Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233

Cathy Vickers Trilogy #1

by Sean Stewart, Jordan K. Weisman, Cathy Brigg (Illustrator)

The publishing phenomenon Cathy’s Book redefined the way teens approach novels and set a new standard for interactivity, using the most popular kids’ technology to enhance the experience of reading a really good story. As a new chapter is about to unfold with the publication of the sequel, Cathy’s Key later this spring, the original novel is available in trade paperback. All of the supplementary items from the “evidence pack” are reproduced on pages in the back of the book, making this edition more accessible and portable. All of the original websites, phone numbers, and secret codes are still operational. Part romance, part thriller, part mystery, Cathy’s Book stands on its own beyond the interactive angle and the intense marketing campaign that made it a bestseller. Readers identify with Cathy, they read her story, listen to her phone messages, check out the websites she mentions, and they leave her messages on her MySpace.com page and on a special voicemail. Fans have even created their own videos on YouTube, demonstrating their comfort and familiarity with this level of interactivity and technology. Reviewers and awards committees have also recognized the unique phenomenon that reset the bar for engaging teen novels. Don’t miss this opportunity to get caught up in Cathy’s world all over again! Included in the paperback edition only is a special, teaser chapter from the sequel (which pubs two months later), to whet the appetite of the thousands of readers who have gotten caught up in the web of Cathy’s story! A YALSA Quick Pick

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Teen

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is a U.S.-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California and Monterey, California, he now lives in Davis, California, with his wife and two daughters.

He received an Honors degree in English from University of Alberta in 1987, following which he spent many years writing novels. He gradually moved from writing novels to interactive fiction, first as lead writer on the Web based Alternate Reality Game The Beast.

He served as a consultant on several computer games, and was on the management team of the 4orty2wo Entertainment experiential marketing and entertainment company, where he was lead writer for Haunted Apiary aka ilovebees and Last Call Poker. His newest novel Cathy's Book seems to represent the melding of his two careers, as it crosses the alternate reality game format with a teen novel. In 2007, he and several 4orty2wo co-founders left that company to start Fourth Wall Studios.

Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award Best First Novel winner (1993): Passion Play
* World Fantasy Award Best Novel winner (2001): Galveston

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in San Francisco, this mystery follows Cathy Vickers, a hotheaded high school artist who enjoys meddling. She's just been dumped by her older boyfriend, Victor Chan. While investigating her ex, suspicious events lead Cathy into an investigation involving Chinese legends, a bit of biotech, and other shady dealings. Told in journal format.

I had a lot of fun reading this book and looking at the supplemental material. As an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) book, you're given various clues to further explore the story. Clues include marriage and death certificates, a family tree, letters, newspaper clippings, photos, drawings, and much more. By calling phone numbers and checking out websites listed throughout the book, you can discover new clues and hear events from the book (and some scenes not included in the story).

A few gripes:
- Product placement! The book publisher has insisted that no money was received from CoverGirl and Beinggirl.com (i.e. Tampax/Always), but I found their inclusion jarring. And really, would most people journal their exact brand of lipstick used? Annoying.
- The family tree is missing people, which makes some of the accompanying clues confusing. It should include Frannie's dead sons!
- Victor's supposed to be in his early 20s, but the photos of him make him look thirty or older. In fact, he kinda looks like Ming Tsai. Weird.
- I guessed the immortality angle pretty early into the book. Saw that one coming a mile away.
- The final showdown scene was confusing. Why did Lu need Victor? Since Lu (and some of his family members) are immortal, couldn't he just use tissue samples from himself/them? Is Victor special because he had immortality bestowed on him in a non-genetic way? Not clear at all.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book because the art is amazing, but now that I began reading it, the story is actually gripping! But the best thing about this book is the design art and the gifts. Every illustration is related to what Cathy is writing in her journal. And the gifts are all clues to solving what is the nature of Victor. When you begin reading you just have to know everything that will happen. What is great about the book is that it is fast-paced and you can finish it in one sitting, and it is very exciting. You just have to know what Victor and the paper man and Tsao are. That was a great first book, though Cathy and Victor are not your average heroes, they are not heroic, they are very flawed but very human. In the end, you see Emma telling Cathy at her 18th birthday that the police will come questioning her now that Victor and Lu have fled, Cathy asked her what should she do, Emma said print out all your diary with every single piece of evidence you've collected and show them everything, otherwise they won't believe anything. I think they won't buy it even with everything inside the diary, they might think it's a young girl's fantasy. Anyway, the war of the immortals has just begun, all in order to stop death and time. Can't wait to read book 2: Cathy's Key!

