Certainly not an easy story to read, but a compelling one nonetheless. I loved the friendship between Adam and Julian and it was refreshing to get a story that takes a more sensitive approach to male friendships. Also - Julian AND Adam were tragic characters in their own right and it was fascinating to watch their journey together. Definitely a book I can put in the hands of teens with the warning that tissues may be necessary.

I didn’t expect to like this book quite as much as I did, but I really enjoyed it and all the emotions it induced. Adam and Julian have the kind of mentor/friend relationship that most people long for. Adam is a senior in high school who takes Julian, a quiet fourteen year old, under his wing.

Adam was previously partnered with Julian in elementary school as reading buddies, and when Julian startes seeing (or ditching, more accurately) his school therapist, Adam is once again partnered with Julian to make sure he gets to his appointments. Except, Adam’s role is much more than that. Although Adam is friendly towards Julian already because he’s just a pretty great person in general, he is asked to befriend Julian.

It is revealed that Julian and Adam have more of a history than just being reading buddies and that Julian’s parents tragically died in an accident when he was younger. Through alternating perspectives from Julian and Adam, we get a glimpse into the friendship that blossoms between the two as well as the horrors Julian faces at home with his uncle. The different perspectives were not confusing at all and each boy had their own distinct voice; I could always tell who was narrating even if I missed the chapter heading that indicated the perspective.

“It’s strange how many ways there are to miss someone. You miss the things they did and who they were, but you also miss who you were to them. The way everything you said and did was beautiful or entertaining or important. How much you mattered.” – Robin Roe, A List of Cages

I didn’t love the all the cafeteria scenes in the novel; some of them seemed a bit tedious in description, but they resulted in more round characters that I could relate to and understand, even though this wasn’t their story. I didn’t like that a romance was introduced into the plot, either.

While there’s a couple things about this book I didn’t love, the story is heartwarming and harrowing as genuine friendship is woven in with tragic scenes of abuse that culminates into a life-threatening situation that will likely haunt these boys for the rest of their lives. This book was incredibly hard to read at some points because of the abuse, but this is absolutely a book worth reading.

On a lighter note, other characters such as Adam’s mother and friends were all very dimensional. I loved how special all of Adam’s friendships were, although the romance that he had seemed a bit unnecessary in a book like this. The romance was believable and sweet, though.

OVERALL? Definitely a book worth your time and money! : )

4 Stars!

Have you read A List of Cages? If so, what’d you think? If not, do you want to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

After Julian’s parents died in an accident he lived with a foster family until a relative took him in. He is now a high school freshman, and he is struggling. He misses his parents every day, life with his uncle isn’t what he thought it would be, he has no friends and the teachers don’t seem to care about his learning disabilities. Adam, his former foster brother, is a senior at the same high school. He is assigned to help the school psychologist and that’s how he reconnects with Julian. Adam has a gut feeling something is not right with Julian and he makes it his mission to help him with whatever he is dealing with.

A List of Cages is a sad, sad, sad story but also a very beautiful one. The two main characters are mostly loveable, and sometimes you just want to punch them to make sure they make the right decisions. Written from both their perspectives this book will suck you in, take you in a chokehold and wont ever let you go.

Recommended for all YA contemporary readers, especially the ones who were heartbroken after reading All the Bright Places.

A beautiful story that will make your hear ache, throb, and feel so much. Loved this book!

It could have really lost me in the first part. There are various reasons for that, but I think the main one would be that it hit me harder than it might other readers. Like to a point where it could have been a trigger.

So much about Julian hit me in a certain way that at points I felt it was hard to continue. His relationship with Adam hit me even harder. I really can't explain why without going into a deep analysis of myself, so I'll just say that it pushed my thoughts further than what I'm sure the author intended.


That was the first part, the second is what caught me and did not let me go. Suddenly I couldn't not continue.
It was pretty heartbreaking and all of a sudden I was feeling everything, and so much more, for these characters that I hadn't before.

I enjoyed this one a lot - I purchased a copy at my local bookstore the week it was published. Excellent debut by Robin Roe! Several of my students have read and liked it a lot already.

This book. Holy moly. The ending was almost too much, but the story was so beautiful. I really loved it.

I liked this for how realistic it was. I also liked the friendship that Julian and Adam shared. They seemed more like brothers. Also, loved how Adam's mom played such a prominent role; most YA novels have little to no mention of parents, but I thought Robin Roe made the sensitive events/themes that in the storyline that much more real with a parent and other adults taking the lead toward the end when things had gotten life-threateningly bad.

The reason I'm waiting this 3.5 stars is because there were times when the writing just seemed to drag.

This book was a little slow to get into, but once I got going, I really enjoyed it. Adam and Julian couldn't be any more different than night and day, so when they reconnected and Adam reached out to help Julian, it really pulls on your heart strings. Reading this book, I couldn't help but to feel immensely towards Julian, and found myself going he would get out of his terrible situation. This was a great book.

“ Hate ricochets, but kindness does too.”

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary: Adam Blake thinks his senior year will be great- he has a good relationship with his mom,a great group of friends, and an awesome new elective, working with the school psychologist. This elective puts him back into contact with Julian, his former foster brother. Julian has some apprehension at first opening up to Adam, but as time moves on, their relationship grows. Adam opens Julian up to happiness, friendships, and what it means to truly care about another person. However, some of the worst parts of Julian’s life are just waiting to rear their ugly head.

Review: I had such a hard time rating this novel. There were so many points about it that I adored. However, after reflecting on it more, I just don’t feel the consistent 5 stars it is getting is worth it. There is something about this book that doesn’t stick with me the way some darker contemporary YA books do. I had some parts of it that i loved, but there were some aspects that just gnawed away at me.

I adored that this book was about friendship. I am literally always here for that. Friendship is the most important thing to teenagers and we need our books to reflect that. These boys friendship grew over time and brought so much to their lives. We saw it helped them learn more about themselves, about others, gain confidence, gain empathy, and give and get love. I liked that the friendship was mutually beneficial. We see Julian get love for the first time in years, and we see Adam mature and realize the hardships in life. Their friendship was so well done and was easily one of the best, if not the best, aspect of the story for me.

I also thought both of these boys were well written. I LOVED they were both good people, we need more of those. Adam was a very realistic character. I feel like YA authors like to make popular characters are often portrayed as obsessed with popularity and somewhat rude. However, my experience as a teacher shows that isn’t always true. Some of these kids are personable and funny, just like Adam. I thought he was such a good, sweet person that was truly concerned about other people. Julian had so many layers to him as well. I liked how you could see his hurt in the way he act and spoke. I loved seeing into his mind and understanding how his abuse impacted him and the way he thought. It was a very thoughtful interpretation of someone going through these experiences.

However, there were some aspects I wasn’t as fond of. Some aspects of the writing style just were not working with me. This book has a strange use of time. Like, a chapter would end that say with the end of day 13 and then the next chapter would pick up like on day 20. There would be these passages of time that were confusing and felt like the story didn’t flow normally. Characters would change in ways that didn’t feel like a natural change over time. It had this slightly show, don’t tell aspect when it can to some changes in characterization and relationships. They just didn’t progress in a way I could always see it and it made me not connect to some minor characters.

Going along with this, I felt like a lot of minor characters weren’t very well developed, specifically Adam’s friend group. Emerald and Charlie were distinct, but the rest were a bit too 2-dimensional. I honestly couldn’t separate them at all and didn’t always understand their intentions. There was one scene where one of the girls intentionally hurt her friend and I just didn’t understand why.

I also was really bothered by the portrayal of adults. Now, not all of them bothered me. Adam’s mom was such a great mom who you can tell cared about her children fiercely and I loved how protective she was of Julian. The school psychologist wasn’t super developed, but seemed to care about her job and her students. However, the rest of the adults were just horrible. Basically every teacher appeared to be rude, inconsiderate, unaware, and unkind. As someone who works in education, I refuse to believe that basically all of the teachers in the school are like this. Teachers are trained to watch for warning signs of abuse and we go into education because we care about students. The fact that none of the teachers seemed this way I found disheartening and unrealistic. We also had this with the police officers too. They didn’t seem to care about the characters in the novel and for whatever reason treated them rudely when they were in any situation. Honestly, this is one of my most hated tropes in YA. I feel like it is dangerous and harmful for young adults to see that they cannot trust adults in their lives. Give me stories where teachers support their students, ones who love their students, ones who give up their time/money/own security for their students benefit.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It was a quick, enjoyable read. You have some well written, heartbreaking characters that I think audiences will really respond well to. I could see this appealing to reluctant readers for its intense portrayal of child abuse and issues with self esteem. I think students will see themselves in these characters and really enjoy it. I think this book can end up being a modern day Perks of Being a Wallflower for a new generation.

Random Thoughts:
Diversity: ADHD, foster system/orphan, child abuse
I feel like the character of Russell wasn’t developed enough. I wanted an understanding of why he acted the way he acted. I also thought some scenes towards the end with him weren’t executed as well as they could have been
The ending was a bit more open ended and I loved it. These issues don’t just magically get better and I appreciated the author admitting that
There’s a romance in this book and I really don’t think it was necessary. I would have enjoyed it just as much without this romantic aspect

ARC received from Netgalley. All quotes are from uncorrected proof. Thanks Netgalley!

Oh my goodness! Such a sad and horrible, yet at the same time great book! I read it all in a few hours today. I couldn't put it down. The story is told alternately by 14 year old Julian and 18 year old Adam. Many serious issues are dealt with, death, abuse, foster care, adhd, dyslexia, bullying, but there are also wonderful friendships and love. Years earlier, after his parents died, Julian lived with Adam and his mother who provided a foster home for him. Now, living with his uncle, Julian's life is quite different. The relationships and friendships between Adam and his friends and Julian are wonderful and Julian's uncle is evil and horrible and the story will make you cry. It is an unforgettable story.

I hesitate to say I enjoyed this book because it was such a brutal read, but the writing expertly conveys the emotional frailty and growing bond shared by the former foster brothers. Books that explore brotherly love between young men, whether related or not, are a welcome addition to young adult shelves. The high school setting, the taut pacing, and the explosive climax will keep most readers glued to their seats. Sensitive readers however, should be aware that there is graphic child abuse

I most enjoy novels with depth where the characters learn and grow a bit through their experiences. A List of Cages most certainly fits that bill. I found myself thinking about the characters the day after I finished the novel. That's always a sign of a good, satisfying book.

I always wonder what magic formula authors use to make readers immediately care about their characters. Robin Roe does a particularly good job of that in this heart-wrenching yet charming novel centered around the friendship between two teen boys who each deal with challenging personality quirks. The "supporting characters" are interesting as well. Watch out for Charlie, he's a sleeper and provides just the right touch of comic relief! I can't help but think what a great sidekick role his character would make for a young actor when this story gets translated to film.

There were several lines that were so beautiful, succinct, and full of emotional depth they took my breath away. Among them: "People I love will be watching me. Their eyes like safety nets, I can't fall."

Buy this book, read it, and share it with your friends.

Review posted to Litsy, 1/30/17: Just finished this YA book, and feel broken. The abuse and horrors inflicted upon one of the main characters literally made me nauseous. Read this if you want to feel something, but be aware this probably contains all the triggers. An amazing job by the author. I'm going to go cry and try to convince myself it was just a story.

This was one of those books that I had a hard time putting down, but also wanted to put down because of everything I went through with the characters. Each charater is expertly conveyed and makes you love them. Even Charlie, the contanst complainer, becomes one of the reader's favorites. I also love the friendship that Roe created between Julian and Adam. The complexities of male, teenage friendships are not often conveyed in popular literature and I think Roe was an expert at navigating this task. Overall, I think A List of Cages was a well-written, beautiful story.

This is a powerful, upsetting story which although it says is for 12 and up I would recommend for 14 and up because of the subject matter. There are trigger warnings here <spoiler>child abuse and violence against a child</spoiler> too. This is not at all my sort of book as it turns out - but it is well written, well thought out. It's just not really for me. I need to do better at decoding book blurbs and being realistic about what I'm going to enjoy. This is not a book you enjoy - it's a book with a painful, tragic story at it's centre and people trying to help and fix things. If this were a memoir, it would be in the "tragic lives" section of the bookshop and that's not my end of the reading spectrum at all.

It's only 3 weeks into 2017, and I think I've already found my favorite of the year. If I could give this book all the stars, I would because it deserves it. I was up all night reading it because I just couldn't look away. It had me crying my eyes out on multiple occasions, which is really rare for me to do anymore. A book really has to hit me hard for me to get emotional, and this one did that throughout.

As the synopsis says Julian and Adam were former foster brothers, with Adam's mom being the one who took Julian in after his parents died in a car accident. The loss that this woman felt at losing Julian to his uncle BROKE MY FUCKING HEART. Her pain at losing this kid that she clearly loved permeated through the pages. I was a sobbing mess every time she made an appearance in the book-- and I was SO, SO, SO grateful that Julian had someone like her to love him.

Adam was a great character as well. He had a pretty severe case of ADHD and controlled it through diet and natural remedies-- so he had his problems, but this kid was so positive and was the center of his friend group, but still cared enough to lookout for an awkward, damaged kid that needed his help. He was my favorite part of this book and pretty much everything I strive to be as a person.

Julian-- what can I even say about him?? He was so unique and special and had no one to see that for so long. It broke my heart to see him slip through the cracks because I couldn't help thinking about all the kids that don't get an Adam or an Adam's mom to seek them out. As I said above, Julian's hiding a secret from them and even with all the attention and offers of help, Julian still doesn't come clean. He clings to his secrets because he doesn't know anything else. God, it's SO EMOTIONAL.

So, this isn't one of those fluffy Contemporaries, but it's not dark. It's sad at times and very emotional (for me, at least), but it's about love and loyalty and I found it to be so beautiful, I didn't ever want it to end.

OVERALL: ALL THE STARS!! This is going to be one of my favorite books of 2017 (and probably ever). It's beautiful, heart-hurting, and unputdownable. It'll make you believe that there are still good people in the world. It'll make you want to scream at the injustices in the world. Basically, you'll feel all the emotions, and it'll be totally worth it.

Dearest Publishers,
I started reading A List of Cages back in November when I was given the opportunity to review the book. A that point, I had only see a couple of people review the book. All of their reviews were positive, but I didn't stick around for the spoilers because I wanted to read this book for myself. I was, and still am, incredibly excited for this book, as is the rest of the Booktube and Book community. However, I reached the half way mark in this book and was unable to finish.
I have all the intentions in the world to finish the book. The section that I read was glorious. I loved the writing style, I felt for all the characters and their feels and was invested in the story. However, I am the child of an abusive father and I currently taking a year to focus on my mental health. This means that I am incredibly vulnerable to triggers and unfortunately, being engrossed and invested in the characters that Robin has created means that I am even more open to triggers. After struggling to continue reading this book, and having a couple panic attacks as I read, I had to put the book down for my own mental health.
I hope that you will understand where I am coming from. As a blogger, I want to be able to read and finish and review every book that I am given and A List of Cages will be no different. However, I need to get myself into a safer and less vulnerable place, mentally, before I am able to pick this title back up.
When I do get around to reading A List of Cages, a full, non-spoilery review will be posted on my blog, which I have linked below.
I appreciate your understanding and I hope to work together many times in the future,
Sincerely,
Jaime Oesterling
We Are On the Same Page

A heartfelt read. It brought tears in my eyes, like every page did. I mean it was such a moving read.
I cannot explain the ache that went through me while reading this.
Never have ever been so touched by the words. It was as if everything that went through Jullian was happening to me.

I 'm sure , it would really have taken a lot of effort for the author to write this. I can understand the pain she might have went through thinking about it, writing it.
Everything was just perfect.
Every emotion, every feeling.

Theme
It revolved around so many profound themes.
Importance of friendship ; good friends really help you get out of the trauma. They really do.
Loss: it deals the effect of loosing someone around which your life was based ones.
That part is the most touching.
Mental health : The torture, the trauma which a person goes through builds a fear inside him. It shakes him all together.
It can never be fully recovered unless you lose the memory of your past.
It was the height of torture.

It felt like as if a knife was placed inside me cutting my heart down. It was so powerful. I mean cannot imagine some one suffering this much. But people do suffer.

People you meet in life , either make your life enjoyable or horrible.
They come in colours.

I recommend this book to everyone but I want to make one thing very clear for those who are very sensitive about the following themes to not read it, because it will depress you to the core.

A List of Cages has gotten a lot of praise from throughout the Bookternet leading up to its release, and with good reason. Roe has produced a stunning debut novel that explores friendship, family, abuse, mental health, trauma, and growth. This story is raw and occasionally heartbreaking, but at its core, it’s hopeful. I read A List of Cages in one sitting on a plane ride– I simply could not put it down.

The story is told through two points of view. First, we have Adam, a popular high-school senior who also happens to have ADHD. I can say with confidence that Adam is one of the most genuinely kind, pure-hearted characters I have ever read. He’s just such a good guy. He cares so deeply for the people around him, and he’s so sure of himself. Adam isn’t perfect by any means, but he tries so hard, and his intentions are so pure. I thought the book presented a person living with ADHD accurately and sensitively. I also loved Adam’s group of friends; Charlie, Emerald, Camila, and the rest of the gang were the rare side characters that didn’t simply feel like fillers. Friendship is a strong theme throughout A List of Cages, and Adam’s group of friends perfectly embody what it is to care for and love others.

Next, of course, we have our other POV character, Julian. Reading about Julian’s circumstances and struggles shattered my heart into a million pieces. He, like Adam, is just a genuinely good person who deserves none of the lot he has somehow drawn in life. I loved reading about the brotherly friendship he developed with Adam throughout the novel. I had some reservations at first, but this didn’t end up playing out as a savior narrative at all; both boys contributed so much to the friendship and taught each other important lessons about being human. Julian underwent tremendous personal growth over the course of the story, and I found myself weeping at how proud I was of him. Parts of his narrative were so difficult to read (trigger warning for physical abuse), but from what I know from my training as an educator, Julian is representative of someone in an abusive household.

There were very few things I didn’t like about this book, but I will say I wasn’t completely sold on the romance. I didn’t dislike it; I just wasn’t entirely sure why I was supposed to care about or feel invested in the relationship between Adam and Emerald. It felt a bit unnecessary to the overall story, as well as underdeveloped. This is definitely a character-driven rather than plot-driven story: it’s all about the relationships, be they friendships, familial relationships, or romantic relationships. Personally, I love character-driven stories, but I did find myself willing the plot to move along at a quicker pace at times.

All in all, this book made me strive to be a more empathetic human. While I might not be able to fix everything for everyone in my life, showing kindness where you can is so, so important. A List of Cages might not be a *totally* perfect book, but it’s a stunning debut that will make you both think and feel. These characters and their love for one another filled my heart to bursting. I highly recommend you pick this one up!