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Nothing Else Matters
Revised 1/25/12 When racism tears a school apart, can love put it back together? As the senior star quarterback of Charleston Preparatory school in South Carolina, Scott Kincaid is poised for a spectacular professional career in sports. Though he and Reyna Lewis have been best friends for six years, between leading Charleston Prep to victory week after week, and seeking the approval of his tyrannical, racist mother, he doesn’t have time to develop anything more with her. But when his once perfect, healthy body is attacked by a debilitating disease, he reevaluates what is important in life. Just when he finally realizes he’s in love with his half black, half Puerto Rican best friend Reyna, a presidential election throws their small private school into racial turmoil. Now it’s up to Scott and Reyna to unify their school and their city. But it just might cost them their newfound relationship.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2011
20 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Leslie DuBois
21 books128 followersSybil Nelson lives in Charleston, SC with her husband and two daughters. She is a PhD student at the Medical University of South Carolina and has written ten novels."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 24, 2012
OMG what can i say about this book i loved it from the begining i couldnt put it damm it was an emotional rollercoaster, but the ending was so unexpected i still cannot get over it and im still crying...Great book
March 15, 2012
This book started out well.
But then it turned too conscious worthy, trying to addressed political and racial questions on a level that was supposed to be higher but never really reached the mark.
The dilemmas and problems were simplified and shallow without getting to any real resolutions. The end results were a gazillion scenes with a bunch of people crying every time the heroine gave a speech. And crying some more…over everything else.
The horrible thing is, there were tear worthy situations in there, but they got tramped over by the authors need to make it all go out with a big bang.
So we basically have grate big issues like the one about the realistic banner ending with… a fluffy happy ending.
After reading most of this book, I was very skeptic about the whole thing because I felt like a lot of issues were talked but never really conquered. Still, it was hovering somewhere along the lines of a 3 star read for me.
*SPOILERS GALORE*
Still, when the main couple got married and everybody started planing a theme wedding at their high school I felt like I was transported in to an episode of the ‘Real life of an American teenager’. The up to this point realistic life YA novel that threw out medical phrases by the bucket was having a weird and totally out of character wedding in it? Sure. Lets have a teen wedding. I will take way one more star, but what the hell, right? There are still two stars to go!
I imagine the author stopping after she wrote this. She thought-it’s too sappy! And she would be right. But then a big light bulb went over her head and she decided to make one big grandiose and extreme point. In a whirlwind to end her book on an impossible high note she inserted an unlikely death (you shot somebody dead because you thought he was a thief? And the person that got shot was a black girl? Oh, sure. 5 minutes ago everybody got freaked out about a racist banner. This shooting? It did not cause a mass riot? Ok. What was this book again? Realistic? Do not make me laugh.)
The unlikely death was crammed in the tight page space after the blown up wedding with hallucinations and weird after death experiences. Neglectful mothers sprouted phrases about love, brothers live for brothers and people with terminal illnesses decided to live over the coffin of their soul mate.
I am just speechless. It went beyond corny. It went right from un-taste to out right appalling.
Maybe somebody would call it enlightening. Or…maybe motivational? But I call it pointless. It gave us no real knowledge of death, or love, or dealings with anything specific or purposeful.
If I had to describe this book in one way, I would tell it like this:
‘I decided to make a strawberry milk shake. I put some milk and ice and strawberries in to the blender. After I pressed the button, the top went of and the goo flew all over my mother’s kitchen. One blob of goo looked like the titanic going under. I remembered how Leonardo di Caprio died in that film and cried. I had no more strawberries. I decided to survive on bananas that day.’
Why do I see this book as blown up strawberry mush? Because it was as boring as that. And even after it blew up in my face, I would be a moron to cry about it and the badly told stories that it included, because really, there are some super bananas out there. Bananas that know what they are talking about…ok, enough with the metaphor! My point is….go buy a book about the hardship of young illnesses and sacrifices. Go read something worth wile, and maybe even , dare I say it? Something less depressing.
But then it turned too conscious worthy, trying to addressed political and racial questions on a level that was supposed to be higher but never really reached the mark.
