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312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
"When we die, we simply slide into another dimension."
"What if you have a heart-attack?"
"I would slide."
"What if you are hit by a truck?"
"I would slide."
"Drown?"
"The words stuck in my mind like corn in my teeth."
"...leaving me as stunned as a mounted deer head."
"...but he was as disconnected as an unplugged TV."
"...adrenaline rushing through my body like a flash flood in a storm water drain."
"My stomach was like a front loader on a spin cycle."
"I hissed, the sound like the seal being broken on a soda can."
"The realization left a taste in my mouth like tea laced with arsenic."
"The skin on my forehead crawled like it was covered in cockroaches."
australia----bad book
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good book
☺ small town
☻ girl with 2 obligatory friends (one 'tramp', the other 'man-girl')
☺ interest in particular subject (here: photography)
☻ convenient absent parent syndrome with a hipster mom
☻ lonely, mysterious, brooding bad guy who's rude and keeping female lead ignorant
☻ discovery of the dark secret
☻ tru lurve, soul mates
☻ love triangle of sorts
☻ mean girl clique
Lillie Hart has been having strange dreams where she always dies, and this have been happening since the news that there was a new boy in her small town in Nebraska. She’s instantly attracted to him, and curious as to why she feels that she knows him, and that somehow they both know each other. Once Lillie starts to discover the truth of her nightmares and strange happenings around her, there’s no going back. A special and beautiful connection between them through time and space might not be enough to make things go back to normal. Even less when there are people behind Tom for not following some special rules that somehow involve Lillie. Once the world goes round, you can’t make it flat again. And once you love and know the truth, you can’t forget.
First off, I’ve seen a couple of reviews with people stating that one of the things they didn’t like in this book was the sci-fi aspect; there wasn’t much of it. I restate that fact. Though, I did like the book, there wasn’t much sci-fi in it. If you’re reading this book because of that, advice, don’t expect much. There is a lil bit, but it’s not the main point in the story, kinda. Imagine the Earth, and a story that happens in it. It’s in the Earth, yeah, but it is not entirely centered in the story. It’s like a secondary element or sub-plot. The main focus in this book is Lillie and how she somehow knows Tom, and the explanations of her weird dreams where she always dies. There are also other things in the story, but it’s mostly completely about what I said, how Lillie discovers a beautiful yet terrifying truth.
I loved how Ingrid incorporated Einstein’s Theory of Everything and Parallel Worlds and Universes. I’ve been recently reading a bit about those things, mostly of books by Michio Kaku, a Physics who makes complex subject look easy for Dummies like me... So it was nice to see how Ingrid twisted those theories in the story and how it all fit in.
I liked the book. Actually, I loved it. I lent my ARC copy to a friend and she says it’s one of her favorite books (if you’re reading this friend, yes, I had to include you xD). Anyways...
I liked the plot and the development of the story, how at first some things are just weird and don’t make any sense at all. But as the story goes, its like opening the blinders to a window and looking outside to the sun rising. We get to understand why things are happening and I found it amazing. The pacing was slow, yes, but I liked it, because it was made that way, my emotions felt more in sync and slowly made my heart to pound louder and louder in my chest.
The writing style was quite easy to read and, in my opinion, appropriate for Young Readers, since this is Young Adult Fiction. There are times when authors write books and they feel so formal and un-young like. There are some experiences where you think “This so not happens in my teen life.” Here though, I felt like I was reading a diary of an actual sixteen-year-old girl, almost as if she was telling it herself to me. It was like I was in her head too, and I love having that connection between the author’s words and my imagination. It makes the reading experience so much better.
I cried with this book. I threw it against my bed and screamed at it and laughed and cried more and laughed hysterically while sobbing. Maybe not that dramatic, but you get my idea...
I still have, after four or so weeks later, a book hangover. Wow, right? It’s not only how the book ended, but the science elements presented in this book. I’ve always wondered about time travel and parallel universes, and this just blew of my mind. I’m usually always thinking “Oh in another world, I did this other thing, or that...” and so on. But with this book, that’s shown in a way that you just can’t help but think if it’s all real! And books that leave that mark in me deserve an award. Period.
And the other thing that left me hungover... the ending. Oh.My.God. Other than this, I can’t remember when I was so shocked with an ending. I was sad, and hopeful, angry, oh beyond angry, and frustrated from Earth to the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy and back. Like really, WHO ENDS A BOOK THAT WAY?!?!
I find it horrible that someone dares to hurt me in that way... Ingrid, if you’re reading this, congrats, you’re among my list of authors like John Green, Suzanne Collins and Karen Amanda Hooper that leave me unsatisfied with the ending of their books, in a good way I suppose. It’s frustrating because I don’t get to know what happens then! There’s this reaaaally important detail between Lillie and Tom, and the book ends in this sentence that just... Ugh. Words aren’t enough to describe this. I felt like my copy was missing at least ten pages. But when I think of it, it was good, because I probably wouldn’t have liked what happened if more was added, it wouldn’t have left me wondering, wanting and imagining so many possibilities. I suppose there won’t be a sequel. Or maybe there will be but with different characters and same sci-fi concept of parallel worlds. Dunno. SO all in all, a great (AND FRUSTRATING) ending.
Would I read more by Ingrid Jonach? Heck yeah I will. She has proven to be worthy of reading time. Extremely extraordinary. From amazing characters (SWOOOON for TOM *.*), intriguing plot, and shocking endings, she’s a keeper.
Anyone searching for a good romantic novel between teenagers, with a slice of sci-fi and a beautiful tale, read this, like NOW. It will leave you speechless.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Be sure to stop by the blog to see our special stop on the Blog Tour on August 30th! We'll be having a Guest Post by Ingrid Jonach! You can also participate in a Giveaway to win a copy of When the World Was Flat, plus other prizes!
"Tom grimaced and I knew he was about to hit me with another bombshell. "Lillie, there is no such thing as imagination."
"Huh?"
"The human brain can record information, but it cannot make it up. What you call imagination is in fact your memories from other dimensions." "
"And even though I knew we spent hundreds of years together, I started counting the seconds until tomorrow anyway."
"His words warmed me to the core. I had been worried we were so alike that I would continue to wonder if it was me or her that he was kissing."