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Het zomerhuis
Sinds hun geboorte delen Sasha en Ray drie halfzussen, een zomerhuis en één slaapkamer. Sasha’s vader was ooit getrouwd met Rays moeder, maar sinds hun scheiding ontlopen ze elkaar. In hun zomerhuis komen ze nu met hun nieuwe gezinnen, maar nooit tegelijk. Zo komt het dat Ray en Sasha in hetzelfde bed slapen, zonder elkaar ooit ontmoet te hebben. Toch intrigeert die andere kant van de familie.
Door een onverwachte ontmoeting, een explosief familiefeest en een lang verzwegen geheim wordt alles op zijn kop gezet. Kan er uit deze chaos ook iets moois ontstaan?
Door een onverwachte ontmoeting, een explosief familiefeest en een lang verzwegen geheim wordt alles op zijn kop gezet. Kan er uit deze chaos ook iets moois ontstaan?
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2017
254 people are currently reading
9415 people want to read
About the author
Ann Brashares
74 books4,963 followersAnn Brashares is an American young adult novelist. She is best known as the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.
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August 6, 2024
Rating: 1.5 stars
Alright, buckle up kids. This review is gonna be long —needless to say, I had major issues with this book.
First, I want to start by giving a general warning that most of my review will be addressing the fact that this book displayed almost blatant sexism, body-shaming of all sorts, stereotyping, and some racism.
This book follows two families (technically one) over the course of a summer that forever alters their relationship with each other. The two main characters of this novel are Sasha and Ray, but the book is written in third person omniscient, so we really get the perspectives and story lines of Sasha, Ray, and their three sisters Emma, Quinn, and Mattie. If it sounds like a lot just from the description, that's because it was a lot to keep up with. And it got fairly confusing. The changing focus was tedious and overall, poorly done.
These characters are some of the most stale and cheap, stereotypical rich people I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. They can all be sufficiently described in one word, as the synopsis so clearly does for the three sisters. Every single character, including the minor ones, were cardboard cut outs. They each had a total of maybe three personality traits, and had exactly no depth to them whatsoeve. I couldn't relate to a single character, and I couldn't care less what happened to them. They just weren't real in any way that I could connect with.
The overall premise of this book held real potential. I wanted it to be really good, and I sort of expected that to some degree. But instead I got a really bad Hallmark show that didn't even give me a sense of guilty pleasure that makes Hallmark movies fun to watch. The idea of a multi-faceted, crazy, and complex family could have been really fun to read about. Not to mention, it's a biracial family, which immediately gave me tons of hope for this book from the beginning.
But it didn't take more than 50 pages before that hope came crashing back down. Although I fully appreciate the diverse representation, it was just poorly written. To put it brashly, this whole book just sounded like it was written by a white person (which obviously it was). The attempts at describing the effects of racial discrimination against Indian individuals in America was half-baked and trivial. Instead of being a real plot point and aspect of development for any of the characters, it was thrown in at random points and made to seem highly insignificant.
There is also one scene in the book (pretty much just one particular line of dialogue) that was completely and utterly offensive. The scene surrounds Emma, Mattie, and Sasha as they go dress-shopping for a family event. Emma has been repeatedly scolding Mattie and Sasha for picking out dresses that are too "revealing" and "sleezy" (so yes, there's slut-shaming galore in this book). Now that I've set the context a bit, I'll just put the quote here for you to read:
Emma pulled a bunch of things and brought them to the dressing room. Sasha took a navy-blue-and-white-striped maxidress to humor her. "Does it come with a burqa?" Mattie asked through the curtain.
Yes, you read that correctly. Frankly, it's disgusting, and since I read an ARC copy of this book, I'm hoping that the publisher seriously considers removing that piece of dialogue from the final print.
While that scene was just one isolated example of discrimination, this book is also riddled with hideous body-shaming towards women of all types. It not only includes the annoying "she's not like other girls" trope, but promotes sexism and rape culture as well. I'll provide just a handful of examples for you:
"She was a dark, humble contrast to her towering, spike-heeled friend. He saw boys' heads swivel and gawk at the friend as the pair went by, but his shuffly girl was the actual beauty, her lovely body hidden under modest clothes. She was the kind of pretty only someone as deep as him understood."
"Leaving the party, Ray's mind was full and his eyes were absent. The elevator doors opened, a cluster of people pushed in, and suddenly he was standing behind her, less than a foot away. He smelled her hair before he saw her. The smell made him dizzy. It took a shortcut to a part of his brain that didn't deal in words. He didn't mean to look down at her chest, but what could he do?"
Right after we read the body-shaming viewpoint that Ray has, we get to read this excerpt of him pervertedly staring down Sasha's dress. It’s just gross.
I'll spare you any more ranting on my part about this subject, but there were countless examples of discrimination and stereotyping towards women in this book. There was something offensive in nearly every chapter, and even without the other problematic aspects of this book, it ruined all of the characters and story for me.
The romance itself was pretty strange too. It wasn't fun to read, and I didn't root for the characters to be together in any way. Though the author attempted to make it into a "forbidden love" scenario, it was - again - poorly done. Sasha and Ray barely knew each other, yet they were obsessed. They had exchanged a total of maybe 15 sentences in person, along with a dozen or so emails, and ( *** Spoiler Alert ***) sleep together at the end of the book. It was completely random, and sort of gross. Even though Sasha and Ray are not related by blood, they were still practically strangers, and it takes place in the middle of the night, in a house full of their parents, in a bed that they shared as children. Yeah, it's that weird. ( End of Spoilers )
There were a few select story lines that I appreciated, like Mattie uncovering her origins and finding her future on a farm that she and Quinn work on every summer. I also liked Emma's romance for the dynamics it created amongst her estranged family members. I also really liked the backstory we got on Robert and Lila (the divorced parents), but there wasn't nearly enough of it. I finished the book still not fully understanding why the divide had gotten so deep to begin with. The ending itself was nice, and again displayed the potential that this book really had.
If you've made it this far in my review, I congratulate you for sticking with me (that wasn't an easy task I'm sure). If you've made it this far, and still want to read this book to form your own opinion, I ask that you consider getting it from the library when it releases, or do everything possible to prevent supporting this book financially. It contains very harmful stereotypes that should not be promoted.
I read an advance reader's copy of this book, so all quotes used in this review are subject to change.
Alright, buckle up kids. This review is gonna be long —needless to say, I had major issues with this book.
First, I want to start by giving a general warning that most of my review will be addressing the fact that this book displayed almost blatant sexism, body-shaming of all sorts, stereotyping, and some racism.
This book follows two families (technically one) over the course of a summer that forever alters their relationship with each other. The two main characters of this novel are Sasha and Ray, but the book is written in third person omniscient, so we really get the perspectives and story lines of Sasha, Ray, and their three sisters Emma, Quinn, and Mattie. If it sounds like a lot just from the description, that's because it was a lot to keep up with. And it got fairly confusing. The changing focus was tedious and overall, poorly done.
These characters are some of the most stale and cheap, stereotypical rich people I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. They can all be sufficiently described in one word, as the synopsis so clearly does for the three sisters. Every single character, including the minor ones, were cardboard cut outs. They each had a total of maybe three personality traits, and had exactly no depth to them whatsoeve. I couldn't relate to a single character, and I couldn't care less what happened to them. They just weren't real in any way that I could connect with.
The overall premise of this book held real potential. I wanted it to be really good, and I sort of expected that to some degree. But instead I got a really bad Hallmark show that didn't even give me a sense of guilty pleasure that makes Hallmark movies fun to watch. The idea of a multi-faceted, crazy, and complex family could have been really fun to read about. Not to mention, it's a biracial family, which immediately gave me tons of hope for this book from the beginning.
But it didn't take more than 50 pages before that hope came crashing back down. Although I fully appreciate the diverse representation, it was just poorly written. To put it brashly, this whole book just sounded like it was written by a white person (which obviously it was). The attempts at describing the effects of racial discrimination against Indian individuals in America was half-baked and trivial. Instead of being a real plot point and aspect of development for any of the characters, it was thrown in at random points and made to seem highly insignificant.
There is also one scene in the book (pretty much just one particular line of dialogue) that was completely and utterly offensive. The scene surrounds Emma, Mattie, and Sasha as they go dress-shopping for a family event. Emma has been repeatedly scolding Mattie and Sasha for picking out dresses that are too "revealing" and "sleezy" (so yes, there's slut-shaming galore in this book). Now that I've set the context a bit, I'll just put the quote here for you to read:
Emma pulled a bunch of things and brought them to the dressing room. Sasha took a navy-blue-and-white-striped maxidress to humor her. "Does it come with a burqa?" Mattie asked through the curtain.
Yes, you read that correctly. Frankly, it's disgusting, and since I read an ARC copy of this book, I'm hoping that the publisher seriously considers removing that piece of dialogue from the final print.
While that scene was just one isolated example of discrimination, this book is also riddled with hideous body-shaming towards women of all types. It not only includes the annoying "she's not like other girls" trope, but promotes sexism and rape culture as well. I'll provide just a handful of examples for you:
"She was a dark, humble contrast to her towering, spike-heeled friend. He saw boys' heads swivel and gawk at the friend as the pair went by, but his shuffly girl was the actual beauty, her lovely body hidden under modest clothes. She was the kind of pretty only someone as deep as him understood."
"Leaving the party, Ray's mind was full and his eyes were absent. The elevator doors opened, a cluster of people pushed in, and suddenly he was standing behind her, less than a foot away. He smelled her hair before he saw her. The smell made him dizzy. It took a shortcut to a part of his brain that didn't deal in words. He didn't mean to look down at her chest, but what could he do?"
Right after we read the body-shaming viewpoint that Ray has, we get to read this excerpt of him pervertedly staring down Sasha's dress. It’s just gross.
I'll spare you any more ranting on my part about this subject, but there were countless examples of discrimination and stereotyping towards women in this book. There was something offensive in nearly every chapter, and even without the other problematic aspects of this book, it ruined all of the characters and story for me.
The romance itself was pretty strange too. It wasn't fun to read, and I didn't root for the characters to be together in any way. Though the author attempted to make it into a "forbidden love" scenario, it was - again - poorly done. Sasha and Ray barely knew each other, yet they were obsessed. They had exchanged a total of maybe 15 sentences in person, along with a dozen or so emails, and ( *** Spoiler Alert ***) sleep together at the end of the book. It was completely random, and sort of gross. Even though Sasha and Ray are not related by blood, they were still practically strangers, and it takes place in the middle of the night, in a house full of their parents, in a bed that they shared as children. Yeah, it's that weird. ( End of Spoilers )
There were a few select story lines that I appreciated, like Mattie uncovering her origins and finding her future on a farm that she and Quinn work on every summer. I also liked Emma's romance for the dynamics it created amongst her estranged family members. I also really liked the backstory we got on Robert and Lila (the divorced parents), but there wasn't nearly enough of it. I finished the book still not fully understanding why the divide had gotten so deep to begin with. The ending itself was nice, and again displayed the potential that this book really had.
If you've made it this far in my review, I congratulate you for sticking with me (that wasn't an easy task I'm sure). If you've made it this far, and still want to read this book to form your own opinion, I ask that you consider getting it from the library when it releases, or do everything possible to prevent supporting this book financially. It contains very harmful stereotypes that should not be promoted.
I read an advance reader's copy of this book, so all quotes used in this review are subject to change.
November 11, 2022
This one marks my 100th read for the year. 🎉 A split family shares an estate on opposite weeks and two of the unrelated kids switch off bedrooms. 🤔 While I found their story the most intriguing- it focuses on the other siblings as well. 👍
July 10, 2020
2 stars
When I saw that Ann Brashares was coming out with an new YA book, I jumped at the chance to read it. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is one of my favorite YA series. I remember reading them when I was in college and falling in love with the story and the sisterhood. If you go into The Whole Thing Together without these expectations that I had, you may enjoy it more than I did. I expected it to be younger, more fresh and fun than it was. Honestly, with the way the story focused on Ray and Sasha's older sisters for the bulk of the book, I think personally, I would classify this more as fiction than YA.
The story starts off with Ray and Sasha. Ray and Sasha are both teenagers who have shared a room their entire life. But they've never officially met one another. Once upon a time, Ray's mother and Sasha's father were married. They had three daughters together, then they divorced. The one thing they could never settle on was who got their beloved home in Long Island. So they share it. Each person takes every other week. As time went on, both got remarried. Ray's mother had him, and a few weeks later Sasha's parents had her. The three older sisters they share have their own rooms, but Ray and Sasha always rotated theirs.
Ray and Sasha's parts of the story were the parts I liked best. Both characters were likable and there were some funny and cute scenes between them. I especially loved their emails.
Then the stories of Emma, Maddie, and Quinn came along. I could have done without having the focus of the book being on the entire family. I didn't love that it was written in third person and it wasn't clear to me who was who for the longest time. I also didn't like how one of the sister's stories ended. I thought it was unnecessary and sort of came out of nowhere for me.
What I will say about this book, is once I started it, I was hooked. I stayed up late to finish it because I was engaged in the lives of Sasha and Ray. While there were moments I enjoyed the story, sadly I didn't fall in love with the book. It was just okay for me.
We live in the same place, but never together.
When I saw that Ann Brashares was coming out with an new YA book, I jumped at the chance to read it. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is one of my favorite YA series. I remember reading them when I was in college and falling in love with the story and the sisterhood. If you go into The Whole Thing Together without these expectations that I had, you may enjoy it more than I did. I expected it to be younger, more fresh and fun than it was. Honestly, with the way the story focused on Ray and Sasha's older sisters for the bulk of the book, I think personally, I would classify this more as fiction than YA.
The story starts off with Ray and Sasha. Ray and Sasha are both teenagers who have shared a room their entire life. But they've never officially met one another. Once upon a time, Ray's mother and Sasha's father were married. They had three daughters together, then they divorced. The one thing they could never settle on was who got their beloved home in Long Island. So they share it. Each person takes every other week. As time went on, both got remarried. Ray's mother had him, and a few weeks later Sasha's parents had her. The three older sisters they share have their own rooms, but Ray and Sasha always rotated theirs.
He had the best qualities of an imaginary friend. He was patient, sympathetic, and understanding, silently sharing her things and spaces. He was never selfish or loud or bullying. He never even disagreed with her. He was just what she wanted, sometimes needed, him to be. So in that way, he was an ideal roommate.
Ray and Sasha's parts of the story were the parts I liked best. Both characters were likable and there were some funny and cute scenes between them. I especially loved their emails.
Dear Ray,
Could you please withdraw orders to call me Sasha?
Sasha
Then the stories of Emma, Maddie, and Quinn came along. I could have done without having the focus of the book being on the entire family. I didn't love that it was written in third person and it wasn't clear to me who was who for the longest time. I also didn't like how one of the sister's stories ended. I thought it was unnecessary and sort of came out of nowhere for me.
What I will say about this book, is once I started it, I was hooked. I stayed up late to finish it because I was engaged in the lives of Sasha and Ray. While there were moments I enjoyed the story, sadly I didn't fall in love with the book. It was just okay for me.
May 28, 2018
Translation widget on The blog!!!
Ce înseamnă ca doi foști soți să împartă o casa de vacanța? Ce înseamnă pentru trei surori sa trăiască doua săptămâni cu familia mamei si doua cu a tatălui? Dar pentru cei doi frați vitregi ai surorilor?
O lecție de viața! O carte care te face sa vezi speranța după ce ai înfruntat necazul.
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/o-v...
Ce înseamnă ca doi foști soți să împartă o casa de vacanța? Ce înseamnă pentru trei surori sa trăiască doua săptămâni cu familia mamei si doua cu a tatălui? Dar pentru cei doi frați vitregi ai surorilor?
O lecție de viața! O carte care te face sa vezi speranța după ce ai înfruntat necazul.
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/o-v...
April 23, 2017
I only requested this arc because Ann Brashares is the author of the famous The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I never read the book, only watched the movie over 8 years ago back when I used to think every movie/tv show with teens was awesome. I remember that it was fun. Now I know I'm not reading it.
Excuse me if my review is all over the place. I had so many issues with The Whole Thing Together that I don't even know where to start from. The summary alone was confusing and I don't think it's worth wasting my time to try to explain it, the family relationships are very complicated.. I won't even write a detailed review, it's tiring to even think about it.
This book is a mess. In any novel, having multiple POVs is not an easy job for the author. It can be confusing, annoying, useless, and so much more. Especially, in contemporary. This book was not an exception. Everything that can go wrong while using multiple POVs was found here. I think I need to explain. You see, at first, I thought Ray and Sasha are the main characters. I was wrong, we read from their sisters pov too. 5 people! And I didn't care about any. I was confused who was telling the story each time especially with the 1st person usage and in the same chapter, we can find multiple POVs...
The characters were so richly annoying. Let's start with the sisters. The author tried to make them 3-dimentional but terribly failed. Quinn was oh my so perfect, sotoo good and loving. I hated Mattie, she was the worse of the 3. Emma was boring. I didn't care about them. The book was like fillers from page 1 until the end. I forced myself to finish it. It earned many eye rolls.
We all know Ray and Sasha will end up together but God, the cringe. So these two fellows practically fell in love with each other because they shared a room and stuff (never at the same time) and before they ever met. Well, the author never said it, but it was pretty obvious. I didn't root for them. Maybe it's because the story didn't only focus on them but also about the sisters' lives. Maybe because of the cringe-worthy letters. But in any case, I was indifferent. I think introducing the sisters was kinda necessary since their story wasn't worth a book, anyway...
The Asian rich father (of course, he works with techs. That's what all Asians do) and the irritating mother were so childish. . Sasha didn't appreciate her mother and she even knew it but it didn't help, I still hated her for it, her mother was nice.
I even had a headache while reading this book. I never have headaches. okay rarely but saying it rarely doesn't ring well. I even made it to the end only to hate it even more. Even though I liked how it ended for Mattie, the rest was stupid.
If you still want to read this book, go for it. Sometimes "it's me not you" kind of book but this one is definitely the book's problem.
***ARC provided via NetGalley***
Excuse me if my review is all over the place. I had so many issues with The Whole Thing Together that I don't even know where to start from. The summary alone was confusing and I don't think it's worth wasting my time to try to explain it, the family relationships are very complicated.. I won't even write a detailed review, it's tiring to even think about it.
This book is a mess. In any novel, having multiple POVs is not an easy job for the author. It can be confusing, annoying, useless, and so much more. Especially, in contemporary. This book was not an exception. Everything that can go wrong while using multiple POVs was found here. I think I need to explain. You see, at first, I thought Ray and Sasha are the main characters. I was wrong, we read from their sisters pov too. 5 people! And I didn't care about any. I was confused who was telling the story each time especially with the 1st person usage and in the same chapter, we can find multiple POVs...
The characters were so richly annoying. Let's start with the sisters. The author tried to make them 3-dimentional but terribly failed. Quinn was oh my so perfect, so
We all know Ray and Sasha will end up together but God, the cringe. So these two fellows practically fell in love with each other because they shared a room and stuff (never at the same time) and before they ever met. Well, the author never said it, but it was pretty obvious. I didn't root for them. Maybe it's because the story didn't only focus on them but also about the sisters' lives. Maybe because of the cringe-worthy letters. But in any case, I was indifferent. I think introducing the sisters was kinda necessary since their story wasn't worth a book, anyway...
The Asian rich father (of course, he works with techs. That's what all Asians do) and the irritating mother were so childish. . Sasha didn't appreciate her mother and she even knew it but it didn't help, I still hated her for it, her mother was nice.
I even had a headache while reading this book. I never have headaches.
If you still want to read this book, go for it. Sometimes "it's me not you" kind of book but this one is definitely the book's problem.
***ARC provided via NetGalley***
April 21, 2017
The Whole Thing Together is a summer-y contemporary novel about a family split apart, thanks to years of tension and pent up anger. It follows all POVs of the children of the large family, as their lives change throughout the course of their novel. It’s the story about them reconnecting, thanks to these two teens who are not related but are apart of this broken family- in a way (Confusing, I know. The synopsis explains it better).
I was never a fan of third person narration, especially when it follows more than two characters. So seeing each sibling’s lives unfold, along with their secrets, as the story progressed, was puzzling considering each voice sounded similar to another and lacked distinction. But that wasn’t the only thing that bothered me about this novel. What bothered me the most about this novel were the micro-aggressions woven into the story, along with the subtle hints of sexism and racism directed at characters of Indian descent. It proves that authors, yet again, should stay in their own lane when creating protagonists from ethnic groups outside of their own because their internalized racism and stereotypes about those groups will bleed through their writing like it did in this novel.
Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at some quotes from the story itself to show you how problematic it is.
Racism shown throughout the novel
In chapter one, it describes the mother, Lila, when she first began to date the father, Robert, back then. Lila is a white woman and Robert is Indian, but grew up in Canada with his adoptive parents.
What even is Indian-ness? Is that a weird way of saying he wasn’t white, like Lila? There are so many things wrong with this quote, I don’t even know where to begin.
In this same chapter, on the same page, in my E-ARC, it says,
This description is never denounced as a racist thought. Authors, preferably ones who have actually experienced racism first-hand, can speak about racism in their novels if they denounce it and state that these thoughts are wrong. Nowhere in this novel does it state that Grandpa Harrison is a racist or denounce what he believed. Instead, this description is thrown into the novel without comment.
In chapter three, there is a description of one of the siblings which says,
In case you are unaware, g***y is a racial slur used against Romani people. It should never be used as a description of a quirky character and is offensive on many levels. Not many people know just how offensive this term is but it’s gross and everyone who reads the novel, including the author should be made aware of that.
In chapter fourteen, a character describes Sasha (Mixed race character who is half Indian) as having “Bengali eyes”. I just don’t understand this description at. all. Frequently throughout the novel, the author makes it known that Sasha has round or large eyes, so I’m assuming that “Bengali eyes” is one of her ways to showing that Sasha’s eyes are unique and different or that Indian’s have bigger eyes than others? There is a decent amount of adjectives in the English language to describe round/big eyes and so many ways to get creative with that description. Using the term “Bengali” to describe her eyes just shows how limited the author’s vocabulary is or just how fixated the descriptions are when pointing out South Asian features. *barf*
In chapter fifteen, one of the siblings, Mattie (daughter of Lila and Robert), described her sisters in comparison to herself. Mattie had “fine yellow hair and round violet-blue eyes”. This is how she described her sister,
One, when describing a person of color (Yes, Emma is a PoC because her father is Indian), one should never use the word ‘exotic’. Only call birds and cars exotic. People. Are. Not. Exotic. It places a label of Other on people who are called exotic because they simply don’t fit the European standard of beauty. And how in all hell can someone be the “most Indian” in looks? Is that a not so subtle way of saying Sasha was darker than her other sisters who looked more European, thanks to their mother’s genes? I cannot. ALSO: If you were to reread the quote about Emma without the word ‘exotic’, the exact same message is delivered. It’s just extremely unnecessary and shows again how focused the author is to give these POC characters a not-so-subtle “other” label.
