Sign in with Facebook
The Half Life of Ryan Davis
by
Melinda Szymanik (Goodreads Author)
A contemporary psychological mystery/thriller for young teens.
Playing second fiddle to a 'missing, presumed dead' sister is soul-sucking for fifteen year old Ryan. As he tries to move on with his life he begins to appreciate just how difficult growing up can be. And now there's a stranger watching him. Will his family ever be whole again? Or did Mallory light the fuse that...more
Playing second fiddle to a 'missing, presumed dead' sister is soul-sucking for fifteen year old Ryan. As he tries to move on with his life he begins to appreciate just how difficult growing up can be. And now there's a stranger watching him. Will his family ever be whole again? Or did Mallory light the fuse that...more
Paperback, First, 186 pages
Published
October 28th 2011
by Pear Jam Books
(first published September 28th 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
505)
Wow, what a surprising read. I expected a typical kidnap story that reads like a Criminal Minds episode and got something completely different.
The protagonist, Ryan is likeable, relateable and a great narrator as we follow him on his coming of age with a bang type of story. The author balances poignancy and humour well, making the read lighter when the subject matter could've bogged it down, making for a depressing read. But don't let the lightness of the voice fool you, this is a book with a he...more
The protagonist, Ryan is likeable, relateable and a great narrator as we follow him on his coming of age with a bang type of story. The author balances poignancy and humour well, making the read lighter when the subject matter could've bogged it down, making for a depressing read. But don't let the lightness of the voice fool you, this is a book with a he...more
I received The Half Life of Ryan Davis by Melinda Szymanik for review from Readers Say Reviews, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
I literally just finished this whole book in one sitting, that right there should tell you to go find the book and read it right away! The Half Life of Davis is about a young boy named Ryan whose sister Mallory has recently gone missing. When the book starts it has been three years since her disappearance and everyone assumes that she is dead, which is probab...more
I literally just finished this whole book in one sitting, that right there should tell you to go find the book and read it right away! The Half Life of Davis is about a young boy named Ryan whose sister Mallory has recently gone missing. When the book starts it has been three years since her disappearance and everyone assumes that she is dead, which is probab...more
This is the first Pear Jam book I've read that is actually set in New Zealand. It was also a good, quick read that essentially hooked me from the start and kept me reading it til the end. Of course, it helps that today being Easter friday, it is a good opportunity to catch up on some reading.
For a woman, Szymanik seems to know how a teenage boy's brain works pretty well. Or at least enough to convince me. Ryan is your typical fifteen year old - he's got his best friend, Alex, he likes to hang o...more
For a woman, Szymanik seems to know how a teenage boy's brain works pretty well. Or at least enough to convince me. Ryan is your typical fifteen year old - he's got his best friend, Alex, he likes to hang o...more
I decided to read this book because it looked like a really interesting book and my friend recomended it to me. Something new in this book that I learnt is, that you should never give up in hope of finding the truth. This book was from the category 'A New Zealand author'. I like this category because, I really like New Zealand authors. My favorite quote in this book is, "Apparently my older sister Mallory was perfect." I like this quote because Ryan thinks that his older sister Mallory, was perf...more
I was apsolutely thrilled to have found that i would be able to read this particular novel, as it had captured my interest months ago with even the ey-catching & intreguing front cover that is utterly facinating to behold. I was touched by the authors inscription and comments within her book that has made it so personal to me, hence i know that it will be something that i will treasure for many years to come so i would like to thank Melinda Szymanik for that. On reading the blurb i was compl...more
I was hooked from start to finish. It was an unusual and clever plot, the touch where Ryan glimpsed the younger sister and thought it was the missing older one and then the reverse happened later when he saw Mallory and thought it was Gemma. I wasn't too sure about the ending though. I didn't find it fully satisfying. I felt I needed a little more info on what actually happened to the mother and also needed to know if Ryan got to grips better with the difficulties he was having with his dad. Jus...more
If you're like me and always guess (usually correctly) what's about to happen before it does in both books and movies, then you should read this book. I love it when a book twists in a way that I wasn't expecting and couldn't have guessed.
Besides the surprising twists, the other great thing about this book are the characters of Ryan and his family. Funnily enough, it was especially Mallory who seemed to 'haunt' the story so vividly that she seemed almost to be hanging over Ryan's shoulder like a...more
Besides the surprising twists, the other great thing about this book are the characters of Ryan and his family. Funnily enough, it was especially Mallory who seemed to 'haunt' the story so vividly that she seemed almost to be hanging over Ryan's shoulder like a...more
What an excellent book! Like several other reviewers on goodreads, I read it in one sitting.
Ryan's growing up is described so well - he's trying to work out how to be Kim's boyfriend; he's starting to discover that there's more to people (like mothers and sisters) than you see on the surface; he's seeing his best friend from more than one angle. All these things are caught within trying to live in the shadow of his "perfect" older sister, Mallory, who disappeared 3 years ago.
Ryan's growing up is described so well - he's trying to work out how to be Kim's boyfriend; he's starting to discover that there's more to people (like mothers and sisters) than you see on the surface; he's seeing his best friend from more than one angle. All these things are caught within trying to live in the shadow of his "perfect" older sister, Mallory, who disappeared 3 years ago.
The fact that I read this book in an afternoon says it all really. I couldn't put it down. The plot moved quickly and the themes were relevant for young adults. I very quickly warmed to the main character, Ryan, and his little sister, Gemma. I really had no idea how the book would end, and I was quite surprised at the turn it took. Well done, Melinda Szymanik. Thank you for a great read.
Book Loving Kiwis challenge (by a NZ author).
This is a fast paced YA novel set in NZ. Ryan's been living in the shadow of his older sister Mallory who suddenly went missing three years ago. This is a coming of age story but with a few unexpected twists and turns. What I really loved was the authentic feeling teenage voice. Perhaps so much of the YA I read is US-centric and that is why this read so believably for me, but I loved how normal he sounded, how nervous he got talking to the girl he lik...more
This is a fast paced YA novel set in NZ. Ryan's been living in the shadow of his older sister Mallory who suddenly went missing three years ago. This is a coming of age story but with a few unexpected twists and turns. What I really loved was the authentic feeling teenage voice. Perhaps so much of the YA I read is US-centric and that is why this read so believably for me, but I loved how normal he sounded, how nervous he got talking to the girl he lik...more
While poor Ryan tries to come to terms with his sister's disappearance, we're all cringing as he makes his first attempts at dealing with the opposite sex. Sometimes groaning and then cheering as he persues his love interest, the spectre of the mystery of Mallory's disappearance is a cloud that hangs over all his activities. This was a book that I couldn't put down once I got to about halfway. I had to know who was behind Mallory's disappearance and, more importantly, will Ryan get the girl? An...more
I found this book most intriguing and very hard to put down. The believable characters and mounting sense of mystery and foreboding kept me turning the pages. The pace and tension are well managed and the plot had me hooked. The cover is also very cool.
What started off pretty boring and uneventful ended on a pretty interesting, not to mention happy note. I found that this wasnt your ordinary mystery/thriller, but it had you on your toes wondering what on earth could happen. Even though nothing totally eventful happened till the last couple pages it had me excited. The book started out slow and it dragged on nearly immposible to enjoy, but it was a quick read and only took me a couple of hours once i actually sat down to read it. Eventually it...more
Find my review at Read For Your Future, the teen literacy blog that promotes reading for teens.
http://www.readforyourfuture.blogspot...
http://www.readforyourfuture.blogspot...
I bought this book for my teenage son, but my 11-yr-old daughter pinched it on a rainy day and finished it beneath the duvet way after lights out. Her rating: 'five stars, awesome!'
Read Cindi's review here:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...
Very good New Zealand writer who has a real sense of teenage thought processes.
This is a great, fast paced read that kept me guessing until the end. Was Ryan's sister murdered, abducted or did something else cause her disappearance? Author Melinda Szymanik kept me entertained right until the very end in this contemporary thriller for 11 - 15 year olds. An exciting read for boys and girls. Of particular interest for parents who have teenage boys and want to know exactly what's going on in their heads. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
This immediately gets my five stars for the wonderful character of Ryan Davis, who jumps out of the page and becomes completely three dimensional within fifteen minutes of picking the book up.
Jun 15, 2013
Megan
marked it as to-read
May 21, 2013
Anne-claire
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Meagan
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2013
Victoria Bernal
marked it as ob
May 05, 2013
Emily
marked it as to-read
May 05, 2013
Nicole
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2013
Sabrina Depue
marked it as to-read
Apr 18, 2013
Erin
marked it as to-read
Apr 08, 2013
Debbie at Snuggling on the Sofa
marked it as to-read
Apr 07, 2013
Elizabeth Terry
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book Loving Kiwis: The Half Life of Ryan Davis | 31 | 29 | Apr 06, 2013 07:37pm | |
| Book Giveaways: International Giveaway: 2 copies of YA thriller The Half Life of Ryan Davis up for grabs! | 1 | 5 | Jul 04, 2012 07:22am | |
| Book Giveaways: International Giveaway: 2 copies of YA thriller The Half Life of Ryan Davis up for grabs! | 1 | 13 | Jul 04, 2012 07:21am | |
| Making Connections: International Giveaway: 2 copies of YA thriller The Half Life of Ryan Davis up for grabs! | 1 | 4 | Jul 04, 2012 07:19am |
My latest book is a middle grade detective story Sally Bangle: Unexpected Detective. I have a new middle grade historical novel 'A Winter's Day in 1939'(Scholastic) coming out March 2013 in NZ and Australia and a picture book 'While You Are Sleeping' (Duck Creek Press) in NZ later in 2013 as well. I write for young adults, children of all ages and have published novels, picture books and have shor...more
More about Melinda Szymanik...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
