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Between by Jessica Warman
Only the good die young. Right? It's The Lovely Bones for teens Elizabeth Valchar has it friends, money, beauty, a cute boyfriend and assured popularity. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she is found drowned next to her parents' boat. Everyone thinks it was a tragic accident - teens drinking on a boat, a misstep leading to a watery death. But Liz is still here after death, and she doesn't know why. There are gaps in her memory. Her only company Alex, a boy killed by a car a year earlier, Liz sets out to piece together her life. But their small coastal town is hiding many secrets - about families, boyfriends and friendship. Plus, Alex hates Liz for being mean when they were alive. Was she as squeaky clean as she thinks she was? Could it be that she herself is hiding the biggest secret of all? Can Liz discover the truth? And if she does, who can she tell? Between is an engrossing, compelling thriller that peels back the layers of small-town life to expose true, ugly, cruel human nature. A stunning book for teens from Jessica Warman, a hot new talent on the YA thriller scene.
Paperback
First published August 2, 2011
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11921 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Warman
13 books395 followersJessica Warman is the author of Breathless, which received three starred reviews and was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and Where the Truth Lies. The idea for Between came from an incident in her childhood, when a local boy went missing after a party on a yacht (he was eventually found, alive).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,151 reviews
March 26, 2019
so, when i am cleaning house, i like to have some sort of police procedural on in the background. i don't know why, i just find them soothing - the shape of the narrative tends to be consistent, and they usually have enough action sequences for me to pace my laundry-folding and book restacking in a productive way.
there is a definite preference-hierarchy to the shows i will watch. law and order (excluding criminal intent) is the preferred choice. ncis and criminal minds are lower, and as i have only recently discovered them, 'cuz my dad likes them, there are a ton i haven't seen, which is nice. they are nowhere near as good as law and order, but they will do - sometimes they have good guest actors and some original plotlines. criminal intent comes somewhere down after them - i hate the music for the show, and i hate how every episode ends the same way. in desperate times, i will watch without a trace or csi, but i kind of hate them. but - the house has to get cleaned, right? and it's all background noise anyway.
but the point is, and there is a point - i can remember the plots of most of the law and orders i have seen. the other shows just kind of form this hazy memory of "something i experienced once to pass the time." and that's how i feel about this book, i guess. i mean - looking at the ratings on here, people are over the moon about it. and it has good things going for it, but at the end of the day, it was a diversion, and nothing more, a YA mystery novel with more ambition than some, but not a favorite.
it is similar in a lot of ways to before i fall - dead girl only realizes after she is dead what a horrible bitch she was when she was alive. but instead of getting to go back and try to change certain things, ghost-liz and the ghost of a boy from her school who also recently died can only observe what happens after her death, and slip back and view random episodes from their pasts to try to figure out the mysteries of their deaths.
as a mystery novel, it is enjoyable. even though it is predictable, the pacing is fast, and it is a true page-turner.i read this in two giant gulps, and it was never boring, even when it was clear what the big reveal was going to be.there is something satisfying about it, like chugging orange juice on a really hot day
but the characters. i couldn't stand any of them. to be fair - they were well-drawn, and every character flaw was shown to have its origin in some presumably forgivable backstory explanation: "i am this way because this person made me this way, and she was like that because she was going through this and that, and the person who was upsetting her was only doing it because blah, etc etc etc." so, kudos for exhaustive psychological padding.
but at the end of the day, ugh. i may need to use the spoiler button. and this is a real spoiler, not like some people who use them (successfully) to be cute. this is going to be a spoiler-filled rant.
yeesh.
so, yeah, all that.
i think she is a good writer, and i am going to read more of her books, but this one, while superfun to read while reading it, has already passed from my memory, despite all that rarrrring i just did.
come to my blog!
there is a definite preference-hierarchy to the shows i will watch. law and order (excluding criminal intent) is the preferred choice. ncis and criminal minds are lower, and as i have only recently discovered them, 'cuz my dad likes them, there are a ton i haven't seen, which is nice. they are nowhere near as good as law and order, but they will do - sometimes they have good guest actors and some original plotlines. criminal intent comes somewhere down after them - i hate the music for the show, and i hate how every episode ends the same way. in desperate times, i will watch without a trace or csi, but i kind of hate them. but - the house has to get cleaned, right? and it's all background noise anyway.
but the point is, and there is a point - i can remember the plots of most of the law and orders i have seen. the other shows just kind of form this hazy memory of "something i experienced once to pass the time." and that's how i feel about this book, i guess. i mean - looking at the ratings on here, people are over the moon about it. and it has good things going for it, but at the end of the day, it was a diversion, and nothing more, a YA mystery novel with more ambition than some, but not a favorite.
it is similar in a lot of ways to before i fall - dead girl only realizes after she is dead what a horrible bitch she was when she was alive. but instead of getting to go back and try to change certain things, ghost-liz and the ghost of a boy from her school who also recently died can only observe what happens after her death, and slip back and view random episodes from their pasts to try to figure out the mysteries of their deaths.
as a mystery novel, it is enjoyable. even though it is predictable, the pacing is fast, and it is a true page-turner.i read this in two giant gulps, and it was never boring, even when it was clear what the big reveal was going to be.there is something satisfying about it, like chugging orange juice on a really hot day
but the characters. i couldn't stand any of them. to be fair - they were well-drawn, and every character flaw was shown to have its origin in some presumably forgivable backstory explanation: "i am this way because this person made me this way, and she was like that because she was going through this and that, and the person who was upsetting her was only doing it because blah, etc etc etc." so, kudos for exhaustive psychological padding.
but at the end of the day, ugh. i may need to use the spoiler button. and this is a real spoiler, not like some people who use them (successfully) to be cute. this is going to be a spoiler-filled rant.
yeesh.
so, yeah, all that.
i think she is a good writer, and i am going to read more of her books, but this one, while superfun to read while reading it, has already passed from my memory, despite all that rarrrring i just did.
come to my blog!
January 23, 2013
It's really hard for me to be swept away by a book in the same way I used to be swept away as a kid. Maybe it's a writer thing. I don't know. I mean, I have this ridiculous internal editor that never shuts up. But something happened as I was reading BETWEEN. I noticed it had a release date of August 2, so I picked it up, and there I stood reading this afternoon, beside my kitchen island, my Coke Zero forgotten and my peanut butter sandwich staling, and before I knew it, my legs were cramping and I was fifty pages in. I moved to the sofa and I kept reading. I noticed that my heart rate had accelerated and I was reading faster and faster, and seriously, I felt like I was having some sort of panic attack. Liz, Richie, Alex--I knew them. Within an hour, I knew them. I rooted for them. I was horrified by them. I cringed and laughed and my heart thumped thumped thumped for them.
See, the book's description on the back of the ARC did not reveal nearly as much as the summary on Goodreads, so when I got to the end of chapter one, I gasped out loud. I was stunned. And the world Warman created, criminy, it's like real and insane and real real real. What an authentic voice. You know, like Lauren Oliver, except her own. We see this world of high school drama that is genuine without being totes-OMG-FML-like-whatever. So, yeah. Just real. And so are the bullies. It forces you to see the ugliness and the meanness that exists in our schools, and it keeps your eyes fixed. And sometimes that hurts. And the grown-ups? The real life drama of adult life? It seeps in so authentically, meshed so perfectly with the complicated lives of these teenagers from every walk of life. No caricatures or stock characters--just real and complex and multi-faceted.
Have I said real yet?
It sucks you into this world that is ours, but there's a strong, supernatural current that you must navigate as you move through this/our world. But the way it's told, the way the story unfolds, I bought it. I never once questioned it. There were all these pieces to the puzzle of this book--which is a gorgeous love story with a supernatural element and a mystery--and everything came together so brilliantly. There's also some serious darkness to this book, issues that affect so many of our teens, and they're dealt with in a non-preachy, realistic, relevant way. But the most amazing thing? Warman was able to make me weep for a character that at one point repulsed me. Talk about incredible characterization and unbelievable craftmanship. I was so moved. Swept away. Breathless. BETWEEN is truly unforgettable--a beautiful, cautionary story that defies expectations, forces us to confront our darkest realities, and reminds us just how fragile and precious and hard life really is.
See, the book's description on the back of the ARC did not reveal nearly as much as the summary on Goodreads, so when I got to the end of chapter one, I gasped out loud. I was stunned. And the world Warman created, criminy, it's like real and insane and real real real. What an authentic voice. You know, like Lauren Oliver, except her own. We see this world of high school drama that is genuine without being totes-OMG-FML-like-whatever. So, yeah. Just real. And so are the bullies. It forces you to see the ugliness and the meanness that exists in our schools, and it keeps your eyes fixed. And sometimes that hurts. And the grown-ups? The real life drama of adult life? It seeps in so authentically, meshed so perfectly with the complicated lives of these teenagers from every walk of life. No caricatures or stock characters--just real and complex and multi-faceted.
Have I said real yet?
It sucks you into this world that is ours, but there's a strong, supernatural current that you must navigate as you move through this/our world. But the way it's told, the way the story unfolds, I bought it. I never once questioned it. There were all these pieces to the puzzle of this book--which is a gorgeous love story with a supernatural element and a mystery--and everything came together so brilliantly. There's also some serious darkness to this book, issues that affect so many of our teens, and they're dealt with in a non-preachy, realistic, relevant way. But the most amazing thing? Warman was able to make me weep for a character that at one point repulsed me. Talk about incredible characterization and unbelievable craftmanship. I was so moved. Swept away. Breathless. BETWEEN is truly unforgettable--a beautiful, cautionary story that defies expectations, forces us to confront our darkest realities, and reminds us just how fragile and precious and hard life really is.
April 2, 2019
Great book! I spent a good part of my day immersed in this story. It reminded me of Remember Me by Christopher Pike, which was my favorite when I was a tween. I figured out the "mysteries" pretty early on, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. It's fairly long (450 pages) but a quick read. Definitely worth picking up!
October 10, 2011
Liz was perfect in life. She had the looks, the friends and the money to buy popularity and keep it. Beneath the surface though, Liz was more than just a pretty face. Born to a mother plagued by anorexia, Liz learned from an early age that eating equals control, and when her life spun out of control, she controlled her eating habits. On the morning of her 18th birthday, Liz wakes up to see her body floating in the water, but she has no recollection of what's happened. As she wanders the "between," she meets a fellow classmate, Alex, and together they begin to unravel the mysteries of their deaths. But Liz was wasting away in life, biding her time to the inevitable conclusion of her life...what was destroying her?
