All These Things I've Done (Birthright, #1) by Gabrielle Zevin

Jun 19, 2011 Gabrielle rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: by-me

In the interest of full disclosure, I am acquainted with the author.

Aug 13, 2011 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, series-dropped-lost-steam, ya

2.5 stars

Mixed feelings about this book.

At first, I was enamored with All These Things I've Done. Mainly because of its originality. Even though the novel is pushed as another dystopia, it is more of a mafia crime drama, at least in the beginning. The setting is futuristic - 2083, but hardly dystopic. The end of the century US is overrun by lawlessness, corruption and rationing, however there is nothing particularly oppressive about it. In fact, it actually reminded me of 1990s Russia - the civ...more 2.5 stars

Mixed feelings about this book.

At first, I was enamored with All These Things I've Done. Mainly because of its originality. Even though the novel is pushed as another dystopia, it is more of a mafia crime drama, at least in the beginning. The setting is futuristic - 2083, but hardly dystopic. The end of the century US is overrun by lawlessness, corruption and rationing, however there is nothing particularly oppressive about it. In fact, it actually reminded me of 1990s Russia - the civilization is still there, but the change in political regime destroyed the country's infrastructure and order, not irreparably though.

16-year old Anya Balanchine is the daughter of the deceased head of the Russian-American mafia family. Although she still gets the perks of being affiliated with this organization (money, connections, easy access to illegal substances - chocolate among other things!), she is not a part of the criminal network. Anya is busy going to school, looking after her mentally disabled older brother, little sister and dying grandmother and fighting off her good-for-nothing ex. Her life is moderately difficult and later becomes even more so, when she finds herself attracted to the wrong boy (a new DA's son) and when her ex gets poisoned by what appears to be the chocolate bar Anya gave him.

Up to that point the book was great, except the occasional misspellings of Russian words and chocolate-is-now-a-drug bit which I thought was almost as ridiculous as love-is-a-deadly-decease premise. And then something happened in the second half of the novel.

The crime subplot is almost completely abandoned then. No new backstory or external information is introduced, there is hardly any conflict. What is in there is a lot of Anya's immediate family repetitive drama and romance. The strange thing is, all of this is written in a very detached way. You no longer feel like you are with Anya being a part of the events or romantic scenes. Everything reads as recaps, many plot points (proms, school theater production, dates) are introduced and then recounted in a couple of sentences. Even all the lovey-dovey stuff is recapped! Yes, a string of recaps and very poor and uninteresting dialog. My connection to this story was lost then. My interest was killed by excessive telling and minimal showing.

All These Things I've Done could have been so much better with more mafia, more crime, narrower time frame, and less recapping.

Such a wasted premise! Probably won't be back for the sequel.(less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, arc, dystopia-utopia, 2012, wtf-sexism, bloody-awful

Let's be clear, I did a lot of skim-reading and not-reading after the 150 page marker because there was nothing much - actually, nothing at all - about this book that I can say I enjoyed. I'm not surprised after reading a lot of my friends' negative reviews, but I do admit to a little curiosity sparking in me when this arrived from the publishers claiming to be The Godfather with a dystopian twist. This is nothing at all, slightly, remotely like The Godfather beyond the mention of mafia - and I...more

Let's be clear, I did a lot of skim-reading and not-reading after the 150 page marker because there was nothing much - actually, nothing at all - about this book that I can say I enjoyed. I'm not surprised after reading a lot of my friends' negative reviews, but I do admit to a little curiosity sparking in me when this arrived from the publishers claiming to be The Godfather with a dystopian twist. This is nothing at all, slightly, remotely like The Godfather beyond the mention of mafia - and I'll get to that ridiculous plot element in a minute - and it's not really much of a dystopia either, though who's surprised about that anymore?

So this is supposed to be about the mafia, mobsters, crime lords... it isn't. I wanted a terrifying boss sat behind a desk, creating fear with a single look, dealing in all kinds of horrendous underground business; I wanted shoot outs, car chases and mysteries; scandals and betrayal... what did I get? Chocolate, caffeine and a love story. I kid you not. All those big mafia thugs with their illegal activities, you know what it's really all about? Chocolate and caffeine. After reading a book like White Cat which contains a perfect mix of mafia action, family betrayals and a touch of magic, this book is so... lame. I can't think of a better word for it, it's just lame. Plus, there's an extreme lack of world-building beyond this bizarre decision to ban chocolate, caffeine and paper without a license (or something to that effect). Why would chocolate be illegal??? WHY??? You're making no sense to me!!!

This is another romance. Yep, that's right, another one of those, posing as a dystopia naturally. The love interest is nothing to write home about, but the protagonist annoyed me so much I simply refused to give this book anymore than one star. She's bitchy and horrible and I really hated being in on her thoughts when she's watching her "best friend" flirting with Win, the way she so snidely criticises the poor girl for being "obvious" and "full-on" when she is strictly a good catholic girl who cannot possibly have sex before marriage because she will go to hell. I just can't... argh. The first chapter is called "I defend my own honour" - oh please, are you joking? Yeah, sure, the guy's an asshole but "defending her honour"?? Let me just quote this for you:

"I didn't believe in sex before marriage. I was a mostly good catholic girl, and I knew exactly where the type of behaviour he was suggesting would get me: straight to hell."

If you don't want to have sex, that's just fine, but preaching shit about going to hell for it in a young adult book that's going to be read by a lot of teenage girls? And straight from our "heroine's" mouth too? Well, fuck you. This is a book crammed full of slut-shaming and a load of anti-sex bullshit. Only for girls, though. There's a lovely scene where Anya (protag.) is out at a club with her friends and sees her brother and some girls dancing. The girls, she notes, are sluts. Sluts because of that suggestive way they're dancing with her brother! But, but, but... he's bloody dancing with them too! Holy shit. And, of course, these girls are from this point onward referred to as "the slutty girls" or individually as "one of the sluts". I don't care whether this is the author's opinion or a character trait of Anya's - I DO NOT LIKE.

Even without the poor world-building, slut-shaming and my complete annoyance at the main character, this would still not have been a good book. It's just a case of Gabrielle Zevin jumping on the dystopian trend with a crappy story. I wasn't expecting to be wowed, but it's rare that a book manages to offend me so much. Ugh.
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Feb 20, 2012 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, macmillan, dystopian, 2011, disappointing, ya-kids-teen, bea11, annoying-protagonist, mc-girl

The status comments I made for this book do a lot to explain my descending feelings. I'm just flat bummed that Zevin took things in the direction she did, because I started out absolutely LOVING this story.

To be honest, the only reason I was initially engaged in the book is because I liked Anya and her family. The worldbuilding is practically nonexistent, and for any book that touts itself as a dystopian, that's not good. Chocolate and caffeine have been outlawed, and there's little-to-no expla...more The status comments I made for this book do a lot to explain my descending feelings. I'm just flat bummed that Zevin took things in the direction she did, because I started out absolutely LOVING this story.

To be honest, the only reason I was initially engaged in the book is because I liked Anya and her family. The worldbuilding is practically nonexistent, and for any book that touts itself as a dystopian, that's not good. Chocolate and caffeine have been outlawed, and there's little-to-no explanation as to why. I struggled to suspend my disbelieve that a society would attack caffeine but leave out alcohol. I mean...really? Explain to me how caffeinated, hand-snapping beatniks are more deviant and dangerous than angry drunks, seriously. So I never felt particularly drawn to the plot, because all things considered, there really was none. This is primarily the story of a deceased mob boss's daughter trying to make her way in the world. And that's cool, but this reads more like a futuristic realism novel. Dystopians usually need a little more engagement. There were some interesting elements, like the poisoning of Anya's ex-boyfriend and the (view spoiler), but mostly, the plot didn't come full-swing until the last 50 or so pages. By then, I'd lost interest.

So the only thing this book really had going for it was characterization. I loved the main character, Anya, because she seemed so different from the multitude of TSTL love-drenched or man-hating girls I often encounter in YA lit. She had a maturity that I crave in characters. She seemed grounded, and while she wasn't religious in the personal devotion, private faith sort of way, she had a moral code/set of values that she clung to. And that made me all kinds of happy. But what happens when that's taken away? For me, Zevin quite abruptly withdrew the one major positive I had with this book, the one thing that really had me caring, the one thing that made any sort of personal connection with me. (view spoiler). I may lose some readers with the whole religion/values thing (maybe not), but what I didn't like, that I think may resonate with others, is this picture Zevin drew of a girl who goes from being responsible and a caretaker to her family, to making some boy the center of her world. And I guess that was the last straw. A basic, forward-moving plot was hardly existent and there there wasn't a lot of action, so the whole likability of this book rested on the characters. And in my opinion, Zevin destroyed the main character's credibility. It made Anya's somewhat preachy declarations and internal monologues about her beliefs seem like nothing but talk. And the love interest, Win, had almost no likability whatsoever. He came across as manipulative in an emotionally pushy sort of way. Plus, I never like it when (view spoiler).
And now I'm going to touch on something that, as of yet, NO ONE has mentioned in their review. Perhaps I'm the only one who noticed: (view spoiler).

So that's what nagged at me as I struggled to finish this. It's like watching a strong, self-assured character turn codependent. I do want admit that Anya attempts to regain a proactive, strong personality by the end of the novel, but by then, I had just checked out.

What I also realized (I obviously didn't notice this from the synopsis, which was my bad) is that ATTID is really a retelling of 'Romeo and Juliet' with a semi-dystopian backdrop. Since I've already biased up this review, I might as well admit that I think 'Romeo and Juliet' is one of the LEAST ROMANTIC stories of all time, so I am definitely not one to buy into the whole 'starcrossed lovers make the best lovers' idea. And the ending of this book really sets up for more 'Romeo and Juliet' drama. Secret relationships and the whole 'I really love you but I'm going to act like I hate you to protect you!'is just hogwash storytelling, in my opinion. Mostly, I'm just sad that at how this book turned out. Here's the thing: It seems like most trilogies start out very solidly, then meander on through the second book, which is where we get the phrase "middle book syndrome." With this series, though, the FIRST book is the one that meanders. I bet the second book will make way more sense, and perhaps even be exciting. Because of the melodramatic way this book ended, though, I don't plan on catching that sequel. (less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: other, romance

2.5 stars

All These Things I’ve Done and I got off to a bit of a rocky start. It frustrated me, bored me a little, and even slightly offended me. I quickly decided this was going to be anything but a seamless read. And I was right – sort of. Although I do still have doubts about whether or not I can say ‘I liked it’, the last 200 pages or so of the book were much better than the first 100. In fact, the improvement was enough to stop me from abandoning the book. I did find it more engaging after t...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, dystopia, review-copy, young-adult, romance-awww, read-in-2011

All These Things I've Done was surprisingly good. I was completely captivated by this intriguing and tension filled story.

I have been reading quite a bit of dystopia lately and I loved that this novel did not focus on matching people or the government trying to control everybody. In the year 2083 they are plenty of problems and changes but overall it feels more like a realistic future. Chocolate is illegal (EEK! no chocolate would make me crazy) together with a million other things like caffeine...more All These Things I've Done was surprisingly good. I was completely captivated by this intriguing and tension filled story.

I have been reading quite a bit of dystopia lately and I loved that this novel did not focus on matching people or the government trying to control everybody. In the year 2083 they are plenty of problems and changes but overall it feels more like a realistic future. Chocolate is illegal (EEK! no chocolate would make me crazy) together with a million other things like caffeine, paper without a permit, phones, cameras. I felt the world was very convincing as it feels similar to the stories of the 1920's when alcohol was banned and smuggled in.

This is the first book of Zevin's I have read. I found her prose sharp and alluring. Writing that draws you in immediately. It was perfectly paced story that had a cleverly constructed plot and world.

Anya is part of the Balanchine Family, one of the most well known crime syndicates in the world. Her father use to be the head of it before he was murdered. Anya mother was also killed in a hit gone wrong. Now Anya is trying to do the best she can caring for her ill grandmother, her older brother Leo, who has a learning disability and her younger sister Natty. Anya is a mature, brave and compelling character. I love that she always but her family first. I found the secondary characters to be just as well crafted and likeable as Anya especially Leo and Natty.

Win, is the son of the head of the District Attorney Department and Anya's love interest. So it is has a little bit of the star crossed lovers thing going on. The romance between Anya and Win was passionate and yet sweet at the same time.

The mafia part of the storyline was probably the highlight for me though. I found myself fascinated by this mysterious and dangerous element of the story. I would definitely like to see it play an even bigger part in the next installment.

I am so happy All These Things I've Done is going to be a trilogy. Even though it ended in a good place I felt like the story was just getting started and it has left me desperately craving more.

Overall, I found All These Things I've Done to be a clever and engaging read. Zevin definitely delivers all the right elements in this impressive novel. (less)

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Jan 09, 2012 Lexie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: beautiful-cover, dystopia, great-concept, blech-annoying

This is the first book I've given up on in a long time.

And some might think it strange. Because, looking at it objectively . . . is it better than Twilight? Is it better than Evermore? Is it better than Hush, Hush?

