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Random
Who's the real victim here? This tense and gripping exploration of cyberbullying and teen suicide is perfect for fans of Before I Fall and Thirteen Reasons Why.
Late at night Tori receives a random phone call. It's a wrong number. But the caller seems to want to talk, so she stays on the line.
He asks for a single thing—one reason not to kill himself.
The request plunges her into confusion. Because if this random caller actually does what he plans, he'll be the second person connected to Tori to take his own life. And the first just might land her in jail. After her Facebook page became Exhibit A in a tragic national news story about cyberbullying, Tori can't help but suspect the caller is a fraud. But what if he’s not? Her words alone may hold the power of life or death.
With the clock ticking, Tori has little time to save a stranger—and maybe redeem herself—leading to a startling conclusion that changes everything…
Late at night Tori receives a random phone call. It's a wrong number. But the caller seems to want to talk, so she stays on the line.
He asks for a single thing—one reason not to kill himself.
The request plunges her into confusion. Because if this random caller actually does what he plans, he'll be the second person connected to Tori to take his own life. And the first just might land her in jail. After her Facebook page became Exhibit A in a tragic national news story about cyberbullying, Tori can't help but suspect the caller is a fraud. But what if he’s not? Her words alone may hold the power of life or death.
With the clock ticking, Tori has little time to save a stranger—and maybe redeem herself—leading to a startling conclusion that changes everything…
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2014
30 people are currently reading
2638 people want to read
About the author
Tom Leveen
45 books240 followersTom Leveen is the author of nine novels originally with imprints of Random House, Simon & Schuster, Abrams, and more. He has written with Todd McFarlane on SPAWN, the comic book series, and fiction for the TTRPG BattleTech for Topps, Inc.
Recently an early literacy specialist with Phoenix Public Library, Tom has twelve years of previous library work experience. He also has 22 years of theatre experience as an actor and director, and has been the Artistic Director for two different award-winning theatre companies.
Tom wrote his first story in second grade and has been writing and telling stories ever since. His first horror novel, SICK, won the Westchester Fiction Award and the Grand Canyon Reader Award. His novel ZERO was a Best Book of 2013 (American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association).
A frequent guest speaker and teacher, Tom has taught, paneled, and/or keynoted for SCBWI, RWA, Desert Nights Rising Stars, Phoenix ComiCon, AzLA, NCTE, TEDx, People of Color Network, Western New Mexico University, Arizona State University, Arizona Reading Association, Kennesaw State University, multiple schools and conferences throughout Germany, AETA, the Los Angeles Teen Book Fest, and many others.
In addition, apropos of absolutely nothing, Tom:
Finished a marathon (in six and half hours) and a triathalon sprint in 2 hours, earned a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do, co-hosted a public access comedy show, directed 30 plays and acted in 30 more, ran a theatre company out of his backyard, met almost all of his literary heroes except for Stephen King, played in a punk band live in front of actual people (once), prefers the Hero System but nevertheless runs a warlock minotaur and storm cleric elf when time permits, trained at the Utah Shakespeare Festival Actor Training program for five sessions, was Best Masque & Gavel Member in high school, lettered in Speech, has a rock in one finger from a pretty bad bail on his (now stolen) Tony Hawk, was the safari train driver for the Phoenix Zoo for a short time, worked in the stock room for Forever 21 for an even shorter time, completed a Spartan Sprint with three friends, and spent twenty years earning his Bachelor of Science degree. He is currently in an MFA program at a major international university.
So if there's something you want to do, go do it.
Recently an early literacy specialist with Phoenix Public Library, Tom has twelve years of previous library work experience. He also has 22 years of theatre experience as an actor and director, and has been the Artistic Director for two different award-winning theatre companies.
Tom wrote his first story in second grade and has been writing and telling stories ever since. His first horror novel, SICK, won the Westchester Fiction Award and the Grand Canyon Reader Award. His novel ZERO was a Best Book of 2013 (American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association).
A frequent guest speaker and teacher, Tom has taught, paneled, and/or keynoted for SCBWI, RWA, Desert Nights Rising Stars, Phoenix ComiCon, AzLA, NCTE, TEDx, People of Color Network, Western New Mexico University, Arizona State University, Arizona Reading Association, Kennesaw State University, multiple schools and conferences throughout Germany, AETA, the Los Angeles Teen Book Fest, and many others.
In addition, apropos of absolutely nothing, Tom:
Finished a marathon (in six and half hours) and a triathalon sprint in 2 hours, earned a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do, co-hosted a public access comedy show, directed 30 plays and acted in 30 more, ran a theatre company out of his backyard, met almost all of his literary heroes except for Stephen King, played in a punk band live in front of actual people (once), prefers the Hero System but nevertheless runs a warlock minotaur and storm cleric elf when time permits, trained at the Utah Shakespeare Festival Actor Training program for five sessions, was Best Masque & Gavel Member in high school, lettered in Speech, has a rock in one finger from a pretty bad bail on his (now stolen) Tony Hawk, was the safari train driver for the Phoenix Zoo for a short time, worked in the stock room for Forever 21 for an even shorter time, completed a Spartan Sprint with three friends, and spent twenty years earning his Bachelor of Science degree. He is currently in an MFA program at a major international university.
So if there's something you want to do, go do it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
January 31, 2014
I'm not sure how I felt about this one. Mostly because I really hated the main character. Because she was a bully and didn't see it in herself. Because she made excuses for her behavior. Because I don't know that she ever really understands what it is that she did, even at the end. But that's the point. So maybe I liked it. It was such a different take: the bully's perspective. And I think I expected the author to make me sympathize or empathize with her, but...that's not what happened. Even when she was doing something somewhat redeeming, she never really did it for the right reasons. She still, ultimately I think, believed that she was innocent. So anyway, this was an interesting read for me, because I just really hated the main character and wanted to shake her.
November 28, 2015
Read it in one sitting and I actually really enjoyed it. I wasn't expecting much seeing all the mixed reviews it got, but I think it was better than just an ok. It also really fits with the #AntiBullyReads read-a-thon that took place during the week of November 16th - 22nd in support of Anti Bullying Week. I didn't manage to take part in it, but I thought better late than never right?!
This books takes place in a 24 hours span. The night before going on trial in a sensational felony case that has ruined her life, sixteen-year-old Victoria Hershberger receives a random phone call from a stranger contemplating suicide and she begins a race against time to save him.
“Don’t let your mouth write checks your heart can’t cash.”
The writing and the absolute intensity made me want to read faster to know what happened next. I read it in about 1.5 hours because I was dying to know what part she had in Kevin's death.
Yes, Tori was involved in a bullying case that resulted in a suicide. A group of seven people was making fun of Kevin, his sexuality, his family, his everything on Facebook posts Tori wrote about other things. He would just comment something on it like "Great job Tori!" and the others would start with their nasty and mean comments about him. They were cruel.
What I didn't like about Tori? She didn't realize how her behavior brought that friend to his death. She didn't realize she was bullying him and she was just as guilty as all the others in the group.
This is why she doesn't want to be connected to another suicide. Random guy wants her to tell one reason why he doesn't need to kill himself. I think Tori is just very selfish and doesn't actually think about the consequences of her actions. She wanted to be part of the cool group and now she wants just to sleep and avoid the next day.
About the ending. It was so unexpected. I had my mouth open during all the story and then at the end I was like WHAAAAT?????. I was even sure what I was reading anymore. Then after some thought about it, I think I understand that ending and why the author wrote it. I can't talk about it or I will spoiler you, but yeah. One thing I can say is that I don't know if Tori felt really sorry for Kevin's death. I guess she doesn't understand her contribution to it.
I didn't actually felt a connection with the characters, but the conversations this book can start are necessary and needed. One of the first that comes to mind, you probably guessed it, it's about cyber bullying. People who feel safe behind a computer screen making fun of the victim and even asking him/her to kill him/herself. IT IS NOT OK. And this NEEDS TO STOP. Every kind of mean talking about it in a precise and direct way needs to be read in every high school on the planet.
I'd highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about this topic and you want to read about what there is behind it.
This books takes place in a 24 hours span. The night before going on trial in a sensational felony case that has ruined her life, sixteen-year-old Victoria Hershberger receives a random phone call from a stranger contemplating suicide and she begins a race against time to save him.
“Don’t let your mouth write checks your heart can’t cash.”
The writing and the absolute intensity made me want to read faster to know what happened next. I read it in about 1.5 hours because I was dying to know what part she had in Kevin's death.
Yes, Tori was involved in a bullying case that resulted in a suicide. A group of seven people was making fun of Kevin, his sexuality, his family, his everything on Facebook posts Tori wrote about other things. He would just comment something on it like "Great job Tori!" and the others would start with their nasty and mean comments about him. They were cruel.
What I didn't like about Tori? She didn't realize how her behavior brought that friend to his death. She didn't realize she was bullying him and she was just as guilty as all the others in the group.
This is why she doesn't want to be connected to another suicide. Random guy wants her to tell one reason why he doesn't need to kill himself. I think Tori is just very selfish and doesn't actually think about the consequences of her actions. She wanted to be part of the cool group and now she wants just to sleep and avoid the next day.
About the ending. It was so unexpected. I had my mouth open during all the story and then at the end I was like WHAAAAT?????. I was even sure what I was reading anymore. Then after some thought about it, I think I understand that ending and why the author wrote it. I can't talk about it or I will spoiler you, but yeah. One thing I can say is that I don't know if Tori felt really sorry for Kevin's death. I guess she doesn't understand her contribution to it.
I didn't actually felt a connection with the characters, but the conversations this book can start are necessary and needed. One of the first that comes to mind, you probably guessed it, it's about cyber bullying. People who feel safe behind a computer screen making fun of the victim and even asking him/her to kill him/herself. IT IS NOT OK. And this NEEDS TO STOP. Every kind of mean talking about it in a precise and direct way needs to be read in every high school on the planet.
I'd highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about this topic and you want to read about what there is behind it.
July 6, 2017
3 stars.
"There's a whole big gulf between innocent and not guilty."
Have you ever suffered from bullying? I'm talking about any type of it.
Well I have. And it haven't been nice, you know?
