Colorblind - Siera Maley

When young Harper Locklear crosses paths with the new girl in town, Chloe Stephens, Harper’s life is flipped upside down. They’re similar in age, but their outlook on life is poles apart. When Harper’s strange ability to know the ages of people when they die reveals the devastating age of Chloe’s death, it drives a wedge between them and toys with their hearts in more ways than one. Can Harper stop Chloe from her inevitable death in less than three months, or will it all end in shambles, leaving Harper alone once more?

Siera Maley never ceases to amaze me, however, this book definitely isn’t the better read out of the two books I’ve read of hers so far. A few years back I read Taking Flight and that quickly became my favorite novel of the year; and still is in my top ten without a doubt. Her writing was brilliant, every page of that book was realistic and every scene was addictive. Maley’s Colorblind was astonishingly good and just as addictive of a read, but I felt there were some areas within the story that I didn’t love and wanted to change.

My only real big issue with this novel was the dialogue. The girls are 16 and 17 years old, their age was presented well with each page that sped by, but I felt at times there were pieces of dialogue that were too cringey and not very realistic. It sounded both too old for what a girl their age would say, and too cheesy which created an awkward atmosphere that I wish I wasn’t being taken through. Though everything they did together, action wise, felt exactly like something a young teenager of those ages would do. So in that sense, I was able to relate to their enjoyments in life and them as characters in a fictional story.

     It was simply the speech that was a little off putting, which surprised me because in Taking Flight Maley’s dialogue was on point. I didn’t have a single flaw to note about it. And because I’ve read this book, and recently too, I noticed the subtle differences between these books more so than I normally would. It makes for a good comparison essay!

    Furthermore, I thought the story was lovely. So lovely and deeply thought provoking, I took inspiration from Maley’s main ideas and applied them to my own writing. Where she focuses on what life means, I focus on what death means and how to overcome the fear of it as it’s an inevitable part of life which nobody can stop. And Maley did a great job of making that point stand out in Colourblind through the advice and thoughts of girls who her targeted audience can learn from.

    I understood her message, but still don’t quite understand the title. It bothers me very much. Harper isn’t literally colorblind, as far as I’m concerned, she can see everything including numbers imprinted on peoples foreheads indicating their age of death. So I’m not sure where Maley’s title came from, I might do some research into it but it does half annoy me when the title doesn’t click naturally. I love it when they suddenly make sense half way through the book, or at the very end. But unfortunately, it didn’t click for me at all and now i’m ranting about it and it seems a little ridiculous. But title is important and I want to know why she chose Colorblind specifically, it might help me understand her story’s message better. Or maybe I’d understand Harper’s character a lot more than I already do, she does feel a little incomplete having finished the novel entirely now.

     I wish Maley addressed why Harper had this unnatural gift, and perhaps she could explain why her only friend, Robbie, too, could see these numbers on people. I’d like there to be some sort of reason for it, but it wasn’t entirely clear so I’m left guessing and a little clueless. I suppose I’ll just have to accept it for now, and leave all you lovely readers with this: Colorblind is a must read, but it’s not without its flaws so give it a chance.

    I doubt it’ll be everybody’s cup of tea, but it recognizes young queer love, and states ideas surrounding the beauty of life and the fact that it’s a gift, not a life sentence. Whether or not you choose to believe that is up to you, but I’m sure Harper and Chloe will help sway your decision as the novel unfolds. It plucked at my heartstrings, and a novel that moves its reader is always a perk. What’s a story without emotion anyway? A blunt piece of writing that nobody ever finishes because it hasn’t captured its reader at all. It probably only has one or two stars as well, and that’s off putting enough without all the sad sentences and dialogue void of emotion.

    So go and read it, then perhaps you can take a look at Taking Flight and see how you feel about the two and whether or not there’s one you prefer and why? I’d love to know, so drop a comment on my Instagram post related to this novel. In the meantime, I’m on the hunt for her other books, I need to know what they’re like too.

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We Used to be Magic - Bea Ingalls

An entirely new world awaits Audrey who’s starting her career in modelling; new to the Big Apple, fresh from England. As she steers her way through this new beginning, experiencing the good and bad parts of the modelling world, she meets Ezra - a strapping young man trying to avoid his past. They’ve each got their issues, issues that try tearing them apart, but each time conflict erupts the universe attempts to pull them back together again.

It’s a simple love story full of emotional twists and turns, one that’ll have you questioning whether it’s a happy-ever-after or a story ending in sadness, tragedy, or disappointment. Will their darkest secrets hold them back from what could be considered fate? Or will fate be strong enough to keep them together?

If you’re as intrigued as I was, you’ll have to read it to find out. The 3.5 star story is totally worth it, but it’s not without its flaws.

Young adult romance novels aren’t my first choice of reading book. Personally I find them to be a little too cliche which, if you’ve read enough of them, it can feel repetitive, making it all a little boring. Of course, Ingalls’ story is original, unique, and well curated, but it’s been constructed around cliche ideas that I’ve definitely seen before. In other words, it’s quite banal. Certain scenes had me thinking: ‘this just wouldn’t happen in real life’ and ‘oh my gosh this is so cliche’.

They’re nice ideas, don’t get me wrong; it’s all very romantic, sweet, and quite cheesy at times but it doesn’t entertain me when things don’t feel uncommon and unexpected. I understand why people have a love for these stories though, it’s what people fantasise about for themselves. It’s a heartwarming day dream to have, but when it’s in a novel, I want it to feel realistic to life, and though most of this book did have realistic qualities, a lot of the concepts didn’t have me believing it all the time.

