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Spotting for Nellie
Claire Perry knows a split second can change everything. It can be the difference between sticking a perfect landing or falling off the beam. It can be the difference between a really fun party or a totally messed up one. Or sometimes, as Claire finds out, it can even be the difference between life . . . or death. For Claire’s younger sister, Nellie, an elite gymnast who is "destined for gold," things have always come easy. A split second is usually all it takes to capture the attention of a boy at a party, and the judges at a meet, or their critical father—everyone. Then one night, one decision, one split second—changes their world forever. The two sisters get into a car accident that leaves one of them with a traumatic brain injury. Now, the sisters will have to figure out what’s worth fighting for and what are the limits of guilt, forgiveness, and sisterhood. Memories will come crashing back and secrets will come to light—whether they’re ready for them . . . or not.
300 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 31, 2017
I liked Spotting for Nellie. It was an emotional read, and the ending was well written, but I had trouble staying focused during the story.
October 8, 2010
This is another book about teen driving and alcohol. Chapters are told from the alternating first-person, present-tense points of view of Claire, two of her friends and the Nellie's brain. I found the story interesting since I don't know a lot about traumatic brain injury--and you usually don't have a story narrated by a comatose brain. As in the book Wrecked by E.R. Frank the Dad is a very unforgiving character. Every relationship suffers from the effects this accident has on the two sisters involved. The fact that the book is narrated by different people makes the story more complex.
September 11, 2017
How best to describe this...one part gymnastics story, one part sister story, two parts traumatic-brain-injury story, four parts teenage-relationship-drama story.
There's quite a bit going on here, and I can't entirely decide how to feel about it. Or rather...I appreciate that there are multiple threads, but it felt as though some of them weren't fleshed out enough. There are four different points of view—Claire, Adam, Sid, and 'Nellie's brain'—and by midway through I was pretty solidly convinced that this was one or two viewpoints too many. It's like this: Claire is Nellie's older sister but jealous of Nellie for being prettier/more vivacious/a better gymnast; 'Nellie's brain' is a sort of snarky version of Nellie we see after Nellie sustains a brain injury (the part of Nellie that has perspective but cannot really influence Nellie's actions or understanding); Adam is the boy Nellie dated for five minutes (and who Nellie thinks is her boyfriend) but who Claire takes up with the minute Nellie is injured; Sid is Claire's best friend and her boyfriend is deployed.
Ideally, I'd have preferred to spend a lot more time in Claire's head. Maybe Nellie's, too, but not this 'Nellie's brain' nonsense—I'd have preferred to see Nellie pre-accident and then post-accident, to better understand the way her understanding of the world has changed. Having 'Nellie's brain' as a character keeps Nellie really inaccessible. Claire, though...she's sort of an enigma. She doesn't really like Nellie before the accident and doesn't really like her after it; she pretty much never has patience with Nellie and seems to treat Nellie's injury (about which we don't know a lot—what's her prognosis? How is it expected to affect her long-term future?) as a personal inconvenience. Claire repeatedly tells her friends, and the reader, that she's going to feel guilty for the rest of her life, but I don't think we ever see that. Mostly we see her being annoyed that Nellie still thinks she's dating Adam.
A lot of interesting stuff here, but too much for one book...or the wrong proportions, perhaps. Less of the bog-standard YA and more of the complicated stuff and genuine character growth would have made this a more satisfying read.
There's quite a bit going on here, and I can't entirely decide how to feel about it. Or rather...I appreciate that there are multiple threads, but it felt as though some of them weren't fleshed out enough. There are four different points of view—Claire, Adam, Sid, and 'Nellie's brain'—and by midway through I was pretty solidly convinced that this was one or two viewpoints too many. It's like this: Claire is Nellie's older sister but jealous of Nellie for being prettier/more vivacious/a better gymnast; 'Nellie's brain' is a sort of snarky version of Nellie we see after Nellie sustains a brain injury (the part of Nellie that has perspective but cannot really influence Nellie's actions or understanding); Adam is the boy Nellie dated for five minutes (and who Nellie thinks is her boyfriend) but who Claire takes up with the minute Nellie is injured; Sid is Claire's best friend and her boyfriend is deployed.
Ideally, I'd have preferred to spend a lot more time in Claire's head. Maybe Nellie's, too, but not this 'Nellie's brain' nonsense—I'd have preferred to see Nellie pre-accident and then post-accident, to better understand the way her understanding of the world has changed. Having 'Nellie's brain' as a character keeps Nellie really inaccessible. Claire, though...she's sort of an enigma. She doesn't really like Nellie before the accident and doesn't really like her after it; she pretty much never has patience with Nellie and seems to treat Nellie's injury (about which we don't know a lot—what's her prognosis? How is it expected to affect her long-term future?) as a personal inconvenience. Claire repeatedly tells her friends, and the reader, that she's going to feel guilty for the rest of her life, but I don't think we ever see that. Mostly we see her being annoyed that Nellie still thinks she's dating Adam.
