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If Two Trains Leave At Midnight
- GenresRomanceYoung AdultEbooks
ebook
Published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 17, 2017
2.5 stars
So. Many. Mixed. Feelings.
I liked several aspects of this story, but the main character, Cate, severely pisses me off. She's very wishy-washy as far as character development goes and I feel like she vaguely screams "Tumblr feminazi." She acts like one.
Also, what's up with the imaginary swan thing? I get that ***kids*** tend to have imaginary friends, but most of them grow out of it by the time they're nine or ten. Plus it's just...weird. I'm 18, an aspiring author, and (I'd like to think) fairly creative, but you don't see ME walking around talking to imaginary swans. Maybe I daydream in my head, but Cate literally walks around talking to her imaginary swan OUT LOUD where anyone could hear her. Don't get me wrong, I will admit that I did kinda like some of Svee's commentary, but I feel like I kinda agree with Cate's parents on this one—it's not so much "imagination" as it is "borderline mental disorder."
This book DID have a pretty big plot twist that I didn't see coming (hence the 2.5 instead of 2), but I hated most of the last chapter. It felt very rushed and just...blah. So, yeah, I kind of have mixed feelings about the writing style too.
I just, idk. I wanted to like this one, but I really didn't.
Meh.
So. Many. Mixed. Feelings.
I liked several aspects of this story, but the main character, Cate, severely pisses me off. She's very wishy-washy as far as character development goes and I feel like she vaguely screams "Tumblr feminazi." She acts like one.
Also, what's up with the imaginary swan thing? I get that ***kids*** tend to have imaginary friends, but most of them grow out of it by the time they're nine or ten. Plus it's just...weird. I'm 18, an aspiring author, and (I'd like to think) fairly creative, but you don't see ME walking around talking to imaginary swans. Maybe I daydream in my head, but Cate literally walks around talking to her imaginary swan OUT LOUD where anyone could hear her. Don't get me wrong, I will admit that I did kinda like some of Svee's commentary, but I feel like I kinda agree with Cate's parents on this one—it's not so much "imagination" as it is "borderline mental disorder."
This book DID have a pretty big plot twist that I didn't see coming (hence the 2.5 instead of 2), but I hated most of the last chapter. It felt very rushed and just...blah. So, yeah, I kind of have mixed feelings about the writing style too.
I just, idk. I wanted to like this one, but I really didn't.
Meh.
January 14, 2019
I can't believe I took so long to pick this up. It made me so happy to read this (the romance, the role-playing, the math, just EVERYTHING about this was perfect) and I'm so so happy with it
February 15, 2018
I give this 3.5/5 Math books.
This book just screams Math is fun! Math is fun if you love it and if you have the aptitude for numbers and equations. But if you are a word-person, simply you'll find Math a pain in the butt. And if you won't try hard enough, there would be no use making numbers, x's and y's make sense. Me? I actually love Math, but before I memorized the Table of Multiplication, I found long division tedious and annoying. Until, one of my classmates tried to show me how he solved long divisions. I realized, the only secret is to memorize the multiplication table. Unlike in this story, he was unsuccessful in teaching me because I found the solution all by myself, which isn't exactly a secret at all.
If two trains leave at midnight...is the most used algebra problem ever. I think everyone has been asked to solve this train-problem at least once. This is my first time to read a romance story with Math in it. And it was not awkward or forced at all. Math perfectly fits into the whole equation of the story.
I am not sure if I was unfortunate not to experience being tutored by my crush. That would have been a nice experience to look back on. But I did have a similar experience. The guy helping us pass the UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Admission Test) was a looker so it was not so hard paying attention with the summer heat full on and with only a fan to fight it. Our rooms did not have air-conditioning. He was giving us pointers on how to pass the exam. I did pass the test but I decided not to study there. Looking back, I should have, but during that time, my heart was telling me no.
This was fun, with that secret meeting place right in the middle of a hidden forest and the LARP game (live action role-playing) and Dungeons and Dragons. Reminds of episodes of Big Bang Theory where the guys were playing the same game.
At first, I find Cate irritating the way she brushes Math like it's a really complicated subject and beyond her comprehension. I think she was just not trying at all because she just wanted to piss off her parents. She was trying too hard not to like Math because she doesn't want to follow in her parents footsteps. She knows what she wants and it's far from her parents expectations. It took someone she was interested in hanging out with to make her appreciate Math.
I give this 3.5/5 Math books. This story brought back memories of my student days. Days spent in the study halls doing group study or working on our feasibility study. This also reminded me of times when my friends would visit me at home to ask my help about their confusing homework. I think I was pretty good at tutoring for free back in high school. That was how my mom got the idea that I would make a good teacher and was pushing me to take Education but I had my mind set on something else.
It makes me feel old and wistful, like looking at a pair of shoes I can remember adoring as a child and realizing now they won't even fit on my fingers much less my feet.
- Meredith Rose, If Two Trains Leave at Midnight -
This book just screams Math is fun! Math is fun if you love it and if you have the aptitude for numbers and equations. But if you are a word-person, simply you'll find Math a pain in the butt. And if you won't try hard enough, there would be no use making numbers, x's and y's make sense. Me? I actually love Math, but before I memorized the Table of Multiplication, I found long division tedious and annoying. Until, one of my classmates tried to show me how he solved long divisions. I realized, the only secret is to memorize the multiplication table. Unlike in this story, he was unsuccessful in teaching me because I found the solution all by myself, which isn't exactly a secret at all.
If two trains leave at midnight...is the most used algebra problem ever. I think everyone has been asked to solve this train-problem at least once. This is my first time to read a romance story with Math in it. And it was not awkward or forced at all. Math perfectly fits into the whole equation of the story.
I am not sure if I was unfortunate not to experience being tutored by my crush. That would have been a nice experience to look back on. But I did have a similar experience. The guy helping us pass the UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Admission Test) was a looker so it was not so hard paying attention with the summer heat full on and with only a fan to fight it. Our rooms did not have air-conditioning. He was giving us pointers on how to pass the exam. I did pass the test but I decided not to study there. Looking back, I should have, but during that time, my heart was telling me no.
This was fun, with that secret meeting place right in the middle of a hidden forest and the LARP game (live action role-playing) and Dungeons and Dragons. Reminds of episodes of Big Bang Theory where the guys were playing the same game.
At first, I find Cate irritating the way she brushes Math like it's a really complicated subject and beyond her comprehension. I think she was just not trying at all because she just wanted to piss off her parents. She was trying too hard not to like Math because she doesn't want to follow in her parents footsteps. She knows what she wants and it's far from her parents expectations. It took someone she was interested in hanging out with to make her appreciate Math.
I give this 3.5/5 Math books. This story brought back memories of my student days. Days spent in the study halls doing group study or working on our feasibility study. This also reminded me of times when my friends would visit me at home to ask my help about their confusing homework. I think I was pretty good at tutoring for free back in high school. That was how my mom got the idea that I would make a good teacher and was pushing me to take Education but I had my mind set on something else.
It makes me feel old and wistful, like looking at a pair of shoes I can remember adoring as a child and realizing now they won't even fit on my fingers much less my feet.
- Meredith Rose, If Two Trains Leave at Midnight -
February 8, 2017
This book was classified as young adult. While I'm an adult (technically), I passed by young quite a few years ago. That being said I really enjoyed this book. The main character is quirky and funny and teenage girl angsty. As a parent, I was upset on her behalf that her parents would try to force her to be someone she isn't. As the story progresses we do a get a little insight into the parent's motivation, but her memories of her treatment as a young girl are particularly painful. There were a few minor characters about whom I wish we'd been given more information. I suspect that perhaps their stories were saved for another book. All in all, I found it to be a sweet story about following your passion and believing in yourself (and invisible swan friendship).
December 15, 2017
Cate leers at her Book of Horrors (A.K.A. her math book) as Tutor Number Six hovers over her. Who wants to know the difference between rational and irrational numbers anyway?
“Is it irrational that I have a sudden desire to gnaw off my fingers just to relieve the tedium?” (11)
Right away, Cate is clever and sassy; however, I started to question whether she might be delusional, because she often corresponded with Svee, the swan. What the…? I’d like to think that her boredom led to an overactive imagination, that she’s just “strange,” but I’m not too sure.
Unfortunately, story only went downhill from there with hardly any direction and no real interest on my part. I thought that this would be a young, quirky story, but it just didn’t pan out to my expectations.
“Is it irrational that I have a sudden desire to gnaw off my fingers just to relieve the tedium?” (11)
Right away, Cate is clever and sassy; however, I started to question whether she might be delusional, because she often corresponded with Svee, the swan. What the…? I’d like to think that her boredom led to an overactive imagination, that she’s just “strange,” but I’m not too sure.
Unfortunately, story only went downhill from there with hardly any direction and no real interest on my part. I thought that this would be a young, quirky story, but it just didn’t pan out to my expectations.
January 10, 2018
This book was not the regular genre I enjoy. There was too much teenage angst much of which was superfluous to the storyline.
Although it did move forward at a better speed about a quarter of the way through the book, the first portion was difficult to slog through. Again this was not my preferred genre and someone else might find the entire book more enjoyable than I did.
I received an arc of this book and voluntarily chose to review it
May 22, 2017
This is actually a coming of age story done in a very unique way. You have Cate, the underachieving daughter, who wants to be a writer. But she can't do math. She's been through 6 tutors, which she feels is an accomplishment. Number 7 is hired by Cate herself. As we follow Cates story we all learn a lesson. This book is fun
July 10, 2017
A great YA book set in the real world. Girl learns to love geek and develop her own place in the world (not entirely within her parents' desired parameters). The D&D and LARP are a bit out of keeping with my personal experiences in those areas (and I'm old; I've played D&D for 40 years) but for anyone with no background, the descriptions could be reasonable.
January 1, 2018
My fourth read from author Meredith Rose. What a way to close out 2017! I don't have the words to describe how this book touched me on so many levels. Extremely well-written with touchingly well-developed characters and a plot that never ceased to develop until the very end of the book. I read over 500 books this year and this one is in my top 5! Now if she'd just write more books
July 5, 2017
I really like this book. I don't necessarily agree with all the points the writer was trying to convey, but her writing style was terrific- I particularly enjoyed the "Anne of Green Gables" vibe the book gave me. This is definitely an author to watch out for!
June 26, 2017
Clever book. I really enjoyed it for a bit of light reading.
May 7, 2019
Enjoyable young adult book!
August 13, 2018
This book is both lovely and sad, sweet and containing bittersweet moments too. I find the female protagonist very funny, and I love her invisible swan companion Svee - she's awesome, and I'd love to have a real friend like her! Although I'm not entirely sure how an imaginary swan can cause people to trip? Anyway, this is a great read for anyone from late teens upwards (there are a few sexual bits, including references to M/M relationship, one of which is a little too graphic for younger readers). And whilst the maths stuff included went over my head, it didn't matter - it's only there to kind of illustrate the story anyway, you don't really need to understand it. So don't worry about being a maths genius, just enjoy being a normal person and let the difficult stuff pass you by! It's the first time I've ever seen maths being romantic, especially the dreaded "if two trains..." problems so frequently set in school, and it's given me a better appreciation for them - even if I still don't understand completely what they meant!
March 27, 2017
Interesting. Who knew you could make math interesting. Certainly not me. Ok it still isn't, but it was fun to pretend it could be for SOMEONE. My husband is that geeky. He loves math. Me...nope. I'm more like Cate, give me words!
I was given this book for a free review and I read it in two days. I loved it.
Cate is a high school senior who (in my head still needed mental help) has learned to redirect her creativity to her imaginary friend in order to hide her gift from her numbers/science loving parents. She is however, failing math and mom and dad want better. She meets up with Gavin after several years of hating him, only to find he's not just a great tutor, he's a hot guy. I won't spoil the rest, just read it. It was fun.
Now for the negative. I still loved the book, but I was annoyed at the author's attempt to 'sell' like most authors lately. Stop selling homosexuality. I get it, it's super trendy right now. But it seemed fake to me. Most homosexuals don't NEED or want you to add something in just to get them to read it. The book was good, you don't have to try so hard to win folks over! It didn't really add much to the story. And the part it did add could have been a bit different. I just thought 'oh great another person adding in the newest trend think they won't be liked without it.' I'm getting a bit tired of the push of homosexuality by most authors today. It's fake. I don't want to be 'sold' to. I don't want something added just to be 'in style.' Just write a good book because it's a good story. No need to attempt to cater to anyone. We're big enough to get it. With that said, I loved the story, even with the unnecessary attempt to be 'in.' It was cute, it was funny, it was clever, and it was unique. I only found a couple typos and 2 sentences that ended in a preposition. But they were easily ignored. I frequently find more. With all that said, read the book. You'll be glad you did. Enjoy.
I was given this book for a free review and I read it in two days. I loved it.
Cate is a high school senior who (in my head still needed mental help) has learned to redirect her creativity to her imaginary friend in order to hide her gift from her numbers/science loving parents. She is however, failing math and mom and dad want better. She meets up with Gavin after several years of hating him, only to find he's not just a great tutor, he's a hot guy. I won't spoil the rest, just read it. It was fun.
Now for the negative. I still loved the book, but I was annoyed at the author's attempt to 'sell' like most authors lately. Stop selling homosexuality. I get it, it's super trendy right now. But it seemed fake to me. Most homosexuals don't NEED or want you to add something in just to get them to read it. The book was good, you don't have to try so hard to win folks over! It didn't really add much to the story. And the part it did add could have been a bit different. I just thought 'oh great another person adding in the newest trend think they won't be liked without it.' I'm getting a bit tired of the push of homosexuality by most authors today. It's fake. I don't want to be 'sold' to. I don't want something added just to be 'in style.' Just write a good book because it's a good story. No need to attempt to cater to anyone. We're big enough to get it. With that said, I loved the story, even with the unnecessary attempt to be 'in.' It was cute, it was funny, it was clever, and it was unique. I only found a couple typos and 2 sentences that ended in a preposition. But they were easily ignored. I frequently find more. With all that said, read the book. You'll be glad you did. Enjoy.
April 15, 2017
3.5 stars. Felt very sorry for Cate and how her parents treated her just for being imaginative but I didn’t particularly like her in the beginning and wasn’t sure I would like the story but she definitely grew on me as the story progressed and she grows up/matures. I especially liked how she handled everything after that incredibly awful day when the hits just kept on coming, particularly that open letter she wrote to the reporter and the actor who trashed her fan fic story.
I am not sure if it was deliberate or not but the story seems to be quite heavily based on Anne of Green Gables. Cate is highly imaginative and overly dramatic like Anne. Like Anne, she holds onto a grudge like nobodies business with her resentment of Gavin for a childhood slight that was really Gavin just trying to get her attention was similar to the way Anne held a grudge against Gilbert for a similar incident. Then there was the whole thing with Brianna and the brownies, being forbidden to see one another then being allowed to be friends again after Cate saves Brianna’s brother’s life which is pretty much identical to what happens with Dianna and the cordial and saving her sibling.
I received a free copy of this story from the author via instafreebie in return for a review.
I am not sure if it was deliberate or not but the story seems to be quite heavily based on Anne of Green Gables. Cate is highly imaginative and overly dramatic like Anne. Like Anne, she holds onto a grudge like nobodies business with her resentment of Gavin for a childhood slight that was really Gavin just trying to get her attention was similar to the way Anne held a grudge against Gilbert for a similar incident. Then there was the whole thing with Brianna and the brownies, being forbidden to see one another then being allowed to be friends again after Cate saves Brianna’s brother’s life which is pretty much identical to what happens with Dianna and the cordial and saving her sibling.
I received a free copy of this story from the author via instafreebie in return for a review.
April 23, 2017
Thank you Meredith Rose for this wonderful piece of art! If Two Trains Leave At Midnight is fun, heart-warming and simply beautiful.
The characters all feel very authentic and Cate's way of seeing the world is described downright artfully. I love how the book explores the differences between creative and more 'realistic' types and manages to highlight the beauty in both. Since I also suffer from 'math anxiety' it was almost cathartic to read about someone sort of overcoming that issue and I must say, I'm actually inspired to try again, too.
I think If Two Trains Leave At Midnight is a great story for young adults who maybe are about to face big decision like choosing what to do with their lives after school but also for everyone (regardless their age) who love a fun and inspiring story with deeper undertones.
I'm so glad I came across this wonderful book (thanks to instafreebie) and can't wait until my daughter is old enough to read it!
The characters all feel very authentic and Cate's way of seeing the world is described downright artfully. I love how the book explores the differences between creative and more 'realistic' types and manages to highlight the beauty in both. Since I also suffer from 'math anxiety' it was almost cathartic to read about someone sort of overcoming that issue and I must say, I'm actually inspired to try again, too.
I think If Two Trains Leave At Midnight is a great story for young adults who maybe are about to face big decision like choosing what to do with their lives after school but also for everyone (regardless their age) who love a fun and inspiring story with deeper undertones.
I'm so glad I came across this wonderful book (thanks to instafreebie) and can't wait until my daughter is old enough to read it!
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