Between is one of those books that you probably see at the bookstore but pass over for the big-name book you've been coveting for a while. It's daunting in size and, frankly, despite the gorgeous cover, Between doesn't necessarily pop from looks alone. It's unfortunate though because Between is a breathtaking and haunting story about love, truth and the ability to live with oneself at all costs. Jessica Warman is no stranger to issue-driven books. With Between, she's crafted a story that chronicles a teenage girl's life spinning out of control as we, the reader, are helpless but to watch as her life falls to pieces. Gripping and emotional, Between captures your attention from page one through the tragic and troubling conclusion.
From page one, Between is well-written. We're given a snobby, conceited MC that we somehow have to relate to and feel for, but we're challenged throughout. Despite the fact that we want to feel for Liz, we want to know why she has become the way she is, as well. Her story is a downward spiral of darkness that spins and twists throughout, leading us into a darker maze of lies and lack of control, which is compounded upon by the great supporting cast of secondary characters, including Alex, Richie, Josie and Caroline. The dynamic of Liz's relationships in life directly impacts Liz's relationship with Alex in death, which is a strength in Between, showing us character growth and potential. The writing of Between is also well-executed. At times rich and descriptive, we're painted a picture of a girl that's lost in her own life and death. At other times, Between is sparse and puritan, giving us nothing but the clean, essential facts. The two writing styles play off one another to provide depth and intrigue. I will say that the anorexia story, although extremely well-done in Between, was difficult to read. The emotions that anorexics feel and the painstaking details about control and lack thereof are difficult to read and hard to swallow. As one who is, and will always be, in recovery from an eating disorder, Between can be triggering and painful. That said, while it's painful to read, it was executed well and provides a shadowed layer to an already riveting novel.
Between was a beautiful book that crosses genres, giving us the best of contemporary, love and ghost stories in one fast-paced read. The adult themes of drugs and eating disorders should, however, be known when approaching this book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA and adult books, especially those who enjoy mysteries, contemporary fiction and ghost stories.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
Between is one of those books that you probably see at the bookstore but pass over for the big-name book you've been coveting for a while. It's daunting in size and, frankly, despite the gorgeous cover, Between doesn't necessarily pop from looks alone. It's unfortunate though because Between is a breathtaking and haunting story about love, truth and the ability to live with oneself at all costs. Jessica Warman is no stranger to issue-driven books. With Between, she's crafted a story that chronicles a teenage girl's life spinning out of control as we, the reader, are helpless but to watch as her life falls to pieces. Gripping and emotional, Between captures your attention from page one through the tragic and troubling conclusion.
From page one, Between is well-written. We're given a snobby, conceited MC that we somehow have to relate to and feel for, but we're challenged throughout. Despite the fact that we want to feel for Liz, we want to know why she has become the way she is, as well. Her story is a downward spiral of darkness that spins and twists throughout, leading us into a darker maze of lies and lack of control, which is compounded upon by the great supporting cast of secondary characters, including Alex, Richie, Josie and Caroline. The dynamic of Liz's relationships in life directly impacts Liz's relationship with Alex in death, which is a strength in Between, showing us character growth and potential. The writing of Between is also well-executed. At times rich and descriptive, we're painted a picture of a girl that's lost in her own life and death. At other times, Between is sparse and puritan, giving us nothing but the clean, essential facts. The two writing styles play off one another to provide depth and intrigue. I will say that the anorexia story, although extremely well-done in Between, was difficult to read. The emotions that anorexics feel and the painstaking details about control and lack thereof are difficult to read and hard to swallow. As one who is, and will always be, in recovery from an eating disorder, Between can be triggering and painful. That said, while it's painful to read, it was executed well and provides a shadowed layer to an already riveting novel.
Between was a beautiful book that crosses genres, giving us the best of contemporary, love and ghost stories in one fast-paced read. The adult themes of drugs and eating disorders should, however, be known when approaching this book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA and adult books, especially those who enjoy mysteries, contemporary fiction and ghost stories.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
September 16, 2015
I am so confused with what I felt with this book, I mean, sometimes I think it is really interesting, but other times I hate it so much. I was going through this weird, repetitive cycle where I kept changing my mind on how I felt. But I know one thing for sure and that is the fact that this book did not help my HUGE READING SLUMP! As you all know, or whoever reads my reviews know, I've been on a huge reading slump. And I thought that this book would help me get outta that reading slump. But let's just say that it did not help one bit and I wish it did...
When I was going to read this book, I didn't know anything about this book. I just dived into the book because the summary didn't do a very good job of explaining what the book is about. But after reading the book, I understand why the author wrote the summary that way. If she explained the summary more detailed, there would've been spoilers. So, I am going to do the same thing and not explain much about the book.
Elizabeth Valchar was on her private boat called Elizabeth with a group of her friends. They were all celebrating Liz's eighteenth birthday with no parents around, everyone was on drugs and partying. (I know, you must be thinking that this is horrible parenting.) Anyway, Liz wakes up to an annoying thump noise and she discovered something that is going to change her life forever. Liz has to figure out how to get out of a huge mess and find out what happened the day of her birthday.
Honestly, the things that bothered me about this book is the fact that the writing wasn't that great. It bothered me so much and maybe it was because I wasn't used to it. I wasn't really warmed up to the book until the very end, and I was upset that I didn't like it sooner. One of the things that surprised me was the plot because it was so good! The only part that I believe would've made this book so much better is the writing.
Another thing I really did not enjoy was the characters, I hated all of them. I know I sound a little (REALLY) evil when I say that, but that's the truth. I hated the main character Liz, because of her attitude and she was such a snob. Even if she learned from her mistakes, she should have known that she was doing so many things that were wrong. If I HAD to pick one character I liked from this book, I would definitely pick Alex. He was the only person who had a proper brain and knew what he was talking about. Liz was more of the whining, rich girl who gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants. She was perfect and that was why she was the target for all the negative things that happened to her. I HATED JOSIE SO MUCH, I KNEW SHE WAS EVIL FROM THE BEGINNING! It felt like Josie was fake the entire time and I knew from the beginning that there was something fishy about her. Richie was an okay character, but I didn't like him that much. Nicole is another character I hated from the beginning and UGH, I liked Liz's dad but I felt he should've tried harder to be a better father. VINCE I HATE YOU SO MUCH! I HATE YOU UGHHHHH!
I never knew I had this much hate in me until I read this book. I was always cranky after I finished a few pages of the book because of how it made me feel. It gave me this really negative vibe and I don't know why I kept reading, but it was always there with me and i had nothing else to do. I mean, if there is a book and you are bored, I bet you would read it even if it's the worst possible book choice ever. And that's what I did, I finished the book because I had nothing better to do with my life. (That sounds so sad)
The ending was reasonable, but I knew all the things that were going to happen. The only surprise in this book was the first two chapters in this book, I didn't see that coming. Anyway, if you want something that is different, I would recommend this to you. (But at the same time, I don't recommend this to you... Just saying. If you see this book, I recommend you avoid it but it's your choice....)
When I was going to read this book, I didn't know anything about this book. I just dived into the book because the summary didn't do a very good job of explaining what the book is about. But after reading the book, I understand why the author wrote the summary that way. If she explained the summary more detailed, there would've been spoilers. So, I am going to do the same thing and not explain much about the book.
Elizabeth Valchar was on her private boat called Elizabeth with a group of her friends. They were all celebrating Liz's eighteenth birthday with no parents around, everyone was on drugs and partying. (I know, you must be thinking that this is horrible parenting.) Anyway, Liz wakes up to an annoying thump noise and she discovered something that is going to change her life forever. Liz has to figure out how to get out of a huge mess and find out what happened the day of her birthday.
Honestly, the things that bothered me about this book is the fact that the writing wasn't that great. It bothered me so much and maybe it was because I wasn't used to it. I wasn't really warmed up to the book until the very end, and I was upset that I didn't like it sooner. One of the things that surprised me was the plot because it was so good! The only part that I believe would've made this book so much better is the writing.
Another thing I really did not enjoy was the characters, I hated all of them. I know I sound a little (REALLY) evil when I say that, but that's the truth. I hated the main character Liz, because of her attitude and she was such a snob. Even if she learned from her mistakes, she should have known that she was doing so many things that were wrong. If I HAD to pick one character I liked from this book, I would definitely pick Alex. He was the only person who had a proper brain and knew what he was talking about. Liz was more of the whining, rich girl who gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants. She was perfect and that was why she was the target for all the negative things that happened to her. I HATED JOSIE SO MUCH, I KNEW SHE WAS EVIL FROM THE BEGINNING! It felt like Josie was fake the entire time and I knew from the beginning that there was something fishy about her. Richie was an okay character, but I didn't like him that much. Nicole is another character I hated from the beginning and UGH, I liked Liz's dad but I felt he should've tried harder to be a better father. VINCE I HATE YOU SO MUCH! I HATE YOU UGHHHHH!
I never knew I had this much hate in me until I read this book. I was always cranky after I finished a few pages of the book because of how it made me feel. It gave me this really negative vibe and I don't know why I kept reading, but it was always there with me and i had nothing else to do. I mean, if there is a book and you are bored, I bet you would read it even if it's the worst possible book choice ever. And that's what I did, I finished the book because I had nothing better to do with my life. (That sounds so sad)
The ending was reasonable, but I knew all the things that were going to happen. The only surprise in this book was the first two chapters in this book, I didn't see that coming. Anyway, if you want something that is different, I would recommend this to you. (But at the same time, I don't recommend this to you... Just saying. If you see this book, I recommend you avoid it but it's your choice....)
September 21, 2011
Wow. Was this an amazing book. When I read the synopsis I thought it was going to be a typical YA book, but I was completely floored by how amazing this book was. It has everything a YA book needs and more: mystery, romance, strong characters, a hole-less plot and meaning.
My only complaint of this book was there was one part where it was a little boring. Right after you get over the shock of what is happening and right before the mystery starts unraveling. And even then, it isn't THAT boring it is just the dullest part of an amazing book. It was maybe 30-50 pages.
I am speechless about this book. I cried at several different times, I cracked up at others, I really felt what Liz was feeling. It was an emotional journey, and it was an in depth one. The characters were SO amazing in this book. They were all so realistic and I fell in love with all of them. There was not a single character I felt didn't belong in the story.
