Through to You

Dec 18, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Wendy Darling by: Christina (A Reader of Fictions)

Shelves: young-adult, 2012-publication, harpercollins, october, sci-fi-or-futuristic, read-2012

3.5 stars A bit uneven in the middle, verging on tv drama at times, and characters certainly could have been developed more, but I still found this to be extremely unusual and enjoyable and a bit bittersweet.

Fans of Cold Kiss' meditative take on grief and loss might enjoy this one. A promising debut.

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Sep 08, 2012 Blythe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: highly-anticipating-2012, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, netgalley-edelweiss-arc, 2012-reads, didn-t-see-that-coming, disappointments, i-totally-saw-that-coming, unmet-potential, 2-stars, doesn-t-deserve-the-hype, hand-me-some-tissues, i-need-this-book, hurry-up, i-want-it-right-now, almost-fell-asleep, read-reviewed

(Warning: Possible spoilers, but really nothing you won't find in the synopsis)

Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

On my one and only status update for this book, a brief discussion was held on how there are so many books in the YA genre recently that have an immense amount of potential, but, unfortunately, that potential is never met. And while unmet potential sadly is very common in YA, I went in to this book with very high expectations, sure that I would absolutely love it, only to be disappointed in th...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2012

I love looking at how many genres and subgenres this book is shelved as -- fantasy, paranormal, sci fi, dystopia, romance, contemporary, and thriller are just a few. But that in and of itself is one of the greatest strengths of Hainsworth's debut. It's got a little bit of each of these and because of that, this book is very fresh.

Camden Pike lost his girlfriend Viv in a car wreck, and he walks by the utility pole memorial everyday, hoping he'll see her just one more time. The accident was the re...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, tough-subjects, tbr-challenge, contemporary, drama, fantasy, romance

Initial reaction: I'm on the fence about "Through to You" because I think the novel became so much better towards the end, but the beginning and middle were muddled to heck and back. I was incredibly frustrated with it in parts. I read the audiobook version provided by my library, and Jesse Bernstein is an apt narrator for it, though I think I was more frustrated with Cam's viewpoint voice in general. I understood his grief and heck, even understood the emotions and desperation that came with it...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Soumi(in love with Puck) Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copies, owned-copy, young-adult, mystery, paranormal-others, books-i-reviewed

I always have a special place in heart for emotional stories of grief and death. A story about how hard it is to accept death of the one you love and moving on like a mechanical being. Carrying guilt for something inevitable, grief stricken Cam can't forgive himself for Viv's death.
But what if in a parallel world, Viv's death never happened and Cam is the one who died. With appearance of strange and mysterious Nina, from a parallel world led Cam to discover the doorway between two worlds where...more I always have a special place in heart for emotional stories of grief and death. A story about how hard it is to accept death of the one you love and moving on like a mechanical being. Carrying guilt for something inevitable, grief stricken Cam can't forgive himself for Viv's death.
But what if in a parallel world, Viv's death never happened and Cam is the one who died. With appearance of strange and mysterious Nina, from a parallel world led Cam to discover the doorway between two worlds where another version of Viv still lives. But altering fate can have many dangerous consequences.

Cam was shown as a bereaved person, mourning for his girlfriend's death, and thus unable to let go of her memories. His character was slowly reveal as readers get more glimpse of his broken heart and his way of dealing with such deep emotions. Somehow it was easy for me to relate Cam, because he seemed very real to me with his unhealed scars running deep. His decision to be with other Viv was momentary outcome of his sorrow as he thought he found his lost love, but eventually he realized this version of Viv might not be the same girl he fell in love with.

Amongst the other characters, I adored Nina, as I considered her to be the female lead. She was the best friend of dead Cam in the other world, also was dealing with his death. In spite of her own grief and family problems, she acted more like Cam's guardian angel to guide him to the truth. She was mature for a seventeen years old, and understanding. Her compassion and companionship really grew onto me, I can't deny my respect for her character.

As for Viv, she mostly made appearance in Cam's memory and her other version showed up during Cam's crossroads between two worlds. towards end of the story, Viv's character raised a thoughtful question of everything may not what it seems to be.

The story was very original, unpredictable and prominent. The overflowing emotions of loss and sorrow was beautifully portrayed in the story, however in the very beginning things were overdone a bit too melodramatic to slow the pace and progress of the story, also there was lack of character development. (less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Meggy Meg Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, awesomesauce-charries, deep-thoughts-yo, exceeds-expectations, feel-the-emotions, haunting, contemporary-favs, netgalley-edelweiss

It isn't every day I read a book that has science fiction, contemporary, and paranormal/fantasy all mashed into it. It is also hard not to feel doubtful of a book that covers all these genres, and Through To You was definitely not an exception. With a beautiful cover and an equally amazing synopsis, though, Through To You did not disappoint!