Throughout my whole life I've been bullied [at school] for many reasons: my skin color, my beliefs, my sexual orientation, the way I act, how I talk, the music I like to listen to, among other things. It never felt nice.
And it will never feel nice.
Nowadays, even tho I'm still studying, school is not the same. I have to recognize that I'm not being bullied anymore and I thank that to the sources that made me talk, books, tv, YouTube, without them today I may still be suffering from bullying.
I wish I could have read this book earlier. It's such an important read. Now, I don't recommend reading the Goodreads synopsis of the book because I find it a bit spoilery. I mean, the book's short, the plot's fast, simple, so there's no much to tell.
Just keep in mind that it's about bullying and how it's really wrong. It will never be right.
"There's a whole big gulf between innocent and not guilty."
Have you ever suffered from bullying? I'm talking about any type of it.
Well I have. And it haven't been nice, you know?
Throughout my whole life I've been bullied [at school] for many reasons: my skin color, my beliefs, my sexual orientation, the way I act, how I talk, the music I like to listen to, among other things. It never felt nice.
And it will never feel nice.
Nowadays, even tho I'm still studying, school is not the same. I have to recognize that I'm not being bullied anymore and I thank that to the sources that made me talk, books, tv, YouTube, without them today I may still be suffering from bullying.
I wish I could have read this book earlier. It's such an important read. Now, I don't recommend reading the Goodreads synopsis of the book because I find it a bit spoilery. I mean, the book's short, the plot's fast, simple, so there's no much to tell.
Just keep in mind that it's about bullying and how it's really wrong. It will never be right.
June 10, 2017
This was just... bad. I don't know how you take such an original premise and execute it in such an unmemorable, emotionless way.
Tease executes a similar premise in a far better way, making you sympathize with the main character. Again, the main character here is rude and a terrible person; it just doesn't work. Usually her bad actions would simply make her complicated, but she's neither; she's just completely flat. She's seriously one of the flattest characters I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. Mean and flat is a terrible combination, and I could barely stand to be in her head.
The plotting is nothing special. The author seemed to focus on cheap scare tactics and reveals rather than the creeping horror of more talented and better-written suspense books. A suspense novel should never be this boring and flat. To be fair, it's a fairly fast-paced and easy to read book. But all the fear was very surface and superficial. I never really felt unsettled by the book.
And what about that grand concept? Well. You'd think the poignant topics would improve the book, but... nope. No depth was presented to the problem of bullying. It also felt as if the author was exploiting the important topic of homophobic bullying for a suspense novel. The main character's homophobia towards her former best friend wasn't explored well. I felt totally underwhelmed by the execution of every topic in this story.
VERDICT: There are far better suspense books. For a better book on bullying, look to Tease, which executes a similar problem in a far better way. For better YA psychological thrillers, check out Abigail Haas' books. Nothing here stands out.
Tease executes a similar premise in a far better way, making you sympathize with the main character. Again, the main character here is rude and a terrible person; it just doesn't work. Usually her bad actions would simply make her complicated, but she's neither; she's just completely flat. She's seriously one of the flattest characters I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. Mean and flat is a terrible combination, and I could barely stand to be in her head.
The plotting is nothing special. The author seemed to focus on cheap scare tactics and reveals rather than the creeping horror of more talented and better-written suspense books. A suspense novel should never be this boring and flat. To be fair, it's a fairly fast-paced and easy to read book. But all the fear was very surface and superficial. I never really felt unsettled by the book.
And what about that grand concept? Well. You'd think the poignant topics would improve the book, but... nope. No depth was presented to the problem of bullying. It also felt as if the author was exploiting the important topic of homophobic bullying for a suspense novel. The main character's homophobia towards her former best friend wasn't explored well. I felt totally underwhelmed by the execution of every topic in this story.
VERDICT: There are far better suspense books. For a better book on bullying, look to Tease, which executes a similar problem in a far better way. For better YA psychological thrillers, check out Abigail Haas' books. Nothing here stands out.
August 20, 2014
Let me just say that I glimpsed this one on Goodreads a few weeks ago and mentioned it in a WoW post because I was intrigued by the plot. So yeah, I was definitely anticipating it and thankfully, it was what I'd expected it to be: intense.
Random is a good depiction of how a teen becomes a bully, even though she's not quite aware of the fact that she did turn out to be one. And trust me, Tori is not your average sweet and innocent protagonist. She's quite a trip. I can see a lot of readers not liking her character because of her conceited thoughts and some of the things she'd say, but I believe that's the intention the author was going for and it worked.
Tori is selfish. Her part in what happened was just sad. But regardless of it all, she still didn't have a full grasp of how even though she didn't actually kill her friend, she did help in driving him over the edge.
At first when she received that random phone call, I was like, no, something's fishy here. But then once Andy began talking he really convinced me that he was on the verge of committing suicide, and I was curious as to how this obviously selfish girl who was on trial for her part in another suicide would help Andy change his mind. I think that, in trying to keep him alive, I got to learn something about Tori. She wasn't as bad as I'd initially thought and had clearly done something stupid just to fit in with a crowd she considered cool. It took most of the book for her to realize that and I wanted to slap the hell out of her so many times. And to be honest, when the whole thing with Andy was unraveled, I wasn't sorry for her. She needed the wake up and I don't blame Andy and the others for doing that. She sort of snapped back to her old self. Like I said, not a lot of people can stomach Tori as a main character, but it worked for me. I see the purpose of the story and what the author is trying to accomplish. And I think he did a great job and emphasizing his intentions.
I read Random in one sitting because it was really fast-paced and the writing was good. It pulled me in greatly. I was invested in the story from start to finish. It was different for me, seeing the perspective of a "bully" and the reaction of everyone after a bullied teen had taken his life. It's not often you get this side of the story and I'm glad I gave Random a chance. It was a great story, to me. I liked that the character was flawed, but I'm also happy that she experienced growth, or more like returned to her true self--to the person her brother, best friend, and parents can be proud of. She may not be able to change what happened, but at least she recognizes her part in it and can genuinely say that she's apologetic. This is a good story for those looking for something realistic and intense to read. I recommend.
Random is a good depiction of how a teen becomes a bully, even though she's not quite aware of the fact that she did turn out to be one. And trust me, Tori is not your average sweet and innocent protagonist. She's quite a trip. I can see a lot of readers not liking her character because of her conceited thoughts and some of the things she'd say, but I believe that's the intention the author was going for and it worked.
Tori is selfish. Her part in what happened was just sad. But regardless of it all, she still didn't have a full grasp of how even though she didn't actually kill her friend, she did help in driving him over the edge.
At first when she received that random phone call, I was like, no, something's fishy here. But then once Andy began talking he really convinced me that he was on the verge of committing suicide, and I was curious as to how this obviously selfish girl who was on trial for her part in another suicide would help Andy change his mind. I think that, in trying to keep him alive, I got to learn something about Tori. She wasn't as bad as I'd initially thought and had clearly done something stupid just to fit in with a crowd she considered cool. It took most of the book for her to realize that and I wanted to slap the hell out of her so many times. And to be honest, when the whole thing with Andy was unraveled, I wasn't sorry for her. She needed the wake up and I don't blame Andy and the others for doing that. She sort of snapped back to her old self. Like I said, not a lot of people can stomach Tori as a main character, but it worked for me. I see the purpose of the story and what the author is trying to accomplish. And I think he did a great job and emphasizing his intentions.
I read Random in one sitting because it was really fast-paced and the writing was good. It pulled me in greatly. I was invested in the story from start to finish. It was different for me, seeing the perspective of a "bully" and the reaction of everyone after a bullied teen had taken his life. It's not often you get this side of the story and I'm glad I gave Random a chance. It was a great story, to me. I liked that the character was flawed, but I'm also happy that she experienced growth, or more like returned to her true self--to the person her brother, best friend, and parents can be proud of. She may not be able to change what happened, but at least she recognizes her part in it and can genuinely say that she's apologetic. This is a good story for those looking for something realistic and intense to read. I recommend.
September 28, 2014
One of the best books on bullying I've ever read. It gives a very real portrait of how someone can get swept up in the meanness. Tori isn't evil, she's weak. And that weakness is something most of us can identify with: have we ever "gone along" just to try to fit in? Have we said nothing in the moments when we wish we had? Have we ever stepped over the line and joined in--and then felt ashamed afterward, whether or not something bad happened because of it?
The Facebook excerpts are the most chilling part of the whole book. I finished reading this last night, and I'm still thinking about those FB posts this morning. They really get to the heart of the kind of casual meanness that can end up breaking people.
Well done, Tom Leveen. This is a thought-provoking book full of all sorts of uncomfortable truths. A great addition to YA literature, and one that needs to be read in classrooms across the nation. *Applause*
The Facebook excerpts are the most chilling part of the whole book. I finished reading this last night, and I'm still thinking about those FB posts this morning. They really get to the heart of the kind of casual meanness that can end up breaking people.
Well done, Tom Leveen. This is a thought-provoking book full of all sorts of uncomfortable truths. A great addition to YA literature, and one that needs to be read in classrooms across the nation. *Applause*
July 1, 2015
This is surprisingly short and easy read but I assure you it has really deep meaning and I learn something from it. The theme of this book is cyber-bullying, I’ve heard about it before and I know that it happens in real life but I don’t frickin’ know that it will be such a serious issue until I read this one. And I realized that people could be so cruel to each other without thinking the aftereffect. I liked that Random spread and raise the awareness about it and I guess Tom Leveen quite successfully did it.
So this is a story about Tori, who friends with a boy named Kevin. Kevin’s called names because he’s not that good at sport, meanwhile Tori’s an high school athlete and start to gain popularity. When she and her new friends continuously bullied Kevin in his Facebook though he always said to leave him alone, finally Kevin committed suicide. One night before her trial, she received a mysterious call from a random stranger. He said that he wanted to take his own life unless Tori could give him one pretty good reason to not doing it. Scared out of her mind and realized that she’ll be connected to another suicide, she tried to stay on the phone all night and tried to save him.
I can say that the concept is pretty original. When there’s a lot of book out there viewed this from the victim’s eyes, this book is from the bully’s one. I liked how Leveen seems so effortlessly to write this book though bullying, LGBT, suicide and depression are such sensitive themes. But there’s few things that bothered me..
1. Though Tori wasn’t the main bully in this book, but I found she’s so self-centered, self-absorbed and such an irritating character! I didn’t like her from the start, well though at some part I kinda bit sorry for her, but I couldn’t take frequent displays of her indifference and selfishness. Her apologies feel like nothing! Instead of being remorseful, she’s just like ‘Hey, I’m not a bully! I’m innocent! I didn’t tie the scarf around his neck, I didn’t tell him to kill himself!’. Oh, please.. She cried because people bullied and being mean to her, but she never cried for what she did to Kevin. That’s so sick and frustrating! Ugh. Just NO. Learn your lesson, girl.
2. Personally, I feel like this book has a huge potential to be better than this. There’s no any significant twist and turn. The ending didn’t well executed. I wait for something powerful but it end up just flat and too neat. Somehow I feel like this is realistic but too far-fetched in some parts at the same time. There’s few hanging part and it just disappointing.
Despite all of that, I quite get the important lesson from here. Words can be dangerous and think about how much guilt you’ll feel when you’re not stand up for others, realizing that you can do something for them but you’re not. I recommend this one for readers in all ages, especially teenagers. At least give it a shot, perhaps you’ll find it more interesting than I did.
So this is a story about Tori, who friends with a boy named Kevin. Kevin’s called names because he’s not that good at sport, meanwhile Tori’s an high school athlete and start to gain popularity. When she and her new friends continuously bullied Kevin in his Facebook though he always said to leave him alone, finally Kevin committed suicide. One night before her trial, she received a mysterious call from a random stranger. He said that he wanted to take his own life unless Tori could give him one pretty good reason to not doing it. Scared out of her mind and realized that she’ll be connected to another suicide, she tried to stay on the phone all night and tried to save him.
I can say that the concept is pretty original. When there’s a lot of book out there viewed this from the victim’s eyes, this book is from the bully’s one. I liked how Leveen seems so effortlessly to write this book though bullying, LGBT, suicide and depression are such sensitive themes. But there’s few things that bothered me..
1. Though Tori wasn’t the main bully in this book, but I found she’s so self-centered, self-absorbed and such an irritating character! I didn’t like her from the start, well though at some part I kinda bit sorry for her, but I couldn’t take frequent displays of her indifference and selfishness. Her apologies feel like nothing! Instead of being remorseful, she’s just like ‘Hey, I’m not a bully! I’m innocent! I didn’t tie the scarf around his neck, I didn’t tell him to kill himself!’. Oh, please.. She cried because people bullied and being mean to her, but she never cried for what she did to Kevin. That’s so sick and frustrating! Ugh. Just NO. Learn your lesson, girl.
2. Personally, I feel like this book has a huge potential to be better than this. There’s no any significant twist and turn. The ending didn’t well executed. I wait for something powerful but it end up just flat and too neat. Somehow I feel like this is realistic but too far-fetched in some parts at the same time. There’s few hanging part and it just disappointing.
Despite all of that, I quite get the important lesson from here. Words can be dangerous and think about how much guilt you’ll feel when you’re not stand up for others, realizing that you can do something for them but you’re not. I recommend this one for readers in all ages, especially teenagers. At least give it a shot, perhaps you’ll find it more interesting than I did.
March 31, 2016
Finished reading: March 30th 2016
“'Because that's what being dead means,' Andy says. 'It's the zenit of 'never'. Never again, never this, never that. You don't come back from never. You can't enjoy never. You just sit there, not existing, not listening to your favorite songs or eating you favorite foods. Never.'”
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
October 29, 2014
I read Random early because it was right after I’d finished Fault Line and I was hoping for a book to give me similar feels. I was drawn in by the original cover, which featured a cell phone cord in the shape of a noose. Since I’ve been on this contemporary kick, I thought this would be right up my alley. It wasn’t. So much potential wasted! The sad part is that I was hooked right until the final reveal. I’m shocked that the author dropped the ball so late in the book, though, it’s only 200 pages, so a relatively quick read.
The worst part is that the main character learns nothing by the end and I was left wondering what the point of the book even was.
The worst part is that the main character learns nothing by the end and I was left wondering what the point of the book even was.
April 10, 2017
I wasn't fond of the main character but the story and how it was told captured me and I couldn't put down the book. Good thing it was relatively short, or else I'd have to make a choice between doing my homework and reading this book.
It's about how people lose themselves when presented the opportunity to fit in, and how the ones left behind struggle, and how easy it is to do nothing to prevent a bad situation. And how cyberbullying is real. (And how it isn't taken seriously most of the time.)
I think this was really original and well done, and it left me wondering things. It's good when a book does that. It also left me a bit empty, but that's the thing with suicide I guess.
It's about how people lose themselves when presented the opportunity to fit in, and how the ones left behind struggle, and how easy it is to do nothing to prevent a bad situation. And how cyberbullying is real. (And how it isn't taken seriously most of the time.)
I think this was really original and well done, and it left me wondering things. It's good when a book does that. It also left me a bit empty, but that's the thing with suicide I guess.
August 15, 2014
I couldn't put this book down. I had to know what happened next and next and... The ending was a great payoff. Was Tori likable? Not really, but that was kind of the point, right? Great book. Highly recommended.
November 8, 2014
Mini review originally posted here: http://fangirlavue.blogspot.com/2014/11/random-anna-and-french-kiss-mini-reviews.html
You guys know how much I ramble, and how long my reviews can be, so I decided to use a simple outline for my mini reviews. My thoughts will be broken down into 3 categories:
Plot
Characters
Writing
Let's begin.
Plot:
If I had to sit here and discuss just the plot of this book to my readers, I most certainly could. This aspect was one, if not my most favorite thing about Random. The story follows a young girl named Victoria Hershberger, (Tori) who is not surprisingly in deep, deep, deep shit. I say not surprisingly because her character was such a . . . we'll get to that a bit later. Anywho, she's in a heap of trouble, being accused of bullying a guy named Kevin Cooper until sadly, he commits suicide. Her parents are disappointed in her, her brother pretty much hates her, and I get it. Tori's actions were definitely not acceptable.
So she's up late one night, when she get's a phone call from a complete stranger. With her current situation, she believed that it was just a prank call, just someone trying to bash her for what she's done. But it ends up being something completely different. The caller's name is Andy, and he also wants to commit suicide.
Tori is battling internally with whether she can handle helping Andy, especially when she has her own problems to deal with, and when the plot twist comes around, I can't lie and say I wasn't jumping up and down screaming " Ah Ha, now that's a taste of your own medicine! " The plot is super fast paced, as in, I read this book in 2 1/2 hours fast paced.
Characters:
I'm going to try my hardest and not rant about this, but Tori was one hell of a horrible character. I'm not talking in the sense of writing, definitely not that, but more so her personality traits, or shall I say characteristics as a person, was the worst I've ever read in a fictional novel. Like ever.
Shall I elaborate? Yes, okay good lol.
Click here to see image:
http://fangirlavue.blogspot.com/2014/11/random-anna-and-french-kiss-mini-reviews.html
Exhibit A ladies and gentlemen are screenshots of the "Facebook" type statuses that are included in the story. In between every chapter, you'll find these statuses, and as the story progresses, the cyber-bulling goes from pretty mild, but still effed up, to completely disturbing. Take a look.
If you were able to read the statuses then you would be able to see how horrible Tori and her "friends" were to Kevin Cooper. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's bullying, especially when there's a group of individuals ganging up on one person.
Tori was indeed a horrible friend. Her and Kevin were close, not as close as they were when they were in middle school, but they were still very much friends. When Tori found a new crowd to hang out with, she kind of forgot who she was a person, and as you can see, she added fuel to an already blazing flame by joining in on the bullying. What made me so upset with Tori, was the mere fact that she didn't understand why she was being punished for what happened to Kevin. I've always believed that there are two types of bullies:
A. The ones that do the bullying, whether verbally or physically.
B. The ones that either instigate in the bullying, or do nothing to prevent or stop it.
Tori fell under category B, and even though she might not have killed Kevin herself, she definitely led him to do it. What an idiot.
" But all I did was make one little tiny joke on Facebook that wasn't even all that mean, and now my life is essentially over. "
Again. What an idiot.
There are other characters in the story such as her parents, her brother Jack, (who was also bullied in school and felt his sister didn't stick up for him.) Noah, a friend of her and Kevin who didn't turn his back on her even though he could have, and Andy, the suicide caller who ends up playing a bigger role within the story than I imagined. Everyone ties into the plot so perfectly, and I truly loved the message they all tried to deliver to Tori's thick, immature, annoying, skull. Okay, as you can see I'm still a little pissed at her. Forgive me people lol.
I must say that growing up, I wasn't bullied very much. My brother and I were fighters, we didn't really take shit from anyone, so I think that may have been one of the reasons why. If I was bullied, or picked on, it was because I have a gap, but I tended to let those insults roll off my back. I've always had tough skin, and I loved my gap which is why I never wanted braces lol. But, for those times that I was tired of being picked on, I fought back. In high school, I wasn't bullied at all really. By that time, everyone deemed me as the girl-who-will-drag-your-ass-if-you-mess-with-her, so I didn't have much problems. But, I did have friends, and even people I didn't know that were.
I remember one day, in my Junior year, this girl dumped a whole carton of milk on a freshman's head because she said the girl was a "slut". In front of the whole cafeteria !! Apparently the girl's boyfriend had this huge crush on the freshman, and she was pissed about it, but that wasn't her freaking fault. I literally sat and watched with everyone else as this girl is just balling her eyes out, with all this chocolate milk running down her face and god knows I was itching to do something. So when the girl proceeded to squirt mayo (out of all things!) all over the girl's head and clothes, I just snapped and attacked! You would have thought she were doing all these horrid things to me the way I jumped on that ass, and you know what? Even now I'm proud for sticking up for her. I just wish I snatched more of that girl's hair out.
