Overall Rating: 4
Characters: 3.5Plot: 4.2Cover Art: 1 { I really hate this cover.}Originality: 4.5Concept: 4.6
Favorite Line(s):
"...she wore this scowl that said Talk to me and you'll burn in everlasting hell, got it?-This is Morrigan in a nutshell. I love the way everyone describes her throughout the book.
Synopsis:
It's saturday night in Santa Barbara and school is done for the year. Everyone is headed to the same party. Or at least it seems that way. The place is packed. The beer is flowing. Simple, right? But for 11 different people the motives are way more complicated. As each character takes a turn and tells his or her story, the eleven individuals intersect, and reconnect, collide, and combine in ways that none of them ever saw coming.
Party is a classic coming of age tale, multiplied by 11. From the first chapter, Beckett, you're submerged completely in the lives of these teenagers. Learning their views and beliefs and secrets, what makes them tick, and of course what makes them different from everyone else.
I absolutely adore the concept of this novel. The various viewpoints all centered around the same party was really interesting to read. You get to see and learn about everyone through that character's eyes, and the eyes of people they're friends with, hate, or don't know at all. Like I said...interesting.
Most of the people you read through are relatable in one way or another and somewhat sound like normal kids, with a few exceptions that are easy to spot while reading. Some characters made me want to rip my hair out and scream, but overall, I really did 'like' the people in the story.
The events, or rather the main event, that occurs really pulls everyone together in unexpected ways and showcases the types of people at the party. The friend that's always there, the self-proclaimed bitch, the washed-up football star, the invisible girl. They all play a part in each other's lives directly and indirectly, and they all discover how alike they are and also how different.
The events, or rather the main event, that occurs really pulls everyone together in unexpected ways and showcases the types of people at the party. The friend that's always there, the self-proclaimed bitch, the washed-up football star, the invisible girl. They all play a part in each other's lives directly and indirectly, and they all discover how alike they are and also how different.
To wrap this up, I really did enjoy this book. It was funny, and sad, and more than a little angry. But isn't that the recipe for a teenager? Add two scoops of hormones, a fistful of angst, two teaspoons of tears, and let simmer for 13-19 years. Tom Leveen takes that recipe distributes it throughout 11 souls, and throws in some trouble. He hit the nail on the head with his debut novel, and I'm looking forward to whatever else he has up his sleeves.
"For Always Forever"-Every Avenue,
