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You Know Where to Find Me
Jamal said only, "Laura..." And I knew, just knew by the rip through my gut and the instant convulsion in my heart, knew by Jamal's uncharacteristically unsmiling face. I knew because Laura always did what I wished I could do.
First cousins Laura and Miles grew up like sisters. Miles thought of Laura as the golden one -- smart, beautiful, rich, and popular -- while Miles considered herself the unwanted one -- an unattractive, underachieving outcast. Laura's suicide shatters Miles and leaves her feeling completely alone, and sets Miles on a dangerous downward spiral. But in the strength Miles finds in herself and in those she didn't believe cared about her, she is able to rebuild her life in unexpected ways.
Rachel Cohn's emotionally powerful new novel views serious issues such as depression, suicide, prescription-drug abuse, and alternative family configurations through the lens of family love and survival.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2008
36 people are currently reading
1787 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Cohn
34 books2,306 followersRachel grew up in the D.C. area and graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Political Science. She has written many YA novels, including three that she cowrote with her friend and colleague David Levithan. She lives and writes (when she's not reading other people's books, organizing her music library or looking for the best cappuccino) in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
April 20, 2009
OH MY GOD A FAT GIRL BOOK WHERE SHE IS NOT SKINNY AT THE END HALLE-FREAKING-LULLAH.
Rachel Cohn sort of irritates me as a writer without David Levithan to even her out. I don't know if it's genuinely her style or that she's really into Francesca Lia Block or something, but, man, Rachel, sometimes all the froufy language and switches in tenses and made-up stories just sort of irritate me.
In the plus column, I really loved the character of Jim. Of course in my head he was played by Tim Gunn.
Rachel Cohn sort of irritates me as a writer without David Levithan to even her out. I don't know if it's genuinely her style or that she's really into Francesca Lia Block or something, but, man, Rachel, sometimes all the froufy language and switches in tenses and made-up stories just sort of irritate me.
In the plus column, I really loved the character of Jim. Of course in my head he was played by Tim Gunn.
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Dianna Geers for TeensReadToo.com
Laura and Miles grew up together. They were cousins who lived so close that Miles could sneak out of her room on scary, stormy nights and escape to the safety of Laura's bed. They spent hours in their tree house and hiding out in their favorite bookstore. As little girls became adolescents, though, being related and living near each other didn't guarantee closeness.
Miles liked to eat and drink. And smoke. Her body put on weight, her poorly-dyed hair never behaved, and she escaped the world by reading. Her grades sucked. She didn't care.
Laura was a beautiful, social butterfly. She was pleasant. Got good grades. Had the perfect boyfriend. The adoring father. So why is she the one who killed herself?
And Miles wonders why Laura got everything. Everything. She even got to escape the world. She got what Miles wanted. Miles planned on joining her. Who would even care if Miles died, anyway?
With that frame of mind, Miles takes several downward turns which continue to lead her in the direction her life had been heading for a long time. Laura even left Miles a secret stash of drugs to help her cope. For a while, Miles chooses to live life in a state of numbness. The worst thing to her was when the fog faded and she had to face life
without her cousin.
As you read YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME, you find touching characters. You care for them--not just Miles--but her father, Laura's father, even Laura herself. Miles falls to such a low that everyone worries about her chances of survival. But somehow in this cocoon of a druggy fog, there's a spirit of a person. A person who is stronger than many people realized. People are not always what they seem. Sometimes they are stronger. Sometimes weaker.
Rachel Cohn has written a touching novel that covers so many issues. And it leaves you thinking. Wondering. Hoping.
Laura and Miles grew up together. They were cousins who lived so close that Miles could sneak out of her room on scary, stormy nights and escape to the safety of Laura's bed. They spent hours in their tree house and hiding out in their favorite bookstore. As little girls became adolescents, though, being related and living near each other didn't guarantee closeness.
Miles liked to eat and drink. And smoke. Her body put on weight, her poorly-dyed hair never behaved, and she escaped the world by reading. Her grades sucked. She didn't care.
Laura was a beautiful, social butterfly. She was pleasant. Got good grades. Had the perfect boyfriend. The adoring father. So why is she the one who killed herself?
And Miles wonders why Laura got everything. Everything. She even got to escape the world. She got what Miles wanted. Miles planned on joining her. Who would even care if Miles died, anyway?
With that frame of mind, Miles takes several downward turns which continue to lead her in the direction her life had been heading for a long time. Laura even left Miles a secret stash of drugs to help her cope. For a while, Miles chooses to live life in a state of numbness. The worst thing to her was when the fog faded and she had to face life
without her cousin.
As you read YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME, you find touching characters. You care for them--not just Miles--but her father, Laura's father, even Laura herself. Miles falls to such a low that everyone worries about her chances of survival. But somehow in this cocoon of a druggy fog, there's a spirit of a person. A person who is stronger than many people realized. People are not always what they seem. Sometimes they are stronger. Sometimes weaker.
Rachel Cohn has written a touching novel that covers so many issues. And it leaves you thinking. Wondering. Hoping.
July 27, 2008
Some nice writing, and I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, but:
1. When you have a character this angry and bitter, it's a real challenge to make the reader like them or even care much. Unfortunately, this book doesn't rise to the challenge.
2. I finally gave up after about the fifth lecture about DC Home Rule. Okay. I get it. I know this is an issue that the character cares a lot about, but it just gets preachy. see (1) above.
1. When you have a character this angry and bitter, it's a real challenge to make the reader like them or even care much. Unfortunately, this book doesn't rise to the challenge.
2. I finally gave up after about the fifth lecture about DC Home Rule. Okay. I get it. I know this is an issue that the character cares a lot about, but it just gets preachy. see (1) above.
January 28, 2009
Cross-posted from my blog review: http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/2008/12...
Uh... Okay, how do I put this? No idea.
How do I reenact this? Well, first we get an emoticon: o_O. Steam blowing from the side to indicate mental exertion? Optional. Whatever you call that sound you make when you’re blowing spit bubbles, playing in the background? MANDATORY.
(Shakespeare would’ve been proud.)
In the interest of brevity—I don’t want to spend more time thinking about this one than I have to—I’ll summarize the plot in a couple of sentences:
Cousins Miles Pudgy and Laura Perfect were raised like sisters, but a falling out a couple of years prior prevented Miles from realizing the emotional pain Laura was in. When Laura commits suicide, Miles must deal with it.
You know, it doesn’t even sound that good when you put it like that which is why I suppose they opted for the hook of the loopy jacket description instead. But whatever, here’s the reality of the matter:
There’s no plot.
Every character except for Miles, the first-person focus of the novel, is underdeveloped.
Miles herself becomes a bore after awhile.
And I still don’t get it.
This would be the place to say I was in resounding love with Rachel’s writing back when I first began reading YA and I picked up Pop Princess and Gingerbread. Given my distaste for her recent releases—Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and now this—I wonder where the object of my affections has gone. Have my preferences changed that much?
The first chapter is engaging enough. I love the “once upon a time”, fairy tale approach to retelling the past, which was employed here. Miles made everything seem so angelic, so perfect, you could hear the childlike giggles (of innocence) reverberating in the background. Then her tale is shattered by her cousin’s death, and you can feel the shards of her broken childhood.
Moving past the first chapter, everything becomes shoddy. The focus was never really on Laura or her suicide but rather on Miles’s self-loathing, drug habits, and unrequited love. And even so, those aren’t resolved either. Not that these things are easily fixed—especially not in the space of 200 pages—but they weren’t developed or evolved, either. Miles screws up with her drug habits as a result of her self-loathing and pushes her unrequited love away...
I’m not convinced anything changes after the last page. To me, Miles is still—as her father calls her—a burnout, except a more devastated one.
Don’t even get me started on my disgust with flat characterization. On a character-driven novel. Miles had personality and voice, but everyone else was drawn like a stick (ironically what Miles wants to be, heh).
On a last note, I’m gonna say that it takes an act of God himself to make me want to clean my room. This novel, somehow, ended up propelled me to do that.
I take this to mean I was uninterested? Bored?
You tell me.
So, D. Thank god the writing style at least was redemptive.
Uh... Okay, how do I put this? No idea.
How do I reenact this? Well, first we get an emoticon: o_O. Steam blowing from the side to indicate mental exertion? Optional. Whatever you call that sound you make when you’re blowing spit bubbles, playing in the background? MANDATORY.
(Shakespeare would’ve been proud.)
In the interest of brevity—I don’t want to spend more time thinking about this one than I have to—I’ll summarize the plot in a couple of sentences:
Cousins Miles Pudgy and Laura Perfect were raised like sisters, but a falling out a couple of years prior prevented Miles from realizing the emotional pain Laura was in. When Laura commits suicide, Miles must deal with it.
You know, it doesn’t even sound that good when you put it like that which is why I suppose they opted for the hook of the loopy jacket description instead. But whatever, here’s the reality of the matter:
There’s no plot.
Every character except for Miles, the first-person focus of the novel, is underdeveloped.
Miles herself becomes a bore after awhile.
And I still don’t get it.
This would be the place to say I was in resounding love with Rachel’s writing back when I first began reading YA and I picked up Pop Princess and Gingerbread. Given my distaste for her recent releases—Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and now this—I wonder where the object of my affections has gone. Have my preferences changed that much?
The first chapter is engaging enough. I love the “once upon a time”, fairy tale approach to retelling the past, which was employed here. Miles made everything seem so angelic, so perfect, you could hear the childlike giggles (of innocence) reverberating in the background. Then her tale is shattered by her cousin’s death, and you can feel the shards of her broken childhood.
Moving past the first chapter, everything becomes shoddy. The focus was never really on Laura or her suicide but rather on Miles’s self-loathing, drug habits, and unrequited love. And even so, those aren’t resolved either. Not that these things are easily fixed—especially not in the space of 200 pages—but they weren’t developed or evolved, either. Miles screws up with her drug habits as a result of her self-loathing and pushes her unrequited love away...
I’m not convinced anything changes after the last page. To me, Miles is still—as her father calls her—a burnout, except a more devastated one.
Don’t even get me started on my disgust with flat characterization. On a character-driven novel. Miles had personality and voice, but everyone else was drawn like a stick (ironically what Miles wants to be, heh).
On a last note, I’m gonna say that it takes an act of God himself to make me want to clean my room. This novel, somehow, ended up propelled me to do that.
I take this to mean I was uninterested? Bored?
You tell me.
So, D. Thank god the writing style at least was redemptive.
August 19, 2009
Laura and Miles used to be cousins and best friends. They grew up in the paradise of their tree house, enacting fairy tales. You don’t know differences when you’re younger. So Laura was a blonde, blue-eyed perfect princess and Miles was a plump girl who started reading at the age of four and never stopped. So what? That didn’t stop them from doing Brownies, Girl Scouts, summer camp, swimming and dancing lessons together.
Adolescence caused them to grow apart, because soon these differences do matter. One is a popular goddess, and one is a smoking, medicine-raiding outcast.
Which one is more likely to commit suicide?
You’d never think it would be the beautiful girl.
With Laura gone, Miles has to reevaluate her life over the course of a summer, and decide if it’s worth living after all.
Dark, perhaps, but the darkness is necessary for the subject matter, and there’s some humor in here as well…Miles still leaves some hope.
April 12, 2018
"she did not kill herself as a means of escaping something. She simply chose not to live. There's a difference."
It's weird...but I found a book about suicide boring.
No, boring isn't the right word. I think I just didn't connect with any of the characters. The conversations were strange for me because they seemed...forced? had confusing slang/lingo? never seemed to be about what they were actually saying but I could never actually squeeze out the real meaning either...
and, honestly, Miles kind of sucks. she just doesn't do anything. She complains, but only some. She does drugs. a lot. and describing the high as so great....it's just such a confusing book.
I'm always nervous about YA books that portray suicide...as anything other than a really really bad thing. this doesn't portray it as bad or good. nor does it portray drugs as bad. ....
It's weird...but I found a book about suicide boring.
No, boring isn't the right word. I think I just didn't connect with any of the characters. The conversations were strange for me because they seemed...forced? had confusing slang/lingo? never seemed to be about what they were actually saying but I could never actually squeeze out the real meaning either...
and, honestly, Miles kind of sucks. she just doesn't do anything. She complains, but only some. She does drugs. a lot. and describing the high as so great....it's just such a confusing book.
I'm always nervous about YA books that portray suicide...as anything other than a really really bad thing. this doesn't portray it as bad or good. nor does it portray drugs as bad. ....
July 6, 2011
This is honestly one of the first books I've had this year that I had difficulty finishing. I didsliked this book for a few different reasons:
1. The plot for this book was really weak. A girl's cousin dies and the girl continues her life before the death, except sometimes she seems kind of sad about her cousin.
2. The writing style. It was really weird the way some things were said.
3. MILES. I really, really disliked Miles. All she did was complain. Her best friend (cousin. Sister. Laura) dies and all she can do is complain about how fat she is or how she wishes her friend would love her or how she wants to get high.
All in all, I think this book had the potential to be a good story, but it didn't really turn out that way.
1. The plot for this book was really weak. A girl's cousin dies and the girl continues her life before the death, except sometimes she seems kind of sad about her cousin.
2. The writing style. It was really weird the way some things were said.
3. MILES. I really, really disliked Miles. All she did was complain. Her best friend (cousin. Sister. Laura) dies and all she can do is complain about how fat she is or how she wishes her friend would love her or how she wants to get high.
All in all, I think this book had the potential to be a good story, but it didn't really turn out that way.
February 3, 2011
I usually don't write reviews on books, but this one needed one. This book was AWFUL. I should have known I wasn't going to like it because I tried to read a book from this author once before and it bored me to death. This book felt like there wasn't much a point to it except that the sister/cousin girl over dosed and died. There was absolutely no climax or turning point in this book... my suggestion is to not waste your time.
March 25, 2019
Name: Anna Meyer
Book title: You Know Where to Find Me
Personal Response: In my opinion, I thought this was a good book. It had a good plot to it and it was not like any other teenage book. I would definitely read it over again, or I would recommend it to some other friends. I thought the book also had a good hook to it too because, like I said before, it had a good twist and plot to it. So to conclude, I thought this was a really great book to read, and had a lot of interesting things happening.
Plot Summary: In this book, Jamal and Laura were the same age and been really close cousins for forever. They did basically everything together when they grew up, and had a lot of the same interests. Once they got into high school, Laura started to grow apart from Jamal. Once they had lost contact, the two of them became a little off, as in not mentally good. Jamal had taken the path to drugs, and Laura had chosen to end her life her to close, and now her once close cousin has to cope with that.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to a high school audience. This book deals with a lot of dark tones, as in drug use and suicide. I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger students because of these reasons. But once you read You Know Where to Find Me, it is worth it.
Book title: You Know Where to Find Me
Personal Response: In my opinion, I thought this was a good book. It had a good plot to it and it was not like any other teenage book. I would definitely read it over again, or I would recommend it to some other friends. I thought the book also had a good hook to it too because, like I said before, it had a good twist and plot to it. So to conclude, I thought this was a really great book to read, and had a lot of interesting things happening.
Plot Summary: In this book, Jamal and Laura were the same age and been really close cousins for forever. They did basically everything together when they grew up, and had a lot of the same interests. Once they got into high school, Laura started to grow apart from Jamal. Once they had lost contact, the two of them became a little off, as in not mentally good. Jamal had taken the path to drugs, and Laura had chosen to end her life her to close, and now her once close cousin has to cope with that.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to a high school audience. This book deals with a lot of dark tones, as in drug use and suicide. I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger students because of these reasons. But once you read You Know Where to Find Me, it is worth it.
May 29, 2018
Personal Response:
This book made me lose interest within the first couple of chapters. I think the plot line could be really interesting if the author added more detail and emotion into the characters. I rate this book a two out of five stars.
Plot Summary:
Laura and Miles are cousins. Living right next door to one another helps them to grow up as if they are sisters. As time passes and they both grow older, they develop different personalities. Laura is a slim girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is loved all around the school and has straight A’s. Her future is bright, and she appears to have the perfect life. Miles, on the other hand, has put on some weight and is more of the stereotypical “goth” girl. Her dark hair matches her dark eyes that are lined with black makeup. Miles does not care much about school, or anything really. Still, no matter how polar opposite they seem to be, Miles and Laura have never lost the sisterly bond between them. Until one day, Laura unexpectedly takes her own life. Now, Miles has to get along and cope with Laura being gone. Her path seems to be getting darker and darker. Though, Miles discovers that even just a little hope can go a far way.
Characterization:
The biggest character development that occurs in this book is through the character of Miles. Miles grows up to be a girl who does not care much about life. She drowns everyone out through drugs and alcohol. She is the girl with the darkest of hair and makeup, along with the girl who is said to take up the most amount of space. The death of her cousin, her childhood best friend, and the one she could always go to increases Miles´s negative point of view in life. As the story continues, Miles seeks help and realizes that there is more to life than what she thought. She turns into a caring, sweet girl who finds joy in the simple characteristics of life.
Another character development is the character of Laura. Not much detail is given about Laura besides the fact that she is the typical popular, pretty, kind, and caring girl with a bright future. It is not the character herself that changes within the book, but the perspective and thought about the character from the reader's point of view that changes. The author never reveals why Laura decides to take her own life. This leaves the reader wondering if maybe she had more troubles going on in her life than what was revealed within the book.
Recommendations:
I recommend this book for anyone over the age of 15. This book contains the use of illegal drugs and alcohol and it may be hard for readers under the age of 15 to understand or cope with.
This book made me lose interest within the first couple of chapters. I think the plot line could be really interesting if the author added more detail and emotion into the characters. I rate this book a two out of five stars.
Plot Summary:
Laura and Miles are cousins. Living right next door to one another helps them to grow up as if they are sisters. As time passes and they both grow older, they develop different personalities. Laura is a slim girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is loved all around the school and has straight A’s. Her future is bright, and she appears to have the perfect life. Miles, on the other hand, has put on some weight and is more of the stereotypical “goth” girl. Her dark hair matches her dark eyes that are lined with black makeup. Miles does not care much about school, or anything really. Still, no matter how polar opposite they seem to be, Miles and Laura have never lost the sisterly bond between them. Until one day, Laura unexpectedly takes her own life. Now, Miles has to get along and cope with Laura being gone. Her path seems to be getting darker and darker. Though, Miles discovers that even just a little hope can go a far way.
Characterization:
The biggest character development that occurs in this book is through the character of Miles. Miles grows up to be a girl who does not care much about life. She drowns everyone out through drugs and alcohol. She is the girl with the darkest of hair and makeup, along with the girl who is said to take up the most amount of space. The death of her cousin, her childhood best friend, and the one she could always go to increases Miles´s negative point of view in life. As the story continues, Miles seeks help and realizes that there is more to life than what she thought. She turns into a caring, sweet girl who finds joy in the simple characteristics of life.
Another character development is the character of Laura. Not much detail is given about Laura besides the fact that she is the typical popular, pretty, kind, and caring girl with a bright future. It is not the character herself that changes within the book, but the perspective and thought about the character from the reader's point of view that changes. The author never reveals why Laura decides to take her own life. This leaves the reader wondering if maybe she had more troubles going on in her life than what was revealed within the book.
Recommendations:
I recommend this book for anyone over the age of 15. This book contains the use of illegal drugs and alcohol and it may be hard for readers under the age of 15 to understand or cope with.
August 5, 2008
Beautiful Laura and chubby Miles are sister-cousins, cousins by blood but as close as sisters. That is, until adolescence, when perfect Laura ditches Miles for more popular friends, and outcast Miles is dubbed “8 Mile.” But during Laura’s last year of high school, the cousins reconnected over a shared love of getting high. Miles thought she had gotten Laura back; she didn’t know how far they really were until Laura commits suicide. Miles now finds herself lost, not knowing who to turn to or what to care about. You Know Where to Find Me follows a struggling Miles as she tries to figure out how life will go on.
I found You Know Where to Find Me a confusing novel at best. In all honesty, I liked the first and last chapters but pretty much nothing in between. Miles’ character was very confusing, and I didn’t feel that the rest of the characters were developed enough, especially Miles’ parents. I also never really felt the connection between Laura and Miles that should’ve been there. The novel follows Miles’ life, but I often felt myself thinking, “Well, so what?” You Know Where to Find Me lacks a certain something that could make it a really great novel, and I regret to say that this book greatly disappointed me. I originally expected this novel to be similar to other spectacular novels dealing with death and suicide such as The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, and Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe, but You Know Where to Find Me unfortunately failed at this.
I’m sorry to say that You Know Where to Find Me is probably the first book I’ve read that I don’t recommend at all (not including school-required novels). This book was just too disappointing.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
I found You Know Where to Find Me a confusing novel at best. In all honesty, I liked the first and last chapters but pretty much nothing in between. Miles’ character was very confusing, and I didn’t feel that the rest of the characters were developed enough, especially Miles’ parents. I also never really felt the connection between Laura and Miles that should’ve been there. The novel follows Miles’ life, but I often felt myself thinking, “Well, so what?” You Know Where to Find Me lacks a certain something that could make it a really great novel, and I regret to say that this book greatly disappointed me. I originally expected this novel to be similar to other spectacular novels dealing with death and suicide such as The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, and Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe, but You Know Where to Find Me unfortunately failed at this.
I’m sorry to say that You Know Where to Find Me is probably the first book I’ve read that I don’t recommend at all (not including school-required novels). This book was just too disappointing.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
Read
October 31, 2016“You know where to find me “ by Rachel Cohn is a realistic fiction story set in Washington D.C. it is an interesting book which tells the story about the girl Miles who considered herself as unwanted one. The story is told by the first person narrator and it is a journey of loss and forgiveness.
Miles is the protagonist of the book. She thought that she is irrelevant to her mom Mel and her dad. That is why they left her alone and got busy in their lives. But the person to whom Miles was close with, her cousin Laura. They were best friends. They used to share everything to each other. Miles got too depressed when her cousin Laura committed suicide. “Laura is dead”( p. 19 ). After Laura’s death Miles felt alone. Jamal was miles friend and he helped her to take out all the depression and sadness. Jamal was always there whenever Miles need him.
Jamal was really kind to Miles and always help her but Miles took his kindness more than friendship and started liking him. She had a special feeling towards him but she didn’t wants to tell him and spoil their friendship. “Miles wishes she could tell this to Jamal”.
At the end Miles realized her mistake that he had a wrong views about her parents and about Bex. She felt sorry about it and Miles forgave all those people who hurt her.
In the story all the characters were believable. They all were supportive. The story of this book is really compelling to a reader to go over and read the whole story.
I would like to recommend this book to my friends because it is such a good and interesting book. A person who loves to read deep, will enjoy the book.
Miles is the protagonist of the book. She thought that she is irrelevant to her mom Mel and her dad. That is why they left her alone and got busy in their lives. But the person to whom Miles was close with, her cousin Laura. They were best friends. They used to share everything to each other. Miles got too depressed when her cousin Laura committed suicide. “Laura is dead”( p. 19 ). After Laura’s death Miles felt alone. Jamal was miles friend and he helped her to take out all the depression and sadness. Jamal was always there whenever Miles need him.
Jamal was really kind to Miles and always help her but Miles took his kindness more than friendship and started liking him. She had a special feeling towards him but she didn’t wants to tell him and spoil their friendship. “Miles wishes she could tell this to Jamal”.
At the end Miles realized her mistake that he had a wrong views about her parents and about Bex. She felt sorry about it and Miles forgave all those people who hurt her.
In the story all the characters were believable. They all were supportive. The story of this book is really compelling to a reader to go over and read the whole story.
I would like to recommend this book to my friends because it is such a good and interesting book. A person who loves to read deep, will enjoy the book.
November 1, 2013
This book has amazing characters, Miles and Laura are like sisters but they really are cousins. Miles was left with her uncle which is Laura's dad he natures Miles while her father gets better and her mother comes back. While living most of her life with Laura they become very close. Laura is a very beautiful smart popular girl and Miles looks at herself as unattractive and unpopular. For some reason Laura decide she doesn't want to stick around anymore and Miles goes on with her life full of loneliness, confusion and hurt. Miles isn't alone in this tragedy her friends and family suffer as well.
I can say "you know where to find me" was a good book. I fell in love with the characters. This book really goes into details about the main character miles life and how she hurts. If you are into funny and moving inspirational stories this book is for you if you are not into these categories this book will give you in sites of drug abuse, depression, suicide, family, and love. This book made me cry and laugh I really recommend it to you book lovers out there.
Rachel Cohn is a great author this book was a real inspiration not just for me but I am sure for other people that read this book as well. I really recommend this book read it read it read it! you will love it. I could definitely picture the characters and hardship they went threw. All the characters were great like a said before.
I can say "you know where to find me" was a good book. I fell in love with the characters. This book really goes into details about the main character miles life and how she hurts. If you are into funny and moving inspirational stories this book is for you if you are not into these categories this book will give you in sites of drug abuse, depression, suicide, family, and love. This book made me cry and laugh I really recommend it to you book lovers out there.
Rachel Cohn is a great author this book was a real inspiration not just for me but I am sure for other people that read this book as well. I really recommend this book read it read it read it! you will love it. I could definitely picture the characters and hardship they went threw. All the characters were great like a said before.
July 29, 2008
Laura and Miles were cousins but they might have been sisters, they were so close. They grew up together and shared everything--talks in the tree house, cigarettes, snacks, prescription drugs--until Laura kills herself, that is. Miles was left to deal with the emotional detritus left behind after Laura’s death. Miles can not understand why Laura did it when she had everything, beauty, popularity, a loving, rich father, a great boyfriend, where Miles was overweight, preferred her books to people, an uncaring mother, and an unrequited crush on her best friend Jamal. Miles feels so alone after Laura is gone, especially after Bex, Laura’s best friend from her private school, finds solace with Jamal. She quickly descends into abusing the prescription drugs that she and Laura used to share; feeling like no one understands what she is going through and utterly alone. Without even realizing it, people in her life begin to notice her self-destruction and try to help, but is it too late? This interesting novel contains a variety of issues including statehood for Washington D.C., interracial relationships, alternative families, prescription drug abuse, woven together in a believable way that will appeal to many teens.
October 31, 2009
You Know Where To Find Me was an interesting book. It was interesting enough to keep me reading it but it didn't completely engross me. It's a hard book to talk about because I'm not entirely sure about it.
Sure, it was quite interesting, from the start I was wanting to know where it was going. But as I got further and further into it, it just became really predictable and kind of cliché.
The characters didn't really capture me emotionally either. I felt that when the mood was supposed to be sad and quite serious I just didn't really feel that emotional attachment. While the situation of Miles, and how she coped with grief was understandable I just didn't find it to be original or engaging.
Overall I felt this novel was alright but it just didn't appeal to me. It just didn't capture the emotion or anything. I found it quite flat.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who might want to give it a go but I dunno, it might appeal to someone else but to me it just didn't cut it.
Sure, it was quite interesting, from the start I was wanting to know where it was going. But as I got further and further into it, it just became really predictable and kind of cliché.
The characters didn't really capture me emotionally either. I felt that when the mood was supposed to be sad and quite serious I just didn't really feel that emotional attachment. While the situation of Miles, and how she coped with grief was understandable I just didn't find it to be original or engaging.
Overall I felt this novel was alright but it just didn't appeal to me. It just didn't capture the emotion or anything. I found it quite flat.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who might want to give it a go but I dunno, it might appeal to someone else but to me it just didn't cut it.
July 30, 2013
I didn't like this book but I had my reasons. It's so boring, I didn't even finish it. Here are a couple of my reasons (besides the fact that I usually only ever write reviews for extremely horrible or extremely amazing books. There is no in between. And sadly, this book is the later.):
1.) I really tried to understand Miles. Really I did. But when a character is this negative it's hard to like her or the book. She's so full of pessimism it's hard to swallow.
2.) D.C., D.C, D.C it's like that's all she ever talks about. We get it your government is crap and you should have your rights but for the love of God don't make half of the book about that. It's boring me to death.
3.) I was let down....I expected romance. I didn't get any, plus
Do yourself a favor, don't read this book.
1.) I really tried to understand Miles. Really I did. But when a character is this negative it's hard to like her or the book. She's so full of pessimism it's hard to swallow.
2.) D.C., D.C, D.C it's like that's all she ever talks about. We get it your government is crap and you should have your rights but for the love of God don't make half of the book about that. It's boring me to death.
3.) I was let down....I expected romance. I didn't get any, plus
Do yourself a favor, don't read this book.
July 6, 2009
"If she could only tell him the sum total of all she loves in him, he'd know she wasn't some ignorant kid who couldn't possibly understand or could experience love; he'd see that she knows it and she hurts for it." - You Know Where to Find Me, Rachel Cohn
When perfect cousin Laura commits suicide, Miles must find a way to understand and cope with the grief and turmoil that's left behind.
I really liked the whole message and point of this book. However, I gave it three stars because I often found it difficult to read because I was so bored. The book had its good and bad parts.
When perfect cousin Laura commits suicide, Miles must find a way to understand and cope with the grief and turmoil that's left behind.
I really liked the whole message and point of this book. However, I gave it three stars because I often found it difficult to read because I was so bored. The book had its good and bad parts.
February 11, 2011
This book is about a girl named 8 mile and her cuzin named laura 8 miles cuzin killed herself laura was the preety skinny girl and 8 mile was the chubby girl that nobody wanted to hang with besides one person named Jamal. He and his sister was her only friend. 8 Mile had a problem with rules she didnt care to much for them or the government. She read all the time that was her escape from reality and dealing with the death of her best frind/cuzin.
8 mile became addicted to drugs and ended up oding. her uncle jim and dad buddy made sure she got the help she needed
8 mile became addicted to drugs and ended up oding. her uncle jim and dad buddy made sure she got the help she needed
April 20, 2009
Wow, so I really hated this book. Besides nothing happening, the narrator is fat. No, really. She's FAT and she loves to eat but she hates herself because she's FAT and no one will ever love her because she's FAT and FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT.
Her real problem is that she's BORING because she's so obsessed with being FAT.
Her real problem is that she's BORING because she's so obsessed with being FAT.
December 14, 2012
Oh my Lord this book was terrible. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. First of all, it was far too political, and second of all, I felt absolutely zero sympathy for the awful protagonist.
April 19, 2016
Kurz und knapp
Stilistisch ein Volltreffer. Rachel Cohn schreibt poetisch, ehrlich und originell. Inhaltlich ist der Roman gewöhnungsbedürftig. Themen wie Drogenkonsum und das politische System in Washington D.C. werden sehr detailiert beschrieben und diskutietiert, sicher nicht jedermanns Geschmack.
[3 STERNE]
Lang und breit
Nach den ersten paar Seiten war ich hin und weg. Der Anfang wird wie ein modernes, originelles Märchen erzählt und handelt von einem Mann namens Jim, der unbedingt ein Kind haben möchte.
Nach dem ersten Kapitel wechselt die Erzählperspektive zu Protagonistin Miles. Ihre Erzählweise ist nur selten märchenhaft, aber auch ihr merkt man Rachel Cohns sprachliches Können an. Sie hat eine raffinierte, intelligente Ausdrucksweise, die oft poetisch rüberkommt:
Trotzdem hat mir der Märchenstil aus Sicht des allwissenden Erzählers besser gefallen. Leider tauchen solche Kapitel nur ein paar Mal auf.
Am meisten ans Herz gewachsen sind mir die beiden älteren Herren. Zum einen wäre da Buddy, Miles’ Vater, der sich nie richtig um sie gekümmert hat. Als Miles’ Mutter sie nach dem Selbstmord von Laura (Miles’ beste Freundin, Cousine und quasi-Schwester) allein in D.C. zurücklässt, um ihren Freund in England zu besuchen, ist Buddy erst nur als Anstandswauwau zur Stelle. Aber nach und nach ist mir klar geworden, dass dieser überforderte, tollpatschige, liebenswerte Mann sich wirklich um Miles sorgt und es hat mir das Herz erwärmt als sie das endlich auch erkannt hat.
Genauso viel Charme hat auch Jim, der alte schwule Herr, Lauras Ziehvater, dem das Anwesen, auf dem auch Miles wohnt gehört. Er setzt sich für viele politische Rechte ein, verurteilt andere Menschen aber nie nach dem, was sie nach außen zu sein scheinen. Er ist irgendwie schrullig und hat so viel Geld, dass er sich alles leisten kann, aber auch das erspart ihm die Trauer über Lauras Verlust nicht. Die Momente, in denen er mit Miles zusammen raucht und über das Leben philosophiert, haben mir vor lauter Qualm zwar Tränen in die Augen getrieben, waren aber dennoch Gold wert.
Zu Miles selbst habe ich eine kleine Hassliebesbeziehung aufgebaut. Einerseits fand ich sie ziemlich cool, weil sie eine totale Leseratte ist, ziemlich zynisch, aber auch kreativ und äußerst wortgewandt. Leider konnte ich sie auch oft nicht verstehen. Weder ihr endloses Gequatsche über die Politik in D.C. oder ihre Schwärmerei für ihren besten Freund, noch ihr überschwenglicher Drogenkonsum haben es mir besonders leicht gemacht, sie wirklich zu mögen. Außerdem ist sie den meisten Menschen gegenüber sehr feindselig eingestellt und gibt nur wenigen die Chance überhaupt nett zu ihr zu sein, was vermutlich einfach eine Schutzhülle ist, um nicht verletzt zu werden. Gerade nach Lauras Selbstmord war das verständlich.
Insgesamt gab es in diesem Roman viel zu viele Themen mit denen ich nichts anfangen konnte. Zum einen wären da die Drogen. Es werden zig Namen von Medikamenten und Rauschmitteln aufgezählt, die mir fast nie etwas gesagt haben. Zum Glück wurde auch die Wirkung dieser Stoffe ziemlich gut beschrieben. Das hat es für mich zwar immer noch nicht interessanter gemacht, aber ich konnte mir wenigstens vorstellen wovon die Rede ist.
Anders stand es da um das Politikgequatsche im Zusammenhang mit Washington D.C.. Es wurden ständig etwas am politischen System diskutiert und kritisiert ohne dass ich davor viel Vorabwissen verabreicht bekommen habe. Für Leute, die in der Stadt oder ihrer Nähe leben, mag das alles Sinn machen, aber ich wusste zu 80% der Zeit nicht wovon die Rede ist und habe mich gefragt, was das alles in einem Buch verloren hat, in dem es doch eigentlich um den Verlust eines Menschen geht.
Dazu kommt dann immer wieder das Erwähnen von Hip Hop und ähnlichem, was den Eindruck, dass das typische D.C. einfach nicht meine Welt ist, noch verschärft hat.
Ich befürchte Rachel Cohn hat einfach zu viel in dieses Buch gepresst. Zwischenzeitlich habe ich sogar einen anderen Roman gelesen, weil ich einfach keine Lust mehr auf die Themen hatte und dabei hat das Buch nur gut 200 Seiten.
Erst ganz am Ende fühlte ich mich irgendwie wohl in Miles Welt.
Die Kameraden
Rachel Cohn ist mir schon seit einiger Zeit aus ihrer Zusammenarbeit mit David Levithan bekannt. Die Bücher, die die beiden zusammen schreiben, gehören zu meinen Top-Favouriten. Von David Levithan habe ich schon viele Einzelwerke gelesen, die mir ebenfalls ausgezeichnet gefallen haben. You Know Where To Find Me war nun mein erstes Rachel-Cohn-only Buch und ich bin recht enttäuscht. Sprachlich erkenne ich zwar die Rachel, die ich liebe, aber inhaltlich habe ich etwas komplett anderes erwartet. Trotzdem werde ich nicht aufgeben und noch ein paar anderen ihrer Werke eine Chance geben.
Die Unbeantworteten
Keine offenen Fragen
Die Optik
Das Paperback Cover finde ich nett, aber eher unspektakulär. Es ist halt ein weichgezeichnetes Mädchen auf einer Wiese. Von den Farben passt es ganz gut zum Ton des Buches. Was mich ein wenig ärgert ist, dass das Cover ziemlich offensichtlich Laura zeigt. Laura nimmt sich zu Beginn des Buches das Leben. Ihr Verlust wirkt sich zwar extrem auf die Charaktere aus, aber eigentlich geht es doch um Protagonistin Miles. Ich will ja niemandem etwas vorwerfen, aber ich vermute fast, dass der Verlag kein fettleibiges Mädchen auf dem Cover haben wollte.
Auch das Hardcover passt gut zum Inhalt und zur Atmosphäre des Romans, da viel die Rede von dem Garten ist, in dem Laura und Miles ihre Sommer verbracht haben. Obwohl das Verschwinden von Laura auf dem Cover sehr kunstvoll dargestellt wurde, frage ich mich wieder: warum nicht Miles?
Das Gelernte
In Washington D.C. gibt es einen Haufen Probleme, was das Wahlrecht der Bürger angeht. Worum es sich dabei im Speziellen handelt, konnte ich leider nicht erfassen.
Die Doppelgänger
Crank von Ellen Hopkins empfehle ich allen, die gern mehr über Drogenhochs und –tief lesen möchten.
Before I Fall von Lauren Oliver ist offensichtlich ein Coverzwilling. Das Buch selbst setzt sich aber auch mit Suizid auseinander.
Stilistisch ein Volltreffer. Rachel Cohn schreibt poetisch, ehrlich und originell. Inhaltlich ist der Roman gewöhnungsbedürftig. Themen wie Drogenkonsum und das politische System in Washington D.C. werden sehr detailiert beschrieben und diskutietiert, sicher nicht jedermanns Geschmack.
[3 STERNE]
Lang und breit
Nach den ersten paar Seiten war ich hin und weg. Der Anfang wird wie ein modernes, originelles Märchen erzählt und handelt von einem Mann namens Jim, der unbedingt ein Kind haben möchte.
„Apparently being gay, sterile, and old were not factors that should stop Jim from realizing the baby dream. He was independently wealthy, he could make his own dreams happen. So Jim got his beautiful young lover, a Legolas clone but normal-size and from this dimension, to do his thing into a cup. Jim found the perfect surrogate mother, a fit and attractive, penniless medical student who looked like a poor man’s Gwyneth Paltrow. If she could do him this favor, he could put her through medical school.”
(S. 1)
Nach dem ersten Kapitel wechselt die Erzählperspektive zu Protagonistin Miles. Ihre Erzählweise ist nur selten märchenhaft, aber auch ihr merkt man Rachel Cohns sprachliches Können an. Sie hat eine raffinierte, intelligente Ausdrucksweise, die oft poetisch rüberkommt:
„Too many hydros and my body will develop a tolerance, so this jive turkey has decided to go cold turkey. Insomnia, you are mine. I embrace you. I accept you. I smoke through you.”
(S. 69)
Trotzdem hat mir der Märchenstil aus Sicht des allwissenden Erzählers besser gefallen. Leider tauchen solche Kapitel nur ein paar Mal auf.
Am meisten ans Herz gewachsen sind mir die beiden älteren Herren. Zum einen wäre da Buddy, Miles’ Vater, der sich nie richtig um sie gekümmert hat. Als Miles’ Mutter sie nach dem Selbstmord von Laura (Miles’ beste Freundin, Cousine und quasi-Schwester) allein in D.C. zurücklässt, um ihren Freund in England zu besuchen, ist Buddy erst nur als Anstandswauwau zur Stelle. Aber nach und nach ist mir klar geworden, dass dieser überforderte, tollpatschige, liebenswerte Mann sich wirklich um Miles sorgt und es hat mir das Herz erwärmt als sie das endlich auch erkannt hat.
Genauso viel Charme hat auch Jim, der alte schwule Herr, Lauras Ziehvater, dem das Anwesen, auf dem auch Miles wohnt gehört. Er setzt sich für viele politische Rechte ein, verurteilt andere Menschen aber nie nach dem, was sie nach außen zu sein scheinen. Er ist irgendwie schrullig und hat so viel Geld, dass er sich alles leisten kann, aber auch das erspart ihm die Trauer über Lauras Verlust nicht. Die Momente, in denen er mit Miles zusammen raucht und über das Leben philosophiert, haben mir vor lauter Qualm zwar Tränen in die Augen getrieben, waren aber dennoch Gold wert.
Zu Miles selbst habe ich eine kleine Hassliebesbeziehung aufgebaut. Einerseits fand ich sie ziemlich cool, weil sie eine totale Leseratte ist, ziemlich zynisch, aber auch kreativ und äußerst wortgewandt. Leider konnte ich sie auch oft nicht verstehen. Weder ihr endloses Gequatsche über die Politik in D.C. oder ihre Schwärmerei für ihren besten Freund, noch ihr überschwenglicher Drogenkonsum haben es mir besonders leicht gemacht, sie wirklich zu mögen. Außerdem ist sie den meisten Menschen gegenüber sehr feindselig eingestellt und gibt nur wenigen die Chance überhaupt nett zu ihr zu sein, was vermutlich einfach eine Schutzhülle ist, um nicht verletzt zu werden. Gerade nach Lauras Selbstmord war das verständlich.
Insgesamt gab es in diesem Roman viel zu viele Themen mit denen ich nichts anfangen konnte. Zum einen wären da die Drogen. Es werden zig Namen von Medikamenten und Rauschmitteln aufgezählt, die mir fast nie etwas gesagt haben. Zum Glück wurde auch die Wirkung dieser Stoffe ziemlich gut beschrieben. Das hat es für mich zwar immer noch nicht interessanter gemacht, aber ich konnte mir wenigstens vorstellen wovon die Rede ist.
Anders stand es da um das Politikgequatsche im Zusammenhang mit Washington D.C.. Es wurden ständig etwas am politischen System diskutiert und kritisiert ohne dass ich davor viel Vorabwissen verabreicht bekommen habe. Für Leute, die in der Stadt oder ihrer Nähe leben, mag das alles Sinn machen, aber ich wusste zu 80% der Zeit nicht wovon die Rede ist und habe mich gefragt, was das alles in einem Buch verloren hat, in dem es doch eigentlich um den Verlust eines Menschen geht.
Dazu kommt dann immer wieder das Erwähnen von Hip Hop und ähnlichem, was den Eindruck, dass das typische D.C. einfach nicht meine Welt ist, noch verschärft hat.
Ich befürchte Rachel Cohn hat einfach zu viel in dieses Buch gepresst. Zwischenzeitlich habe ich sogar einen anderen Roman gelesen, weil ich einfach keine Lust mehr auf die Themen hatte und dabei hat das Buch nur gut 200 Seiten.
Erst ganz am Ende fühlte ich mich irgendwie wohl in Miles Welt.
Die Kameraden
Rachel Cohn ist mir schon seit einiger Zeit aus ihrer Zusammenarbeit mit David Levithan bekannt. Die Bücher, die die beiden zusammen schreiben, gehören zu meinen Top-Favouriten. Von David Levithan habe ich schon viele Einzelwerke gelesen, die mir ebenfalls ausgezeichnet gefallen haben. You Know Where To Find Me war nun mein erstes Rachel-Cohn-only Buch und ich bin recht enttäuscht. Sprachlich erkenne ich zwar die Rachel, die ich liebe, aber inhaltlich habe ich etwas komplett anderes erwartet. Trotzdem werde ich nicht aufgeben und noch ein paar anderen ihrer Werke eine Chance geben.
Die Unbeantworteten
Keine offenen Fragen
Die Optik
Das Paperback Cover finde ich nett, aber eher unspektakulär. Es ist halt ein weichgezeichnetes Mädchen auf einer Wiese. Von den Farben passt es ganz gut zum Ton des Buches. Was mich ein wenig ärgert ist, dass das Cover ziemlich offensichtlich Laura zeigt. Laura nimmt sich zu Beginn des Buches das Leben. Ihr Verlust wirkt sich zwar extrem auf die Charaktere aus, aber eigentlich geht es doch um Protagonistin Miles. Ich will ja niemandem etwas vorwerfen, aber ich vermute fast, dass der Verlag kein fettleibiges Mädchen auf dem Cover haben wollte.