I think I'd have to say yes to all of those. But the difference is, however terrible those books may be, the one thing they did do is keep me interested. They kept me invested enough in the story that I wanted to know how it all turned out. And that just did not happen with All These T...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-via-amazon-vine, just-not-good-enough-to-stick-with, the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it, arc

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

So there's this book here, All These Things I've Done. In it, chocolate is illegal, water is heavily rationed, you can hardly find paper anymore, and new clothes haven't been made in decades. The world has gone to hell in a handbasket, pretty much. Our main character is a mafiya princess whose father ran it before he was murdered. With both of her parents dead, she takes care of her brother, sister, and dying grandmother. The new DA's son has a crush on he...more Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

So there's this book here, All These Things I've Done. In it, chocolate is illegal, water is heavily rationed, you can hardly find paper anymore, and new clothes haven't been made in decades. The world has gone to hell in a handbasket, pretty much. Our main character is a mafiya princess whose father ran it before he was murdered. With both of her parents dead, she takes care of her brother, sister, and dying grandmother. The new DA's son has a crush on her and she might like him back, but then her ex-boyfriend gets poisoned and she's arrested for it, then sent to a juvenile detention facility located in the Statue of Liberty. Upon her release, all eyes are on her and she can't escape the spotlight that comes with her family name.

That sounds interesting right? You would be surprised at exactly how boring it is when you're reading the book yourself.

Anya and the other characters lack depth and miss all of the many opportunities to throw it into the story. How does Anya really feel? Her parents were both dead by the time she was nine and she had to grow up quickly to take care of her grandmother, her brain-damaged brother Leo, and her little sister Natty. Are there no feelings there of resentment or anger for having to do that? No, it wouldn't be right for her to feel that way toward her family because they can't control it, but it would make Anya more human. People who have been in that situation and even the people who haven't will know she doesn't really mean it and empathize with her. It's a classic move, but nothing of the sort ever happen. They're all flat as can be.

Nothing happens. Really. The ex-boyfriend doesn't get poisoned until about page 100 (inciting incidents need to happen more quickly than that, as I've said on the DNF review of another book) and even that didn't get me very excited. It's all about Anya hanging with Scarlet and Win or talking to her brother Leo or being with her family and I wanted more to be going on. Slow-builder? There is a limit on how slowly a book should be building. This was too slow.

And my biggest complaint: What's the point?

The book is marketed as a dystopian. This may just be me, but I think one qualifier for being called a dystopian is that it has a point and is trying to say something. If there is none, it's not a proper dystopian. All These Things I've Done just floats along for half the book without depth or a point or anything. It's so forgettable despite its promising premise.

This is going to be found unhelpful or unreliable because I didn't finish it. I know that and frankly, I don't care. By the halfpoint, things should be happening and I should find at least one little piece I like, but nothing was happening and I was totally disinterested. Good books are good from start to finish; a reader shouldn't be forced to wade through a mediocre or bad first half to get to an amazing second half and if they do, it's a flaw of the book. It doesn't excuse a book's sleep-inducing qualities to say that it's doing set-up work for the good stuff. We should have already been at the good stuff with the set-up work being deftly weaved in.

So in short, a pointless, boring book that wasted an interesting premise and spent less time on the plot and more on the drama: that is All These Things I've Done in a nutshell and this is why I couldn't finish it. I tried because I hate leaving books unfinished (it's bad for me in the long run, you see; I will want to know how it ended but I never will and that drives me nuts), but I have better books waiting for me.

One my best best friends and I bought this book as a gift for another best friend who describes herself as a chocoholic. It was a very special birthday and she needed a good gag gift like that, especially after her dramatic reaction to it when she first heard of it. I now feel bad for buying it for her because it means I gave my friend a boring book.(less)

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Oct 17, 2011 Ash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first few pages of this I absolutely could not take seriously. Honestly, you try and keep a straight face when someone is talking about drinking espresso like it’s getting shot up with meth. The feeling passed fairly quickly though and in this story I found a character that I could really like.

Quick Overview: Anya Balanchine is known mainly as the daughter of the most notorious (and dead) chocolate crime boss. All Anya wants though is to stay under the radar and keep her and her family safe....more The first few pages of this I absolutely could not take seriously. Honestly, you try and keep a straight face when someone is talking about drinking espresso like it’s getting shot up with meth. The feeling passed fairly quickly though and in this story I found a character that I could really like.

Quick Overview: Anya Balanchine is known mainly as the daughter of the most notorious (and dead) chocolate crime boss. All Anya wants though is to stay under the radar and keep her and her family safe. But with trying not to fall for the new assistant DA’s son and sudden accusations of attempted murder, flying under the radar is getting close to impossible. In fact Anya finds it hard not to be in the spotlight lately, and it brings all the wrong kind of attention, like from her mafiya (this is how they spell it in the book) family.

After I got over my laughing fit I thought the ban of coffee and chocolate was actually a pretty original idea. I suppose this could be considered dystopia, but it really doesn’t hold the same style. Anya is a likeable character. Not in the way that you want to be her best friend, but because you can respect her grounded-ness (is that a word?) and determination to keep her family safe. A lot of Anya’s decisions may seem insensitive, but I could understand her and can honestly say that for the most part I would’ve done the same thing if it meant doing right by my family. I could understand her protectiveness towards her brother Leo and I loved her innocent but wise younger sister Natty.

Now for the not so great. At times it seemed like the authors was trying too hard to make us feel sorry for Anya. It’s really unnecessary seeing as we already know about her circumstances, so it was overkill. We are constantly being told that Anya is tough and she’s excessively mean at parts just to show this point. The chocolate and coffee ban I think it supposed to show how outlawing drugs and restricting drinking just causes crime. And I agree, but making them legal would mean that you trust people to use these things responsibly… and I don’t. Not to mention that drugs and alcohol impair your actions and judgment a lot more than coffee and chocolate put together. I mean really, how many times have you heard of someone being hit by a car cause the driver was under the intoxicating influence of chocolate? Exactly. My real beef though is that somewhere in the middle I just lost Anya. All of sudden she's detached and at odds with some of her strongest beliefs for…a very stupid reason. It makes her lose some of her credibility because she had previously established how important these things were to her. I would’ve liked to see a lot more of the mafiya conflict that we see earlier and at the end of the book.

Even though I’ve got these hang ups I really enjoyed this book. The characters are like normal people with their flaws and complications. Their actions are (almost) always understandable and in correlation with their beliefs and struggles. I love the loyalty and love between Anya and her brother and sister. Strong sibling relationships are one of the most underappreciated relationships in literature I think, as are families in general. The dynamic between Anya’s immediate family and her extended mafiya family was also interesting to see. There’s an obvious distance, but inseparable bond between them. It’s a unique and interesting read, but I’m not sure I want read the sequel. I can just see things getting all kinds of convoluted. I don’t think I’ll be able to resist seeing what happens to Anya and the rest of her family though. Besides, I love me some crime drama.
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Oct 18, 2011 Krystle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I was pretty excited when I got this book. A future society where chocolate is banned and mafia included? Omg! Sounds so exciting. Especially since I'm such a chocolate whore. Haha.

Despite the ridiculousness of the premise I totally devoured up the whole caffeine and chocolate being outlawed because it just sounds cool. I don't know what I'd do if they were banned. I think I'd go crazy because I'm Asian! How can you go without tea? TEA?! But I'm just curious... Why would you ban chocolate and ca...more I was pretty excited when I got this book. A future society where chocolate is banned and mafia included? Omg! Sounds so exciting. Especially since I'm such a chocolate whore. Haha.

Despite the ridiculousness of the premise I totally devoured up the whole caffeine and chocolate being outlawed because it just sounds cool. I don't know what I'd do if they were banned. I think I'd go crazy because I'm Asian! How can you go without tea? TEA?! But I'm just curious... Why would you ban chocolate and caffeine but leave alcohol consumption legal? Totally does not add up.

Anya was cool. She was pragmatic, logical, and not easily intimidated or influenced... that is until I got to the second half. I think it started around the tenth or eleventh chapter. I don't know what it was but her characterization seemed to be turned off. Now she was distant without much emotion behind her actions nor were there any insights into her thoughts as well. I became rapidly detached and disconnected from her and it didn't help that she started to turn into a person who ran away from difficult decisions and circumstances. Totally not the cool character she was earlier.

I really wish there had been more background scheming and plotting by her mafia (or mafiya as it's written in this book) relatives and really getting to know that dark underhanded methods they use to reach their goals. This book would have been fabulous if we got to see the interplay of power struggles and corruption within the ranks with Anya caught up in it.

Instead this book turned more toward the light and in the direction of romance, which was another area I had a problem with. Not that there was anything particularly wrong and offensive about the two main characters' romance because it's sweet and just a bit sappy for the most part but it just lacked development. When they first have their expression of feelings there isn't much build up there on the part of Anya. I mean, we can obviously see that he likes her but not so much with Anya. So when she does something rash and abrupt like that it seems out of character and unnatural.

Then the rest of the book focuses more on how they can stay together and the difficulties they encounter because of their two different backgrounds. Not fun. I like the Japanese guy better because I don't know, he had more life in his scenes when we saw him. Not to mention he's also a part of the mafia as well so that would make it doubly interesting.

I really hated when Anya did that whole addressing the reader bits. They were jarring and totally threw me out of the story. Also there seemed to be less elaboration and more straight forward telling in the second half. Some scenes were really only talked about after the fact in less than adequate detail when making the character experience and going through these scenes would have been a lot more gripping.

I have to admit though that I loved the healthy and positive family portrayal in this book. By family I don't mean her outside mafia connections, I mean her real family; her ailing grandmother, her brother and her sister. I loved that she always looked out for them and tried to protect them even though they weren't necessarily the right choices. They were always present and with real personalities and fears.

Also I loved her friendship with her best friend. (I forgot her name presently, sorry) It was awesome. Her friend didn't become the cliched comedic relief or the bitter and angry rival for the male lead's romance interest. She had her own life that didn't hinge heavily on Anya's own. If Anya did something that she didn't agree with or upset her, she didn't let it slide. She let her know and it wasn't just some easy, "I'm sorry" and that's that. Their friendship seemed to have a real resemblance to the ones you'd actually have with people in real life.

This book had marvelous potential and was living up to it quite well in the beginning... but then it sputtered and burnt out in the second half. Shame.

I won this book from First Reads and would like to thank Goodreads for giving me the opportunity to read it.(less)

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Feb 13, 2012 Lenore Appelhans rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, dystopian-august-2011

LOVE this! Even though the narrative is first person, the way the story is told, it’s almost like a much older Anya is reminiscing about her misspent youth to her own grandchildren in a distant future. I liked Anya immediately and basically hung on her every word.

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Apr 19, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, tla-2011

Wow. This book was nothing like what I was expecting. And I mean that in a good way!

I loved how All These Things I’ve Done was set in the near future, so the world hadn’t progressed drastically. I liked being able to recognize things from today. For example, when Anya goes to Liberty Island (which wasn’t a tourist spot anymore), she talks about a statue of feet wearing sandals which I recognized to be the remains of the Statue of Liberty. But things still had changed. Water is rationed, paper bo...more

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May 19, 2012 Sam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, so-glad-i-didnt-buy, okay-ish, not-sure-what-to-think, borrowed

All These Things I've Done is a new take on the dystopian genre. In a world where chocolate is banned? Who wouldn't want to read about that? This is the first book in the Birthright series that you will either love or...not get along with.

Set in New York City, 2083, 16-year-old Anya is the one keeping her family together. Her parents died in a car crash. Her brother is suffering from that accident. Her grandmother is dying. What does she do? She does the best she can to keep her family safe, but...more All These Things I've Done is a new take on the dystopian genre. In a world where chocolate is banned? Who wouldn't want to read about that? This is the first book in the Birthright series that you will either love or...not get along with.

Set in New York City, 2083, 16-year-old Anya is the one keeping her family together. Her parents died in a car crash. Her brother is suffering from that accident. Her grandmother is dying. What does she do? She does the best she can to keep her family safe, but when her ex-boyfriend is poisoned by the chocolate that Anya gave him, she is an immediate suspect. A few weeks later she meets Will, a charming young boy who is genuinely interested in her, but Anya knows she can never make that feeling mutual. Win's father is the new D.A and he does not want Anya messing up his chances to be mayor by ruining his family's reputation. Can Anya take this risk?

All These Things I've Done wasn't anything like I thought it would be. The plot line was predictable, the main character was boring, and the list just goes on and on. I must say, I really liked the idea for the book when I read the blurb; the romance sounded interesting and, well, overall I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it! Sadly, the book did not live up to my expectations.

I didn't enjoy the Gabrielle's writing style or the way she built up her characters, I probably skim read 3/4 of the book because I couldn't stand to read another word of Anya's thoughts. Okay, sure, the book wasn't entirely bad, I still found positive moments that I cherished for as long as humanly possible. One character in particular encouraged me to finish the book: Win. He was nice and, at times, funny. I thoroughly enjoyed his personality! And if you want me to be honest, I skim read the book just to find bits to read with him in it. I can't help it! The girl, Anya, drove me nuts. "No, sorry, I can't do this, I'm pure, I have to save myself!", WELL YOUR NOT DOING A GOOD JOB ARE YOU? FLIRTING WITH WIN ISN'T GOING TO HELP THAT PURENESS, IS IT?! The answer: NO.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try out this book, I'm just saying that I don't think that this book will satisfy reader's high expectations now-a-days. I'm going to read the sequel, not because I'm desperately aching to find out what happens, more along the lines of wanting to see if the series does get any better. So, give this a go and let me know!(less)

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Aug 30, 2011 Skye rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

This review is also posted on my blog, In The Good Books.

Anya is essentially the head of her family. Her grandmother is on her deathbed, her older brother's mental capacity took a turn for the worse after a car accident, and her parents are long dead. But that's not unexpected, given that they led the Balanchine crime family, specialising in distributing illegal chocolate.

She was an exceptionally likeable character; sensible, pragmatic, wry, and strong. She was fiercely loyal of her family, desp...more This review is also posted on my blog, In The Good Books.

Anya is essentially the head of her family. Her grandmother is on her deathbed, her older brother's mental capacity took a turn for the worse after a car accident, and her parents are long dead. But that's not unexpected, given that they led the Balanchine crime family, specialising in distributing illegal chocolate.

She was an exceptionally likeable character; sensible, pragmatic, wry, and strong. She was fiercely loyal of her family, despite their shortcomings, and went to extreme lengths to protect them, even sacrificing her own needs to do so. The way she encountered a problem and immediately and selflessly did what was necessary to fix it was incredibly admirable and made her all the more interesting to read about.

The romantic aspect of the book played a huge role, and this didn't invoke the exasperation non-romantics such as myself would associate with this. Given the personal way in which Anya narrated, her relationship with Win dominating so much of her attention felt natural for her. It was clear how Anya the realist could fall for Win (I mean, his hats), and the way being with him broke her out of her pragmatic shell gave her character a whole other level of depth and relatability.

The setting, a dystopian future, was almost reminiscent of the past. The New York of 2083 had the feel of the New York of the 1920s, with smoky speakeasies and less technology. I liked the notion of our society reaching its peak and then slowly declining back to the past in a symmetrical fashion.

Anya narrated in past tense, taking time occasionally to point out her mistakes in the 20/20 clarity of hindsight. The style was refreshingly original and well executed. The prose itself was smooth and lovely, and had the almost wistful or forlorn quality that you'd be familiar with from Elsewhere and Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac.

The conclusion was stunning, and slightly surprisingly. The final line, "May God forgive me for this and all these things I've done" left me awe-struck, and definitely furthered the impression that the book was written almost like Anya's confession. The next book can't come fast enough!

I give All These Things I've Done a 5 out of 5.(less)

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Oct 02, 2011 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-release, arcs-i-own, mundie-moms-reviews, 2011-100-book-challenge, signed-books-arcs

3.5 stars

This is a fun, exciting and at times thrilling read that felt like a cross between a dystopian and a contemporary book. There's a lot of things that Gabrielle intertwines into her story that captured my attention, and kept invested in the over all story even when some things didn't quite come together for me. It's unique and refreshingly different from the normal YA books that have been released lately. I think YA fans will really enjoy it because of that.

Anya is a character I both adm...more 3.5 stars

This is a fun, exciting and at times thrilling read that felt like a cross between a dystopian and a contemporary book. There's a lot of things that Gabrielle intertwines into her story that captured my attention, and kept invested in the over all story even when some things didn't quite come together for me. It's unique and refreshingly different from the normal YA books that have been released lately. I think YA fans will really enjoy it because of that.

Anya is a character I both admire and had a hard time really connecting with. Her greatest strength is her ability to do whatever it takes to protect her family, and stick to her guns when she believes in something. She's grown up in the shadow of her father, a notorious late mob boss which gives her a sense of no fear, she has to sort through her family's mob issues, make her relationship with Win work and try to stay out of trouble, which she lands in a few times. I like the way Anya was written and the way she tells her story. Her voice is really strong and unique, which made for a fast paced, exciting read, but one that I didn't connect with like I wanted to. She's a character who shows little emotion, which is understandable, but it made it hard for me to truly connect with her.

I really liked the romance in the story between Anya and Win, because they're from two totally different sides of the law. Anya hails from a family of well known mobsters and Win, the new kid is the new DA's son. Gabrielle Zevin does such a fabulous job at creating a believable romance between these two, because it's not all peachy with them. Anya's mobster ties and Win's dad cross paths one too many times, and that definitely has an effect on their relationship. Both characters have realistic strengths and weaknesses that together make their relationship work, while at the same time cast doubt into whether or not it can survive the latest proposition Win's dad offers Anya.

There's some great twists that liven up the plot and made me want to yell "GO ANYA", because just as things seem to go well for her something happens and she either has to deal with the consequences from it or figure out a way to fix the situation. There's action, romance, mob action, a ban on caffeine & chocolate (gasp who can live in a world where these things are banned), and a different approach on the true meaning of family that really make this book stand out. In terms of world building, I liked the feel of the world in which Anya lives in, but I was left wondering why there was a ban on things like caffeine and chocolate, and other things that are mentioned in the book. I wanted to know more about why there was a ban on these things vs being told there was and having to just accept it.

There's a lot of things that happen through out the story that truly make it an unique, good YA read. It's one I'd definitely recommend to YA readers 14 years & older.(less)

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Sep 03, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

A couple of months ago a small package arrived on my doorstep. To my amazement, it included not only a copy of the high anticipated All These Things I’ve Done, the newest book by the lovely Gabrielle Zevin, but also some chocolate covered espresso beans. The espresso beans ended up being delicious but the book was even better! Enchanting and engaging, All These Things I’ve Done has to be one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, and given the fact that it’s the first in series, I also th...more A couple of months ago a small package arrived on my doorstep. To my amazement, it included not only a copy of the high anticipated All These Things I’ve Done, the newest book by the lovely Gabrielle Zevin, but also some chocolate covered espresso beans. The espresso beans ended up being delicious but the book was even better! Enchanting and engaging, All These Things I’ve Done has to be one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, and given the fact that it’s the first in series, I also think that this may just be the next HUGE series. Mark my words!

All These Things I’ve Done dives right into the year of 2083 with the viewpoint of Anya Balanchine, the daughter of the New York City’s infamous crime boss. Anya’s world hasn’t exactly been easy in the past few years. Not only are both of her parents now dead, but her beloved grandmother’s health is rapidly declining and she’s quickly becoming the prime caretaker of her younger sister and her older brother. That’s not even adding in the fact that some suspicious things have been occurring in her family’s manufacturing business- the one thing Anya would like nothing more than to get away from unscathed. However, everything soon takes a sudden turn when Anya’s ex-boyfriend is poisoned by a chocolate bar from her family’s company…one that she gave him. Now dealing with the police as well as her mysterious and sometimes deadly family, Anya’s life is quickly unraveling, especially when she becomes involved with the son of the new assistant district attorney. Will Anya clear her name, save her family, and get the guy before it’s too late? Or will her life be the next one taken? Only time and more pages can tell in this deliciously creepy and imaginative new dystopian!

Anya is without a doubt one of my new favorite protagonists. Dauntless and fierce yet flawed, Anya was not only easy to root for but extremely likable. I enjoyed seeing her interact with her siblings and grandmother, all of whom she loved to pieces, as well as her friends and foes. Every different relationship showed a different side to her character- the vulnerable side to the fearless side to the innocent one.

However, the best part of this story had to be plot. Fast paced and full of twists and turns, every point to it was fully developed in a fabulously fun way. It was so hard to put this book down at times, and even when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. One of the points I enjoyed the most was the setting. I felt Gabrielle Zevin did a great job of making it come to life through Anya’s descriptions as well as seeing how the characters interacted with it. Plus, this review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t address the romance between Anya and Win. Win was swoon worthy and just as head strong as Anya, if not more, so when they were together sparks flew in more ways than one!

Romantic and spellbinding, All These Things I’ve Done is one of those books I highly suggest you pick up! Seriously, it’s one of the dystopians I’ve read this year. (less)

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Aug 10, 2011 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, ya, dystopian

The year is 2083 in All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin and the US has gone nuts, banning the life essentials of coffee and chocolate. Anya, 16, is doing the best she can by her family meaning she takes care of her brother, Leo, who has suffered a traumatic brain injury and thinks like an 8 year old, despite being 23, and her 12 year old sister Natty. With both parents dead, Anya’s legal guardian is her bedridden, dying grandmother, Nana. She’s definitely got a lot on her plate. Did I...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Newengland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-in-2011, ya

To make myself feel like an equal-opportunity teacher, I like to force myself to read some "YA chick books" so I can pitch them to reluctant reader girls the way I do so many sports, war, and horror books to reluctant reading boys (and girls, as girls seem less bothered by a book's gender target audience). But mea culpa, I'm here to confess I am a fraud. I cannot bring myself to read a single sentence of the Twilight series. Ditto anything by the much beloved Sarah Dessen (#1 with 8th-grade girl...more To make myself feel like an equal-opportunity teacher, I like to force myself to read some "YA chick books" so I can pitch them to reluctant reader girls the way I do so many sports, war, and horror books to reluctant reading boys (and girls, as girls seem less bothered by a book's gender target audience). But mea culpa, I'm here to confess I am a fraud. I cannot bring myself to read a single sentence of the Twilight series. Ditto anything by the much beloved Sarah Dessen (#1 with 8th-grade girls year in, year out).

All of which is my way of saying thank you, Gabrielle Zevin. When I read her study on life after death, Elsewhere, a few years back, I was smitten. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac wasn't bad, either. It missed a great opportunity, but it was readable start to finish. And here, All These Things I've Done, seemingly a rip-off of Gordon Korman's Son of the Mob, has won me over, too, despite initial reluctance. It seemed at first that she had simply taken the reluctant son of a mobster and replaced him with a daughter of a mobster. Then she had her lead fall in love with a new boy in school who is (gasp) the son of an ambitious new district attorney. Sound promising? How about derivative. But she broke down my resistance.

How? My weak spot. Characterization and voice. I'm a sucker for it when done well, and I felt myself liking this 16-year-old Anya more and more because she was smart and strong yet vulnerable. Here her chocolate don dad is dead, as is her mother, and she is trying to hold her family together as her grandmother tries to hold her life together on life-support. I even forgave Zevin the fact that the boyfriend is predictably perfect (I swear, girls who grow up to become YA writers make these guys up out of the frustrations they felt while waiting for "him" to appear).

And as the romance ran side-by-side with a crime subplot (intrigue in the family), the book gathered legs and hit its stride. Things happen. Anya, of course, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. The fragile balance of her family is constantly in jeopardy. And I'm buying because it's dumb fun and I like her (so sue me or park a horse head in my bed).

One final gripe. This is the first of a series. I'm sure it wasn't Zevin's choice. I'm sure her publisher, like every YA writer's publisher, told her she MUST start a series. Well, a pox on series, says I. With rare exception, I tend to read the first and no more. And so, in some ways, poor Anya's plight will hang in the balance, if for me then at least NOT for many a young reader, especially female, who will embrace the book and anxiously await its sequel.

Meanwhile I'll keep feeling like big man on campus, book talking a book for the girls. And a few guys, too. I once had an 8th-grade boy who read Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak and when he was challenged in the classroom by another boy ("Why are you reading a GIRL'S book?"), cooly replied, "So I know how they think."

The silent pause that followed this rejoinder told me that he'd made his point. Guess the other guys didn't think of that. Nor that he'd win a prized date with a really nice girl to the spring dance shortly thereafter.

Don't you love happy endings?(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Crystal rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, arc, own

Let me first say that the first half of this book deserves 3 stars. I really enjoyed the setting even though I still don't quite understand why the world is the way it is. Annie, Scarlet, Natty, Leo, and Win were all great characters in the beginning. I felt like the story moved along pretty well and that things were really going to get good with Annie's mafia family background. Unfortunately the second half of the book did not deliver at least for me anyway. I got tired of waiting for the actio...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Colleen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, teen-fiction

This wasn't much of anything. It wasn't a love story, it wasn't a dystopic future, it wasn't an exciting action crime drama, it certainly wasn't science fiction as it is cataloged at the library. This story fell short of being defined in any genre just as it fell short in being interesting or appealing in any way.

The love interest, Win, was boring and annoying (he wore lots of hats and called his girlfriend "lass") and the main character Anya and her family was unsympathetic despite the sympathy...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Faye rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, mash-up, contemporary, recs, favorites

I read the last page, closed the book, smiled and kind of hugged/patted it lol Have you ever gotten that feeling? All These Things I’ve Done was the ultimate comfort and deliciously good read.

