I'll Be There

I'LL BE THERE is a wonderful book. I've hesitated to write a review because I'm not sure I'll be able to really pin down its excellence, explain why it was so satisfying. A lot of things I guess. The writing is beautiful and spare, balanced. Sloan communicates intense emotion, scenes both troubling and lovely, in a balanced way that sinks right down to the nerve but never gives you whiplash. The setting is contemporary, everyday, but there's a whiff of fairy tale about the whole book in the most marvelous way. The three young heroes, Emily, Sam, and Riddle, leap right off the page. I loved all three of them.

It does everything just right. The bond between Sam and Riddle. Sam's wariness, Emily's determination, the advance and retreat of show more their relationship. The menace of Sam and Riddle's father, who's completely unhinged. And I'LL BE THERE has one of the most satisfying endings of any book I've read in a while. No spoilers - just that in a book that's so excellent on every page, throwing out all the stops and bringing it to such a perfect conclusion is a marvel.

Highly recommended. Wonderful, wonderful book. show less

I was worried this would be depressing. Since I was reading it for a book club and it therefore qualified as homework, I had no qualms about peeking at the end to see how it all turned out. This did not ruin the book for me in the least, and I think I was able to enjoy it more, knowing the rug wasn't going to get pulled out from under me.
There are a few things about the way this is written that normally bother me-the multiple points of view and the constant switching, to name a few. But something about Sam, Emily and Riddle, and the inherent goodness of so many of the supporting characters, made anything that would normally bother me just fade to the background. Even when the author kind of went off the rails with the extraordinary show more survival story and unbelievable coincidences at the end, I was just glad to see them all reunited and happy.
I think that's the trick, at least for me. If an author can get me to fall in love with the characters and really invest in their story, then I will put up with a lot of silliness. Not an infinite amount, but a lot.
I always like it when the adults in a YA book are portrayed as more than props or obstacles, and Emily's parents are wonderful characters. I also thought it was realistic that the teens latched on to their instant connection, but that it didn't mean their relationship had instant depth. Emily, normally empathetic, couldn't see how desperate Sam and Riddle's situation was. People complain about "insta-love" in YA novels, but I thought their relationship was something different. The author spent more time on the love between Sam and Riddle, and I liked that.
And the last thing that I really loved about this book was that it took many different characters, making small but good choices, to save these boys. That made the multiple points of view worth it. Except for getting the bear's point of view. That was just silly.
I really liked this, and I'm glad I kicked off the new year with it. show less

Their whole lives, Sam and his little brother Riddle have been moved from place to place by their paranoid father, Clarence. In one quiet California town, however, Sam meets Emily, and their lives are changed forever. Emily and her family wonder about the mysteries surrounding the two boys, and are determined to draw them out of isolation and into society. When Clarence gets wind of his sons’ new relationships, however, he packs them up and makes a run for it, despite the fact that it may put Sam and Riddle’s lives in danger.

When one describes a novel as being “magical,” we often think of lyricism, of rhythm and beautiful descriptions. But Holly Goldberg Sloan’s debut novel, I’LL BE THERE, is magical in quite a different show more way. A story of how the little things add up to the big things, I’LL BE THERE takes extraordinary characters and ordinary moments and weaves them together into a suspenseful and unforgettable story, one of the most unique books I’ve read in 2011.

I want a Sam in my life. He is undoubtedly an extraordinary boy—model-worthy looks, raw musical talent, swooningly romantic—but made sympathetic and real by all the hardships he has had to endure. Unlike other beautiful and talented love interests in YA fiction, Sam does not seek the spotlight, which endears him all the more to us. His lack of awareness of his own specialness is his best trait.

I’LL BE THERE is told from multiple points of view, covering everyone from Emily, the girl who draws Sam and Riddle out of their shells, to Riddle, smart and determined and existing in a bubble of lack of oxygen, to the various adults who come in and out of these two boys’ lives. This is a technique we don’t see often in YA, and yet I think works exceptionally well at riveting our eyes to the page especially during the later, most suspenseful moments of the book, when I literally couldn’t put the last 250 or so pages down.

There is nothing flashy about Holly Goldberg Sloan’s writing: instead, the magic of the writing and story comes from the characters and predicaments themselves. Don’t expect to find a regular ole contemporary story of trial and triumph in these pages: I’LL BE THERE contains truly enviable story craftsmanship, and is a unique, and uniquely told, story that you will find difficult to not read in one sitting. Magical, indeed. show less

This book was so different than I thought it would be- but that is a good thing. This book was more touching, heart breaking, and inspirational than I ever imagined it could be.

This is not the boy-meets-girl story that I thought it would be. Yes, it is boy-meets-girl in some sense of the phrase, but it is so much more than just that. After fate led them to each other, Sam started to fall for Emily. Hard. But Sam comes with a lot of baggage. The death of his mother left him and his younger brother to his dysfunctional, criminal father. Never staying in one place for more than a few months, Sam has not been to school since second grade, he has no friends, and has the added burden of caring for and protecting his speech impaired brother. show more Sam cares for Emily so much - to the point where he sees the need to withdrawal himself from her in order to protect her from his toxic life.

When heart wrenching, scary and suspenseful events force the teenagers further and further apart and into both physically and emotionally dangerous situations, the inspirational story that endues is one sure to leave the reader breathless.

I can't even express some of my emotions during this novel. When I started reading, I was expecting a completely different story. I was expecting a romance that fixes all the problems in their lives and makes everything better - I was expecting a happy story. However, don't get me wrong, there are moments of happiness and optimism, but this is not a characteristically "happy" book. Some events are so emotionally low that tears were brought to my eyes. Or my chest would physically ache out of fright or a broken heart. Don't let that stop you from picking it up because the experience of reading this novel combined with the optimism and inspiration it fills you with is something that is very hard to find.

Other than the plot line, the characters were equally interesting and endearing. There is the perfect mix of characters and plot (rather than strictly plot or character driven novels). Emily is the typical teenage girl; struggling with emotions, the balance between fitting in and standing out, finding a place in the world, and opening up her heart. Sam is weathered; mature, good natured, poetic and nurturing - all wrapped up in a protective armor. Riddle is removed from society; strange and different, but extremely talented, observant and kind. These characters all offer something different, and it really goes to show how much human beings lean on each other for those specific, individual things that only they can provide.

Overall, this is one fantastic debut. I would recommend it over and over again - boys and girls alike. This is definitely a book that could span both genders (which is something amazing in itself). Saying too much on my part will ruin the shock, inspiration and emotional roller-coaster that is this book. So I will leave it at this; don't hesitate to pick this one up because it will blow you away. If you don't agree with what I've said the moment after reading this novel, wait until the next day, or the day after that - because each day that this book sinks in, the more of an impact it will make, and the more breathtaking it will be. show less

I was obsessed with this book once I got into it and could not put it down. The writing seemed a little bit off at the beginning, but once I got sucked into the story I didn't care, and now I can't even remember why the writing bothered me at the beginning. And, I might add, I have had the song I'll Be There stuck in my head for 2 days now. Luckily it's a great song! I think it is very cool that it plays an integral part in the story and wasn't just a random title for the book.

This is one of those books that has it all. Pathos, romance, humor, wilderness survival, high school drama and spine-tingling suspense. My feelings were all over the place with this one. My heart broke for Sam and Riddle on just about every page. I was so furious show more with their father that I desperately wanted a fatal accident to befall him. I wanted to hug Tom and Debbie Bell for their kind and wise parenting. I was very nervous about the oily Bobby Ellis, yet he made me laugh over and over again. (Kind of envisioning a Carrie prom king scene for a brief moment.)

One thing I loved about this book is that it begins with a story about how everything is connected and how minor incidents can change the course of major life events. Then the book ends with different paragraphs about very secondary characters and how their lives were changed by the minor interactions they had with our main characters. That was really interesting. It makes you think about what minor incidents have changed the course of your own life.

My one drawback was that there were very few instances where we were able to see Sam and Emily's connection. We were told there was a deep connection, but had very little to go on to see that for ourselves. However, that was a minor quibble. I definitely recommend this book and I think it will have a huge readership at our library.

Areas of concern: (This was a really clean read for a young adult novel with intense situations. I was impressed.)
*About 4 or 5 uses of the *d* word.
*An incredibly abusive and neglectful father.
*Intense survival scenes.
*Talk of going to the Motel 6 after prom, but the main character leaves after this is mentioned.
*A few mild kisses.
*A best friend tells the main character that she needs to hook up with a guy.
*A stalker who ingratiates himself into the main character's life.

http://read-me-maybe.blogspot.com show less

Sloan, H.G. (2011). I’ll be there. New York: Little, Brown. 392 pp. ISBN 978-0-316-12279-5. (Hardcover); $17.99.

When your father is a murderer who lives from place to place attempting to avoid capture, it is not likely that he will take the time to get your asthma diagnosed or to encourage any budding romances. Sam, who is 17, has not been to school since he was two. He would love to leave his father, but if he does, 12-year-old Riddle, his brother with asthma (undiagnosed), could easily die. His father, with his truck filled with different stolen license plates (new identities), knows how to disappear quickly. He is also scary enough to keep you from making friends. When Sam hears a young girl (Emily) singing I’ll Be There in a show more church one day, he KNOWS that she is singing the song to him. This song and this girl stay fixed in his mind. Soon they are eating dinner at Emily’s house. Riddle gets an inhaler and is able to breathe freely for the first time in his life. But just how does one broach the subject of a mentally unstable, psychopathic father to such a nice family? And what will happen when their father, Clarence, finds out about Emily and her family? Sloan does an exceptional job of blending both horror and love story, fear and friendship, into this fairytale of a story that will have both students and adults singing its praises. Details are released at the right moment to maintain the suspense. The characters are compelling and real. The horror hits us in the gut; the hope, richly rewarded at the end, keeps us eagerly turning the pages. Readers will come back to this one again and again. This is a book that is most at home in middle schools but that doesn’t mean that high school readers will be in anyway disappointed with this story. show less

I read this one after seeing Melissa @ Book Nut rave about it and it is indeed a very lovely, sweet little story. We have two brothers who live in very bad conditions with their abusive, schizophrenic father. Hurried from town to town whenever the opportunities run out for their thief father’s quick sticky fingers, the boys have no home, no education and the only food they get is the food they scavenge out of trash cans. Their situation is so heartbreaking that I went through most of the story a little misty eyed. I wanted nothing more than to feed them and most of all, to get my sweet, precious little Riddle some much needed medical attention. The romance between Sam and Emily, was just one big “Awwwww!” fest- so sweet and clean- show more something I found surprisingly refreshing. If Miz Sloan, would care to write some more about my dear little Riddle, I’d be quick to read it. This story was so beautifully told, I think it warrants an audio download. show less