Auch das Hardcover passt gut zum Inhalt und zur Atmosphäre des Romans, da viel die Rede von dem Garten ist, in dem Laura und Miles ihre Sommer verbracht haben. Obwohl das Verschwinden von Laura auf dem Cover sehr kunstvoll dargestellt wurde, frage ich mich wieder: warum nicht Miles?
Das Gelernte
In Washington D.C. gibt es einen Haufen Probleme, was das Wahlrecht der Bürger angeht. Worum es sich dabei im Speziellen handelt, konnte ich leider nicht erfassen.
Die Doppelgänger
Crank von Ellen Hopkins empfehle ich allen, die gern mehr über Drogenhochs und –tief lesen möchten.
Before I Fall von Lauren Oliver ist offensichtlich ein Coverzwilling. Das Buch selbst setzt sich aber auch mit Suizid auseinander.
June 29, 2018
Not a whole lot redeemable here. I actually specifically seek out books about depression and suicide and unhealthy coping mechanisms, so that's not what threw me off. This was just handled very poorly. All of the characters were very stagnant and flat. Miles had a little more depth, but she was too lost in her own self-pity and denial and constant rants (weight issues, D.C., gay rights, drugs, etc.) to be that likable, especially when she treated everyone so badly. I get that it can be hard to write likable depressives once they get to a state that bad, and I've been there so I know, but this just didn't work. Jim and Buddy had some potential, but we rarely saw too much of them.
For a book that purports to be about dealing with suicide, it...didn't really deal a lot with suicide or its aftermath. The stream of consciousness narrative also didn't work. It can be interesting when done well, but here it was mostly a boring morass of nothing to slog through. There were a few interesting thoughts, but it ended up reading more as a political agenda. The author tried to cover a lot of different social and political issues and covered none of them well. Bit off more than she could chew, I think.
Overall, a real disappointment. If the characters had been developed more instead of the focus being on every social rant that crossed our MCs mind, it could have been a lot better. All the good things about it were left underdeveloped, which was a disappointment, and the irritating and pointless things filled up almost the entirety of the book.
For a book that purports to be about dealing with suicide, it...didn't really deal a lot with suicide or its aftermath. The stream of consciousness narrative also didn't work. It can be interesting when done well, but here it was mostly a boring morass of nothing to slog through. There were a few interesting thoughts, but it ended up reading more as a political agenda. The author tried to cover a lot of different social and political issues and covered none of them well. Bit off more than she could chew, I think.
Overall, a real disappointment. If the characters had been developed more instead of the focus being on every social rant that crossed our MCs mind, it could have been a lot better. All the good things about it were left underdeveloped, which was a disappointment, and the irritating and pointless things filled up almost the entirety of the book.
November 23, 2012
I enjoyed reading this book, and it did make for a fast-paced read, but I can't say it was fully developed or great.
If I were to compare the character development, plot and storyline of this novel to other Rachel Cohn novels, then I would say she fell short writing this one. But if I were to compare the themes depicted in this novel to her other novels, then I'd have to say there were some very interesting, profound and serious themes that needed to be accentuated or even played up.
Miles is not a very likeable character. At first, with her cousin committing suicide, the depression, mourning and grief, I figured, it's alright, it's to be expected. It's a phase. She needs to go through this to see the light. But she never did. And it got tiresome after a while. The obsession with her weight was completely unexpected. Not from her anyway. At some point I was starting to get sick of her references to her weight. Sure, I do think weight has become a very serious issue with teenagers - especially females - and should be explored and addressed, but Miles did not strike me as one to be concerned with appearances overly much - not to this extent anyway. So the fact that she kept obsessing about it, and even tried to find ways to lose weight quickly in order to get a guy to like her, and to think that the only reason her best friend's in love with a girl is because of her body, made her seem just silly and immature. Which was sad. And it was definitely a downgrade from where I had first placed her when I started reading the story.
Yes, Miles has many problems she's dealing with, her looks being one of them, but she was smart, independent, liberal, outspoken and opinionated. That sort of person does not think that if I was just as skinny as that girl, my best friend would have fallen in love with me instead. No. That person is concerned with deeper things like books and politics and "freedom".
If Cohn wanted to address the weight issue in teens, she could have used Bex as the perfect candidate to explore in-depth what sort of problems girls get themselves into in order to fit a certain weight-criteria. It just didn't fit with Miles personality. Not in my opinion anyway.
Furthermore, the politics theme, although interesting, just seemed to come out of nowhere. When picking up the book and reading what it is about, you would never consider it to be a book that would make such a strong political statement. Yes, the story takes place in Washington D.C., and Jim - Laura's dad - is gay, so you have the gay rights theme, and Jamal - Miles's best friend - is black, so you have the racism theme, and SOWM - Bex's dad - is a Congressman. All of this put together presents you with the whole picture of where the politics come in. And Miles has a lot to say when it comes to America's political agenda, and she states her opinion throughout the book several times. However...it still does not mesh with the overall plot! Yes, reading it is great, and it's interesting, and it makes you think and nod or shake your head at some of the claims and viewpoints, but it pretty much has nothing to do with the storyline.
Laura committed suicide, and Miles needs to move on - so where does the politics fit in? She abuses drugs and pharmaceuticals, she sleeps too much, she eats too much, she does not take care of herself, she attempts to sabotage every relationship she has, be it with her best friend or father or principal/counselor. And that's understandable, those are all signs of grief and her way of coping with her loss. But politics?
Jamal did get irritating as well. Miles is his best friend, and he's been through most everything with her, and she had just lost her cousin - who was pretty much the closest thing to her - and yet, he was barely there for her. Yes, he claims that he was in fact there for her but she never accepted the help or friendship he offered, but she has just LOST HER COUSIN/SISTER! How could you even think that that was a proper explanation to why you weren't there for her? Seriously? So you stopped by a few times, and she was high and passed out with a book on her lap, so that's it? You just walk away - at least you tried, right? You stopped by and found her asleep, but hey, you did stop by, so that counts! And then he starts a serious relationship with the deceased's friend, and slowly grows distant from his best friend, but is always portrayed as the overly caring guy who always looks out for her. I completely disagree with that breakdown of his character.
Let's look at the evidence - when Miles passed out in Floyd's bathroom, the same bathroom she went to, to check up on his girlfriend in the first place, who dropped her home and made sure she was okay the next day? Nope, not Jamal.
When Miles lost her job because the bookstore she worked at her whole life, that same place that was her safe haven, was out of business, who came to ask about her and make sure she's okay? Nope, not Jamal.
When Miles was 'kidnapped' to go on a road trip with her best friend and two people she hardly knows or gets along with, who ditched her the entire time and then spent the night having loud sex with his girlfriend and leaving Miles on her own with the grief-stricken, sexually-aroused, ex-boyfriend of the deceased? Yes, you got it, that was Jamal.
Oh oh, let's look at the 'hard' evidence, shall we? When his best friend overdosed and almost died, who was the first person she called for help? Hmm...let's think about that one for a bit...oh, wait...NOT Jamal!
I think that fact alone proves my point that he really was not there for her. And to be mad at her, and refuse to see her when she had almost died, even after it had happened because he is still so mad at her and cannot seem to forgive her, knowing he is leaving the city soon makes me think he's the worst kind of friend. But that's just my analysis of Jamal. A fraud.
That aside, I honestly did find the book entertaining, but I just think there were so many thoughts, ideas, and themes Cohn was trying to convey that they ended up being scattered all over the place, which ultimately had an impact on the consistency and flow of the story.
