WOULD YOU RATHER know what’s going to happen or not know?
A summer night. A Saturday. For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, th... read full description
A summer night. A Saturday. For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, th... read full description
reviews
Nov 07, 2008
Adriana
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I read Jocelyn's How it happened in Peach Hill and enjoyed it, so I was happy to read Would You. The book has a very different feel and premise. The style is short paragraphs that go from day to day, in a span of about a week or so. Natalie ('Nat') is enjoying her summer before her 11th grade year. Her older sister Claire is 18 and about to head off to college. Claire has always been pretty, popular, likeable, outgoing, and happy. Natalie looks up to her and in some ways feels a bit oversh
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Mar 11, 2009
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
"Would you rather know what's going to happen or not know?" This is the question that starts the powerful story that is WOULD YOU.
Natalie is Claire's younger sister. Claire has just graduated from high school and she's ready to begin the next chapter of her life. She has told Natalie that she is going to break up with her boyfriend, Joe, that night.
But that night, everything changes.
Nat and her fr More...
"Would you rather know what's going to happen or not know?" This is the question that starts the powerful story that is WOULD YOU.
Natalie is Claire's younger sister. Claire has just graduated from high school and she's ready to begin the next chapter of her life. She has told Natalie that she is going to break up with her boyfriend, Joe, that night.
But that night, everything changes.
Nat and her fr More...
Feb 07, 2009
Nora
rated it:
The book that I am reviewing is called Would You by Marthe Jocelyn. The Book is main view is “Would you rather know what’s going to happen or not know?”
The book is about two sisters named Claire and Natalie. Claire is a High School Graduate that is enjoying her summer before she goes off to collage. Natalie’s summer will be fine, she thinks, but she knows that at the end of it, her beautiful, brilliant older sister Claire will be off to college. Then everyt More...
Jan 11, 2009
Aaron
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Natalie is one of those lucky teens that is really good friends with her sister Claire. In fact, they and their friends have been spending the summer before her junior year relaxing and doing an awful lot of swimming. That is even more so for Nat, who works as a lifeguard at the YMCA.
One night, Claire is off to a party, and everyone's lives change when she is hit by a car. She is rushed to the hospital with severe head trauma. After the surgery, it quickly becomes clear that Claire w More...
One night, Claire is off to a party, and everyone's lives change when she is hit by a car. She is rushed to the hospital with severe head trauma. After the surgery, it quickly becomes clear that Claire w More...
Dec 03, 2008
Brooke
rated it:
The plot of this book is one I've seen many, many times in youth fiction: Natalie's beloved older sister is rendered comatose in a car accident; the rest of the family is left behind to cope. But Jocelyn handles this story with such deft characterization and with intense humanity that it's a significant cut above the rest. None of the characters are particularly noble or tragic; they are simply stumbling through the unbelievable, trying to come to terms with grief. Natalie is an incredibly be
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Jun 23, 2011
Arlene
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I’ve seen this game played a ton of times… Would you rather give up books for 10 years or never hear music again? Would you rather <<fill in the blank>> or <<fill in the blank>>. But this book is no game, in Would you, the main character is faced with the question of:
Would you rather know what's going to happen or not know?
Would you by Marthe Jocelyn takes place one fateful week Natalie’s world is turned upside down when her sister Claire suffers More...
Would you rather know what's going to happen or not know?
Would you by Marthe Jocelyn takes place one fateful week Natalie’s world is turned upside down when her sister Claire suffers More...
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Jul 31, 2010
Sammee
rated it: 
4.5 Stars
I was really surprised by how small this book was when it arrived. I knew it was only around 170 pages but it also looks tiny and I’ve got to admit I was a little put off. However, once I started to read it I was completely and utterly hooked.
Jocelyn has a really amazing writing style which includes so many small details and observations. It was also surprisingly funny in places too which helped prevent the story from feeling too melancholy. It is sad though, but More...
I was really surprised by how small this book was when it arrived. I knew it was only around 170 pages but it also looks tiny and I’ve got to admit I was a little put off. However, once I started to read it I was completely and utterly hooked.
Jocelyn has a really amazing writing style which includes so many small details and observations. It was also surprisingly funny in places too which helped prevent the story from feeling too melancholy. It is sad though, but More...
May 11, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Good Stuff
• Brought back memories of the emotional YA books I read as a teen
• Some of the dialogue was snort out your nose funny
• Tear jerker
• Very realistic thoughts and emotions from the main character Natalie -- even the unpleasant and selfish thoughts that we all have, but very rarely admit to
• Relationship between the sisters is lovely, now I must go email my sister and tell her how cool I think she is and wish that we were closer as youngs More...
• Brought back memories of the emotional YA books I read as a teen
• Some of the dialogue was snort out your nose funny
• Tear jerker
• Very realistic thoughts and emotions from the main character Natalie -- even the unpleasant and selfish thoughts that we all have, but very rarely admit to
• Relationship between the sisters is lovely, now I must go email my sister and tell her how cool I think she is and wish that we were closer as youngs More...
Jul 04, 2009
Paige Y.
rated it:
It’s just a normal summer – Claire’s last summer before she goes away to college. Her sister Natalie is spending her days working as a lifeguard at the pool, and her nights hanging out with her friends. Natalie’s isn’t happy about Claire’s imminent departure (“We’ve been sharing a room since I was born. How can our life be reduced to occasional weekends?”) And then in one moment, her world changes. She arrives homes one evening to find out that Claire has been hit by a car. She’s in a coma
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Dec 03, 2011
Kellie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 01, 2010
Brittany
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Natalie is forever hanging onto her older sister Claire. At times they can be the best of friends, even though Claire is older and has her own friends. One night changes a lot of things. When Claire is in an accident things start to look different from Natalie's point of view. Her friends game of Would You Rather? takes on a different feel as they try to figure out how to cope.
I didn't love this main character. The whole time I really wanted to feel bad or her having to go through al More...
I didn't love this main character. The whole time I really wanted to feel bad or her having to go through al More...
Feb 12, 2009
Kelly
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 10, 2010
Kelly
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This is a quick read--less than 200 pages, short chapters. It takes place over a summer week. Claire and Natalie are sisters and pretty close. Claire's going off to college in the fall and Natalie's spending time with her sister and her (Natalie's) friends.
And then Claire gets hit by a car. There's all kinds of trauma to the body and her brain's bleeding and swelling. So her family has to choose whether to keep her on life support or to let her die.
Really, really More...
And then Claire gets hit by a car. There's all kinds of trauma to the body and her brain's bleeding and swelling. So her family has to choose whether to keep her on life support or to let her die.
Really, really More...
Jun 21, 2009
Christina
rated it:
This is the saddest book I've read in a long time. Just warning you. If you like Lurlene McDaniel books, you'll love this. The summer before 11th grade, Natalie is planning to hang out with her friends, go "pool hopping" in pools at night, and try not to think about the fact that her older sister Claire is leaving for college in 7 weeks. The two of them share a room, clothes, and many adventures; they are very close. But in the blink of an eye everything changes, when Claire is hit by
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Nov 27, 2011
J.N.
rated it:
Natalie's world changes when her big sister, Claire, is involved in an accident that puts her into a coma. Natalie must come to terms with the fact that she may lose her sister forever. Would you rather die painlessly or live the rest of your life as a vegetable?
I didn't really like this book. It was hard to connect to Natalie, because at times she seemed younger than she really was, and some of the "Would You" questions. However, it was really easy to see how much Natalie More...
I didn't really like this book. It was hard to connect to Natalie, because at times she seemed younger than she really was, and some of the "Would You" questions. However, it was really easy to see how much Natalie More...
Oct 03, 2010
Erica
rated it:
To be honest, this book would not have been on my radar were it not one of the Sequoyah nominated books. It’s a decent story about a family dealing with tragedy, but it doesn’t pack quite the punch that other books tackling this subject do.
Claire and Natalie’s sibling relationship is completely believable. They aren’t the best of friends, but neither are they at each other’s throats all the time. Natalie has trusted Claire with some big secrets, just as Claire has trusted Natalie, but o More...
Claire and Natalie’s sibling relationship is completely believable. They aren’t the best of friends, but neither are they at each other’s throats all the time. Natalie has trusted Claire with some big secrets, just as Claire has trusted Natalie, but o More...
Nov 17, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
This book was incredible. It first came to my attention due to an English teacher in my building suggesting I may want to remove it from my MS collection. Before removing the book I wanted to read it to see if I agreed.
The topic is a touchy one: a high school student is in a terrible accident, teetering between life & death. While the topic is morbid, the telling is touchy, realistic & heartfelt. The main character narrates her own struggle with the potential loss of this person a More...
The topic is a touchy one: a high school student is in a terrible accident, teetering between life & death. While the topic is morbid, the telling is touchy, realistic & heartfelt. The main character narrates her own struggle with the potential loss of this person a More...
Nov 17, 2010
Shannon
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 30, 2011
Summer
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This book touched me. Honestly, I had not heard a lot about this book and was not expecting all that much. Although I enjoyed this book, I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a light happy book. This book is about love, loss, pain, and growth. I lost sleep over this book, thinking about what I would do in her situation. This is one of those moving books that just keeps you living everyday like it is your last. It made me realize life can change in a heartbeat, and then nothing will ever
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Sep 30, 2011
Raquel
rated it:
In my opinion "Would You" is a good book that I recommend to read. It gives you a sense of what's going to happen next? Throughout the book you could even tell the relationship between the two sisters Claire and Natalie. And the thought of an accident happening to your own sister gives you the thought of "Wow, that could really happen real life" and it makes you think of how you would react. I also really enjoyed that the book had good emotions and characteristics of each cha
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Dec 15, 2011
Anna
rated it:
This small, unassuming volume doesn't look like much, but it packs a powerful punch. (Side note: This is the first of my reviews that I've gone back to the book to flip through - and I couldn't find it on my shelf at first, it's so narrow).
Taking place through four harrowing days, the narrator's voice is truthful, honest, and hurt, but not at all self-pitying which makes it stronger on the whole. She's dealing with the crap that comes from a terrible situation, but that's just the More...
Taking place through four harrowing days, the narrator's voice is truthful, honest, and hurt, but not at all self-pitying which makes it stronger on the whole. She's dealing with the crap that comes from a terrible situation, but that's just the More...
Jun 21, 2010
Elena
rated it:
It's the summer before her junior year in high school, and Natalie is embracing the heat. She is happy but sad about this summer. Happy because of obvious reasons, it's summer. But sad because her brilliant older sister Claire is leaving for university in the fall. One night, while returning from a late night party with her friends, Natalie hears sirens, although she doesn't think these sirens could connect with her. Until she comes from to her hysterical parents. They tell her that her beautifu
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Aug 08, 2008
Tasha
rated it:
Natalie is a free-wheeling kind of teen. She breaks into people's swimming pools just to have a cool dip with her friends. They play the would you game where you have two impossible choices: Would you rather lose all your hair or all your teeth? Would you rather die or have everyone else die? They are secure in their own immortality, safe in their sheltered worlds. Until the accident. When everything changes.
The characters here are fresh and engaging. Jocelyn has perfectly ca More...
The characters here are fresh and engaging. Jocelyn has perfectly ca More...
Jul 27, 2009
Susan P
rated it:
A very sad story about two sisters. Claire, the oldest, is just about ready to go off to college, and is very much looking forward to her new life. Natalie, younger by a couple of years, is already missing her best friend. Then Claire is hit by a car, and lies in a coma. Her family isn't sure if she's going to make it, but none of them can give voice to that fear. In between visits to the hospital, Natalie tries to go about her everyday life, because keeping busy makes it harder to panic an
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Sep 04, 2008
Jess
rated it:
The plot-line may sound a bit like an after-school special, but the writing is judicious and funny and believable. The story is told from the point of view of Natalie, whose older sister is hit by a car, and her perspective felt honest. The chapters are quite short, and the book itself is slim - under 200 pages - which would make this a good choice for teen readers who don't want something long and involved, but do want a story that packs a punch.
We get glimpses of a lot of chara More...
We get glimpses of a lot of chara More...
Mar 30, 2009
WOULD YOU RATHER know what’s going to happen or not know?
A summer night. A Saturday. For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, this summer is fantastic, because she’s zooming off to college in the fall. For Natalie, it’s a fun summer with her friends; nothing special. When Claire is hit by a car, the world changes in a heartbeat. Over the next four days, moment by moment, Natalie, her parents, and their friends wait to learn if Claire will ever recover.
From the Hardcove More...
A summer night. A Saturday. For Natalie’s amazing older sister, Claire, this summer is fantastic, because she’s zooming off to college in the fall. For Natalie, it’s a fun summer with her friends; nothing special. When Claire is hit by a car, the world changes in a heartbeat. Over the next four days, moment by moment, Natalie, her parents, and their friends wait to learn if Claire will ever recover.
From the Hardcove More...
Mar 07, 2011
Amy
rated it:
I found this book to be very well written. It was very hard to put down. I enjoyed how the narrative was told in smallish chunks, it fit the mood really well. However I found the book to be a little too depressing for me to enjoy it over all, depsite its good qualities. I do enjoy books that are sad, but this one just didn't sit well with me. But that is my own personal opinion and I think others may enjoy it very well.[return].
Jan 28, 2011
babyhippoface
rated it:
When Natalie's older sister, Claire, is hit by a car, Nat's world comes crashing down. How can this be happening to her family? Told in the voice of 16-year-old Natalie, this brief young adult novel explores the yo-yo of emotions that often come with tragedy.
Not outstanding, but interesting enough to keep me reading/listening.
Not outstanding, but interesting enough to keep me reading/listening.
Apr 17, 2010
Taylor
rated it:
I love this book, I think it's one of my favorites! I haven't been able to think of the name in forever but.. This story is about friends, family, and pain. The little sister tells the story, her older sister was hit by a car and is in a coma, this book is about her family hardships and her feelings, it is a very good book.
Mar 18, 2009
Michelle
rated it:
Didn't realize until i got into this that it was a "youth" book but i still enjoyed. 2 sisters are best friends but a tragic car accident challenges that. Explored the strain of trauma on families, sisterhood, friendship, and other issues popular with teens, but, lets be honest, sometimes for us as adults too! :)
