What do you think?
Rate this book
Vánoční zázrak
Nový romantický příběh od bestselerového autora Jaye Ashera. Vánoční romance, která vám zlomí srdce, ale přiměje vás brzo začít znovu věřit…
Sierra vede dva životy. Jeden v Oregonu, kde její rodina vlastní farmu vánočních stromků. A druhý v Kalifornii, kam před Vánocemi jezdí stromky prodávat. A opustit jeden vždycky znamená, že jí schází ten druhý. Tak to je až do posledních Vánoc, kdy Sierra potká Caleba. Caleb je vzorný kluk, jen před lety udělal obrovskou chybu a platí za ni dodnes. Ale Sierra nedá na jeho minulost a rozhodne se mu pomoct. To samozřejmě vyvolá vlnu nesouhlasu, falešných dojmů a podezření, ale Caleb se Sierrou přijdou na to, že jedna věc je silnější než tohle všechno: pravá láska.
Sierra vede dva životy. Jeden v Oregonu, kde její rodina vlastní farmu vánočních stromků. A druhý v Kalifornii, kam před Vánocemi jezdí stromky prodávat. A opustit jeden vždycky znamená, že jí schází ten druhý. Tak to je až do posledních Vánoc, kdy Sierra potká Caleba. Caleb je vzorný kluk, jen před lety udělal obrovskou chybu a platí za ni dodnes. Ale Sierra nedá na jeho minulost a rozhodne se mu pomoct. To samozřejmě vyvolá vlnu nesouhlasu, falešných dojmů a podezření, ale Caleb se Sierrou přijdou na to, že jedna věc je silnější než tohle všechno: pravá láska.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2016
947 people are currently reading
28346 people want to read
About the author
Jay Asher
23 books10.7k followersJay Asher was born in Arcadia, California on September 30, 1975. He grew up in a family that encouraged all of his interests, from playing the guitar to his writing. He attended Cuesta College right after graduating from high school. It was here where he wrote his first two children’s books for a class called Children’s Literature Appreciation. At this point in his life, he had decided he wanted to become an elementary school teacher. He then transferred to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where he left his senior year in order to pursue his career as a serious writer. Throughout his life he worked in various establishments, including as a salesman in a shoe store and in libraries and bookstores. Many of his work experiences had an impact on some aspect of his writing.
He has published only one book to date, Thirteen Reasons Why, which was published in October 2007. He is currently working on his second Young Adult novel, and has written several picture books and screenplays. Thirteen Reasons Why has won several awards and has received five stars from Teen Book Review. It also has received high reviews from fellow authors such as Ellen Hopkins, Chris Crutcher, and Gordon Kormon.
He has published only one book to date, Thirteen Reasons Why, which was published in October 2007. He is currently working on his second Young Adult novel, and has written several picture books and screenplays. Thirteen Reasons Why has won several awards and has received five stars from Teen Book Review. It also has received high reviews from fellow authors such as Ellen Hopkins, Chris Crutcher, and Gordon Kormon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,188 reviews
May 24, 2016
I was sent an early copy of this book because I can read. I read this book and LOVED it. You should definitely add it to your TBR list. I would talk more about the book and the characters now but I'm so terrible at reviews, I'm afraid anything I say might deter people from reading this rather than encourage them to read it because my reviews are that bad.
I should just stop here.
This is definitely where I should stop.
Stopping this review right now would be a good idea.
You know what else is a good idea? Sunscreen.
I should just stop here.
This is definitely where I should stop.
Stopping this review right now would be a good idea.
You know what else is a good idea? Sunscreen.
December 10, 2017
Omg, y'all! I loved this book so much! I cried, good tears though.
I put off reading this book for a year and then one of my book groups is reading it this month and I jumped on board. I had NO IDEA that I would love it this much. Sometimes I just love those sentimental, sweet and wonderful books.
Sierra's parents own a tree farm. It's what Sierra has known all of her life. They live in Oregon but ever year they take trees out to California where they have had a lot for many moons. It was in the family from back in the day. Sierra has special arrangements with her school to do work from CA and send it back to Oregon because they are out there from Thanksgiving to Christmas. (I wanted to own a tree farm when I was younger)
Sierra helps work at the lot of course. They also have a lot of school kids working there. One of the guys has a crush on Sierra but no, just no.
Sierra's best friend Heather and her family live there and they all hang out and have the holidays together. They have all known each other since they were little. Sierra and Heather even plant some trees up on the mountain as a little thing <-- read the book.
Sierra also has two best friends at home that hate to see her go, but this has happened for years on end. Unfortunately, this may be the last year they will be able to go because they are not making enough money any more. You know, the big guys are pushing them out. =(
Anyway, Sierra meets a wonderful guy named Caleb at the lot. He keeps coming and buying trees. Well, Heather tells Sierra she doesn't want to get involved with him because of something dangerous he did when he was younger. Some people make mistakes, get over it. Sierra doesn't listen to Heather and finds a wonderful love in Caleb. He also buys all of these trees to give to people that can't afford them and Sierra starts going with him on some of the trips to take them to the people. It melted my heart. I love reading about people doing good works.
There is a lot with Caleb's past and Sierra helps to mend some things for Caleb and I loved that too.
It's really a truly bittersweet story. Yes, it's young adult, I love young adult so it doensn't matter to me. It's got so many family things that I just love and it's Christmas. My second favorite holiday of the year ♥
I'm so glad I got to read it and the hardback is now on my Amazon wishlist ♥
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
I put off reading this book for a year and then one of my book groups is reading it this month and I jumped on board. I had NO IDEA that I would love it this much. Sometimes I just love those sentimental, sweet and wonderful books.
Sierra's parents own a tree farm. It's what Sierra has known all of her life. They live in Oregon but ever year they take trees out to California where they have had a lot for many moons. It was in the family from back in the day. Sierra has special arrangements with her school to do work from CA and send it back to Oregon because they are out there from Thanksgiving to Christmas. (I wanted to own a tree farm when I was younger)
Sierra helps work at the lot of course. They also have a lot of school kids working there. One of the guys has a crush on Sierra but no, just no.
Sierra's best friend Heather and her family live there and they all hang out and have the holidays together. They have all known each other since they were little. Sierra and Heather even plant some trees up on the mountain as a little thing <-- read the book.
Sierra also has two best friends at home that hate to see her go, but this has happened for years on end. Unfortunately, this may be the last year they will be able to go because they are not making enough money any more. You know, the big guys are pushing them out. =(
Anyway, Sierra meets a wonderful guy named Caleb at the lot. He keeps coming and buying trees. Well, Heather tells Sierra she doesn't want to get involved with him because of something dangerous he did when he was younger. Some people make mistakes, get over it. Sierra doesn't listen to Heather and finds a wonderful love in Caleb. He also buys all of these trees to give to people that can't afford them and Sierra starts going with him on some of the trips to take them to the people. It melted my heart. I love reading about people doing good works.
There is a lot with Caleb's past and Sierra helps to mend some things for Caleb and I loved that too.
It's really a truly bittersweet story. Yes, it's young adult, I love young adult so it doensn't matter to me. It's got so many family things that I just love and it's Christmas. My second favorite holiday of the year ♥
I'm so glad I got to read it and the hardback is now on my Amazon wishlist ♥
Happy Reading!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
December 11, 2016
I absolutely adored this book! My book bestie Laura sent me this one today and I finished it in 1 sitting. This had all the Christmas feels I was looking for and a bonus addition of some extra emotional moments involving daddy/daughter relationships. This was a super clean YA book as well, which makes it a nice option for parents looking for something more age appropriate for younger teens. Highly recommend reading this around Christmas, or at least during winter for the full experience.
April 22, 2017
And here is my first one star rating for 2017. Sadly, the cheese pill didn't work.
Think of all the terrible cheesy and cringe worthy things you can find in a contemporary novel.
That should sum up this book.
Honestly, I was expecting to like this book. I heard it was extremely cheesy and cringy, but I didn't think much of it and thought I would at least give this 3 stars because you know it might not be that bad, and it wasn't bad. It was so fucking terrible that I was tempted to repeatedly slam my head against the wall and question, why on earth is this even a book?
This book didn't start out bad tbh, it was actually an okay read towards the beginning, but then by the 150 page mark I wanted to DNF this so so so bad.
When Sierra met Caleb, things started to suck.
※She met him for like what 5-7 minutes??? and the next day she couldn't stop thinking about him.
※Caleb's dimples were mentioned so much I wanted to cry. Like there should be a separate fucking book about Caleb's dimple because obviously they were extremely important, to be mentioned at least five times while I was reading. Now you might be wondering that mentioning someone's dimple five times isn't that bad, but tbh it got really annoying.
※When I found out about Caleb's "reputation."
The Writing:
Oh my fucking fuckity fucks, it was like a fifth grader wrote this book. It was incredibly cheesy and I literally cringed at some parts. And the characters were like eleven year olds trying to find love. Horrible horrible horrible. It was also incredibly boring and I felt like Caleb and Sierra's ridiculous fucking arguments was just a way to stretch this book longer.
Overall:
THIS ENTIRE FUCKING BOOK WAS CHEESY. And that is an actual quote from the book, if you were wondering.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know Christmas has like passed but I saw this and just had to get it. Also I've heard this is filled with cheese.
And Bae loves this so like, I'm reading it.
Looks like I'm going to have to swallow the cheese pill.
Think of all the terrible cheesy and cringe worthy things you can find in a contemporary novel.
That should sum up this book.
Honestly, I was expecting to like this book. I heard it was extremely cheesy and cringy, but I didn't think much of it and thought I would at least give this 3 stars because you know it might not be that bad, and it wasn't bad. It was so fucking terrible that I was tempted to repeatedly slam my head against the wall and question, why on earth is this even a book?
This book didn't start out bad tbh, it was actually an okay read towards the beginning, but then by the 150 page mark I wanted to DNF this so so so bad.
When Sierra met Caleb, things started to suck.
※She met him for like what 5-7 minutes??? and the next day she couldn't stop thinking about him.
※Caleb's dimples were mentioned so much I wanted to cry. Like there should be a separate fucking book about Caleb's dimple because obviously they were extremely important, to be mentioned at least five times while I was reading. Now you might be wondering that mentioning someone's dimple five times isn't that bad, but tbh it got really annoying.
※When I found out about Caleb's "reputation."
The Writing:
Oh my fucking fuckity fucks, it was like a fifth grader wrote this book. It was incredibly cheesy and I literally cringed at some parts. And the characters were like eleven year olds trying to find love. Horrible horrible horrible. It was also incredibly boring and I felt like Caleb and Sierra's ridiculous fucking arguments was just a way to stretch this book longer.
Overall:
《"'Go ahead,' he says, 'tell me I'm cheesy.'"》
THIS ENTIRE FUCKING BOOK WAS CHEESY. And that is an actual quote from the book, if you were wondering.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know Christmas has like passed but I saw this and just had to get it. Also I've heard this is filled with cheese.
And Bae loves this so like, I'm reading it.
Looks like I'm going to have to swallow the cheese pill.
June 7, 2017
I know I say this all the time, but I really mean it: I wanted to like this book so badly. I saw good reviews from trusted sources, so I had faith...but I just had so many problems with this book.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
Let’s start with the good stuff, though! I really liked the first part. I started reading this late last night/early this morning and stayed up even later to read it. I’m obsessed with the idea of Christmas tree farms, and the setting was done well. Most importantly, this book felt Christmasy. Which is obviously the most important aspect of a book featuring the best month of the year.
I wish it was all positives, but that’s about all I liked. This book’s only 250 pages long, and around page 100 things started falling apart for me. Let’s start with the characters. (Y’all know that’s what I care about most.) Caleb is so vanilla for me - just one of those snoozefest male characters who are ~handsome~ and nice kinda and that’s it. Bor-ing. But Sierra is the one who really grinds my gears. She’s a YA fantasy-esque object of obsession - every guy who sees her is hopelessly in love with her, causing all sorts of hijinks to ensue. She’s just that beautiful, guys. But she’s a total control freak who tries to fight all of Caleb’s battles for him long before she’s even kissed him. (They’re essentially in a committed relationship WAY before they get to kissin’.)
But the worst part of Sierra? She’s, like, the worst friend ever. She skips her her friend’s first big role in a play (which is her dream) just to get more time with Caleb. She prioritizes Caleb over one of her best friends who she only gets to see one month a year, even though this might be the last of those months. When she finally gets around to apologizing to the former, she talks extensively about Caleb in the same text. She doesn’t help her parents with the tree farm, and they have to hire workers to replace her - despite the fact that she endlessly bemoans the potential loss of her winters at the tree farm.
Plus, all of the obstacles are really easily overcome. Example: None of the teenage tree farm workers are allowed to even talk to Sierra, or they’ll be sentenced to cleaning the outhouses. But when one of them asks her out and is so furious about being rejected he takes to trying to ruin her relationship with Caleb? We’ll just have to deal with it, I guess! And the timeline in this book is so confusing. Some entire days are just skipped, while others are end-to-end filled with major events.
Also, Sierra begins her interest in Caleb after being told he tried to stab his sister with a knife. Am I the only one who thinks that’s a touch too wild?!
Anyway, I’m going to try to source a candy cane, rap the entirety of Justin Bieber’s “Drummer Boy,” and continue my quest to get in the Christmas spirit. I hope you’re all having a wonderful start to the holiday season!
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
Let’s start with the good stuff, though! I really liked the first part. I started reading this late last night/early this morning and stayed up even later to read it. I’m obsessed with the idea of Christmas tree farms, and the setting was done well. Most importantly, this book felt Christmasy. Which is obviously the most important aspect of a book featuring the best month of the year.
I wish it was all positives, but that’s about all I liked. This book’s only 250 pages long, and around page 100 things started falling apart for me. Let’s start with the characters. (Y’all know that’s what I care about most.) Caleb is so vanilla for me - just one of those snoozefest male characters who are ~handsome~ and nice kinda and that’s it. Bor-ing. But Sierra is the one who really grinds my gears. She’s a YA fantasy-esque object of obsession - every guy who sees her is hopelessly in love with her, causing all sorts of hijinks to ensue. She’s just that beautiful, guys. But she’s a total control freak who tries to fight all of Caleb’s battles for him long before she’s even kissed him. (They’re essentially in a committed relationship WAY before they get to kissin’.)
But the worst part of Sierra? She’s, like, the worst friend ever. She skips her her friend’s first big role in a play (which is her dream) just to get more time with Caleb. She prioritizes Caleb over one of her best friends who she only gets to see one month a year, even though this might be the last of those months. When she finally gets around to apologizing to the former, she talks extensively about Caleb in the same text. She doesn’t help her parents with the tree farm, and they have to hire workers to replace her - despite the fact that she endlessly bemoans the potential loss of her winters at the tree farm.
Plus, all of the obstacles are really easily overcome. Example: None of the teenage tree farm workers are allowed to even talk to Sierra, or they’ll be sentenced to cleaning the outhouses. But when one of them asks her out and is so furious about being rejected he takes to trying to ruin her relationship with Caleb? We’ll just have to deal with it, I guess! And the timeline in this book is so confusing. Some entire days are just skipped, while others are end-to-end filled with major events.
Also, Sierra begins her interest in Caleb after being told he tried to stab his sister with a knife. Am I the only one who thinks that’s a touch too wild?!
Anyway, I’m going to try to source a candy cane, rap the entirety of Justin Bieber’s “Drummer Boy,” and continue my quest to get in the Christmas spirit. I hope you’re all having a wonderful start to the holiday season!
December 17, 2022
Beautifully written, this sweet & simple story enveloped me. While aptly addressing very real struggles many teens may face, Mr. Asher also captures and conveys the pure joy that young folks experience, create & selflessly share.
I'll definitely be donating a couple of copies to my favorite high school students' classroom library, and in plenty of time for the winter holidays.
I'll definitely be donating a couple of copies to my favorite high school students' classroom library, and in plenty of time for the winter holidays.
November 28, 2016
A really sweet and quick Christmas romance.
January 15, 2018
Una novela entretenida sin más.
En Dos vidas no esperaba encontrar nada del otro mundo pese a que la sinopsis me llamó la atención. No he visto en sí una novela, sino más bien un relato largo. Le faltaban muchos elementos y aunque creo que hay ciertas cosas muy orgánicas, en general todas las tramas parecen solucionarse de manera super sencilla.
La química entre Caleb y Sierra me ha gustado, aunque creo que hay algo problemático en toda su relación. Las ideas sobre ser pareja o no, además, se repiten demasiado (porque ella se tiene que marchar cuando acabe la Navidad, y claro, es un drama constante).
En definitiva: una novela entretenida, sin pretensiones y que ha hecho que pase el rato.
En Dos vidas no esperaba encontrar nada del otro mundo pese a que la sinopsis me llamó la atención. No he visto en sí una novela, sino más bien un relato largo. Le faltaban muchos elementos y aunque creo que hay ciertas cosas muy orgánicas, en general todas las tramas parecen solucionarse de manera super sencilla.
La química entre Caleb y Sierra me ha gustado, aunque creo que hay algo problemático en toda su relación. Las ideas sobre ser pareja o no, además, se repiten demasiado (porque ella se tiene que marchar cuando acabe la Navidad, y claro, es un drama constante).
En definitiva: una novela entretenida, sin pretensiones y que ha hecho que pase el rato.
Read
February 14, 2018I was sent a copy of this book by Penguin.
Rating & review redacted.
Rating & review redacted.
November 14, 2016
I’m so utterly in love with this books it’s nauseating.
Note: this review may be slightly biased because winter is my favourite time of the year and so this book just made me feel really nostalgic – and that’s probably why I love it so much – judge me!
What Light is a contemporary written by Jay Asher. Now, I know his previous book, Thirteen Reasons Why was highly controversial and got a lot of negative feedback, but I loved it, so naturally hearing that he published another book got me all giddy – I had to have it.
And so I began reading the story of Sierra. Sierra and her family run a tree farm in Oregon but spend (a month of) the holidays in California, selling their harvested trees. This year, during their visit in California, Sierra meets Caleb (this really awesome, adorable guy) but Caleb got some nasty rumours going around. Sierra is determined to see beyond the rumours and accept this sweet boy for who he is now rather then define him for his past. It was wonderful story on redemption and acceptance and forgiveness.
There’s something absolutely mesmerizing about the writing style, it got me hooked from the beginning. It was so honest, well-written, and realistic. Reading this book reminded me of the feeling you get when you drinking hot chocolate on a winter day! It was just so adorable and perfect and, like hot chocolate, it made me really, really happy.
The characters have this beautiful charm to them. Each and every character added their own special bit to the story and made it just that much sweeter. And omg, Sierra and Caleb are so fricken awkwardly adorable together, awww.
I’m sure many people will find this book to be slightly cheesy – but I’m just so blind to any flaws because I’m trash for this book, damn me.
“People think what they want. That's what I've had to accept," he says. "I can fight it, but that's exhausting. I can feel hurt about it, but that's torture. Or I can decide it's their loss.”
Somewhere between 4.5 to 5 stars!!
November 24, 2020
***2 disappointed stars***
I came to realize that some YA books are just too...young adult-y for my taste. Frankly, I wanted to read this book because I thought the cover was really cute and because it's a Christmas book. But after the first few chapters it felt so, idk, immature.
Either I'm getting too old for YA, or this story just wasn't so great... All the characters felt too much like teenagers and I know that that's the whole point of the genre, for it too be for and about young people, but I can't bring myself to finish this one. The plot was also boring and the characters were so blah..
Maybe I'll give it another chance next year around Christmas.
UPDATE It's 3 years later and I'm not even tempted to give this another shot 😂
I came to realize that some YA books are just too...young adult-y for my taste. Frankly, I wanted to read this book because I thought the cover was really cute and because it's a Christmas book. But after the first few chapters it felt so, idk, immature.
Either I'm getting too old for YA, or this story just wasn't so great... All the characters felt too much like teenagers and I know that that's the whole point of the genre, for it too be for and about young people, but I can't bring myself to finish this one. The plot was also boring and the characters were so blah..
Maybe I'll give it another chance next year around Christmas.
UPDATE It's 3 years later and I'm not even tempted to give this another shot 😂
December 26, 2019
The Heart Knows Best
Follow your heart even when the whole world is conspiring against your choices!
Unlike brain, which is always diverging, dwelling on options, the heart knows Just One Way — the right one 👍
Follow your heart even when the whole world is conspiring against your choices!
Unlike brain, which is always diverging, dwelling on options, the heart knows Just One Way — the right one 👍
October 16, 2016
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley.)
This was a YA contemporary romance set at Christmas.
Sierra was an okay character and it was good of her to help her parents out selling trees at Christmas. I did feel a bit sorry for her the way her life was split between two places though.
The storyline in this was about Sierra going down to California with her parents to sell Christmas trees, and meeting Caleb. There were some bad rumours about Caleb, but Sierra got the truth out of him about them and hoped that they could make a relationship work. This was an okay story, but it wasn’t exactly gripping, and my attention wavered quite a bit throughout.
The ending to this was okay, although it still left us with the idea of a long-distance relationship.
6 out of 10
“Maybe it doesn’t make sense,” I say. “And I’m fully aware that I’m not usually like this, but… I like him.”
This was a YA contemporary romance set at Christmas.
Sierra was an okay character and it was good of her to help her parents out selling trees at Christmas. I did feel a bit sorry for her the way her life was split between two places though.
The storyline in this was about Sierra going down to California with her parents to sell Christmas trees, and meeting Caleb. There were some bad rumours about Caleb, but Sierra got the truth out of him about them and hoped that they could make a relationship work. This was an okay story, but it wasn’t exactly gripping, and my attention wavered quite a bit throughout.
The ending to this was okay, although it still left us with the idea of a long-distance relationship.
6 out of 10
February 8, 2021
2017 F.A.B. Bookclub pick # I.❤️. F.A.B.
Very quick little read about teen life and romance. I was a little disappointed, as I was expecting greatness given this authors other work. It was a little boring at parts. Overall it wasn’t bad. I just don’t think it was good enough to read again, or suggest as a ‘must read’ to anyone.
Very quick little read about teen life and romance. I was a little disappointed, as I was expecting greatness given this authors other work. It was a little boring at parts. Overall it wasn’t bad. I just don’t think it was good enough to read again, or suggest as a ‘must read’ to anyone.
December 12, 2021
Cute and set on a Christmas tree farm. Sierra’s parents uproot the family every year at Christmas tree season so they can all work on the farm selling trees. I thought one thing that was especially cool was how this painted a different picture of how farming kids may have to miss school/make sacrifices than other books I’ve read depict.
Sierra meets Caleb when he shows up at the Christmas tree tent to purchase trees and there are definite sparks, but there are also rumors circulating about Caleb’s past among Sierra’s seasonal friends. She can see firsthand the goodness Caleb does. But when the rumors are is it worth the risk? Furthermore, should one mistake define a person forever, or are second chances worth taking? This was a sweet, heart-warming story.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Sierra meets Caleb when he shows up at the Christmas tree tent to purchase trees and there are definite sparks, but there are also rumors circulating about Caleb’s past among Sierra’s seasonal friends. She can see firsthand the goodness Caleb does. But when the rumors are is it worth the risk? Furthermore, should one mistake define a person forever, or are second chances worth taking? This was a sweet, heart-warming story.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
September 19, 2016
I've been a fan of Jay's words for a while, so I greedy grabbed this book off of his name alone.
Love love loved Sierra. She's smart and a genuinely nice person. I loved that she struggled to deal with the two parts of her life, but could recognize that each one was special. That one wasn't better than the other. Of course I'm infatuated with Caleb and I firmly believe there's a gift exchange scene that tops every single other one ever written. Ever.
The story was heartbreaking and hopeful and absolutely lovely. I felt like I was on the lot with them and I'm definitely going to try Sierra's mix of mocha.
Of course I wanted more at the end, but like I said at the beginning, I'm greedy. The slice of time we got was perfection.
**Huge thanks to Razorbill and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
Love love loved Sierra. She's smart and a genuinely nice person. I loved that she struggled to deal with the two parts of her life, but could recognize that each one was special. That one wasn't better than the other. Of course I'm infatuated with Caleb and I firmly believe there's a gift exchange scene that tops every single other one ever written. Ever.
The story was heartbreaking and hopeful and absolutely lovely. I felt like I was on the lot with them and I'm definitely going to try Sierra's mix of mocha.
Of course I wanted more at the end, but like I said at the beginning, I'm greedy. The slice of time we got was perfection.
**Huge thanks to Razorbill and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
December 21, 2019
O Coração Acende A Luz
Mesmo quando o mundo inteiro conspira contra as escolhas do coração, não há nada que o demova!
Ele é sempre o nosso guia fiel, e ao contrário da mente que se perde em escolhas, dúvidas, julgamentos, avaliações... o coração só conhece um caminho!
A mente tende a enredar-se naquele emaranhado cruzado de conselhos e opiniões, onde permanece pensando, ponderando, matutando, duvidando...
Qual mosca numa teia, fica presa e bloqueia ou, pior ainda, opta pela via errada ☹️
A mente apaga a luz!
O coração acende-a! 😉
“— Esquece a racionalidade — diz ele. — A racionalidade não sabe aquilo que tu queres.”
Nada mais certo que afirmar que “o caminho do coração é o caminho da felicidade”. Será um clichê, mas continua a ser premissa de belíssimas histórias. Aqui vai mais uma! 🥰
Mesmo quando o mundo inteiro conspira contra as escolhas do coração, não há nada que o demova!
Ele é sempre o nosso guia fiel, e ao contrário da mente que se perde em escolhas, dúvidas, julgamentos, avaliações... o coração só conhece um caminho!
A mente tende a enredar-se naquele emaranhado cruzado de conselhos e opiniões, onde permanece pensando, ponderando, matutando, duvidando...
Qual mosca numa teia, fica presa e bloqueia ou, pior ainda, opta pela via errada ☹️
A mente apaga a luz!
O coração acende-a! 😉
“— Esquece a racionalidade — diz ele. — A racionalidade não sabe aquilo que tu queres.”
Nada mais certo que afirmar que “o caminho do coração é o caminho da felicidade”. Será um clichê, mas continua a ser premissa de belíssimas histórias. Aqui vai mais uma! 🥰
December 18, 2016
2 1/2 out of 5.
I wanted more from this book. I felt the characters & overall story fell flat.
I will say if your looking for a quick, light, Christmasy read this is perfect but I just wanted more depth from it.
I wanted more from this book. I felt the characters & overall story fell flat.
I will say if your looking for a quick, light, Christmasy read this is perfect but I just wanted more depth from it.
December 8, 2016
Super adorable read that is perfect for the holidays. It was exactly what I hoped for and wanted, which was very comforting.
February 12, 2018
The book was okay.
But what's not okay is the author sexually harassing women and then writes about them as if he knows how hard life for us is.
But what's not okay is the author sexually harassing women and then writes about them as if he knows how hard life for us is.
December 17, 2017
Edit:
Last year I read the "sneak peek" version of this, but I had bought a hard copy for someone younger, and likely to be more appreciative of it - but, being a bit cautious on the "romance" part of this, I wanted to make sure it was something both appropriate for a 13 year old, and something she would enjoy. That's the only edit I will make to my previous review, except to say this is a sweetly innocent look at young love.
Original review below:
--------------------
I read a “Sneak Peek” edition, which consists of approximately twice the length you’d get from a Kindle “sample” – the first three chapters. This is a sweet story based at Christmastime, that time between Thanksgiving and all the holidays that come around Christmas. Sierra’s family owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, but every year on Thanksgiving, Sierra and her Mom drive down to the lot where they sell their trees in California. The down side of that is that she misses her best friends, misses not being part of all the winter dances and holiday festivities, together with her best friends, Rachel and Elizabeth. That is, her best friends in Oregon. Sierra’s been doing this since before she can remember, so she also has a best friend in California, Heather.
It’s a very sweet story, reading a bit like I remember the old Hallmark After School specials they used to make (which are now, apparently, available on DVD). It’s about Christmas, though, and who wants to read a bitter or angry story about Christmas?
There are “hints” of an impending potential romance between Sierra and a boy that works on the Christmas tree lot in this “Sneak Peek” edition, but nothing more than that. I may have to buy this in order to find out how it ends up, since my Library not only doesn’t have it, but his last book has a rather lengthy wait list for it.
Recommended for YA and YoungAtHeart
Pub Date: 18 Oct 2016
Many thanks for the ARC provided by PENGUIN GROUP / Penguin Young Readers Group, NetGalley and author Jay Asher
Last year I read the "sneak peek" version of this, but I had bought a hard copy for someone younger, and likely to be more appreciative of it - but, being a bit cautious on the "romance" part of this, I wanted to make sure it was something both appropriate for a 13 year old, and something she would enjoy. That's the only edit I will make to my previous review, except to say this is a sweetly innocent look at young love.
Original review below:
--------------------
I read a “Sneak Peek” edition, which consists of approximately twice the length you’d get from a Kindle “sample” – the first three chapters. This is a sweet story based at Christmastime, that time between Thanksgiving and all the holidays that come around Christmas. Sierra’s family owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, but every year on Thanksgiving, Sierra and her Mom drive down to the lot where they sell their trees in California. The down side of that is that she misses her best friends, misses not being part of all the winter dances and holiday festivities, together with her best friends, Rachel and Elizabeth. That is, her best friends in Oregon. Sierra’s been doing this since before she can remember, so she also has a best friend in California, Heather.
It’s a very sweet story, reading a bit like I remember the old Hallmark After School specials they used to make (which are now, apparently, available on DVD). It’s about Christmas, though, and who wants to read a bitter or angry story about Christmas?
There are “hints” of an impending potential romance between Sierra and a boy that works on the Christmas tree lot in this “Sneak Peek” edition, but nothing more than that. I may have to buy this in order to find out how it ends up, since my Library not only doesn’t have it, but his last book has a rather lengthy wait list for it.
Recommended for YA and YoungAtHeart
Pub Date: 18 Oct 2016
Many thanks for the ARC provided by PENGUIN GROUP / Penguin Young Readers Group, NetGalley and author Jay Asher
November 18, 2018
2.5
June, 2018:
Ok, I literally wrote this review a 10000 years ago back in November, 2017 and hot damn, looking back at it now, I was seriously salty whilst writing this. So, please, excuse the snobby and whiny undertone. Ew. This book is still bad though, so at least that hasn't changed.
November, 2017:
People think what they want. That's what I've had to accept," he says. "I can fight it, but that's exhausting. I can feel hurt about it, but that's torture. Or I can decide it's their loss,".
I had a lot of trouble rating this book, because on one hand, I thought it was a very atmospheric, sweet, thought provoking story, whilst on the other, an average contemporary with a flat plot and lots of melodramatic behavior and events.
Also, side note: I have not read (nor watched) Thirteen Reasons Why, and will, therefore, be unable to compare the two books. Hence, if you're interested in reading a review placing the books back-to-back in an in-depth, analytical comparison - cheerio! Bye for now. In this review, I will be focusing solely on What Light, and my very mixed and confused opinions on it.
What I liked:
✔︎ - The Christmas atmosphere. During wintertime, I think many people like to surround themselves with different festivities and merriment, that help generate that glorious Christmas atmosphere. Truthfully, I'm one of those people too. I really do like to read Christmas books in winter - they simply get me excited and happy and, you know, help build up that beloved anticipation of Christmas - no matter how cliche that might sound. I am highly thankful for the ambience created in this book - maybe, not everything about it was great, but anything that helps build that Christmas jubilance is worth reading, if you're like me.
✔︎ - The message. I like and value contemporaries with a purpose and/or a message worth hearing, and I think Jay Asher really deserves applause for the matters and problems he decided to include in this book. It was a bold, but very impressive move on his part. One of the characters in this book has a dark past - to put things simply - he does something awful. Truly, what he did was ... well, awful. But,this book focuses on mistakes and forgiveness. We're all just people, and whilst we like to think otherwise, in the end, we all makes mistakes. Big or small, we all make them. But, we're all doing the best we can. Caleb's a great example of redefining (I absolutely love that word) oneself. And whilst we can't erase the past, we can create a better future. Lots of respect for the author.
✔︎ - Caleb was great. I liked Caleb, and his mindset and his determination to become the person he has the potential to be. Whilst he was too often, described as simply 'cute', I thought he was very polite, caring and warm-hearted - and whilst he accepted and strongly regretted the past, he didn't let it hold him back from rebuilding his morals and person.
✔︎ - It was very enjoyable. And entertaining. Despite the darker, brooding side - it was a pleasure to read, and I think, that if you're looking for something that I like to call, a 'relief' book, you should pick this up... because it really is an easy and quick-to-read kind of book.
What I DIDN'T LIKE:
✘ - The melodrama. We've all been through tough times - each and every one of us, that is for certain. Yet, oh my Lord, the drama in this book was INSANE. In the first chapter, the main character is soon to leave for California (not a spoiler, btw) for a month... not a big deal, right?
Um, as if.
It got so damn depressing, I was actually surprised . Like just take a look:
"Please don't do this," I say. "You'll make me cry again. I just want to get through this week without—"
"But it's not a week!" she says. "It's two days. Two days until Thanksgiving break, and then you leave for a whole month again. More than a month!"
I hug Rachel's arm as we continue walking. Even though I'm the one leaving for another holiday season far from home, Rachel pretends like it's her world that gets turned upside-down each year.
Yeah, like moving to California for a month turns your world upside-down. Girl, have you got no bigger problems?
At least she acknowledges the melodrama one page later, before being melodramatic once again on the exact same page. Take a look:
I point to the tear in the corner of my eye. "Do you see what you did? They're starting."
Have these characters never actually experienced anything worse than being apart from each other for, oh my goodness gracious... 1 MONTH. Like how can one possibly live through such agony?
The funny thing is that, I'm certain, Jay Asher knew how dramatic this scene was. I wish people would stop taking teenagers as melodramatic emotional wrecks. Like, yes, that's exactly what we are. But come on, the only time we actually become melodramatic emotional wrecks is when the fridge is empty.
I'm kidding, chill. But, not all of us, cry over such small things.
Alright, I'll stop now. But, it was frustrating.
✘ - The occasional fickleness and repetitiveness. If you took a penny each time Caleb's dimples were mentioned, you'd be able to pay the tuition for my dream university. Jokes. No, but for real... it was frustrating how many times she swooned over them. Also, the number of times the adjectives: 'cute', 'hot' and 'good looking' were used to describe guys was kind of unnecessary. I get that the guy was hot and super attractive, but maybe cut down on the word count, a little? Once is enough. There are different words too, like 'intelligent', 'caring', 'kind', 'trustworthy'. And Sierra comes off as an intelligent, well spoken girl, who uses words like 'peruse' and 'complacent'. It's great to see characters using such big words and being well spoken, but why can't they use big words to describe people too?
Plus, there were too many major, totally unfeasible coincidences. Like, she meets Caleb while stapling a poster to a light pole, and then she meets him again at the lot, before bumping into him, ONCE MORE at the Hoppers' lot and then... surprise, surprise... she happens to go to the exact restaurant he works in. Yeah, I wish it worked like that.
✘ - Sierra. The thing with Sierra, the main protagonist, is that she did have the potential to be a cool, interesting heroine, if not for ... well, pretty much everything. I won't beat about the bush - Sierra was one annoying character. She was way over-dramatic at times, impolite, petulant and just, straight up, unlikeable. Alright, alright, I liked her confidence, her standards and her need to care for the things she loved... but, we all like a heroine which we can support and not roll our eyes over their actions, and stupid decisions. There were times when I liked Sierra, and there were times when I didn't. And it's not a very balanced ratio. Imagine blowing up a huge balloon, and then watching it pop and whizzing around the room, before flopping to the ground, deflated, like some kind of badly flipped pancake. That's the case with Sierra. The author tried so hard to make her fierce, and confident, that it was just an overload, and what had intended to be a strong character was just a huge mess. Like I mentioned earlier, I appreciated Sierra's confidence, but it sometimes felt like it was bordering on arrogance. Why can't we have female characters that are confident and strong, but also kind? I hated the way she treated Andrew at the beginning. Whilst, later on, his actions really weren't too great, I hated how disrespectfully she treated him, using her parents authority as a way to shut him down.
✘ - All that... whining. Another thing was bugged me quite a bit, was how moping and complaining this entire book was. Sierra keeps on worrying about the day she'll have to leave Caleb, instead of actually enjoying the time she's got left with him. Instead of simply accepting the fact, that she will one day have to return back to California and living her life at the fullest, she keeps on worrying and whining how it's not fair and how she wishes she could stop time. If Sierra really was the intelligent, practical girl she's meant to be, she would acknowledge the truth, just live her damn life in the present and plan for the future. Long distance relationships exist... there are so many people out there who keep things going that way. It. Is. Manageable. Maybe not perfect, and convenient, but manageable. Sierra makes it seem like the end of the world. Also, Heather really got on my nerves too. Her constant complaining about her boyfriend was just frustrating to read about. While, I did like her towards the end, the way she talked about Devon, who kind of annoying too, was really disrespectful and rude, and not worth fawning over.
✘ - The poor plot-line. This didn't really strike me whilst reading, but when I finally put the book down, I realized how poor the plot was. It just felt a prolonged tunnel, which we, the readers, need to drive through in order to get to the 'oh so forbidding, terrible, goodbye' day of Christmas. There were, of course, different events and situations, but nothing that could really improve the plot and make it original. It wasn't boring or terrible, but it might not be the best action packed, OH-MY-GOD-WHAT-A-PLOT-TWIST kind of story to reach for. It was a tad (and by tad, I mean: very) predictable. Sadly.
Alright, all in all, this might not have been the most ambitious, incredible book on my shelf, but it definitely did have its pluses. Apart from it being irritatingly cloying, I do recommend reading it if you're looking for a quick, fun contemporary. It was perfect for the Christmas season.
June, 2018:
Ok, I literally wrote this review a 10000 years ago back in November, 2017 and hot damn, looking back at it now, I was seriously salty whilst writing this. So, please, excuse the snobby and whiny undertone. Ew. This book is still bad though, so at least that hasn't changed.
November, 2017:
People think what they want. That's what I've had to accept," he says. "I can fight it, but that's exhausting. I can feel hurt about it, but that's torture. Or I can decide it's their loss,".
I had a lot of trouble rating this book, because on one hand, I thought it was a very atmospheric, sweet, thought provoking story, whilst on the other, an average contemporary with a flat plot and lots of melodramatic behavior and events.
Also, side note: I have not read (nor watched) Thirteen Reasons Why, and will, therefore, be unable to compare the two books. Hence, if you're interested in reading a review placing the books back-to-back in an in-depth, analytical comparison - cheerio! Bye for now. In this review, I will be focusing solely on What Light, and my very mixed and confused opinions on it.
What I liked:
✔︎ - The Christmas atmosphere. During wintertime, I think many people like to surround themselves with different festivities and merriment, that help generate that glorious Christmas atmosphere. Truthfully, I'm one of those people too. I really do like to read Christmas books in winter - they simply get me excited and happy and, you know, help build up that beloved anticipation of Christmas - no matter how cliche that might sound. I am highly thankful for the ambience created in this book - maybe, not everything about it was great, but anything that helps build that Christmas jubilance is worth reading, if you're like me.
✔︎ - The message. I like and value contemporaries with a purpose and/or a message worth hearing, and I think Jay Asher really deserves applause for the matters and problems he decided to include in this book. It was a bold, but very impressive move on his part. One of the characters in this book has a dark past - to put things simply - he does something awful. Truly, what he did was ... well, awful. But,this book focuses on mistakes and forgiveness. We're all just people, and whilst we like to think otherwise, in the end, we all makes mistakes. Big or small, we all make them. But, we're all doing the best we can. Caleb's a great example of redefining (I absolutely love that word) oneself. And whilst we can't erase the past, we can create a better future. Lots of respect for the author.
✔︎ - Caleb was great. I liked Caleb, and his mindset and his determination to become the person he has the potential to be. Whilst he was too often, described as simply 'cute', I thought he was very polite, caring and warm-hearted - and whilst he accepted and strongly regretted the past, he didn't let it hold him back from rebuilding his morals and person.
✔︎ - It was very enjoyable. And entertaining. Despite the darker, brooding side - it was a pleasure to read, and I think, that if you're looking for something that I like to call, a 'relief' book, you should pick this up... because it really is an easy and quick-to-read kind of book.
What I DIDN'T LIKE:
✘ - The melodrama. We've all been through tough times - each and every one of us, that is for certain. Yet, oh my Lord, the drama in this book was INSANE. In the first chapter, the main character is soon to leave for California (not a spoiler, btw) for a month... not a big deal, right?
Um, as if.
It got so damn depressing, I was actually surprised . Like just take a look:
"Please don't do this," I say. "You'll make me cry again. I just want to get through this week without—"
"But it's not a week!" she says. "It's two days. Two days until Thanksgiving break, and then you leave for a whole month again. More than a month!"
I hug Rachel's arm as we continue walking. Even though I'm the one leaving for another holiday season far from home, Rachel pretends like it's her world that gets turned upside-down each year.
Yeah, like moving to California for a month turns your world upside-down. Girl, have you got no bigger problems?
At least she acknowledges the melodrama one page later, before being melodramatic once again on the exact same page. Take a look:
I point to the tear in the corner of my eye. "Do you see what you did? They're starting."
Have these characters never actually experienced anything worse than being apart from each other for, oh my goodness gracious... 1 MONTH. Like how can one possibly live through such agony?
The funny thing is that, I'm certain, Jay Asher knew how dramatic this scene was. I wish people would stop taking teenagers as melodramatic emotional wrecks. Like, yes, that's exactly what we are. But come on, the only time we actually become melodramatic emotional wrecks is when the fridge is empty.
I'm kidding, chill. But, not all of us, cry over such small things.
Alright, I'll stop now. But, it was frustrating.
✘ - The occasional fickleness and repetitiveness. If you took a penny each time Caleb's dimples were mentioned, you'd be able to pay the tuition for my dream university. Jokes. No, but for real... it was frustrating how many times she swooned over them. Also, the number of times the adjectives: 'cute', 'hot' and 'good looking' were used to describe guys was kind of unnecessary. I get that the guy was hot and super attractive, but maybe cut down on the word count, a little? Once is enough. There are different words too, like 'intelligent', 'caring', 'kind', 'trustworthy'. And Sierra comes off as an intelligent, well spoken girl, who uses words like 'peruse' and 'complacent'. It's great to see characters using such big words and being well spoken, but why can't they use big words to describe people too?
Plus, there were too many major, totally unfeasible coincidences. Like, she meets Caleb while stapling a poster to a light pole, and then she meets him again at the lot, before bumping into him, ONCE MORE at the Hoppers' lot and then... surprise, surprise... she happens to go to the exact restaurant he works in. Yeah, I wish it worked like that.
✘ - Sierra. The thing with Sierra, the main protagonist, is that she did have the potential to be a cool, interesting heroine, if not for ... well, pretty much everything. I won't beat about the bush - Sierra was one annoying character. She was way over-dramatic at times, impolite, petulant and just, straight up, unlikeable. Alright, alright, I liked her confidence, her standards and her need to care for the things she loved... but, we all like a heroine which we can support and not roll our eyes over their actions, and stupid decisions. There were times when I liked Sierra, and there were times when I didn't. And it's not a very balanced ratio. Imagine blowing up a huge balloon, and then watching it pop and whizzing around the room, before flopping to the ground, deflated, like some kind of badly flipped pancake. That's the case with Sierra. The author tried so hard to make her fierce, and confident, that it was just an overload, and what had intended to be a strong character was just a huge mess. Like I mentioned earlier, I appreciated Sierra's confidence, but it sometimes felt like it was bordering on arrogance. Why can't we have female characters that are confident and strong, but also kind? I hated the way she treated Andrew at the beginning. Whilst, later on, his actions really weren't too great, I hated how disrespectfully she treated him, using her parents authority as a way to shut him down.
✘ - All that... whining. Another thing was bugged me quite a bit, was how moping and complaining this entire book was. Sierra keeps on worrying about the day she'll have to leave Caleb, instead of actually enjoying the time she's got left with him. Instead of simply accepting the fact, that she will one day have to return back to California and living her life at the fullest, she keeps on worrying and whining how it's not fair and how she wishes she could stop time. If Sierra really was the intelligent, practical girl she's meant to be, she would acknowledge the truth, just live her damn life in the present and plan for the future. Long distance relationships exist... there are so many people out there who keep things going that way. It. Is. Manageable. Maybe not perfect, and convenient, but manageable. Sierra makes it seem like the end of the world. Also, Heather really got on my nerves too. Her constant complaining about her boyfriend was just frustrating to read about. While, I did like her towards the end, the way she talked about Devon, who kind of annoying too, was really disrespectful and rude, and not worth fawning over.
✘ - The poor plot-line. This didn't really strike me whilst reading, but when I finally put the book down, I realized how poor the plot was. It just felt a prolonged tunnel, which we, the readers, need to drive through in order to get to the 'oh so forbidding, terrible, goodbye' day of Christmas. There were, of course, different events and situations, but nothing that could really improve the plot and make it original. It wasn't boring or terrible, but it might not be the best action packed, OH-MY-GOD-WHAT-A-PLOT-TWIST kind of story to reach for. It was a tad (and by tad, I mean: very) predictable. Sadly.
Alright, all in all, this might not have been the most ambitious, incredible book on my shelf, but it definitely did have its pluses. Apart from it being irritatingly cloying, I do recommend reading it if you're looking for a quick, fun contemporary. It was perfect for the Christmas season.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2016
4,5 Sterne
Ich glaube das war mein erstes "Weihnachtsbuch" was ich jemals gelesen hab. Und es hat die Stimmung so schön rübergebracht, denn auch wenn es hier derzeit eher grau und nass ist hat mich "Dein Leuchten" mit in eine Welt genommen in der es nach Zimt, Weihnachtsbäumen und Pfefferminz-Mokka duftet. Der Schreibstil hat mir wahnsinnig gut gefallen, es war einfach harmonisch geschrieben. Generell war es das absolute "Wohlfühlbuch". Einfach toll. Werde ich vermutlich nächstes Weihnachten wieder aus meinem Regal ziehen. Vielleicht lese ich da auch ab dem 1. Dezember jeden Tag ein Kapitel bis Weihnachten (falls ich denn dran denke), denn - ob beabsichtigt oder nicht - das Buch hat treffender weise 24 Kapitel :)
Ich glaube das war mein erstes "Weihnachtsbuch" was ich jemals gelesen hab. Und es hat die Stimmung so schön rübergebracht, denn auch wenn es hier derzeit eher grau und nass ist hat mich "Dein Leuchten" mit in eine Welt genommen in der es nach Zimt, Weihnachtsbäumen und Pfefferminz-Mokka duftet. Der Schreibstil hat mir wahnsinnig gut gefallen, es war einfach harmonisch geschrieben. Generell war es das absolute "Wohlfühlbuch". Einfach toll. Werde ich vermutlich nächstes Weihnachten wieder aus meinem Regal ziehen. Vielleicht lese ich da auch ab dem 1. Dezember jeden Tag ein Kapitel bis Weihnachten (falls ich denn dran denke), denn - ob beabsichtigt oder nicht - das Buch hat treffender weise 24 Kapitel :)
November 15, 2016
4,5 Sterne!
Was für eine wunderschöne magische Weihnachtsgeschichte!
Ich habe bisher noch nicht so viele YA- Romane gelesen und das war auch mein erstes Weihnachtsbuch, es war einfach traumhaft!
Jay Asher hat eine ganz tolle, besinnliche Atmosphäre geschaffen, Sierra und Caleb sind tolle Charaktere und diese unglaublich tollen Aussagen zum Schluss haben mich einige Tränen gekostet.
Ich kann es euch wirklich nur and Herz legen- Weihnachtsstimmung garantiert!
Was für eine wunderschöne magische Weihnachtsgeschichte!
Ich habe bisher noch nicht so viele YA- Romane gelesen und das war auch mein erstes Weihnachtsbuch, es war einfach traumhaft!
Jay Asher hat eine ganz tolle, besinnliche Atmosphäre geschaffen, Sierra und Caleb sind tolle Charaktere und diese unglaublich tollen Aussagen zum Schluss haben mich einige Tränen gekostet.
Ich kann es euch wirklich nur and Herz legen- Weihnachtsstimmung garantiert!
January 2, 2019
2.5 stars.
This story was cute, but that's about it.
This story was cute, but that's about it.
September 7, 2018
Few thoughts after reading this novel:
- This is quite shorter than what I expected.
- But this is the cheesefest I definitely expected.
- This is instalove, and I kinda love/hate it.
- This is also the type of YA Contemporary I normally would dislike, but maybe the Christmas-y vibes made me like it a bit more?
- Thirteen Reasons Why was a major love for me. I remember reading it in college freshman year (2010 or 2011) and I was moved and amazed and in awe of Jay Asher's writing. This made me feel like he's kind of a one hit wonder.
- What Light is not totally bad. It is actually just light and chill read. Not much of a plot. A lot of cliches. I actually liked it. Maybe I was just expecting more.
☁ THE CRITERIA ☁
🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
☁FINAL VERDICT: 3.09/5 // ⭐⭐⭐ ☁
- This is quite shorter than what I expected.
- But this is the cheesefest I definitely expected.
- This is instalove, and I kinda love/hate it.
- This is also the type of YA Contemporary I normally would dislike, but maybe the Christmas-y vibes made me like it a bit more?
- Thirteen Reasons Why was a major love for me. I remember reading it in college freshman year (2010 or 2011) and I was moved and amazed and in awe of Jay Asher's writing. This made me feel like he's kind of a one hit wonder.
- What Light is not totally bad. It is actually just light and chill read. Not much of a plot. A lot of cliches. I actually liked it. Maybe I was just expecting more.
☁ THE CRITERIA ☁
🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
☁FINAL VERDICT: 3.09/5 // ⭐⭐⭐ ☁
December 4, 2016
Maybe some would say this was cheesy but frankly we could all use more cheese. While being a YA book this still struck a chord with me & I loved it. Sometimes you really just need a cheesy Christmas story to make your heart feel full.
August 14, 2018
Too much fluff and melodrama for me, but I did like the Christmas atmosphere.
November 24, 2016
What Light is a standalone, contemporary young-adult novel set during Christmastime. It's hard not to compare the author Jay Asher's previous work to this one, and just so you know, there's no comparison. But What Light offers perspective and an inspiring message all its own. The themes incorporated in this story include self-forgiveness, allowing others to move on from their mistakes, second chances, and not casting judgment on others because you never know what you would do when confronted with similar stressors. Another thing of note in this novel was how tangible the Christmas holiday felt. The spirit of giving, winter weather, fresh Christmas trees, and candy cane hot chocolate flowing all around transported me to the setting pretty effortlessly. Overall, I liked What Light and I think all ages can learn some life lessons. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“They didn't even say thank you. Not once!”
“They missed the parade. They were frustrated.”
“Are you serious? You brought them a free tree!”
“I'm not doing this to earn a gold star. They had a little baby and they were probably tired. Missing the parade – misunderstanding or not – would be frustrating.”
“But you're doing this with your own money on your own time...”
“So you would only do this if people tell you how awesome you are for it?” ... “Just so you know, I am very aware of how mean they were about getting a free tree. I have to believe, though, that everyone is allowed a bad day.”
That's another good lesson. It's eye-opening for teens especially to be involved in volunteer work or community service and not be shown appreciation. That's not why you give of yourself though. Sometimes there is no thank you but you just have to remember why you're there.
My favorite quote:
“They didn't even say thank you. Not once!”
“They missed the parade. They were frustrated.”
“Are you serious? You brought them a free tree!”
“I'm not doing this to earn a gold star. They had a little baby and they were probably tired. Missing the parade – misunderstanding or not – would be frustrating.”
“But you're doing this with your own money on your own time...”
“So you would only do this if people tell you how awesome you are for it?” ... “Just so you know, I am very aware of how mean they were about getting a free tree. I have to believe, though, that everyone is allowed a bad day.”
That's another good lesson. It's eye-opening for teens especially to be involved in volunteer work or community service and not be shown appreciation. That's not why you give of yourself though. Sometimes there is no thank you but you just have to remember why you're there.
November 21, 2016
Cute holiday fluff!!! I haven't read YA in a while, but this gave me the hope of Christmas preparations and the joy of the season!! It was a light and happy read, which I enjoyed, knowing I haven't read a Christmas book for the longest time!! :)
I didn't like the fact that the story was predictable, which took away my excitement during reading. All the well though, it was fuzzy fluff.
I didn't like the fact that the story was predictable, which took away my excitement during reading. All the well though, it was fuzzy fluff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,188 reviews