Book Review: Moving On

                                                                     Title: Moving On

Creator: Greg Berlanti 

Series: Everwood

Pages: 233

Publisher: Simon Spotlight

Year Published: 2004

 

“Just when Ephram Brown starts to think Everwood isn’t so bad after all, everything changes. Thanks to Dr. Brown’s skill as a neurosurgeon, Colin Hart comes out of his coma and makes a miraculous recovery. The town’s golden boy is back, and everyone is thrilled-no one more so than Amy.

 She has her boyfriend back, and that’s the only thing in the world that matters to her. Ephram’s friendship and the kiss he and Amy shared just before Colin woke up seem to have slipped her mind completely. The irony that while she’s trying to pretend she barely knows Ephram. Colin wants him to be his best friend. That’s when things get awkward.

 Amy and her brother, Bright, want the old Colin back- the one they used to spend all of their time with before the accident. What they don’t realize is that Colin may be gone forever.”

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

This is the second book that has been adapted from the Everwood tv series. I was happy that I had picked up both the first and the second book when I went book shopping last time around. I loved that I got to read into the characters and see them grow into themselves. Good or bad. It’s really important for an author to show the change in characters and I feel like that’s something tat so many people miss. If your characters are always the same, it gets to be a boring book. I think another important to see that the characters in this instalment start acting differently towards each other. They start to actually form bonds and friendships. Getting to understand what everyone else is about.  I also feel like these teenage characters and transforming from teens to adulthood and it’s definitely a tough transition to make.

One thing I didn’t care for during this book is the way that cliques are shown. It’s such a stereotype. I mean the popular people are all jocks and the golden boy of course is the all star. And everyone bends over for the all star. In real life it’s not like that. These fit so many stereotypes.

THANK YOU GREG BERLANTI FOR SHOWING THE RESULT OF HORRIBLE ACCIDENTS!

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Moving On

I think this book expanded from the first one with the characters finding out who they are. We definitely see a change between Ephram and his father grow closer after secrets are shared and things are explained. I do want to know what exactly happened with Ephram’s mom, but I’m curious. I also feel like with Colin awaking all the teens had to turn into adults. They have to start  realizing that just because he woke up doesn’t mean he could just hop back into life and that’s a difficult thing to deal with. Another big topic in this book is guilt. I felt so bad for Andy during this book because of how he didn’t do all he good to save Colin, but that’s not what Colin wanted. He didn’t want to be a handicapped and have people throw their life away for his when he wouldn’t even notice. In a way I think that’s brave.

 

♥Characters:♥

♥Ephram- I feel like Ephram is starting to accept the fact that his mother is gone and as sad and awful as it is, he can’t go back in time. I’m happy that he’s throwing himself back into the music. And since that’s his passion that’s really important. Passion is what makes or breaks you. Between his passion and talent I think he has a chance to make it to the big leagues. I feel awful that he’s in the friend zone with Amy but she was waiting on someone in a coma, she wasn’t just gonna leave him as soon as he woke up and go for Ephram. I am proud that he told his dad about what was going on with Colin, because obviously Colin wasn’t himself. It was scary. And surprisingly although Ephram was threatened by Colin he had the guts to go and tell someone about it. I was impressed.

♥Amy- I just don’t understand her. She gives Ephram so many ideas that they would and should get together, ex. Kissing, talking through things, dancing together. Just to friend zone him. Even after Colin’s death she moves on quickly but to someone who doesn’t even seem to care about her. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I hope that she can move on from Colin, but I also was hoping that someone would have let her know that before the accident Colin didn’t want to be with her anymore. Oh well, I guess she’ll be ok after time and maybe if she gets to see the real world for what it is.

♥Colin- I was surprised that he died, but really he was going kind of nuts about things. I didn’t realize that after you come out a coma, violent behaviour is a symptom. I think that without the surgery that killed him Colin would have gotten progressively worse until he would have had to been institutionalized. I mean what if Amy said something that didn’t sit with him so well. Would he just hit her like he destroyed the coaches office, or put his hand through his truck window? I’m not happy he died, but not having the surgery wasn’t an option.

♥Andy- I can understand how he felt guilty about what happened with Colin, but he was doing what Colin asked and that was probably the best for everyone. That way Amy didn’t waste her life praying for her miracle boy to come back. I’m extremely happy that he finally got the confidence for telling Ephram the truth about his mother.

♥Bright- I feel bad for him. He lost his best friend and in some ways his sister. He lost Colin before he passed away. Really Colin couldn’t be expected to be the person he was before the accident. I mean he had a brain injury and was out for at least half a year. I hope that he and Ephram become friends that don’t involve him spying on Amy but I doubt that will happen.

♥Delia- She must have such a hard time with people constantly acting like her dad is a murderer. That’s not fair to do to a kid. No matter what the parents did it doesn’t mean that the kid should receive the punishment. That goes for everyone.

♥Madison- Is it just me or do guys seem to find babysitters hot? It just seems like it’s a common reoccurrence. I feel bad that Ephram thinks that he can make it work, that’s just ridiculous. I mean he kissed her and she seemed pretty grossed out so why would you go back and keep trying. I mean persistence has it place, but I don’t think it works that way with women. Besides in some ways she’s pretty condescending. I wouldn’t want to hang out with someone who was telling me what to eat, and what to do.

♥Laynie- I think that she could have had Ephram if the timing wasn’t so bad. He’s just so obsessed with Amy that he can’t even think about other girls so it appears. But maybe just maybe this will be a future what if.

 

♥Moments to Remember:♥

♥Pg.18

“’For your information, he approached me.’

  Amy blinked, clearly surprised. ‘He did? Why? I mean… why?’
 ‘I don’t know. Maybe he thinks I’m pretty,’”
 

♥Pg.59

“’Don’t get me wrong. I love my brother to death and I cried like a bunny to know I was still in his head somewhere,’ Laynie said. ‘But ever since that truck flipped… my entire life has been about him.’

 ‘I wasn’t aware bunnies did much crying,’”
 

♥Pg. 78

“’Look, I’m gonna mess this thing up eventually, ‘cause that’s just what I do,’ he said, opting for honesty. ‘But please give me a real chance to mess it up. I mean, I’m capable of such stupidity that you’d be wasting my talent to end this now. Go out with me tomorrow night. Let me take you somewhere nice. I’m completely terrible on the second date. You shouldn’t miss it if you have the chance. Please.’”

♥Pg. 185

“’Can I go to a frat party tonight?’

His father blinked. ‘A frat party?’
‘Yes. There’s going to be drinking, drugs, unprotected sex,’ Ephram said, enjoying the look on his father’s face. ‘I’ll probably be the youngest person there. Besides, I don’t wanna go. I have to.’”

 

♥Pg. 199

“’So what’s your flaw?’ Ephram asked.

 ‘My looks,’ Bright said, causing Ephram to roll his eyes. ‘I know it seems hard to believe, but being this attractive comes at a cost. For one thing, no one ever takes you seriously. Not to mention the constant grooming.’

 ‘There are so many things wrong with this conversation,’”

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

 

Book Review: First Impressions

 

Title: First Impressions

Adapted by: Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns
Series: Everwood
Pages: 228
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Year Published: 2004

“Ephram Brown has a pretty good life in New York City- great friends, a gift for playing the piano, and a really cool mom. The only thing he doesn’t have is the best relationship with his dad, famous neurosurgeon Dr. Andy Brown. How could he when the great Dr. Brown is too busy saving lives to spend any time with him?

 Then Ephram’s mom dies suddenly in a car accident. And, as if things couldn’t get any worse, his father loses his mind and decides to move the family to a time town in Colorado called Everwood. There are good things about living in the sticks, though. Well, one thing, anyway- Amy Abbott. She is beautiful and cool and Ephram falls for her immediately. The catch? Amy has a boyfriend who’s in a coma- and Ephram’s dad, ironically might be the only one who can save him…”

My Rating: 4/5

  First off, this book is based on a tv show so it was harder one to rate. Not because I’ve watched it but rather because I had to remember that this book was adapted from scripts.

  I think for the time this is a good book. I feel as though the characters could easily be real and while there is over stated drama, there is some of the normal teenage drama as well. My favourite part of this book has got to be the setting. Being from a small town, I can totally connect with the small town life described in this book. How everyone knows about each other, either based on what you’ve left or in some other cases what your parents have left for your name. I can definitely relate with the latter. I also loved the small high school thing, definitely reminds me of home. That’s something I can surely visualize better than New York. Having grown up in a similar scenario.

THANK YOU GREG BERLANTI (creator) FOR ZONING IN HOW SMALL TOWN LIFE WORKS!

Thank for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

 

 

Spoiler: First Impressions

As I mentioned above this book is adapted from a tv series, not one that is currently playing, at least not that I could find. I think the point of the series is to show not only what grief can do to you, but what being thrown out of your element can do. There are so mangy things that change for Ephram Brown so quickly first losing his mom and then a new town. All so quickly, but maybe that the way to do change, all in one go.

 

♥Characters♥

♥Ephram- As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough it seems as though he goes from doing ok to a ship wreck and who can blame how he reacts to all of this. He lost his confidant, his mother. Moving isn’t easy normally, but after a traumatic event, that must be ridiculously difficult. But I think in the end he’ll make it through. It sucks about Amy though, but really they’re fifteen, nothing but time to figure out they’re lives.

♥Andy- I think he’s not the best father cause he’s never actually had to be the parent. He was always kind of the figure head. He’s trying his best I think but he wasn’t prepared for the responsibility.

♥Delia- a cute kid, I feel awful that she lost her mother so young and I imagine that will affect her further in the series.

♥Amy- I think she fell for Ephram just as he fell for her, but after she kind of played him to get to his father. I don’t understand how she can pretend she didn’t kiss him and run back to a boy who apparently doesn’t even love her.

♥Bright- In the long run he’s trying to look out for his littler sister and his best friend. It’s gotta be a tough position to be in, he just doesn’t go about it the best way.

 

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 52

“ ‘No, she’s not my girlfriend,’ he told her.

   Delia’s grin stretched wider than Ephram would have though possible. ‘But you want her to be.’

   ‘You’re this close to knowing pain in a form you’ve never known before,’”

♥Pg. 76

“‘When you guys come up with these traditions, are you still high on the crack, or are you just coming down?’”

 

♥Pg. 100

“‘What is that?’ he demanded, nodding toward the lawn where the deer was tied.

  ‘A doe,’ Ephram said trying to sound light-hearted. ‘A deer. A female deer- ‘”

 

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo