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When God Says No
When Rie decided to walk into the sea, she was saved by a mysterious girl named Ryoka. Through her, Rie rediscovered a new purpose in life, and a passionate friendship. But Ryoka had her own dark past, and their friendship may not be able to withstand the secrets between them. Will either girl survive, when they’ve put their faith in each other?
- GenresYoung AdultLGBT
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2021
9 people are currently reading
3161 people want to read
About the author
Reina Sasaki
2 books45 followersI write for my Readers—that’s my motto as an Author.
Writing can be a challenging task. There were times when I spent three hours, writing and rewriting a single paragraph. Yet, it still didn’t get read the way to my satisfaction. My brain felt as boiled and mushy as scramble eggs. I ended up having to stand up and started walking from one room end to the other (of my apartment). In one hand, I held an apple that’s my lunch. I started throwing it up and down as a mental exercise. Before, I finally took a bite and finished it all in less than five minutes. I returned to my desk and took a look at the screen where the paragraph in question was still there. And then, it’s like everything became smooth. It felt so ridiculous to think how could I have waisted these past hours and not coming up with something that’s always there in my head?
It’s hard writing a story. I could say that again and again.
But whenever I think that my story would reach somebody out there. All hours of work suddenly felt worth everything. Writing for that someone is the joy of my life that I want to keep doing on and on, forever.
Read some of those stories now by clicking here https://reina-sasaki.mailchimpsites.com
Writing can be a challenging task. There were times when I spent three hours, writing and rewriting a single paragraph. Yet, it still didn’t get read the way to my satisfaction. My brain felt as boiled and mushy as scramble eggs. I ended up having to stand up and started walking from one room end to the other (of my apartment). In one hand, I held an apple that’s my lunch. I started throwing it up and down as a mental exercise. Before, I finally took a bite and finished it all in less than five minutes. I returned to my desk and took a look at the screen where the paragraph in question was still there. And then, it’s like everything became smooth. It felt so ridiculous to think how could I have waisted these past hours and not coming up with something that’s always there in my head?
It’s hard writing a story. I could say that again and again.
But whenever I think that my story would reach somebody out there. All hours of work suddenly felt worth everything. Writing for that someone is the joy of my life that I want to keep doing on and on, forever.
Read some of those stories now by clicking here https://reina-sasaki.mailchimpsites.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 15, 2023
https://deluwrites.blogspot.com/2022/...
Rating 3.5
Writing 4/5
Plot 4/5
Characters 3/5
Enjoyment 3/5
This story happens in the 1970s in Japan. Ryoka saved Rie when she's drowning in the water. They both soon become friends (not so friends it should be said they become attached to each other). They both are suffering from their own trauma and struggling to feel alive. When both of their secrets expose will their friendship stands? That's the story line.
Pretty cool plot and character development. At first I thought the stort is developed in Rie's point of view but it's a multiple POV story. One of the thing makes the story more cool. Miss Himura is a pure soul, her intentions and advices, wow. Ryoka's character is felt a little rude and Rie is such a innocent girl. Hearing and seeing things from another one's perspective makes sense. In the last pages story grows really interesting. And the Multiple POV is one of the things makes it better.
This book is very well written. The cover is so pretty another reason for I wanted to read this book.
"The girl undid something from her
wrist and wrapped it around mine, securing its end with a knot. Pulling back, I saw a faded green ribbon dangling down my wrist.
“What is this?” I asked, holding the hand up.
“Protective Charm.” She said"
The title may misleads like it's a religious book but you can guess reading the description it is not a religious book, but this book contains some LGBT elements that is not mentioned in the book's description. This book also contains sexual and suicide contents that weren't mentioned in the description.
Writing was good however at some point I felt this book's written by a school girl. 'Some thing' in this story isn't moving forward. The book felt descriptive and lengthy. Content of this book is also boring and uninteresting. Somewhere in the middle I even wanted to quit the book.
Rie is Catholic and there is serios discussion about God and Bible. The concept of God is complicated in 'When God Says No'. I'm not Christian myself and I choosed to ignore all those discussion about God.
“I know a few things, you know,” continued Ryoka.
“I had a teacher in elementary who liked telling
stories about a naked couple, who got kicked out after stealing an apple from their landlord.”
This's probably the best version of Adam and Eve's story I've heard. ;)
The Author do really have a way with words. Characters and Plot is very well developed. If you're looking for a YA with LGBTQ+, this book is for you!
*Thank you to the Author for providing a e-review copy. Note this is my HONEST review of the book.
Rating 3.5
Writing 4/5
Plot 4/5
Characters 3/5
Enjoyment 3/5
This story happens in the 1970s in Japan. Ryoka saved Rie when she's drowning in the water. They both soon become friends (not so friends it should be said they become attached to each other). They both are suffering from their own trauma and struggling to feel alive. When both of their secrets expose will their friendship stands? That's the story line.
Pretty cool plot and character development. At first I thought the stort is developed in Rie's point of view but it's a multiple POV story. One of the thing makes the story more cool. Miss Himura is a pure soul, her intentions and advices, wow. Ryoka's character is felt a little rude and Rie is such a innocent girl. Hearing and seeing things from another one's perspective makes sense. In the last pages story grows really interesting. And the Multiple POV is one of the things makes it better.
This book is very well written. The cover is so pretty another reason for I wanted to read this book.
"The girl undid something from her
wrist and wrapped it around mine, securing its end with a knot. Pulling back, I saw a faded green ribbon dangling down my wrist.
“What is this?” I asked, holding the hand up.
“Protective Charm.” She said"
The title may misleads like it's a religious book but you can guess reading the description it is not a religious book, but this book contains some LGBT elements that is not mentioned in the book's description. This book also contains sexual and suicide contents that weren't mentioned in the description.
Writing was good however at some point I felt this book's written by a school girl. 'Some thing' in this story isn't moving forward. The book felt descriptive and lengthy. Content of this book is also boring and uninteresting. Somewhere in the middle I even wanted to quit the book.
Rie is Catholic and there is serios discussion about God and Bible. The concept of God is complicated in 'When God Says No'. I'm not Christian myself and I choosed to ignore all those discussion about God.
“I know a few things, you know,” continued Ryoka.
“I had a teacher in elementary who liked telling
stories about a naked couple, who got kicked out after stealing an apple from their landlord.”
This's probably the best version of Adam and Eve's story I've heard. ;)
The Author do really have a way with words. Characters and Plot is very well developed. If you're looking for a YA with LGBTQ+, this book is for you!
*Thank you to the Author for providing a e-review copy. Note this is my HONEST review of the book.
March 23, 2022
Writing: 4/5
Characters 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Content: 1/5
“Live on, Rie, stubbornly, until you learn what value life is. And once you can do that, then… Please, save me too.”
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Many thanks to the author for the free review copy and for your kindness! Please note that all opinions expressed are completely my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Rie decided to walk into the sea, she was saved by a mysterious girl named Ryoka. Through her, Rie rediscovered a new purpose in life, and a passionate friendship. But Ryoka had her own dark past, and their friendship may not be able to withstand the secrets between them. Will either girl survive, when they’ve put their faith in each other?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was drawn to When God Says No because of the cover, which is super beautiful. I love how the title is half above the water and half under. The book itself has nice formatting, super high-quality paper, and the words lean to the larger side so they don’t strain eyes at all (which I really appreciated). The book itself wasn't that long, in my opinion. I know the physical copy has 424 pages but there’s not that many words per page so you can read a page of this one faster than with a normal book. I really liked this because then you can read 100 or so pages pretty easily in one sitting and it feels like an accomplishment. 😅
I know by the title some people might think this is a Christian novel and I think the author herself said that a lot of people have asked if it is, but ultimately, When God Says No is NOT a Christian book. The characters do wrestle with the idea of God quite a lot but the story is resolved with the characters finding encouragement and hope from each other instead of from any higher power and God is portrayed negatively for most of the book. If you want to know more about the spiritual elements of the book, you can skip down to that part of the review.
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Characters: I always liked Rie and I seriously thought the entire book was from her point of view but it wasn't and that actually turned out to be pretty cool with the multiple POVs. Seeing things with Ryoka’s thoughts was especially interesting. Rie, compared with most of the other characters in the book, is pretty innocent and almost adorable sometimes. She did make a really good main character because then you can see Ryoka through her eyes and the story doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom the entire time. Ryoka once said of her, “Rie’s question turned out innocent but also with an unintended evil. Her cluelessness about what actual suffering could be, made her a fearsome existence, like a pure soul looking down upon sinners, smiling while others suffered.” Ryoka herself was very complicated and I really don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that the synopsis got it right in saying that although Rie has some pretty serious secrets, her secrets are nothing compared to Ryoka’s. In the end, I really can’t say that I hated Ryoka nor that I thought all her actions were justified. She made her own extremely questionable decisions but her past and the weight she carried egged her on. She reminded me a bit of Sissy from Mary Downing Hahn’s Deep and Dark and Dangerous. Miss Himura was my favorite character. I liked her from the beginning but you really don’t get to see the entire role she played until the very end. I’m going to be a professor someday and Miss Himura is the kind of teacher I want to become.
“I didn’t know her at all.”
“Are you angry?” she said.
Somehow, I wasn't. “No,” I answered.
“Why?”
“If I shouldn’t judge anyone for being loud when they scream in pain, then I shouldn’t judge Ryoka, who has gone through so much. I always thought my life was a tragedy, but hers has been worse than mine.”
Writing: Reina Sasaki is a skilled writer. I think her greatest strengths are her character development and the skill in which she is able to weave a complicated and yet convincing plot. Let’s just say that she really keeps you guessing until the end. Characters aren’t always who they seem, things you assumed were true turn out to be false, and there’s a major plot twist in the last few pages of the book. Exciting, huh? My only problem with the writing itself is the way sentences are structured sometimes. It’s hard to describe but sometimes it just doesn’t flow. If you ignore that, though, there’s some pretty beautiful passages in the book.
Language: The f-word is used four times, the b-word is used nine times, the s-word is used once, and the characters also sometimes use the word “hell” (e.g. “I will drag you down to the bottom of hell!”). Most of the swearing is in the last half of the book and mostly happens when a character is really angry.
Spirituality: Rie is a practicing Catholic at the beginning of the book but when she meets Ryoka, Ryoka makes fun of her faith. The former had been having constant nightmares about her past. Sometime after becoming friends with Ryoka, though, Rie admits, “I hadn’t gone to mass since last year. I no longer read the Bible. I no longer prayed. I no longer had the [nightmares].” The book says a lot about God, too much for me to relate here. Most of it paints him in a cruel light, mostly just blaming him for the evil and the bad things that happen in the world, but in some ways, it’s also wrestling honestly with the idea of God, fate, sin, and salvation, albeit not always “biblically.” One of the characters feels in the end that there was always a reason God says no to things and it’s left at that. The author wrote to me: "Please know that the climax of this book would base on this virtue that— 'God only helps those who help themselves.'" However, she also said, "And the story would conclude in the way that God's being viewed in a positive light," which I'd agree with. Still, just advice from one Christian to another: If you consider yourself a Christian, I probably would not recommend this book to you. It's not that it's a "bad" book, just that I wouldn't recommend it. If you’re not a Christian, then you can ignore this and keep reading :)
Sexual content (some spoilers ahead): There are a lot of LGBT elements in When God Says No and I just wasn't expecting that. LGBTQ+ books are an entire genre on their own and I was going into the book just thinking it would simply be a book on friendship as well as mental health and you would think there would think the description of the book or something else should’ve let the reader know that this included gay romance between major characters and others as well to draw the people who were looking for that in and warn people who didn’t want to read about that away, but that didn’t really happen. So yeah, I wasn't very happy about that because it just didn’t seem fair. The synopsis simply calls Rie and Ryoka’s relationship all throughout the story a “friendship,” albeit a passionate one, but reading through the book, it gets pretty clear that it goes further than that. I don’t know how the author could’ve included a trigger warning for sex scenes and such, but I just wish she had. I never understood why people wanted those book rating things like movie ratings (e.g. G, PG, PG-13, R) but now I definitely do! The sexual aspect of this one is a pretty big part of it, and characters are affected deeply by stuff that happened in the past. The kissing/sex scenes made me really, really uncomfortable and it ruined a lot of the other parts of the book for me. But you know your limits so if you’re a-okay with that kind of stuff, then maybe that won’t bother you. One character thinks back to a past relationship with another girl and about them holding each other and kissing secretly. In another scene, that same character is showering naked and another character bursts into the room to make sure she’s okay. Two females kiss in bed and one touches the other intimately. This scene is described twice through two different people’s POVs. There’s other similar scenes of two females in bed together. Once, one of them thinks something along the lines of, “I’ve always wandered what girls were meant to do with each other. Now I know,” while the other is passionately touching her everywhere.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, with all the sexual content in this one, this is NOT the kind of literature I enjoy at all,. Yes, I know that there are books with even more scenes with this kind of stuff than this book has and yes, I know that some books focus almost entirely on that sort of stuff. However, being frank, the icky stuff really took away from the main story and the message of the importance of living and not giving up and that sort of stuff at least for me because the descriptive scenes and such were giving off a whole other message of their own. Maybe the author couldn’t have shown the reader how cruel Ryoka was as well as how much she was hurting without her ravishing Rie, but was that really, really necessary? And at what expense did it come at?
Overall, I wouldn’t say that When God Says No would be a light read for anyone because of how dark the book is in general (although everything does get resolved technically well in the end!), but some of the things it wrestled with were probably necessary to address. At times I really, really had to fight through reading this, and I really wanted to quit the book. I think if I didn't give the author my word to review it, I seriously wouldn't have read this one in full. I'm kind of relieved that I did, though, because it does end pretty well. Better that I finished it than stopped halfway through when things were really bad.
Trigger warning for multiple suicide attempts from multiple characters, brief descriptions of mental institutions, and pretty descriptive sexual content. However, readers who like YA fiction with LGBTQ+ elements that addresses mental health should most certainly give this book a try!
Characters 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Content: 1/5
“Live on, Rie, stubbornly, until you learn what value life is. And once you can do that, then… Please, save me too.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many thanks to the author for the free review copy and for your kindness! Please note that all opinions expressed are completely my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Rie decided to walk into the sea, she was saved by a mysterious girl named Ryoka. Through her, Rie rediscovered a new purpose in life, and a passionate friendship. But Ryoka had her own dark past, and their friendship may not be able to withstand the secrets between them. Will either girl survive, when they’ve put their faith in each other?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was drawn to When God Says No because of the cover, which is super beautiful. I love how the title is half above the water and half under. The book itself has nice formatting, super high-quality paper, and the words lean to the larger side so they don’t strain eyes at all (which I really appreciated). The book itself wasn't that long, in my opinion. I know the physical copy has 424 pages but there’s not that many words per page so you can read a page of this one faster than with a normal book. I really liked this because then you can read 100 or so pages pretty easily in one sitting and it feels like an accomplishment. 😅
I know by the title some people might think this is a Christian novel and I think the author herself said that a lot of people have asked if it is, but ultimately, When God Says No is NOT a Christian book. The characters do wrestle with the idea of God quite a lot but the story is resolved with the characters finding encouragement and hope from each other instead of from any higher power and God is portrayed negatively for most of the book. If you want to know more about the spiritual elements of the book, you can skip down to that part of the review.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters: I always liked Rie and I seriously thought the entire book was from her point of view but it wasn't and that actually turned out to be pretty cool with the multiple POVs. Seeing things with Ryoka’s thoughts was especially interesting. Rie, compared with most of the other characters in the book, is pretty innocent and almost adorable sometimes. She did make a really good main character because then you can see Ryoka through her eyes and the story doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom the entire time. Ryoka once said of her, “Rie’s question turned out innocent but also with an unintended evil. Her cluelessness about what actual suffering could be, made her a fearsome existence, like a pure soul looking down upon sinners, smiling while others suffered.” Ryoka herself was very complicated and I really don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that the synopsis got it right in saying that although Rie has some pretty serious secrets, her secrets are nothing compared to Ryoka’s. In the end, I really can’t say that I hated Ryoka nor that I thought all her actions were justified. She made her own extremely questionable decisions but her past and the weight she carried egged her on. She reminded me a bit of Sissy from Mary Downing Hahn’s Deep and Dark and Dangerous. Miss Himura was my favorite character. I liked her from the beginning but you really don’t get to see the entire role she played until the very end. I’m going to be a professor someday and Miss Himura is the kind of teacher I want to become.
“I didn’t know her at all.”
“Are you angry?” she said.
Somehow, I wasn't. “No,” I answered.
“Why?”
“If I shouldn’t judge anyone for being loud when they scream in pain, then I shouldn’t judge Ryoka, who has gone through so much. I always thought my life was a tragedy, but hers has been worse than mine.”
Writing: Reina Sasaki is a skilled writer. I think her greatest strengths are her character development and the skill in which she is able to weave a complicated and yet convincing plot. Let’s just say that she really keeps you guessing until the end. Characters aren’t always who they seem, things you assumed were true turn out to be false, and there’s a major plot twist in the last few pages of the book. Exciting, huh? My only problem with the writing itself is the way sentences are structured sometimes. It’s hard to describe but sometimes it just doesn’t flow. If you ignore that, though, there’s some pretty beautiful passages in the book.
Language: The f-word is used four times, the b-word is used nine times, the s-word is used once, and the characters also sometimes use the word “hell” (e.g. “I will drag you down to the bottom of hell!”). Most of the swearing is in the last half of the book and mostly happens when a character is really angry.
Spirituality: Rie is a practicing Catholic at the beginning of the book but when she meets Ryoka, Ryoka makes fun of her faith. The former had been having constant nightmares about her past. Sometime after becoming friends with Ryoka, though, Rie admits, “I hadn’t gone to mass since last year. I no longer read the Bible. I no longer prayed. I no longer had the [nightmares].” The book says a lot about God, too much for me to relate here. Most of it paints him in a cruel light, mostly just blaming him for the evil and the bad things that happen in the world, but in some ways, it’s also wrestling honestly with the idea of God, fate, sin, and salvation, albeit not always “biblically.” One of the characters feels in the end that there was always a reason God says no to things and it’s left at that. The author wrote to me: "Please know that the climax of this book would base on this virtue that— 'God only helps those who help themselves.'" However, she also said, "And the story would conclude in the way that God's being viewed in a positive light," which I'd agree with. Still, just advice from one Christian to another: If you consider yourself a Christian, I probably would not recommend this book to you. It's not that it's a "bad" book, just that I wouldn't recommend it. If you’re not a Christian, then you can ignore this and keep reading :)
Sexual content (some spoilers ahead): There are a lot of LGBT elements in When God Says No and I just wasn't expecting that. LGBTQ+ books are an entire genre on their own and I was going into the book just thinking it would simply be a book on friendship as well as mental health and you would think there would think the description of the book or something else should’ve let the reader know that this included gay romance between major characters and others as well to draw the people who were looking for that in and warn people who didn’t want to read about that away, but that didn’t really happen. So yeah, I wasn't very happy about that because it just didn’t seem fair. The synopsis simply calls Rie and Ryoka’s relationship all throughout the story a “friendship,” albeit a passionate one, but reading through the book, it gets pretty clear that it goes further than that. I don’t know how the author could’ve included a trigger warning for sex scenes and such, but I just wish she had. I never understood why people wanted those book rating things like movie ratings (e.g. G, PG, PG-13, R) but now I definitely do! The sexual aspect of this one is a pretty big part of it, and characters are affected deeply by stuff that happened in the past. The kissing/sex scenes made me really, really uncomfortable and it ruined a lot of the other parts of the book for me. But you know your limits so if you’re a-okay with that kind of stuff, then maybe that won’t bother you. One character thinks back to a past relationship with another girl and about them holding each other and kissing secretly. In another scene, that same character is showering naked and another character bursts into the room to make sure she’s okay. Two females kiss in bed and one touches the other intimately. This scene is described twice through two different people’s POVs. There’s other similar scenes of two females in bed together. Once, one of them thinks something along the lines of, “I’ve always wandered what girls were meant to do with each other. Now I know,” while the other is passionately touching her everywhere.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, with all the sexual content in this one, this is NOT the kind of literature I enjoy at all,. Yes, I know that there are books with even more scenes with this kind of stuff than this book has and yes, I know that some books focus almost entirely on that sort of stuff. However, being frank, the icky stuff really took away from the main story and the message of the importance of living and not giving up and that sort of stuff at least for me because the descriptive scenes and such were giving off a whole other message of their own. Maybe the author couldn’t have shown the reader how cruel Ryoka was as well as how much she was hurting without her ravishing Rie, but was that really, really necessary? And at what expense did it come at?
Overall, I wouldn’t say that When God Says No would be a light read for anyone because of how dark the book is in general (although everything does get resolved technically well in the end!), but some of the things it wrestled with were probably necessary to address. At times I really, really had to fight through reading this, and I really wanted to quit the book. I think if I didn't give the author my word to review it, I seriously wouldn't have read this one in full. I'm kind of relieved that I did, though, because it does end pretty well. Better that I finished it than stopped halfway through when things were really bad.
Trigger warning for multiple suicide attempts from multiple characters, brief descriptions of mental institutions, and pretty descriptive sexual content. However, readers who like YA fiction with LGBTQ+ elements that addresses mental health should most certainly give this book a try!
August 23, 2021
First of all, it should be said, I could not finish this book.
Not because the book was so terrible I just couldn't stand to keep reading. Quite the opposite, actually. But because I didn't realize what I was getting into when I decided to read this book.
This book has things in it that I do not feel comfortable reading because of my personal convictions. But, mine are not everybody's.
The writing style of this author is wonderful. It brings you into a thoughtful mood, it flows very smoothly. It's written from 1st person and you actually can feel like you are the character, which is just amazing. It's the absolute best.
The characters are interesting. Their knowledge of God, however, is not true. And it's sad to me, because so much could be different if it wasn't that way. However, that's not necessarily the reason I stopped reading.
The two primary reasons I decided not to finish were 1, there were LGBTQ elements in it. That may totally be your thing, and that's fine, if so go ahead and read, you'll probably enjoy it. It's something I'm just not comfortable reading.
2, there is cussing in there, not excessive at all, but I just prefer not to read that.
Overall, I think this book is a very good read for people who don't mind those two things listed above. Seriously, the writing is amazing.
Also, extreme respect to the author if English is not your first language. And even if it is, your writing style is still something to aspire to. Keep up the good work.
Not because the book was so terrible I just couldn't stand to keep reading. Quite the opposite, actually. But because I didn't realize what I was getting into when I decided to read this book.
This book has things in it that I do not feel comfortable reading because of my personal convictions. But, mine are not everybody's.
The writing style of this author is wonderful. It brings you into a thoughtful mood, it flows very smoothly. It's written from 1st person and you actually can feel like you are the character, which is just amazing. It's the absolute best.
The characters are interesting. Their knowledge of God, however, is not true. And it's sad to me, because so much could be different if it wasn't that way. However, that's not necessarily the reason I stopped reading.
The two primary reasons I decided not to finish were 1, there were LGBTQ elements in it. That may totally be your thing, and that's fine, if so go ahead and read, you'll probably enjoy it. It's something I'm just not comfortable reading.
2, there is cussing in there, not excessive at all, but I just prefer not to read that.
Overall, I think this book is a very good read for people who don't mind those two things listed above. Seriously, the writing is amazing.
Also, extreme respect to the author if English is not your first language. And even if it is, your writing style is still something to aspire to. Keep up the good work.
August 6, 2021
When God Says No, by Reina Sasaki.
'When God Says No' is the story of two characters, Rie and Ryoka, who have become emotionally dependent on each other.
Although at first, you think Ryoka is the one who brings Rie ashore, later you realize that they are both about to drown because they are pulled down by the secrets of their past. They only escape by supporting each other.
Later, the friendship is ready to turn into something else.
“Until that night, I had never known what girls could do for one another when their feelings transformed beyond friendship.
“We are friends,” she said, “let’s not ruin that, deal?”
Rie is a complex character. Rie's inner uneasiness is like the sea in a storm, which fascinates and frightens her at the same time. Rie is drawn into the seawater, the waves erase her tracks from the beach, and she seems to find no way back.
"the sea ablaze like William Blake's illustration of hell. I paused over the compacted sands when the calm tide washed up toward my feet, wiping away my footprints"
"The image of the beach came to me, its water, and the roaring waves, the place where I tried to disappear"
Loneliness, isolation, self-doubt, refusal to have friends, are the clear signs that led her to hell. From there she was taken out by Miss Himura and Ryoka.
It is the Bible that tells Rie something about loneliness.
"I reread it over and over until pain began to throb in my chest. The pain transformed into a fear that I had never known existed within me.
The fear of being alone. "
Rie loves and respects the Bible and the church, knows and understands Confucius, so from all the struggles that take place in her, Rie chooses life, thus proving that she is wise.
In Reina Sasaki's work, there is a connection between the Bible, Confucius, and the essential characters. This connection is wisdom.
Bible Proverbs
"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you. "
Confucius
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."
Well-defined characters are placed with talent in a story created with intelligence and sensitivity using a personal style.
A book I will remember with pleasure.
'When God Says No' is the story of two characters, Rie and Ryoka, who have become emotionally dependent on each other.
Although at first, you think Ryoka is the one who brings Rie ashore, later you realize that they are both about to drown because they are pulled down by the secrets of their past. They only escape by supporting each other.
Later, the friendship is ready to turn into something else.
“Until that night, I had never known what girls could do for one another when their feelings transformed beyond friendship.
“We are friends,” she said, “let’s not ruin that, deal?”
Rie is a complex character. Rie's inner uneasiness is like the sea in a storm, which fascinates and frightens her at the same time. Rie is drawn into the seawater, the waves erase her tracks from the beach, and she seems to find no way back.
"the sea ablaze like William Blake's illustration of hell. I paused over the compacted sands when the calm tide washed up toward my feet, wiping away my footprints"
"The image of the beach came to me, its water, and the roaring waves, the place where I tried to disappear"
Loneliness, isolation, self-doubt, refusal to have friends, are the clear signs that led her to hell. From there she was taken out by Miss Himura and Ryoka.
It is the Bible that tells Rie something about loneliness.
"I reread it over and over until pain began to throb in my chest. The pain transformed into a fear that I had never known existed within me.
The fear of being alone. "
Rie loves and respects the Bible and the church, knows and understands Confucius, so from all the struggles that take place in her, Rie chooses life, thus proving that she is wise.
In Reina Sasaki's work, there is a connection between the Bible, Confucius, and the essential characters. This connection is wisdom.
Bible Proverbs
"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you. "
Confucius
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."
Well-defined characters are placed with talent in a story created with intelligence and sensitivity using a personal style.
A book I will remember with pleasure.
July 15, 2021
When God Says No by Reina Sasaki.... There is so much I would like to say, yet I find that cannot articulate the words properly. I know that this novel will linger in my thoughts for a long time. It has left an impression. The writing was utterly moving, as it is gut wrenching in its beauty. It resonated with me on so many levels. It was like I was drowning, struggling to breathe from the raw emotions that at times overwhelmed completely in it's vivid intensity.
I felt too deeply and that was a sign of such excellent writing, well done. It hurt to read of such pain and suffering, echoing in every character in some form or another even if the main story is from Rei, Ryoka and Saki's perspective. I loved how everything unfolded as I read and added further depth and insight that made me pause and consider what was written. Miss Himura was amazing as the teacher who tried so earnestly to help.
The ending was great and would gladly read more from Reina Sasaki, truly a gifted writer.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I felt too deeply and that was a sign of such excellent writing, well done. It hurt to read of such pain and suffering, echoing in every character in some form or another even if the main story is from Rei, Ryoka and Saki's perspective. I loved how everything unfolded as I read and added further depth and insight that made me pause and consider what was written. Miss Himura was amazing as the teacher who tried so earnestly to help.
The ending was great and would gladly read more from Reina Sasaki, truly a gifted writer.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 19, 2024
Funny story. A long time ago, I really wanted to read this novel, but didn't remember the name of it. So I went out on a quest to find it, ended up discovering The Necessary Hunger, only to just randomly remember the title and add it to my TBR. Was it worth the effort?
(When Rie decided to walk into the sea, she was saved by a mysterious girl named Ryoka. Through her, Rie rediscovered a new purpose in life, and a passionate friendship. But Ryoka had her own dark past, and their friendship may not be able to withstand the secrets between them.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
The friendship between Rie and Ryoka was well done. So this is basically an enemies to friends kind of thing and part of what makes it work is that while Ryoka does come across as a bit of a wise ass who's wisecracking goes a little too far sometimes, it's clear that she has good intentions (such as trying to help Rie rediscover her love of swimming, help her to see that it's okay to not be alone, and help stop her from committing suicide), which helps the reader understand why Rie is standoffish around her without making her completely unlikable. It also helps that she does tone down on the wisecracking as Rie and Ryoka get to know each other better.
I loved how the novel characterized Rie's aunt. So she's presented as someone whos not the best chef in the world and has questionable home decor choices, but it's clear she's genuinely trying to make an effort to be a good guardian to Rie ever since her parents died. Not only does this characterization make her feel more like a real person, but the way that that all this is presented is quite subtle too.
There's one detail I really liked. So the more that Rie practices swimming, the better she gets at it, which seems to increase her desire to live and her desire to not be lonely. This is a really clever way to not only show Rie's growth as a character, but also as clever way to the back into the novel's idea that water can be either the end of a life or the beginning of a new life.
Ryoka's chapters were phenomenal. So about halfway through, the novel switches to Ryoka's perspective and details her life story, as well as her time with her Not only were these chapters heartbreaking, but they also took established aspects of her character and really took the time to explore them further.
I'm split on the mystery of what happened to Rie in Tokyo. On the one hand, not only does it provide insight into why Rie has closed herself off from everyone but Himura-sensei, but it also kept me invested. On the other had though, chapters were baffling. So in these chapters, Rie basically confesses to Now, the confession itself isn't bad. It's placement, though, is. See, this confession occurs nearly forty percent of the way in. But based on the fact that it's the solution to the mystery and based on how much weight and significance it's given, this feels like it clearly belongs in the climax or near the end. This is As a result, it feels like her character arc ends way too early and there's little to no room left for her to grow as a character.
Also, it's clear to me that this novel really would've benefited from at least one or two more rounds of editing. On top of having several instances in which quotation marks are missing or improperly positioned (like one instance of the former in chapter one), there were some aspects of the setting that just rubbed me the wrong way. For example, in chapter one, Rie says this, "I stared over the green cover of the plain notebook, sold at the school store for five cents." Let me explain everything wrong with this sentence. First, prior to this point, it has been made explicitly clear that this novel takes place in 1974 Japan. Now, I don't think you need to have a deep understanding of Japanese culture to know that Japan uses yen and not dollars and cents. There is also no evidence to suggest that Rie is a foreigner from countries that actually use dollars and cents nor is the school a school for foreigners. So in that case, why fudge the currency? Heck, the use of specific currency isn't even needed to convey the cheapness of the notebook. Just have Rie say something like, "I stared over the green cover of the plain notebook, sold at the school store for next to nothing." Also, in chapter two, Rie says, "The twelve-inch wooden cross hung on the wall above." What's wrong with just saying thirty centimeters or even "A ruler-sized cross hung on the wall above."? Speaking of inches, there are at least three other instances of the word "inch" being used. But here's the weirdest part about these aspects. I don't believe that these are at all intentional, as this novel is filled with more obscure aspects of Japanese culture that are just sort of presented as is.
Overall, When God Says No was a novel that was rough around the edges, but its clever touches and great characters still made it a worthwhile read.
Overall Grade: B
(When Rie decided to walk into the sea, she was saved by a mysterious girl named Ryoka. Through her, Rie rediscovered a new purpose in life, and a passionate friendship. But Ryoka had her own dark past, and their friendship may not be able to withstand the secrets between them.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
The friendship between Rie and Ryoka was well done. So this is basically an enemies to friends kind of thing and part of what makes it work is that while Ryoka does come across as a bit of a wise ass who's wisecracking goes a little too far sometimes, it's clear that she has good intentions (such as trying to help Rie rediscover her love of swimming, help her to see that it's okay to not be alone, and help stop her from committing suicide), which helps the reader understand why Rie is standoffish around her without making her completely unlikable. It also helps that she does tone down on the wisecracking as Rie and Ryoka get to know each other better.
I loved how the novel characterized Rie's aunt. So she's presented as someone whos not the best chef in the world and has questionable home decor choices, but it's clear she's genuinely trying to make an effort to be a good guardian to Rie ever since her parents died. Not only does this characterization make her feel more like a real person, but the way that that all this is presented is quite subtle too.
There's one detail I really liked. So the more that Rie practices swimming, the better she gets at it, which seems to increase her desire to live and her desire to not be lonely. This is a really clever way to not only show Rie's growth as a character, but also as clever way to the back into the novel's idea that water can be either the end of a life or the beginning of a new life.
Ryoka's chapters were phenomenal. So about halfway through, the novel switches to Ryoka's perspective and details her life story, as well as her time with her Not only were these chapters heartbreaking, but they also took established aspects of her character and really took the time to explore them further.
I'm split on the mystery of what happened to Rie in Tokyo. On the one hand, not only does it provide insight into why Rie has closed herself off from everyone but Himura-sensei, but it also kept me invested. On the other had though, chapters were baffling. So in these chapters, Rie basically confesses to Now, the confession itself isn't bad. It's placement, though, is. See, this confession occurs nearly forty percent of the way in. But based on the fact that it's the solution to the mystery and based on how much weight and significance it's given, this feels like it clearly belongs in the climax or near the end. This is As a result, it feels like her character arc ends way too early and there's little to no room left for her to grow as a character.
Also, it's clear to me that this novel really would've benefited from at least one or two more rounds of editing. On top of having several instances in which quotation marks are missing or improperly positioned (like one instance of the former in chapter one), there were some aspects of the setting that just rubbed me the wrong way. For example, in chapter one, Rie says this, "I stared over the green cover of the plain notebook, sold at the school store for five cents." Let me explain everything wrong with this sentence. First, prior to this point, it has been made explicitly clear that this novel takes place in 1974 Japan. Now, I don't think you need to have a deep understanding of Japanese culture to know that Japan uses yen and not dollars and cents. There is also no evidence to suggest that Rie is a foreigner from countries that actually use dollars and cents nor is the school a school for foreigners. So in that case, why fudge the currency? Heck, the use of specific currency isn't even needed to convey the cheapness of the notebook. Just have Rie say something like, "I stared over the green cover of the plain notebook, sold at the school store for next to nothing." Also, in chapter two, Rie says, "The twelve-inch wooden cross hung on the wall above." What's wrong with just saying thirty centimeters or even "A ruler-sized cross hung on the wall above."? Speaking of inches, there are at least three other instances of the word "inch" being used. But here's the weirdest part about these aspects. I don't believe that these are at all intentional, as this novel is filled with more obscure aspects of Japanese culture that are just sort of presented as is.
Overall, When God Says No was a novel that was rough around the edges, but its clever touches and great characters still made it a worthwhile read.
Overall Grade: B
May 10, 2022
EN VERDAD EL LIBRO LE DOY UN 3,5 / 5
Primero de todo, gracias a la autora por ser tan simpática y mandarme una copia. Cabe destacar, que todas las opiniones de aquí son sólo mías.
En cuanto a los personajes me gustaron bastante, y sobretodo me gustó que hubiesen varios puntos de vista. Me gustó mucho Rie porque me pareció super inocente y adorable. Ryoka me gustó un poco menos pero dios que chica más complicada. Esta si que tiene secretos jajjaja
Sinceramente, creo que Reina Sasaki tiene mucho talento al escribir, sobretodo porque me gustó ver un cambio en casi todos los personajes. Este libro también lo recomendaría para gente joven, sino fuese por las escenas sexuales, porque no se dicen muchas palabrotas ni nada (claro que solo en cuanto a esto). Hay bastantes escenas sexuales lo cual tengo que decir que hubo en un momento en el que me puso bastante nerviosa jajaja.
Por otro lado, es un libro LGTB, es verdad que yo lo sabía desde el principio cuando hablé con la autora pero al principio entiendo la confusión que puede causar en la gente.
No es el tipo de libro que suelo leer, eso tengo que decirlo, pero me gustó el mensaje del libro más o menos un “sigue y lo conseguirás” . Hubo un momento en el que quise dejar el libro porque no es sencillo tiene escenas duras y muchas lecciones. Pero continué porque y gracias a dios que lo hice porque me gustó mucho.
## REVIEW IN ENGLISH##
IN REALITY I GIVE A 3,5/5 TO THE BOOK
First of all, thanks to the author for being so nice and sending me a copy. It should be noted that all opinions here are mine alone.
As for the characters, I liked them a lot, and I especially liked that there were several points of view. I really liked Rie because I found her super innocent and adorable. I liked Ryoka a bit less but god what a complicated girl. This one really has secrets hahaha
Honestly, I think Reina Sasaki has a lot of talent in her writing, especially because I liked seeing a change in almost all of the characters. I would also recommend this book for young people, if it wasn't for the sexual scenes, because there aren't many swear words or anything (of course, only in that respect). There are quite a few sexual scenes which I have to say there was a moment where it made me quite nervous hahaha.
On the other hand, it is a LGTB book, it is true that I knew it from the beginning when I talked to the author but at the beginning I understand the confusion that it can cause in people.
It's not the kind of book I usually read, I have to say that, but I liked the message of the book more or less a "keep going and you'll get there". There was a moment when I wanted to put the book down because it is not easy, it has hard scenes and a lot of lessons. But I continued because and thank god I did because I liked it a lot.
Primero de todo, gracias a la autora por ser tan simpática y mandarme una copia. Cabe destacar, que todas las opiniones de aquí son sólo mías.
En cuanto a los personajes me gustaron bastante, y sobretodo me gustó que hubiesen varios puntos de vista. Me gustó mucho Rie porque me pareció super inocente y adorable. Ryoka me gustó un poco menos pero dios que chica más complicada. Esta si que tiene secretos jajjaja
Sinceramente, creo que Reina Sasaki tiene mucho talento al escribir, sobretodo porque me gustó ver un cambio en casi todos los personajes. Este libro también lo recomendaría para gente joven, sino fuese por las escenas sexuales, porque no se dicen muchas palabrotas ni nada (claro que solo en cuanto a esto). Hay bastantes escenas sexuales lo cual tengo que decir que hubo en un momento en el que me puso bastante nerviosa jajaja.
Por otro lado, es un libro LGTB, es verdad que yo lo sabía desde el principio cuando hablé con la autora pero al principio entiendo la confusión que puede causar en la gente.
No es el tipo de libro que suelo leer, eso tengo que decirlo, pero me gustó el mensaje del libro más o menos un “sigue y lo conseguirás” . Hubo un momento en el que quise dejar el libro porque no es sencillo tiene escenas duras y muchas lecciones. Pero continué porque y gracias a dios que lo hice porque me gustó mucho.
## REVIEW IN ENGLISH##
IN REALITY I GIVE A 3,5/5 TO THE BOOK
First of all, thanks to the author for being so nice and sending me a copy. It should be noted that all opinions here are mine alone.
As for the characters, I liked them a lot, and I especially liked that there were several points of view. I really liked Rie because I found her super innocent and adorable. I liked Ryoka a bit less but god what a complicated girl. This one really has secrets hahaha
Honestly, I think Reina Sasaki has a lot of talent in her writing, especially because I liked seeing a change in almost all of the characters. I would also recommend this book for young people, if it wasn't for the sexual scenes, because there aren't many swear words or anything (of course, only in that respect). There are quite a few sexual scenes which I have to say there was a moment where it made me quite nervous hahaha.
On the other hand, it is a LGTB book, it is true that I knew it from the beginning when I talked to the author but at the beginning I understand the confusion that it can cause in people.
It's not the kind of book I usually read, I have to say that, but I liked the message of the book more or less a "keep going and you'll get there". There was a moment when I wanted to put the book down because it is not easy, it has hard scenes and a lot of lessons. But I continued because and thank god I did because I liked it a lot.
July 27, 2021
"Do you understand what it feels like when something you put faith in suddenly turns against you"? - Rie
An excellent story about the friendship of 2 girls who struggle to survive despite their own internal conflicts.
I enjoyed the book from beginning till the end. I have to admit when I started with reading, I thought Ryoka was not real, I saw her as too perfect to be a real person. I thought she was Rie's alter ego who helps her to deal with her struggles. Soon I realized Ryoka is not only real but struggling with her own past, too. As I continued reading, I found myself immersed in the story, and could really feel the pain these 2 girls experience. Their will to live, despite the secrets they had, even if it didn't seem like that in some moments, was stunning.
Rie was fighting her own fight to deal with the conflict between her faith and her feelings.
Ryoka was described in the blurb as a mysterious girl and indeed she was. As the story progresses, I was learning more about her, and I felt sympathy for her. Her childhood full of rejection made her longing to be accepted and loved. She indeed had people who loved her, like Saki, who made an unusual sacrifice to make Ryoka free and happy. Miss Himura loved her too. She was the only one who knew the whole truth. Sometimes she appeared to me as cruel to the girls, but in the end, I realized that she wasn't. The way she acted towards the girls was the best for them.
The story is written from the perspective of Rie, Ryoka, and Saki. In the end, the reader finally gets the full picture of what it was all about. I would like to highlight the unexpected twist at the very end.
The lesson I learned from Rie is: "I shouldn’t judge anyone for being loud when they scream in pain". This attitude helped her to forgive Ryoka and to understand why she did the things she did.
I recommend this book as being an intense story about friendship and the fight to live.
An excellent story about the friendship of 2 girls who struggle to survive despite their own internal conflicts.
I enjoyed the book from beginning till the end. I have to admit when I started with reading, I thought Ryoka was not real, I saw her as too perfect to be a real person. I thought she was Rie's alter ego who helps her to deal with her struggles. Soon I realized Ryoka is not only real but struggling with her own past, too. As I continued reading, I found myself immersed in the story, and could really feel the pain these 2 girls experience. Their will to live, despite the secrets they had, even if it didn't seem like that in some moments, was stunning.
Rie was fighting her own fight to deal with the conflict between her faith and her feelings.
Ryoka was described in the blurb as a mysterious girl and indeed she was. As the story progresses, I was learning more about her, and I felt sympathy for her. Her childhood full of rejection made her longing to be accepted and loved. She indeed had people who loved her, like Saki, who made an unusual sacrifice to make Ryoka free and happy. Miss Himura loved her too. She was the only one who knew the whole truth. Sometimes she appeared to me as cruel to the girls, but in the end, I realized that she wasn't. The way she acted towards the girls was the best for them.
The story is written from the perspective of Rie, Ryoka, and Saki. In the end, the reader finally gets the full picture of what it was all about. I would like to highlight the unexpected twist at the very end.
The lesson I learned from Rie is: "I shouldn’t judge anyone for being loud when they scream in pain". This attitude helped her to forgive Ryoka and to understand why she did the things she did.
I recommend this book as being an intense story about friendship and the fight to live.
July 16, 2021
This was a wonderful book! The way it was written, the story line, the characters, and of the course the twist I didn't see coming. I would definitely recommend this book. :)
January 22, 2025
“Imagine a person was drowning in the sea. She saw another person swimming her way. Together, they begin swimming for the shore. What is strange about this picture?”
This is a phrase that the author of this book includes throughout the novel, and represents the themes of strength, survival, love and friendship that is in this story. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it certainly wasn’t what I expected.
From the very first page, the author pulls you into the story, beginning in Rie’s perspective. I think she was a very interesting character, especially with a burden from the past that she carried. However, I did feel that Rie wasn’t as developed as the other main character, Ryoka. Ryoka seemed like a mysterious and elusive character at the start, so I enjoyed reading her perspective and seeing her side of the story later. My heart broke at her situation with her family, and I was very invested in her story. I sympathised with both Rie and Ryoka, and they were really likeable characters which made the book more enjoyable. I feel like the way the author grew their relationship was very realistic, because they did not become the best of friends from the very start, but by the end, you could see how much they cared for each other. At some points, the story did feel like it was lagging and could have been a little more fast paced, which was the only reason I took off one star for my rating.
One thing that has a big influence on what I feel about a book is how it ends, and I think the author wrote a perfect ending for this book, with a shocking plot twist as well. It really fit each of the characters, and was not the predictable ending that also could have been an option. I absolutely loved the plot twist, it genuinely made me gasp out loud, and seeing how this plot twist affected the rest of the story from before was great. Overall, I think this was a sad but beautiful story that explores some really important themes through two lovable characters. I would definitely recommend this to any teenager or adult.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy 🫶🏽
This is a phrase that the author of this book includes throughout the novel, and represents the themes of strength, survival, love and friendship that is in this story. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it certainly wasn’t what I expected.
From the very first page, the author pulls you into the story, beginning in Rie’s perspective. I think she was a very interesting character, especially with a burden from the past that she carried. However, I did feel that Rie wasn’t as developed as the other main character, Ryoka. Ryoka seemed like a mysterious and elusive character at the start, so I enjoyed reading her perspective and seeing her side of the story later. My heart broke at her situation with her family, and I was very invested in her story. I sympathised with both Rie and Ryoka, and they were really likeable characters which made the book more enjoyable. I feel like the way the author grew their relationship was very realistic, because they did not become the best of friends from the very start, but by the end, you could see how much they cared for each other. At some points, the story did feel like it was lagging and could have been a little more fast paced, which was the only reason I took off one star for my rating.
One thing that has a big influence on what I feel about a book is how it ends, and I think the author wrote a perfect ending for this book, with a shocking plot twist as well. It really fit each of the characters, and was not the predictable ending that also could have been an option. I absolutely loved the plot twist, it genuinely made me gasp out loud, and seeing how this plot twist affected the rest of the story from before was great. Overall, I think this was a sad but beautiful story that explores some really important themes through two lovable characters. I would definitely recommend this to any teenager or adult.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy 🫶🏽
September 19, 2021
This book has a trigger warning:
When God Says No was a really unique read!
First of all, I appreciated the discussions about religion immensely. I recently read The Anti Christ by Frederich Nietzsche and, though controversial, really enjoyed some aspects of his thoughts on religion. When God Says No reminded me of this in the early discussions about God.
"A God with any decency wouldn't throw his child down a painful path just so he could save them. (...) God doesn't exist. He never has."
The writing was very poetic throughout the entire book, and I can 100% understand that it would be enjoyed by many.
"God is good, I believed. God is kind, the priests taught me. And God always answers prayers. (..) I believed this, and so I prayed. But why? Why is it that when I pray now, all I hear is a silent no?"
The conversations could sometimes feel a bit unnatural which made it difficult for me to really feel with the characters. However, it highlighted important topics such as; what goes around comes around, as well as mental health. Even though this book wasn't my perfect match I think that a lot of people would mark this book as a new favorite.
Therefore, I really recommend this book for those who want to get into deeper topics without it being a slow read, for those who appreciate a poetic writing style, and for everyone who wants a new perspective of mental health and self-love.
Thanks for a beautiful read ~
+ How stunning is this cover? I absolutely adore it!
November 14, 2021
Title: When God Says No
Author: Reina Sasaki
Rating: 3/5
Review:
A good book covering sensitive topics. I read the book fully and chose to give it 3 stars.
It was a great book, no doubt about that but the book covered sensitive spots like believing/ not believing in God, etc. Not all the readers would enjoy it. The book supported LGBTQ+ and I appreciate the construction of plot but there was a lot of confusion in it. But portray of pain, betrayal, regret or any other feelings is shown so truly and raw that it left a deep impression in my heart.
So, here is a no spoiler plot: There are 2 girls. One was saved by another while she was trying to suicide. Then, there was an unmistakable bonding in their fates which clashed again making them 2 struck with each other. But both of them are hiding their dark pasts and secrets and we find out that not only one but both of them are saving each other from drowning. What happens when their secrets start to show on their own? Will be able to make through them or get destroyed in between?
“I think I'm beginning to understand you a little bit. You are a selfish person, aren't you?"
“Aschenbach made tadzio his saint. Now he would die if the saint left him."
“A girl who tried to die herself could never be fit to save another."
Author: Reina Sasaki
Rating: 3/5
Review:
A good book covering sensitive topics. I read the book fully and chose to give it 3 stars.
It was a great book, no doubt about that but the book covered sensitive spots like believing/ not believing in God, etc. Not all the readers would enjoy it. The book supported LGBTQ+ and I appreciate the construction of plot but there was a lot of confusion in it. But portray of pain, betrayal, regret or any other feelings is shown so truly and raw that it left a deep impression in my heart.
So, here is a no spoiler plot: There are 2 girls. One was saved by another while she was trying to suicide. Then, there was an unmistakable bonding in their fates which clashed again making them 2 struck with each other. But both of them are hiding their dark pasts and secrets and we find out that not only one but both of them are saving each other from drowning. What happens when their secrets start to show on their own? Will be able to make through them or get destroyed in between?
“I think I'm beginning to understand you a little bit. You are a selfish person, aren't you?"
“Aschenbach made tadzio his saint. Now he would die if the saint left him."
“A girl who tried to die herself could never be fit to save another."
October 1, 2021
DNF - 58%
I HATE DNF-ING BOOKS!! But I really was getting nowhere with this one, the writing felt so clinical and detached which was especially limiting due to this being an emotional book filled with turmoil.
Rie also was just so many it was tedious reading anything from her pov. I don't understand how Ryoka stands her!!
Maybe it did finally handle being sapphic and religious guilt, which is why I hate lecaing it uncompleted but it is just going to sit on my kindle because it's just not enjoyable to read.
I HATE DNF-ING BOOKS!! But I really was getting nowhere with this one, the writing felt so clinical and detached which was especially limiting due to this being an emotional book filled with turmoil.
Rie also was just so many it was tedious reading anything from her pov. I don't understand how Ryoka stands her!!
Maybe it did finally handle being sapphic and religious guilt, which is why I hate lecaing it uncompleted but it is just going to sit on my kindle because it's just not enjoyable to read.
December 19, 2021
This is a complex story that left me with some doubts about the plot and it’s developing, but in the end I gave it 4 stars because I liked the prose. It’s well written and fluid since the very first lines, captivating and somehow familiar. I don’t know much about Japanese culture so I really loved the very day life insights, the details about food, Confucius and markets. It’s clear that the author knows the subject and described really well the swimming classes using them to drive at full speed the main theme, which she treated with great delicacy and skills. Well done
February 27, 2022
I enjoyed "When God Says No" thoroughly! Sasaki's prose is beautifully written with a poetic flair. I cared deeply for the main characters inclusive of their flaws. I wanted them to not only live but thrive in this cat and mouse game they were playing with life. The plot has a sound premise and I found this to be a quick read as I moved effortlessly from one page to the next. This was not just a novel but a learning experience about elements of Japanese culture, the LGBTQ community, religion, internal conflict, external pressure, love and forgiveness.
December 6, 2021
'When God Says No' is a novel that highlights the importance of friendship. It is relatable, and I could not put it down. I found it interesting to learn a bit about the Japanese culture from this book too. I loved the play with perspective and belief on religion also.
All of my friends and family are fighting over who gets to read this book next. I recommend everyone goes and reads it.
All of my friends and family are fighting over who gets to read this book next. I recommend everyone goes and reads it.
September 21, 2021
The messages in When God Says No are important especially for young adults.
It took me a while to get into the story; however, once I got the page 100, I easily could read 20-30 pages without realizing it. This was a quick easy read for me .
It took me a while to get into the story; however, once I got the page 100, I easily could read 20-30 pages without realizing it. This was a quick easy read for me .
July 11, 2021
The story was great and the characters were likeable. It was an enjoyable experience and not only was it a good read but the book is full of lessons to take away from reading it and inspiring quotes too. I enjoyed the exploration of the relationship between Rie and Ryoka and how their individual suffering brought them together.
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