Between

It was a really creepy book. I gave it to one of my friends who deosnt read much and she really liked it.

I've been meaning to read this book for a while, but it was always the book I'd put back down when I found a better one at the bookstore. I was combing over the library's YA section while I was on lunch and snagged it to read at the desk. It got to the point where I had to remind myself not to glare at any patron who came up to the desk. Not to mention I had to start shelving right after a major bomb is dropped.

Plot: This book will not bore you. Not a single moment. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that a lot of it is flashbacks to important points in her life. Either way, every page brings you closer to the jaw dropping ending. I like that it's an ending you can piece together yourself with subtle hints starting from the very beginning.

Characters: Liz is pretty much you're stereotypical popular girl realizing quite how awful she was. I didn't particularly mind this as much as her realistic-ness. She counts her calories very closely, to approximately 1200 a day, which is a relatively healthy amount for someone who's not active. I count my calories to make sure I eat enough to make up for five hours of running at soccer practice. She says she runs for hours. A four hour run burns 3000 calories. I know the point is she's supposed to be wasting away, but there is no way she had the energy to run day after day without fail with that kind of calorie intake.

Let me just say I loved Alex. I love characters with sass and he never backed down to Liz. He's getting to say everything to the popular b- he would have loved to when they were alive. The thing I loved about him the most is a major plot spoiler, so if you haven't read it, you can skip on down to the next visible text. Those of you that have, just select, highlight the white text in the space below so that you can read it ^_^

When I told my friend the basic plot, she immediately said Alex and Liz were going to fall in love. This was my initial reaction as well, pretty much when they first met. But, I realized there was no way Alex was going to let that happen. Then, as the story moved one, I noticed that Liz staying loyal to Richie and not falling for Alex just proved there was no way she could have cheated on him. (One of the little hints throughout the book).

I liked Caroline, the fifth wheel of the group, so to say. She was the character I could relate to the most, even if it was a little. Topher and Mera were likable enough.

I was on the fence about Josie because I realized who she was almost as soon as the book started. She was a good character though. I liked the mystery surrounding who her father was the whole book. I really had no idea for that one.

Overall: The twists and turns and drops are endless in Between. But, there just wasn't anything especially special about it. I got really into while reading it and I'll be sure to check out the recommendations I get because of it on Goodreads.

First Impressions: I previously read Jessica Warman’s novel, Breathless, and was impressed with this young debut author’s style of writing, so I knew I wanted to read more from her. I love the cover art that Between has so I knew I had to read this book. I’m a sucker for pretty cover art!

First 50 Pages: All I can really say is WOW! Right from the start, this story totally sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. I knew after the very first chapter that I wouldn’t be able to put this book back down, and that is exactly what happened. I sat all day reading this book and ignoring my other pressing matters I had to attend to. But, that’s okay. This book is completely worth the time!

Characters and Plot: The story at its core is essentially a ghost story, but is the most believable and real ghost story I have read in a long time. So many authors will try to write a ghost story and they can’t pull it off well because they put their characters out of touch with reality. They aren’t believable.

Every single character Jessica Warman created in Between could easily step out of the book and be someone you know. Take the character Liz for example: She is popular, perfect, and pretty. Oh, and she is rich. And she acts the part of a total snob who needs to be brought back down to earth because she is so full of herself. She is the girl that you love to hate. Any high school kid could point you in the direction of at least one other student who could fill that description. Liz’s father is a workaholic, her friends are a bunch of bullies who torment the less popular kids. I almost don’t feel bad about what happens to Liz in this book, even though she does become remorseful about her actions from when she was alive.

Poor, poor Alex Berg. He is the character I really felt for throughout this story. His life was just so pathetic and sheltered and he never really was able to live while he was alive. He never got to witness life outside of high school, which is a shame because of the way he was treated, like he was invisible. I guess being invisible is better than being picked on every single day at school. I was a nerdy kid myself, so I can relate to Alex in so many different ways.

As for the plot, there is this humongous mystery weaved into the story. How did Liz really die? Was it accidental or did someone kill her? She has no memory at first, then pieces of the puzzle start to unfold and she gains her memories back with Alex’s help. There are also smaller, less central mysteries that take place parallel to the big mystery that helps this book become more interesting and less repetitive. The reader is also trying to figure out who killed Alex and if Josie is really Liz’s half sister instead of her step-sister. There are clues everywhere throughout this book that lead to revealing all of the answers. I took a guess towards the middle of the book as to what the final outcomes would be, and I was partly correct at the end.

Final Thoughts: I’m not going to reveal any more then I already have. I will say that you need to read this book. It is a must-read, must-have, type of book. I literally could not put it down. The writing is fantastic and the characters are very human-like in emotion and presence. I highly recommend!

This book was terrible. The writing style was ok, but it was entirely too slow and I hated all of the characters, especially the main characters. I gave it 80 pages and then flipped to the end of the book to find out the ending (which I had mostly predicted).