Kapot

by Louisa Reid, Merel Leene (Translator)

Joe en Imogen lijken het perfecte koppel: ze zijn al jarenlang jaloersmakend verliefd en een voorbeeld voor hun vrienden. Maar als ze betrokken raken bij een dodelijk ongeluk, valt hun relatie stukje bij beetje uit elkaar, totdat iedereen de waarheid kent.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2020

Reviews

[Geert van Rooijen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wat hebben Amanda Wood, Brenda Walsh, Juliëtte Barnes, Cersei Lannister, Lolita (ik kan nog wel even doorgaan) wel dat Imogen niet heeft? Allen zijn femme fatales eerste klas die mannen verleiden, uitzuigen, bedriegen en voorliegen. Fictie (YA of niet) put graag uit het klassieke thema van de schone jonge dame die van haar mannelijke tegenspeler veel, zo niet alles gedaan krijgt. Maar terug naar mijn eerste vraag: waar de eerste vijf ruimte krijgen om naast hun vileine en manipulatieve acties ook hun zwakkere kant te laten zien waardoor ze het niveau van bordkarton kunnen overstijgen, is Imogen veroordeeld tot het eenzijdige beeld dat we van Joe krijgen, waardoor ze van bordkarton blijft. Haar strenge vader en upperclass achtergrond, bevestigt alleen ipv dat het nuanceert.
En natuurlijk zal dit verhaal genoeg herkenning bieden voor een aantal getroebleerde ya, maar ook zij hebben recht op meer diepgang in de personages. Zeker als die met de schuld van de dood van een derde moeten leven.

[Ruth Estevez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished Wrecked by Louisa Reid this morning. Cup of tea by my side, cat purring nearby, rain clouds outside.
A verse novel, with some beautiful images, phrases and devastating honesty.
A difficult read for a parent, even for one whose children are beyond the teenage years. Perhaps harder for those with teen years to come. You want to shout, 'No! Don't fall in love!'
Text echoes emotion in size and spacing, words tumbling as Joe's world falls apart. I loved this, like a painting although I had to read he art
Twice.
5 stars.

[Joanne van der Vlies · Rating 5 out of 5]

"HOW TO SPOT A LIAR
it's something you ought to
learn in school.
Palms will not necessarily sweat.
(Imogen held my hand for years,
replacing my fingerprints with hers.)
Leaping pulses do not mean lying hearts.
(she made my heart race,
right now it's all over the place.)
You cannot see the truth in someone's eyes.
(if they're a window to the soul, then I guess
some souls lie.)"

This book is the definition of a work of art.
The story in itself is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
But the way it's structured, sometimes words flung all over the place, like a real look inside Joe's head, it's above perfection.

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! So, I love a free verse, but this may be the best one I've read for a while, oh my gosh did it have me going through a vast array of different emotions.
Joe is in court, charged with death by dangerous driving, the court proceedings are interspersed with the story of how him and Imogen get together and how their relationship unfolds.
This not only covers toxic relationships, illness, grief, but also class and differences in background. The author did a fabulous job of putting this together and the sparse wording sure packed a sucker punch at times.
Highly recommended.

[Josien · Rating 3 out of 5]

En versroman is altijd even wennen, maar het verhaal was best prima

[Jodijones Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Every school should have this as a class book, so thought provoking and a unique writing style.

[whatbooknext · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe loves playing football and is a promising player, now Captain of the team. Joe’s a Wrecked Book Review Covergood student, studying hard for his exams, and he’s a good son to his loving parents.

Then there’s his other side.

Joe is different now, complain his friends. Even since he started going out with a pretty girl at school, he’s hardly around any more. He even stops turning up to football practice.

Imogen comes from a wealthy but broken family, loves being the centre of attention and soon has Joe wrapped around her little finger.

Their relationship is tense. On. Off. Gentle. Angry. Confusing. Manipulative. Beautiful.

A devastating accident brings it all to a head. Joe must make a life-changing decision amongst a trail of hurt, horror and loss.

Wow! Told in verse format, the words are spare but the meaning is rich, raw and real. I felt for Joe, rallied and cheered for him, shook my head one moment and wanted to shout at him in the next.

His pain and confusion was so clear on the page, and his predicament so believable. Brilliant.

[Marie Basting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louisa Reid has done it again with a beautifully written verse novel that had me gripped from start to finish. It's a tough subject to explore but Reid handles it with sensitivity and skill. A fast and furious novel that will see you questioning everything.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

An abusive teen relationship, a fatal accident and a kid going off the rails - but who’s telling the truth? Tense and pacy , brought tears to my eyes at one point , loved it.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very weird and gross 😅

[DAISY DAWSON · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA novel in verse. Read for school and although not my usual thing, it was done well. Will definitely recommend it to the kids I teach.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OHMYGOD this book was so emotive. Such brutal honesty, vivid descriptions and actual heartbreak. Loved it.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe and Imogen are a happy couple. A fatal accident and a court case reveals all.

Never thought I could be a fan of free verse but I sure am now. What a story- powerfully written. I was drawn in by every word, I felt the emotion. It's been a while since a book has made me cry.

[Lisa Hendrickx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe en Imogen zijn het ideale koppel. Een voorbeeld voor iedereen en smoorverliefd op elkaar. Tot ze plots betrokken raken bij een dodelijk ongeval en er daardoor een moeilijke situatie ontstaat die ze niet meer in de hand hebben.

Joe staat terecht als schuldige en meer en meer gaat de relatie tussen hem en Imogen kapot. Maar is Joe wel de echte dader? Wat is er op die avond echt gebeurd?

Ik vond dit een heel vermakelijk en speciaal boek. Door de schrijfstijl had ik het gevoel dat ik één lang gedicht aan het lezen was dat steeds meer informatie gaf over de personages en de gebeurtenis.

Het boek is heel vlot leesbaar en ik had hem in twee dagen uit, ik werd er volledig in meegesleept.

Ik heb nog nooit eerder een boek gelezen met deze schrijfstijl en was aangenaam verrast! Zeker een aanrader voor wie van gedichten, romantiek en een beetje thriller houdt!

Dankjewel BlossomBooks dat ik dit fantastische boek mocht lezen!

[Penelope Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in one day, only stopping to eat my evening meal.
The subject matters covered are difficult ones; a toxic teenage first love, abuse in that relationship, a fatal car accident and the death of a parent (not to mention the teenage sex, drugs and alcohol!). All of this is laid out with such skill and sensitivity you are carried along with the pace of the fast flowing feelings of the teenage protagonists. The structure of the book is extremely clever and adds to the fast pace of the story telling. At times though I did worry I was reading so fast I wasn't taking in the mastery of the prose as I should! I think the story told is extremely real and believable, it bought back memories of my own first love. I am not sure my 14 year old son is ready for it though!

[Kirsten Paoline König · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik realiseerde me tegen het einde van deze roman in versvorm dat ik in 2013 het aangrijpende 'Black Heart Blue' van dezelfde auteur heb gelezen dat diepe indruk heeft gemaakt. Ook dit boek kerft in je, mij wellicht vanwege de persoonlijke trigger van een dodelijk ongeval, maar ook vanwege de briljant vertaalde vorm van vrij stromende tekst, soms poëtisch maar steeds indringend.

Wat een verfrissend tegengewicht aan de toxische relaties zoals een CoHo ze beschrijft, en tot het einde spannend wat er op die avond precies gebeurd is (wie bestuurde de auto) en wat de uitspraak van de jury zal zijn. Een boek dat geen goede afloop kan kennen, maar op de juiste lezer diepe indruk zal maken.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

i personally didn’t love the format this was written and how it read but was such a heartfelt account of the relationship between joe and imogen from joe’s perspective, seeing into the toxicity of what they had but also how normal it felt just showed how normalised it is to stay in broken and hurtful relationships. although, it is hard to completely engage in a relationship when only one perspective is shown, but overall good read!

[Kerry-louise Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of an 18 year old boy who is accused of death by dangerous driving, we start off at his court case and then get glimpses of his past as the novel progresses.

This was fast paced, hard hitting and utterly absorbing! I couldn’t pull my self away. I loved how the story developed and showed us more than what was on the surface and I really felt for Joe all the way through.


Louisa is absolutely my new favourite free verse author and I will buy anything she writes!!!

[janea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

A verse novel on a toxic and abusive teenage relationship! I honestly did not like the format of the book and I was questioning why I was even reading it but it was still interesting. Also, joe deserves better.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verhaal in verzen is mijn favoriete genre. Geef me er nog maar meer van. Het is wel een niche. Het ritme is razendsnel en toch zo beelden en mooi verwoordt.

[Maria (a) · Rating 5 out of 5]

NU

VOEL IK ME EEN JOCHIE

- een kind nog.
Te jong hiervoor.
Ik voel me naakt
en dom terwijl ze
over me praten.

De aanklager gaat staan
                                         en neemt ons mee
      over een bochtig pad
                                             dat slingert
                              tussen
      wat goed
                                                 en wat fout is.

Ik vond dit echt een klassieke pageturner. Ik heb het in een ruk uitgelezen, wat vrij gemakkelijk is natuurlijk in het versformaat, maar het was ook gewoon echt het feit dat ik volledig opging in Joe zijn paniek, in zijn angst over hoe het verder zou gaan. Kapot lijdt een beetje als veel boeken over partnergeweld aan het feit dat we Imogen alleen maar in een slecht daglicht zien. Hoewel dat in de context van het boek logisch is - het verhaal begint in de rechtszaak, en de rest zijn flashbacks, wat betekent dat de onderliggende sfeer van hoe Imogen Joe heeft behandeld al van het begin af aan duidelijk is -, doet het heel erg af aan het verhaal (dat 'perfecte koppel' dat de achterkant belooft, daar zie je dus helemaal niets van). Het lijkt zo duidelijk dat Joe beter had moeten weten. Joe zelf vond ik dan wel weer heel goed neergezet, dat was absoluut deel van de reden dat ik zo geïnvesteerd was in het verhaal. Ik wilde echt heel graag dat hij vrijgesproken zou worden, dat hij verder zou kunnen met zijn leven.

Versromans zijn mijn absolute favoriet, en als ze goed gedaan zijn? Dan kan daar volgens mij echt niets tegenop. Het gebruik van de witruimte in deze vond ik ontzettend goed. Alleen jammer dat de vertaling van Leene hier en daar - vooral in de stukken die minder met de ruimte speelden - wat naar rijmelarij neigden.

De hoge snelheid van het verhaal paste ontzettend goed bij de setting. Het voelde echt alsof je op dat einde aan het afdaveren was, en het was duidelijk dat er geen stappen terug gezet konden worden. Ik vond het einde alleen wel wat afdoen aan het verhaal; niet zozeer het besluit van de rechtszaak, als wel het deel dat daar nog op volgde, dat vond ik wel zonde. Ondanks dat, toch zeker de moeite van het lezen waard.

[Anthony Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for a high-speed, emotional rollercoaster of a ride when you start reading Louisa Reid’s brilliant YA book, Wrecked. Written in page-turning verse, and with the kind of fast-paced rhythm of its own that you don’t often get from YA books right now, Wrecked is about dysfunctional young couple, Joe Goodenough and Imogen Harris.

A woman has been killed in a car crash and both Joe and Imogen were in the car that did it. But who is really to blame?

As witnesses to this tragedy, we as readers are taken on a white-knuckle ride where we discover how Joe falls for Imogen, big time, and how he will do anything for her. And how he abandons his friends and family to be with her.

Joe and Immie are young, their relationship is intense and Joe doesn’t see – because his love is truly blind – how Immie begins to undermine his identity and confidence with her emotional blackmail, bad behaviour and constant betrayal of Joe’s trust.

The opposing characters of Joe and Immie are painted brilliantly by Louisa – Joe is the naive, in-love boy and Immie is the messed-up, needy girl. This pushes the plot forward at a heart-in-mouth pace so that, even thought the relationship problems start out small, eventually – when the car crash happens and someone dies – the real knives come out. And that’s because one of them is going to jail for driving the car.

But who will it be?

You’ll have to buy Wrecked and read it to find out. And I promise you, it will be well worth it. This is an outstanding book!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe and Imogen have been together for 4 years. Things weren’t as happy as they seem and Joe has to confront this when he’s on trial for killing a woman by dangerous driving. The story of a Joe and Imogen’s relationship is told as the case is heard in court.

I picked up this book because I liked the sound of the premise and was then disappointed to find it was written in verse. I don’t typically get along with books written in verse. I have to admit that it worked really well in this book though. The layout really helped to show what Joe was thinking and feeling. The story itself and the characters were really interesting as well. The issue of abusive relationships between teenagers was covered really delicately and the book showed how the relationship had gotten to that stage really well. I liked that we could come to understand both Joe and Imogen and no character was portrayed to be all bad or all good. They were complex characters with a lot going on.
I really felt for all the characters, particularly because it was set so close to where I’m from. It felt like this could’ve happened to anyone I know. The whole book was gripping- I finished it in a morning. Overall, it was just done really cleverly and this should definitely be something that’s read in schools.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louisa Reid's "Wrecked" delves deeply into themes of trauma, redemption, and human connection in a way that is powerful. The novel revolves around Joe and Imogen, whose worlds collide when they struggle together in their relationship. Joe and Imogen’s road to recovery and self acceptance is a turbulent one, but it is the journey that they follow to arrive at a place of self acceptance.

Reid’s writing is imaginative, her text captures the essence of her characters with such vigor and sensibly, Joe’s efforts to recover his previous self and Imogen’s ceaseless obsession with pain and sorrow are written with frank directness such that their pain is tangible. The way that mental health issues are expressed in the book is really well done.

One critic of the novel would be the pacing; while the beginning is intriguing, the middle was relatively slow. There were several themes that were used repetitively and they could have been edited out. Further, while the characters were consistent and well developed, the description of Joe and Imogen actions were transient, making the story predictable.

Having read other verse novels by Louisa Reid, this is so far my least favourite unfortunately.

[Guy Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible emotional journey in verse that both builds on the themes and techniques of the author's fantastic "Gloves Off" and explores new human relationships and ways to evoke them. Once again there are some superb verses, and I particularly enjoyed this one:

"But then, sometimes the truth
has teeth
that bite
and leave a mark".

Yes, and this book delivers both the truths and the bite-marks! Compelling reading.

[Siobhán Bayertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never really read books with the verse style of writing, so at first, it put me off. After a few chapters, however, I grew to really like the style and found it quite beautiful.

This was a very well written book that covered some tough topics; extremely toxic relationships, illness etc

Emotionally, I was definitely 'Wrecked' after reading this and I think it's an excellent book for teenagers and adults alike.

[Keitu Rev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wrecked was good, evenly paced. Nothing special, but easy to follow.
The story's format resembled a court transcript, effectively shifting between past and present.
The "twist" in the book is easily predictable. Reading to see how it unfolds was bland, but as it was predictable, it was well-revealed.
It's a good young adult book, perfect for first-time readers of crime drama with a touch of romance gone wrong.

-BYE

[Alice Visser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful YA verse novel set in a courtroom with many flashbacks as events and relationships become clear. Told from the perspective of a teenage protagonist on trial for drunk-driving leading to death of a woman in another car. Explores obsession & dysfunctional relationships. Beautifully written.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was heart wrenching 😭 personal preference is the only reason it’s not 5⭐️ as I despise rhyming poetry (which was in this a few times) but the plot line was great and the writing was amazing, I felt SO sorry for the MC and the ending genuinely made me shed a tear. This would make an INCREDIBLE film

[Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t know this was free verse novel when I bought it. Nonetheless, it was still interesting. Very quick to read. I liked the plot and the moral of the story. Although, I’m not quite sure if I liked its format (free verse), most of the time I was skimming through it. And, as funny as it sounds, I got a headache whilst reading this.

Still a decent read though.