This or That with Kyle from Pieces of Us (Pieces of Us Blog Tour)

Today we have Kyle from Pieces of Us here for a this or that interview! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser.You can find out all about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about Pieces of Us!


This or that with Kyle:

Sunrise or sunset?

There's beauty in both.

Half-empty of half-full?

Things stopped being half-full when you turned nine.

Summer or winter?

Lake houses are summer, safety is summer. Definitely summer.

Movies or TV?

The darkness, getting lost in the crowd and your thoughts. Movies, it is.

Outdoors or indoors?

Indoors if you're the only one home. Otherwise, outdoors.

Being in a crowd or being alone?

Either, as long as it's without Mom or Alex.

Being able to change the past or living with your mistakes?

If you could change the past, you would feel like living.

Superpower: Being invisible or being able to fly?

Disappearing would be heaven.

Margie Gelbwasser on writing Kyle:

When I was a kid, I went to upstate New York to a bungalow colony. It was a bunch of little houses that people stayed in for the summer, and we all went there with our grandparents. The lake houses are based on this. When we were there, there were two brothers. The older one was a player and all the girls wanted him. He was fourteen. The younger one was five. Whenever the older one got a girlfriend, he encouraged the five year old to grab her boob or hit her on the butt. The girls thought it was funny. The younger brother thought it was funny. I was nine and thought it was strange. When I started writing PIECES OF US and about the lake houses, those brothers popped into my head. I wondered what would happen if the situation escalated through the years, if it was darker. Originally, Kyle's story was there but in the background. However, the more I wrote, the more extensive the drafts, the more Kyle came through. I see PIECES OF US as his and Katie's story. I also see Kyle as the most innocent of the four and who I feel for the most. To me, there's more hope for Kyle's future than any of the others.

I loved Pieces of Us - you can check out my review here. It will be released on March 8th.

Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser
(Amazon | Goodreads)

At home in Philly, Alex is angry. Angry at the dad who offed himself rather than stay around; angry at the mom who goes from one guy to the next without a thought for her family. Alex may be a player and a bully, but his little brother Kyle will do anything for his approval.
At home in the suburbs, Katie is Miss Popularity, the golden girl that everyone expects too much of, the one who will always be the prettiest and best in her parents eyes, and everyone else’s. Her shy little sister Julie just wants a bit of the attention that Katie gets so easily.
But during their summers at lake houses in Upstate New York, all four teens have a chance to leave their old identities behind. They can be anything here.
Here, no one knows the truly disturbing nature of Kyle and Alex’s dysfunctional relationship. No one knows that the girl Katie pretends to be is a lie. Julie never worries that Kyle is only spending time with her to get to her prettier sister. And the secrets that are threatening to destroy each of them seem are safe. But secrets have a way of getting out…

Review: Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

Title: Pieces of Us
Author: Margie Gelbwasser
Publisher: Flux
Release date: March 8th 2012
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: NetGalley - thank you to NetGalley and Flux Books for providing a free eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads


Goodreads description:

Two families. Four teens. A summer full of secrets. Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives. Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it. Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces.

First sentence:

I first met Alex (or Sasha, as his grandparents call him) the day the chicken man came to the lake house.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I liked Margie Gelbwasser's debut, Inconvenient (review), so I was really excited to read her sophomore novel. Add to that the gorgeous cover and awesome-sounding description, and I was sure I'd love Pieces of Us. And while I did love it, it's really, really different from what I'd expected.


The writing is what I liked best about Inconvenient, and it's what I liked best about Pieces of Us, too. Margie Gelbwasser just has a way with words and a great sense of how to give unique situations important symbolic meaning that will stick with you for a long, long time. Every sentence is graceful and rich. Her style is beautiful and vivid. The writing is what makes Pieces of Us work, even in the parts where I had problems with the plot or characters. Margie Gelbwasser created a great sense of atmosphere - even when nothing much is happening, you feel like you're right there with the characters. The atmosphere is tragic and dark, to the point of being somewhat depressing. The great writing even made the unusual narrative work - one of the perspectives is written with a second-person narrator, which is weird in the beginning and takes some getting used to, but is actually pretty genius, when you think about it, and skillfully executed.


The description makes it sound like Pieces of Us takes place over just one summer, but it really covers more than two years of summers and the time in between, too. That made me like the plot a little less, because the pacing is pretty slow and some parts are kind of boring.


Pieces of Us is a lot darker than I'd expected. I thought there would be someting about all of their pasts and problems, but I thought there'd be some romance, too (as in, the two older siblings are going to fall in love and the younger siblings too and they're all going to live happily ever after). And while there are some romantic-interest type relationships, there is no romance in that sense - the novel offers a very pessimistic view of love. The whole story has a dark and gloomy atmosphere, and what happens is dark and tragic, too. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but some terrible, terrible things happen in Pieces of Us, making you think about how anyone could be so cruel. If I had to pick one word to describe Pieces of Us, it would be "haunting." I could definitely see this being too dark for some people, but it worked for me because, well, I'm weird and I like dark stories. What you're reading is horrible and so wrong, but you can't help reading and wanting to know what happens next. 


The characters are so complex; I don't even know how to describe them. I really liked Julie in the beginning, and her issues with their mom and not being able to live up to Katie are easy to relate to. But later, she makes some really bad choices, and I got frustrated with her after a while. With Katie, it was the exact opposite. I didn't like the carefree and selfish Katie we meet at the beginning of the story, but once the "nightmare that change her life" happens, I could easily sympathize. What she has to go through is terrible, and her helplessness shines through, so that you can't help but feel for her. Towards the end, her bad decisions frustrated me again, though. Alex, though, I just hated throughout the novel. Of course having your father kill himself and that other stuff I can't talk about is all terrible, but ugh! That's no excuse to be such a total and complete ass. Kyle is the character I liked best, since he's the only one who seems to want to do the right thing. I really liked him and found him easiest to relate to.


I know what I said about the characters doesn't sound all that positive, and it's true that they're not all that likeable and make some bad decisions, but it somehow works. They're all fully-developed, realistic characters with complex backgrounds and problems. Their emotions are raw and the relationships are so complex and real. It's strange - I usually need to like the MC in order to like the book, but in Pieces of Us, I didn't mind not really liking the characters. They're so well-written and complicated and real that it doesn't matter.


I absolutely love the cover and title of Pieces of Us, so much more now that I've read the book. Pieces of Us is the perfect title for a story about such broken people, and I love how the swings on the cover tie into the story.


Pieces of Us is a strong, haunting story with graceful, atmospheric writing and complex characters with even more complex relationships. It's hard to pin down - it doesn't have one set topic, just four broken people living in a broken world. I don't think it would work for everyone simply because it's really, really dark - there's an overall sense of desperation and a very pessimistic view of humanity that makes this book hard to read. It worked for me though, and I encourage you to give it a try, if you think you can handle it. Pieces of Us is unlike anything I've ever read before.


If you've read this book, what did you think?


Come back tomorrow, when Kyle stops by the blog as part of the Pieces of Us blog tour - which is perfect, since he's my favorite character!

Teenage Garage Sale post by Margie Gelbwasser (Inconvenient Blog Tour)

This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser. If you'd like to know more about the book you can read my review here and you can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about Inconvenient!

Today we have Margie Gelbwasser here for a Teenage Garage Sale post! A Teenage Garage Sale post is basically just a guest post on what kind of things we’d find if Margie were to have a garage sale of items from her teenage years.

I have always wanted to have a garage sale, so this is my chance! To be honest, I would have NEVER parted with some of the stuff below as a teen, but the grown up me can let them go.

1. My Brandon and Dylan pins (the heartthrobs from the original Beverly Hills 90210). These babies weren't the tiny kind you'd put on your purse for decoration. Uh uh. They were BIG. And I had them right on my nightstand—for sweet dreams.

2. My diary with the rhinestone, puffy, purple cover. Never would I really sell this because it's filled with deep tidbits like, “I really really like Joe. My books fell on the floor today, and he helped me pick them up. Did he know I purposely carried that many books by his locker?” But, man, I can see it ending up in a box accidentally.

3. My junior and senior year prom dresses. How can you not include prom dresses in a garage sale? The black and white one, was for my junior prom, which I went to with one of my best friends. And the red with a set-up, and we're still friendly. My proms weren't crazy romantic or anything, but I still remember being asked and how excited I was to go. And, c'mon, those dresses are so cute!

4. My geometry book. I hated this thing, and if I got money out of it, something good would have come out of this class. While we're at it, I'll throw my Chemistry book in for free.

5. A mix tape of Guns 'N Roses and Poison music. I LOVED their music. At my eighth grade dance, a boy asked me to dance to Every Rose Has its Thorn and I thought it was the most romantic thing ever. It was going to be my wedding song. That or Paradise City. When the time, neither made the cut. Go figure.

6. My Units outfit. Total coolness, guys. I mean, the pink belt could be worn as a belt OR a skirt OR a top. Here I am wearing it at age 12. Rockin' it, huh?

7. My band uniform. Cowboy hat. Need I say more? Our school mascot was a bird, then a pirate. I don't know where the cowboy hat fit in. The recipient of this piece d' resistance, can have loads of fun with it. It can be a Halloween costume, an accessory for line dancing classes, or a great way to embarrass your siblings or—if you're a parent—your tweens or teens.

Thanks for the great guest post and the fun pictures, Margie!

Make sure to check out all the other stops of this blog tour, and keep your eye out for Inconvenient - it's already been published!

Review: Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser (Inconvenient Blog Tour)

This review is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser. Tomorrow Margie will be here for a guest post! You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about Inconvenient!

Title: Inconvenient
Author: Margie Gelbwasser
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 360
Release date: Novmeber 1st 2010
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought at The Book Depository
Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

Goodreads description:

In fifteen-year-old Alyssa Bondar's Russian-Jewish culture, having a few drinks is as traditional as blinchiki and piroshki. So when her mom's midday cocktails turn into an all-day happy hour, it seems like Alyssa's the only one who notices—or cares. Her dad is steeped in the nightly news—and denial—and her best friend Lana is too busy trashing their shared Russian heritage so she can be popular.
Alyssa would rather focus on cross-country meets and her first kiss with her running partner, Keith, but someone has to clean up her mom's mess. But who will be there to catch Alyssa when her mom's next fall off the wagon threatens to drag her down, too?

 

 

First sentence:

The cement beside the town pool is hot, the kind of hot where you can see steam rising off of it.

 

 

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. If I'm being honest, I only decided to read it so I could be a part of the blog tour (since I'm international, I can rarely take part in blog tours). It didn't sound bad, but not extraordinary either - a little too out there for me, with the Russian-Jewish culture and all, since I usually need to be able to relate to the main character to enjoy the novel. None of that was a problem, though - this book is great!

What I enjoyed most about this one is the writing. It's so graceful, beautiful and vivid - the best writing in a debut novel I've read in a long time! I felt like I was there right alongside Alyssa. At first the metaphors (especially the butterfly ones) seemed kind of forced, but I got used to the style quickly. I love how Margie Gelbwasser ended each chapter with a beautiful, thought-provoking sentence I had to let sit a while before I could start the next one.

The characters are great and complex. Despite our different situations, Alyssa is easy to relate to - she's just a normal teenaged girl trying to cope with what's going on around her. Her insecurities are ones most teenagers have felt (well, at least I have, and I'm going to assume others have, too). Lana is a great character as well - even though I didn't particularly like her and wanted to shake her most of the time, her motives are understandable and she's a very realistic character. Just like Alyssa, I'm split on what to make of her mom. At times I hated her for making those decisions and putting her daughter in such a difficult situation, but I could also understand how she felt pressured and didn't know what else to do. Towards the end, though, I grew more and more frustrated with her.

The novel does have some flaws, though. For me, the romance aspect is only okay, at least in the first half. While I could understand Alyssa's feelings perfectly, I just did not like Keith. I got annoyed by how he treated her. I warmed up towards Keith by the end, once the reader found out about his problems, but it still wasn't enought to make me feel that storyline.

I'm not sure what to make of the whole Jake-Ryan-Trish storyline. Obviously, everyone's experiences are different, but from what I know, it's not realistic how easy it is for Lana to befriend the "cool kids", and how even before they start hanging out she comes up to them and just starts a conversation with them. In my experience, that's not how popularity works.

***The next paragraph contains vague information about the ending that could be considered spoilers!***
I love the ending of Inconvenient. It's always hard to find a good ending for a book like this - if the author wrote a happy ending, it wouldn't seem realistic, but if the ending were sad and there was no real development, the novel wouldn't really have a point. Margie Gelbwasser chose the perfect balance of sad and happy: hopeful. Hopeful endings are always my favorite ones, and this one is perfect; it's realistic but still showcases the development and character growth of the main character.

Inconvenient is a great read with beautiful writing, fully-developed characters and a hopeful message. Despite my problems with two of the storylines, I definitely recommend Inconvenient!