This book was very enjoyable. I loved the character development and the the plot of this book and would heavily recommend it to anyone who thinks that they may enjoy this book from what the contents of it are said about it.

I was unable to finish this book as i found out it was the second in a series after requesting and starting to read it. I went to read the first book but found i was not a fan of the world or the characters. I do regret this as this book seemed very interesting. I will try again to pick up this book and the first book later this year.

Before she saw them Julia sensed the paparazzi who lay in wait like sentries. Julia recognized a couple of them and wanted to prevent their interference in today of all days. Julia went through the heavy exit door then pushed enough energy through to make a hairline fracture. Then Julia started her run, feeling her muscles relax by the second. The faster she ran, the sooner she would arrive at the house. She kept running going away from all of it. From all the eyes on her. From the ghosts. Julia hadn’t been outside for three days. It had almost been one year since Julia risked exposing her family’s secrets to stop her sister from drowning. Julia’s heartbeat sped up when she saw John. It had been six months since she had seen John. John had scared her when he told her about a vision he had of where her family was hiding. Visions were something only Novak, her father could experience. The night she ran away from home, the same night her entire clan seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Novak told her about a prophecy he said that they would be able to read the mind of an outsider and that person would be essential to their survival. She had an idea that he wanted to probe there were more of them -genetically advanced - humans or at least that there were people who might be able to shift to become more like them. Novak had no idea Julia had been reading John’s mind for month at first she had been embarrassed by her strange connection to an outsider. Julia was in love with John. Then she read in John’s mind “my girlfriend’s here” . Julia was surprised she hadn't been able to read John’s mind in months. Julia thought of the lost kids -nher private name for the group of boys from her extended family who like her, had been told not to use their abilities . All Julia wanted was a fresh start. To fly under that radar -blend in, to be able to go to a party like this and act ehr age. Everyone knew Julia was the daughter of the world famous fugitive. Her entire family of sixty disappeared. But Julia stayed behind . But she missed her sister Liv Julia had been working on her hypersensitivities . So they they'd be together in California . John just had his summer competition tour to get through. Julia was the daughter of the Oracle of Austin, the billionaire who disappeared off the face of the earth with sixty people and is \now wanted by the FBI. That wasn’t the kind of attention Stanford wanted. John’s only vulnerability as far as Julia could tell was John’s only vulnerability as far as Julia could tell was his fear she would lose interest that he wasn’t enough compared to the Puris. Angus specifically as Julia had dumped John. Angus had looked at her. Julia had wanted her family to take her back. But in the end she wanted John more. When Julia got in her car Angus was in the back seat. They went to a rural road and Angus said “ you’re good I’ve been watching you. Angus told julia he knew where her father and the rest were and her father had someone watching her and she needed to leave Austin and she needed to be away from John for the summer for safety reasons for her, Angus and his family and John himself before Novak figured it out and abducted John to punish her. Also she knew that John was different to. Angus also said she needed to leave Austin with him. Going with John as he went to the tennis championship tour she would be noticed as would John.
I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a different kind of novel, that being said it was a very good read. I loved John and Julie together through it all. I loved how they interacted most of the time. I loved the plot. At times this dragged for me but even with that I didn’t want to put this down. I loved how close Alex and John were. I also really enjoyed the world building the author did. Especially for the Puris. I really liked how Elizabeth acted different when Julie went back and left the kids with her. This was just very interesting to me. I really liked the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I recommend this.

while I did enjoy this book, I couldn’t quite get into it. I absolutely loved the first book, so I don’t know if it has something to do with the time between books ( I also haven’t reread the first book in preparation for the second) maybe i forgot a few things. It seem to move pretty slow in the begging and just didn’t reach the expectations I had for it.

There is a very chatty blurb, and my advice is – don’t read it before picking up the book. The first book ended on something of a cliffhanger with a sudden revelation right at the very end, which turned everything on its head and had Julia making a snap decision not to join her family in their flight to a new life. So the start of Select Few has Julia coming to terms with that decision, after realising the enormity of her loss. She now has to make her way without her sister, whom she loves and misses and her overbearing authoritarian father. While at times she has revelled in her new freedom, she has also discovered that freedom is often accompanied by loneliness. Her relationship with John is also problematical, given that revelation at the end of the first book, so while her feelings for him are a comfort, he is often at a loss to understand her behaviour.

The reason I can discuss John’s feelings with such authority is that this book is a dual narrative with Julia’s first-person viewpoint telling most of the story, interleaved with John’s observations, addressed directly to Julia in the form of some kind of journal. If you haven’t read Select I recommend you do so if you are not feeling particularly bonded with the main characters, or you cannot work out what is going on. Given the first slice of the story is taken up with what is happening, I think this is one of those series where you really can’t crash midway in the series without floundering – and that would be a shame as I found the early part of the book particularly gripping while I tried to work out where it would go next.

Of course, if you are held at the start, the build-up has to really lead something – we’ve all read books which start with a bang and simply can’t sustain the momentum. Fortunately, Weisenberg has sufficient story and drive that the climax and final stages bring the book to a satisfying and convincing end.

I wasn’t as fed up with the inevitable love triangle as I usually am, and to be honest, I’m not sure why. But perhaps it was because I was sufficiently caught up in the main story and found the road trip also helped Julia comes to terms with some important issues along the way. Recommended for fans of paranormal coming-of-age books. While I obtained an arc of Select Few from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

This book was a bit of a let down from the first one. It felt disjointed and the plot just moved at a snail’s pace for most of it. The final confrontation between Julia and her father fell totally flat, and by the end of it I felt a bit confused. I think part of the issue might be that this was an ARC that just didn’t feel complete. There were times when I felt like there were parts of the text missing as evidenced by large blank spots and sentences starting in the middle. Hopefully if this is the case, these errors were caught before the final print.

The thing I remember liking the most from that first book was the romance/relationship between Julia and John. Sadly this was not the case with this book. They spend most of it separated from each other, which made it hard for them to develop their love for each other. I also started to dislike Julia a little bit in this book, she gets a little whiney and wimpy instead of the strong and self-sufficient girl from the first book. I also didn’t like the part of the book where she finds her mother. That back story just didn’t work well for me.

As I said before John and Julia spend most of the book apart and we don’t hear from John except for little snippets of thoughts at the start of some of the chapters. I would have liked to see more from him as his story line was far more interesting than Julia’s in this book.

This book had potential to be so much better, and I hope that the final edit fixed a lot of what I had issues with. I believe this is a duology, but there is potential for another book. Things were left open ended enough that it could go on. Not sure if I will continue if it does though after this one not quite doing it for me.

Julia, never feeling like she quite fit in with her influential father's family, has decided to separate herself from them and their cultish vibe. Now, her father, Novak, and the rest of her extended family has vanished, and the FBI is watching her to see if she leads them to their whereabouts. On the brink of getting ready to go to college and start the next chapter of her life, Julia begins to notice that her boyfriend, John, seems to be developing his own supernatural powers the more time they spend together. Not wanting him to fall victim to the struggles she faces, she decides to give him some space as she ventures west to find out more about her mother's side of the family. But, along the way, she encounters faces she thought she'd never see again, throwing her in a tailspin. Will she and John be able to overcome the summer of separation? Will Julia find answers to her questions about her mother?

I entered into this one realizing it was the second book in a series, and I have not read the first. It left me with a little bit of confusion here and there, but Weisenberg did a nice job of scaffolding the background knowledge needed to be able to understand this novel, without making it seem redundant to someone who'd read the first novel. I love YA. I really love YA novels that transport my thinking to a fantastical place. Therefore, I really loved this one.

The idea that there is another human life-form with supernatural abilities living among us is so intriguing. Weisenberg did an amazing job of developing her characters and their subtle "powers", making the reader question whether or not they have ever encountered another human capable of supernatural talent in real life. Julia is a "girl next door" character that struggles wither her past and what is to come of her future. The emotional battle between family and personal beliefs, as well as the "breaking up for your benefit" argument are so real to a young adult that the reader can't help but relate. I will definitely be reading the first in the series that I missed, and I am crossing my fingers number three is right around the corner!

This is a fun fantasy read and I would recommend it. The story is unique and interesting. It is well written in a style that is easy to read and keeps you interested. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel.

Select Few by Marit Weisenberg
Book Review - 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐ 

About The Story: 

After rejecting the cult-like influence of her father's family, Julia moves into a fancy hotel in downtown Austin. But she finds herself alone except for her boyfriend, John--and her fears. Once again she's suppressing her abilities, afraid her family will come for John when they find out he's been developing abilities of his own in her presence. The FBI is also keeping a close eye on Julia hoping she can lead them to her father, Novak, as he's wanted for questioning in his former assistant's death.

With tensions high, Julia and John agree to go separate ways for the summer, paving the way for Julia to reunite with Angus, fellow outcast. Together they set out on a road trip to California to find Julia's mom and a way into Novak's secret underground world. Along the way Julia will learn the Puri perhaps aren't the only humans evolving into something different. . . and that maybe she's the leader her people have needed all along.

Ok so I know I only 3/5 but hear me out. I am not saying this book is horribpe by only giving three stars. Or that you shouldn't try it out yourself. However, I found the writing to be very confusing at times and didnt know even know any characters until the third chapter. The premise is there but needs more guidance. There is no character or world building either at all, or very little. Also, this was an eARC, so maybe the edited version will be better. These are my honest thoughts, thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher as well as author for the advance copy and chance to review honestly.

In order to keep their love alive, they have to go their separate ways. That’s Julia’s plan to save John from her own family.
John is now discovering and developing his abilities and that’s something that Novak, Julia’s father, can never know about or he will take him away from her.
But throughout their parted ways, Angus makes an appearance back in Julia’s life, encouraging her to find out more about the Puris, risking her relationship with John.

I have to be honest, I liked the first book better than this one! Not gonna lie, I had really high hopes for this book after being so consumed by Select, so the minor thing is enough to disappoint. But basically, the major thing for me is that, in Select, they spent more time together than in Select Few. In this book, they spend most of the time apart from each other to keep them off of Novak’s radar. And we still have Angus, traveling with Julia. Which was also something that bothered me quite a bit. I mean, it’s not the worst thing ever since there’s no cheating but I guess their relationship as friends can be seen as something that is “more than friends”. But don’t fret about this, throughout the book you get to see her point of view on this matter and you will see that there’s nothing to be worried about when it comes to her feelings towards Angus.

Now that I have all the things that bothered me out of the way, let’s talk about more interesting things, like John’s abilities… I always loved how Julia could read John’s mind and so it was really cute to see how John now controls that. Julia can only read what John’s lets her read. Like, he blocks her out of his mind if he wants. It was fun, honestly!

Besides that, I also enjoyed to see her journey to find her mother and to figure out how a Puris can be with a person that is not a Puris, like her father did with her mother, so she can be sure that there’s no problem in building a life with John, a person who supposedly is not a Puris.

This book can’t standalone, you have to read Select in order to read Select few, otherwise, you won’t connect all the dots. Also, I’m not sure if this is the end of the series or not. The book doesn’t end with a cliffhanger but at the same time, there’s still so much that can happen to them now that they’re finally a couple. Fingers crossed for a third book people, fingers crossed!

Select few is the new installment of Select, the intense and suspenseful series where fantasy meets reality, and a genetically-advanced human falls in love with a regular person against all odds. For all fantasy/sci-fi lovers out there, here’s your (and mine) new YA favorite series!

Select Few is the sequel to Select which follows Julia and her cult-like family as they try to hide their unusual abilities from the rest of the world. Oh, and Julia's forbidden romance with John, an outsider. This one picks up where the first book left off and is a twisty story about love, the complexity of family relationships, and discovering who you are. The series also has a very interesting premise involving human evolution and unusual abilities.

A lot happens in this book and while it was interesting, the plot felt rather meandering at times. The first book felt much more straightforward in terms of structure and plot beats and I think this could have been streamlined. However, I still very much enjoyed it. We do get a bit of a love triangle in this book, and we finally get to learn more about Julia's mysterious mother. It does a good job wrapping up loose ends to a satisfying conclusion, but still leaves room for more. I received an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Great, original story. I enjoyed finding things out about all the characters and the string of mystery is very entertaining. I really enjoyed reading this book!

I loved this second book in the Select series! The second book was as good or better than the first. Julia had decided to break with her family when they went into hiding and is now living in a hotel (she has all the family money and is very wealthy!). She is trying to suppress her enhanced abilities, but people are always drawn to her anyway so she stays hidden as much as possible. The story continues where the first book left off and I think you would miss a lot if you haven't read the first book.

This is a fun fantasy read and I would recommend it. The story is unique and interesting. It is well written in a style that is easy to read and keeps you interested.

Thanks to Marit Wiesenberg and Charlesbridge through Netgalley for an advance copy of this novel.

Review URL: https://www.thepagewalker.com/2018/08/book-review-select-few-by-marit.html
Date of publication: 18 August 2018; 7:30am Central Standard Time

This 2nd book in the Select series offers more than the first book. If you’ve read my review for Select, you know what I mean.

Julia went her separate way the night her family disappeared, while keeping her boyfriend John’s abilities from out of her family’s radar, and dogging the FBI, who believes Julie can lead them to Novak.

Aside from the tension between them, Julia and John decided to go their separate ways for John’s safety and health. She and Angus reunited to hunt down her birth mother in California. Along the way, she learned some new details about herself, their race, and, how may be, they are not the only race evolving.

For all YA fans out there, all the trending YA elements are still present in this installment. But I’m happier that Ms. Weisenberg pursued the "Chachapuris perspective" more now. Also, all the major characters are back. I’m sorry that Julia and John’s relationship was not romanticized more, as expected by most YA readers. Although, I really don’t think that’s what the author is really gunning for this series. So, we all should hang tight and see how these all fuses together.

I love the book cover. You would have to have read book 1 to “get” the cover art [other than it being a pretty cover]. It lends a bit of mystery and illusion, or if you want to get philosophical ;-), maybe the image portrays hope (butterflies) for a broken world.

“Select Few” is the sequel to “Select”, book 1 (which fascinated and intrigued me – fabulous!). This book, while a great fantasy follow up . . . the first half of the book was . . . monotonous.
Where is the excitement? Where is the seat gripping suspense?
Again, this was a good book, BUT after the build up of the fantasy, the characters, the mystery, the fantasy, suspense and exciting events of book 1 . . . . this book was like a child's Merry-go-round vs the screaming roller coaster of book 1.

This book just limped along to a small firecracker pop at the end.

Definitely read book 1 “Select” first or you will not understand all the dynamic relationships between the characters in this story.

I usually write longer, more enthusiastic book reviews..... I'll try to do better next time. ;-D

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I remember when I first came across the first book in the Select series, I feel in love with it instantly. This was just the same. It is part of a series so leads on from where Select left off, but it takes us on a now journey.
I loved it, and even though I have read the advanced copy, I know I will be purchasing it when it is released. I would certainly recommended this book to some of my friends!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so I just recently dove back into the first book of this series Select. The second time around I still ended up loving the whole thing: characters, story, drama, etc. You name it and I probably loved it.

After diving into this book, Select Few, well I can honestly say I still really enjoyed everything. Julia is such a strong character to get behind. I honestly have no idea how I would survive or what I would do if I was ever put in her position. She walked away from her family, even knowing that her dad wanted to leave her behind, and she still ended up proving to not only herself but to everyone from her old community that she was stronger than before. She was the next true leader and all she had to do was stand up to her crazy and super douchey dad.

However, that doesn't mean that I loved every little thing about this book because trust me I was mad at a ton of stuff. Julia and Angus were just frustrating at times. The there was the whole mom thing and that got me mad too. I just feel liked characters did certain things that just ended up rubbing me the wrong way. Towards the end, I definitely feel like they sort of redeemed themselves.. but I'm still not one hundred percent sure.

Then there's Julia and John - I just simply adored them. I hated how they were when they were apart. Of course it frustrated them both and things were happening out of their control.. John's little rebellion when he was using his magic to heal him when he knew he wasn't supposed to use his ability at all. Then the whole fighting going on between them almost broke my heart. I just wanted them to end up together because they honestly were way better when they were actually together.

Again, I just loved these two so much. Overall, the ending was perfect in my eyes. I have no comments or improvements for it. I loved getting to read some of John's POV (because it was amazing) and I just hope and pray that there's going to be a third book. If not, I will be happy with these two forever.

While I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher (via netgalley) all opinions remain my own.

I didn't realize, until I was completely finished, that I hadn't read book one at all. I thought I just forgot it. :/ Oh well. I don't think it made things too hard to follow. There were probably bits of the book I would have understood better if I read book one first, but it was still an good. book.

To be honest, the first half (or at least the first third) could have just gone away. I thought it was just fluff to make the book longer. I thought the real story started on the beach. If you have read it, you know what I mean. That is when I thought it got really good. If my review started from there, the book would have five stars. It bumps down to three by including the rest. I thought it just added a bunch of fluff that didn't mean much of anything to the story. After the beach though, the story picks up and gets exciting. You really see what is happening and I thought it was amazing. I would really like to read Select now and see what Julia's dad was up to in the beginning. that made him think what he did was worth it. Read Select few to see what I mean. ;)

I normally do not go for this type of book but I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I didnt now this was the second book at the time of requesting so I read the first one and then this one and I really enjoyed them. I would recommend.

Seemed like a filler book. Not a lot happened but it was still a good read. I’ll definitely pick up the third if there’s going to be one!!