And the plot, oh, the plot. Right from the beginning it takes a turn I never saw coming. And from that point on (besides the small lapse) you are reading these pages with an intense desire to figure out the mystery. You are just as eager as Liz to discover the answers and getting to piece everything together was a lot of fun. But while it is all fun and emotional and stuff, there is real meaning behind this story. I don't want to say what in case of spoiling, but there is actually a point to everything and I think that is something a lot of books lack.
Pretty much, go buy this book and devour it immediately. This is now one of my favorite books and you are really missing out if you don't read it soon.
FIRST LINE:
"It's a little after two a.m."
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Plot: 20/20
Characters: 20/20
Writing: 19/20
Creativity: 20/20
Ending: 10/10
The 'It' Factor: 10/10
=99/100, A+
My only complaint of this book was there was one part where it was a little boring. Right after you get over the shock of what is happening and right before the mystery starts unraveling. And even then, it isn't THAT boring it is just the dullest part of an amazing book. It was maybe 30-50 pages.
I am speechless about this book. I cried at several different times, I cracked up at others, I really felt what Liz was feeling. It was an emotional journey, and it was an in depth one. The characters were SO amazing in this book. They were all so realistic and I fell in love with all of them. There was not a single character I felt didn't belong in the story.
And the plot, oh, the plot. Right from the beginning it takes a turn I never saw coming. And from that point on (besides the small lapse) you are reading these pages with an intense desire to figure out the mystery. You are just as eager as Liz to discover the answers and getting to piece everything together was a lot of fun. But while it is all fun and emotional and stuff, there is real meaning behind this story. I don't want to say what in case of spoiling, but there is actually a point to everything and I think that is something a lot of books lack.
Pretty much, go buy this book and devour it immediately. This is now one of my favorite books and you are really missing out if you don't read it soon.
FIRST LINE:
"It's a little after two a.m."
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Plot: 20/20
Characters: 20/20
Writing: 19/20
Creativity: 20/20
Ending: 10/10
The 'It' Factor: 10/10
=99/100, A+
October 2, 2016
Depressing, well written, liked the mystery. Hated the book. creepy and sad at the same time.
February 13, 2013
Antes de partir es una novela totalmente diferente dentro del género juvenil. Está repleta de intriga, suspense, reflexiones, secretos y sorpresas. Me ha sorprendido que a pesar de tener unos personajes de lo más superficiales, todo tenga una razón de ser y hayan conseguido que me ponga en su lugar. Que a nadie le eche para atrás que cuente con fantasmas como protagonistas, porque a pesar de esto y de que la portada es bastante tétrica, no inspira nada de miedo. Además, es un detalle que no tiene del todo relevancia con la historia, sino lo que realmente ocurre después de la pérdida de un ser querido y de la importancia de abrir los ojos y preguntarse si uno actúa realmente como es. Creo que, como bien dice la sinopsis, tiene varias moralejas: entre ellas sobre la vida y la muerte, y que hasta las más pequeñas decisiones pueden cambiar drásticamente nuestros destinos. Pero sobre todo, he aprendido a no juzgar a la gente sin antes conocerla del todo. Totalmente recomendado. ¡Y encima es un libro autoconclusivo!
Lee la reseña completa aquí: http://fly-like-a-butterfly.blogspot....
Lee la reseña completa aquí: http://fly-like-a-butterfly.blogspot....
July 4, 2012
2.5 stars
first reviewed on: www.xoreads.blogspot.ca
Oh no not again. WHY does this always happen to me? i swear the bookstore is going to have a fit if i return another novel. Im sorry but this novel was not good at all. the concept is good, but i just didnt like the story. i spent WAY to much time skim reading & asking my self when i'd finally finish. the only reason i kept reading was because i kinda wanted to know what happened. But this was a bad mystery unfortunatly.
First of the characters. I hated them all. I seriously did not like a single one of them. they are NOTHING like highschool kids! i swear. I'm in highschool & yeah sure there are some kids like the ones described, but i feel like the author put to much of the cliche characteristics in her novel instead of actually looking at what high school kids are like now days. The popular kids in my school do not all do drugs, they arent all bitches that dont get a job & ride the bus -actually all of them have jobs- they dont all have sex- most of them are virgins- and they arent all prissy rich kids that are mean to everyone that isnt in there group. that is SO stereotypical. something we used to see in cartoons long ago. C'mon we know that highschool isnt always like this.
The fact that Alex just comes to Liz when he see's her dead and starts talking to her like he's the god of dead people or something is totally irrelevent- He HATED her. She also did another thing to him which i will not say for the sake of a spoiler free review- but for all i know, he should have drowned her ghost. its extremely unbelievable that he just went along with her this whole time.
Also its even more unbelievable that someone who is also your bestfriend & your stepsister would do anything to harm you. im not gonna say WHAT , again for the sake of a spoiler free review, but its just not believable. someone who you have known your whole life and is practically your sister wouldnt do something that bad like it was nothing. Also at the end when Richie finds out who killed Liz, he just acts all calm. sure he gets pissed but dude... you just found out who killed the love of your life ... why didnt you SMASH their face? again... too unbelievable and cliche.
Also it was boring most of the way through, travelling through Liz's life. Its soooooooooooo unebelievable cliche.
Popular girl. Queen of Popular. starves herself to be skinny. has a group of girlfriends that are envious of her and try to be like her. shes dating the hottest guy in school. they do drugs. the perfect popular girl has issues in her home that no one would have guessed and its the reason she's a bitch. etc etc...
*sigh* i really wanted to like this .... :/ i really hope The girl in the steele corset is better... its what im starting next .
first reviewed on: www.xoreads.blogspot.ca
Oh no not again. WHY does this always happen to me? i swear the bookstore is going to have a fit if i return another novel. Im sorry but this novel was not good at all. the concept is good, but i just didnt like the story. i spent WAY to much time skim reading & asking my self when i'd finally finish. the only reason i kept reading was because i kinda wanted to know what happened. But this was a bad mystery unfortunatly.
First of the characters. I hated them all. I seriously did not like a single one of them. they are NOTHING like highschool kids! i swear. I'm in highschool & yeah sure there are some kids like the ones described, but i feel like the author put to much of the cliche characteristics in her novel instead of actually looking at what high school kids are like now days. The popular kids in my school do not all do drugs, they arent all bitches that dont get a job & ride the bus -actually all of them have jobs- they dont all have sex- most of them are virgins- and they arent all prissy rich kids that are mean to everyone that isnt in there group. that is SO stereotypical. something we used to see in cartoons long ago. C'mon we know that highschool isnt always like this.
The fact that Alex just comes to Liz when he see's her dead and starts talking to her like he's the god of dead people or something is totally irrelevent- He HATED her. She also did another thing to him which i will not say for the sake of a spoiler free review- but for all i know, he should have drowned her ghost. its extremely unbelievable that he just went along with her this whole time.
Also its even more unbelievable that someone who is also your bestfriend & your stepsister would do anything to harm you. im not gonna say WHAT , again for the sake of a spoiler free review, but its just not believable. someone who you have known your whole life and is practically your sister wouldnt do something that bad like it was nothing. Also at the end when Richie finds out who killed Liz, he just acts all calm. sure he gets pissed but dude... you just found out who killed the love of your life ... why didnt you SMASH their face? again... too unbelievable and cliche.
Also it was boring most of the way through, travelling through Liz's life. Its soooooooooooo unebelievable cliche.
Popular girl. Queen of Popular. starves herself to be skinny. has a group of girlfriends that are envious of her and try to be like her. shes dating the hottest guy in school. they do drugs. the perfect popular girl has issues in her home that no one would have guessed and its the reason she's a bitch. etc etc...
*sigh* i really wanted to like this .... :/ i really hope The girl in the steele corset is better... its what im starting next .
October 19, 2012
This is an intense book that elicits deep emotions of the heartache kind. It's a story of redemption in the afterlife of a seemingly superficial rich girl, Liz, who wakes up during the night of her 18th birthday to find her now lifeless body floating in the water near her family's boat, where she'd been partying with her friends and step-sister. She's not alone in this weird between state, though, there's another dead boy from her school, Alex, who seems to be some sort of guide for her, although he clearly is not fond of her or her friends. Liz's quest to find out what happened, to her and to Alex, is a wide ranging exploration of their two lives, how they came to be the way they were in life and now in death, and just what happened to bring them together.
This is a mix of social drama, mystery, romance (a little, but very touching, her boyfriend Richie is an interesting non-pigeonholeable character) and family issues. It moves between the past and the present as Liz and Alex attempt to put together the jigsaw pieces of the past to understand and move past what happened to them. Liz is a great character, dimensional and real, and her story is such a sad one that your heart really does ache for her, while still being somewhat repelled by her mean and reckless actions in the past. The supporting characters become real enough that you care about them, too. This is a long book, and it's very immersive, I found myself compelled to keep going, even - or especially - after the questions began to be clear to everyone but those caught up in them. Another element I like was the way the author worked in references to literary works which foreshadowed, illuminated or ironically commented on the action. Even though this is a sad book, it's not depressing or grim, and ultimately it's uplifting and very satisfying. Although I really loved Before I Fall, and there are obvious similarities, this has a very different feel, much more narrative-y and dense with details and subplots. Both are great, and on my all time best list, but they don't cancel or compete with each other.
This is a mix of social drama, mystery, romance (a little, but very touching, her boyfriend Richie is an interesting non-pigeonholeable character) and family issues. It moves between the past and the present as Liz and Alex attempt to put together the jigsaw pieces of the past to understand and move past what happened to them. Liz is a great character, dimensional and real, and her story is such a sad one that your heart really does ache for her, while still being somewhat repelled by her mean and reckless actions in the past. The supporting characters become real enough that you care about them, too. This is a long book, and it's very immersive, I found myself compelled to keep going, even - or especially - after the questions began to be clear to everyone but those caught up in them. Another element I like was the way the author worked in references to literary works which foreshadowed, illuminated or ironically commented on the action. Even though this is a sad book, it's not depressing or grim, and ultimately it's uplifting and very satisfying. Although I really loved Before I Fall, and there are obvious similarities, this has a very different feel, much more narrative-y and dense with details and subplots. Both are great, and on my all time best list, but they don't cancel or compete with each other.
June 11, 2018
OK! Take a seat because this is not going to be quick.
I know Liz is our main character and all, but this girl was annoying!!!! When she saw how she looked DEAD her only comment was how awful her hair was. 😒😒😒😒😒 You see yourself dead and all you think of is your hair?!?! She was also super awful to Alex!
Especially since she idk, KILLED HIM!?!!
But I also feel really bad that she had to see her mother die at age nine.😭 Her mom was anorexic and starved herself. She died in shower when she's fainted and feel on the glass. I also felt bad she had to deal with her dad getting married two weeks after the wedding! Talk about sick! I hated Nicole (his new wife). She told him at the funeral, "at least she won't be hungry," the NERVE!!
Anyway, Richie was no better. (Richie is Liz's boyfriend) I know he thought she was cheating on him (she's wasn't- the guy was blackmailing her and threatened to tell everyone she killed Alex if she didnt .....) But that gives him no excuse to mess with her step sister!!!😔😔🙅
Her step sister Josie, was the one who killed Liz because she said it was 'her turn' to shine. PUH LEAZE GIVE ME A BREAK!!!😡😡
Okay I'm done ranting, sorry bout that
P.S. Alex was probably the only character I actually liked!🙌🙌🙌
I know Liz is our main character and all, but this girl was annoying!!!! When she saw how she looked DEAD her only comment was how awful her hair was. 😒😒😒😒😒 You see yourself dead and all you think of is your hair?!?! She was also super awful to Alex!
Especially since she idk, KILLED HIM!?!!
But I also feel really bad that she had to see her mother die at age nine.😭 Her mom was anorexic and starved herself. She died in shower when she's fainted and feel on the glass. I also felt bad she had to deal with her dad getting married two weeks after the wedding! Talk about sick! I hated Nicole (his new wife). She told him at the funeral, "at least she won't be hungry," the NERVE!!
Anyway, Richie was no better. (Richie is Liz's boyfriend) I know he thought she was cheating on him (she's wasn't- the guy was blackmailing her and threatened to tell everyone she killed Alex if she didnt .....) But that gives him no excuse to mess with her step sister!!!😔😔🙅
Her step sister Josie, was the one who killed Liz because she said it was 'her turn' to shine. PUH LEAZE GIVE ME A BREAK!!!😡😡
Okay I'm done ranting, sorry bout that
P.S. Alex was probably the only character I actually liked!🙌🙌🙌
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2015
Between is a riveting novel about a young girl who wakes up to find her own body dead in the water beside her family's boat. No, she is not alive, but she can still see and go everywhere she would be able to go while she was alive. With her in this mysterious journey is a boy who passed away in her town a year earlier named Alex. Elizabeth and Alex traveled with two different crowds in high school, so before this, they never spoke. Neither of them enjoyed the other's presence towards the beginning, but after a while of knowing it was just the two of them that could talk and see each other, they formed a friendship. Together, they tried to discover what happened to each other, meaning who killed them. Of course there is some drama, what would a story be without it? This novel keeps you guessing with every chapter you read, making you never want to put it down. I would highly recommend this book!
September 19, 2018
This was a very good read. I did not know what to expect at first, I just knew it sounded interesting, and I had not really read anything like it. I loved the plot of the story. Ok so this girl died, but she is still talking, what is going on? It did not take long to figure it out though. The story flowed really well and I was completely engaged to the tale.
I did enjoy the mystery that surrounded this story. There were a few times where I thought I nailed it, and was wrong. I did guess one part of it, but some of it was surprising to me. The author leads her readers along nicely, dropping little hints (and secrets) here and there, and I liked that. She knows how to write an enticing story that is for sure.
I really did like Elizabeth a lot. She is a pretty strong character. I had some issues with her boyfriend, Richie. I did not know if he was as good as she led everyone to believe he was, so that was a roller coaster ride most of the time. A lot of the characters had some secrets that readers gradually learn about, some surprising and some not so much.
I did enjoy the mystery that surrounded this story. There were a few times where I thought I nailed it, and was wrong. I did guess one part of it, but some of it was surprising to me. The author leads her readers along nicely, dropping little hints (and secrets) here and there, and I liked that. She knows how to write an enticing story that is for sure.
I really did like Elizabeth a lot. She is a pretty strong character. I had some issues with her boyfriend, Richie. I did not know if he was as good as she led everyone to believe he was, so that was a roller coaster ride most of the time. A lot of the characters had some secrets that readers gradually learn about, some surprising and some not so much.
August 11, 2011
Ever since reading Where the Truth Lies, Jessica's second novel, last year, I've been dying to read another book by her, so when Between landed on my radar I knew I had to read it. Not only because I was pretty sure I would love it, but also because it had been compared to two of my favorite YA books, Before I Fall and If I Stay. Luckily, it was pretty darn SPECTACULAR to say the least.
It all starts with a jarring noise. However, when Elizabeth (also known as Liz) goes to find out just what's making that sound, she gets much more than she garnered for: the sight of her body lying limply in the water. Shocked, Elizabeth begins to realize that she is officially dead and gone. Not knowing how this could be possible, she teams up with an unlikely ally to find out the truth, but everything, she's about to find out, isn't nearly as picture perfect as she thought. Her friends are hiding secrets, her stepsister, her supposed best friend, is moving in on Liz's boyfriend, and her boyfriend is weirdly enough going along with the advances. What's a girl to do? Will Liz figure it out before it's too late? Or will she forever be stuck in this between? Only more time and pages can tell in this complex and intricate new tale of secrets, second chances, soul mates, and the heavy price of popularity.
Similar to Before I Fall's main character, Liz starts out as an incredibly unlikable and selfish main character. However, even though I wasn't necessarily rooting for her at those times, it was part of the reasons why Between was so intriguing and hard to put down. You see, I had to know why Liz had turned out that way, what made her become to standoffish towards others and so reluctant to ask for help. In addition, when the pieces did start to come together, I was constantly surprised and shocked, making this book all the more fantastic, in my opinion. I also like the addition of her boyfriend Richie, more specifically, the bond the two shared. Unlike most things in Liz's life, their relationship was very innocent and very, very sweet. There weren't many people in Liz's life that saw who she was deep down, but Richie was one of him. I just adored his character to pieces, even though their relationship and ache for one anther throughout did make me tear up a little at times.
The premise of this is fascinating and the execution of the said idea is even better! For one, I loved that Jessica made the primary focus of this book on friendship, family, and redemption instead of just romance. It gave it a truly unique edge, especially when all the surprising twists and turns where thrown into the book. The addition of Alex Berg, another dead student from Liz's school, was another great addition to the plot, and while he severed more as a device at times then a character, he still managed to change Liz in ways that others couldn't.
Jessica's writing was also simply stunning! I loved how she switched between present situations to the flashback of Liz's life throughout the years, as it allowed more affect to be left than Liz just telling the reader what had occurred. I also appreciated the ending she gave. It was extremely bittersweet and emotional but it was just the way the novel should end so I can't really complain.
Beautifully written, introspective, and just all around fantastic, Between is my new favorite novel of '11, which gives me all the more reason to highly, highly suggest you pick this one up. It may not be for everyone but for people who enjoy a good story (similar to If I Stay, Before I Fall, and The Everafter) it's well worth a read. However, quick word of warning: grab some tissues before you start this one because if one thing's for sure, it will probably make you cry, especially when all the craziness comes out at the end.
Grade: A+
It all starts with a jarring noise. However, when Elizabeth (also known as Liz) goes to find out just what's making that sound, she gets much more than she garnered for: the sight of her body lying limply in the water. Shocked, Elizabeth begins to realize that she is officially dead and gone. Not knowing how this could be possible, she teams up with an unlikely ally to find out the truth, but everything, she's about to find out, isn't nearly as picture perfect as she thought. Her friends are hiding secrets, her stepsister, her supposed best friend, is moving in on Liz's boyfriend, and her boyfriend is weirdly enough going along with the advances. What's a girl to do? Will Liz figure it out before it's too late? Or will she forever be stuck in this between? Only more time and pages can tell in this complex and intricate new tale of secrets, second chances, soul mates, and the heavy price of popularity.
Similar to Before I Fall's main character, Liz starts out as an incredibly unlikable and selfish main character. However, even though I wasn't necessarily rooting for her at those times, it was part of the reasons why Between was so intriguing and hard to put down. You see, I had to know why Liz had turned out that way, what made her become to standoffish towards others and so reluctant to ask for help. In addition, when the pieces did start to come together, I was constantly surprised and shocked, making this book all the more fantastic, in my opinion. I also like the addition of her boyfriend Richie, more specifically, the bond the two shared. Unlike most things in Liz's life, their relationship was very innocent and very, very sweet. There weren't many people in Liz's life that saw who she was deep down, but Richie was one of him. I just adored his character to pieces, even though their relationship and ache for one anther throughout did make me tear up a little at times.
The premise of this is fascinating and the execution of the said idea is even better! For one, I loved that Jessica made the primary focus of this book on friendship, family, and redemption instead of just romance. It gave it a truly unique edge, especially when all the surprising twists and turns where thrown into the book. The addition of Alex Berg, another dead student from Liz's school, was another great addition to the plot, and while he severed more as a device at times then a character, he still managed to change Liz in ways that others couldn't.
Jessica's writing was also simply stunning! I loved how she switched between present situations to the flashback of Liz's life throughout the years, as it allowed more affect to be left than Liz just telling the reader what had occurred. I also appreciated the ending she gave. It was extremely bittersweet and emotional but it was just the way the novel should end so I can't really complain.
Beautifully written, introspective, and just all around fantastic, Between is my new favorite novel of '11, which gives me all the more reason to highly, highly suggest you pick this one up. It may not be for everyone but for people who enjoy a good story (similar to If I Stay, Before I Fall, and The Everafter) it's well worth a read. However, quick word of warning: grab some tissues before you start this one because if one thing's for sure, it will probably make you cry, especially when all the craziness comes out at the end.
Grade: A+
March 31, 2014
One of the main reasons I enjoyed this book was because it wasn't all that it seemed.
A few chapters in, and I had resigned myself to reading another 300+ pages about a vapid, boring dead girl. At one point in the story, it seems like she's genuinely more concerned about the her dead body's state of appearance than how she died or why she's still on earth. Here are just a couple of examples.
Luckily, the story got a million times better from there. By this, I don't mean that Liz instantly became more tolerable (she didn't). However, this story shaped up to be way more than I thought it would be.
At first glance, Elizabeth "Liz" Valchar is the epitome of a mean girl. She's pretty, popular, and not particularly nice to anyone, except maybe her boyfriend Richie (bad name, I know). She has a couple of redeemable qualities, such as her love for running and the fact that she's struggling with an eating disorder, but both of these also can be kind of negative aspects as well. She runs for far too long and isn't friendly with anyone on her cross-country team, and because she's skinny, she looks down on anyone who's not thin, including her friends sometimes.
Without giving too much away, by the end of the story, Liz came to be a character I could relate to. She wasn't destroying herself on purpose; it was all she had known how to do. She was trying to stay in control, but there were so many other circumstances that were taking over her life.
Another aspect of this story that I enjoyed was the (lack of) romance. Throughout the course of the story, we find out the truth about some of her friendships and relationships, but one of the main things I admired about Liz was that she never stopped loving her boyfriend. That and the compassion she had towards her father actually made me tear up towards the end.
I liked all the intrigue that was going on. The plot didn't move super-quickly, but it was fast enough to keep me reading. I guessed the villain (correctly) pretty early on, but there were enough twists to keep surprising me, which I appreciated.
I'm glad that this turned out to be a four-star book for me! I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys reading mysteries and realistic fiction, but with a slightly paranormal edge.
A few chapters in, and I had resigned myself to reading another 300+ pages about a vapid, boring dead girl. At one point in the story, it seems like she's genuinely more concerned about the her dead body's state of appearance than how she died or why she's still on earth. Here are just a couple of examples.
He leans forward to peer at me in the water. "You're white. I mean corpse white."
I look at my bare arms. Standing there beside him, I'm not nearly as horrific a sight as the girl in the sea. I am still put together, still beautiful. "I always had such a great tan."
My physical body is still in the same place, lodged awkwardly between the boat and the dock, except now both of my boots are long gone. And I'm not looking so hot anymore. Not that I was when I first saw myself, but a few more hours in the cold salt water has not been kind to my skin. I'll leave it at that.
I glare at him. "Oh I'm fantastic. The police just dragged my body from the ocean. I looked like shit. It's my birthday, and I'm dead, and if that weren't bad enough, I'm so bloated and disgusting from being in the water that they probably won't even be able to have an open casket for me. I'm ugly. Am I okay? No Alex, I'm not freaking okay."
Luckily, the story got a million times better from there. By this, I don't mean that Liz instantly became more tolerable (she didn't). However, this story shaped up to be way more than I thought it would be.
At first glance, Elizabeth "Liz" Valchar is the epitome of a mean girl. She's pretty, popular, and not particularly nice to anyone, except maybe her boyfriend Richie (bad name, I know). She has a couple of redeemable qualities, such as her love for running and the fact that she's struggling with an eating disorder, but both of these also can be kind of negative aspects as well. She runs for far too long and isn't friendly with anyone on her cross-country team, and because she's skinny, she looks down on anyone who's not thin, including her friends sometimes.
Without giving too much away, by the end of the story, Liz came to be a character I could relate to. She wasn't destroying herself on purpose; it was all she had known how to do. She was trying to stay in control, but there were so many other circumstances that were taking over her life.
Another aspect of this story that I enjoyed was the (lack of) romance. Throughout the course of the story, we find out the truth about some of her friendships and relationships, but one of the main things I admired about Liz was that she never stopped loving her boyfriend. That and the compassion she had towards her father actually made me tear up towards the end.
I liked all the intrigue that was going on. The plot didn't move super-quickly, but it was fast enough to keep me reading. I guessed the villain (correctly) pretty early on, but there were enough twists to keep surprising me, which I appreciated.
I'm glad that this turned out to be a four-star book for me! I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys reading mysteries and realistic fiction, but with a slightly paranormal edge.
August 18, 2011
On the cover of the book, Gail Giles says "A love story, and a cautionary tale that gallops from its gripping beginning to its crackling conclusion."
I completely agree with Mrs. Giles! Between is a wonderful story. It is different from what I am used to reading but that isn't to say it isn't as good. I simply LOVED the book.
Liz is trying to figure out what happened to her the night that she died. Everyone seems to think it was an accident, that she fell into the water.
Then she sees Alex, they go through a lot of memories together. These memories are VERY emotional and with each one it seems like she gets back another piece of the puzzle. She can't remember anything concrete from before she died. Only small things that don't matter.
There are a few things in the book that will make you laugh and there are some that will jerk tears from your eyes, but in the end it all makes a wonderful story. There are lots of twists in the story that are NOT expected, especially the ending. I was SHOCKED! When Liz finds out the truth about everything she is shocked as well.
I hope that you will all read this book at some point. It is truly wonderful!
I completely agree with Mrs. Giles! Between is a wonderful story. It is different from what I am used to reading but that isn't to say it isn't as good. I simply LOVED the book.
Liz is trying to figure out what happened to her the night that she died. Everyone seems to think it was an accident, that she fell into the water.
Then she sees Alex, they go through a lot of memories together. These memories are VERY emotional and with each one it seems like she gets back another piece of the puzzle. She can't remember anything concrete from before she died. Only small things that don't matter.
There are a few things in the book that will make you laugh and there are some that will jerk tears from your eyes, but in the end it all makes a wonderful story. There are lots of twists in the story that are NOT expected, especially the ending. I was SHOCKED! When Liz finds out the truth about everything she is shocked as well.
I hope that you will all read this book at some point. It is truly wonderful!
June 1, 2013
um, wow!! this is one powerful book. it's enticing, gripping, unpredictable and emotional. a real cliff-hanger!!
the plot:
Elizabeth Valchar (Liz) died on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. she wasn't sure about her death, but she was very sure of her life. she had it all set out she had no doubt that she knew everything about it:
-she had the best boyfriend a girl could ever ask for
-everyone in the school loved her and worshipped her
-her stepsister was her best friend and she could confide in her for everything
-and liz was so sure that she, herself, was amazing and perfect in every way
Jessica Warman keeps you hooked on to every word of this wonderful book. a must-read! :)
the plot:
Elizabeth Valchar (Liz) died on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. she wasn't sure about her death, but she was very sure of her life. she had it all set out she had no doubt that she knew everything about it:
-she had the best boyfriend a girl could ever ask for
-everyone in the school loved her and worshipped her
-her stepsister was her best friend and she could confide in her for everything
-and liz was so sure that she, herself, was amazing and perfect in every way
after her death, roaming the earth as a ghost, her whole life and everything she's ever known starts unravelling before her eyes, and she quickly realises how wrong she was:
-her boyfriend was cheating on her
-her friends liked her, but the rest of the school hated her with a passion
-her stepsister MURDERED her
-and she, Elizabeth Valchar, was responsible for the death of high-school student Alexander Berg.
Jessica Warman keeps you hooked on to every word of this wonderful book. a must-read! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2011
I really wanted to love this as the beginning was so incredible. I did really enjoy it but given how long it is I really think it could have done with an ending that felt less rushed. I also figured out the plot twists really early on and I hate that as I find it really distracting to feel like you know what's coming! Still, recommended to those who like a supernatural mystery with a teen friendly edge.
March 19, 2022
Yeiiiii….!!!! Un nuevo libro, una nueva opinión. Bueno mis queridas y amadas musas hoy les hablaré de este libro que me gusto bastante, ya sé, siempre me gustan todos los libros pero esté… tiene una trama, una moraleja muy, muy buena.
Como ya pudieron descubrir en la sinopsis esta es una historia de fantasmas, donde el personaje principal es el fantasma y se encuentra con un chico en su misma condición. Liz (como llaman a Elizabeth) es una chica rica y muy mimada debido a un horrible acontecimiento que sufrió cuando era niña, observar como moría su madre. Celebrando su cumpleaños número 18, Liz despierta y escucha un terrible ruido que golpea la popa del barco de su padre al salir y ver qué es lo que ocasiona el ruido, descubre que es un cuerpo y no cualquier cuerpo es el de ella, siendo aquí donde empieza toda la historia. Obviamente ella se asombra y se pregunta qué es lo que pasa, encontrando a un chico, Alex quien murió un año antes, él le explica que ella está muerta y que ahora es un fantasma **uhhhh** ambos chicos están atrapados en esta tierra, dimensión o como quieran llamarlo por una sola razón, necesitan saber la manera en la que murieron. En realidad Alex debe esperar hasta que Liz sepa una cosa muy importante de su muerte (la de Alex) para poder descansar en paz.
Liz tiene un novio y amigos populares entre sus amigos esta su hermanastra, Josie, una chica que todos sospechan es la media hermana de Liz, ya que el padre de Liz y Nicole (madre de Josie) tuvieron una relación cuando eran estudiantes. No pierdan de vista a Josie, se siente celosa de su hermanastra y ve la muerte de Liz como una oportunidad de obtener todo lo que quiso, incluyendo a Richie (el novio de Liz)
La trama de esta historia cada vez se vuelve más intensa e incrementa la necesidad de saber quien mato a Liz y Alex, que pasará con Josie y Richi. En cada capítulo aumenta la curiosidad y te sumerge más en el suspenso; aunque debo decir que hay momentos en que la lectura se vuelve tediosa porque los personajes empiezan a recordar y como que la historia se estanca (mi opinión) pero siempre está esa espinita de querer saber la verdad y eso te da ánimos para seguir leyendo.
La historia está cargada de moraleja, Liz tiene la posibilidad de transportarse a cualquier recuerdo de su vida y comienza a darse cuenta de lo egoísta y mimada que fue pero sobre todo lo frívola y superficial en que se convirtió su vida. De hecho el libro trata con temas muy complejos como la anorexia, siendo la madre de Liz quien la sufre y de hecho le causa la muerte. Liz empieza a bajar de peso y se obsesiona con correr (ya que practica Cross) y todos los de su alrededor piensan que también está sufriendo de anorexia, sin embargo los cambios de Liz se deben a algo mucho más complicado. La protagonista es una chica que aunque está rodeada de muchas personas y todos dicen quererla se siente incomprendida y sola, cuando decide pedir ayuda, todos le dan la espalda. La autora, desde mi punto de vista, trata temas bastante importantes para la juventud, como el bullying, la anorexia (como ya mencioné) y otros.
