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Something Beautiful
Cordelia and Declan have been best friends since they were three years old. By the time they hit middle school, Cordelia--Cord, to Declan--is already feeling the blackness in her life as depression takes hold. Their mutual attraction to each other leads to a serious high school relationship, one with their foundation of friendship at the forefront. Cordelia seems to have her mental health under control. All appears to be well.
However, when Declan starts to accept his own fluid sexuality, it sets something in motion in their lives that is both beautiful and tragic as they learn to love each other for who they are.
However, when Declan starts to accept his own fluid sexuality, it sets something in motion in their lives that is both beautiful and tragic as they learn to love each other for who they are.
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2017
611 people want to read
About the author
Marie Patlan
3 books53 followersMarie Patlan (aka Amanda) has been writing stories since the third grade, when she turned in a five-page story about talking dogs to a local youth arts contest. She works on a computer all day, along with most of the night as well. Amanda is a proud Latina who earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Hope College and her Master’s degree in Technical Communication from Minnesota State University. You can find her on the internet at amandareviewsthings.substack.com. If you see her in the wild, she probably has a book in her purse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 2, 2017
Something Beautiful, is a story about how fluid love and acceptance can be. The story is about two people who have known each other all their lives. As this book goes from now, to the past, to now, and then to the future. You experience happiness, love, acceptance, tragedy, love and acceptance as the characters develop and grow. Simply put, this book is, Something Beautiful.
April 25, 2017
I was given this book to read as a formatting check for the e-arc and I just have to say, WOW. Not only is the cover beautiful, but the book itself is just wonderful. I will preface by saying I have never read a LGBTQ specific book, so I went in unsure what to expect. However, as I was reading I was just drawn into the love story of Declan and Cordelia. Although it may not be 'traditional,' it has to be one of the most powerful loves I have ever read about. The writing itself it beautiful, lending a seamless view into the story being told. I felt myself there with the characters and more than once found myself laughing, sighing, or crying with them. All in all this was just a wonderful book and a fantastic debut for an extremely talented writer. Well done, Ms. Hanson!
July 22, 2017
A copy was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review
DNF @ 34%
This book is marketed as an LGBTQAIP+ book but it's all about the allocishet ally. I had to stop reading because the MC tried to out Declan against his will and that is not just a shit thing to do, it's also dangerous and homophobic.
DNF @ 34%
This book is marketed as an LGBTQAIP+ book but it's all about the allocishet ally. I had to stop reading because the MC tried to out Declan against his will and that is not just a shit thing to do, it's also dangerous and homophobic.
June 10, 2017
It's so rare to find a book that's willing to delve this deeply into the experiences of sexually fluid or bisexual characters. The author handles Declan's sexuality and the role it plays in his life and the lives of others in a way that is both honest and sensitive. She delivers a story that dives deep into questions of how love changes and is changed by our lives while giving the personal journeys of the characters a Shakespearean significance.
And it's full of hilarious little lines like "'Hey! inside voices!' my dad shouts." Highly recommend!
And it's full of hilarious little lines like "'Hey! inside voices!' my dad shouts." Highly recommend!
March 19, 2017
This book was fantastic. It was nice to see a sexually fluid character, and that the confusion over this wasn't glossed over. I don't usually get emotional over books, but I did with this one! It was great!
May 19, 2017
My hastiness to often judge a book by its cover tends to lead to great difficulty in getting invested in a story at times, but honestly I couldn't put this one down. This was a quick and compelling read. I felt haunted by the darkness at times, and the ending will have you redefining cathartic. Beautifully written, the unexpected turns throughout this powerful love story will keep you swiftly turning the pages for more.
July 31, 2017
Note: I received a free eBook copy of Something Beautiful by Pen Name Publish, in exchange for a review. However, the content of the review is 100% my own personal opinion.
<><><>
I've done a lot of reading this year. I read the entire Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy. I read the Red Queen series. But this book? This was, hands down, one of the best books I've read this year.
Now, before I start, I just want to say— this book received a lot of negative reviews, and I just don't understand it. I actually decided to talk further in depth about these negative reviews at the bottom of this review, so if you're interested in comparing my opinion with theirs, feel free to go read that. But my personal, spoiler free review will remain in this top part.
(Also, a quick warning, this book does contain some difficult themes such as self-harm and suicide.)
The Premise:
Declan and Cordelia have been friends since they were three years old. They grew up together, and understood each other in a way no one else could. In their high school years, they dated, planned to get married, but then Declan starts to realize he might be gay, which leaves him wondering why he's clearly attracted to men over women, but still feels such strong love for Cordelia.
What I Liked:
1. I loved the perspective switch. While in some books this can be really disjointing for a reader, I found this transition smooth and, more importantly, perfectly placed. It was such an interesting dynamic to see what both characters thought of each other, and view them through outsider eyes.
2. The rawness of this book— just as real life is not sugarcoated, this book will take you on highs higher than drugs, and then throw you to rock bottom where you'll cry for a good half hour.
3. The relationships in this book— this is not a romance. This is an exploration to two souls connecting despite all variables and odds. And I love how other relationships came and went through the book, but time and time again, these two souls found each other.
4. The transition through life— I loved reading about Cordelia and Declan as kids, and seeing them grow and mature before my eyes. The characterization was wonderful, and it was really clear to me what ages they were at every stage of the book without having to be told.
What I Disliked:
1. I think that in some places the pacing was slightly off, or more description could have been added just to make the words flow a little better. But for the most part, this was done well.
2. I also would have loved to see more of Lucas and Stella.
The Characters:
Cordelia: I loved being in Cordelia's head. She's an amazing character and she overcame so much in her life.
Declan: Declan was so sweet, so fleshed out, and such a lovely character to get to know. The way he handles everything with Cordelia, as well as Lucas and everything else, is so admirable!
Adam: Man, Adam is such a conflicting topic. My first impression of him was not a good one, because of how he's portrayed in such a small space of the book, but I could still feel the impact he left behind.
Peter: I really didn't like Peter at first, but towards the end I came to appreciate his presence and understand his importance.
Lucas & Stella: SO CUTE!! I wish we had more of them *crying*
Final Thoughts:
I feel like I just can't reiterate enough how much I love this book and how IMPORTANT this book is! I hope many, many more people read it and find the same love for it that I did.
<><><>
I recognize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I would like to just touch on a few points bought up in negative reviews for this book, and why I disagree with those points. I hope it helps anyone trying to decide whether to read this book or not, and influences them to give it a chance.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Problem #1 – Cordelia's Perspective as Opposed to Declan's
Some readers felt that Declan's perspective should have been maintained throughout the entire book, because he is an LBGT+ character in a story exploring LBGT+ issues.
I am not a member of the LBGT+ community— by which, I mean I am a straight female. I do support the LGBT+ community wholeheartedly. However, when it comes to literature, film, video games... basically anything in which people from these communities have a chance to make their voice heard, it's either well received or completely criticized. What people seem to misunderstand is that storytelling is made up of multiple themes and elements. One element alone does not become the centre focus of the story— without all these various elements, there would not be a story.
The same thing occurs in life.
We are all human. We all have feelings, emotions, appearances, personalities, traits, and we all exist together on this Earth. The universe does not exist for white people alone, or people of colour alone. It does not exist for straight couples, or gay couples, or transgender people alone. It does not exist for one race alone. We are all here to co-exist together, and form a much larger story. Stories are written in the perspective of the person who can best convey the story, from the perspective most effective for the story. And this still rings true with Cordelia and Declan in Something Beautiful— Cordelia's perspective is crucial for the reader to understand how Declan affects her life, and the people around her. This is not a story centring on Declan alone— it's the story of their life and how it entwines from start to finish.
A good example of this being done before is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird, which is a literature classic, studied in schools, and it explores many controversial issues of the time (including slavery, people of colour, and equal rights). That book is told through the eyes of a young, white girl. But you don't see people criticizing that book because it wasn't told in the perspective of Tom Robinson. So to criticize Something Beautiful for being told through the eyes of an external, straight character, who observes the conflict of a particular, queer character, is kind of stupid.
Problem #2 – Failure to Effectively Explore Mental Health Issues
Some readers felt that Cordelia's mental health was portrayed without tact and that many scenes in the book were too uncomfortable to read. They also felt that Cordelia and Declan's relationship was unhealthy because they were too co-dependant.
Okay well, I'm not going to be nice about this one. News flash— it's not meant to be comfortable to read. Never, at any stage, is mental illness going to be easy to endure, or talk about. It's not. And the book captures that. Not many authors can capture the realness of something so dark.
As for the aftermath, which many people seemed to portray as an unhealthy, co-dependant relationship— everyone deals with mental health differently, and those who do have it sometimes need someone to rely on. Besides, I do not see how Declan and Cordelia's relationship was too co-dependant when they spent a good chunk of the book living in separate cities while raising kids. I mean come on, that's pretty independent. And parenthood is a partnership, so realistically, they should be depending on each other.
Problem #3 – Misrepresentation of Queer Characters in Fiction
Some readers felt like Declan was not properly represented to be queer due to his feelings for Cordelia.
I completely disagree with this. Declan's character made perfect sense to me. Love is one of the hardest things in the world to make sense of, and our society is obsessed with labelling people a certain way. They have to be clear about who they're attracted to, right down to whether it's men or women. And if it's both, the correct term is supposed to be bisexual.
But when our bodies were formed, and the existence of genders and sexuality came into being, there was no external force dictating that love is black and white— that sexuality one thing or another. Declan is something else entirely, but he still identifies as a queer character, and I still think the correct labelling is queer over bisexual.
Anyone who gets hung up over this tiny detail is missing the entire concept of the book— it breaks past the labels of sexuality, and shows a relationship that is purely two souls connecting despite a ton of variables and odds. Something Beautiful is a story that needs to be read— and Declan is one the most impressive characters to be introduced into the LBGT+ fiction community. In fact, dare I suggest, the literature world itself.
Now, the stem of this issue really comes from the fact that the LBGT+ community is generally misunderstood, and it's always been a battle to make people understand why people have different sexualities. So, there is a predetermined expectation that all LGBT+ literature must explore the reasoning behind why a character feels a certain way, preferably through witnessing a detailed, romantic relationship that fits one of the above labels, and if it doesn't, it's a total flop. I don't know why people are bagging this book out just because it failed to meet their expectations. This is a fresh voice in diverse literature, and it's a step in the right direction.
People get upset. It's what they do— and it's what they've been programmed to do the moment they decided to fight for equal rights. It's what people have to do because the world is full of conflicting opinions. And while I understand the need, and the right, to fight for equal rights and equal representation, I really don't think all LBGT+ literature needs to meet this restrictive expectation. Again, we are all here to co-exist together, and form a much larger story. And the story of life is one big, fat mess. Nothing is black or white— there are always going to be variables to everything in life. And that is why I think Declan's character was not misrepresented at all— the inner conflict he has to sort through is a story that's evidently not seen a lot in the LBGT+ community, and that's why I think it's so important that it gets read by more people.
And finally, just a thought on diversity in literature from the perspective of a writer:
Diversity in literature isn't always possible.
I constantly see people asking for diversity in fiction, for more LBGT+ characters. Just as I always see people wanting more representation in video games, and films. So why would you attack authors who do go out of their way to deliver these kinds of stories for you?
A story always has certain characters for a reason. We can't just chuck in a handful of people of queer characters, just to even out the cast. If I'd done that in my fantasy series Lanterns in the Sky, it would have made zero sense. Because that's not the purpose of my story. My story has nothing to do with people of differing sexualities, and trying to mix them in would take away from the plot. I want to include these people in my stories, but only when they can contribute meaningfully and wholeheartedly to the story.
Unfortunately, this will be an ongoing issue with diverse literature. I think we should be encouraging multiple voices to come forward in the literature world, and share their stories of diverse and queer characters, instead of attacking every attempt an author makes to do just that. Because it's not possible for diverse characters to make an appearance in every single type of story. We need more individual stories that include these characters. And Something Beautiful does a tremendous job— it's a wonderful book and it explores so many issues that readers can resonate with.
(And, just as a side note, if you really feel singled out just because you're not seeing diverse or queer characters in the majority of your books, then maybe you're missing the whole point of reading. Might I suggest you check the blurb before you go picking your books up.)
<><><>
I've done a lot of reading this year. I read the entire Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy. I read the Red Queen series. But this book? This was, hands down, one of the best books I've read this year.
Now, before I start, I just want to say— this book received a lot of negative reviews, and I just don't understand it. I actually decided to talk further in depth about these negative reviews at the bottom of this review, so if you're interested in comparing my opinion with theirs, feel free to go read that. But my personal, spoiler free review will remain in this top part.
(Also, a quick warning, this book does contain some difficult themes such as self-harm and suicide.)
The Premise:
Declan and Cordelia have been friends since they were three years old. They grew up together, and understood each other in a way no one else could. In their high school years, they dated, planned to get married, but then Declan starts to realize he might be gay, which leaves him wondering why he's clearly attracted to men over women, but still feels such strong love for Cordelia.
What I Liked:
1. I loved the perspective switch. While in some books this can be really disjointing for a reader, I found this transition smooth and, more importantly, perfectly placed. It was such an interesting dynamic to see what both characters thought of each other, and view them through outsider eyes.
2. The rawness of this book— just as real life is not sugarcoated, this book will take you on highs higher than drugs, and then throw you to rock bottom where you'll cry for a good half hour.
3. The relationships in this book— this is not a romance. This is an exploration to two souls connecting despite all variables and odds. And I love how other relationships came and went through the book, but time and time again, these two souls found each other.
4. The transition through life— I loved reading about Cordelia and Declan as kids, and seeing them grow and mature before my eyes. The characterization was wonderful, and it was really clear to me what ages they were at every stage of the book without having to be told.
What I Disliked:
1. I think that in some places the pacing was slightly off, or more description could have been added just to make the words flow a little better. But for the most part, this was done well.
2. I also would have loved to see more of Lucas and Stella.
The Characters:
Cordelia: I loved being in Cordelia's head. She's an amazing character and she overcame so much in her life.
Declan: Declan was so sweet, so fleshed out, and such a lovely character to get to know. The way he handles everything with Cordelia, as well as Lucas and everything else, is so admirable!
Adam: Man, Adam is such a conflicting topic. My first impression of him was not a good one, because of how he's portrayed in such a small space of the book, but I could still feel the impact he left behind.
Peter: I really didn't like Peter at first, but towards the end I came to appreciate his presence and understand his importance.
Lucas & Stella: SO CUTE!! I wish we had more of them *crying*
Final Thoughts:
I feel like I just can't reiterate enough how much I love this book and how IMPORTANT this book is! I hope many, many more people read it and find the same love for it that I did.
<><><>
I recognize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I would like to just touch on a few points bought up in negative reviews for this book, and why I disagree with those points. I hope it helps anyone trying to decide whether to read this book or not, and influences them to give it a chance.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Problem #1 – Cordelia's Perspective as Opposed to Declan's
Some readers felt that Declan's perspective should have been maintained throughout the entire book, because he is an LBGT+ character in a story exploring LBGT+ issues.
I am not a member of the LBGT+ community— by which, I mean I am a straight female. I do support the LGBT+ community wholeheartedly. However, when it comes to literature, film, video games... basically anything in which people from these communities have a chance to make their voice heard, it's either well received or completely criticized. What people seem to misunderstand is that storytelling is made up of multiple themes and elements. One element alone does not become the centre focus of the story— without all these various elements, there would not be a story.
The same thing occurs in life.
We are all human. We all have feelings, emotions, appearances, personalities, traits, and we all exist together on this Earth. The universe does not exist for white people alone, or people of colour alone. It does not exist for straight couples, or gay couples, or transgender people alone. It does not exist for one race alone. We are all here to co-exist together, and form a much larger story. Stories are written in the perspective of the person who can best convey the story, from the perspective most effective for the story. And this still rings true with Cordelia and Declan in Something Beautiful— Cordelia's perspective is crucial for the reader to understand how Declan affects her life, and the people around her. This is not a story centring on Declan alone— it's the story of their life and how it entwines from start to finish.
A good example of this being done before is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird, which is a literature classic, studied in schools, and it explores many controversial issues of the time (including slavery, people of colour, and equal rights). That book is told through the eyes of a young, white girl. But you don't see people criticizing that book because it wasn't told in the perspective of Tom Robinson. So to criticize Something Beautiful for being told through the eyes of an external, straight character, who observes the conflict of a particular, queer character, is kind of stupid.
Problem #2 – Failure to Effectively Explore Mental Health Issues
Some readers felt that Cordelia's mental health was portrayed without tact and that many scenes in the book were too uncomfortable to read. They also felt that Cordelia and Declan's relationship was unhealthy because they were too co-dependant.
Okay well, I'm not going to be nice about this one. News flash— it's not meant to be comfortable to read. Never, at any stage, is mental illness going to be easy to endure, or talk about. It's not. And the book captures that. Not many authors can capture the realness of something so dark.
As for the aftermath, which many people seemed to portray as an unhealthy, co-dependant relationship— everyone deals with mental health differently, and those who do have it sometimes need someone to rely on. Besides, I do not see how Declan and Cordelia's relationship was too co-dependant when they spent a good chunk of the book living in separate cities while raising kids. I mean come on, that's pretty independent. And parenthood is a partnership, so realistically, they should be depending on each other.
Problem #3 – Misrepresentation of Queer Characters in Fiction
Some readers felt like Declan was not properly represented to be queer due to his feelings for Cordelia.
I completely disagree with this. Declan's character made perfect sense to me. Love is one of the hardest things in the world to make sense of, and our society is obsessed with labelling people a certain way. They have to be clear about who they're attracted to, right down to whether it's men or women. And if it's both, the correct term is supposed to be bisexual.
But when our bodies were formed, and the existence of genders and sexuality came into being, there was no external force dictating that love is black and white— that sexuality one thing or another. Declan is something else entirely, but he still identifies as a queer character, and I still think the correct labelling is queer over bisexual.
Anyone who gets hung up over this tiny detail is missing the entire concept of the book— it breaks past the labels of sexuality, and shows a relationship that is purely two souls connecting despite a ton of variables and odds. Something Beautiful is a story that needs to be read— and Declan is one the most impressive characters to be introduced into the LBGT+ fiction community. In fact, dare I suggest, the literature world itself.
Now, the stem of this issue really comes from the fact that the LBGT+ community is generally misunderstood, and it's always been a battle to make people understand why people have different sexualities. So, there is a predetermined expectation that all LGBT+ literature must explore the reasoning behind why a character feels a certain way, preferably through witnessing a detailed, romantic relationship that fits one of the above labels, and if it doesn't, it's a total flop. I don't know why people are bagging this book out just because it failed to meet their expectations. This is a fresh voice in diverse literature, and it's a step in the right direction.
People get upset. It's what they do— and it's what they've been programmed to do the moment they decided to fight for equal rights. It's what people have to do because the world is full of conflicting opinions. And while I understand the need, and the right, to fight for equal rights and equal representation, I really don't think all LBGT+ literature needs to meet this restrictive expectation. Again, we are all here to co-exist together, and form a much larger story. And the story of life is one big, fat mess. Nothing is black or white— there are always going to be variables to everything in life. And that is why I think Declan's character was not misrepresented at all— the inner conflict he has to sort through is a story that's evidently not seen a lot in the LBGT+ community, and that's why I think it's so important that it gets read by more people.
And finally, just a thought on diversity in literature from the perspective of a writer:
Diversity in literature isn't always possible.
I constantly see people asking for diversity in fiction, for more LBGT+ characters. Just as I always see people wanting more representation in video games, and films. So why would you attack authors who do go out of their way to deliver these kinds of stories for you?
A story always has certain characters for a reason. We can't just chuck in a handful of people of queer characters, just to even out the cast. If I'd done that in my fantasy series Lanterns in the Sky, it would have made zero sense. Because that's not the purpose of my story. My story has nothing to do with people of differing sexualities, and trying to mix them in would take away from the plot. I want to include these people in my stories, but only when they can contribute meaningfully and wholeheartedly to the story.
Unfortunately, this will be an ongoing issue with diverse literature. I think we should be encouraging multiple voices to come forward in the literature world, and share their stories of diverse and queer characters, instead of attacking every attempt an author makes to do just that. Because it's not possible for diverse characters to make an appearance in every single type of story. We need more individual stories that include these characters. And Something Beautiful does a tremendous job— it's a wonderful book and it explores so many issues that readers can resonate with.
(And, just as a side note, if you really feel singled out just because you're not seeing diverse or queer characters in the majority of your books, then maybe you're missing the whole point of reading. Might I suggest you check the blurb before you go picking your books up.)
August 9, 2017
Originally posted @https://nzfnmblog.wordpress.com/2017/...
I fell in love with this story immediately and may of accidentally finished it within a day, sorry not sorry. The story starts of in present day with Cordelia promoting her new book. Within the first chapter we also meet Declan and some hints are given to where they are now in their lives, we are then transported back to there childhood and effectively where their story begins. It was great watching the two friends develop together through childhood, preteen to adolescence, it was also great to see the author dive straight in and address the hard hitting topics of this book. From the synopsis you can probably guess it explores issues of depression and discovering your sexuality, it also does take things one step further with issues of self harm, suicide and to be honest tragedy in general, so potentially if any of these are trigger warnings to you then this may not be the book for you.
Both characters had strong development and had distinct voices, my favourite out of the two was definitely Declan and it would of been nice to see some more chapters in his POV. Not that I didn’t enjoy reading Cordelia’s chapters! The flow of the book works quite well, flipping between the POV as well past and present and the internal dilemmas of both characters are not shied away from, they are presented in a real, raw and very emotional way. The ending I didn’t see coming, perhaps it was hinted out but I must of missed it all, I don’t want to give away any spoilers but man the emotions were real. The only problem I had with the book was that I felt it could of been longer, not just cause I was enjoying the book but because it covered a lot of significant life events for both characters and at times felt like it was squished together. Definitely a book I would recommend though!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I fell in love with this story immediately and may of accidentally finished it within a day, sorry not sorry. The story starts of in present day with Cordelia promoting her new book. Within the first chapter we also meet Declan and some hints are given to where they are now in their lives, we are then transported back to there childhood and effectively where their story begins. It was great watching the two friends develop together through childhood, preteen to adolescence, it was also great to see the author dive straight in and address the hard hitting topics of this book. From the synopsis you can probably guess it explores issues of depression and discovering your sexuality, it also does take things one step further with issues of self harm, suicide and to be honest tragedy in general, so potentially if any of these are trigger warnings to you then this may not be the book for you.
Both characters had strong development and had distinct voices, my favourite out of the two was definitely Declan and it would of been nice to see some more chapters in his POV. Not that I didn’t enjoy reading Cordelia’s chapters! The flow of the book works quite well, flipping between the POV as well past and present and the internal dilemmas of both characters are not shied away from, they are presented in a real, raw and very emotional way. The ending I didn’t see coming, perhaps it was hinted out but I must of missed it all, I don’t want to give away any spoilers but man the emotions were real. The only problem I had with the book was that I felt it could of been longer, not just cause I was enjoying the book but because it covered a lot of significant life events for both characters and at times felt like it was squished together. Definitely a book I would recommend though!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2017
When I picked up this book I wasn't initially going to read it right away, I just started reading a few chapters and before I knew, I was well into the book and I couldn't stop. This book follows the two characters Cordelia and Declan from when they were very young to the age of 25-30(?). Initially, the two are just really good friends but throughout the story, their relationship changes into something new. It is not just about their friendship, but also about Cordelia's mental health. She suffers from depression and suicidal thoughts and I thought it was very well incorporated in the story. The story is at the same time sad and uplifting. Declan struggles with his sexuality and it covers a topic of sexuality that I haven't really read about before.
I am giving this book 4 stars because it was addicting and fun to read, while still covering really important topics such as mental health and sexuality. I was super happy to have received a copy of this book via this giveaway and I highly recommend it! It reminded me a lot of Love, Rosie (I've only seen the movie) and if you liked the way of storytelling in the movie (I can't say much about the book), I would definitely recommend checking this book out! (also the cover is stunning *heart eyes*)
I am giving this book 4 stars because it was addicting and fun to read, while still covering really important topics such as mental health and sexuality. I was super happy to have received a copy of this book via this giveaway and I highly recommend it! It reminded me a lot of Love, Rosie (I've only seen the movie) and if you liked the way of storytelling in the movie (I can't say much about the book), I would definitely recommend checking this book out! (
April 7, 2017
It takes a deep understanding of love to write a book like this, but Hanson has done it. Love is a simple thing on the surface, but not everyone gets it, or it takes them a lifetime to understand it. This novel explores love that is as pure as any before, but unique at the same time. It's a great read for our time. Beautiful really.
April 3, 2017
Cordelia and Declan have an enduring friendship that really is something beautiful. Through all the ups and downs you'll want to root for them.
October 13, 2023
Maybe a little biased because she’s a hometown author (!!!) but this was a quick read that kept my attention!
July 12, 2017
Hmm, excuse me? What the fuck was that ending?
Trigger warnings: self-harm, depression, suicide attempt, shooting, death.
Okay, I have conflicted feelings about this book. I was super excited when I was approved for this arc, and the blurb was so interesting. So maybe that was my mistake, creating too much expectations.
The book follows two best friends Cordelia and Declan, they both have issues of their own to sort through and are just learning who they are in life and how to navigate through it. So first they're best friends, then they're boyfriend and girlfriend, then they go back to best friends, then they get married. Yeah, that kinda felt like all over the place, but let's get more into it.
We have our characters, who have been best friends since they were three years old, suddenly Cordelia's father gets a job in England and they have to move away temporarily. When she comes back, she's not herself anymore, she's been depressed and harming herself. After telling Declan about this, he asks her out, which to me seems like a horrible idea, but okay, she says "I just... don't even love me. How can I promise to love you?" and I was almost slow-clapping but then in the next page they decide to date anyway so there's that.
Everything is fine for a few years, until Declan stars questioning his sexuality, he then breaks up with Cordelia and explains to her that he's gay. That unleashes her depression again, since it was never really dealt with, and she attempts suicide. After that, it's brushed over her recovery, and we only know bits and pieces. Then flash-forward a year later and she has a new boyfriend and she even picks the same university he studies at to be closer to him. Declan gets protective, but that's it, he moves to New York and she goes to California. They're still best friends though.
Flash-forward again a few years and she finds out she's pregnant with her boyfriend's baby, but on his way to the doctors appointment he's in a car crash and dies later on. When Declan comes to California to support his friend, in first day back he kisses her again and confuses her further with the whole situation because to her he was gay, and to him he didn't understand what was happening but he knew he was in love with her.
Okay, quick recap: she's recently found out she's pregnant, her boyfriend died, her best friend is once again in love with her after breaking up with her for being gay. Yes, that's what we have so far.
They decide that Declan will move and help her through this situation, so he drops out of college and gets a job to help support her. They talk more about his sexuality and he tries to explain to her the best he can that not everything is black and white, that sometimes you have a genre preference but that doesn't mean you can't be attracted to another. He isn't happy with his life though, so she tells him to go back to New York and follow his dreams. Their relationship is long distance for a few years, and here's where they start facing their issues; she can't fully comprehend him and it's afraid he'll realize she's not what he wants again, she's also still trying to move on from her deceased boyfriend, he's battling with the long distance and how to help her see that he's madly in love with her.
After a particularly bad fight about said issues, he cheats on her with Peter the guy from the bar, then immediately feels guilty and goes to see her. They talk it out and apparently fix all of their problems. They sleep together and she gets pregnant. Everything is perfect until flash-forward a couple of years again and they're at a rally, where someone shoots her and she passes away.
Now look, I wouldn't be too frustrated if that's how it ended, but the night Cordelia dies, Declan asks Peter - one night stand, turned best friend - to stay with him "She just died, Declan. Don't you think it would be a bad idea for me to stay?" how the fuck did they jump to that again after years of being supposedly only best friends? she literally had just died! It felt like he was just waiting for something to happen to finally have what he wants, that being Peter. It made their love - Cordelia and Declan - cheap and I was just done with the whole thing. Then in the epilogue we see that they became life partners and it just enhanced all of my bad feelings towards this situation since there's no real plot other than their love story.
The book started out strong and I was very invested, but the author didn't know how to handle it, the delivery was lacking in depth and the representation was flawed. It never went deep into the issues that should've been key points in the plot, key points, not plot device. It could've been a great book though.
I received this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: self-harm, depression, suicide attempt, shooting, death.
Okay, I have conflicted feelings about this book. I was super excited when I was approved for this arc, and the blurb was so interesting. So maybe that was my mistake, creating too much expectations.
The book follows two best friends Cordelia and Declan, they both have issues of their own to sort through and are just learning who they are in life and how to navigate through it. So first they're best friends, then they're boyfriend and girlfriend, then they go back to best friends, then they get married. Yeah, that kinda felt like all over the place, but let's get more into it.