[Sallema · Rating 2 out of 5]

if you want to read your childhood favourite book, this is a sign not to.

don't get me wrong. was this enjoyable? yes. was this nostalgic? absolutely. was this book — the concept of an interactive book that defied traditional publishing — ahead of its time at 2006? god, yes.

here's why it was way ahead of its time:
— there's an envelope of clues in the book for you to figure out whats happening.
— they made an entire website with voice actors and voice messages for the readers to listen to and play detective.
— the annotations all through the book. this is a printed journal with Cathy's annotations leaving clues for whoever's reading to figure out the mystery with her. and this book, how messy and beautiful it is, gave me my love for annotations. it taught me not to be afraid of writing in books.
— the art was beautiful and really fun.
— i would honestly love to see a fully immersice interactive adult thriller book do the same things this book did but with today's know-how. can you imagine how cool that would be???

but it was also absolute trash, and here's why:
— racism.
— our mc's entire personality is being a quirky obsessive ex girlfriend obsessed with her ex boyfriend, making insanely stupid decisions, and being extremely racist towards her bestfriend all while simultaneously making her feel like shit for caring about her future.
— don't feel bad for the bestfriend just yet, because after a couple of pages, that bestfriend emotionally manipulates our MC to stalk her ex and get back with him, despite knowing that he drugged her, that he has anger and violence issues, that he possibly killed his exes, and that he's a very shady guy all because he's rich and the bestfriend needs some money.
— beautiful lines like "are you sure he looks like me? we all look the same, you know."
— "i don't mind hitting women. i'm a liberated guy."
— a highschooler who's dating a twenty something guy and lies about her age, tells him she's in college instead.
— "maybe don't wear a dress that highlights your flat chest."
— what is the plot???? what is it????? were all the writers on drugs????
— NO ONE RESPECTS ANYONE'S BOUNDARIES. NO ONE.
— oh to be an edgy teenager in 2006, imagine the cringey lingo.

[Anna Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets 5+ stars for being the most immersive reading experience that I've had in quite some time. From the plethora of clues stuffed in the front pocket of the diary to the intricate doodles that decorate the diary’s narrative, this read is unique. Newspaper clippings, Chinese restaurant menus, torn of pieces of a photograph, an actual napkin with a lip print, these are just some of the amazing extras that are provided to the reader as “proof” of the story. If that isn’t enough, try calling some of the characters’ phone numbers. YES, YOU CAN CALL REAL PHONE NUMBERS to listen to the voicemail records, and, if you are a diligent reader, you can find the clues to the characters’ pass codes to access their messages. Internet search engine use is encouraged throughout the book; Cathy suggests Googling certain terms in her own diary. All and all, it wraps the reader in a new reality and makes the story authentic in ways that merely reading the book would not. Cathy’s Diary is an experience of sorts, an experiment in storytelling. I, for one, loved it.



Cathy is a seventeen year old aspiring sketch artist who is reeling from being recently dumped by her mysterious older boyfriend Victor. With the help of her best friend Emma, Cathy sets out to investigate the uncertainties surrounding the break-up. What she discovers, however, is more complicated and other-worldly than she could even imagine. In fact, the entire narrative is told through her journal – left for Emma to discover in the event that Cathy disappears.

For all the great things I loved about this book, I have several (rather large) complaints. Fortunately, these complaints don’t outweigh the merits of this book. 1). Advertising. The book has blatant and repeated references to CoverGirl cosmetics – exact lipstick and mascara shades are scattered throughout the book. At times, this can seem a direct advertisement for makeup – which works against everything the author attempted to create. Yes, Cathy is a teenage girl, but, no, most teenage girls don’t meticulously record exact shades of makeup in their journal. 2). The length. It is short. Too short. I wanted more. 3). The ending – in particular, Victor’s secret that is revealed through Cathy’s persistent detective work. I let out a huge groan when I discovered what he was hiding. Without delving into too much detail or spoilers, I’ll say the paranormal makes an appearance – bringing this book that tried so hard to be realistic and immersive into the territory of science fiction and fantasy. I like those genres, but, nestled among the fine details of this story, it felt like a radical departure. Something hoaxy.

That said, I’ve got the second in this series on my to read list. Perhaps I’m inviting disappointment, but I loved the whole concept of this first book too much to ignore the rest of the series.

[Celia T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars because, while I adored these books as a kid, once you're in your twenties you start to realize how gross the whole "teenage girl dating immoral two-hundred-year-old man" thing is. Also, even if he actually were twenty-five, Victor is still kind of a creep! I'm sorry! I said it!! Aside from that it is good book imho, and the whole ARG thing is fun.

(Also, the guy who wrote it was my mum's best friend at uni, and when I was a kid he read my books about fairies and told me I was a writer, so I have a soft spot. Sean, if you're reading this, sorry I gave your book three stars, I still think it's great)

[Alice Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of this series is so original!!! I loved it!

[Samantha Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book. I love how you can call those numbers and when you call there'll be a like a voice mail and that specific character will be talking. It's sort of weird but really cool. I also liked the drawings on the book and the little packet with a lot of information. I liked the book.

[Quill&Queer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an early 2000s book, from the art style, to the dated mobile phones what's a smart phone?), to the publisher having the budget to include a massive packet of items to go with the story - photographs, a menu, documents, even a napkin. This really added to my love of the story.

I have to admit, I'm basically a magpie. So while all these cool items are going to earn a four star rating from me, the story itself was... it was just okay. I felt like it needed more set up, as when we meet Cathy her and Victor are somewhat an item, and have already been on dates.

I did enjoy joining Cathy as she tried to uncover the mystery that was Victor, and the shady people around him. It just felt like set up for the main story, so I'm hoping the future books in the series give us a few more answers, and we get a better insight into Cathy and Victor's relationship.

Victor note: I don't actually like this guy. His only comment on the nice dress she bought for their date was that she had no tits to fill it out. Tf.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the start of me trying to read all of the books I own that I haven't read yet, which let me say is a lot.

Now I don't know what I should have expected but it was not what I got. The books seems like an artsy diary that even comes with art in a package that goes along with the story. Because of the way it was set up, I assumed this would be some a young adult contemporary, but I definitely missed the mark. Since I can't say much about what happens because of plot twists, I will just say you get to know how Chinatown in San Francisco is layed out really well.

In terms of characters, I was not a fan other any of them. The main character, Cathy, is someone who is very morally ambiguious and does not take breakups very well. She breaks into not only her ex-boyfriends house but also a PLANE HANGAR, AND A HIGH SECURITY CORPORATION! All for the fact that her boyfriend broke up with her for no real reason! And what does she do at these places? Of course sneak through all of his stuck and take every single thing that seems important to him and not to her.

Aside from Cathy, we have Emma, a rich Chinese-American/British (it wasn't clarified why she had a Vritish accent?) who is the stereotypical nerdy asian cliche and then when bad things happen she becomes the most materialistic and selfish person ever- she eventually just helps Cathy so that she can get Cathy's ex-boyfriend's money! Sounss like great friendship right there.

Other than these two main characters, the rest of the characters are not well-developed and sort of thrown all over the place. They are only used when convenient to the plot- which is also thrown all over the place.

But even though this story isn't organized very well, it was still interesting and made you extremely curious as to what is really happening.

[the tortured poets' society · Rating 2 out of 5]

Une étoile pour les documents, une pour le début du livre qui était correct.
Je m'explique.

Comme beaucoup, ma lecture a été motivée par tous les papiers inclus dans la pochette qui vient avec le livre. Morceaux de journaux, papiers administratifs, dessins, le travail fourni pour "Cathy's book" est admirable. Cependant, j'ai été surprise - de façon négative et positive - de savoir que le lecteur se retrouve en autonomie totale avec ces documents, puisqu'il n'est jamais dit "voir X papier". Certains sont mentionnés, d'autres non, donc à chacun de gérer sa lecture. De mon côté, je trouvais que ça apportait au réalisme de l'histoire, puisque l'on mène l'enquête soi-même, mais je comprends que dertains s'en retrouvent déboussolés.

Du côté de l'histoire, ça avait bien commencé. J'avais accroché au récit, et je n'arrivais pas à prédire quoi que ce soit, contrairement à certaines personnes. C'est à la fin que ça s'est corsé. Je crois qu'on tient la Pire Fin Livresque Au Monde. C'était facile de la part de l'auteur de faire ce choix. Je ne comprends pas que les critiques de ce livre parlent aussi peu du dénouement de l'histoire. Je ne peux pas en dire plus, autrement je spoilerais, mais vraiment, c'est du grand n'importe quoi. Et je comprends les gens qui pointent du doigt l'incohérence du couple Cathy/Victor lorsqu'on connait le secret de ce dernier, même si ce n'est pas ce qui m'a frappé en premier.

