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24th out of 301 books
—
191 voters
You Are Not Here
A startling novel about love and grief from the author of the acclaimed memoir I Don't Want to Be Crazy.
Annaleah and Brian shared something special - Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn't need anyone else. It didn't matter that their relationship was
secret. All that mattered was what they had with each other.
And then, out of nowhere, Brian dies. And...more
Annaleah and Brian shared something special - Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn't need anyone else. It didn't matter that their relationship was
secret. All that mattered was what they had with each other.
And then, out of nowhere, Brian dies. And...more
Hardcover, 292 pages
Published
October 1st 2010
by Push
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Jan 07, 2011
Lora
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Nic and Arlene; or anyone who enjoys verse novels.
Shelves:
g-ya-realistic,
lib-read
First off, I'd just like to say that although I haven't read a lot of verse novels, I do enjoy them. And this one was no exception.
You Are Not Here begins with Annaleah going to visit her boyfriend, Brian, whom she's been seeing for the past few months. Except this time, she's going to visit his grave. Brian's passing has left a hole in Annaleah's heart, and she's not sure how to move on without him.
This novel alternates between the past and the present: It tells how Annaleah met Brian, and how...more
You Are Not Here begins with Annaleah going to visit her boyfriend, Brian, whom she's been seeing for the past few months. Except this time, she's going to visit his grave. Brian's passing has left a hole in Annaleah's heart, and she's not sure how to move on without him.
This novel alternates between the past and the present: It tells how Annaleah met Brian, and how...more
4 likes · like · see review
view all 3 comments
I love verse style writing, it conveys thoughts and feelings very well, imo, especially grief. But no matter how hard I tired, I couldn’t stir up any emotions for this one.
You Are Not Here tells the story of Annaleah, a teenage girl who has just lost her quasi-boyfriend, Brian. At the age of 17, his un-knowingly defected heart gave out on him. Now Annaleah is trapped in grief and has no one to share her pain with. No one who knew Brian even knows she exists.
While I was certainly touched by this...more
You Are Not Here tells the story of Annaleah, a teenage girl who has just lost her quasi-boyfriend, Brian. At the age of 17, his un-knowingly defected heart gave out on him. Now Annaleah is trapped in grief and has no one to share her pain with. No one who knew Brian even knows she exists.
While I was certainly touched by this...more
4 likes · like · see review
It's funny, how verse novels with such few words can often invoke more emotion than a novel with twice as many. You Are Not Here is a novel about loss, and ultimately moving on.
Annaleah's relationship with Brian was complicated. From what we find out I'm not sure that Brian felt the same way that Annaleah did. It's easy to be mad at her for being so naive, yet at the same time it's easy to see how being in love can blind you. The depiction of the grieving process was done extremely well. You can...more
Annaleah's relationship with Brian was complicated. From what we find out I'm not sure that Brian felt the same way that Annaleah did. It's easy to be mad at her for being so naive, yet at the same time it's easy to see how being in love can blind you. The depiction of the grieving process was done extremely well. You can...more
1 like · like · see review
Annaleah is a pathetic girl (but not unlike all of her teen counterparts) who get wrapped up in a relationship that is anything but. Brian "sort of" dated her and they certainly had sex a few times, but it didn't bother her that she never met his parents or his friends and vice versa... that is until he died. A freak heart problem killed him on the basketball court. She attends the wake knowing full well that no one knows who she is and spends the majority of the book wallowing in memories of a...more
Shutz's latest novel in verse is fiction about a Annaleah who has a secret relationship with jock, artist, basketball player Brian, who suddenly dies. Only 3 of Annaleah's friends knew and didn't necessarily approve of them being together. With Brian's death, AnnaLeah is plunged to the depths of despair and now we as the reader find out about Brian from Annaleah. Brian didn't always make time for Annaleah but it is her friend Marissa, who keeps calling her friend (will Annaleah return her calls?...more
Verse novels aren’t my favorite. I want them to be. I really, really do. But for some reason I have never been able to get attached to a novel written in verse. Knowing this, when I saw the premise for YOU ARE NOT HERE, I knew immediately I wanted to read it, and I am so glad I did.
