Ratings34
Average rating3.3
I literally kept myself from writing a review right after I finished because I didn't want to be biased by that feeling that sometimes takes us by the ankles and drowns us when we have just finished a book.
So, the thing is: I really like Gabrielle Zevin. I absolutely love AJ Fikry, as annoying and unlovable as he is, and I am perfectly okay with self centered flimsy teenage Naomi.
Naomi Porter is a teenager who fell down the stairs and forgot the last four years of her life - during which a lot has happened, from her parents' divorce to her dating a jock, moving and being part of a club she has no recollection of taking any interest in.
Throughout the book, you do hate her a bit: she can be quite a bitch. But come on, unless you are 16 yourself, you know perfectly well that sometimes people are horrid, and it's part of their growing up. Sometimes she's horrid with other people's permission, and THAT I actually think should be stopped (ie, with her mom or her friends). But again, we all have been there. And the attempts at trying to be an adult are moving, just because even if she doesn't know that, we as the readers should understand that these poorly portrayed resources are all she has, warts and all.
To sum up, if you didn't understand all the ramblings, if you keep your judgment to yourself and remember it's freaking YA, it's cute and worth reading. I think she did a better job with AJ, but I may have been biased by the fact that it all happened in Paradise, I mean, in a bookstore.