Sí, ajá… muy interesante *pone los ojos en blanco* Pero… ¿es una historia de suspenso? Por supuesto que yes, no solo por querer saber quien mato a Liz, sino ¿quién mato a Alex? ¡Rayos! Este chico (quien también es fantasma) es un elemento primordial de la historia, prácticamente todo lo que sucede es desencadenado por su muerte. En lo personal pensé que estos dos tendrían algo más que amistad… pero debo decir que no, Alex es quien le demuestra a Liz lo fría que era, la forma tan superficial en la que llevo a cabo su vida pero al mismo tiempo le enseña a aceptar sus errores y a perdonarse a sí misma por todo lo malo que hizo.
De verdad, este es un gran libro con grandes enseñanzas, cargado de suspenso, amor y sobretodo demuestra que debemos ser personas autenticas y no dejarnos influenciar por los demás, a pedir ayuda cuando es necesario, a respetar la vida de los demás y amar a los que te rodean. También nos demuestra la forma en que nuestras malas decisiones pueden arruinan tu vida y como lo puedes lamentar… la envidia es un mal muy peligroso. Y para finalizar, déjenme contarles que, sí, se descubre que fue lo que pasó con Alex y Liz, de hecho te deja impactada el giro que toma la historia.
Les dejo estás palabras de Liz:
Como ya pudieron descubrir en la sinopsis esta es una historia de fantasmas, donde el personaje principal es el fantasma y se encuentra con un chico en su misma condición. Liz (como llaman a Elizabeth) es una chica rica y muy mimada debido a un horrible acontecimiento que sufrió cuando era niña, observar como moría su madre. Celebrando su cumpleaños número 18, Liz despierta y escucha un terrible ruido que golpea la popa del barco de su padre al salir y ver qué es lo que ocasiona el ruido, descubre que es un cuerpo y no cualquier cuerpo es el de ella, siendo aquí donde empieza toda la historia. Obviamente ella se asombra y se pregunta qué es lo que pasa, encontrando a un chico, Alex quien murió un año antes, él le explica que ella está muerta y que ahora es un fantasma **uhhhh** ambos chicos están atrapados en esta tierra, dimensión o como quieran llamarlo por una sola razón, necesitan saber la manera en la que murieron. En realidad Alex debe esperar hasta que Liz sepa una cosa muy importante de su muerte (la de Alex) para poder descansar en paz.
Liz tiene un novio y amigos populares entre sus amigos esta su hermanastra, Josie, una chica que todos sospechan es la media hermana de Liz, ya que el padre de Liz y Nicole (madre de Josie) tuvieron una relación cuando eran estudiantes. No pierdan de vista a Josie, se siente celosa de su hermanastra y ve la muerte de Liz como una oportunidad de obtener todo lo que quiso, incluyendo a Richie (el novio de Liz)
La trama de esta historia cada vez se vuelve más intensa e incrementa la necesidad de saber quien mato a Liz y Alex, que pasará con Josie y Richi. En cada capítulo aumenta la curiosidad y te sumerge más en el suspenso; aunque debo decir que hay momentos en que la lectura se vuelve tediosa porque los personajes empiezan a recordar y como que la historia se estanca (mi opinión) pero siempre está esa espinita de querer saber la verdad y eso te da ánimos para seguir leyendo.
La historia está cargada de moraleja, Liz tiene la posibilidad de transportarse a cualquier recuerdo de su vida y comienza a darse cuenta de lo egoísta y mimada que fue pero sobre todo lo frívola y superficial en que se convirtió su vida. De hecho el libro trata con temas muy complejos como la anorexia, siendo la madre de Liz quien la sufre y de hecho le causa la muerte. Liz empieza a bajar de peso y se obsesiona con correr (ya que practica Cross) y todos los de su alrededor piensan que también está sufriendo de anorexia, sin embargo los cambios de Liz se deben a algo mucho más complicado. La protagonista es una chica que aunque está rodeada de muchas personas y todos dicen quererla se siente incomprendida y sola, cuando decide pedir ayuda, todos le dan la espalda. La autora, desde mi punto de vista, trata temas bastante importantes para la juventud, como el bullying, la anorexia (como ya mencioné) y otros.
Sí, ajá… muy interesante *pone los ojos en blanco* Pero… ¿es una historia de suspenso? Por supuesto que yes, no solo por querer saber quien mato a Liz, sino ¿quién mato a Alex? ¡Rayos! Este chico (quien también es fantasma) es un elemento primordial de la historia, prácticamente todo lo que sucede es desencadenado por su muerte. En lo personal pensé que estos dos tendrían algo más que amistad… pero debo decir que no, Alex es quien le demuestra a Liz lo fría que era, la forma tan superficial en la que llevo a cabo su vida pero al mismo tiempo le enseña a aceptar sus errores y a perdonarse a sí misma por todo lo malo que hizo.
De verdad, este es un gran libro con grandes enseñanzas, cargado de suspenso, amor y sobretodo demuestra que debemos ser personas autenticas y no dejarnos influenciar por los demás, a pedir ayuda cuando es necesario, a respetar la vida de los demás y amar a los que te rodean. También nos demuestra la forma en que nuestras malas decisiones pueden arruinan tu vida y como lo puedes lamentar… la envidia es un mal muy peligroso. Y para finalizar, déjenme contarles que, sí, se descubre que fue lo que pasó con Alex y Liz, de hecho te deja impactada el giro que toma la historia.
Les dejo estás palabras de Liz:
January 8, 2026
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
My Thoughts
For some reason, I find books about the afterlife interesting. This book isn't quite about the afterlife, but it has been sitting in the TBR pile for a long time and I'm surprised that I hadn't picked it up until now.
The book focuses on Elizabeth. On the morning of her eighteenth birthday, Elizabeth wakes to find that she's dead, her body fallen over the side of the yacht. She doesn't remember how she died or even the last few months of her life. Her death seems like an accident, but Elizabeth isn't sure. With the help of another ghost, Alex, Elizabeth tries to remember her life up until her death.
Elizabeth was a hard character to understand at first. She's pretty, popular, and rich. Her personality sometimes came out bratty and I found her a bit frustrating. As the story continued, I grew to understand Elizabeth's character and what exactly was going on in her mind leading up to her death.
This book is interesting because even though it has paranormal elements, such as having someone walk on earth after their death and entering their memories, this book was also a mystery. The mystery was also surprising for the most part. There were a few elements I guessed ahead of time, even though I wished they weren't true, but there was also enough to keep me guessing.
This book gets very dark and emotional. This was to be expected since it deals with death, but it also dealt with other tough subjects such as guilt, blackmail, mental health, etc. It was very hard reading this book as it got closer to the end because even though Elizabeth got on my nerves at first when I started to understand what she went through, I had to realize that no matter what, Elizabeth is dead and did not get a happy end in life. Alex didn't get a happy end in life either, but gosh, I can't even articulate how much change he went through.
IN CONCLUSION
I thought this was an interesting read. I'm not sure what prevented me from giving this book 4 stars. While I thought this was a very interesting, albeit dark, read, I think part of my misgivings with Elizabeth in the beginning, as well as parts of the end (which felt off), affected my rating. I do think that this book is worth a read. I have not read any other books by Warman, but I may need to read more from this author in the future.
January 28, 2014
(Source: I received a copy of this book as a gift – Thanks Abbie!)
18-year-old Liz wakes in the middle of the night after her 18th birthday party, only to discover her own dead body – yep, she’s dead.
The death is written off as an accident, but Liz can’t remember what happened, and she can’t believe that she would still be hanging around if her death really was an accident.
Together with Alex, another teen ghost who also died in the same town earlier that year, Liz tries to unravel the mystery of her last days before her death.
Was Liz’s death an accident? And what secrets was she hiding?
This was a good YA mystery story, although it was a little slow in places.
I liked Liz, even though it was clear that she had maybe been a little spoiled, and had been going through some difficult stuff while she was alive, she was still a likeable character. I liked the way she stuck with Alex, and the way they helped each other, even though their history was maybe a little murky.
The storyline in this was pretty good. I did find that the pace lagged a bit in the middle, but the ending made up for that. I did make a guess as to who had had a hand in Liz’s death, but I didn’t guess all of the little intricacies of the plot.
There wasn’t a really much romance in this one, and I wasn’t very impressed at the way that Liz’s sister Josie tried to initiate a relationship with Liz’s boyfriend – stealing your dead sister’s boyfriend is not just wrong!
The ending to this was pretty good. I liked the way that things came together, and I liked how the truth came out. I also liked the way that Liz found peace in the end also.
Overall; a good YA mystery.
7 out of 10.
18-year-old Liz wakes in the middle of the night after her 18th birthday party, only to discover her own dead body – yep, she’s dead.
The death is written off as an accident, but Liz can’t remember what happened, and she can’t believe that she would still be hanging around if her death really was an accident.
Together with Alex, another teen ghost who also died in the same town earlier that year, Liz tries to unravel the mystery of her last days before her death.
Was Liz’s death an accident? And what secrets was she hiding?
This was a good YA mystery story, although it was a little slow in places.
I liked Liz, even though it was clear that she had maybe been a little spoiled, and had been going through some difficult stuff while she was alive, she was still a likeable character. I liked the way she stuck with Alex, and the way they helped each other, even though their history was maybe a little murky.
The storyline in this was pretty good. I did find that the pace lagged a bit in the middle, but the ending made up for that. I did make a guess as to who had had a hand in Liz’s death, but I didn’t guess all of the little intricacies of the plot.
There wasn’t a really much romance in this one, and I wasn’t very impressed at the way that Liz’s sister Josie tried to initiate a relationship with Liz’s boyfriend – stealing your dead sister’s boyfriend is not just wrong!
The ending to this was pretty good. I liked the way that things came together, and I liked how the truth came out. I also liked the way that Liz found peace in the end also.
Overall; a good YA mystery.
7 out of 10.
June 9, 2014
Between
Il libro che avrei voluto scrivere io! (assieme a Remember Me di C. Pike, a cui indubbiamente l'autrice deve molto) Mi è piaciuto tantissimo, contesto solo la scelta della traduzione del titolo (ma che senso ha togliere il titolo originale "Between", per mettere un'altra parola in inglese? Chi non sa cosa vuol dire between non capisce neppure after...) e la foto in copertina che c'entra davvero poco con la storia. Per il resto è un thriller con elementi paranormali che mi ha coinvolta moltissimo. Liz, una giovane diciottenne bellissima e superficiale, durante la festa dei suoi 18 anni scopre il suo cadavere in mare. Sarà proprio lei ad indagare sulla propria morte e su chi l'ha uccisa. Durante le indagini verranno fuori molti flashback che pongono l'attenzione su temi forti e tipicamente young adult: l'anoressia e il rapporto malato col cibo, l'ossessione di apparire a tutti i costi, le droghe e l'alcool, i genitori assenti o presenti solo col portafoglio sono solo alcuni esempi. E' un libro che ha smosso qualcosa dentro di me, che mi ha lasciato l'amaro in bocca e continuo a pensare ad alcuni episodi raccontati. E se non riesco a smettere di pensarci, allora il libro merita sicuramente 5 stelline!
Il libro che avrei voluto scrivere io! (assieme a Remember Me di C. Pike, a cui indubbiamente l'autrice deve molto) Mi è piaciuto tantissimo, contesto solo la scelta della traduzione del titolo (ma che senso ha togliere il titolo originale "Between", per mettere un'altra parola in inglese? Chi non sa cosa vuol dire between non capisce neppure after...) e la foto in copertina che c'entra davvero poco con la storia. Per il resto è un thriller con elementi paranormali che mi ha coinvolta moltissimo. Liz, una giovane diciottenne bellissima e superficiale, durante la festa dei suoi 18 anni scopre il suo cadavere in mare. Sarà proprio lei ad indagare sulla propria morte e su chi l'ha uccisa. Durante le indagini verranno fuori molti flashback che pongono l'attenzione su temi forti e tipicamente young adult: l'anoressia e il rapporto malato col cibo, l'ossessione di apparire a tutti i costi, le droghe e l'alcool, i genitori assenti o presenti solo col portafoglio sono solo alcuni esempi. E' un libro che ha smosso qualcosa dentro di me, che mi ha lasciato l'amaro in bocca e continuo a pensare ad alcuni episodi raccontati. E se non riesco a smettere di pensarci, allora il libro merita sicuramente 5 stelline!
June 27, 2015
After reading
Between
, it took me awhile to figure out just what I thought of this story and these characters. While for me, it wasn’t a 5 star book, it was a notable read. You get a clear visual of the characters from beginning to end and a front row seat as you watch the mystery unfold before them.
While I loved the writing and the emotion, there were parts of the story were I felt such a lull while reading. I think this is one of the reasons why it took me this long to finally write the review even though I read this 3 years ago.
Now on to the characters, Liz , the mean, popular girl that made me cringe over and over again. Seriously, this character… I never hated one more than this girl. And then there’s Alex. You'll feel horrible for him over and over again. I almost felt like he never got a break, but his part of the story gives such light and perspective to Liz as she tries to find her way in what was her life and now in death.
All in all, I'm rating it 3.3 stars. Warman’s writing and storytelling was great, although it was just a bit on the slow side and dragging for me.
While I loved the writing and the emotion, there were parts of the story were I felt such a lull while reading. I think this is one of the reasons why it took me this long to finally write the review even though I read this 3 years ago.
Now on to the characters, Liz , the mean, popular girl that made me cringe over and over again. Seriously, this character… I never hated one more than this girl. And then there’s Alex. You'll feel horrible for him over and over again. I almost felt like he never got a break, but his part of the story gives such light and perspective to Liz as she tries to find her way in what was her life and now in death.
All in all, I'm rating it 3.3 stars. Warman’s writing and storytelling was great, although it was just a bit on the slow side and dragging for me.
August 30, 2011
Yes I judge a book by its cover. I also love ghost stories. So when I saw the cover, I knew I'd love it. And I did. Elizabeth wakes up to find her dead body floating in the water and has to solve her own murder because she can't remember much of what happened. A slow unravel, page turning story. This main character is similar to the one in Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Even though the Elizabeth is somewhat shallow and bitchy we learn why, we see her change, and we have empathy.
Definitely worth the read if you like ghost stories.
Definitely worth the read if you like ghost stories.
May 10, 2020
YA ghost story that's kinda like PLL.
Liz is the popular rich mean girl, who dies on her 18th birthday. She wakes up to see her dead body in the water, and has fractured memories of her past and what happened the night she dies.
Alex also a ghost and former fellow classmate, is the only one who can see her. Though not friends he helps her navigate her new existence, and they try to figure out her death.
Like PLL, her group of friends and family aren't what they appear to be. Affairs, drugs, money, jealousy, blackmail, rich kids getting whatever they want.
I felt bad for Ritchie and Alex, and Liz's dad. The others were just shallow secondary characters. I never liked Josie or her mom.
I figured out the who done it by the middle of the book. This was a quick easy read ghost story.
Liz is the popular rich mean girl, who dies on her 18th birthday. She wakes up to see her dead body in the water, and has fractured memories of her past and what happened the night she dies.
Alex also a ghost and former fellow classmate, is the only one who can see her. Though not friends he helps her navigate her new existence, and they try to figure out her death.
Like PLL, her group of friends and family aren't what they appear to be. Affairs, drugs, money, jealousy, blackmail, rich kids getting whatever they want.
I felt bad for Ritchie and Alex, and Liz's dad. The others were just shallow secondary characters. I never liked Josie or her mom.
I figured out the who done it by the middle of the book. This was a quick easy read ghost story.
May 15, 2017
Entretenido, sin más. Para adolescentes está bien y la idea es bastante original. Lo único es que se ve venir de qué va todo a mitad de libro.
De todas formas no está mal.
De todas formas no está mal.
May 21, 2017
Een mooi boek waarin goed beschreven is hoe alle puzzelstukjes in elkaar passen. Voor mijn gevoel ging het iets te langzaam en was het iet wat voorspelbaar, vandaar de 3 sterren. Verder een leuk, spannend boek, weer eens iets anders dan de reguliere YA.
April 3, 2012
Very boring. I did finish the book, but from the middle onwards I skimmed.
Alex is extremely annoying. He thinks he's God. Always telling Liz off. Making out as if he's never done anything bad in his life.
At first, Liz is just a popular bitch. She's not a bad person, yet Alex treats her as if she's the worst person alive. Towards the end, it's clear that she is a bad person, far beyond the social ranking of high school. Not because she picked on people, or never stopped evident bullying, or said and did petty things...No. She did something far worse. Sickening. Something that I cannot forgive, since it shows a huge lack of humanity in her. And the strange thing is, when we find out what she did, she has no guilt (at least the guilt was never shown - or even implied - before the author revealed what she had done). At one point, she says: "Well - that's not entirely true. In his own way, my dad did try to help me. It's just that I refused to be helped. I wanted to suffer. I wanted to be punished for what I did to ____. I understand that now."
Uh, what? That's a total lie. We were clearly told she starved herself and ran excessively BEFORE she even turned a teenager. We know this because the author SHOWED us the scene, when Liz was nine, with her sick Mum inflicting her eating disorder on her own kid. So what the hell? HUGE plot-hole.
It seems absolutely stupid that Liz goes on and on about her steel-capped shoes hurting her feet. Um, she's dead. If she can't feel other people, if she can't get hungry, if she can't ever sleep, then why does she feel pain? It makes no sense. I don't see the logic there. It was as if the author just added that in there for convenience, for another problem.
Alex had no depth as a character. He wasn't developed, realistic, he wasn't anything.
I guess the good part about this book was that Liz wasn't a Mary Sue. Though, at the end, how she managed to live with herself, with that gory image in her mind, is beyond me. Popular or not, you're human and surely you wouldn't just do that? Wouldn't just leave them there. It was an accident, sure, and she was going to say something a whole year later...but still.
Everyone in this book is stereotypical. I was just waiting for a blonde girl to say something stupid (apart from the main character). I mean, it's overly dramatic. It's like a soap opera - everyone killing each other.
And what made me laugh was when this off-duty police officer caught a seventeen-year-old with a gun. He runs, and the man doesn't follow because he's stunned. Later he's told that the seventeen- year-old is going to kill someone, and the officer is given the address of the person he's going to kill. So what does this smart man do? He turns up at the address. Alone. Walks in and sits down, not knowing if the guy who possesses the gun is about to come over or is closely lurking around. What? Surely if the police knew someone had a gun, they'd get right on it, a whole squad of them, to try and protect the public by removing the weapon from the person.
There is no logic in this book. The "populars" all bang on about calorie content and all. I don't know what American schools are like, but in the schools where I went to you didn't have to be stick-thin to be a popular. All you needed was a big mouth. Honestly, we had some fat populars, but they never got bullied because of it because they had the "swagger", I guess, to fit into the popular pack.
There really is no plot. It's a sequence of extremely boring events. It was also predictable at times.
I was going to knock another star off, but it's not as bad as the ones I have already marked one star. But I still wouldn't recommend this book.
I don't want to add spoilers, so all I'm going to say is this: They should have worn a helmet. I think people who read this book will know who I am talking about.
Alex is extremely annoying. He thinks he's God. Always telling Liz off. Making out as if he's never done anything bad in his life.
At first, Liz is just a popular bitch. She's not a bad person, yet Alex treats her as if she's the worst person alive. Towards the end, it's clear that she is a bad person, far beyond the social ranking of high school. Not because she picked on people, or never stopped evident bullying, or said and did petty things...No. She did something far worse. Sickening. Something that I cannot forgive, since it shows a huge lack of humanity in her. And the strange thing is, when we find out what she did, she has no guilt (at least the guilt was never shown - or even implied - before the author revealed what she had done). At one point, she says: "Well - that's not entirely true. In his own way, my dad did try to help me. It's just that I refused to be helped. I wanted to suffer. I wanted to be punished for what I did to ____. I understand that now."
Uh, what? That's a total lie. We were clearly told she starved herself and ran excessively BEFORE she even turned a teenager. We know this because the author SHOWED us the scene, when Liz was nine, with her sick Mum inflicting her eating disorder on her own kid. So what the hell? HUGE plot-hole.
It seems absolutely stupid that Liz goes on and on about her steel-capped shoes hurting her feet. Um, she's dead. If she can't feel other people, if she can't get hungry, if she can't ever sleep, then why does she feel pain? It makes no sense. I don't see the logic there. It was as if the author just added that in there for convenience, for another problem.
Alex had no depth as a character. He wasn't developed, realistic, he wasn't anything.
I guess the good part about this book was that Liz wasn't a Mary Sue. Though, at the end, how she managed to live with herself, with that gory image in her mind, is beyond me. Popular or not, you're human and surely you wouldn't just do that? Wouldn't just leave them there. It was an accident, sure, and she was going to say something a whole year later...but still.
Everyone in this book is stereotypical. I was just waiting for a blonde girl to say something stupid (apart from the main character). I mean, it's overly dramatic. It's like a soap opera - everyone killing each other.
And what made me laugh was when this off-duty police officer caught a seventeen-year-old with a gun. He runs, and the man doesn't follow because he's stunned. Later he's told that the seventeen- year-old is going to kill someone, and the officer is given the address of the person he's going to kill. So what does this smart man do? He turns up at the address. Alone. Walks in and sits down, not knowing if the guy who possesses the gun is about to come over or is closely lurking around. What? Surely if the police knew someone had a gun, they'd get right on it, a whole squad of them, to try and protect the public by removing the weapon from the person.
There is no logic in this book. The "populars" all bang on about calorie content and all. I don't know what American schools are like, but in the schools where I went to you didn't have to be stick-thin to be a popular. All you needed was a big mouth. Honestly, we had some fat populars, but they never got bullied because of it because they had the "swagger", I guess, to fit into the popular pack.
There really is no plot. It's a sequence of extremely boring events. It was also predictable at times.
I was going to knock another star off, but it's not as bad as the ones I have already marked one star. But I still wouldn't recommend this book.
I don't want to add spoilers, so all I'm going to say is this: They should have worn a helmet. I think people who read this book will know who I am talking about.
January 12, 2016
Elizabeth Valchar (aka Liz) has a great life, she beautiful, rich, has a great caring boyfriend, popular, close friends and her best friend became her stepsister. Celebrating her 18th birthday on the yacht (Elizabeth) with her closest friends, what could go wrong?
Just one fall ends it all for Liz.
Liz founds her drowned body thumping against the yacht, doesn’t even want to believe it's true, until Alex Berg suddenly appears next her; a boy who died a year ago in hit and run. Liz’s memories are in pieces, Alex and Liz keep each other company gathering lost memories back together, both searching for details to what had happened to them.
Liz is a ghost wandering around with Alex, following her family, friends and her boyfriend, watching how people deal with her death and life flow on without her. We are constantly going between present and past (through memories); which created a great background for character and plot. I didn’t really like Liz at the beginning of the book, she was the whole stereotypical American popular chick; a bitch, self centered and up herself (annoying), even in death she only care how she looks. It wasn’t until a few chapters in that her character started to developed into a better person.
The novel was slow pace however fitting for this plot,but at times parts were too slow. The romance was more or less left to the side, away from the mystery plot. Throughout the book, we learn about Liz’s relationship, friendships, struggles, childhood and how she became the person she was. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Alex and Liz; they stuck together, helped each other, even though they're polar opposite.
Some parts were easy to guess, who did it or what going happen but there were still some twist and turns that were surprising and shocking, that kept it a mystery and interesting.
The ending felt a little rush than to the rest, it was a great ending; an emotional one. This story hits major subjects; drugs, drinking, death, anorexia, jealousy, blackmail, depression, .
Between is a story that take time after reading to fully comprehend everything that happen within, overall, I really enjoyed it, characters are great, writing is okay (nothing great), it was a story were nothing was all as it seemed and everyone has their secrets, some darker than others.
Challenge- Minesweeper & Elemental
But was Liz’s life as perfect as it seems,or is there more than meets the eye?
Just one fall ends it all for Liz.
Liz founds her drowned body thumping against the yacht, doesn’t even want to believe it's true, until Alex Berg suddenly appears next her; a boy who died a year ago in hit and run. Liz’s memories are in pieces, Alex and Liz keep each other company gathering lost memories back together, both searching for details to what had happened to them.
Liz is a ghost wandering around with Alex, following her family, friends and her boyfriend, watching how people deal with her death and life flow on without her. We are constantly going between present and past (through memories); which created a great background for character and plot. I didn’t really like Liz at the beginning of the book, she was the whole stereotypical American popular chick; a bitch, self centered and up herself (annoying), even in death she only care how she looks. It wasn’t until a few chapters in that her character started to developed into a better person.
The novel was slow pace however fitting for this plot,but at times parts were too slow. The romance was more or less left to the side, away from the mystery plot. Throughout the book, we learn about Liz’s relationship, friendships, struggles, childhood and how she became the person she was. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Alex and Liz; they stuck together, helped each other, even though they're polar opposite.
Some parts were easy to guess, who did it or what going happen but there were still some twist and turns that were surprising and shocking, that kept it a mystery and interesting.
The ending felt a little rush than to the rest, it was a great ending; an emotional one. This story hits major subjects; drugs, drinking, death, anorexia, jealousy, blackmail, depression, .
Between is a story that take time after reading to fully comprehend everything that happen within, overall, I really enjoyed it, characters are great, writing is okay (nothing great), it was a story were nothing was all as it seemed and everyone has their secrets, some darker than others.
Challenge- Minesweeper & Elemental
April 25, 2015
Non nascondo - e mai lo farò - il fatto che acquisto i libri in base alla copertina: ovviamente, leggo trama e qualche pagina, ma è la cover che ha il potere di catturarmi. Bene, la copertina di questo romanzo mi ha letteralmente ammaliata!
L'ho ricevuto come regalo di Natale e finalmente sono riuscita a leggerlo. Come prevedevo, non ha deluso le mie aspettative: è stata una lettura piacevolissima, ma mi ha fatto riflettere in parecchi punti sul problema dell'anoressia, della popolarità al liceo e del bullismo.
La protagonista, Liz, è morta, ma il suo spirito continua a rimanere "incollato" a terra. Per sua fortuna non è sola in questo sconcertante momento: è affiancata da Alex, anche lui un ragazzo di diciassette anni morto un anno prima. Grazie alla sua forma incorporea e alla sua invisibilità, Liz osserva dall'esterno la vita dei suoi amici e familiari proseguire dopo la sua morte, viaggiando indietro nel tempo per ricordare, per capire come sia affogata nel giorno del suo diciottesimo compleanno, e scoprendo gli altarini che tutti quelli che conosceva nascondevano.
Comincio con Richie: spacciatore e ragazzo dal cuore molto più che d'oro. Fin da subito si capisce che quello che lo legava a Liz era vero amore e non ne ho mai dubitato - anche se quando ho scoperto che se la faceva con quella sgualdrina di Josie, l'ho insultato come si deve. Sapevo che alla fine sarebbe stato lui a capire tutto, e così è stato. Grande Richie!
Josie: stronza sorellastra che crede che il mondo sia una giostra e ha deciso che era il suo turno. L'ho odiata fin dal principio; se Liz era superficiale, allora questa tizia era proprio malata. Che fosse pazza e tremendamente snob si comprende dalle sue parole senza sentimento, vuote, indelicate e raccapriccianti. Da subito ho pensato fosse stata lei, poi però c'è stato un momento in cui ho optato per il suicidio, ma Liz non era una tipa debole, non l'avrebbe mai fatto - a prescindere da quanto si sentisse morire dentro.
E poi c'è Alex: ragazzo morto, insignificante al liceo e compagno di Liz in questo momento di transizione. Il ragazzino non me la raccontava giusta fin dalla sua prima apparizione, infatti ho pensato che lui sapesse come era morta Liz. Invece... verso la fine,,, Lui sapeva chi lo aveva ucciso, un anno prima, e aveva bisogno di perdonarlo per poter andare avanti. Dapprima ironico e stizzoso nei confronti di Liz, in seguito si crea una bellissima amicizia, ed è grazie ad essa - e all'amore per Richie - che anche Liz, la ragazza più popolare della scuola, trarrà la forza di scoprire chi l'ha uccisa.
In conclusione, un libro fantastico che fa riflettere.
L'ho ricevuto come regalo di Natale e finalmente sono riuscita a leggerlo. Come prevedevo, non ha deluso le mie aspettative: è stata una lettura piacevolissima, ma mi ha fatto riflettere in parecchi punti sul problema dell'anoressia, della popolarità al liceo e del bullismo.
La protagonista, Liz, è morta, ma il suo spirito continua a rimanere "incollato" a terra. Per sua fortuna non è sola in questo sconcertante momento: è affiancata da Alex, anche lui un ragazzo di diciassette anni morto un anno prima. Grazie alla sua forma incorporea e alla sua invisibilità, Liz osserva dall'esterno la vita dei suoi amici e familiari proseguire dopo la sua morte, viaggiando indietro nel tempo per ricordare, per capire come sia affogata nel giorno del suo diciottesimo compleanno, e scoprendo gli altarini che tutti quelli che conosceva nascondevano.
Comincio con Richie: spacciatore e ragazzo dal cuore molto più che d'oro. Fin da subito si capisce che quello che lo legava a Liz era vero amore e non ne ho mai dubitato - anche se quando ho scoperto che se la faceva con quella sgualdrina di Josie, l'ho insultato come si deve. Sapevo che alla fine sarebbe stato lui a capire tutto, e così è stato. Grande Richie!
Josie: stronza sorellastra che crede che il mondo sia una giostra e ha deciso che era il suo turno. L'ho odiata fin dal principio; se Liz era superficiale, allora questa tizia era proprio malata. Che fosse pazza e tremendamente snob si comprende dalle sue parole senza sentimento, vuote, indelicate e raccapriccianti. Da subito ho pensato fosse stata lei, poi però c'è stato un momento in cui ho optato per il suicidio, ma Liz non era una tipa debole, non l'avrebbe mai fatto - a prescindere da quanto si sentisse morire dentro.
E poi c'è Alex: ragazzo morto, insignificante al liceo e compagno di Liz in questo momento di transizione. Il ragazzino non me la raccontava giusta fin dalla sua prima apparizione, infatti ho pensato che lui sapesse come era morta Liz. Invece... verso la fine,,, Lui sapeva chi lo aveva ucciso, un anno prima, e aveva bisogno di perdonarlo per poter andare avanti. Dapprima ironico e stizzoso nei confronti di Liz, in seguito si crea una bellissima amicizia, ed è grazie ad essa - e all'amore per Richie - che anche Liz, la ragazza più popolare della scuola, trarrà la forza di scoprire chi l'ha uccisa.
In conclusione, un libro fantastico che fa riflettere.
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