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Girl Saves Boy

by Steph Bowe (Goodreads Author)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 499 ratings · 103 reviews

The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life.

Isn’t it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher?

No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening…

But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?

With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 30th 2010 by Text Publishing

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Jul 25, 2011 Alexa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Shelves: aussie, young-adult, borrowed, tour, 2011-reads

My review can also be found on my blog Collections.

3.5 stars

Girl Saves Boy was a quick read told in alternating point of views between Jewel Valentine, a loner girl whose family fell apart after the death of her brother 10 years ago, and Sacha Thomas, a boy who survived childhood cancer and lost his mother only about a year ago. They first meet at the lake where Jewel saves Sacha after he tries to drown himself. After that chance encounter, they start to fall in love.

Throughout the book, it see...more

10 likes · like · see review

Aug 21, 2011 Good Golly Miss Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone (Okay, maybe not sufferers of Leukemia or girls with dead parents? but yes everyone else)

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ** spoiler alert ** I went into this book not really knowing much about it and I recommend you do the same for the best effect.

I think you'll agree that what most media and entertainment fail to do well is evoke a real feeling in the reader/watcher, well Steph Bowe does this so well with her 2010 YA debut novel, Girl Saves Boy.

Forget the fact that the author is a 16 year old Australian home schooler, this book needs no cliché or marketable points, it is worth gushing over and I recommend you pi...more ** spoiler alert ** I went into this book not really knowing much about it and I recommend you do the same for the best effect.

I think you'll agree that what most media and entertainment fail to do well is evoke a real feeling in the reader/watcher, well Steph Bowe does this so well with her 2010 YA debut novel, Girl Saves Boy.

Forget the fact that the author is a 16 year old Australian home schooler, this book needs no cliché or marketable points, it is worth gushing over and I recommend you pick it up right now! I am even regretting that one star stopping it from being a full mark but it felt right the moment I finished it.

Girl Saves Boy is all about Sacha and Jewel, who have both gone through some terrible things in their lives (death of family members, leukemia) but who manage to form an almighty bond when one saves the other from drowning and still manage to be pretty good people in their everyday lives.

The only slight issue I had with this book, which is tiny and me being super picky is that the romance between Sacha and Jewel seemed to escalate in about a week, I think a more realistic approach would've been to extend the time from first date to total devotion over at least a few weeks or even a month. I also really wondered how Jewel managed to keep herself away when she found out about the Leukemia, I wouldn't have wanted to throw away a single second together after finding this out.

I have to say I was also a little bit worried in the first few chapters as I wasn't connecting well with the book but then an almighty whoosh hits you in the face and you just can't stop reading. I think I had it read in under 2 days which is a little unusual for me. It is heart-wrenching, captivating and uplifting. The characters are so believable and I actually preferred some of the sub-characters to the main ones, it even had me forming tears and then a few chapters later laughing out loud. I wouldn't let the Leukemia deter you from picking up this book up as it normally would for me because it isn't so horrible to read about that it'll affect your every day life.

And the ending, what do I say? Perfect, leaving it up to the readers imagination. I couldn't have dreamt of a better ending myself.

Now, I know I usually say I can't wait for the authors next release but this time I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for tidbits of information on the next Steph Bowe novel. GO GET ME SOME :)(less)

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Jan 09, 2011 Thebookbutterfly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-2011, aussie, cover-love, reviewed, contemp, breaks-my-heart, multi-pov

'Girl Saves Boy' by Steph Bowe is definitely a book that I have built up ever since I first read Steph's blog and have been longing to read for ages.
And it completely succeeded at all of my expections and more, because I loved that it was not exactly what I was expecting out of Steph Bowe, and was more heartfelt than I really thought possible for a YA book.
The book basically revovles around four characters--Jewel, True, Sacha, and Little Al. (Don't you love their names? Points to Steph Bowe for...more 'Girl Saves Boy' by Steph Bowe is definitely a book that I have built up ever since I first read Steph's blog and have been longing to read for ages.
And it completely succeeded at all of my expections and more, because I loved that it was not exactly what I was expecting out of Steph Bowe, and was more heartfelt than I really thought possible for a YA book.
The book basically revovles around four characters--Jewel, True, Sacha, and Little Al. (Don't you love their names? Points to Steph Bowe for creativity on that account.) It is told through two perspectives, Sacha and Jewel. Jewel is just coming back into town after her grandparents (who raised her) died and is living with her mom--referred to as Rachel--again. Which she is not overly excited about. Her mom OD'd a couple of times after Jewel's brother died and her dad ran away shortly after that, so Jewel is not the most well-adjusted person in the world.
Sacha has his own problems to worry about, as he is dying of leaukima and his mother starved herself to death just the year before. His dad has also recently came out of the closet and is dating Sacha's art teacher, Mr. Carr.
The thing I love about this book, is that when I was building up my expectations, I completely thought that Steph Bowe's portrayal of the characters and their obvious issues was going to be way, way over-the-top dramatic. Because, really? All of those problems together is a lot to cover in a 280 page or so novel. And that's a lot for two kids to handle, besides.
But it was not over-the-top at all. I loved that there was time for random fun and quirky dialouge and some philosophizing and space for romance and friendship to develop while all of these problems were going on. Steph Bowe touched on each issue with careful sorrow and depict Sacha and Jewel's reactions, which were all wholly realistic and human, and still managed to get through her themes to the audience. Life was hard and that was truth, but it did not do to dwell.
I understand that some readers will have a problem with the fact that this novel took place within a week or two, and that it's not enough time to cover all of the issues. (And some things, like how Sacha got used to Mr. Carr and how Jewel came in contact with her dad, were a little rushed) but I think that in life things are not always perfectly resolved and the story ended at the absolutely perfect moment, in my opinion.
I loved Sacha and Little Al especially in this novel. Sacha's garden gnome stealing habit (he said it was his bizarre version of a coping mechanism :D) was hilarious and had me laughing when I was still trying not to cry.
Little Al was a science genius which while I am unfortunately not one, I liked to keep up with his take on the universe and Steph Bowe did a great job executing how that reflected on his views of what was going on. True, I never felt close to. She felt too pretty and too focused on her career goals, and that I understood why she did certain things, sometimes I felt like she was hurting her friends and up until the end, I got the impression that she didn't really care.
Jewel, I liked almost as much as Sacha, because I could relate to her. I liked that she was kind of quiet and that she didn't wear make-up and that she was an amazing artist, but she didn't put her art in front of her growing friendships either. She was an extremely unique character that I liked reading about and I was happy that Sacha was her love interest, because their scenes and their evolving relationship was awkward and sad and lovely and everything that first love should be like.
I loved this book: it made me laugh and my eyes water a little and my heart ache, and anyone who loves quirky, awkward first romances and raw honesty should pick this up immeditately.(less)

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Jan 05, 2011 Shirley Marr rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya

You may know Steph Bowe as blogger of Hey! Teenager of the Year, which reviews teen fiction with YA related writing, opinion and statement pieces. I love this blog because the posts are always so well written – insightful, thoughtful, critical, fair. So it thrilled me no end to know that Steph Bowe had a book in the pipeline – I wondered what Steph would be capable of given the length and scope of a novel.

Girl Saves Boy is a story about a Girl (Jewel Valentine) and Boy (Sacha Thomas) who meet wh...more You may know Steph Bowe as blogger of Hey! Teenager of the Year, which reviews teen fiction with YA related writing, opinion and statement pieces. I love this blog because the posts are always so well written – insightful, thoughtful, critical, fair. So it thrilled me no end to know that Steph Bowe had a book in the pipeline – I wondered what Steph would be capable of given the length and scope of a novel.

Girl Saves Boy is a story about a Girl (Jewel Valentine) and Boy (Sacha Thomas) who meet when Jewel pulls Sacha out of a lake where he tries to drown himself. They are both quirky and damaged souls that are instantly attracted to each other. Their lives from that point become intertwined and over a series of beautifully set up scenes, we see a friendship and then something like love, blossom.

I can best describe Girls Saves Boy as being given the most gorgeous looking and delicious chiffon cake baked by an intelligent and sometimes-sad girl. After I devoured it, I was filled with a longing of having tasted something bittersweet and rare, glad of being given such a gift. I’m a black-wearing, smudgy eyed bogan (y’know, I like to write about…murder) and most likely an opposite-Steph Bowe, but I think I just wrote the prettiest two sentences I have ever written. This book makes me feel pretty.

I don’t think writers should be judged by their age, but age is important when we look at what it brings to the writing. I’m a twenty-something-odd writer and what I write of love is mostly jaded. Writers older than me tend to identify with parental characters and often invest adult characters with the problems that the teenage protagonists have to deal with. What I find most impressive is that simultaneously, Steph manages to write a love story in the most pure, joyful way (some of the scenes send chills down my spine) and at the same time gives the central problems to her teens. Sacha is the one dealing with a terminal disease and suicidal intentions and Jewel is the one coming to grips with post traumatic stress and depression. This book is important because it’s respecting young people and not shying away from the fact that yes, they have issues too! And this is without turning it into one of those “topic” novel about teen suicide/eating disorders/cyber bullying/insert your choice here. How refreshing.

Steph’s writing is reminiscent for me of Carson McCullers, also a prodigious writer who was published at a very young age with “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”. Steph’s writing is sparse, clean, very keen and to the bone. She incorporates modern teenage speech and words without sounding contrived (“He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. It was the first time I had worn a dress in forever”), or deliberately wanting to sound trendy. It is a mix that produces writing that sounds incredibly fresh, but at the same time sounds like it comes from a very old and wise soul, therefore lending a timeless quality. There’s something Jane Austen about Steph, in that she observes the people of her age group in modern society perfectly and also when you least expect it, is wickedly witty (“There was a split-second of silence, but it seemed to drag on forever, like I was caught in a single frame of claymation.”)

I also enjoyed the sharpness to it. I mean, there are black jokes about dying that only someone with a deft and unflinching hand could pull off and I loved that. This book, more than anything I have ever read, captures 100% the sense of what it means to be a young person in today’s world from someone who still inhibits it. I simply can’t wait to see what Steph comes up with next.

If I have any words for Steph (Shirley, what are you? Some Mother Hen?) is that on occasions I found some characters acting in strange and unexplainable ways when it came down to important revelations or situations that didn’t seem to make sense in the light of the ways their background have been so solidly developed. I can’t be clearer or else it will be spoiler city. So I will say that the motivation behind each individual character is perfect (like the chapter exploring Jewel’s internal thoughts), but something for Steph to develop further in time is the fine-tuning of how her characters choose to act plot-wise.

This book is recommended to anyone who reads YA and wants something contemporary, emotion-driven and melancholic with a sharp enough edge. I can see teen girls relating to this immediately.

I was thinking of one word to described Girl Saves Boy. Turning the book around in my hands and looking at the colour of the purpling sky and the pretty foil-embossed fairy lights on the front, it struck me that the perfect word is this: luminous.

This review originally appeared on my blog Life on Marrs

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7 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 Sven rated it 5 of 5 stars

Could not believe how good this book is. Wantd to giv it mor than 5stars.

1 like · like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 22-eltemplo, reseñas

"Los abuelos de Jewel han muerto, así que la joven vuelve al pueblo que la vio nacer para vivir con su madre, a la que no ve desde hace diez años. Pero todo ha cambiado: ella es una joven introvertida y poco dada a hacer amigos, y su madre es casi una desconocida. Pero lo que parece no haber cambiado es el lago, donde su hermano murió. Y en ese mismo lago donde su vida se torció por el mal camino, esta volverá a tomar un rumbo desconocido. Aunque en un primer momento piensa que se trata de una a...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Adelina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Steph Bowe's earned a solid place in my list of authors whose works I'll pick up in a heart beat, no questions asked. Girl Saves Boy is that good, and perhaps even more. I wish I'd written it in my teens (Steph was 16 when this book was published), but I would have certainly lacked the skill and maturity to produce something of this calibre.

Often, after reading a brilliantly constructed, incredibly breathtaking passage, I'd pause in wonder - not just at Steph's age, but for the fact that many ol...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Girl- Jewel Valentine didn't expect that in her first days back since she was eight years old , she'd have to jump into the lake that her brother drowned in eight years ago when he was ten years old. Jewel Valentine didn't have a choice in coming back as after living with her grandparents from 8-16 yrs old , they had finally passed away and now Jewel is back living with the mother who didn't want her after her brother passed away.
Boy- Sacha Thomas's life hasn't been easy either , growing up wit...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Sofia rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Spanish title made me think that the book was about something else, but it was obviously a mistake, the title in Spanish practically tells you the boy saves her but then when I read the English title I thought Oh My God, this isn't what I thought. So I bought it.
Girl Saves Boy is a novel about two Australian teenagers, written by an Australian author too, they both have problems, lots but they're teens struggling day a day.
It was a really nice reading book, it took me about 3 hours to read i...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 03, 2012 Shadowhunter Girl marked it as to-read

I haven't read this book yet and I'm kind of hesitant to because I take some things way too literal, and the love stories I read, NEED to have a good ending, otherwise it just destroys me.
Yeah, yeah some may think that I'm being too dramatic but, well, it's true. I mean, there's already so many countless sad things in our world, why write a book to escape into if it's just gonna end at a depressing point when we can have that in reality?
I'm not saying depression should be avoided, I'm just sa...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I was aware of the author's age before I started reading, but I'm not going to judge the book based on that. I'm going to judge it normally, based on it being a first novel.

ISSUES I HAD WITH IT:

1. Jewel and Sacha and True are horrible names. They were almost cringe-worthy.

2. I feel like Bowe has read a significant amount of John Green books, and Miles Halter (protagonist of Green's Looking for Alaska) is mentioned in the book, I'm pretty sure. There is a person with terminal cancer, a person who...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Iria Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Han sido tan buenas todas las reseñas que he leído de este novela que no he podido evitar comprármelo y con esa portada y título, no han podido hacer otra cosa que embelesarme.

La chica del lago es fundamentalmente una historia de amor, entre dos jóvenes que no sucede como en otras novelas. Ninguno es el más guapo, más querido o más popular del mundo, ninguno llama la atención a los demás. Son, por así decirlo y como se menciona varias veces en la historia, bichos raros.

Jewel es una muchacha que...more Han sido tan buenas todas las reseñas que he leído de este novela que no he podido evitar comprármelo y con esa portada y título, no han podido hacer otra cosa que embelesarme.

La chica del lago es fundamentalmente una historia de amor, entre dos jóvenes que no sucede como en otras novelas. Ninguno es el más guapo, más querido o más popular del mundo, ninguno llama la atención a los demás. Son, por así decirlo y como se menciona varias veces en la historia, bichos raros.

Jewel es una muchacha que se separó de su familia tras la muerte de su hermano, ella se autoinculpa, su padre decide marcharse y su madre estar sola, de modo que la muchacha permanece durante 10 años con sus abuelos hasta que estos mueren y debe regresar con su madre, apenas una desconocida.

Por otra parte, Sacha es un chico que carga con la muerte de su madre a sus espaldas, una leucemia que parece superada y un padre homosexual.

Su historia comienza cuando Jewel rememora la prematura muerte de su hermano al encontrarse con Sacha ahogándose en medio del lago y decidir salvarle.

La relación entre ellos surge rápidamente, muy fácil para mi gusto, pero todo sucede tan rápido en esta novela cómo para pensar en eso. Crea un romance muy tierno entre dos jóvenes que parecen no pertenecer al mundo del resto.

No voy a negarlo, es un dramón de los grandes, marcado por todos los problemas de ambos. Sin embargo, la autora le da un toque de humor a los pensamientos de los dos jóvenes (narradores cada uno en capítulos intercalados), normalmente bastante negro y muy sádico pero en otras más divertido e irónico, que te hace muy amena la lectura, a la par que adictiva. Esto fue lo que más me gustó de la novela, la visión sarcástica del mundo de dos personitas que no parecen dejar de sufrir.

Me han encantado las rarezas de todos los personajes y todos los detalles mínimos que se cuelan entre las páginas. ¿Quién encuentra a alguien que dedique su tiempo a robar nomos de jardín? ¿O que lo que más le guste sean las primeras y últimas frases que escucha de las personas?

Lee más en: http://alasombradelcuento.blogspot.co...(less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Deborah Abela rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s not only the fact that Steph Bowe is 16 that makes this book so arresting. From the heart-aching words of the prologue to the quiet musings of two teenagers on a beach at the end facing an impossibly unfair future, this book is a rare treat of gentle quiet, big-hearted sweetness and great slabs of uncomfortable truths. Ten years ago something happened to Jewel Valentine’s family that tore them apart. She was sent to live with her grandparents while her parents’ lives crumbled. Now that her...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Skye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya

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

Girl Saves Boy is a remarkable debut from Steph Bowe, only 16 years old. From alternating perspectives, it tells the story of Jewel Valentine and Sacha Thomas, two teens who find a new lease on life after meeting each other.

Both characters have their fair share of problems. Sacha's mother recently died, he has a terminal illness himself, and his father's involved with his male art teacher. Jewel's father left after the death of her brother...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Nadia Astor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

El libro me ha encantado con todas las letras. Ha sido una historia preciosa, simple y muy realista. Me ha encantado Jewel y Sacha, como junto consiguen que todo perdure. Lo unico que me ha dejado extrañada ha sido: ¿Gnomos de jardin? ¿?

Pero eso es otra historia, tenemos a Jewel, que esta deprimida. Sin querer spoiler "mato a su hermano" y se siente culpable. Sus padres se separaron y la mandaron con sus abuelos, los que han muerto y ella ha regresado a su pueblo natal.

Alli vera a un chico ahoga...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wow. Completely NOT what I expected, this book is based around death. Death of everybody. The book doesn't capture the readers attention (maybe because us, as humans, try avoid death and anything relating to it?), the way the characters are portrayed in the book show a very cliched and unrealistic world. Parts of the characters' world are too perfect to be true, tho other sections are very disappointing and hard to relate to. It was very predictable and some parts were random, the event happened...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Sabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian-y-a, favourites

Overview of Novel (Contains Spoilers)
Girl saves boy by Steph Bowe is an amazing story of mainly two families, the valentine's and the Thomas's. Jewel just moved back in with her mother after the unfortunate death of both grandparents.

After the tragic death of Jewels brother Ben, she is sent to live with the grandparents as her actual parents couldn't care for her. Her father disappeared from her life for 10 years. Jewel feels guilty for Ben's death as she thought she could've saved or prevented...more Overview of Novel (Contains Spoilers)
Girl saves boy by Steph Bowe is an amazing story of mainly two families, the valentine's and the Thomas's. Jewel just moved back in with her mother after the unfortunate death of both grandparents.

After the tragic death of Jewels brother Ben, she is sent to live with the grandparents as her actual parents couldn't care for her. Her father disappeared from her life for 10 years. Jewel feels guilty for Ben's death as she thought she could've saved or prevented his death.

She becomes a shell, living a lonely life with no friends and holding no hope for her future, living her life as if she died as well as Ben. Jewel sees a boy drowning and decides to save him like she wanted to save her brother. What she doesn't know is that this opens up a new relationship between herself and Sasha. Sasha is a young boy who is seen drowning that night and is then saved by Jewel

what Jewel didn't know was that Sasha found out that he is very sick, his leukemia has returned and is only given to the end of the year to live. the irony of him droning was that everyone hints to the fact that he tried to kill himself which is later revealed to be true. His mother died a year before from Anorexia, he blames his father for her death because he believed his dad led her to becoming anorexic due to his sexuality and how he just didn't feel the same for her anymore. So soon after her death he gets into a relationship with a male, Sasha's art teacher Mr Carr.

My Review
This story was extremely touching, some parts making you want to cry, others that make you laugh. Nothing is magically fixed or made better, it is realistic which gives the book a more personal feel. Some of the parts were leading towards unrealistic, some issues went away very quickly which can make the reader go "...Wait, When was that solved?". But they weren't big enough to ruin or even affect the story. the imagery, the story, the realism all contribute towards a beautiful and heart touching story of how different people deal with their individual issues in life and how they overcome them the best they can. I give this book 4 out of 5 starts as it is an amazing story but some parts leave me asking questions.(less)

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Oct 26, 2010 Cynthia (A Blog about Nothing) rated it 3 of 5 stars

-More like 3.5 Stars-

Girl Saves Boy was a great story of love, friendship, and family. There were some sad parts in the story that made me teary eye but also a lot of fun and quirky scenes that made laugh, it was a great mixture of both and I enjoyed it.

When I read the synopsis I thought the story was going to be told from a male point of view but it was told from both, from Jewel's and Sacha's. I love them both, they were two broken and sad characters that blamed themselves for their family tr...more -More like 3.5 Stars-

Girl Saves Boy was a great story of love, friendship, and family. There were some sad parts in the story that made me teary eye but also a lot of fun and quirky scenes that made laugh, it was a great mixture of both and I enjoyed it.

When I read the synopsis I thought the story was going to be told from a male point of view but it was told from both, from Jewel's and Sacha's. I love them both, they were two broken and sad characters that blamed themselves for their family tragedies and were struggling to move on, and after Sacha's finds out that he's sick again it just makes it a lot more painful for him. Sacha was my favorite character in this one, he was sweet and strong and vulnerable all at once and when he finds Jewel and they start to fall in love he begins to find a reason to live and fight his disease. I loved how these two characters begin to get closer and learn to forgive themselves and their parents and begin to pretty much heal each other from all the pain and sadness that they've gone through.

Girl Saves Boy was a great journey of forgiveness and life, that had several hard topics interwoven in the story. You really don't know where the story is heading while you're reading it, the things that I expected to happen towards the end didn't happen and I really enjoyed that it was unpredictable . I did find it a little hard to follow at the beginning because the character would start narrating a flashback all of a sudden while in the middle of doing something else, but once I got used to it and the style of writing I got really comfortable with it and I finished the book in one sitting. The only thing that left me unsatisfied was the ending, I thought the book ended too abruptly and left me with a lot of questions. I really liked it while I was reading it but the ending left me with confused feelings about it and I think I would have loved it more if it had been a little bit longer. Overall I still enjoyed it and I thought it was a great debut novel that I would recommend. (less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Junna CarLa ♥♥♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: deals-with-illness, ebooks, made-me-cry, young-adult-novel

The people you usually think are the bravest are often the most scared..

The liked the story so much, though i think that the ending was rushed and i was expecting more from it ..

I cried a lot, really ..
this kind of story is what really gets to me ..
a couple with a perfect love and then the other has to die .. gosh!
the story made me remember Augustus and Hazel Grace (from TFiOS),
i just really wanna sulk and sulk all day .. :(

i just wish it did not end like that ..
i wanted to know what happens to...more

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Sep 12, 2010 Nomes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya, alternating-m-f-pov, 2010, mixed-feelings, you-make-me-smile, kindle

3 - 3.5 stars (I liked it)

Girl Saves Boy has a unique flavour to add to the YA scene. With it's quirky and off-beat vibe it's an intelligent novel that manages to convey hope among devastation and silliness alongside mourning.

The story is told from Sacha's POV and Jewel's POV.

The narrative isn't always linear in a sense of plot moving forward with scenes. It's got anecdotes and a running internal narrative of thoughts on life and death and the world in general. You know how sometimes you're thin...more

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Aug 31, 2010 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this book for the purpose of it being written by an Australian sixteen-year-old girl. As an aspiring author myself, I thought it would be interesting to see another young person’s writing and especially since it was published into a REAL and ACTUAL book. I won’t go into too much detail about GIRL SAVES BOY since some of you haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet. Overall, I found it a ‘good’ attempt on the storyline and on the character developments, but unfortunately it jus...more I wanted to read this book for the purpose of it being written by an Australian sixteen-year-old girl. As an aspiring author myself, I thought it would be interesting to see another young person’s writing and especially since it was published into a REAL and ACTUAL book. I won’t go into too much detail about GIRL SAVES BOY since some of you haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet. Overall, I found it a ‘good’ attempt on the storyline and on the character developments, but unfortunately it just didn’t cut it for me.

First off, the characters Jewel and Sacha both have their problems to deal with, like all families do in our own reality and I understood how they reacted to certain situations in their everyday lives. However, I found the whole ‘romance’ part – the one thing that attracted me to the book in the first place – was pretty unrealistic. It just wasn’t for me, sorry. No one – that is in my world, would fall in love that easily and so suddenly, let alone in a week or so. Love takes time and with dates...kisses...complete and utter devotion to one another...that just doesn’t happen in a week.

I admit, I loved the beginning of the novel but when I finally hit the halfway mark, things tended to be rushed until the very last page. I mean don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t THAT bad, but when relationships were suddenly mended, along with forgiveness and anger that seemed to have happened, then viola, everyone is happy again like it never happened at all. It was rushed. What can I say...I love bigger books that can slow things down and take time on important issues that the character is dealing with such as death – as mentioned continuously in the novel.

Once the halfway point went by, I found myself liking Sacha a lot more and his friends too, who’d added a lot of humour than the two main characters did. As for Jewel, I found her relatable at first with the whole loner ordeal, but then she was just...boring. Again, I liked Sacha a hell a lot more and loved his POV. Jewel was okay too, but I hated the way she talked about death repeatedly, and I felt like I was reading paragraphs twice, when really, the author was using different words. Some of it could’ve been cut.

But this is just one person’s opinion, and I’m sure there are many of you who may say I was completely WRONG about this book, but like I always say, “Some books are just not everyone’s cup of tea.” In the end, I will commend Bowe on a good novel because after all...she is so young and so incredibly lucky to have her own FINISHED novel printed into a book that someday I hope will happen to me. So, no matter what I thought, but I look forward to see what she brings up next onto the table.
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Mar 03, 2011 Brandi Kosiner added it

I really enjoyed Girl Saves Boy. It was touching and dealt with sensitive matters like suicide, death, cancer, and homosexuality with finesse and ease.
The main characters, Sacha and Jewel are complex and have authentic voices. I found myself really caring about them and invested in what they were feeling and doing.
The secondary characters like True and Little Al are well developed and bring things to the story rather than just being an accessory.
For those who like open ended endings- this...more

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Aug 09, 2012 María M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La chica del lago es un libro triste y algo pesimista, sobre todo por parte de Jewel. Transmite muchos sentimientos y te hacen pensar sobre lo importante que es cada momento de nuestra vida. No hay una trama sino más bien nos cuenta como se conocen los dos protagonistas y cosas de su pasado. Es un libro fácil y rápido de leer.
El romance entre Jewel y Sacha me ha parecido algo precipitado, poco creíble, pero las circunstancias que rodean a ambos escusan este hecho.
El final es demasiado abierto,...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Pixie/PageTurners(Amber) C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some minor spoilers...
It has taken me weeks to write this review - I am just at a loss for words. Girl Saves Boy is truly a heartbreaking story filled with humor, friendships and first loves. It grabs your attention from the first line and you can not put the book down. It's one of those books you expect to enjoy but ends up taking your breath away.

When we are introduced to Jewel, she is returning home to finish off her last year of school. After the drowning of her brother, she was shipped off...more Some minor spoilers...
It has taken me weeks to write this review - I am just at a loss for words. Girl Saves Boy is truly a heartbreaking story filled with humor, friendships and first loves. It grabs your attention from the first line and you can not put the book down. It's one of those books you expect to enjoy but ends up taking your breath away.

When we are introduced to Jewel, she is returning home to finish off her last year of school. After the drowning of her brother, she was shipped off to live with her grandparents. Her grandparents have recently passed away, and there is only one place she can go, back to the mom that didn't want her. The first night Jewel is back in town she is standing by the lake reliving what happened to her brother, when she notices a boy in the water.

Sache the boy in the lake, has just received some bad news; over the past year "bad news" has been a common occurrence; his mom starved herself to death, his father just came out of the closet and is in love with his art teacher and he just found out his cancer has come back, and it's terminal. So what's the point of living? He jumps fully dressed into an ice cold lake. Jewel ends up saving his life.

From then on the story will alternate points of view, you get passed and present parts of each character. This really helps you understand and connect with Jewel and Sache. Jewel is scared to love, because it all dies and Sache is smitten by Jewel, but what's the point, he will be dead in a few months. The side characters play a huge role in this book. Sache's two best friends are what really push the story forward; they get Jewel and Sache to start talking, to fall in love and to forgive. Jewel and Sache jump head first into a relationship, it's intense and beautiful, and although it happens over a period of days, as a reader you truly feel like they are in love. One of my favorite parts of the story is all the crazy "redeeming" stuff that Sache decides to do, the outcomes are hilarious and add much needed comical relief.

Steph Bowe does an amazing job tying the story together, everything is connected. I am truly amazed that she is a sixteen year old author. The only thing that bothered me about the story was that I did not feel it had closure. I get what Steph was trying to do, leaving it open - but to me, with a story like this, you just need to know what happens. Maybe there is another book? (less)

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Feb 20, 2012 Mandee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie, aww2012, ya-lit, aussieya2012

Girl Saves Boy by Steph Bowe is set in Melbourne, Australia. The story focuses on the lives of Sacha Thomas and Jewel Valentine. Sacha had cancer as a child, he went into remission and has recently found out that the cancer has returned. Jewel left Melbourne after a family accident when she was a child but has returned to live with her mum and finish high school. One evening Jewel sees a boy in a lake and rescues him, this is how Sacha and Jewel meet.

This was the second book I read about a teena...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Hazel Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: wish-list, favorites

¡Hoooooooooooola! ¿Qué tal? Yo en cuanto lleguen las VACACIONES estaré mucho mejor. ~~Demasiados exámenes.~~

Bien, hoy vengo con este libro, que la verdad es que no sabía nada de él, pero mi buena amiga ~~Nievosín~~ Neus (http://www.goodreads.com/infinitedrizzle ¡Mañana es su cumple!)me lo recomendó, y no pude esperar a leermelo. Una de las mejores cosas es que la portada, sorprendentemente, en España es mucho mejor que la extranjera (OMG I can't believe it)
Simplemente diré que este libro es I-N-C-R-E-Í...more

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Apr 21, 2013 cait rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, young-adult, contemporary

I confess, this isn't my typical style of book. A bit of a step outside the comfort zone. But there were compelling reasons for me to read this book. As in... the author is exactly my age...and her book is published. So, I had to read her book.

I liked it.

Sure it was a romance (no swords, battles, longbows or strange lands -- those are my style), but it was written exceptionally well. The prose flowed, the story wound together until every last piece clicked in place, and the characters were ama...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Estíbaliz Martín rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Sacha y Jewel son jovenes de 18 años que se están muriendo. Uno por dentro, y otro por fuera. Es indudable. Jewel vió como su hermano moría cuando ella solo tenía 8 ños y no deja de llevar el drama de 'mi padre me culpa de su muerte porque yo le empujé' y blablabla. Y Sacha tiene leucemia y ya no tiene salvación. Y se conocen tras el intento de suicidio de Sacha. Y se enamoran. Lo típico.

No esperéis mucho del libro. Está escrito por una joven de 17 años (en su día) que posiblemente intentó escri...more

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Oct 29, 2012 kb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4ever-young-adult, ohsum-aussie, ayebooks

This felt like a product of a lit prodigy - imagine an acclaimed YA writer at 17! - but there was something about the story that was off. Make that somethings. However, good news first:

Yay!s
-For you John Green fanatics out there, you'd be glad to get a copy of this book. Steph Bowe clearly loves the author - even mentions Green's Looking for Alaska protag Miles Halter and his love for last words - and even uses his signatures in her book: quirky, unreachable girl, death, best best friendship, in...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Ira S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

first of all, I love the cover. No, I don't have a thing with "feet", I just love the colour combinations and the simplicity of it all. These days most YA fiction features a this gorgeous girl in this gorgeous long dress posing gorgeously etc... etc... and not that I have anything against that, but the cover of Girl Saves Boy is a nice change (plus I love those sparkly lights!).

Where as the actual story - I adored it. It's, I dunno, perfectly disfunctional? It has angst and romance and I could d...more

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“Sometimes the hardest person in the world to talk to is your best friend, because it matters so much.” — 35 people liked it

“She was too dependent on what other people thought of her, and that was her downfall. She cared too much. She was only what other people saw in her—-that is, what she imagined they saw in her.” — 10 people liked it

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