15. ožu 2014.

ARC Review: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

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Book summary:
An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.
Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.
This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. 
But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. 
         Upon seeing this book at NetGalley my heart skipped a beat. I thought we were finally getting a sequel to My Name is Memory, a book I adored so much. Once I realized that it's not the case I still wanted to read this book as Ann Brasheres is an author I admire. Luckily I got a chance.

          Everything starts with the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna, who immigrated to New York five years ago. It wouldn't be a big thing if Prenna and all her friends haven't arrived from a different time period. They all have came from future in order to save their lives and hopefully the future, because the huge mosquito-borne illness has killed millions and millions of the people. It wouldn't be nothing unusual, only if she followed the rules. Not just the present ones, but the ones she isn't aware of. Upon coming to New York she was seen by a boy who still remembered her, even though no one is allowed to see them traveling.

          Prenna started as a character I liked. She was lost and at the same time trying to follow the rules that are imposed upon her and trying to find who she was. Only sadly, later she became a girl that annoyed me a bit. She made some really stupid decisions and I wanted to yell (I did that actually) at her, at moments. When it comes to Ethan, well I don't how to describe him. He is all and nothing at the same time. At moments so passive and idiotic and at moments brilliant and you can see that he is really smart and good guy, but the problem is that many things that would be illogical for him, as for example time-travel, he just looked over, like it was nothing. Then there is the chemistry between the two. Huh, this is the hardest part to explain. It was sweet, but most of the time it was empty and emotionless and usually awkward.

         This book and the story did have potential and the whole concept of the time traveling wasn't new but it worked with this idea, only I wish that certain things were tackled more logically and with more reason than I could find here.

Rating: 2.5 stars.

Until the next time,
***NOTE: Copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Random House Childern's, via Net Galley. Thank you! 
I'm not paid for writing this review - I do it as a lover of written word. All opinions are optional. 

31 komentar:

  1. Ugh, I really hate it when we get a supposedly complex mechanism happening in the world, and the rest of the characters just gloss it over. You need to question things, people. You just can't readily accept something like that and then expect readers to go along with it. We're not that stupid; give us some credit.

    Sorry this book was a dud, Tanja. I love time traveling, but it's so sucky when books fail at execution. The Social Potato

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    1. Right. I mean after reading all vampire books I'd still fain upon seeing any. Or anything abnormal. Thanks girl. Yeah it does.

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  2. I feel the same way about this one. I felt like it lacked in a whole lot of aspects. Great review Tanja!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  3. Yeah. It's hard to like a character who is constantly having TSTL moments. And I haven't seen a single good review for this book yet, so I'm gonna pass. BUT I appreciate your thoughts. Great review!

    Jessica @ Rabid Reads

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    1. Thanks Jessica. Hopefully Ann will get back to her back self :)

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  4. Sorry this didn't really work for you, Tanja. Annoying MC and a romance that doesn't excite makes it hard to enjoy. Great honest review! :)

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  5. Aww, sorry this book didn't work for you. It was exactly like you, I had the initial excitement and then it started to wear off. Great review, Tanja!! (:

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    1. Sorry to hear it didn't work for you either. Thanks Ini :)

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  6. No one is liking this book, I am glad I got turned down for a copy, now I don't have to struggle through it. Too bad, I was so excited to see something new from this author.

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    1. Me too, but sadly like a lot of people I ended up disappointed. Thanks Heidi :)

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  7. Yikes, it definitely sounds like this one was lacking in a lot of departments. One I will pass on for sure.

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  8. I'm not hearing any good things about this book, so far all the reviews ive stumbled upon say the same things as you. URGH, I so wanted this to be good :(
    thanks for sharing your thoughts!
    Lily @ Lilysbookblog

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  9. I haven't been a fan of previous books by this author so I wasn't planning to give this a go and your review has convinced me I was right - it's no fun to dislike a character this much

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  10. It's so sad when a character starts off likeable and then turns into an annoying person somehwere along the way :( I can imagine your disappointment!

    Great review, Tanja <33

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  11. Oh no, from the characters to the world-building this sounds like it fell apart. That is so hard when it is an author you like.

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  12. Too bad, I had high hopes for this one too because of the author. Time traveling is really hard to pull off in a short book, especially if it's not a series. Kind of risky to begin with. Still, great review!

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    1. I totally agree and this is not real long and deep enough book for the matter. Thanks :)

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  13. Oh damn! I wish you'd liked this book better, Tanja. Oh well, but what can I say when I myself have been finding most of the books I read very average these days. Well, here's to better books in the year! Great review, girl!

    Sarika @ The Readdicts

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    1. I truly hope we'll catch up with some amazing books soon. Thanks, girl :)

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  14. Annoying MC's are always tough, but it is even worse when you start and liking them and then slowly start to hate them. Sorry this one didn't work for you.

    Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

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    1. I prefer hating them the later loving them then vice versa. Thanks, Teresa :)

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  15. I hate when characters make stupid decisions and I feel like shaking them. It's a shame the time travel plot wasn't handled more logically. I am probably still going to give this one a try, but I'm glad to be able to go in now with adjusted expectations. Thank you for your thoughtful, honest review!

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    1. I hope you'll enjoy this one more than me, Lauren. I cannot wait to see your review :) Thanks! :)

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  16. "and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community."

    after I read that line, my brain immediately detected that Prenna would somehow fall into someone. So typical. I really liked Brashares' Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and I actually caught a glimpse of this book at a bookstore a few weeks ago and was a bit interested. But after reading your review, I'm in doubt. Maybe i should put this one on hold for a while. Great review by the way, Tanja :)

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