It was a novel written in verse, yet I still could not help myself from falling in love with it. I cannot see it successfully written any other way. The raw emotions conveyed through the lines gave me such an insight...more
It was a novel written in verse, yet I still could not help myself from falling in love with it. I cannot see it successfully written any other way. The raw emotions conveyed through the lines gave me such an insight...more
The Good Stuff
* Absolutely wonderful, absorbing and real, you will not want to put it down
* Unusual, raw and poignant
* I'm at a loss on how to express how wonderful I though this book was. If you have ever lost someone you love, you will recognize all the thoughts and emotions that Annaleah goes through in her grieving process
* Must go find more of the author's books tomorrow - seriously impressed
* The last chapter is sad and beautiful and hopeful
* Some nice light humour
* Secondary charac...more
* Absolutely wonderful, absorbing and real, you will not want to put it down
* Unusual, raw and poignant
* I'm at a loss on how to express how wonderful I though this book was. If you have ever lost someone you love, you will recognize all the thoughts and emotions that Annaleah goes through in her grieving process
* Must go find more of the author's books tomorrow - seriously impressed
* The last chapter is sad and beautiful and hopeful
* Some nice light humour
* Secondary charac...more
Apr 18, 2012
Jessica Price
added it
I had very mixed feelings about this book. First off, I really, really liked it. The problem I had was with the characters. So here I go, I'm just gonna jump right in.
Annaleah and Brian have a secret relationship that no one is aware of. It kind of strikes me that Brian is also not aware of it. None the less, Annaleah really likes him and might even be in love with him. One day, tragedy strikes Brian and he suddenly dies. Annaleah doesn't know how to grieve because no one knew they were togethe...more
Annaleah and Brian have a secret relationship that no one is aware of. It kind of strikes me that Brian is also not aware of it. None the less, Annaleah really likes him and might even be in love with him. One day, tragedy strikes Brian and he suddenly dies. Annaleah doesn't know how to grieve because no one knew they were togethe...more
You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz tells the story of Annaleah, who is experiencing deep grief after the sudden depth of the boy she liked. The boy she was having a secret relationship with. Brian is dead and Annaleah just wants to be dead with him.
Annaleah has been "dating" Brian, a boy from a town nearby. Unfortunately theirs was basically a hidden relationship so now, with Brian gone, she really has no one to experience the grieving process with. Her friends warned her about seeing him becau...more
Annaleah has been "dating" Brian, a boy from a town nearby. Unfortunately theirs was basically a hidden relationship so now, with Brian gone, she really has no one to experience the grieving process with. Her friends warned her about seeing him becau...more
1 like · like · see review
Review:
While the summary does not do this book justice, the cover sure does. It is definitely my favorite cover ever--I swear, I spent more time staring at the cover than it took me to read the book. It's absolutely stunning, and is a beautiful cover for an even more beautiful story.
You Are Not Here is written in verse, which is not exactly my favorite. To be honest, this is the first book in verse that I've finished before. Ever. And I'm glad that that I didn't torment myself by trying to read...more
While the summary does not do this book justice, the cover sure does. It is definitely my favorite cover ever--I swear, I spent more time staring at the cover than it took me to read the book. It's absolutely stunning, and is a beautiful cover for an even more beautiful story.
You Are Not Here is written in verse, which is not exactly my favorite. To be honest, this is the first book in verse that I've finished before. Ever. And I'm glad that that I didn't torment myself by trying to read...more
I was immediately taken in by Annaleah’s story and her feelings for Brian and his death. This story is a little different because Annaleah is grieving for Brian, but she’s grieving alone since no one knew about their relationship. I can’t imagine being in her situation. Not only is she trying to understand his death, but she has all kinds of questions about their relationship, if she can even call it that. We follow Annaleah into a pretty deep depression, and even though this makes me feel cold...more
Annaleah had a secret relationship with Brian. When Brian dies of a heart condition, Annaleah is overwhelmed by emotions and questions. Brian never told his parents about her. Also, he’d be hot and then cold with her. Why? Was he embarrassed by her? Was he seeing someone else? He could be so sweet towards her--she even lost her virginity to him--but he never made the relationship public. Annaleah visits his burial place pondering the relationship she had with him, her love and desire for him swi...more
I really loved this book. The narrative is fantastic and I loved the main character Annaleah. I felt the love expressed in this book was just so heart felt you can not help but be touched. Annaleah character was just perfect, not to strong but not a total weeping fool. I felt the author did a fantastic job at making the story enjoyable and light. It is a sad story line but when you are done reading it you will not feel sad, you will feel like Annaleah survived. She might be a little beat up and...more
My review:
Just look at this cover. How beautiful? They are called tuplis, if not, feel free to correct me in the comment section. Anyways I loved the cover and that was only reason why I picked it up. I haven’t heard much about this book before reading it so I was guessing the story line all the time. But let me tell you, it was really good. It was written in a simple, sophisticated way. It wasn’t like a paragraph after paragraph but instead it was a sentence after the other.
The main character,...more
Just look at this cover. How beautiful? They are called tuplis, if not, feel free to correct me in the comment section. Anyways I loved the cover and that was only reason why I picked it up. I haven’t heard much about this book before reading it so I was guessing the story line all the time. But let me tell you, it was really good. It was written in a simple, sophisticated way. It wasn’t like a paragraph after paragraph but instead it was a sentence after the other.
The main character,...more
Oct 23, 2011
Liza Wiemer
added it
You Are Not Here was recommended to me by Joli of Actin' Up with Books Blogspot. I've been reading a ton of verse YA novels lately and she thought I would appreciate this one. I definitely did! You Are Not Here is about a girl named Annaleah who hooks up with a boy named Brian. Only a couple of Annaleah's friends know about their relationship, and they don't exactly approve. Brian seems to be using Annaleah, contacting her at his convenience and not defining their relationship beyond hooking up...more
Have you ever experienced so much sorrow that you don't feel like living?
Annaleah's grieving over the loss of her boyfriend brian. She has completely changed and spends her whole life grieving over brian and obssesing over wether he loved her or not. Step by step and day by day she finds out more about brian's past and realizes that they were nothing. I recommend this book becuase its interesting reading about different ways people handle death.
This book had very interesting details about how An...more
Annaleah's grieving over the loss of her boyfriend brian. She has completely changed and spends her whole life grieving over brian and obssesing over wether he loved her or not. Step by step and day by day she finds out more about brian's past and realizes that they were nothing. I recommend this book becuase its interesting reading about different ways people handle death.
This book had very interesting details about how An...more
I was sent this book a few weeks ago and it immediately drew my attention. The title and cover alone made me want to read this book! You Are Not Here, the sophomore effort of Samantha Schutz is written in verse, an emerging writing style in YA Lit. Schutz is also the author of I Don’t Want to Be Crazy.
The premise of this story is incredibly powerful. How do you grieve when no realizes you have lost something? Not only that but how does a teenager grieve? Annaleah must learn how to move on which...more
The premise of this story is incredibly powerful. How do you grieve when no realizes you have lost something? Not only that but how does a teenager grieve? Annaleah must learn how to move on which...more
I am greatly disappointed by this novel. It wasn't real enough rather it felt like a two-way mirror or an imaginary glass enabling me to see,sense and feel broken love and the unknown bitter truth ; kept silent like a deadly secret and acting as a barrier between Brian.and Annaleah. I've read novels in.verses before and I loved Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schoeder because it was poetic, warm when there was cold seeping sadness and cold when there seems to be warm shining hope. I truly felt how losi...more
I read the novel You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz. Anneleah and Brian share a strong connection when they're together it feels as if they are the only people on the earth that exsist.Brian and Anneleah have to very different lives, they relationship has been kept a secret from they're friends and family. One day Suddenly Brain dies. Anneleah is heartbroken, she grieves alone. Anneleah is lonely and sad. Everyone has a role to play in the grieving of his death, none of Brian's family and frien...more
This was sad. I knew that going in, but the depth of the sadness was almost overwhelming. It reminded me of a very dark time in my life and it was unpleasant to relive. I got so angry at the main character because she was hanging on for so long to something that wasn't really hers to begin with, but I think it hit so close to home that I couldn't condemn her. I liked that there was redemption in the story, so at least the reader is given some closer on her behalf.
It's a quick read. I think I rea...more
It's a quick read. I think I rea...more
May 27, 2012
Jasana
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
covers-i-like,
contemporary,
free-verse,
meh,
romance,
young-adult,
stand-alone,
death,
young-love,
expected-more
When I saw the blurb, I had high hopes for the book. I thought this book would be brilliant, and heart stabbing, and an emotional roller coaster. It's wasn't anything like that. Throughout most of the book, I couldn't feel anything for the characters or plot (except annoyance toward Brian). It wasn't until the last pages where I actually started getting into it. But by then, the story ended.
Overall, this was an o.k. book. Good for reading once, but that's it. It's not a book that you can really...more
Beautiful Book. The prose is wonderfully and powerfully written. Annaleah's voice is beautiful and sad. The premise was electrifying and moving. It would be really hard to go through a death secretly because no one else knew you knew them. Samantha Schutz brought up some really interesting issues about death, life, and living.
The only grievances I have would be with the pacing of the novel. I don't think it should have taken as long as it did for Annaleah to grieve for a jerk like Brian, but th...more
The only grievances I have would be with the pacing of the novel. I don't think it should have taken as long as it did for Annaleah to grieve for a jerk like Brian, but th...more
I got this book as a Good Reads first read. When I entered the giveaway, I didn't realize it was a young adult book, but it turned out to be be better than I expected. It is very short, with the pages set up like little poems, but I liked the simplicity of the way the story flowed. I read the book in about an hour and a half when I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep, and it was the perfect book for this time of day. I think my 16 year old self would have identified with Annaleah's grief...more
I think this is one of the few novels in verse that the verse format actually works for the story quite well.
A story about grief and loss, and it felt real and authentic. Annaleah wasn't as strong a character -- I'm not talking grief here, I mean in development, period -- as I'd have preferred. I wanted a little more out of here for me to buy into her passion for the loss, especially since Brian seemed to treat her like dirt (and she knew it, too). Was she weak before him? Is she usually clingy?...more
A story about grief and loss, and it felt real and authentic. Annaleah wasn't as strong a character -- I'm not talking grief here, I mean in development, period -- as I'd have preferred. I wanted a little more out of here for me to buy into her passion for the loss, especially since Brian seemed to treat her like dirt (and she knew it, too). Was she weak before him? Is she usually clingy?...more
Getting so far reading this gives many emotions as if I am really there. Its like I can really feel her pain her sorrow all as if i was her. Very sad and I know so many who went through what she is dealing with which is very hard to deal with ... her emotion at this point where i am is another way of dealing with death ..
Now that I am finish with this book I give it a 5 it seemed so real I really liked this book it gave some good tips with how to deal with the loss of a love one It had a very g...more
Now that I am finish with this book I give it a 5 it seemed so real I really liked this book it gave some good tips with how to deal with the loss of a love one It had a very g...more
3.5
Samantha Schutz delivers a powerful novel with You Are Not Here, showing us the painful aftermath of losing a loved one. I thought Ms. Schutz pulled everything off quite nicely, considering the fact that her book is written entirely in verse.
But despite being in verse, it took me longer than I anticipated to finish this book. Annaleah was a bit frustrating, and I wasn't use to the writing style. I guess I should put it out there that I'm not a very big fan of novels written in verse, as shown...more
Samantha Schutz delivers a powerful novel with You Are Not Here, showing us the painful aftermath of losing a loved one. I thought Ms. Schutz pulled everything off quite nicely, considering the fact that her book is written entirely in verse.
But despite being in verse, it took me longer than I anticipated to finish this book. Annaleah was a bit frustrating, and I wasn't use to the writing style. I guess I should put it out there that I'm not a very big fan of novels written in verse, as shown...more
I actually really liked this book but it was too depressing and emotional. I guess since I've never experienced the death of a loved one I don't understand how the author actually feels about the character. I know how it feels to get heartbroken by a guy though. That sort of sucks. Honestly I think the author did a really good job describing more than grief and love. She added a hint of family issues and friendship problems. For some reason it made me think that the main character, Annaleah had...more
As I was reading through this verse novel, I thought that the structure and voice was very similar to a memoir I read awhile back. I had not realized that the author of I Don't Want To Be Crazy was the author of this piece until I was done.
I picked up this book because it sounded interesting and because the title started with a 'Y'. The latter is shameful, I'm sure, but it brought the book to my attention.
I thought the book was a little too angst-ridden for my taste. Yes, it is a work about a te...more
I picked up this book because it sounded interesting and because the title started with a 'Y'. The latter is shameful, I'm sure, but it brought the book to my attention.
I thought the book was a little too angst-ridden for my taste. Yes, it is a work about a te...more
You Are Not Here was a stunning novel filled with heartbreakingly beautiful passages and stunning writing. This book tugged at my heartstrings time and time again and I found myself lost in Annaleah’s world over the course of a few hours. Samantha Schutz has written a fantastic verse novel that I know I won’t soon forget.
Annaleah loved her boyfriend Brian and she felt they had something one-of-a-kind. Their relationship was kept a secret from their families and friends and Annaleah didn’t mind....more
Annaleah loved her boyfriend Brian and she felt they had something one-of-a-kind. Their relationship was kept a secret from their families and friends and Annaleah didn’t mind....more
When I first chose to read this book, I was in the mood for a verse novel and found You Are Not Here on the “New” shelf. I initially thought this would be the typical teen love story gone badly, because of Brian’s death. The first chapter of this book opens up with Annaleah being at Brian’s tombstone and for some reason my interest in the book quickly grew. Readers first learn that Annaleah and Brian had a relatively normal relationship. They met, flirted, and hung out a few times. Nonetheless,...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You Are NOT Here | 1 | 2 | May 24, 2012 10:08am |
I am a writer and children’s book editor living in Brooklyn, NY. My first book, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, is a memoir about anxiety disorder written in verse. My second book, You Are Not Here, is a verse-novel about grief and loss. I am currently working on my third book for young adults.
More about Samantha Schutz...
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“I feel
empty
confused
hurt
numb
disoriented
mad
vulnerable
insignificant
blurry
tired
sweaty
overwhelmed
temporary
anxious”
—
13 people liked it
empty
confused
hurt
numb
disoriented
mad
vulnerable
insignificant
blurry
tired
sweaty
overwhelmed
temporary
anxious”
“I wish i had been there to hold his hand,brush the dark hair away from his cloudy blue eyes..whisper to him over and over that he was loved..”
—
9 people liked it
More quotes…