In fact, I wanted to roll my eyes at a few of the chapters in this book. They were simply written because ‘it’s what the reader wants’, like the scene where they kiss in the rain. Obviously it’s a super romantic idea; so much so movies like The Notebook, Dear John, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Spiderman (2002), and Little Women have it as part of their stories. It’s a common clip that gets the audience emotional every time. But I’m sorry, it just doesn’t do it for me in books like Bea Ingalls’ - I prefer it when writers think outside the box, it’s too easy otherwise.

Not to mention the fact that I never once felt as though I was in New York while I was reading this and that was so disappointing. I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like it before. I felt that I was just a character floating in space. I might have been in an apartment building at times, but the outside was dark and placeless. The New York vibe wasn’t there at all, and to make matters worse, Ingalls had to bring in American stereotypes to reference the fact that they were clearly in America. One of those being when Ezra had to point out that Americans put butter on their popcorn. Sure, that’s a true fact, a lot of Brits enjoy that combination too, but she had to point it out which gave me the impression that even she felt she wasn’t portraying the location well enough. Especially as subtle lines like that cropped up a few times throughout the story. If I’m writing something, I shouldn’t need to bring up cultural statements like that to remind the reader of where I am, I should already get that vibe from description of the setting that’s interwoven throughout the story. Don’t specify that ‘yes’ this happens in America, just roll with it and the reader should get the gist. If they don’t, you haven’t done it right.

Despite all this, I thought it was a lovely story. No book is perfect, unless you deem it be of course, but I think every writer deserves praise for what they’ve accomplished. It brought up some very moving points, highlighting problems within the modelling world and male dominance, as well as alcoholism and the sheer emotions that heartbreak can conjure.

The characters, I felt, didn’t have many flaws apart from the obvious note to alcoholism and vulnerability on Audrey’s end, otherwise in every other sense I felt that they were too perfect. They made decisions that never once affected how I felt as the reader, and I think that’s why I didn’t connect with the characters on a very deep level. However, everyone is different, this could be the perfect book for you - especially if Rom-Coms are your passion. But if they’re not, then you wouldn’t be missing out too gravelly; though it would be a shame if you missed Audrey’s and Ezra’s whirlwind of a journey through their next chapter in life.

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Not Like Other Girls - Meredith Adamo

So, I’ve stepped back into my comfort zone with this one and boy was I satisfied. Meredith Adamo has written an astonishing novel with twists and turns that take her readers on one very big emotional roller coaster.

Not Like Other Girls is about high school senior, Jo-Lynn Kirby, who strays away from the norms in all aspects of her life. From academic troubles at school, to flirting with the boys, and back chatting the teachers, Jo has a lot on her plate. Not to mention the fact that her best friend, Maddie Price goes missing for reasons nobody can seem to find. But when Jo begins to investigate, bringing her soon to be lover, Hudson, into the picture, secrets start to unravel faster than a ball of string. Secrets that change everything. She may have fallen out with all her friends over a few leaked nudes shared by a close pal, but the mysteries that come from it are way bigger than she ever thought they’d be. Does she ever find her missing friend? And will any of the friendships broken by her past mend themselves in the end? Or will everything end in disaster?

You’ll have to pick up this book if you want to find out where Adamo takes this story, but it’s one close to her heart, and it raises issues far bigger than menial friendships and the pointless arguments that occur within them. This is a story about power, control, close bonds, trust, and true love. It’s a story told time and time again, but each time it is, there’s a different way of presenting it and Adamo’s done a good job of executing both the plot and her characters; drawing on her own experiences, as well as her wonderful imagination.

I couldn’t recommend this book more. It’s right up my street. It’s  influenced my writing and has been a real inspiration when it comes to ideas and textual traits which I will aspire to use in my own work. So much so, I can happily give this a strong four out of five stars due to its tense page turning plot, and believable characters. The only thing I was slightly disappointed by was the ending. I felt that it was rushed; wrapping most of the mystery up during the epilogue when I think that it would have benefited from a little more information and bulk at the end of the story, before the epilogue even begins.

In other words, the ending was too abrupt, and the epilogue was too fast paced which made it a little hard to remain emotionally engaged throughout the last few pages. Especially as the major, stomach churning event occurs during the last few chapters of her book. However, I can’t say that this makes the whole book awful. It doesn’t, it’s great, and I’m glad that we as readers actually get to enjoy a conclusion that doesn’t leave us guessing or wanting more. That’s how a mystery should be handled, and that’s exactly what Adamo did, even if it felt a little messy through my eyes. Which says a lot considering my thoughts on Stuart Turton’s ‘The Last Murder at the End of the World’…

I still have nothing but positive feedback for Adamo, though, it’s a book for your summer holiday abroad, or perhaps you need some down time reading among all the books you’re reading for your studies, or perhaps you just need a book that’s easy on the mind and is a smooth read. Not Like Other Girls is the one for all those situations, it’s fit for relaxation and some well deserved pleasure. So take a break from the busy world around you and read this one, you’re guaranteed to enjoy it - unless you prefer horror novels, or straight up sci-fi’s, or anything that doges taboo subjects like sex, drugs, and alcohol. Otherwise, sit back, read, and enjoy.

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