Okay folks, get ready, because I am about to discuss a book I absolutely H-A-T-E-D. I was a bit reluctant to use this word (hate) at first, but then I thought – who fucking cares? I didn’t like this book and I am going to talk about it.

So, let us begin with a bit of the family’s history. Lila and Robert used to be married. Together they had three daughters, Emma, Quinn and Mattie. After their divorce they both re-married and they each had another child; Lila had Ray and Robert had Sasha. Confused? ME TOO! It took me about half the book to be able to tell the characters apart and remember who is who and, if I’m being completely honest, even by the end of the book I couldn’t tell the three older sisters apart. That’s exactly how indistinguishable their voices were. ( Keep in mind that I have read the A Song of Ice and Fire series numerous times and was never confused about who the narrator was.) So here’s my first problem with the book; its characters are so flat and common, so boring that I couldn’t even tell them apart; how was I supposed to care about them?

Moving on to the story after Lila and Robert’s divorce, the two are unable to decide who gets the beach house, which leads to them splitting their time there so they wouldn’t have to face one another. As a result, Sasha and Ray end up “sharing” a bed, toys, books, collections and family members without having met one another. And here comes the second problem: from the very first time we meet Ray, his thoughts while laying in the bed he “shares” with Sasha are way too sexual. He practically fantasizes about a girl who is almost his sister; it made me so uncomfortable I was ready to DNF it. I was curious, however, to see how the author handled this obsession Ray had with Sasha. Surely, she’d be creeped out by it, if she ever found out, right? WRONG! Because Sasha is also almost creepily obsessed with him. The two can’t stop thinking about each other, which leads to a very creepy, uncomfortable-to-read-about relationship between the two.

Moving on to the next issue: poor characterization. In the book synopsis there’s one word to describe each sister: Emma is the perfectionist, Mattie is the beauty, and Quinn is the favourite. And that’s all these three girls are. I’m being literate here. They possess no other personality trait, other than the one given to them by the book’s synopsis. Ray and Sasha, their parents, and step-parents are equally one-dimensional, pure caricatures and walking stereotypes. You think that’s all? I haven’t even touched this book’s racism and sexism and slut-shaming yet.

Robert is Bangladeshi. So, props to Brashares for including diverse characters in her book! Hm, maybe not so fast. Robert may be Bangladeshi, but he was adopted by a white couple and wants nothing to do with his culture and history. Now, I am not trying to say that this wouldn’t be an important story or a story worth-telling. But, coming from a white author, it feels a bit like the easy way out. You get the praise for including a character of color (and his biracial kids), without having to do any in-depth research on the region and the culture. Mattie ( I think) even refers to her father’s descent as a “check in the diversity box” which exactly how his descent is treated by the author. It is even specifically mentioned that Lila married him to piss off her parents. Not to mention, an extremely disrespectful and inconsiderate mention of the burqa. I really am wondering, how on Earth did this book even get published?

As for the aforementioned sexism and slut-shaming: Emma constantly judges her sisters’ clothes, either deeming them too revealing or too slutty (the burqa comment fits somewhere in here, since it was made during a shopping spree). Ray even considers himself to be deep and special because he noticed Sasha’s beauty instead of her friend’s. Congratulations boy! Do you want a cookie? Brashares is proudly promoting stereotypes like “she is not like other girls” and the idea that “modest” girls are far more beautiful than girls in revealing clothes. Can we ever take a breath? Mattie is extremely jealous and antagonistic towards Sasha – her own fucking sister– because she thinks she may be more beautiful? What kind of nonsense is this??

Anyway, you get my point. I absolutely loathe this book and I’m mourning the time I wasted reading this.



** An ARCopy was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review**

Another good one by Ann Brashares. This was an emotional story about two fractured families who share a seaside cottage on alternative weekends. When the youngest children (related by marriage but not by blood) fall for each other, things get complicated. Their universe implodes when tragedy strikes and the families have to find a new way of living together. Brashares gives us a beautiful portrait of complex characters and situations which keeps the reader engaged throughout. Good for young adults an mature readers alike.

I really enjoyed reading The Whole Thing Together. At first, it took me a while to get used to the 3rd person narrative and invested in the characters, but when I did, it was great! I especially liked it when I got to learn more about Sasha, Mattie, Ray and Quinn. Not so much when it came to Emma though. I feel as if she didn't really have anything at stake in this book in terms of development or wanting to bring about development. Whenever the 3rd person narrative would get to her, I always found myself unable to connect with her, feeling as if she's a flat character. Maybe the author tried to give her more depth later on by adding some flaws, but I felt as if it were too late by then to develop Emma into a complex character. The book was practically over by that point.

As for the plot, things were really tense in terms of the book's tone, which made me want to keep on reading. It was mainly the history surrounding the parents and their fallout that made me intrigued in the book. I wanted to see how things would unfold, especially between the two families, because it most certainly was going to. However, I did not see that it was going to unfold the way it did, or the revelations that happened along the way. Overall, The Whole Thing Together was a bit predictable, but not too much that it ruins the book.

Well, that's all I have to say about The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares. I recommend this to anyone looking for a good Contemporary YA read as well as to any fans of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. There were some similarities I found between that series and The Whole Thing Together.

Unfortunately this just wasn't the book for me. This book is about Ray and Sasha who share three sisters but have never met each other. The story features story lines from all the siblings and it was had to keep everyone straight and all the family drama.

This book just wasn't for me. I did not find the characters at all compelling and in fact found them all pretty problematic. This just felt like a bunch of rich kids with no real problems complaining. There were definitely more than a few moments that struck me as sexist and the fact that what little bit of diversity was added here (some of the characters are Indian) the fact that the Indian father hated and ignored his heritage was not the best way to celebrate different cultures. In the end this felt boring and unrelatable.

This book was a little strange and depressing. I feel like the author tried to bring too many different issues into the story so it ended up feeling not completely cohesive.

I am a huge fan of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and The Last Summer (of You & Me) and other novels by Ann Brashares that I’ve picked up along the way. The Whole Thing Together had what I consider to be her trademark poetic style, but the plot fell short for me.

Here are some beautiful examples:

“Quinn never tried to force a point. She just opened her hands and set it forth like a firefly. You caught it or you didn’t.”

“She resented the little pings of ice. How would that feel to a blueberry?”

I love Brashares’ ability to show me a character empathetic to a blueberry, and to make me want to be so empathetic myself. I love her exploration of young feelings, and she still tugged at my heartstrings with the rest of the novel.

Honestly, though, I struggled to overcome the basic premise (two unrelated siblings of an otherwise-reconstructed family share everything in their lives in perfect every-other-week synchronization until one day, they are brought together and the family must attempt to overcome the bitter divorce that tore it apart) and it didn’t get better from there. Lila and Robert have three daughters together, but also a child each from their second marriages and their respective second spouses. That’s nine characters that we have to keep track of, and this definitely could have been condensed and packed the same punch. I felt that Emma and Mattie, two of the older daughters, were indiscernible. Also, Lila’s second husband (whose name I’ve forgotten) has two or three children from his first marriage and this is cute from a “life is complicated” perspective but irrelevant and overbearing to the plot.

And the idea of Sasha (Lila’s daughter) and Ray (Robert’s son) getting together – wait, no! See how complex this is? Sasha is actually ROBERT’s daughter and Ray is LILA’s son, and the whole thing is just very hard. Anyway, these teenagers are the “will they or won’t they?” of the novel, and it just squicked me even though I know that they’re not technically related at all.

So, there you have it. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. I’d steer my students in the direction of Sisterhood and my friends in the direction of The Last Summer.

I am probably the only person who hasn't read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (seriously, never read it - don't know why, either), but when I got the invitation to read and review Ann Brashares's newest novel, The Whole Thing Together, I jumped on it, because I have heard nothing but amazing things about her books.

When I first started reading The Whole Thing Together, I'm not going to lie - I was kind of overwhelmed with all of the names and characters in the book, especially when it came down to remembering which character was a part of which family (as the parents for some of the characters were divorced and had married others, and had more kids, etc.). It was a bit rough, but there's a family tree in the beginning of the book that was incredibly helpful in remembering. I highly recommend bookmarking this page when reading the book so that you can keep track, at least at first, until you remember who is who.

While I found myself not really caring about some of the characters in this book, I absolutely loved the two main ones - Ray and Sasha. It was interesting to see how their lives intertwined without actually ever meeting - they traded the cabin every other week, meaning Ray's family would stay there one week and Sasha's the next, and the two of them essentially shared the same room, and had since they were kids. It was cute to see how they kind of grew up together, and more or less called each other imaginary friends - for example, they built a Lego city together, each one of them adding something to the city every week and surprising the other with what they built. I honestly haven't read anything like this, and I loved the fact that it was not only so different, but so touching as well.

I absolutely love how much emphasis is put on family in this novel - I always find myself drawn to books that feature strong family bonds and relationships over everything else. This book might have a lot of characters and a lot of family relationships going on, but it's so worth getting to know the families in this book.

This book would be a perfect summer read for pretty much everyone - and it's coming out right in time for the summer season, so you need to pick a copy of this one up, even if you aren't familiar with Ann Brashares's writing (like me)!

I really enjoyed this book. At first it was hard to keep the family memembers straight but then it got easier. I hate that it took a tragedy to bring the two families back together.

This has a copy cat plot to me. It is very similar to We Were Liars, the difference is that We Were Liars was BOMB. And this book was like biting into burrito. The tortilla(cover) is so appealing, and the insides are everything you could want(drama, family issues, friends coming together), then you take a big bite out of it, expecting greatness. And then there's a cockroach in your burrito and it's crunchy and nasty and ruining your experience and it JUST RUINS EVERYTHING.

You think you're getting a great book, that has tons of drama and family issues, but there's friends and there's a gorgeous beach. SOUNDS APPEALING RIGHT? SOUNDS LIKE WE WERE LIARS RIGHT? I was expecting greatness. And I got rottenness, hatred, and just an all out horrid storyline. The characters are so self centered and just they had soo man problems with each other. SO MANY. It's like there was never a peaceful moment with this book.
THE first indication that I was going to hate this book, was within the first 20 pages. We meet this character named Lila who has a "dark" boyfriend. And she was using his darkness as a shove into her ex-boyfriends and families face?? Like they were supposed to be absolutely shocked that their white daughter would date a dark man. I WAS SO PUT OFF. I instantly was like BYE.

And then we have a character, I cannot even remember her name, I think it might be Sasha. But she's going to this funeral and she's trying to get dressed. And she's so worried about how sexy she'll look for this guy she hasn't even met. She was so wrapped up in her own beauty and worried about her body. And she has this attitude like it would be absolutely horrid if she wasn't skinny and wasn't good looking. I HATE CHARACTERS WHO ARE LIKE THIS.

There are soooo many problems with this book, and I won't list them because you know, spoilers. But I will say the books has some problems. I was super put off and just didn't want to finish it. THANKFULLY I MADE IT THROUGH AFTER ALMOST CRINGING MYSELF TO DEATH DURING THE LAST CHAPTER.

There were things I enjoyed about this book, but there were also a few flaws that caught my attention. However I have to say I was hoping for something that I would love as much at The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and unfortunately I don't think this novel was as strong.

Pros:
​-There was a POC.
-The novel was a quick and easy read.
-The idea and the family tree was interesting.

Cons:
-​The change between characters was VERY confusing and when you finally got it the book was over.
-I felt like the ending was too abrupt.
-There was this idea of "boys will be boys".

I was intrigued by the families and how they got around each other. Ray acted like an average guy, but at times it was just inappropriate? Ray and Sasha may not be related and at time they were definitely cute, but other times it felt somewhat incestuous?? I actually supported them for the majority of the time, until the end of the book where there relationship, family-wise, was much too close for them to like each other anymore.

This novel was definitely an intriguing read that I'm glad I picked up to experience its interesting setting. Although it was not the ultimate novel and it can be slightly unfair to compare this back to the classic The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, it did fall a bit short of my expectations, though I would still recommend others to give this book a try!

There were a lot of characters in this book and a WHOLE lot going on. I think I liked it though? I'm still not sure. It bounces all over the place from sentence to sentence. It's a bit of a hot mess but there were aspects I liked. Just not sure if it worked for me as a whole. It was a little too disjointed for my liking.

Thank you to Random House and Delacorte, as well as NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this review.

I loved the Sisterhood of Traveling Pants. I was really excited to read this novel.

However, I could not get into this book. There are just too many characters, too many different perspectives, and I found that the writing lost me. I did not finish.

While I am a big fan of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, I've never actually read the books. I KNOW, I KNOW. But that makes this my first Ann Brashares book! Yay!
This book is amazing. The sisters, the drama, the family, the romance. And for the first 89% you think it's all drama and romance OH AND THEN THIS BOOK BREAKS YOU HEART INTI A MILLION THOUSAND PIECES. I will have a spoiler section later because I HAVE to talk about what happens later.
But let me begin with Sasha and Ray. The family tree is a little confusing, but basically they're in the same family but NOT related. ALSO: they are adorable, SO adorable. Like they talk two halves of one person to another level. Their romance is absolutely amazing and I loooove it omg.
The sisters are just.,,, they're wonderful. They're real and they laugh and love and they're friends and ahhhh
Also Jamie is perfect omg. Like STEP ASIDE EMMA I WANT TO MARRY HIM. Y'all, their romance isn't even the "big" romance of the story but I love it and them and him omg omg.
The whole premise of this story is super confusing at first but when you actually read the book it SO makes sense. Y'all, this boooooook 💔💔💔💔
This book makes me happy and sad and I love it and I have so much more to say, but spoilers. So keep reading if you want all my spoilery thoughts!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
SPOILERS BELOW
Y'all, this book's representation of grief ❤️ it's so absolutely raw and honest and omg. Don't believe me? Examples:

"It was just two mute halves of a damaged, disoriented family staring at each other across the abyss."
///
"A proud acknowledgment passed between them. His agony rose and reached out for hers. The set of her chin showed signs of struggle. His own face started to fold. He couldn’t let it go yet. He smashed another plate instead. She let loose a lemonade pitcher against the house like she was Clayton Kershaw. They moved around each other in a strange ballet of demolition, conversing in crashes. The sun finally peered up from under the horizon and saw what they had done. They stopped. The rain was over. Everything that had been whole was broken."
///
"Her dad slumped around the edges of rooms like an extra in a movie. His posture had changed since it happened. He said his body didn’t digest food right anymore. His stomach wasn’t at all fat now. It was the vacuum into which the other parts of him began to sink."
///
"I’ve sort of got the hang of waking up in the morning, but it’s not easy. I fight with falling asleep at night. Some nights it feels impossible. If I could hold you again, I think I could do it."

Y'all I love this book so much. The accuracy of the grief stings but I love it. The characters are amazing. I just love this book so much omg.
SPOILERS OVER

CONTENT GUIDE -
Sexual - kissing, innuendos
Cussing - quite a bit. F-bomb, etc.
Violence - mild
Imbibing - underage drinking, drinking.

The premise for this book was promising! It sounded like it would be an interesting story of two young people navigating the strange family dynamics they've grown accustomed to since birth. And it was all of that. However, I felt like it really lacked character development for anyone. I didn't feel like I got to know any one character specifically at all, I didn't become attached to any of the characters, and trying to figure out who was telling the story at many points was just confusing. I felt like there were too many "main characters" competing in the entire book and it became a mess.
Honestly, maybe I expected too much from the book? Who knows, but I did have to push myself to finish it. I don't think I would recommend this book to friends.
Thanks to Netgalley, Ann Brashares, and Delacorte Press for the early look at this book.

I was a fan of the author's previous work, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series (book and movie) and thought I'd take a look at this one. And am I glad I did!

I loved the cover and the story inside. As a child of divorced parents, I know what it's like for Emma, Quinn, and Mattie. I loved how the story wasn't just centered from Ray or Sasha's point of view, but the half sisters as well. I loved the settings, and could imagine it. The story is very believable, and it kept me guessing and was never blunt in answering my questions.

I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars (mainly because I'm not a fan of some of the foul language in it)

Sasha and Ray share three sisters, a summer job, and a bedroom at the family summer beach cottage, but they've never met. Before they were born, Sasha's dad was married to Ray's mom, but that marriage ended in disaster. Even though they are kept apart their whole lives, for the simple reason that her father and his mother can't stand to be in the same room, they still feel a connection. For years, they communicate almost subconsciously through shared objects in their bedroom. Then one summer, their paths finally cross. It winds up being a summer of drastic changes for their family dynamics.

This book is written in third person omniscient, which is a perspective choice I despise. More importantly, it's not done well here. There are a lot of characters, and the author bounces between their story lines often and rapidly. I don't feel like I got to know any of the characters. While it's stressed at least a dozen times that Ray and Sasha aren't related, but their relationship still feels wrong. The three older sisters they share have subplots that are pretty much snooze fests. All three of these women are adults: one of them is hiding a "big secret" that she's dating a nice, normal guy; one is a grown-up manic pixie type who is too good for this world (view spoiler); another is trying to find herself. The parents are clueless and cruel. The way Sasha is described in the book is a bit odd to me-- as having a tiny waist and large breasts (the state of her figure is mentioned more than once), and what makes her a "true beauty" is that boys don't seem to notice what a knockout she is (why would that matter?).

I don't think this is a YA book. While Ray and Sasha are both seventeen, the book focuses as much on the older sisters and the parents as it did them. I have not read Ann Brashares' previous work, so I don't know what I was expecting, but certainly not this. All in all, this book is filled with unnecessary and predictable drama, and is written in a style to match. The romance is a gray area, and there's nothing that makes up for it. It's an easy enough read, but I can't say I much enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this! This is a story about a very complex family dynamic. Broken marriages, sharing of houses and children, two kids on two different sides of the family...not related...and drawn to each other beyond their control. This book tugged at my heartstrings. When the whole family is convinced to come together for a celebration, the night turns to tragedy. What a great reminder to love your family. Throughly enjoyed this!

If you're a fan of Ann Brashares, you won't be disappointed. This book is filled with love & hope, loss & grief. There's no shortage of dysfunctional family antics (think a YA/PG version of The Nest).

Some relationships lacked the character development you craved (Sasha & Ray). A couple of loose ends that leave you unsatisfied. Maybe a sequel to look forward to?

This is the story of two families sharing the same house due to an ugly divorce. Both parents have remarried and had subsequent children so there are yours, mine and ours but other than the shared sisters, the children born to the new parents never see each other and don't know anything about each other even though they share a room. So Sascha and Ray share a room and a bed but they don't know anything about each other, except what is in their shared room, until they meet unexpectedly. They share half sisters and share their lives but the parents have a relationship that is non-existent. Dad has money while mom and her new husband struggle and the children are somewhat used as pawns. When tragedy strikes, they all have to look at the secrets they have and what they all have in common.

Told from the perspective of the children, the book is hard to follow since there are no headings for the narrator so you're halfway into the paragraph when you realize it's a different speaker. That was a bit confusing but the actual story is one that is played out in homes everywhere.

A good solid read that many will appreciate - a good summer read - quick, solid and a good ending!