Reviews: And They Both Got Into Harvard!

I was really surprised to read two books, back-to-back, where a character in the book gets into Harvard. The school has like a 6% acceptance rate, but you know, this is fiction. Regardless of the Harvard thing, I really enjoyed both these books. There were a ton of feels to go around, and both left me feeling rather happy in the end.

I'm Not Missing
Carrie Fountain
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

When Miranda Black’s mother abandoned her, she took everything—the sun, moon, and stars—and Miranda found shelter in her friendship with Syd, who wore her own motherlessness like a badge of honor: Our mothers abandoned us. We won’t go begging for scraps.

When Syd runs away suddenly and inexplicably in the middle of their senior year, Miranda is abandoned once again, left to untangle the questions of why Syd left, where she is—and if she’s even a friend worth saving. Her only clue is Syd’s discarded pink leopard print cell phone and a single text contained there from the mysterious HIM. Along the way, forced to step out from Syd’s enormous shadow, Miranda finds herself stumbling into first love with Nick Allison of all people and learning what it means to be truly seen, to be finally not missing in her own life.

After a display of bizarre behavior, Miranda's best friend, Syd, disappeared.

"I'm not missing. I'm gone." 

This was the note Syd left for her father, but it was a crushing blow to Miranda, who was already dealing with prior desertions. Syd was her guide, her best friend, and supporter, and now Miranda was left to navigate the world without her.

This was such a beautiful story of love: platonic love between best friends, familial love, and first love.

The friendship between Syd and Miranda was built on a foundation of shared pain. Both were abandoned by their mothers at young ages, but their circumstances were quite different. While Syd lived in a home devoid of love, Miranda was lucky to have a father, who adored her, and attempted to fill in those holes left by her mother. Though I do believe Syd held Miranda back some, I never questioned her love for Miranda at any point.

Like I said, Miranda was fortunate to have a fantastic father. He was forced to grow as a parent, when Miranda's mother left, and he more than rose to the occasion. They had an incredible relationship, which was so genuine and heartwarming. Despite all the affection, Miranda still struggled a little with her identity, because she looked more like her Latina mother, than her white father, and this was something that burdened her throughout the book.

I saved my favorite "love" for last, because I am such a sap and love a good romance, which Fountain so wonderfully delivered. Watching these two navigate their feelings was such a treat. They were terribly adorable, and the way they fumbled through many of their interactions was so endearing and realistic. I adored that they talked to each other, like really talked to each other about important things, and I was especially pleased with the way Fountain navigated the physical side of their relationship. Consent was explicitly discussed, and I think it was extremely important in the context of this story.

There was a lot of exploration of different kinds of love, but there was also a little mystery infused via Syd's disappearance. Miranda searched for Syd on and off throughout the story, and she stumbled upon clues, which eventually revealed the real reason why Syd fled. But, what I enjoyed most was how Miranda found herself as she was searching for Syd. Without Syd running the show, Miranda was forced to rely on herself more, and as a result, she grew a great deal. She came to terms with some things from her past, which had been haunting her, and because of this, was able to look forward to her future.

Overall: A heartbreaking and heartwarming story of first love, facing change, and finding yourself in the wake of huge losses.

Letting Go of Gravity 
Meg Leder
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Twins Parker and Charlie are polar opposites.

Where Charlie is fearless, Parker is careful.

Charlie is confident while Parker aims to please.

Charlie is outgoing and outspoken; Parker is introverted and reserved.

And of course, there’s the one other major difference: Charlie got leukemia. Parker didn’t.

But now that Charlie is officially in remission, life couldn’t be going better for Parker. She’s landed a prestigious summer internship at the hospital and is headed to Harvard in the fall to study pediatric oncology—which is why the anxiety she’s felt since her Harvard acceptance is so unsettling. And it doesn’t help that her relationship with Charlie has been on the rocks since his diagnosis.

Enter Finn, a boy who’s been leaving strange graffiti messages all over town. Parker can’t stop thinking about those messages, or about Finn, who makes her feel free for the first time: free to doubt, free to make mistakes, and free to confront the truth that Parker has been hiding from for a long time.

That she keeps trying to save Charlie, when the person who really needs saving is herself.

Parker and her twin bother, Charlie, were once very close, but Charlie's cancer became a wedge, which slowly, but surely, pushed them apart.

One of the things I really loved about this book was Leder's exploration of how Charlie's cancer affected the whole family. Because their parents were so consumed with worry for Charlie, Parker took it upon herself to be the perfect child. She kept a low profile and out of trouble, while excelling academically, earning herself a scholarship to Harvard and a prestigious summer internship. She thought being "perfect" would alleviate some of her parents' woe, but what it did was increase Parker's anxiety, which eventually manifested as panic attacks.

There was a part of me, that really understood Parker's motivation and also her hyper-overprotectiveness of her brother. My father's cancer deeply affected my family. I could relate to the worry and the concern you have for your ailing loved one. Even after he was in remission, I was very aware of anything "unhealthy" he did. We can't help it, because we love that person, and we always carry that fear that they can get sick again. In that respect, I was a lot like Parker.

I also empathized with Charlie. It was tough to be around him during the first half of the book. He was in remission for the second time, but he missed a whole year of school. His friends were leaving him behind, and everyone was treating him as if he was still sick. None of them could see beyond his past and his illness, and Charlie was just trying to figure out who he was now.

Both Charlie and Parker were trying to decide what they really wanted post cancer. Charlie was being reckless, while Parker was committing to a life she really didn't want to live. Thank goodness they had lots of great people to help them find their way.

Even from another continent, Em, Parker's best friend, lent her support. And, Parker also got support from someone, who had been there for her many years ago, Finn. Finn was probably one of my favorite characters in the book. He was trapped in his life by his guilt, accepting less than he deserved, but he was a beacon for Parker. He helped her see that there were endless possibilities for her to explore.

Ruby, who initially came off as a Parker-fangirl, ended up being a crucial part of Parker and Charlie's healing. She managed to be the voice of reason, and helped bridge that gap between the twins. She was also so easy to love.

This book delivered quite the emotional punch. I was crying quite a bit during the first half of the book. This family was in so much pain, and it dripped off the page. Their pain became my pain. I was so invested in Charlie's health, Parker's well-being, and them finding their way back to each other, that when things started looking up, I found myself elated.

I am getting a little choked up thinking about the ending, because I really loved it. It was beautiful and poetic and a little sad, but mostly uplifting.

Overall: A wonderful coming of age tale, which packed an emotional punch.

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read either of these books?

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