Usually, when I come across a book with a cover and synopsis such as this, I am immediately intrigued, yet not expecting much at the same time. This was the...more It isn't every day I read a book that has science fiction, contemporary, and paranormal/fantasy all mashed into it. It is also hard not to feel doubtful of a book that covers all these genres, and Through To You was definitely not an exception. With a beautiful cover and an equally amazing synopsis, though, Through To You did not disappoint!

Usually, when I come across a book with a cover and synopsis such as this, I am immediately intrigued, yet not expecting much at the same time. This was the case with Through To You. Its synopsis held much potential, but what was different was that Emily Hainsworth managed to impress me, impact me with her story. This book isn't like your ordinary sci-fi or romance novel. I believe that it is about coming to terms with your present and what has happened, and learning that life isn't always sunshine and daisies. Life is full of surprises. Certain things happen even though we may not know why. This book, I think, sends this message across very clearly. Things happen for a reason, but we don't necessarily need to know why. Curiosity is human nature, really, and this is an area in which Through To You touches deeply.

In Hainsworth debut novel, Camden 'Cam' Pike, our MC, is suffering over the loss of his girlfriend, Viv, when he comes across a portal that leads him to a parallel universe similar to ours. Camden, I admit, isn't a particularly likable character throughout the entire book. His constant moping, depression, 'life-is-meaningless-without-her' sent my nerves reeling from frustration, that, even though the author conveyed his emotions well, it became a little over-the-top and unrealistic. It is understandable for someone to mourn over the loss his loved one, but the author made bad things seemed to happen to Camden to make him surlier than he already was that it just grated on me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Things really only began to improve when he stumbled across the portal.

The parallel universe in Through To You was one of the book and author's strongest points. Even though portals leading to other worlds aren't exactly original anymore, there was so much development and life put into this parallel world that it seemed to real and so possible. Hainsworth managed to make that world seem both so similar and different at the same time that it was unnerving.

Another thing I really loved about this book was its characters. Realistically woven and with personalities that distinguished them from each other, this was one of the rare moments when a book's characters found themselves a special place in my heart. Much like the parallel universe, what I found most remarkable was how Hainsworth was able carve two characters out of Camden's girlfriend, Viv. At first, this Viv seems the same as the old Viv back in Cam's world. Then the author gradually drew out the many differences between the two Vivs in a startlingly realistic manner.

TO SUM UP...

PROS: Excellent world building; realistic characters; hooking till the very end

CONS: Emotion overload; none-too likable MC

OVERALL: An emotional and character-driven story, Through To You is definitely a book I would recommend to all. This book is about life and learning to accept your 'fate' or 'destiny', and not try to change it. It isn't so much about love or those kinds of things you'd usually find in a contemporary novel, which is what made it so special.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Through to You is a story of grief turning to despair. A despair that leaps at the chance of a parallel life offering second chances, alternatives that aren't as perfect as they seem.

I gotta say, Through to You was a complete mind f*#k. That's a compliment, by the way. The story begins two months after Cam loses his girlfriend, Viv, in an accident he feels responsible for. His life has virtually ended with hers. He barely manages to make it day-to-day. Author Emily Hainsworth did such a beautif...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Sarah (The Book Life) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: harpercollins, 2012

I'm sure I've said this more than once, but I am fascinated by parallel universes. Just the idea that there is another one of us in another world, who may look and sound the same, but leads a completely different life. It's just such a cool idea and I'd like to think it is real. In Hainsworth's debut, Cam actually gets to glimpse another version of his life. Things are so similar in some ways, but drastically different in others. In Cam's world his girlfriend, Viv, has died. He hasn't been deali...more I'm sure I've said this more than once, but I am fascinated by parallel universes. Just the idea that there is another one of us in another world, who may look and sound the same, but leads a completely different life. It's just such a cool idea and I'd like to think it is real. In Hainsworth's debut, Cam actually gets to glimpse another version of his life. Things are so similar in some ways, but drastically different in others. In Cam's world his girlfriend, Viv, has died. He hasn't been dealing with it so well. One night he meets Nina, who knows him, just a different version of him. When Cam shows up in her world, she kind of freaks out on him and tells him it's too dangerous for him to be there. Cam can't stay away, though, because in this world Viv is alive.

I didn't care for the Viv from Nina's world. She was super intense and just gave me a bad vibe the whole time I was reading. It was obvious she had some secrets, but it seems everyone from that world was keeping secrets. Of course, Cam was just so happy to have Viv again, he wasn't paying enough attention to realize something was off. I liked Nina's character a lot, even though I wasn't sure what her motives were at first. Once I started figuring out what was really going on, I think it only made me like her better. Cam was such a sad sack at first, because he refused to let himself move past his girlfriend's death. As the story progressed and he got "Viv" back, he slowly started to pull out of his funk and began bettering himself. I loved his friend Mike, because that kid put up with a lot from Cam, but he also wasn't afraid to give it to him straight.

Overall, there were definitely a lot of things in this book that were predictable, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment while reading. Seeing things coming isn't always a bad thing and this story is proof that the journey to that end is what it's really all about. I'd definitely recommend this one anyone looking for an interesting contemp with a twist. Also, how gorgeous is that cover? I know we aren't supposed to judge books by their covers, but who wouldn't want that on their shelves :0)

Such a captivating story. I'm still trying to figure out if things really happened, or if it was all in Cam's head. Either way, Cam was an excellent main character :0)(less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012debut, challenge-dac2012, released-wishlist

Review originally posted on my blog http://hobbitsies.net/2012/10/through...

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...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Tamara Stone rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalypsies-debuts, ya, favorites

I truly don’t know where to start with my review of Emily Hainsworth’s debut. Maybe just to say this: THROUGH TO YOU is my favorite kind of book.

I have to admit, I really wanted to love this novel before I even opened it. Emily and I are friends, so of course I hoped I’d enjoy her story. Instead I was over-the-top impressed from beginning to end.

I devoured it in a matter of days, hiding away from friends and family just to sneak in another page or two before I was missed. I ultimately finished...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Abigail Clayton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Through To You, by Emily Hainsworth
Book Review by Abigail Clayton

Through To You, by Emily Hainsworth, is a novel telling an “oh so classic” teenage love story, and what is a classic without a few twists? This teenage love story incorporates not only the drama and emotional aspects shown through the main character of Cam's life, but also the idea of there being another world. This world could be considered the “Realm of Being,” pertaining to The Great Chain Of Being. In the “Other World,” everyth...more Through To You, by Emily Hainsworth
Book Review by Abigail Clayton

Through To You, by Emily Hainsworth, is a novel telling an “oh so classic” teenage love story, and what is a classic without a few twists? This teenage love story incorporates not only the drama and emotional aspects shown through the main character of Cam's life, but also the idea of there being another world. This world could be considered the “Realm of Being,” pertaining to The Great Chain Of Being. In the “Other World,” everything to Real World Cam seems so perfect, but to the Other World Viv, who could be considered Cam's girlfriend, things could not be worse.
Drama is apart of a teenager's everyday life. This novel shows how everything is not always what it seems. For Cam, his drama and emotional problems are not just superficial worries and insignificant events. Cam lost his girlfriend Viv in a car accident, along with his father leaving and a debilitating knee injury. He's an emotional wreck and can't seem to keep his life or emotions in check. Cam goes to Dr. Summers and she offers him medicine to cure him, but medicine can not cure theimpact of these tragic events. I think everyone in the world can relate to losing a loved one. It is a really hard task to go through and Cam represents how an average person can relate to this experience. However, Cam does have a cure. He has a way out of the pain and emotional problems. He has another world.
A major theme shown through Cam, Other World Viv and through out this novel is the theme of letting go and moving on. Both of the main characters are faced with letting go but now that they've found each other in these different worlds, the theme has suddenly become holding on. However, Nina, a girl who has been through the portal of the two worlds has two different roles. The role of helping Cam grieve and let go, and the role of her possibly being the better choice for him and moving on from Viv. Nina and Cam's relationship is awkward but steady and hasn't been broken off. While their relationship stays steady, Nina knows that the portal is closing and Cam will soon have to make up his mind. Cam has to understand that Viv has never been the right girl for him, and that letting go and opening his eyes up to a world of options is the best thing. If he can let go, he could see a perfect life within the life he has. Sometimes the realest things are the things you can't see.
Overall, Through to You, is a good read. I would recommend this novel to teenagers, and anyone who has lost a loved one. They could easily relate to Cam's grieving, Cam and Viv's relationship, or Cam and Nina's relationship. I do not recommend this book for people under the age of fifteen due to the fact that there is cursing, and sexual scenes. This novel can easily relate to readers and has a suspenseful, drama filled quality that really gets a reader hooked. Through To You has themes such as letting go, grieving, love, and holding on, which makes the overall plot relate to the reader and keeps the reader interested. I really enjoyed Through To You, and thought Emily Hainsworth did a great job constructing an exciting, love story that readers can relate to and love.
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Feb 25, 2013 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, ya

