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Year of Mistaken Discoveries
Friendship is a bond stronger than secrets in this novel from the author of The Almost Truth and Unraveling Isobel.
As first graders, Avery and Nora bonded over a special trait they shared—they were both adopted.
Years later, Avery is smart, popular, and on the cheerleading squad, while Nora spends her time on the fringes of school society, wearing black, reading esoteric poetry, and listening to obscure music. They never interact...until the night Nora approaches Avery at a party, saying it’s urgent. She tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom—but it turned out to be a cruel lie. Avery feels for Nora, but returns to her friends at the party.
Then Avery learns that Nora overdosed on pills. Left to cope with Nora’s loss and questioning her own actions, Avery decides to honor her friend by launching a search for her own birth mother. Aided by Brody, a friend of Nora’s who is also looking for a way to respect Nora’s legacy, Avery embarks on an emotional quest. But what she’s really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics…
As first graders, Avery and Nora bonded over a special trait they shared—they were both adopted.
Years later, Avery is smart, popular, and on the cheerleading squad, while Nora spends her time on the fringes of school society, wearing black, reading esoteric poetry, and listening to obscure music. They never interact...until the night Nora approaches Avery at a party, saying it’s urgent. She tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom—but it turned out to be a cruel lie. Avery feels for Nora, but returns to her friends at the party.
Then Avery learns that Nora overdosed on pills. Left to cope with Nora’s loss and questioning her own actions, Avery decides to honor her friend by launching a search for her own birth mother. Aided by Brody, a friend of Nora’s who is also looking for a way to respect Nora’s legacy, Avery embarks on an emotional quest. But what she’s really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics…
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 25, 2014
7 people are currently reading
1809 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Cook
40 books997 followersEileen Cook spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
March 8, 2014
Since I mainlined her entire backlist a year or two ago, Eileen Cook has become a must-read author for me. I tend to pre-order her books so that I can start them as soon as they're available (thank you, Kindle). I'm going to be honest: I don't even check to see what they're about. If they're by Eileen Cook, I will read them and, if history is any indication, I will love them. So when I learned that she would be sending me a copy, I was overjoyed. (There was dancing in the apartment. Sorry not sorry.)
I mention all that to say this: this book is about adoption. And as you may or may not know, I'm adopted.
I'm not sure if Eileen Cook is adopted, but if she isn't, she must know someone who is pretty well, because she has the feelings exactly right.
It doesn't matter if you grow up with an amazing, lovely, supportive family (and FYI, you do consider them YOUR PARENTS because even though there are people out there that you're biologically related to, these people did all the heavy lifting---taking care of you when you were sick, helping with homework, showing up on Class Day, whatever), you will probably always wonder about the mother who was there first. It doesn't mean you want to trade one in for the other; it's just human nature. (And it's kind of a primal thing.)
But there's also this (and Avery explains it at the end of the book): who am I like? Do I have my mom's sense of humor and my dad's nose? It's so surreal that I had to jump through all these hoops to learn that my fondness for weird food came from my maternal biological family. (Barbecued octopus for everyone! And don't make that face; it's awesome.)
So between the fact that it was written by Eileen Cook and the fact that it was about adoption, I was almost guaranteed to love this book. And I do.
But you don't have to have any experience with adoption to love this book. Do you like books where the main character shows great personal growth? Have you ever wondered exactly who you are? Have you ever felt like a chameleon because who you are varies depending on who you're with at any given time? Then this book is for you. And you're lucky, because this book is perfect.
Highly recommended.
I mention all that to say this: this book is about adoption. And as you may or may not know, I'm adopted.
I'm not sure if Eileen Cook is adopted, but if she isn't, she must know someone who is pretty well, because she has the feelings exactly right.
It doesn't matter if you grow up with an amazing, lovely, supportive family (and FYI, you do consider them YOUR PARENTS because even though there are people out there that you're biologically related to, these people did all the heavy lifting---taking care of you when you were sick, helping with homework, showing up on Class Day, whatever), you will probably always wonder about the mother who was there first. It doesn't mean you want to trade one in for the other; it's just human nature. (And it's kind of a primal thing.)
But there's also this (and Avery explains it at the end of the book): who am I like? Do I have my mom's sense of humor and my dad's nose? It's so surreal that I had to jump through all these hoops to learn that my fondness for weird food came from my maternal biological family. (Barbecued octopus for everyone! And don't make that face; it's awesome.)
So between the fact that it was written by Eileen Cook and the fact that it was about adoption, I was almost guaranteed to love this book. And I do.
But you don't have to have any experience with adoption to love this book. Do you like books where the main character shows great personal growth? Have you ever wondered exactly who you are? Have you ever felt like a chameleon because who you are varies depending on who you're with at any given time? Then this book is for you. And you're lucky, because this book is perfect.
Highly recommended.
February 11, 2014
Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a fun contemporary read from Eileen Cook. There are some more serious undertones which I enjoyed but mainly it was a book that I found to be supremely cute.
Avery and Nora aren't really friends by the time the book starts. They have drifted apart over the years with Avery becoming the popular cheerleader and Nora becoming a loner. However, that doesn't mean Nora's death doesn't profoundly affect Avery. It comes as a shock to her that Nora would take her own life and Avery feels a lot of guilt over the fact that she wasn't there for Nora at the end. This guilt leads her to decide to find her birth mom in honor of Nora, along with the help of Nora's only other friend, Brody.
Admittedly the guilt about Nora was only part of the reason that Avery decided to start searching for her birth mom. She had some other motives that were not very pure. Avery was decidedly selfish. Everything she did, she did for herself. Sure she'd make it seem like she was doing it for someone else or some greater purpose but it truly was all about her in the end. I really didn't like Avery for most of the book because of this. However, the other characters helped make up for my dislike of Avery. First there was Brody. He was a little mysterious but it didn't take long for me to warm up to him. He was a great guy. Then there were Avery's adoptive parents. They were the perfect parents. They played a huge role in the story and I loved reading a YA book with a parental presence. Avery's friends, Lydia and Shannon, were pretty good too although they were a little shallow.
The story was really fast-paced. There was nothing really special about it but I enjoyed it. Avery and Brody spend most of the book searching down Avery's real mom and it was fun to see how they went about getting their information. It read a little bit like a mystery. It was a little predictable but I didn't really think that was a bad thing in this case.
Overall, Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a wonderfully quick contemporary read. It's perfect for a rainy day and it will definitely leave you with a smile on your face.
Avery and Nora aren't really friends by the time the book starts. They have drifted apart over the years with Avery becoming the popular cheerleader and Nora becoming a loner. However, that doesn't mean Nora's death doesn't profoundly affect Avery. It comes as a shock to her that Nora would take her own life and Avery feels a lot of guilt over the fact that she wasn't there for Nora at the end. This guilt leads her to decide to find her birth mom in honor of Nora, along with the help of Nora's only other friend, Brody.
Admittedly the guilt about Nora was only part of the reason that Avery decided to start searching for her birth mom. She had some other motives that were not very pure. Avery was decidedly selfish. Everything she did, she did for herself. Sure she'd make it seem like she was doing it for someone else or some greater purpose but it truly was all about her in the end. I really didn't like Avery for most of the book because of this. However, the other characters helped make up for my dislike of Avery. First there was Brody. He was a little mysterious but it didn't take long for me to warm up to him. He was a great guy. Then there were Avery's adoptive parents. They were the perfect parents. They played a huge role in the story and I loved reading a YA book with a parental presence. Avery's friends, Lydia and Shannon, were pretty good too although they were a little shallow.
The story was really fast-paced. There was nothing really special about it but I enjoyed it. Avery and Brody spend most of the book searching down Avery's real mom and it was fun to see how they went about getting their information. It read a little bit like a mystery. It was a little predictable but I didn't really think that was a bad thing in this case.
Overall, Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a wonderfully quick contemporary read. It's perfect for a rainy day and it will definitely leave you with a smile on your face.
December 25, 2014
When I met Nora in first grade, I desperately wanted to be best friends with her, partly because she said she was going to be a mermaid when she grew up, but mostly because she was also adopted.
Avery and Nora were once the very best of friends. They bonded over the important things, like being adopted... and mermaids:
"Do you really want to be a mermaid when you grow up?" I asked. Nora shrugged. "Maybe. I like to swim. I might miss having legs, though. And you can't have a TV underwater. Not having a TV would get boring, I think." I nodded. You couldn't argue with logic like that.
But when they reached high school, Avery became a cheerleader and less and less time was made for Nora, until they barely kept in touch. One night, Nora comes to Avery with the news that Nora’s birth mother has gotten in contact with her, and wants to talk, but Avery is a little too busy, like always. The next day, Avery gets the news.
Nora’s dead. She committed suicide.
The rest of this review can be found here!
March 2, 2014
I tend to shy away from books containing abuse of any kind or suicide so i was a bit skeptic about reading this book. But i'm glad i started it because the author manages to keep the story light and fun even though we see some serious issues there.
~~spoilers~~
Having read the book description i was expecting the romance between Avery and Brody and i was really looking forward to it, unfortunately everything happened so fast and before we get used to them being together they have a fight. I wish the author had spend some more time telling us about Avery and Brody.
Also, i wouldn't use the word "shallow" for Avery's character but she was being selfish at the beginning of the book, caring only about being accepted by everyone and doing whatever was needed for that even pushing away Nora. I didn't like that so i was really glad to see her grow as a character even though it took her forever to do it(considering the fact that after her friend had committed suicide she still kept thinking how to get into Duke instead of realizing her part in Nora's suicide).
Overall though it was a good book and i really liked the ending when we finally see Avery growing up and understanding more about herself and Nora. I was also very happy to see her get back together with Brody but i saw that coming from the moment they had the fight.
~~spoilers~~
Having read the book description i was expecting the romance between Avery and Brody and i was really looking forward to it, unfortunately everything happened so fast and before we get used to them being together they have a fight. I wish the author had spend some more time telling us about Avery and Brody.
Also, i wouldn't use the word "shallow" for Avery's character but she was being selfish at the beginning of the book, caring only about being accepted by everyone and doing whatever was needed for that even pushing away Nora. I didn't like that so i was really glad to see her grow as a character even though it took her forever to do it(considering the fact that after her friend had committed suicide she still kept thinking how to get into Duke instead of realizing her part in Nora's suicide).
Overall though it was a good book and i really liked the ending when we finally see Avery growing up and understanding more about herself and Nora. I was also very happy to see her get back together with Brody but i saw that coming from the moment they had the fight.
October 29, 2017
Well crafted novel exploring identity and acceptance.
February 6, 2014
3.5
I wanted to read Year of Mistaken Discoveries because books about friendships that go sideways interests me, because along the way I know that I have drifted apart from friends, and sometimes I know why and others I don't. But the idea if they approached me and then took their own life makes me think--what would or could I do to honor their memory, would I feel guilty and other such questions.
On a journey with Avery as the narrator definitely answered the questions from her perspective. I think that she is an emotional teen, but the way that she grieves is so realistic, that she doesn't overdo it for drama as some, and she has an older soul that makes her look at it in a different light that some of her other classmates, or ones that didn't used to be close to Nora.
Nora herself is an enigma, because we only get to know her through Avery's memories, and also through Brody. I completely adored him by the way. He was weird in the perfect way, nothing perceivable that is so different but he doesn't exactly fit in the predefined circle of niches in school. He has real conversations, a quick wit, and he is easy going and giving in his friendship. At times, when Avery makes bad decisions she seems so unworthy of his friendship, but aren't we all. We all make mistakes and I would love to have a friend like Brody on my side because he is understanding and forgiving. But he doesn't sugar coat, he says what he's thinking, though with tact, but he doesn't just leave it unsaid. And he is so supportive it makes me want to hug him.
Avery's journey to find her birth mom, and hopefully to her, create a senior project to wow Duke, her chosen dream universary at the same time. And at first, she says more than feels that it is a tribute to Nora to get Brody to work with her, but I think that she begins to see the changes in herself, in the friendship with Nora, and about the search and about hope along the way, that she ends up completing something that Nora would be proud of.
In this book, we see the many different ways that family can look. Nora and Avery were adopted, and even their adoptive parents look different. Brody lives with his aunt and uncle. When Avery finds her mom she finds lots of things she didn't expect but she takes things that could be painful and ruin her if she let it, and turned it into discovering more about the love her adoptive family, and even her mom had as well as figuring out things about herself.
I appreciate the sequences of events and how this story stayed realistic. I think that I was all prepared for a slightly disappointing too easy happily ever after, but was pleasantly surprised by the messy but beautiful way that they figured out how to wrap it up. Still giving Avery a good name and managing to show what she learned along the way without her being a jerk and able to patch things up, and still hope that things could come together for her in some aspects and then already starting to click and we see how they will go in the near future for her.
Bottom Line: Avery was a good main character with a lot to discover about herself and I liked her more and more as she realized who she wanted to become.
I wanted to read Year of Mistaken Discoveries because books about friendships that go sideways interests me, because along the way I know that I have drifted apart from friends, and sometimes I know why and others I don't. But the idea if they approached me and then took their own life makes me think--what would or could I do to honor their memory, would I feel guilty and other such questions.
On a journey with Avery as the narrator definitely answered the questions from her perspective. I think that she is an emotional teen, but the way that she grieves is so realistic, that she doesn't overdo it for drama as some, and she has an older soul that makes her look at it in a different light that some of her other classmates, or ones that didn't used to be close to Nora.
Nora herself is an enigma, because we only get to know her through Avery's memories, and also through Brody. I completely adored him by the way. He was weird in the perfect way, nothing perceivable that is so different but he doesn't exactly fit in the predefined circle of niches in school. He has real conversations, a quick wit, and he is easy going and giving in his friendship. At times, when Avery makes bad decisions she seems so unworthy of his friendship, but aren't we all. We all make mistakes and I would love to have a friend like Brody on my side because he is understanding and forgiving. But he doesn't sugar coat, he says what he's thinking, though with tact, but he doesn't just leave it unsaid. And he is so supportive it makes me want to hug him.
Avery's journey to find her birth mom, and hopefully to her, create a senior project to wow Duke, her chosen dream universary at the same time. And at first, she says more than feels that it is a tribute to Nora to get Brody to work with her, but I think that she begins to see the changes in herself, in the friendship with Nora, and about the search and about hope along the way, that she ends up completing something that Nora would be proud of.
In this book, we see the many different ways that family can look. Nora and Avery were adopted, and even their adoptive parents look different. Brody lives with his aunt and uncle. When Avery finds her mom she finds lots of things she didn't expect but she takes things that could be painful and ruin her if she let it, and turned it into discovering more about the love her adoptive family, and even her mom had as well as figuring out things about herself.
I appreciate the sequences of events and how this story stayed realistic. I think that I was all prepared for a slightly disappointing too easy happily ever after, but was pleasantly surprised by the messy but beautiful way that they figured out how to wrap it up. Still giving Avery a good name and managing to show what she learned along the way without her being a jerk and able to patch things up, and still hope that things could come together for her in some aspects and then already starting to click and we see how they will go in the near future for her.
Bottom Line: Avery was a good main character with a lot to discover about herself and I liked her more and more as she realized who she wanted to become.
June 15, 2014
Avery and Nora used to be close in elementary school, brought together by the fact that they were both adopted. Their senior year of high school, although they've long since drifted apart, Nora seeks out Avery at a party and tells her that her longtime search for her both mom ended with someone trying to con her and that she wants Avery to have her notebook about the search. Avery brushes off the encounter as odd, but soon after, Nora's dead and Avery isn't sure what to do. She decides that in honor of her old friend, she will devote her senior project to finding her own birth mom - the same project Nora had been doing - and hope that it brings some sort of closure.
As usual with books by Eileen Cook, there was a lot I liked about this novel. Avery was a likable and believable main character; although Nora wasn't much in the actual story, she came to life when Avery thought about her, and Avery's conflicted emotions about Nora felt very real, especially after the two of them having not been friends for so long, yet super close in childhood. Avery's friends, in general, seemed slightly shallow, but so much of what happened in the book (in regard to friendship) was so understandable. I loved the way Avery felt like her life was kind of a mess and spent a lot of time dissecting it, especially as she tried to figure out where she belonged in the different groups of people at school. I also loved her musings about why she'd spent so much time dating a guy she wasn't that into and how to balance her new relationship with Brody, her senior project partner and someone she hadn't previously known well. I't was all completely relatable.
The mystery of Avery's birth mom was interesting, and although Avery's motivation to find her wasn't necessarily the greatest (it'd be a good senior project to help her get into Duke; she was supposedly honoring Nora...), the search was interesting. All of the stumbling blocks Avery ran into during her search were understandable and it gave a nice window into why - and how - someone might look for a birth parent. I liked the dynamic between Avery and her parents as she started this search, and I also liked that it wasn't a perfectly rosy picture of a reunion between biological mother/daughter, as is often hoped for or even portrayed in news/TV/books. I felt like the author captured it a little more realistically here, which was nice, although Avery's search perhaps went smoother than it might have in real life. Still, the pacing was perfect and it kept me interested as I read on.
Perhaps this book could have been rounded out a little more with extra emotion and depth, but at the same time - it felt complete and satisfying. It wasn't a sad or depressing book at all, despite the premise, and I liked how the potentially heavy-emotional issues were balanced with humor and intrigue. I definitely liked the characters and the story and feel like the author did an excellent job of bringing me into Avery's world. Very enjoyable!
As usual with books by Eileen Cook, there was a lot I liked about this novel. Avery was a likable and believable main character; although Nora wasn't much in the actual story, she came to life when Avery thought about her, and Avery's conflicted emotions about Nora felt very real, especially after the two of them having not been friends for so long, yet super close in childhood. Avery's friends, in general, seemed slightly shallow, but so much of what happened in the book (in regard to friendship) was so understandable. I loved the way Avery felt like her life was kind of a mess and spent a lot of time dissecting it, especially as she tried to figure out where she belonged in the different groups of people at school. I also loved her musings about why she'd spent so much time dating a guy she wasn't that into and how to balance her new relationship with Brody, her senior project partner and someone she hadn't previously known well. I't was all completely relatable.
The mystery of Avery's birth mom was interesting, and although Avery's motivation to find her wasn't necessarily the greatest (it'd be a good senior project to help her get into Duke; she was supposedly honoring Nora...), the search was interesting. All of the stumbling blocks Avery ran into during her search were understandable and it gave a nice window into why - and how - someone might look for a birth parent. I liked the dynamic between Avery and her parents as she started this search, and I also liked that it wasn't a perfectly rosy picture of a reunion between biological mother/daughter, as is often hoped for or even portrayed in news/TV/books. I felt like the author captured it a little more realistically here, which was nice, although Avery's search perhaps went smoother than it might have in real life. Still, the pacing was perfect and it kept me interested as I read on.
Perhaps this book could have been rounded out a little more with extra emotion and depth, but at the same time - it felt complete and satisfying. It wasn't a sad or depressing book at all, despite the premise, and I liked how the potentially heavy-emotional issues were balanced with humor and intrigue. I definitely liked the characters and the story and feel like the author did an excellent job of bringing me into Avery's world. Very enjoyable!
March 10, 2014
In comparison to Eileen Cook’s previous books, I’d have to say that her latest novel, Year of Mistaken Discoveries, is probably the most serious in tone. The subdued humour wasn’t what I was expecting, but I appreciated that Cook decided to try something new.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get fully invested into the story because it involved more telling than showing. We also don’t get to know Nora very intimately, and so her death had little impact on me.
Furthermore, I couldn’t connect with Avery or Brody. In the case of Avery, I think this can partly be attributed to the fact that she herself doesn’t know who she is. Brody, on the other hand, seemed like a guy that I would easily like since he was sweet and honest … but, something just seemed to be missing to make him come alive off the pages.
I really liked the last few chapters of the novel however. Although Avery’s search for her birth mother progressed easily and in an unrealistic manner, the result of her search was unexpected and made her – and the reader – reflect on the definition of family.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get fully invested into the story because it involved more telling than showing. We also don’t get to know Nora very intimately, and so her death had little impact on me.
Furthermore, I couldn’t connect with Avery or Brody. In the case of Avery, I think this can partly be attributed to the fact that she herself doesn’t know who she is. Brody, on the other hand, seemed like a guy that I would easily like since he was sweet and honest … but, something just seemed to be missing to make him come alive off the pages.
I really liked the last few chapters of the novel however. Although Avery’s search for her birth mother progressed easily and in an unrealistic manner, the result of her search was unexpected and made her – and the reader – reflect on the definition of family.
December 1, 2015
That was a really great book.
The ending brought a smile to my face.
The adoption story line hit home with me.
I have felt the way she felt.
I had wondered about my family history, I had thought about what was missing in me and if I found my birth parents that hole would be filled.
But as she said meeting someone isn't the way to fill in those gaps you are responsible for filling in your own gaps. You have to figure out who you are as a person. No one can do that for you.
The ending brought a smile to my face.
The adoption story line hit home with me.
I have felt the way she felt.
I had wondered about my family history, I had thought about what was missing in me and if I found my birth parents that hole would be filled.
But as she said meeting someone isn't the way to fill in those gaps you are responsible for filling in your own gaps. You have to figure out who you are as a person. No one can do that for you.
March 21, 2014
Another fab book by Eileen Cook! I read this in two days....couldn't put it down. Fabulous character development...loved her journey. Highly recommended book! Can't wait for another!
December 17, 2018
Be careful what you go searching for you might not like the outcome. Avery and Nora were best friends from preschool until l high school. As it happens, interests change, new friends happens and old friends drift away. Nora reaches out to Avery but she is distracted and doesnt listen to Nora, vaguely promising her they can catch up in a few days. Sadly a few days later Nora is dead of an overdose This rocks Avery's world and she questions everything she thought she had planned for future.
The thing that connected the girls is they are both adopted. Nora left Avery this notebook with instructions on how to find your birth mother. Avery decides to honor Nora and use the book to find her mother. She enlists Brody who was helping Nora do the same.
Along the way Avery breaks up with her boyfriend because they were just together because it was comfortable within the group they had friends. She questions why she is a cheerleader. And when Due defers her acceptance she wonders she wants that college for herself or her parents.
The reader feels for Avery as she struggles with the love she has for her parents and her need to find her birth mother. We watch as she navigates through her last year of high school and discovers new friends and defines her old friendships.
Just remember Avery will get answers about her birth mom, it just may not be the answers she went searching for and her senior project takes on a new scope with those answers.
The thing that connected the girls is they are both adopted. Nora left Avery this notebook with instructions on how to find your birth mother. Avery decides to honor Nora and use the book to find her mother. She enlists Brody who was helping Nora do the same.
Along the way Avery breaks up with her boyfriend because they were just together because it was comfortable within the group they had friends. She questions why she is a cheerleader. And when Due defers her acceptance she wonders she wants that college for herself or her parents.
The reader feels for Avery as she struggles with the love she has for her parents and her need to find her birth mother. We watch as she navigates through her last year of high school and discovers new friends and defines her old friendships.
Just remember Avery will get answers about her birth mom, it just may not be the answers she went searching for and her senior project takes on a new scope with those answers.
October 8, 2020
Actual rating: 2.5 stars. The only plot I really cared about was her finding her birth mother. Which was sorely disappointing. I didn’t really like the characters. Avery is not someone I would ever be friends with in real life. This entire book reads like the only knowledge the author has of high school and teens is from 90s and 2000s chick flicks. Everything was so stereotypical. She’s the popular, smart, Ivy League bound cheerleader. Her (ex) boyfriend is a popular Ivy League bound student athlete. Her friends are both popular shallow cheerleaders who only care about boys, fashions, and how many calories are in foods. Her friends didn’t really add anything to the storyline. Her ex best friend was a “different” girl who wore all black, had an eyebrow ring, and “scared” people. The boy she ends up with is a misunderstood wannabe photographer, who’s also a nerd and likes Batman. People in this book don’t talk to be outside of their cliques, which is not something that happens in real life. It was a quick read I’ll give it that, but it was disappointing. It was the worst thing I’ve read, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I cared more about her finding her birth mother, and her friendship with Nora than anything else. This book focused more on her bland friends and bland ex, her new relationship with another pretentious “different” love interest, and her getting into college than anything else. I’ve read majority of this book countless times in other books, so the main drive behind me reading it was the birth mother plotline. Since that was only a small portion of the story, I didn’t really care for this book, it wasn’t anything special.
