The Readers Society discussion

Second book! Amanda recommended it, and I hope everyone likes it! We will be reading it from June 1st to July 31st. Happy Reading!
-Angela

I already read it twice. Ahead of this game, yo.

I just bought it! Can't wait to read it =]

I hope you like it!

Just finished it! I really enjoyed the story, but I was listening to the audiobook, and the narrator sounds like she's about 10 years old, which got to be pretty annoying. This isn't the type of thing I normally read, so I was surprised by how much it gripped me. The ending was so frustrating!

Ok, I finished this the day of Harry Potter 7.2 so obviously no time to post!
I really really liked it! I think it had a really nice, believable blend of reality and fantasy. Like if someone said to me 'oh this is actually real' (and they were like credible or whatever) I might consider believing them (in a not really kind of way). Ok wait, rephrase in a less crazy way. It is believable that this could be going on without my knowledge in the world.
I liked that the author obviously researched the mental health system before writing it because there were accurate descriptions of medical things. For example: I did clinical at a youth group center (not a boarding type place, but a day time thing) and it was pretty close. I think that was my favorite thing, that there weren't huge flaws!

I also liked that Chloe did not whine internally about pointless things. I hate when I read a book and it's set in 1st person and the narrator just monologues about stupid stuff. I actually usually shy away from 1st person narrative because of that reason.

Also I love that it's a series. I always feel like there should have been another book when it's not a series.

The only thing that bugged me about the book was Derek. I feel like in the beginning he was portrayed as unintelligent like the 'big dumb brute' character, and somewhere in the middle his whole personality switched. I get that it was because he got more comfortable with Chloe, but I feel like maybe even the author didn't know where she was going with his character. But that's just the vibe I got. I know we were supposed to think that he was dumb, but she went a little overboard making us think that and he did some things that I don't feel like he would have.
Again that's just me.

But overall I really loved this book! you can always tell when I love a book because it takes no time at all to read it and so far both featured books have been like that! (Memoirs I read in a week during finals and this one in a day!)

So did anyone read the rest of the series?
-Angela

I just finished it and loved it! I plan on reading the rest of the series right away!

Kate, I was also surprised by how much I liked the book. I honestly didn't expect to like it this much because it just didn't seem like the type of book I usually read and end up enjoying, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised by it and once I got to the last ten chapters or so it felt like I had to force myself to put it down for any reason at all.

Angela, that's really cool that it's medically accurate. I don't know much about the mental health field or group homes so I wouldn't have noticed if there were inaccuracies, but I have more respect for the book knowing that it's correct. I always love when authors/screenwriters take the time to fully research what they're writing about because it always makes the story more believable and respectable when they do. I think I already mentioned this to you, but I don't really agree about Derek, I just didn't see it that way. He didn't really seem dumb to me at first. He seemed more like a rebel who didn't care about fitting in or being polite and stuff but not an idiot at all, although he didn't really seem especially smart either but of course that was part of the secret so that makes sense.

Amanda, this was a great recommendation, I'm really glad you got me to read it!

I see what you're saying, I'm not sure what it was, I just got an overdone vibe on him. Don't get me wrong I loved him. You'll have to let me know how the second one is! I want to read it but I don;t have it atm so... Did anyone else see the Aunt coming like 3 seconds from it happening? I was like lksajfslkdfa do NOT go to your aunt do not go to your aunt do not ooo told you so!

I'm super glad you recommended this to it's not something I would have picked up on my own because it looks so much like all the post Twilight vampire books but I'm so glad I read it!
-Angela

I love Derek too. Honestly, I actually didn't see the twist with the aunt coming, but once it happened I wasn't really that surprised by it either. I never really liked her. And I agree about how it looked like one of the post Twilight explosion of books that all look the same, that's part of the reason why I wasn't expecting to like it that much and I'm so glad it's not one of those.

Yea pretty much. I mean I figured from the beginning (or close to it) that the people all knew about her. All this talking about it really makes me want to read the 2nd book!
-Angela

I was really surprised about the aunt as well. and i love Derek. however, it has been a while since i read it, but im pretty sure they say derek has antisocial personality disorder. that cant be diagnosed until you are 18. and to be diagnosed with it you have to have had conduct disorder as a child. i forget how old derek is but i dont think he was 18. therefore, i found it really irritating. but other than that i loved it.

I know what you mean! I hate when there are huge medical errors in books! And when they are accurate it just makes it that much more exciting! But I think that since they were faked diagnoses within that group of people who knew they were fake, they were only there to fool the family/patient and the people in charge my not have put that much thought into the actual diagnosis. I could be wrong but that was how I took it because Chloe did not seem to (just from my minor knowledge of it) have enough symptoms to diagnose schizophrenia.
-Angela

thats true. i did think about that before and it makes sense. It's sad because i think it really messed with derek.

I agree, it's so sad. They had him at a really vulnerable age + you know the supernatural stuff, and they stick him with a psychiatric diagnosis and treat him like he's got something wrong with him. It's awful! I feel like this book had a very 70's (maybe the wrong year lol I can't for the life of me remember when it started to switch over) style pych care. Like you are mentally ill, we have to take you away. There is something wrong with you so you must live in an institution and be treated like a prisoner. I feel like it wore on all of the characters except maybe Simon but he didn't get a label did he?
I dono I really liked Derek at the end of the book. I still haven't read book two (school stuff/other books) but I'm still pumped to read it lol!
-Angela

ooh! you should, when you have time! if you want you can borrow mine. =]