However, Rachel Cohn remains an incredible writer, and this is my first book for her as a stand-alone author without David Levithan's input. Reading it, I know I'll be picking up more books for her.
If I were to compare the character development, plot and storyline of this novel to other Rachel Cohn novels, then I would say she fell short writing this one. But if I were to compare the themes depicted in this novel to her other novels, then I'd have to say there were some very interesting, profound and serious themes that needed to be accentuated or even played up.
Miles is not a very likeable character. At first, with her cousin committing suicide, the depression, mourning and grief, I figured, it's alright, it's to be expected. It's a phase. She needs to go through this to see the light. But she never did. And it got tiresome after a while. The obsession with her weight was completely unexpected. Not from her anyway. At some point I was starting to get sick of her references to her weight. Sure, I do think weight has become a very serious issue with teenagers - especially females - and should be explored and addressed, but Miles did not strike me as one to be concerned with appearances overly much - not to this extent anyway. So the fact that she kept obsessing about it, and even tried to find ways to lose weight quickly in order to get a guy to like her, and to think that the only reason her best friend's in love with a girl is because of her body, made her seem just silly and immature. Which was sad. And it was definitely a downgrade from where I had first placed her when I started reading the story.
Yes, Miles has many problems she's dealing with, her looks being one of them, but she was smart, independent, liberal, outspoken and opinionated. That sort of person does not think that if I was just as skinny as that girl, my best friend would have fallen in love with me instead. No. That person is concerned with deeper things like books and politics and "freedom".
If Cohn wanted to address the weight issue in teens, she could have used Bex as the perfect candidate to explore in-depth what sort of problems girls get themselves into in order to fit a certain weight-criteria. It just didn't fit with Miles personality. Not in my opinion anyway.
Furthermore, the politics theme, although interesting, just seemed to come out of nowhere. When picking up the book and reading what it is about, you would never consider it to be a book that would make such a strong political statement. Yes, the story takes place in Washington D.C., and Jim - Laura's dad - is gay, so you have the gay rights theme, and Jamal - Miles's best friend - is black, so you have the racism theme, and SOWM - Bex's dad - is a Congressman. All of this put together presents you with the whole picture of where the politics come in. And Miles has a lot to say when it comes to America's political agenda, and she states her opinion throughout the book several times. However...it still does not mesh with the overall plot! Yes, reading it is great, and it's interesting, and it makes you think and nod or shake your head at some of the claims and viewpoints, but it pretty much has nothing to do with the storyline.
Laura committed suicide, and Miles needs to move on - so where does the politics fit in? She abuses drugs and pharmaceuticals, she sleeps too much, she eats too much, she does not take care of herself, she attempts to sabotage every relationship she has, be it with her best friend or father or principal/counselor. And that's understandable, those are all signs of grief and her way of coping with her loss. But politics?
Jamal did get irritating as well. Miles is his best friend, and he's been through most everything with her, and she had just lost her cousin - who was pretty much the closest thing to her - and yet, he was barely there for her. Yes, he claims that he was in fact there for her but she never accepted the help or friendship he offered, but she has just LOST HER COUSIN/SISTER! How could you even think that that was a proper explanation to why you weren't there for her? Seriously? So you stopped by a few times, and she was high and passed out with a book on her lap, so that's it? You just walk away - at least you tried, right? You stopped by and found her asleep, but hey, you did stop by, so that counts! And then he starts a serious relationship with the deceased's friend, and slowly grows distant from his best friend, but is always portrayed as the overly caring guy who always looks out for her. I completely disagree with that breakdown of his character.
Let's look at the evidence - when Miles passed out in Floyd's bathroom, the same bathroom she went to, to check up on his girlfriend in the first place, who dropped her home and made sure she was okay the next day? Nope, not Jamal.
When Miles lost her job because the bookstore she worked at her whole life, that same place that was her safe haven, was out of business, who came to ask about her and make sure she's okay? Nope, not Jamal.
When Miles was 'kidnapped' to go on a road trip with her best friend and two people she hardly knows or gets along with, who ditched her the entire time and then spent the night having loud sex with his girlfriend and leaving Miles on her own with the grief-stricken, sexually-aroused, ex-boyfriend of the deceased? Yes, you got it, that was Jamal.
Oh oh, let's look at the 'hard' evidence, shall we? When his best friend overdosed and almost died, who was the first person she called for help? Hmm...let's think about that one for a bit...oh, wait...NOT Jamal!
I think that fact alone proves my point that he really was not there for her. And to be mad at her, and refuse to see her when she had almost died, even after it had happened because he is still so mad at her and cannot seem to forgive her, knowing he is leaving the city soon makes me think he's the worst kind of friend. But that's just my analysis of Jamal. A fraud.
That aside, I honestly did find the book entertaining, but I just think there were so many thoughts, ideas, and themes Cohn was trying to convey that they ended up being scattered all over the place, which ultimately had an impact on the consistency and flow of the story.
However, Rachel Cohn remains an incredible writer, and this is my first book for her as a stand-alone author without David Levithan's input. Reading it, I know I'll be picking up more books for her.
July 20, 2018
I've read and loved four Rachel Cohn collaborations with David Levithan, so for. I figured it was about time I see what Ms. Cohn can do on her own, and am I ever glad I did. This is not a romance, this is not an easy or pretty story, but, from the very first page, where the heroine gives us the backstory on her extremely unusual family, and the shockwaves that ran through it -and her- after the suicide of her better-at-everything sistercousin, I found myself deeply invested.
For gentle readers, yes, there is drug use in this book, quite a bit of it, but not at all glamorized. Instead, it's a part of a character, going through some intense stuff, at a tumultuous time in her life. Ms. Cohn weaves it all together with razor-sharp emotion and a voice that demands attention. I will definitely be reading more of her solo ventures in the future.
For gentle readers, yes, there is drug use in this book, quite a bit of it, but not at all glamorized. Instead, it's a part of a character, going through some intense stuff, at a tumultuous time in her life. Ms. Cohn weaves it all together with razor-sharp emotion and a voice that demands attention. I will definitely be reading more of her solo ventures in the future.
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January 30, 2022I got to page 56 before I finally made the decision to stop reading YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME. I made the mistake of looking at a few reviews just before beginning to which didn't give a favorable account of the book. I really wanted to like it and gave it a shot, but in my opinion it was a bunch of gibberish that seemed to be going nowhere. I guess if you like that kind of writing, it would be considered well written and a good story. Just not my style in any way.
August 9, 2022
Looking back on what I thought of this book when I finished it is contradictory. I enjoyed a lot of Miles characteristics because she was different than most main characters I’ve read about. She wasn’t perfect- she was relatable. While the story frustrating and lacking at times, it held my attention and I felt it was worth the read. Entertaining.
September 19, 2018
This Book was a sad and happy book. its about two girls that look identical but there just cousins. they grew up together in the same house and did everything together. Their names were Laura and Miles. the main character is Miles and she talks about their life together. But one day Laura commits suicide after her senior year. The world felt liked it stopped for Miles.
July 9, 2019
An incredibly realistic, funny, heartwarming and smart novel that touched my heart. Not only can Rachel Cohn personify hope and change but she created a character that lives and breathes just like the readers of this work. I love love loved this book!
January 2, 2017
A disappointment. Don't waste your time. Thought this would offer insight into loss and dealing with suicidal thoughts but it was mostly just boring and insulting to differing political views.
March 22, 2019
I don't even think I would have enjoyed this as a teen.
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