A lot of interesting stuff here, but too much for one book...or the wrong proportions, perhaps. Less of the bog-standard YA and more of the complicated stuff and genuine character growth would have made this a more satisfying read.
October 21, 2017
Nothing rang true in this book - not the gymnastics, not the characters, not the plot. The mix of storylines was confusing and at least one of them (Sid's) seemed totally irrelevant. And having seen/known people with traumatic brain injuries before, I don't buy that Nellie would suddenly just be able to regain even as much of her former skill set gymnastically as she did in the book. The whole thing fell flat for me.
July 23, 2017
drama drama drama, pueden hacer gimnasia como petanca lo mismo da, todo gira alrededor del drama
February 27, 2013
I really loved this book! This book was about gymnastics and the struggles of a teenage girl, so I could really relate. My problems with being a teenager aren’t anything like this, but any girl can still relate to it. This book is a must read for many girls.
In the beginning of this book Nellie is a star, a gymnastics star. Her sister though, isn’t so much of a star. Her sister, Claire, is a gymnast but she isn’t the best. She still excels, but not like her sister. When Clair and Nellie go out to a party, Nellie has a little too much to drink, but Claire seems fine. When they are driving back Nellie insists on passing this guy so she can tell him that she loves him. Claire does, but she can’t get ahead of him, or behind him! There is somebody directly ahead of him and behind him. There is also a car coming towards her. At the last second Claire turns her car towards the ditch and they end up hitting a tree. Claire is fine, but Nellie doesn’t seem to be. Nellie goes to the doctor and it turns out she has TBI. (Traumatic Brain Injury) Nellie’s dreams are crushed. She cannot be a gymnast anymore. Nellie is in a coma, but she soon wakes up. Nellie is learning word again, and how to walk and eat. Everything is a challenge.
Nellie soon gets better and is facing the fact that she can’t do gymnastics anymore. Nellie and Claire thought from the beginning that life was over and that Claire would never forgive herself. Now that life has gone on, Nellie and Claire has become better sister. Their bond wouldn’t have been the same without the tragedy. Even though nobody wanted it to happen, it came out as a some-what good thing.
In the beginning of this book Nellie is a star, a gymnastics star. Her sister though, isn’t so much of a star. Her sister, Claire, is a gymnast but she isn’t the best. She still excels, but not like her sister. When Clair and Nellie go out to a party, Nellie has a little too much to drink, but Claire seems fine. When they are driving back Nellie insists on passing this guy so she can tell him that she loves him. Claire does, but she can’t get ahead of him, or behind him! There is somebody directly ahead of him and behind him. There is also a car coming towards her. At the last second Claire turns her car towards the ditch and they end up hitting a tree. Claire is fine, but Nellie doesn’t seem to be. Nellie goes to the doctor and it turns out she has TBI. (Traumatic Brain Injury) Nellie’s dreams are crushed. She cannot be a gymnast anymore. Nellie is in a coma, but she soon wakes up. Nellie is learning word again, and how to walk and eat. Everything is a challenge.
Nellie soon gets better and is facing the fact that she can’t do gymnastics anymore. Nellie and Claire thought from the beginning that life was over and that Claire would never forgive herself. Now that life has gone on, Nellie and Claire has become better sister. Their bond wouldn’t have been the same without the tragedy. Even though nobody wanted it to happen, it came out as a some-what good thing.
May 27, 2013
A very dramatic, romantic, emotional, great inspirational read. It got me thinking on how other people's lives are much different from everyone else's. It was like a heat wave hit me with reality. This book must be one of, if not the only, best book that really drew me with something that could, and does happen. It gets you thinking better on what our world is really like. I think it is a great book for all ages. I only wish that the book was much more clearer on the main character that was really focused on (maybe it was very clear on her but I would love to know more and read more about her). The book is from not the point of view of the real character but it's mind much more and the way the book describes it, they are much different from each other. What I am trying to say is that you don't get the experience to learn about the character herself just a part if the character which kind of frustrated me during the book. Don't get me wrong, the story (in my opinion) is very beautifully built around the characters and really attracts you to them. I wanted to really know them more and I still do after finishing the book. I only wish that this book was a series, not a single book. My overall opinion on the book is that it is a very realistic book that got me caring and appreciating the things in life that I already have and not ignoring them as much (if not always) as I use to. I loved the book, it is one of those books that will linger in your mind for quote some time.
January 25, 2013
Good premise, decent writing, but loose plotline.
There were some great parts to this book. I liked the focus on TBI, and the writing between some of the characters was superb (e.g., Adam/Fish and Claire) although some of the others I just couldn't relate to (e.g., Sid's reactions to Claire - seriously?). There were also some loose ends that she didn't completely tie up that I thought was a little unfair, like Claire/Nellie/Dad's relationship. They started to have the conversation and then, ok, let's end the book.
Also, the ending was a little too "Here, let me tell you what you should take away from this", which I really dislike in books.
And the one character had NO good qualities to him whatsoever (dumb-dead boyfriend), which pissed me off.