Mattie (the blonde haired / blue eyed sister) continues describing herself in saying,
OH. My. GOODNESS. This is the whitest narrative I’ve seen so far. This character is basically saying, “Ah, I’ve got it all. While I’m blonde haired and blue eyed, I can still call myself an ‘outsider’ and be called ‘diverse’.” No one likes to have that other label that the author is so quick to stick it onto her POC characters. This statement is bleeding with racism. The character is obviously aware that she is getting “the best of both worlds”; no one questions her because of her light skin, but at the end of the day she can get called ‘exotic’ and ‘different’ because of her ethnicity. Her statement about how she had won the “genetic jackpot” shows this character thinks of herself as superior to her siblings because she has less “Indian-ness” attributes, physically. When you’re calling blonde hair and blue eyed person ‘a genetic jackpot’ you are placing a certain groups of people above others, and I understand it is because she probably gets more privilege than her siblings in society, but it seems twisted and wrong that the character sees this as such a positive than a negative, that she has more privilege and opportunities than her siblings, rather than not understanding why her “genetic jackpot” should give her a higher standing than the people she is blood-related to. It’s also not a coincidence that Mattie is known as the “beauty” and she is the one with the “genetic jackpot”. Hah, thanks for letting everyone know what the best features to have are.
In chapter seventeen, the sisters are shopping for dresses for a wedding.
When will we stop making fun of those who wear burqua’s? When will their choice in being conservative not be the butt end of a joke? This is a disgusting joke that should have never been included in the novel. It wasn’t funny. It was crass.
Sexism shown throughout the novel
In chapter three,
When, oh when, will we stop pitting female characters against one another? When will authors stop making female leads see other females as some unspoken form of competition? So what if Dana was bad at math or liked to use Instagram?! Mattie sees herself as ‘better’ than Dana because she doesn’t use social media? Whoop dee doo. I’m tired of girls hating on other girls for liking different things. Next.
In chapter eight, this is Ray describing Sasha,
*barfs for five years straight* I hope I never hear a boy describe me this way. Beauty is not made specifically for another person and no one, boy or girl, should believe that someone’s beauty is theirs. Ray is mostly complimenting himself, in this sentence, by acknowledging how deep he is. The whole statement is cringe-worthy because it’s wrong, offensive, and extremely shallow. This is the exact opposite way to compliment a girl, acting as if he discovered her beauty and she didn’t know she was beautiful. Boy, bye.
In chapter thirteen, Mattie is describing Ray’s on-and-off again girlfriend,
GIRLS WHO WEAR MAKEUP AREN’T LESSER THAN GIRLS WHO DON’T. VICE VERSA. WHY IS THIS STILL A THING HOLY MOTHER-
Chapter fifteen, Mattie is watching TV,
Honestly, Mattie is so problematic I don’t know how she exists with all this hatred inside of her. WE GET IT. YOU ARE ALL NATURAL. This girl hates those who wear makeup and those who get plastic surgery. She is so unnecessarily petty about other females using cosmetics, and it’s disgusting. Bashing on women who do things to alter their appearance from the range of makeup to plastic surgery is in no way putting yourself on a taller pedestal, that Mattie seems to feel she is self-entitled to stand on. Does natural beauty need to be admired? Yes, of course, BUT that does not mean that harsh criticisms need to be turned around on another party in order to make that admiration more valid.
Chapter seventeen, the siblings are shopping for dresses and one girl says they need, “less expensive and less slutty options.” Stop. Using. The. Word. Slut. In. Novels. Girls aren’t sluts for wearing revealing clothes. Girls aren’t better for being conservative. I’m tired. Let me rest.
Honestly, there are other quotes shown throughout this novel that is racist or sexist, but I didn’t want to list them all here. I just wanted you all to have a sampling of how horrible the narrative is in this novel. White authors should do the research and be respectful when writing about PoC. Using stereotypes, harmful slurs, internalized racism in this novel without denouncing it at any point. These harmful and offensive quotes are sprinkled throughout the novel all willy-nilly, and I’m shocked that the editor didn’t point out how horrible this type of a language is.
This review isn’t made out to say DON’T READ THIS BOOK. I’m not saying that at all. I’m just writing this to warn readers, especially POC readers, that this book is harmful and should be avoided. The quotes I showed you above are harmful. They use language that should not be included in novels in 2017. I thought we moved on from things like this, but apparently, racist narratives slip through the cracks of the publishing industry.
I was never a fan of third person narration, especially when it follows more than two characters. So seeing each sibling’s lives unfold, along with their secrets, as the story progressed, was puzzling considering each voice sounded similar to another and lacked distinction. But that wasn’t the only thing that bothered me about this novel. What bothered me the most about this novel were the micro-aggressions woven into the story, along with the subtle hints of sexism and racism directed at characters of Indian descent. It proves that authors, yet again, should stay in their own lane when creating protagonists from ethnic groups outside of their own because their internalized racism and stereotypes about those groups will bleed through their writing like it did in this novel.
Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at some quotes from the story itself to show you how problematic it is.
Racism shown throughout the novel
In chapter one, it describes the mother, Lila, when she first began to date the father, Robert, back then. Lila is a white woman and Robert is Indian, but grew up in Canada with his adoptive parents.
“You could see it in the picture if you looked carefully- she is strident, he is eager. She wanted to use him- his Indian-ness- to shock her parents’ system. He wanted to be part of the system he was supposed to shock.”
What even is Indian-ness? Is that a weird way of saying he wasn’t white, like Lila? There are so many things wrong with this quote, I don’t even know where to begin.
In this same chapter, on the same page, in my E-ARC, it says,
“Grandpa Harrison was predictably shocked and horrified that his daughter got pregnant by a brown-skinned young man with a presumably brown-skinned child when they weren’t even married.”
This description is never denounced as a racist thought. Authors, preferably ones who have actually experienced racism first-hand, can speak about racism in their novels if they denounce it and state that these thoughts are wrong. Nowhere in this novel does it state that Grandpa Harrison is a racist or denounce what he believed. Instead, this description is thrown into the novel without comment.
In chapter three, there is a description of one of the siblings which says,
“Quinn kept her own hours, ate half the parsley in the greenhouse, rode her bike in circles inside the barn, and dressed like a gypsy.”
In case you are unaware, g***y is a racial slur used against Romani people. It should never be used as a description of a quirky character and is offensive on many levels. Not many people know just how offensive this term is but it’s gross and everyone who reads the novel, including the author should be made aware of that.
In chapter fourteen, a character describes Sasha (Mixed race character who is half Indian) as having “Bengali eyes”. I just don’t understand this description at. all. Frequently throughout the novel, the author makes it known that Sasha has round or large eyes, so I’m assuming that “Bengali eyes” is one of her ways to showing that Sasha’s eyes are unique and different or that Indian’s have bigger eyes than others? There is a decent amount of adjectives in the English language to describe round/big eyes and so many ways to get creative with that description. Using the term “Bengali” to describe her eyes just shows how limited the author’s vocabulary is or just how fixated the descriptions are when pointing out South Asian features. *barf*
In chapter fifteen, one of the siblings, Mattie (daughter of Lila and Robert), described her sisters in comparison to herself. Mattie had “fine yellow hair and round violet-blue eyes”. This is how she described her sister,
“Emma was an exotic head-turner with thick black hair down to her belly button; and Sasha, the most Indian in looks, was quietly the prettiest of all of them…”
One, when describing a person of color (Yes, Emma is a PoC because her father is Indian), one should never use the word ‘exotic’. Only call birds and cars exotic. People. Are. Not. Exotic. It places a label of Other on people who are called exotic because they simply don’t fit the European standard of beauty. And how in all hell can someone be the “most Indian” in looks? Is that a not so subtle way of saying Sasha was darker than her other sisters who looked more European, thanks to their mother’s genes? I cannot. ALSO: If you were to reread the quote about Emma without the word ‘exotic’, the exact same message is delivered. It’s just extremely unnecessary and shows again how focused the author is to give these POC characters a not-so-subtle “other” label.
Mattie (the blonde haired / blue eyed sister) continues describing herself in saying,
“I kind of got all of it… She’d won the genetic jackpot. She’d inherited her dad’s smarts and grit, his merit as an outsider, his righteousness as a self-maker, his check mark in the diversity box.”
OH. My. GOODNESS. This is the whitest narrative I’ve seen so far. This character is basically saying, “Ah, I’ve got it all. While I’m blonde haired and blue eyed, I can still call myself an ‘outsider’ and be called ‘diverse’.” No one likes to have that other label that the author is so quick to stick it onto her POC characters. This statement is bleeding with racism. The character is obviously aware that she is getting “the best of both worlds”; no one questions her because of her light skin, but at the end of the day she can get called ‘exotic’ and ‘different’ because of her ethnicity. Her statement about how she had won the “genetic jackpot” shows this character thinks of herself as superior to her siblings because she has less “Indian-ness” attributes, physically. When you’re calling blonde hair and blue eyed person ‘a genetic jackpot’ you are placing a certain groups of people above others, and I understand it is because she probably gets more privilege than her siblings in society, but it seems twisted and wrong that the character sees this as such a positive than a negative, that she has more privilege and opportunities than her siblings, rather than not understanding why her “genetic jackpot” should give her a higher standing than the people she is blood-related to. It’s also not a coincidence that Mattie is known as the “beauty” and she is the one with the “genetic jackpot”. Hah, thanks for letting everyone know what the best features to have are.
In chapter seventeen, the sisters are shopping for dresses for a wedding.
“Emma pulled a bunch of things and brought them to the dressing room. Sasha took a navy-blue-and- white-striped maxidress to humor her. ‘Does it come with a burqua?’ Mattie asked through the curtain.”
When will we stop making fun of those who wear burqua’s? When will their choice in being conservative not be the butt end of a joke? This is a disgusting joke that should have never been included in the novel. It wasn’t funny. It was crass.
Sexism shown throughout the novel
In chapter three,
“People acted like Mattie was a ditz, but Dana made Mattie look like Albert Einstein. Dana used the calculator to add seven and two dollars. She posted pictures on Instagram of every semicool car that pulled up, preferably with some part of her dumb face barging into the frame.”
When, oh when, will we stop pitting female characters against one another? When will authors stop making female leads see other females as some unspoken form of competition? So what if Dana was bad at math or liked to use Instagram?! Mattie sees herself as ‘better’ than Dana because she doesn’t use social media? Whoop dee doo. I’m tired of girls hating on other girls for liking different things. Next.
In chapter eight, this is Ray describing Sasha,
“She was the kind of pretty only someone as deep as him understood. He laughed at himself for this thought and continued to think it anyway, as though her loveliness was something he’d invented.”
*barfs for five years straight* I hope I never hear a boy describe me this way. Beauty is not made specifically for another person and no one, boy or girl, should believe that someone’s beauty is theirs. Ray is mostly complimenting himself, in this sentence, by acknowledging how deep he is. The whole statement is cringe-worthy because it’s wrong, offensive, and extremely shallow. This is the exact opposite way to compliment a girl, acting as if he discovered her beauty and she didn’t know she was beautiful. Boy, bye.
In chapter thirteen, Mattie is describing Ray’s on-and-off again girlfriend,
“She’s your classic bratty East Hampton kid who hangs around Main Street wearing a lot of makeup and trying to spot celebrities.”
GIRLS WHO WEAR MAKEUP AREN’T LESSER THAN GIRLS WHO DON’T. VICE VERSA. WHY IS THIS STILL A THING HOLY MOTHER-
Chapter fifteen, Mattie is watching TV,
“She settled on a terrible rip-off of a terrible show involving a tanning bed and a lot of plastic surgery. It fit her need: she could watch people other than herself with loathing and bewilderment.”
Honestly, Mattie is so problematic I don’t know how she exists with all this hatred inside of her. WE GET IT. YOU ARE ALL NATURAL. This girl hates those who wear makeup and those who get plastic surgery. She is so unnecessarily petty about other females using cosmetics, and it’s disgusting. Bashing on women who do things to alter their appearance from the range of makeup to plastic surgery is in no way putting yourself on a taller pedestal, that Mattie seems to feel she is self-entitled to stand on. Does natural beauty need to be admired? Yes, of course, BUT that does not mean that harsh criticisms need to be turned around on another party in order to make that admiration more valid.
Chapter seventeen, the siblings are shopping for dresses and one girl says they need, “less expensive and less slutty options.” Stop. Using. The. Word. Slut. In. Novels. Girls aren’t sluts for wearing revealing clothes. Girls aren’t better for being conservative. I’m tired. Let me rest.
Honestly, there are other quotes shown throughout this novel that is racist or sexist, but I didn’t want to list them all here. I just wanted you all to have a sampling of how horrible the narrative is in this novel. White authors should do the research and be respectful when writing about PoC. Using stereotypes, harmful slurs, internalized racism in this novel without denouncing it at any point. These harmful and offensive quotes are sprinkled throughout the novel all willy-nilly, and I’m shocked that the editor didn’t point out how horrible this type of a language is.
This review isn’t made out to say DON’T READ THIS BOOK. I’m not saying that at all. I’m just writing this to warn readers, especially POC readers, that this book is harmful and should be avoided. The quotes I showed you above are harmful. They use language that should not be included in novels in 2017. I thought we moved on from things like this, but apparently, racist narratives slip through the cracks of the publishing industry.
January 25, 2018
2.75 stars
The Whole Thing Together follows 7 different characters and about 80 storylines, which makes it almost impossible to give an accurate synopsis of it but imma try anyway. This book follows a dysfunctional family, one that has been split apart long before we start the book. We follow each of the 5 children of the family. It's hard to determine but the seemingly main characters of this novel are the two youngest siblings (THAT ARENT ACTUALLY RELATED) and how they share three sisters and a bedroom in their vacation home, yet they’ve never actually met.
I went into this book expecting something like the parent trap. I wanted long-lost siblings finally meeting and all the wholesome goodness that comes along with it and instead I got super weird incest vibes. (I know they aren’t actually related but, I mean, they share siblings… it’s weird.)
The worst thing about this book is that it’s really well written. So the whole time I was reading, there I was, marvelling at all the pretty words while simultaneously cringing at all the slut shaming, racism and heteronormativity. It was all very aggravating. Not to mention boring. I liked the focus on family, I liked the themes that were explored, but because there were so many characters and storylines, nothing was fully developed and the story didn't seem to follow an actual plot. Also, a romance between pseudo-siblings has no place in a book about family. I'm sorry I just don't want it.
I really, really wouldn’t recommend this book. It was cringey and boring and just all over the place. Turns out pretty writing can’t fix everything.
For example, even though the writing was nice, there were still many many many passages that had me rolling my eyes into the back of my skull. Surprise, surprise, you can still say offensive things using clever wording.
Here are some examples:
“He didn’t really want to see her like that – another girl clustered with bikini-clad friends, flashing braces and peace signs on Paradise Island or whatever. He wanted to keep alive the idea that she was different.”
“He saw boys heads swivel and gawk at the friend as the pair walked by, but his shuffly girl was the actual beauty, her lovely body hidden under modest clothes.”
“She was the kind of pretty only someone as deep as him understood.”
“As though her loveliness was something he invented.”
And it just goes on and on…. If those passages don’t turn you off from this book completely, I don’t know what will.
The Whole Thing Together follows 7 different characters and about 80 storylines, which makes it almost impossible to give an accurate synopsis of it but imma try anyway. This book follows a dysfunctional family, one that has been split apart long before we start the book. We follow each of the 5 children of the family. It's hard to determine but the seemingly main characters of this novel are the two youngest siblings (THAT ARENT ACTUALLY RELATED) and how they share three sisters and a bedroom in their vacation home, yet they’ve never actually met.
I went into this book expecting something like the parent trap. I wanted long-lost siblings finally meeting and all the wholesome goodness that comes along with it and instead I got super weird incest vibes. (I know they aren’t actually related but, I mean, they share siblings… it’s weird.)
The worst thing about this book is that it’s really well written. So the whole time I was reading, there I was, marvelling at all the pretty words while simultaneously cringing at all the slut shaming, racism and heteronormativity. It was all very aggravating. Not to mention boring. I liked the focus on family, I liked the themes that were explored, but because there were so many characters and storylines, nothing was fully developed and the story didn't seem to follow an actual plot. Also, a romance between pseudo-siblings has no place in a book about family. I'm sorry I just don't want it.
I really, really wouldn’t recommend this book. It was cringey and boring and just all over the place. Turns out pretty writing can’t fix everything.
For example, even though the writing was nice, there were still many many many passages that had me rolling my eyes into the back of my skull. Surprise, surprise, you can still say offensive things using clever wording.
Here are some examples:
“He didn’t really want to see her like that – another girl clustered with bikini-clad friends, flashing braces and peace signs on Paradise Island or whatever. He wanted to keep alive the idea that she was different.”
“He saw boys heads swivel and gawk at the friend as the pair walked by, but his shuffly girl was the actual beauty, her lovely body hidden under modest clothes.”
“She was the kind of pretty only someone as deep as him understood.”
“As though her loveliness was something he invented.”
And it just goes on and on…. If those passages don’t turn you off from this book completely, I don’t know what will.
September 28, 2017
3,4
Ainda estou a digerir esta leitura, acho que ficou aquém do que esperava mas também não posso dizer que não gostei, gostei dos personagens, a história em si mas talvez quisesse um pouco mais de drama e romance.
É uma boa história young-adult e são os dois jovens Ray e Sasha, os personagens que mais me cativaram, gostei muito dos dois.
É um início um pouco lento por causa de serem muitos personagens, mas a autora deixa logo uma nota a explicar quem é quem, nota essa que tive de recorrer umas três vezes. Quando se entra no ritmo a leitura é muito rápida, leve e sem nos apercebermos já terminámos.
Em relação à história em si, fala sobre duas pessoas que se divorciaram e têm filhas em comum e que nunca se encontram, alternando sempre quando querem estar com elas e quando a mais velha se decide casar, depara-se com a dificuldade que terá em juntar os pais no mesmo espaço e infelizmente é preciso acontecer uma desgraça para que conseguiam abrir os olhos.
Ainda estou a digerir esta leitura, acho que ficou aquém do que esperava mas também não posso dizer que não gostei, gostei dos personagens, a história em si mas talvez quisesse um pouco mais de drama e romance.
É uma boa história young-adult e são os dois jovens Ray e Sasha, os personagens que mais me cativaram, gostei muito dos dois.
É um início um pouco lento por causa de serem muitos personagens, mas a autora deixa logo uma nota a explicar quem é quem, nota essa que tive de recorrer umas três vezes. Quando se entra no ritmo a leitura é muito rápida, leve e sem nos apercebermos já terminámos.
Em relação à história em si, fala sobre duas pessoas que se divorciaram e têm filhas em comum e que nunca se encontram, alternando sempre quando querem estar com elas e quando a mais velha se decide casar, depara-se com a dificuldade que terá em juntar os pais no mesmo espaço e infelizmente é preciso acontecer uma desgraça para que conseguiam abrir os olhos.
Read
June 7, 2017DNF'ed it...
April 24, 2017
Ray and Sasha share the same 3 older sisters. They stay in the same room whenever they’re in the family house in the Hamptons. But … they never ever met!
Ray’s mom was married to Sasha’s dad ages ago – they had three daughters and got divorced – and not in a let’s-stay-friends way. That’s why the two new kids never met.
But this summer things are chaning. Both are 17 now and their interests start to change. Now they don’t care about the old shared Harry Potter books or their old collection of shells in their room anymore.
But can there ever be something romantic between two kids with SO much family between them?
And then there are the other family members with their own problems: Emma is trying to introduce her boyfriend to the family. Quinn is trying to figure out where she came from and where she belongs, and why. And Mattie is hoping for farm-boy Matt to fall in love with her. And she’s also trying to de-secret the old secret surrounding her mom and surf-guy Jonathan!
I really enjoyed this book. There are a LOT of people to get used to once you start reading – it can be a bit confusing. It’s best if you memorize the family tree that’s posted in the beginning of the book. ☺
I think I would’ve loved it even more, if the story would’ve been told in only Ray and Sasha’s POV. We hear so much from everyone of the kids, and it’s just a bit too much. And also not enough. Because I also wanted to read all about everyone's problems. It would’ve been amazing if Ann would’ve made a trilogy out of the whole family-saga. There’s just so much about everyone to tell.
It’s a story so full of family and love, but also of hate and confusion and secrets and mysteries and hopes and dreams! And in the case of Sasha and Ray – a very sweet but also very confusing coming-of-age kind of lovestory…
I loved it! I cried and felt with them all. It was a very moving and adorable and very poetic family tale.
And I will definitely watch the movie – should there ever be one ☺
June 9, 2017
I didn't enjoy this book at all, the writing and characters weren't anything like i want in a contemporary book. The characters felt so 2 dimensional and so bland that it was hard to pin point a stand out character in this book.
This book reminded me of 'We Were Liars' in some aspects of the story and i really had trouble trying shy away from that story but it kept popping up in my head while i was reading this book. I didn't enjoy the third person perspective while reading from Sasha and Ray, it made reading this book extremely hard and annoying at times it could have been so much better with out it being in third person.
so many stereotypes in this book were written so obviously and in poor taste and i really wish the author didn't do that because it gives of a bad impression with someone like me who isn't familiar with your work. It also dealt with so many topics that are very relevant to todays society with Slut-Shaming, Racism, Body Shaming just to name a few were all written so poorly i cannot believe this wasn't written better or looked at before publishing.
Don't get me wrong i'm not telling you not to read this book but there are so many issues with this book and it defiantly shows and is so bluntly there. If you read this book just keep an open mind with it because you will probably face the same problems i did
This book reminded me of 'We Were Liars' in some aspects of the story and i really had trouble trying shy away from that story but it kept popping up in my head while i was reading this book. I didn't enjoy the third person perspective while reading from Sasha and Ray, it made reading this book extremely hard and annoying at times it could have been so much better with out it being in third person.
so many stereotypes in this book were written so obviously and in poor taste and i really wish the author didn't do that because it gives of a bad impression with someone like me who isn't familiar with your work. It also dealt with so many topics that are very relevant to todays society with Slut-Shaming, Racism, Body Shaming just to name a few were all written so poorly i cannot believe this wasn't written better or looked at before publishing.
Don't get me wrong i'm not telling you not to read this book but there are so many issues with this book and it defiantly shows and is so bluntly there. If you read this book just keep an open mind with it because you will probably face the same problems i did
June 30, 2017
داستان عاشقانه زیبایی در رابطه با خانواده توماس-هریسون هستش که توی خونه ی تابستونیشون در لانگ آیلند زندگی میکنن. لیلا هریسون با رابرت تامسون ازدواج کرده و اونا سه تا دختر دارن. اما بعد از همدیگه جدا میشن و هر کدام با یه نفر دیگه ازدواج میکنن. هر کدام از این افراد جدید هم بچه دار هستن. با اینکه رابرت و لیلا با هم مدت زیادی زندگی کردن، اما اصلا سر هیچ موضوعی توافق نداشتن. با اینکه ایده اصلی داستان جالبه اما اینکه در ابتدای کار این دو نفر رو از هم جدا کرد، نارحت کننده و تراژیک بود. متاسفانه بخش اصلی تراژدی هم سر کویین، دوست داشتنی ترین خواهر، خراب شد که باعث مرگش شد و داستان بعدش به هیچ نکته ای که باعث مرگش شد اشاره نمیکنه و فقط به تاثیرات مرگ اون روی خانواده میپردازه.
شخصیت های زیادی معرفی میشن در طول داستان ولی مدت خیلی کوتاهی حضور دارن و بعد خارج میشن که یه مقدار آزار دهنده ست. مشکلات یه خانواده پولدار هم کاملا کلیشه ای بیان شده بود. با اینکه داستان حول دوتا جوان 17 ساله میچرخه اما برای افراد با سن بالاتر هم مناسبه. با اینکه داستان جذاب بود اما شخصیت پردازیه واقعا آزار دهنده ای داشت. نثرش ساده بود و سرعت حرکت متوسطی داشت.
شخصیت های زیادی معرفی میشن در طول داستان ولی مدت خیلی کوتاهی حضور دارن و بعد خارج میشن که یه مقدار آزار دهنده ست. مشکلات یه خانواده پولدار هم کاملا کلیشه ای بیان شده بود. با اینکه داستان حول دوتا جوان 17 ساله میچرخه اما برای افراد با سن بالاتر هم مناسبه. با اینکه داستان جذاب بود اما شخصیت پردازیه واقعا آزار دهنده ای داشت. نثرش ساده بود و سرعت حرکت متوسطی داشت.
October 14, 2017
I really enjoyed this read. I felt Brashares was back in her element, telling a layered and multi-perspective family saga. It took a minute to keep all the characters straight but I ended up really enjoying them all and loving the story, though it was heartbreaking at times. Worth a read if you like contemporary or are a fan of Brashares Sisterhood series!
April 3, 2017
When I saw Ann Brashares was coming out with a new YA book, I was so excited. I grew up on the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books and I was ready for another book that explored family and friendship. In the end, though, I was not a fan of the writing style or characters in this book.
Sasha and Ray have shared everything pretty much their whole lives. They've shared books, sweatshirts, toys, and even a room. Too bad they've never met. Part of a torn family, Sasha's dad and Ray's mom were once married but split apart, leaving three daughters between them, three sisters that Sasha and Ray share. They've managed to stay apart, but this summer is going to be different than the rest. This summer, lives will change and even the smallest decisions will have the biggest impacts.
Oh man. I barely give books a one star but I could not stand this book. First thing that just did not mesh with me was how this book was written. There are so many characters and such a strange family tree and this story is told in third person omniscient. The story switched between characters so often and I had such a hard time connecting with someone since we barely had time with them before we were yanked away to someone else. Out of all of them, I didn't even have a favorite character. I didn't care about anyone and didn't really buy into their loving relationships with one another.
Since I didn't enjoy any of the characters, this book was so hard to get into. There was so much time spent on inner monologues and I felt like not a lot of actual character interaction and dialogue happened. And some parts I had to reread because I wasn't sure if what happened had actually happened [like what happened at the end between Sasha and Ray? Did what I think happened happen? Because that's just weird and makes no sense at all]. Once I hit about the halfway mark I found myself skimming through a lot of parts because I just didn't care. I was so disappointed that I just couldn't connect with the writing, the characters, or the story in general.
There were so many moments that held potential with these characters and the issues they were facing. Sadly, because there were so many characters, these issues could not be fleshed out and it felt very surface level. And that ending just didn't mesh with me at all. In the end, this book just wasn't for me.
Sasha and Ray have shared everything pretty much their whole lives. They've shared books, sweatshirts, toys, and even a room. Too bad they've never met. Part of a torn family, Sasha's dad and Ray's mom were once married but split apart, leaving three daughters between them, three sisters that Sasha and Ray share. They've managed to stay apart, but this summer is going to be different than the rest. This summer, lives will change and even the smallest decisions will have the biggest impacts.
Oh man. I barely give books a one star but I could not stand this book. First thing that just did not mesh with me was how this book was written. There are so many characters and such a strange family tree and this story is told in third person omniscient. The story switched between characters so often and I had such a hard time connecting with someone since we barely had time with them before we were yanked away to someone else. Out of all of them, I didn't even have a favorite character. I didn't care about anyone and didn't really buy into their loving relationships with one another.
Since I didn't enjoy any of the characters, this book was so hard to get into. There was so much time spent on inner monologues and I felt like not a lot of actual character interaction and dialogue happened. And some parts I had to reread because I wasn't sure if what happened had actually happened [like what happened at the end between Sasha and Ray? Did what I think happened happen? Because that's just weird and makes no sense at all]. Once I hit about the halfway mark I found myself skimming through a lot of parts because I just didn't care. I was so disappointed that I just couldn't connect with the writing, the characters, or the story in general.
There were so many moments that held potential with these characters and the issues they were facing. Sadly, because there were so many characters, these issues could not be fleshed out and it felt very surface level. And that ending just didn't mesh with me at all. In the end, this book just wasn't for me.
May 1, 2017
Wow I am very surprised this book has such a low rating, I'm guessing people went in with expectations that were not met...
This is not a fun, fluffy, beach read like this authors well known series... i'm actually not even sure if I would classify it as young adult, it is probably more family fiction... The book is about two families that are sharing the same beach house... Lila and Richard were married and had three daughters and a very ugly divorce... as a result of this they share a beach house... Sasha and Ray share three big sisters, The same room at the beach house, and a job, but have no biological connection... this was definitely a character driven book, with very well-developed characters, all living a very dysfunctional existence, But aren't we all... it really was a story about what can happen when you don't learn to let go, when you don't learn to forgive, when you don't learn to forget... so while this book was not light and fluffy and nobody was sharing pants, it really was a fabulous book with a lot of depth and character...
This is not a fun, fluffy, beach read like this authors well known series... i'm actually not even sure if I would classify it as young adult, it is probably more family fiction... The book is about two families that are sharing the same beach house... Lila and Richard were married and had three daughters and a very ugly divorce... as a result of this they share a beach house... Sasha and Ray share three big sisters, The same room at the beach house, and a job, but have no biological connection... this was definitely a character driven book, with very well-developed characters, all living a very dysfunctional existence, But aren't we all... it really was a story about what can happen when you don't learn to let go, when you don't learn to forgive, when you don't learn to forget... so while this book was not light and fluffy and nobody was sharing pants, it really was a fabulous book with a lot of depth and character...
October 18, 2023
I am in a puddle of tears after that ending. I do not think I’ll be able to breathe, feel or even think correctly for a while.
—3.5 ✰ stars
𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: Ribs by Lorde and Cardigan by Taylor Swift
“𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫”
Honestly if the book did not have that one side relationship (if you’ve read the book I’m talking about Emma & Jamie) and if it did not have that ending I would have either DNF it or given it 2 stars. It started off confusing then I got about 1/4 into it and I was getting curious and invested in the MC and I was digging it. Then it got to the 65% mark where I was just fed up with them.
The two main characters, Sasha and Ray, aren’t related, but they share the same step sisters. I know I was confused at first. But basically there were the “main” parents Lila and I forgot the dad’s name whoops, and they had three girls, which were Emma, Quinn, and Mattie. Then the “main parents” got a divorce and married different people. Lila married some dude and had Ray. And then the “main husband” married some girl and had Sasha. So that’s basically how they’re related but not related. It’s confusing.
Anyways, so basically after Lila and dad who I forgot his name got divorce they decided to spilt their house and switch off every week on Sunday (not ever crossing paths). Sasha and Ray had to share a bedroom, except they didn’t have to because both of them were never in it at the same time, yet again confusing to explain. So basically the first half book it talked about how Sasha and Ray have never talked yet feel like they know each other so well all at the same time, which is so relatable as the queen of delusions. Ray and Sasha are dying to meet each other but at the same time never want to because they feel they have to keep their lives separate because of the “main parents” messy lives.
“𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧-𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫.”
I will admit I was invested in this book the whole time, I just had a few problems with it that I’ll talk about down below:
🜸 Sasha and Ray I was very invested in whatever they had going on (dw bby’s this is a spoiler free zone) but I was kinda upset that the author lost interest in keeping that a main factor after the 3/4 point
“How could he fit all the things she felt about him into his one person?”
🜸 at the end something INSANE happens that I’ll admit I had no idea was coming and was in utter shock and crying my eyes out the rest of the book. But I feel like after the author introduces that huge bomb the book kinda got really messy and she did not conclude it well at all.
🜸 all of the characters had fantastic build ups and would’ve had fantastic plot twists and great endings if the book was like 150 pages longer and she didn’t end it so suddenly. It had great potential but after that atomic bomb she dropped exploded nothing was worth saving anyways ig (I’m talking about a figurative atomic bomb btw)
🜸 not only did my favorite character not stay in the book but my favorite couple was faltering at the end. So that was a major let down
🜸 I was very uncomfortable with the fact that at least three times in this book they body shamed someone or said something negative about their body, and than at least twice the guys would say something about a girls body and there was a few more things but here’s a quote
“He didn’t mean to be leering, but when she turned to put her plastic cup down on the hall table, he noticed the generous shape of her hips in relation to her waist. And then after that, even though her shirt wasn’t particularly tight or low cut, it was hard not to notice that though her frame was small, her breasts were large and round. Parker always went for tall, athletic girls, but this girl had the kind of feminine body Ray was madly attracted to.”
Like yeah it’s not all that terrible of a thing to say, but I just hate it when guys proudly admit they’re attracted to girls bodies and that’s a main factor. And the funny thing is nothing even happens in the book sexually, like not even a kiss! I mean it mentions that Emma and Jamie share a kiss before entering but that’s literally it. So I was very confused what the point of that scene was with Ray saying that.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
𝐑𝐚𝐲: he was interesting I’ll give you that. It never described his looks all it gave us was a couple of girls saying “he was very cute”. So I didn’t know how to imagine him. But his character wasn’t bad, it was just super basic and didn’t have much of a spark
𝐒𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚: I liked her character she’s fs delulu so we love that. She was a decent character, I dont think I have a problem with her. She was very kind and I enjoyed seeing her thoughts and everything.
𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧: MY COMFORT CHARACTER FR 💞 Quinn was fs what carried this whole book. She was the best and only character that didn’t have something sus about them. She is also the QUEEN of delusions so I love that for her 🤭. I wish we could’ve seen more of her tho…
𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞: Mattdawg my girl, she was so interesting and she gave off middle child vibes bc she always talked about how she was never seen. I enjoyed her character a lot actually, she was super funny and a very upbeat character.
𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚: I didn’t really get to see much of Emma’s thoughts, but from what I gathered she gave off Jane Austen vibes (don’t ask why). I honestly enjoyed her scenes with Jamie most. Their relationship was so awkward, cute and definitely a main factor of why I continued the book.
𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍:
🜸 EMMA AND JAMIE ARE THE REASON I CONTINUED THE BOOK ARGHHH. There relationship was so cute omg, and that scene at the end where Emma was crying and then she told Jamie to leave but she was still holding on to him>>>> like ahhhh my heart 🥹💞
And can we talk about that scene where both their moms were fighting. My jaw was to the floor the whole time omg
🜸 now for the ⚠️𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 ⚠️
Quinn, my sweet beloved darling Quinn. Quinn was my favorite character. Was delulu, she was kind, everyone loved Quinn, she was sensitive, caring, compassionate, loving, she was every good quality of a person you can think of. And they killed my, would’ve been, favorite comfort character. I was so utterly shocked they killed her off. I not only didn’t see it coming, but I was in denial that it was true. Then the last chapter came and the stream of tears running down my cheeks turned into an uncontrollable sob. I was and still am beyond distressed.
“And maybe every experience for the rest of his life would be poisoned by happening in the world without Quinn in it.”
🜸ok yeah Sasha and Ray got together ish I get that right, but not only was it not explained much but it was so sudden. Like it was cute how they hugged each other after, *sniffles* Quinn, but it also was mega awkward. And then nothing else really happened w them and then it just like ended. This book either needed a sequel or 150 more pages istg
𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐖‼️
In conclusion, I would say this was a decent read. Would I recommend it? Yes I would
Would I say I loved it? No I would not
Do I want to see you cry and feel the pain I felt and make sure it wasn’t just because I was reading it late at night? Yes I definitely do
𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬-
“When we’re unhappy we do stupid things. We make bad choices. We look for reassurance in destructive ways. We hurt people we love.”
“Rain and tears united and returned to puddle, pool, and pond.”
“Let the pain in. Give it a voice if it needs one.”
“And then he had to get his eye back on the truth, because if it got away, if it crept behind him, it could take him down and maybe he wouldn’t be able to get up again.”
“Their tanks might still feel full of her now, but they would drain quickly and without her they wouldn’t be filled again.”
“She felt a cord that stretched between them pulling taut. The cord stretched and stretched, it pulled hard on her heart but it did not snap.”
“He sensed they were both prisoners of their grief”
𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬-
Style by Taylor swift
We made it by David Hugo
Someone new by Hozier
Only a matter of time by Joshua Bassett
Fallingforyou by the 1975
You belong with me by Taylor Swift
Cardigan by Taylor Swift
—3.5 ✰ stars
𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: Ribs by Lorde and Cardigan by Taylor Swift
“𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫”
Honestly if the book did not have that one side relationship (if you’ve read the book I’m talking about Emma & Jamie) and if it did not have that ending I would have either DNF it or given it 2 stars. It started off confusing then I got about 1/4 into it and I was getting curious and invested in the MC and I was digging it. Then it got to the 65% mark where I was just fed up with them.
The two main characters, Sasha and Ray, aren’t related, but they share the same step sisters. I know I was confused at first. But basically there were the “main” parents Lila and I forgot the dad’s name whoops, and they had three girls, which were Emma, Quinn, and Mattie. Then the “main parents” got a divorce and married different people. Lila married some dude and had Ray. And then the “main husband” married some girl and had Sasha. So that’s basically how they’re related but not related. It’s confusing.
Anyways, so basically after Lila and dad who I forgot his name got divorce they decided to spilt their house and switch off every week on Sunday (not ever crossing paths). Sasha and Ray had to share a bedroom, except they didn’t have to because both of them were never in it at the same time, yet again confusing to explain. So basically the first half book it talked about how Sasha and Ray have never talked yet feel like they know each other so well all at the same time, which is so relatable as the queen of delusions. Ray and Sasha are dying to meet each other but at the same time never want to because they feel they have to keep their lives separate because of the “main parents” messy lives.
“𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧-𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫.”
I will admit I was invested in this book the whole time, I just had a few problems with it that I’ll talk about down below:
🜸 Sasha and Ray I was very invested in whatever they had going on (dw bby’s this is a spoiler free zone) but I was kinda upset that the author lost interest in keeping that a main factor after the 3/4 point
“How could he fit all the things she felt about him into his one person?”
🜸 at the end something INSANE happens that I’ll admit I had no idea was coming and was in utter shock and crying my eyes out the rest of the book. But I feel like after the author introduces that huge bomb the book kinda got really messy and she did not conclude it well at all.
🜸 all of the characters had fantastic build ups and would’ve had fantastic plot twists and great endings if the book was like 150 pages longer and she didn’t end it so suddenly. It had great potential but after that atomic bomb she dropped exploded nothing was worth saving anyways ig (I’m talking about a figurative atomic bomb btw)
🜸 not only did my favorite character not stay in the book but my favorite couple was faltering at the end. So that was a major let down
🜸 I was very uncomfortable with the fact that at least three times in this book they body shamed someone or said something negative about their body, and than at least twice the guys would say something about a girls body and there was a few more things but here’s a quote
“He didn’t mean to be leering, but when she turned to put her plastic cup down on the hall table, he noticed the generous shape of her hips in relation to her waist. And then after that, even though her shirt wasn’t particularly tight or low cut, it was hard not to notice that though her frame was small, her breasts were large and round. Parker always went for tall, athletic girls, but this girl had the kind of feminine body Ray was madly attracted to.”
Like yeah it’s not all that terrible of a thing to say, but I just hate it when guys proudly admit they’re attracted to girls bodies and that’s a main factor. And the funny thing is nothing even happens in the book sexually, like not even a kiss! I mean it mentions that Emma and Jamie share a kiss before entering but that’s literally it. So I was very confused what the point of that scene was with Ray saying that.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
𝐑𝐚𝐲: he was interesting I’ll give you that. It never described his looks all it gave us was a couple of girls saying “he was very cute”. So I didn’t know how to imagine him. But his character wasn’t bad, it was just super basic and didn’t have much of a spark
𝐒𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚: I liked her character she’s fs delulu so we love that. She was a decent character, I dont think I have a problem with her. She was very kind and I enjoyed seeing her thoughts and everything.
𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧: MY COMFORT CHARACTER FR 💞 Quinn was fs what carried this whole book. She was the best and only character that didn’t have something sus about them. She is also the QUEEN of delusions so I love that for her 🤭. I wish we could’ve seen more of her tho…
𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞: Mattdawg my girl, she was so interesting and she gave off middle child vibes bc she always talked about how she was never seen. I enjoyed her character a lot actually, she was super funny and a very upbeat character.
𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚: I didn’t really get to see much of Emma’s thoughts, but from what I gathered she gave off Jane Austen vibes (don’t ask why). I honestly enjoyed her scenes with Jamie most. Their relationship was so awkward, cute and definitely a main factor of why I continued the book.
𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍:
🜸 EMMA AND JAMIE ARE THE REASON I CONTINUED THE BOOK ARGHHH. There relationship was so cute omg, and that scene at the end where Emma was crying and then she told Jamie to leave but she was still holding on to him>>>> like ahhhh my heart 🥹💞
And can we talk about that scene where both their moms were fighting. My jaw was to the floor the whole time omg
🜸 now for the ⚠️𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 ⚠️
Quinn, my sweet beloved darling Quinn. Quinn was my favorite character. Was delulu, she was kind, everyone loved Quinn, she was sensitive, caring, compassionate, loving, she was every good quality of a person you can think of. And they killed my, would’ve been, favorite comfort character. I was so utterly shocked they killed her off. I not only didn’t see it coming, but I was in denial that it was true. Then the last chapter came and the stream of tears running down my cheeks turned into an uncontrollable sob. I was and still am beyond distressed.
“And maybe every experience for the rest of his life would be poisoned by happening in the world without Quinn in it.”
🜸ok yeah Sasha and Ray got together ish I get that right, but not only was it not explained much but it was so sudden. Like it was cute how they hugged each other after, *sniffles* Quinn, but it also was mega awkward. And then nothing else really happened w them and then it just like ended. This book either needed a sequel or 150 more pages istg
𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐖‼️
In conclusion, I would say this was a decent read. Would I recommend it? Yes I would
Would I say I loved it? No I would not
Do I want to see you cry and feel the pain I felt and make sure it wasn’t just because I was reading it late at night? Yes I definitely do
𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬-
“When we’re unhappy we do stupid things. We make bad choices. We look for reassurance in destructive ways. We hurt people we love.”
“Rain and tears united and returned to puddle, pool, and pond.”
“Let the pain in. Give it a voice if it needs one.”
“And then he had to get his eye back on the truth, because if it got away, if it crept behind him, it could take him down and maybe he wouldn’t be able to get up again.”
“Their tanks might still feel full of her now, but they would drain quickly and without her they wouldn’t be filled again.”
“She felt a cord that stretched between them pulling taut. The cord stretched and stretched, it pulled hard on her heart but it did not snap.”
“He sensed they were both prisoners of their grief”
𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬-
Style by Taylor swift
We made it by David Hugo
Someone new by Hozier
Only a matter of time by Joshua Bassett
Fallingforyou by the 1975
You belong with me by Taylor Swift
Cardigan by Taylor Swift
April 21, 2017
It pains me that I didn't like this book because I had such high expectations for this book! I really wanted to like this book, and I did like a few parts of it, but the parts I didn't like definitely outweighed the positive aspects of this book.
The first thing I didn't like about this book was how confusing it was. There were a lot of characters so it was hard to connect with any of them. A lot of the characters seemed so similar that I really couldn't keep track of what was happening to which person. I thought there were some interesting plot points that were brought up, but because there were so many characters with different story lines, those plot points didn't get fleshed out. I think it would have been less confusing if there were fewer POVs. I think Sasha and Ray should have been the only POVs, because that would have been easier to follow. I think this book could have been split up into multiple books so it would have been less confusing and easier to connect with the characters.
The thing that bothered me the most in this book was the sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle sexism, stereotyping, and racism throughout the story. The most noticeable racism in this book came directly from a female character, Mattie. In the book, Mattie was considered to have gotten blessed with her looks because she had blonde hair and blue eyes. These physical characteristics made her feel superior and more attractive than her siblings who looked more "Indian" and "exotic". She loved that she had lighter skin, hair, and eyes, but still could be "unique" because of her ethnicity. That felt so wrong and just disgusting to me. That did not sit well with me at all.
Mattie was also so petty and rude when it came to other women. Mattie didn't wear makeup, and she thought poorly of those who did. She seemed to think she was better than women who would wear makeup. I HATE IT when women bash other women for wearing makeup. It is one my biggest pet peeves. Women should be supporting other women, not bringing them down. Also, she seemed to also bash other women who didn't like what she liked??? Excuse me???
So, Mattie was the worst.
Overall, there were too many negative things in this book for me to enjoy it. I wanted to like this book, and some of the storylines had potential, but I just couldn't bring myself to like this book.
1 / 5 Fangs
*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
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The first thing I didn't like about this book was how confusing it was. There were a lot of characters so it was hard to connect with any of them. A lot of the characters seemed so similar that I really couldn't keep track of what was happening to which person. I thought there were some interesting plot points that were brought up, but because there were so many characters with different story lines, those plot points didn't get fleshed out. I think it would have been less confusing if there were fewer POVs. I think Sasha and Ray should have been the only POVs, because that would have been easier to follow. I think this book could have been split up into multiple books so it would have been less confusing and easier to connect with the characters.
The thing that bothered me the most in this book was the sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle sexism, stereotyping, and racism throughout the story. The most noticeable racism in this book came directly from a female character, Mattie. In the book, Mattie was considered to have gotten blessed with her looks because she had blonde hair and blue eyes. These physical characteristics made her feel superior and more attractive than her siblings who looked more "Indian" and "exotic". She loved that she had lighter skin, hair, and eyes, but still could be "unique" because of her ethnicity. That felt so wrong and just disgusting to me. That did not sit well with me at all.
Mattie was also so petty and rude when it came to other women. Mattie didn't wear makeup, and she thought poorly of those who did. She seemed to think she was better than women who would wear makeup. I HATE IT when women bash other women for wearing makeup. It is one my biggest pet peeves. Women should be supporting other women, not bringing them down. Also, she seemed to also bash other women who didn't like what she liked??? Excuse me???
So, Mattie was the worst.
Overall, there were too many negative things in this book for me to enjoy it. I wanted to like this book, and some of the storylines had potential, but I just couldn't bring myself to like this book.
1 / 5 Fangs
*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
May 21, 2017
Poignant, tragic and excessively complex!
In this latest novel by Brashares she delves into the emotional and psychological effects of blended families on all those involved and highlights the challenges faced by those specifically caught in the middle.
The characters are vulnerable, troubled and coming of age. The prose is simple and clear. And the plot, which is ultimately about guilt, love, life, loss, yearning, heartbreak, deception, friendship and family just seems to have a little too many subplots, too much angst, too much drama and too many issues, including class, divorce and race to not get bogged down and overpower the characterization and fluidity of the main storyline.
I am a huge fan of Ann Brashares from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series and I look forward to reading other novels by her in the future but for me this one wasn't one of her best.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways, especially Random House Canada, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
In this latest novel by Brashares she delves into the emotional and psychological effects of blended families on all those involved and highlights the challenges faced by those specifically caught in the middle.
The characters are vulnerable, troubled and coming of age. The prose is simple and clear. And the plot, which is ultimately about guilt, love, life, loss, yearning, heartbreak, deception, friendship and family just seems to have a little too many subplots, too much angst, too much drama and too many issues, including class, divorce and race to not get bogged down and overpower the characterization and fluidity of the main storyline.
I am a huge fan of Ann Brashares from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series and I look forward to reading other novels by her in the future but for me this one wasn't one of her best.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways, especially Random House Canada, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
arcs-to-review
December 8, 2016I am very excited to read this book. I loved Ann Brashares The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and i would love to read her new work. Let's hope for the best.
January 21, 2018
Gostei da história em si, só achei um pouco confuso o facto de ter muitas personagens e o de ter o ponto de vista de todas as personagens ao mesmo tempo
April 24, 2017
Ray and Sasha share the same 3 older sisters. They stay in the same room whenever they’re in the family house in the Hamptons. But … they never ever met!
Ray’s mom was married to Sasha’s dad ages ago – they had three daughters and got divorced – and not in a let’s-stay-friends way. That’s why the two new kids never met.
But this summer things are chaning. Both are 17 now and their interests start to change. Now they don’t care about the old shared Harry Potter books or their old collection of shells in their room anymore.
But can there ever be something romantic between two kids with SO much family between them?
And then there are the other family members with their own problems: Emma is trying to introduce her boyfriend to the family. Quinn is trying to figure out where she came from and where she belongs, and why. And Mattie is hoping for farm-boy Matt to fall in love with her. And she’s also trying to de-secret the old secret surrounding her mom and surf-guy Jonathan!
I really enjoyed this book. There are a LOT of people to get used to once you start reading – it can be a bit confusing. It’s best if you memorize the family tree that’s posted in the beginning of the book. ☺
I think I would’ve loved it even more, if the story would’ve been told in only Ray and Sasha’s POV. We hear so much from everyone of the kids, and it’s just a bit too much. And also not enough. Because I also wanted to read all about everyone's problems. It would’ve been amazing if Ann would’ve made a trilogy out of the whole family-saga. There’s just so much about everyone to tell.
It’s a story so full of family and love, but also of hate and confusion and secrets and mysteries and hopes and dreams! And in the case of Sasha and Ray – a very sweet but also very confusing coming-of-age kind of lovestory…
I loved it! I cried and felt with them all. It was a very moving and adorable and very poetic family tale.
And I will definitely watch the movie – should there ever be one ☺
August 29, 2022
Read more bookish goodness on my book blog: Cal's Constant Raving Reviews
Overall, this book is a 3/5 stars. It was nothing super great, but it wasn't poorly written. I enjoyed it. If you enjoy short contemporaries with a bit of light romance; you'll enjoy this.
This was very easy to read. It only took me one sitting, which I don't usually do for YA contemporaries.
I found it a bit troubling at the start; trying to distinguish the families. It was emphasised over and over again that Sarah and Ray are not related.They just have mutual parents that once were married and they share 3 older sisters. Not weird at all. I get it: they're not even step-siblings. But it's still weird. They share siblings. That's nasty.
All in all, I was expecting more out of Sasha and Ray's romance. By the end of the book; not much happens. They probably saw each other 3 times in total. It's one of those books that has a lot of build up: and even when you finish it, you're like, "Wait; what was the climax? That small mishap 5 chapters ago? Oh."
I found the siblings of the original married couple (now divorced) were the most interesting. The synopsis of this book misleads you: it mentions a tragedy between Ray and Sasha, but really, they were just observing the "drama" i.e. .
I wish this book was longer. Then I'd appreciate the characters more. I think the premise is cool-- a boy and a girl share a room, interchangeably every fortnight. They've shared toys, books, clothes, a bed, ever since they were born. And they never once tried to effectively talk/meet each other. Ever. I don't know about you guys; but if a guy was sleeping in my room and touching all my books... even at a young age; I'd tell him some boundaries.
I did appreciate Emma and Quinn's quest for belonging. These two, as well as many of the other kids, grapple with their "half identities". They are half Bangladesh, half white... but Robert (the father, who was from Bangladesh) was adopted in Canada. Thus the girls go experimenting, with different cultures like Islamism and Hinduism.
Favourite Quote:
I think the most heartbreaking this about this novel is that the parents had to have one of their children die before they stopped being so petty.
Overall, this book is a 3/5 stars. It was nothing super great, but it wasn't poorly written. I enjoyed it. If you enjoy short contemporaries with a bit of light romance; you'll enjoy this.
This was very easy to read. It only took me one sitting, which I don't usually do for YA contemporaries.
I found it a bit troubling at the start; trying to distinguish the families. It was emphasised over and over again that Sarah and Ray are not related.
All in all, I was expecting more out of Sasha and Ray's romance. By the end of the book; not much happens. They probably saw each other 3 times in total. It's one of those books that has a lot of build up: and even when you finish it, you're like, "Wait; what was the climax? That small mishap 5 chapters ago? Oh."
I found the siblings of the original married couple (now divorced) were the most interesting. The synopsis of this book misleads you: it mentions a tragedy between Ray and Sasha, but really, they were just observing the "drama" i.e. .
I wish this book was longer. Then I'd appreciate the characters more. I think the premise is cool-- a boy and a girl share a room, interchangeably every fortnight. They've shared toys, books, clothes, a bed, ever since they were born. And they never once tried to effectively talk/meet each other. Ever. I don't know about you guys; but if a guy was sleeping in my room and touching all my books... even at a young age; I'd tell him some boundaries.
I did appreciate Emma and Quinn's quest for belonging. These two, as well as many of the other kids, grapple with their "half identities". They are half Bangladesh, half white... but Robert (the father, who was from Bangladesh) was adopted in Canada. Thus the girls go experimenting, with different cultures like Islamism and Hinduism.
Favourite Quote:
"Their parents didn't deserve to be forgiven, and yet they would be. Where was the cure for that?"
I think the most heartbreaking this about this novel is that the parents had to have one of their children die before they stopped being so petty.
May 31, 2017
Evidently Ann Brashares is a very popular author. This is my first book and sorry to say I couldn’t get invested with the characters or their internal struggles. Since she receives such high marks perhaps I will try another of her books unless she only writes young adult fiction. Maybe that was my problem with this book, I didn’t know it was young adult fiction or I wouldn’t have requested it.
There were far too many characters to keep up. I should have had a clue about that when a family tree was highlighted in the front of the book. By the way, the family tree involves multiple marriages and children and step parents and step siblings….see, that’s confusing.
The seventeen-year old characters, Ray and Sasha, have one parent in common and while they have shared closet space at the beach house, they never meet early in life. They are never at the beach house at the same time because their parents hate each other. The mother is definitely not a sympathetic character.
Anyway, Ray and Sasha aren’t related, except as step siblings…I think….but the implied romance between them seems wrong. Maybe I am the only reader who felt uncomfortable with that romantic relationship that develops – it’s not incest but it feels like it when reading.
I did like this quote:
"Why did parents ever make their kids watch them get re-married? Ray imagined a coffee table book suited to a photographer like maybe Diane Arbus for publication around Halloween: Children Watching Their Parents Marry People Who Aren't Their Parents."
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions, nice and no-so-nice are my own :-)
There were far too many characters to keep up. I should have had a clue about that when a family tree was highlighted in the front of the book. By the way, the family tree involves multiple marriages and children and step parents and step siblings….see, that’s confusing.
The seventeen-year old characters, Ray and Sasha, have one parent in common and while they have shared closet space at the beach house, they never meet early in life. They are never at the beach house at the same time because their parents hate each other. The mother is definitely not a sympathetic character.
Anyway, Ray and Sasha aren’t related, except as step siblings…I think….but the implied romance between them seems wrong. Maybe I am the only reader who felt uncomfortable with that romantic relationship that develops – it’s not incest but it feels like it when reading.
I did like this quote:
"Why did parents ever make their kids watch them get re-married? Ray imagined a coffee table book suited to a photographer like maybe Diane Arbus for publication around Halloween: Children Watching Their Parents Marry People Who Aren't Their Parents."
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions, nice and no-so-nice are my own :-)
August 8, 2016
It's hard to explain this book - it's fractured, and there's no real main character. There's also no concrete beginning or end.
However, Brashares shares a series of lovely snapshots into the lives of her characters, which somehow works when tied together into a greater whole. It's disjointed, but exactly the way real life often is.
Also, there's a plotline that will likely weird readers out. I kind of made a face at first, but eh - weirder things have happened. If there's more love in the world, so be it.
However, Brashares shares a series of lovely snapshots into the lives of her characters, which somehow works when tied together into a greater whole. It's disjointed, but exactly the way real life often is.
Also, there's a plotline that will likely weird readers out. I kind of made a face at first, but eh - weirder things have happened. If there's more love in the world, so be it.
February 22, 2017
THE WHOLE THING TOGETHER BY ANN BRASHARES
I really wanted to like this book very much and was excited to get an advanced readers copy.
I loved The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I have to agree with the other reviewers about this one having a lot of confusing writing and the way the characters changing points of view were also confusing. Very disjointed writing and choppy.
I want to say thank you to Net Galley, Ann Brashares and the Publisher for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.
I really wanted to like this book very much and was excited to get an advanced readers copy.
I loved The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I have to agree with the other reviewers about this one having a lot of confusing writing and the way the characters changing points of view were also confusing. Very disjointed writing and choppy.
I want to say thank you to Net Galley, Ann Brashares and the Publisher for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.
March 30, 2017
3.5/5
I read many things about this book but I actually liked it. Yes, the parents are immature and I hated them most of the book. Yes, there were too many chatacters an POVs, but you kinda get used to it after a while. But, it's something different, easy to read and that touches a lot of issues of a family's life (maybe too many). It wasn't bad, but it could have been better. For being my very first book by Brashares I'll say it was pretty good.
I read many things about this book but I actually liked it. Yes, the parents are immature and I hated them most of the book. Yes, there were too many chatacters an POVs, but you kinda get used to it after a while. But, it's something different, easy to read and that touches a lot of issues of a family's life (maybe too many). It wasn't bad, but it could have been better. For being my very first book by Brashares I'll say it was pretty good.
May 24, 2017
I had high hopes for this book because I really did enjoy the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and The Last Summer by Brashares, but this book was a bit disappointing. I found the whole family situation to be a bit confusing and kept having to look at the chart in the front of the book to figure out which child belonged to who. The book is told from several perspectives and I just really didn't enjoy Ray as a character. Maybe because it is a bit more difficult for me to identify with writing from a teenage boy's perspective. I also don't really enjoy most contemporary books but when it is by an author I like, I will usually read it. The first half of the book felt like your typical contemporary YA romance and that was fine, I just never really got invested in the characters or the story. Then I felt like the story shifted away from the YA to more contemporary where the focus on family issues and tragedy. I do enjoy Ann Brashares writing and the synopsis of this book sounded really interesting to me but then just kind of fell flat. I do recommend her other books if you have never read them, definitely check them out.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy of this book.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy of this book.
June 11, 2017
I've heard many, many good thing about Ann Brashares, her being the author of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and all. But, uh, this book weirded me out??? The writing was really good but the way Ray talked about Sasha rubbed me the wrong way.... Brashares' writing is really good though, now that I've gotten a taste of it, I'll definitely be reading Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
December 28, 2019
ARC Review (9/13/16, received from Sarah Prineas)
When I was in seventh grade, I absolutely adored Ann Brashares's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I believe I read them all back-to-back, and I absolutely loved the journey of them. It could have easily been a stand-alone, but there was something satisfying about seeing four girls spend their summers sharing a pair of jeans they found at a thrift store that fit them all just right and growing up that worked for me. There was a magic in that that I had never seen before, and I was able to find it again when I read the adult companion novel (maybe the real definitive closer) last summer. Those characters were still part of my heart, and even when they were torn apart with grief and made mistakes, I still sympathized with them.
I had no idea that Brashares was coming out with a new novel next year: a tale about one family and their connections that the kids ruminate on over the course of a summer. I was hoping for that same magic, that same pull towards another group of individuals, but imagine my surprise when I at first viewed this advance copy with interest only to quickly become more and more frustrated with every page.
At the end of the day, I absolutely loathed this book and am filled with bitter disappointment. The Whole Thing Together was a slow and tedious bore that tried to combine way too many narrators into one book. The end result wasn't seamless, and add on top of that a gross relationship between two characters that aren't necessarily related but are to their half-sisters, repetitive writing that not even good moments can save, and a complete lack of connection, and you have a phoned-in novel from an author I called one of my favorites four years ago. What happened?
For starters, the story dragged. There's a complex history weaving through The Whole Thing Together, what from Lila and Robert marrying, giving birth to three daughters, Emma, Quinn, Mattie , and then divorcing and marrying different spouses and having one additional child each: Ray with Lila and Adam, and Sasha with Robert and Evie. The novel follows all five kids over the course of one summer as Emma deals with a secret boyfriend, Quinn accepts all the pain and lingering negativity from the split, Mattie meets a man that recognizes her that ultimately tilts how she views her belonging, and Ray and Sasha deal with lingering feelings for each other (Ray is attached to Sasha's scent while Sasha imagines what could be), all while bouncing back and forth between the summer house where things get heavy. Sounds interesting, right (maybe too much like a Danielle Steel novel, according to my brother)? Too bad the delivery made everything that happened seem so unimportant and just trivial. The languid pace of this 293 page book didn't help the flow, and while there was some bits of curiosity at the beginning, it flat-lined by the middle and stayed that way until the end. Everything unfolded in a predictable way , and all the characters read and sounded the same: checked out and uninterested.
The developing relationship between Ray and Sasha was also really creepy to me. I know they're not related technically, but they're related to their half-sisters who view them as siblings. There's also this fact that both of them have this possessive claim on each other, both wanting each other's imaginations of who they are to be the same in real life. It's framed as super romantic in that forbidden sort of way, but I was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, and it wasn't helped as the book continued. I did enjoy their e-mails and texts, but other than that, their relationship wasn't cute. The ending didn't help matters.
Even the writing wasn't anything spectacular. Usually Brashares is very good at using simple language to her advantage, making sure it evokes feeling out of the reader. Here, that didn't happen. Some passages were exceptions, of course, and Brashares definitely shows talent there. But the rest of the novel maintained a flat and repetitive third-person past tense cadence that was just boring. I can't tell you how many times the pronouns 'he' and 'she' were used to start different sentences in the same paragraph. Sure, it helped the flow, but it also showed how little effort, I felt, was put into this piece of work.
The only thing I have left to say about The Whole Thing Together is a question: Why? Why has one of my favorite writers of my teenage life written a book so completely soulless? Why is it worse than a contemporary book with mental illness that focused way too much on romance and not enough on the great family bonds? Here's the thing with that novel: at least it kept me interested! You may have a cohesive novel, and it may be mostly well-written, but you need to have a strong narrative voice to bring that story to life. Here, there was nothing colorful, and when all is said and done, having time to write snarky comments in the margins when a book is boring is never a good thing.
Also, the only LGBT+ characters that show up here are a married gay couple that's renting out the bottom floor of Lila and Adam's place in Brooklyn. They are only mentioned in passing three times, and I think it would've been cool if they had speaking parts. But no, only the main family matters.
It was also cool that Robert was Indian and three of his daughters were biracial. His backstory was also super sad and definitely deserved more time, because that burqa joke was absolutely tasteless when you compare it to most of the characters being part of that ethnic minority. But there was also a lot of other questionable stuff that other readers have talked about....
When I was in seventh grade, I absolutely adored Ann Brashares's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I believe I read them all back-to-back, and I absolutely loved the journey of them. It could have easily been a stand-alone, but there was something satisfying about seeing four girls spend their summers sharing a pair of jeans they found at a thrift store that fit them all just right and growing up that worked for me. There was a magic in that that I had never seen before, and I was able to find it again when I read the adult companion novel (maybe the real definitive closer) last summer. Those characters were still part of my heart, and even when they were torn apart with grief and made mistakes, I still sympathized with them.
I had no idea that Brashares was coming out with a new novel next year: a tale about one family and their connections that the kids ruminate on over the course of a summer. I was hoping for that same magic, that same pull towards another group of individuals, but imagine my surprise when I at first viewed this advance copy with interest only to quickly become more and more frustrated with every page.
At the end of the day, I absolutely loathed this book and am filled with bitter disappointment. The Whole Thing Together was a slow and tedious bore that tried to combine way too many narrators into one book. The end result wasn't seamless, and add on top of that a gross relationship between two characters that aren't necessarily related but are to their half-sisters, repetitive writing that not even good moments can save, and a complete lack of connection, and you have a phoned-in novel from an author I called one of my favorites four years ago. What happened?
For starters, the story dragged. There's a complex history weaving through The Whole Thing Together, what from Lila and Robert marrying, giving birth to three daughters, Emma, Quinn, Mattie , and then divorcing and marrying different spouses and having one additional child each: Ray with Lila and Adam, and Sasha with Robert and Evie. The novel follows all five kids over the course of one summer as Emma deals with a secret boyfriend, Quinn accepts all the pain and lingering negativity from the split, Mattie meets a man that recognizes her that ultimately tilts how she views her belonging, and Ray and Sasha deal with lingering feelings for each other (Ray is attached to Sasha's scent while Sasha imagines what could be), all while bouncing back and forth between the summer house where things get heavy. Sounds interesting, right (maybe too much like a Danielle Steel novel, according to my brother)? Too bad the delivery made everything that happened seem so unimportant and just trivial. The languid pace of this 293 page book didn't help the flow, and while there was some bits of curiosity at the beginning, it flat-lined by the middle and stayed that way until the end. Everything unfolded in a predictable way , and all the characters read and sounded the same: checked out and uninterested.
The developing relationship between Ray and Sasha was also really creepy to me. I know they're not related technically, but they're related to their half-sisters who view them as siblings. There's also this fact that both of them have this possessive claim on each other, both wanting each other's imaginations of who they are to be the same in real life. It's framed as super romantic in that forbidden sort of way, but I was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, and it wasn't helped as the book continued. I did enjoy their e-mails and texts, but other than that, their relationship wasn't cute. The ending didn't help matters.
Even the writing wasn't anything spectacular. Usually Brashares is very good at using simple language to her advantage, making sure it evokes feeling out of the reader. Here, that didn't happen. Some passages were exceptions, of course, and Brashares definitely shows talent there. But the rest of the novel maintained a flat and repetitive third-person past tense cadence that was just boring. I can't tell you how many times the pronouns 'he' and 'she' were used to start different sentences in the same paragraph. Sure, it helped the flow, but it also showed how little effort, I felt, was put into this piece of work.
The only thing I have left to say about The Whole Thing Together is a question: Why? Why has one of my favorite writers of my teenage life written a book so completely soulless? Why is it worse than a contemporary book with mental illness that focused way too much on romance and not enough on the great family bonds? Here's the thing with that novel: at least it kept me interested! You may have a cohesive novel, and it may be mostly well-written, but you need to have a strong narrative voice to bring that story to life. Here, there was nothing colorful, and when all is said and done, having time to write snarky comments in the margins when a book is boring is never a good thing.
Also, the only LGBT+ characters that show up here are a married gay couple that's renting out the bottom floor of Lila and Adam's place in Brooklyn. They are only mentioned in passing three times, and I think it would've been cool if they had speaking parts. But no, only the main family matters.
It was also cool that Robert was Indian and three of his daughters were biracial. His backstory was also super sad and definitely deserved more time, because that burqa joke was absolutely tasteless when you compare it to most of the characters being part of that ethnic minority. But there was also a lot of other questionable stuff that other readers have talked about....
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