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Even in Paradise
The Great Gatsby meets Looking for Alaska in this stunning debut from Chelsey Philpot. With inspiration drawn from Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, this novel perfectly captures the love and heartbreak that can change us most.
When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about her. Most people do . . . or think they do. But as Charlotte is pulled into the larger-than-life new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails—she realizes that behind Julia’s self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, she is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden . . . until now.
When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about her. Most people do . . . or think they do. But as Charlotte is pulled into the larger-than-life new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails—she realizes that behind Julia’s self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, she is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden . . . until now.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2014
105 people are currently reading
11199 people want to read
About the author
Chelsey Philpot
3 books142 followersChelsey Philpot grew up on a farm in New Hampshire and now works as an editor and journalist. She's written for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Slate, and numerous other publications. Like her main character, Charlotte, Chelsey attended boarding school in New England. You can visit her online at www.chelseyphilpot.com or on Twitter @ChelseyPhilpot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 616 reviews
May 7, 2014
It's only in hindsight that we can point, as easily as finding a town on a map, to the moments that shaped us - the moments when choices between yeses and nos determined the people we became.
I have no illusions. Even knowing everything, I would have chosen the same.
This is very Gatsby-ish. I think this is also exactly what I wanted from Breakfast Served Anytime - a book that recently disappointed me. Because this book is all wistfulness and nostalgia. It's about growing up and changing, and those times in your life that you remember with a combination of warmth and sadness. I'm not sure if this book will appeal to the masses because there's a certain... meaninglessness to the main story. It's about a time in the protagonist's life that is over now, that came and went and left an impression on her for maybe reasons she can't really explain. It's about not regretting having something at a certain time, even if you knew you were going to lose it eventually.
I love well-executed past tense. I think it can be used in such a way to create a kind of sad inevitability to the story's events. You might think that it would drain some of the tension out, but there's something pulse-poundingly engaging about witnessing the inevitable happen in a story. There's nothing you can do about it, it's set in stone and completely unchangeable, and that fact elicits a powerful emotional response from me. If you liked the past tense storytelling of books like Unteachable, you might just love this one too.
"I don't belong here, Sebastian. I'm just a visitor who stayed too long."
The Gatsby element works wonderfully. Charlotte is a normal girl with a scholarship, playing in the strange twinkly world of the rich. One night, she helps out one of the wealthy, popular girls at her boarding school - Julia Buchanan - and she finds herself dragged into an entirely different life. She sees how the other half lives. She gets roped into the complex family drama and history of the Buchanans... it's an intoxicating whirlwind for both Charlotte and the reader. It has all the feverish intensity of misspent youth... lust, love, anxiety, yearning and uncertainty.
I liked how all the characters are just a little complicated, fucked up and *almost* unlikable. As Charlotte notes:
I was becoming that girl. The one who drops all her old friends when a new, exciting one comes around. I knew what I was doing and I couldn't help myself. I didn't want to.
I should hate a character like Charlotte. But it was so easy to get caught up in the atmosphere of the novel, to be seduced by Julia Buchanan and the exciting world she promised. Even if I didn't agree with what Charlotte did, I could understand. Maybe when I was younger and stupid even I would have done the same. The tragic inevitability of this story is like that of Gatsby's. And this book's musical pairing has to be The Moth by Aimee Mann: "The Moth don't care when he sees the flame, he might get burned but he's in the game." Charlotte knew her days with the Buchanans were numbered and that she never really belonged in their world. We are told it didn't work out from the start. I already knew that it was going to come to an end. But for me, like for Charlotte, that didn't matter; I fell in love anyway.
This book is one crazy, intoxicating whirlwind of sadness. I loved it.
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November 14, 2014
Ugh, this is one of the worst books I've read, this year if not my whole life. And I had such high hopes for it.
The main character (I barely even remember her name) talks in a deadpan voice All. The. Time. Everything she says is choppy. Dry. And I guess this is supposed to be dramatic or make her appear wise...? I don't even know. She says things like "as if" way too often and uses almost as much similes as Cassandra Clare.
She also has a voice fetish, because she describes voices along the lines of "like a saw grating through a tree" every time one is mentioned.
I should've stopped around the 5% mark when I realized this was going to be another one of those books that glorifies a rich family and especially a person who is so "vivacious! alive! omg, so interesting and captivating! so complex!" And then it's like "Rich people have problems too!" In the most cliche, predictable ways, especially when it comes with "grief" and "family secrets."(You know what I'm talking about.) I hated "We Were Liars" and I hated "Even in Paradise."
She literally does nothing the entire book and everyone always comes up to her like "OMG! Charlie, you're so amazing and wonderful! You're so interesting! Wow, you're so kind and sensitive! OMG, you are so brave! And courageous!"
And she'll say in her head, "But in reality, I was not brave. I was scared."
PLEASE. TELL THAT TO EVERYONE SO THEY CAN SHUT THE F*CK UP ABOUT YOU ALREADY.
Because all she does is react to things. She never takes action and she never develops ANY personality. All I know about her is she's boring and she makes sculptures. And she just keeps herping derping along while people fall in love with her and throw themselves at her feet. The only "character development" she had was her slow, spiral descend towards assholedom. Oh, and she says "wicked" because it's a "New Hampshire" thing (my best friend from NH has never said this world in her life) a million times so you never forget it. It was annoying. She was annoying. That's about it.
Julia was stupid, whiny, and overly angsty and emo.
This book kept trying to be deep, saying things like:
It kept building up to a big, revealing "shocking" ending or revelation that I knew would f*cking suck, and it did. It was so predictable even I figured it out by the 10% mark, and I'm less observant than Snooki. Why does Charlie act so shocked? Oh, maybe because she's a FREAKING DUMBASS.
Julia and Charlie were two horrible people, by the way. I hated everyone in this book. No one was redeemable. Charlie literally abandons ALL her friends the MINUTE she meets Julia, and Julia does the same with her friends, and then they develop a codependency that is both frightening and pathetic to read about.
Basically this book can be summed up in this: Girl develops unhealthy obsession and glorification of a family, the family and especially her "best friend" do nothing but angst needlessly about nothing, and then they break up for a f*cking dumbass reason because they were both too much of dumb bitches to try to make up. The end.
OH YEAH, AND THE THING THAT PISSED ME OFF MOST WAS THAT JULIA KEPT SPEAKING IN FUCKING FRENCH
1. Who the FUCK just spews random phrases in a foreign language around to PEOPLE WHO LITERALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE AT ALL. Also, do you not understand it's hard as FUCK to keep switching back and forth between accents IN THE MIDDLE OF SENTENCES? ENGLISH AND FRENCH ACCENTS ARE DIFFERENT.
Bilingual people DO NOT go around just speaking their language around people who don't understand whenever they damn please. You know why? BECAUSE THEN THEY WON'T BE UNDERSTOOD.
You know what people who do this are called?
PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLES!!!
2. But eeeeeeeverything sounds soooooooo much more sophisticated in French, of course! Which makes all that EMOTIONAL stuff Julia says SO MUCH MORE PROFOUND! (TOO BAD YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT IF YOU DON'T KNOW FRENCH, MOTHERF*CKER.)
Don't read this. It sucks monkey balls. And I wish I could give it a negative star. I hate all these people so much. I get what this book was trying to do, but the thing is, it tried way, way too hard. And it came out miserably. You know those try-hards in high school? Yeah. Imagine this book personified as them only a million times worse.
The main character (I barely even remember her name) talks in a deadpan voice All. The. Time. Everything she says is choppy. Dry. And I guess this is supposed to be dramatic or make her appear wise...? I don't even know. She says things like "as if" way too often and uses almost as much similes as Cassandra Clare.
She also has a voice fetish, because she describes voices along the lines of "like a saw grating through a tree" every time one is mentioned.
I should've stopped around the 5% mark when I realized this was going to be another one of those books that glorifies a rich family and especially a person who is so "vivacious! alive! omg, so interesting and captivating! so complex!" And then it's like "Rich people have problems too!" In the most cliche, predictable ways, especially when it comes with "grief" and "family secrets."(You know what I'm talking about.) I hated "We Were Liars" and I hated "Even in Paradise."
She literally does nothing the entire book and everyone always comes up to her like "OMG! Charlie, you're so amazing and wonderful! You're so interesting! Wow, you're so kind and sensitive! OMG, you are so brave! And courageous!"
And she'll say in her head, "But in reality, I was not brave. I was scared."
PLEASE. TELL THAT TO EVERYONE SO THEY CAN SHUT THE F*CK UP ABOUT YOU ALREADY.
Because all she does is react to things. She never takes action and she never develops ANY personality. All I know about her is she's boring and she makes sculptures. And she just keeps herping derping along while people fall in love with her and throw themselves at her feet. The only "character development" she had was her slow, spiral descend towards assholedom. Oh, and she says "wicked" because it's a "New Hampshire" thing (my best friend from NH has never said this world in her life) a million times so you never forget it. It was annoying. She was annoying. That's about it.
Julia was stupid, whiny, and overly angsty and emo.
This book kept trying to be deep, saying things like:
Had I known the heights of the joy and the depth of the hurt to come, perhaps I would have been smart. Perhaps I would have left the beach that day and taken the ferry for the safe world I had always known: a world of art made in a garage, car parts on the kitchen table, and Latin tests. Perhaps I would have been rational and chosen to have no more to do with the Buchanans.
But I have no illusions. Even knowing everything, I would have chosen the same.
It's only in hindsight that we can point, as easily as finding a town on a map, to the moments that shaped us--the moments when choices between yeses and nos determined the people we became.
It kept building up to a big, revealing "shocking" ending or revelation that I knew would f*cking suck, and it did. It was so predictable even I figured it out by the 10% mark, and I'm less observant than Snooki. Why does Charlie act so shocked? Oh, maybe because she's a FREAKING DUMBASS.
Julia and Charlie were two horrible people, by the way. I hated everyone in this book. No one was redeemable. Charlie literally abandons ALL her friends the MINUTE she meets Julia, and Julia does the same with her friends, and then they develop a codependency that is both frightening and pathetic to read about.
Basically this book can be summed up in this: Girl develops unhealthy obsession and glorification of a family, the family and especially her "best friend" do nothing but angst needlessly about nothing, and then they break up for a f*cking dumbass reason because they were both too much of dumb bitches to try to make up. The end.
OH YEAH, AND THE THING THAT PISSED ME OFF MOST WAS THAT JULIA KEPT SPEAKING IN FUCKING FRENCH
1. Who the FUCK just spews random phrases in a foreign language around to PEOPLE WHO LITERALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE AT ALL. Also, do you not understand it's hard as FUCK to keep switching back and forth between accents IN THE MIDDLE OF SENTENCES? ENGLISH AND FRENCH ACCENTS ARE DIFFERENT.
Bilingual people DO NOT go around just speaking their language around people who don't understand whenever they damn please. You know why? BECAUSE THEN THEY WON'T BE UNDERSTOOD.
You know what people who do this are called?
PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLES!!!
2. But eeeeeeeverything sounds soooooooo much more sophisticated in French, of course! Which makes all that EMOTIONAL stuff Julia says SO MUCH MORE PROFOUND! (TOO BAD YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT IF YOU DON'T KNOW FRENCH, MOTHERF*CKER.)
Don't read this. It sucks monkey balls. And I wish I could give it a negative star. I hate all these people so much. I get what this book was trying to do, but the thing is, it tried way, way too hard. And it came out miserably. You know those try-hards in high school? Yeah. Imagine this book personified as them only a million times worse.
June 1, 2020
This was honestly just pretty okay. It was readable-Ms. Philpot does write smoothly and it had a very interesting beginning. The first few chapters kind of reminded me a little of the book The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks but it’s just probably because of the boarding school setting.
But as the story moves forward (quite slowly), it got a little bit boring and quite predictable.
I kept waiting for something really important to happen but apart from that supposedly shocking reveal about the truth behind Julia’s accident causing the death of her older sister and the boyfriend, I’m afraid there’s nothing else much I could highlight. Lol. I guess this could work for a lazy summer read.
But as the story moves forward (quite slowly), it got a little bit boring and quite predictable.
I kept waiting for something really important to happen but apart from that supposedly shocking reveal about the truth behind Julia’s accident causing the death of her older sister and the boyfriend, I’m afraid there’s nothing else much I could highlight. Lol. I guess this could work for a lazy summer read.
March 21, 2015
Listen to my Even in Paradise fanmix on 8tracks.
Review also posted at Young Adult Hollywood.
Charlotte Ryder is your average scholar student while Julia is the daughter of a former powerful senator, rich and privileged. Charlotte is everything Julia Buchanan is not. She never ever thought she would be friends with the untouchable Julia but all of a sudden Charlotte was drawn into the luxurious, lavish world filled with parties and Buchanan’s.
Even In Paradise offers an intricate and well-constructed plot. I was mesmerized by the lyrical and eloquent writing of Philpot. How could I not swoon over that? I was hooked from the very start.
“Non est ad astra mollis e terries via.” – Seneca the Younger
“Beautituto nos efficit omnes stultos.”
I love the occasional French conversation and Latin texts. It makes the whole book even more authentic.
This book has everything I ever wanted in a book. There was a heavy emphasis on female friendship which I absolutely loved. I was enthralled with the bond Charlotte formed with the Buchanan family. There was also a romance aspect to this book. It was bittersweet, but somehow I was left yearning for more.
Hands down to one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Even in Paradise tells a magnificent story about falling in love with a boy, a girl and a family.
June 26, 2017
El fallido intento de recrear "El Gran Gatsby". Nada puede compararsele. Nada. Sin embargo, como otra historia más no estuvo mal.
March 27, 2017
What a beautifully written book about friendship, family, love and growing up. I have been in a kind of a reading slump. I have read quite a few books I didn't like, one after another. I'm so glad I decided to pick this one up. Finally, a book that I really liked! You know what they say... you can never go wrong with a contemporary. But even though I did expect to like this book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. I definitely didn't expect that much deepness and feelings, I thought this was going to be a cute summer read, but I'm glad it was more than just that.
When Charlie meets Julia Buchanan, she is immediately drawn to that girl. Soon, they become inseparable, the best friends. During the next summer, Charlie is invited to visit Julia and come to Arcadia, the place where the Buchanans live. She was impressed with everything, and everyone. It was like she was in paradise and the Buchanans were the royal family. Perfect in her eyes.
There is not much plot here, it's basically just her ongoing life, and that's the best part. It makes it so much more realistic and believable, it's hard not to believe in it. There are so many feelings surrounding this novel. Charlie is just a normal girl, and when she meets Julia, her whole life changes. The Gatsby feeling is so ever present. She gets sucked into the wealth, parties, and their style of life, so much that at first, she doesn't even notice that they're all suffering. That they're hiding something big, and that their family is not whole. They're missing Gus, Julia's older sister.
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When Charlie meets Julia Buchanan, she is immediately drawn to that girl. Soon, they become inseparable, the best friends. During the next summer, Charlie is invited to visit Julia and come to Arcadia, the place where the Buchanans live. She was impressed with everything, and everyone. It was like she was in paradise and the Buchanans were the royal family. Perfect in her eyes.
There is not much plot here, it's basically just her ongoing life, and that's the best part. It makes it so much more realistic and believable, it's hard not to believe in it. There are so many feelings surrounding this novel. Charlie is just a normal girl, and when she meets Julia, her whole life changes. The Gatsby feeling is so ever present. She gets sucked into the wealth, parties, and their style of life, so much that at first, she doesn't even notice that they're all suffering. That they're hiding something big, and that their family is not whole. They're missing Gus, Julia's older sister.
"So self-assured were they all by nature that it never occurred to me to doubt that their perfection was predetermined by forces I did not understand. They were all royalty. They were all gods. They were all broken."
It's hard not to fall in love with the Buchanans. They're a big family, they're close to each other and they have each other backs no matter what. To let someone else inside the way they did, Charlie, it's not easy for anyone, but they did and they all really cared about Charlie. And Charlie felt the same way about them. Maybe Julia was her best friend, and Julia's brother Sebastian was her boyfriend, but she cared about them all, deeply.
"I could not tell you now, or really ever who I loved more - only that I did love her, and him, and them all with a fierceness that I didn't know I was possible. They say there is nothing like your first love, but they have little to say about loving two people at the same time - or an entire family."
I don't have much left to say about Even in Paradise, except that it was truly a remarkable read and you'll just have to experience it for yourselves. A friendship that is hard as a rock, a love that is bittersweet, and life that is surreal. I believe this book may appeal to fans of My Life Next Door by Hunteley Fitzpatrick, so if you liked that one, you should give Even in Paradise a try.
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June 20, 2016Estoy muy confundida con esta lectura, los personajes y la trama en general me han parecido indiferentes y aunque si me gustó (en partes) la sensación de que no me transmitieron ningún sentimiento es más fuerte, tendré que ordenar mis ideas para la reseña.
February 22, 2015
Initial Reaction: I... I... I don't know. I. The feels. I need to think about this. Review to come.
I'll admit, I'm not much of a contemporary fan. I found this book on Edelweiss, and it sounded intriguing so I read it, and boy am I glad I did! This book was fantastic and opened my eyes to the potential that all books have if I'd simply give them a chance. Even in Paradise was stunning.
“Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and, yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again.”
I didn't have high expectations coming into this book. I thought it would just be about snobby rich people and their socialite life styles and problems. I didn't realize that this book is about so much more, it's about friendship and growing up and making mistakes and living with the repercussions, it's about young love and family. The themes of this book are so meaningful, and the story is truly fantastic. It's simple and well executed.
Philpot's writing was dynamite. I loved how she weaved the story. It wasn't about some pretentious rich family that was perfect. It was about a flawed, charming, caring family that was dealing with loss. It was about an outsider coming in and being embraced by the family. The pacing was a bit slow at first but eventually glided through at a great speed. The unexpected twists and turns in the plots made this book even more enjoyable (and emotional). The romance was sweet but not overdone. It was much more about the family and the bonds formed which I liked. The story is of a time that's past, a chapter of the main character's life that's ended. It's filled with happiness and anguish but not regret. This story brings out all the emotions.
The characters are so complex and realistic. They (The Buchanans) were all so descriptive and wonderful. Philpot weaved an amazing story that really delved deep into the Buchanans' characters. It was easy to love all of them, and I can see why the protagonist does. The main character is okay, she's quite neutral in my opinion. She didn't help or hurt the story. She was just so bland and dull next to the other characters.
The ending made me cry, not gonna lie. I was so impressed with the use of chiasmus (coming full circle). It made the ending much more bittersweet and wonderful and heartache-y. We knew from the beginning that it would end like this, it still hurt though.
The ending had me:
This book was an amazing read that I couldn't help but fall in love with. Truly spectacular.
I'll admit, I'm not much of a contemporary fan. I found this book on Edelweiss, and it sounded intriguing so I read it, and boy am I glad I did! This book was fantastic and opened my eyes to the potential that all books have if I'd simply give them a chance. Even in Paradise was stunning.
“Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and, yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again.”
I didn't have high expectations coming into this book. I thought it would just be about snobby rich people and their socialite life styles and problems. I didn't realize that this book is about so much more, it's about friendship and growing up and making mistakes and living with the repercussions, it's about young love and family. The themes of this book are so meaningful, and the story is truly fantastic. It's simple and well executed.
Philpot's writing was dynamite. I loved how she weaved the story. It wasn't about some pretentious rich family that was perfect. It was about a flawed, charming, caring family that was dealing with loss. It was about an outsider coming in and being embraced by the family. The pacing was a bit slow at first but eventually glided through at a great speed. The unexpected twists and turns in the plots made this book even more enjoyable (and emotional). The romance was sweet but not overdone. It was much more about the family and the bonds formed which I liked. The story is of a time that's past, a chapter of the main character's life that's ended. It's filled with happiness and anguish but not regret. This story brings out all the emotions.
The characters are so complex and realistic. They (The Buchanans) were all so descriptive and wonderful. Philpot weaved an amazing story that really delved deep into the Buchanans' characters. It was easy to love all of them, and I can see why the protagonist does. The main character is okay, she's quite neutral in my opinion. She didn't help or hurt the story. She was just so bland and dull next to the other characters.
The ending made me cry, not gonna lie. I was so impressed with the use of chiasmus (coming full circle). It made the ending much more bittersweet and wonderful and heartache-y. We knew from the beginning that it would end like this, it still hurt though.
The ending had me:
This book was an amazing read that I couldn't help but fall in love with. Truly spectacular.
September 11, 2015
This book. This book is so complicated. There is so much emotional baggage that I couldn’t help but been drawn to it. Even In Paradise has so much grief, its crazy. And sooner than later, I found myself nearing the end of the book. It was so easy to get caught up in everything this book had to offer.
The writing in this book is really smooth and coordinates really well with the story. Seamlessly Charlie, the MC, has woven her way into the Buchanan families heart. The Buchanan family loves Charlie, and Charlie loves them right back. She really does.
Charlie is an unique character. Quiet and shy, she only has a few close friends. With Charlie being so quiet all the time, she observes a lot of people. Charlie’s also wicked smart and wise upon her young years.
The main character is Charlie, but the main story itself is about Julia Buchanan, and how Charlie fits in with the Buchanan’s. The Buchanan family is a close knit group and has had a tragedy strike them. The Buchanan’s seem lost and emotionally distant. And when Charlie comes along, she (Charlie) really distracts them all from their pain.
Even In Paradise blew me away with its soulful writing, the emotionally charged characters. In the end though, its Charlie who brings them a sense of home. Charlie somehow worked wonders on that family.
Even In Paradise really reminds me of We Were Liars though, to be honest.
*Is on the trigger list because of: Car Accidents that result in death.
The writing in this book is really smooth and coordinates really well with the story. Seamlessly Charlie, the MC, has woven her way into the Buchanan families heart. The Buchanan family loves Charlie, and Charlie loves them right back. She really does.
Charlie is an unique character. Quiet and shy, she only has a few close friends. With Charlie being so quiet all the time, she observes a lot of people. Charlie’s also wicked smart and wise upon her young years.
The main character is Charlie, but the main story itself is about Julia Buchanan, and how Charlie fits in with the Buchanan’s. The Buchanan family is a close knit group and has had a tragedy strike them. The Buchanan’s seem lost and emotionally distant. And when Charlie comes along, she (Charlie) really distracts them all from their pain.
Even In Paradise blew me away with its soulful writing, the emotionally charged characters. In the end though, its Charlie who brings them a sense of home. Charlie somehow worked wonders on that family.
Even In Paradise really reminds me of We Were Liars though, to be honest.
*Is on the trigger list because of: Car Accidents that result in death.
December 7, 2019
"If you asked me now who I am, the only answer I could give with any certainty would be my name. For the rest: my loves, my hates, down to even my deepest desires, I can no longer say whether these emotions are my own, or stolen from those I once so desperately wished to be."
If we’re reviewing this from a philosophical, serious point of view, this book is a lyrical, haunting homage (honestly, more of a retelling), to The Great Gatsby and Brideshed Revisited,unmasking the dark underbelly of being rich, beautiful, and ultimately broken despite a seemingly flawless surface.
The Buchanans are the nouveau rich of the East Coast, and people Charlotte Ryder never thought she would ever associate with.
Soon, she’s thrown into the intoxicating world they live in and the secrets they bury deep within the surface of their pristine world, and you’ll be just as intoxicated by it as Charlotte is.
If we’re reviewing this from a not-so-serious perspective…. this is basically fanfiction about Conor Kennedy’s and Taylor Swift’s doomed relationship.
Besides the fact that Charlotte becomes infatuated with the Buchanans themselves, she takes a particular shine to Julia and Sebastian, with the latter becoming her love interest despite the fact he can be a cad.
Special thanks once again to my badass mother for her commentary throughout. I can’t guarantee that she’ll do this for every review (she’s picky!), but I’ll do my best. My mom rocks and I'm thankful she fully supports my bookish obsessions.
If we’re reviewing this from a philosophical, serious point of view, this book is a lyrical, haunting homage (honestly, more of a retelling), to The Great Gatsby and Brideshed Revisited,unmasking the dark underbelly of being rich, beautiful, and ultimately broken despite a seemingly flawless surface.
The Buchanans are the nouveau rich of the East Coast, and people Charlotte Ryder never thought she would ever associate with.
”They were all royalty. They were all gods. They were all broken.”But when she befriends Julia Buchanan, everything changes.
Soon, she’s thrown into the intoxicating world they live in and the secrets they bury deep within the surface of their pristine world, and you’ll be just as intoxicated by it as Charlotte is.
”Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again. I would do it all again just to know that for a moment, I was one of the Great Buchanans.”It’s like they’re a drug, and Charlotte can’t seem to stop using. She abandons her old friends and her old lifestyle just so she can spend more time with this popular but enigmatic family. To have someone as rich, beautiful, and mesmerizing as Julia Buchanan be interested in a scholarship kid like her seems unreal, but she’s not about to let it go to waste. That and a magnetic attraction to Julia’s brother Sebastian makes it all the more easy for her to fall into their world. And with Chelsey Philpot’s writing, the reader does exactly that as well.
”They say there is nothing like your first love, but they have little to say about loving two people at the same time- or an entire family.”Is it possible to be so fascinated not only by the sights and settings of a story, but of the people surrounding it? Well, if you read this book, you’ll be intoxicated by all three.
If we’re reviewing this from a not-so-serious perspective…. this is basically fanfiction about Conor Kennedy’s and Taylor Swift’s doomed relationship.
Mom: Did somebody say Conor Kennedy and Taylor Swift?You asked. She answered. Please welcome Mama Grizzly to the review space, in which we discuss the doomed romance between Ms. Swiftie and The American Prince himself.
Me: Oh no, here we go again….
Besides the fact that Charlotte becomes infatuated with the Buchanans themselves, she takes a particular shine to Julia and Sebastian, with the latter becoming her love interest despite the fact he can be a cad.
Mom: Conor wasn’t a cad. What are you saying?I’m not even kidding when I say that I’m 99% sure, deep in the recesses of the author’s mind, Conor Kennedy wasn’t some sort of inspiration for Sebastian. Take note of her description of him:
Me: No Ma, the character of Sebastian is a cad. He has a girlfriend but tries to kiss the MC anyway.
Mom: What kind of baked potato does that?!! Is this what they’re teaching them at those fancy boarding schools?
Me: Yeah, pretty much. And did you just call him a baked potato?!
”A boy about my height maybe a little taller, stood just a foot away from me, his hand still reaching out from touching me. A pair of aviator sunglasses hid eyes and his curly brown hair stick at all angles from his head like he had just taken off a winter hat. He had the thickest lashes I had ever seen on a guy.”COINCIDENCE? METHINKS NOT. The fact that there’s a blonde and a brunette girl on the cover (with the brunette being Julia) doesn’t lessen my suspicions of this theory either. I’m telling you all, this is clearly the author’s wish fulfillment fiction about their relationship.
Mom: So does Charlotte buy a house across the street from him as soon as she met him and then when they break up sell it for a profit?I think it’s time to end the review. Anyhoo, if you love The Great Gatsby, East Coast living, intoxicating wealth, beautiful prose, and shipped Conor and the T-Swift, you’ll probably like this book.
Me: Ouch, that’s harsh. But no, she doesn’t.
Mom: Good. Never trust a fictional character who does that. Not to mention it wasn’t even a profit. If you buy a house for $6 million, and you list it for $5 million, and it sells for $4 million, that isn’t a profit. That’s a loss.
Me: Yeah, I’m horribly bad at math, but that doesn’t sound like that great of a deal to me.
Mom: But most importantly… DID SHE WRITE A SONG ABOUT HIM?!!!
Me: Nope, nothing like that. Poor kid; every time he walks into Kohls or rides around in his car he has to listen to that stupid song about him. HE WAS JUST A BABY.
Mom: OK, we need to break some of these things down.
Number one: The kid knew what he was getting into. He knew that he was going to date this chick, she was gonna break his heart, and an aforementioned song would be written about him. It’s what she DOES. Her modus apporandi.
Number two: There’s no way in hell he goes to Kohls. Nice little Irish Catholic boarding school boys don’t shop at Kohls department stores with all their coupons looking for the greatest deal. No, child; Hilfiger and Klein are probably more his avenue.
Number three: What are you talking about, poor Conor Kennedy. Poor ME!!! Every time I step into the Kohls department store, I have to be the one to listen to that stupid song!!! EVERY SINGLE DAMN TIME, WITHOUT FAIL, I STEP INTO THAT STORE, THAT GOD AWFUL SONG STARTS PLAYING. IT’S LIKE THEY KNOW I’M COMING IN; SO THEY PLAY IT JUST FOR ME AND I FUCKING HATE ITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: Please don’t go Incredible Hulk on me mother. It’s unbecoming and not appropriate since we’re supposed to be worshiping at the altar of Wonder Woman right now.
Mom: Don’t you dare get me started on that….
Special thanks once again to my badass mother for her commentary throughout. I can’t guarantee that she’ll do this for every review (she’s picky!), but I’ll do my best. My mom rocks and I'm thankful she fully supports my bookish obsessions.
November 22, 2014
You can find a more organized and spoiler free review here @ My Little Corner For Books
Hmm... Hm, Hm, hm, hm hm... I have so many mixed feelings about this one, I'm still trying to sort it out. Pretty much everything (characters, plot) I like one second but the next I was scrunching my nose at... So, I don't really, truly know how I feel about this one just yet. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all.
I won't do a summary cuz you can read it up there and I don't know what to leave out and what to say.
You know, I could hardly figure out the characters! A 360 page book is not really enough to give us a sense of who all these characters really are and just when I thought I knew somebody, turns out they are quite the opposite... It occurred especially with Mrs. Buchanans. Well, not just her but pretty much all of them. So, I don't actually know if I really like any of the characters. Julia and Charlie both sometimes annoyed me and sometimes I just stared at the book cuz one of them was sometimes being really stupid but... *shrugs* Sebastian's okay, I guess. Reminds me of TMI, though.
The plot. Half way through, I was kind of confused, like, is there even a plot for this one? Well, we kind of got back on track but then, the whole thing spun a 180 degree with just a few pages to spare... I won't say this wasn't at all predictable, because you kind of guess it and think it's looming over head but since it doesn't happen for so long, you just sort of dismiss it but then it does strike and it catches you off guard because that was not how it was suppose to happen!! I still don't know if I like the ending or not... This is confusing.
I really like the atmosphere of the book! It has this magical-ish, mysterious-ish, paradise-ish aura surrounding it and I really like it! Nothing feels... real but so real at the very same time! The writing was also quite beautiful!
So, I'm just smack down in the middle with this book and am quite indifferent. Their were many things I liked but things that I didn't like and I can't make myself give it a higher or lower rating. I liked it more than a 2 but I didn't like it enough to give it a 4.
Edit: So, turns out, I actually did like the ending! Yay! I also like the writing.
So, I guess I'll give it a 3.5.
I do recommend it, though! It's a good book! Plus, apparently it's a lot like the Great Gatsby...? I haven't read it yet, though this book did spoil me... -_- Well, if you liked that, give this one a try.
Hmm... Hm, Hm, hm, hm hm... I have so many mixed feelings about this one, I'm still trying to sort it out. Pretty much everything (characters, plot) I like one second but the next I was scrunching my nose at... So, I don't really, truly know how I feel about this one just yet. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all.
I won't do a summary cuz you can read it up there and I don't know what to leave out and what to say.
You know, I could hardly figure out the characters! A 360 page book is not really enough to give us a sense of who all these characters really are and just when I thought I knew somebody, turns out they are quite the opposite... It occurred especially with Mrs. Buchanans. Well, not just her but pretty much all of them. So, I don't actually know if I really like any of the characters. Julia and Charlie both sometimes annoyed me and sometimes I just stared at the book cuz one of them was sometimes being really stupid but... *shrugs* Sebastian's okay, I guess. Reminds me of TMI, though.
The plot. Half way through, I was kind of confused, like, is there even a plot for this one? Well, we kind of got back on track but then, the whole thing spun a 180 degree with just a few pages to spare... I won't say this wasn't at all predictable, because you kind of guess it and think it's looming over head but since it doesn't happen for so long, you just sort of dismiss it but then it does strike and it catches you off guard because that was not how it was suppose to happen!! I still don't know if I like the ending or not... This is confusing.
I really like the atmosphere of the book! It has this magical-ish, mysterious-ish, paradise-ish aura surrounding it and I really like it! Nothing feels... real but so real at the very same time! The writing was also quite beautiful!
So, I'm just smack down in the middle with this book and am quite indifferent. Their were many things I liked but things that I didn't like and I can't make myself give it a higher or lower rating. I liked it more than a 2 but I didn't like it enough to give it a 4.
Edit: So, turns out, I actually did like the ending! Yay! I also like the writing.
So, I guess I'll give it a 3.5.
I do recommend it, though! It's a good book! Plus, apparently it's a lot like the Great Gatsby...? I haven't read it yet, though this book did spoil me... -_- Well, if you liked that, give this one a try.
October 27, 2014
I know I know I haven't written a proper review in awhile, but I've been so busy.
Just know this, while I had a couple problems with this, this was a beautiful story about friendship, love, and life. So eloquent and wonderful. I highly highly recommend this if you enjoy coming of age stories with a touch of magic and beauty. I loved the great Buchanan family and Charlie is one of my favorite MCs in a long while! Also one of my favorite endings EVER.
Just know this, while I had a couple problems with this, this was a beautiful story about friendship, love, and life. So eloquent and wonderful. I highly highly recommend this if you enjoy coming of age stories with a touch of magic and beauty. I loved the great Buchanan family and Charlie is one of my favorite MCs in a long while! Also one of my favorite endings EVER.
June 21, 2014
When I read Even in Paradise, it was my fourth book of the day. I picked it up thinking it would be a novelty, an easy contemporary which I crave in the summer. Don’t let the cover fool you, this book is not easy. It is the kind of book that leaves you permanently altered, the words sinking under your skin like a tattoo. The “secret” was evident to me from the beginning, but it didn’t matter because I was as fascinated with the Great Buchanan’s as Charlie was—pulled into their wondrous web.
The book is clearly influenced by The Great Gatsby (which is referenced in the book itself); I’d say it’s a parallel story, but more than that it joins in a conversation with Gatsby that I find enchanting. At time the prose rivals Fitzgerald’s, maybe exceeds it in its simple beauty. Each and every character draws you in and charms you into loving them. The twists and turns of the story, every emotion, every separation, every occurrence is as much your own as they are Charlie’s. I could not have put the book down I was so ensorcelled.
No, this book is not easy. It leaves you with questions that burn deep in your gut and with answers that seem to wriggle just out of your grasp. It leaves you uneasy, broken, hopeful, but mostly it leaves you with a desire to live deeply.
It is my second MUST READ of the year and certainly a book that will haunt the edges of my consciousness. I’m glad of that though; we’ll just let it linger there at the edges as it unfolds secrets and subtleties.
Overall: A+
The book is clearly influenced by The Great Gatsby (which is referenced in the book itself); I’d say it’s a parallel story, but more than that it joins in a conversation with Gatsby that I find enchanting. At time the prose rivals Fitzgerald’s, maybe exceeds it in its simple beauty. Each and every character draws you in and charms you into loving them. The twists and turns of the story, every emotion, every separation, every occurrence is as much your own as they are Charlie’s. I could not have put the book down I was so ensorcelled.
No, this book is not easy. It leaves you with questions that burn deep in your gut and with answers that seem to wriggle just out of your grasp. It leaves you uneasy, broken, hopeful, but mostly it leaves you with a desire to live deeply.
It is my second MUST READ of the year and certainly a book that will haunt the edges of my consciousness. I’m glad of that though; we’ll just let it linger there at the edges as it unfolds secrets and subtleties.
Overall: A+
October 9, 2014
The Buchanan family have their secrets as well as their fair share of tragedy but they wear their masks and act as if they are okay.
Then comes Charlotte a.k.a. Charlie who befriends the troubled young Julia Buchanan. Charlie is sucked into the family circle where she feels as though she belongs. Soon enough the secrets of the family's past catch up with them and they are faced with another tragic loss.
Hmmmm... So this book was like The Great Gatsby but I am so sorry to say that I was a bit bored while I read this. I guess the pace picked up in the last few chapters but by then I was too tired to to care.
I liked Charlie's friendship with Julia, and her romance with Sebastian but as a character I thought she was flat.
Overall it was a slow read but that's just my opinion. I recommend this to anyone willing to give it a try.
Then comes Charlotte a.k.a. Charlie who befriends the troubled young Julia Buchanan. Charlie is sucked into the family circle where she feels as though she belongs. Soon enough the secrets of the family's past catch up with them and they are faced with another tragic loss.
Hmmmm... So this book was like The Great Gatsby but I am so sorry to say that I was a bit bored while I read this. I guess the pace picked up in the last few chapters but by then I was too tired to to care.
I liked Charlie's friendship with Julia, and her romance with Sebastian but as a character I thought she was flat.
Overall it was a slow read but that's just my opinion. I recommend this to anyone willing to give it a try.
June 20, 2014
Beautifully wistful, full of soaring hope, and bittersweet love this book will grip your heart in the palm of its hand and never let it go. It's emotionally compelling in every way and you will find yourself wrapped up in the greatest love story of all, even if it's only for a fleeting moment. Wonderfully human and full of flaws, Even In Paradise, will show you what it's like when you find out that you're only human after all and that sometimes life can be unnaturally cruel. I loved falling in love with this story from the moment that I picked this galley up and began reading it. It's one of those books where you just feel like you're watching what's happening roll by in vibrant technicolor before your eyes, streaked with pain, guilt, glamor, and the feeling of just wanting to belong to something you normally wouldn't be a part of, even if only for a moment.
Told in a brilliantly stunning past tense point-of-view through Charlotte's (Charlie's) eyes and reminiscent of the Gatsby concept, Even In Paradise, possesses this charm and magical appeal to it that makes the you want to fall in love with the Buchanan's too the way that Charlie has. She's a girl on the outskirts of their world, skating along the fringes and is accepted into the fold once she befriends Julia, who is beautifully broken and tormented in so many ways. Together these two form a close bond that seems as if it cannot be severed, but through lies, hidden half-truths, and secrets step by step they seem to lose their footing. Through growing up, getting lost in who Charlie feels she's supposed to be as the Buchanan's see her, and dealing with the anxiety over having to always take be the one to look out for and take care of Julia, this book is hauntingly tragic just as much as it is timeless and magical. All of this is compounded with Charlie's first love being, none other than Julia's brother, Sebastian Buchanan. These two are dizzy and drunk on each other, sweet and charming, and so much fun to read about. It's a wistful sort of windswept romance, that will pull at your heartstrings and make you want these two to last as long as the time will allow.
The story that Chelsey Philpot weaves throughout the narration of Even In Paradise is both intoxicating as it is thrilling. There is so much more to this emotionally intense story, than just a fleeting moment in one's life where they were caught up in such a dizzying frenzy of wanting to belong and then realizing they had come and then overstayed their welcome. It's almost hard to sum up these feelings without borrowing a line from the book itself, "I don't belong here, Sebastian. I'm just a visitor who stayed too long." It's a story of so much more than just survivor's guilt, wanting to escape the pain that you feel you're trapped in, experiencing love for the first time, traversing the waters of a friendship that you feel will always be there that's been built on half-truths and lies, and being enamored with the things that you can't have - the beautiful people - and being accepted into their circle. It's about hope, love, loyalty, friendship, discovering who you are and where you belong in life. It's a book about a precious moment in your life that you will never forget and always look back on fondly, even if it only lasted for a mere moment of your life. It isn't a story that's riddled with regrets, it's a story of what is just is and it's a beautiful one.
Even In Paradise is the absolute perfect summer read to get swept up in this summer when you're sitting poolside or spending a day at the beach. It's a read that will leave you dizzy with hope and longing.
August 10, 2015
Ho voluto dare una possibilità a questo libro, pensando, erroneamente, che potesse sorprendermi positivamente.
Invece NO.
È stato un enorme MEH.
Questi Buchanan sono: ricchi, estrosi, sfacciati, eleganti, folli e kich. Ok sono una banda di egocentrici che pensano di poter usare/manipolare/tenere al guinzaglio tutto e tutti, semplicemente perché sono i Buchanan.
Ma anche no eh, a me sono sembrati degli,snob smidollati e senza un briciolo di cervello.
Lo scettro di antipatica e snob va a Julia Oddio sono stronza/pazza ma sono cool. Lei è la regina dei burattinai per eccellenza, che ha un'amica del cuore al guinzaglio e ne gestisce vita e sentimenti.
Charlotte tu sarai Charli ed ora sit e fai la brava...
Corri Charli ho bisogno di te, non vai via che ho i miei 5 minuti...
Torna e stai zitta al mio fianco...
Aspetta ti limono anche se tu non sei lesbo, pazienza se ami quell'attrezzo di mio fratello.
I genitori sono sulla stessa lunghezza d'onda, usano le persone a loro piacimento e senza remore.
Finale: vissero tutti felici, bacati e contenti... Dopo aver scoperto il SEGRETO DEL SECOLO, che io avevo intuito già dopo un paio di capitoli!!!!
Cara Lockhart c'è chi ha scritto una storia simile alla tua, ma infinitamente più sciocca e NOSENSE!
Invece NO.
È stato un enorme MEH.
Questi Buchanan sono: ricchi, estrosi, sfacciati, eleganti, folli e kich. Ok sono una banda di egocentrici che pensano di poter usare/manipolare/tenere al guinzaglio tutto e tutti, semplicemente perché sono i Buchanan.
Ma anche no eh, a me sono sembrati degli,snob smidollati e senza un briciolo di cervello.
Lo scettro di antipatica e snob va a Julia Oddio sono stronza/pazza ma sono cool. Lei è la regina dei burattinai per eccellenza, che ha un'amica del cuore al guinzaglio e ne gestisce vita e sentimenti.
Charlotte tu sarai Charli ed ora sit e fai la brava...
Corri Charli ho bisogno di te, non vai via che ho i miei 5 minuti...
Torna e stai zitta al mio fianco...
Aspetta ti limono anche se tu non sei lesbo, pazienza se ami quell'attrezzo di mio fratello.
I genitori sono sulla stessa lunghezza d'onda, usano le persone a loro piacimento e senza remore.
Finale: vissero tutti felici, bacati e contenti... Dopo aver scoperto il SEGRETO DEL SECOLO, che io avevo intuito già dopo un paio di capitoli!!!!
Cara Lockhart c'è chi ha scritto una storia simile alla tua, ma infinitamente più sciocca e NOSENSE!
August 23, 2015
4,5 stars
Excuse my tears
Excuse my tears
February 23, 2021
Tengo una debilidad por este tipo de historias,esas del cambio de la niñez a la adultez con todo lo que hay que aprender en tan poco tiempo. Está muy bien escrito y por momentos resulta conmovedora.
June 27, 2015
You can also find this review on my blog Seamless Reader.
I have read a ton of good books. That said, there have been very few ones that have really captured my full undivided attention to the point where I can genuinely say: "I have fallen in love with this book". Now, I know it might seem like I'm over doing it here, but I honestly don't think there's a better way for me to express how much I loved this book.
Even In Paradise drew me in from the very beginning. I had only read a couple chapters and I was already thinking "I'm going to love this". While the writing of this book is undoubtedly beautiful and outstanding, it was more of the writing style that sealed the deal for me. I actually found this very strange because I'm usually one who would rather read a book where I feel like I'm actually part of the story as opposed to one where I feel like someone's there telling me their story. This book fits into the latter. And I loved it. I feel like this fact in particular made the story all the better. While I was reading, I kept envisioning myself and an older version of the main character sitting down while she told me this crazy and beautiful story. I don't really know why this book had such an effect on me other than it being a merely precious read.
I simply can't categorize this book as your typical contemporary. It has everything a contemporary has only better. I has romance, and a very cute one at that, but there's a lot more to the story. So much more that I don't even know where to begin.
At first, you might begin to think that the whole book will revolve around Charlie and Sebastian's relationship, but then you realize that it's not just that. It's more about Charlie's friendship with Julia. She does fall in love with Sebastian, but she also falls in love with The Buchanans; the whole family. This served as a very interesting element to the story and it made the portrayal of said family a lot more raw. We see them through Charlie's eyes rather than behind the facade they put up of being this competent and having everything together. The author really makes the reader fall in love with this family.
I really loved how simply everything began. How randomly Charlie and Julia meet and how strongly their friendship began. I truly liked Charlie as the main character, but the amount of love I have for Julia is other worldly. I loved how she, (as well as her whole family) was such a thought out and put together character. She was so flawed and broken, yet tried so hard to appear strong and resilient despite being part of this family so plagued and hurt by loss. Loss and family were two very important topics in the story and both were very well written and portrayed.
There was a very poignant feel to this book. It was also bittersweet. The bottom line is: Go and read this book if you haven't already. it destroyed me in the best possible way and I don't think anyone should miss out on this lovely reading experience.
I have read a ton of good books. That said, there have been very few ones that have really captured my full undivided attention to the point where I can genuinely say: "I have fallen in love with this book". Now, I know it might seem like I'm over doing it here, but I honestly don't think there's a better way for me to express how much I loved this book.
Even In Paradise drew me in from the very beginning. I had only read a couple chapters and I was already thinking "I'm going to love this". While the writing of this book is undoubtedly beautiful and outstanding, it was more of the writing style that sealed the deal for me. I actually found this very strange because I'm usually one who would rather read a book where I feel like I'm actually part of the story as opposed to one where I feel like someone's there telling me their story. This book fits into the latter. And I loved it. I feel like this fact in particular made the story all the better. While I was reading, I kept envisioning myself and an older version of the main character sitting down while she told me this crazy and beautiful story. I don't really know why this book had such an effect on me other than it being a merely precious read.
I simply can't categorize this book as your typical contemporary. It has everything a contemporary has only better. I has romance, and a very cute one at that, but there's a lot more to the story. So much more that I don't even know where to begin.
At first, you might begin to think that the whole book will revolve around Charlie and Sebastian's relationship, but then you realize that it's not just that. It's more about Charlie's friendship with Julia. She does fall in love with Sebastian, but she also falls in love with The Buchanans; the whole family. This served as a very interesting element to the story and it made the portrayal of said family a lot more raw. We see them through Charlie's eyes rather than behind the facade they put up of being this competent and having everything together. The author really makes the reader fall in love with this family.
I really loved how simply everything began. How randomly Charlie and Julia meet and how strongly their friendship began. I truly liked Charlie as the main character, but the amount of love I have for Julia is other worldly. I loved how she, (as well as her whole family) was such a thought out and put together character. She was so flawed and broken, yet tried so hard to appear strong and resilient despite being part of this family so plagued and hurt by loss. Loss and family were two very important topics in the story and both were very well written and portrayed.
There was a very poignant feel to this book. It was also bittersweet. The bottom line is: Go and read this book if you haven't already. it destroyed me in the best possible way and I don't think anyone should miss out on this lovely reading experience.
May 31, 2014
2.5 stars
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
16-year-old Charlotte becomes friends with Julia Buchanan whilst at her all girls boarding school. Charlotte begins to enjoy the high life with Julia and her family, but Julia is messed up, and Charlotte doesn’t really understand why.
What is wrong with Julia? And what really happened to Julia’s sister Gus?
This was an okay story, but it didn’t get interesting until the 90% mark.
Charlotte was an okay character, and she seemed the most normal of the people in this book. I didn’t really love her though, and she irritated me at times. Julia also irritated me. She was messed up, her head was all over the place, and I got sick of her antics and stupid ideas. Unfortunately the reason for this behaviour wasn’t explained until right at the end of the book, so it was difficult to make allowances for what she was going through.
The storyline in this just bored me. I liked the first 10%, but then things went downhill, and the story didn’t pick up again until the 89% mark. It was slow, it was dull, and I really did not care what was going on. The worst thing is that I felt like I should like this book, but the execution just ruined it. I did like the mystery element, but it wasn’t really clear that there was a mystery until the last 10%. I think if I had realised that there was a mystery surrounding Julia’s sister’s death, I would possibly have enjoyed the book more.
There was some romance, but likewise, it didn’t interest me at all. I did wonder if Charlotte was planning on kissing all the Buchanan’s at one point though.
The ending was definitely the best part of the book. I liked that there was suddenly a mystery and things were revealed, although the ending still had flaws. I thought the death of a character was fairly unnecessary, and the ending to the romance was also less than happy.
I felt like this book could have been so much better than it was, but unfortunately, it just did not live up to expectations.
Overall; didn’t get good until the last 10%,
5 out of 10.
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
16-year-old Charlotte becomes friends with Julia Buchanan whilst at her all girls boarding school. Charlotte begins to enjoy the high life with Julia and her family, but Julia is messed up, and Charlotte doesn’t really understand why.
What is wrong with Julia? And what really happened to Julia’s sister Gus?
This was an okay story, but it didn’t get interesting until the 90% mark.
Charlotte was an okay character, and she seemed the most normal of the people in this book. I didn’t really love her though, and she irritated me at times. Julia also irritated me. She was messed up, her head was all over the place, and I got sick of her antics and stupid ideas. Unfortunately the reason for this behaviour wasn’t explained until right at the end of the book, so it was difficult to make allowances for what she was going through.
The storyline in this just bored me. I liked the first 10%, but then things went downhill, and the story didn’t pick up again until the 89% mark. It was slow, it was dull, and I really did not care what was going on. The worst thing is that I felt like I should like this book, but the execution just ruined it. I did like the mystery element, but it wasn’t really clear that there was a mystery until the last 10%. I think if I had realised that there was a mystery surrounding Julia’s sister’s death, I would possibly have enjoyed the book more.
There was some romance, but likewise, it didn’t interest me at all. I did wonder if Charlotte was planning on kissing all the Buchanan’s at one point though.
The ending was definitely the best part of the book. I liked that there was suddenly a mystery and things were revealed, although the ending still had flaws. I thought the death of a character was fairly unnecessary, and the ending to the romance was also less than happy.
I felt like this book could have been so much better than it was, but unfortunately, it just did not live up to expectations.
Overall; didn’t get good until the last 10%,
5 out of 10.
April 2, 2015
Even in Paradise gave off a vibe of The Great Gatsby meet We Were Liars. Loving both of those things definitely helped me enjoy this too. I felt myself falling in love with the Buchanan's right along with Charlie.
The romance in this book, between Charlie and Julia's brother Sebastian, was done really well. It wasn't overbearing and was more of a side plot that was balanced really well with the rest of the story.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the incorporation of French. I love other languages, especially French and Latin, as they really intrigue me, so having them in this book was really interesting to read.
Finally, there were some amazing lines that I wanted to have printed out and hung up all over my walls. Here are some:
“Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and, yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again.”
"I didn't get there must be balance.
She couldn't hold so much life, light and joy without also containing their opposites.”
After thinking about the novel for a while, I've decided my favorite character is Julia. She was lively and fun but also guarded and secretive. As I said before, I felt like I was being sucked into her world right next to Charlie, and I wanted to be there.
The romance in this book, between Charlie and Julia's brother Sebastian, was done really well. It wasn't overbearing and was more of a side plot that was balanced really well with the rest of the story.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the incorporation of French. I love other languages, especially French and Latin, as they really intrigue me, so having them in this book was really interesting to read.
Finally, there were some amazing lines that I wanted to have printed out and hung up all over my walls. Here are some:
“Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and, yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again.”
"I didn't get there must be balance.
She couldn't hold so much life, light and joy without also containing their opposites.”
After thinking about the novel for a while, I've decided my favorite character is Julia. She was lively and fun but also guarded and secretive. As I said before, I felt like I was being sucked into her world right next to Charlie, and I wanted to be there.
February 8, 2016
Meine Meinung:
Ich hatte keine besonders großen Erwartungen an das Buch. Ich wusste nicht so richtig, was mich wohl erwarten wird, was aber im nachhinein auf jeden Fall gut war.
Am Anfang des Buches lernt man erst einmal Charlotte und Julia kennen. Die Begegnung der beiden ist erst etwas holprig, wird dann aber schnell zu einer tollen Freundschaft.
Das Buch war nicht super spannend wie ein Fantasybuch oder ein Thriller oder ähnliches, dies hatte ich auch hier nicht erwartet. Dennoch war es so, dass ich unbedingt wissen wollte, was am Ende die Auflösung ist, was sich hinter der Familie Julia steckt.
Erzählt ist das Buch aus der Sicht von Charlotte. Es ist sehr flüssig geschrieben. Ganz am Anfang gab es eine Szene bei dem jemand gebrochen hat und dies hat die Autorin sehr genau geschrieben, sodass mir fast selber schlecht wurde, beschreiben kann die Autorin also gut, aber macht sie nicht zu sehr.
Fazit:
"Ein anderes Paradies" hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Die Geschichte ist nicht super spannend oder rasant konnte mich aber trotzdem fesseln. Das Buch hat das Gewisse etwas. Dennoch hatte ich mir den Knall am Ende größer vorgestellt. Trotzdem kann ich das Buch empfehlen und es verdient auf jeden Fall mehr Aufmerksamkeit.
January 11, 2020
This book made me feel so many emotions that I'm not entirely sure what to rate it. Did I enjoy it? Yes, very much. The story had a very lyrical quality to it that I really liked. It also had a sort of Gossip Girl vibe that appealed to me. This isn't a love story, at least not the kind you're thinking of. This is the story of Charlotte, a normal girl who falls in love with the Buchanan family and gets sucked into their crazy and fun and dysfunctional life.
When Charlotte takes care of a drunk Julia one night, Julia invites her over to her dorm the next day. This is the start of a very complicated relationship between them. Julia and Charlotte are from very different worlds. Charlotte's family is average and normal. She has her dad, her step mom and her two adorable little step brothers. Julia on the other hand is part of the great Buchanan family, who is like royalty in their own right. They are a very wealthy and powerful family. They are also a very tight-knit and dysfunctional family. As quickly as Julia and Charlotte become inseparable best friends, the Buchanan's all fall for Charlotte too and soon, she becomes an honorary Buchanan, are another Oops (a daughter they didn't plan on having). I really loved reading about Charlotte's relationship with Julia and the Buchanan's. I loved how effortlessly her friendship with Julia came to be, as well as her relationship with the Buchanan's. I really liked how they all treated her like one of their own, how they wanted her around and even gave her her own room at their house. One of my favorite scenes was when Charlotte couldn't spend Thanksgiving with them because she was spending it with her own family and they all freaked out. They all sent her emails, even Julia's mom and dad and little sister and older brothers, wanting to know why she couldn't spend the holiday with them and making sure they hadn't done anything wrong. It was very cute.
But the more time we spend with Julia and her family, the more we find out that they are barely holding on to each other and that they are hiding something. If you're reading the book, it's not hard to figure out what the secret is, but Charlotte has no idea what it is and has to learn through clues. We also see that Julia's friendship with Charlie might not be the healthiest, and that the Buchanan's start to rely on Charlie and her friendship with Julia way too much. I mentioned the Gossip Girl vibe earlier, and it extended more than the boarding schools and rich lifestyles. I could very much picture Charlotte as little Jenny Humphrey, how she just wanted to fit in. The Buchanan's also reminded me of Serena's family, perfect on the outside, but so fucked up on the inside even though they only meant well. I'm not sure if anyone remember Agnes (Jenny's friend), but Julia reminded me exactly of her. She had her carefree and sometimes destructive attitude. We also have Charlie's relationship with Sebastian, Julia's older brother. While I enjoyed their romance, it wasn't a focus of the story. The more I read, the more I knew that this would probably not end well. I was right... and wrong.
Parts of this book were really sad, there were other parts that I enjoyed very much. Something you should know before going into this book is that it is very much a character driven book. Other than Charlie trying to find herself while trying to fit in this crazy but lovable family. In other words, not much happens plot-wise. I happen to love character driven stories but I can see how other people could get bored by the story-line. I loved how easy it was to fall in love with these characters, even though they are all perfectly flawed in their own way. Overall, I'm glad I read this one and would recommend it. I really liked the beautiful writing and the characters.
3.5 out of 5 stars!
***
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When Charlotte takes care of a drunk Julia one night, Julia invites her over to her dorm the next day. This is the start of a very complicated relationship between them. Julia and Charlotte are from very different worlds. Charlotte's family is average and normal. She has her dad, her step mom and her two adorable little step brothers. Julia on the other hand is part of the great Buchanan family, who is like royalty in their own right. They are a very wealthy and powerful family. They are also a very tight-knit and dysfunctional family. As quickly as Julia and Charlotte become inseparable best friends, the Buchanan's all fall for Charlotte too and soon, she becomes an honorary Buchanan, are another Oops (a daughter they didn't plan on having). I really loved reading about Charlotte's relationship with Julia and the Buchanan's. I loved how effortlessly her friendship with Julia came to be, as well as her relationship with the Buchanan's. I really liked how they all treated her like one of their own, how they wanted her around and even gave her her own room at their house. One of my favorite scenes was when Charlotte couldn't spend Thanksgiving with them because she was spending it with her own family and they all freaked out. They all sent her emails, even Julia's mom and dad and little sister and older brothers, wanting to know why she couldn't spend the holiday with them and making sure they hadn't done anything wrong. It was very cute.
They were perfect. They were flawed. They were scarred and beautiful. They were too familiar with death and clung to life by clinging to one another. The Great Buchanan's were only human after all.
But the more time we spend with Julia and her family, the more we find out that they are barely holding on to each other and that they are hiding something. If you're reading the book, it's not hard to figure out what the secret is, but Charlotte has no idea what it is and has to learn through clues. We also see that Julia's friendship with Charlie might not be the healthiest, and that the Buchanan's start to rely on Charlie and her friendship with Julia way too much. I mentioned the Gossip Girl vibe earlier, and it extended more than the boarding schools and rich lifestyles. I could very much picture Charlotte as little Jenny Humphrey, how she just wanted to fit in. The Buchanan's also reminded me of Serena's family, perfect on the outside, but so fucked up on the inside even though they only meant well. I'm not sure if anyone remember Agnes (Jenny's friend), but Julia reminded me exactly of her. She had her carefree and sometimes destructive attitude. We also have Charlie's relationship with Sebastian, Julia's older brother. While I enjoyed their romance, it wasn't a focus of the story. The more I read, the more I knew that this would probably not end well. I was right... and wrong.
Parts of this book were really sad, there were other parts that I enjoyed very much. Something you should know before going into this book is that it is very much a character driven book. Other than Charlie trying to find herself while trying to fit in this crazy but lovable family. In other words, not much happens plot-wise. I happen to love character driven stories but I can see how other people could get bored by the story-line. I loved how easy it was to fall in love with these characters, even though they are all perfectly flawed in their own way. Overall, I'm glad I read this one and would recommend it. I really liked the beautiful writing and the characters.
3.5 out of 5 stars!
***
Read full review & more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed
Follow me at:
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January 31, 2015
This book left me heartbroken. Chelsea Philpot has a beautiful way with words and I feel as if this novel left its mark on me. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Playlist:
Twice - Little Dragon
Maps - Maroon 5
Wonderland - Taylor Swift
New Romantics - Taylor Swift
I Wanna Know You - Hannah Montana and David Archuleta (yes, I still listen to her)
The One That Got Away - Katy Perry
*excuse me while I go through book withdrawal*
Playlist:
Twice - Little Dragon
Maps - Maroon 5
Wonderland - Taylor Swift
New Romantics - Taylor Swift
I Wanna Know You - Hannah Montana and David Archuleta (yes, I still listen to her)
The One That Got Away - Katy Perry
*excuse me while I go through book withdrawal*
September 24, 2014
Not sure exactly how I feel about this one but I definitely liked it. Review to come.
June 28, 2015
2.5 stars
I call this review : The time choosing a book by its cover was a fail.
So its the age old story of 'normal' girl being taking under the wing of an older/ richer compatriot. Charlotte has had a normal enough upbringing, sans divorced parents, and ends up at St. Anne's boarding school. She starts as a good student, close circle of friends she's made, then one night circumstances put her in the path of the elusive Julia Buchanan and the story of the Great Buchanan's begins.
Charlotte (Charlie) morph's into a guest of Julia's at dazzling parties, at Julia's palatial vacation home. She meets Julia's older brother, instantly falls for him and the story ensues. On the outside Julia seems to have it all, the friends, the money, the lifestyle, a power over people if you will, but once Charlie scratches the surface it quickly becomes apparent that Julia may have it all, however she's one step away from breaking. There's a past family tragedy that has overtaken her life, and no matter how many parties she attends, drinks she has, that deep dark secret she holds drives her destiny.
So why does this story come out at a 2.5? I mean the premise is interesting, it is a pretty book cover, there's multiple interesting facets to the story...
Chelsey's writing style lost a star (no dear you are no F. Scott Fitzgerald), then we have the obsessive relationship between the two girls and the other half star was lost due to the incessant pointless switches to the French language. It did not add to the story, it merely had me using google translate, until I just didn't care anymore.
Sadly all 'good" things must come to an end... secrets are revealed, hearts are broken. Goodbyes are said and before we leave St Annes we are left with memorable images the quad saturated with so much colour it became like a box of crayons each fall... The library, cool and soaring . I could say much more however I’ll let Chelsey have the last word.. It was if nature had predicted Charlie’s mood and decided to coordinate. The sky was heavy with the threat of rain- the clouds like gray water balloons that had been filled to the point of near-bursting. The air was as sticky and suffocating as a pond of melted liquorice .
I call this review : The time choosing a book by its cover was a fail.
So its the age old story of 'normal' girl being taking under the wing of an older/ richer compatriot. Charlotte has had a normal enough upbringing, sans divorced parents, and ends up at St. Anne's boarding school. She starts as a good student, close circle of friends she's made, then one night circumstances put her in the path of the elusive Julia Buchanan and the story of the Great Buchanan's begins.
Charlotte (Charlie) morph's into a guest of Julia's at dazzling parties, at Julia's palatial vacation home. She meets Julia's older brother, instantly falls for him and the story ensues. On the outside Julia seems to have it all, the friends, the money, the lifestyle, a power over people if you will, but once Charlie scratches the surface it quickly becomes apparent that Julia may have it all, however she's one step away from breaking. There's a past family tragedy that has overtaken her life, and no matter how many parties she attends, drinks she has, that deep dark secret she holds drives her destiny.
So why does this story come out at a 2.5? I mean the premise is interesting, it is a pretty book cover, there's multiple interesting facets to the story...
Chelsey's writing style lost a star (no dear you are no F. Scott Fitzgerald), then we have the obsessive relationship between the two girls and the other half star was lost due to the incessant pointless switches to the French language. It did not add to the story, it merely had me using google translate, until I just didn't care anymore.
Sadly all 'good" things must come to an end... secrets are revealed, hearts are broken. Goodbyes are said and before we leave St Annes we are left with memorable images the quad saturated with so much colour it became like a box of crayons each fall... The library, cool and soaring . I could say much more however I’ll let Chelsey have the last word.. It was if nature had predicted Charlie’s mood and decided to coordinate. The sky was heavy with the threat of rain- the clouds like gray water balloons that had been filled to the point of near-bursting. The air was as sticky and suffocating as a pond of melted liquorice .
January 8, 2015
Before I got to Even in Paradise, I'd been really unlucky with my recent reads. It had felt like everything I'd been reading had either turned out to be a huge disappointment or just infuriatingly bad. Even in Paradise felt like a breath of fresh air compared to them. It was a book that was easy to get into, quick to get through and enjoyable. But it also has me torn about my feelings for it because I enjoyed the majority of it, but wasn't completely happy with the end.
After Charlotte helps a drunk Julia Buchanan one night, she finds herself being invited into the Buchanan's crazy world. She falls in love with the Buchanan family and gets swept up in their life of parties and summer homes. This book has a definite Great Gatsby vibe to it, if that wasn't obvious enough with the use of the name Buchanan. But when reading it that definitely is the first thing that comes to mind, and I'm almost certain that's where the author got her inspiration from. It also reminded me of We Were Liars, with the summer home and the family hiding things. It's interesting to see Charlotte get accepted so readily into their world and how much they want and need her there. There's a romance in this between Julia's brother Sebastian and Charlotte, it's quite cute and well done but never takes over the story.
This is an easy read, a perfect beach read in fact, the kind of book you can easily get through in one sitting. It's very character driven, so don't be expecting huge amounts to happen plot wise. It's more about Charlotte getting to know the Buchanan's and what they're dealing with. The more she gets to know them the more she sees they are suffering. I really liked getting to know the Buchanan family, they all had such big personalities. It's easy to see why Charlotte comes to love them all and why she gets so easily swept up into their world. Her romance with Sebastian was handled very well and I don't think the story ever became solely about that. I liked that there was so much more going on than just the romance.
My negatives with the story were mostly to do with the end. I know a lot of people loved the ending, but it didn't completely work for me. I felt like the drama got to be too much at the end, it started to feel a bit like a soap opera to me. It's also a story that you have seen before, so it doesn't feel too original when you read it. But that's probably going to be the case with a book that feels like it takes a lot of inspiration from The Great Gatsby. My other negative was the fact that I felt we barely scratched the surface with the characters. I did enjoy the characters, but I felt like we could have gone a lot deeper with all of them. I wanted more development when it came to the Buchanan's, but then this book would have been a whole lot longer.
3/5 Butterflies
I hate 3/5 reads, there is just something about them that leaves me with very little to say. It seems like the most I can come up with is eh, it was good but it wasn't amazing. This was an enjoyable and quick read, I thought it was really well done. I liked the inspiration it took from The Great Gatsby and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Buchanan family. My only problem with the book is that it's a story that's been done before, so it doesn't make it very memorable. If you're looking for a more character driven book then I would highly recommend it.
*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.
After Charlotte helps a drunk Julia Buchanan one night, she finds herself being invited into the Buchanan's crazy world. She falls in love with the Buchanan family and gets swept up in their life of parties and summer homes. This book has a definite Great Gatsby vibe to it, if that wasn't obvious enough with the use of the name Buchanan. But when reading it that definitely is the first thing that comes to mind, and I'm almost certain that's where the author got her inspiration from. It also reminded me of We Were Liars, with the summer home and the family hiding things. It's interesting to see Charlotte get accepted so readily into their world and how much they want and need her there. There's a romance in this between Julia's brother Sebastian and Charlotte, it's quite cute and well done but never takes over the story.This is an easy read, a perfect beach read in fact, the kind of book you can easily get through in one sitting. It's very character driven, so don't be expecting huge amounts to happen plot wise. It's more about Charlotte getting to know the Buchanan's and what they're dealing with. The more she gets to know them the more she sees they are suffering. I really liked getting to know the Buchanan family, they all had such big personalities. It's easy to see why Charlotte comes to love them all and why she gets so easily swept up into their world. Her romance with Sebastian was handled very well and I don't think the story ever became solely about that. I liked that there was so much more going on than just the romance.
My negatives with the story were mostly to do with the end. I know a lot of people loved the ending, but it didn't completely work for me. I felt like the drama got to be too much at the end, it started to feel a bit like a soap opera to me. It's also a story that you have seen before, so it doesn't feel too original when you read it. But that's probably going to be the case with a book that feels like it takes a lot of inspiration from The Great Gatsby. My other negative was the fact that I felt we barely scratched the surface with the characters. I did enjoy the characters, but I felt like we could have gone a lot deeper with all of them. I wanted more development when it came to the Buchanan's, but then this book would have been a whole lot longer.
3/5 Butterflies
I hate 3/5 reads, there is just something about them that leaves me with very little to say. It seems like the most I can come up with is eh, it was good but it wasn't amazing. This was an enjoyable and quick read, I thought it was really well done. I liked the inspiration it took from The Great Gatsby and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Buchanan family. My only problem with the book is that it's a story that's been done before, so it doesn't make it very memorable. If you're looking for a more character driven book then I would highly recommend it.
*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.
May 21, 2018
It's too bad I wasn't able to enjoy this book, as the synopsis seemed so interesting to me before. It's true; this book is what the offspring of Looking for Alaska and The Great Gatsby would be. Unfortunately, since I liked neither one of these books, it's really no surprise I didn't like this one.
I'm not quite sure what the obsession with the Buchanans is. They are a messed-up family, each member with his own twisted problem, and come with strings attached. With being associated with the Buchanans comes being privy to said twisted problems, which is what Charlotte finds out as her friendship increases with Julia. Charlotte's life is soon plagued with the Buchanans. Everything she does or says has to do in some way with the Buchanans.
Julia is screwed up, to say the least. Half her dialogue is in French, as she feels it important to spew French words whenever she feels like it. For the uncultured, non-French reader (total sarcasm BTW), this makes it incredibly hard to understand what she is trying to say. And even though she's 17 or 18, she still carries around a toy with her everywhere she goes.
The rest of the Buchanans aren't very different from Julia. Mother Dearest turns a blind eye at everything Julia does and basically lets her run wild and do naughty things, such as drinking underage and partying constantly. The father, or "Boom", as he's called affectionately, also drinks heavily and enjoys lavish parties (like father, like daughter) despite his other daughter's death in a drunk-driving accident . Do you see the logic? Right, because there's none! Sebastian, Julia's second oldest brother, actually did not piss me off, as he seemed a bit more rational than his family members.
The relationship between Julia and Charlotte is a bit weird, "a bit" being an understatement. They have got this stupid motto between them, Contra Mundum (Latin for "against the world"), which they say out loud whenever they feel necessary, which is pretty much always. They hide in their secret place in a church, and, while doing so, listen in on people's confessions! They tell each other they'll travel the world and ditch the idea of college, because Julia's filthy rich and can pay for it, and because that's always the better option.
And let me get this straight: This book is not touchy. It does not create a feeling of nostalgia and sadness for the reader. It tries, but it fails miserably. Instead, it produces disgust for the characters for their complete ignorance of the real world.
Honestly, I don't know why I finished this book. At several points, I even thought to myself something along the lines of: "Self, why are you giving a crap about these rich people's problems? They aren't even interesting, and they don't affect you in any manner. They're just bad people doing bad things to themselves."
Okay, I'll depart from my soapbox now...
I'm not quite sure what the obsession with the Buchanans is. They are a messed-up family, each member with his own twisted problem, and come with strings attached. With being associated with the Buchanans comes being privy to said twisted problems, which is what Charlotte finds out as her friendship increases with Julia. Charlotte's life is soon plagued with the Buchanans. Everything she does or says has to do in some way with the Buchanans.
Julia is screwed up, to say the least. Half her dialogue is in French, as she feels it important to spew French words whenever she feels like it. For the uncultured, non-French reader (total sarcasm BTW), this makes it incredibly hard to understand what she is trying to say. And even though she's 17 or 18, she still carries around a toy with her everywhere she goes.
The rest of the Buchanans aren't very different from Julia. Mother Dearest turns a blind eye at everything Julia does and basically lets her run wild and do naughty things, such as drinking underage and partying constantly. The father, or "Boom", as he's called affectionately, also drinks heavily and enjoys lavish parties (like father, like daughter) despite his other daughter's death in a drunk-driving accident . Do you see the logic? Right, because there's none! Sebastian, Julia's second oldest brother, actually did not piss me off, as he seemed a bit more rational than his family members.
The relationship between Julia and Charlotte is a bit weird, "a bit" being an understatement. They have got this stupid motto between them, Contra Mundum (Latin for "against the world"), which they say out loud whenever they feel necessary, which is pretty much always. They hide in their secret place in a church, and, while doing so, listen in on people's confessions! They tell each other they'll travel the world and ditch the idea of college, because Julia's filthy rich and can pay for it, and because that's always the better option.
And let me get this straight: This book is not touchy. It does not create a feeling of nostalgia and sadness for the reader. It tries, but it fails miserably. Instead, it produces disgust for the characters for their complete ignorance of the real world.
Honestly, I don't know why I finished this book. At several points, I even thought to myself something along the lines of: "Self, why are you giving a crap about these rich people's problems? They aren't even interesting, and they don't affect you in any manner. They're just bad people doing bad things to themselves."
Okay, I'll depart from my soapbox now...
dnf
August 22, 2014I stopped reading at only 7%. This book wasn't bad, I just quickly realized it wasn't for me.
From the first page we have a teenage girl who's shit faced drunk and puking her guts. Then the next morning she's drinking again.
Based on what I saw, I expect this book to be filled with underage drinking, partying, drama, and mean girls. That might sound like the perfect read to someone else, but it's not something I'm interested in.
From the first page we have a teenage girl who's shit faced drunk and puking her guts. Then the next morning she's drinking again.
Based on what I saw, I expect this book to be filled with underage drinking, partying, drama, and mean girls. That might sound like the perfect read to someone else, but it's not something I'm interested in.
December 8, 2014
EVEN IN PARADISE is definitely a beautiful coming of age novel that doesn't gloss over the heartache of loss and the importance of family.
I loved the strong friendship theme and the realistic portrayal of two people headed in two completely different paths.
I loved the strong friendship theme and the realistic portrayal of two people headed in two completely different paths.
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