Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Heartbeat

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Release date: January 8th 2014

Pages: 304

Genre: Young Adult contemporary

Source: BEA - I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

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Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars

I love Elizabeth Scott. Her writing is so versatile - I will read her books no matter what genre, and they will always be good. It's impressive how Elizabeth Scott's writing can adapt to so many different styles, going from emotional to lighthearted and back again. And of course, the writing is what's best about Heartbeat, too - it is absorbing and reads quickly and gives so much heartfelt emotion to this story.

I'm not sure what to make of the characters in Heartbeat. I disagreed with Emma about 90 percent of the time, but I did understand her. The same goes for the secondary characters - there's no one I really identified with or even liked, but Elizabeth Scott always made me understand where they were coming from and even feel for them.

The idea for the family storyline is great. It's a fascinating concept, to think about what decision to make in a situation like this one. Like I said, I didn't agree with Emma, but I didn't agree with her stepdad either; it was hard to try to decide whose side I would be on in a situation like this.

The romance storyline is okay. I didn't love it as much as the family part of the novel, but I did enjoy it. I liked the concept, and I liked getting to know Caleb. But I think the relationship between Caleb and Emma could have used some more depth, more of a connection asides from the grief.

Heartbeat isn't my favorite of Elizabeth Scott's books, but I did really enjoy it. With evocative writing, dynamic characters, and a unique idea, Heartbeat is another solid read from Elizabeth Scott.

Review: Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Grace
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Speak
Release date: September 16th 2010
Pages: 224
Genre: YA
Source: Bought
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Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


This is a hard book to review. I honestly have no idea what to say about Grace. I don't even know as what genre to classify this - is it a dystopian or post-apocalyptical world this book is set in? Or is it an oppressive regime in today's world? I can't decide which I think it is. But maybe it doesn't even matter; maybe it could be both.

The beginning of Grace is very, very confusing, since you have absolutely no idea what's going on or who's who. But that suspense kept me reading, and I didn't put the book down once until I'd finished it. It's a short book, with just over 200 pages, but the sparse writing makes it read even faster.


Elizabeth Scott is an incredible author. She's written her usual light contemporaries as well as the horrifying amazing-ness that is Living Dead Girl. And now this, whatever this is. I honestly believe there is no genre Elizabeth Scott couldn't write masterfully. It's stunning how variable her writing is - in her light contemporaries, her style is easy and cute, while in Living Dead Girl and Grace, it's... I don't even know how to describe it. Her style is sparse and immediate, making everything even more horrifying.


Horrifying is the only way to describe this book, really. What happens in Grace is so, so terrible. I wouldn't say I liked the characters, since all of them are murderers or rapists or just bad people, but it was fascinating to read about them. I don't even want to say anything more about the plot, since I liked not knowing much and just letting the story unfold. You know that what's happening is terrible, but you just can't look away. 


This book is suspenseful and horrifying, in a good way. You'll read the first page and just keep reading till the end, not looking up once. The message, though, will haunt you till long after. I think Grace will appeal to any reader, since it can't be classified as any one genre. Well, to any reader who likes dark books, because Grace is definitely not a light read.

Review: Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Between Here and Forever
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 250
Release date: May 24th 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Won in a giveaway by the author - thank you!
Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Abby acepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.
Until the accident. Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her. She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen. Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

First sentence:

I lean forward and look at Tess.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I was really excited to read this book. It's Elizabeth Scott (one of my favorite authors) and the story sounded amazing - grief, figuring out who you are, and romance are some of my favorite topics for books, and for some reason I love reading about sisters. And while I still loved the writing and tone of the Between Here and Forever (there's just somehting about Elizabeth Scott's writing), this book fell short of my expectations.

My main problem with Between Here and Forever is the main character, Abby. I tried to feel her pain and her struggle with Tess being in a coma. But... her insecurites really got on my nerves. I can't really explain why - usually I'm fine with characters that are very self-conscious, since I'm that way too. Abby's insecurities, though, are more than even I can handle. I can understand her being self-conscious because she's had to live in Tess's shadow for all her life, but her unwillingness to believe anyone could ever like her was overdone, in my opinion. How she kept talking about how unworthy of love is out loud to other people struck me as strange, too. Maybe that's just me, but I'm insecure about my insecurities, too - I don't want people to know how much I doubt myself. That aspect really  annoyed me, and when I can't relate to the main character, I feel somewhat removed from the whole story and can't really enjoy the book.

I also thought it was strange how Abby was so sure Tess was going to wake up and everything was going to go back to the way things were. Yeah, maybe she was in denial, but after a while shouldn't she have thought about Tess not waking up, or about Tess waking up but not being the same and not being able to go back to living her old life? The fact that Abby never doubted everything would go back to normal means that the issue of whether or not to continue life support was never addressed, and that really disappointed me, since that's a topic that fascinates me.

The secondary characters, though, are great. Like in every Elizabeth Scott book, they're fully-developed an complex. I loved reading about Tess and gradually finding out about her secrets. Eli is adorable - he's so sweet to Abby, and I really enjoyed reading about their relationship. Beth and Claire and their connection to Tess were interesting to read about too. Oh, and Clement is just awesome!

I've read some other reviews of this book saying that characters from Bloom make an appearance, but I honestly didn't notice. Can anyone who's read both Bloom and Between Here and Forever tell me what characters appear?

I feel kind of bad for giving Between Here and Forever only three stars. Other than being annoyed by the main character's low self-worth, I had no real problem with the book. I just felt somewhat underwhelmed throughout, and thought a lot of the problems could have been elaborated on more. That's not to say this is a bad book - Elizabeth Scott's writing is still great. But if you haven't read any of Elizabeth Scott's books, I recommend you'd start with a different one - Living Dead Girl or Stealing Heaven are ones I particualrly enjoyed.

Review: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Title: The Unwritten Rule
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 224
Release date: May 16th 2010
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought

Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Sarah and Brianna have always been friends, and it's always gone like this: guys talk to Sarah in order to get closer to Brianna. So even though Sarah met Ryan first, she's not surprised that he ends up with Brianna (even though Sarah has a massive crush on him). The three of them hang out, and Sarah and Ryan's friendship grows until one night an innocent exchange between them leads to a moment that makes Sarah realize that Ryan might be interested in her after all. But if there's one unwritten rule, it's this: you don't mess around with a friend's boyfriend. So Sarah tries to resist temptation. But with the three of them thrown together more and more, tension builds between Sarah and Ryan, and when they find themselves alone together at one point, they realize they just can't fight how they feel anymore...

First sentence:

I liked him first, but it doesn't matter.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I love Elizabeth Scott, but I was a little worried about this book. Even when they're well-done, I often don't like books where the main character is cheating on her boyfriend or knows the guy she's with has a girlfriend and is cheating by being with her, just because I have a really strong opinion about that kind of thing, especially if the two girls are friends, like in The Unwritten Rule. However, I ended up really enjoying this one!

What made this book work are the characters. I didn't think I'd be able to connect with Sarah because, well, she's kissing her best friend's boyfriend, but she turned out to be easy to relate to. She's just a normal girl, and she feels really, really bad for liking Ryan. It's not like she starts liking Ryan as Brianna's boyfriend - she's had a crush on him for years! I loved her as a character, and the thing with the sneakers is adorable. I'm split on Ryan's character. I didn't think I could like him because he's a cheater, but I loved the scenes he has with Sarah. They're adorable together. I have to say, though, I was a little frustrated with him at times - he should have just told both Sarah and Brianna the truth from the beginning on, then they wouldn´t be having any of these problems. Brianna...wow, she's such a complex character. I kept going back and forth between hating her and sympathizing with her, just like Sarah. At times she really frustrated me with the way she treats Sarah, basically saying no worthwhile guy could ever like her because she's not pretty, but at times I felt for her - she can´t help being like that, considering what her parents are like. That conflict made Sarah´s conflict about Ryan all the more real.

The writing and whatnot is all great, but I'm not going to say much more about that - I'd just be repeating what I´ve said in all my Elizabeth Scott reviews.

***This paragraph contains spoilers!***
There is one part where Sarah and Ryan really frustrated me, though. After Ryan and Brianna break up, Sarah and Ryan immediately spend the night together, and Sarah doesn't really feel bad about it, since Brianna and Ryan broke up. I thought that was kind of strange - isn´t there also an "unwritten rule" about going out with your best friend's ex? At the very least, they should have waited a while. I was disappointed that the issue of being with your friend´s ex wasn´t touched at all - the entire time, Sarah and Ryan assume that once he breaks up with Brianna, they can be together without a problem, which I think is wrong.

***This paragraph also contains spoilers - sorry for being so spoiler-ish in this review!***
I'm split on the ending. One the one hand, I'm happy Sarah and Ryan end up together because they're an adorable couple. On the other hand, I really don't like the message the ending sends - no matter what, being with your best friend's boyfriend is still wrong. It's so sad to see Brianna and Sarah's friendship end, but I like that not everything works out for Sarah - even though I could understand her, she should have to live with the consequences of what she did.

I don't have much more to say about this - The Unwritten Rule is another great, quick, enjoyable read by Elizabeth Scott, who is quickly turning into one of my favorite authors (I can't believe I hadn't read any of her books until this year)!

One more random, unimportant thought: This cover freaks me out! When you have the book the right way around, so that the face is up-side-down, the model looks content and pretty. When you hold the book up-side-down, so that the model is the right way around, the model looks sad and mad, and, well, not as pretty. Am I going crazy, or has anyone else noticed that?

Review: Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Perfect You
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 282
Release date: March 25th 2008
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought
Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

 Goodreads description:

Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast. Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible. And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest. Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen - but only if she lets them...

First sentence:

Vitamins had ruined my life.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Elizabeth Scott is turning into one of my favorite authors! I can't believe I hadn't read any of her books before this year. There's something about her writing - it's just so easy. I know that's not really a way to describe writing, but I don't know what else to call it. It's just so graceful and flows so nicely.

Kate's world is easy (that word again) to get lost in, and she's so easy to relate to and feel for. She's just such a normal girl, and in this case I mean normal as a good thing. She feels things everyone feels, in one way or another. Even though I didn't agree with all of her choices (actually, a lot of them are pretty stupid), I understood her and felt for her. Her character growth is described so well - I love that this isn't just romance but more about what Kate goes through and how that changes her as a person. But I have to admit, she is pretty whiny. If you're easily annoyed by whiny characters, this book probably isn't for you.

The secondary characters, though, I really disliked. I don't mean that they're not well-writen - they are, they're all fully-developed and realistic characters - I mean that I didn't like them as people. I constantly wanted to shake them and make them stop making such stupid decisions. Her dad is so frustrating. I mean, sure, it's okay to want to pursue your dream - but selling vitamins at the mall and making absolutely no money? I just don't get how he can justify that his wife needs to work two jobs and that he wants to take the money his son earns just so that he can keep selling vitamins instead of going back to his office job. The mom frustrated me too, even though she's a sympathetic character. I was annoyed by how she couldn't stand up to her husband and say enough is enough, when her husband is making no money even though he could and is going over their decided budget to buy something as useless as video games. Anna, though, is the character I wanted to shake the most out of all of them. How could she just abandon her best friend like that, and then, when she needs Kate, expect her to be there for her but leave when Anna's new friends could see her? And I wanted to shake Kate, too, to make her see that she deserves better than Anna.

With that out of the way, I did like some of the characters. Even though he's not someone I'd like in real life, Todd, Kate's older brother, is so much fun to read about. His relationship with Kate and the way they fight is just adorable. It's actually a pretty normal brother-sister relationship, and I don't know what it is about them, but I just thought the way they treat each other is really cute. And then there's Will. (Weird, that sentence is also part of the synopsis...) I can't think about Will and Kate together without smiling - the two of them are just so adorable. I can't think of anything else to say about them, other than the way they interact is so funny and cute and just makes me want to hug this book.

