Through to You

3.3

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Author(s)

Emily Hainsworth

Publisher

Balzer + Bray

Genre(s)

Young adult Fantasy

Age Range

14+

Release Date

October 02, 2012

ISBN

006209419X

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Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv. The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

A Promising Debut

October 01, 2012

Overall rating

3.3

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Through to You by Emily Hainsworth was a book I was highly anticipating since it was being promoted as a romantic scifi thriller. While what I found wasn't exactly that, Through to You was still a gorgeously written book with an authentic voice.

While Through to You was definitely lighter on the side of scifi, I loved how Emily Hainsworth managed to put a very contemporary spin on the idea of multiple dimensions. Seeing how the rules of her world worked was really intriguing. Through to You is heavy on the emotions.

I found myself never really connecting with the story on a deeper level - I felt very disjointed while I was reading it much of the time. I wanted to love this one, but I never had the moment where I just fell in love with the story. I absolutely adored the ending. It was the perfect ending to the twisty story that was Through to You.

Emily Hainsworth manages to write a very authentic voice in Camden. I loved his growth as a character throughout the novel. Nina was another character who I really enjoyed. She was so true and genuine.

Through to You was a promising debut from Emily Hainsworth. With its gorgeous prose and intriguing world dimensions, I was captivated, yet I wanted more. I wanted a connection to the story that wouldn't let me go.

Erica Top 50 Reviewer 192 reviews

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User reviews

5 reviews

Overall rating

3.9

Plot

3.6(5)

Characters

3.8(5)

Writing Style

4.4(5)

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Through To You: Remedyleaf's Book And Writing Blog

April 28, 2013

Overall rating

3.7

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I'm not sure if I'll read more from this author, but I have hopes that she will get better with each book.

Good Points

This book, wow, this book explored grief in a way I'd never thought to explore it. A second chance with your lost love, but do you really want a second chance?

*SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING*

Camden is introduced as a struggling teenager. He refuses help from adults in his life and even his friends. As we dive into the first couple of chapters, the reasoning behind Camden's odd behavior is perhaps explained. The plot arrives fairly quickly as well, but the book has a nice set up.

Nina is a lovely side character. From the moment you meet her you can tell her love for Cam, and as much as she doesn't want to, she's sort of let him go.

Camedon's overall change throughout the book is astounding. He makes mistakes, learns, realizes things but in a way that not a lot of other protagonists do. This was also a very good romantic YA book from a guy's point of view, which you don't see very often.

Viv on the other hand, (the alive one) is a very good lesson for Cam. He saw the way that his life could have gone if they (the other Viv) both would have made some different decisions. Although his memories of Viv were sort of tarnished, it was a lesson on his character judgment, and to not be so shrouded in love.

There are a couple of moments, the delicious kind, when you realize something right before Cam does. It's different than seeing through the plot, because you're almost in the same place as the protagonist. Those moment's in this book were lovely and thoughtful. This was a very lovely read!

Mary Moore

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PARALLEL UNIVERSES!!

October 28, 2012

Overall rating

3.3

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-THE RUN-DOWN-
2 months ago, Cam's girlfriend died in a car accident.
Cam is in grief at the loss of Viv (his girlfriend) and doesn't know how he can continue living without her.
Then one day, one the site of the accident, Cam see's an apparition of a girl named Nina. Cam has never seen Nina ever in his life but Nina insists that she knows him.
Cam is convinced that this is all a practical joke trying to make him look crazy. But when he discovers that Nina is from a parallel universe, one where Viv is still alive...
Cam will do whatever it takes to be with her.

But in the end, is it worth it?

-WHAT I LIKED-
PARALLEL UNIVERSES!!!
The idea of parallel universes makes me just so happy!!
That there are other worlds like ours but slightly different?
Come on! You have to admit that things like that are frexing interesting!
AND FINALLY! A book about it!!
Teen books about parallel universes are RARE!!!
I've probably only read one other!!
But anyway... parallel universes are awesome!

-WHAT I DIDN'T LIKED-
Sadly, parallel universes wasn't the MAJOR MAJOR point o the story.
It's a story about a guy trying to get to the girl he loves after her death.
The first thing that bugged me about this was that they're in high school and they're acting like they are "meant to be".
I just have to say this, how many high school relationships last a lifetime? NOT VERY MANY!
The second is Viv.
I never got to know the Viv of Cam's world (since she died) but the Viv that was still living was the psychotic jealous type.
Not the type of person i'm fond of.
I understand that Viv's personality played an important role but SERIOUSLY! I just couldn't tell what in the world Cam saw in her!

-IN CONCLUSION-
This was a quick read and it did have interesting moments.
My advice: If your a sci-fi fan, try reading a different book. This isn't a huge sci-fi book.
If you like romance though, this book is more for you.

Jessica Jackson Top 50 Reviewer 147 reviews

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Hobbitsies Reviews: Crazy and messed up and oh so good

October 28, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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Through to You by Emily Hainsworth is one of those books that you just know is super creepy and wrong, but at the same time you can’t stop reading. I was fascinated and sickened by Through to You. It was beautiful and haunting and just…wrong.

I loved Cam and I felt for him in Through to You. His pain over the loss of Viv broke my heart and gah, I just loved Emily Hainsworth’s portrayal of Cam. I thought his heartache and confusion as to whether or not he was going crazy was done so well.

And the storyline. Through to You is legit. Because even though I think it’s super creepy and alternate universe Viv weirded me out, I was so happy to see Cam happy and then I realized I kind of liked Nina better and it’s just kind of a mess. Because Viv is DEAD, you know? And I just wanted Cam to move on and be happy and not stuck in the past.

AND THEN THERE’S THIS TWIST. Which I can’t go into but HOLY SHIT basically sums it up.

I loved the ending of Through to You. After reading all that craziness, I think it was exactly how I wanted it to end.

So, basically, if you’re looking for a crazy, messed up yet enthralling contemporary that’s not really a contemporary, definitely pick up Through to You by Emily Hainsworth. I was sucked in from the moment I started reading Through to You and closed the book with a feeling of satisfaction.

Originally posted on my blog http://hobbitsies.net/2012/10/through-to-you-by-emily-hainsworth/

Tara Gonzalez Top 100 Reviewer 68 reviews

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Dark and Creepy

September 18, 2012

Overall rating

4.0

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Through to You is one of those books that reminds me, in case I could forget, why I love to read YA fiction. It's a genre-blending, throught-provoking, creepy, beautiful, unique book. Prepare to be surprised, confused and refreshed by a read that doesn't fall into the usual YA plot lines.

At first, Through to You comes off a straight contemporary. We join Cam mired in his grief, two months after the death of his girlfriend Viv in a car accident. He was with her, but she died and he lived. He spends his time at the memorial at the site of the accident and wallowing, doing his best to avoid any connections with anyone, be it his psychiatrist, his family or his friend Mike. He feels responsible for Viv's death, and has little interest in his own life. His only real goal at this point his keeping his depression hidden enough that he won't be put on pills that might make him forget her.

Viv and Cam used to be the power couple, the star quarterback and the gorgeous cheerleader. Two years before, though, he hurt his leg in an accident and couldn't recover well enough for football. She quit cheerleading to spend more time with him. Their friends, caught up in the social activities, almost all abandoned them. They built their lives around one another. Now, with Viv gone, Cam's grief is tangible. I could feel his ache for her.

One of the most impressive things about Through to You is the authenticity of Camden's voice. He felt one hundred percent like a male to me. Writing a book from the perspective of a character with a different gender than one's own is tricky, but Hainsworth has pulled it off beautifully. The first person narration fit the story perfectly, and I really just loved Hainsworth's writing style.

The novel takes a science fiction/fantasy turn when he sees what he thinks is a ghost. Nina turns out to be a girl from an alternate universe, one where Viv still lives. What an impressive concept! If you were mired in grief, separated forever from the person you love, what would you do to get them back again? Would you leave your universe for another? The why of the situation never gets explained, but this wasn't the kind of book where that bothered me at all. The curiosity of why its happening is part of the fun.

From a philosophical perspective, I could not get enough of the alternate universe stuff. The people are the same physically, and many of their circumstances are identical. However, are they truly the same? How much can two counterparts differ? The characterization is almost entirely stunning. I say almost because I'm not entirely sure about Viv. It might have been helpful to get to see something of Viv and Cam's relationship before her death. Without it, I had no sense of who she'd really been as a person, so I had no real idea how to feel about her counterpart.

Emily Hainsworth packs a lot of emotion into this relatively brief novel. If you enjoyed C. K. Kelly Martin's My Beating Teenage Heart or Amy Garvey's Cold Kiss, get your hands on this book stat. Through to You alternately wowed me with its gorgeous prose and frightened me with its eeriness.

Christina Franke, Staff Top 10 Reviewer 677 reviews

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Through To You Review

June 22, 2012

Overall rating

4.7

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I loved the concept of having two worlds!

Good Points

Wow, I agree with the back on the book this book defiantly is full of unexpected twists! In the beginning of the story we meet our main character Cam. As we know from the synopsis he has just lost his girlfriend Viv in a terrible car accident, and he's trying really hard to move on but he's having a really hard time. All of her friends set up a shrine for Viv right outside of school and Cam walks past it everyday. He's hoping that at one point it will get easier, but it doesn't seem like it's going to get easier anytime soon. While lingering around the shrine late one friday night, Cam see's this green glow. He walks over and see's this transparent girl who he believes is a ghost until one day she shows up on his door step. She frantically tells him she needs to get home but needs his help. After Cam helps her climb back into the green mist i guess you would call it he grows curious and one day he decides to check out what this other place is all about. I can't tell you anymore because that would lead to spoilers but I promise you the book was really great!

I felt for Cam ever since meeting him. I don't have a boyfriend now but I've had a couple in the past and I can't imagine how hard it would be to lose on of them like that. Cam deals with it better then most people would though. According to his family and friends he needs "help" but the only reason why they think this is because he's just not acting like the same Cam he used to be.

Now in the story we have two main girls, and it's a little hard to choose which girl your rooting for. Throughout the whole book I was going back and forth between Viv and Nina and it was so hard! But now that the book has ended I know who's side i'm on. I'm a little hurt about the reason why i'm on her side but at least I know for sure. As you already know Viv is Cam's girlfriend who dies in the car accident but (this isn't a spoiler you read this on the back of the book) This new world that Cam goes and investigates is a tad bit different from the world he lives in now and he finds out that in this world Viv is still alive but she's not quite the same girl that Cam fell for in his world... Who is Nina you ask? Well she is Cam's best friend in the other world, but in Cam's world he doesn't even know who she is.

I definitely give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because it was totally unique! I've never read anything like it before. Sure I've read books about people losing there other half but never have I once read a book about finding your other half again in a different world. It's crazy right?! I would totally read another book like this in a heartbeat!