Five Minutes More

by Darlene Ryan

D'Arcy's dad is dead. She desperately wants it to have been an accident, but she is not sure. And when she learns the truth, things become even more difficult. Why would her father choose suicide? Why didn't she see the signs? Her father had always helped her get through everything in her life―five minutes at a time. Can she do it alone? And then she meets Seth. When will things get back to normal? Learning to live without her father while her mother struggles with her own pain, D'Arcy finds an inner strength she wasn't aware of. She also finds that almost anything is tolerable for five minutes more.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Mental Health, Death

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Darlene Ryan also writes under the names Sofie Kelly and Sofie Ryan.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember seeing this at Thao's blog a while back and going " That book looks great!" So, when the chance came up to review this I immediately agreed. Unfortunately, Five More Minutes wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be.

First off, I felt that the plot was extremely over dramatized. Everything had to have a bang to it, leaving it to come out in an unrealistic way. Such as, when D'Arcy decided that her half sister, Clara, didn't deserve their Father's watch, she tipped over one of Clara's boxes full of irreplaceable china. Come on, what 16 or 17 year old would do that? I get that she was mad, but it was blown out of proportion, I personally thought.

Though, I did come to love the characters. Each had a layer to them filled with regret and sadness over the situation that made you relate to them in someway or another. D'Arcy was my personal favorite, even if she did sometimes bring messes upon herself. I felt sorry for her for loosing her dad and how her mom didn't want to be a "real" family anymore. Also, Seth, another main character, was a great add to the story.

One of my absolute favorite parts of the story was how Darlene Ryan included the game "Five More Minutes." It fit into the story perfectly. Also, it made you come to a conclusion, that even though D'Arcy's dad left his family, he was still a wonderful father. Lastly, a lot of people can relate to this, since when hasn't there be a time, when you went "Just five more minutes."

My only other problem, was that the ending was rushed and felt like just a two page summary. Since, instead of showing what had happened, Darlene just told what had happened, in a quick way. Plus, some of the added detail was once again over dramatized.

Overall, Five More Minutes is the perfect book for a rainy day. Since, it moves in a fast pace and always has you on your toes with the drama.

Grade: C+

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Five Minutes More D'Arcy loses her dad. She desperately wants to believe his death was an accident, but more and more evidence proves it was suicide.

The title of this book refers to the five minutes more game D'Arcy used to play with her father. I loved the way this game was referred to through the first part of the story, but was a bit disappointed it didn't come back in the rest of the book.

The writing style was great. I really came to like several characters, especially Seth, and the book was difficult to put down.

The storyline however wasn't that great. In the beginning, the raw emotions from D'Arcy felt very real. But the farther the book, the more dramatic and unrealistic the feelings, actions and events became.

I really didn't like the ending. Especially Seth trying to commit suicide and D'Arcy running away from home. I also think the ending was rushed - almost like Darlene Ryan just wanted to get it over with. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. It wasn't wat I expected and I don't think it was executed that well either.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reaallyy boring. I litterary forced myself to read the whole thing b/c I had no other book and I was bored.. It was disguisting too.

[Addi Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was ok it got boring about 90 pages in

[Meagann Coulombe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Topic : adolescent grief. Main character is in high school. Long descriptions of unimportant events. The ending was not satisfying for me and seemed rushed.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five minutes more is about a young girl named Darcy, who loses her father to suicide, and is greatly affected by it. She is very headstrong, and she does not want to listen when people tell her that father killed himself. She desperately wants it to have been an accident. But when she finds out that her father had ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig's disease- a disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and can't make you function properly- she starts seeking out more information about it, only making things worse, because she felt that her father didn't love her enough to stick through it.

She meets a guy named Seth, who she's known for some time, but they haven't really spoken until recently. He's kind to her, and doesn't act like he's scared of her, the way everyone else does. He understands her, but she doesn't know how.

Everyone in her life is trying to reach out to her- her teachers, friends, mother, guidance councilor- but she feels like no one will understand.