I fall in love with Zevin’s writing. Her characters are PHENOMENAL! Anya Balanchine, she is such an honest. I was with her every step of the way. And even through I didn’t get I chance to meet her father, he seemed like a wise man(even though he was a notorious crime boss.)Who shaped Anna to be the young br...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Flannery rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-teen, read-on-tour, read-in-2011

This book was a total air ball for me. The premise sounded so fun— a futuristic society with a Prohibition-era-type ban on chocolate,a black market run by mobster families, and a teenage heir to the family empire. MURDERS! POISONING! Boredom? Boredom. Oh, and tepid romance and a selfish MC. Imagine all the places this book could’ve gone. Yeah, that’s right, I’m thinking total badass teenage girl threatening her way across NYC and putting her dysfunctional family business back in order. (I mean,...more This book was a total air ball for me. The premise sounded so fun— a futuristic society with a Prohibition-era-type ban on chocolate,a black market run by mobster families, and a teenage heir to the family empire. MURDERS! POISONING! Boredom? Boredom. Oh, and tepid romance and a selfish MC. Imagine all the places this book could’ve gone. Yeah, that’s right, I’m thinking total badass teenage girl threatening her way across NYC and putting her dysfunctional family business back in order. (I mean, wouldn’t it be totally normal to have a Boondock Saints type situation in a YA book? No?) I enjoyed several of Zevin’s other books (Elsewhere, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac) but reading this book made me want to go back and reread them to see if they were read by delusional Flann.

I found it rather annoying that the narrative would stop every once in a while for the narrator to speak to the reader. Dear reader, if you are reading this review, you might notice that it is mostly personal feelings about the book with absolutely no objectivity. See how annoying that is? Another thing: this book dragged. So many plot points just kept coming up, and up, and up, and WE FREAKING GOT IT ALREADY, ANYA. You don’t want your brother to work at the Pool. Check. You and Win really like each other but you shouldn’t be together. CHECK. You run the household because Leo can’t—we seriously got that point the first four times it was mentioned. (note: I was reading an ARC of this so perhaps the editor realized the repetition and remedied the situation before publication. *crosses fingers*)

The beginning of the book was promising. I went into it with the attitude that it was ridiculous to have chocolate be illegal and to have a black market for it. Funnily enough, I was on board rather quickly. The setup was fun and I was ready to see where the story would go. The answer? Basically nowhere. At one point in the story, Anya ends up in a detention center. I was evilly tapping my fingers together at the prospects. I don’t want to spoiler it but if you’ve been paying attention, I’m pretty sure you know what happens. (view spoiler) Reading about the justice system was really frustrating--evidently in this future, due process rights are just tossed out the window. And the eeeending. At least there was no cliffhanger.

The thing about this book is that if it lost at least 70 pages, stopped repeating itself, and maintained a single narrator, I might’ve given it four stars. Anya was an annoying and self-centered character but there was potential there. I’m sorry to say that I don’t think I’m interested enough to read the next book in the series. Let me know what happens.
(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-authors, censorship, teen, young-adult, dystopia

I just had to read a book in which two of my favorite substances are illegal, coffee and chocolate. As I had to read it pretty much straight through, I'm tapping it as a thoroughly engaging read. Anya, a 16-year-old, is the daughter of a dead mafia boss (head of the Balanchine chocolate family) and mother who was killed mistakenly in her husband's car. Anya is responsible for holding her small family that's left together, while trying to have a life as a teenager, a teenager who becomes involved...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, dystopian, romance, young-adult, heroine-i-loved, new-york, own

I really wanted to give All These Things I've Done five stars because it was so darn unique. I mean REALLY original. But in the end I couldn't, for a couple of reasons. Number one, chocolate and caffeine were illegal and considered to be drugs. I thought the idea was pretty cool, but it just didn't work for me because I couldn't imagine people clamoring for the stuff like addicts do for cocaine and other serious drugs. It was just very difficult to suspend disbelief. But I can honestly say I app...more

I really wanted to give All These Things I've Done five stars because it was so darn unique. I mean REALLY original. But in the end I couldn't, for a couple of reasons. Number one, chocolate and caffeine were illegal and considered to be drugs. I thought the idea was pretty cool, but it just didn't work for me because I couldn't imagine people clamoring for the stuff like addicts do for cocaine and other serious drugs. It was just very difficult to suspend disbelief. But I can honestly say I appreciated the effort of trying to be original.

The other thing that I didn't care for was the lack of world-building. As a dystopian novel, I just felt world details were needed and they were severely lacking. I kept waiting and waiting to get more information about the world and what had happened to make it that way, and they never came. Good thing it's a series and it might get more detailed as it goes on. There's always that hope.

I really loved Anya/Annie as a protagonist. I just thought she was awesome and I wanted to know her. She is a kick-ass heroine and I loved how loyal she was. I loved her never give up and fighter attitude. She was sexy, smart, and a lot of fun. I loved her voice and adored being inside her head. Her relationship with Win was full of chemistry and I loved them as a couple.

I loved the details of the mob, and how the family worked. I think eventually Annie will end up taking over and being the head of the family and I really cannot wait to see where this story goes, because I think there are so many different directions to take the story.

There wasn't a whole lot of action in the book; I can honestly say it was more of a character-driven novel, and that is truly a rare occurrence in young adult. That was another thing I appreciated. And yet, even though it was character-driven, it was still a quick read. I couldn't put it down. All in all, I really, really liked it. Yeah there were things that could have been improved upon, but overall it was a lot of fun and I appreciate the originality. I did not intend to read this originally because it didn't interest me, and I am truly glad that I changed my mind. (less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anya Balanchine lives in a world where chocolate is illegal, water is scarce and New York City is a ghost of what it once was. Anya's life has been touched by tragedy, if not hardship, as the daughter of an infamous (and dead) crime boss. With her parents gone, it falls to Anya to take care of her siblings and protect them from the family business.

But when the family business is illegal chocolate, it's hard to stay on the sidelines--especially when the new boy at school that you might like happe...more Anya Balanchine lives in a world where chocolate is illegal, water is scarce and New York City is a ghost of what it once was. Anya's life has been touched by tragedy, if not hardship, as the daughter of an infamous (and dead) crime boss. With her parents gone, it falls to Anya to take care of her siblings and protect them from the family business.

But when the family business is illegal chocolate, it's hard to stay on the sidelines--especially when the new boy at school that you might like happens to be the son of the new assistant district attorney. Suddenly all of the decisions Anya has been avoiding need to be made and this time it might not be possible to keep everyone safe.

In a world where chocolate is illegal and family means everything, falling in love could be deadly in All These Things I've Done (2011) by Gabrielle Zevin.

All These Things I've Done is a dynamic start to Zevin's Birthright series--happily so since this book leaves readers looking for dystopians, noir stories, and even heist stories like White Cat or Heist Society wanting a lot more.

Although the story is little gory and gritty at times (and maybe even a little bleak thinking about a world where the Met is a nightclub, Central Park isn't a park and chocolate is illegal) Zevin still manages to imbue Anya's narrative with hope. Even when things are their worst, Anya still perseveres and, even at her most ruthless and pragmatic Anya remains a completely sympathetic heroine. Zevin also cleverly reverses typical tropes casting Anya as the hero while her boyfriend stands in as the "damsel in distress" of this story.

The writing here is beautiful and frank, immediately evoking the strange new world Anya calls home complete with details specific to New York and a remarkably well-realized landscape. All These Things I've Done presents a tight story filled with tension and suspense that starts off what promises to be a remarkable series.

Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, Strings Attached by Judy Blundell, Heist Society by Ally Carter, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Leverage (television series), White Collar (television series)(less)

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Aug 26, 2011 Michelle novelsontherun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

RATING: 4.5 WIN STARS!!!!!

This book I REALLY enjoyed. I love paranormal, but, absolutely no paranormal to be seen on these New York streets. This book is a mafiya dystopian in the year 2082 where chocolate and coffee are illegal. The Balanchine family are one of the big 5 chocolate families. How original!

What I liked was by the end of chapter 1, you had a good idea of the type of person Anya was, strong, determined, intelligent, protective and we are introduced to the important people in her li...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Petra (Safari Poet) added it · review of another edition

Anya is definitely not a typical teenager. She is the primary caregiver for her ailing grandmother, her older brother who hasn't been the same since an accident when he was younger and her highly intelligent kid sister. I really enjoyed seeing the difference sides of Anya. She's a realist and wiser than her years and very protective towards her siblings. Because of their grandmother's failing health and death of their parents, Anya is more of an unintentional mother figure towards her siblings....more Anya is definitely not a typical teenager. She is the primary caregiver for her ailing grandmother, her older brother who hasn't been the same since an accident when he was younger and her highly intelligent kid sister. I really enjoyed seeing the difference sides of Anya. She's a realist and wiser than her years and very protective towards her siblings. Because of their grandmother's failing health and death of their parents, Anya is more of an unintentional mother figure towards her siblings. While it's a lot of responsibility to have on her young shoulder, she's too busy caring to ever complain and I respect her for that.

The situation Anya and Win find themselves in reminds me of Romeo and Juliet — not the romance side of the story, but the difficulties they will have being together because of their family's standing in society. Anya is the daughter of a slain mob boss and Win the son of New York's new DA. Win's father doesn't want Anya in a relationship with his son because of how it might look to the public associating with the daughter of a known crime family. Their romance developed overtime, making it more realistic. Anya is cynical when it comes to love and tries to push Win away because of the possible danger a relationship with Win could put her family in, but ends up getting closer to him.

I loved Gabrielle's writing style. When it came to the facts about the world she's created, the information was succinct and to the point, which kept the story fast-paced.

All These Things I've Done is not a dystopian. I don't mean that in a negative way, just as the way I personally see it. While it's set in the future, it reminds me of the past and interpretations of New York that I've seen through movies depicting a time when economy was stagnant and the city had become notorious for high rates of crime. Instead of being a dystopian, it's more of a possible natural evolution of the world and not the result of a major disaster or oppressive government.

It's a unique story with complex characters, mystery and forbidden love. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.(less)

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Jul 01, 2011 Cathy Blackler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A different futuristic novel with an ageless love story. Star-crossed lovers Anya and Win navigate the waters of forbidden love as Win's ambitious father forbids their relationship because of its adverse effect on his career. Anya's family, a mafia crime family involved in the illegal manufacturing of chocolate, are skeptical of the relationship for obvious reasons. Add to this the complexities of a broken family and the challenges of high school. The desire to do what is right for everyone but...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story of Anya is pretty straightforward. Her father was in the mafiya, but now he’s dead. She’s trying to get through school, keep her siblings safe, and take care of her dying Grandma. Also she has a good supply of chocolate, which is essentially illegal. Oh, and her relatives keep shouting the word “birthright” at her. When her ex-boyfriend gets poisoned from her family’s chocolate, she finds herself on an ugly stage. Suddenly she has to deal with more issues than usual.

I’ll be the first t...more The story of Anya is pretty straightforward. Her father was in the mafiya, but now he’s dead. She’s trying to get through school, keep her siblings safe, and take care of her dying Grandma. Also she has a good supply of chocolate, which is essentially illegal. Oh, and her relatives keep shouting the word “birthright” at her. When her ex-boyfriend gets poisoned from her family’s chocolate, she finds herself on an ugly stage. Suddenly she has to deal with more issues than usual.

I’ll be the first to admit that the plotline of this story was slack. There wasn’t any obvious over-arching story plan except the character’s relationships with each other, and her relatives being pushy. But despite this, I was completely hooked. I’m not sure what made it so addicting, but I had to find out what happened next. It’s almost like a TV show, in the sense that things keep happening, but not all of them add to the overall plot direction.

Anya was complex. I’m not sure if her character was just written poorly, or if she was supposed to have so many different sides to her, but it was intriguing regardless. She was tough when she needed to be, and caring when that was appropriate. But mostly she was strangely jaded for such a young person, world-weary and blunt. UGH, I can’t seem to express what I’m trying to say, but basically she’d toughened up a lot in her years. It was difficult for her to handle all that she had on her plate. She’d lived through SO MUCH CRAP (her dad shot right next to her, her mom dying, her brother becoming mentally injured, etc.). No wonder she was the way she was.

Win and Scarlett are my favorite characters. Win is so charming, lovely, and awesome, he’s one of my new favorite fictional YA guys. Scarlett WAS winning the award for most awesome best friend, until she did that thing (if you’ve read it, you know what I’m talking about). But I still like her.

I’ve seen some negative reviews for this book, I think mostly about Anya and the plotline, but even with those slight hiccups, I really loved this book! I enjoyed the world Ms. Zevin created, and I adored the side characters. It was very addicting, and I can’t wait for the sequel! :)

Content Warning: Kissing, pressure to have sex, language.(less)

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May 16, 2013 Manja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kurzbeschreibung:
Ein Mädchen zwischen High School und Verbrechen, zwischen Liebe und Verantwortung
New York 2083: Wasser und Papier sind knapp, Kaffee und Schokolade sind illegal. Smartphones sind für Minderjährige verboten und um 24 Uhr ist Sperrstunde. Die Balanchine Familie ist das Zentrum des illegalen Schokoladenhandels in New York. Doch die Eltern von Anya Balanchine sind bereits tot, und Anya ist mit 16 Jahren das Familienoberhaupt. Sie kümmert sich um ihre Geschwister und die kranke Großm...more

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Crazy for Young A...: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin → Start Date: March 26, 2013	64	31	Apr 14, 2013 03:09pm
Čeští a slovenští...: All These Things I've Done od Gabrielle Zevin (duben 2013)	1	29	Apr 01, 2013 04:45am
Worth reading or not????	21	78	Feb 24, 2013 06:06pm
Kindle Lending (T...: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zavin?	1	9	Sep 18, 2012 01:22pm
Live Video Chat with Gabrielle Zevin	151	81	Sep 01, 2012 02:47am

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