But anywho, I got 2 weeks in school suspension, (my guidance counselor was actually happy that I stood up for the freshman so instead of being suspended at home, I served my punishment in school.) along with cafeteria duty for the rest of the semester. Can you imagine cleaning up behind 100+ students ?! So disgusting. So the moral of this story is that I:
A. Will beat you down if I catch you bullying anyone.
So I'm not saying that Tori had to take my route and go and punch everyone in the face who bullied Kevin, I actually don't want anyone to reciprocate what I did. But she could have did something! Tell an adult, teacher, someone! But instead she chose to join in with the bullying all because she wanted to fit in. She wanted to be liked by the cute upperclassman boy who flirted with her from time to time. She wanted the upperclassman girls to be her friend so she could be in the "it" crowd and look cool. In the end was it worth it? Definitely not. Please don't be this person readers.
Writing:
I told you guys I was incapable of doing anything "mini", so I'll keep this section short and sweet. I promise lol.
The writing in this book was stellar. I love the message about bullying and the effects it can have on someone who is affected by it. I don't think I've ever disliked a character in a novel as I do with Tori, and that speaks volumes for Mr.Leveen. He created a character that was so stupid, and naive, and just oblivious to everything in life, which drew soooo much emotion from me. I wasn't crying or anything, but I was so pissed the entire time, from beginning to end because I wanted her to just get it! To just be self-less for once and understand that everything isn't about her. The plot twist is a complete curve ball, and I was so caught off guard that I had to put my e-reader down for a few minutes to gather my thoughts. Tori is forced to make certain decisions that would require her to think of someone other than herself for once. To possibly save someone else's life, and that is what impressed me the most. She doesn't go through this huge character development stage, but the story was so realistic that she got what we call a "reality check", which is what she needed anyway.
I'm still mad at her lol.
You guys know how much I ramble, and how long my reviews can be, so I decided to use a simple outline for my mini reviews. My thoughts will be broken down into 3 categories:
Plot
Characters
Writing
Let's begin.
Plot:
If I had to sit here and discuss just the plot of this book to my readers, I most certainly could. This aspect was one, if not my most favorite thing about Random. The story follows a young girl named Victoria Hershberger, (Tori) who is not surprisingly in deep, deep, deep shit. I say not surprisingly because her character was such a . . . we'll get to that a bit later. Anywho, she's in a heap of trouble, being accused of bullying a guy named Kevin Cooper until sadly, he commits suicide. Her parents are disappointed in her, her brother pretty much hates her, and I get it. Tori's actions were definitely not acceptable.
So she's up late one night, when she get's a phone call from a complete stranger. With her current situation, she believed that it was just a prank call, just someone trying to bash her for what she's done. But it ends up being something completely different. The caller's name is Andy, and he also wants to commit suicide.
Tori is battling internally with whether she can handle helping Andy, especially when she has her own problems to deal with, and when the plot twist comes around, I can't lie and say I wasn't jumping up and down screaming " Ah Ha, now that's a taste of your own medicine! " The plot is super fast paced, as in, I read this book in 2 1/2 hours fast paced.
Characters:
I'm going to try my hardest and not rant about this, but Tori was one hell of a horrible character. I'm not talking in the sense of writing, definitely not that, but more so her personality traits, or shall I say characteristics as a person, was the worst I've ever read in a fictional novel. Like ever.
Shall I elaborate? Yes, okay good lol.
Click here to see image:
http://fangirlavue.blogspot.com/2014/11/random-anna-and-french-kiss-mini-reviews.html
Exhibit A ladies and gentlemen are screenshots of the "Facebook" type statuses that are included in the story. In between every chapter, you'll find these statuses, and as the story progresses, the cyber-bulling goes from pretty mild, but still effed up, to completely disturbing. Take a look.
If you were able to read the statuses then you would be able to see how horrible Tori and her "friends" were to Kevin Cooper. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's bullying, especially when there's a group of individuals ganging up on one person.
Tori was indeed a horrible friend. Her and Kevin were close, not as close as they were when they were in middle school, but they were still very much friends. When Tori found a new crowd to hang out with, she kind of forgot who she was a person, and as you can see, she added fuel to an already blazing flame by joining in on the bullying. What made me so upset with Tori, was the mere fact that she didn't understand why she was being punished for what happened to Kevin. I've always believed that there are two types of bullies:
A. The ones that do the bullying, whether verbally or physically.
B. The ones that either instigate in the bullying, or do nothing to prevent or stop it.
Tori fell under category B, and even though she might not have killed Kevin herself, she definitely led him to do it. What an idiot.
" But all I did was make one little tiny joke on Facebook that wasn't even all that mean, and now my life is essentially over. "
Again. What an idiot.
There are other characters in the story such as her parents, her brother Jack, (who was also bullied in school and felt his sister didn't stick up for him.) Noah, a friend of her and Kevin who didn't turn his back on her even though he could have, and Andy, the suicide caller who ends up playing a bigger role within the story than I imagined. Everyone ties into the plot so perfectly, and I truly loved the message they all tried to deliver to Tori's thick, immature, annoying, skull. Okay, as you can see I'm still a little pissed at her. Forgive me people lol.
I must say that growing up, I wasn't bullied very much. My brother and I were fighters, we didn't really take shit from anyone, so I think that may have been one of the reasons why. If I was bullied, or picked on, it was because I have a gap, but I tended to let those insults roll off my back. I've always had tough skin, and I loved my gap which is why I never wanted braces lol. But, for those times that I was tired of being picked on, I fought back. In high school, I wasn't bullied at all really. By that time, everyone deemed me as the girl-who-will-drag-your-ass-if-you-mess-with-her, so I didn't have much problems. But, I did have friends, and even people I didn't know that were.
I remember one day, in my Junior year, this girl dumped a whole carton of milk on a freshman's head because she said the girl was a "slut". In front of the whole cafeteria !! Apparently the girl's boyfriend had this huge crush on the freshman, and she was pissed about it, but that wasn't her freaking fault. I literally sat and watched with everyone else as this girl is just balling her eyes out, with all this chocolate milk running down her face and god knows I was itching to do something. So when the girl proceeded to squirt mayo (out of all things!) all over the girl's head and clothes, I just snapped and attacked! You would have thought she were doing all these horrid things to me the way I jumped on that ass, and you know what? Even now I'm proud for sticking up for her. I just wish I snatched more of that girl's hair out.
But anywho, I got 2 weeks in school suspension, (my guidance counselor was actually happy that I stood up for the freshman so instead of being suspended at home, I served my punishment in school.) along with cafeteria duty for the rest of the semester. Can you imagine cleaning up behind 100+ students ?! So disgusting. So the moral of this story is that I:
A. Will beat you down if I catch you bullying anyone.
So I'm not saying that Tori had to take my route and go and punch everyone in the face who bullied Kevin, I actually don't want anyone to reciprocate what I did. But she could have did something! Tell an adult, teacher, someone! But instead she chose to join in with the bullying all because she wanted to fit in. She wanted to be liked by the cute upperclassman boy who flirted with her from time to time. She wanted the upperclassman girls to be her friend so she could be in the "it" crowd and look cool. In the end was it worth it? Definitely not. Please don't be this person readers.
Writing:
I told you guys I was incapable of doing anything "mini", so I'll keep this section short and sweet. I promise lol.
The writing in this book was stellar. I love the message about bullying and the effects it can have on someone who is affected by it. I don't think I've ever disliked a character in a novel as I do with Tori, and that speaks volumes for Mr.Leveen. He created a character that was so stupid, and naive, and just oblivious to everything in life, which drew soooo much emotion from me. I wasn't crying or anything, but I was so pissed the entire time, from beginning to end because I wanted her to just get it! To just be self-less for once and understand that everything isn't about her. The plot twist is a complete curve ball, and I was so caught off guard that I had to put my e-reader down for a few minutes to gather my thoughts. Tori is forced to make certain decisions that would require her to think of someone other than herself for once. To possibly save someone else's life, and that is what impressed me the most. She doesn't go through this huge character development stage, but the story was so realistic that she got what we call a "reality check", which is what she needed anyway.
I'm still mad at her lol.
November 8, 2016
My students are going to devour this.
Cyber-bullying is so prevalent in my students' lives, and they fly through books about it faster than I can find them and buy them. Random is perfect for tweens and teens who are fans of Backlash, I Swear, Can't Look Away, etc.
And honestly, it's pretty un-put-down-able. Its a fairly quick read (many of the 217 pages are Facebook posts/comments), so none of the characters are particularly deep, but the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked until the end. It was sometimes a bit predictable for me, as an adult, but again--the target audience isn't going to notice or care.
I like that Tori doesn't immediately get redeemed--she's pretty unwilling to admit to doing anything wrong--and while that makes her pretty unlikable as a main character, it's definitely realistic. I wish we got more of the other bullies' stories and that we saw more interaction between Tori and her parents, but overall I think this is a good addition to our cyber-bulling collection.
Cyber-bullying is so prevalent in my students' lives, and they fly through books about it faster than I can find them and buy them. Random is perfect for tweens and teens who are fans of Backlash, I Swear, Can't Look Away, etc.
And honestly, it's pretty un-put-down-able. Its a fairly quick read (many of the 217 pages are Facebook posts/comments), so none of the characters are particularly deep, but the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked until the end. It was sometimes a bit predictable for me, as an adult, but again--the target audience isn't going to notice or care.
I like that Tori doesn't immediately get redeemed--she's pretty unwilling to admit to doing anything wrong--and while that makes her pretty unlikable as a main character, it's definitely realistic. I wish we got more of the other bullies' stories and that we saw more interaction between Tori and her parents, but overall I think this is a good addition to our cyber-bulling collection.
February 7, 2016
3.5 stars
Leveen wrote some pretty serious issues in this book. Makes me think twice about posting stuff on social media too.
Random was a good read but I feel like it's lacking in the emotion department a little bit. I like how he didn't make Tori this stereotypical mean girl while being in a mean girls group.
Despite the heavy issues, it isn't deep or makes you emotionally unstable like All the Bright Places and The Fault in Our Stars. So overall, a good read.
Leveen wrote some pretty serious issues in this book. Makes me think twice about posting stuff on social media too.
Random was a good read but I feel like it's lacking in the emotion department a little bit. I like how he didn't make Tori this stereotypical mean girl while being in a mean girls group.
Despite the heavy issues, it isn't deep or makes you emotionally unstable like All the Bright Places and The Fault in Our Stars. So overall, a good read.
April 1, 2017
"I'd think less about who I am," Andy says, "and more about who I was."
Çok severek okuduğum ve zorbalığa dair gerçekçi bir dili olan müthiş bir kitaptı. Sınav haftamda olup kitabı beğenmezsem diye birçok kez şüpheye düşsem de kitap beni benden aldı. 5 puanının sonuna kadar hak eden bir kitap. Ama maalesef sadece karakter için puan verseydik o zaman başkaraktere puanım kocaman bir SIFIR olurdu. Benim tavsiyem kitabın ayrıntılı konusunu okumadan başlamanız yoksa spoiler yiyebilirsiniz. Mesela ben yedim.
Kitabın başında elinden telefonu, bilgisayarı alınmış ve erkek kardeşinin kendisinden nefret ettiği 16 yaşında ki Tori adında bir kızı okuyoruz. İlk başta Tori hakkında tamamen negatiftim. Ne nefret ettim ne çok sevdim. Fakat zamanla yaptıklarını ve bölüm sonlarına serpiştirilmiş “facebook” yorumlarını gördükçe nefret seviyem yükseldi. Kitap sadece bir gece içinde ki olayları anlatıyor ve Tori o kadar çok şey yaşıyor ki, buna rağmen salaklığı had safhada. Yani karşısında ki insanın kim olacağını bile anlamıyor. Dışarıdan bir gözlemci olarak bunu ben bile anlamıştım.
Tori ve içinde 6 kişinin daha bulunduğu bir facebook nefreti yüzünden olaylar kötüye gitmiş ama tüm suç Tori’nin üstüne kalmış. Zaten öyle de olmalıydı. Tori ertesi günkü mahkemesini düşünürken annesinin ona kullanması için verdiği eski telefonu biri arıyor. Tori sanıyor ki yaptığı şey yüzünden nefret timsali olacak, küfür yiyecek ama hayır olay bambaşka. Telefonun karşısında ki kişi rastgele numara çevirip aradığını ve kendisini öldürmek istediğini söylüyor. Önce Tori bunu şaka sansa da, ardından olayın ciddiyetini anlayıp bir yardım çabasına düşüyor. En yakın arkadaşı Noah ile bu olayın peşine düşüp bütün bir gecesini aslında gerçekten ortada kurbanın kim olduğunu anlamaya çalışarak geçiriyor. Telefonun ucunda kendini Andy diye tanıtan kişiye o kadar hayran oldum ki, bunu anlatacak kelime nasıl bulurum bilmiyorum. Andy hayat felsefesi ve olaylara bakış açısı ile inanılmaz bir karakter. Tori’e aslında nasıl biri olduğunu ve daha önce kimsenin ona söylemediği şeyleri söyleyen harika biri. Ve yaptığı her şeyin de arkasındayım.
Tori tam bir aptal. Asla kitabın sonunda da kendisinin “gerçekten pişman biri” olduğuna inanmıyorum . O özürler, o haykırışlar biri gidince artık işe yaramaz sevgili Tori. Sadece başkalarına havalı görünmek için yapılan facebook yorumları büyük bir trajediye yol açtı hayatında ama bundan zerre pişmanlık duymadı. Belki de duydu ama yazar bize bunu anlatamadı. Tori’nin erkek kardeşini de ayakta alkışlamak istiyorum. Andy gibi o da harika bir karakterdi. Biraz da farkındalık hakkında bir kitaptı bence. Bu gibi olaylar etrafımızda olup bitiyor ama kimse gerçekten önem vermiyor.
Kitabın dili çok kolaydı. Çoğu telefon konuşması olduğu için rahat okunacak bir kitaptı. Okuma listenize bu kitabı mutlaka eklemeyi unutmayın.
Çok severek okuduğum ve zorbalığa dair gerçekçi bir dili olan müthiş bir kitaptı. Sınav haftamda olup kitabı beğenmezsem diye birçok kez şüpheye düşsem de kitap beni benden aldı. 5 puanının sonuna kadar hak eden bir kitap. Ama maalesef sadece karakter için puan verseydik o zaman başkaraktere puanım kocaman bir SIFIR olurdu. Benim tavsiyem kitabın ayrıntılı konusunu okumadan başlamanız yoksa spoiler yiyebilirsiniz. Mesela ben yedim.
Kitabın başında elinden telefonu, bilgisayarı alınmış ve erkek kardeşinin kendisinden nefret ettiği 16 yaşında ki Tori adında bir kızı okuyoruz. İlk başta Tori hakkında tamamen negatiftim. Ne nefret ettim ne çok sevdim. Fakat zamanla yaptıklarını ve bölüm sonlarına serpiştirilmiş “facebook” yorumlarını gördükçe nefret seviyem yükseldi. Kitap sadece bir gece içinde ki olayları anlatıyor ve Tori o kadar çok şey yaşıyor ki, buna rağmen salaklığı had safhada. Yani karşısında ki insanın kim olacağını bile anlamıyor. Dışarıdan bir gözlemci olarak bunu ben bile anlamıştım.
Tori ve içinde 6 kişinin daha bulunduğu bir facebook nefreti yüzünden olaylar kötüye gitmiş ama tüm suç Tori’nin üstüne kalmış. Zaten öyle de olmalıydı. Tori ertesi günkü mahkemesini düşünürken annesinin ona kullanması için verdiği eski telefonu biri arıyor. Tori sanıyor ki yaptığı şey yüzünden nefret timsali olacak, küfür yiyecek ama hayır olay bambaşka. Telefonun karşısında ki kişi rastgele numara çevirip aradığını ve kendisini öldürmek istediğini söylüyor. Önce Tori bunu şaka sansa da, ardından olayın ciddiyetini anlayıp bir yardım çabasına düşüyor. En yakın arkadaşı Noah ile bu olayın peşine düşüp bütün bir gecesini aslında gerçekten ortada kurbanın kim olduğunu anlamaya çalışarak geçiriyor. Telefonun ucunda kendini Andy diye tanıtan kişiye o kadar hayran oldum ki, bunu anlatacak kelime nasıl bulurum bilmiyorum. Andy hayat felsefesi ve olaylara bakış açısı ile inanılmaz bir karakter. Tori’e aslında nasıl biri olduğunu ve daha önce kimsenin ona söylemediği şeyleri söyleyen harika biri. Ve yaptığı her şeyin de arkasındayım.
Tori tam bir aptal. Asla kitabın sonunda da kendisinin “gerçekten pişman biri” olduğuna inanmıyorum . O özürler, o haykırışlar biri gidince artık işe yaramaz sevgili Tori. Sadece başkalarına havalı görünmek için yapılan facebook yorumları büyük bir trajediye yol açtı hayatında ama bundan zerre pişmanlık duymadı. Belki de duydu ama yazar bize bunu anlatamadı. Tori’nin erkek kardeşini de ayakta alkışlamak istiyorum. Andy gibi o da harika bir karakterdi. Biraz da farkındalık hakkında bir kitaptı bence. Bu gibi olaylar etrafımızda olup bitiyor ama kimse gerçekten önem vermiyor.
Kitabın dili çok kolaydı. Çoğu telefon konuşması olduğu için rahat okunacak bir kitaptı. Okuma listenize bu kitabı mutlaka eklemeyi unutmayın.
August 29, 2016
I had never heard of Tom Leevan before that day in June when I was hanging out in the library with some friends. My friend Maddie and I were recommending books to each other and she told me to read Random. I immediately got up to go get it because it sounded interesting.
Honestly I didn’t actually know anything about the book going into it other than two of my friends loved it and something to do with suicide. The book was short so I was motivated to take a few hours out of my day to enjoy an easy read… or so I thought. I heard that the book was deep from Maddie but I didn’t realize it was THAT deep. For days after I kept thinking about what I just read.
The main character of this book is a major jock. Normally in YA books jocks are male but Tori is female. She went into high school and immediately becomes one of the top players on her softball team. This leads to popularity and her ditching old friends. One of her friends comments on her Facebook posts and then everyone attacks him with rude comments. Tori is one of those bullies.
It is cool to read a book from the bullies point of view because normally it is from the victims point of view. You get a look into Tori’s brain and you can see that she believes that she is innocent.
One night near midnight someone “randomly” calls her saying they will commit suicide if she doesn’t give him one reason to live. During this night Tori learns a great deal about herself and the boy who was driven to suicide.
I think that I learned a lot while reading this book. A lot of people think that it is obvious to “the bully” what they are doing but sometimes it’s not. Last year I had a friend who kept getting mad at me and for so long I couldn’t see what I was doing wrong. No, I was not bullying but there were problems and stuff. It’s eye opening to how naive people are about their actions.
I would recommend this to almost anything unless suicide talk is a trigger for you. It was a really quick read that will leave you thinking for days. I gave the book a 4/5 stars.
(As soon as I marked that I was currently reading this on Goodreads two people marked as to read. I feel powerful.)
Honestly I didn’t actually know anything about the book going into it other than two of my friends loved it and something to do with suicide. The book was short so I was motivated to take a few hours out of my day to enjoy an easy read… or so I thought. I heard that the book was deep from Maddie but I didn’t realize it was THAT deep. For days after I kept thinking about what I just read.
The main character of this book is a major jock. Normally in YA books jocks are male but Tori is female. She went into high school and immediately becomes one of the top players on her softball team. This leads to popularity and her ditching old friends. One of her friends comments on her Facebook posts and then everyone attacks him with rude comments. Tori is one of those bullies.
It is cool to read a book from the bullies point of view because normally it is from the victims point of view. You get a look into Tori’s brain and you can see that she believes that she is innocent.
One night near midnight someone “randomly” calls her saying they will commit suicide if she doesn’t give him one reason to live. During this night Tori learns a great deal about herself and the boy who was driven to suicide.
I think that I learned a lot while reading this book. A lot of people think that it is obvious to “the bully” what they are doing but sometimes it’s not. Last year I had a friend who kept getting mad at me and for so long I couldn’t see what I was doing wrong. No, I was not bullying but there were problems and stuff. It’s eye opening to how naive people are about their actions.
I would recommend this to almost anything unless suicide talk is a trigger for you. It was a really quick read that will leave you thinking for days. I gave the book a 4/5 stars.
(As soon as I marked that I was currently reading this on Goodreads two people marked as to read. I feel powerful.)
September 17, 2015
Whoa... Random is on hell of a book. Very fast paced and extremely shocking.
Tori is a bitch. I don't like cussing in reviews but there is no better word for her. Maybe self-centered bitch is better, though. Someone she cared about and was friends with needed her and she just shrugged it off and he ended up killing himself. Yes, throughout the book, all she is worried about is what is going to happen to HER. Her life, her future, her relationships. She is messed up beyond anything and I hope she got more than a slap on the wrist. Always remember, Not guilty doesn't mean you're innocent. She might not have pulled the trigger or tied to rope but she didn't do anything to stop it and, in fact, she made it worse.
I loved the plot against Tori. It was definitely a wake up call. I just hope that she actually changes and becomes a better person so it was not all done in vain. But even in the end she still was oblivious and it took a lot of coaxing for her to figure out who Andy really was. Her friends and brother saw good in her so lets just hope their love for her wasn't misplaced and she can turn her life around. I don't think she deserves a second chance, honestly, but her friends and family do.
As I have said in a few other reviews of High School bullying in books, maybe I went to a different kind of school or I was just immune to it. But I never saw anything THIS BAD in school. But this book is very brutal and honest. If you bully someone then you could very well end up being the reason someone kills their self. There is no need to bully anyone and this world needs a giant wake up call. Young people killing themselves obviously isn't the wake up call the world needs. Something BIG needs to happen to shake the very foundation. People need to open their eyes and stay caring about others.
I think everyone should read this book. If not for the story then for the meaning behind it.
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.
Tori is a bitch. I don't like cussing in reviews but there is no better word for her. Maybe self-centered bitch is better, though. Someone she cared about and was friends with needed her and she just shrugged it off and he ended up killing himself. Yes, throughout the book, all she is worried about is what is going to happen to HER. Her life, her future, her relationships. She is messed up beyond anything and I hope she got more than a slap on the wrist. Always remember, Not guilty doesn't mean you're innocent. She might not have pulled the trigger or tied to rope but she didn't do anything to stop it and, in fact, she made it worse.
I loved the plot against Tori. It was definitely a wake up call. I just hope that she actually changes and becomes a better person so it was not all done in vain. But even in the end she still was oblivious and it took a lot of coaxing for her to figure out who Andy really was. Her friends and brother saw good in her so lets just hope their love for her wasn't misplaced and she can turn her life around. I don't think she deserves a second chance, honestly, but her friends and family do.
As I have said in a few other reviews of High School bullying in books, maybe I went to a different kind of school or I was just immune to it. But I never saw anything THIS BAD in school. But this book is very brutal and honest. If you bully someone then you could very well end up being the reason someone kills their self. There is no need to bully anyone and this world needs a giant wake up call. Young people killing themselves obviously isn't the wake up call the world needs. Something BIG needs to happen to shake the very foundation. People need to open their eyes and stay caring about others.
I think everyone should read this book. If not for the story then for the meaning behind it.
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.
October 6, 2014
What would you do if a person's life was in your hands? Would you do everything in your power to save him? Or would you turn your back on him?
Tori is living in a nightmare. She's been accused of perpetuating the suicide of a friend after she and a couple of friends made snarky remarks on Facebook. And then one night a guy named Andy calls to tell her he is contemplating suicide and asks her to give him a reason not to go through with it.
Well, I liked the author's style of writing. I liked the pacing and the twists in the story. But do I agree with the issues? Bullying is the main issue in this story. I have never been a fan of it, so what do I think about Tori's actions? Tori was at fault. She stood idly by as her friends harassed an innocent guy. She exacerbated a situation by giving a cruel comment. She could have defended him. She could have told her friends to stop, but she didn't care enough to do so. I think that makes her partly a killer.
But Kevin didn't have to kill himself. Yes, he was depressed but suicide is never the answer. He had people who cared about him. I firmly believe that death cannot solve the problem. He could have asked for help, he could have held on a little longer. He should not have given up. But it's easier said than done. Depression eats you alive and drives you to insanity. I feel sad about what happened to Kevin, and Tori felt the same way too. She just couldn't own up to her faults.
Anyway, this book was well-written and exciting. I highly recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2015
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book...I randomly (haha lame pun) picked it up at the library, brought it home, and read it in two days. It looks short from the outside, but on the inside there sure is a lot.
Random dealt with a lot of tough topics. I think that sometimes we don't want to think about them... Let the bullies bully as long as you aren't involved...right? Ermmm no.... But standing up for someone is hard. And that's kind of what this book is about. In a way. Wow this is hard.
To be honest, I didn't like the main character. I noticed that a lot of other people didn't either, but I appreciate how the "bad guy" was the main character. It really changed my perspective on the topic.
So why 5 stars? I'm not sure. Well not exactly. I guess this book kept me reading into all hours of the night, and opened my eyes about the things that are hard to see.
So happy reading!
:)
Random dealt with a lot of tough topics. I think that sometimes we don't want to think about them... Let the bullies bully as long as you aren't involved...right? Ermmm no.... But standing up for someone is hard. And that's kind of what this book is about. In a way. Wow this is hard.
To be honest, I didn't like the main character. I noticed that a lot of other people didn't either, but I appreciate how the "bad guy" was the main character. It really changed my perspective on the topic.
So why 5 stars? I'm not sure. Well not exactly. I guess this book kept me reading into all hours of the night, and opened my eyes about the things that are hard to see.
So happy reading!
:)
March 2, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars
As a teenager who's built some of her best relationships with people online, it's horrifying to read a book such as this one.
Well this book doesn't perfectly deal with cyberbullying, it certainly has good discussion topics and a gripping plot.
Definitely a solid 3.5 stars because the plot was there but the characters fell a little flat.
As a teenager who's built some of her best relationships with people online, it's horrifying to read a book such as this one.
Well this book doesn't perfectly deal with cyberbullying, it certainly has good discussion topics and a gripping plot.
Definitely a solid 3.5 stars because the plot was there but the characters fell a little flat.
May 23, 2016
The story was really well-thought and this book was clearly a page turner!
August 29, 2015
Not guilty doesn't mean you're innocent.
That tagline says a lot about the story in Random, the concept that you can be guilty in a sense even if not technically speaking. In this case, Tori can't admit to anyone, much less herself, that her own behavior contributed to the conditions that led a classmate to commit suicide. Tomorrow morning, she'll be appearing before a judge to enter a plea to the charges against her; her parents are trying very hard to keep the family on an even keel but Tori's brother, Jack, cannot bring himself to forgive what she has done or her attitude since.
Attitude is the crux of the problem because Tori is completely oblivious to the pain she caused Kevin, the boy who started high school alongside her with some hope and a good deal of apprehension, or perhaps it would be better to say she's just about as shallow as a person can get. Sure, she's upset about what's to come tomorrow but not because of what happened to Kevin. She's upset because (1) she's being blamed, (2) her so-called friends, the people she was trying so hard to impress, are not reaching out to her and (3) everybody's being mean to her, taking away her computer, making her use an old cellphone that only makes phone calls, talking about her to the press. In short, Tori is living in a poor-pitiful-me world. Then comes the call from a stranger, the call that will demand much of Tori.
Tori is a very interesting character, largely because she's so self-centered, so focused on what's happening to her with very little concern for the people around her. When Jack tries to tell her how he felt abandoned by her when school was tough for him, she doesn't get it. She also doesn't get that Noah, her only remaining friend, cares a great deal for her or that Andrew, the guy on the other end of the phone call, might do something terrible if she can't stop him. Actually, she does get that last part but she's mostly concerned about how it will look if she's connected to a second suicide.
Andrew himself is an enigma. Is he really about to commit suicide or is this a setup meant to harass Tori? At one moment, I empathized with him and, at the next, I thought he was really dicey, someone not to be trusted, then I'd bounce back the other way again. Jack, on the other hand, had my sympathies all along. He was a victim in more than one way and I truly understood why he felt as he did about his sister.
The real class act here is Noah, a boy who clearly cared about Tori and wished her well, a boy who would go to great lengths to make things a little better for her. Noah is a character I could love.
Will Tori finally understand why she's in trouble, what she did to Kevin, or even just grow up a little and become a decent human being? The answers may or may not come but the tale of her very long night is worth putting up with this girl. I'd never read anything by Tom Leveen before but he has a new fan because he made me look just a little bit below the surface.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2015.
That tagline says a lot about the story in Random, the concept that you can be guilty in a sense even if not technically speaking. In this case, Tori can't admit to anyone, much less herself, that her own behavior contributed to the conditions that led a classmate to commit suicide. Tomorrow morning, she'll be appearing before a judge to enter a plea to the charges against her; her parents are trying very hard to keep the family on an even keel but Tori's brother, Jack, cannot bring himself to forgive what she has done or her attitude since.
Attitude is the crux of the problem because Tori is completely oblivious to the pain she caused Kevin, the boy who started high school alongside her with some hope and a good deal of apprehension, or perhaps it would be better to say she's just about as shallow as a person can get. Sure, she's upset about what's to come tomorrow but not because of what happened to Kevin. She's upset because (1) she's being blamed, (2) her so-called friends, the people she was trying so hard to impress, are not reaching out to her and (3) everybody's being mean to her, taking away her computer, making her use an old cellphone that only makes phone calls, talking about her to the press. In short, Tori is living in a poor-pitiful-me world. Then comes the call from a stranger, the call that will demand much of Tori.
Tori is a very interesting character, largely because she's so self-centered, so focused on what's happening to her with very little concern for the people around her. When Jack tries to tell her how he felt abandoned by her when school was tough for him, she doesn't get it. She also doesn't get that Noah, her only remaining friend, cares a great deal for her or that Andrew, the guy on the other end of the phone call, might do something terrible if she can't stop him. Actually, she does get that last part but she's mostly concerned about how it will look if she's connected to a second suicide.
Andrew himself is an enigma. Is he really about to commit suicide or is this a setup meant to harass Tori? At one moment, I empathized with him and, at the next, I thought he was really dicey, someone not to be trusted, then I'd bounce back the other way again. Jack, on the other hand, had my sympathies all along. He was a victim in more than one way and I truly understood why he felt as he did about his sister.
The real class act here is Noah, a boy who clearly cared about Tori and wished her well, a boy who would go to great lengths to make things a little better for her. Noah is a character I could love.
Will Tori finally understand why she's in trouble, what she did to Kevin, or even just grow up a little and become a decent human being? The answers may or may not come but the tale of her very long night is worth putting up with this girl. I'd never read anything by Tom Leveen before but he has a new fan because he made me look just a little bit below the surface.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2015.
February 4, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchanged for a honest review. In no way did the author or publishing company influence my review. For more reviews, see my blog fashion-by-the-book.tumblr.com
Random is the story of one night of the life of Tori Hershberger, who used to be a normal, semi-popular, sixteen year old… until a Facebook comment goes too far, and a classmate is found dead of suicide. The night before the hearing that will decide if Tori and her friends are murderers or innocent, she gets a phone call from a boy, who claims to have chosen the number at random. All he wants is a reason to live.
Scared that she might be the cause of another death, Tori talks to the boy all night, with her friend Noah at her side, trying to save him and find out if the call is really random.
This is defiantly a heavy story. In the world we live in, teenage suicide because of bullying, especially cyber-bulling, is a very real and consent thing. I couldn’t stand Tori because she didn’t seem to realize this. She thought she was innocent, and a common questions throughout the book is if she was upset because of what she did, or because she got caught. I think she was mad because she got caught. I didn’t feel sorry for her at all, I was angry at her for what she did to someone she was suppose to be friends with.
Her friend, Noah, I felt a little differently towards. His character is probably a better person than I am, because he stuck with Tori, even though he knew what she did was wrong, because he didn’t want her to be alone. He seemed to know the impact of what she did, but still stood by her for her sake. I probably would have sided with her brother, who totally ignored her.
The writing matched the story perfectly. It wasn’t too morbid, to match Tori’s attitude towards the whole deal, but wasn’t upbeat or light, either. I can’t imagine writing a book about suicide could be easy, but Leveen did a good job, although I felt like some parts were a bit insensitive. I feel like it would be tough to read if you were personally impacted by cyber-bulling or a suicide, as it told from the point of view of bully.
The ending was pretty predictable by the time Andy, the voice on the phone, starts telling the story of his ex-girlfriend. Andy could have been a little more mysterious, I think. He was very open with Tori, but that could have been part of his mind-games. I find his whole motive pretty creepy, too.
I decided on three stars because the story didn't grip me, but I do recommend Random to fans of Thirteen Reasons Why.
Random is the story of one night of the life of Tori Hershberger, who used to be a normal, semi-popular, sixteen year old… until a Facebook comment goes too far, and a classmate is found dead of suicide. The night before the hearing that will decide if Tori and her friends are murderers or innocent, she gets a phone call from a boy, who claims to have chosen the number at random. All he wants is a reason to live.
Scared that she might be the cause of another death, Tori talks to the boy all night, with her friend Noah at her side, trying to save him and find out if the call is really random.
This is defiantly a heavy story. In the world we live in, teenage suicide because of bullying, especially cyber-bulling, is a very real and consent thing. I couldn’t stand Tori because she didn’t seem to realize this. She thought she was innocent, and a common questions throughout the book is if she was upset because of what she did, or because she got caught. I think she was mad because she got caught. I didn’t feel sorry for her at all, I was angry at her for what she did to someone she was suppose to be friends with.
Her friend, Noah, I felt a little differently towards. His character is probably a better person than I am, because he stuck with Tori, even though he knew what she did was wrong, because he didn’t want her to be alone. He seemed to know the impact of what she did, but still stood by her for her sake. I probably would have sided with her brother, who totally ignored her.
The writing matched the story perfectly. It wasn’t too morbid, to match Tori’s attitude towards the whole deal, but wasn’t upbeat or light, either. I can’t imagine writing a book about suicide could be easy, but Leveen did a good job, although I felt like some parts were a bit insensitive. I feel like it would be tough to read if you were personally impacted by cyber-bulling or a suicide, as it told from the point of view of bully.
The ending was pretty predictable by the time Andy, the voice on the phone, starts telling the story of his ex-girlfriend. Andy could have been a little more mysterious, I think. He was very open with Tori, but that could have been part of his mind-games. I find his whole motive pretty creepy, too.
I decided on three stars because the story didn't grip me, but I do recommend Random to fans of Thirteen Reasons Why.
July 7, 2017
“Don’t let your mouth write checks your heart can’t cash,”
August 20, 2020
this one was fast paced and held my attention from the very beginning.
it also had a huge "holy shit" moment that i was very appreciative of. I had no idea what was going to happen next.
the only thing that sucked about this book is the ending was a little flat. like i wouldve liked to have known what happened with the trial and whatnot. AND i don't think that Tori was sorry. Maybe that's just because I would have been in Kevin's shoes but she KNEW what she was doing and kept doing it. And then her apology seemed more forced than of her own volition. so, i don't think she was sorry about what happened. i think she was sorry about having been caught doing something so disappointing.
it also had a huge "holy shit" moment that i was very appreciative of. I had no idea what was going to happen next.
the only thing that sucked about this book is the ending was a little flat. like i wouldve liked to have known what happened with the trial and whatnot. AND i don't think that Tori was sorry. Maybe that's just because I would have been in Kevin's shoes but she KNEW what she was doing and kept doing it. And then her apology seemed more forced than of her own volition. so, i don't think she was sorry about what happened. i think she was sorry about having been caught doing something so disappointing.
Read
January 14, 2018There's a lot of pros and cons to be said about this book--a quick read, with a lot of twists and turns. Ultimately, though, I believe that, regardless of how a reader responds to it, it WILL have one result across the board: it'll get the reader thinking. And, hopefully, talking. Which is the *right* result, and, I'm assuming, the INTENDED result. So for that, I applaud the author.
March 24, 2015
3.5 stars
I received this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I think what I loved the most about Random—and why the book worked so well—was the fast, no-nonse pace of the novel. Random takes place over the course of one night and by the end of the book, more questions are left unanswered than in the beginning in an entirely gripping way. While Random may be a fast read, it is in no way a light one. The issues this book covers are controversial and, in an age consumed with technology, all too common.
Our main character, Tori, is facing some serious accusations that have the potential to alter her life in a significant way. Because of that, her family’s isn’t the same as it used to be, her brother’s turned her back on her, and her so-called friends have abandoned her. The night before Tori’s trial begins, she gets a phone call that turns her already shaky night into a tailspin.
As the book progresses, in the way of phone calls and Facebook posts inserted here and there, we get Tori’s story, and the actions that have led her to where she is. While Tori may not have been a ruthless perpetrator, she did participate in the cyberbullying of a classmate, which resulted in his suicide. Hours before her trial is set to start, Tori receives a phone call from a random guy asking for one reason not to kill himself. Scared out of her mind, Tori stays on the phone the whole night, trying to convince the caller to step away from the ledge, so-to-speak. In the hours that follow, we learn not only about Tori, but also what it means to be on the other side of bullying.
After reading Random, all I could think about was Tori and the fact that she was a selfish sixteen-year-old completely out of her element. Over and over she keeps telling Andy (and herself) that she didn’t kill Kevin, and while she may not have pushed him over the edge, she did play a part in the overall scheme of things. Yet, while Tori refused to acknowledge her part in Kevin’s suicide throughout most of the book, I didn’t not like her. We are often so quick to judge and point fingers in the aftermath of a tragedy, that we forget to get the whole story. That being said, I did not in any way condone Tori’s behavior, but I did sympathize with her. Furthermore, her refusal to give up on Andy and her acceptance of the role she played in Kevin’s suicide speak for themselves.
Random‘s conclusion was shocking, but perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything else. As unlikely as it may seem, we do see a minuscule, but impacting change in Tori by the end of the book. It’s messy and imperfect, but it was done just right. Tom Leveen’s Random is gripping and it’s captivating words beg the question: who’s the real victim?
For more reviews, visit my blog at Bittersweet Reads.
I received this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I think what I loved the most about Random—and why the book worked so well—was the fast, no-nonse pace of the novel. Random takes place over the course of one night and by the end of the book, more questions are left unanswered than in the beginning in an entirely gripping way. While Random may be a fast read, it is in no way a light one. The issues this book covers are controversial and, in an age consumed with technology, all too common.
Our main character, Tori, is facing some serious accusations that have the potential to alter her life in a significant way. Because of that, her family’s isn’t the same as it used to be, her brother’s turned her back on her, and her so-called friends have abandoned her. The night before Tori’s trial begins, she gets a phone call that turns her already shaky night into a tailspin.
As the book progresses, in the way of phone calls and Facebook posts inserted here and there, we get Tori’s story, and the actions that have led her to where she is. While Tori may not have been a ruthless perpetrator, she did participate in the cyberbullying of a classmate, which resulted in his suicide. Hours before her trial is set to start, Tori receives a phone call from a random guy asking for one reason not to kill himself. Scared out of her mind, Tori stays on the phone the whole night, trying to convince the caller to step away from the ledge, so-to-speak. In the hours that follow, we learn not only about Tori, but also what it means to be on the other side of bullying.
After reading Random, all I could think about was Tori and the fact that she was a selfish sixteen-year-old completely out of her element. Over and over she keeps telling Andy (and herself) that she didn’t kill Kevin, and while she may not have pushed him over the edge, she did play a part in the overall scheme of things. Yet, while Tori refused to acknowledge her part in Kevin’s suicide throughout most of the book, I didn’t not like her. We are often so quick to judge and point fingers in the aftermath of a tragedy, that we forget to get the whole story. That being said, I did not in any way condone Tori’s behavior, but I did sympathize with her. Furthermore, her refusal to give up on Andy and her acceptance of the role she played in Kevin’s suicide speak for themselves.
Random‘s conclusion was shocking, but perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything else. As unlikely as it may seem, we do see a minuscule, but impacting change in Tori by the end of the book. It’s messy and imperfect, but it was done just right. Tom Leveen’s Random is gripping and it’s captivating words beg the question: who’s the real victim?