She grows closer to Seth, but realizes a bit too late that he was carrying signs of his depression after the one year anniversary of the death of his brother. When she learns that Seth had taken the same path as her father one day, her entire world comes crashing down at her feet. She doesn't feel like she's even alive anymore.

This book was interesting in most ways. The idea behind the story could have been very affective, if only there was more detail to the events in the story. If you like the kind of books with short sentences, and ones that get straight to the point, leaving out a few things out along the way, then you'll enjoy this.

I didn't quite have the urge to read this book like I do with many other books I read. I'm not saying that it's a bad book, because it is not, but I would have liked to read a bit more about the characters and their feelings toward the events that took place. There was a lot to take in with everything that happened, and it felt a bit rushed.

I give this book a 3.2. All in all, it was an interesting read, and I did enjoy it for the most part.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sad but good read. The main character D'arcy just finds out that her dad has died and according to everyone around her, her dad committed suicide. D'arcy refusses to believe that her father would do that to her.
D'arcy has a half sister named Clare who she doesn't hate but has never really gotten to know her well. Though Clare and D'arcy don't know how to show it they really do care about each other which by the end of the book they start to connect.

D'arcy has this close friend Seth always appeared to have an easy life, or so D'arcy thought. Seth loved to juggle and just have fun. D'arcy thought that she couldn't possibly share with Seth about how her father committed suicide, because how would anyone understand. She thought that she would be viewed as a freak. Seth ends up having a very bad day which is rare for him, and he confides with D'arcy that it was the 1 year anniversary since his older brother had committed suicide. D'arcy soon starts to realize that she isn't alone as she thought. She then confides to Seth about her father.

D'arcy soon finds out from her mom that her dad had just recently found out that he had the debilitating disease ALS, and her and her family start to put the pieces together. Her mom tells her that he probably would have felt like he would have been a burden to his family as his disease progressed. D'arcy though now with some answers has this anger with her dad for taking that time away from her and her sister, that they could of had with him.


After the event with Seth almost dying as well, D'arcy was able to forgive her dad. She hoped that he made it to heaven.


Seth had some struggles to deal with after his attempt to commit suicide, but he seemed to be dealing with those issues, with D'arcy by his side.


The five minutes more is the saying that her dad would always tell her when something was really bothering her or touch. He'd always say "you can get through it, just give it five minutes more"

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

D'Arcy's life used to be normal. She had a mom, a dad, a step-sister she didn't get along with, a boyfriend named Brendan and a best friend named Marissa. Then her father's car goes into the river and D'Arcy's life is never "normal" again. D'Arcy really wants for it to have been an accident, but the evidence suggests otherwise. D'Arcy's grief over her father's death causes her to spiral out of control to the point where she shuts out everyone around her. Except Seth. Seth is the peer tutor in her math class and is the only one who can truly understand what D'Arcy is going through. D'Arcy's friendship with Seth is the only thing keeping her together, and she discovers that almost anything is bearable for "five minutes more". But D'Arcy is so focused on herself she nearly misses the signs that things aren't right with Seth until it's too late.

This novel by Darlene Ryan focuses heavily on suicide and the effects it can have on those close to the one who has died. I found most of D'Arcy's actions to be believable for one suffering from the loss of a father, but in some cases I found her actions to be a bit extreme. The author did a good job of weaving in the five stages of grief with D'Arcy's character, starting with denial ("It's not supposed to be like this") and ending with acceptance ("I hate what he did, but I don't hate him"). I liked the inclusion of the "five minutes more" game that D'Arcy had played with her father as a child. Adding that into the story made for a realistic way for D'Arcy to cope with the difficult situations that came up after the suicide of her father. The story was a little predictable when it came to Seth's story and actions, and I felt the ending was a little rushed, but overall I thought it was a well-written, although sad, story. I would recommend it to girls who aren't afraid of an emotionally charged book.

[Yan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Five Minutes More captured the essence of emotional detachment. The theory that repeating your mantra “just 5 minutes more” will and shall overcome all. I kept repeating to myself, just 5 minutes more then I will go to sleep, just 5 minutes more then I will go start my homework. The 5 minutes turned into an hour until at last, I finished the book.

I loved how the book was divided into two sections—the fall season and the winter season and spring. It separated the story in lined with the stages of grief—shock, denial, anger, bargaining, guilt, depression, and acceptance/hope. Each new emotion author Darlene Ryan goes out and beyond to convey. Painstaking care and love for the actions that D’Arcy displays. Five Minutes More definitely takes the reader onto a roller coaster of emotions.

However I have some issues about this book. I kind of felt that some scenes were a bit extreme and unrealistic. She blew it out of proportion and tried to create a fiasco—where it left me cringing. The ending needed something more. It seemed to be a synopsis of an ending rather than the ending at all—short, brief, and unemotional, which for this type of book, does not flow right.

Overall: My review is slightly general of the book. I read this book a few weeks back, and with school and all, practically forgot almost all the little details. I remember the general sense of what I liked and what I did not like, but nothing else. So Five Minutes More was a decent read but nothing exceptional.

[CαthεεBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come by my blog, Forever Lost in Books, for MORE reviews, giveaways, interviews and memes!

My Opinion : Warning : I read this book in half a day, and my emotions were fully blown. Maybe reading it in a day would be better for everyone.


This book was different from what I normally read. I love Young Adult Paranormal Romance, and this was more about Young Adult Non-Fiction. But I still enjoyed it.


I haven't read much books that are about dealing with death without anything Paranormal, so this was a bit weird for me at first. The writing was fast-paced, but still kept a grip on small details that made the story whole.


*uses sarcasm* D'Arcy (Yeah, I know, weird way of writing a name) was simply charming! Nah, just kidding. She had a weird, but understandable, way of dealing with her father's death. But when Seth appeared, she began feeling better, and that's why I'm so grateful to Seth.


I recommend this book to anyone who likes Non-Fiction. Even Fiction fans could read this.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This was just...bad.
It was entirely inauthentic, the voices were unreal, the situations unrealistic, and the timing very, very poor. D'Arcy had a lot of issues with breaking things that was just silly. None of the relationships were well developed nor did they ever evolve (and we're left with her boyfriend and her three seasons later and know nothing about how they pan out).

Ryan had an idea she needed another 300 pages to flesh out well. She has written for the Orca Soundings line before, which is a high-lo line. I feel like she could have made this a book to fit that line, rather than a book outside that line. Because she took it further than the high-lo concept, it just falls flat. I think with more cutting and more construction and focus, it could have been done in 100-125 pages and been a great high-lo title.

Fuller review here: http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/2009...

[Jodysegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five Minutes More is a well-written, powerful account of the devastation suicide leaves in its wake. We first meet Darcy, a teen whose father has died, at the funeral home as she numbly watches her mother make “arrangements” with the “funeral director” – terms she finds too neatly removed from the mess of death. She wills herself to stay strong for just “five minutes more,” a trick her father used when she was little. But when Darcy finally admits that her beloved father killed himself, she can no longer bargain herself together and her numbness gives way to fury, despair and self-destruction. Author Ryan clearly wanted to explore the subject of suicide, at times to the detriment of her character and plot development, so expect to feel bruised by the all-out assault on your emotions. The novel ends on a very qualified hopeful note.

[Invalid Destiny · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was an utter disappointment to me. I understand that D'Arcy is still reeling from the suicide of her father but the quality of writing just made me want to hit her. The writing was weak, the characters felt two dimensional to me and it just seemed to drag on and on. And I just hate how D'Arcy treated her half-sister! She was just utterly selfish; smashing things just so Claire (her half-sister) couldn't have them, being rude to everyone around her and failing to realize what that other people loved her Dad too. Disgusting book. It didn't really feel like a great 'suicide prevention/what happens' novel to me. It was just too choppy, not in a 'I'm so devastated I can't carry on' sort of way, but like, like a... a-Never mind! I really just do not like this book. Clean up the writing and make the characters more likable and this would have been decent.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

When D'Arcy's father dies, her world falls apart and the only thing she can do is take things five minutes at a time. She can stand five more minutes of anything... but can she stand this?

D'Arcy's grief is searing and oozes off every page. At first it seems like the story will be about D'Arcy's resilience in the face of tragedy, but she soon spirals out of control. It's not exactly my thing, but fans of issue books will enjoy the drama.

Full review on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/200...

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with topics many teens find interesting and struggle with. D'Arcy's character reminded me of D'Arcy from "Degrassi: The Second Generation." Actually, this entire book seemed like an episode straight from "Degrassi." A good read, but not great. D'Arcy's character could be developed more, many of the important revelation moments seemed rushed and the ending/wrap-up was very all-of-a-sudden. I also felt the relationships were never fully explored, especially with D'Arcy and her mother.

[Aileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read this book I felt like brain matter was slowly leaking out my head. It was not exactly boring me to death, it was just predictable that I could tell what was going to happen from the very beginning. The book just laid everything out and was just to predictable, I hated how easy it was to tell what was going to happen to her and to the people around her. It was even more obvious that her father committed suicide, I could tell from just reading the first two or three pages.

[Bunker · Rating 3 out of 5]

D'Arcy's father has died. He drove his car into a lake, but the police are still investigating the cause of the crash: accident or suicide. Unable to cope with this devastating loss, she pushes away any comfort offered by her mother, her best friend, Marissa, her boyfriend, Brendan, and her half sister, Claire, with whom she has always struggled. Instead, she forms a friendship with Seth, a guy in her AP Math class who has his own family secrets. As the truth unravels, D'Arcy does, too.

[Cecily Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book but all together it is sad and about the loss of D'Arcy's father and her friend Seth's brother by suicide. Altogether a great book but depressing.

Most of the time, when it comes to suicide, the people left behind have nothing to grasp on to. They can't explain why and blame themselves. I think this book would or could help others who may have dealt with this situation.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry your dad killed himself, but this is not an acceptable way to act out, young lady. (or: STOP BEING SUCH A BRAT.)

That said, I am forever grateful to this author for introducing me to the title concept of telling yourself you can get through anything for just "five minutes more." I think about it a lot and utilize it often.

[Ms. Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

RL= 3.6 , PTS= 7
Claudia says....
This is one of my favorite books about teen life.Darcy is a 16 year old girl that lost her dad to suicide but she doesnt want to believe it. Then darcys half sister claire comes in trying to take her dads belonggings. darcy had a boyfriend who was a jerk and not supportive at all calling her dad a coward. but then comes seth

[Ramona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really giving it a 3 1/2. I'm still not sure if I liked it. I thought the main character, D'Arcy, was a bit whiny -- and maybe that's how a typical teenager would handle her dad's suicide. The writing wasn't very compelling; however, I think my female high school students would like this story. They tend to like overly dramatic stories.

[Ricki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book starts off okay, but the characters are never developed and it is incredibly predictable. I am not even sure what happened with the ending. All of a sudden, the events were illogical and silly, and while the end was intended to be sad, it actually made me laugh.

[Geraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly described how I felt when my mother passed away. Things can't just go back to being normal because the definition of normal has changed. What is normal? A good read with a simple plot. However the story was a little draggy when D'Arcy thought Seth was dead.

[Anna Hardesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really connects you with how teenagers usually go through the loss of a loved one, especially their father, like D'Arcy in this novel. Great read.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Brain Lair

[Kimdewitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written well, but quite a sad situation. This book deals with a daughter dealing with her father's suicide.

[Amanda]

Not sure if I really liked this book or if I really didn't.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed to read a YA book for a library contest. I chose this book not really expecting much. I read it in one night. I just couldn't put it down. Short, but good read.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this pretty boring at points. Seemed a little over the top at points.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing book. Very emotional, very real. I loved this book.