2 Stars
I’m always on the lookout for YA books with a fresh approach. When Not If I See You First popped up, I thought maybe it would be something special. I appreciated that the blurb clearly pointed out there was potential for some romance in the storyline, and the double-bonus was it was clear that Parker would be going through some grown-up stuff – mainly the fact that her father just died and that she is blind. Sadly, this book ended up being the same old tired out crap that leaves an old lady like me feeling kind of like . . .
Okay, I’ll be realistic. My reaction probably looks a little more like this . .
The problem? The MC was sooooooo unlikeable. She was such a selfish asshole, I just couldn’t route for her at all. In fact, I wished her BFF, or her cousin, or a frenemy, or someone would just . . .
Things that are awesome: Not judging a book by its cover – i.e., not giving a shit what color or size someone is or what kind of clothes they wear before becoming friends with them.
Things that make you an asshole: Not caring enough about your friends to know what color they are or their size or what kind of clothes they like to wear. These types of things come up in conversation without specific and/or insulting questions being asked. You should know your friend is a bit chubby because she has made some sort of comment about it – NOT because she “breathes weird” sometimes. Same regarding clothing. A friend who wears sweatpants every day will probably mention while on the phone/at school/somewhere that she can’t wait to get out of her tight blue jeans.
Not knowing much of anything about your supposed friends after an accident made you blind almost 10 YEARS AGO is definitely NOT their fault.
Of course there was a redemption arc at some point, but in the immortal words of one Roger Murtaugh – “I’m getting too old for this shit.” There’s enough assholery in my day-to-day life, I just don’t have the patience to tolerate it in my fiction at this point. To the target demographic – you’ll probably like this one just fine. As for me? I’ll keep trying, because there are some amazing YA books constantly being released.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, I’ll be realistic. My reaction probably looks a little more like this . .
The problem? The MC was sooooooo unlikeable. She was such a selfish asshole, I just couldn’t route for her at all. In fact, I wished her BFF, or her cousin, or a frenemy, or someone would just . . .
Things that are awesome: Not judging a book by its cover – i.e., not giving a shit what color or size someone is or what kind of clothes they wear before becoming friends with them.
Things that make you an asshole: Not caring enough about your friends to know what color they are or their size or what kind of clothes they like to wear. These types of things come up in conversation without specific and/or insulting questions being asked. You should know your friend is a bit chubby because she has made some sort of comment about it – NOT because she “breathes weird” sometimes. Same regarding clothing. A friend who wears sweatpants every day will probably mention while on the phone/at school/somewhere that she can’t wait to get out of her tight blue jeans.
Not knowing much of anything about your supposed friends after an accident made you blind almost 10 YEARS AGO is definitely NOT their fault.
Of course there was a redemption arc at some point, but in the immortal words of one Roger Murtaugh – “I’m getting too old for this shit.” There’s enough assholery in my day-to-day life, I just don’t have the patience to tolerate it in my fiction at this point. To the target demographic – you’ll probably like this one just fine. As for me? I’ll keep trying, because there are some amazing YA books constantly being released.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley!
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