Justine's Thoughts: The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye
By Deb Caletti

Pages:

298

Book Description:

Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye feels like she has it all - a waitress job she loves, an adorable refrigerator-delivery-guy boyfriend, and a home life that’s slightly crazed but rich in love. Until a mysterious man at the restaurant leaves her a 2.5-million-dollar tip, and her life as she knows it is transformed.

At first it’s amazing: a hot new car, an enormous flat-screen TV, and presents for everyone she cares about. Indigo laughs off the warnings that money changes people, because she knows it won’t happen to her. Until the day she looks around and realizes everything important is slipping away and no amount of money can buy it all back. . . .

A quote:

“Love is about balance, and even doing the right thing is balance...”

Any thoughts:

• Deb Caletti can certainly tell a story magically. I love how the words flow with such meaning and power. This is one of the books that you can say as a response to the question: “What book may have changed your life?” It makes you look around you and change your views on the things you take for granted.
• This is the very first line of the story, “You can tell a lot about people from what they order for breakfast.” Simple and very intriguing, right? But right after that, it threw a bombshell on me with these examples. There were suddenly lots of characters whose actions were described in detail. It made it difficult to picture and made me kind of overwhelmed.
• To me, it seems that Indigo Skye’s family and her boyfriend are enjoyable to have around. They get along well, they have fun, and they have this deep connection. But when it comes to her friend, Melanie, it feels like their friendship is based on something on the surface. They don’t connect, they don’t have this bond.
• Throughout the novel, I noticed a lot of observations and even though the words sounded powerful, it bored me. So I skimmed and got to the real part, because once I’m given enough observations/examples, I get it. I understand it. So let’s move on to the story.
• Therefore, I can’t say that this novel wasn’t enjoyable, because it was. For a bit. The plot interested me, though I also can’t say that it made it hard to turn the page, because it didn’t. Anyway, if you’re looking for a book that sends out a meaningful message, this one is definitely for you.

Justine's Thoughts: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
By Deb Caletti

Pages:

308

Book Description:

It is summer in the Northwest town of Nine Mile Falls, and sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen ordinarily dubbed The Quiet Girl, finds herself hanging out with gorgeous, rich, thrill-seeking Travis Becker. But Ruby is in over her head, and finds she is risking more and more when she’s with him.

In an effort to keep Ruby occupied, Ruby’s mother Ann drags Ruby to the weekly book club she runs. When it is discovered that one of the group’s own members is the subject of the tragic love story they are reading, Ann and Ruby spearhead a reunion between the long-ago lovers. But for Ruby, this mission turns out to be much more than just a road trip. . .

A quote:

“Love can come when you’re already who you are, when you are filled with you. Not when you look to someone else to fill the empty space.” Miz June said. “Not when it’s your definition.”

Any thoughts:

Wow, this book really does deserve to be A National Book Award Finalist. It’s got so much possible quotes that it was so hard to pick just one (especially in the end - the imagery!). I went with the quote above, though, because...well, I just like quotes on love in general.

It seems to me that there are two main plots in the story (as you can already tell from the description). First, there’s Ruby and Travis. She falls for him, but it’s not like her to do that kind of thing. As she mentioned, she felt that it was like a whole other person was talking and doing everything and she was also the one to make the first move. The reason? You’ll have to read it yourself to find out. Second, the Casserole Queens (a name given to the book club members). I have to say, I really, really, really loved them. Their conversations were so enjoyable and realistic! I loved their sense of humour and adventure, especially when they decide to do something exciting. It actually makes me want to join a book club.

In the beginning, it wasn’t difficult to relate to Ruby McQueen. She’s The Quiet Girl, but when she reads out loud, it sounds like there’s something more to her and people look at you with the softest concentration. But throughout the novel, she makes choices, foolish ones, and in the end, she sets herself to repair what she’s done.

The relationship between Ruby and her brother, Chip Jr. is amazing. At one point, they were fighting, like all siblings do, and then before you know it, they’re playing Things I Hate. I found myself laughing at the things Chip Jr. did. For example:

“Mooshie mooshie.” Chip Jr. made kissy noises my way. I whacked him. (p. 283)

You’ll find out what mooshie mooshie means, but that’s what made me laugh.

The end, oh my. It was absolutely perfect, but man, oh man, it was sad. Everything was resolved and complete, though, and I think that’s a good thing. The book also left me to ponder about a lot of things, especially love (the quote above made me really think). The whole time I was reading the book, I felt a sense of meaning and understanding, as if the novel was meant to do just that. Deb Caletti is one heck of a writer, that’s for sure.

Justine's Thoughts: The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

The Nature of Jade
By Deb Caletti

Pages:

288

Book Description:

Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, Jade DeLuna is trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That’s why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, which is where she firsts sees Sebastian.

When she finally meets him, their connection is immediate, and soon Jade is drawn into the cozy life Sebastian has with his son and his grandmother on their Seattle houseboat. Even though the situation is complicated, Jade hasn’t felt this safe in a long time.

Until she learns that Sebastian is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right...

A quote:

Sometimes, love is a surprise, an instant of recognition, a sudden gift at a sudden moment that makes everything different from then on. Some people will say that’s not love, that you can’t really love someone you don’t know. But I’m not so sure. Love doesn’t seem to follow a plan; it’s not a series of steps. It can hit with the force of nature - an earthquake, a tidal wave, a storm of wild, relentless energy that is beyond your simple attempts at control.

Any thoughts:

I thought this book would capture my attention from the start after reading the summary. It was a reasonable assumption because I love animals and there’s some romance mentioned. But the beginning I found a little boring. They were a few unnecessary details that I spotted here and there and it took me a while to actually like it, which I did in the end. For a first of Deb Caletti’s books, it wasn’t so bad.

It was well and smoothly written, just like Sarah Dessen’s books. It makes you feel somewhat calm. Maybe it’s because of the analogies that helped describe the situations or the setting. It gives a sense of meaning of hidden messages. But it also felt like a long time to get to the point.

I sure learned a lot about animals, not just elephants. At the beginning of each chapter, there’s a paragraph (that relates to the chapter, of course) about different kinds of animals. It’s interesting to know a little bit about them and their behaviour. I learned a lot of other things, as well: change, instinct, and fear.

The characters, I thought, were brilliantly developed, although Oliver (Jade’s younger brother) was my favourite. Jade (our heroine) also seemed realistic and funny. You could tell that she does have anxiety by the way she tells the story. But Sebastian (Jade’s love interest), I thought, was kind of iffy. Apart from him having a son, he didn’t feel interesting. He’s nice, sure, but I couldn’t really find the reason why Jade fell in love with him. And the minor characters - they were just so many. You see, when I read, I like to visualize (it’s probably what most people do, too) so when I stumble upon insignificant characters, I picture them as just...heads, even though they come with their own description.

So to summarize, this book was okay. I liked it, but I felt like I could have liked it more. I’m planning on reading more of Deb Caletti’s novels though, which I’ve heard were much better.