The ending is perfect - not too happy to be unrealistic, but not too sad and depressing, either - it matches the hopeful and sweet tone of the novel perfectly.

I love this whole book. No, it's not the most deep and important book I've ever read, but it's sweet and insightful and portrays teenage life well. It's great how Elizabeth Scott's books can be both original and normal at the same time - the characters are just your average teenaged girl and easy to relate to, but some of the situations they're in are crazy and unusual. I can't wait to read the rest of Elizabeth Scott's novels!

Review: Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Stealing Heaven
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 320
Release date: June 1st 2008
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought at The Book Depository

Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

Goodreards description:

My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things for as long as I can remember.
Dani has been trained as a thief by the best there is—her mother. They never stay in one place long enough for Dani to have real connections, real friends—a real life. But in the town of Heaven, everything changes. Suddenly, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

First sentence:

My first memory is staring into a window into a house that isn't mine.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In a review quote on the back of the book it says that Stealing Heaven is "an addictive book about a real world that feels like a fantasy," and that's exactly true. I love the idea for Stealing Heaven - Dani's life is crazy, something none of us could imagine.

You might think it's predictable from reading the description, and some other Elizabeth Scott novels definitely are (Bloom, Something, Maybe), but the plot is full of surprises. The plot is compelling, perfectly-paced and fun. But because of Elizabeth Scott's great, vivid writing, this is much more than a quick, fun read - it's also insightful and moving.

I thought it would be hard to relate to Dani since her situation is so different from the reader's, but it only took me a few chapters to understand her. After that, she's easy to relate to. The problems she has because of their stealing aren't exactly things I've dealt with myself, but I definitely felt for her. Her situation is actually pretty sad - she's closed off from the world, can't really communicate with anyone other than her mother because they don't want to be noticed by anyone. I don't think I could live with that. Reading about Dani is still loads of fun, though - her personality is great, and I loved her sense of humor.

The other chracters are well-written and fully-developed too. I absolutely loved Greg. Making Dani fall for a cop is a perfect idea for this novel. The way Greg believes in Dani and sticks with her despite her bitchiness in the beginning (because, well, he's a cop and she's a criminal) is just so sweet. The romance is one of my favorite parts of this novel. The way it develops is so natural and realistic, but still sweet and swoon-worthy. You couldn't help but root for the couple. Alyson is a great character too. While I could never really warm up towards Dani's mother, her character is also well-written and understandable.

***This next paragraph contains mildly spoilerish information!***
My one problem with Stealing Heaven is the ending. I can't even really explain what I dislike about it, though. How it ends is great - not too happy, not too sad, just right. What I mind is the way the ending happens - in my opinion, it's just too fast. I think Dani's decision should have been elaborated on much more. Some more explanation would have been useful - I didn't get how Dani's and Greg's relationship ends up - Dani and her mom leave town, etc., and suddenly Greg's there too. That seemed a bit forced to me, just wanting to have a happy ending for Dani and Greg (not that I mind happy endings for such cute couples, but still!).

Despite my disliking the ending, this is a great, original read, both fun and insightful! Other than Living Dead Girl, it's my favortie Elizabeth Scott book since it's not as predictable as some of her others. I definitely recommend it!

Review: Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

Something, Mabe by Elizabeth Scott
(Amazon / Goodreads)

 Goodreads description:

Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad's 'girlfriends' and is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar . . . and that's just how she likes it. Of course, that doesn't help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah's sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she's going crazy. Yet she's determined to make things work out the way she wants only what she wants may not be what she needs. . . 

First sentence: Everyone's seen my mom naked.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I love Elizabeth Scott, but I was a little disappointed by this novel. Something, Maybe is still a pretty good, fun read, but it's not as great as the other Elizabeth Scott novels I've read.

Since this is Elizabeth Scott, the writing is still great - vivid, beautiful and graceful. The characters are good - it is so easy to relate to Hannah. From the first page on, I understood all of her insecurities. The secondary characters are great, too. I loved the original family situation - I don't think I've read about anything like that before. Teagan is a great character too - not the typical best-friend-role.