It’s a love story but it’s also a story about longing. It’s a desire, a passion, and wish for something that it consumes you. Camden and Viv were an item and during an auto accident, Viv was taken from Camden and his life is shattered. If only he could have a few more moments with her, he feels he could get his life back together but this is only a dream since she is no longer of this world. As he struggles to put together his football career and his life, Camden cannot find himself and he falls...more It’s a love story but it’s also a story about longing. It’s a desire, a passion, and wish for something that it consumes you. Camden and Viv were an item and during an auto accident, Viv was taken from Camden and his life is shattered. If only he could have a few more moments with her, he feels he could get his life back together but this is only a dream since she is no longer of this world. As he struggles to put together his football career and his life, Camden cannot find himself and he falls deeper into despair with no light in sight. Strangely on the anniversary of Viv’s accident, he visits the site of the crash and he meets a girl name Nina. Nina is not a normal girl, no. She is from a parallel universe where Viv is still alive and well. In fact, upon slipping through the portal, everything seems to be the same between the two worlds except for the people and the circumstances surrounding the accident. Nina, who is also a victim of this saga gets into the action and the tension between the characters is well, too realistic to believe but something you have to unravel for yourself as I am not going to spoil it for you. Camden thinks he wants Viv back but the girl he remembers is not the girl in this parallel universe. Choices have been made in the different worlds and consequences have been played out so who wants who is a mystery and choices have to made fast. The portal window is shrinking and they don’t have much time. Will they settle for someone else who changed because of the portal or is love blind? What does Nina know that she is hesitating to tell?
What a tricky tale. I felt crushed by Camden at the beginning of the book with having to deal with the death of his girlfriend, trying to handle school and trying to figure out what he was going to do with his sports career but as the story progressed; my emotions were all over the place. I felt highs and lows with him and at times I even thought, hey buddy “open your eyes, look at what is right in front of you!” awhile either yelling or later smiling at him. Camden relationship with his parents, I thought was a nice touch. It was not a big production in the story but their presence in the storyline added character and conflict to Camden. I know the thought of parallel universes and a portal at the corner of a street is stretching my imagination but the thought of “doing something over” makes me think, what if?
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Jan 13, 2013 Emrys rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, sci-fi-fantasy

Through to You actually does have a strikingly original plot, though it is sometimes difficult to see it through the inane whining of the main character. He’s very pig-headed for the first ¾ of the story, he totally takes the magical portal for granted, which keeps the story from being one of those “OMG look at that magical thing over there that’s happening! It’s UNUSUAL and VERY CREATIVE!” stories. He also choses to not only disregard but be very rude to the only people who try to help him in a...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Earlier this week, this book showed up at my library because apparently I had put it on hold. I don't remember doing this, but I figured I might as well read it since I've heard good things about it and the concept sounded interesting. Just a warning, this review is going to have one spoiler, because it would be pretty difficult for me to write a. But otherwise I'm going to try to make it spoiler free :).

Through to You was definitely better than I expected it to be. The whole apparition thing ha...more Earlier this week, this book showed up at my library because apparently I had put it on hold. I don't remember doing this, but I figured I might as well read it since I've heard good things about it and the concept sounded interesting. Just a warning, this review is going to have one spoiler, because it would be pretty difficult for me to write a. But otherwise I'm going to try to make it spoiler free :).

Through to You was definitely better than I expected it to be. The whole apparition thing had me wary because I'm not into ghosts or anything of the sort and I was really hoping the book wouldn't be focused on that. It turns out, this Nina that Cam sees is a real girl (I think?) and lives in a parallel world. Like the synopsis says, Cam follows Nina into her world and makes a wild discovery. In the parallel world, his girlfriend Viv is still alive! But the other Cam (the parallel world one), is dead. Both Cam and Viv think all their problems have been solved if they can figure out some way to stay together. But as Cam spends more time with both Viv and Nina, he learns that things in this world are not the same as they are in his world, and the two girls are not who he thinks they are.

I really liked Cam as the main character. I don't read many books from male viewpoints because I have a difficult time connecting, but Hainsworth did a great job getting the reader into Cam's head. His grief over losing his girlfriend was apparent, but not overdone. Viv, on the other hand, I was not a fan of. She came off as clingy, possessive, and much of her behavior was a bit bizarre. I think she's supposed to come off this way, though. Either way, she made me rather uncomfortable and I was questioning her sanity throughout. Nina was a great character. I think I connected with her the most out of the three. She's incredibly caring and thoughtful, and made a lot of difficult decisions throughout the novel that I found admirable. Overall, I was pleased with the various characters, even if I wasn't a fan of all of them (ahem, Viv).

The way Hainsworth combined elements of both the paranormal and contemporary genres was interesting. Because it was a very contemporary type novel, the paranormal part of the story came off as very realistic. How cool would it be if there was another world out there similar to our own? Ok, it would be kind of creepy, but in Through to You it felt perfectly normal. It wasn't overpowering and the paranormal elements were a minor part of the story. I think they added some depth and gave the story a twist that it wouldn't have had otherwise (considering there wouldn't really be a story without the parallel world).

