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When
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Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like
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Sep 03, 2014
Sarah
marked it as to-read
Do you know what the blurb of Death Date reminded me of?
Quick, somebody call L.
...more
Quick, somebody call L.
...more
The cover of the book will give you a dystopian/sci-fi sort of vibe, so I was totally surprised to find out that this is YA contemporary with a dab…er…a splash of paranormal which in this case is both good and bad.
It’s good because the story revolves around a very creative premise. Maddie has an abnormal ability to read people’s deaths, the figures plastered on people’s foreheads (such a lovely sight!).
It’s good because the plot navigates along an unexpected route that made the paranormal them ...more
I'm DNFing this. Everything is just so far fetched and I have zero interest to keep going past the halfway point. I seem to be in the minority here so I'm not sure what I missed, but this one's not for me.
Why? Ok so, Maddie can see deathdates on everyone's forehead which I find really interesting for a book premise - I enjoyed that aspect a lot actually - but the use of it in this plot is ridiculous most of the time. This girl tells a mother her son will die (important to note the mom came to he ...more
Why? Ok so, Maddie can see deathdates on everyone's forehead which I find really interesting for a book premise - I enjoyed that aspect a lot actually - but the use of it in this plot is ridiculous most of the time. This girl tells a mother her son will die (important to note the mom came to he ...more
If you think this is your usual paranormal book where a girl finds herself capable of doing some pretty cool shit and doesn't know how to use it and consequently gets frustrated until she finds the Love Interest/s who help/s her channel her powers for good before they run off to the sunset to their happily ever after, STOP RIGHT THERE! I shit you not, When by Victoria Laurie is anything but... that. It gets rid of the overused PR formula and breathes into it new life. I'm telling you right now t
...more
***5 stars***
Update: Re-read this 5 years later. Loved it just as much ❤️
.
.
When I read the blurb for this book, I immediately thought of this Nickelback video:
Nickelback - Savin' me
Every time I saw the video, I was thinking that I would have loved to see this story made into a movie or a book and it kind of feels like it happened with When.
It follows a girl named Maddie who has this strange ability to see the day when someone is going to die, as a series of numbers that hover above people's for ...more
Update: Re-read this 5 years later. Loved it just as much ❤️
.
.
When I read the blurb for this book, I immediately thought of this Nickelback video:
Nickelback - Savin' me
Every time I saw the video, I was thinking that I would have loved to see this story made into a movie or a book and it kind of feels like it happened with When.
It follows a girl named Maddie who has this strange ability to see the day when someone is going to die, as a series of numbers that hover above people's for ...more
Oh, what a feast for my senses!
My verdict: Incredible, addictive and absolutely well done (in terms of writing style, characters, plot, suspense, even that cute ending)!
“When” or “Death Date” (depending on the edition) is an amazing paranormal story full of mystery and turnarounds. It has a gripping plot, great character development.. and for some reason I simply can’t get it out of my mind. I really loved it and now its memory is haunting me – not that I’m complaining ^_^
In fact, I want thi ...more
My verdict: Incredible, addictive and absolutely well done (in terms of writing style, characters, plot, suspense, even that cute ending)!
“When” or “Death Date” (depending on the edition) is an amazing paranormal story full of mystery and turnarounds. It has a gripping plot, great character development.. and for some reason I simply can’t get it out of my mind. I really loved it and now its memory is haunting me – not that I’m complaining ^_^
In fact, I want thi ...more
Nov 14, 2015
bookaholic_kim
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to bookaholic_kim by:
Katerina Turner
Fantasy + Mystery thriller = Is the best!
If you would have a special ability. What would it be? I would like to be a jumper (so I can just go to places I wanna visit) haha. By the way, this book is recommended to me by the awesome Katerina. Thanks to her I got to read this awesome book.
Anyways, the story is about this 16 year old girl, Maddie who has an ability. But lemme remind you that abilities are not always good. The girl sees numbers on everybody’s forehead. This numbers are death dates. ...more
If you would have a special ability. What would it be? I would like to be a jumper (so I can just go to places I wanna visit) haha. By the way, this book is recommended to me by the awesome Katerina. Thanks to her I got to read this awesome book.
Anyways, the story is about this 16 year old girl, Maddie who has an ability. But lemme remind you that abilities are not always good. The girl sees numbers on everybody’s forehead. This numbers are death dates. ...more
4.5 stars
When is a very impressive and incredibly compelling standalone book by Victoria Laurie. It’s the sort of book that pulls you in from its first sentence and refuses to let go. The opening chapter does an excellent job in making us care for Maddie, our protagonist, and at the same time, it gives us a great idea of what lies ahead. This suspenseful, surprisingly well-written book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, which wasn’t achieved through cheap tricks and tropes, but through a ...more
When is a very impressive and incredibly compelling standalone book by Victoria Laurie. It’s the sort of book that pulls you in from its first sentence and refuses to let go. The opening chapter does an excellent job in making us care for Maddie, our protagonist, and at the same time, it gives us a great idea of what lies ahead. This suspenseful, surprisingly well-written book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, which wasn’t achieved through cheap tricks and tropes, but through a ...more
Apr 19, 2020
NAT.orious reads ☾
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
standalones,
cover-porn
4 STARS ★★★★✩
⤐ Preface.
Another book recommendation by my bookish friend that was worth every minute I spent with it. I almost have a bad conscious for not quite liking it as much as she does but I don't think she'll hold it against me. She's cool like that.
⤐ Overall ...more
This book is for … people who enjoy a little thrill along with their ya fiction and would like romance stuff to be on the most outer borders of the narrative but still a little bit there. TW: abusive policework and bullying.
⤐ Preface.
Another book recommendation by my bookish friend that was worth every minute I spent with it. I almost have a bad conscious for not quite liking it as much as she does but I don't think she'll hold it against me. She's cool like that.
⤐ Overall ...more
Full review NOT to come because while trying to find out if this novel will have a sequel (the ending is open enough for it), I realized why the author's name sounded so familiar: she's a BBA from 2008. I'm not going to spend a good hour of my time writing about her book when I'm just going to end up humiliated in her books one day. This novel has been given the rating it earned regardless of my opinion of her behavior.
When turned out to be an okay thriller that actually took into account the fa ...more
When turned out to be an okay thriller that actually took into account the fa ...more
Actual rating: 4.9
I am blown away. I picked up this book not recalling too much about what the story was aside from that it involved murder and a girl who can see death dates. When is fast-paced, surprising, and moving in every way!
My shot at a synopsis:
Maddie Fynn is a shy high schooler and she has always seen the numbers. She sees death dates. She knows the exact date someone will die, but not how or why, just when. The numbers fill her earliest memories, her father's death was the final piece ...more
I am blown away. I picked up this book not recalling too much about what the story was aside from that it involved murder and a girl who can see death dates. When is fast-paced, surprising, and moving in every way!
My shot at a synopsis:
Maddie Fynn is a shy high schooler and she has always seen the numbers. She sees death dates. She knows the exact date someone will die, but not how or why, just when. The numbers fill her earliest memories, her father's death was the final piece ...more
*violently slams against reread button*
This was downright insulting to me. How will I read more books if I keep wanting to reread old ones? Pssshhh, that’s so not nice.
This was downright insulting to me. How will I read more books if I keep wanting to reread old ones? Pssshhh, that’s so not nice.
You know how you watch those movies where the girl goes all by herself to explore something she saw or heard in a dark and empty house and you scream at the tv, "Don't do it! Go back! Wait for help!" But, of course, she stupidly goes in anyway?! In some respects, that is this book.
The premise is really interesting—Maddie was born with the ability to see numbers on people's foreheads. Turns out these numbers are "death dates". Kinda cool, right? Sure. Only Maddie's alcoholic mother spends their b ...more
The premise is really interesting—Maddie was born with the ability to see numbers on people's foreheads. Turns out these numbers are "death dates". Kinda cool, right? Sure. Only Maddie's alcoholic mother spends their b ...more
The idea of a main character able to see the death dates of people becoming embroiled in a murder investigation was utterly thrilling. I was excited to dive into When because of that. However, When wound up disappointing me because of how unrealistic it was. I think I had built my expectations for this book a little too high.
Ever since her dad died, Maddie has had a bit of a rough life. She didn't until her dad passed away that the numbers she saw on people's foreheads were their death dates, so ...more
Caffeinated Aspects:
The premise for When is interesting and a little creepy. Imagine knowing the date everyone will die. How Maddie came to do readings was believable and immediately allowed the reader to connect. It makes you ponder the questions, "Would you want to know your end date?"
It is a standalone! In a sea of trilogies, series and serials it was fantastic to slip into a world and get a complete story.
Maddie Fynn is an interesting character who struggles with her gift and dealin ...more
The premise for When is interesting and a little creepy. Imagine knowing the date everyone will die. How Maddie came to do readings was believable and immediately allowed the reader to connect. It makes you ponder the questions, "Would you want to know your end date?"
It is a standalone! In a sea of trilogies, series and serials it was fantastic to slip into a world and get a complete story.
Maddie Fynn is an interesting character who struggles with her gift and dealin ...more
I wanted to read something different, so once I checked the description of this book, I immediately started reading it and OH MY GOD! I'm so glad I did!
I actually read it in one sitting! I couldn't stop until I knew what would happen.
I've loved every single thing about this book, from the characters to the plot. Everything.
And I was always on edge and didn't even get bored.
This was a refreshing read and probably one of my favourite books this year! ...more
I actually read it in one sitting! I couldn't stop until I knew what would happen.
I've loved every single thing about this book, from the characters to the plot. Everything.
And I was always on edge and didn't even get bored.
This was a refreshing read and probably one of my favourite books this year! ...more
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Imagine being able to look at a person and see, always, the day of their death looming above them. It may be an extraordinary gift, sure, but it's also a curse. One that Maddie Fynn knows all too well. Ever since she was young, Maddie has been able to see the deathdays of those around her. It first happened when she drew a family portrait and wrote the etched the date of her father's death on paper and, ever since, her talent has singled Maddie out as a loner. With only one frie ...more
Imagine being able to look at a person and see, always, the day of their death looming above them. It may be an extraordinary gift, sure, but it's also a curse. One that Maddie Fynn knows all too well. Ever since she was young, Maddie has been able to see the deathdays of those around her. It first happened when she drew a family portrait and wrote the etched the date of her father's death on paper and, ever since, her talent has singled Maddie out as a loner. With only one frie ...more
This book was almost a DNF for me because the beginning was so boring. Literally nothing happened in the first half of the book.
LIKE DO SOMETHING. PLEASE.
It is honestly a really interesting concept that Maddie can see death dates and even gets pulled into a murder investigation
but the plot is JUST. SO. REPETITIVE.
This is a 4 because it speed up towards the middle and things ACTUALLY STARTED HAPPENING. The ending was reallyy goooddd though which is why this rating is high and not a 2. If you g ...more
LIKE DO SOMETHING. PLEASE.
It is honestly a really interesting concept that Maddie can see death dates and even gets pulled into a murder investigation
but the plot is JUST. SO. REPETITIVE.
This is a 4 because it speed up towards the middle and things ACTUALLY STARTED HAPPENING. The ending was reallyy goooddd though which is why this rating is high and not a 2. If you g ...more
Actual rating 2.5
There is something incredibly readable about this. I breezed through it in no time at all and was never bored. Extremely annoyed at times, but not bored.
Plot: Maddie can see the date that people are going to die and when kids from the town start dying on the days she has foretold the police assume she and her best friend are serial killers.
Her powers are never explained they simply are. However what annoys me until the last 20 pages of the book the date she sees is the date. Th ...more
There is something incredibly readable about this. I breezed through it in no time at all and was never bored. Extremely annoyed at times, but not bored.
Plot: Maddie can see the date that people are going to die and when kids from the town start dying on the days she has foretold the police assume she and her best friend are serial killers.
Her powers are never explained they simply are. However what annoys me until the last 20 pages of the book the date she sees is the date. Th ...more
Maddie Fynn is your average teenager with a special gift. She can see numbers associated with each and every person. It was her father’s death that alerted her of the fact that the numbers that she sees are the death dates of that individual. Following her father’s death, her mother goes on a downward spiral and becomes an alcoholic. She uses Maddie’s gift to have sessions with people and warn them off for some extra cash. However, Maddie only knows the dates and not the how and why of it… So wh ...more
First, this isn't a romance. There is a hint in the blurb that it is but Maddie's attraction to Aiden is such a miniscule part of the story that it didn't even come into play.
Second, for me, this story was too forced. There are several things I'm just not buying at all. The paranormal aspect of it is fine. I'm not bothered by that at all. It's the FBI and school issues that just had me fuming mad. As a teacher, I saw so many things that just wouldn't happen in a school or with teenagers that I k ...more
Second, for me, this story was too forced. There are several things I'm just not buying at all. The paranormal aspect of it is fine. I'm not bothered by that at all. It's the FBI and school issues that just had me fuming mad. As a teacher, I saw so many things that just wouldn't happen in a school or with teenagers that I k ...more
I'm pretty impressed with this book as a whole. Maddie is a girl with an ability to see death dates, but the paranormal aspect of the book ends there. Victoria Laurie made the perfect recipe with this book. She used a pinch of supernatural ability, threw it into a realistic world and then stirred in a mystery. Her book came out as a captivating page turner with an unexpected ending.
Let me talk about that for a second. I read in a couple reviews that the ending wasn't expected. So I spent the ent ...more
Let me talk about that for a second. I read in a couple reviews that the ending wasn't expected. So I spent the ent ...more
I read the book When by Victoria Laurie. When is a book about a high school girl named Maddie Finn. At a young age she finds out that she has a special ability. She sees numbers that that float on peoples for heads. Her life has been hard losing her dad then her mom turning in to an alcoholic. Her life is like a rolcoster with all the up and down she has had in it. Her ability of seeing numbers has not made it any easier. In the beginning there was one spot that lost my attention but, I kept r
...more
I *accidentally* stayed up till 1:30 finishing this. I have no regrets of course :p
I loved everything about this book! The characters were great, the plot was suspenseful and I literally had no clue who the murderer was (well that just might be me cuz I'm terrible at guessing things). But oh goodness. The killer was such a psychotic creep! I could not believe him!
I've been trying to decide if I would want to know my death date or not. I'm leaning towards not but who knows.
Anyways, I definitely ...more
I loved everything about this book! The characters were great, the plot was suspenseful and I literally had no clue who the murderer was (well that just might be me cuz I'm terrible at guessing things). But oh goodness. The killer was such a psychotic creep! I could not believe him!
I've been trying to decide if I would want to know my death date or not. I'm leaning towards not but who knows.
Anyways, I definitely ...more
**Check out the original review over at 21st Century Once Upon A Times**
'Why am I seemingly the only person on earth who can see these numbers? Why did fate choose me for such a cruel gift?Small black gravestones against a pale white landsc ...more
It's a question I've asked myself a million times, and I'm still looking for the answer. I think there may not be one, because knowing when someone will die has never changed anything. I've never saved anybody or given them more time.
I'm just the messenger.'
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Wow, this was really good! I was expecting to not like this very much, because the beginning was a bit slow, and some things made no sense, and a certain character was an idiot, but I ended up really enjoying this.
I really liked Maddie, she was just really nice and I sympathized with her quite easily. The friendship between Maddie and Stubby was really cute, although Stubby kind of acted like an idiot sometimes. And Mrs. Duncan was so sweet! I hated the FBI guys at first ...more
Wow, this was really good! I was expecting to not like this very much, because the beginning was a bit slow, and some things made no sense, and a certain character was an idiot, but I ended up really enjoying this.
I really liked Maddie, she was just really nice and I sympathized with her quite easily. The friendship between Maddie and Stubby was really cute, although Stubby kind of acted like an idiot sometimes. And Mrs. Duncan was so sweet! I hated the FBI guys at first ...more
I loved this book because it was about a girl named Maddie Fynn a shy high school girl, who could see people's death dates! It's a little scary being her because not everyone believes her. So when a mother comes over to their house to see if her sick child will live, she hands Maddie a picture of her two sons. Maddie says " Your child that is sick will live but, your other child's death date is soon." The mother starts yelling at Maddie because she doesn't believe is her younger child is going t
...more
So frustrating and yet so good!
I loved it from the very beginning to the end. It kept me so intrigued that I couldn’t stop reading. It’s one of those books that are really frustrating because everything seems to be against the main character, Maddie, who happens to see deathdates on people’s foreheads. You can imagine how many problems that can bring you.
When I was through the middle of the book I kind of hated every character except Maddie, but at the end I loved them all because that endin ...more
4.5 stars
This book was FAAABULOUS! It was super intense and un-put-downable. I read through the night! I love how I couldn't guess the ending at all.
I even liked how the book had no romance! There was a tiny bit of a crush but it only tied in at the beginning, middle, and end. It wasn't an actual romance. That allowed for the mystery/thrill to dominate the book, and that was epic!! ...more
This book was FAAABULOUS! It was super intense and un-put-downable. I read through the night! I love how I couldn't guess the ending at all.
I even liked how the book had no romance! There was a tiny bit of a crush but it only tied in at the beginning, middle, and end. It wasn't an actual romance. That allowed for the mystery/thrill to dominate the book, and that was epic!! ...more
Was it a curse or an amazing gift that caused young Maddie Fynn to see a series of numbers over every person she met? For as long as she could remember, she saw these numbers, but had no understanding of their meaning, until the day her father died. What that knowledge could cost her and who is the biggest abuser of this gift is a tale that will pull you in and have you wondering what would YOU do if you knew the day a person would die? Is it right to tell the person? Is it right for her alcohol
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Book about a teen (woman?) who can see people's death dates. She correctly predicts the death of somebody and the cops get interested in her. [s] | 5 | 19 | May 17, 2020 11:51AM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: When by Victoria Laurie - Restarting February 3rd 2017 | 50 | 136 | Feb 23, 2017 03:35PM | |
| Crazy for Young A...: When by Victoria Laurie → Start Date: TBD | 32 | 35 | Dec 31, 2015 12:52PM | |
| 2015 Reading Chal...: When by Victoria Laurie | 2 | 9 | Apr 26, 2015 10:42PM | |
| Crazy for Young A...: When by Victoria Laurie → Start Date: February 13th, 2015 | 26 | 49 | Feb 18, 2015 10:58PM |
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Victoria Laurie is the New York Times bestselling author of 32 books and counting. Over the past 16 years Victoria has created several series and a few stand-alone novels. Her mystery series include: The Psychic Eye Mysteries, The Life Coach Mysteries, and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries. She's also the author of two YA books, When and Forever Again, as well as a middle-grade series called The Oracles
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