This one was an okay for me. Readable, but not truly my style. Would try the author again, though.

The cruise is her parents' idea, a "Sail-a-bration" with her three closest friends to celebrate Natalie's birthday and to help ease her grief after her boyfriend's death in a car accident. Natalie is physically but not mentally on board with the plan. But on the first day of the cruise, a conversation with an intriguing boy piques her interest before he seemingly disappears. When she spots him again, it turns out to be his twin brother. (Or is it?)

His brother Michael warns her away from Ray, further piquing her interest, which turns to concern when the cruise ship staff announce a hurried head count. Are all the passengers accounted for? Did Ray go overboard?

Altebrando sets up a delightfully claustrophobic mystery aboard the ship, as Natalie tries to figure out what's going on with the brothers. Her interest in film and a school assignment to develop a super-short on the trip lead to some plays off Alfred Hitchcock films. Although I found the ending something of a letdown, the strength of the writing carries "The Opposite of Here."

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection on preorder and will recommend it to students.

Tara Altebrando expertly captured what it must be like to try to deal with a loss while also moving on, and having conflicting feelings about it all. Such a great book.

I did not finish this book. I have trouble with cruise ship books when it appears very obvious that the author has not been on a cruise before.

To celebrate her seventeenth birthday, Natalie goes on a "sail-a-bration" cruise with her parents and her three best friends. But Natalie, still mourning the death of her boyfriend ten months before, does not want to celebrate. On the first night of the cruise, Natalie meets a guy and feels instantaneously connected to him. However, he disappears and Natalie fears he jumped overboard. Natalie is determined to figure out who the mysterious guy is and what happened that fateful night.

I loved the cruise ship setting. I liked how the days of the cruise were separated by the inclusion of the cruise ship's daily itinerary. This was a creative way to mark the passing of time and was fun to read about the onboard activities cruises offer. I also enjoyed the twisty mystery aspect of the plot. The book was a quick and easy read that kept me guessing until the end.

I did not feel connected to any of the characters. It felt unrealistic that Natalie went from being depressed about the death of her boyfriend and then suddenly perks up and falls for a guy she just met. At the beginning of the novel, Natalie explains her friends' distinct personalities, but then they take on cruise ship personalities that are basically interchangeable. For example, it seemed unnecessary to make a big point about how Charlotte "plays by the rules" at home, but then she buys beer for her (underage) self and friends while on the cruise. I was also frustrated by how the girls talked about boys and pretty much nothing else. Altebrando addressed with Bechdel test fail directly, but did little to remedy it.

Natalie and her friends are enrolled in a film class at school. Because they missed school for the "sail-a-bration", their film teacher asked them to each complete a two-line movie during the trip as a make-up assignment. Natalie's practice scripts for her two-line movie were sprinkled in throughout the novel. Unlike my enjoyment of the cruise ship's daily itinerary, I found this creative format to be distracting and irrelevant.

I am giving this novel 2 stars. I was really excited about reading this novel. The plot sounded interesting and I love the cruise ship setting. However, this book was too weird and disjointed for me.

3.5 Gripping cruise ship mystery - a great readalike for fans of The Woman in Cabin 10. Will leave you guessing what is real and what is not...

A few months ago Natalie's boyfriend died in a car accident, and life has been hard ever since. Hoping to lift her spirits, Natalie's parents take her and her three best friends on a cruise for her birthday. Things seem to be looking up when Natalie meets an interesting boy and opens up to him, but when he doesn't show up for their next meeting, Natalie gets really concerned. Could he have jumped? Is that why the captain is calling for a mandatory head count?

The Opposite of Here has a great premise: a missing person in a contained location. Tara Altebrando's new book is a fast-paced thriller, and the setting that makes for a perfect summer read, especially as it's not too serious or too intense.

I am a huge fan of cruises, and haven’t read any books (maybe one?) that takes place on one. You can tell the author has been on many, or has done a ton of research.The plot line was very unique and I loved it. You never saw what was coming and the twists and turns were executed wonderfully.

Natalie was very relatable to me. She was trying to deal with the grief that goes along with losing someone you love so suddenly. She was very closed off and difficult to deal with in the beginning and I loved seeing her transition throughout the book. Her friends annoyed me and I found that I was getting very frustrated by them, which I feel like was the point. Her parent were wonderful and you can tell how much they love their daughter and her friends.

Overall I really enjoyed the plot and definitely was questioning all the secondary characters. I am a a huge liver of thriller/mysteries and am loving getting into young adult books in this genre. I didn’t really find myself scared, which I was expecting, I was more so confused most of the book. I would absolutely recommend picking this one up.

Sadly this book was disappointing. It follows Natalie, whose parents take her and her 3 best friends on a cruise for her birthday. And let's just say, things happen that are a lot less interesting than they sound. Natalie meets this mysterious guy on the first night, and then he just kind of disappears. Then there are rumors of someone falling overboard. After we learn that everyone is accounted for, this guy is still awol. Natalie becomes obsessed with him and is convinced he is keeping secrets from her, which is understandable because they only just met and are practically strangers. Why does she think he owes her his whole life story? Honestly, she should have just let it go like any normal person would, but she won't rest until she puts her nose in other peoples business. 

The plot is dull and doesn't make much sense. Altebrando jumps around in the middle of a scene and all of a sudden we're in a different place or flashback and it's extremely frustrating trying to follow. I don't understand what kind of editor would allow any of that. It was meant to be a thriller I believe, but it wasn't even the least bit suspenseful. 

A book like this might be enjoyable if the characters are done well, but honestly, none of them were even likable. The Opposite of here was a dud, and not worth reading. 

1/5 stars :(

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of The Opposite of Here, in exchange for an honest review.

Once again I am stuck with writing a less than stellar review. In the books' defense, I don't believe I'm the target market and a teenager would probably enjoy it more than I did.

The format of the story is blocked out with the itineraries for the cruise ship's activities. After reading through the first few studiously and not finding clues to the mystery, I started skimming these parts, and so, if there were clues for upcoming events I missed them. I was left with never wanting to go on a cruise if this is the approach to herding people around for fun.

Natalie is interested in Hitchcock movies and the scenes are interrupted with notations as if it's a movie script. The denotations were not always clear and it became confusing if Natalie was relating an imaginary scene or something actually happening. This may be the fault of my reading an ARC and hopefully is fixed in the final version. There were other mistakes where the "movie scene" in Natalie's head flowed right into a paragraph that was actually happening. I had to read those twice, which always annoys me when reading a novel, and affects my overall rating.

I didn't love the characterization. Natalie was whiney - and I know she was getting over her boyfriend who had died, but I needed more empathy for her. However, I did like her explanation of why she wasn't as broken up over him as she "should" have been. Several boys were mentioned on the cruise. I felt like Ray, the darkest character, was the most interesting because we slowly learned his motivations for his actions. He is fascinated with hypnotism and shows his skills at a talent night on the boat - but his act has an undercurrent of danger.

Nora was the most interesting of Natalie's friends because of her flaws. I'm not convinced that Natalie could forgive her easily for those flaws, but Nora certainly stirred the pot in an interesting way. I would have liked to feel more connected to any of the friends. I thought the bit with the necklace was interesting - it seemed like Nora had considered pretending that the necklace had been a gift, but Natalie would know that wasn't true from first hand experience. I thought this was a point where the two friends could reconnect more deeply after being hurt by one another.

The end could be seen as a big plus or a minus. After some consideration I've decided I'm on the plus side. So as not to give away the twist and spoiler, I will only say that the final details tie up the plot ends neatly like a package (which is why some won't like it), but it also provides the motivation for the majority of characters as a big reveal (which is why I decided I liked the end). Regardless, the final twist is what made this book memorable.

