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Within Reach
When 17-year-old Xander Hemlock dies, he finds himself trapped in a realm of darkness with thirty days to convince his girlfriend, Lila, that he's not completely dead-even as Lila struggles with a host of issues of her own.
- GenresYoung AdultParanormal
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2015
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103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 27, 2016
Ok, so I did not totally see the ending coming. I liked how it ended with a bit of a cliffhanger. The story had a nice flow to it. I was able to read it without any real stumbling blocks. The main reason why I can't say that I am in love with this book is because although I did feel the strong connection between Xan and Lila, I did not experience the love worth going to the ends of the Earth for. I was craving this reading this book. It was like me the reader had to be assured of this factor at the end of every chapter. Yet, there was a few other love interest that came into the picture for Lila and I could not picture anyone else with her but Xan. For example one of the guys was Jason. At first I thought he was a good friend but as the story went on, he quickly got on my nerves and I found him annoying. So much that when he could come into the picture I would quickly skim over his parts of the conversation. As far as soulmates and a ghost story, this is not a bad one. It is actually one of the better stories I have read in a while.
May 11, 2016
A lovely first novel. The characters are relatable and believable, the dialogue is carefully crafted, and the story is compelling. All at once it is a ghost story, a mystery, and most of all, a love story.
June 17, 2017
I received this an an ARC from NetGalley. It took me a really long time to get into this book (actually I never really did). It was really confusing going back between Xan who was in limbo, dead but not gone and his girlfriend Lily being alive and him trying to get her attention while he's dead and she can't see him. The whole story was kind of odd with Lily living alone (at age 17) on a boat. Xan had a confidant (Wes) who was supposedly guiding him in getting back to Lily but I really did not understand what his deal was or the whole thing about how Lily and Xan had already had 5 lives together. The whole story was just a little too much for me. They obviously loved each other a lot but Lily had some issues, like being anorexic which wasn't taken too seriously by anyone, and no parents around...I did like the ending kind of leaving us guessing as to if they were alive or dead but TOGETHER at least, however getting there was too painstakingly long. Xan seemed like a decent guy. Jason was a psycho obviously which I saw from like page 1 so his behavior at the end didn't surprise me at all. Crazy story. I am pretty imaginative but I guess not enough to be a fan of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2017
I have been taking this book to the sauna for the last several months. It was a really hard book to finish. Hopefully, I can finish my sauna book without it falling apart. I really liked the premise of the book, but I wish it was better written. The author made "true love" into a joke. If the couples really love each other that much, they could not have done some of the things. They have already lived five lives together, but did not learn anything from them. Also, the ending was confusing.
1.5 out of 5 stars
Received a free copy from BookSparks
1.5 out of 5 stars
Received a free copy from BookSparks
November 30, 2016
I just couldn't with this book. It was taking too much of my energy to follow the choppiness from afterlife/in limbo with the current present.
December 30, 2019
Confusion and boredom stuck in a book.Very hard one to read without feeling the weight of wasted time.
June 6, 2016
i don't know what it was about this cover, but i thought it was so pretty. like you can imagine someone coming up to the girl on the cover and being about to tap her on the shoulder, but maybe she's a hair out of reach. in this paranormal young adult romance, xan and lila are perfect soulmates who have wasted five lifetimes together because, well, let's just say reasons for now.
from the within reach back cover blurb we know that dying wasn’t on seventeen-year-old xander hemlock’s summer to-do-list. finding ways to spend more time with his girlfriend, lila, was the most critical thinking he planned on doing. but that was before he found himself trapped in a realm of only darkness with thirty days to convince lila he’s not actually dead—well, not completely, anyway. and from that description, this book seemed different than a lot of the ya i usually read, so i thought i'd give it a chance.
i don't regret having read this, but in the end i think the interesting idea wasn't executed all that well. there are tons of structural issues. characters don't move in and out of scenes in ways that make sense. and while some leeway should be given because this is a paranormal and the spiritual realm (for lack of a better descriptor) plays a huge part in the novel's setting. also, i think the alternating point of view in the novel doesn't really do it any favors. i know it's the flavor of the month in ya and new adult, but i often think that there are better ways to compose the story.
so here's the story, xan is trapped in this spiritual plane, he is dead but his soul is somehow still hanging around. a third character, wes, explains that he can't leave because lila is the other half of his soul. and that they've already had five lifetimes to try and get something right. but this is their last shot. if he fails then bad stuff will happen. the problem is that too much time is spent trying to explain this background, and it never makes sense. like i think the characters try to explain it like five times, and i'm still not entirely clear on the hows and whys of why xan couldn't move on.
it also felt like lila as a character had all this interesting backstory that was pushed to the periphery because the main thrust of the plot is all about getting her to recognize xan's spirit. actually the same goes for xan, so many tidbits of his past were thrown into the story, but not enough time was given to provide proper context, and in the end you feel like you've read this story, but you aren't positive it's the story you actually wanted to read.
**this book is set to release on may 17, 2016. i was able to read an advance reader copy thanks to netgalley/sparksbooks. i received a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. this review appeared on my blog
from the within reach back cover blurb we know that dying wasn’t on seventeen-year-old xander hemlock’s summer to-do-list. finding ways to spend more time with his girlfriend, lila, was the most critical thinking he planned on doing. but that was before he found himself trapped in a realm of only darkness with thirty days to convince lila he’s not actually dead—well, not completely, anyway. and from that description, this book seemed different than a lot of the ya i usually read, so i thought i'd give it a chance.
i don't regret having read this, but in the end i think the interesting idea wasn't executed all that well. there are tons of structural issues. characters don't move in and out of scenes in ways that make sense. and while some leeway should be given because this is a paranormal and the spiritual realm (for lack of a better descriptor) plays a huge part in the novel's setting. also, i think the alternating point of view in the novel doesn't really do it any favors. i know it's the flavor of the month in ya and new adult, but i often think that there are better ways to compose the story.
so here's the story, xan is trapped in this spiritual plane, he is dead but his soul is somehow still hanging around. a third character, wes, explains that he can't leave because lila is the other half of his soul. and that they've already had five lifetimes to try and get something right. but this is their last shot. if he fails then bad stuff will happen. the problem is that too much time is spent trying to explain this background, and it never makes sense. like i think the characters try to explain it like five times, and i'm still not entirely clear on the hows and whys of why xan couldn't move on.
it also felt like lila as a character had all this interesting backstory that was pushed to the periphery because the main thrust of the plot is all about getting her to recognize xan's spirit. actually the same goes for xan, so many tidbits of his past were thrown into the story, but not enough time was given to provide proper context, and in the end you feel like you've read this story, but you aren't positive it's the story you actually wanted to read.
**this book is set to release on may 17, 2016. i was able to read an advance reader copy thanks to netgalley/sparksbooks. i received a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. this review appeared on my blog
May 14, 2016
I am in love with the concept of souls and angels; however, I am not in love with this book because of how the premise was pulled off.
To spoil the first chapter, Lila and Xan are perfect soul mates. Which is all fine and dandy except that their love feels entirely artificial. I get that if they have true love they don't need to have supporting evidence behind their love, but that didn't make me understand their love. It was baseless--it had been love at first sight so there was no trust or common experiences built up.
The premise went a little bit too far and was hard to understand. I felt like the first few chapters were the author explaining how the world worked but at that point I wasn't at all invested in that world and I didn't want to read a complicated backstory. Even later in the book I didn't really understand certain details, things that seemed included more for the purpose of moving the plot forward.
Having said that, Wes was my favourite character and I was disappointed that instead of hearing a lot about him he turned more into someone to move the plot forward also and to encourage certain events to happen.
I wasn't too fond of Xan, but I really abhorred Lila. Maybe I'm heartless since she was dealing with a lot, but she was the epitome of a weak female character needing saving from herself and needing to have a big male protector around at all times to keep herself whole. She was a ballet dancer, which was intriguing, but got in some car accident (I think? Details were never really given.) that resulted in her giving up her dream. But for some reason she gets a second chance? It's complicated and I didn't understand why.
I also didn't buy the friendship between Lila and Jason. I mean, maybe she does have that complex and needs a male protector. But I'm with Xan--though I could understand why she'd let him continue to hurt her, I don't understand why she saw him in such a golden light. And he also didn't seem quite insane. Irrational and jealous, yes, but to the extent that he'd commit certain actions? Meh. Speaking of which, whatever was the 'obstacle'?
I wanted this one to be really good, but it fell short of its potential.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To spoil the first chapter, Lila and Xan are perfect soul mates. Which is all fine and dandy except that their love feels entirely artificial. I get that if they have true love they don't need to have supporting evidence behind their love, but that didn't make me understand their love. It was baseless--it had been love at first sight so there was no trust or common experiences built up.
The premise went a little bit too far and was hard to understand. I felt like the first few chapters were the author explaining how the world worked but at that point I wasn't at all invested in that world and I didn't want to read a complicated backstory. Even later in the book I didn't really understand certain details, things that seemed included more for the purpose of moving the plot forward.
Having said that, Wes was my favourite character and I was disappointed that instead of hearing a lot about him he turned more into someone to move the plot forward also and to encourage certain events to happen.
I wasn't too fond of Xan, but I really abhorred Lila. Maybe I'm heartless since she was dealing with a lot, but she was the epitome of a weak female character needing saving from herself and needing to have a big male protector around at all times to keep herself whole. She was a ballet dancer, which was intriguing, but got in some car accident (I think? Details were never really given.) that resulted in her giving up her dream. But for some reason she gets a second chance? It's complicated and I didn't understand why.
I also didn't buy the friendship between Lila and Jason. I mean, maybe she does have that complex and needs a male protector. But I'm with Xan--though I could understand why she'd let him continue to hurt her, I don't understand why she saw him in such a golden light. And he also didn't seem quite insane. Irrational and jealous, yes, but to the extent that he'd commit certain actions? Meh. Speaking of which, whatever was the 'obstacle'?
I wanted this one to be really good, but it fell short of its potential.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 28, 2016
As part of the BookSparks 2016 YA Summer Reading, I was provided with this book, Within Reach: A Novel by Jessica Stevens. This book isn't what I would consider a "deep" book, but it had an interesting storyline. It was a cross between a love story, a mystery, and maybe even a paranormal book.
The main characters are 17-year old Xander Hemlock, and his soulmate/girlfriend, Lila Walker. The writer provides us with all the information we need in the first couple of pages and we learn about their relationship. It's a very nice love story that's shared from the main characters' point of view separately. Sometimes I find that alternating viewpoints are distracting or hard to follow, but in this instance, it worked out perfectly and filled us in on the story as a whole.
Within Reach takes readers through the experience of the two soulmates refusing to let go of each other, even if one of them is dead. While Xander didn't plan to die, he's somehow trapped in this other "realm" - a spiritual plane of sorts - and he has 30 days to convince his girlfriend, Lila that he isn't dead. Xan does everything he can to be certain that he and Lila's souls are still connected and that they will be together forever.
The story got a little too "hocus pocus" for me, but that might be due to my black and white thought process. Perhaps if you are one of those panoramic view kind of thinkers, this might be a book for you, but for me, it was just not believable. Maybe I'm just too old for this young adult book after all. Within Reach received a ton of good reviews, so don't let my narrow minded thinking stop you from checking it out though.
I received a complimentary paperback copy of this book from the publishers and BookSparks as part of the 2016 Young Adult Summer Reading Challenge #YASummerReads in exchange for this post, which is my honest review and unbiased opinion.
The main characters are 17-year old Xander Hemlock, and his soulmate/girlfriend, Lila Walker. The writer provides us with all the information we need in the first couple of pages and we learn about their relationship. It's a very nice love story that's shared from the main characters' point of view separately. Sometimes I find that alternating viewpoints are distracting or hard to follow, but in this instance, it worked out perfectly and filled us in on the story as a whole.
Within Reach takes readers through the experience of the two soulmates refusing to let go of each other, even if one of them is dead. While Xander didn't plan to die, he's somehow trapped in this other "realm" - a spiritual plane of sorts - and he has 30 days to convince his girlfriend, Lila that he isn't dead. Xan does everything he can to be certain that he and Lila's souls are still connected and that they will be together forever.
The story got a little too "hocus pocus" for me, but that might be due to my black and white thought process. Perhaps if you are one of those panoramic view kind of thinkers, this might be a book for you, but for me, it was just not believable. Maybe I'm just too old for this young adult book after all. Within Reach received a ton of good reviews, so don't let my narrow minded thinking stop you from checking it out though.
I received a complimentary paperback copy of this book from the publishers and BookSparks as part of the 2016 Young Adult Summer Reading Challenge #YASummerReads in exchange for this post, which is my honest review and unbiased opinion.
May 17, 2016
SparkPress and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Within Reach, in exchange for an honest review.
17 year old Xander Hemlock did not plan on dying, leaving his girlfriend Lila alone. Finding himself trapped in the darkness between the living and the dead, Xan has only 30 days to convince Lila that he still exists. Given a chance to make things right, to show her that their souls are still connected, Xan does everything he can to be certain that they will be together forever.
Although Within Reach has an interesting premise, the execution of said idea is where it falls short. The author spends so much time explaining the concept that she does not allow the reader to form a connection with the characters. The idea that these two particular individuals are the only soulmates allowed at this time does not seem all that realistic, as there seems to be nothing to set them apart. In the end, I was left with the feeling that Within Reach was somehow incomplete and it just did not resonate with me the way I thought it should. For these reasons, I would not recommend this book.
17 year old Xander Hemlock did not plan on dying, leaving his girlfriend Lila alone. Finding himself trapped in the darkness between the living and the dead, Xan has only 30 days to convince Lila that he still exists. Given a chance to make things right, to show her that their souls are still connected, Xan does everything he can to be certain that they will be together forever.
Although Within Reach has an interesting premise, the execution of said idea is where it falls short. The author spends so much time explaining the concept that she does not allow the reader to form a connection with the characters. The idea that these two particular individuals are the only soulmates allowed at this time does not seem all that realistic, as there seems to be nothing to set them apart. In the end, I was left with the feeling that Within Reach was somehow incomplete and it just did not resonate with me the way I thought it should. For these reasons, I would not recommend this book.
May 19, 2016
Within Reach is an incredibly powerful romantic love story about two souls, Lila an Xan, who love each other more than life itself ... and how the love that they (and we) share can transcend even death. Author Jessica Stevens plants us firmly in the mist of a relationship between two soul mates interrupted by an unexpected murder, and the scheming jealous boy who, after the life of Lila's soul mate has been ripped from his chest, wants to convince Lila that she should chose him to be her lover instead. But, her soul mate, Xan, is not completely dead. While trying to undo the connection between Lila ans Xan that fate predicted, Jason schemes and plots to take Lila for himself, while Xan fights somewhere between life and death to show Lila that he is still there. The suspense and intrigue is fascinating, and teaches us that we all have a soul mate, somewhere, fighting tirelessly for our attention and love. I loved "Within Reach," and recommend this book to anyone who has a soul, and is still searching for (or, who, perhaps, has already found) their one and only lover. Great book!!! Fantastic read!!! Great buy!!! I can't wait for the sequel!!! I'm rooting for Lila!!!
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June 24, 2016Within Reach is a story about soul mates, love, death and the decision of letting go. Xan and Lila are soul mates and completely in love. However, Xan is murdered and his soul is trapped in a realm where he has to prove to Lila that he is still there. There is someone trying to pull Lila away from Xan in order to have a chance with her. Xan has to continue fighting and looks for help to show Lila that he is not completely gone. This book is full of suspense and you will be rooting for Xan and Lila (and booing someone else) throughout the story. It is heartbreaking and sad because Lila not only has lost Xan, but also something she had a true passion for: dancing. It is also very sad from Xan's point of view because he sees Lila suffering without being able to help her. The ending is really interesting and keeps you wondering until the very last sentence!!
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
May 17, 2016
Big thanks to SparkPress and NetGalley for an ARC copy for review.
I was really looking forward to this book because the premise was so promising. But unfortunately right from the beginning I was confused, and I kept getting confused from every corner.
Things just didn't make sense for me most of the time. And the ending left me even more lost. Sadly I was disappointed with this book
I was really looking forward to this book because the premise was so promising. But unfortunately right from the beginning I was confused, and I kept getting confused from every corner.
Things just didn't make sense for me most of the time. And the ending left me even more lost. Sadly I was disappointed with this book
May 22, 2016
Xan. Lila. One is dead and one wishes for death. Will they reunite before it's too late?
This book quickly drew me in. The alternating viewpoints helped move the story along. Much of the book focused on supernatural/paranormal in the "lives" of multiple characters in this book. It's truly the crux of the Xan and Lila's story.
If readers like books with paranormal elements and storyline then I recommend reading Within Reach.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley from the publisher for my honest review.
This book quickly drew me in. The alternating viewpoints helped move the story along. Much of the book focused on supernatural/paranormal in the "lives" of multiple characters in this book. It's truly the crux of the Xan and Lila's story.
If readers like books with paranormal elements and storyline then I recommend reading Within Reach.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley from the publisher for my honest review.
May 29, 2016
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Sparkpress and Netgalley.*
3.5 stars! A very unique read. There were parts I loved, and other parts I really disliked.
Here's a link to my full review: https://thecalicobooks.wordpress.com/...
3.5 stars! A very unique read. There were parts I loved, and other parts I really disliked.
Here's a link to my full review: https://thecalicobooks.wordpress.com/...
May 17, 2016
I wanted to like this book. The first half held my interest and left me feeling Xan and Lilas pain. From there it just feel apart for me. I started skipping a lot of the backstory I felt wasn't needed. I loved Wes but soon found he wasn't integral to the story. I'd say rework the second half to match the depth of the first. Ending fell short for me. Just kind of fizzled.
August 22, 2016
DNF. Made it to about pg. 100 and gave up. Dialogue felt stiff and formal. Plot seemed nonsensical. Never given any background info for the main protagonists to make me care.
October 9, 2016
This book is super good!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews