ARC Review: You Were Here

An ARC Review or a read to review book is one that was sent to me in exchange for an honest review, either from the author or publisher, but this in no way alters my review or thoughts on the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire. 

Title: You Were Here

Series: N/A, Standalone

Author: Cori McCarthy

Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Fire

Publication Date: 1st March 2016

Pages: 400

My Rating: 4 stars

Jaycee wants to do what her older brother Jake couldn't do.

She wants to achieve the things he didn't by carrying on his daredevil legacy. 

On the anniversary of his death, herself and four equally messed up classmates break into an asylum, which was his favourite hiding place. And she discovers a map explaining all the dares and adventures he wanted to have before his untimely death. 

Jaycee vows to complete them all.

Even if it kills her too. 

She treats it as a way to get close to him, to feel his spirit with her as she goes through these dares with the help of the friends that she has pushed away over the years. Maybe just maybe, these dares will help her live...just as they helped Jake die.

I have mixed feelings about this book. 

Right, now hear me out. I loved it on one hand. Stories about dead siblings for some reason seem to appeal to me. I like the gritty recovery and the grief process. I love hearing about how people find their solace in what is ultimately, a terrible situation. 

So you would think I would be over the moon about this book. 

But I'm not. 

I liked it enough to give it four stars, and usually that means I'm borderline obsessed with it. But there just wasn't enough about the book for me to give it any lower. 

• The writing: Brilliant
• The plot: Brilliant
• The format: Brilliant

I loved the use of different mediums, first person, third person, graphic novel, graffiti. I loved it all. 

But the reason I didn't like this book to the moon and back? The characters. 

I hated them!

All of them!

Even Jaycee. She was reckless and idiotic. She planned to do the same thing that got her brother killed just because she missed him? Her parent's had already lost a child! She was still alive! Natalie was just self centred and really annoying in some places. Bishop, I hated the least. Mik, or Ryan, or whatever his name was, was simply just annoying. I didn't like him at all in the end. Zach was also pretty dumb. 

So good book, bad characters. 

QOTD: Do you like books about siblings who have died? (I've read a few and my favourite is probably The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.)

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