Jess Rothenberg
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Source: Won
Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.
BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?
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CATCHALLWOW. Talk about a tearjerker and an emotional roller coaster ride. As ft as that's concerned, this book took me everywhere. From sadness to happiness, from laughter to tears. It wasn't steady at all, and I loved every second of it. The emotions I went through while reading this book were insane. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damn close. The title is too long, but it also does fit the book. The Catastrophic History of You and Me was seriously one of the awesomest and most unique books I've ever read. Spontaneous and fun, sweet and sad, it was heart aching and healing all at once.
THE HEROINE
BRIE
Brie is sweet and sassy and at times is a bit too stubborn and occasionally has too much of an attitude, yet these same flaws are what make her so likable. She isn't perfect. She wants to do things her way even though it's not always the right way and she doesn't always consider the consequences. But most importantly, she knows when to admit that she's wrong. And that's one of the best traits a heroine can hope to have.
THE LOVE INTEREST
PATRICK
Patrick is beautiful. I rarely use that word to describe guys because they get insulted, but I don't think Patrick would mind and he really is beautiful. Broken, too. He's been hurt by love in the past, and when that love returns, the same but also different, he doesn't know how to handle it. He tries to in the best way he knows how, wanting to do right by Brie. And he's so sweet, and he carries so much sadness with him. He tragic, but gorgeous. Lost but not broken beyond repair.
THE BOYFRIEND
JACOB
Jacob is the boyfriend who broke Brie's heart. For a while, like her, I didn't like him at all. But he turned out to not be such a bad guy. I even liked him. He just went through some really difficult things, and he wasn't who he expected to be. When he had something to say to Brie, he wasn't really sure how to say it. He went about it the wrong way, but he tried. And Brie and I both realized at about the same time that that's what matters.
THE FRIEND
LARKIN
Larkin. At first she's just a lonely girl who wants a friend, but she ends up being a lot more than that. She's got her own agenda, things she wants to get done, things that need to be settled. And she gets her own specific ending. Not necessarily happy, but not altogether sad. Bittersweet. Teary.
THE PLOT
The plot of this book is a bit erratic. At times all over the place. Often confusing. It jumps from place to place. And don't get me started on the timing. Sometimes seconds will pass in a chapter, sometimes months. It frustrated me to no end.
Nevertheless, it held my interest. Brie's story was definitely beautiful, but at times it could only be tragically beautiful. Sad. Because when you're dead, things can't always work out perfectly. And they don't. Some good is lost. There's sadness mixed in with the happiness. Everything is balanced.
Brie's story is a life after death story. We all want to know what happens after, but no one knows what really does. Here's one idea.
When you die, you have to go through the five stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness, and finally, Acceptance. Brie's journey is tumultuous and occasionally unclear, and though she gives up sometimes she always eventually realizes what really matters.
Though the pacing is odd, I absolutely loved everything about this. It's beautiful.
There were so many twists that I never could have seem coming. The suspense wasn't too much, and yet use when I thought I had everything figured out, I realized I didn't. Because no matter what, there was always more to the story than what lay on the surface.
THE ROMANCE
The romance developed slowly and sweetly and didn't use history as a crutch for instalove. Instead, the love has to build itself again between Brie and Patrick as they learn to get to know each other. And it's so beautiful. Maybe even—dare I say it—some of the best-written romance I've ever read. It's doesn't rely on sparks and chemistry to get its message across, though that does exist and strongly. Jess uses sweet words, kind motions, and the still sharper parts of love—the arguments and the anger—to building the caring between Brie and Patrick, to make the love between them not just realistic but real.
THE WRITING
Jess has such awesome writing. Her sense of humor sparkles everywhere. Sometimes she lets serious moments be serious, but when she can she'll lighten them up with her glowing humor. It's honestly one of the best wits I've ever come across and Brie's voice is just absolutely achingly real. I can hear her in every word Jess writes. Her descriptions aren't spectacular, and I wish there has been more imagery, but the detail was immaculate. And I love how the chapter titles are song lyrics.
THE ENDING
Wow. A little bit too perfect and clean-cut, things wrapped up just a bit too nicely and smoothly. But still happily and beautifully, and I love my happily-ever-afters probably more than the next person. I was crying and smiling as this book ended—tears of happiness, mostly. Because this book drove me in everything direction on the emotions spectrum, and recovery wasn't easy. I loved this book and its ending, but it was much more heavily emotional than your average book. And I drink that kind of stuff up.
WRAPUP
The Catastrophic History of You and Me was an incredible, heartwrenching book that tore me apart and put me back together. Sounds awfully dramatic and probably cliché too, but it's true. There were parts in which I sobbed so hard I would have sworn I would never be happy again. And yet somehow this book still surprised me and turned everything around to give me the happy ending that I longed for. I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. Really.
FINE.
****FINAL RATING: 4.25 RED ROSES****
