Released: August 27, 2013Publisher: Simon Pulse
Page Amount: 304, ARC
POV: 1st Person (Caroline)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon
OVERALL:
Plot-17/20
Characters-19/20
Characters-19/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-19/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-8/10
=89/100 B
★★★★/5
Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life. The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both. Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted. Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...-Goodreads.com
Caroline has to make a decision about whether she wants to stay with Grandma, who is dying in the hospital, or go to a party for the night. From that point on the book is split into alternating chapters about the repercussions of making one choice or the other. This made this book extremely intriguing because her life was so different when she made the opposite choice. When she chooses to stay, Joel, the boy she's been chasing at her school finally notices her, but isn't all she hoped for. When she chooses to go to the party, she meets college boy Chris, who is just plain amazing. It's not just the boys who are different but also her relationships with her family. I really liked this book because she has to deal with some tough stuff, including pressure from a boyfriend, repairing relationships with siblings and dad, dealing with death, and handling what is thrown at you, good or bad.
The characters were the driving force of this book for me. Caroline was so different yet similar between the two paths. She was a very interesting perspective to read from because she hated herself at times when she wasn't there when her grandma died, yet when she was there she felt like she could live her life because that is what her grandmother wanted. Her feelings about every situation made this book really realistic. Joel was a jerk from the start. I hated him because I've had guys like him in my life before. Caroline made some mistakes, but she picked herself up and learned. Chris was the good guy. He was super real to me because he was a sensitive guy. All the other characters like Simone and Caroline's family were very well done. This book wouldn't have been as enjoyable without them.
This book did end like it should have. That doesn't mean I really liked it. Maybe I'm just stupid and missed something, but I feel like I was waiting for Caroline to make a choice. I get how life puts you where you need to be, but I kind of wanted Caroline to make a decision or something. That was my only issue with this book because I feel like the ending kind of made this book pointless to me. The plot was based on the two different paths so when they began to lead to same outcome it made me wish something drastic would differentiate the two, because Joel isn't cutting it for me.
My Favorite Part: I really loved how one little decision split Caroline's life in two different directions.
ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it's very intriguing!
Thanks for reading!
It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥
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