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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great and realistic story, but unsatisfying ending, July 24, 2010
This review is from: No More Us for You (Hardcover)
This was a great book. The events and emotions were all pretty realistic.
The beginning wasn't slow at all and I felt the characters were portrayed very realistically.
I agree with another reviewer that said Isabel was really depressing. But I think it was okay for the author to make her this way, with it being the anniversary of her boyfriend's death. Some people have a hard time getting over these things and it wasn't like she completely shut herself off from her friends or the rest of the world.
I thought Snake and Carlos were hilarious together.
Heidi's jealousy of Vanessa and Isabel getting closer together was also portrayed accurately. I have witnessed that happened to a few friends of mine.
I like how Carlos' and Isabel's relationship progressed. When they first meet, you begin to get nostalgic of when you first met someone you liked. You root for them and hope that something good happens.
The accident with Snake and Vanessa completely broke my heart. I think the author did a good job of showing Isabel's and Heidi's breakdown. Also, I was annoyed at first of Carlos' kissing Nadine, his fellow security guard and sneaking off to Mira, his ex-girlfriend, but I get it: he was vulnerable.
I like how the characters attempted to move on and accept what happened, especially with Isabel who has experienced two deaths within a year.
The only part of the book I didn't like was the ending. It felt abrupt and kind of left me with a question mark on my forehead. Obviously, Carlos' and Isabel's relationship grows but what else? And what happened to Snake?
I was surprised at (but didn't mind) the amount of alcohol and drugs that were involved. A lot of high school students do go through that: tons of partying, drinking and experimenting with pot.
So I think this is a really realistic book that shows dealing with relationships, the social life of a high school student, and as well as the growing up that comes with tragedy.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 10, 2009
This review is from: No More Us for You (Hardcover)
On his first day at his new job working as a security guard at the Long Beach Contemporary Museum, 17-year-old Carlos finds himself cleaning up a pool of urine left by some random guy that just walks in and goes on the floor.
Surrounded by some of the strangest "art" he's ever seen, Carlos is sure that this will be a much easier gig than bagging groceries, and will be a great way to buy some nice things for his girlfriend, Mira. During the urine incident, he meets Vanessa, a relatively new classmate at his school who works as the museum's receptionist.
Another classmate, Isabel, also meets Vanessa for the first time shortly afterward. The one-year anniversary of the car accident that took Isabel's boyfriend's life is approaching, and Isabel can't keep her mind from wandering off from time to time, where it ends up exploring ideas of death and fate. When she and her best friend, Heidi, befriend Vanessa, Isabel ends up in the middle of a friendship triangle while she tries to sort out her own mind and come to terms with Gabriel's death.
Vanessa can tell that Isabel needs some distraction, and she tells Isabel that a guy at her job, Carlos, would be perfect for her. Carlos, on the other hand, is still reeling from a friend's difficult situation, and the hard blow that Mira has just dealt him.
On the fateful night of the Valentine's dance, Isabel and Vanessa meet up with Carlos and his best friend, Snake. Both Isabel and Carlos look forward to this opportunity to get to know one another and forget their troubles, but then tragedy strikes, throwing everyone's lives into turmoil. Is this relationship over before it has the opportunity to start?
I was surprised at the heavy amount of adult content in this story. The very title is taken from a display at the art museum that reads "No More C***us for You," and rough language is tossed around easily and almost without purpose. This book also focuses on some mature themes, such as drugs, gangs, drunk driving, and teen pregnancy. This is definitely a book for the more mature teen.
Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Hopeful but only scratches the surface, February 8, 2009
This review is from: No More Us for You (Hardcover)
This is a sweet and sometimes humorous book that deals with death, grief, life, and love. It wasn't exactly what I was had thought it would be like but there is nothing wrong with that! I loved reading the alternating perspectives of Isabel and Carlos, their private fears and wishes, and their thoughts about each other and their friends. I was expecting to get to know Vanessa a lot more than I actually did and I felt there were some loose endings left with her storyline.
I liked Carlos's perspective the most, everytime he was in the art gallery that he worked at as a security guard my ears perked up. I loved it all, the strange artwork, the crazy man that comes into the gallery to destroy artwork, and the artist that comes in to repair his neon sign piece that has partially burnt out. It was a great atmosphere that the author created. You could definitely tell the author has a background in the arts! This passages really shine for me!
I found this a hopeful book that shows a great snapshot of teen life but felt like it barely scratched the surface of what the author had created for himself to play with.
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