***The next two paragraphs sort of contain spoilers, but that part of the novel was so predictable, I don't think it would make a difference to know this beforehand. Still, you have been warned.***
My favorite part of Something, Maybe is the romance between Hannah and Finn. He is just so cute, and I love how they treated each other.

I know, so far my review sounds really positive, so maybe it doesn't make sense I only gave this book 3 stars. I did enjoy this book - it's a fun read! But I did have one big problem with Something, Maybe: There is no real development, no character growth. Hannah doesn't deal with her insecurities at all - she's just as shy and self-conscious at the end of the book as she was in the beginning. Yes, she chooses Finn instead of Josh, but there's no real development there either - from the beginning on, the reader sees what a pretentious douche Josh is. I would have preferred if Josh had seemed a little nicer in the beginning, so that the reader could understand who he really is along with Hannah. The same goes for the Jackson-storyline: It is completely obvious her father is using Hannah for publicity, and there is no development, no resolution in that storyline either. This lack of development made it hard for me to see the point of the whole story.

Something, Maybe is a fun, quick (albeit predictable) read with good writing and characters. But since there's no real development or character growth, it's not my favorite Elizabeth Scott novel. If you haven't read anything by Elizabeth Scott yet, I wouldn't recommend this one, but if you're already a fan, this is a pretty enjoyable read.

Review: Bloom

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Goodreads description:

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?
It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend?
But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in -- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce -- Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

After reading so many depressing books lately, I was in serious need of some light, fun reading, and Bloom was perfect for that. Yes, the plot is predictable, but the whole story was just so sweet!

I'm amazed by how many different styles this author can pull of seamlessly.The writing in Bloom was great, but so different from what I expected after reading Love You Hate You Miss You (review) and Living Dead Girl (review). Elizabeth's Scott's writing is much more descriptive in this book. It was so vivid, I could easily imagine I was there with Lauren, while in Living Dead Girl (and in Love You Hate You Miss You, too, to some extent), lots of details were left to the reader's imagination, and the style was more sparse. Either way, Elizabeth Scott's writing is amazing.

From the first page on, it was easy to relate to Lauren. All of her problems were realistic, and most of her feelings were ones I'd felt before, too. The only times I didn't understand her were when she complained about her friendship with Katie. I got why she didn't tell her about Evan, but her saying they never talked about anything real wasn't true, in my opinion, so her complaints were kind of annoying.

The supporting characters were great as well. Without them, this would have only been an okay read with a predictable, overused plot, but they added a lot of depth to the story. All of them, even the ones who only played minor roles, like Marcus and Gail, were complex and multi-dimesional, and their backstories added a lot to the main plot. Well, all except Dave, but that was the point. Especially Katie was an interesting character. We don't get to know too much about her situation with her family, but we know the mom never gets out of bed (depression?) and the dad always has to work, so she's the one taking care of her two little brothers. I would have loved to know more about her life, and she would have made an interesting main character as well (for a different story, obviously).

Lauren's family and its effect on Lauren were developed really well, too. How her workaholic dad and the mom who abandoned her created Lauren's insecurities and fears really made me able to understand Lauren's character.

The romance between Lauren and Evan was incredibly sweet. I especially enjoyed reading about their past together, and how that affected both of them. Evan was a great character, and I loved the influence he had on Lauren.

I don't have much more to say about this book - it's a well-known plot made interesting by great writing, amazing character-depth and sweet romance. I recommend it to anyone who won't mind a predictable plot!

Review: Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

(Amazon / Goodreads)

Goodreads description:

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I honestly don't know how to describe this book - it was dark, emotional, disturbing, heartbreaking, unforgettable, powerful, intense, horrifying, haunting, devastating, scary...I could go on, but I don't think any of these adjectives really describe what Elizabeth Scott makes the reader feel with this book - it's...just wow. I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book, but you're not supposed to - it's about abduction and abuse, and I don't think anyone would say they enjoy reading about that kind of suffering.

The writing in this book surprised me - the only other book I've read by Elizabeth Scott is Love You Hate You Miss You (review), and while the writing in both of these was good, it's completely different. The writing in this novel is poetic, simplistic and beautiful, and that's not at all what I would have expected after Love You Hate You Miss You, in which the writing was much more descriptive. Maybe this story needed such a simple style, though - none of the really disturbing parts are described, and the reader has to imagine all the terrible details, which I think makes this book even more powerful.

While there were only two real characters in this book, they were both really well-developed. Alice was a great, relatable character, and I felt all of her pain and despair. Her voice was great and it was interesting to read about the things she notices about normal people, things all of us take for granted but she can't have anymore. That made me thankful for the life I have.

I also enjoyed how she sometimes used the first-person-narrative, sometimes talked about herself in the third person (as in, "Once upon a time, there was a girl who...") and sometimes addressed the reader with "you". This made the story feel even closer to me and all the more devastating.

In the beginning, I kept hoping she would escape, but, much like Alice herself, I later saw the hopelessness of the situation, and (even though I hate myself for it) I hoped her pain would end one way or another. While wishing she would die is terrible, it really shows how horrifying her situation is.

Ray was a great character as well, in a very disturbing way. I appreciated hearing about his backstory and how he was sexually abused by his mother, and while of course that doesn't justify what he does to Alice, it at least offered a type of explanation.

While this book is hard to talk about and just as hard to read, I definitely recommend it. It's brutally honest, disturbing and heartbreaking, and it will definitely stay with you.

Review: Love You Hate You Miss You

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elzabeth Scott

(Amazon / Goodreads)

Goodreads description:

It's been seventy-five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her. And she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone now, and she doesn't want to talk about it. They wouldn't get it, anyway. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to have your best friend ripped away from you. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to know it's your fault.
Amy's shrink thinks it would help to start a diary. Instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was—and the present deserves a chance too.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I regret not having read anything by Elizabeth Scott sooner – her style is amazing! I loved her writing – it reminded me of Sarah Dessen’s, who is one of my favorite authors.

The format of a normal narrative with letters to Julia in between was great – from the description, I thought there would only be letters, but I don’t think that would have been enough to show Julia’s emotions and development, so I’m glad the reader got the classic narrative as well, where Amy could be completely honest.

I loved the characters – none of them were one-dimensional, and they were all realistic and portrayed really well. It was easy to relate to Amy, her emotions and her grief. Julia was a great character, too. Her death was so heartbreaking, I cried within the first few pages – even though I didn’t know much of anything yet, I could picture Julia’s character – and her absence – perfectly. The reader never met her and only learned about her through Amy’s memories, but it was easy for me to understand her and her relationship with Amy.

Caro was another good, realistic character, and her relationships with Amy evolved naturally and realistically – I loved hearing about their history. The same applies to Patrick (who was adorable!) and his relationship with Amy.

The relationship Amy had with her parents was also handled well – not the typical parents-fighting-scenario, but a less-used family problem. Even though her emotions toward her parents weren’t typical, they were easy to relate to nonetheless.

I also enjoyed the transitions between the present and flashbacks – in my opinion, those often seem forced, but Elizabeth Scott made them seem effortless.

One thing that annoyed me in this novel was Amy’s drinking problem. I’m not sure why – maybe it was just not developed enough for me to actually think of it as part of the main story, but it just seemed like a subplot that didn’t add much to the story. It felt disconnected from the main plot, and I forgot about it for a while until Amy said “I want a drink,” again. I know her drinking problem is necessary for Amy’s role in Julia’s death and the relationship with her parents, but I still didn’t like that part of the book.

Another problem I had with the book was Amy’s blaming herself for Julia’s death. I understand how she felt guilty, but it seemed a bit too extreme, thinking of herself as a murderer and wanting her parents to call her one too. What she did was bad and mean, but it didn’t cause Julia’s death. Her guilt felt overdramatic, even though I understood the rest of her emotions perfectly.

Despite those two problems I had with the story, Love You Hate You Miss You is a great novel with beautiful writing and well-developed, realistic characters. I’m definitely reading some of Elizabeth Scott’s other books soon!