Carrie Mac

To be honest, this book was disappointing. I expected so much going into this book such as an interesting backstory with funny, relatable characters and an adventure. However, this was not to be.
The beginning of the story is very slow with Annie remembering everyone in her life who had passed away. This part did not add any character depth or understanding. I wasn't quite sure why it was there.
I couldn't connect with the characters at all and as a result, there was no emotional impact at any part of the story. Not when Annie and Pete were remembering their childhood, not when Annie reminisces over her grandmother's death.
The one thing that I did like was that this story was just a story about best friends, not a romance, which YA already has an abundance of.
Rating: 3 Stars
Content: 2 Stars
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.… (more)

2.75⭐️
*I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review*

This was a challenging book to rate, as I did enjoy it and felt that it was an accurate portrayal of a family struggling to cope with a mother's bipolar disorder, a father's traumatic disappearance/loss, and a young daughter's attempts to make sense of the world and her rapidly changing circumstances.

The writing was at times difficult to follow, which I imagine was intentional due to the unreliable narrators (when being narrated by Fiona, the mother - often drunk/unmedicated) or the daughter, whose interpretation of events was necessarily inaccurate/skewed.… (more)

3.5 stars

Early in the book, we learn that 5 children died in an avalanche. One adult also died. 8-year old Ruby was one of 2 children who made it out alive, along with one other adult.

Leading up to the avalanche, we follow Ruby, her mother Fiona, who has a mental illness, and Ruby’s father Gus, who is a former Olympic snowboarder and now runs a backcountry guiding company and was one of the adults on the trip when the avalanche happened. Fiona and Gus’s relationship is in bad shape and they fight a lot. Fiona often does not take her medication, so is quite shocking in some of the things she says and does with friends.

It took me a long time to get “into” the book. It was hard to follow for the first 1/3 to ½ of the book, as there were a lot of characters I had trouble keeping straight (who was who, and how are they “related”?). There were also a couple of shifts in time that I struggled with. Fiona was extremely unlikable; I guess I should try to have more sympathy, but it’s hard when she won’t take her mediation. But, the book really picked up in the second half as the avalanche hit, along with the aftermath.… (more)