• About

By Hook Or By Book

~ Book Reviews, News, and Other Stuff

By Hook Or By Book

Daily Archives: March 1, 2016

You Were Here ~ By Cori McCarthy – 4.5 Stars

01 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff in Uncategorized

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Death, Grief, Relationships, YA Fiction

25679559

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: On the anniversary of her daredevil brother’s death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake’s favorite hideout–the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother’s exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.

As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn’t bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

You Were Here is a story of a group of five teens who have all been touched in some way by the accidental death of Jake five years ago. They’ve all graduated high school and this is the last summer before they go their separate ways, yet before they do they have to come to terms with this tragedy that still hangs over them.

The story is told from from the viewpoints of these five friends which adds even more emotion to an already heartbreaking story. The author adds a truly unique flair by having one character illustrate his views through comic book style artwork. Sometimes having multiple povs can interrupt the flow of a story, but that’s not the case here. Each chapter smoothly segues into the next, and by the end of the book I felt as though I was part of this group’s journey. All of these kids are broken in some way, most of all Jaycee who in all honesty is pretty unlikable in the beginning. She’s never gotten over her big brother’s death and this is made even worse by her having witnessed it first hand when she was just twelve-years-old. In the intervening years, she’s basically withdrawn from her friends and has taken up Jake’s daredevil mantle. She’s standoffish and judgemental, but it’s not long before you realize that this is a mask she hides behind so no one will realize what pain she’s in. When these characters first get together they’re all in their own private worlds, and it’s only as they start to open up about their feelings that the healing process begins. 

This is a story that examines all the stages of grief in a touching and empathetic way. It’s an unflinching, raw, and intimate look at five young adults who are not only dealing with a tragedy, but also searching for their own personal identities. While heartbreakingly honest, there’s also hope, and the story ends on a high note. The only reason why I’m not giving this 5 stars is because the author adds this little sub-story regarding the brother of one of the characters which I felt was unnecessary and took a little away from the main story. While other books have tackled this topic Cori McCarthy adds an entirely original and refreshing take on it. I believe this is a powerful and unforgettable book that will not only appeal to both teens and adult fans of YA literature but touch them on a visceral level. I’m looking forward to reading more by this inspiring author.

  • By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff

Archives

March 2016
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Feb   Apr »

Blog Stats

  • 298,276 hits
Follow By Hook Or By Book on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Gulf South Free Press
  • Bantering Books
  • Barb Taub
  • The Introverted Reader 📚
  • Odd Bits About Books
  • Between Pages
  • The Suspected Bibliophile
  • Now If You Want My Opinion ...
  • Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking
  • The Silent Eye
  • France & Vincent
  • The Novel: UnHoly Pursuit: Devil on my Trail
  • Carrot Ranch Literary Community
  • Sue Vincent's Daily Echo
  • Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News
  • View from the Back
  • Fictionspawn
  • Books & Bonsai
  • BOOKSNMUSES
  • Blaisdell Literary Enterprises
  • Word by Word
  • slicethelife
  • Books With Raven
  • johnrieber
  • Book Coffee Happy
  • Susanlovesbooks
  • River Writes
  • heavenlybookish
  • Ana Bookshelves blog
  • For The Literature
  • On The Subject of Horror
  • Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies
  • Writergurlny
  • Sarah Collins Bookworm
  • The Inglorius Padre Steve's World
  • Chocoviv’s Lifestyle Blog
  • Mary Smith's Place
  • the novel gnome
  • Broken Tune's Blog
  • Mark Bierman
  • In Saner Thought
  • PA Reads
  • Little Mermaid's Writes
  • The Book's Whiskers
  • Between|the|Blurb
  • biblio_mom
  • Short Prose
  • Mental Health @ Home
  • Critical thinking for Human Community
  • Carries Book Reviews

Member of The Internet Defense League

Follow By Hook Or By Book on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Gulf South Free Press
  • Bantering Books
  • Barb Taub
  • The Introverted Reader 📚
  • Odd Bits About Books
  • Between Pages
  • The Suspected Bibliophile
  • Now If You Want My Opinion ...
  • Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking
  • The Silent Eye
  • France & Vincent
  • The Novel: UnHoly Pursuit: Devil on my Trail
  • Carrot Ranch Literary Community
  • Sue Vincent's Daily Echo
  • Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News
  • View from the Back
  • Fictionspawn
  • Books & Bonsai
  • BOOKSNMUSES
  • Blaisdell Literary Enterprises
March 2016
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Feb   Apr »

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Gulf South Free Press

Opinion Is The Medium Between Knowledge And Igonrance

Bantering Books

Book Reviews

Barb Taub

Writing & Coffee. Especially coffee.

The Introverted Reader 📚

Forever lost in literature

Odd Bits About Books

Between Pages

Documenting the inspiration I find, Between Pages

The Suspected Bibliophile

rambling book reviews and queer SFF writing

Now If You Want My Opinion ...

John Liming Is An Opinion Writer At Large

Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking

The Silent Eye

A Modern Mystery School

France & Vincent

Writing Magic, Myth and Mystery

The Novel: UnHoly Pursuit: Devil on my Trail

If you love mythology? You'll love this series. The UnHoly Pursuit Saga and related series. Paranormal romance, demons, saints, angels, Azazael, witches, warlords, fiction, fantasy, antichrist, harassment, devils, hell, spirituality!,

Carrot Ranch Literary Community

Making literary art accessible 99 words at a time!

Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

Echoes of Life, Love and Laughter

Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

Second Look Behind the Headlines - News you can use...

View from the Back

Ramblings of a retiree in France

Fictionspawn

Illustrations and Short Stories

Books & Bonsai

Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie

BOOKSNMUSES

Wrapped around genres and my overthinking brain💤

Blaisdell Literary Enterprises

Word by Word

Women in Writing sharing Encouragement One Word at a Time

slicethelife

hold a mirror up to life.....are there layers you can see?

Books With Raven

Book reviews from a bookworm

johnrieber

Burgers, Books, Music, Movies, Offbeat Adventures & Pop Culture!

Book Coffee Happy

Let's discuss books!

Susanlovesbooks

River Writes

Here you get writing tips, facts, and updates by the Author in process, River Angel Bee

heavenlybookish

bibliophile

Ana Bookshelves blog

Hi! My name is Ana. I’m a pharmacist & part time blogger! Book addict!

For The Literature

Reviewing the art of literature.

On The Subject of Horror

All things horror movie related!

Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies

Writergurlny

A Ginger's Point Of View

Sarah Collins Bookworm

Journalist, traveller, collector of hats, bookworm

The Inglorius Padre Steve's World

Musings of a Progressive Realist in Wonderland

Chocoviv’s Lifestyle Blog

Mommy blogger, who loves to share what she loves!

Mary Smith's Place

the novel gnome

Reading and Reviewing for You!

Broken Tune's Blog

Mark Bierman

Adventures in Writing

In Saner Thought

"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error"..Thomas Paine

PA Reads

Reading and reviewing books all day long.

Little Mermaid's Writes

Movie Reviews, Travel stories, Lifestyle

The Book's Whiskers

Books ✦ Cats ✦ Gin ✦ Life is good!

Between|the|Blurb

opening a window of excitement, enthralment and over all wonder.

biblio_mom

Read & Escape

Short Prose

Poetry and Short Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton 2019 Author of the Year at Spillwords Press and Author of Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings

Mental Health @ Home

Building mental wellness on a foundation of strength

Critical thinking for Human Community

Critical thinking for Human Community via #PublicDomainInfrastructure: Public Transit, Public Libraries, Public Education, and Public Health Care

Carries Book Reviews

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Gulf South Free Press

Opinion Is The Medium Between Knowledge And Igonrance

Bantering Books

Book Reviews

Barb Taub

Writing & Coffee. Especially coffee.

The Introverted Reader 📚

Forever lost in literature

Odd Bits About Books

Between Pages

Documenting the inspiration I find, Between Pages

The Suspected Bibliophile

rambling book reviews and queer SFF writing

Now If You Want My Opinion ...

John Liming Is An Opinion Writer At Large

Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking

The Silent Eye

A Modern Mystery School

France & Vincent

Writing Magic, Myth and Mystery

The Novel: UnHoly Pursuit: Devil on my Trail

If you love mythology? You'll love this series. The UnHoly Pursuit Saga and related series. Paranormal romance, demons, saints, angels, Azazael, witches, warlords, fiction, fantasy, antichrist, harassment, devils, hell, spirituality!,

Carrot Ranch Literary Community

Making literary art accessible 99 words at a time!

Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

Echoes of Life, Love and Laughter

Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

Second Look Behind the Headlines - News you can use...

View from the Back

Ramblings of a retiree in France

Fictionspawn

Illustrations and Short Stories

Books & Bonsai

Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie

BOOKSNMUSES

Wrapped around genres and my overthinking brain💤

Blaisdell Literary Enterprises

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy