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Dreamers Often Lie
Jaye wakes up from a skiing accident with a fractured skull, a blinding headache, and her grip on reality sliding into delusion. Determined to get back to her starring role in the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jaye lies to her sister, her mom, her doctors. She's fine, she says. She's fine. If anyone knew the truth - that hallucinations of Shakespeare and his characters have followed her from her hospital bed to the high school halls - it would all be over. She’s almost managing to pull off the act when Romeo shows up in her anatomy class. And it turns out that he's 100% real. Suddenly Jaye has to choose between lying to everyone else and lying to herself.
Troubled by the magnetic new kid, a long-lost friend turned recent love interest, and the darkest parts of her family's past, Jaye’s life tangles with Shakespeare's most famous plays until she can't tell where truth ends and pretending begins. Soon, secret meetings and dizzying first kisses give way to more dangerous things. How much is real, how much is in Jaye's head, and how much does it matter as she flies toward a fate over which she seems to have no control?
Troubled by the magnetic new kid, a long-lost friend turned recent love interest, and the darkest parts of her family's past, Jaye’s life tangles with Shakespeare's most famous plays until she can't tell where truth ends and pretending begins. Soon, secret meetings and dizzying first kisses give way to more dangerous things. How much is real, how much is in Jaye's head, and how much does it matter as she flies toward a fate over which she seems to have no control?
368 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2016
33 people are currently reading
1983 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline West
21 books703 followersJacqueline West on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacquel...
Jacqueline's blog: http://jacquelinewest.com/blog/
Jacqueline's blog: http://jacquelinewest.com/blog/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
April 6, 2016
“Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time.”
----Ransom Riggs
Jacqueline West, an American author, pens a thoroughly gripping YA story, Dreamers Often Lie that narrates the tale of a young teenage girl who after suffering from a dangerous skiing accident faces from disturbing dreams which is hard to distinguish on whether they are real or not. Moreover, her dreams her inspired from Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. She keeps seeing a blue-eyes Romeo as well as Shakespeare around her, but then her dreams started to become so real. And gradually her life becomes like Juliet's.
Synopsis:
Jaye wakes up from a skiing accident with a fractured skull, a blinding headache, and her grip on reality sliding into delusion. Determined to get back to her starring role in the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jaye lies to her sister, her mom, her doctors. She's fine, she says. She's fine. If anyone knew the truth - that hallucinations of Shakespeare and his characters have followed her from her hospital bed to the high school halls - it would all be over. She’s almost managing to pull off the act when Romeo shows up in her anatomy class. And it turns out that he's 100% real. Suddenly Jaye has to choose between lying to everyone else and lying to herself.
Troubled by the magnetic new kid, a long-lost friend turned recent love interest, and the darkest parts of her family's past, Jaye’s life tangles with Shakespeare's most famous plays until she can't tell where truth ends and pretending begins. Soon, secret meetings and dizzying first kisses give way to more dangerous things. How much is real, how much is in Jaye's head, and how much does it matter as she flies toward a fate over which she seems to have no control?
After suffering from a life-taking skiing accident, Jaye faces the aftermath of this accident with a deadly head injury that leaves her with realistic characters and images from Shakespeare's famous plays, that makes her feel confused on which is real and which is not. In such a hazy condition, she meets a new boy, named, Rob, who she feels an immediate attraction to. Things get complicated when the most handsome boy of the school, Pierce wants to protect Jaye from Rob. Laced with family drama and young love which has a connection and similarity to Romeo and Juliet, the story is a complete page-turner.
The writing of the author is exquisite the whole mood is set as dreamy from the very first page. At times, it became hard to differ from reality to dreams with so many characters from Shakespeare kept pouring in, in the form of Jaye's friends or family members. The pacing of the book is really fast as the story is captivating from the beginning till the very end. There are lots of mysterious aspects in Jaye's family story, that kept me anticipating till the very last page. The narrative is equally engaging and fabulous.
The story has a lot of breath-taking moments and so many mystifying secrets that alike Jaye, kept me confused and curious till the very climax. The dialogues are often inspired from Shakespeare's plays and as Jaye is on the lead role of her school drama that is playing, A Midsummer Night's Dreams , so most of the scenes folded around this play. I imagined myself inside a world filled with Romeo, Paris, Juliet, Hamlet, Ophelia, Titania. The depictions from these plays are done so vividly by the author, as she captures the feels and the atmosphere of that era into her story diligently.
The characters of this book are extremely well-developed. The demeanor of the main character, Jaye is inspired from realism and her challenges and the problems she face due to a head injury are very genuine. The character of Rob not only made Jaye for fall for him, but I too fell for him, especially for his brooding, mysterious and caring features. Pierce did not strike me an interesting right from the very first moment, his demeanor towards Jaye felt like he was trying too hard to please her. The rest of the supporting characters are well-structured and the author gave them enough space to highlight their strong features.
The love between Rob and Jaye is sweet, something that is undeniable and a bit passionate too. It felt like the author has poured all her best emotions into this story to make it poignant and evocative.
Overall, this book provided me with an unique experience of love, family secrets, friendships, and dreams. This is definitely a must read for all that will make you feel deeply and will keep you intrigued till the very end.
Verdict: An enthralling YA fantasy story that is hard to miss.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Jacqueline West, for giving me an opportunity to read and review her novel.
----Ransom Riggs
Jacqueline West, an American author, pens a thoroughly gripping YA story, Dreamers Often Lie that narrates the tale of a young teenage girl who after suffering from a dangerous skiing accident faces from disturbing dreams which is hard to distinguish on whether they are real or not. Moreover, her dreams her inspired from Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. She keeps seeing a blue-eyes Romeo as well as Shakespeare around her, but then her dreams started to become so real. And gradually her life becomes like Juliet's.
Synopsis:
Jaye wakes up from a skiing accident with a fractured skull, a blinding headache, and her grip on reality sliding into delusion. Determined to get back to her starring role in the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jaye lies to her sister, her mom, her doctors. She's fine, she says. She's fine. If anyone knew the truth - that hallucinations of Shakespeare and his characters have followed her from her hospital bed to the high school halls - it would all be over. She’s almost managing to pull off the act when Romeo shows up in her anatomy class. And it turns out that he's 100% real. Suddenly Jaye has to choose between lying to everyone else and lying to herself.
Troubled by the magnetic new kid, a long-lost friend turned recent love interest, and the darkest parts of her family's past, Jaye’s life tangles with Shakespeare's most famous plays until she can't tell where truth ends and pretending begins. Soon, secret meetings and dizzying first kisses give way to more dangerous things. How much is real, how much is in Jaye's head, and how much does it matter as she flies toward a fate over which she seems to have no control?
After suffering from a life-taking skiing accident, Jaye faces the aftermath of this accident with a deadly head injury that leaves her with realistic characters and images from Shakespeare's famous plays, that makes her feel confused on which is real and which is not. In such a hazy condition, she meets a new boy, named, Rob, who she feels an immediate attraction to. Things get complicated when the most handsome boy of the school, Pierce wants to protect Jaye from Rob. Laced with family drama and young love which has a connection and similarity to Romeo and Juliet, the story is a complete page-turner.
The writing of the author is exquisite the whole mood is set as dreamy from the very first page. At times, it became hard to differ from reality to dreams with so many characters from Shakespeare kept pouring in, in the form of Jaye's friends or family members. The pacing of the book is really fast as the story is captivating from the beginning till the very end. There are lots of mysterious aspects in Jaye's family story, that kept me anticipating till the very last page. The narrative is equally engaging and fabulous.
The story has a lot of breath-taking moments and so many mystifying secrets that alike Jaye, kept me confused and curious till the very climax. The dialogues are often inspired from Shakespeare's plays and as Jaye is on the lead role of her school drama that is playing, A Midsummer Night's Dreams , so most of the scenes folded around this play. I imagined myself inside a world filled with Romeo, Paris, Juliet, Hamlet, Ophelia, Titania. The depictions from these plays are done so vividly by the author, as she captures the feels and the atmosphere of that era into her story diligently.
The characters of this book are extremely well-developed. The demeanor of the main character, Jaye is inspired from realism and her challenges and the problems she face due to a head injury are very genuine. The character of Rob not only made Jaye for fall for him, but I too fell for him, especially for his brooding, mysterious and caring features. Pierce did not strike me an interesting right from the very first moment, his demeanor towards Jaye felt like he was trying too hard to please her. The rest of the supporting characters are well-structured and the author gave them enough space to highlight their strong features.
The love between Rob and Jaye is sweet, something that is undeniable and a bit passionate too. It felt like the author has poured all her best emotions into this story to make it poignant and evocative.
Overall, this book provided me with an unique experience of love, family secrets, friendships, and dreams. This is definitely a must read for all that will make you feel deeply and will keep you intrigued till the very end.
Verdict: An enthralling YA fantasy story that is hard to miss.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Jacqueline West, for giving me an opportunity to read and review her novel.
October 6, 2017
WOW SO THIS WAS GLORIOUS. It mixes shakespeare and mental illness and just a trippy plot and you never know what's actually happening?? But ahhh the writing was so pretty. o.o
But, whenever one of my Goodread's friends reads this... message me. We need to talk about the ending because I'm kind of confused. xD
// 4.5
But, whenever one of my Goodread's friends reads this... message me. We need to talk about the ending because I'm kind of confused. xD
// 4.5
May 20, 2016
Review to come!
Update 5/19/16:
See more reviews on my blog Novels and Necklaces
Let me start off this review by saying that I was extremely excited to read this novel. From the beautiful cover to the intriguing blurb...I thought this book would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I think a lot of people will like this book, but it wasn't my cup of tea and there was too many things I couldn't get over to give this a higher rating. I honestly considered DNF'ing it about halfway through, but I felt obligated to finish it to the end to see what would happen and if Jaye would ever actually learn from her mistakes (which FYI...she didn't).
By a couple chapters into reading this novel, I was extremely bored. This is the reason why....a pattern repeated throughout the book: school, hallucination, rehearsal for play, hallucination, home, hallucination, get into trouble and make the same exact mistake, hallucination. Basically this sums up the entire book. The hallucinations were just thrown in mid-sentence, which for some might work, and might have the reader second guessing what was real vs what wasn't. But for me, it was just annoying and bothersome. If this wasn't how it was every single time, I probably wouldn't have minded it as much, but throughout the entire book, every hallucination felt the same and repetitive. And what I thought would play a major role in the book (aka the Shakespearean characters) was relegated to the background and was just an offset to the underlying "love story." Love story is in quotes for a reason, which I'll get to later on in my review, but can be summed up by this:
Jaye's character was someone I had multiple problems with. She constantly was apologizing for making mistakes and saying she learned her lesson, but did she? No, not once. I thought that her character would grow and become a character that I loved, but she never did. She repeatedly makes the same mistakes (something that annoyed me to no end), and very under-developed. I never felt a connection to her, and by the end of the book, I didn't really care one way or the other about what happened to her character. The love interests, Rob and Pierce, were two other characters that were just okay. I hated Pierce, and Rob was marginally better. I saw more potential with Rob's character, but again, he was never fully fleshed out to allow me to connect with his character in the end. Jaye's best friends were pushed to the side, and I actually did enjoy their scenes a great deal since they added some much needed humor to the book. I wish we were able to see more from them!
Onto the "romance" part of the book. I thought this was actually the weakest aspect of the book. The "love triangle" was boring and lackluster, and I didn't really feel like Jaye actually liked either Rob or Pierce. Again, this could solely lie in the fact that I never felt connected to Jaye's character, but I never felt Jaye wanted a relationship with either character. To further my feelings on this, she kept going back and forth between Rob and Pierce and it drove me insane. At one point, I was literally screaming in my head, JUST CHOOSE ALREADY!!!
The ending of the book is definitely confusing to say the least, and while I think I understand what happened, I'm still not entirely sure. It could be the fact that I simply didn't care that much at this point, but if I am correct in my thinking, I do applaud Ms. West for giving a major twist ending. However, I do think that the ending should have been a bit more clear and more resolved.
Overall, this book just wasn't for me. Maybe I went in with too high of expectations, or maybe I just didn't like Ms. West's writing style. Regardless, I do think some people will greatly enjoy this book, I just wasn't one of these people.
Happy reading :)
Update 5/19/16:
See more reviews on my blog Novels and Necklaces
Let me start off this review by saying that I was extremely excited to read this novel. From the beautiful cover to the intriguing blurb...I thought this book would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I think a lot of people will like this book, but it wasn't my cup of tea and there was too many things I couldn't get over to give this a higher rating. I honestly considered DNF'ing it about halfway through, but I felt obligated to finish it to the end to see what would happen and if Jaye would ever actually learn from her mistakes (which FYI...she didn't).
By a couple chapters into reading this novel, I was extremely bored. This is the reason why....a pattern repeated throughout the book: school, hallucination, rehearsal for play, hallucination, home, hallucination, get into trouble and make the same exact mistake, hallucination. Basically this sums up the entire book. The hallucinations were just thrown in mid-sentence, which for some might work, and might have the reader second guessing what was real vs what wasn't. But for me, it was just annoying and bothersome. If this wasn't how it was every single time, I probably wouldn't have minded it as much, but throughout the entire book, every hallucination felt the same and repetitive. And what I thought would play a major role in the book (aka the Shakespearean characters) was relegated to the background and was just an offset to the underlying "love story." Love story is in quotes for a reason, which I'll get to later on in my review, but can be summed up by this:
Jaye's character was someone I had multiple problems with. She constantly was apologizing for making mistakes and saying she learned her lesson, but did she? No, not once. I thought that her character would grow and become a character that I loved, but she never did. She repeatedly makes the same mistakes (something that annoyed me to no end), and very under-developed. I never felt a connection to her, and by the end of the book, I didn't really care one way or the other about what happened to her character. The love interests, Rob and Pierce, were two other characters that were just okay. I hated Pierce, and Rob was marginally better. I saw more potential with Rob's character, but again, he was never fully fleshed out to allow me to connect with his character in the end. Jaye's best friends were pushed to the side, and I actually did enjoy their scenes a great deal since they added some much needed humor to the book. I wish we were able to see more from them!
Onto the "romance" part of the book. I thought this was actually the weakest aspect of the book. The "love triangle" was boring and lackluster, and I didn't really feel like Jaye actually liked either Rob or Pierce. Again, this could solely lie in the fact that I never felt connected to Jaye's character, but I never felt Jaye wanted a relationship with either character. To further my feelings on this, she kept going back and forth between Rob and Pierce and it drove me insane. At one point, I was literally screaming in my head, JUST CHOOSE ALREADY!!!
The ending of the book is definitely confusing to say the least, and while I think I understand what happened, I'm still not entirely sure. It could be the fact that I simply didn't care that much at this point, but if I am correct in my thinking, I do applaud Ms. West for giving a major twist ending. However, I do think that the ending should have been a bit more clear and more resolved.
Overall, this book just wasn't for me. Maybe I went in with too high of expectations, or maybe I just didn't like Ms. West's writing style. Regardless, I do think some people will greatly enjoy this book, I just wasn't one of these people.
Happy reading :)
May 9, 2016
The Biggest Mind F*CK of 2016
If you've read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and seen (and loved) the movie The Black Swan for the hallucinations, you are certainly going to enjoy Dreamers Often Lie. This is my first time enjoying anything dealing with Shakespeare, (look school makes everything sucky okay) but the way the author executed this story giving me the trippiest experience I've ever witnessed in YA . . . I don't even know yall, that's how cray this book is.
Jaye, our theater queen, is the " star " of this story. She's landed the lead role in her school's production of A Midsummer's Night Dream, but a life-threatening accident while on a family ski trip puts everything in jeopardy, including her sanity. GUYS, when I say this book was WOW, I mean it. I enjoyed the characters, especially her mother and sister, but my favorite aspect of Dreamers were the hallucinations. I was fully aware that this book was a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet as well as Hamlet, however, I wasn't expecting characters from these famous plays to make reoccurring appearances throughout the novel, including thee Shakespeare himself. Oh, how freaking exciting this was! You never knew when the hallucinations would begin -- they blended into the writing, causing you to question what was reality and fiction -- to question if Jaye was indeed reliable or just crazy as hell.
All of Shakespeare's characters talked in that classical way, (don't know what to call it haha) causing everything to feel like one big riddle. They popped up at odd times, which didn't bother me. In fact, I began to look for them, to hope they would mysteriously turn up in the next scene. Ophelia and Hamlet were certainly my favorites. I loved how she would appear out of nowhere soaking wet, dripping with leaves and dirt stuck in her hair, almost as if she climbed straight out of the brook she drowned in. And Hamlet, with his icy blue eyes, and that damn skull he walked around with, talking in circles before he would vanish into thin air. They even kissed in the back of a BMW! You can't get any more epic than that! All I'm saying is if the author wanted to crank up the creep factor she definitely succeeded. Dreamers Often Lie is one big mystery that even weeks after finishing, I'm still trying to solve it. The ending threw me for a loop, so please fans of Shakespeare, read this book and decipher the conclusion for me. Thanks in advance !
If you've read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and seen (and loved) the movie The Black Swan for the hallucinations, you are certainly going to enjoy Dreamers Often Lie. This is my first time enjoying anything dealing with Shakespeare, (look school makes everything sucky okay) but the way the author executed this story giving me the trippiest experience I've ever witnessed in YA . . . I don't even know yall, that's how cray this book is.
Jaye, our theater queen, is the " star " of this story. She's landed the lead role in her school's production of A Midsummer's Night Dream, but a life-threatening accident while on a family ski trip puts everything in jeopardy, including her sanity. GUYS, when I say this book was WOW, I mean it. I enjoyed the characters, especially her mother and sister, but my favorite aspect of Dreamers were the hallucinations. I was fully aware that this book was a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet as well as Hamlet, however, I wasn't expecting characters from these famous plays to make reoccurring appearances throughout the novel, including thee Shakespeare himself. Oh, how freaking exciting this was! You never knew when the hallucinations would begin -- they blended into the writing, causing you to question what was reality and fiction -- to question if Jaye was indeed reliable or just crazy as hell.
All of Shakespeare's characters talked in that classical way, (don't know what to call it haha) causing everything to feel like one big riddle. They popped up at odd times, which didn't bother me. In fact, I began to look for them, to hope they would mysteriously turn up in the next scene. Ophelia and Hamlet were certainly my favorites. I loved how she would appear out of nowhere soaking wet, dripping with leaves and dirt stuck in her hair, almost as if she climbed straight out of the brook she drowned in. And Hamlet, with his icy blue eyes, and that damn skull he walked around with, talking in circles before he would vanish into thin air. They even kissed in the back of a BMW! You can't get any more epic than that! All I'm saying is if the author wanted to crank up the creep factor she definitely succeeded. Dreamers Often Lie is one big mystery that even weeks after finishing, I'm still trying to solve it. The ending threw me for a loop, so please fans of Shakespeare, read this book and decipher the conclusion for me. Thanks in advance !
September 28, 2016
(***500+ stars) I had just read one of the most depressing and romantic novel in my life. And I don't even know how to handle it anymore. My heart aches, my eyes are sobby, and I feel like I just feel in an infinite hole on the ground. Am I drowning? I think I am. I think I'm drowning in words of pain and sadness and agony. And I clearly can't handle it anymore.
As an theater-geek, this book was amazing. Like, it blew my mind off the pages. (Also my heart, but I'm not applying spoilers till later) Like come on. Shakespeare, IN REAL LIFE. And Dreamers Often Lie share the same amount of aching tragic then Shakespeare.
Now, if you please don't mind, may I please gather my mind, (wherever it is) and try to speak the many emotions spilling out of me? In other words, the next section in this review will contain spoilers, so please don't read on unless you read this masterpiece. Thank you.
_______________________________________________
Out of all the deaths I had, this one is the most tragic. Like, I don't even know how to describe it. I had all ready spent the last 45 minutes gazing at an blank wall and let tears spill one-by-one, until I couldn't hold it in anymore and sobbed my eyes out. Because...because. How can I explain this? This was no ordinary love triangle. This is Shakespeare. So that ending. What did I expect? An happy ending where she goes happily with Rob the Romeo? (Is it just me, or I am pretty frustrated by that name choice for Rob. Like are you kidding me? No offense, but did you just name this Romeo-Like guy ROB?) Because that car accident, oh my goodness had I ever read anything so vivid and frightening. All I know is: Rob is died. Because of Pierce? Did Pierce crash his car into there's because he was angry? Or did he do it by accident? Either way, by my honest view, I honestly likes Pierce more then Rob. So when that car crash happened, the first thing I sobbed about was Pierce. Is he died? Was he the un-moving body she sees? But when she sees Pierce in his car, not entirely alive but... I COULD PRACTICALLY FEEL MY WHOLR BODY RELEASE RELIEF. And Rob, oh gosh, ROB.
This author deserved an award for pain and agony and the feels. Clearly.
As an theater-geek, this book was amazing. Like, it blew my mind off the pages. (Also my heart, but I'm not applying spoilers till later) Like come on. Shakespeare, IN REAL LIFE. And Dreamers Often Lie share the same amount of aching tragic then Shakespeare.
Now, if you please don't mind, may I please gather my mind, (wherever it is) and try to speak the many emotions spilling out of me? In other words, the next section in this review will contain spoilers, so please don't read on unless you read this masterpiece. Thank you.
_______________________________________________
Out of all the deaths I had, this one is the most tragic. Like, I don't even know how to describe it. I had all ready spent the last 45 minutes gazing at an blank wall and let tears spill one-by-one, until I couldn't hold it in anymore and sobbed my eyes out. Because...because. How can I explain this? This was no ordinary love triangle. This is Shakespeare. So that ending. What did I expect? An happy ending where she goes happily with Rob the Romeo? (Is it just me, or I am pretty frustrated by that name choice for Rob. Like are you kidding me? No offense, but did you just name this Romeo-Like guy ROB?) Because that car accident, oh my goodness had I ever read anything so vivid and frightening. All I know is: Rob is died. Because of Pierce? Did Pierce crash his car into there's because he was angry? Or did he do it by accident? Either way, by my honest view, I honestly likes Pierce more then Rob. So when that car crash happened, the first thing I sobbed about was Pierce. Is he died? Was he the un-moving body she sees? But when she sees Pierce in his car, not entirely alive but... I COULD PRACTICALLY FEEL MY WHOLR BODY RELEASE RELIEF. And Rob, oh gosh, ROB.
This author deserved an award for pain and agony and the feels. Clearly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2016
A girl with a head injury + obsession with performing Shakespeare + starts seeing characters from the plays everywhere = interesting premise.
But.
The execution of this book, though. It leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Let me first be clear: I adore books with unreliable narrators (see for example Made You Up) and Jaye is certainly unreliable. Jaye is suffering from a head injury after a skiing accident. Her memory is spotty after the accident and when she first wakes up, she sometimes finds herself in the middle of a situation without having any recollection of how she got there. And she desperately wants out of the hospital, partly because of bad memories associated with her father's own deadly car accident and partly because she's just gotten the lead role of Queen Titania in A Midsummer's Night in her high school's production. Jaye leaves and breathes theater, so she's aching to go back to rehearsals.
So she doesn't let on to anyone that she's started to hallucinate. That she sees Hamlet haunting her, monologuing with the skull of Yorrick. That she finds Ophelia, dripping wet, unloved and miserable, in her hospital ward. Or that Shakespeare himself appears to her, talk ominously about fathers. For as it turns out, Jaye had a complicated relationship with her father before he passed away, a relationship that her older sister Sadie is convinced that Jaye mis-remembers.
But when Jaye returns back to school, things don't get any better. She mistakes a new classmate, a handsome troubled boy, as being part of her hallucinations and accuses him of being Romeo. Her father's protege, and her childhood best friend, Pierce tries to reconnect with her but she feels uncomfortable around him. And memories of her father refuse to leave alone.
Dreamers Often Lie disappointed me because it was a very confusing story that had no clear resolution. I had hoped that by the novel's end, we would get some explanation for why Jaye is constantly hallucinating: whether it is because of her head injury or if Jaye was mentally unstable to begin with. But nope, we are instead left with a very open ending that leaves us practically where we started. The issue about Jaye's father and the legacy that he left behind is also not resolved.
Furthermore, Jaye has a highly self-destructive streak in her that's never addressed head-on. Her supposed motivation for wanting to go back to school is because she wants to go back to rehearsals. Yet, she constantly does things that would endanger her opportunity to do so.
Not to mention, her whole strange relationship with Pierce where she constantly ignores what the people around her are trying to tell her about him.
And the Shakespeare conceit got old after a while because it seemed like the characters would just randomly show up and foreshadow *bad things happening* and that Jaye *had to make good choices*. The conceit can only capture my interest for so long before I get tired of their cryptic warnings and frustrated with Jaye's decisions.
Jaye made some really terrible decisions throughout the course of the novel, which she did her best not to own up to. And I get it, teenagers can be dumb sometimes. But her level of stupidity is somewhat staggering.
But.
The execution of this book, though. It leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Let me first be clear: I adore books with unreliable narrators (see for example Made You Up) and Jaye is certainly unreliable. Jaye is suffering from a head injury after a skiing accident. Her memory is spotty after the accident and when she first wakes up, she sometimes finds herself in the middle of a situation without having any recollection of how she got there. And she desperately wants out of the hospital, partly because of bad memories associated with her father's own deadly car accident and partly because she's just gotten the lead role of Queen Titania in A Midsummer's Night in her high school's production. Jaye leaves and breathes theater, so she's aching to go back to rehearsals.
So she doesn't let on to anyone that she's started to hallucinate. That she sees Hamlet haunting her, monologuing with the skull of Yorrick. That she finds Ophelia, dripping wet, unloved and miserable, in her hospital ward. Or that Shakespeare himself appears to her, talk ominously about fathers. For as it turns out, Jaye had a complicated relationship with her father before he passed away, a relationship that her older sister Sadie is convinced that Jaye mis-remembers.
But when Jaye returns back to school, things don't get any better. She mistakes a new classmate, a handsome troubled boy, as being part of her hallucinations and accuses him of being Romeo. Her father's protege, and her childhood best friend, Pierce tries to reconnect with her but she feels uncomfortable around him. And memories of her father refuse to leave alone.
Dreamers Often Lie disappointed me because it was a very confusing story that had no clear resolution. I had hoped that by the novel's end, we would get some explanation for why Jaye is constantly hallucinating: whether it is because of her head injury or if Jaye was mentally unstable to begin with. But nope, we are instead left with a very open ending that leaves us practically where we started. The issue about Jaye's father and the legacy that he left behind is also not resolved.
Furthermore, Jaye has a highly self-destructive streak in her that's never addressed head-on. Her supposed motivation for wanting to go back to school is because she wants to go back to rehearsals. Yet, she constantly does things that would endanger her opportunity to do so.
Not to mention, her whole strange relationship with Pierce where she constantly ignores what the people around her are trying to tell her about him.
And the Shakespeare conceit got old after a while because it seemed like the characters would just randomly show up and foreshadow *bad things happening* and that Jaye *had to make good choices*. The conceit can only capture my interest for so long before I get tired of their cryptic warnings and frustrated with Jaye's decisions.
Jaye made some really terrible decisions throughout the course of the novel, which she did her best not to own up to. And I get it, teenagers can be dumb sometimes. But her level of stupidity is somewhat staggering.
March 6, 2017
I honestly don't know what to think. Ideally I would love it. The concept is original; a modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with the main character, Jaye, having a head injury causing her to hallucinate and forget things. The hallucinations were creepy and well-done. Jaye's love of acting also made her an original character. The idea of family conflicts is also well-done, clearly showing that seemingly perfect families can be quite dysfunctional in reality. The conflict Jaye has with her relationship with her father was realistic and insightful. The book sets up some great conflicts with great potential.
However. Obviously since it's a YA romance and written for teenagers, it was written with the annoying, unintelligent voice and style common to that genre. The aforementioned conflicts didn't really get tied up at the end -- Jaye decides to be a good daughter but then her actions at the end don't quite live up to that, so you really can't tell how she resolved her internal conflict concerning her family. I suppose considering the original Romeo and Juliet, I can kind of infer the resolution. I did like the ambiguity of the ending, but not the fact that a bunch of conflicts were left unresolved.
The romance wasn't too bad -- there was a love triangle, obviously, but it was clear that the wrong relationship was borderline abusive and Jaye didn't cling to it. I don't appreciate the endorsement of teenagers making out, but it wasn't as bad and as much as other YA books I've read.
It's a great concept, and the author manages to realize it pretty well. The label of YA romance just saps away what could've been a better book.
However. Obviously since it's a YA romance and written for teenagers, it was written with the annoying, unintelligent voice and style common to that genre. The aforementioned conflicts didn't really get tied up at the end -- Jaye decides to be a good daughter but then her actions at the end don't quite live up to that, so you really can't tell how she resolved her internal conflict concerning her family. I suppose considering the original Romeo and Juliet, I can kind of infer the resolution. I did like the ambiguity of the ending, but not the fact that a bunch of conflicts were left unresolved.
The romance wasn't too bad -- there was a love triangle, obviously, but it was clear that the wrong relationship was borderline abusive and Jaye didn't cling to it. I don't appreciate the endorsement of teenagers making out, but it wasn't as bad and as much as other YA books I've read.
It's a great concept, and the author manages to realize it pretty well. The label of YA romance just saps away what could've been a better book.
August 20, 2016
This was a fairly short and gripping read and would have gotten four stars from me had it not been for that abrupt ending that left too many questions unanswered and the narrative uncertain and unsettled. I am not averse to open endings but I felt that this one was just frustrating especially since I had become so invested in the characters. Sigh.
dnf
July 12, 2016Dreamers Often Lie showed up unsolicited and the Shakespeare element and beautiful cover made me decide to give it a try. I read the prologue and the first couple pages, and there are warning signs this book isn't for none: lots of short, choppy sentences and some metaphors gone wild.
October 31, 2016
Yes, I finished it in a day and, as someone who has a Master's in English and is seriously considering completing my Ph.D. in the subject, I found the idea original, thought-provoking, and educational, I had some serious qualms with this book that rapidly altered my anticipated 5 stars review (for ideas) into a mediocre 3. Now, I definitely think 3 star books can be worthwhile and am not attempting to encourage anyone to not read it on my account, but it just could have been so much better than it was.
What I really enjoyed:
1. Like ghosts and other characters in Shakespeare's texts, the Shakespearean characters are able to provide insight into Jaye's understanding of the world. As an English teacher, it is often a challenge for students to understand the overarching, thematic elements of these plays that are still relevant today; aspects that, even in Elizabethan England, touched on what it means to be human on a fundamental level. Perhaps a ghost doesn't appear to you and tell you to murder your uncle/stepdad (which my students have affectionately termed "duncle"). Maybe your parents aren't threatening death if you don't marry someone more than twice your age within a week. But the complexity, extent, and fever of these feelings are relatable to other situations easily, even, apparently, in a high school social circle of drama nerds.
2. The plays selected were recognizable for high schoolers. Yes, Shakespeare wrote 30+ plays, but I'm assuming that West made a deliberate choice to incorporate plays that teens would actually be reading, while leaving some of the more dense (and often boring) other options out. Either my assumption is correct, or she hasn't read that much Shakespeare, which could also be true...
3. The quotations selected from the plays were ones that have often elicited reactions in my students, which was fun: "God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another" (9).
4. Jaye was able to have negative emotions about her dead father, who sounded like a total jerk. Just because someone died doesn't mean that should be glorified for no longer being in the world to make others miserable: "He knew that when somebody dies, everybody else bands together and re-creates them. They take out the flaws, erase the bad stories, crunch the memories that don't match into tight, dark corners. In a few days--a few hours sometimes--all that's left is the perfect vision, and no one can ever mention the flawed, mixed-up, real version again. That's the rule" (94-5).
5. The emphasis on having a growth mindset in the text. Jaye isn't some natural actress; she had to work hard for it (even preparing all summer for a part): "I just think anything that comes really easily doesn't have much power" (213); however, I like being naturally good and things and having more time to watch TV :)
6. Jaye's connection with Pierce (before she messes it up). I know we aren't supposed to like him and he's compared to Count Paris, but I really did. He's mature, knows Jaye, and wants to protect her: "That he was not somewhere between a friend and a stranger made it seem both meant-to-be and frightening. But maybe that was how it was supposed to feel. Maybe that was how fate felt" (225). Plus, he keeps trying even when Rob comes around, which is more than what a lot of guys would do.
7. The notion of fate. Though I do not believe in predestination, Shakespeare did, and the treatment of fate in this work mirrored what he often alluded to ("These violent delights have violent ends" (272)): "Why hand't I seen this coming? Everyone knows how the play ends" (233). Even when Jaye realizes what's happening and tries to change the story, it ends up just like her premonition.
8. When Jaye speaks to Shakespeare. Although West could have never read much to give her insight into his personality, she makes him wise about the human condition, playful at times, and passionately true to the story: "But you could have changed it [. . .] It didn't have to turn out that way. You could have written a different ending. Let them make the right choices for once" "But that wouldn't be the truth [. . .] Do you know how hard it is to just sit back and watch, when you already know what's coming? You created them. You care about them. You know they'll make mistakes. You know they'll get hurt. The world will hurt them, they'll hurt themselves. There's nothing you can do. That's just the way the story goes" (308).
What I didn't like:
1. Jaye is a sucky character. She's antisocial with her family and blames them ("You know, loving you is pretty hard on the people who try to do it"- said by her OWN MOTHER! (256)), she hangs out with deadbeats who do drugs and West gave them few redeeming qualities, she self-sabotages constantly and never improves in the book, and she leads guys on while attempting to play the "naive girl" role who doesn't understand what she's doing. Yeah, right. At least in Shakespearean plays, the women are either tough and overtly calculated or truthful and pure (but emotionally fragile). Jays just isn't believable or someone I'd desire readers to emulate: "This is what you do: You play the sad outcast role, but nobody put you in it. You chose it. You chose it for yourself" (188). I guess on a positive note, a lot of teenagers (and people in general) fall into those types of self-loathing slumps and blame the world while people get annoyed with them and go away. How conveniently for Jaye that she's apparently so super hot and talented that she still has to beat attractive 6+feet tall guys away from her (because guys in high school and traditionally that tall....not).
2. Rob is annoying. He isn't romantic; he's just brooding. He desires to self-sabotages just as much as Jaye, which will never work out, yet he gets to live in the end while Pierce, who tried to help her, may be dead? That's just lame. Really, both of them were sub-par love interests and it reflects significantly on Jaye's character that she becomes so readily-obsessed with them. Daddy issues, much? It would've been way more interesting if she'd fallen in love with one of the actual Shakespearean characters and had to choose between fantasy and reality.
3. The stereotype of theater kids as druggies and outsiders. In regular schools, lots of popular kids do plays. Who doesn't want to be a star?
4. The love triangle. Both of these guys just come out of nowhere and there are several hyperbolic standoffs that are almost laughable except for the fact that Jaye, as usual, refuses to be useful and shed clarity on the situations until it's too late.
Basically, take out most of the "teenage angst" parts and you have a great story!
What I really enjoyed:
1. Like ghosts and other characters in Shakespeare's texts, the Shakespearean characters are able to provide insight into Jaye's understanding of the world. As an English teacher, it is often a challenge for students to understand the overarching, thematic elements of these plays that are still relevant today; aspects that, even in Elizabethan England, touched on what it means to be human on a fundamental level. Perhaps a ghost doesn't appear to you and tell you to murder your uncle/stepdad (which my students have affectionately termed "duncle"). Maybe your parents aren't threatening death if you don't marry someone more than twice your age within a week. But the complexity, extent, and fever of these feelings are relatable to other situations easily, even, apparently, in a high school social circle of drama nerds.
2. The plays selected were recognizable for high schoolers. Yes, Shakespeare wrote 30+ plays, but I'm assuming that West made a deliberate choice to incorporate plays that teens would actually be reading, while leaving some of the more dense (and often boring) other options out. Either my assumption is correct, or she hasn't read that much Shakespeare, which could also be true...
3. The quotations selected from the plays were ones that have often elicited reactions in my students, which was fun: "God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another" (9).
4. Jaye was able to have negative emotions about her dead father, who sounded like a total jerk. Just because someone died doesn't mean that should be glorified for no longer being in the world to make others miserable: "He knew that when somebody dies, everybody else bands together and re-creates them. They take out the flaws, erase the bad stories, crunch the memories that don't match into tight, dark corners. In a few days--a few hours sometimes--all that's left is the perfect vision, and no one can ever mention the flawed, mixed-up, real version again. That's the rule" (94-5).
5. The emphasis on having a growth mindset in the text. Jaye isn't some natural actress; she had to work hard for it (even preparing all summer for a part): "I just think anything that comes really easily doesn't have much power" (213); however, I like being naturally good and things and having more time to watch TV :)
6. Jaye's connection with Pierce (before she messes it up). I know we aren't supposed to like him and he's compared to Count Paris, but I really did. He's mature, knows Jaye, and wants to protect her: "That he was not somewhere between a friend and a stranger made it seem both meant-to-be and frightening. But maybe that was how it was supposed to feel. Maybe that was how fate felt" (225). Plus, he keeps trying even when Rob comes around, which is more than what a lot of guys would do.
7. The notion of fate. Though I do not believe in predestination, Shakespeare did, and the treatment of fate in this work mirrored what he often alluded to ("These violent delights have violent ends" (272)): "Why hand't I seen this coming? Everyone knows how the play ends" (233). Even when Jaye realizes what's happening and tries to change the story, it ends up just like her premonition.
8. When Jaye speaks to Shakespeare. Although West could have never read much to give her insight into his personality, she makes him wise about the human condition, playful at times, and passionately true to the story: "But you could have changed it [. . .] It didn't have to turn out that way. You could have written a different ending. Let them make the right choices for once" "But that wouldn't be the truth [. . .] Do you know how hard it is to just sit back and watch, when you already know what's coming? You created them. You care about them. You know they'll make mistakes. You know they'll get hurt. The world will hurt them, they'll hurt themselves. There's nothing you can do. That's just the way the story goes" (308).
What I didn't like:
1. Jaye is a sucky character. She's antisocial with her family and blames them ("You know, loving you is pretty hard on the people who try to do it"- said by her OWN MOTHER! (256)), she hangs out with deadbeats who do drugs and West gave them few redeeming qualities, she self-sabotages constantly and never improves in the book, and she leads guys on while attempting to play the "naive girl" role who doesn't understand what she's doing. Yeah, right. At least in Shakespearean plays, the women are either tough and overtly calculated or truthful and pure (but emotionally fragile). Jays just isn't believable or someone I'd desire readers to emulate: "This is what you do: You play the sad outcast role, but nobody put you in it. You chose it. You chose it for yourself" (188). I guess on a positive note, a lot of teenagers (and people in general) fall into those types of self-loathing slumps and blame the world while people get annoyed with them and go away. How conveniently for Jaye that she's apparently so super hot and talented that she still has to beat attractive 6+feet tall guys away from her (because guys in high school and traditionally that tall....not).
2. Rob is annoying. He isn't romantic; he's just brooding. He desires to self-sabotages just as much as Jaye, which will never work out, yet he gets to live in the end while Pierce, who tried to help her, may be dead? That's just lame. Really, both of them were sub-par love interests and it reflects significantly on Jaye's character that she becomes so readily-obsessed with them. Daddy issues, much? It would've been way more interesting if she'd fallen in love with one of the actual Shakespearean characters and had to choose between fantasy and reality.
3. The stereotype of theater kids as druggies and outsiders. In regular schools, lots of popular kids do plays. Who doesn't want to be a star?
4. The love triangle. Both of these guys just come out of nowhere and there are several hyperbolic standoffs that are almost laughable except for the fact that Jaye, as usual, refuses to be useful and shed clarity on the situations until it's too late.
Basically, take out most of the "teenage angst" parts and you have a great story!
May 1, 2018
3.5 stars
Well this was certainly beautifully written. Had me at the edge of my seat the last third, too. But that ending. What in the world just happened?!?
Open endings work sometimes, but this book asked way too many really important questions and literally didn't answer any of them. Not so sure I'm happy about that.
Well this was certainly beautifully written. Had me at the edge of my seat the last third, too. But that ending. What in the world just happened?!?
Open endings work sometimes, but this book asked way too many really important questions and literally didn't answer any of them. Not so sure I'm happy about that.
July 12, 2018
This was an interesting character piece. I really enjoyed it. I loved the Shakespeare characters too. It was very dream like, in a lot of ways. A solid 4 stars up until the end. The end is this weird open thing that doesn't resolve the whole piece thing. It was just weird.
September 22, 2020
"If you sit by yourself in a dark room for long enough, you'll see ghosts."
Jaye Stuart wakes in the hospital to find William Shakespeare at her bedside. She knows it's probably a dream but when the visions don't go away, she's not sure what to do but try to ignore them. But when she mistakes the new kid in school for Romeo, things start to get complicated.
I don't know who was more confused through this story: Jaye or me. I thought this was going to be a story about a girl hallucinating her favourite Shakespeare characters and wreaking havoc in a school play but it's mostly just awful parents and a really annoying love triangle.
Jaye was so interesting to start with. The first chapter was so lyrical and mysterious and I thought I was going to be in for a rich, intriguing story full of twists and turns. But as soon as Jaye is out of the hospital, it just devolved into high school drama that was all completely unfounded. And she lost all her personality by the end too which was very disappointing.
That ending, by the way? What even was it? If West was trying to bookend the story with the same scene, it definitely did not work because the circumstances leading up to the end were just absurd. You can write the sick girl running away once but twice in 50 pages? Too much.
If you like Shakespeare, there might be something for you to enjoy here but all the repetitive teen drama ruined it for me.
March 19, 2016
What intrigued me: I couldn't wait to read this book after reading the excerpt included in this Entertainment Weekly article.
What I liked: This book is so engrossing I read it in one sitting. Jaye is a very believable character and reminds me of my little brother. I loved her interactions with Rob. There are too many YA books where the female lead loses her voice around the boy, but I'm happy to report that did not happen here.
What I didn't like: n/a
Favorite quote: I don't have a copy of the book with me, but there was a joke about text messages flying faster than girls without sweaters that I still can't get out of my head. I laughed far longer than I should have.
What I liked: This book is so engrossing I read it in one sitting. Jaye is a very believable character and reminds me of my little brother. I loved her interactions with Rob. There are too many YA books where the female lead loses her voice around the boy, but I'm happy to report that did not happen here.
What I didn't like: n/a
Favorite quote: I don't have a copy of the book with me, but there was a joke about text messages flying faster than girls without sweaters that I still can't get out of my head. I laughed far longer than I should have.
February 7, 2016
Twisty and labyrinthine, confusing in all the right ways, dreamy and nightmarish with plenty of swoon, this was just like going to a Shakespeare play for me - it pulled me completely under and I'm still not sure if any of it was real. A fresh new voice for YA lit!
November 24, 2017
This book was predictable and boring. I thought it was boring and thought it would go one way but it went another. The characters i mostly didn’t like and I didn’t like the plot. I really wouldn’t read this again.
March 13, 2018
that was interesting
July 13, 2016
Give me an ending like that any day of the week. I was enamored with this story and am elated that this YA incorporates drama and acting, an unreliable narrator, and Shakespeare with family drama to boot. I could have done without the high-octane romance, especially with Rob's character and the feeling that Jaye and him were so perfect and lovely after having just met the week previous, but alas, that is the way it went. Yet there is so much more to the story to LOVE, love, love.
Having sustained a terrible head injury in a skiing accident, Jaye now sees William Shakespeare and Romeo, confuses lines in different Shakespeare plays, and is generally unstable with history and details. She feigns good health to get out of the hospital quickly because she knows it bothers her mother. Her mother and their family suffered a tragedy when the esteemed father dies in a car accident. The ghosts of her father are all around with a very unique perspective that everyone only remembers the good things and the perfect things about a person, not the others. Jaye was always on the receiving end of disappointment from her father, having not succeeded in sports, grades, and picking the wrong friends.
But as Jaye tries to get back into school and her part as Titania in the school's play, opposite jock turned thespian Pierce who plays Oberon, she's confused but also making poor decisions, especially with the new boy who's rumored to have been expelled from several schools. Pierce wants back in her life after being absent for a few years after Jaye's father's death since they were close and their family's were connected professionally and personally.
So while I assigned it the magical tag, it's really only Jaye's head injury that causes these hallucinations that readers fall deeper in to when Jaye refuses to slow down enough to allow her brain to recover. She's demanding answers from her mother about where her father was staying the last few weeks before his death and she's pulling away from Pierce and her newly rekindled relationship.
The connection between the Shakespearean characters and situations experienced in the story is genius and the amount of Shakespeare you get is (as an adult reader and librarian) so intelligent to add to both the interest and intrigue of both Shakespeare and contemporary realism. It also doesn't hurt that it's got a great title and perfect cover.
Having sustained a terrible head injury in a skiing accident, Jaye now sees William Shakespeare and Romeo, confuses lines in different Shakespeare plays, and is generally unstable with history and details. She feigns good health to get out of the hospital quickly because she knows it bothers her mother. Her mother and their family suffered a tragedy when the esteemed father dies in a car accident. The ghosts of her father are all around with a very unique perspective that everyone only remembers the good things and the perfect things about a person, not the others. Jaye was always on the receiving end of disappointment from her father, having not succeeded in sports, grades, and picking the wrong friends.
But as Jaye tries to get back into school and her part as Titania in the school's play, opposite jock turned thespian Pierce who plays Oberon, she's confused but also making poor decisions, especially with the new boy who's rumored to have been expelled from several schools. Pierce wants back in her life after being absent for a few years after Jaye's father's death since they were close and their family's were connected professionally and personally.
So while I assigned it the magical tag, it's really only Jaye's head injury that causes these hallucinations that readers fall deeper in to when Jaye refuses to slow down enough to allow her brain to recover. She's demanding answers from her mother about where her father was staying the last few weeks before his death and she's pulling away from Pierce and her newly rekindled relationship.
The connection between the Shakespearean characters and situations experienced in the story is genius and the amount of Shakespeare you get is (as an adult reader and librarian) so intelligent to add to both the interest and intrigue of both Shakespeare and contemporary realism. It also doesn't hurt that it's got a great title and perfect cover.
April 12, 2016
Dreamers Often Lie
Jacqueline West
Personal Response-
As my sister took me to the Half-Price Book Seller I looked through the book, my sister handing ones that sounded like my took of books to me. Reading the back of this book I caught interest in it as in English we were currently reading Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and this book involved Shakespeare. It was also included with romance and dreamers.
Summary-
Jaye was just your average teenage girl with about as much as she could ask for. He parents were rough on her and later disclosed her from things as all they did was things she’d had fears of doing. Finally after her father had died in a car accident, Jaye accepted to go skiing with her mother and sister Sadie. Skiing, Jaye ended up flying off the trail and hitting a tree landing her in the hospital for multiple weeks. When Jaye awake she began seeing, things, people that were either dead or a creation. She saw Shakespeare and characters from his plays like Romeo, Hamlet, etc. They came to her, speaking to her and Jaye fought them so she could get out of the hospital and back into her own plays rehearsal. First day back and Jaye runs into the new guy Rob. Instantly they are connected but Pierce, an old friend of Jaye’s (ex boyfriend), steps in between them saying he’s only protecting Jaye. In the end Rob and Jaye snuck out to see each other, Pierce chasing after them. On the very last day, they left the park they’d snuck off to and in the storm of all the blinding snow, the two cars struck. Pierce lay in his barely breathing, unconscious, Rob lying outside of his car half buried in all of the snow.
Recommendation-
I recommend this book to any teen that are into love triangles, and being able to solve mysteries of their own. I also want to warn you that this book isn’t one to be guessed on, you’ll have to read it all the way through to understand and it never gets boring, I promise.
Jacqueline West
Personal Response-
As my sister took me to the Half-Price Book Seller I looked through the book, my sister handing ones that sounded like my took of books to me. Reading the back of this book I caught interest in it as in English we were currently reading Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and this book involved Shakespeare. It was also included with romance and dreamers.
Summary-
Jaye was just your average teenage girl with about as much as she could ask for. He parents were rough on her and later disclosed her from things as all they did was things she’d had fears of doing. Finally after her father had died in a car accident, Jaye accepted to go skiing with her mother and sister Sadie. Skiing, Jaye ended up flying off the trail and hitting a tree landing her in the hospital for multiple weeks. When Jaye awake she began seeing, things, people that were either dead or a creation. She saw Shakespeare and characters from his plays like Romeo, Hamlet, etc. They came to her, speaking to her and Jaye fought them so she could get out of the hospital and back into her own plays rehearsal. First day back and Jaye runs into the new guy Rob. Instantly they are connected but Pierce, an old friend of Jaye’s (ex boyfriend), steps in between them saying he’s only protecting Jaye. In the end Rob and Jaye snuck out to see each other, Pierce chasing after them. On the very last day, they left the park they’d snuck off to and in the storm of all the blinding snow, the two cars struck. Pierce lay in his barely breathing, unconscious, Rob lying outside of his car half buried in all of the snow.
Recommendation-
I recommend this book to any teen that are into love triangles, and being able to solve mysteries of their own. I also want to warn you that this book isn’t one to be guessed on, you’ll have to read it all the way through to understand and it never gets boring, I promise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2016
I am about to go against everything everyone has said on here. I didn't enjoy this book at all. I mostly finished it out of obligation, and partly because I wanted to see if Jaye ever learned her lesson or not.
MINOR SPOILERS!
I was bored with this book when I started it, even though I was really excited about it.The whole book was basically: school, then hallucination, rehearsal, hallucination omg I can't finish rehearsal, getting into trouble.
Jaye was a character that I disliked about halfway through the book. I didn't much like her in the beginning, but I thought she would get better. She is constantly telling everyone she is sorry and she has learned her lesson, but she makes the same mistakes over and over again. For gosh sakes, she ends up in the hospital three times in one book! Two times in the last 100 pages!
As for her love interests: Rob and Pierce. She couldn't pick one until the end of the book! First she kind of liked Pierce, then Rob, then kissing Pierce and agrees to go on a date, then kisses Rob!
I could rant forever on this book, from the poor love interest, the weak love triangle, the stupidity of the main character (who can even match Juliet's stupidity), to how the Sahkespeare characters were just a background for the poorly spun out "love story", to finally the confusing ending.
I couldn't get the ending at all; probably becaused I started skimming halfway through the book. However, while I want to know what it means, I don't care enough to go back and read the last few pages.
And with this, I bid adieu.
MINOR SPOILERS!
I was bored with this book when I started it, even though I was really excited about it.The whole book was basically: school, then hallucination, rehearsal, hallucination omg I can't finish rehearsal, getting into trouble.
Jaye was a character that I disliked about halfway through the book. I didn't much like her in the beginning, but I thought she would get better. She is constantly telling everyone she is sorry and she has learned her lesson, but she makes the same mistakes over and over again. For gosh sakes, she ends up in the hospital three times in one book! Two times in the last 100 pages!
As for her love interests: Rob and Pierce. She couldn't pick one until the end of the book! First she kind of liked Pierce, then Rob, then kissing Pierce and agrees to go on a date, then kisses Rob!
I could rant forever on this book, from the poor love interest, the weak love triangle, the stupidity of the main character (who can even match Juliet's stupidity), to how the Sahkespeare characters were just a background for the poorly spun out "love story", to finally the confusing ending.
I couldn't get the ending at all; probably becaused I started skimming halfway through the book. However, while I want to know what it means, I don't care enough to go back and read the last few pages.
And with this, I bid adieu.
July 10, 2019
a. what the fuck
b. who ends a book like that? There was no end to the character arc? Like, spoiler (I guess), but there's a car accident at the end and then there isn't an end? Like what?
c. what is with these teen contemp books thinking that a fucking car accident is an acceptable ending to a book. Someone getting hit by a car is not an ending. And that drama? Excuse me? You can't leave that unresolved. Add another chapter at least. Like honestly. I thought there would be an epilogue.
d. also that unresolved abusive character that is portrayed as a suitable love interest but is never confronted for his gas lighting, manipulation, and anger issues? I'm sorry, who the fuck?
e. this book is lucky that I really was enjoying it up to that ending. Like way to bomb the shit out of the ending, utterly destroying everything that came before. I was so tempted to just smash it with a one star. I'm in shock. It can't just end it doesn't make any sense. THAT ISN'T AN ENDING!!! NOTHING GOT RESOLVED!
e. what the fuck
b. who ends a book like that? There was no end to the character arc? Like, spoiler (I guess), but there's a car accident at the end and then there isn't an end? Like what?
c. what is with these teen contemp books thinking that a fucking car accident is an acceptable ending to a book. Someone getting hit by a car is not an ending. And that drama? Excuse me? You can't leave that unresolved. Add another chapter at least. Like honestly. I thought there would be an epilogue.
d. also that unresolved abusive character that is portrayed as a suitable love interest but is never confronted for his gas lighting, manipulation, and anger issues? I'm sorry, who the fuck?
e. this book is lucky that I really was enjoying it up to that ending. Like way to bomb the shit out of the ending, utterly destroying everything that came before. I was so tempted to just smash it with a one star. I'm in shock. It can't just end it doesn't make any sense. THAT ISN'T AN ENDING!!! NOTHING GOT RESOLVED!
e. what the fuck
July 4, 2016
A difficult 3 stars to assign, because a lot of the book deserved higher. The hallucinations that constitute the central premise both promise intrigue and present a completely unique window into the soul of our protagonist (bonus points for neat parallels between Shakespearean plots of dueling lovers and dead fathers), and the story's YA "bones" of the heroine's family and romantic concerns interlock nicely and expand on the genre's conventions (particularly commendable is how the author *combines* YA conventions of the dead parent and the unsupportive one). And for 80% of the story, suspense mounts amid clever changes of which love interest and which version of half-rememberer events we're supposed to trust. It's very disappointing, then, that every one of those questions goes out with a whimper instead of a bang. Without saying too much, the problem built up to be a mystery resolves quietly and simply, and the tension between the romantic interests hardly resolves at all.
April 3, 2019
absolutely gorgeous novel. (i can't believe i've had this for... three years? and still haven't done a review??)
so. jacqueline west is an amazing writer. i am trying to stay unbiased, because we're pretty close friends, but it's hard.
i got hooked on the books of elsewhere series, and got this book the moment it came out.
three years later, my copy is a little battered, but much loved. the writing in this book flows so beautifully, and is very stream-of-consciousness. every time i re-read the book, i pick up on little things i didn't realize before. things about characters, or reading more into scenes... there's something new every time i read it. by far my favorite book of all time, and definitely my most-read. (i think i've read it at least a million times.) i have yet to get jacqueline's new books, but i'm looking forward to reading her new pieces. much love, jacqui. <3
so. jacqueline west is an amazing writer. i am trying to stay unbiased, because we're pretty close friends, but it's hard.
i got hooked on the books of elsewhere series, and got this book the moment it came out.
three years later, my copy is a little battered, but much loved. the writing in this book flows so beautifully, and is very stream-of-consciousness. every time i re-read the book, i pick up on little things i didn't realize before. things about characters, or reading more into scenes... there's something new every time i read it. by far my favorite book of all time, and definitely my most-read. (i think i've read it at least a million times.) i have yet to get jacqueline's new books, but i'm looking forward to reading her new pieces. much love, jacqui. <3
November 6, 2023
112 out of 128 people found this review helpful
Book: Dreamers Often Lie
Author: Jacqueline West
Dreamers Often Lie: A Captivating Beginning With a Disappointing End
I enjoyed reading the novel Dreamers Often Lie, by Jacqueline West. After reading the book, I was left wishing for a sequel. I found the novel to be captivating for the most part, but it seemed to drag on for too long, repeating the same scenes over and over again, causing it to seem boring and prolonged. The book includes references to Shakespearean characters as well, so for those who enjoy Shakespeare’s plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you should consider reading this book.
Jaye is the main character of the book and sustains a major concussion in the beginning after a skiing accident. The accident lands her in the hospital, where she wakes up six days later, unaware of anything that happened prior. Her being in the hospital causes memories of her late father to resurface, since he was in the hospital as well during his last few days. Jaye begs her mother and the doctors to let her go back to school, claiming she is feeling well enough to get back. She is desperate to return because she had recently landed the lead in their school play, A Mid Summer’s Night Dream, by Shakespear. She will be playing Titania, the magical fairy. The doctors agree to discharge her as long as she takes it easy and goes only to school and back home. Overjoyed, Jaye is taken home, but she has a big secret to hide. Ever since the accident, Jaye has been having extremely realistic hallucinations involving Shakespearean characters. She knows that if she reveals this secret to anyone, she will end up right back in the hospital. After leaving the hospital, she tells herself sternly, “You can pretend everything's fine…Pretend you can handle all of this. Just like you’ve been doing for years” (West 30). Keeping this secret, however, proves to be very difficult, as sometimes she is unable to differentiate between her hallucinations and real life. As Jaye tries to gain control over her new, chaotic life. In addition to real-life Romeos, estranged childhood friends, and the haunting death of her father, Jaye now has to balance the occasional Shakespearean character interfering with her new life. As romance sparks and values shift, Jaye now must ask herself if she is willing to throw everything away for this play, or is there something or someone else in her new life that is more important.
I found the book to be captivating in the beginning. The interesting concept allowed for suspense and some minor plot twists. The reader follows Jaye’s path out of the hospital, and is with her every step of the way throughout the first-person narration. I appreciated the point of view choice because it felt more real, like I was viewing Jaye’s life as it was panning out. I feel as though a third person point of view narration would have dulled that experience. I found the book’s literary choices and dialogue to be very real as well. The Conversations between the characters felt like a real conversation.
One aspect of the book that I did not like as much was the ending. It felt unfinished, as though there was supposed to be more. As far as I know, there is no sequel to the book, despite the ending seeming to hint at further additions to the plot. Without spoiling the book, I will simply say that the ending felt too abrupt. I was left unsatisfied with so many questions that were left unanswered. I suppose the vagueness was done on purpose so that the reader could determine the ending on their own, but I enjoy books with solid, compact endings that leave no loose ends and this book was exactly the opposite. I also was not a fan of the repetitive plot of the book. There were only three main occurrences in the book, those being the play rehearsal, hallucinating, and going home. I felt like the book was drawn out too much because of the constant repetition of the same plot points. This caused me to lose interest in the book, especially throughout the middle of it. The hallucinations, for being such a large part of the story, are not dealt with very well, in my opinion. They are introduced to have this substantial presence in the book, and I assumed they would have an intense meaning later on, but they are just kind of there, occurring every once in a while as if to confirm that Jaye is still experiencing them. I felt like, for as much build up with them that there was, the end result was very disappointing. The supporting characters in the book, such as Jaye’s sister Sophie and her mother, as well as her friends seemed to be cast to the side. I enjoyed their additions to the story because her friends provided humor, and her sister seemed like a very likable character, but was never fully developed. I don’t think any of them were. The book seemed as though it needed a sequel to fit all the character development into it, but also had nothing left of the plot to give. For being three-hundred and some pages, I was left with more questions at the end than I had in the beginning. Overall, I feel like the idea was really cool, and overall, the book was likable and interesting, but if you’re looking for a book with deep meanings and developed ideas and characters, this is probably not the book for you.
For the most part, however, the book was very enjoyable to read, and I was interested throughout most of it. As a highschool student myself, I could relate to some of the school struggles that Jaye experienced, and was empathetic of her determination. I think it stressed an important message of listening to your heart and maintaining a healthy balance in your life, and I appreciate that I was at least able to take that away from the book.
Book: Dreamers Often Lie
Author: Jacqueline West
Dreamers Often Lie: A Captivating Beginning With a Disappointing End
I enjoyed reading the novel Dreamers Often Lie, by Jacqueline West. After reading the book, I was left wishing for a sequel. I found the novel to be captivating for the most part, but it seemed to drag on for too long, repeating the same scenes over and over again, causing it to seem boring and prolonged. The book includes references to Shakespearean characters as well, so for those who enjoy Shakespeare’s plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you should consider reading this book.
Jaye is the main character of the book and sustains a major concussion in the beginning after a skiing accident. The accident lands her in the hospital, where she wakes up six days later, unaware of anything that happened prior. Her being in the hospital causes memories of her late father to resurface, since he was in the hospital as well during his last few days. Jaye begs her mother and the doctors to let her go back to school, claiming she is feeling well enough to get back. She is desperate to return because she had recently landed the lead in their school play, A Mid Summer’s Night Dream, by Shakespear. She will be playing Titania, the magical fairy. The doctors agree to discharge her as long as she takes it easy and goes only to school and back home. Overjoyed, Jaye is taken home, but she has a big secret to hide. Ever since the accident, Jaye has been having extremely realistic hallucinations involving Shakespearean characters. She knows that if she reveals this secret to anyone, she will end up right back in the hospital. After leaving the hospital, she tells herself sternly, “You can pretend everything's fine…Pretend you can handle all of this. Just like you’ve been doing for years” (West 30). Keeping this secret, however, proves to be very difficult, as sometimes she is unable to differentiate between her hallucinations and real life. As Jaye tries to gain control over her new, chaotic life. In addition to real-life Romeos, estranged childhood friends, and the haunting death of her father, Jaye now has to balance the occasional Shakespearean character interfering with her new life. As romance sparks and values shift, Jaye now must ask herself if she is willing to throw everything away for this play, or is there something or someone else in her new life that is more important.
I found the book to be captivating in the beginning. The interesting concept allowed for suspense and some minor plot twists. The reader follows Jaye’s path out of the hospital, and is with her every step of the way throughout the first-person narration. I appreciated the point of view choice because it felt more real, like I was viewing Jaye’s life as it was panning out. I feel as though a third person point of view narration would have dulled that experience. I found the book’s literary choices and dialogue to be very real as well. The Conversations between the characters felt like a real conversation.
One aspect of the book that I did not like as much was the ending. It felt unfinished, as though there was supposed to be more. As far as I know, there is no sequel to the book, despite the ending seeming to hint at further additions to the plot. Without spoiling the book, I will simply say that the ending felt too abrupt. I was left unsatisfied with so many questions that were left unanswered. I suppose the vagueness was done on purpose so that the reader could determine the ending on their own, but I enjoy books with solid, compact endings that leave no loose ends and this book was exactly the opposite. I also was not a fan of the repetitive plot of the book. There were only three main occurrences in the book, those being the play rehearsal, hallucinating, and going home. I felt like the book was drawn out too much because of the constant repetition of the same plot points. This caused me to lose interest in the book, especially throughout the middle of it. The hallucinations, for being such a large part of the story, are not dealt with very well, in my opinion. They are introduced to have this substantial presence in the book, and I assumed they would have an intense meaning later on, but they are just kind of there, occurring every once in a while as if to confirm that Jaye is still experiencing them. I felt like, for as much build up with them that there was, the end result was very disappointing. The supporting characters in the book, such as Jaye’s sister Sophie and her mother, as well as her friends seemed to be cast to the side. I enjoyed their additions to the story because her friends provided humor, and her sister seemed like a very likable character, but was never fully developed. I don’t think any of them were. The book seemed as though it needed a sequel to fit all the character development into it, but also had nothing left of the plot to give. For being three-hundred and some pages, I was left with more questions at the end than I had in the beginning. Overall, I feel like the idea was really cool, and overall, the book was likable and interesting, but if you’re looking for a book with deep meanings and developed ideas and characters, this is probably not the book for you.
For the most part, however, the book was very enjoyable to read, and I was interested throughout most of it. As a highschool student myself, I could relate to some of the school struggles that Jaye experienced, and was empathetic of her determination. I think it stressed an important message of listening to your heart and maintaining a healthy balance in your life, and I appreciate that I was at least able to take that away from the book.
January 13, 2017
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
✱ We Were Liars
✱ All My Puny Sorrows
✱ Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders: A Novel
✱ We Were Liars
✱ All My Puny Sorrows
✱ Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders: A Novel
May 19, 2016
This book is all grown up from West's earlier books of Elsewhere...This is a cunning and clever look at the power of the human mind after a head trauma. The entire book inkblots itself from one hallucination to the next blending reality and the unreal into one swinging plot line. Flashback and foreshadowing allow the reader a clear view even when Jaye is unable to see clearly. Fantastic ending...Shakespeare followers...Meet Romeo and Juliet, Orphelia and Hamlet's ghost. Just amazing writing!
June 7, 2016
It's eerie how close to home this book hit. Jaye and I have so much in common, down to our favorite movie, that I found myself wrapped up in her emotions just as intensely as I feel my own. The writing is almost flawless and the pace made this book a 24-hour read for me - I simply could not put it down. It's one star away from perfect for me just because I felt the ending a little abrupt, a couple of key questions left maybe too open-ended. Other than that, Dreamers Often Lie is a delight.
April 5, 2016
Creepy and ethereal and keeps your brain on its toes. This book captures the feeling of being an actor in a play in such an eloquent way, while mixing in elements of hallucination and not being able to trust your own senses. I've read it many times (as it was being written) and will gladly read it many more.
November 6, 2023
**** Trauma with some drama!
Book: Dreamers Often Lie
Author: Jacqueline West
Dreamers Often Lie by Jacqueline West is a very eye-opening book that allows you to vividly understand what one is going through in life, which I really enjoyed. I was delighted with this book for a multitude of reasons. A few things that contributed to my 4.5-star rating are that it is written in the first-person point of view, the figurate language plays a strong role in the book, and there is always something going on. The reason this book did not receive a full five stars from me is because of the number of pages that were taken up by the same repetitive events. I feel as though many of these events were not necessary to the plot of the book. We are also left questioning the ending of this book, which could have potentially been answered for us if so many pages didn’t focus on the same thing over and over again. I love the fact that this book makes us question reality because if you can’t trust yourself, then who can you trust?
This book begins with the main character, Jaye, waking up after a terrible skiing accident. Jaye is unable to fully comprehend what exactly happened to her at first, but once she gets a grasp of what happened, her immediate instinct is to get out of the hospital. Jaye is in no condition to be going to school because she is having hallucinations of Shakespearian characters. Jaye knows that if the doctors find out she is having these hallucinations, she will have no chance of getting out, so she decides to lie. Jaye figures that if she can hide the fact that she is suffering, she will be able to get back to her normal life as fast as possible. I can definitely understand why Jaye feels the need to get back into the swing of her normal life. After just previously being concussed this past year, I was absolutely devastated when I found out that I would have to miss out on 2 full weeks of school. Although this time off was meant to be a resting section, it was almost the opposite. During those 2 weeks, I was constantly worried about what I was missing out on in school. I was worrying about the mass amount of work I would have to make up. Most importantly, I was worried about what people would think of me when I came back to school. Since I had the same exact accident as Jaye and had to go through everything that she experienced when in school, I can certainly understand why she was so anxious to get back into school and her everyday life.
Upon returning back to school, Jaye (SPOILER ALERT) manages to score the lead role in her school’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream (END OF SPOILER). With this, she meets two men, Rob and Pierce, who she begins to get closer with as time goes on. Pierce starts to feel threatened by Rob and starts a fight with him. As the two fight over Jaye, she is torn between who she loves and who she likes. Jaye catches feelings for both guys and a love triangle forms. We are left with a cliffhanger at the end of the book, wondering if and who Jaye chooses.
Relating back to how the book is written in the first-person point of view, it really allows us to get a full comprehension of the book. The first-person narrative allows us to be able to understand what is going through Jaye’s mind. Knowing what Jaye is experiencing throughout the novel is highly important, as it is crucial to our understanding of how Jaye comes to perceive her new way of life. I feel like we, as readers, need to feel connected in some way with the characters in the book. For those who have not had a similar experience to Jaye and cannot connect with her through experience, they can almost get inside her mind with the way the text is written. Going along with this, the author’s use of figurative language also enhances our understanding of the book. Just to give an example of how figurative language boosts our understanding, Jaye says that she “tries to let [a] memory fade, but it clung to [her] brain like a tooth hanging by a stringy root (page 158). The use of this simile helps us understand how hard it was for Jaye to let go of this memory. No matter how hard she tried, it remained in her mind. The author also uses the simile because we can all relate to what she compares the memory to. We all know how stubborn loose teeth are, so we can better understand what Jaye felt like trying to wipe this memory away.
At the end of the book, we are left wondering what happened to some of the characters. There is really no set ending to the book, which I didn’t like. For me, I like knowing what exactly happens, I don’t like having an ending left up to my interpretation. If you enjoy making up your own ending and controlling what happens, you will most likely enjoy the book! Another downfall is that many things were repeated. The amount of times we are reminded of Jaye’s hallucinations is dispensable, and I feel as though if these extra tidbits were not included, we would have a clear, thorough ending. Despite this, I really did enjoy the book, perhaps because of how much I could relate to it, but if you like an exciting read with traumatic instances and drama mixed in, you will love this book and should definitely try it!
Book: Dreamers Often Lie
Author: Jacqueline West
Dreamers Often Lie by Jacqueline West is a very eye-opening book that allows you to vividly understand what one is going through in life, which I really enjoyed. I was delighted with this book for a multitude of reasons. A few things that contributed to my 4.5-star rating are that it is written in the first-person point of view, the figurate language plays a strong role in the book, and there is always something going on. The reason this book did not receive a full five stars from me is because of the number of pages that were taken up by the same repetitive events. I feel as though many of these events were not necessary to the plot of the book. We are also left questioning the ending of this book, which could have potentially been answered for us if so many pages didn’t focus on the same thing over and over again. I love the fact that this book makes us question reality because if you can’t trust yourself, then who can you trust?
This book begins with the main character, Jaye, waking up after a terrible skiing accident. Jaye is unable to fully comprehend what exactly happened to her at first, but once she gets a grasp of what happened, her immediate instinct is to get out of the hospital. Jaye is in no condition to be going to school because she is having hallucinations of Shakespearian characters. Jaye knows that if the doctors find out she is having these hallucinations, she will have no chance of getting out, so she decides to lie. Jaye figures that if she can hide the fact that she is suffering, she will be able to get back to her normal life as fast as possible. I can definitely understand why Jaye feels the need to get back into the swing of her normal life. After just previously being concussed this past year, I was absolutely devastated when I found out that I would have to miss out on 2 full weeks of school. Although this time off was meant to be a resting section, it was almost the opposite. During those 2 weeks, I was constantly worried about what I was missing out on in school. I was worrying about the mass amount of work I would have to make up. Most importantly, I was worried about what people would think of me when I came back to school. Since I had the same exact accident as Jaye and had to go through everything that she experienced when in school, I can certainly understand why she was so anxious to get back into school and her everyday life.
Upon returning back to school, Jaye (SPOILER ALERT) manages to score the lead role in her school’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream (END OF SPOILER). With this, she meets two men, Rob and Pierce, who she begins to get closer with as time goes on. Pierce starts to feel threatened by Rob and starts a fight with him. As the two fight over Jaye, she is torn between who she loves and who she likes. Jaye catches feelings for both guys and a love triangle forms. We are left with a cliffhanger at the end of the book, wondering if and who Jaye chooses.
Relating back to how the book is written in the first-person point of view, it really allows us to get a full comprehension of the book. The first-person narrative allows us to be able to understand what is going through Jaye’s mind. Knowing what Jaye is experiencing throughout the novel is highly important, as it is crucial to our understanding of how Jaye comes to perceive her new way of life. I feel like we, as readers, need to feel connected in some way with the characters in the book. For those who have not had a similar experience to Jaye and cannot connect with her through experience, they can almost get inside her mind with the way the text is written. Going along with this, the author’s use of figurative language also enhances our understanding of the book. Just to give an example of how figurative language boosts our understanding, Jaye says that she “tries to let [a] memory fade, but it clung to [her] brain like a tooth hanging by a stringy root (page 158). The use of this simile helps us understand how hard it was for Jaye to let go of this memory. No matter how hard she tried, it remained in her mind. The author also uses the simile because we can all relate to what she compares the memory to. We all know how stubborn loose teeth are, so we can better understand what Jaye felt like trying to wipe this memory away.
At the end of the book, we are left wondering what happened to some of the characters. There is really no set ending to the book, which I didn’t like. For me, I like knowing what exactly happens, I don’t like having an ending left up to my interpretation. If you enjoy making up your own ending and controlling what happens, you will most likely enjoy the book! Another downfall is that many things were repeated. The amount of times we are reminded of Jaye’s hallucinations is dispensable, and I feel as though if these extra tidbits were not included, we would have a clear, thorough ending. Despite this, I really did enjoy the book, perhaps because of how much I could relate to it, but if you like an exciting read with traumatic instances and drama mixed in, you will love this book and should definitely try it!
April 15, 2016
I THINK I know what that was about, and by think I mean I'm still not sure what I just read but I don't really seem to care because I liked it.
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