We have our characters, who have been best friends since they were three years old, suddenly Cordelia's father gets a job in England and they have to move away temporarily. When she comes back, she's not herself anymore, she's been depressed and harming herself. After telling Declan about this, he asks her out, which to me seems like a horrible idea, but okay, she says "I just... don't even love me. How can I promise to love you?" and I was almost slow-clapping but then in the next page they decide to date anyway so there's that.
Everything is fine for a few years, until Declan stars questioning his sexuality, he then breaks up with Cordelia and explains to her that he's gay. That unleashes her depression again, since it was never really dealt with, and she attempts suicide. After that, it's brushed over her recovery, and we only know bits and pieces. Then flash-forward a year later and she has a new boyfriend and she even picks the same university he studies at to be closer to him. Declan gets protective, but that's it, he moves to New York and she goes to California. They're still best friends though.
Flash-forward again a few years and she finds out she's pregnant with her boyfriend's baby, but on his way to the doctors appointment he's in a car crash and dies later on. When Declan comes to California to support his friend, in first day back he kisses her again and confuses her further with the whole situation because to her he was gay, and to him he didn't understand what was happening but he knew he was in love with her.
Okay, quick recap: she's recently found out she's pregnant, her boyfriend died, her best friend is once again in love with her after breaking up with her for being gay. Yes, that's what we have so far.
They decide that Declan will move and help her through this situation, so he drops out of college and gets a job to help support her. They talk more about his sexuality and he tries to explain to her the best he can that not everything is black and white, that sometimes you have a genre preference but that doesn't mean you can't be attracted to another. He isn't happy with his life though, so she tells him to go back to New York and follow his dreams. Their relationship is long distance for a few years, and here's where they start facing their issues; she can't fully comprehend him and it's afraid he'll realize she's not what he wants again, she's also still trying to move on from her deceased boyfriend, he's battling with the long distance and how to help her see that he's madly in love with her.
After a particularly bad fight about said issues, he cheats on her with Peter the guy from the bar, then immediately feels guilty and goes to see her. They talk it out and apparently fix all of their problems. They sleep together and she gets pregnant. Everything is perfect until flash-forward a couple of years again and they're at a rally, where someone shoots her and she passes away.
Now look, I wouldn't be too frustrated if that's how it ended, but the night Cordelia dies, Declan asks Peter - one night stand, turned best friend - to stay with him "She just died, Declan. Don't you think it would be a bad idea for me to stay?" how the fuck did they jump to that again after years of being supposedly only best friends? she literally had just died! It felt like he was just waiting for something to happen to finally have what he wants, that being Peter. It made their love - Cordelia and Declan - cheap and I was just done with the whole thing. Then in the epilogue we see that they became life partners and it just enhanced all of my bad feelings towards this situation since there's no real plot other than their love story.
The book started out strong and I was very invested, but the author didn't know how to handle it, the delivery was lacking in depth and the representation was flawed. It never went deep into the issues that should've been key points in the plot, key points, not plot device. It could've been a great book though.
I received this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2017
Such a great book. Clear, logical writing backing an interesting and touching story. A great addition to my bookshelves.
June 1, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
I can’t believe I thought about not reading this! I'm a sucker for a 'the world isn't black and white, but gray'... I wonder why that is?
Something Beautiful follows Cordelia and Declan through they're lifelong friendship, Declan's confusing journey of sexuality, Cordelia's fight with mental illness and discovery what form their love for each other takes.
I loved this story because it was messy. It was so beyond messy when it came to all of the different types of relationships, especially the ever-changing relationship between our two title characters. But that's how life is, no matter how much you try, no relationship is without it's complexities and as humans we are destined to hurt those closest to us, those we love the most.
I felt that Cordelia's mental illness was dealt with great sensitivity and was a true representation of depression. Hanson never made me feel like Declan was who 'fixed' Cordelia, though I was worried for a second there, he walked alongside her and helped her on her road to recovery.
I also really loved the portrayal of sexual fluidity in Something Beautiful. As someone who labels themselves as queer, a little gay, or not entirely straight I really identified with Declan. Sexuality can be thoroughly confusing, and sometimes you don't know from really early on like a lot of people.
Much like Declan, I didn't work out exactly what my sexuality was until in my early twenties. It was confusing, and I'm sure its confusing to those around me. Something Beautiful just felt so honest, real and raw with every issue it talked about.
This story was heartbreaking, it was filled with so much love and pain but I don't think I would have had it any other way. I ended up in tears by the end of it.
___
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“This should be easy. This should be black and white. You should know if you like guys or girls.” Her insistence makes me want to scream, makes me want to grab her and shake her. I don’t do any of those things, obviously. I just sigh and run a hand through my hair.
“This isn’t black and white, Cord. It’s more like… you’re gray. I don’t know what I am and I don’t feel like it matters. Because I love you. You’re gray. That’s all I know.”
I can’t believe I thought about not reading this! I'm a sucker for a 'the world isn't black and white, but gray'... I wonder why that is?
Something Beautiful follows Cordelia and Declan through they're lifelong friendship, Declan's confusing journey of sexuality, Cordelia's fight with mental illness and discovery what form their love for each other takes.
I loved this story because it was messy. It was so beyond messy when it came to all of the different types of relationships, especially the ever-changing relationship between our two title characters. But that's how life is, no matter how much you try, no relationship is without it's complexities and as humans we are destined to hurt those closest to us, those we love the most.
I felt that Cordelia's mental illness was dealt with great sensitivity and was a true representation of depression. Hanson never made me feel like Declan was who 'fixed' Cordelia, though I was worried for a second there, he walked alongside her and helped her on her road to recovery.
I also really loved the portrayal of sexual fluidity in Something Beautiful. As someone who labels themselves as queer, a little gay, or not entirely straight I really identified with Declan. Sexuality can be thoroughly confusing, and sometimes you don't know from really early on like a lot of people.
Much like Declan, I didn't work out exactly what my sexuality was until in my early twenties. It was confusing, and I'm sure its confusing to those around me. Something Beautiful just felt so honest, real and raw with every issue it talked about.
This story was heartbreaking, it was filled with so much love and pain but I don't think I would have had it any other way. I ended up in tears by the end of it.
You and I have created something beautiful, and I carry that with me, always.
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
April 3, 2017
Declan and Cordelia, two childhood best friends who share a deep and abiding love spanning their respective life time. But what is love?
Amanda Gernentz Hanson's debut novel is not what it might seem on outside, much like how most people live their lives, go about their business, and love their loves. It explores the fact that love is not so easily defined by not only the dictionary but by the beholder as well. Isn't it true that some things are just impossible to put into words?
Love can start as one thing, turn into another, and it can stay the same and be different all at the same time. Caging the heart remains the quest of humankind throughout history and within our literature, and yet here we are, hearts still wide open to love as well as to the eventual pain.
Without giving too much away, this is the kind of story that needs to be told. It is too easy to tell the traditional story of boy meets girl, boy loves girl, boy marries girl, boy and girl have a family. It's too easy to throw in the subtle homosexual twist or supportive gay best friend as the side show of some other story altogether.
This story makes the protagonists' battle strictly about love - because underlying every battle, whether someone wrestling with homosexuality or someone wrestling with some other "thing" trying to paint love in a certain perfect life affirming color - at the root, this is what most of our battles are about. Loving others, loving ourselves, romantic love, platonic love, motherly love, love of God, love of country...
In the end, when the dust settles from the inevitable brutality that is life...isn't it all simply something beautiful?
Amanda Gernentz Hanson's debut novel is not what it might seem on outside, much like how most people live their lives, go about their business, and love their loves. It explores the fact that love is not so easily defined by not only the dictionary but by the beholder as well. Isn't it true that some things are just impossible to put into words?
Love can start as one thing, turn into another, and it can stay the same and be different all at the same time. Caging the heart remains the quest of humankind throughout history and within our literature, and yet here we are, hearts still wide open to love as well as to the eventual pain.
Without giving too much away, this is the kind of story that needs to be told. It is too easy to tell the traditional story of boy meets girl, boy loves girl, boy marries girl, boy and girl have a family. It's too easy to throw in the subtle homosexual twist or supportive gay best friend as the side show of some other story altogether.
This story makes the protagonists' battle strictly about love - because underlying every battle, whether someone wrestling with homosexuality or someone wrestling with some other "thing" trying to paint love in a certain perfect life affirming color - at the root, this is what most of our battles are about. Loving others, loving ourselves, romantic love, platonic love, motherly love, love of God, love of country...
In the end, when the dust settles from the inevitable brutality that is life...isn't it all simply something beautiful?
June 27, 2017
Page turner! So much raw emotion. She really makes you connect with the characters. And things you never see coming. I can't wait to see what's next from her.
June 29, 2017
The writing is captivating and the overall story is fantastic! Hanson has written an amazing novel and I just wish that I could spend more time reading about Dec and Cord. Well done!
June 26, 2017
I truly could not put this book down. I felt like I could actually feel the emotions of Cordelia and Declan - the ups, the downs, and everything in between. The story kept me guessing which made for an enjoyable read that ended way too soon.
April 1, 2017
Something Beautiful is both tragic and tender, and brings star-crossed love to new modern heights. This is an absolute must-read! This author understands all the "gray" areas in the human heart!
July 19, 2017
Trigger Warning: Homophobia, suicide, self harm, teen pregnancy.
Be aware this review has spoilers, but if you want to read this book, I recommend reading this review, because the spoilers aren't too big, and they are sort of a warning for you.
Something Beautiful sounded like such an impactful, important novel. The synopsis painted this book out to be a masterpiece, and that's what I expected. Sadly, it was definitely not. It had the potential, the beautiful storyline idea, but it just turned out to be constructed messily, which is why I can only rate it 2.5 stars, because I enjoyed reading it, but technically it wasn't that great.
My main issue was the writing. It was the definition of telling and not showing, which was very irritating. There was no forshadowing, no analyzing for the reader, just telling us, " She's sad, she was angry.... she was annoyed because..." See what I mean? There was no flavor, no texture to the writing. It was all just very flat. Not only that, but the pacing was incredibly fast. I love fast paced books, I live for them, but when there is a lack of development, that's when I have a problem. with it. So much was happening, and it had very little reason to happen. For example, so many issues were tackled, but they were just glazed over, and had no significance. Cutting, depression, death, homophobia, suicide, LGBT+ positivity, anxiety, and pregnancy, were all part of Something Beautiful, but only homophobia, LGBT+ positivity, and maybe death should have been dealt with. That would have made this book seem less scattered and all over the place.
The characters were also a bit inconsistent to me. Cord, to be exact. Declan described Cord as this funny, beautiful, strong girl, and I really only got pretty and strong out of that. Cord didn't say anything funny. We were just told multiple times that she was hilarious and fun, when she isn't. I can recognize humor, even if it's not my sort of humor, couldn't find it then.
But, Cord wasn't all negative. Her reactions to traumatic situations were all very reasonable and real. Her reaction to Declan when she was in high school made so much sense. I mean, if I was her, I probably would have been extremely angry too. Yet later she grows and is supportive of Declan, and that was a beautiful aspect, which I wish could have lingered a little longer, because that as a real strong point.
Declan was not a bad character actually. To me, he was more consistent than Cord. The only critique I really have for him is the amount of times he teared up or cried. I'm not trying to feed into gender roles or anything, but lets be real, most guys do not cry in front of girls as much as he did. It was very endearing and sweet, and showed that guys can cry, but at the same time it would have been even more impactful for the main character to catch him crying and not expect to be found. It would have added so much more intensity and surprise. Some situations like Cord's suicide attempt made complete sense, anyone would be crying, but when he sees Cord after 8 months to a year, he cries, and I just can't imagine that happening. That's just me though.
The fluidity of sexuality was amazing to read, and that's one of the reasons I found Declan to be the stronger character. His confusion about if he was gay or not was well done, and when he figures out he is bisexual, it made so much sense. He identified himself as queer, but I interpreted him as bi, but that was because he was struggling with his sexuality. His journey was what I wanted more of, but sadly this turned out to be more of a love story and focused on Cord, which was frustrating.
Finally, the ending made me so angry. I had to contain myself from throwing my kindle on the ground because my mother was sitting next to me driving. It was just so unnecessary! Like really???????? It was glazed over, and Declan's grief was hardly even explored! I feel the author just threw it in for shock value, and I'm not a fan of using death as shock value, because that is an extremely painful experience, and when it isn't given time to develop or depicted well, it's just annoying. The end honestly should have been edited out, because it was messy as heck.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend Something Beautiful because the quality of it was not the best. The way suicide and depression was brushed over really rubbed me the wrong way, which is partially why I couldn't rate this higher. I appreciate what this book tried to do, it just wasn't very successful in what it tried to do in my opinion. Maybe for others this is impactful, but for me, it just didn't click.
Be aware this review has spoilers, but if you want to read this book, I recommend reading this review, because the spoilers aren't too big, and they are sort of a warning for you.
Something Beautiful sounded like such an impactful, important novel. The synopsis painted this book out to be a masterpiece, and that's what I expected. Sadly, it was definitely not. It had the potential, the beautiful storyline idea, but it just turned out to be constructed messily, which is why I can only rate it 2.5 stars, because I enjoyed reading it, but technically it wasn't that great.
My main issue was the writing. It was the definition of telling and not showing, which was very irritating. There was no forshadowing, no analyzing for the reader, just telling us, " She's sad, she was angry.... she was annoyed because..." See what I mean? There was no flavor, no texture to the writing. It was all just very flat. Not only that, but the pacing was incredibly fast. I love fast paced books, I live for them, but when there is a lack of development, that's when I have a problem. with it. So much was happening, and it had very little reason to happen. For example, so many issues were tackled, but they were just glazed over, and had no significance. Cutting, depression, death, homophobia, suicide, LGBT+ positivity, anxiety, and pregnancy, were all part of Something Beautiful, but only homophobia, LGBT+ positivity, and maybe death should have been dealt with. That would have made this book seem less scattered and all over the place.
The characters were also a bit inconsistent to me. Cord, to be exact. Declan described Cord as this funny, beautiful, strong girl, and I really only got pretty and strong out of that. Cord didn't say anything funny. We were just told multiple times that she was hilarious and fun, when she isn't. I can recognize humor, even if it's not my sort of humor, couldn't find it then.
But, Cord wasn't all negative. Her reactions to traumatic situations were all very reasonable and real. Her reaction to Declan when she was in high school made so much sense. I mean, if I was her, I probably would have been extremely angry too. Yet later she grows and is supportive of Declan, and that was a beautiful aspect, which I wish could have lingered a little longer, because that as a real strong point.
Declan was not a bad character actually. To me, he was more consistent than Cord. The only critique I really have for him is the amount of times he teared up or cried. I'm not trying to feed into gender roles or anything, but lets be real, most guys do not cry in front of girls as much as he did. It was very endearing and sweet, and showed that guys can cry, but at the same time it would have been even more impactful for the main character to catch him crying and not expect to be found. It would have added so much more intensity and surprise. Some situations like Cord's suicide attempt made complete sense, anyone would be crying, but when he sees Cord after 8 months to a year, he cries, and I just can't imagine that happening. That's just me though.
The fluidity of sexuality was amazing to read, and that's one of the reasons I found Declan to be the stronger character. His confusion about if he was gay or not was well done, and when he figures out he is bisexual, it made so much sense. He identified himself as queer, but I interpreted him as bi, but that was because he was struggling with his sexuality. His journey was what I wanted more of, but sadly this turned out to be more of a love story and focused on Cord, which was frustrating.
Finally, the ending made me so angry. I had to contain myself from throwing my kindle on the ground because my mother was sitting next to me driving. It was just so unnecessary! Like really???????? It was glazed over, and Declan's grief was hardly even explored! I feel the author just threw it in for shock value, and I'm not a fan of using death as shock value, because that is an extremely painful experience, and when it isn't given time to develop or depicted well, it's just annoying. The end honestly should have been edited out, because it was messy as heck.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend Something Beautiful because the quality of it was not the best. The way suicide and depression was brushed over really rubbed me the wrong way, which is partially why I couldn't rate this higher. I appreciate what this book tried to do, it just wasn't very successful in what it tried to do in my opinion. Maybe for others this is impactful, but for me, it just didn't click.
July 6, 2017
I received an eBook copy of this for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And as with all my reviews, honest I will be.
TRIGGER WARNING: THEMES SURROUNDING SUICIDE AND SELF HARM.
Firstly, I love the cover of this book. I'm not sure if the physical copy of this book looks like this but if it does I'm insanely interested in buying a copy for my shelf (because it would look beautiful).
This story follows the story of Cordelia and Declan who have been friends since they were three, more than friends, soul mates. Cordelia struggles with depression and Declan struggles with the fluidity of his sexuality. Both of which influence and shape the course of their lives, separately and together. This is a long story but it is so much more.
Over all I really enjoyed this book. I'm going to talk about the things I had problems with first. The pacing of this book seemed a bit off to me, some bits dragged and other bits felt so rushed. The fist half of this book could have been a lot shorter and the second half certainly could have been a lot longer.
I also got the feeling that the story in general was just so squeezed in that it didn't have time to develop. A lot happens in this book, I mean A LOT but that doesn't necessarily help push the plot forward when you constantly feel like you're trying to keep up with it. Especially the serious issues raised in this book could have been explored further and although the author didn't shy away I felt like when an issue appeared it was just done and we never really saw it again which didn't feel realistic.
Also how much bad stuff can happen in one book? This is like The Game of Thrones of Young Adult/New Adult Contemporary.
Saying all this I was dragged into this book more than I expected to be. I really liked the characters who weren't your stereotypical YA people. These characters had depth that even with the rushed plot made me feel attached to them.
I loved that this book didn't shy away from hard topics. It was unapologetic it's the sheer force of some of its harder scenes and I really appreciated that. Sometimes you don't want everything sugar coated.
Overall I'm giving this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ but a good solid 3 stars!
TRIGGER WARNING: THEMES SURROUNDING SUICIDE AND SELF HARM.
Firstly, I love the cover of this book. I'm not sure if the physical copy of this book looks like this but if it does I'm insanely interested in buying a copy for my shelf (because it would look beautiful).
This story follows the story of Cordelia and Declan who have been friends since they were three, more than friends, soul mates. Cordelia struggles with depression and Declan struggles with the fluidity of his sexuality. Both of which influence and shape the course of their lives, separately and together. This is a long story but it is so much more.
Over all I really enjoyed this book. I'm going to talk about the things I had problems with first. The pacing of this book seemed a bit off to me, some bits dragged and other bits felt so rushed. The fist half of this book could have been a lot shorter and the second half certainly could have been a lot longer.
I also got the feeling that the story in general was just so squeezed in that it didn't have time to develop. A lot happens in this book, I mean A LOT but that doesn't necessarily help push the plot forward when you constantly feel like you're trying to keep up with it. Especially the serious issues raised in this book could have been explored further and although the author didn't shy away I felt like when an issue appeared it was just done and we never really saw it again which didn't feel realistic.
Also how much bad stuff can happen in one book? This is like The Game of Thrones of Young Adult/New Adult Contemporary.
Saying all this I was dragged into this book more than I expected to be. I really liked the characters who weren't your stereotypical YA people. These characters had depth that even with the rushed plot made me feel attached to them.
I loved that this book didn't shy away from hard topics. It was unapologetic it's the sheer force of some of its harder scenes and I really appreciated that. Sometimes you don't want everything sugar coated.
Overall I'm giving this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ but a good solid 3 stars!
January 4, 2018
There are some stories that just help you pass the time away, and there are some that you get mildly sucked into and then there are some stories that take your breath away. Something Beautiful took my breath away.
It focuses on the lifelong friendship of Cordelia and Declan. They are destined to be together. However, life makes things difficult for them. Declan deals with his sexual fluidity, Cordelia deals with her mental health. Even though life throws spanners into their lives the one constant that they have is each other. Something Beautiful is the story of two people who need each other. And it is stunning.
The non-linear multi-perspective narrative keeps the reader on their toes and heightens the tension throughout. Something Beautiful is, at times, un-put-down-able.
This is definitely one book I will be recommending to my friends.
Something Beautiful by Amanda Gernentz Hanson is available now.
For more information regarding Amanda Gernentz Hanson (@amandamaregh) please visit www.amandagernentzhanson.com.
For more information regarding Pen Name Publishing (@PenNamePublishing) please visit www.pennamepublishing.com/home.
It focuses on the lifelong friendship of Cordelia and Declan. They are destined to be together. However, life makes things difficult for them. Declan deals with his sexual fluidity, Cordelia deals with her mental health. Even though life throws spanners into their lives the one constant that they have is each other. Something Beautiful is the story of two people who need each other. And it is stunning.
The non-linear multi-perspective narrative keeps the reader on their toes and heightens the tension throughout. Something Beautiful is, at times, un-put-down-able.
This is definitely one book I will be recommending to my friends.
Something Beautiful by Amanda Gernentz Hanson is available now.
For more information regarding Amanda Gernentz Hanson (@amandamaregh) please visit www.amandagernentzhanson.com.
For more information regarding Pen Name Publishing (@PenNamePublishing) please visit www.pennamepublishing.com/home.
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July 9, 2017
[I received a review copy of this novel from Netgalley in return for my honest review.]
It sounds great, right? I always thought it sounded so good when I asked for an ARC, but the instant I started reading I began getting The Funeral Flower flashbacks. It’s the story of a girl that revolves around the men in her life, but has some cringe-worthy additions to the normal formula.
For instance, Declan is gay. Or, at least, he says he’s gay even though he’s very clearly attracted to at least one woman. There’s a strange insistence on him being “gay” rather than any other sexuality and while there are some attempts to soften or blur the lines between binary sexualities…. It’s not done often enough.
There’s also suicide in this book as well as mentions of self-harm which was incredibly uncomfortable.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that those issues shouldn’t be addressed in fiction. But, they need to be addressed carefully and treated with the proper respect. For as much importance as Something Beautiful seemed to put on mental health and suicidal tendencies, these tendencies only flared up when the plot required it. They weren’t core parts of any character’s personality. Instead they were more like accessories that could be taken on and off.
I couldn’t tell while I was reading if the author had experience, but didn’t handle it well in fiction or just didn’t know how these things worked.
There’s even a point where a straight woman lectures a gay man on the nature of sexuality and desire which could have and should have been this amazing moment. There is still an issue with biphobia and bi-erasure within the LGBT community and to have one of the main characters tackling that head on would have been all I needed to bump Something Beautiful up another star.
But instead, it just fell flat.
Before I end this on a total down note, let’s talk about some things that I liked:
- Cordelia’s father says something homophobic and is immediately chastised by his family for it. - - He later apologizes.
- A+ for calling out boys and their slobber kisses
- I was distracted this entire novel thinking that it didn’t make sense that Declan and his brother Finn had Irish names, but their last name was Scottish. They even said they spoke Gaelic which is obviously only Irish and I was going to point out the lack of research. And then when I went to do research of my own, I found out that there’s a lot of commonality and that Scottish Gaelic is a dialect so point to you, Amanda.
- The core of the story which is two people growing up and being accepting of each others flaws should have been my favourite story ever.
- There’s a positive message about inclusivity throughout the book.
Most of the issues within the book stem from what I’m going to start calling Drama Inflation. It’s when the stakes need to be continuously ramped up in order to maintain the tension because there’s nothing else anchoring the story.
If you want a good example, look at a soap opera. You start with someone cheating on his wife and end with a witch and her magical doll trying to end the world.
So in Something Beautiful we have one tragedy after another poured on top of each other without even giving us a moment to breathe and with no happy times to compare these tragic ones to. So it’s a roller coaster ride that doesn’t stop and is always upside down. It’s probably fun for the first five minutes, but you’re going to get sick sooner or later.
Plus all that blood rushing to your head can’t be good.
For more reviews like this, please visit Truly Booked.
It sounds great, right? I always thought it sounded so good when I asked for an ARC, but the instant I started reading I began getting The Funeral Flower flashbacks. It’s the story of a girl that revolves around the men in her life, but has some cringe-worthy additions to the normal formula.
For instance, Declan is gay. Or, at least, he says he’s gay even though he’s very clearly attracted to at least one woman. There’s a strange insistence on him being “gay” rather than any other sexuality and while there are some attempts to soften or blur the lines between binary sexualities…. It’s not done often enough.
There’s also suicide in this book as well as mentions of self-harm which was incredibly uncomfortable.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that those issues shouldn’t be addressed in fiction. But, they need to be addressed carefully and treated with the proper respect. For as much importance as Something Beautiful seemed to put on mental health and suicidal tendencies, these tendencies only flared up when the plot required it. They weren’t core parts of any character’s personality. Instead they were more like accessories that could be taken on and off.
I couldn’t tell while I was reading if the author had experience, but didn’t handle it well in fiction or just didn’t know how these things worked.
There’s even a point where a straight woman lectures a gay man on the nature of sexuality and desire which could have and should have been this amazing moment. There is still an issue with biphobia and bi-erasure within the LGBT community and to have one of the main characters tackling that head on would have been all I needed to bump Something Beautiful up another star.
But instead, it just fell flat.
Before I end this on a total down note, let’s talk about some things that I liked:
- Cordelia’s father says something homophobic and is immediately chastised by his family for it. - - He later apologizes.
- A+ for calling out boys and their slobber kisses
- I was distracted this entire novel thinking that it didn’t make sense that Declan and his brother Finn had Irish names, but their last name was Scottish. They even said they spoke Gaelic which is obviously only Irish and I was going to point out the lack of research. And then when I went to do research of my own, I found out that there’s a lot of commonality and that Scottish Gaelic is a dialect so point to you, Amanda.
- The core of the story which is two people growing up and being accepting of each others flaws should have been my favourite story ever.
- There’s a positive message about inclusivity throughout the book.
Most of the issues within the book stem from what I’m going to start calling Drama Inflation. It’s when the stakes need to be continuously ramped up in order to maintain the tension because there’s nothing else anchoring the story.
If you want a good example, look at a soap opera. You start with someone cheating on his wife and end with a witch and her magical doll trying to end the world.
So in Something Beautiful we have one tragedy after another poured on top of each other without even giving us a moment to breathe and with no happy times to compare these tragic ones to. So it’s a roller coaster ride that doesn’t stop and is always upside down. It’s probably fun for the first five minutes, but you’re going to get sick sooner or later.
Plus all that blood rushing to your head can’t be good.
For more reviews like this, please visit Truly Booked.
August 13, 2017
I was so wonderfully given the opportunity to read this book through an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Cheers, NetGalley!
Something Beautiful is a novel about two friends, Cordelia and Declan, who had known each other since they were three, and following them through years of their lives together, as Cordelia struggles with mental illness and Declan comes to terms with his sexuality.
It's very much a novel driven by issues. Not just LGBT+ issues. Losing friends through distance, navigating turning from friends to lovers, careers, loss, grief – Something Beautiful covers all of these.
I felt the delivery came with mixed results, however. The writing was good, it told the story in a very easy to read and compelling manner, and it was always emphasising the emotions of the characters and their inner thoughts. The dialogue was nice, too, and went a long way to building character.
I wish the novel was 150 pages longer, though. I feel it could have benefitted from some breathing space between covering all the major events of ~38 years of Declan and Cordelia’s life. The introduction of Cordelia’s mental illness felt very abrupt, and almost as abruptly left the story at a certain point as well. This novel has some pretty dramatic stuff go down in ~200 pages, and at points I wished there was more space in between to both break up these emotional points, and flesh out the world and lives of these characters more.
There were also points where I felt the novel veered from a nuanced portrayal of these issues to a ham-fisted, near-preachy attitude – this mostly came from Cordelia, I noticed.
The LGBT+ issues this novel touched upon ultimately left me unsatisfied. I identify as bisexual, I’ve been engaging with LGBT+/queer stories for years. My textual reading habits and personal experiences tell me this novel was portraying the life and relationship of a bisexual man. I was expecting a novel that would explore what it means to be a bisexual individual in an opposite-sex relationship – and it certainly did. There’s a lot to unpack there, and it’s something you don’t see in mainstream LGBT+ stories, with its own set of issues to tackle. The opportunity to see these issues explored was what made me interested in reading this.
However, when it came to articulating this, the focus was placed on what Declan called the ‘complexity of my fluid sexuality’.
Which… it is valid, sure. There are individuals who reject labels, or choose broader umbrella terms like queer, as Declan does at one point. But the ‘No Bisexuals’ trope exist, where characters who exhibit bisexual behaviour or characteristics almost always say they ‘don’t use labels’ or ‘just like both’. It’s a trope that, in the long term, is problematic.
To me, a bisexual woman, I was able to relate to Declan’s sexual preferences to my own experiences. Preferring the same sex overall, but finding certain individual opposite-sex people particularly attractive – that’s a perfectly valid form of bisexual attraction. I didn’t see anything particularly complex about it. But, that’s my reading.
The characterisation was solid and was what made this novel a very sweet story. Declan and Cordelia were both distinct character voices. I ended up liking declan’s voice more. It felt more nuanced. Softer, more reasoned, yet Declan didn’t feel things any less than Cordelia. Her voice and responses always felt… very sharp and intense. Which works because of her mental health issues, but since the focus on this disappeared in the 2nd half of the novel, I mostly attribute it to the really heightened sense of drama.
I liked the characters’ vulnerabilities, and both their hesitancies and their honesty in revealing these vulnerabilities to each other – both as a result of their long-term friendship. Their relationship was very sweet, but it was also flawed and fraught with troubles – realistic.
Again, I’ll come back to wishing the novel was longer. I would have appreciated the opportunity to get to know each main character without the other. They clearly had very major things in their lives, separate from the other – Adam, their careers, Peter – but it was never given a lot of focus. It made the novel feel more bare, almost claustrophobic with the sole focus being on the relationship between these two, in an attempt to chronicle their lives.
Something Beautiful is a novel about two friends, Cordelia and Declan, who had known each other since they were three, and following them through years of their lives together, as Cordelia struggles with mental illness and Declan comes to terms with his sexuality.
It's very much a novel driven by issues. Not just LGBT+ issues. Losing friends through distance, navigating turning from friends to lovers, careers, loss, grief – Something Beautiful covers all of these.
I felt the delivery came with mixed results, however. The writing was good, it told the story in a very easy to read and compelling manner, and it was always emphasising the emotions of the characters and their inner thoughts. The dialogue was nice, too, and went a long way to building character.
I wish the novel was 150 pages longer, though. I feel it could have benefitted from some breathing space between covering all the major events of ~38 years of Declan and Cordelia’s life. The introduction of Cordelia’s mental illness felt very abrupt, and almost as abruptly left the story at a certain point as well. This novel has some pretty dramatic stuff go down in ~200 pages, and at points I wished there was more space in between to both break up these emotional points, and flesh out the world and lives of these characters more.
There were also points where I felt the novel veered from a nuanced portrayal of these issues to a ham-fisted, near-preachy attitude – this mostly came from Cordelia, I noticed.
The LGBT+ issues this novel touched upon ultimately left me unsatisfied. I identify as bisexual, I’ve been engaging with LGBT+/queer stories for years. My textual reading habits and personal experiences tell me this novel was portraying the life and relationship of a bisexual man. I was expecting a novel that would explore what it means to be a bisexual individual in an opposite-sex relationship – and it certainly did. There’s a lot to unpack there, and it’s something you don’t see in mainstream LGBT+ stories, with its own set of issues to tackle. The opportunity to see these issues explored was what made me interested in reading this.
However, when it came to articulating this, the focus was placed on what Declan called the ‘complexity of my fluid sexuality’.
Which… it is valid, sure. There are individuals who reject labels, or choose broader umbrella terms like queer, as Declan does at one point. But the ‘No Bisexuals’ trope exist, where characters who exhibit bisexual behaviour or characteristics almost always say they ‘don’t use labels’ or ‘just like both’. It’s a trope that, in the long term, is problematic.
To me, a bisexual woman, I was able to relate to Declan’s sexual preferences to my own experiences. Preferring the same sex overall, but finding certain individual opposite-sex people particularly attractive – that’s a perfectly valid form of bisexual attraction. I didn’t see anything particularly complex about it. But, that’s my reading.
The characterisation was solid and was what made this novel a very sweet story. Declan and Cordelia were both distinct character voices. I ended up liking declan’s voice more. It felt more nuanced. Softer, more reasoned, yet Declan didn’t feel things any less than Cordelia. Her voice and responses always felt… very sharp and intense. Which works because of her mental health issues, but since the focus on this disappeared in the 2nd half of the novel, I mostly attribute it to the really heightened sense of drama.
I liked the characters’ vulnerabilities, and both their hesitancies and their honesty in revealing these vulnerabilities to each other – both as a result of their long-term friendship. Their relationship was very sweet, but it was also flawed and fraught with troubles – realistic.
Again, I’ll come back to wishing the novel was longer. I would have appreciated the opportunity to get to know each main character without the other. They clearly had very major things in their lives, separate from the other – Adam, their careers, Peter – but it was never given a lot of focus. It made the novel feel more bare, almost claustrophobic with the sole focus being on the relationship between these two, in an attempt to chronicle their lives.
June 27, 2017
NOTE: I received this book as a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Basis first;
• trigger warnings: homophobia, use of queer, self-harm, depression, anxiety, teen pregnancy, suicide attempt, car accident, shooting, death
• The book is being published today and costs 18 dollars for the paperback.
• The book includes lgbt+ characters but the writer is, as she puts it herself, cishet.
• Spoilers ahead!
Okay, look, I have a problem with this book. A pretty major one. Actually, a lot of pretty major ones. This book aims to bring representation to both mental illness and lgbt+ problems but does both in a pretty negative/harmful way.
The writing is weak (I've read bad fanfictions with better writing) and inconsistent. It's quite alright in the first chapters when they're both kids and the whole move to England hasn't quite happened yet, but once that happens, it gets rocky. Gets pretty bad, imo.
Characterisation is questionable. They don't feel like they're any different. Declan, Cordelia, even Peter at the end all feel like exactly the same person. They speak the same, act the same. Both Declan and Cordelia cycle through emotions within conversations like there's no tomorrow, always mellowing down and ending up in a very melodramatic ending of 'oh but I love you'.
The parents? Where do they go? Her sister? Where does she go? I feel like there are lots of characters that are brought in for the moment and to spice things up, then forgotten until they're interesting again.
The portrayal of mental illness as well as queer problems is problematic at best.
When talking about the problems with the lgbt+ representation, I feel like she has no business reclaiming a slur that a lot of people in the community are still very uncomfortable with. I, personally, use it to describe myself but that does not mean that a straight person can decide to use it on her characters. If the rest of the book had been good representation, I wouldn't have minded as much.
Kudos to her for the fluidity of Declan's sexuality and allowing him to explore things. It's not talked about a lot, but it was one point that was good.
Personally, I feel like the author thinks of Cordelia as the Best Ally. Which is pretty harmful imo. Allies don't deserve crowns for good behaviour. You're just being a decent human being. Get over yourself.
Weak writing, weak characters, plot where? So much happens that leaves you thinking what the actual fuck. Just. No.
I'm actually wondering how this even got published.
Basis first;
• trigger warnings: homophobia, use of queer, self-harm, depression, anxiety, teen pregnancy, suicide attempt, car accident, shooting, death
• The book is being published today and costs 18 dollars for the paperback.
• The book includes lgbt+ characters but the writer is, as she puts it herself, cishet.
• Spoilers ahead!
Okay, look, I have a problem with this book. A pretty major one. Actually, a lot of pretty major ones. This book aims to bring representation to both mental illness and lgbt+ problems but does both in a pretty negative/harmful way.
The writing is weak (I've read bad fanfictions with better writing) and inconsistent. It's quite alright in the first chapters when they're both kids and the whole move to England hasn't quite happened yet, but once that happens, it gets rocky. Gets pretty bad, imo.
Characterisation is questionable. They don't feel like they're any different. Declan, Cordelia, even Peter at the end all feel like exactly the same person. They speak the same, act the same. Both Declan and Cordelia cycle through emotions within conversations like there's no tomorrow, always mellowing down and ending up in a very melodramatic ending of 'oh but I love you'.
The parents? Where do they go? Her sister? Where does she go? I feel like there are lots of characters that are brought in for the moment and to spice things up, then forgotten until they're interesting again.
The portrayal of mental illness as well as queer problems is problematic at best.
When talking about the problems with the lgbt+ representation, I feel like she has no business reclaiming a slur that a lot of people in the community are still very uncomfortable with. I, personally, use it to describe myself but that does not mean that a straight person can decide to use it on her characters. If the rest of the book had been good representation, I wouldn't have minded as much.
Kudos to her for the fluidity of Declan's sexuality and allowing him to explore things. It's not talked about a lot, but it was one point that was good.
Personally, I feel like the author thinks of Cordelia as the Best Ally. Which is pretty harmful imo. Allies don't deserve crowns for good behaviour. You're just being a decent human being. Get over yourself.
Weak writing, weak characters, plot where? So much happens that leaves you thinking what the actual fuck. Just. No.
I'm actually wondering how this even got published.
October 1, 2017
*note: I got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This will not change anything about my opinion on the book*
TW: suicide, depression
I will try and write this as spoiler free as possible, though this will be very hard.
I have so many thoughts about Something Beautiful, I don’t even know where to start really. First of all I should say that I enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting and cry at the end. The concepts and ideas behind the book seem to be great, however I had some issues with how it turned out. This is because the book discussed darker topics such as depression and suicide, sometimes with raw, very emotional words, sometimes going very deep but on other parts just scratching the surface where there would have been more potential. But let’s go from the beginning.
The book is divided into three parts, two of them told by Cordelia, one by Declan. The first two are Cordelia’s and while she is the suicidal protagonist, her parts are lighter, less heavy than Declan’s. Cordelia grows up with a sister, Regan, and two professors for parents. She seems to be a smart, adventuring child. As she grows up and goes away for a year, she becomes more and more depressed. Down phases get longer, she seems to be happy on rare occasions only. Only with Declan by her side does it feel better. But something very unexpected happens with throws her completely off track. After surviving attempted suicide, she gets help and starts fighting the depression actively. From that point her character develops a lot, she becomes stronger by the page.
To be honest, I didn’t like the part that covers the protagonists’ childhood that much. How the children were written was too much adult-ish for me, if that makes sense. It was more like reading about how a grown-up imagines children to act, but they don’t really. But the part after Cordelia’s breakdown is so much better. It was really great to see Cordelia grow into such a wonderful person.
Declan on the other hand has problems on his own. The reader never knows what exactly is his sexuality because he himself doesn’t really know. He only knows that he loves Cordelia more than anybody else, no matter what sexuality he thinks he has. This gets to the point where it is confusing. I really liked reading about a character with an undefined sexuality, but his focus on Cordelia was too much at some points, even coming close to an (unhealthy?) obsession with her. The part of the book told from his point of view was too short for my liking. I would have liked to get childhood descriptions from him as well, and more depth and explanations.
Unfortunately, other characters don’t really play a big role. Regan has like two sentences of speech, we never really meet Declan’s siblings at all, other friends are basically non-existent. Other or better developed side characters would have been so, so good for the story. That’s probably what I’ve missed the most.
In general, I would have wanted more information on the families, the surroundings, other people. The complete focus on Declan and Cordelia was somewhat exhausting sometimes and I just wanted other characters, and other character’s drama. The love story was not a lovestory you’d encounter in every book and that made it refreshing. But I couldn’t really get behind the whole frame of the story and the end was… unnecessary and not really fitting?
Basically, the story gives material for more than one book. There are so many threads and characters to explore and I’m actually really sad that the book was so short and so many vital things were missing. Nevertheless I enjoyed Something Beautiful.
TW: suicide, depression
I will try and write this as spoiler free as possible, though this will be very hard.
I have so many thoughts about Something Beautiful, I don’t even know where to start really. First of all I should say that I enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting and cry at the end. The concepts and ideas behind the book seem to be great, however I had some issues with how it turned out. This is because the book discussed darker topics such as depression and suicide, sometimes with raw, very emotional words, sometimes going very deep but on other parts just scratching the surface where there would have been more potential. But let’s go from the beginning.
The book is divided into three parts, two of them told by Cordelia, one by Declan. The first two are Cordelia’s and while she is the suicidal protagonist, her parts are lighter, less heavy than Declan’s. Cordelia grows up with a sister, Regan, and two professors for parents. She seems to be a smart, adventuring child. As she grows up and goes away for a year, she becomes more and more depressed. Down phases get longer, she seems to be happy on rare occasions only. Only with Declan by her side does it feel better. But something very unexpected happens with throws her completely off track. After surviving attempted suicide, she gets help and starts fighting the depression actively. From that point her character develops a lot, she becomes stronger by the page.
To be honest, I didn’t like the part that covers the protagonists’ childhood that much. How the children were written was too much adult-ish for me, if that makes sense. It was more like reading about how a grown-up imagines children to act, but they don’t really. But the part after Cordelia’s breakdown is so much better. It was really great to see Cordelia grow into such a wonderful person.
Declan on the other hand has problems on his own. The reader never knows what exactly is his sexuality because he himself doesn’t really know. He only knows that he loves Cordelia more than anybody else, no matter what sexuality he thinks he has. This gets to the point where it is confusing. I really liked reading about a character with an undefined sexuality, but his focus on Cordelia was too much at some points, even coming close to an (unhealthy?) obsession with her. The part of the book told from his point of view was too short for my liking. I would have liked to get childhood descriptions from him as well, and more depth and explanations.
Unfortunately, other characters don’t really play a big role. Regan has like two sentences of speech, we never really meet Declan’s siblings at all, other friends are basically non-existent. Other or better developed side characters would have been so, so good for the story. That’s probably what I’ve missed the most.
In general, I would have wanted more information on the families, the surroundings, other people. The complete focus on Declan and Cordelia was somewhat exhausting sometimes and I just wanted other characters, and other character’s drama. The love story was not a lovestory you’d encounter in every book and that made it refreshing. But I couldn’t really get behind the whole frame of the story and the end was… unnecessary and not really fitting?
Basically, the story gives material for more than one book. There are so many threads and characters to explore and I’m actually really sad that the book was so short and so many vital things were missing. Nevertheless I enjoyed Something Beautiful.
January 26, 2018
3.5/5
There is something beautiful, for sure, to be said of a friendship like Cordelia and Declan’s. The depth of their friendship and the lengths Declan goes to despite himself are admirable and the backbone of this novel.
However, as a novel posited as an LGBT story, it hardly does enough to engage those themes (it also places its sights on anxiety and depression). There’s little psychological or emotional depth to how Cordelia’s depression affects her or how Declan’s quest to understand his sexuality affects him. These aspects of the characters are used as plot devices rather than tools to characterize them. Worst of all, a bit more than halfway through the novel, neither of those issues seem to matter anymore.
Another issue I took was with the other relationships that Cordelia and Declan forge. Cordelia falls in love with a boy named Adam completely off the pages of the book. We don’t see what she sees in him or why they’re so close, and throughout Cordelia’s relationship with Adam, she remains intimately close with Declan (I love you’s, calling him before she talks to Adam) which seems appropriate given there’s no basis for her connection to Adam but also makes her appear fickle as a lover.
Adam dies and Declan immediately pushes himself back into Cordelia’s life, even kissing her before she’s even been able to properly grieve the loss of her boyfriend who’s child, by the way, she was pregnant with. It just doesn’t read as healthy human interaction. Things take another turn for awkward when Peter, a one-night-stand of Adam’s, enters the picture. The narrative makes it clear that Declan and Peter only met once, yet he somehow ends up being Adam’s best friend, an agent to Cordelia, the sitter of their children, and Adam’s romantic partner after Cordelia dies. It’s hard to take the romance between Cordelia and Declan seriously when they’re so fluid about the people they allow into their lives simultaneously and romantically, and within a hair’s breadth of tragedy.
Despite these flaws, the story made me feel and gave me pause to think, which is about the highest form of praise I can give to a novel, so it is redeemed that half a star. I don’t think this will be worth a read for everyone. For some, the issues I’ve focused on (and several others, such as preteen characters speaking as though they’re adults and speaking no differently once they reach adulthood) will be dealbreakers. For others, it will be a small sacrifice to trudge through those shortcomings to see where this leads.
There is something beautiful, for sure, to be said of a friendship like Cordelia and Declan’s. The depth of their friendship and the lengths Declan goes to despite himself are admirable and the backbone of this novel.
However, as a novel posited as an LGBT story, it hardly does enough to engage those themes (it also places its sights on anxiety and depression). There’s little psychological or emotional depth to how Cordelia’s depression affects her or how Declan’s quest to understand his sexuality affects him. These aspects of the characters are used as plot devices rather than tools to characterize them. Worst of all, a bit more than halfway through the novel, neither of those issues seem to matter anymore.
Another issue I took was with the other relationships that Cordelia and Declan forge. Cordelia falls in love with a boy named Adam completely off the pages of the book. We don’t see what she sees in him or why they’re so close, and throughout Cordelia’s relationship with Adam, she remains intimately close with Declan (I love you’s, calling him before she talks to Adam) which seems appropriate given there’s no basis for her connection to Adam but also makes her appear fickle as a lover.
Adam dies and Declan immediately pushes himself back into Cordelia’s life, even kissing her before she’s even been able to properly grieve the loss of her boyfriend who’s child, by the way, she was pregnant with. It just doesn’t read as healthy human interaction. Things take another turn for awkward when Peter, a one-night-stand of Adam’s, enters the picture. The narrative makes it clear that Declan and Peter only met once, yet he somehow ends up being Adam’s best friend, an agent to Cordelia, the sitter of their children, and Adam’s romantic partner after Cordelia dies. It’s hard to take the romance between Cordelia and Declan seriously when they’re so fluid about the people they allow into their lives simultaneously and romantically, and within a hair’s breadth of tragedy.
Despite these flaws, the story made me feel and gave me pause to think, which is about the highest form of praise I can give to a novel, so it is redeemed that half a star. I don’t think this will be worth a read for everyone. For some, the issues I’ve focused on (and several others, such as preteen characters speaking as though they’re adults and speaking no differently once they reach adulthood) will be dealbreakers. For others, it will be a small sacrifice to trudge through those shortcomings to see where this leads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2017
I need a moment...
Okay...
This book was a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes I loved it. Sometimes, not so much. I kept throwing up my hands like, "What is going on?!" I mean, I know the confusion of coming out and finding yourself, believe me. But I just didn't get some of it. Gahhh how to do this without spoilers?! I know a lot of you probably haven't read this book, since it's by an under-discovered author, so I don't want to give too much away.
Let me just start with Cordelia aka Cord. First of all, I hate the nickname, but I can deal with it. I really had a love-hate relationship with Cord, and I'm not sure why. Sometimes I feel like she didn't treat Declan fairly, and then there are other times that I thought she should have been harder on him. But her as a person, I could really relate to. She has her demons that she has to battle. Thankfully Declan is there for her through it all.
And that is one of the very few reasons I like Declan. He's always there for her, no matter what. He steps up in times that isn't his responsibility. But sometimes, I feel like he's doing it for selfish reasons, especially after he gets older. I liked him at first, but as an adult... Ooooo I want to slap him one good time! Without spoiling anything, Cordelia is going through an extremely hard time, and he chooses that exact moment to swoop in and be selfish. But the thing is... she lets him! Why?! There are other moments where I just lose my respect for him all together.
The issues addressed in this book are very dark as well, which is fine by me! I wish people would talk about coming out, suicide, cutting, depression. All of this is frowned upon here in America and even made fun of. It's sickening. I think that Amanda dealt with these issues in her book rather well. And even though Dec & Cord ticked me off sometimes, I liked how she kept it real. Not everything is rainbows and butterflies. I know there's always a conflict in any story, even romances, but this one really hits it on the head. Life is all messed up!
Then there's the end... WTH?!
September 9, 2017
Engaging story about the relationship between the two main characters Cordelia and Declan, which begins when they are kids and goes through adulthood. I enjoyed the POV switch from Cordelia to Declan which occurred in the last third of the book. I thought that Declan's sexuality (which is mentioned as one of the main story points in the description) would be explored a little deeper, and while it is a prominent part of the story, this is mostly the story of Declan and Cordelia's relationship to each other.
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