Missouri for California, Grayson has tried to cope by dropping out of school and completing treatment programs. Kendra has found substitute friends, dated a bit, and attempted to be the perfect daughter for her parents who just barely hang on in dealing with such a needy son. Then disaster hits the perfect child: she has been caught cheating in Calculus, a class that she just couldn't do perfectly, not even close. Kendra only slowly reveals the depth of her offense, but she rapidly flees the school for the town quarry when she sees the principal and teacher searching her locker. The quarry has been a locus for Grayson, who would walk the three miles, cimb the fence and count and sort rocks in the thousands, only coaxed away by Kendra or her parents with great finesse and difficulty.
How surprising that Kendra should find Grayson, only just home from treatment, there when she runs. There are times when we just drive, even when we know that we only delay facing our problems. It's knee jerk reaction for Kendra to pull Grayson into her escape and just go in Hunka, her crummy old car. It's only later that she devises a destination: Zoe. That's when things went from bad for Grayson to so much worse. Maybe a real best friend can help Kendra figure out what to do to get her ass out of the fire. However, Kendra doesn't think about how hard it is to travel with a brother who can't eat or sleep most places that seem fine to the rest of us--or with a brother off his meds. She just keeps driving, making it up as she goes along.
The first of the cheap motels Kendra chooses for a crash offers her a road friend, Rena: only sixteen, she, too, is a runaway, but one that landed with an ornery old dude who knocked her up. When she and Grayson get back on the road, they are surprised to see Rena, baby car seat in hand, walking away from that life. And so two becomes four, and escape has moments of road trip, and a whole lot of angst and problems for Kendra to try to solve.
I never quite lost the nervousness some narratives full of difficulties instill in me when my vicarious experience keeps me unsettled and worried for the characters. That's a little uncomfortable for the reader but perhaps a victory for the author. Seems a realistic and eye-opening portayal of OCD, which is too often played as a sort of joke, but appears to be quite legitimately debilitating. Realistic sibling relationship was a strength as well. Not the most fun road trip, but I'm not sorry I took it.
In the three years since Zoe left Missouri for California, Grayson has tried to cope by dropping out of school and completing treatment programs. Kendra has found substitute friends, dated a bit, and attempted to be the perfect daughter for her parents who just barely hang on in dealing with such a needy son. Then disaster hits the perfect child: she has been caught cheating in Calculus, a class that she just couldn't do perfectly, not even close. Kendra only slowly reveals the depth of her offense, but she rapidly flees the school for the town quarry when she sees the principal and teacher searching her locker. The quarry has been a locus for Grayson, who would walk the three miles, cimb the fence and count and sort rocks in the thousands, only coaxed away by Kendra or her parents with great finesse and difficulty.
How surprising that Kendra should find Grayson, only just home from treatment, there when she runs. There are times when we just drive, even when we know that we only delay facing our problems. It's knee jerk reaction for Kendra to pull Grayson into her escape and just go in Hunka, her crummy old car. It's only later that she devises a destination: Zoe. That's when things went from bad for Grayson to so much worse. Maybe a real best friend can help Kendra figure out what to do to get her ass out of the fire. However, Kendra doesn't think about how hard it is to travel with a brother who can't eat or sleep most places that seem fine to the rest of us--or with a brother off his meds. She just keeps driving, making it up as she goes along.
The first of the cheap motels Kendra chooses for a crash offers her a road friend, Rena: only sixteen, she, too, is a runaway, but one that landed with an ornery old dude who knocked her up. When she and Grayson get back on the road, they are surprised to see Rena, baby car seat in hand, walking away from that life. And so two becomes four, and escape has moments of road trip, and a whole lot of angst and problems for Kendra to try to solve.
I never quite lost the nervousness some narratives full of difficulties instill in me when my vicarious experience keeps me unsettled and worried for the characters. That's a little uncomfortable for the reader but perhaps a victory for the author. Seems a realistic and eye-opening portayal of OCD, which is too often played as a sort of joke, but appears to be quite legitimately debilitating. Realistic sibling relationship was a strength as well. Not the most fun road trip, but I'm not sorry I took it.
April 20, 2016
I'm a little rusty on review writing. I've been taking a break, and picking a book I want to gush about as my first review back was probably a bad idea - but it does deserve a bit of gushing. Not to be all clichéd or anything, but this book really was a perfect escape from heavy and over complicated stories and stressful real-life. While Kendra was at times very young and selfish, I loved her voice. It was a really touching story, especially with all the sibling interactions – I just adored it all.
Usually you think of road trips as a holiday; travelling over the country with the windows rolled down and music blasting on the radio. Kendra's trip in Perfect Escape was a bit different. Disguised as a road trip, but really an escape from reality, Kendra and her brother Grayson struggle to outrun issues they've left behind at home. For Kendra it's a high school mistake that threatens to destroy her perfect daughter and student status; and for Grayson it's an involuntary test of letting go of his constricting OCD struggles. What I loved about this book was that the main characters were fighting to find themselves without coming from broken families. There was no divorce or abuse, just a slight disconnection from each other; but Kendra and Grayson learn to be siblings again, and I adored seeing them get there.
It's hard to discuss the OCD focus in this novel without destroying how powerful it was. Perfect Escape is not the first book I’ve read with characters facing OCD, but it is the first I've read in a realistic setting. I loved the way Jennifer Brown tackled the topic, letting us see the good and bad sides of the condition, but allowing us to see that moving outside of a comfort zone can help the good days shine a bit. Grayson struggles when he's not counting, and his fears and anxieties often take over. But he was such an intelligent character and the emotion that came through every time he took that step outside of his self imposed safety box made me smile so much. I absolutely adored Grayson.
My favourite part of this book was not the road trip, or even the way OCD was approached, but the sibling interactions. So often in books siblings might exist, but actually seeing them interact becomes a minor part of the book. Perfect Escape isn't like that. With no romance and no real focus on a strong friendship except flashbacks to a Too-Perfect-To-Be-Real life from before, the main relationship in this book falls on Kendra and Grayson's connection. They fight, they argue, they drive each other mental, and they would do anything to be in the other's shoes. But all of that is overshadowed by the fact that they love each other. And I loved them in turn for being so real.
This was my first Jennifer Brown book, but I definitely want to read her other novels, because Perfect Escape really touched me. I loved it.
4.5/5 stars
Usually you think of road trips as a holiday; travelling over the country with the windows rolled down and music blasting on the radio. Kendra's trip in Perfect Escape was a bit different. Disguised as a road trip, but really an escape from reality, Kendra and her brother Grayson struggle to outrun issues they've left behind at home. For Kendra it's a high school mistake that threatens to destroy her perfect daughter and student status; and for Grayson it's an involuntary test of letting go of his constricting OCD struggles. What I loved about this book was that the main characters were fighting to find themselves without coming from broken families. There was no divorce or abuse, just a slight disconnection from each other; but Kendra and Grayson learn to be siblings again, and I adored seeing them get there.
