So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti
Release Date: May 03, 2011
Publisher: Vikings Children's Books
Young Adult
Pages: 256, Hardcover
Source: ARC Tour
Overall: Fab
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When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner...My Thoughts:
So Much Closer would be the perfect example for what a girl should never do. Susane Colasanti opens this story up with our main character, Brooke, crushing on a guy named Scott who just so happens to be moving to NYC where her dad just so happens to live. Seems too good to be true, right? Well wrong. A girl should never move to live with her dad who she hasn't had a relationship for some time just for a guy- at least in my opinion.
I really wanted to love and adore So Much Closer but the plot fell rather flat for me. The whole basis of the story was rather ridiculous and I had trouble forming an initial attachment to it. Of course, there are plenty positives to this book, one of them being the fact that Brooke does eventually open her eyes and grow up a little. I just have a hard time getting over where this book started from. Rather than the literal genius Brooke was, she acted naive, obsessive and blind, not to mention she compromised her education to keep out of the limelight. While I realize that feeling of wanting to stray from the center of academic attention is real, it just seemed so misplaced in this story. A contradiction. Brooke was willing to put herself on the line for a guy but not for her education? What kind of girl did that make Brooke? To me, not very desirable.
Two of the characters who kept me reading So Much Closer, and who I eventually vested myself in this book for, were two of Brooke's new NYC friends, John and Sadie. John had an aura about him that few fictional characters can carry without seeming forced. His love for NYC and his genuine interest in teaching Brooke about New York and showing her the sites less appreciated really added a sweet and redeeming aspect to this book. Their moments shared together were what began another story within a story and with that began Brooke's evolution from a delusional and indecisive teenager to a young woman who could see what was in front of her, appreciate it, and want to move forward with it.
I really wanted to love and adore So Much Closer but the plot fell rather flat for me. The whole basis of the story was rather ridiculous and I had trouble forming an initial attachment to it. Of course, there are plenty positives to this book, one of them being the fact that Brooke does eventually open her eyes and grow up a little. I just have a hard time getting over where this book started from. Rather than the literal genius Brooke was, she acted naive, obsessive and blind, not to mention she compromised her education to keep out of the limelight. While I realize that feeling of wanting to stray from the center of academic attention is real, it just seemed so misplaced in this story. A contradiction. Brooke was willing to put herself on the line for a guy but not for her education? What kind of girl did that make Brooke? To me, not very desirable.
Two of the characters who kept me reading So Much Closer, and who I eventually vested myself in this book for, were two of Brooke's new NYC friends, John and Sadie. John had an aura about him that few fictional characters can carry without seeming forced. His love for NYC and his genuine interest in teaching Brooke about New York and showing her the sites less appreciated really added a sweet and redeeming aspect to this book. Their moments shared together were what began another story within a story and with that began Brooke's evolution from a delusional and indecisive teenager to a young woman who could see what was in front of her, appreciate it, and want to move forward with it.
Despite my issues with So Much Closer there are plenty of readers who will love it and adore it for all that it is. Maybe my age came into play on this one. Typically I have no issues relating to young adult fiction but this time I did. I couldn't imagine compromising my self pride and relationships just to go after a guy who never showed any interest in me to begin with.
Like I mentioned there were plenty of redeeming qualities to So Much Closer. As always with Susane Colasanti's writing and style there were many eye opening, personal growth, and meaningful experiences which made So Much Closer worth the read.
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