author’s website: website / blogrelease date: December 29, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
(language & some content are not MG appropriate)
genre: Contemporary Fiction
length: 320 pages
publisher: HarperTeen
overall rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
*the inside flap*
Paradise wasn’t supposed to suck.
Not the state of being, but a resort in the Caribbean. Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all there for different reasons, but at Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Paradise will change them all.
It will change Jena, whose first brush with romance takes her that much closer to having a life, and not just reading about those infinitely cooler and more exciting.
It will change Dakota, who needs the devastating truth about his past to make him realize that he doesn’t have to be a jerk just because people think he’s one.
It will change Skye, a heartbreakingly beautiful actress, who must come to terms with the fact that for once she has to stop playing a role or face the consequences.
And it will change Owen, who has never risked anything before and who will take the leap from his online life to a real one all because of a girl he met at Paradise...
From confused to confident and back again, one thing’s certain: Four months after it all begins, none of them will ever be the same.
*my thoughts *
I’ve seen several of Carolyn Mackler’s books on shelves in bookstores and the library, but had never read one until now. . .but after reading Tangled I’ll be very inclined to try another of her books!
Tangled tells the story of four teenagers whose lives cross paths at a resort in the Caribbean called Paradise. The book actually has four separate parts - one for each of the main characters (Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen) – and is told over the course of four months (again, one for each character). When I began reading, I was expecting to re-read the same time period from each character’s point of view, and was pleasantly surprised to find that that is not the case. Instead, time continues to pass as you move from character to character; an approach that adds depth to the story, since each character alludes to the others after time has passed.
Jena begins our story with the actual trip to Paradise. She is 16, sees herself as a plain Jane, and doesn’t understand why she can’t find romance…until she meets Dakota – an all too stunning, 18-year-old who is also vacationing with his family. While we meet all four of the characters in Jena’s section of the book, her perspective gives tainted descriptions of the others, so it isn’t until you read each character’s section that you can fully understand the actions they take.
While I didn’t initially think I would like him at all, I found Dakota’s portion of the book to be my favorite in terms of understanding a different person. Dakota is a foul-mouthed, aggressive, stereotypical jock with a really bad attitude. What most people don’t realize though is that all of those traits are a front that can make him appear to be strong while he is going through his own personal hell. It takes things crashing down for him to be able to explore the “real” Dakota, and that is what I really enjoyed reading.
While it wasn’t what I initially thought, I really enjoyed this book. I could have read a full length version of each character’s story, but enjoyed the way that the characters’ perspectives were combined in the telling of this story.
*short and snappy*
writing / plot: This story is interestingly woven together across four characters and four months in a way that cleanly transitions into one fluid story.
characters: Each character is overwhelmingly different from the others, which is amazing since one author created all four. Their personalities shine through their descriptions of their daily lives.
memorable line: “A day without sunshine is, like, night.” (p. 28 – this is mentioned as being on a bumper sticker, but I like it!)
judging by the cover: I love how the cover shows the tangled ribbons connecting to each other. It is definitely representative of the concept of the story!
miscellaneous: On her website, Mackler offers an excerpt (link) and a “behind the book” (link) feature for the book. She also offers a reading group guide (link) if you need one.
*a side note* I thought that this book would be like the movie “Go” (a pretty fabulous movie from the late ‘90s) which tells the story of one evening, but from three different perspectives. “Go” is definitely R rated (for drug content, language, sexuality, and some violence) but is a pretty good movie otherwise. (IMDB link)
Jena begins our story with the actual trip to Paradise. She is 16, sees herself as a plain Jane, and doesn’t understand why she can’t find romance…until she meets Dakota – an all too stunning, 18-year-old who is also vacationing with his family. While we meet all four of the characters in Jena’s section of the book, her perspective gives tainted descriptions of the others, so it isn’t until you read each character’s section that you can fully understand the actions they take.
While I didn’t initially think I would like him at all, I found Dakota’s portion of the book to be my favorite in terms of understanding a different person. Dakota is a foul-mouthed, aggressive, stereotypical jock with a really bad attitude. What most people don’t realize though is that all of those traits are a front that can make him appear to be strong while he is going through his own personal hell. It takes things crashing down for him to be able to explore the “real” Dakota, and that is what I really enjoyed reading.
While it wasn’t what I initially thought, I really enjoyed this book. I could have read a full length version of each character’s story, but enjoyed the way that the characters’ perspectives were combined in the telling of this story.
*short and snappy*
writing / plot: This story is interestingly woven together across four characters and four months in a way that cleanly transitions into one fluid story.
characters: Each character is overwhelmingly different from the others, which is amazing since one author created all four. Their personalities shine through their descriptions of their daily lives.
memorable line: “A day without sunshine is, like, night.” (p. 28 – this is mentioned as being on a bumper sticker, but I like it!)
judging by the cover: I love how the cover shows the tangled ribbons connecting to each other. It is definitely representative of the concept of the story!
miscellaneous: On her website, Mackler offers an excerpt (link) and a “behind the book” (link) feature for the book. She also offers a reading group guide (link) if you need one.
*a side note* I thought that this book would be like the movie “Go” (a pretty fabulous movie from the late ‘90s) which tells the story of one evening, but from three different perspectives. “Go” is definitely R rated (for drug content, language, sexuality, and some violence) but is a pretty good movie otherwise. (IMDB link)
1 comments:
I saw this book the other day when I was at Barnes and Noble, but didn't know what it was about. I really liked the review, and can't wait to pick it up now:)
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