Through to You was a very fast read for me. I kind of wished it would have been a longer book as some of it seemed a bit rushed, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

This review (and more!) can be found at Rachel Reads (less)

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Nov 19, 2012 Kimmy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Here is the Kobo store’s summary:

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...more Here is the Kobo store’s summary:

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.

I picked this up at the library after reading some online reviews. I love stories about parallel worlds, and that’s what this seemed to be. As the summary above says, Cam is trying to get over the death of his girlfriend, Viv. One night while he visits the scene of the car accident, he encounters a girl who seems to know who he is, although he’s never seen her before.

Her name is Nina, and she shows him how she has traveled from her world to his. When he goes to see where she came from, he is surprised that everything is mostly the same but different in key aspects. I won’t spoil the rest of the plot, but it was a really good story and a quick read, as I didn’t want to put the book down once I got into it.

Cam was a sympathetic character. He’d suffered a terrible injury, his parents had split up, and he lost Viv, the person he saw as the only real friend he had left after losing the ability to play football. In a show of support, Viv had even given up cheerleading, and they decided that as long as they had each other, they didn’t need anyone else. Given that, I could certainly understand why he’d want to visit Nina’s world, where Viv is alive.

What I really liked about this story was that somehow, the other world where Nina and Viv lived was menacing, even without much happening. There was an atmosphere that the author created that really worked for me and made me feel that something bad was going to happen. Parallel world stories always include a warning about the dangers of traveling to them, and I love that. What would happen if someone saw Cam in Nina’s world, or if someone saw Nina in Cam’s world? I liked the way this was explored, and the differences between each world were interesting.

A major part of this book is Cam’s examination of his relationship with Viv. Since she’s dead in his world, everything that we learn about her comes from what Cam shows us, through flashbacks and memories. It was interesting to see how he reacted to the Viv in Nina’s world, who seems at first to be just like ‘his’ Viv, but as the story went on, it was clear that she wasn’t the same person as the girl Cam lost and mourned. It was also interesting to see how Cam was different in the parallel world, and how ‘our’ Cam reacted to the ‘other’ Cam’s life.

I really liked this book, and I definitely recommend it if you like sci-fi and YA fiction!(less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Once Upon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth has a simplistic, yet intriguing cover. Many times when I’m given books to review the first thing that I do is examine the cover and make inferences regarding the story line. With Through to You my predictions were completely off. Camden Pike has just lost his girlfriend Viv. The beginning of the story opens up with a very depressing view of Cam and how he is not coping with the tragic death of his girlfriend. Cam and Viv were the perfect couple. They were comp...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Wandering Librarians rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romance, science-fiction, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Camden's girlfriend Viv was killed in a car accident, and Camden can't move on. All he had was Viv, and without her, there's nothing. On one of his nightly treks to the place of Viv's death, Camden meets a strange girl, Nina, from a parallel world. In Nina's world, Viv is still very much alive. Cam can't resist seeking Viv out, but the Viv in this world seems different. And she's hiding something.

I liked the idea of there being different worlds based on the different choices we make, but the wor...more Camden's girlfriend Viv was killed in a car accident, and Camden can't move on. All he had was Viv, and without her, there's nothing. On one of his nightly treks to the place of Viv's death, Camden meets a strange girl, Nina, from a parallel world. In Nina's world, Viv is still very much alive. Cam can't resist seeking Viv out, but the Viv in this world seems different. And she's hiding something.

I liked the idea of there being different worlds based on the different choices we make, but the worlds were different in only a few ways, and it wasn't really explained or shown why those particular changes occurred. In one world, Nina's parents are alive, and in another they're dead. In both worlds Cam had a terrible football injury, but in one world he recovered to play again and in the other he withdrew. In one world Viv is alive and in the other Viv is dead. It all seemed very arbitrary. Yeah, I know, those were the important aspects to the story, but you know how I feel about world building. If you want to have a good sci-fie or fantasy book, you can't just do stuff, there has to be a reason.

In Nina's world, Viv is alive but Cam is dead, and Cam eventually learns that Viv is to blame. .I thought it was a little extreme. I mean, Viv was so jealous that she actually would have tried to kill Camden if she couldn't have him all to herself? That's not just jealousy, that's someone with mental problems. So I didn't love the whole "crazy girlfriend" angle. Also, I wasn't sure if these different worlds were completely different versions of themselves, or it was still them. I know that's not clear, but come with me on this. If you made another choice in another world, is that still you, or does that change you completely to the point where you are a different person?

Whatever the case, I thought it was a little sad, that Cam's experience with the other Viv changed how he thought about his Viv. Now Viv is the crazy girlfriend. But ah well, because it let him move on with his life, and we're left thinking he will befriend the Nina in his world, whose parents are not dead, and they will fall in love. Although Nina with not-dead parents would be quite a different person and maybe she won't at all be interested in Cam. Wouldn't that be a twist! Oh science fiction! You are delightful. Even more so with good world building.

Through to You came out on October 2, 2012.(less)

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Oct 11, 2012 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'll grant you that Through to You has a far-fetched premise, but it is romantic and has enough twists to keep you guessing.

Cam is trying to get over the death of his girlfriend, Viv, two months ago. He visits the spot where her car hit a pole almost every day. She was all Cam had, since he was injured a couple years ago and cannot play football. Now she's gone.

One time when he is visiting the site, he see's a ghost-like figure, and she knows him. She speaks to him like she is a real person, but...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

Camden Pike's life hasn't been the best lately. His dad left his mother. An injury destroyed his future as a football player. Worst of all, his girlfriend Viv died in a car accident that he blames himself for. He's in therapy, but not willing to talk to his doctor about Viv. Then, one day, he finds a transparent girl named Nina at the site of the accident. They can cross into each other's world.

And in Nina's world, Viv didn't die.

Emily Hainsworth's debut novel, at 272 pages, is one of the shorte...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Jeanbooknerd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Emily Hainsworth’s Through to You is the story of Camden (Cam) who has been trying to move on from losing his girlfriend Viv in a terrible car accident. The healing process is going by slow for Cam as he has to pass a shrine daily that Viv’s friends have set up at school. One night while he was near the shrine, Cam sees a green glow and as he nears it, he sees a girl that he believes to be a ghost. Then one day, this girl shows up at his house and seeks for his help to get back home. Cam success...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Sean Wills rated it 2 of 5 stars

Full review at the Intergalactic Academy.

When I started Through To You, I was hoping for something like Imaginary Girls or Liar – a slow-burning novel that waits until you think you know what kind of book you’re dealing with before suddenly bringing out the speculative twist. But where those books go for subtlety and a slow build up, Through To You unwisely shows its hand within the first 20 pages and remains predictable for the next 250.

The setup is promising: Camden Pike loses his girlfriend V...more Full review at the Intergalactic Academy.

When I started Through To You, I was hoping for something like Imaginary Girls or Liar – a slow-burning novel that waits until you think you know what kind of book you’re dealing with before suddenly bringing out the speculative twist. But where those books go for subtlety and a slow build up, Through To You unwisely shows its hand within the first 20 pages and remains predictable for the next 250.

The setup is promising: Camden Pike loses his girlfriend Viv in a car accident, and two months later sees an apparition of a mysterious girl near the site of the crash. Thankfully, the girl turns out to not be Viv, although she does seem to know him. Cam eventually works out that she’s from a parallel world where Viv never died and begins going back and forth regularly.

I’d explain a bit more of the plot, but I’m afraid of giving away the entire thing. From that paragraph alone (or indeed, from the book’s blurb), you’ll likely be able to work out 90% of what happens. Through To You ends up feeling like a short novella stretched into a short novel. There just isn’t enough content here to justify the pagecount, and it doesn’t help that the plot is so predictable. I guessed every twist in the book long before any of them happened, and was sorely disappointed to find that it had nothing else up its sleeve.

The entire plot comes down to a protracted setup for a certain kind of love triangle, one that should be painfully familiar to readers of YA fiction. As always with this kind of thing, one corner of the triangle is so sparsely-written and unlikable that it becomes difficult to see how anyone could ever see them as a viable option. In this case, it’s Viv, which is a problem when Camden spends so long pining over her and declaring, in blatantly co-dependent fashion, that his entire life revolved around her. That the co-dependence is plot-relevant doesn’t necessarily make it any more interesting to read about, either.

But for all its faults, Through To You is built on a fascinating premise. The idea of stumbling into a slightly different version of the real world is eternally compelling when handled correctly, and Hainsworth does handle it about as well as anyone else I’ve read. This is not a case of one world being ‘good’ and the other ‘bad’. Both are complex and messy, and at no point did I wonder why Cam didn’t just stay permanently in one over the other.

Speaking of things being messy, Cam is also believably traumatized over the abrupt end of his high school football career from a bad leg injury, Viv’s death, and his parents’ break-up. He goes to see a therapist, he has mood swings, and he is implied to have been borderline suicidal at some point before the events of the book’s plot. He and Nina both feel as though they’ve lived genuine lives rather than existing in a void while they waited for the novel to begin.

Ultimately, Through To You is a quick and easy read that probably won’t leave you as satisfied as you thought it would based on the premise.(less)

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Jul 08, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Besides Kristen White's trilogy, most paranormal YA books are rather dark and moody. This isn't quite paranormal which is fresh and interesting. It's not quite dark but definitely moody. It begins with Cam trying to plod through life after a car accident that killed his girlfriend, Viv. Cam's a downer. Life will never be good again because Viv was all of his life. He had football but blew out his knee. It still hurts. So he sits on the corner of the scene of the accident and smokes. And broods....more

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Jun 26, 2012 Jeanne E rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s not often that one is given the opportunity to review a book that has yet to be released. I am pleased to say that I was lucky enough to be offered this opportunity by Byrd’s Books of Bethel, Connecticut. Byrd’s Books is one of those very rare ‘birds’ in today’s world; an independent, small shop book seller. Located in the center of the town of Bethel, the store resides in the upper floor of an old house, which is as quaint as the town itself. If you ever get to Connecticut you must visit B...more It’s not often that one is given the opportunity to review a book that has yet to be released. I am pleased to say that I was lucky enough to be offered this opportunity by Byrd’s Books of Bethel, Connecticut. Byrd’s Books is one of those very rare ‘birds’ in today’s world; an independent, small shop book seller. Located in the center of the town of Bethel, the store resides in the upper floor of an old house, which is as quaint as the town itself. If you ever get to Connecticut you must visit Bethel (http://byrdsbooks.com).
One day while visiting the shop, I picked up a book; Through to You, by Emily Hainsworth. First, the cover caught my eye, which is usually the case, and I found the back cover blurb to be awfully intriguing. When I asked the price, the shop owner simply said, ‘Free. Just give me a review and it’s yours.’ Best price for a book ever, and a review, well, I can do that. The only concern was that the book was the author’s debut. Ummm… But I thought, why not. To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The book is a YA, sci-fi, romantic thriller. Wow, that seems to cover a lot of ground, but the story meets all the criteria. The main character is a young man, a high school student named Camden Pike, who is desperately trying to recover from the loss of his girlfriend, Viv. Viv died in a car accident; Camden survived it. Suffering from pangs of guilt, and ‘what-ifs,’ he would love to see Viv again, and would do just about anything to do so. When he visits the site of the accident, he sees an apparition of another girl. Nina is not a ghost. She is part of a parallel world, and in this parallel world Viv is still alive. But the Viv of this other world is not the same one he remembers, and she, and Nina, have secrets to hide. The doorway to this parallel world is slowly closing, and Camden must make choices before he can no longer cross into it. Filled with numerous plot twists that keep your eyes to the page, Through to You, was a very unexpected, face paced thriller that kept me guessing. I truly enjoyed the read. The book will be officially release on October 2, 2012, and I highly recommend it.
Enjoy!
Jeanne
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Oct 20, 2012 Isamlq rated it 2 of 5 stars

Through to You and I do not love each other. For starters, Cam’s plight had me feeling more of ‘Get on with it, mope-y grieving boy,’ instead of my usual ‘I weep for you, sad one.’ He’s just got so angsty, him and his drowning in his grief. And I got, in fact I did get it the first couple of paragraphs in… but to drag it on for what seemed like chapters? It bored me, is all.

My indifference was not at all aided by that sudden shift into Twilight Zone. Instead of piquing my interest, I wound up c...more Through to You and I do not love each other. For starters, Cam’s plight had me feeling more of ‘Get on with it, mope-y grieving boy,’ instead of my usual ‘I weep for you, sad one.’ He’s just got so angsty, him and his drowning in his grief. And I got, in fact I did get it the first couple of paragraphs in… but to drag it on for what seemed like chapters? It bored me, is all.

My indifference was not at all aided by that sudden shift into Twilight Zone. Instead of piquing my interest, I wound up confused and all brow a-furrow again, wondering WTF was going on. Too a jarring shift to be honest. So now, I’m struggling to sum it all up without spoiling things, but I will say things are not as they seem and once he steps through he and comes away completely changed. His view on what’s lost and his view on what’s important are altered.

But, let me try it this way: there’s a before and after to him. Most of the ‘before’ we learn from his recollections. He was top jock till’ till he got injured, then everything became simply about Viv. Forward years on when he loses her too, and his a wreck. wreck. Wreck. A fact made more obvious by his treatment of everyone still bothering with him. I mean sure, his parents are basically out of the picture, and yes the therapist says exactly what you’d think a therapist would (*predictable*), but my point is they barely don’t rate in his world at all. It’s all Viv was this and Viv was that. It’s all about her and that she’s not there. So obviously, him losing her wrecks him. That it wrecks him at all should signal that something s not quite right.

Then there’s after after, when the weird creeps in and the odd comes out. And I should have liked this introduction of the different; it’s just that I wasn’t buying it the easy explanations laid out. There’s barely any explanation actually, all just happening and no why-for. That’s my beef with it I suppose because in this after, we see how he must have been before it all. In love and happy and more than willing to do what another wants him to do (pushover?)

Revelations made and acceptance underway, it’s obvious he learns that what he made of people and what they really were weren’t always going to go together. Then there’s that obvious bit of feeling good does not equal the right thing. Mostly though it’s accepting that things are the way they are… and things change; that people do as well… I’m just wish it could have all been delivered in less angsty boy mope-y kind of way.

2/5
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Oct 15, 2012 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-kayla

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A guy loses his girlfriend in a wreck, but when he has the chance to get her back, she’s different.

Opening Sentence: It’s the same dream that I’ve been having for the past two months–Viv walking away from glass and fire, her laughter echoing through the night.

The Review:

Have you ever wanted to change the past? To maybe have one more chance to make things right? For Camden Pike, that’s all he wanted when his girlfriend died in a car crash th...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: harper, 2012, 2012-debut-author, november, own

4.5

Magical realism is coming, YA-world, mark my words!

Through To You was really fabulous, intensely emotional and just the right amount of twisted to pull off the multi-deminsional concept.

I really enjoyed Cam, and "his" Viv, although I found his final thoughts on their relationship to be incredibly thought-provocing, making me re-think their entire relationship.

I read this one straight through without stopping and would suggest you do the same!

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Oct 06, 2012 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult, fantasy-sf

I liked it, but I didn't love it. I see why others liked it more than I did though. There's a lot of talk about feelings. I think the cover blurb gave too much away, because I feel like I knew everything that was going to happen here, including the revelation near the end. And it was super tedious for us to know all along that Cam has found a parallel world while Cam remains oblivious for a long, long time.

It's genre-bending, but ONLY in the sense that I can't tell if it's fantasy or science fic...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Book Twirps rated it 3 of 5 stars

Camden Pike is distraught after losing his girlfriend, Viv, in a deadly car accident. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t think about her, or what he could have done differently that night to prevent the accident. Every day he visits her shrine, wishing he could be with her again. When Cam meets Nina, a mysterious girl hanging around the shrine, he soon learns that Nina is from another dimension and in that dimension, Viv is alive. Desperate to see her again, Cam steps into that dimension with Nin...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: does-justice-to-the-genre, mystery, sci-fi, young-adult, interesting-premise, surprised-me, ya-audiobook-challenge

What did I think? Hmmm. I'll have to think about that.

This was an interesting story. Great premise - alternate universes, and as I'm a sucker for time travel (which generally involves alternate realities), it was excellent on that count. The way the two realities differed provided the mystery and plot. And this was such fun because the characters were the same - just, different.

Cam was hard for me to picture at first. Former football star, popular, jock who then gets injured and withdraws. The w...more What did I think? Hmmm. I'll have to think about that.

This was an interesting story. Great premise - alternate universes, and as I'm a sucker for time travel (which generally involves alternate realities), it was excellent on that count. The way the two realities differed provided the mystery and plot. And this was such fun because the characters were the same - just, different.

Cam was hard for me to picture at first. Former football star, popular, jock who then gets injured and withdraws. The whole juxtaposition of that kind of threw me at the outset, this odd compilation of details that didn't fit into a nice box. But this character didn't lapse into the stock bad-boy or the injured, fragile kid. He was just a guy who is dealing with a lot of loss and coping the best he can.

Viv is a character we only know through Cam's eyes until we meet her - and even then, it's not really her. So that contrast made it fascinating. This is especially true because Nina is new to Cam, and he only knows her as one person. Cam's mom and dad just frame him out, as does Mike. Owen is a wonderful surprise that I didn't expect.

The pacing seemed a bit slow in parts, but it always picked right back up. it would have been nice if the characters had asked some obvious questions or reached obvious conclusions without things being so drawn out. But, I never got bored. I will say this: Cam and Viv's relationship seemed shallow after a bit. And what I would have expected to be a more heart-tugging reunion turned out to be just what it should have been, based on the way the characters were. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say that the scenes lacking depth only reflected the characters in them.

The plot surprised me; I have to say that I did wonder who the bad guy really was. it wasn't predictable. And I did like the ending very much. I was afraid it would stop earlier, but fortunately it followed through to an appropriate point that didn't leave the reader wondering. It wasn't trite, but it was nice.

As always, I listened to the audio version. The narrator was ok - he didn't wow me at all. I think it could have been better done. But I say this because of the timbre of his voice. I think Cam should have had a more high-school, higher sounding voice. This narrator made him sound borderline whiny at times.

This is the author's debut, and it is a good one. While it didn't knock me down with emotional intensity or have me at the edge of my seat with suspense, it was a great story. I'm looking forward to more from her. If her next novel has this good a premise, it will definitely be worth a read.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Darkfallen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, read-n-reviewed

Awwww....what a bittersweet read!

Cam has been a mess since the night a car accident took his girlfriend, Viv, away. She was his everything and now she's gone, and he is left with the constant reminder with her memorial outside of school. But while standing there staring at all the pictures, flowers, and ribbons something strange happens. He sees a girl...well she is more like a glowing green ghost. At first he thinks he is losing his mind but then he realizes she is from another dimension...One...more

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