REVIEW: BETTER THAN PERFECT BY MELISSA KANTOR.

Title: Better than Perfect
Series: Standalone
Author: Melissa Kantor
Edition: Paperback (ARC)
Publication: HarperTeen / February 17, 2015
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary (Mental Illness), Romance
Trailer: Not available.

Synopsis:

Juliet Newman has it all. A picture-perfect family; a handsome, loving boyfriend; and a foolproof life plan: ace her SATs, get accepted into Harvard early decision, and live happily ever after.

But when her dad moves out and her mom loses it, Juliet begins questioning the rules she’s always lived by. And to make everything even more complicated there’s Declan, the gorgeous boy who makes her feel alive and spontaneous—and who’s totally off-limits. Torn between the life she always thought she wanted and one she never knew was possible, Juliet begins to wonder: What if perfect isn't all it’s cracked up to be?

Melissa Kantor once again delivers a tale that is equal parts surprising, humorous, heartbreaking, and romantic. Powerful and honest, Juliet’s story brilliantly portrays the highs and lows of life in high school and will resonate with any reader who has experienced either.

*Warning: Rage ahead*

I don't hate the book, I hate the character and how slow the pace was.

Okay. *eats chocolates to channel inner happiness*  Here we go.

Juliet was the dumbest character ever.

She was a perfect-A student, an achiever, a focused person and she knows what she wants. Her relationship with Jason has been steady for four years and they've been working so hard so they can get accepted in Harvard. She has her wonderful best friend Sofia as well. Her family is wealthy. Practically, her life is the type most people would be envious of. But her parents separated and in Juliet's eyes, her life started to fall apart. Her mother overdosed and has to be sent to a mental facility for treatment and that was what appeared to be the last straw for Juliet. She started seeing life in a different light -- stupid light -- and well, her choices started to become dumber.

I totally get THAT irritable feeling of doing things just for the sake of doing them or to simply please others. It feels like you're being choked with an invisible rope. When Juliet realized she wasn't happy anymore, I related with her frustrations and the need to be free from all the things she realized she hated doing. THAT I understand. But the rest of her choices? Dumb. And it gets dumber as you go deeper into the story. And it was painful to watch a character with full of potential to break apart page by page by page.

OKAY THIS IS THE SPOILERY PART.

She walked out of her American Latin exam in the middle of it because she thought she didn't want to answer the questions even after all the months she worked hard to ace the subject. She shut everyone out because she's afraid rumors about her mom being in the mental facility would roam around. She deferred going to Harvard and broken up with Jason just because she felt like they didn't like the same things anymore. She threw herself out to Declan because she's thrilled they made out and he kisses her differently. She wouldn't ask her mother if she really tried killing herself because she's not sure if she's mad or not. She rejects her father's explanation why he left her mother because she wouldn't accept that her life was half make-believe. She judged her father only loving her because of her As. SHE WAS JUST RIDICULOUSLY DUMB I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MAD I AM.

Even the encounter with Declan felt forced to me. Aside from the inception of confusing sub-plots, I didn't like how Declan and their intense physical attraction popped out out of nowhere. I appears that Declan's part was put out there just to spice things up between Jason and Juliet's perfectly boring relationship. But the execution was plainly wrong. It insinuated cheating. Even Juliet's "love" for music felt hypocrite like, where did it come from?

Better than Perfect was not for me. I think Kantor's novels aren't for me, for that matter. I failed to connect with the character and I failed to see her point. Making bad choices is a part of life, as long as you know you're just going after what makes you happy. But Juliet's choices are just dumb, dumb, duuuuuuumb there's no other word for it but DUMB.

Thank you so much HarperCollins International for the review copy!

"Everything I looked at had the power to hurt."

"People could want different things. It was possible to love somebody but to grow away from that person."

"How bizarre that you could know someone so well and love him so much and then not have him in your life anymore."

BLOG TOUR (13): MAYBE ONE DAY BY MELISSA KANTOR.

I apologize for posting my review several days late for Dianne of Oops, I Read a Book Again (Admin of Pinoy Book Tours) Maybe One Day Blog Tour. It was honestly a very slow read that I almost DNF-ed it but thank you to Dianne for giving me ample amount of time to finish it and still post my review. I only gave Maybe One Day 3 stars but don't be fooled by shiny things. This is gonna be a gushing review, people.

Title: Maybe One Day
Author: Melissa Kantor
Edition: Paperback
Published: February 18, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 384
Source: Bought from Fullybooked, Fort
Category: Contemporary
Trailer: Not applicable.

Amazon ▲ Book Depository ▲ Goodreads ▲ Barnes and Noble ▲ Fullybooked

Synopsis:

Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

I've always wanted to read Maybe One Day because a) the first cover was stunning b) I want to read a Contemporary that doesn't focus on romance but friendship and c) I couldn't really pass the chance to be a part of a tour. It has been a long time since I participated in one. And I thought Maybe One Day was a very good starting point.

Maybe One Day absolutely ground my heart into microscopic pieces. It was terribly, terribly slow up until page 200 but once you past that excruciating slow pacing part, the good stuff come pouring over. It will hit you in the chest hard that you wouldn't notice you're choking with your own tears. God. This book is so emotional that 12 hours after reading it, here I am, struggling to come up with a decent review and it still hurts.

Livvie and Zoe are best friends for more than a decade. They share the same passion for ballet. Everything in their lives they've already planned. However, they were kicked out of the dance program and then Livvie got sick. Zoe was just so worried about Livvie because she didn't know how to live her life without Livvie around her. They love each other so much that their friendship is something they treasure and cling to. Zoe's just lost and hallow.

Well, the plot is that simple. Even the lines. Even the characters. Even the romance. Yes, there was a little bit of romance on Zoe's part but mostly, the story revolved around their friendship in the middle of a very tragic event. No one expected that their friendship would be tested this hard. What I adored most I guess aside from the fact that I could somehow relate to Zoe is that, Zoe did everything she could for her best friend. It was like she wanted to turn her back from the rest of the world just to make Livvie happy. And am like that with my best friend. He just have to say the word and I would do whatever I can to make him safe and happy. I adored Zoe for sticking with all they've been together that no matter how life-threatening Livvie's case was, she tried to be strong for both of them.

This friendship is super special that Zoe's journey just crushed me. My best friend left and I am absolutely feeling lost like how Zoe felt. It was hard to move on from a life you shared with someone for so long and the pain is constant. Everything reminds you of the person. Kantor perfectly captured the raw emotions and that struck my heart. Maybe One Day absolutely is worth all one gallon of tears I shed because. Just because.

It is truly beautifully worded.

"I thought, 'Oh, God, I did this thing, this stupid thing that's going to hurt [you].' And I didn't want to be the person who did something to hurt you, because I love you.."

"Time does not care how precious it is, how hard you are working not to squander it. Time passes."

 

Thank you so much Dianne and Pinoy Book Tours!