2024 the best books to read review

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(as of Nov 11, 2024 09:27:10 UTC - Details)

New York Times bestseller! In the tradition of Speak, Amber Smith's extraordinary debut novel “is a heart-twisting, but ultimately hopeful, exploration of how pain can lead to strength” (The Boston Globe).

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, all while learning to embrace the power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Margaret K. McElderry Books; Reprint edition (March 7, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1481449362
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1481449366
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL640L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: It stays with you
Review: I've read countless books, both for work and pleasure. After a while, the plots and characters start to run together, and the stories I'm reading now become no more memorable than the last. The Way I Used to Be is one of the few books that stand apart from the rest.The story follows Eden, a sexual assault survivor who just started high school. Her story is told in four parts, starting as a freshman dealing with the crushing pain of being hurt in the worst way by someone she trusted. We watch as she struggles to come to grips with what happened. I read this book when I was the same age as the main character, and my heart still hurts when I think back on that time. As a reader, I'm careful of books like this because they can leave me feeling drained and empty. I was both by the time I finished, but I also felt so much more. It's weird and rare for me to feel proud of a fictional character, but that's what I was. Eden was so well-written. She felt like a friend I'd known my whole life, or maybe even a part of myself, and when she hurt, I hurt. What happens to her and the aftermath of it was hard to read but so worth reading.As a woman, I've grown up on the cautionary tales of sexual abuse. Where to spot it, how to avoid it, what to do after. Most of my knowledge of sexual assault comes firsthand from friends and family who've experienced it. With this comes ingrained hyperawareness and the naive thought that, despite having never experienced it myself, I understood it. But nothing compares to being inside the head of someone who has lived it. There is so much more that goes on than I could've ever imagined. It was eye-opening and painful because so much of the aftermath is just silent suffering. I can't help but think back to the countless stories I've heard and wonder what parts my friends sugar-coated, or left out completely, for my benefit. It hurts to know that there is nothing I could do for the pain I couldn't see. Though I emphasized with Eden the most, I also felt for her friends and family, because I have played that role before, and I can only hope that I was there for them when they needed me.I think this is a book that everyone should read, if not for the chance to better understand the thought process and actions of a survivor, then for the simple pleasure of reading a well-written, heartwrenching story with a brave and resilient main character.

Reviewer: BusyBookMomma
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very emotional story!
Review: Slight/minor spoilers.This book is just...it's just everything. I felt everything the characters felt. I was heartbroken, angry, frustrated, I felt betrayed and astonished. I just.. so many tears were shed. I texted my niece multiple time to tell her what I was feeling. She recommended the book, so I felt it was only fair to share the journey with her as I read it.Eden is such an impactful character. She goes from a 14 year old bright, shinning, happy young girl to a young woman looking for a way to free herself. Her path was tumultuous and heartbreaking. Each part of the story takes her one step further down a dark road. Seh breaks my heart so many times while simultaneously frustrating me with the decisions she makes. She hurt so many people, but no one more than herself. However, she find her redemption, her key to freedom, and she finds the strength to grab it with both hands, even while those hands were trembling with worry and doubt.I'm glad that she was able to reunite with her brother and clear the air with Amanda, but I'm sad that the book ended before it showed whether she was able to make amends with Stephen, Mara and even Cameron. I would have at least like to see her and Mara reunite. I also would have liked to read about Kevin getting what he deserved. Maybe an epilouge that showed many months/years into the future for a quick update on everyone. Perhaps Mara and Cameron stayed together and maybe Eden and Josh could have found their way back to one another. The ending was fine, it was just really abrupt and left a lot of questions unanswered.All-in-all, the book was very good. It hits you in the heart and makes you really care about the characters.

Reviewer: kimberly weeks
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very tragic
Review: I’ve never been super big in to books or reading, but I couldn’t put this one down. It’s such a sad and tragic book and about the first 100 pages left this pit in my stomach. It gets straight to the point immediately. If you don’t like sad books I probably wouldn’t recommend this, but I thought it was amazing.

Reviewer: midwestmom
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautiful Book
Review: This is such an amazing book. If you’re on the fence about getting it, do it! You won’t regret it! It had me hooked and was a definite page turner. Plus, there’s a second book to turn to after you’re done!

Reviewer: Bayli S.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautifully written
Review: I read this book so fast! It was definitely an emotional roller coaster. Definitely recommend.

Reviewer: Lillian S.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Easy Read, Okay Story
Review: SPOILERS AHEAD.The main character, Eden, is a strangely dislikable character. Given what she’s gone through, you’d think it’d be easy to sympathize and empathize with her, but no. She’s rude and just an awful person to her friends and family a lot of the time. Her relationship with Josh is also pretty bad. They don’t do anything except hookup with each other, and yet they’re depicted as this Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater type of love story. Their relationship is so toxic and Eden lies to Josh and doesn’t appreciate him at all. There were a lot of useless subplots and side characters that could’ve been omitted completely and the story would’ve remained the same. The ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. After 3 years, Eden finally opens up about her assault, but this happens in the last 10-15 pages of the book. Highly disappointing! We also don’t know what happens to the guy who assaulted her.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: masterpiece
Review: Genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read. I felt like before reading this book I had a solid understanding of situations like this, but reading it in a first person perspective forces you to understand all the reasons someone might not want to tell anyone, all of the emotions you might go through and how it impacts you long term.

Reviewer: arzoo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Haven’t received it yet but i read this before and it’s my ABSOLUTE most FAVOURITE book. I read it at the lowest time of my life last year and Eden is just ugh like she deserved the world. I can’t wait to read the second book, this book is DEFINITELY worth the read. Also it is VERY emotional and you won’t be able to stop thinking about this book for DAYS. I read this in about 2 or 3 days, I was so hooked.

Reviewer: Mr Frank Brand
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good bed time reading

Reviewer: Eylül Özbek
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I only could have read 100 pages. I couldn’t finish it.

Reviewer: Alma
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Gillar verkligen denna. Man kan vekrligen relatera och det är en fin story. Händer inte jätte mycekt dock

Reviewer: Kamlesh K.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Packaging was good and the book was in good condition