The dilemmas and problems were simplified and shallow without getting to any real resolutions. The end results were a gazillion scenes with a bunch of people crying every time the heroine gave a speech. And crying some more…over everything else.
The horrible thing is, there were tear worthy situations in there, but they got tramped over by the authors need to make it all go out with a big bang.
So we basically have grate big issues like the one about the realistic banner ending with… a fluffy happy ending.
After reading most of this book, I was very skeptic about the whole thing because I felt like a lot of issues were talked but never really conquered. Still, it was hovering somewhere along the lines of a 3 star read for me.
*SPOILERS GALORE*
Still, when the main couple got married and everybody started planing a theme wedding at their high school I felt like I was transported in to an episode of the ‘Real life of an American teenager’. The up to this point realistic life YA novel that threw out medical phrases by the bucket was having a weird and totally out of character wedding in it? Sure. Lets have a teen wedding. I will take way one more star, but what the hell, right? There are still two stars to go!
I imagine the author stopping after she wrote this. She thought-it’s too sappy! And she would be right. But then a big light bulb went over her head and she decided to make one big grandiose and extreme point. In a whirlwind to end her book on an impossible high note she inserted an unlikely death (you shot somebody dead because you thought he was a thief? And the person that got shot was a black girl? Oh, sure. 5 minutes ago everybody got freaked out about a racist banner. This shooting? It did not cause a mass riot? Ok. What was this book again? Realistic? Do not make me laugh.)
The unlikely death was crammed in the tight page space after the blown up wedding with hallucinations and weird after death experiences. Neglectful mothers sprouted phrases about love, brothers live for brothers and people with terminal illnesses decided to live over the coffin of their soul mate.
I am just speechless. It went beyond corny. It went right from un-taste to out right appalling.
Maybe somebody would call it enlightening. Or…maybe motivational? But I call it pointless. It gave us no real knowledge of death, or love, or dealings with anything specific or purposeful.
If I had to describe this book in one way, I would tell it like this:
‘I decided to make a strawberry milk shake. I put some milk and ice and strawberries in to the blender. After I pressed the button, the top went of and the goo flew all over my mother’s kitchen. One blob of goo looked like the titanic going under. I remembered how Leonardo di Caprio died in that film and cried. I had no more strawberries. I decided to survive on bananas that day.’
Why do I see this book as blown up strawberry mush? Because it was as boring as that. And even after it blew up in my face, I would be a moron to cry about it and the badly told stories that it included, because really, there are some super bananas out there. Bananas that know what they are talking about…ok, enough with the metaphor! My point is….go buy a book about the hardship of young illnesses and sacrifices. Go read something worth wile, and maybe even , dare I say it? Something less depressing.
July 9, 2016
seriously
This book felt like it was written by 10 different people
how you do that?
This book felt like it was written by 10 different people
how you do that?
March 3, 2015
I appreciate that the author did their research, but it was melodramatic, unbalanced, and forced. The lack of a HEA also was annoying.
This book started off interesting enough--star athlete with obsessed parent is in love with his childhood friend. Problem is, Scott's body is starting to fail him, and he's worried about whether Reyna will still like him if he can't be an athlete anymore. Worse, the fact that he's white and she's mixed race complicates their attempts at a relationship, along with the usual "but we can't date bc you're my best friend."
The use of first-person POV for Scott and third for Reyna struck me immediately as odd, but I should have trusted my instinct in being suspicious of the author. It's very rare for a book to mix first- and third-person, and I have seen it done, but here it seemed to serve no purpose. Scott's portions should have been third-person as well, as the first did nothing for the book other than make it odd when we switched to third for Reyna.
This may seem like a niggling point, but it's symptomic of how many fundamental problems there are with this book. While I liked Scott and Reyna (and Stu especially), this book felt almost as if the author either unsure of the story she wanted to tell or was afraid.
The racial aspect was a potentially significant portion of the story, but after about halfway through was dropped/quickly fixed like a hot potato the author was scared would burn her. The forced "metaphor" (I use the term loosely) of La Cienega didn't help, nor did the blatant foreshadowing. Romeo & Juliet? Really?
While the story had serious potential--Scott dealing with an identity crisis once he realizes he can't be an athlete anymore; the two of them struggling to be together as an interracial couple; Scott confronted with his issues with his crazy mother--none of these were developed. The book fizzled at the end with more ridiculous melodrama than a soap opera, and worse, it left the Scott's character arch hobbled (ha, punny).
I don't need an HFN or HEA to enjoy a book, but I do need to feel like the character had the space to make their journey. That did not happen here. The twist felt like a betrayal to the reader, a slap in the face. Very little of what followed made sense, in terms characters' actions.
At least the medical research was done. But I can't really recommend this book at all. Despite its potential, it was just an ultimate mess.
This book started off interesting enough--star athlete with obsessed parent is in love with his childhood friend. Problem is, Scott's body is starting to fail him, and he's worried about whether Reyna will still like him if he can't be an athlete anymore. Worse, the fact that he's white and she's mixed race complicates their attempts at a relationship, along with the usual "but we can't date bc you're my best friend."
The use of first-person POV for Scott and third for Reyna struck me immediately as odd, but I should have trusted my instinct in being suspicious of the author. It's very rare for a book to mix first- and third-person, and I have seen it done, but here it seemed to serve no purpose. Scott's portions should have been third-person as well, as the first did nothing for the book other than make it odd when we switched to third for Reyna.
This may seem like a niggling point, but it's symptomic of how many fundamental problems there are with this book. While I liked Scott and Reyna (and Stu especially), this book felt almost as if the author either unsure of the story she wanted to tell or was afraid.
The racial aspect was a potentially significant portion of the story, but after about halfway through was dropped/quickly fixed like a hot potato the author was scared would burn her. The forced "metaphor" (I use the term loosely) of La Cienega didn't help, nor did the blatant foreshadowing. Romeo & Juliet? Really?
While the story had serious potential--Scott dealing with an identity crisis once he realizes he can't be an athlete anymore; the two of them struggling to be together as an interracial couple; Scott confronted with his issues with his crazy mother--none of these were developed. The book fizzled at the end with more ridiculous melodrama than a soap opera, and worse, it left the Scott's character arch hobbled (ha, punny).
I don't need an HFN or HEA to enjoy a book, but I do need to feel like the character had the space to make their journey. That did not happen here. The twist felt like a betrayal to the reader, a slap in the face. Very little of what followed made sense, in terms characters' actions.
At least the medical research was done. But I can't really recommend this book at all. Despite its potential, it was just an ultimate mess.
October 9, 2014
Good book, good story. I cried like a baby over this book. I need there to be more.
November 20, 2013
Never Again, ever ,ever again, will I read another of this author's work without a warning about how it ends. This book was too depressing, left me sad and a little mad all day. how could she do this, this is a YA book?
I will warn anyone I know who is like me about book endings not to come near this book. My god how could she do this.
This is no way a YA romance, it's more like a YA doom and gloom. I am sorry, but the characters who things should have worked out for didn't, the ones who didn't deserve shit, seem to win out. It's like the bringer of good got killed, the bringer of all that's messed up with the world survived.
What's up with that?
I had such big hopes....
I will stay away from this author!
I will warn anyone I know who is like me about book endings not to come near this book. My god how could she do this.
This is no way a YA romance, it's more like a YA doom and gloom. I am sorry, but the characters who things should have worked out for didn't, the ones who didn't deserve shit, seem to win out. It's like the bringer of good got killed, the bringer of all that's messed up with the world survived.
What's up with that?
I had such big hopes....
I will stay away from this author!
March 3, 2021
I was invested in Scott and Reyna's story. After all that build up, all those issues they overcame and had to overcome. The ending left me utterly heartbroken. After this book I'm sticking to HEA romances. I just can't deal. Life is hard enough. I already know that life is unfair. I want my fiction to leave me in a happy place. I was gutted. Simply gutted.
July 30, 2020
It was okay. The race issue was the best part. I didn't like the pacing and the love story part. "The Hate U Give" did a better part in combining the two. I got this a long time ago as a free book in return for a review.
January 1, 2019
One of the best books that I’ve read in 2018!
June 21, 2019
Felt it was too preachy at times and other times, too predictable. I was bored at parts and skipped around. I liked the overall idea and subject matter of the story, just fell a bit flat for me.
August 28, 2012
(First, I bought this book after reading a short story about the two chartacters in the book, Scott & Reyna, in the ebook Eternal Spring, which is a collection of short stories by different authors; that's how much I liked these two characters).
Now, To readers: please don't take the following in a negative view of my review for this book - It's just the opposite, but I had to write it like this.
OMG!! Ohh Myy Friggin Gosh!!! Im so pissed off at pg164!! (At least on my kindle). I couldnt help it, I had to start writing this immediately. I have enjoyed reading this book so far (again I had to stop on pg 164 and vent this out); and it's been difficult trying to understand the hardships that Scott & Reyna have had to struggle with, with their inter-racial relationship right in the middle of the Presidential election of 2008, and having to hear Scott's mom belittle him & treat him as anything but a son... But to say what she told Doc on pg 164?! I FELT LIKE B%$#*-SLAPPING HER 'TIL NEXT CENTURY!!!!! That's how pissed off I was at her! (I think most of u readers might feel similar after u read thru it). I trully hope there is no mother (ha, if u can call her that) in the world who would say that about their son; because if there is, it's trully a sad, sad world with no hope. It's gonna sound heartless, but. . .some people just should NOT be parents, like EVER!!! And this saddened me cuz there r so many other wonderful people who want a child so badly, to love, and they can't have or concieve. (I know I went off topic here a bit, but I felt I had to say that, considering Scott's "biological incubator", cuz yeah she does NOT deserve to be called "mom" in any way, shape of form!
Once again...OMG!!! Sam wins the WORSE MOTHER IN THE WORLD AWARD!! Im so pissed off at this woman that I wish she were real so I can strangle her myself!!! (Ref pg 184). I dont think I've ever hated a character in a book as much as I do Scott's "biological incubator". She leaves for Europe to compete in the marathon while her son is unconscious in a hospital & may die. WHO DOES THAT S#$%!!!
Ok, so after my anger on pg 184, Scott made it all worthwile reading on pg 188. =).
Ok, fine, fine... bring on the tears!
If my strangling Sam didn't kill her b4, I'm def gonna on pg 202.
Ok readers, despite my rantings above, I really liked this book. I just wish there had been more to read. Sam, Scott's mother, well I dislike her a lot but didnt totally hate her by the end of the book - like at THE very end. She grew an iota of a heart! I was in tears at the end but felt the powerfull love that Scott & Rey shared. Dont wanna give anything away, so DEF go read it; u wont regret it. I loved it. =)
Now, To readers: please don't take the following in a negative view of my review for this book - It's just the opposite, but I had to write it like this.
OMG!! Ohh Myy Friggin Gosh!!! Im so pissed off at pg164!! (At least on my kindle). I couldnt help it, I had to start writing this immediately. I have enjoyed reading this book so far (again I had to stop on pg 164 and vent this out); and it's been difficult trying to understand the hardships that Scott & Reyna have had to struggle with, with their inter-racial relationship right in the middle of the Presidential election of 2008, and having to hear Scott's mom belittle him & treat him as anything but a son... But to say what she told Doc on pg 164?! I FELT LIKE B%$#*-SLAPPING HER 'TIL NEXT CENTURY!!!!! That's how pissed off I was at her! (I think most of u readers might feel similar after u read thru it). I trully hope there is no mother (ha, if u can call her that) in the world who would say that about their son; because if there is, it's trully a sad, sad world with no hope. It's gonna sound heartless, but. . .some people just should NOT be parents, like EVER!!! And this saddened me cuz there r so many other wonderful people who want a child so badly, to love, and they can't have or concieve. (I know I went off topic here a bit, but I felt I had to say that, considering Scott's "biological incubator", cuz yeah she does NOT deserve to be called "mom" in any way, shape of form!
Once again...OMG!!! Sam wins the WORSE MOTHER IN THE WORLD AWARD!! Im so pissed off at this woman that I wish she were real so I can strangle her myself!!! (Ref pg 184). I dont think I've ever hated a character in a book as much as I do Scott's "biological incubator". She leaves for Europe to compete in the marathon while her son is unconscious in a hospital & may die. WHO DOES THAT S#$%!!!
Ok, so after my anger on pg 184, Scott made it all worthwile reading on pg 188. =).
Ok, fine, fine... bring on the tears!
If my strangling Sam didn't kill her b4, I'm def gonna on pg 202.
Ok readers, despite my rantings above, I really liked this book. I just wish there had been more to read. Sam, Scott's mother, well I dislike her a lot but didnt totally hate her by the end of the book - like at THE very end. She grew an iota of a heart! I was in tears at the end but felt the powerfull love that Scott & Rey shared. Dont wanna give anything away, so DEF go read it; u wont regret it. I loved it. =)
June 11, 2013
This is the third book that I've read by Leslie DuBois, and I think that she is the most amazing author ever!! "Nothing Else Matters" is told from two points, Scott Kincaid and Reyna Lewis. Scott Kincaid is the main character of the story, he is the quarterback on the football team, and he is a Senior at Charleston Prep. Reyna Lewis is Scott's best friend, and has been since the sixth grade; she is super smart, and half-black, half-Puerto Rican. We learn that Scott has been suffering from muscle spasms and joint pains, but he brushes it off as if it's nothing. Sam, Scott's overbearing and racist mother pushes Scott to go above and beyond, NO MATTER WHAT. Despite Sam's feelings towards Reyna, Stu (Scott's younger brother) and Scott are really close to Reyna. After losing her mother at the age of 5, Reyna decided she wanted to be a doctor, so she is filled with all kinds of information about diseases and its symptoms. Later on in the book, Reyna and Scott gives a relationship a shot, but it doesn't last long after an offensive banner is put up at the school. The banner segregates the ENTIRE school and has Reyna suspicious of every Caucasian person in school, even Scottie. Before the banner mishap, Reyna made Scott promise her that he'll go to the doctor to get checked out. When Scott goes to the doctor, he finds out that he has Lupus and a hole in his lung; his doctor tell him that he can't play in the championship game on Friday, but does he listen?? No!! What happens at the game is the scariest/most life changing event ever. As always, Leslie manages to shock the readers with an ending that you WOULD NOT EXPECT AT ALL!!! I was literally sitting at the edge of my seat towards the end of the book and on the brink of tears!! By the end of the book, I was literally speechless. I felt like I could really relate to this book; I know the struggles that an interracial friendship with the opposite sex can face. This book sort of hit home with me, but my story isn't as drastic. This is definitely a must read!!!
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April 13, 2012
I got this book with one of the free Kindle deals because I thought that it sounded really good. I was not disappointed. This was a very affecting story that brought me to tears (yes, have your tissue box handy).
This story tackles some really big issues such as prejudice issues at school and inter-racism in romance as well as a disconnected and driven parent towards her children.
Scott and Reyna have been friends since sixth grade, but as they grow older both realize that friendship has become love even if they do not acknowledge it to each other. Circumstances could draw them apart like Scott's popularity as the school's biggest sports star and ability to make it as a pro, like Scott's mom's prejudice of Reyna and determination to drive Scott to being a winning athlete, and the very real prejudiced mindset against them being together. If these complications were not enough, Scott starts to have troubling bouts of debilitating pain, blackouts, and numbness. This mysterious illness causes Scott to access his life and decide what he really wants. He decides that he wants Reyna because she will be there for him even if he is forced to leave sports behind. When they finally come together as a couple, this sets serious events into motion.
The plot was wonderful and the pacing good for a shorter read. There were elements that are probably a tad far-fetched, but it is worth it to suspend disbelief and just go with the story. The very end was a shocker for me.
The characters were well written and I liked the switches in point of view between Scott and Reyna. They are beautiful people that I loved reading about. Scott's brother, Stu was a great character too. I loved the interactions between the brothers.
This was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed trying this new to me author.
This story tackles some really big issues such as prejudice issues at school and inter-racism in romance as well as a disconnected and driven parent towards her children.
Scott and Reyna have been friends since sixth grade, but as they grow older both realize that friendship has become love even if they do not acknowledge it to each other. Circumstances could draw them apart like Scott's popularity as the school's biggest sports star and ability to make it as a pro, like Scott's mom's prejudice of Reyna and determination to drive Scott to being a winning athlete, and the very real prejudiced mindset against them being together. If these complications were not enough, Scott starts to have troubling bouts of debilitating pain, blackouts, and numbness. This mysterious illness causes Scott to access his life and decide what he really wants. He decides that he wants Reyna because she will be there for him even if he is forced to leave sports behind. When they finally come together as a couple, this sets serious events into motion.
The plot was wonderful and the pacing good for a shorter read. There were elements that are probably a tad far-fetched, but it is worth it to suspend disbelief and just go with the story. The very end was a shocker for me.
The characters were well written and I liked the switches in point of view between Scott and Reyna. They are beautiful people that I loved reading about. Scott's brother, Stu was a great character too. I loved the interactions between the brothers.
This was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed trying this new to me author.
May 7, 2012
Nothing Else Matters is a story that evokes a lot of emotions while you read it. Reyna and Scott are best friends, have been since they first met. Scott's mother is a racist and is just too much to stomach. Scott's mother doesn't seem to love or care anyone. All she wants is to make her son into the best athlete ever. She wants him to get to the Olympics and win the gold medal she never did. She has another son who she doesn't get along with. As a mother, character she's just dispicable.
Scott is someone who is sweet but he has let his mother manipulate his life until he gets sick. Scott means well but he has never learn to stand up to his mother. Guess he's trying to win her love by doing everything she wants. He dates a lot but has always been in love with just one person. He just knows his mother won't approve so he has never taken a chance.
Reyna is out to change the world by helping everyone she can. She lost her mother as a child and suffer from insomnia. She loves her best friend Scott but refuses to be someone else he dates and sleeps with. Reyna is very smart and since her mother died she has studied medicine and every kind of rare disease there is. She knows Scott like no one else and knows when he is sick. She gets him to go to the doctor but they are torn apart for a bit by racial tensions in school after someone in the school hangs a very demeaning banner after the president is elected.
This is story that can't be read without feeling something. It's not your typical happy story that has its ups and down and then everyone ends up living happily ever after. It's why probably a lot of people don't like it. This is a story that makes you think. I highly recommend it.
Scott is someone who is sweet but he has let his mother manipulate his life until he gets sick. Scott means well but he has never learn to stand up to his mother. Guess he's trying to win her love by doing everything she wants. He dates a lot but has always been in love with just one person. He just knows his mother won't approve so he has never taken a chance.
Reyna is out to change the world by helping everyone she can. She lost her mother as a child and suffer from insomnia. She loves her best friend Scott but refuses to be someone else he dates and sleeps with. Reyna is very smart and since her mother died she has studied medicine and every kind of rare disease there is. She knows Scott like no one else and knows when he is sick. She gets him to go to the doctor but they are torn apart for a bit by racial tensions in school after someone in the school hangs a very demeaning banner after the president is elected.
This is story that can't be read without feeling something. It's not your typical happy story that has its ups and down and then everyone ends up living happily ever after. It's why probably a lot of people don't like it. This is a story that makes you think. I highly recommend it.
January 1, 2012
Leslie DuBois’s books always leave me shocked and reeling…and La Cienega Just Smiled was no different.
You know that parent that lives through their child? The one that yells and screams at their kid for fumbling a pass or striking out? You know the rabid parent at the games? Scott’s mom is like that. She lost a gold medal in the Olympics to a black person and this is why, I think, she loathes African Americans and even says crap like this:
”Black football players don’t need any extra help. They have genetic advantages…were made to run. That’s why I could never beat them when I was competing. They are taking over the world of sports.”
And that’s not the half of what comes out of that woman’s mouth. She is trying to live through Scott. Scott is pushed everyday to run the fastest, farthest, throw the hardest… he is going to win the Olympics, the World Series, the Super Bowl… all of it. She even makes her son pee in a cup.
For full review, please follow the link:
http://litasylum.com/?p=1215
You know that parent that lives through their child? The one that yells and screams at their kid for fumbling a pass or striking out? You know the rabid parent at the games? Scott’s mom is like that. She lost a gold medal in the Olympics to a black person and this is why, I think, she loathes African Americans and even says crap like this:
”Black football players don’t need any extra help. They have genetic advantages…were made to run. That’s why I could never beat them when I was competing. They are taking over the world of sports.”
And that’s not the half of what comes out of that woman’s mouth. She is trying to live through Scott. Scott is pushed everyday to run the fastest, farthest, throw the hardest… he is going to win the Olympics, the World Series, the Super Bowl… all of it. She even makes her son pee in a cup.
For full review, please follow the link:
http://litasylum.com/?p=1215
January 23, 2012
Wow. This book was way more emotional than anything I normally read and I wasn't expecting it. The message was good, the romance was good but it was so dang sad that I want to go take a walk, stop world hunger, end poverty and donate to a blood drive. The end completely and totally shocked me and I wanted it to keep going so badly that I think I tapped the page forward button on the kindle twenty times in hopes that there would be more. I am torn between a four star and five star review because the writing was extremely well done but I was just left so unsatisfied at the end that I wanted to either cry or throw my kindle. It's definitely worth a read but just prepared that while it seems rather light-hearted in the beginning, it is definitely not the book to pick up if you want a light and happy read.
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May 12, 2012I can't even give this book ONE star. I didn't like it, but it goes much further than that. I HATED this book. I, as a Puerto Rican, feel insulted by this book. If you're going to write about a place, and their people, DO YOUR GODDAMN RESEARCH! We don't live in VILLAGES, we have TOWN. We have pretty much every store and appliance Americans have. This was just ridiculous. But you know what? This was enough for me to black list this book. I'm never going to read another book by this author, and I'm telling all my friends and everyone I know not to read them either.
Sure, the plot had potential, and it started out well, but... she got carried away. The author wanted to make a mind-blowing book, I think, a book that talked about all these racism issues. And that's great! I would love to read a book like that, but LEARN HOW TO DO IT.
Sure, the plot had potential, and it started out well, but... she got carried away. The author wanted to make a mind-blowing book, I think, a book that talked about all these racism issues. And that's great! I would love to read a book like that, but LEARN HOW TO DO IT.
September 13, 2012
My first impression of this book was that it had the potential for an epic story line. Star Football player, good girl from wrong side of tracks, racially charged prep school etc. It started off great but as the story progressed, it got a little ridiculous. Some examples -
Reyna and Scottie get married in hospital room one hour after he wakes up from coma.
Students seem to run school and what happens - including all assemblies.
Reyna seemed like an unreal character. No bad days, bad feelings etc.
Racist mother Sam turns around quickly and holds hands with Reyna's dad one hour after deciding she won't be a racist anymore. Also takes off to Italy leaving her children with no one and is not questioned.
Reyna and Scottie get married in hospital room one hour after he wakes up from coma.
Students seem to run school and what happens - including all assemblies.
Reyna seemed like an unreal character. No bad days, bad feelings etc.
Racist mother Sam turns around quickly and holds hands with Reyna's dad one hour after deciding she won't be a racist anymore. Also takes off to Italy leaving her children with no one and is not questioned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2012
Its basically a sad romantic story between Scott and Reyna as their relationship battels
-racial turmoil at school
-Scott's tyrannical and racist mother's obsession with his winning
a gold medal and
-discovery of Scott suffering from a debilitating disease which could prove fatal if he continued to play in between it all.
The author has used references to the story of Romeo and Juliet as indicative of an impending sad event.
Umm...I guess it was an ok read. Perhaps sad romantic stories aren't really my type..!
My Rating-3
-racial turmoil at school
-Scott's tyrannical and racist mother's obsession with his winning
a gold medal and
-discovery of Scott suffering from a debilitating disease which could prove fatal if he continued to play in between it all.
The author has used references to the story of Romeo and Juliet as indicative of an impending sad event.
Umm...I guess it was an ok read. Perhaps sad romantic stories aren't really my type..!
My Rating-3
April 2, 2012
Nothing Else Matters reminded me of a certain book by Nicholas Sparks, but Leslie DuBois’s writing style is more similar to that of Jodi Picoult as she switched back and forth between POVs, takes on touchy issues, and takes a stab at a shocking twist of an ending. Although I had a feeling that the ending was coming from very early on in the story, it still brought tears to my eyes when it happened because I became so attached to the characters. Overall, I really liked this and I look forward to reading more by Leslie DuBois.
February 19, 2014
This is the third book I read by Leslie DuBois, and I really enjoyed it. Leslie DuBois writes about a inter-racial relationship and it's affect in a racist town. It takes the two main characters, Scottie and Reyna, and makes them face major life decision's at a young age. Along the way Scottie and Reyna learn self-worth and deep love. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS is an emotional story, with twist and turns, and a surprise ending. Readers who like Nicholas Sparks, Anita Shreve and Jodi Picoult will enjoy Leslie DuBois books.
March 22, 2013
Once again an amazing book from this author. It starts out as a regular ya book with the kind of young adults you basically expect but it then takes a turn into incredibly driven young adults who are faced with major life decisions, racial intolerance along with learning their self worth and a deeper love. There were a few laughs and tears and some excellent characters in an emotional moving story.
March 8, 2012
This is one of Leslie's best books to date. It is a sweet little love story that also takes on serious topics like the racism that lurks behind the facade. A community that seems to be very modern and accepting of all people starts showing cracks when the school's star athlete starts dating a black girl. The story is beautifully written.. Way to go Leslie! I am a fan!!!
July 24, 2012
Wow I have very low expectations for this book but I was blown away. I love that was portrayed was incredible. Every feeling was described so well that you felt ever emotion that coursed through the characters.
Great writing. Great story. You will soar and swoon but also feel the pain of heartache.
Great writing. Great story. You will soar and swoon but also feel the pain of heartache.
August 25, 2012
There were moments in this book that I liked. Overall though, I just found this book not happy. I kept thinking it would get better, but it just didn't. The ending was awful and left me feeling bad. I'm just not a fan of unhappy endings when I'm reading.
As far as content, there was some swearing, underage drinking and drugs, and sexual content.
As far as content, there was some swearing, underage drinking and drugs, and sexual content.
August 11, 2016
❝ Leslie DuBois - Nothing Else Matters Review ❞
Other AMAZING BOOK by LISLIE ... I don't know where to start this book blow me away from start to finish ... After finishing it I was so emotional the ending OMG
February 24, 2015
SPOILERS AHEAD
As a black girl who prefers ( but not demands) white guys, I decided to find and read a book with main characters who were along those lines. I never had before so I decided to change that. Nothing Else Matters is the first book I have read and all I'm going to say is this:
This book gave me hope,joy,excitement,ideas,love, made me incredibly happy, and finally broke my heart.
As a black girl who prefers ( but not demands) white guys, I decided to find and read a book with main characters who were along those lines. I never had before so I decided to change that. Nothing Else Matters is the first book I have read and all I'm going to say is this:
This book gave me hope,joy,excitement,ideas,love, made me incredibly happy, and finally broke my heart.
January 25, 2012
Considering this is more of a teen love story it wasn't to bad for the age it was geared towards. A love story that combines politics of school and race mixed with a mother who forcefully lives her dreams through her child. Prepare for a surprise ending.
January 26, 2012
Oh my. I cried a lot.
The love between the 2 main character was so beautiful.
but, why bad things happen to people who don't deserve them?
I love the story. It's an amazing read.
I couldn't stop reading it, I couldn't put it down.
Real it. You'll love it.
The love between the 2 main character was so beautiful.
but, why bad things happen to people who don't deserve them?
I love the story. It's an amazing read.
I couldn't stop reading it, I couldn't put it down.
Real it. You'll love it.
January 28, 2012
I just don't like sappy romances -- I had hopes that the underlying themes about Lupus and racial barriers would somehow save this story, but I was disappointed. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
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