I haven't read many contemporary mysteries with teens as the protagonist, so this could cloud my point of view. I was also offended when Natalie has a huge epiphany about her identity and doesn't need her dead boyfriend or any boy as the measure of her value, and then she jumps right into bed with a guy. What's up with that? It seemed like her actions took away the life lesson learned that she was actually valuable for more than her body.  I can't really recommend this mystery.

I'm still not even sure why I gravitated to this one. Her debut was a little too weird for me and I don't even remember reading her second one because of it. But something made me want to read this one. And this one was just as weird as her first.

After "the accident," Natalie and her friends go on a cruise to help her move on with her life. She just knew that she wouldn't have a good time. However, she meets someone on the first night and they fall for each other. Hard. But then, he disappears. People begin to speculate that he jumped, but as more information comes in, there's something a lot more weird going on than Natalie originally thought.

This book was so weird. There was just too much going on for me. From the sad beginning, to the weird information that comes up about the friend, to the weird stuff that happens on board, to the super weird ending. It was all really strange. And it just made me slog through it.

As for the plot, the first part of this book, it kind of feels a bit too weird and I wanted to quit reading it. But somewhere along the way I got really interested in the story and was swept away into the mystery. And it turned out to be a lot more interesting than I thought. I'm not sure I've ever read a book with this type of "accident" ever. In YA or adult. It's an interesting concept for a book and I actually kind of liked what Altebrando did with it. Weird or not.

As for the characters, I wasn't crazy about them. Really I didn't like any of them. I really wanted to reach into the book and strangle most of them. And I was really upset at the end with how they were handling the situation that was happening between them.That's not normal. But I'll just leave that alone smh

But the writing style is why I didn't rate this a bit higher. Sometimes the language was too flowery. Sometimes it was straight to the point. Other times it was told through a film script. It just made me lose focus sometimes; like I found myself re-reading lines over and over trying to make sure I got the wording right.

This book wasn't a favorite, but it definitely made me think of people and cruises in a completely different way. I've already told my husband, (who's going on a cruise with his sister and nephew while I'm stuck at summer reading) not to volunteer for anything while there. If you don't know what I mean, I guess you'll have to read it to find out!

The Opposite of Here by Tara Altebrando is a Young Adult Mystery/Thriller book with a lot of twists and turns and a pretty sad starting point. Natalie has to overcome some pretty heavy stuff at the beginning of the book and we get to see where life tries to take her as she finally starts healing.

Natalie is healing. Well, not so much healing, she is actually still grieving when the book starts. Her boyfriend, Paul, had recently died and she was very much still in mourning. Butttttt… Her family and friends were trying to get her to start moving on so they planned this big cruise for Natalie’s birthday and that kind of means Natalie has to go. I mean, hello, cruise for your birthday!

I thought this book was crazy. First, Natalie loses her boyfriend to an early death and then she goes through the craziness on the cruise? I was wondering how many mirrors this girl had to of broken to get this kind of luck. Did she make a hobby out of walking under ladders and running through a field of black cats? Shew, I am glad I am not her. And then, her one friend, was kind of not the greatest friend. She had this group of three female friends and I just didn’t see that ending well, at all. And guess what, it kind of, sort of, didn’t end very well.

There was one part of the book that got on my nerves and it had nothing to do with the Mystery plot. It was with Natalie and how easily she forgave someone after a pretty big betrayal. There was this huge lead up to this horrible betrayal and Natalie just forgave the person like it wasn’t a big deal when it truly was. This situation helped Natalie realize some things about herself and made her come to terms with what she really wanted but that still doesn’t excuse what the person did to her or how easily Natalie forgave them. Just a little pet peeve of mine, I guess.

In the end, I enjoyed The Opposite of Here and I think the author did a fantastic job of bringing the mystery to life. I kind of figured if out a little early on but the book was still brilliant and I am glad I read it. There were a few parts that I definitely didn’t guess and that made the book a lot more enjoyable, too.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.

The Opposite of Here follows four friends on a cruise for the main character Natalie's birthday. Right from the beginning, I had this eerie feeling that something terrible was going to happen at the turn of every page. It was such an exhilarating feeling while reading because it left me constantly on the edge of my seat. I loved that the characters were on a cruise ship because it added to the thrill factor of the novel. What is worse than being cooped up on a cruise ship when something suspicious is going on right outside your door? NOTHING!

There were a few times where the story line was a little bit unbelievable or the characters were a little too teenager-y for my taste, but all in all it was a fun and fast paced read that kept me guessing. I liked that the young girls had a good relationship and it didn't have the gossip and back stabbing dialogue often found in YA novels. All in all, The Opposite of Here was an entertaining read and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy YA thrillers.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3.5/5

I had two major guesses about this book, and I am happy to say neither was correct. If they were, I was going to be extremely disappointed that I wasted my time. Instead, The Opposite of Here kept me on my toes throughout, and more than once I scrunched up my nose and went “ Wait…huh?!”

It was a compelling story that I felt drawn to, and I definitely needed to know how it ended. But overall, it wasn’t a favorite of mine. I can’t say it would be something I would ever reread. The story was compelling, sure, but it’s very clear the mystery and the unknown is what drove the story. I had little to no investment in the characters (and I wasn’t really rooting or even liking any of them, to be honest). Now that the mystery is over, I have no reason to read this again.

For any Hitchcock fans out there, I am interested in getting your opinion on this book, because it was full of references to his work. I watch very few movies, so the references went over my head until they were explained in-text, but I have a feeling The Opposite of Here would appeal more to a Hitchcock fan. Let me know in the comments!

This YA thriller/mystery had me HOOKED for a solid 65%, aside from the weird film interruptions that Natalie would create. Those things I just didn’t see the point of using because they detracted from the storyline more than they ever added anything. Unfortunately around 70% of the way through, it just started falling apart which really disappointed me. And then, once I got to 90%, the storyline just felt rushed.

“I have a long history of not wanting to be where I am. Soccer games. School dances. Keg parties. It is possible that this is my dominant personality trait and has been since I was a kid.”

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Bloomsbury. I blame Christopher Pike and Sweet Valley for my weird fondness for potential shipwreck stories.

It’s only been a few months since Natalie’s boyfriend, Paul, died in a car accident. To celebrate her seventeenth birthday, her parents take her on a cruise with three of her friends. The first night aboard, she meets an enigmatic boy, and they make plans to go swimming together. When she returns, he’s vanished. Natalie can’t help thinking he may have jumped or that something even more sinister is at play, and her suspicions are heightened when the captain calls a headcount the next day. Just what is happening aboard the ship, and what does this boy have to do with it?

I don’t like to give two-star ratings to lesser known books/authors, but I’m having difficulty finding things to like about this novel. Its interesting premise isn’t particularly well-executed, and what little suspense Altebrando manages to build quickly frays. Paranoia is such a difficult emotion to capture on the page; like her friends, I was urging Natalie to let it go and enjoy the trip long before she did. The actual plot turns out to be much less interesting (and much more ridiculous) than we’re led to believe, and the Hitchcock references are more incidental than anything. The writing is littered with clunky metaphors, bad dialogue (“Don’t even talk to me!”), and extremely abrupt transitions, both between scenes and between past and present. There were a few times I had to flip back to make sure I wasn’t missing a page or something.

A flimsy plot can be redeemed by its characters, but that isn’t the case here. Its depiction of teenagers isn’t very charitable, as Natalie is perpetually ungrateful and turns up her nose at the many opportunities for entertainment on the ship. Hating everything on principle just isn’t a nice way to live, and I don’t recommend it for any age. She’s also constantly ditching her friends to search for some random guy, and there’s a long-standing in-fight between Natalie and one of her friends over Paul. Just… why? There are a lot of female characters, but the book is still mostly about guys.

The backstory of Natalie and Paul’s relationship is poorly handled. She’s understandably distraught over his death, but Altebrando pulls a weird switch where Natalie realizes her feelings weren’t what she thought. Which, fine, that happens, but she takes it a little too far. Throw in a poorly timed underage sex scene and Natalie acting wildly out of character toward the end of the book, and I’d pretty much given up. There’s a meager attempt to make this into a Learning Experience for Natalie, but it isn’t enough to save a book that ultimately has zero thrills, a bland plot, and no redeemable characters.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Natalie’s parents have decided that she should have a seventeenth sail-a-bration. Natalie, her parents and three of her closest friends will take a cruise to celebrate her birthday. It has only been a few months since her boyfriend died in a car accident and everyone wants her to find peace and maybe move on. What better place than on a floating hotel? Natalie has an instant attraction the first night, but then there seems to be some confusion about the boy and she is wondering if it is all a game. The mystery behind this boy becomes even more complicated as Natalie learns about his past.

The Opposite of Here is a stand-alone novel that leaves a lot to be desired. Many times throughout the book I found my mind wandering and had to back up a few pages. This book is relatively short, so it would make a good car or beach read. With that said, The Opposite of Here would be a good distraction if choices were limited, but I do not recommend everyone read it. Altebrando has shined with her other books and I look forward to her next novel.

I was super excited to read this book. I loved The Leaving and was so hopeful for this book. I love the cover, the synopsis, and I just was sure I would love this book. I did enjoy this book but I didn't quite love it the way I wanted too. There was something missing from this read. I am not sure what... maybe it needed more suspense, more character development, more of a wow ending. It just felt like it could have been a bit more.... but what was there I did enjoy. It wasn't a bad read.

Natalie has had a recent tragedy in her life, her boyfriend died in a car crash. She has been living on autopilot ever since. It is now her birthday and her parents decided to take Natalie and three of her closest friends on a cruise to celebrate, hoping this will bring Natalie back to the land of the living.

The cruise isn't quite what Natalie expected and soon she finds herself involved with a boy that has a past and a secret and possibly trouble. There might be someone missing, gone overboard, there might be a conspiracy, something is going on and Natalie feels she must get to the bottom of this mystery.

Not only is there trouble on the ship, there is trouble in paradise among her friends. One of her friends has been holding on to a secret that may just be the end to Natalie and their friendship.


This will be kind of a short review I think, this was a very short read and I don't have too too much to say about the read. As far as mysteries go, I did like this one. It was interesting. What I did like about it, a body was never found, there was a possible overboard and there is a possible crazy boy aboard the ship. There is also the mystery in Natalie's life... what is going on with one of her best friends? There are more little mysteries throughout the read. Some of the mysteries I solved some I had all wrong and some I just had no clue. So there is a bit of everything going on here. It was pretty fast-paced and always kept me interested. There was never a dull moment.

As far as the characters go. I didn't love or hate them. They were somewhere in the middle. Every single one of them irritated me at some point. They weren't anything rememberable. This may be the biggest issue I had with the book. I can't say I didn't connect, I just didn't connect as much as I like too. Natalie wasn't a bad character. She was troubled and hurting and a little off her rocker, and I did feel for her and understand her but I just didn't FEEL her.

The ending was interesting. It had me going... oh I didn't see that coming. So there was that. I didn't get the entire story though. It felt kind of disconnected for me at times. I was a bit confused in just a few parts. I almost think there was too much going on at times. Those were short-lived though and for the most part, I was very interested in what was going on in the story.

I enjoyed this book, it was a fast read, it was enough to keep me needing to know what happened. I do feel the characters could have been developed just a tad more, the story could have been less at times. The mystery needed a bit more of a punch... the ending though pretty good. It's more of a good poolside read for the summer. Nothing really deep but still enjoyable.



It was a good short enjoyable read. Good summer read.