TCF Monopoly Zakiya vs Logan vs Becca

[Logan]

I managed to roll myself all around the board!

Starting space: St. James Place
Roll: 4+4=8
Ending space: Illinois (already own)
Roll: 6+4=10
Ending space: Pennsylvania (already own)
Roll: 6+3=9
Ending space: Baltic (already own)
Roll: 3+2=5
Ending space: Vermont (already own)
Roll: 2+5=7
Ending space: Pennsylvania RR (already own)
Roll: 3+4=7
Ending space: Chance - rolled 4 Earned Get Out of Jail Free card
Roll: 4+5=9
Ending space: Pacific Avenue - Becca owns

Must read 4 to rent from Stand Alone shelf.

I'll read from page 1.

[Logan]

Pacific Avenue - Renting

Book 1 of 4


Finished: 6/9/14
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I stayed up late last night to finish this one, because I knew it was going to make me ugly cry, and who wants to do that on the train to work? I resisted this book for so long because it has inspired some major praise and criticism. I thought the kids-with-cancer angle seemed designed to make teenagers and parents weep, and it bothers me when authors feel manipulative like that.

It was a very sweet story, and gripped me only because I loved Hazel so much. Augustus tried too hard for me, but I could see why Hazel would like him, even in all of his manic pixie dream boy grand gestures of affection. The plot around their favorite book was a nice break from it being all about illness and death, but it ultimately didn't pay off for me as successfully as I think Green feels it did. The interactions with Van Houten felt improbable and cartoonish juxtaposed against the harsh realities of their daily lives. I think the lessons on expectations and maturity could have been realized without this tropey old oaf of a secluded, depressed writer.

As an adult reader, I could appreciate the first love elements of this story that would have made me gaga for this book as a young person. I also liked that it didn't play dumb for the reader - it had a high standard that pulls you along - which makes it nice for older readers as well. Green deals with very mature themes here, and what ultimately got me in the feels at the end of this book was the reminder that each person matters to someone, and we all leave lasting marks on the people who flow through our lives, no matter how briefly or influentially.