E-ARC Review: Just Like Fate

Posted by Nina L. on 12:00 PM in 4-star, Cat Patrick, contemporary, E-ARC, review, Suzanne Young, YA,

Author: Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Release date: August 27th 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: N/A

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository 

Add to your library: Goodreads

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...(via Goodreads)

I received an e-copy of this from Simon Pulse through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Parallel universe is definitely one of my favorite ideas. You know those "What Ifs" we always have? It somehow answers our curiosity if our action today would have been different, would we still be where we are right now? It's pretty confusing but it makes me believe more that we actually had this "fate" that we have to work hard for.

So yes, Caroline had the dilemma whether she would stay with her Grandma in the hospital that night or go with her best friend Debs to a party. The story was alternately divided to STAY or GO. Honestly, if I were her, I'd find it hard to choose too considering a lot of factors. Her Grandma was dying, her sister was bitching her out, and her Mom seemed so absent. Impulsively, you'd want to just run away, right? Especially Caroline was the run away queen in her family.

Of course, different circumstances occur! I won't even say that what happened in STAY was better in what happened in GO. But we were able to see that whatever Caroline have chosen that night, she would have just been hurt altogether. There was no way out. She would just really face the problem head on.

Well, there were two guys involved. Joel and Chris. At first, they were both great. But as the story went on, one of them wasn't really that person Caroline needed. And honestly, I want to punch that guy in the face. But whatever, at least, Caroline had the other one. Going back to that "fate", whether Caroline chose to STAY or GO, she still ended up with that same person. Talk about FATE.

I actually liked the idea of this novel. I really do. I enjoyed it all throughout. I just wished that Caroline's relationship with her family was given more priority. It's not like it wasn't. I just felt like it was Caroline's romantic relationship that was the center of her decision to STAY or GO. For both paths, I was able to see how Caroline has grown even for just a little while.

Just Like Fate is a nice answer to all "What Ifs." It's gonna give you a feel of what it is to have those two different paths laid out in front of you. If you're a "fate" believer, you'll like this!

About the Authors

   Cat Patrick is an author of books for teens. Her debut novel, FORGOTTEN (available now), is about a girl who can remember the future instead of the past, and was praised by NYT bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher, as a "mindbending," one-sitting read. The book is being translated into 21 languages and Paramount bought the movie rights, with True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld attached to star as the main character, London Lane. 

Patrick's second (unrelated) novel, REVIVED, is about a girl who's part of a secret government program to test a drug that brings people back from the dead. REVIVED will be available in the US May 2012, and in the UK and Australia Summer 2012. 

Patrick lives near Seattle with her husband and twin 3-year-olds, and is afraid of zombies, planes, and zombies on planes. Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Originally from New York, Suzanne Young moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She currently resides in Tempe, where she teaches high school English. When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration. 

Suzanne is the author of several books for teens, including THE PROGRAM, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, and A WANT SO WICKED. 

             

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