When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?
What I learned: This book is beautifully written and opened my eyes to how some people experience their teen years. I was lucky(?) enough to be the oldest child in my family and therefore never had to live up to an older sibling's high standards or make up for his or her downfalls. I hope my brothers and sister don't feel that way about me (I'm pretty sure they don't, in either case) but I can't imagine what it would be like to know that your parents feel that your older sister didn't exactly grow up the way they had hoped so now you had to fulfill their dreams. I think it would be terrible. You would have to balance your relationship with your sister and your relationship with your parents while at the same time navigating high school with its myriad of relationships to balance.
I have been extremely blessed in life to be naturally resilient to life's hardships. Granted, I haven't experienced much true hardship, such as a death in my family or friends, but there have been a few rough spots, as there are in anyone's life. It doesn't have to be something huge to affect you, though. Ari has to deal with her older sister's post-partum depression, her best friend's betrayal and her boyfriend breaking up with her. None of these things are horrific and too much for any teenager to deal with, but it's hard - and probably not right - to judge the "difficulty" of incidents in people's lives. I definitely got upset after one rough break-up in college and cried at least once a day for more than a month, but I could always suck it up and go to work or class. I wasn't the most fun person to be around, but I wasn't in need of a doctor. But just because I can deal with life's difficulties without needing extra help (knock on wood) doesn't mean that other people can. Ari struggles with depression, as do a fair number of teens and adults, for a number of reasons. I thought this book was extremely well-written and the most realistic depiction of a teenage girl I've read in a long, long time. I can very clearly see any teenage girl or guy going through the same things Ari goes through and responding exactly as she does. There's no unnecessary drama in the story. It's a quiet, well-told story of a girl who experiences normal life, with all of its ups and downs.
I know that sometimes I tend to judge people who can't just "snap out of it" but I know that is wrong. I know people whose lives have been changed by the right medication and I can only hope that one day if I need some help that the right remedy will exist and I am willing to accept it.
This book isn't really about depression, by the way, but that aspect of it is what stuck with me after reading it.
If you've read Other Words for Love, what stuck with you?
I have been extremely blessed in life to be naturally resilient to life's hardships. Granted, I haven't experienced much true hardship, such as a death in my family or friends, but there have been a few rough spots, as there are in anyone's life. It doesn't have to be something huge to affect you, though. Ari has to deal with her older sister's post-partum depression, her best friend's betrayal and her boyfriend breaking up with her. None of these things are horrific and too much for any teenager to deal with, but it's hard - and probably not right - to judge the "difficulty" of incidents in people's lives. I definitely got upset after one rough break-up in college and cried at least once a day for more than a month, but I could always suck it up and go to work or class. I wasn't the most fun person to be around, but I wasn't in need of a doctor. But just because I can deal with life's difficulties without needing extra help (knock on wood) doesn't mean that other people can. Ari struggles with depression, as do a fair number of teens and adults, for a number of reasons. I thought this book was extremely well-written and the most realistic depiction of a teenage girl I've read in a long, long time. I can very clearly see any teenage girl or guy going through the same things Ari goes through and responding exactly as she does. There's no unnecessary drama in the story. It's a quiet, well-told story of a girl who experiences normal life, with all of its ups and downs.
I know that sometimes I tend to judge people who can't just "snap out of it" but I know that is wrong. I know people whose lives have been changed by the right medication and I can only hope that one day if I need some help that the right remedy will exist and I am willing to accept it.
This book isn't really about depression, by the way, but that aspect of it is what stuck with me after reading it.
If you've read Other Words for Love, what stuck with you?
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