For months, Cass Meyer has heard her best friend Julia, a wannabe Broadway composer, whispering about a top-secret project. Then Julia is killed in...
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Jan 15, 2011
Louise
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Now that I have finished the book, I am not sure my review can do it justice. There's a lot that I wanted to say and I wish I had written my thoughts down when I was reading it, but I didn't. I'll do my best, though. First, I want to say that this is not a perfectly polished, perfectly written book (I will not add "for a teen novel" or "for a YA novel" because there are a lot of extremely sophisticated, beautifully written books for teenagers out there and I, myself, hope to
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Dec 20, 2011
Melody
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The story of how a well-loved member of a crowd's death affects the crowd is not new, and I picked this up with a bit of trepidation. It was unwarranted. Horner's first novel is ably plotted and well-done. There were more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, and I liked the narrator very well. She was achingly believable and so adolescently stupid she could have stepped right off the page.
I loved the long-distance bicycle trip. I loved the growth in the characters throughout the story More...
I loved the long-distance bicycle trip. I loved the growth in the characters throughout the story More...
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Dec 12, 2011
Caroline
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I completely fell for this beautiful story which has some truly laugh out loud moments. I would advise you to be mainly alone and in reaching distance of a box of tissues while reading though.
Cass has been friends with Julia ever since they were young and their friendship is as strong as one between two very different and complementary personalities. Cass is very introverted and loves math while Julia is into theatre and music and anything arty. If Cass is mostly withdrawn, Julia is More...
Cass has been friends with Julia ever since they were young and their friendship is as strong as one between two very different and complementary personalities. Cass is very introverted and loves math while Julia is into theatre and music and anything arty. If Cass is mostly withdrawn, Julia is More...
Jul 03, 2011
Kyle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 24, 2011
Jess - The Tales Compendium
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I really enjoyed A Love Story. It's about one girls quest to confront her grief and discover herself. It is a funny, touching, coming-of-age debut and while I wouldn't go so far as to say Cass is highly likeable, I do think teenagers will be able to relate to at least one of her struggles (including her alternative parents). The main themes are friendship, grief, relationships, self esteem, sexuality, growing up and... musicals!
Although Cass is a smart girl, she hasn't quite figured ou More...
Although Cass is a smart girl, she hasn't quite figured ou More...
Mar 24, 2011
Celina
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I feel dirty reading young adult fiction, but this book was listed in the Editor's Choice of the NYT book review, so I can use that to rationalize my intellectual downfall. The book is about an unpopular girl who is trying to honour her dead best friend's memory by putting on a play that she (the dead friend) wrote. That part of the novel I'm fine with. The topic of teenagers dealing with grief while still trying to be like teenagers is handled very well in the novel. Unfortunately, none of the
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Jan 16, 2011
Rachel
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Originally posted at www.crackaspinebookreviews.blogspot.com
Review: The summary of this book drew me in immediately and I thought I was going to be in for a fantastic read. Unfortunately, the story fell flat for me and I was left feeling disappointed.
Cass was a likable enough lead, but she just wasn’t distinctive enough to make a lasting impression on me. She could be very selfish at times, and had a real problem facing up to her issues. A lot of the story talked about how mu More...
Review: The summary of this book drew me in immediately and I thought I was going to be in for a fantastic read. Unfortunately, the story fell flat for me and I was left feeling disappointed.
Cass was a likable enough lead, but she just wasn’t distinctive enough to make a lasting impression on me. She could be very selfish at times, and had a real problem facing up to her issues. A lot of the story talked about how mu More...
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Oct 27, 2010
Kat
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Cass has always been best friends with Julia. When Julia turns into a drama geek in highschool, Cass is always there, just on the outside. It's not that she doesn't get along with the other drama geeks, she just always sees them as Julia's friends, not hers. When a tragic accident takes Julia's life, the drama geeks decide to stage the play that Julia was writing and Cass, unable to cope, decides to ride her bike across the country from Chicago to California.
The story is told in More...
Oct 21, 2010
Becky
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 16, 2010
Bunker
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Horner weaves a tale of loyalty, love, and loss in this novel featuring Cass, who has recently endured the death of her best friend, Julia. Julia, who perished in a late night car accident in the rain, had long been the object of Cass's love, even though Cass does not realize her feelings until it is too late. While Julia's boyfriend, Oliver, and the rest of her drama friends band together to bring Julia's secret project- "Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad"- to the stage, Cass decides to
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Jul 03, 2010
Shawn
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I feel dirty reading young adult fiction, but this book was listed in the Editor's Choice of the NYT book review, so I can use that to rationalize my intellectual downfall. The book is about an unpopular girl who is trying to honour her dead best friend's memory by putting on a play that she (the dead friend) wrote. That part of the novel I'm fine with. The topic of teenagers dealing with grief while still trying to be like teenagers is handled very well in the novel. Unfortunately, none of the
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Jan 23, 2010
Rachael
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It might not have been perfect, but I pretty much adored this book. Funny, touching, and relatable - this is one of the best YA debuts I've seen in a while. I'll mention the couple of (minor) problems I had: the letter at the beginning was cheesy and almost had me putting the book down; I'm not a huge fan of books that skip back and forth in time because it is extraordinarily difficult to do well enough that it actually benefits the story; the cross-country road trip was unrealistically free o
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Nov 04, 2010
Kate
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 26, 2010
Cathy
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Why I read this. I was in the hospital with nothing else to read. However the nature of my being in the hospital made concentrating on the first part very difficult (come to think of it I started it before I was hospitalized, but was having severe headaches anyway). Once I got going, I found it easier, but I found the former friends of Julie (who died and whose play, they are putting on) pretty annoying. It wasn't that the amount of angst was unrealistic, just annoying. Cass had been Julie'
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Aug 10, 2010
Amanda
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This is one of those books that I wish had come out a decade ago, because I could really have used it back then. I saw a lot myself and the people I knew in high school in this book, and I suspect it will resonate with a number of teenagers I know today. Don't get scared off by the beginning, which is sort of weird and irritating - the rest of the book is great.
Cass's best friend Julia dies in a car accident, and A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend follows Cass and her friends More...
Cass's best friend Julia dies in a car accident, and A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend follows Cass and her friends More...
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Aug 09, 2010
Nicole
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Read it in a day, which always says something about a book's appeal.
It took me a good 20 pages to get into it. Something about the writing was mediocre and I just didn't relate to Cass. But then it picked up (both the writing and character development).
Alternates between Then = roadtrip and Now = putting on the play. Fortunately I didn't read the flap copy, which would have given everything away. Lame flap copy.
The thing that most impressed me was how Horn More...
It took me a good 20 pages to get into it. Something about the writing was mediocre and I just didn't relate to Cass. But then it picked up (both the writing and character development).
Alternates between Then = roadtrip and Now = putting on the play. Fortunately I didn't read the flap copy, which would have given everything away. Lame flap copy.
The thing that most impressed me was how Horn More...
Jul 25, 2010
Kristin
rated it:
I was very skeptical about this book before I read it. This year I have read 3 books that included some sort of performance art to mark the climax of the story; and while they all served their purpose, the chosen event seems exhausted. I felt a little uneasy knowing that the original musical, Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad was the main event of this book. But, it turned out not to be, but actually so so much more.
I was only going to give A Love Story 4 stars because sometimes t More...
I was only going to give A Love Story 4 stars because sometimes t More...
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Mar 27, 2010
Jennifer
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A lovely debut by a new YA author.
Cass Meyer's best friend, Julia, has been killed in a car accident. After her death, Cass starts to explore the idea that Julia was more than just a best friend. That she was, in fact, her first true love.
The story is told in two different times: "then," which is right after Julia's passing and involves a road trip, and "now," which follows Cass and her involvement in Julia's musical "Totally Sweet Ninja Death Sq More...
Cass Meyer's best friend, Julia, has been killed in a car accident. After her death, Cass starts to explore the idea that Julia was more than just a best friend. That she was, in fact, her first true love.
The story is told in two different times: "then," which is right after Julia's passing and involves a road trip, and "now," which follows Cass and her involvement in Julia's musical "Totally Sweet Ninja Death Sq More...
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Dec 14, 2010
Allison
rated it: 
GUPTGed!
Disclaimer: if I hadn't already read Looking for Alaska, I might have had more patience with this book. As it stands, I have read Looking for Alaska, and Bridge to Terabithia, and plenty of other formulaic YA books that have made me realize that death is, like, heavy, dude, and it changes things, and it could happen to you, even if you're young. I get it, YA authors!
To be fair, I'm way outside the target age range, but I find that with the best of YA books, this More...
Disclaimer: if I hadn't already read Looking for Alaska, I might have had more patience with this book. As it stands, I have read Looking for Alaska, and Bridge to Terabithia, and plenty of other formulaic YA books that have made me realize that death is, like, heavy, dude, and it changes things, and it could happen to you, even if you're young. I get it, YA authors!
To be fair, I'm way outside the target age range, but I find that with the best of YA books, this More...
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Sep 12, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
While A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend had its fault--the largest among them being the completely unrealistic dialogue in which the characters (mostly teenagers) beautifully and thoughtfully articulate every point they need to make--Horner did a skillful job portraying the various ways in which grief manifests itself. Ultimately, what I liked most about this book was that Horner wasn't afraid to show the dirty, ambiguous side of life and love. She illustrated all the turmoil and uncerta
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Sep 25, 2010
Rebeccapd96
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A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
Emily Horner
Realistic Fiction
Cass’s best friend Julia just died in a car accident. Julia had been doing something for months, but what? Julia’s boyfriend Oliver found a whole play Julia had written called Totally Awesome Ninja Death Squad. Every single one of the Drama Nerds know what Julia would More...
Emily Horner
Realistic Fiction
Cass’s best friend Julia just died in a car accident. Julia had been doing something for months, but what? Julia’s boyfriend Oliver found a whole play Julia had written called Totally Awesome Ninja Death Squad. Every single one of the Drama Nerds know what Julia would More...
Jun 07, 2010
John
rated it:
Title: A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
Author: Emily Horner
Publisher: Dial
LGBT books have just recently become a 'big deal' in publishing. Even with becoming more and more of a popular and readable subject, though, publishers are often sketchy on what to pick up. And frankly, some could care less. So when I see a publisher putting out something like this...it makes me a little emotional. And it makes me want to read the book. Even if I've never heard More...
Author: Emily Horner
Publisher: Dial
LGBT books have just recently become a 'big deal' in publishing. Even with becoming more and more of a popular and readable subject, though, publishers are often sketchy on what to pick up. And frankly, some could care less. So when I see a publisher putting out something like this...it makes me a little emotional. And it makes me want to read the book. Even if I've never heard More...
Jan 14, 2011
Alsha
rated it:
I'm giving this one a very positive 3.5 stars. I really did enjoy it, and I loved parts of it - it's exactly the type of fiction I'm into at the moment, teen angst with a subtle lyrical/philosophical twist. My rating guide for this one is something along the lines of:
3 stars - enjoyed the storytelling, characters, structure very much
<--- this book
4 stars - reaffirmed my personal feelings and beliefs in an uplifting or depthful way
5 stars - revolutionised my personal f More...
3 stars - enjoyed the storytelling, characters, structure very much
<--- this book
4 stars - reaffirmed my personal feelings and beliefs in an uplifting or depthful way
5 stars - revolutionised my personal f More...
Jun 18, 2010
Kathleen
rated it:
The aptly named Love Story chronicles Cass's life after the death of her best friend, Julia. The story skips back and forth in time, but not before and after Julia's death -- instead we flip between shortly after the death, when those who loved her are striking out at each other in frustration, loneliness, and jealousy, to several months after the death, when those same friends have united to create a legacy to their friend by bringing the bloody ninja musical that she was writing to life.
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Jun 22, 2010
Jill
rated it:
There was SO MUCH going on in this book! Whether or not you are a gay teenager, the author touches on issues that everyone faces, especially when it comes to grief, loss, relationships, self esteem, dreams, and belonging. Horner does this in a way that is authentic and powerful, and accessible to adults as well as teens.
Usually it takes me a while to get into the characters before I feel moved by their struggles, but I was already in tears by page 25, and I cried again and again unti More...
Usually it takes me a while to get into the characters before I feel moved by their struggles, but I was already in tears by page 25, and I cried again and again unti More...
Sep 07, 2010
Ocean
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i actually stumbled across this book while i was on a lengthy bike trip and searching for queer themed books in the frostburg public library with my partner-in-crime. he was actually the one that found this, and i am so glad he did. what could be better when you're on a lengthy bike trip, a big queermo, and a lover of teen books, than to find this deeply satisfying book about a queer teen girl on a bike trip?!? i read it in various bookstores and libraries along the way, and just finished it yes
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Sep 29, 2010
Liza
rated it:
Grr. I was really looking forward to this book that, despite having a dead friend in it, also featured a musical about ninjas, an idea that is long overdue.
Horner immediately started the book in three time periods. The people in the story went through too many dramatic issues in those time periods to make it readable. I couldn't keep characters straight because they fell in and out of love, fought, and/or died and none of this was explained to the reader.
I understand tha More...
Horner immediately started the book in three time periods. The people in the story went through too many dramatic issues in those time periods to make it readable. I couldn't keep characters straight because they fell in and out of love, fought, and/or died and none of this was explained to the reader.
I understand tha More...
Aug 15, 2010
Michelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 17, 2011
Finfolk
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I really did like this book and I thought it was very well written. I just, personally, have a problem keeping people straight. We get to see so many people, friends, family, and lovers, and the names just seem to pass by and them come back. I found myself flipping between thens and nows just so I knew who some people were (like Heather's exgirlfriend and sometimes I mixed up the dead best friend and the living sort-of friend because both of their names started with an L but that mix up was only
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Feb 11, 2012
Clover (Fluttering Butterflies)
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This review was originally published at Fluttering Butterflies
Oh I did adore A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner, I really did. I had tears streaming down my face on several occasions when I finished this book I heaved a big happy sigh and wanted to read it all over again.
It was another blogger who brought this book to my attention and the review I read of it was lovely, but I'd mostly forgotten any of the detail by the time I got around to reading this. More...
Oh I did adore A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner, I really did. I had tears streaming down my face on several occasions when I finished this book I heaved a big happy sigh and wanted to read it all over again.
It was another blogger who brought this book to my attention and the review I read of it was lovely, but I'd mostly forgotten any of the detail by the time I got around to reading this. More...