Best part of this book: I felt like the author dealt with the difficult issue of grieving after a tragedy better than any other author I have read (i.e., the non-injured sister is weirded out and can't visit her sister in the hospital, and everyone around her starts calling her selfish and mean for it).
So, on the whole - recommended for the details, but not necessarily for the overarching plotline.
There were some great parts to this book. I liked the focus on TBI, and the writing between some of the characters was superb (e.g., Adam/Fish and Claire) although some of the others I just couldn't relate to (e.g., Sid's reactions to Claire - seriously?). There were also some loose ends that she didn't completely tie up that I thought was a little unfair, like Claire/Nellie/Dad's relationship. They started to have the conversation and then, ok, let's end the book.
Also, the ending was a little too "Here, let me tell you what you should take away from this", which I really dislike in books.
And the one character had NO good qualities to him whatsoever (dumb-dead boyfriend), which pissed me off.
Best part of this book: I felt like the author dealt with the difficult issue of grieving after a tragedy better than any other author I have read (i.e., the non-injured sister is weirded out and can't visit her sister in the hospital, and everyone around her starts calling her selfish and mean for it).
So, on the whole - recommended for the details, but not necessarily for the overarching plotline.
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November 6, 2018There were times when I felt very frustrated by Spotting for Nellie and other times I thought the story was spot-on and something every teen should read. The events that unfold give today's high school students an up-close story of how little things - particularly anger behind the wheel and alcohol - can have a BIG impact on your life.
Read our full review and add yours at the Reading Tub.
Read our full review and add yours at the Reading Tub.
July 1, 2016
This book was rather ho-hum. Having the story told from various points of view was good, except for Nellie's brain. I know why the author did this, allowing Nellie to have a voice despite her brain injury, but I still found it ridiculous. Claire, the main character frequently annoyed me. She treated her friends badly and had a real "woe is me" attitude. Also, the ending was just too tidy and happily-ever-after to be believable.
September 28, 2010
Spotting for Nellie has a very good message about consequences for your actions and finding redemption after making a mistake. However, this book reminded me of many books I have read in ya lit. I would recommend it to students, but it might be after I have recommended others like Speak, 13 reasons why, etc.
November 5, 2010
Claire and her younger sister Nellie are gymnasts. While they are both quite good, Nellie has a shot at winning gold. However, split second decisions made one night will drastically alter things for both of them.
Realistic fiction about parties, drinking, and relationships that is written with an authentic teen voice. A good choice for Sarah Dessen fans.
Realistic fiction about parties, drinking, and relationships that is written with an authentic teen voice. A good choice for Sarah Dessen fans.
October 29, 2012
I picked this book up at the library because I liked the cover. I wasn't sure at first about the 'preachy' nature and I got tired of everyone blaming themselves. That is until the end... I enjoyed the ending once Claire began to love her sister. Also I loved the unique perspective of Nellie's Brain Didn't hate it but don't recommend it
June 10, 2013
I really did not enjoy this book in the least. The characters were very flat and extremely underdeveloped. They seemed to spend the majority of the book whining about their lot in life and blaming everyone else for it. There was no growth and no real plot. I was very disappointed. It had such great potential, but fell very flat.
April 21, 2011
Spotting for nellie was a great book! I loved it! this book told a story of two sisters and how there bond gets stronger from a tragic accident. it is a great read i cant write to much because i don't want it to spoil it!
March 30, 2012
This was quite an enjoyable YA book. I think the idea of Nellie's brain, while a little absurd, works quite well. That way we get to read from Nellie's point of view even when she is not functioning at full capacity.
June 29, 2012
It was okay, for a cautionary tale. It does spotlight the dangers of car accidents, and brain damage connected with not wearing a seatbelt. It was written in the voice of 2 sisters, one who was injured and the other who was driving the car; and their teenage voices and feelings are believable.
July 19, 2012
The multiple narrators didn't work for me, as only Claire was at all interesting. More to the point, it's super hard to care about a girl with brain damage when the idiot would've been fine if she and her sister hadn't behaved like idiots and gone drinking at a beach party.
April 25, 2016
My biggest problem with this book was the gymnastics--Claire is a competitive gymnast yet she's afraid to do a back handspring on beam? Excuse me? And Tiny goes from never vaulting before to doing a front handspring vault? Does the author know ANYTHING about gymnastics?
December 29, 2016
It was ok
It was okay. Mostly read it for the gymnastics. And it was short. The bits from the pov of nellie's brain were weird. Claire was kinda terrible but overall not a bad book.
It was okay. Mostly read it for the gymnastics. And it was short. The bits from the pov of nellie's brain were weird. Claire was kinda terrible but overall not a bad book.
Read
September 17, 2010After a terrible car accident leaves her sister brain injured, 16 yr old Claire struggles with guilt for the accident, helping her sister recover, and boyfriend problems. FIC Lowell #334286
May 28, 2013
hmm.
February 24, 2013
Life isnt fair.
June 13, 2015
This books wasn't really what I thought it would be and I didn't see much character growth. Not my cup of tea.
November 2, 2013
Good book. Sad but in all a great read.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews