The Bodies We Wear

by Jeyn Roberts

Heam: It’s the hottest drug around. Users are able to see Heaven—a place so beautiful, so indescribably serene, many people never want to come back. And some don’t, like Faye’s best friend, Christian. But when Faye was forced to take Heam, she didn’t see Heaven; she saw Hell. And now she spends her nights training to take revenge on the men who destroyed her future and murdered Christian. When a mysterious young man named Chael appears, Faye’s plans suddenly get a lot more complicated.

Love and Death. Will Faye overcome her desires, or will her quest for revenge consume her?

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance

353 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2014

About the author

Jeyn Roberts (pronounced Jen - the Y is silent)grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and started writing at an early age, having her first story published when she was 16 in a middle-grade anthology called LET ME TELL YOU.

When she was 21, she moved to Vancouver with dreams of being a rock star, graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Writing and Psychology. For the next few years she played in an alternative/punk band called Missing Mile before moving to England where she received her MA from the prestigious Creative Writing graduate course at Bath Spa University. Jeyn is a former singer, songwriter, actress, bicycle courier and tree planter.

An avid traveler, she’s been around the world, most recently, teaching high school in South Korea.

A lover of animals, Jeyn volunteers regularly with helping abandoned and abused animals, especially cats.

Reviews

[Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

WOAH WOAH WOAH

HOLD UP

EXPECTED PUBLICATION 2014??

WHAT ABOUT DARK INSIDE 3??

I CANT LIVE ON 2 BOOKS ALONE

:(


Other than that, the plot sounds AMAZING
I Cant wait for it to come out!

[Neil Franz · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

"The bodies we wear,” he says. “They’re not the ones we always want. They get damaged. Used. It’s who we are on the inside that counts. The person waiting to jump free."

Two words: What happened?

With an engaging start, I don't know what sorcery has been casted to this book that it'd gotten ridiculous. I love the beginning up to 50% of this book and my status updates will be the evidence for that. I anticipated an evilish revenge, a breath-taking action, and a badass character but I've got none. The great desire of the main character, Faye, to take revenge to that fool bastards who force her to use the drug Heam and made her life miserable has turned to a laughable paranormal BS which came out of nowhere, served with unconvincing romance and lots of stalking. Also, Faye has a lot of moments convincing herself that she is ready and can kill the bad guys when in actual, she can't. Ugh. I admit, I'm buying the paranormal in here at first, since the title really makes sense but when the the characters pulled a Romeo-and-Juliet scenario at the ending, I returned it and uttered "no thanks" after. Sorry not sorry.

Anyway, the book has good points especially in preaching that drug abuse will do no good and don't judge a book by it's cover. I mean not because the drug has left an indent or a mark to someone's body especially if this someone is moving on now and changing his screwed life and didn't do drugs anymore, people are to judge and shame him. At least give him a second chance, people.

All in all. A big DISAPPOINTMENT. I should have read Rage Within (same author and the sequel for Dark Inside which I love) instead of this.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why are the White Pine books not as amazing as last year's? There were such good books but this year, everything is either alright or not good at all. I just don't understand and I hope the next White Pine book I choose is good. This book was probably my favorite White Pine book out of all of the ones I have read so far. If you don't know about White Pine, it is a book club that I am in, at my school. We are given 10 books and we have to read at least 5 to vote. I want to read all 10 this year and I only have a couple weeks left. And I am currently reading my 5th book, I think. Anyway, before I start this review, I want to tell you about an awkward meeting at my school where I embarrass myself to the max.

A couple of days ago

I had two meetings at lunch and I was super stressed out. I run towards my friend who was at her locker that we both share. She was shoveling through her backpack, grabbing a bunch of papers and throwing it into the locker. I watch her and wait until she is finished and I do grab my binders and get myself organized.
"I have two meetings today, I don't know what to do buddy." I said to my friend.
"That's why I quit one of them, it wasn't worth it because the club wasn't even organized. We never knew when we had meetings and it would suddenly be thrown upon us." My friend, Thanu said, looking slightly irritated.
Suddenly we hear footsteps and we turn around to find another one of our friends. She was recently elected to be President of one of the school clubs.
"Guys, lets head to the meeting. The earlier we go, the faster it will finish." She smiles at us and we follow her to the science classroom.
One of out teachers is waiting inside and we all sit awkwardly, angling ourselves so that we can face each other.
The room is quiet, you could literally hear a pin drop. (If you watched House of Anubis, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I slowly unzip my lunch bag, which seems to be making a lot of noise. I start eating and everyone is quiet.
The teacher gives us ideas on what we should do and we nod in agreement. The President gives out more suggestions on what we should do to make the world a better place.
And finally, the meeting is over and I check the time.
Since the meeting ended at 12:00, I had 35 minutes and I decided to run and make it to the next meeting I had. This meeting was for a club that all my friends quit. I decided to continue participating for this club because it is fun. This club is White Pine, a book club that I will never give up on. :)
I sprint towards the doors and turn around and look at my friends. "Gotta go guys, where do I meet you?"
"Meet us back here at this locker," said Thanu.
"Okay," I said and sped all the way to the library.
When I got to the library, I see a bunch of the people from the club look at me. I walk inside and apologize for being late. The teacher's are super nice and said not to worry about anything. I take a seat after making that entrance.
"So, who wants to talk about the book they are reading?" asked one of the teachers.
Everyone looks around and then everyone looks down at the ground. The teachers wait patiently for someone to put their hand up and say something. But everyone is shy, including me...
The room was silent and it felt like I could hear the walls whispering. I was tired of this awkward silence so I decide to make a huge mistake.
I put my hand up and all I am thinking is, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PUT YOUR HAND DOWN!"

The teachers look relieved and they look at me and ask me what book I'm reading.
"So I just finished reading this book called The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts and it was really good. But while I was reading this book, it had me a bit confused of what was right and what was wrong. It had me questioning the fact that is revenge really worth it. This book is mainly about revenge and I wasn't sure if the character was doing the right thing. She had a perfectly good, uh reason to, um, get revenge..." I said, looking at the ground while I talk.
I kept stuttering when I was talking and I was aware of all of the eyes watching me in that room and I was super nervous.
"I mean, is revenge a good thing? No, because in the end, nothing happens, you get your revenge and that's it, you don't get a Nobel Prize, you don't get a Grammy, it's just all of the hate in your body gets released. But after you get that revenge, won't you feel, um, guilty? Isn't it a horrible feeling after? I mean imagine someone were to have killed some other person's parents and in the end that person wants to get revenge. When the person gets revenge, there is nothing else that will happen. I just-"I pause in mid sentence and realize everything I said does not make sense.
I look up and see the face reactions of my club members. Half of them are confused while others are lost in thought.
"I'm just stammering, I know, I'm weird. It's just the book was kinda powerful in a way because it made me question different things and I liked the conclusion to this book too." I said as fast as I could so I could get this over with.
The teachers look at me and smile and I am grateful to have finished.
"So does this girl get her revenge in the end? Or is that spoilers?" asked one of my teachers.
"It's a spoiler!" I said and I jump a little in my seat.
"Oh ok, then you definitely do not want to tell me. Was there any parts in the book where you wanted to scream or something?" asked another one of my teachers.
"Yea, there were so many parts in this book where I had to put the book down and be like, WHY DID YOU DO THAT! And most of the time, I am annoyed with the character's decisions in this book," I said, looking at the teacher.
Everyone around me is laughing at my outburst and I realized that I kinda screamed... Oh well, it's too late to go back.
After that, our teachers talked about their books and asked all of the club members what book they were reading. The meeting was over and I ran back up the steps to meet up with my friends.

Back to the review

After the death of her best friend, Faye has to live in a world that no longer accepts her. It's all because of the world's most deadly drug called Heam. It is also one of the most popular drugs. You get a chance to see heaven for yourself if you take a dose of Heam. Hating the life she has, she blames the people who were the reason for this and believed they had to pay the price of what they had done. One life for another life. Faye is intent on getting her revenge on those who ruined her life. But is revenge really what she needs in order to make herself a whole again?

“The bodies we wear," he said. "They're not the ones we always want. They get damaged. Used. It's who we are on the inside that counts. The person waiting to jump free.”

I know, that was a horrible book summary, but I highly recommend you don't read the summary of the dust jacket on this book or the summary on Goodreads because it gives away too much. I think I would've enjoyed this book better if I didn't know anything about the book. It would've built up more suspense in the novel and would have been fun to read and predict what would happen next.

I highly recommend this book to those who are in White Pine, it is unique and different. It is filled with adventure and romance. The writing was nice and the pace was steady. Those who are interested in books that are serious and filled with suspense, will love this book.

P.S Now that it is March Break, I HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD! (Not really). I am going to get a lot of reading done and I can't wait. Happy holidays!

[Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made no secret of my love for Roberts' debut novel Dark Inside. While I was disappointed with the sequel, Rage Within, I still considered myself a fan of Roberts' because she worked hard at being original and didn't shy away from darkness and brutality. Dark Inside came out when the market was overflowing with fluffy books about passionate liaisons between humans and mythical creatures, and I was impressed with the boldness of Dark Inside in both premise and content. Even after the disheartening disappointment of Rage Within, where I thought Roberts fell prey to some of the tropes and stereotypes I applauded her for ignoring in the first installment, I was still very excited about The Bodies We Wear.

Once again, Roberts surprised me with the dark atmosphere and somber tones in her story. I don't know why, but during the first chapter, I kept thinking of Sin City and I liked the feel of the world she presented in that chapter, a world ravaged by a drug and controlled by those who are in charge of it. But my instant love for the novel lasted as long as that first chapter. What followed it was a combination of high school drama, butt-kicking scenes thrown haphazardly throughout the story, extremely predictable plot twists whose impacts the narration itself lessened with intense foreshadowing, and "tru luv" declarations. The world-building was going well for the first few chapters, but then it fell a bit. I liked that she developed it enough to present both sides of this situation, - the ones that sympathized with abusers and the ones that condemned them -, and I appreciated that she gave some thought to some of the many social implications this drug would have, from education to religion, but I always felt like they were just brushed over and not given much room or depth to fully come to life.

I loved the idea behind a main character walking the self-destructive path of revenge, but here it never felt real or natural. The narration worked way too hard to remind me of how tortured Faye was, how angry and resentful and settled on sacrificing her own life to make the people who ruined her life as a child pay for what they did. Every couple of pages, Faye reminded the reader and whoever was within hearing distance of her that she was not weak, that she could take care of herself, that she was badass and an asskicker and that she could destroy whoever she wanted. When she was not the one telling me, somebody else came around and told her and that got tiring fairly quickly. And I have no idea who came up with the comparison to Lisbeth Salander, because never in my entire reading experience did this book or main character related in any way to that particular character or story.

While her inner conflict seemed interesting in theory, like I said, it never felt organic and it was hard to take it seriously because of Faye's constant need to prove she was a total badass. Faye struggles with being an addict to the Heam drug. She is constantly telling us about the horrible life of those addicted and scarred, how they can think of nothing besides the drug, and yet she's been around for six or seven years without any emotional, psychological or physical mark on her that would represent her supposed struggle with this addiction. In the entire book, only a handful of pages are dedicated to her thinking about it, and each time she dealt with it easily and quickly, never to think about it again. Moreover, Faye's desire for revenge always felt off and silly. She would go around imagining killing these people and delivering terrible one-liners like "I'm the ghost that's come back to haunt you", whining all the time about how those people "killed her" back then, immaturely arguing with everyone that had it far worse than her that they just didn't understand, and just generally claiming to be a total, unfeeling hardass vent on revenge while simultaneously giving uplifting speeches to others about living and hoping, thinking about Chael's gorgeous face and thinking about how frivolous all other girls are, because of course, all other girls just like shopping, make-up, clothes, manicures and the color pink.

Furthermore, Faye was always complaining about how hard her life was, how difficult she had it and how horribly those guys had destroyed her, and yet, she lived a pretty standard life. Sure, she had those scars and bore the stigma of them, but almost no one knew, she had a roof over her head, food in her mouth, a guardian who loved her and an education, and not once did I see exactly just how awful her life was. Ultimately, I did like that the story was about getting Faye to reconsider life and approach it from a different angle, but like her original characterization, it never felt natural because of the repetitive inner dialogues and conversations with other characters, and the lack of subtlety and nuance with which this development was approached. The novel lacked the introspective depth to naturally support the emotional and psychological development that it wished to achieve with its main character and weave through the difficult themes that made up Faye's state of mind and self-destructive path of revenge.

I have to commend the author for having no slut-shaming or girl-hating in the book, but the book doesn't exactly go out of its way to give enough emphasis on any other girl to give her any more dimension than what is needed for the convenient development of Faye's own character. Besides, most of them are slightly generalized by Faye's comments on how all other girls love pink and clothes and nails, and Faye made a questionable comment to Chael that could easily fall withing rape culture: "'Maybe you should focus your attention elsewhere.' I point toward another girl, who has obviously had too much to drink, by the way she's dancing. 'There. She's available. Go stalk her.'"

Speaking of stalking, of course the love interest is of the find-you-anywhere, know-way-too-much-about-you but look-at-how-gorgeous-I-am variety. This guy comes out of nowhere, seems to know absolutely everything about her and yet Faye's totally down with it. He pretty much tells her "I am following you" and this is what she says on the subject: "And even though he's admitted that he stalks me, why I do I feel so safe when he's around? That makes no logical sense. I should be charging the guy with a criminal offense, but instead I have to stop myself from jumping into his arms for a hug." The romance was tepid and uninspiring, and the love interest, like his oh-so-irresistible stalking tendencies, falls safely within the lines of the typical YA love interest that's gorgeous, tortured, mysterious and will protect you even if he has to force you, lie to you and physically restrain you to do it and make you see things his way. Not even the very foreshadowed twist in this relation at the end made me care about it.

The writing in this book was, I'm sorry to say, mediocre. It was full of painfully awkward, poorly-written lines like: "Never mess with the lion when you're only a giraffe" and "A warrior must accept forgiveness for his enemy before he can truly become a warrior". Those were the supposedly deep lines we were to take seriously. Just as silly were the spoken lines made to entirely and poorly characterize secondary characters with minimal roles in the plot that only served as bridges for Faye to get something, like "I'd rather die than be scarred like that" from the popular girl in school who later changes a bit for the convenience of Faye's fate, and this one from a ridiculously shallow and douchey guy with no serious purpose in the entire novel other than make sure there's a fight for Faye to be badass at, and who loudly announces her as contender in the fight like this, because remember, all the reader needs to know about him is that he's a douche: "Pretty as a peach but she needs to dress a bit better. Come on, Faye; show us something once in a while! Would it kill you to wear a decent shirt? You've got the package. No one is that much of a prude." Isn't he douchey? Then you know all you need to know about him and he's never to be seen again. Case closed.

There were a lot of pointlessly redundant lines, such as: "Being elusive and avoiding the questions only means he doesn't want to answer" - yeah, no shit, Sherlock. And also, there were several inconsistencies throughout the narration; at one point Faye says that "I don't have any pictures of Christian or my parents to look at. Even if I did, I'd probably burn them", and yet, not long after that, she says in another chapter "I slip out of bed and go into the back of my closet, where I keep my photo album. There are only a few pictures there. One of them is of Christian and me." It honestly surprised me that nobody picked this up in earlier edits of the novel.

I am very disappointed with this novel. It was not bad, but after a fairly original and interesting start, it started to walk very familiar territory, and the narration, characterization and plotting were far too obvious and overdone to the point of predictability and unbelievability. There was far too much telling instead of showing and none of the progressions in the novel felt organic. I still have some appreciation for Roberts' idea and there were some cool action scenes and plot twits in there, plus I respect what Roberts tried to do with Faye, but the novel simply didn't work for me. I had been hoping this would be a stand-alone, but it seems there will be a sequel and I think it's safe to say that this is it for this series with me.

[Diabolica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting book that is and will be on my mind for a while. Hence the four stars. Especially since there are a few things with the plot that were never quite explained. Like how did Christian come back. Another comment on that, it was quite obvious after he mentioned that she should know....

It's a story and it's one hell of a story. Taking the drug crisis to an extreme where one's totally outcasted. Not to mention, the weather was consistently dreary. The most monumental news was probably a cat getting saved from a tree, because crime was so bad in the area.

So the author took her novel to an extreme.

On the bright side we get a reason for why a random boy confronts our protagonist while she's out on a stakeout. I've tried walking outside, I've never been confronted by a guy who by the end of the conversation winks at me. Sometimes books get a little misleading.

That aside, the story told likely had a message, especially since everything in the novel was taken to such an extreme. So much so, I honestly would not believe it if someone told me this was realistic fiction. HEADS UP: It's not. Dystopian, is very, VERY accurate.

Though I will say, phenomenal job on the summary because it is vaguely accurate without revealing a single thing. I could almost match what the summary was saying with the plot because of how accurate it was, yet going into reading those scenes I had no idea was what about to go on. Except for Chael, of course.

And before this review finishes itself up, this book is kinda heavy. Not in the mature-content, or there's a lot of controversy kind of way, but in more of a Dystopian/ hell I'm glad I'm not in this situation. So its an experience. You read it once, grow a little as a person, shelf it in goodreads, and then wonder if dumb and dumber thr3 is coming out soon to bring a little humour back.

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bodies We Wear is my first book by Jayn Roberts (although I own several) and I’m thrilled to have discovered an author with such a wonderful, strong voice. The story is in many ways deeply philosophical – it gives us plenty to think about as we put ourselves in Faye’s shoes and try to imagine what it would take for us to survive in her world.

Faye’s character is far more complicated than it first seems; the depth of her anger and need for revenge all-consuming. As we learn more about her past and the horrendous episodes she had to survive as a child, the same rage starts building within us, until vengeance becomes all we can think about. Faye is very mature in some ways, being forced to grow up at the age of eleven, but in others she is so obviously a teen with poor impulse control. The Bodies We Wear is essentially about her finding balance and learning to live with the mistakes from her past, mistakes made by others that she had to pay for.

Roberts’ worldbuilding is simple, but excellent, the type that has no trouble convincing us and transporting us right in the middle of things. Although no scientific explanation is offered (and none is necessary), it is easy to imagine a drug like Heam in our own future as well. Heam is a drug developed in Switzerland by overzealous college students which kills its users for a short time, offering them a glimpse of heaven. People who wouldn’t even consider taking drugs normally can’t resist seeing the pearly gates, and the fact that the drug is highly addictive and very likely to kill them permanently doesn’t factor in at all.

The pacing is a bit of an issue, especially around the middle, and things were a bit repetitive at times. The romance was also a bit formulaic and completely predictable, making me wish that Roberts had chosen to leave it out. Other than that, the book was thoroughly enjoyable, a bold and very dark read that still manages to leave us with a smile and a full heart.

The Bodies We Wear is a very somber story, but in the end, our hearts are full of hope for Faye and her world. No matter how dark it seems at times as we suffer with Faye, she allows us to grow with her as well, and through her we find optimism we never expected to feel. I recommend this book to fans of thought-provoking reads and great characterization. The ending is well-rounded, which will make waiting for the next book much easier.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS. SPOILERS. SPOILERS. SPOILERS.

THERE ARE SPOILERS

SPOILERS

I SAY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK


This started out so promising, and then melted into traditional YA romance. I really don't even want to write that much about it, to be honest. So I'll keep this short.

Faye lives somewhere where it rains constantly, which is fitting because she is the most emo person I have ever read about ever. She distinctly says that she's never had a defeatist attitude, but literally the entire book is her with a defeatist attitude. Here is the sum total of her thinking, throughout all 350 pages of the book: "I was forcibly fed a hallucinogen, and saw a nightmare. I therefore am going to hell because I "saw hell" and have decided I will take my attackers down with me, and no amount of lecturing from people that love me will change my mind until it is convenient."

Yep. She's stubborn, irrational, and makes ridiculous choices. But, because it's typical YA, everything conveniently leads down the road that's best for Faye and ends with happily ever after.

It was some really great thoughts about how a drug that makes you "see heaven" could have ramifications in the real world, socially and economically. But that, and the side effects, were so rarely touched on. Apparently Faye has a constant craving for the stuff 24/7 now, because she had it at 11. So for 6 years, she's been going through withdrawals or whatever....

There is nothing to back that up. Aside from Faye never ever shutting up about it ever there is no indication of her desire. She doesn't get the shakes, she doesn't have a twitch or any nervous habits to speak of. She doesn't vomit, she doesn't get headaches or mood changes. But we get every other paragraph of her saying how broken she is, so she must be broken.

Honestly, she just sounded like a girl stuck in her puberty-stricken junior high phase of "no one will ever understand me".

The whole Chael thing really didn't make sense to me, and there's where I lost the flow. It was a viable story before that, but then suddenly this boy pops up, and it's her childhood sweetheart walking around in someone else's body? I don't really get it. I'm sort of inclined to say that this is a request for people to be more religious, because miracles happen? but it's never explained, and it's just sort of random. There is nothing else in the novel that points to supernatural occurrences, so it just sort of came out of nowhere.

There really isn't too much to say about the procession of the plot. All I need to say is that every event was very convenient, and just happened to lead to the thing that needed to happen.

I found Goodreader Rayne's review and it sums up my opinions quite nicely: She knows my pain

[SoWrongItsRANDI {Bell, Book & Candle} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bell, Book & Candle | The Bodies We Wear Review



When first reading the premise, I had envisioned a Kill Bill-esque, teenage book. I love a good, old testament story, where the protagonist is a total alpha female! Unfortunately this book wasn't as good as I had hoped.

The story just dragged on and on; the only thing that kept me from putting the book down was the anticipation of the "revenge" part of the plot actually jumpstarting. Every single time Faye mentioned revenge and killing, I kept thinking "put up or shut up!" All I seemed to be reading was either: a) Faye was training; b) Faye was at school; or c) Faye was interacting with Gazer or Chael. Those were basically the main scenarios throughout the story.



Speaking of Chael, every time I heard this name, I thought of Chael Sonnen LOL. He seemed like a nice guy who really cared about Faye; the situation of how he was able to take possession of another body was a bit freaky though. Also, I find it amusing that I was able to guess who he really was before Faye. Strange, seeing as she is supposed to notice every minute detail and recognize familiarity- I mean, she is a supposed "assassin". Faye was an okay but average character. I didn't really feel any particular way about her. Although at times, I did admire her bravery and pride. I did enjoy, albeit more than I should have, how she could kick some butt! I would have to say that Gazer was my favorite character; he was realistic about wanting revenge and just seemed like someone I would want to be my dad.


"I've made more hateful," he argues back. "All I wanted to do was give you confidence. Help you grow stronger so you'd be prepared if you were attacked again. Until you can let go of that hate, only then will you be ready." - Gazer


While reading, it was unfortunate to learn of how they, the fictional characters, treat Heam users. I did feel like it was an injustice, almost like the whole civil rights issue but not as worse. There's a romance element to the story between Chael and Faye, which felt unnecessary. It basically felt forced and threw the story off track. Maybe I will see the whole point of the romance aspect by the next book. It also seemed to me that every scene Chael and Faye shared, the former was trying to talk the latter out of killing. It makes me wonder if the author was trying to bait those interested in revenge/killing stories, and the talk about forgiveness in a "I'm shaking my finger at you reproachfully, while reprimanding you on your behavior" way.

Never the less, I still generally liked that there was a lesson to learn about the power of forgiveness, and I am glad Faye finally learned it. I was pleased that, for the most part, things worked out for Faye. I can't this book was exceptional, but it wasn't horrible either.

[Gunjan (NerdyBirdie) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating 2.5

Basically, The Bodies We Wear revolves around the idea of the drug world and a girl hell bent on getting revenge for what happened to her.

I really liked the beginning of this book, but as I got towards the middle and the end, just the basis of this story began to drag on and every time I’d look at what the characters were saying, I’d just feel bored.

I understand that Faye is a conflicted character and I even respect that—considering what she’s been through, she should be entitled to make a decision that she thinks is going to bring her out of her dark thoughts, but I just stopped connecting with her after that Chael stuff. And I also thought that she was being an ungrateful brat to Gazer.

Especially the scene with Jesse making her fight was so dumb. She could’ve easily denied and prevented whatever happened, even though she knew how much Gazer struggled to get her through school.

Although the premise was great, the story just ended up stretching out too much for me, and the ending felt very convenient and anticlimactic just for the sake of wrapping up the book. I didn’t hate the book, it was pretty okay but just the ending was disappointing.

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Derivative.

Jeyn Roberts can write like crazy. She can do tense action. She can write twisted mean plots. DARK INSIDE was all of these things. It was great.

However, THE BODIES WE WEAR is none of these things. It is not great. It will probably be enjoyed by many middle-grade and young adult readers, but I couldn't get through it fast enough. The 'bad girl' doesn't have a bad bone in her body. She feeds the poor, she saves street urchins, she has great grades, she threatens bad guys. She is squeaky clean. The guy she falls in love with is squeaky clean. Their relationship would be exemplary for Amish romance novels.

I feel bad having to diss this book but I owe it to my adult reading buddies. Let this one pass unless you are absolutely in the mood for a light-weight twinkie read. Let younger folk without a lot of reading behind them enjoy the ride. It's typical for the current state of 'YA dystopia'. Derivative and not terribly interesting.

[Rook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was EXTREMELY good!!! The topic was a bit heavy but Jeyn writes it PHENOMENALLY!!! I loved Faye as a character and her arc was really good!!! I thought it was a little lengthy but otherwise VERY good!!!

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye was only 11 years old when she overdosed on Heam; a drug that’s lethal to some and terrifyingly addictive. Forced to ingest a sufficient amount enough to put her in a stasis on the verge of death, the drug didn’t live up to its name (Heaven’s Dream). Instead, she saw hell. But before she closed her eyes, her tormentors made sure that she witnessed the killing of her best friend, Christian. Ever since then, and even at such a young age, she made a promise to avenge his death. With the help of a former cop who knew only too well the pain of such a loss, she trained under his tutelage to become a seasoned fighter. All the while, biding her time until she rids the world of those men who stole her future, and the life of the only person who’d ever shown her kindness and love in a world full of cruelty.

There’s not a lot of opportunities for people like her; people who’d overdosed on Heam. Society rejects them like the scum of the earth. They become pariahs.

For the most part, she’s kept her head down at school, and her grades close to perfect. She kept away from trouble; and trained with the tenacity and discipline like that of a veteran fighter. But no matter how careful she’d been to reveal her past, fate seemed to be determined to exact her more pain.

My first Jeyn Roberts novel wasn’t without expectations. I’ve known her writing to be dark; her story arches – different. I was prepared, to say the least. What I didn’t anticipate is how different the entire experience would be. For one, the world was set in an alternate universe where lawlessness was pervasive. Ruled by drug lords, dealers, and defeated authorities who’d learned to look away wherever injustices occur. For another, I was not entirely sure how to put this book in a proper classification. Was it paranormal? Thriller? Suspense? Dystopian? It was as elusive and thought-provoking as its ending.

Faye was a kick-ass character as much as fighting heroines go. But there were instances when she played the woe-is-me card way too much. It seems as though she spent way too much time psyching herself up; giving herself a pep talk before she goes on an avenging spree. Don’t get me wrong, a girl who can pick off a gang of weapon-wielding men with her bare hands one by one wins my vote for bad-assery. And Faye did exactly that. However, I thought that if you’re giving us a character who’s state of mind is on a perpetual must-kill-bad-men loop, I thought that it would be better to have made her a cold killer instead of one who unknowingly second guesses herself.

There are a couple of underlying social issues laced amongst the pages of this book. One is religion: Do you believe in the after life? Do you believe you can be saved? Do you believe in God? Another point is drug use. While the first was something that she’d left to the readers’ prerogative, the latter was a lesson hammered with an iron fist: taking drugs is bad.

The Bodies We Wear is such an appropriate title. It speaks of the masks we wear on a daily basis to get through the day. And while this novel also has some Body Snatchers undertones, I chose to believe that it has more to do with what Faye needed to do hide her real self.

Over all, I can see the appeal of Jeyn’s dark story-telling. This novel ended the way you’d expect from a writer like Jeyn. It was hopeful, but stingy in a way that it left the ending unresolved.

[Tiffany Holme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my first Jeyn Robert book. In fact it was her previous two books that had me so excited to read this one, even though they are completely unrelated. There is something about her writing that just draws me in and I can't help but become addicted. Maybe it is the fact that there is something dark and gritty about the books she writes. I appreciate a book that can take the sugar coating away, and push the fact that not everything is beautiful.

I think the biggest thing was that the book was mainly about Faye's revenge but it was also about redemption and change that gave it, its biggest boost. We find revenge in a lot of books, but not to this extent. The main characters life was destroyed when she was little by drug dealers, making her an outcast to society, and even her own family turn from her. These little bits, mixed with the drug that was forced upon her is what makes this book so unique. The drug seems to be something that people both love and fear, and minus the death and addiction stage it was almost accepted. Basically the setting and slight changes to our current time were executed extremely well and I had no problem visualizing everything. It isn't a huge stretch to believe something like this could happen, people develop new drugs all of the time. In this I found that this dystopia/sci-fi had a realistic touch that you could see people easily slipping into.

I can't say that I ever fully connected with Faye. It isn't so much that I didn't like her or did like her, as it was there was many times that I just did not get her. She did have a purpose and I understood to a point her need to get even with those that hurt her. I appreciated that she was dedicated to this cause most of the time because it gave her drive, but it also was making her miss what she had. In this sense I understood her completely, and I think this is what made her so real. Her need for revenge blinded her to everything else. However, as things normally go, it is in the darkest moments where we see some sort of light. With never having a normal life or normal chances because of her past, it just takes Faye a little longer to find her light.

Chael is a mystery that I figured out decently quickly. How he came to be was my biggest question but ultimately it didn't matter. His purpose was to be there for Faye, even when Faye didn't get why he always seemed to be there for her. The attraction between them was slow building, but when it happened it was because hi secret came to the surface. I'm not sure how people will feel about it, but I loved it beyond words. They didn't just figure it out and become perfect and Faye forgot her mission, but they fought over what she wanted and stayed flawed. The romance is also not a main focus in the book but merely a spark in the dark to help Faye find her way, and to show her that there is options.

Overall, I have to say I may not have gushed over this read like I did Roberts previous series but that does not mean I did not enjoy it. This read wont be for everyone because of its dealings with addiction and other things, but it should also be noted that it is used to make a point within the book. I would recommend this to those that have previously enjoyed one of Jeyn Roberts books, or those that are looking for something that holds a little bit of a darker tone.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a drug that gives its users a glimpse of magnificence. Now imagine that drug can also become dangerously addicting for some of its users. And those who overdose and manage to survive fight its effects for the rest of their life.

This is Heaven's Dream - Heam. A drug so potent that its very creators succumbed to its temptation. It's only been around for twelve years but it has changed the world in unimaginable ways. Faye's own father was an addict and when he couldn't pay his dealers, they came for Faye instead. She was just eleven when they force fed her Heam and though she survived, her best friend did not. Faye vowed she would get revenge on the men responsible. She's trained every day since the incident and now she's ready. But can she go through with it?

Holy crap this book was good! I've never read Jeyn Roberts before and now I feel like I've been missing out.

The Bodies We Wear is dark, dark, dark. It reminded me a bit (just a bit) of All These Things I've Done and Shovel Ready. Weird connections, I know, but let me explain. All These Things I've Done because of the setting: somewhat futuristic and yet very much like the world today, with very obvious effects of the restrictions/drug (All These Things/Bodies We Wear) and because the drug lord aspect in Roberts's book brought to mind the mob presence in Zevin's. As for Shovel Ready, it's the cult-like aspect of Heam use and the addiction to the limnosphere (particularly the way it's used by Spademan's foe). And again the futuristic setting heavily weighted in the world we know today.

It's probably a stretch for anyone not living in my brain but it seemed all three would live in the same stratosphere of the fiction world. Plus, they're all dark themes! Drugs, vengeance...

I loved Faye. I loved the way Roberts brought her physical and mental struggles into the story. Faye isn't invincible. Yes, she's driven by a desire for revenge - almost blinded by it - but she's not a machine. Even in the first pages, when she's clearly on a mission (what that mission may be is unclear to the reader at that point), she's sympathetic to the girl looking for her brother and she saves a life as well.

This book was like Pringles, once I started I just could not stop. I can't resist mentioning the song, either. Roberts has a playlist in the back of the book, but I didn't realize that until I'd finished. I wasn't terribly surprised to see that "It Can't Rain All the Time" by Jane Siberry was listed, though, as it had been running through my head every single time Faye commented on the rain. Um, any old Crow fans out there? (The walkabouts my head goes on while reading can be a little scary.)

Anyway, The Bodies We Wear was fabulous. Somewhat surprisingly so considering I had no idea what to expect going in. Roberts's previous released are now going in the must have list and I definitely recommend any fans of darker fiction check this one out as well.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started out strong, but it went downhill fairly quickly. It's not like there weren't good things about this book, because there were. I'm not even sure I can pinpoint what turned me off the story, but I was so annoyed by it for some reason. What was up with Christian? He died, but he "felt" what's-her-face's pain (I forgot her name), and so he came back? And he evaded death a couple times because he's somehow magical, but then he dies again? What?

It definitely wasn't as cool as it tried to be. I skimmed the last 100 pages or so.

I was going to give it two stars, but by the end I felt so meeehhhhhh about it that I decided just to go with one.

Also, it's "couldn't care less." Not "could." Jeez.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Now that I have finished The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts, in what feels like record time, I am left a bit conflicted on how I should feel. You know how some books are kind of really strange and you read them and you are like, what even is going on here, but you keep reading in hopes of understanding, and THEN you do end up understanding and you are like YES THIS ENDING ROCKS and you write the longest run on sentence ever?
Read the rest of my review here

[LiteraryCryptid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of many that was sugeested to me in highschool. I started it with the intention of finishing it within three days. . . one week and two tear-filled days later, I finally finished it. What can I say? I couldn't put it down but I didn't want it to end. It is an amazing novel that highlights thoughts of life, death and love. It also brings to light the trials of holding on to guilt and revenge. The last three chapters are tear jerkers.
I would recomend this to any highschool student who is looking for a few tears and an emotional rollercoaster in their read.

[Me]

HEY HEY HEY

WOAH WOAH WOAH

SLOW DOWN!!!

PUBLISHED IN 2014?!?

WHAT HAPPENNED TO DARK INSIDE #3?!

[Kristina Mathioudakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review coming soon!

[Michele at A Belle's Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review at A Belle's Tales.

[Misty Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

** As Posted on KindleObsessed Blog **

There is a quote by Douglas Horton that says:

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves – one for yourself.”

I stand behind Horton on this one. Revenge? Though they say it’s “best served cold” isn’t going to make you feel better. But revenge in books? I say bring it on.

Ok, yes…I know that there are roughly a gazillion moralistically (is that even a word?) condemning reason why what I just said is wrong. (The most obvious probably being that you shouldn’t kill people. Society tends to frown on that.) But when it comes to fictional plots and a character’s burning desire to take matters into their own hands? There’s usually nothing more entertaining. (I mean, come on…80% of comic books alone are derived from a sense of vigilante justice. Batman? Spiderman?)

Simply stated: Anger makes for a fantastic catalyst, and if presented correctly can lead to a piece of work you will find hard to put down. (Despite the fact that Horton’s quote generally stops characters in their tracks.)

The question remains however…what if it doesn’t? Or better still…what if someone is trying to save you from yourself and gets there first?

Welcome to the dilemma living inside of Jeyn Roberts’ “The Bodies We Wear.”


"People say when you take Heam, your body momentarily dies and you catch a glimpse of heaven. Faye was only eleven when dealers forced Heam on her and her best friend, Christian. But Faye didn’t glimpse heaven—she saw hell. And Christian died.

Now Faye spends her days hiding her secret from the kids at school, and her nights training to take revenge on the men who destroyed her life and murdered her best friend. But life never goes the way we think it will. When a mysterious young man named Chael appears, Faye’s plan suddenly gets a lot more complicated. Chael seems to know everything about her, including her past. But too many secrets start tearing her world apart: trouble at school, with the police, and with the people she thought might be her friends. Even Gazer, her guardian, fears she’s become too obsessed with vengeance. Love and death. Will Faye overcome her desires, or will her quest for revenge consume her?"

There is no easy way to sum up my feelings for this book. When I was talking to my friends I used the phrase “weirdly cool.” But I have a feeling the sentiment won’t translate well for those of you that don’t know me on a personal level. So in an effort to help you (as well as myself) understand what it is exactly I just read…I’m going to talk it out.

(Prepare yourselves, I sense a rambling coming on.)

To make a long story short, Faye (the lead of this little ditty) was drugged as a child due to her fathers inability to keep his crap together. The drug used was a nasty one (which usually kills you – as is the case with her best-friend – and if not, insures you will be ostracized from EVERYTHING – which is the case for Faye.) She’s not happy about it and swears to take out all of the thugs that participated in her loss of innocence. The story itself picks up AFTER these events and is then filled in with flashbacks.

Which is pretty much quid pro quo for this type of story. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But I’m jumping ahead, let me take a step back and tell you about the first chapter. (The chapter that almost had me quitting this book. Eek!)

I started “The Bodies We Wear” three different times. Each time I (quite literally) fell asleep while reading it. For those of you that think it’s due to my normal late night reading schedule, that’s not the case. For three days in a row I tried to start this book while waiting in my child’s school carpool lane. At 2 in the afternoon. When I was (previously) WIDE AWAKE. The chapters in this book are not long ones, (chapter 1 is only 14 pages) but for the life of me…I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Here is the reason why.

The first chapter of TBWW is very odic.

For example:


“I like when it’s dark. there’s not much light here. The city is constantly surrounded by clouds and shadows, even in the afternoon. But at night, there are no dusty streams of sunlight to try to warm my face. This is the way I prefer it. The light shows my flaws. My skin becomes translucent; the dark circles under my eyes grow darker. Not all of my scars are visible. These are easier to hide.”


Normally, I’m not put off by exaggerated poetic justice (Hell, it’s one of the reasons I love Mafi’s writing) but in this case I was nothing but annoyed by it. What I expected, wanted, needed was a screaming shot right out of the gate. I wanted to understand where Faye was coming from. Feel her boiling hate rolling off the page. Instead, I felt like I was getting a lesson on the soothing qualities of rain. I was not impressed.

It wasn’t until the introduction of Chael that the story got interesting. Chael brought mystery, but more importantly his introduction brought valid, intriguing dialogue. And though it was cut off, and abrupt for more than half of the book, it built the suspense the first chapter needed to launch Roberts words into a book that didn’t make me snooze.

That didn’t mean, however, that it wasn’t repetitious. More than (I would guess) 40% of the book was dedicated to Faye’s daily ritual. Get up, train with her guardian, go to school (where she was prohibited from talking to the other students) stalk her prey. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, only to start again. Hey! It made the story drag unnecessarily in places that should have been full throttle.

The moments where the story deviated from the norm is where it finally shined. (And what ultimately kept me reading.) Faye, bless her heart, is NOT a very interesting character. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to call her one dimensional. BUT, the characters that surround her are quite the opposite. Gazer for example is a well rounded parental figure, dolling out very sound advice. Paige is wrought with growth. Chael is…well, crap I can’t give that one away without spoiling the story, but let’s just say he is FULL of surprises, and not at all who he appears to be when you first meet him. Collectively they boost Faye’s entertainment value.

So, what about the plot? (Cause I think this is nearing the “longest review in history” mark and I’m tired of writing it, I’m almost certain you are tired of reading it.)

It was predictable (*sigh*) but not in a way that turned me off from the story. EVERYTHING (her revenge) and yet NOTHING (her relationships) happened like I expected it to. The vengeance plot line was pretty much a straight line from beginning to end. There was an objective, and Faye did not waver. On the other hand, any and all plot lines having to do with her personal relationships (friends, family, douchy evil boyfriends of said friends) were intricately twisted. The two together made for a “weirdly cool” read. (Weird = the reboot drug and special people appearing in special places. Cool = special people appearing in special places. How’s that for confusing?)

Thankfully, it is a one and done book. Everything is tied up very nicely (if abstractly as is the case with Chael) by page 353 and though the ending is a tad bittersweet, it’s fitting.

Is this a book I’ll read again or insist that every one of my friends pick up immediately? Not so much, but it is a relatively quick read after the first chapter and if you are looking for something mildly unique to pass the time, this would be an ok book to turn to.

My final vote. Right smack in the middle. Not bad, not brilliant, unique concept but a tad predictable. Take it or leave it. Or better yet, read a sample chapter and get a feel for it before you throw your hard earned money at it.)

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: There’s always SOMEONE watching, it just might not be who you expect.

[Whitley Birks]

DNF at about 35%. The book felt rather flat to me, thanks to the 'darker and edgier' tone to it. Everything was just unrelentingly grimdark, but in the exact same way at all times, and...I can only care for so long if I don't have some variety. Plus there were a lot of tropes that I'm extremely not fond of, the whole "not like other girls," the "bad guys are rapists to show off how bad they are."

But the worst, the absolute worst? The book tries to create a drug that's LIKE SO MUCH WORSE THAN ALL OTHER DRUGS, I SWEARS IT YOU GUYS, IT'S LIKE, THE WOOOORST LIKE YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE HOW MUCH WORSE IT IS and the whole thing comes off just like that. In the process of trying to be OMG THE WORST THING EVER it manages to diminish the effects of real-world drug use and alcoholism by comparison. It was basically "Heam is so much worse than alcohol addiction because of [enter description of alcoholism here]." Yeah, the book describes addiction and then claims that that's worse than...addiction. It was weird.

It also took a lot of the myths and stereotypes that came out of the 'drug war' and played them PAINFULLY straight, painting all drug dealers as 'gross gangsters' and users as 'desperate poor people, with maybe some evil rich kids on the side, but just a few.' And....no thanks, I'm out.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Stars: A thought provoking and interesting book about growth and survival.

Faye pulls her hoodie over her damp hair. It is late but she continues to stand out in the misty rain, staring at the door of the run down bar, knowing the man she intends to kill is inside drinking the night away. At seventeen, Faye should be worried about school, dating, boys and parties, but instead, she is focused on revenge. Six years ago four men seeking revenge against her father, pinned down Faye, who was then a scrawny eleven year old girl, and gave her one dose of the highly addictive drug HEAM. Faye didn't see heaven like everyone else, instead she saw Hell. When she awoke, her life was forever changed. Her best friend, Christian was dead, she was no longer welcome in her own home, and she now harbored a relentless addiction for HEAM. Can Faye overcome her dark past and finally get her revenge?

What I Liked:

*First, my advice going into this is to clear your mind of any expectations and be sure to read the author's note at the beginning. I went into this without any preconceived ideas, and that allowed me to completely appreciate the book. This book is one girl's journey toward a new beginning. The character growth and transformation are outstanding, and I was pleased that the book took big risks as it veered off course and explored a new direction. This book is so much more than revenge and darkness. It is new beginnings, hope and growth.

*Roberts excels at her world building. In this book, she plunges us into our world overtaken by a deadly and extremely additive drug known as HEAM. HEAM is drug that essentially kills the taker for a few moments before the body reboots and comes back to life. While dead, the drug induced person sees beautiful, calming images of Heaven and deceased loved ones. The drug is so powerful that many are immediately addicted after one dose. This drug has destroyed countless lives and threatens to completely topple society. The streets are littered with gutter rats and dealers. What made this world stand out was that it is entirely plausible. Imagine the release of a drug that produces such intense euphoria that people are willing to do anything to score their next hit? I thought the whole premise of HEAM was thrilling and totally plausible.

*Faye is an interesting protagonist. She is kick butt and bad ass, but underneath so vulnerable. Faye's world came crashing down when thugs held her down and forced HEAM down her throat when she was eleven. Now at seventeen, she is an outcast hellbent on revenge. She lives with a former cop, who rescued her. Her benefactor, Gazer, has trained her to fight and kill in order to exact her revenge. I admired her courage and tenacity, but I also love her vulnerability. On the outside she appears to be tough as nails, but in reality, she is still that scared eleven year old girl inside, longing for friends and acceptance. I loved her growth and transformation, and I applauded her final decision at the end. Faye's transformation is remarkable and she became a character whom I admired by the end.

*I appreciated that the school's popular girl caught me off guard. I was expecting her to behave a certain way, but thankfully, she doesn't resort to bullying, nor does she turn her back and stick her nose in the air once she learns the truth about Faye. She comes through in some big ways, and I loved that.

*The paranormal twist was unexpected and surprising, and even though it wasn't fully explained, I liked it. For me, I think this angle worked because I had read the author's note at the beginning so I knew why she she went down this path. Imagine having the opportunity to see a loved one who had passed on again. What would you give for a few days or moments?

*I was a bit surprised, yet once again pleased with the way this book veered off course. It takes some dramatic turns at the end, and the story completely changes. I know many reviewers are complaining because they didn't like the twist and the shift in the plot, but for me it worked. I thought Ms. Roberts pulled it off.

*The ending is satisfying without cliffhangers and lots of unanswered questions. This is a stand alone!

And The Not So Much:
*The romance was a bit shaky for me. It lacked a bit of chemistry and emotion. I don't know how to describe it without too many spoilers, but I felt like it was lacking a bit of something.

*While I appreciated that the story doesn't get bogged down with the how and why of how Chael comes into Faye's life, I couldn't help but want to know more. Why and how did he appear?

*I have to admit after all the build up with the revenge plot, I felt a tiny disappointed by Faye's final decision with one of her tormentors. Even though I admired her courage, I wanted it to play out as Faye originally intended. Still I loved her choice.

The Bodies We Wear is an emotional and impactful read with outstanding world building and strong characters. I thought Faye's growth and transformation was excellent and I appreciated that Ms. Roberts dared to take this story in new and unexpected directions. This book is so much more than a revenge book. It is one that needs to be read and pondered.

Favorite Quotations:
"I guess can take the girl and give her weapons and stuff but somewhere deep inside she still wants to wear makeup and paint her toes pink."
"Even in death, we never truly get lost."
"I like the moon at night, " Beth says, looking down at her crayons. "I like the way it sometimes manages to find its way through the clouds. I like the way it sometimes manages to find its way through the clouds. I like the raindrops on the leaves in the garden. And I love the way a bakery smells when you go inside."



I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

[Megen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book a couple of years ago and it was a 5/5 but when I re-read it this time I just didn't have the same opinion.

I definitely went in higher expectations of revenge, action and a killer strong female lead but none of those expectations were met. Faye not being able to take revenge was just embarrassing because she can't kill the bad guys and the love story had so much potential but just sucked with all the stalking going on.

[Deilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. This is definitely one of my all time favorites😍. This book was literally everything. I dont even know what to say, like the roller-coaster of emotions i went through while reading it was insanee. I love it so much, the author did such a great job. The chapters were long but it wasnt a slow paced book which was great and it always kept u wanting more, wasn't boring at all and its also kinda bittersweet. I actually love this sm.

[Megan Nehring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Response: This book caught my attention just by the title. I liked how there was mystery and you couldn't tell what was going to happen next. This book was different from most because people were coming back from the dead. I did not expect the book to end the way it did.


Plot Summary: Heaven's Dream, or Heam for short. It's the hottest drug around. Everyone who takes it receives a glimpse of the afterlife. You get to see Heaven. Except Faye, who saw Hell. Why? That's what she's trying to figure out. Faye used Heam involuntarily. There are scars plastered across her chest to prove it. Those made school near impossible, and added many rules just for her. She was taken in by Gazer, who teaches her to fight and defend herself. Faye wants revenge on the men who took her life and killed her best friend, Christian. She meets someone who tells her the truth about killing and tries to stop her. Faye thought he seemed oddly familiar, but she never could've expected who he really was.


Recommendations: I would recommend this book to girls ages 14-18. It is mainly about drug abuse, so it is for a more mature audience. I'd also recommend this book to girls because there is a love story behind it, and most boys do not enjoy love stories. This wasn't the best book I've read, or even close, so I don't think I'd read it again.

[Adrianna Baehman]

Personal Response:
When I first started reading The Bodies We Wear, I did not know if I would like it or not. It was slow in the beginning, but it progressively got better. I could not put it down, as it was very suspenseful. I do not think I would read it again, though.

Plot Summary:
When Faye was young, she was forced to take a drug called Heam. As this happened, she was with her best friend Christian. Faye survived, Christian did not. Now, Faye seeks revenge on those who took her soul and murdered her best friend. As she is watching one of her victims, she meets Chael. Chael knows her, and she does not know how. She soon finds out that it is Christian, and he came back in a new body. Together, they get revenge on the people that ruined them and they fall in love. This all ends when Chael dies again, and Faye finds new meaning in life. She lives with Gazer, and pursues a career in Heam counseling.

Characterization:
In the beginning, Faye is perceived as someone who is very tough. She would not back down from a fight, and she seeked revenge. She trained everyday to get stronger. All she felt was anger and pain. As the book goes on, you learn more about her past. Her mom abandoned her after Heam dealers forced the drug on her. Her best friend, Christian, was murdered in the process. When he dies a second time, she kills herself to be with him. This is because the pain is too much to handle. Her emotions come from a place of sorrow, and she is more fragile than she seems.

Recommendation:
I do not recommend this book to a younger group of people. I think it would be good for high schoolers, adults, and advanced younger readers. You have to be patient in the first few chapters, so patience is a trait they need to have. As the book goes on, it gets more interesting, so it is also good if you like action books.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2/5
***Minor spoilers***

When Faye was only eleven years old, her and her friend Christian were taken and forcefully given a drug called Heam, due to Faye's father being caught in some bad business. The drug is said to show you heaven, but some people apparently see hell. While Faye saw hell and came back with the noticeable chest scars of a Heam addict, Christian didn't come back at all. After her mother kicks her out at the sight of the scars, a man named Gazer takes her in and shows her how to defend herself. Faye spends her days learning to fight so that she can take revenge on the men that ruined her life and killed her best friend. However, a man named Chael shows up, somehow knowing more than he should about Faye's life, and attempts to convince her that maybe revenge isn't what's best.

I'm very relieved that I was finally able to finish this book. I was reading this book for Battle of the Books, which is a book club/competitive group similar to a trivia contest but based on a set of ten books. Questions include identifying what details belong to a certain book, or answering specific questions about a specific book. I started this book a long time ago, then I put it down for about 2 and a half months because it didn't interest me at all. It's sat on my shelf all this time without being touched. Since the competition is in May, I thought that maybe I should finish this up. I was warned that this book would be a bit of a mess, so I wasn't too surprised when things were all over the place.

My biggest issue with this book was that things just didn't make sense. They weren't explained at all. We know Heam is a drug, but how does it actually do what it does? What causes it? What are people actually seeing? People are skeptical and say it's just imagination, but there's no real answer to it. Also, how was it possible Christian could come back into another body? It would seem more plausible if there was anything else paranormal in this book, but there was nothing abnormal besides the Christian thing. He was basically invulnerable, but he could "die" to Heam being injected in him? How could he sense her pain, or whatever he claimed to be able to do? The lack of explanation annoyed me to no end. I also suspected that Chael was really Christian for a while, so it didn't surprise me that it was him. It just made no sense.

I didn't like how everyone treated Faye. I know it's a society where Heam addicts are looked down upon, but she's treated like naive trash even by the people who apparently care about her. Everyone is throwing her desire for revenge back in her face, like making her angry and defensive of her wishes is going to change anything. Calling her stupid for her beliefs wasn't going to change anything either. I can understand wanting to make her see sense, but I couldn't see why sitting down and talking with her rather than taunting her by calling her stupid and reckless would help.

Overall, I didn't go in expecting too much and I didn't get too much in return. While it was interesting in places, it frustrated me how much of what happened wasn't explained whatsoever, and we're made to accept everything for what it is. It becomes a mess somewhere around the middle but it recovers into something that sort of makes sense before long. It was a strange read, to say the least. I don't really thing I recommend it, since too much is unexplained for it to be too enjoyable.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heam: a drug that is liquid silver in colour and smells and tastes like strawberries, people say when you take heam you die briefly and you get a glimpse of heaven. That's not what Faye saw when it was forced on her and her friend Christian when she was eleven years old. Faye saw hell instead. Heam made her overdose, but she was brought back with a spider web like scar across her heart and collarbone. Her friend Christian died, and left Faye with a longing for revenge. Gazer, a retired cop takes her in when no one else will and he trains her. I found this to be a depressing book. I find it hard to believe it rains all the time in Faye's world. I can't think of any place on the planet where it rains constantly. Heam seems like a beautiful drug to try, but once you do try it the odds are you'll be addicted forever. I think when people see heaven with this drug they're only seeing what they think heaven looks like in their minds eye. Like that one kid Joshua said he saw his grandmother there and she was dancing. Their minds sees what they think it looks like, i don't think they truly see heaven. Faye is hell bent on getting revenge on the scum that shoved this beautiful poison down her throat. That's when Chael appears, he stalks her and Faye thinks she knows him from somewhere, but where? Did it take long for anyone else to figure out who Chael is? I think it's obvious from the beginning. Despite the scar on her heart Faye manages to get into a pretty posh school, with lots of rules for to follow regarding her and her scar and to never talk about heam to anyone. I hated how people treated drug users in this book, because Faye had it forced upon her and even though she beat the odds and never used again people still treated her like an addict. Especially her principal and the teachers, they acted like she was a ticking time bomb. When she was expelled and forced into that bitches office i was happy that she got to say what she really wanted to that woman! I loved how she ripped her shirt so the whole school could see her scars, she walked out of there with her head held high. I guess the teachers thought that if the students heard the word "Heam" uttered in school or knew that someone attended there that overdosed that the students might catch it like a disease. I didn't really like Chael's character, He was quite humdrum to me, but then i have a different taste in men than Faye. Does Faye get her revenge? Maybe and maybe not. But she made something out of herself in the end. Not the best book in the world, too much rain and the whole ghetto scene was too dark and depressing for my taste. Because of that i don't think this book is a keeper for my book shelf.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Bodies We Wear" sounds like a pretty kick butt book. The story takes place in an alternate version of America where the world has been dramatically changed for the worse by a drug called Heam or Heaven's Dream. When people take the drug they die. Sometimes the never come back from the dead. But others wake up after seeing Heaven. They become addicted to the views of Heaven and abuse the drug again and again. Usually this ends in the person's death.

When Faye was younger she and a friend named Christian were cornered in an alley. Heam was forced into them, making Faye addicted to the drug and killing young Christian. Now she wears a huge scar on her chest marking her as an addict. After her deathly experience, Faye is kicked out from her house and taken in by a kind man who found her. Together they train. Faye is determined to get revenge on the men who did this to her.

So, yeah, that all sounds amazing.

What plays out is a little different than you would expect with the above information. I don't want to ruin anything because I did like the book quite a lot. However the entire revenge aspect is pretty muted. Sure Faye thinks about revenge a lot. It is what motivates her but there isn't much page time dedicated to her revenge. However there is time devoted to a mysterious boy that starts hanging around Faye. I am not complaining. I thought this worked out just fine in the story. I figured out his mystery way early on though. I liked the parts about Heam and Faye trying to help others who are addicted. I liked the parts about her school and what happened involving the school kids.

But "The Bodies We Wear" ended up being a tale of Faye overcoming her struggles and trying to find her new place in the world far more than it was about revenge or anything paranormal and mysterious. Still I read it quickly so that is a sign that it hooked me in. I really like Jeyn Roberts. I read her first book but still need to read the sequel to that one. So she is 2 for 2 in my eyes right now. My only real complaint is that the book wasn't quite what it was made out to be.