For more reviews, visit my blog at Bittersweet Reads.
July 31, 2014
Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This book tackled the issue of cyber bullying which is a serious and relevant issue amongst young and not so young people today. There have been many tragic stories in the news about young people taking their lives after relentless bullying (mostly cyber) from peers. I was extremely anxious to see how this book would tackle it.
Let me start off by saying that this book is a really easy read and I was able to finish it in just a few hours. It starts with an introduction to Tori as she stresses, sulks and whines in her head about her court date the next day. As the reader we don't know (yet) why she is appearing in court, just that she is in serious trouble. I have to admit that I did not like Tori at this point. She seemed self involved and beyond selfish.
Then she gets a phone call...
The caller says he has called her at random and is going to commit suicide and wants her to give him one good reason why he shouldn't. He seems to want to talk and Tori is uncertain whether he is serious or if it is a prank. She doesn't want to hang up just in case. It is during her conversation with Andy (the boy that called her number) that the details of why she is in trouble comes to light. The cyber bullying takes the stage and we learn about her roll in it.
I'm not going to say anything more about the plot for fear of giving away spoilers. Here's what I thought...
The author does a relatively good job with the issue of cyber bullying and highlighting the consequences of those actions but I felt that the story and characters were a little underdeveloped. The story could have been way more powerful in its message if there had been more development. However, the message is still there even if it is a little condensed.
I wanted to like Tori and I wanted her to redeem herself but in my opinion this did not happen. I did not like her at the beginning, middle or the end. All of her emotions were self motivated and for all the wrong reasons. I never got the impression that she truly understood or owned the consequences of her and her friends actions. This was a shame.
I did like the concept of the story and how the entire book took place over one night. There were a lot of good points in regards to cyber bullying to reflect on. The book would make for some great discussions among teenagers in a learning environment. Although I really disliked the main character I still feel like the story is relevant and important.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This book tackled the issue of cyber bullying which is a serious and relevant issue amongst young and not so young people today. There have been many tragic stories in the news about young people taking their lives after relentless bullying (mostly cyber) from peers. I was extremely anxious to see how this book would tackle it.
Let me start off by saying that this book is a really easy read and I was able to finish it in just a few hours. It starts with an introduction to Tori as she stresses, sulks and whines in her head about her court date the next day. As the reader we don't know (yet) why she is appearing in court, just that she is in serious trouble. I have to admit that I did not like Tori at this point. She seemed self involved and beyond selfish.
Then she gets a phone call...
The caller says he has called her at random and is going to commit suicide and wants her to give him one good reason why he shouldn't. He seems to want to talk and Tori is uncertain whether he is serious or if it is a prank. She doesn't want to hang up just in case. It is during her conversation with Andy (the boy that called her number) that the details of why she is in trouble comes to light. The cyber bullying takes the stage and we learn about her roll in it.
I'm not going to say anything more about the plot for fear of giving away spoilers. Here's what I thought...
The author does a relatively good job with the issue of cyber bullying and highlighting the consequences of those actions but I felt that the story and characters were a little underdeveloped. The story could have been way more powerful in its message if there had been more development. However, the message is still there even if it is a little condensed.
I wanted to like Tori and I wanted her to redeem herself but in my opinion this did not happen. I did not like her at the beginning, middle or the end. All of her emotions were self motivated and for all the wrong reasons. I never got the impression that she truly understood or owned the consequences of her and her friends actions. This was a shame.
I did like the concept of the story and how the entire book took place over one night. There were a lot of good points in regards to cyber bullying to reflect on. The book would make for some great discussions among teenagers in a learning environment. Although I really disliked the main character I still feel like the story is relevant and important.
August 13, 2014
Random by Tom Leveen is a strangely compelling idea, with not such a great execution. Set in the span of a night, Tori receives a random phone call. She doesn’t know the caller, it was all by chance, but the caller is desperate and he connected with Tori. Tori doesn’t have time for this, she needs to clear her head and get ready to go on trial for murder, and her Facebook page is beyond incriminating. The problem is, the first person who reached out to her killed himself (why she’s on trial), and the second person to reach out to her needs to be talked off the cliff before he jumps. Dealing with the death that she might have caused, and dealing with a stranger who needs help are more than what Tori can handle, but does she want another death on her conscious?
This was a terribly good idea. I like when writers look at an event through different eyes. Most of the time bullying stories are told from the victim’s perspective or close relation of the victim; however, this story is told in through the bully’s perspective. A huge challenge for most people to understand is that adolescents are the most dangerous people, due to the fact that they do not know right from wrong all day. I don’t want to say that parents or others do not teach them, but most if not all adolescents learn through doing and seeing. Coupled with the fact that they are trying to fit in, this can be dangerous as illustrated by Tori’s story. I appreciated the angle and also the truth behind “sometimes people don’t understand their actions effect others.” This can be psychologically explained, since teens are thinking about themselves and trying to figure out their role in the world. What I didn’t appreciate was the execution. The story was too short; there is no way of really knowing if Tori changes, or if anyone really learns a lesson. I also did not like the fact that people felt the need to bully a bully. I get tough love, I get teaching a lesson, I don’t get why people can feel superior enough to bring someone else down just based on that person’s actions, especially when those teaching the lesson are morally right and also teenagers. Where were the parents? Why didn’t those that wanted to teach Tori a lesson team up with the parents or adults to show that this was a lesson learned, instead I felt it was for self-serving reasons. Not a terrible story, just very superficial and at times frustrating.
3 out of 5 stars. Thanks Edelweiss.
This was a terribly good idea. I like when writers look at an event through different eyes. Most of the time bullying stories are told from the victim’s perspective or close relation of the victim; however, this story is told in through the bully’s perspective. A huge challenge for most people to understand is that adolescents are the most dangerous people, due to the fact that they do not know right from wrong all day. I don’t want to say that parents or others do not teach them, but most if not all adolescents learn through doing and seeing. Coupled with the fact that they are trying to fit in, this can be dangerous as illustrated by Tori’s story. I appreciated the angle and also the truth behind “sometimes people don’t understand their actions effect others.” This can be psychologically explained, since teens are thinking about themselves and trying to figure out their role in the world. What I didn’t appreciate was the execution. The story was too short; there is no way of really knowing if Tori changes, or if anyone really learns a lesson. I also did not like the fact that people felt the need to bully a bully. I get tough love, I get teaching a lesson, I don’t get why people can feel superior enough to bring someone else down just based on that person’s actions, especially when those teaching the lesson are morally right and also teenagers. Where were the parents? Why didn’t those that wanted to teach Tori a lesson team up with the parents or adults to show that this was a lesson learned, instead I felt it was for self-serving reasons. Not a terrible story, just very superficial and at times frustrating.
3 out of 5 stars. Thanks Edelweiss.
October 7, 2014
Originally reviewed on The Escapist.
***
This review is based on advanced reading copy. There might be some changes in the finished copy. Apart from that, my ARC had a different cover. The publisher must have changed it before publishing the finished copy.
Victoria/Tori was in a bad situation. Her future might get ruined due to the reckless things she did or said. Then one night, she received a call from a number she did not recognized. But when she realized she couldn't just hang up on the caller for it might bring more destruction to her, she stayed on the line and tried to save him.
Random isn't your typical YA contemporary novel. In this book, the main character isn't being bullied or the nice one; she's the bully. Being the bully, Tori isn't a likable character. You'd get irritated on her once you read this book. She cannot even see the wrong things she'd done and would even blame the people who is being bullied. She's relentless and I almost gave up on her on the first few chapters but I tried to keep an open mind. Why did the author chose a bully's point of view? I guess to let us inside the head of a bully--what they think of it or why they do it. It's just sad that all Tori said could be true and the fact that there are people who think that way. The author may also wanted to let all his readers relate on this book--whether you're the victim or the bully. It was nice that the topic was tackled and emphasized in this book and made it to realize not only to the main character, but also to the readers.
I thought rating the other books I've previously reviewed was hard. But I think this is the hardest. I could give 5 stars for the message this book is giving to its readers. But when it comes to the story itself, I wasn't contented on the events, characterization, and ending. I'd give it 2 or 3 stars. Like I said, the main character isn't likable, the bullying and what happened after was bad, and I'm looking for more reassurance in the ending.
Told in 24-hour (or less) story, Random is a realistic tale about bullying and its consequences. Sad and thought-provoking, readers in all ages will relate on this book.
*Thank you so much Rino and Simon & Schuster for the review copy!
***
This review is based on advanced reading copy. There might be some changes in the finished copy. Apart from that, my ARC had a different cover. The publisher must have changed it before publishing the finished copy.
Victoria/Tori was in a bad situation. Her future might get ruined due to the reckless things she did or said. Then one night, she received a call from a number she did not recognized. But when she realized she couldn't just hang up on the caller for it might bring more destruction to her, she stayed on the line and tried to save him.
Random isn't your typical YA contemporary novel. In this book, the main character isn't being bullied or the nice one; she's the bully. Being the bully, Tori isn't a likable character. You'd get irritated on her once you read this book. She cannot even see the wrong things she'd done and would even blame the people who is being bullied. She's relentless and I almost gave up on her on the first few chapters but I tried to keep an open mind. Why did the author chose a bully's point of view? I guess to let us inside the head of a bully--what they think of it or why they do it. It's just sad that all Tori said could be true and the fact that there are people who think that way. The author may also wanted to let all his readers relate on this book--whether you're the victim or the bully. It was nice that the topic was tackled and emphasized in this book and made it to realize not only to the main character, but also to the readers.
I thought rating the other books I've previously reviewed was hard. But I think this is the hardest. I could give 5 stars for the message this book is giving to its readers. But when it comes to the story itself, I wasn't contented on the events, characterization, and ending. I'd give it 2 or 3 stars. Like I said, the main character isn't likable, the bullying and what happened after was bad, and I'm looking for more reassurance in the ending.
Told in 24-hour (or less) story, Random is a realistic tale about bullying and its consequences. Sad and thought-provoking, readers in all ages will relate on this book.
*Thank you so much Rino and Simon & Schuster for the review copy!
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