ARC Review: Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander
Title: Life After Juliet
Author: Shannon Lee Alexander
Pages: 304
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Publish Date: July 5, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Synopsis: Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people...
Until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can.
As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world...and happy endings aren't always guaranteed.
The companion novel to Love and Other Unknown Variables is an exploration of loss and regret, of kissing and love, and most importantly, a celebration of hope and discovering a life worth living again.
I received a free copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my review in any way.
I read Charlie's story and enjoyed it, and I was so excited to hear about Becca's story coming out. I needed to get my hands on a copy, which I did :)
Let me just start off by gushing at the fantabulous cover! It's gorgeous! Everything works so well together. Don't let me get started on the use of fonts. I love the blue hues as it's unique and it will just look gorgeous on my shelf!
Life After Juliet was one of my favorite reads of this year (2016). It was cute and book-nerdy while also being sad as it dealt with death. I really connected with it as an avid reader and booklover. It was extremely well written in the sense of coping with loss and whatnot. It was fantastic from every angle.
I really connected with Becca as a character. I'm a book nerd; she's a book nerd. It was fantastic to read about someone that was so closely written to myself. I feel as if her emotions were conveyed really well. She was just an amazing lead and I'm proud to say that she is one of my all-time favorite characters. I always have a special place in my heart for bibliophiles in books.
I LOVED the formatting. It was unique and refreshing. I loved how the whole play theme played into the story line. As a fan of unprecedented formatting, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
It was very lighthearted at times, and I highly enjoyed the pranking scene. Can I just say that he totally deserved it? I loved the appearances of Charlie. I loved Darby. I loved Max. I loved Max's artist dad, who might have been one of my favorite secondary characters.
Life After Juliet dealt with love, loss, and new friends. It was an inspiring novel that I hope everyone reads.
Excerpt
Act 1, scene 5“Tell me a story.” His voice roots itself in my ear.
What to say? I grab a lock of my hair and whirl it around my index finger. “You remember that I had a friend, Charlotte,” I begin, letting go of my hair and clasping my elbows behind my back. “ Remember her? From history?”
“Yes.”
His affirmation makes me stronger. “She had cancer—brain tumors that metastasized. You probably remember that, too. Anyway, she had this tattoo.” I point to the spot where my neck meets my shoulder. “I loved that tattoo. I used to doodle it in my notebooks in class. Infinity and hope.”
I’m surprised at how comfortable I am. Sharing Charlotte with the darkened theater is easy. It feels like the heaviness is leaching away from me with every word. I squint into the light toward the booth, but I can’t make out Max’s expression. “I was just an outline of a girl when Charlotte arrived. She filled in all the lines with color and life and, I don’t know, good stuff.”
I’m standing at the edge of the stage. Below me the orchestra pit is a gaping mouth. The music stands glint in the spotlight like braces on crooked teeth. “Now that she’s gone, I feel unmade again.”
Giveaway
US only
july 5 - July 12
a Rafflecopter giveaway
One Last Thing
Take Place in the July Life After Juliet photo challenge on Instagram. Take a picture following each days rules and share it to your followers with the hashtag, #lifeafterjulietchallenge.
Please join Shannon Lee Alexander as she takes over my Facebook page on July 14th from 6-7 pm. Author Takeover Facebook Event
About the Author
Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife and mother (of two kids and one yellow terrier named Harriet Potter). She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer research. She spent most of her time in high school hiding out in the theater with the drammies and techies. Math still makes her break out in a sweat. She currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.
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