Review: Maybe She's Not Perfect, But I'd Say This Book Is
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 10, 2013
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.I've been thinking about this book nonstop since I finished it. To say that it left an impression on me is an understatement. I am cold, but I don't think it's the reason I'm shaking so badly. I feel like that says more about my mental health than the actual book, but I'm getting to my point, don't worry.This book intrigued me right from the get-go. Have you read that description up above? If you haven't, read it.If you have, read it again.I swear I started crying again when I did. But I'm going to stop now so I don't freak you out.So here's how it goes:I love this book. If you can't already tell. This is what I would call dark contemporary at its finest. It's told in two parts. The first is in 1995. The second is in 2007. When I saw that, I knew I was in for a hell of a ride. This is kind of how Both Sides Now was divided up - Before and After style. I loved it last time, I loved it this time. It provides the dramatic flair I so crave in these sorts of things.The beginning fits the synopsis perfectly. And then from there, it blew my mind. As each character was introduced, as I learned more about Lia, as stuff kept happening... I read the PDF version of this (Thank you, Shane!) and it had 807 pages. I was hooked from the beginning, but I just tore through those last 600 pages. I'm not even kidding. If I could've read it all at once, I would have. But in a way, I'm glad I didn't. I feel like I really know the characters. I connected with them so deeply.CharactersThe entire story is told from Lia's POV. I must say, I loved seeing the world through her eyes. In the beginning, it was just the apathy. Somehow that drew me in. I understood her. Which might be scary, but that's a discussion for another day. Here, in this review, I love Lia. Did she screw up? Hell yeah. She even screwed up in ways I would. Usually that pisses me off so much. I've hated characters for stuff like that. But not Lia. I feel like that says a lot.From there, there are her lifelong friends: Wilson, Maddie, John, Doug. And then, as the synopsis says, Chad comes into the picture.As soon as he showed up, I was wary. I was stuck on Wilson. And then Lia expressed all her confusion and I like. Wow, I feel the same way. It was so weird. But it was yet another reason that I loved Lia.There are a few others. Jade and Ruth, as it says above. I won't say anything about them because I want you to experience their characters on your own. They were certainly not at all what I had expected.PlotI feel like there's so much to say. And yet, nothing. I don't want to ruin anything. It explored a lot of really deep stuff. I'd say it covered just about everything life could throw at you. Roughly speaking, of course. There was tragedy and beauty and wonder. Ultimately, it was a story about love and life.Lia spent the book trying to figure out her past, what that meant for her present and future. It was the greatest thing ever. There are clues all over the place, if you know where to look. That's the only reason I basically guessed her past. I say basically because there were a lot of hints that didn't make sense until it was all revealed. So even though I got most of it, there was stuff that surprised me.I loved that, too.There were twists and turns, romance, friendship, betrayal...In the end, I have to say that I wish I had a nice physical copy of this book. I would pay for this book. And read it over and over. And probably cry every single time.It was beautiful, beautiful stuff.Rating: 5 starsWhy: I've liked a lot of the stuff I've read recently. But I  haven't felt like this in a while. "This" being a wonderful mess.Recommendation: Above all, I recommend this to dark contemporary fans and those who like mysteries. I recommend this to those who like psychological thrillers, because there is a lot of that. There's soul searching and exploring the mind and hidden memories. I recommend this for people looking for an unconventional love story. This is truly something else