July 4, 2018
This was a great book for me right now, in this book Avery looses o e of her friends she has had for years, and she went through the time to get back on track, and she pulled on through this hard time. She had the support of her friends and family on her side. Recently my whole school had a huge loss. And we all have been kinder to each other than I've ever seen.. It's sad that someone going away made us be nice to each other, but enough about me, back to the review! Yes, so there was few tears in this book, and it was really heart warming. Just a really good short read with some romance. This book is good for eighth graders up.
March 22, 2020
Maybe a 3.5/5? I’m not sure. On one hand, there was nothing wrong with the book. It was a fast, easy read, and engaging enough. However, because it was short, I feel like there were events skipped over that I would have preferred to see instead of being told about them later. I can’t go into too much detail because of spoilers, but I also didn’t like the way Nora’s death was handled, particularly towards the end of the book. Some of the conflict seemed to come out of no where and was cleared up so quickly and easily that it seemed pointless. Again, there was nothing wrong with the book, but I just wanted more.
December 23, 2019
The book itself was fine for a YA novel, hardly any swearing and no underage promiscuity. I didn’t understand Avery and Brody all that much, could be the author didn’t give the relationship much history or value. Four stars because it’s not going to win any awards, but I enjoyed it for its’ entertainment value.
August 17, 2020
This has been in my TBR pile for at least two years. I was looking for something light to read poolside and grabbed this one, not realizing it was a YA book. And a good one. It’s fast paced with decent writing.
I do have to mention my favorite lines - “She wanted to be a mermaid. I like that idea. I hope I’m magical and free and unafraid of swimming against the stream”.
I do have to mention my favorite lines - “She wanted to be a mermaid. I like that idea. I hope I’m magical and free and unafraid of swimming against the stream”.
April 10, 2018
I'm beginning to think I don't have the highest standards for books because my general action to most I read lately are OH MY GOD I LOVE IT. Which is how I feel about this. Beautiful, beautiful, real girl coming of age story and figuring out you don't have to impress everybody all the time.
August 27, 2023
It was ok
September 14, 2024
it’s nice knowing i had good taste even when i was ten years old. there’s just something about nostalgia that always make me feel funny inside
January 12, 2014
Once, Nora and Avery were best friends. Now, Avery can't remember the last time they've talked. As kids, they bonded over both being adopted, but, as they grew up, their paths diverged. Avery joined the ranks of popularity, becoming a cheerleader and focusing on the future, rather than her past. Nora did the opposite; she separated herself from her peers and never lost her drive to unravel her mysterious beginnings and track down her birth mother.
Avery is at a party when her path, once again, intersects with Nora's. After an immensely awkward breakup with her boyfriend, Avery is executing her escape from the party when, much to her surprise, Nora stops her. She tells her that she never gave up looking for her mother and that she thought she'd found her, until she discovered that it was really just a cruel stranger hoping to take advantage of Nora's weakness. Avery is distracted with her own problems and, brushing Nora off, thinks little about the conversation... until the next morning when her parents tell her that Nora has died from an overdose. Shocked by the news and feeling an immense sense of guilt for abandoning Nora - both in her time of need and as they grew up - Avery begins to reflect on her own life.
Teaming up with Nora's friend, Brody, Avery decides that, to honor Nora's memory (and, secretly, to achieve some of her own goals), she'll track down her own birth mother. But a journey that starts out to be more about others - and how other perceive her - soon takes on a more personal, internal meaning.
This is the third novel I've read by Eileen Cook and, while each has a very different premise, all have a very similar and distinct feel I've come to identify with this author. Cook is skilled at creating realistic characters and putting them in thought-provoking situations. In YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES, Avery, the central character, has concerns that make her easy for readers to identify with: a boyfriend that she doesn't love, but stays with out of convenience and comfort, regrets about the choices she's made as she nears adulthood, and concerns over getting into her dream school.
Adding to the realism, Avery is far from perfect. She pitches her search for her mother as a act done in Nora's honor, but, secretly, she has ulterior motives: it'd make a killer essay for her college applications. This may make Avery look pretty horrible, but, in the context of the novel, the reader empathizes with the pressure Avery feels after not being accepted early admission to her dream school. Though we might not like her actions, we understand them.
Though Avery has, in many ways, separated herself from her past and her adoption, her search for her mother reawakens much of the confusion and questions that have sat dormant as she lived her life. While I expected to sympathize with Avery's feelings, I was surprised by how much I empathized. Cook made it easy to imagine myself in a situation like Avery's... Even though Avery loves her (adoptive) parents, her past is still, in many ways, important. She wonders why her mother gave her up for adoption, if she thinks about her, what her biological grandparents were like... Though most readers may not directly identify with Avery's concerns, they will easily connect with the importance of family, both biological and otherwise, that she explores during her search.
YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES is another solid offering from Cook. Recommended.
Avery is at a party when her path, once again, intersects with Nora's. After an immensely awkward breakup with her boyfriend, Avery is executing her escape from the party when, much to her surprise, Nora stops her. She tells her that she never gave up looking for her mother and that she thought she'd found her, until she discovered that it was really just a cruel stranger hoping to take advantage of Nora's weakness. Avery is distracted with her own problems and, brushing Nora off, thinks little about the conversation... until the next morning when her parents tell her that Nora has died from an overdose. Shocked by the news and feeling an immense sense of guilt for abandoning Nora - both in her time of need and as they grew up - Avery begins to reflect on her own life.
Teaming up with Nora's friend, Brody, Avery decides that, to honor Nora's memory (and, secretly, to achieve some of her own goals), she'll track down her own birth mother. But a journey that starts out to be more about others - and how other perceive her - soon takes on a more personal, internal meaning.
This is the third novel I've read by Eileen Cook and, while each has a very different premise, all have a very similar and distinct feel I've come to identify with this author. Cook is skilled at creating realistic characters and putting them in thought-provoking situations. In YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES, Avery, the central character, has concerns that make her easy for readers to identify with: a boyfriend that she doesn't love, but stays with out of convenience and comfort, regrets about the choices she's made as she nears adulthood, and concerns over getting into her dream school.
Adding to the realism, Avery is far from perfect. She pitches her search for her mother as a act done in Nora's honor, but, secretly, she has ulterior motives: it'd make a killer essay for her college applications. This may make Avery look pretty horrible, but, in the context of the novel, the reader empathizes with the pressure Avery feels after not being accepted early admission to her dream school. Though we might not like her actions, we understand them.
Though Avery has, in many ways, separated herself from her past and her adoption, her search for her mother reawakens much of the confusion and questions that have sat dormant as she lived her life. While I expected to sympathize with Avery's feelings, I was surprised by how much I empathized. Cook made it easy to imagine myself in a situation like Avery's... Even though Avery loves her (adoptive) parents, her past is still, in many ways, important. She wonders why her mother gave her up for adoption, if she thinks about her, what her biological grandparents were like... Though most readers may not directly identify with Avery's concerns, they will easily connect with the importance of family, both biological and otherwise, that she explores during her search.
YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES is another solid offering from Cook. Recommended.
June 11, 2014
"I'm adopted too." Nora reached over and stole one of my grapes. "Well then, your birth mom could have been a mermaid too. You never know. Those things can happen."
Eileen Cook pleases me every time, all the time. I'd never think that her newest book would be her best, but it absolutely was, despite the negative reviews that have been flying around. I'm against that, and I believe that this book was amazing. It's one of the best coming-of-age chick-lits I've read in a long time.
This was Avery trying to impress Brody:
Smooth moves, darling. LOL but it was so hilarious and funny because Avery never really had a boyfriend and Brody still loved her no matter what, right? Seeing that type of romance was adorable and I just loved how strong their relationship was. Eileen Cook is the master of romance.
Avery is adopted, and so is her ex-best friend, Nora. When Nora suddenly commits suicide, Avery feels broken inside and doesn't know what to do. Avery feels that in order to honour her, she will have to find her birth mom and make Nora proud. When Avery meets Brody, her life suddenly turns in the right direction and falls in love with him, who was also Nora's friend. They're both on the run to find Avery's mom and fall in love.
This book was so intriguing. I was in love with it from the beginning and I couldn't wait to see where it would come to. It was so fast-paced and the idea was fresh and new and gave me a break from mainstream chick-lit books!
The characters were amazing. I loved Avery and her thoughts and her story. She was a different protagonist that had a different story from everyone else. She had so much sense in her, and knew what she was in for the whole time. I related to her so much and she was fantastic.
I love Brody... SO MUCH. I know I say that every time I love a fictional guy character, but it's the truth. HE'S MY DREAM GUY, OKAY? No other words needed. I love him too much.
The ending of this book was great. It was left open which left off perfectly for this type of book!
"Time is a weird thing. If you're stuck in a dentist chair for a root canal, a half hour can seem like an entire day. Summer vacation can seem to last forever, until it's the last day and then you realize it flew by. Kissing Brody was like that; time went off the tracks. Lost its meaning. It was if I had always been there, next to him, and it also passed in a blink."
In conclusion, time went by really fast when reading this book because it was just too good. Hand me anything by Eileen Cook, even her shopping list, and I would read it!
Eileen Cook pleases me every time, all the time. I'd never think that her newest book would be her best, but it absolutely was, despite the negative reviews that have been flying around. I'm against that, and I believe that this book was amazing. It's one of the best coming-of-age chick-lits I've read in a long time.
This was Avery trying to impress Brody:
Smooth moves, darling. LOL but it was so hilarious and funny because Avery never really had a boyfriend and Brody still loved her no matter what, right? Seeing that type of romance was adorable and I just loved how strong their relationship was. Eileen Cook is the master of romance.
Avery is adopted, and so is her ex-best friend, Nora. When Nora suddenly commits suicide, Avery feels broken inside and doesn't know what to do. Avery feels that in order to honour her, she will have to find her birth mom and make Nora proud. When Avery meets Brody, her life suddenly turns in the right direction and falls in love with him, who was also Nora's friend. They're both on the run to find Avery's mom and fall in love.
This book was so intriguing. I was in love with it from the beginning and I couldn't wait to see where it would come to. It was so fast-paced and the idea was fresh and new and gave me a break from mainstream chick-lit books!
The characters were amazing. I loved Avery and her thoughts and her story. She was a different protagonist that had a different story from everyone else. She had so much sense in her, and knew what she was in for the whole time. I related to her so much and she was fantastic.
I love Brody... SO MUCH. I know I say that every time I love a fictional guy character, but it's the truth. HE'S MY DREAM GUY, OKAY? No other words needed. I love him too much.
The ending of this book was great. It was left open which left off perfectly for this type of book!
"Time is a weird thing. If you're stuck in a dentist chair for a root canal, a half hour can seem like an entire day. Summer vacation can seem to last forever, until it's the last day and then you realize it flew by. Kissing Brody was like that; time went off the tracks. Lost its meaning. It was if I had always been there, next to him, and it also passed in a blink."
In conclusion, time went by really fast when reading this book because it was just too good. Hand me anything by Eileen Cook, even her shopping list, and I would read it!
February 21, 2014
(From www.pingwings.ca)
(3.5 stars)
Source: Received from the publisher
From Goodreads:
I don’t really know where to start writing this review. As I read the book, I really enjoyed it, but now that a couple of days have passed and I’ve been thinking about this review, I feel like I don’t have much to say about the book.
Going in, I did think that there would be more about Nora in this book, particularly about her friendship with Brody. I didn’t feel that I really knew too much about her, and since she and Avery had drifted apart and hadn’t been close over the past few years, I was left feeling as though I didn’t know anything about her, despite the significance of her death and its impact on Avery’s life.
I did enjoy reading about Avery’s search for her birth mother. The process she had to go through to get information seemed like such a bureaucratic nightmare! And it was so interesting to see how she felt about being adopted – despite growing up in a loving home with great parents, she had insecurities that she struggled with and tried to hide. The changes that she made in her life as she went through the experiences in this book were interesting, e.g. deciding how she really felt about going to Duke, being a cheerleader, and dating the popular jock. Avery became more self-aware, as a result of the discoveries she made about herself. It certainly wasn’t what she expected when she began the search for her birth mother, and I loved reading about her self-discovery.
The ending of this book felt a bit rushed, but I liked the story, the writing, and the characters. Avery and her friends were popular but they weren’t mean girls, which was refreshing (don’t get me wrong, I adore stories about mean girls, but it’s nice to read a book once in a while that shows people can be well-liked and popular without feeding on the fear of everyone else).
Overall, I enjoyed this. I think it’s a great recommended read for contemporary YA fans.
(3.5 stars)
Source: Received from the publisher
From Goodreads:
Friendship is a bond stronger than secrets in this novel from the author of The Almost Truth and Unraveling Isobel.
As first graders, Avery and Nora bonded over a special trait they shared: they were both adopted.
Years later, Avery is smart, popular, and on the cheerleading squad, while Nora spends her time on the fringes of school society, wearing black, reading esoteric poetry, and listening to obscure music. They never interact…until the night Nora approaches Avery at a party, saying it’s urgent. She tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom – but it turned out to be a cruel lie. Avery feels for Nora, but returns to her friends at the party.
Then Avery learns that Nora overdosed on pills. Left to cope with Nora’s loss and questioning her own actions, Avery decides to honor her friend by launching a search for her own birth mother. Aided by Brody, a friend of Nora’s who is also looking for a way to respect Nora’s legacy, Avery embarks on an emotional quest. But what she’s really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics.
I don’t really know where to start writing this review. As I read the book, I really enjoyed it, but now that a couple of days have passed and I’ve been thinking about this review, I feel like I don’t have much to say about the book.
Going in, I did think that there would be more about Nora in this book, particularly about her friendship with Brody. I didn’t feel that I really knew too much about her, and since she and Avery had drifted apart and hadn’t been close over the past few years, I was left feeling as though I didn’t know anything about her, despite the significance of her death and its impact on Avery’s life.
I did enjoy reading about Avery’s search for her birth mother. The process she had to go through to get information seemed like such a bureaucratic nightmare! And it was so interesting to see how she felt about being adopted – despite growing up in a loving home with great parents, she had insecurities that she struggled with and tried to hide. The changes that she made in her life as she went through the experiences in this book were interesting, e.g. deciding how she really felt about going to Duke, being a cheerleader, and dating the popular jock. Avery became more self-aware, as a result of the discoveries she made about herself. It certainly wasn’t what she expected when she began the search for her birth mother, and I loved reading about her self-discovery.
The ending of this book felt a bit rushed, but I liked the story, the writing, and the characters. Avery and her friends were popular but they weren’t mean girls, which was refreshing (don’t get me wrong, I adore stories about mean girls, but it’s nice to read a book once in a while that shows people can be well-liked and popular without feeding on the fear of everyone else).
Overall, I enjoyed this. I think it’s a great recommended read for contemporary YA fans.
February 26, 2014
This review was originally posted on my blog, Ramblings of a Daydreamer. You can find it, and many more reviews at the blog.
Avery and Nora bonded as kids over the fact they were both adopted. They were best friends until high school, when they grew apart and started hanging out with different crowds. Avery became popular, while Nora preferred to stay far away from the spotlight. They still spoke to each other, but they weren’t close anymore. When Nora dies of an overdose, Avery is left with a lot of guilt. She thinks she should have made more of an effort with Nora, and she feels like she might have been able to do something to stop Nora from killing herself.
Avery had a very distinct voice, which I liked. I thought she was well fleshed-out and the author did a great job of capturing the voice of a seventeen-year-old girl. While I didn’t love Avery, I feel like I understood her in a lot of ways. Her entire life was basically spent doing things to make other people happy and impress them. She didn’t know who she was beyond the adopted daughter of incredibly intelligent people, a cheerleader, the girlfriend of a popular guy, and a good student. She was very focused, but none of it was really for herself - she wanted to make her parents and teachers happy.
I thought Avery’s grief was very realistic. She was sad but she was also angry - at herself, and also at the people around her, who never gave Nora a chance in life but were acting as if her death was their loss. I liked the memories of Nora and Avery as kids that were sprinkled throughout the book. I’ve known my childhood best friend for 25 years, so it made me nostalgic; we’re like Avery and Nora in a way - the only thing we have in common now is a shared past, but that bond will always be there.
I liked Brody - he was sweet and understanding - but I didn’t feel like we got to know him very well. I kept hoping for more - from him and from his relationship with Avery. I appreciated that they were friends first and things moved slowly between them, but I never really connected with him.
The one part of this book I loved was the ending. Not necessarily the actual end, but the last couple chapters. Avery learned a lot in a short space of time, and I appreciated her growth and how strong she was. It was really the only time I connected with the story and truly felt anything.
Year of Mistaken Discovers tackles a lot of tough subjects - suicide, adoption, finding your place in life. It was fast-paced, and while I was glad it didn’t drag, it felt like several things could have been expanded a bit. It didn’t draw much emotion from me, and I was never really all that invested in Avery’s story. While there were moments I really enjoyed, much of the book fell flat for me.
Avery and Nora bonded as kids over the fact they were both adopted. They were best friends until high school, when they grew apart and started hanging out with different crowds. Avery became popular, while Nora preferred to stay far away from the spotlight. They still spoke to each other, but they weren’t close anymore. When Nora dies of an overdose, Avery is left with a lot of guilt. She thinks she should have made more of an effort with Nora, and she feels like she might have been able to do something to stop Nora from killing herself.
Avery had a very distinct voice, which I liked. I thought she was well fleshed-out and the author did a great job of capturing the voice of a seventeen-year-old girl. While I didn’t love Avery, I feel like I understood her in a lot of ways. Her entire life was basically spent doing things to make other people happy and impress them. She didn’t know who she was beyond the adopted daughter of incredibly intelligent people, a cheerleader, the girlfriend of a popular guy, and a good student. She was very focused, but none of it was really for herself - she wanted to make her parents and teachers happy.
I thought Avery’s grief was very realistic. She was sad but she was also angry - at herself, and also at the people around her, who never gave Nora a chance in life but were acting as if her death was their loss. I liked the memories of Nora and Avery as kids that were sprinkled throughout the book. I’ve known my childhood best friend for 25 years, so it made me nostalgic; we’re like Avery and Nora in a way - the only thing we have in common now is a shared past, but that bond will always be there.
I liked Brody - he was sweet and understanding - but I didn’t feel like we got to know him very well. I kept hoping for more - from him and from his relationship with Avery. I appreciated that they were friends first and things moved slowly between them, but I never really connected with him.
The one part of this book I loved was the ending. Not necessarily the actual end, but the last couple chapters. Avery learned a lot in a short space of time, and I appreciated her growth and how strong she was. It was really the only time I connected with the story and truly felt anything.
Year of Mistaken Discovers tackles a lot of tough subjects - suicide, adoption, finding your place in life. It was fast-paced, and while I was glad it didn’t drag, it felt like several things could have been expanded a bit. It didn’t draw much emotion from me, and I was never really all that invested in Avery’s story. While there were moments I really enjoyed, much of the book fell flat for me.
April 16, 2015
Wow.....this was a really good book. I had been eying it for awhile, and finally decided to give it a try. I read it in a day. Avery is a senior in high school and seems to have it all. She is a popular cheerleader, dating a boy on the football team, and has a good chance of getting into an Ivy League school. But Avery just has not figured out who she really is. She knows she is adopted, and that has never been much of a concern to her. Her childhood friend, Nora, was also adopted and wanted to find her birth mother. Over the years Avery and Nora drifted apart. Nora became more of an outcast, doing her own thing and not caring what the world thought. Avery was always looking for perfection. Her parents were go-getters, and she tried to keep up with them. One day Nora overdoses, leaving Avery wondering why. She decides to make her senior project about searching for her own birth mother, thinking this would surely get her into Duke. She teams up with Brody, Nora's friend, and she begins to learn there is more to trying to impress people and starts to find out who she really is.
I liked Avery. She was popular, but not cruel. She was smart, but struggled with the basic things teenage girls tend to. Through the book we see Avery progress into such a deeper character. Her journey searching for her birth mom was interesting, and showed how difficult it can be to track down a biological parent after adoption. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, was because parts seemed a little too coincidental and easy, but still, great story!
Brody was a good character as well. He was interesting and a little bit moody, as artists tend to be. I thought he was a good balance for Avery, because he made her stop and think about herself instead of what she thought people wanted her to be. Shannon and Lydia were Avery's two best friends. They were typical side characters. Not much to them, and I found them to be on the shallow side. Avery's adoptive parents were good people. They worked hard, but there was never a doubt that they did not love Avery. She was their daughter, not their adopted daughter.
Part of why I was curious about this book is because I have several friends that are adopted, some that are parents of adopted children, and others that have been raised by a person who was not a biological parent, but still Mom or Dad. I was interested in how the author to handle the subject. Well done.
I liked Avery. She was popular, but not cruel. She was smart, but struggled with the basic things teenage girls tend to. Through the book we see Avery progress into such a deeper character. Her journey searching for her birth mom was interesting, and showed how difficult it can be to track down a biological parent after adoption. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, was because parts seemed a little too coincidental and easy, but still, great story!
Brody was a good character as well. He was interesting and a little bit moody, as artists tend to be. I thought he was a good balance for Avery, because he made her stop and think about herself instead of what she thought people wanted her to be. Shannon and Lydia were Avery's two best friends. They were typical side characters. Not much to them, and I found them to be on the shallow side. Avery's adoptive parents were good people. They worked hard, but there was never a doubt that they did not love Avery. She was their daughter, not their adopted daughter.
Part of why I was curious about this book is because I have several friends that are adopted, some that are parents of adopted children, and others that have been raised by a person who was not a biological parent, but still Mom or Dad. I was interested in how the author to handle the subject. Well done.
December 27, 2013
Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.
Review:
This book tackles a lot of tough subjects and it does it pretty well. Not amazing, but pretty well.As small children, Avery and Nora bonded over the fact that they were adopted.Knowing that they knew they were adopted was great to see. So many parents often don't tell their kids that they are adopted and I still don't understand that. It's like the parents are terrified that their child will reject them in favor of their birth parents.
From the beginning, it is clear that Nora has a desire to find her birth mom whereas Avery does not. Obviously she knows she's adopted, but it doesn't intrigue her like it does Nora. Actually I cannot even say intrigue as much as obsess. Nora becomes obsessed with finding her birth mom and when she is cruelly scammed, Nora descends into a self destructive phase that leads her to suicide.
BRODY! Oh my God, Brody was adorable and sweet and kind and... ugh, just EVERYTHING.He was a great friend to Nora and when she passed away, he was grief stricken. Yet he agreed to help Avery with her project.Avery claimed that she only wanted to find her birth mother in memory of Nora, but what she didn't tell Brody, was that she was hoping a project of this magnitude would convince the people at Duke, that she deserved to be a student there.
Avery and Brody start off as friends which I loved. There was no cringe-inducing insta-love, nor cutesy nicknames.It just worked.It was a normal basically drama-free relationship.
The end of the book just crushed me. I cried so much at the end of it. Mostly for Avery. She just wanted acceptance from her adoptive parents. Acceptance that even if she didn't get into Duke, she was still "good enough" Acceptance from her birth mother that she wasn't ashamed of Avery.
I felt that the ending was unfinished. I felt like more could have been explored when it came to Avery and her birth mom. I felt like the author dropped the ball on this one. It left us wondering what happened next. I get that sometimes an ending needs to be open ended but not this time. Not with how important this story-line was.
Because of the ending feeling so unfinished, I'll be giving this book 4 stars. It was a truly great read but I just wish that the ending hadn't felt so unfinished.
Review:
This book tackles a lot of tough subjects and it does it pretty well. Not amazing, but pretty well.As small children, Avery and Nora bonded over the fact that they were adopted.Knowing that they knew they were adopted was great to see. So many parents often don't tell their kids that they are adopted and I still don't understand that. It's like the parents are terrified that their child will reject them in favor of their birth parents.
From the beginning, it is clear that Nora has a desire to find her birth mom whereas Avery does not. Obviously she knows she's adopted, but it doesn't intrigue her like it does Nora. Actually I cannot even say intrigue as much as obsess. Nora becomes obsessed with finding her birth mom and when she is cruelly scammed, Nora descends into a self destructive phase that leads her to suicide.
BRODY! Oh my God, Brody was adorable and sweet and kind and... ugh, just EVERYTHING.He was a great friend to Nora and when she passed away, he was grief stricken. Yet he agreed to help Avery with her project.Avery claimed that she only wanted to find her birth mother in memory of Nora, but what she didn't tell Brody, was that she was hoping a project of this magnitude would convince the people at Duke, that she deserved to be a student there.
Avery and Brody start off as friends which I loved. There was no cringe-inducing insta-love, nor cutesy nicknames.It just worked.It was a normal basically drama-free relationship.
The end of the book just crushed me. I cried so much at the end of it. Mostly for Avery. She just wanted acceptance from her adoptive parents. Acceptance that even if she didn't get into Duke, she was still "good enough" Acceptance from her birth mother that she wasn't ashamed of Avery.
I felt that the ending was unfinished. I felt like more could have been explored when it came to Avery and her birth mom. I felt like the author dropped the ball on this one. It left us wondering what happened next. I get that sometimes an ending needs to be open ended but not this time. Not with how important this story-line was.
Because of the ending feeling so unfinished, I'll be giving this book 4 stars. It was a truly great read but I just wish that the ending hadn't felt so unfinished.
May 30, 2019
Trigger Warning: Overdose leading to Suicide
Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a Young Adult Contemporary with Realistic Fiction, and Romance.
One of two predictions that I had made didn’t come true. Which is both a blessing and a curse since that means I’m only half right about The Year of Mistaken Discoveries. I thought that this book would have some not-so-great-things, because of the last Eileen Cook novel that I read was a little….off as in taboo. I’m so freaking glad though, that the said prediction I made, didn’t come true at all.
I appreciate that the story got to Nora’s suicide pretty quickly into the novel. Which just meant that we could get on to the rest of the book, and why The Year of Mistaken Discoveries is actually called The Year of Mistaken Discoveries.
I also appreciated that Nora’s funeral wasn’t sugar-coated like I thought it might have been. I liked how realistic the funeral was and how Avery acted, and especially how people who didn’t even know Nora responded to Nora’s death. A lot of people are like that — that they pretend to have actually cared for the deceased when in actuality, they didn’t give the time of day to the person when they were alive.
It was very clear to me that Avery was getting obsessed with finding her birth mom. She has such high hopes, and then everything she had hoped for crumbled into a million little pieces. I gotta admit that I felt really sorry for Avery. Here was this image that Avery herself constructed, and then her life just happened to her. It just proves that even though this story is fictional, we can’t all have what we want or imagined something to turn out exactly how we imagined it.
In the end, I’m happy that Avery did what she did. I’m being vague here so I don’t end up spoiling anything for those of you who will one day read the book. I’m glad that Avery saw the bigger picture of everything and decided to fix what she could. I feel like a proud mom.
I ended up giving Year of Mistaken Discoveries, 2 of 5 stars on Goodreads. While there were some parts that I thought were cute or interesting, the rest of the book was just….there.
Have you read Year of Mistaken Discoveries? What’d you think of it? And have you ever read a book where you’ve enjoyed parts and pieces but the rest of the story just fell flat?
Let me know!
Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a Young Adult Contemporary with Realistic Fiction, and Romance.
One of two predictions that I had made didn’t come true. Which is both a blessing and a curse since that means I’m only half right about The Year of Mistaken Discoveries. I thought that this book would have some not-so-great-things, because of the last Eileen Cook novel that I read was a little….off as in taboo. I’m so freaking glad though, that the said prediction I made, didn’t come true at all.
I appreciate that the story got to Nora’s suicide pretty quickly into the novel. Which just meant that we could get on to the rest of the book, and why The Year of Mistaken Discoveries is actually called The Year of Mistaken Discoveries.
I also appreciated that Nora’s funeral wasn’t sugar-coated like I thought it might have been. I liked how realistic the funeral was and how Avery acted, and especially how people who didn’t even know Nora responded to Nora’s death. A lot of people are like that — that they pretend to have actually cared for the deceased when in actuality, they didn’t give the time of day to the person when they were alive.
It was very clear to me that Avery was getting obsessed with finding her birth mom. She has such high hopes, and then everything she had hoped for crumbled into a million little pieces. I gotta admit that I felt really sorry for Avery. Here was this image that Avery herself constructed, and then her life just happened to her. It just proves that even though this story is fictional, we can’t all have what we want or imagined something to turn out exactly how we imagined it.
In the end, I’m happy that Avery did what she did. I’m being vague here so I don’t end up spoiling anything for those of you who will one day read the book. I’m glad that Avery saw the bigger picture of everything and decided to fix what she could. I feel like a proud mom.
I ended up giving Year of Mistaken Discoveries, 2 of 5 stars on Goodreads. While there were some parts that I thought were cute or interesting, the rest of the book was just….there.
Have you read Year of Mistaken Discoveries? What’d you think of it? And have you ever read a book where you’ve enjoyed parts and pieces but the rest of the story just fell flat?
Let me know!
March 21, 2016
I will admit right now that I am on a YA contemporary kick right now and I am loving it! There are so many amazing books coming out in this genre and I have to say they keep getting better and better. The Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a book that I had read specifically because of the author Eileen Cook is an author that I have read for years and she is an auto read no matter the book. Although this book was not my favourite, I will say that it deserves a read.
What I liked the most about this book was the way it turned convention on its head. Take for example the love story. Normally it goes, girl falls for boy, girl wants more from boy in their relationship and there begins the problems. But in this book it was the exact opposite and I have to say I loved it. Not only did it showcase the fact that boys can have strong feeling and be emotional, but also that girls can have a need to be independent and separate from a love story. Although I did find Avery and Brody's relationship to be adorable and very realistic at times. It was very hot and cold, then hot and heavy.
This book did an amazing job of highlighting what it would feel like to be adopted and because this book is essentially a story about two friends, Nora and Avery and how they reacted very differently to the fact that they were adopted, and it is not until Nora's death that Avery realizes how much Nora impacted her life, and I loved that even though one of the characters was not physically there in the story, she was still present. Her journal was my favourite part because it showed a very different character in comparison to Avery, and i have to say that I wanted more from Nora. Her journal was fascinating, even though it happened outside of this book, I wanted Avery to connect with her a little bit more.
If I had one large problem with this book it would have to be the length. It was too short for me. I wanted so much more from these characters. There were stories that could have been flushed out, characters that could have had more page time, and I felt like Avery and Brody each deserved more of an in depth look. But overall this book was a great read and will i not go unnoticed because these character were real and broken and their story needs to be shared.
What I liked the most about this book was the way it turned convention on its head. Take for example the love story. Normally it goes, girl falls for boy, girl wants more from boy in their relationship and there begins the problems. But in this book it was the exact opposite and I have to say I loved it. Not only did it showcase the fact that boys can have strong feeling and be emotional, but also that girls can have a need to be independent and separate from a love story. Although I did find Avery and Brody's relationship to be adorable and very realistic at times. It was very hot and cold, then hot and heavy.
This book did an amazing job of highlighting what it would feel like to be adopted and because this book is essentially a story about two friends, Nora and Avery and how they reacted very differently to the fact that they were adopted, and it is not until Nora's death that Avery realizes how much Nora impacted her life, and I loved that even though one of the characters was not physically there in the story, she was still present. Her journal was my favourite part because it showed a very different character in comparison to Avery, and i have to say that I wanted more from Nora. Her journal was fascinating, even though it happened outside of this book, I wanted Avery to connect with her a little bit more.
If I had one large problem with this book it would have to be the length. It was too short for me. I wanted so much more from these characters. There were stories that could have been flushed out, characters that could have had more page time, and I felt like Avery and Brody each deserved more of an in depth look. But overall this book was a great read and will i not go unnoticed because these character were real and broken and their story needs to be shared.
April 26, 2014
Apathy sucks.
Have you ever read a book that you felt absolutely nothing about? It was as if I was reading a textbook, but reading a textbook would’ve been better because at least then, I was learning something as I go along. This book, unfortunately, is only good for one thing: it’s meant to boost your reading goal number for the year. It was a fast read that hardly appealed to my empathy, with a plot line that held so much promise, but sadly disappointed.
As many childhood friendships go, Avery’s and Nora’s fizzled as they grew further apart. Years later, and while Avery flitted in the spotlight of the high school social caste system, Nora remained in the periphery of her glow. Neither girls minded the widening distance; after all, they share a common bond as they were both adopted, and once upon a time also shared the dream of finding their respective biological parents. As Avery’s adopted family raise her in a relatively happy home, she lost interest in it altogether. But Nora remained in pursuit until a lead resulted in heartbreak.
Nora committed suicide.
She left Avery a notebook that held an account of how to find her mother; guilt-ridden, Avery proceeds to venture on her own quest with a purpose of honouring her death. With the help of Nora’s friend, Brody, they set out to trace the mother that gave her up for adoption. But what started out as a way to honour Nora’s memory quickly morphed into a selfish agenda of a means to get into her dream college.
There wasn’t much you can walk away from reading this book, and for a story involving suicide, the writing was emotionally ineffective. It’s really hard to like a book if the main character failed to garner the reader’s empathy, and this is the biggest fault of this book. Avery lacked any believable emotions, and if she did show any, it felt much too contrived. Nora showed more depth in the very little time she was in the novel than Avery did the entire book. And as far as romance goes, sorry, there wasn’t much of that either.
Overall, Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a book you can do without. No depth, no emotions. You’ll be better off reading your friend’s status updates on Facebook.
Have you ever read a book that you felt absolutely nothing about? It was as if I was reading a textbook, but reading a textbook would’ve been better because at least then, I was learning something as I go along. This book, unfortunately, is only good for one thing: it’s meant to boost your reading goal number for the year. It was a fast read that hardly appealed to my empathy, with a plot line that held so much promise, but sadly disappointed.
As many childhood friendships go, Avery’s and Nora’s fizzled as they grew further apart. Years later, and while Avery flitted in the spotlight of the high school social caste system, Nora remained in the periphery of her glow. Neither girls minded the widening distance; after all, they share a common bond as they were both adopted, and once upon a time also shared the dream of finding their respective biological parents. As Avery’s adopted family raise her in a relatively happy home, she lost interest in it altogether. But Nora remained in pursuit until a lead resulted in heartbreak.
Nora committed suicide.
She left Avery a notebook that held an account of how to find her mother; guilt-ridden, Avery proceeds to venture on her own quest with a purpose of honouring her death. With the help of Nora’s friend, Brody, they set out to trace the mother that gave her up for adoption. But what started out as a way to honour Nora’s memory quickly morphed into a selfish agenda of a means to get into her dream college.
There wasn’t much you can walk away from reading this book, and for a story involving suicide, the writing was emotionally ineffective. It’s really hard to like a book if the main character failed to garner the reader’s empathy, and this is the biggest fault of this book. Avery lacked any believable emotions, and if she did show any, it felt much too contrived. Nora showed more depth in the very little time she was in the novel than Avery did the entire book. And as far as romance goes, sorry, there wasn’t much of that either.
Overall, Year of Mistaken Discoveries is a book you can do without. No depth, no emotions. You’ll be better off reading your friend’s status updates on Facebook.
November 13, 2014
There is not much about Year of Mistaken Discoveries that was memorable. The novel was an average young adult contemporary for the most part, rife with the character’s struggles to come to terms with her own life. It was written in a very readable manner, which I appreciated and lent to the speed with which I finished.
What I Liked
The concept snagged my interest. Reading the summary, a few things stood out to me: friendship, adoption and a possible romance. There was incredible potential there! I’m always on the lookout for excellent friendships in YA, and Nora and Avery’s friendship sounded like it would fit that bill perfectly.
I really like the name Avery. Yes, I know this is such a small thing. But when choosing books I want to read, I’m always likelier to consider the book if I like the main character’s name (especially if the MC has the same name as me, or some variant). I wanted to read a book about an “Avery”, so that definitely tipped my decision to read this.
What I Didn’t Like
There was a lack of feels, as well as a lack of drama. I generally prefer that my contemporary reads bring on a case of the “feels”. I want to feel what these characters are feeling, because that always serves to me as a marker of whether I really liked a book or not. The problem here was that everything (plot-wise) fell into place a little too neatly. I was expecting more drama, more emotional moments, but didn’t get them.
I wasn’t able to connect to the characters. Honestly, this is probably what led to my previous blanket statement. I just could not feel a connection with anyone, even in the most minor of ways. Avery, especially, frustrated me. I wanted to like her, to feel for her, but the most that occurred was that I understood her. That’s generally okay, but I just wanted more.
While there was definitely the possibility of something amazing from Year of Mistaken Discoveries, it just fell short of what I had hoped. There’s no doubt that there might be readers who will like this book much more than I did, but for me, it just didn’t work.
{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}
What I Liked
The concept snagged my interest. Reading the summary, a few things stood out to me: friendship, adoption and a possible romance. There was incredible potential there! I’m always on the lookout for excellent friendships in YA, and Nora and Avery’s friendship sounded like it would fit that bill perfectly.
I really like the name Avery. Yes, I know this is such a small thing. But when choosing books I want to read, I’m always likelier to consider the book if I like the main character’s name (especially if the MC has the same name as me, or some variant). I wanted to read a book about an “Avery”, so that definitely tipped my decision to read this.
What I Didn’t Like
There was a lack of feels, as well as a lack of drama. I generally prefer that my contemporary reads bring on a case of the “feels”. I want to feel what these characters are feeling, because that always serves to me as a marker of whether I really liked a book or not. The problem here was that everything (plot-wise) fell into place a little too neatly. I was expecting more drama, more emotional moments, but didn’t get them.
I wasn’t able to connect to the characters. Honestly, this is probably what led to my previous blanket statement. I just could not feel a connection with anyone, even in the most minor of ways. Avery, especially, frustrated me. I wanted to like her, to feel for her, but the most that occurred was that I understood her. That’s generally okay, but I just wanted more.
While there was definitely the possibility of something amazing from Year of Mistaken Discoveries, it just fell short of what I had hoped. There’s no doubt that there might be readers who will like this book much more than I did, but for me, it just didn’t work.
{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}
March 13, 2014
My first Cook novel was The Almost Truth and I quite enjoyed it. I was happy to receive Year of Mistaken Discoveries for review. I started it almost immediately but it has taken me a bit of time to write my review. I was conflicted with this novel. There were lots of parts that I quite enjoyed and then other parts that I had a hard time connecting to.
To begin this story is about friendship and family. Avery and Nora had a great friendship and they bonded over being adopted. When the book commences the two are already on the outs. They have grown apart because of high school dynamics. Avery is the more popular one and I would probably describe Nora as someone who stands out. She may even be described by some as emo. It was hard to really get a handle on how close the two used to be because while we are reading the two are so awkward around each other and really more acquaintances than friends. We see a bit of their friendship through memories and through Avery's quest after Nora has passed away. That being said, I wanted to see more of this friendship. I wish the novel had a few more flashbacks so that we could really see the relationship between the two girls. I also would have liked to see more between Nora and Brody. We know that Nora was close to Brody but there isn't too much depth to that explanation.
I will say that I enjoyed watching Avery on her quest to find the birth mother. It seems like quite a difficult task and I am glad that I don't have to go through that. I can't really understand what it would be like to know you have pretty amazing parents but not knowing about your genetics and who gave birth to you. I think that I would always be wondering why.
I like Cook's writing and her storytelling. This book is interesting and keeps you engaged but as I said before I just wanted a little bit more. It's a fairly quick read and at times it is pretty emotional. I would say if you are looking for a quick read then this is your bet.
To begin this story is about friendship and family. Avery and Nora had a great friendship and they bonded over being adopted. When the book commences the two are already on the outs. They have grown apart because of high school dynamics. Avery is the more popular one and I would probably describe Nora as someone who stands out. She may even be described by some as emo. It was hard to really get a handle on how close the two used to be because while we are reading the two are so awkward around each other and really more acquaintances than friends. We see a bit of their friendship through memories and through Avery's quest after Nora has passed away. That being said, I wanted to see more of this friendship. I wish the novel had a few more flashbacks so that we could really see the relationship between the two girls. I also would have liked to see more between Nora and Brody. We know that Nora was close to Brody but there isn't too much depth to that explanation.
I will say that I enjoyed watching Avery on her quest to find the birth mother. It seems like quite a difficult task and I am glad that I don't have to go through that. I can't really understand what it would be like to know you have pretty amazing parents but not knowing about your genetics and who gave birth to you. I think that I would always be wondering why.
I like Cook's writing and her storytelling. This book is interesting and keeps you engaged but as I said before I just wanted a little bit more. It's a fairly quick read and at times it is pretty emotional. I would say if you are looking for a quick read then this is your bet.
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