Enfin, petite incohérence par rapport au résumé, qui laisse entendre que Cathy aurait disparu... ce qui n'est pas le cas !

En bref, un bon potentiel, je suis fan du concept, mais une fin trèstrèstrès décevante !

[Chandni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really creative young adult novel. Not only is it told through a journal format, it comes with an evidence packet full of notes, letters, family trees etc. It's also heavily based in Chinese mythology and for a book that was written in 2006, it's quite progressive with a half-Chinese love interest and a Chinese best friend. I wasn't super fond of the main character Cathy, or of Emma, but I did like VIctor's bluntness. I thought that Cathy and Emma weren't developed very well and some of the dialogue was stilted and forced. The story was really fast-paced and everything came together really well.

Since this book is so old, a lot of the websites are out of service, but www.doubletalkwireless.com is still up and running so I could do a bit of messing around with it. Overall, it was really fun trying to put the pieces together, and I'm looking forward to the other two books in the series, which I own.

[Bookish_Aly_Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a unique and mysterious read. This book is told in journal format and the story follows Cathy Vickers, a curious high school art student who likes to meddle. Cathy was just dumped by her boyfriend, Victor. While investigating the reasons behind their breakup, she and her friends discover suspicious activities and the answers they find are not at all what they expected.

This is the most interactive book I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. In addition to the newspaper clippings, Chinese restaurant menus, photographs, certificates and other materials provided as clues and proof that this story happened, there are actual phone numbers provided throughout the book that you can actually call! This allows you to listen to voice recordings to help guide you through the experience. You can also follow other clues given that allow you to access character’s messages and Google things that Cathy points out in her diary. Overall, this was a very neat reading experience.

What I liked:
🔹The clues given in the material provided throughout the book
🔹The format made for a fun, interactive read
🔹The ability to call real numbers and hear Character voices

[Ahmed Imad Jawad]

عوووع

[Bookarune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je ne m'attendais pas à autant aimer! J'ai hâte de lire la suite!

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I caught this one on the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble. The whole packaging just drew me in (not to mention the $6 price!). The drawings, the package of stuff at the beginning, the whole journal set-up. For the price, I decided to give it a try.

Well this was definitely an interesting one. I loved Cathy's voice even though her persistence in the whole situation got a little grating every once in a while. I have to agree with her mom in the "you better find a rich guy to support you" mantra because of her tendency to brush off her studies. What can I say? I'm a school person. And in a world where the Bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma, trashing out on school to dream and stalk an ex-boyfriend is not the best of ideas. I'm a creative, dreamy type of person but I'm not deluded enough to think my dreaming will pay my bills. So the story tweaked that logical side of my brain every so often. But not nearly enough to give up on it. Not even close.

I really liked all of the characters, especially Mr. Tsao, but Emma, well, I didn't see what Cathy saw in her. Her ego-maniacal insistence to carry out her 30/30 plan at the expense of Cathy, I didn't see that "I'm there for you, now you need to be there for me" type of thing. Offering a helping hand is one thing. Offering yourself up to marry a rich psycho just to help your friend fulfill her superficial dream of being rich so she doesn't have to be poor is a little much. Wasn't too fond of that dynamic.

But aside from that, it was a really interesting story. I kept getting really frustrated because I wanted more information and more explanation that what we were given but thus is the burden of remaining in first person. We only know what Cathy knows and how frustrating it must be for her being in the middle of it! I was right there with her the entire time, especially every time she went to San Francisco. I love San Francisco! I blew through this book because I just kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next. And I love the set-up of the entries and their little titles.

I love the little doodles throughout the book and I even pulled up some of the websites in all the paperwork that came with the book. What I especially liked was the ending. SO didn't see that one coming! I won't spoil it but what I will say is I love the scientific aspect of a very prevalent trope in a saturated YA market. It was very refreshing, especially the build-up to it all. It leads you down one road only to have a bum-rusher come along and thrust you into another lane at the very last second. Very awesome.

If you can find this in the bargain bin like I did, I highly recommend snatching it up. If not, buy it anyway. It's money well spent.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Sunday, June 26, 2011] I bought this book because the art is amazing, but now that I begun reading it, the story is actually gripping! But the best thing about this book is the design art and the gifts. Every illustration is related to what Cathy is writing in her journal. And the gifts are all clues to solving what is the nature of Victor.

When you begin reading you just have to know everything that will happen. What is great about the book is that it is fast paced and you can finish it in one sitting, and it is very exciting. You just have to know what Victor and the paper man and Tsao are. That was a great first book, though Cathy and Victor are not your average heroes, they are not heroic, they are very flawed but very human.



At the end you see Emma telling Cathy at her 18th birthday that the police will come questioning her now that Victor and Lu have fled, Cathy asked her what should she do, Emma said print out all your diary with every single evidence you've collected and show them everything, otherwise they won't believe anything.

I think they won't buy it even with everything inside the diary, they might think it's a young girl's fantasy.

Anyway the war of the immortals has just begun, all in order to stop death and time.

Can't wait to read book 2: Cathy's Key!

[Yoda Bor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathy est une ado amoureuse qui se fait plaquer du jour au lendemain par son petit ami. Acceptant mal la situation, elle essaie d’en comprendre les raisons mais les découvertes qu’elle fait la pousse à laisser derrière elle son journal intime, pour que sa meilleure amie puisse retrouver sa trace en cas de besoin.

C’est ce journal que l’on a dans les mains et, nous aussi, nous allons pouvoir tenter de trouver le secret de Victor.

Cathy’s book a été un phénomène lors de sa sortie. C’était la première fois de ma vie que je croisais un livre trans-media dont le concept était autant poussé.
On navigue entre sites internet, journaux, photos, répondeurs téléphoniques, …
Pour quelqu’un qui joue le jeu à fond, il y a de quoi passer plusieurs heures à fureter de partout.

L’histoire est elle plus poussive, très tournée jeunesse, avec un scénario parfois un peu niais dans lequel l’héroïne navigue entre loufoque et invraisemblable.

Cathy est en plus assez antipathique et j’ai du mal à accrocher avec son personnage. J’ai bien plus aimé sa meilleure amie Emma, qui cherche à devenir milliardaire et, parmi les personnages secondaires, le mystérieux Tsao, l’oncle de Victor, a su me charmer. Mais je dois me méfier !

J’ai passé un excellent moment avec ce livre, à suivre toutes les pistes.
Ne vous attendez pas à une véritable enquête policière, c’est pour son format ludique que ce livre est une réussite.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessantes Jugendbuch
Cathy ist 17 Jahre alt und ihr Freund ist aus heiterem Himmel verschwunden. Während sie sich auf die Suche nach ihm macht, trifft sie seltsame Menschen und deckt ein furchterregendes Geheimnis auf.
Ich habe mir das Buch großteils wegen seiner Aufmachung gekauft. Es ist ein interaktiver Jugendroman, der wie ein Tagebuch gestaltet ist. Es gibt Nummern, die man anrufen kann/soll (kostenlos), Internetseiten, die man besuchen kann und es kommt mit echtem Beweismaterial.
Im Buch kommt eine Stelle vor, wo Cathy einen Zeitungsartikel findet, der in Verbindung mit ihrem Freund steht und diesen Artikel findet man unter den Beweismaterialien und kann ihn dort in aller Ruhe komplett durchlesen. Fotos sind dabei, Rechnungen, Seiten aus einem Terminkalender etc. So kann man sich mit Cathy auf die Suche machen und selber rätseln, was nun passiert sein könnte.
Zudem ist Cathy eine sehr talentierte Künstlerin und da das schließlich ihr Tagebuch ist, findet man auf fast jeder Seite Skizzen und Notizen.
Es ist das erste Buch einer Trilogie, wobei nur bei diesem die Beweise echte Papierstücke sind. Bei den anderen sind sie auf den letzten Seiten einfach nur abgedruckt.
Ich habe so ein Buch in so einer Form bisher noch nie gesehen und finde es großartig!! So wird der Inhalt wortwörtlich greifbar. Schade, dass nicht mehr Bücher so gestaltet werden.

[Kels · Rating 1 out of 5]

A garbage book featuring a white pick-me teenage girl, a grown man who is a child predator grooming the main protagonist into falling "in love" with him, a magical wand wave to solve all the neglectful parenting, and a weird tendency to be orientalist towards all it's asian characters. Couldn't get it over with fast enough. I will be very glad to use this as fire kindling.

[Simon McMurdo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still retain that it's an awesome concept with the pack of evidence but this did not age well at all. I loved it when I was younger but Cathy just irritates me now. Perhaps that means they nailed their target market of dramatic teens though?

[Ylenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid :')

[Darian Carter-Pace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review and more at my blog, Into the Worm's Hole
Cathy's Book by Sean Stewart, Jordan Weisman, and Cathy Briggs is a break-out Young Adult first published September 12, 2006. A following of about 1000 members online of all ages and genders, it sold 6,000 copies in a meer 3 months of being published, and number 7 on the New York Times Best Seller list. And those are just the book's stats. Cathy herself is a very popular character with 1,200 friends on Myspace, 22 followers on Flickr, and 1,863 friends on Facebook. An impressive feat, considering she's a fictional character. After reading the book myself, I completely understand what all the hype is about. Cathy's book is a fully engrossing novel that blurs the lines between Young Adult genres and can definitely keep even the most hard-hearted of book critics distracted from their daily duties such as sleeping, eating, working, and the likes.

In Cathy's Book, our main character (by the name of the book I think you can guess her name's Cathy) meets Victor, the romantic interest. He's quick witted, seemingly perfect, and he's an older guy (scandalous). Cathy and Victor's relationship doesn't exactly end on a happy not; after their final date, Cathy wakes up with a needle mark on her arm (and of course her mom thinks she's on drugs. Insert eye-roll and a grunt that sounds suspiciously like the word "moms") and a message from Victor saying "I'm breaking up with you and never want to see you again." Suspicious? Totally. Cathy, not being the type to cry and let it go, went snooping investigating at Victor's house(the door was open so it's not technically Breaking and Entering, it's just entering), and gets herself caught up in a fast-paced mystery including murder, kidnapping, fake cops, real cops, and suspected drug dealers (I did say suspected! Innocent until proven guilty).


Cathy's Book is written to be like Cathy's diary(which is obvious when you read the full title, (Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233). I've read many books in this type of format, and Cathy's book was by far the best. In an actual diary, the grammar won't be perfect, everything that should be capitalized probably won't be, and it definitely won't be the neatest thing in the world. It would be easy to believe Cathy's Book was genuine(which is the point, I'm pretty sure) because it actually looked like a teenage girl wrote it. All throughout the book you can see places where "Cathy" went back and wrote something in pen. One of my favorite examples of this is when Cathy is theorizing about Victor and his motives. She types "I think I've got it! What if," and then handwritten on the side it says "I just cannot for the life of me remember what I figured out,"(Stewart, Weisman, and Briggs, 61). Like I said before, this is interactive book. What do I mean by that? All the websites and numbers you see in this book are real and functional. If you called the number on the front of the book, you'll hear Cathy's voice-mail. After you listen to the voice-mail, you can also gain access to the messages on the voice-mail if you have the password(which is hidden in the book). Now what you're thinking is, "But aren't the numbers just a marketing scheme so they can charge me for calling?'' Well, I've got an answer for that too. I know from experience that the numbers are toll free, so if your curiosity gets the best of you(and lets face it, it probably will) there's nothing stopping you from calling the numbers and following the characters journey throughout this trilogy. And possibly the best part of this novel(or at least I think so), the illustration. Every single page of this book has absolutely beautiful doodles that have to do with the story. Victor drawn as a vampire, a needle dripping an unidentified liquid, portraits of various characters. They may not be required in the book(I'm sure the book would've been enjoyable without them) but it certainly adds a kind of personal feeling. Like, "Hi, my name is Cathy and I'm a doodler just like you. Although mine may be slightly better." It makes Cathy seem more realistic. The diary-style writing plus the fact that it's interactive along with the gorgeous doodles makes Cathy's Book the perfect distraction from the work you really should be doing.


I love the characters in this book. Cathy is the perfect main character. She was witty, but mostly only in her diary. And we can all relate to thinking of something smart to say after the conversations over. Insert every teenager in the room sinking in their chairs, laughing nervously while the adults avoid eye contact. She was sarcastic, but in a good way. Or so we sarcastic teens like to think. And she was just reckless enough, or some may say stupid, to keep the story interesting. And then there's Victor, the mysterious older boyfriend(or should I say ex) who works at a pharmaceutical company(drug dealer, perhaps).The thing I like most about his character? His life doesn't stop when Cathy isn't around him. You might be making a face and thinking "duh" while reading that last sentence, but that's mistake a lot of authors make. "My main character isn't with this person right now, so lets just say he's sitting a home watching TV, or something." I cannot tell you how many books I've read where that seems to be the case. Well, that's not the case in Cathy's book. This is obvious when Cathy's going through Victor's day planner and it has more than just the one significant thing that doesn't outright say "murder my co-worker" but sure does imply it. No, there's also lunch and dinner plans in his day planner, so it's obvious Victor isn't just all about potential drug deals, mysteriously breaking up with his girlfriend, and fraternizing with murder victims. There is one thing that stops me from saying this book was absolutely perfect. One of the supporting characters just disappears and I really don't like loose ends. There's this interesting character name Jun, who comes in towards the end of the book. /her personality draws you in a "Omigosh, why she so depressing who peed in her Cheerios," kind of way. Anyway, after a slightly confusing fight scene with Victor, she's dismissed in a "I'm disowning you," kind of way by her dad. Not two seconds later the cops show up to rescue Cathy and wrap up the whole story, but Jun isn't mentioned after that. No one says if she's in jail, if she ran, nothing. You know how on TV, when a teenager comes home late the parents say, "why didn't you call? We were worried sick! For all we knew you could've been dead or lying in a ditch somewhere." Well, in my opinion, you should not be left wondering if a character is "dead or lying in a ditch somewhere," especially a supporting character who might not come up again in the sequel. Closure! It's all I ask!


If you're looking for a book with unrelatable characters, a boring and overused plot, and your typical 1st or 3rd person writing style, you should probably skip over Cathy's Book and read something like Fallen or Twilight. But if you're looking for a fantastic, addicting diary with a super fun and mysterious plot, characters you wish were real (and they could be with how realistic they were), and gorgeous doodles and pictures on every page, then pick up Cathy's Book and don't put it down until you're finished. And then possibly read it again.

[Róka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindig is érdekes könyvecskének tűnt, mert olyan figyelemfelkeltő volt a fülszövege, és tele volt pakolva mindenféle érdekes dologgal. Olyan nyomozós, interaktív könyvecskének tűnt, amely bevonja a történetbe az olvasót.

Hát, most, amikor a kezembe került végre, nem ilyennek tűnt. Először is nem igazán tudtam, melyik bizonyítékot mikor kellene elővenni és megvizsgálni. Arra számítottam, majd lesz valamilyen zárójeles megjegyzés a könyvben, hogy „most ezt az XY számú bizonyítékot vedd elő”, vagy ilyesmi, de végül azért feltaláltam magam. Hát, így is sok minden maradt a végére – a cikk, a levelek, ilyesmik –, azonban jó volt ez így, mert ha az elején olvasom el, amikor Cathy azt írta, talált egy családfát meg régi újságcikkeket, leveleket, nem vettem volna észre, amit kellett volna, vagy nem tudtam volna, mi miért történt, és hogyan.

Maga a történet… Igazából az elején kissé unalmasnak tűnt, viszont a rajzok tetszettek, meg vártam, hogy mikor vedlünk át Poirot-vá/Miss Marple-lé/Sherlock Holmes-szá [tetszés szerint behelyettesíthető], aztán beindult a történet, és egyre kíváncsibb lettem, mi folyik itt, mi ez az egész. Aztán előbb rájöttem, mint Cathy, mi a helyzet Viktorral – amikor lelőtték, aztán mégis tudott még valahogy harcolni –, bár megvallom, ha nem látom anno a Hősöket, egyáltalán nem jut az eszembe. Nem is igazán akartam elhinni, tényleg ez lenne a helyzet ezzel a fiatal (vagy inkább öreg?) emberrel, mert ez a sztori eddig nem nagyon mutatott ilyen természetfeletti jeleket (oké, ott volt az idő lelassulása, amit néha Cathy érzett, de ezt nem vettem annak).

Szóval a végére egész jó lett, meg voltak szép mondatok benne, de többet nem olvasnám el, mégis, azért egy folytatásra kíváncsi lennék.

UPDATE: Utánanéztem, és van folytatása a könyveknek (magyarul sajnos nincs): Cathy's Key és Cathy's Ring. Meglepett a dolog, valamiért úgy gondoltam, nincs neki egyáltalán.

[Abi Pellinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathy's Book by Stewart, Weisman, and Brigg is one that I've wanted to read for well over a decade now. Yes. A decade. I bought books two and three on a visit to the US (back in a time before we had portable internet devices) without knowing they weren't the first book. So when, well over 10 (okay 13) years later I spotted Cathy's Book in a charity shop in Portsmouth I knew I had to buy it and read it in quick succession!

Similarly to the book I reviewed yesterday, I would've enjoyed this book so much more if I'd been able to read it at the right time as a teen. However, different to yesterdays review, I still really enjoyed this and intend to continue (and finish) the series.

This is a YA fantasy/contemporary. The majority of the book is set in a modern contemporary setting, however, there are immortal beings. In fact our protagonist is dating one! Or she was. Is she still? Well it's complicated.

I picked up the rest of these books because of their style. This isn't your standard novel. It's written in the style of diary entries, and our protagonist is an artist so the pages are covered in doodles too. There are also extra bits and bobs attached to this hardback, including faked receipts and notes and napkins with phone numbers written on. It's so cool!! I loved seeing them in conjunction with the text!

In CAWPILE I gave this book: Characters: 8, Atmosphere: 8, Writing: 7, Plot: 7, Intrigue: 7, Logic: 7, and Enjoyment: 8 which gives an average of 7.43 which is a 4 star read.

I'm very excited to finish up this series and see which weird direction things go in next!

[LadyMuffinchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anfangs sei gesagt, dass ich die Idee eines Buches in Tagebuchform sehr gut finde und auch die kleinen Randnotizen mitsamt der Zeichnungen einfach genial finde. Die Zeichnungen sind wunderbar und passen zu der Story, wie auch zu Cathy. Auch gut ist die Idee von Materialien zum Buch, wie Bilder, Dokumente, etc - eben die Sachen, die auch im Buch Erwähnung finden. 

Leider war die Umsetzung der Idee nicht gut. Im Verlauf der Story ist keine Nummerierung und es ist alles durcheinander, weshalb nicht klar ist, wann man was anschauen kann und soll (ohne sich selbst zu spoilern...). Ein Hinweis, wann man sich was anschaut wäre hilfreich gewesen. 
Weiterhin fand ich die Story etwas zu seltsam in der Art und Weise. Vielleicht lag es jedoch auch eher an Cathy, sie ist eine mega unsympathische Protagonistin. Sie ist egoistisch bis zum Abwinken und auch ihre Freundin Emma finde ich nicht wirklich nett. Emma ist geldgierig und auch relativ egoistisch, bei Cathy nervt zunehmend immer wieder noch das große Maß an Naivität. Daher fand ich es sehr schwer ins Buch reinzufinden und habe es auch ehrlicherweise bis zum Ende nicht geschafft. Cathy hat meiner Meinung nach keine liebenswürdigen Charakterzüge und ist eher kriminell und hitzköpfig, wie man in gefühlt jedem dritten Kapitel merkt.

Die Geschichte selbst schreitet erst kaum voran und dann driftet sie in Unverständliche Richtungen ab, die wohl erst auf den letzten 20 Seiten Sinn ergeben. Diese sollen spannend sein, sind aber auch etwas wirr, da so viele Namen auftauchen und Cathy mit ihrer Art keine Spannung aufkommen lässt...eher spoilert sie bereits am Anfang des Kapitels und nimmt jegliche Erwartungen. 

Leider so gar nicht das, was ich erwartet hatte..

[noa :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note : ⭐️⭐️,5/5
Avis : À vrai dire c'était une relecture. J'ai lu Cathy's Book pour la première fois il y a quasiment dix ans et je me souvenais d'avoir été littéralement fascinée par la façon dont il avait été produit. La poche d'indices, les numéros de téléphone à contacter. Je voulais revivre cette petite excitation que j'ai ressenti lorsque je l'ai lu pour la première fois. Verdict : le début de "l'enquête" entre Cathy et Emma est super exaltant mais la fin surnaturelle hyper tirée par les cheveux. Puis l'amant de la protagoniste qui est finalement le good guy, dommage. Donnez-nous des personnages principaux mauvais, bazar !!! Mais c'était trop cool de me replonger dans tout ça. Une madeleine de Proust, quoi !
J’ai quand même envie de lire les suivants pour voir s’ils sont construits de la même manière.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch habe ich als Jugendliche geliebt - es lädt zum Miträtseln ein und entwickelt sich in eine ganz andere Richtung als man erwartet. Damals fühlte ich mich auch verstanden durch die Art und Weise wie Cathy über Gefühle schreibt: so richtig schön kitschig, pubertär wie es auf einem Tumblr Blog stehen könnte.

[Kredka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would give it 6 stars for the edition alone, the paper scraps and illustrations - A BRILLIANT IDEA

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a fun read!! very short book, able to finish in one sitting but i love nontraditional story telling and the interactive nature was entertaining

[Gloo The third · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is pretty cool!