It's hard to discuss the OCD focus in this novel without destroying how powerful it was. Perfect Escape is not the first book I’ve read with characters facing OCD, but it is the first I've read in a realistic setting. I loved the way Jennifer Brown tackled the topic, letting us see the good and bad sides of the condition, but allowing us to see that moving outside of a comfort zone can help the good days shine a bit. Grayson struggles when he's not counting, and his fears and anxieties often take over. But he was such an intelligent character and the emotion that came through every time he took that step outside of his self imposed safety box made me smile so much. I absolutely adored Grayson.
My favourite part of this book was not the road trip, or even the way OCD was approached, but the sibling interactions. So often in books siblings might exist, but actually seeing them interact becomes a minor part of the book. Perfect Escape isn't like that. With no romance and no real focus on a strong friendship except flashbacks to a Too-Perfect-To-Be-Real life from before, the main relationship in this book falls on Kendra and Grayson's connection. They fight, they argue, they drive each other mental, and they would do anything to be in the other's shoes. But all of that is overshadowed by the fact that they love each other. And I loved them in turn for being so real.
This was my first Jennifer Brown book, but I definitely want to read her other novels, because Perfect Escape really touched me. I loved it.
4.5/5 stars
September 3, 2012
This is my first novel that I have read by Jennifer Brown and it leaves me with the strong desire to find her other novels and bury myself deep into them. Perfect Escape first caught my attention due to the fact that it deals with the main characters brother having OCD and how she struggles to deal with it. I have a close family member who struggles with OCD and refuses to take medicine. It isn't easy dealing with someone with this disorder. It makes it hard for the people around them, and I can't even begin to fathom just what is going on in their heads, along with their own inner battles. This is what brought me to Perfect Escape.
Although Kendra's older brother Grayson is remarkably intelligent and everyone thought he was really going to amount to something when he got older, it has now fallen on Kendra's shoulders to hold up that high image of 'the perfect child'. When Grayson started showing odd and impulsive behavior, everyone had either ignored him, or hoped it would disappear. Yet, that was only the beginning. Kendra now feels as if she is living in the shadows of her older brother while struggling to keep sane and watch over him when he is home.
It's when Kendra is yet again, dealing with Grayson's rock fetish that she has the sudden and crazy idea that she can help him in a way that nobody else has. And as they set out to accomplish this feat, the open road leads to far more than either of them could have ever imagined.
In the end, I loved the bonding that they had shared together. I loved how Grayson was able to do far more with his sister than his ever hovering mother. But in the end, you can't make anyone do something that you want them to. I do wish there would've been more to the ending, possibly a chapter that took place three months later, but a beautifully captured story none the less.
Although Kendra's older brother Grayson is remarkably intelligent and everyone thought he was really going to amount to something when he got older, it has now fallen on Kendra's shoulders to hold up that high image of 'the perfect child'. When Grayson started showing odd and impulsive behavior, everyone had either ignored him, or hoped it would disappear. Yet, that was only the beginning. Kendra now feels as if she is living in the shadows of her older brother while struggling to keep sane and watch over him when he is home.
It's when Kendra is yet again, dealing with Grayson's rock fetish that she has the sudden and crazy idea that she can help him in a way that nobody else has. And as they set out to accomplish this feat, the open road leads to far more than either of them could have ever imagined.
In the end, I loved the bonding that they had shared together. I loved how Grayson was able to do far more with his sister than his ever hovering mother. But in the end, you can't make anyone do something that you want them to. I do wish there would've been more to the ending, possibly a chapter that took place three months later, but a beautifully captured story none the less.
August 6, 2012
Somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3.
Kendra always feels like she lives in the shadow of her brother Grayson, but more specifically, she felt like she lives in the shadow of his OCD. She puts pressure on herself to be Miss Perfect, so much so it causes her to get involved in some risky business at school. When she's near to being caught for her actions, she takes her brother and runs away from it. Hits the road to escape. But on the trip, she learns so much more about herself and her brother than she could imagine.
While I could see many readers finding Kendra sympathetic, I didn't. She's unlikable, too, and while that nor her being unsympathetic aren't problems, I found myself less-than-invested in her story because she continues to make terrible decisions and she knows she's doing it. Maybe the problem is she's a little too self aware of her behaviors and actions, and because she's so driven to be a good girl, to be Miss Perfect, there's a disconnect and it just didn't work for me.
That said, it's a great sibling story and I think what Kendra ends up realizing at the end with Grayson is worth the journey. Brown's writing is easy to read and the story is easy to fall into, and while I thought many of the events involved with the roadtrip were a little ridiculous, it worked. I dug the rock/fault metaphor quite a bit, and the ending worked. It wasn't cut and dry, which I appreciated, given that I suspect Kendra won't necessarily solve all her problems.
Full review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2012/08/p...
Kendra always feels like she lives in the shadow of her brother Grayson, but more specifically, she felt like she lives in the shadow of his OCD. She puts pressure on herself to be Miss Perfect, so much so it causes her to get involved in some risky business at school. When she's near to being caught for her actions, she takes her brother and runs away from it. Hits the road to escape. But on the trip, she learns so much more about herself and her brother than she could imagine.
While I could see many readers finding Kendra sympathetic, I didn't. She's unlikable, too, and while that nor her being unsympathetic aren't problems, I found myself less-than-invested in her story because she continues to make terrible decisions and she knows she's doing it. Maybe the problem is she's a little too self aware of her behaviors and actions, and because she's so driven to be a good girl, to be Miss Perfect, there's a disconnect and it just didn't work for me.
That said, it's a great sibling story and I think what Kendra ends up realizing at the end with Grayson is worth the journey. Brown's writing is easy to read and the story is easy to fall into, and while I thought many of the events involved with the roadtrip were a little ridiculous, it worked. I dug the rock/fault metaphor quite a bit, and the ending worked. It wasn't cut and dry, which I appreciated, given that I suspect Kendra won't necessarily solve all her problems.
Full review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2012/08/p...
March 12, 2014
Kendras Leben wird durch den an Zwangsstörungen leidenden Bruder Grayson bestimmt, ihre Reaktion darauf ist, möglichst perfekt zu sein, vor allem in der Schule notfalls mit Betrug. Ihr Kartenhaus droht einzustürzen, als ihre Schummelei in der Schule auffliegt und in ihrer Panik flieht sie mit dem schlafenden Bruder auf dem Beifahrersitz in Richtung Kalifornien.
Die Charaktere haben mir gut gefallen, vor allem Grayson war toll! Seine Schrulligkeit und sein Humor kommen wunderbar rüber. Mit Kendra bin ich leider nicht wirklich warm geworden, zunächst konnte ich ihre Handlungen und ihre Logik kaum nachvollziehen und im weiteren Verlauf nerven ihre inneren Monologe voller Analysen und Erkenntnisse ganz gewaltig. Natürlich sollten in einem Roadtrip Buch auch die Charaktere innerlich an ein „Ziel“ gelangen, aber hier wirkt alles so langatmig aufgesetzt und unecht auf mich.
Teilweise werden Lösungen für Spannungsbögen etwas zu bequem aus dem Hut gezaubert.
Gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass es keine Liebesgeschichte gab, sondern dass die Beziehung der Geschwister im Mittelpunkt stand.
Insgesamt aber ein richtig nettes Buch, das sich gut und schnell lesen lässt und das nicht so emotional aufwühlend ist wie „Hate List“ von derselben Autorin. Dabei ist es aber absolut nicht oberflächlich, sondern setzt sich mit der Wirkung von psychischen Krankheiten auf die Angehörigen auseinander.
Die Charaktere haben mir gut gefallen, vor allem Grayson war toll! Seine Schrulligkeit und sein Humor kommen wunderbar rüber. Mit Kendra bin ich leider nicht wirklich warm geworden, zunächst konnte ich ihre Handlungen und ihre Logik kaum nachvollziehen und im weiteren Verlauf nerven ihre inneren Monologe voller Analysen und Erkenntnisse ganz gewaltig. Natürlich sollten in einem Roadtrip Buch auch die Charaktere innerlich an ein „Ziel“ gelangen, aber hier wirkt alles so langatmig aufgesetzt und unecht auf mich.
Teilweise werden Lösungen für Spannungsbögen etwas zu bequem aus dem Hut gezaubert.
Gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass es keine Liebesgeschichte gab, sondern dass die Beziehung der Geschwister im Mittelpunkt stand.
Insgesamt aber ein richtig nettes Buch, das sich gut und schnell lesen lässt und das nicht so emotional aufwühlend ist wie „Hate List“ von derselben Autorin. Dabei ist es aber absolut nicht oberflächlich, sondern setzt sich mit der Wirkung von psychischen Krankheiten auf die Angehörigen auseinander.
September 24, 2012
See full review here!
I received this ARC at ALA2012. Here's my honest review:
Something about this didn't connect all the way with me. I still enjoyed it and read most of it in one sitting, but I didn't feel it 100%. I did like that it was really different from most YA novels I've read lately. There was no real love story, let alone a triangle. It's a road trip story, but it's also kind of a runaway story. And there were layers to this one. It isn't just what's on the surface. The book isn't super deep, but it deals with illness and OCD among other stuff. Good topics to tackle.
Kendra has some issues, but so does her brother. They get a chance to deal with them together on this impromptu road trip. It takes a long time for them to get to the bottom of things, and lots of other events occur (like meeting new people along the way), but they persevere to accomplish when Kendra set out to do. I wasn't sure if they'd ever get there with so many obstacles and discoveries, but it all turns out to be beneficial, good or bad. Check this out if you like road trip YA novels or YA books without the romance all over the place.
I received this ARC at ALA2012. Here's my honest review:
Something about this didn't connect all the way with me. I still enjoyed it and read most of it in one sitting, but I didn't feel it 100%. I did like that it was really different from most YA novels I've read lately. There was no real love story, let alone a triangle. It's a road trip story, but it's also kind of a runaway story. And there were layers to this one. It isn't just what's on the surface. The book isn't super deep, but it deals with illness and OCD among other stuff. Good topics to tackle.
Kendra has some issues, but so does her brother. They get a chance to deal with them together on this impromptu road trip. It takes a long time for them to get to the bottom of things, and lots of other events occur (like meeting new people along the way), but they persevere to accomplish when Kendra set out to do. I wasn't sure if they'd ever get there with so many obstacles and discoveries, but it all turns out to be beneficial, good or bad. Check this out if you like road trip YA novels or YA books without the romance all over the place.
June 26, 2015
Having read Torn Away by Jennifer Brown, I expected much of Perfect Escape. I wasn't disappointed at all. Kendra, needing to be perfect to compensate for her brother's mental difficulties, has to do something desperate to remain perfect.
Despite the fact that this book isn't a suspense laden, adrenalin inducing read, I couldn't put it down. The magic of this story is all in the brilliantly crafted characters.
At first Kendra appears to be somewhat insecure, living in the shadow of her brother, Grayson's mental illness. When she takes matters into her own hands, however, it is clear that she has strength of character, courage, and a few very admirable leadership traits.
Grayson's illness and obsessive compulsive disorder is extremely well and accurately portrayed. Had it not been for his problems, Grayson would have been a truly pleasant and upstanding young man.
Although romance doesn't play a key role with regards to the main character, the romantic tale told in the background is poignant and very touching. This story tells of betrayal as well as prejudice against those who are mentally unbalanced.
For a deeply touching story with wonderfully lifelike characters, I recommend Perfect Escape as an absolutely worthwhile read. (Ellen Fritz)
Despite the fact that this book isn't a suspense laden, adrenalin inducing read, I couldn't put it down. The magic of this story is all in the brilliantly crafted characters.
At first Kendra appears to be somewhat insecure, living in the shadow of her brother, Grayson's mental illness. When she takes matters into her own hands, however, it is clear that she has strength of character, courage, and a few very admirable leadership traits.
Grayson's illness and obsessive compulsive disorder is extremely well and accurately portrayed. Had it not been for his problems, Grayson would have been a truly pleasant and upstanding young man.
Although romance doesn't play a key role with regards to the main character, the romantic tale told in the background is poignant and very touching. This story tells of betrayal as well as prejudice against those who are mentally unbalanced.
For a deeply touching story with wonderfully lifelike characters, I recommend Perfect Escape as an absolutely worthwhile read. (Ellen Fritz)
January 1, 2019
All of us have our own obsessions that we are compelled to do, and we can't stop it, even though we've tried. It's just something that cannot be helped and we won't shut up or be comfortable unless we do it. In more ways than one, we all have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in varying degrees and extremities, though not as extreme as Kendra's brother Grayson.
He's a genius and he fascinates over rocks of any type. It compels him to arrange them and count all of them. He obsesses over counting and won't stop doing it before doing something unless he has reached the number he goals. When someone, such as a family member, went out, he starts counting and if he reaches an even number, that's only when they are safe. He obsesses over neatness and won't go to public restrooms for fear of germs contact. Ever since he was a kid, it's no surprise he's trapped in the bathroom for 9 hours, because he won't leave unless he's counted to the number he requires. He's obsessed to methodically arranging stuff and organizing them.
That's why Kendra, the youngest child in the family, attains to be perfect and careful so that the difficulties people or her parents see in Grayson will somehow be overshadowed. But Perfect Kendra is not so perfect when cheating in a calc final gets to the school authorities. And before her parents, her friends, or the whole school will get her to it, she drives away all her worries by having his brother along to go to California to see her childhood best friend and ask her what she needs to do. Zoe will know what to do. But the problem is, she hasn't been replying to her emails for 6 months.
Note: With barely money, a credit card, not bringing Grayson's medications, or clothes or any stuff for that matter, possibly even a phone charger, with no real plan of how to survive the whole trip how to eat and sleep. She's not even 18 yet, and Grayson did not bring any ID or his wallet. PLUS, her car's old and will break down any time. Going to see someone under these conditions and she's not even sure WHERE she lives, if she still lives there, is such a screwed up plan. Now tell me how will she get there?
This was what got me to be pissed at this book. Kendra thinks that maybe through this trip, by not babying or spoiling his brother, he might get over his 'difficulties' or obsessions, unlike the approach their Mom does. Maybe Grayson can be changed, and she won't need to be perfect anymore and not worry about him FIRST before her. Her parents will probably thank her, even though she did terrible stuff at school. It was so annoying that throughout the whole book, she thinks she's making progress by getting Grayson to this trip. When in fact, it's not. Grayson can't help what he does!
The OCD element made me interested in reading this story, as well as the sibling theme. Stories centralizing on siblings are hard to find and I consider them gems in literature. They carry a deep, lasting and thought-provoking message than romance stories do. The book excelled with the siblings' relationship. It grew and the best friend-type of relationship Kendra was looking for ever since they were kids but was cut off from 3 years of his treatment, was somehow rekindled. Both of the siblings grew on one another and managed to get past their flaws and mistakes and has each other's backs. They managed to accept, rather than change. And if there was one more good thing I'd say about this book, it's that it didn't have any romance and I am okay with it. An amazing book can stand without that.
But there are other areas where it needs to form a relationship with the reader, too.
During my reading experience with this book, Kendra had two personalities. The first one was annoyingly tedious, with all her desire to change her brother, how it all boiled down to worrying about him instead of her, doing her best and her parents failing to see it sometimes, while Grayson has issues but it's all they see and notice or care about. The second was where she earned my compassion and sympathy. She was just a teenager that albeit no mental illness, she has her issues, as well. She has insecurities, misses her best friend, and so badly want her career. I saw how much she's nostalgic about all her memories with Zoe and Grayson when they were younger, and it all makes her human. However, with this trip, it blocks my sympathy towards her because it's all I read about.
I think Jennifer Brown even exaggerated the cause of her trip. At first, she wasn't even sure if she was caught, but she still went on. As she and Grayson go farther, her parents get worried sick and although she informs them they're okay, they are more concerned with how their son is holding up without medications. The whole story of the scandal was not revealed until 83%, and until then, I have an idea what it is. I didn't get what the mystery was all about and how she's obsessed it will ruin her ENTIRE reputation and not having to go to a decent university. Well, if she just took the right way, tutoring or actually studying calc, she wouldn't have to think through this. It was overreaction and I think anyone will still get to a good college even with a failure.
Anyway, I was willing to set aside these imperfections and appreciate more about the trip except for the ending. What a way to end that, Jennifer Brown! I did not appreciate it. While you may want us readers to interpret it ourselves what happened, it's different when a book wraps it up because it's the central truth. The real ending of all endings. It made me think she was scared how it will go and readers won't like it, so yeah, leave it at that. NO. It just made me mad. Also, there was one character, or characters for that matter, here who made an appearance and somehow became friends with Kendra and Grayson, but when they had to leave, Kendra just gave her number and email but it was lacking for me. She was supposed to be important, too, and I didn't feel it when it was left at that.
I adored Torn Away so I'm so affected by my disappointment, but I'll still read her books.
He's a genius and he fascinates over rocks of any type. It compels him to arrange them and count all of them. He obsesses over counting and won't stop doing it before doing something unless he has reached the number he goals. When someone, such as a family member, went out, he starts counting and if he reaches an even number, that's only when they are safe. He obsesses over neatness and won't go to public restrooms for fear of germs contact. Ever since he was a kid, it's no surprise he's trapped in the bathroom for 9 hours, because he won't leave unless he's counted to the number he requires. He's obsessed to methodically arranging stuff and organizing them.
That's why Kendra, the youngest child in the family, attains to be perfect and careful so that the difficulties people or her parents see in Grayson will somehow be overshadowed. But Perfect Kendra is not so perfect when cheating in a calc final gets to the school authorities. And before her parents, her friends, or the whole school will get her to it, she drives away all her worries by having his brother along to go to California to see her childhood best friend and ask her what she needs to do. Zoe will know what to do. But the problem is, she hasn't been replying to her emails for 6 months.
Note: With barely money, a credit card, not bringing Grayson's medications, or clothes or any stuff for that matter, possibly even a phone charger, with no real plan of how to survive the whole trip how to eat and sleep. She's not even 18 yet, and Grayson did not bring any ID or his wallet. PLUS, her car's old and will break down any time. Going to see someone under these conditions and she's not even sure WHERE she lives, if she still lives there, is such a screwed up plan. Now tell me how will she get there?
This was what got me to be pissed at this book. Kendra thinks that maybe through this trip, by not babying or spoiling his brother, he might get over his 'difficulties' or obsessions, unlike the approach their Mom does. Maybe Grayson can be changed, and she won't need to be perfect anymore and not worry about him FIRST before her. Her parents will probably thank her, even though she did terrible stuff at school. It was so annoying that throughout the whole book, she thinks she's making progress by getting Grayson to this trip. When in fact, it's not. Grayson can't help what he does!
The OCD element made me interested in reading this story, as well as the sibling theme. Stories centralizing on siblings are hard to find and I consider them gems in literature. They carry a deep, lasting and thought-provoking message than romance stories do. The book excelled with the siblings' relationship. It grew and the best friend-type of relationship Kendra was looking for ever since they were kids but was cut off from 3 years of his treatment, was somehow rekindled. Both of the siblings grew on one another and managed to get past their flaws and mistakes and has each other's backs. They managed to accept, rather than change. And if there was one more good thing I'd say about this book, it's that it didn't have any romance and I am okay with it. An amazing book can stand without that.
But there are other areas where it needs to form a relationship with the reader, too.
During my reading experience with this book, Kendra had two personalities. The first one was annoyingly tedious, with all her desire to change her brother, how it all boiled down to worrying about him instead of her, doing her best and her parents failing to see it sometimes, while Grayson has issues but it's all they see and notice or care about. The second was where she earned my compassion and sympathy. She was just a teenager that albeit no mental illness, she has her issues, as well. She has insecurities, misses her best friend, and so badly want her career. I saw how much she's nostalgic about all her memories with Zoe and Grayson when they were younger, and it all makes her human. However, with this trip, it blocks my sympathy towards her because it's all I read about.
I think Jennifer Brown even exaggerated the cause of her trip. At first, she wasn't even sure if she was caught, but she still went on. As she and Grayson go farther, her parents get worried sick and although she informs them they're okay, they are more concerned with how their son is holding up without medications. The whole story of the scandal was not revealed until 83%, and until then, I have an idea what it is. I didn't get what the mystery was all about and how she's obsessed it will ruin her ENTIRE reputation and not having to go to a decent university. Well, if she just took the right way, tutoring or actually studying calc, she wouldn't have to think through this. It was overreaction and I think anyone will still get to a good college even with a failure.
Anyway, I was willing to set aside these imperfections and appreciate more about the trip except for the ending. What a way to end that, Jennifer Brown! I did not appreciate it. While you may want us readers to interpret it ourselves what happened, it's different when a book wraps it up because it's the central truth. The real ending of all endings. It made me think she was scared how it will go and readers won't like it, so yeah, leave it at that. NO. It just made me mad. Also, there was one character, or characters for that matter, here who made an appearance and somehow became friends with Kendra and Grayson, but when they had to leave, Kendra just gave her number and email but it was lacking for me. She was supposed to be important, too, and I didn't feel it when it was left at that.
I adored Torn Away so I'm so affected by my disappointment, but I'll still read her books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2021
I have read other Jennifer Brown books and been pleasantly surprised at how much I liked them. I purchased several of her others because I trusted her as an author. As I started this one, I remembered that it was a YA book and wondered if it would keep my interest. It did! She has a way of writing a story that makes you want to keep reading. Yes, I was reminded of siblings and road trips and best friends and everything else in between. I am a Jennifer Brown fan, for sure!
April 20, 2018
I really liked this - Kendra was a brilliant character and I loved Grayson, despite his OCD. I also just automatically love any book with a road trip, so there was that.
May 8, 2013
From Blue Butterfly Books.
Rating: 4.3/5
I love Jennifer Brown. Her first book, Hate List, blew me away so much, I was feeling and crying for days afterwords. Even now, I'm like, "Man, that book," whenever I think about it. With Bitter End, I enjoyed it, but not as much as Hate List, and I'm afraid that's the same for this one as well. I enjoyed it. I very, very much enjoyed this book, so don't think I didn't for one second just because it didn't live up to Hate List. Jennifer Brown set such an incredibly high bar for herself (and for others, really) that it's going to be hard for me to feel the same way about another one of her books. But I still loved this, and I love Jennifer Brown.
What kept me from giving this a five rating was that I never truly bought the believability for this road trip. Reflecting back, I understand that it could definitely happen and Brown did great with Grayson's reaction to it. My problem lied with Kendra. I very much loved her character and I related to her well, but I don't think we got enough of the feeling in the beginning of who she was to her parents and to the others around her. We're told she had to be Miss Perfect, but I never really saw that before they were on the road. I think if we would have gotten that feel and saw more of her treatment and what was expected of her beforehand, that would have solved my problem.
Speaking of the road trip, I loved it. It wasn't a typical, let's go here, let's do that. Kendra had a plan to reach her best friend in California, who she hadn't seen in years, or even heard from in nearly a year, Zoe. It's a secret she keeps from her brother, who used to be in love with Zoe (and Zoe with him) before Zoe's family ripped her away from Grayson and their family, because of his mental illness. It was a nasty tear and ripped at my gut because it felt genuinely real, this feud between their families, who used to be best friends since before the kids were born. And I loved even more how Brown handled the outcome of the road trip, once they arrived in California. It wasn't what you hoped, only sort of what you expected (or not, depending), and it stirred a lot of feelings.
On the road, we meet a young woman in her late teens who's married to a 50-something-year-old man with a baby. As soon as we met her, I hoped she wouldn't become one we knew for one chapter and then she was gone. And luckily Brown didn't do that. She joins the duo, on a journey for her own escape, searching for her own "there." I really enjoyed her character. She was broken and a teenager at heart, but a soul who had lived through much hardship. Her baby drove me a bit nuts, though. Seriously, I heard it crying in my sleep, which, I mean...is technically a good thing, but another reason I'll never have children.
As for the main storyline, Kendra's escape from her scandal while she tries to cure her brother of OCD, for herself really. Not for him. It's different. Slightly unbelievable for me, like I said, but overall very, very engaging. Their relationship was done perfectly. There were some moments, like toward the end, where I felt Kendra shifted a bit too quickly from love to hate, which I get it, that happens, but the lovely moment was just cut a bit short for me, and after what happened, I would have loved to have seen a bit of a shift in how they talked to each other before the big blow up.
Now, I have OCD. It's not to this extreme, but I do have it and it is incredibly hard to deal with, especially if you have family and friends who are impacted by it. Brown dealt with that so well. I connected to Grayson and loved how realistic Brown made it feel. I felt his frustration and pain without being in his head. It was Kendra, however, that I can't decide if I liked or loved. Because at some moments, I loved her. I connected with her and felt for her, but other times she felt as though she were contradicting herself vs. just changing her mind, so I never truly knew her motive behind bringing Grayson along. For him or for her or for what. I mean, I know *why* she did it, but the narration just had me wondering a lot if that was the truth. Maybe that was the point, though, and I missed it. I'm not sure.
Overall, though, I thought this was fantastic. I read it in one setting. The "one more page" read. I finally got to meet Brown at the RT Convention in Kansas City this past weekend, where I got this book. She was fantastic and so sweet and since she's a local author, I'll be heading to her release party for A Thousand Words, which sounds fantastic too.
As this story went on, I found myself caring less about its believability and caring more about the characters on the page and what would come of them. I like that we didn't get an outcome. It leaves it to the mind, which, really, is such a perfect escape.
Rating: 4.3/5
I love Jennifer Brown. Her first book, Hate List, blew me away so much, I was feeling and crying for days afterwords. Even now, I'm like, "Man, that book," whenever I think about it. With Bitter End, I enjoyed it, but not as much as Hate List, and I'm afraid that's the same for this one as well. I enjoyed it. I very, very much enjoyed this book, so don't think I didn't for one second just because it didn't live up to Hate List. Jennifer Brown set such an incredibly high bar for herself (and for others, really) that it's going to be hard for me to feel the same way about another one of her books. But I still loved this, and I love Jennifer Brown.
What kept me from giving this a five rating was that I never truly bought the believability for this road trip. Reflecting back, I understand that it could definitely happen and Brown did great with Grayson's reaction to it. My problem lied with Kendra. I very much loved her character and I related to her well, but I don't think we got enough of the feeling in the beginning of who she was to her parents and to the others around her. We're told she had to be Miss Perfect, but I never really saw that before they were on the road. I think if we would have gotten that feel and saw more of her treatment and what was expected of her beforehand, that would have solved my problem.
Speaking of the road trip, I loved it. It wasn't a typical, let's go here, let's do that. Kendra had a plan to reach her best friend in California, who she hadn't seen in years, or even heard from in nearly a year, Zoe. It's a secret she keeps from her brother, who used to be in love with Zoe (and Zoe with him) before Zoe's family ripped her away from Grayson and their family, because of his mental illness. It was a nasty tear and ripped at my gut because it felt genuinely real, this feud between their families, who used to be best friends since before the kids were born. And I loved even more how Brown handled the outcome of the road trip, once they arrived in California. It wasn't what you hoped, only sort of what you expected (or not, depending), and it stirred a lot of feelings.
On the road, we meet a young woman in her late teens who's married to a 50-something-year-old man with a baby. As soon as we met her, I hoped she wouldn't become one we knew for one chapter and then she was gone. And luckily Brown didn't do that. She joins the duo, on a journey for her own escape, searching for her own "there." I really enjoyed her character. She was broken and a teenager at heart, but a soul who had lived through much hardship. Her baby drove me a bit nuts, though. Seriously, I heard it crying in my sleep, which, I mean...is technically a good thing, but another reason I'll never have children.
As for the main storyline, Kendra's escape from her scandal while she tries to cure her brother of OCD, for herself really. Not for him. It's different. Slightly unbelievable for me, like I said, but overall very, very engaging. Their relationship was done perfectly. There were some moments, like toward the end, where I felt Kendra shifted a bit too quickly from love to hate, which I get it, that happens, but the lovely moment was just cut a bit short for me, and after what happened, I would have loved to have seen a bit of a shift in how they talked to each other before the big blow up.
Now, I have OCD. It's not to this extreme, but I do have it and it is incredibly hard to deal with, especially if you have family and friends who are impacted by it. Brown dealt with that so well. I connected to Grayson and loved how realistic Brown made it feel. I felt his frustration and pain without being in his head. It was Kendra, however, that I can't decide if I liked or loved. Because at some moments, I loved her. I connected with her and felt for her, but other times she felt as though she were contradicting herself vs. just changing her mind, so I never truly knew her motive behind bringing Grayson along. For him or for her or for what. I mean, I know *why* she did it, but the narration just had me wondering a lot if that was the truth. Maybe that was the point, though, and I missed it. I'm not sure.
Overall, though, I thought this was fantastic. I read it in one setting. The "one more page" read. I finally got to meet Brown at the RT Convention in Kansas City this past weekend, where I got this book. She was fantastic and so sweet and since she's a local author, I'll be heading to her release party for A Thousand Words, which sounds fantastic too.
As this story went on, I found myself caring less about its believability and caring more about the characters on the page and what would come of them. I like that we didn't get an outcome. It leaves it to the mind, which, really, is such a perfect escape.
April 1, 2013
CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Yet another book of Jennifer Brown that was about nothing. Though this was much less about nothing than Bitter End.
I hate books where the protagonist isn't succesful in obtaining her goal. Where the purpose of a journey is gone. Where - instead of the protagonist landing on the last page in a heap of succes/happiness/something close to that - she lands on the ground from the same place she jumped. (She doesn't even have to land in succes - just make her --- I don't know! How can everybody else do it? Even when someone dies in Jodi Picoult's books I don't feel flat! I feel like I have gained something. A wow. A feeling. Some emotion.)
It's like reading a book about nothing. I once read a book about a boy and a girl who went on a journey to find something and when they came to the specific place, they found nothing and went home again.
I hated that book's guts. So much.
Why write a book with no attainable goal and make the reader feel flat?
This book felt like that when after they reached California, Zoe wasn't Zoe anymore. And I know it's realistic and logical (that Zoe didn't respond to Kendra's mails and messages and thus would have changed) but why make the whole journey's purpose someone not? Why make the book look like it might have a great end when it really doesn't?
I mean, I knew in my guts that Zoe had moved on and wasn't answering any of Kendra's mails and messages because of that.
(Here I want to ask why Zoe has moved on and why there is no explanation and how could Zoe just forget her best friend? Only three years went by! I understand that you can get new friends and start new relationships and be happy but how can she ignore her once-best friend? I am so confused! How can she forget her best friend? How can she just be like that?)
And shall we speak about Kendra's frequent changes of thoughts? Half the time I thoguht that Kendra understood that her brother was this and that but then she would suddenly change her mind and tell him the opposite and when some time went by she would go back to the "I understand this and that about my brother and he is this because of that and he can't something" and then again back to the yelling and screaming.
I was greatly disappointed. This and I still haven't talked about the end that was hanging in the air and and I haven't talked about Kendra whom I started not to like somewhere in the middle.
Jennifer Brown told her readers that this book was about sibling relationship.
I seriously thought that it was about being a sister to someone with OCD. That's yet another thing that confused me. Why fill a book with a lot of information to make the reader get confused about what this book is really about? Couldn't her brother just be a normal brother and then highlight the sibling relationship on that road trip?
I seriously don't know but two disappointments in a row is just too much.
Yet another book of Jennifer Brown that was about nothing. Though this was much less about nothing than Bitter End.
I hate books where the protagonist isn't succesful in obtaining her goal. Where the purpose of a journey is gone. Where - instead of the protagonist landing on the last page in a heap of succes/happiness/something close to that - she lands on the ground from the same place she jumped. (She doesn't even have to land in succes - just make her --- I don't know! How can everybody else do it? Even when someone dies in Jodi Picoult's books I don't feel flat! I feel like I have gained something. A wow. A feeling. Some emotion.)
It's like reading a book about nothing. I once read a book about a boy and a girl who went on a journey to find something and when they came to the specific place, they found nothing and went home again.
I hated that book's guts. So much.
Why write a book with no attainable goal and make the reader feel flat?
This book felt like that when after they reached California, Zoe wasn't Zoe anymore. And I know it's realistic and logical (that Zoe didn't respond to Kendra's mails and messages and thus would have changed) but why make the whole journey's purpose someone not? Why make the book look like it might have a great end when it really doesn't?
I mean, I knew in my guts that Zoe had moved on and wasn't answering any of Kendra's mails and messages because of that.
(Here I want to ask why Zoe has moved on and why there is no explanation and how could Zoe just forget her best friend? Only three years went by! I understand that you can get new friends and start new relationships and be happy but how can she ignore her once-best friend? I am so confused! How can she forget her best friend? How can she just be like that?)
And shall we speak about Kendra's frequent changes of thoughts? Half the time I thoguht that Kendra understood that her brother was this and that but then she would suddenly change her mind and tell him the opposite and when some time went by she would go back to the "I understand this and that about my brother and he is this because of that and he can't something" and then again back to the yelling and screaming.
I was greatly disappointed. This and I still haven't talked about the end that was hanging in the air and and I haven't talked about Kendra whom I started not to like somewhere in the middle.
Jennifer Brown told her readers that this book was about sibling relationship.
I seriously thought that it was about being a sister to someone with OCD. That's yet another thing that confused me. Why fill a book with a lot of information to make the reader get confused about what this book is really about? Couldn't her brother just be a normal brother and then highlight the sibling relationship on that road trip?
I seriously don't know but two disappointments in a row is just too much.
November 30, 2012
As we all know, I am a sucker for a good contemporary story. I am also a proven lover of Jennifer Brown; her writing is beautiful and I always find her novels heartbreaking and yet uplifting. So when I saw Perfect Escape, I knew it was one I had to get my hands on.
I'm always on the lookout for a novel that will pull at my heartstrings, and at the center of achieving that lies great characters. In each of the novels by Brown I have read I became friends with the characters. I haven't come across any that are as easily relatable as hers and I always find myself emotionally invested in their well being and the outcome of the story. In Perfect Escape we meet Kendra who is a 17 year old high school student living in the shadow of her older brother's OCD. All her life she has strived to be perfect and at the top of her class because she has always felt that her brother's shortcomings fell into her lap. She wanted to be the smart, good child that she felt her parents deserved. It was so engrossing to see the family from Kendra's eyes. Being the sister of someone with a debilitating mental disorder could never be easy but the extent to which it affected her everyday life was heartbreaking.
Kendra was an amazing MC. She was funny, she was smart and she was flawed. Choosing to have the story unfold from her perspective was such a fantastic idea. On her path to achieve the perfection she strived for she took some missteps along the way and I really enjoyed how the depth of her troubling situation remained a mystery throughout much of the novel. The mystery left you wondering what happened that was so serious that she felt the need to run away for a while. While I didn't always agree with how she handled the situations she got herself into I could understand why she acted the way that she did. I often found myself holding my breath when she put Grayson into situations that were definitely not good for him. He was also a character that I came to love and it broke my heart that there was a mentality in some of the people around him that he could be "fixed" like it was his choice to have OCD. At the end of the novel we really get to see how this sickness has affected both of their lives in a very strong way and I truly felt terrible for both of them.
Perfect Escape is a touching story that takes you through a roller coaster emotions. At its heart it is a tale of love, sibling rivalry and acceptance. I think it changed my perception on how something like OCD can affect a family, and made me realize the potential severity of the illness. I definitely recommend Perfect Escape to contemporary lovers and people who love a good character driven story.
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You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.
I'm always on the lookout for a novel that will pull at my heartstrings, and at the center of achieving that lies great characters. In each of the novels by Brown I have read I became friends with the characters. I haven't come across any that are as easily relatable as hers and I always find myself emotionally invested in their well being and the outcome of the story. In Perfect Escape we meet Kendra who is a 17 year old high school student living in the shadow of her older brother's OCD. All her life she has strived to be perfect and at the top of her class because she has always felt that her brother's shortcomings fell into her lap. She wanted to be the smart, good child that she felt her parents deserved. It was so engrossing to see the family from Kendra's eyes. Being the sister of someone with a debilitating mental disorder could never be easy but the extent to which it affected her everyday life was heartbreaking.
Kendra was an amazing MC. She was funny, she was smart and she was flawed. Choosing to have the story unfold from her perspective was such a fantastic idea. On her path to achieve the perfection she strived for she took some missteps along the way and I really enjoyed how the depth of her troubling situation remained a mystery throughout much of the novel. The mystery left you wondering what happened that was so serious that she felt the need to run away for a while. While I didn't always agree with how she handled the situations she got herself into I could understand why she acted the way that she did. I often found myself holding my breath when she put Grayson into situations that were definitely not good for him. He was also a character that I came to love and it broke my heart that there was a mentality in some of the people around him that he could be "fixed" like it was his choice to have OCD. At the end of the novel we really get to see how this sickness has affected both of their lives in a very strong way and I truly felt terrible for both of them.
Perfect Escape is a touching story that takes you through a roller coaster emotions. At its heart it is a tale of love, sibling rivalry and acceptance. I think it changed my perception on how something like OCD can affect a family, and made me realize the potential severity of the illness. I definitely recommend Perfect Escape to contemporary lovers and people who love a good character driven story.
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You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.
August 15, 2012
Perfect Escape was just the book that I needed to break me out of the little slump I was having. I've not read any of other of Jennifer's books, but she did such an amazing job writing Perfect Escape. It's so real, and it really draws you in and you form such a deep connection with the characters. I was actually really surprised with how amazing it turned out to be.
The story is so heartwarming, while being very simple. Kendra and Grayson take a trip to California, for multiple reasons. One of which being that Kendra wants to try and help Grayson break free from his overwhelming OCD and anxiety problems. All of this was a spur of the moment decision, and you can probably imagine what their parents think of this decision. There is also someone from Kendra's past now living in California and there are several reasons that Kendra wants to confront her, but I won't go into anymore detail there. It's such a touching story though, and it's great to see a story based around a sibling relationship. You don't really see that very often in YA so it made for an enjoyable reading experience.
Kendra and Grayson were amazing. They couldn't be more different though, but I thought it was so awesome how Kendra really wanted to help her brother (Grayson) break away from everything. They are both such wonderful characters, and I am positive that you will find yourself easily becoming attached to them. Rena is another great character, they meet her on their trip to California but they share some really great moments together throughout the book. And then you also have Bo, which is Rena's baby. The final character I want to talk about is Zoe, she is the one I referred to above that lives in California. As far as Zoe goes, things don't really get interesting towards the end. But I am not going to go into a lot of detail about her as I don't want to spoil anything.
The ending was really great, and equally as touching as the rest of the book. It was great to see how things turned out for Kendra and Grayson and seeing how everything they went through lead to such a solid and meaningful ending. Jennifer did such a great job with this book, and was really able to wrap it all up in a beautiful way.
I would highly recommend reading Perfect Escape whenever you get a chance, I really feel like it is one of those books that everyone can enjoy. After reading this, I am going to have to go and read Jennifer's other books. Her writing is fantastic, and Perfect Escape is a prime example of just how amazing it is. I really hope you all will read this book whenever you get the chance to though.
The story is so heartwarming, while being very simple. Kendra and Grayson take a trip to California, for multiple reasons. One of which being that Kendra wants to try and help Grayson break free from his overwhelming OCD and anxiety problems. All of this was a spur of the moment decision, and you can probably imagine what their parents think of this decision. There is also someone from Kendra's past now living in California and there are several reasons that Kendra wants to confront her, but I won't go into anymore detail there. It's such a touching story though, and it's great to see a story based around a sibling relationship. You don't really see that very often in YA so it made for an enjoyable reading experience.
Kendra and Grayson were amazing. They couldn't be more different though, but I thought it was so awesome how Kendra really wanted to help her brother (Grayson) break away from everything. They are both such wonderful characters, and I am positive that you will find yourself easily becoming attached to them. Rena is another great character, they meet her on their trip to California but they share some really great moments together throughout the book. And then you also have Bo, which is Rena's baby. The final character I want to talk about is Zoe, she is the one I referred to above that lives in California. As far as Zoe goes, things don't really get interesting towards the end. But I am not going to go into a lot of detail about her as I don't want to spoil anything.
The ending was really great, and equally as touching as the rest of the book. It was great to see how things turned out for Kendra and Grayson and seeing how everything they went through lead to such a solid and meaningful ending. Jennifer did such a great job with this book, and was really able to wrap it all up in a beautiful way.
I would highly recommend reading Perfect Escape whenever you get a chance, I really feel like it is one of those books that everyone can enjoy. After reading this, I am going to have to go and read Jennifer's other books. Her writing is fantastic, and Perfect Escape is a prime example of just how amazing it is. I really hope you all will read this book whenever you get the chance to though.
July 15, 2012
Perfect Escape is a very different "realistic fiction" than the most ones I read out there. Kendra, the main protagonist, is always overshadowed by her older brother; Grayson, because of his OCD. Kendra's parents always have to pay extra attention to Grayson because they're always worried something might cause him to get obsessive too much. Because of this, Kendra thinks that she has to be the "perfect" child in order to make up for Grayson's abnormality. One day, Kendra gets herself into a huge mess at school. Worried that she'll get expelled, and ruin her image for perfectionism, she runs away. Though Kendra didn't run away by herself, she decided to take her brother with her and cure him from his OCD. A different routine and different places might make Grayson anxious, but Kendra decided that she'll let him get used to it, and then eventually won't be bothered by it anymore.
The beginning of the story was very intriguing. Jennifer Brown has made a great deal of describing an OCD patient, because Grayson felt so real to me. Kendra's feelings might seem selfish to some people, but that's how they are. I completely understand both of them, because I've got siblings, and I know what it feels like to be "jealous" sometimes. Even though this was a realistic fiction, it was a fun read because it was a road trip as well. It was fun being in the adventure with them, to get to see all the places and it actually felt like I experienced it with both of them. It was interesting that Jennifer added additional characters through the trip. That way, I didn't get bored at all.
Overall, it was a great realistic fiction story. True that it didn't move me that much, but it was interesting and fun to read. I have to say it was sad at parts, especially because of the siblings love. It was engaging to read a novel about siblings, and not a novel about a boy and a girl who fell in love. Perfect Escape felt more... how do I say this....It felt more like I was watching a personal life. A family that has problems and issues, so that was a very different view. Perfect Escape was a great read, and I do recommend it to all readers out there!
The beginning of the story was very intriguing. Jennifer Brown has made a great deal of describing an OCD patient, because Grayson felt so real to me. Kendra's feelings might seem selfish to some people, but that's how they are. I completely understand both of them, because I've got siblings, and I know what it feels like to be "jealous" sometimes. Even though this was a realistic fiction, it was a fun read because it was a road trip as well. It was fun being in the adventure with them, to get to see all the places and it actually felt like I experienced it with both of them. It was interesting that Jennifer added additional characters through the trip. That way, I didn't get bored at all.
Overall, it was a great realistic fiction story. True that it didn't move me that much, but it was interesting and fun to read. I have to say it was sad at parts, especially because of the siblings love. It was engaging to read a novel about siblings, and not a novel about a boy and a girl who fell in love. Perfect Escape felt more... how do I say this....It felt more like I was watching a personal life. A family that has problems and issues, so that was a very different view. Perfect Escape was a great read, and I do recommend it to all readers out there!
September 17, 2012
The cover and title of this book seemed to me as though the story would be about a couple of teenagers taking a road trip and having some life-changing experiences along the way. In reality, I guess the author must have been shooting for that but, in my opinion, the story just fell short. We are introduced to siblings, Kendra and Grayson. Kendra is an honor student that can do no wrong and is suddenly caught up in a cheating scandal at school. Grayson is her older brother who suffers from severe OCD.
When the cheating scandal is catching up to her and she is in danger of being completely busted for her role in it, she suddenly decides to “drive away from it all”. In the process, Kendra takes her brother, who is asleep in the car, along with her. She figures that without their doting mother in the picture, she can help Grayson get better. Mind you, his OCD is extremely severe and he is often placed by their parents in residential facilities for treatment and therapy to help him cope. Kendra is the “perfect” child who is feeling the pressure to stay perfect. I felt the story was that of a girl who spontaneously runs away and takes her brother with her. There wasn’t much that was perfect about it.
Although the siblings come across a few events that perhaps helped Kendra understand Grayson better, I couldn’t help but dislike Kendra. As bright as her character is made out to be, she reacted selfishly at every turn. Her thought process and her woe-is-me attitude was simply annoying. I liked Grayson so much more than her, just because he put up with her. Her actions centered solely around herself and the pressure she had felt all of her life to be the perfect kid because her brother was far from it.
I feel horrible in giving a book such a low rating, especially when it’s by a solid author like Jennifer Brown. But, I just did not feel touched by the storyline or the characters and can’t bring myself to recommend it to readers. I’d suggest passing on this one altogether.
When the cheating scandal is catching up to her and she is in danger of being completely busted for her role in it, she suddenly decides to “drive away from it all”. In the process, Kendra takes her brother, who is asleep in the car, along with her. She figures that without their doting mother in the picture, she can help Grayson get better. Mind you, his OCD is extremely severe and he is often placed by their parents in residential facilities for treatment and therapy to help him cope. Kendra is the “perfect” child who is feeling the pressure to stay perfect. I felt the story was that of a girl who spontaneously runs away and takes her brother with her. There wasn’t much that was perfect about it.
Although the siblings come across a few events that perhaps helped Kendra understand Grayson better, I couldn’t help but dislike Kendra. As bright as her character is made out to be, she reacted selfishly at every turn. Her thought process and her woe-is-me attitude was simply annoying. I liked Grayson so much more than her, just because he put up with her. Her actions centered solely around herself and the pressure she had felt all of her life to be the perfect kid because her brother was far from it.
I feel horrible in giving a book such a low rating, especially when it’s by a solid author like Jennifer Brown. But, I just did not feel touched by the storyline or the characters and can’t bring myself to recommend it to readers. I’d suggest passing on this one altogether.
July 12, 2012
Jennifer Brown has been one of my favorite YA authors since her first publication. She takes on tough subject matter but with enough tact to hand it to even a younger teenager without insulting an older reader.
Of the many books on obsessive compulsive disorder, this is the first book written specifically for the sibling of the squeaky wheel. While Grayson suffers mightily with his OCD, settles into the identified "sick" family member, accepts the enabling parents help, cringes at the oversimplifying parent (Just stop it), Kendra offers another perspective.
Kendra is three years younger than Grayson. She is about to graduate from high school but she carries more on her shoulders than just her brain. Grayson is a genius stuck in a mentally ill brain. Kendra is a hard worker who feels the weight of real and imagined expectations of her parents to be successful. It is her job to overcompensate for Grayson's failures. At the same time, Kendra wants desperately for her parents and those around her to appreciate her for herself and not for not being like Grayson.
The book begins with Kendra running away from trouble she made. Grayson happens to be a passenger in her car so she hatches a plan to cure him via exposure therapy and also places all of her hope on one person, an old friend that she and Grayson were close to years ago. The book is about the journey, not the destination. Brown creates a brother/sister relationship that is believable and fun. Grayson is not just a genius stuck in an OCD mind, he is also warm, funny, and loves his sister, regardless of her stupidity and quirks. It's not my favorite book by Brown, but it's my favorite book on OCD so far. It's a fresh perspective with real outcomes.
Of the many books on obsessive compulsive disorder, this is the first book written specifically for the sibling of the squeaky wheel. While Grayson suffers mightily with his OCD, settles into the identified "sick" family member, accepts the enabling parents help, cringes at the oversimplifying parent (Just stop it), Kendra offers another perspective.
Kendra is three years younger than Grayson. She is about to graduate from high school but she carries more on her shoulders than just her brain. Grayson is a genius stuck in a mentally ill brain. Kendra is a hard worker who feels the weight of real and imagined expectations of her parents to be successful. It is her job to overcompensate for Grayson's failures. At the same time, Kendra wants desperately for her parents and those around her to appreciate her for herself and not for not being like Grayson.
The book begins with Kendra running away from trouble she made. Grayson happens to be a passenger in her car so she hatches a plan to cure him via exposure therapy and also places all of her hope on one person, an old friend that she and Grayson were close to years ago. The book is about the journey, not the destination. Brown creates a brother/sister relationship that is believable and fun. Grayson is not just a genius stuck in an OCD mind, he is also warm, funny, and loves his sister, regardless of her stupidity and quirks. It's not my favorite book by Brown, but it's my favorite book on OCD so far. It's a fresh perspective with real outcomes.
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