Q&A: Flawed featuring Paige From Book Club

Hello again friends! Today we're doing things a bit differently. My best friend Paige (Paige From Book Club) and I decided way back in April that we would read Flawed (by Cecelia Ahern) together, and possibly do something together with our blogs. It took us until the end of December until we were both in a position to read it, and then a couple weeks to come up with a plan & question set for our blogs, so this has been a long time coming. What we finally decided on was to each answer the same 12 questions on the other's blog. So, below you will find Paige's answers, and you can find mine on her blog, right over here. Please also check out my full review of Flawed, which I posted last week.

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How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it? It did take me a while to get into this book actually.  The whole “Perfect” system really bothered me, and I found myself putting the book down in frustration a lot.  I was about two thirds through before I found myself truly getting into the story.
How did you feel reading it - amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored? This book made me so angry and frustrated.  The injustices and unfairness of the whole story really affected me.  There were only rare moments where I could settle and simply read.  The majority of the time, the themes of the book would not let me rest.  Each time I picked up the book the frustration came back with a vengeance.  It was a continuing feeling, right up to the end.
What are your feelings regarding Celestine, the main character? Do you admire her? Disapprove of her? She never intended to take a stand.  She just reacted out of basic human decency and compassion, and for that I admire her.  Beyond that I didn’t have much respect for her character or her way of thinking.  She was narrow minded and naive and arrogant, even as the story progressed.  I did like that she didn’t have a complete change of character just because this big event happened.  It was realistic in that her base character remained the same, even as her world views shifted. Over all though, I didn’t care for her too much, except for in those few moments that she chose the right thing.  In those moments she endeared herself to me.
What did you think of her family’s reactions to her stand, and then her sentencing?

When something is happening to my family, it is happening to me.  We tend to stick together and stand together.  We are always on each other’s side.  So for her strong-willed outspoken sister to remain silent?  I felt utterly betrayed for Celestine.  I appreciated her father’s blustering and yelling on her behalf, as he showed his love in his own way.  It bothered me that she dismissed her grandfather so easily at first, and I was glad when they came to an understanding and she grew to respect him.  Her mother’s quiet defiances were sweet, and while in keeping with her character, I did wish she’d done more.

The part that bothered me the most, however, was her younger brother’s reaction to her.  The disgust and fear he suddenly showed toward her was heartbreaking.  He was so brainwashed into society’s thinking that he couldn’t form a thought for himself. I wanted to shake some sense into him, and make him understand!  Show him why it was society that was wrong, not his sister.  And the fact that there was nothing his family could really do to teach him otherwise, without being seen as “aiding a Flawed” was beyond devastating.  I do wonder how that storyline will develop in the next book.

What are your thoughts on the romance aspect? Did the potential romance take away from the story or add to it? When I thought that Carrick was going to be a solid part of this first book, I was all for the romance.  I am a sucker for romance, no matter the genre I find it in.  When Carrick was absent for most of the book, I was confused.  Why introduce a character that is obviously meant to be a love interest, when he’s not even going to be present?  Why was Celestine suddenly putting so much emphasis on this character that disappeared when she needed him the most?  I would have liked to see him introduced as a comrade and friend first with no hint of deeper feelings on Celestine’s part.  Then perhaps in the next book - when he is actually present - the author could work on developing the romance.  There was a lot of implication, and not a lot of follow through in that particular part of the story.  It was unnecessary in this first installment.
What passages stood out to you? Did anything strike you as particularly profound or insightful? No particular passage stood out to me.  However, the theme of discrimination and prejudice really affected me.  The story makes you reevaluate how you react to our present day discriminations - the ones we don’t always see because we’re right in the middle of it.  Do I sit quietly and watch the injustices happening around me?  Or do I take a stand for what’s right, no matter what others think?  Things to consider, and carry forward in our every day life.
Did you find the plot predictable or formulaic? Yes.  It completely followed a formula, and was absolutely cliché is parts.  It varied enough to keep it interesting, but I was at no point surprised by anything that happened.  I don’t mind predictable or formulaic, most times.  I would have liked to see a little more out of the box thinking for this one though.  The prank played by the classmates for example.  I could have done without that particular cliché.
Is the ending satisfying? It was abrupt.  I would have liked another chapter or two to give our main character better direction and purpose.  We were almost there, but not quite close enough.  This is what makes me think the duology was originally meant to be a stand alone.  It was like someone suddenly chopped it off at the halfway point and said, “We could make more money if we turned this into two books.”
If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author, and how does this compare?

The author states that she wrote this story in six weeks.  So my question would be ‘What suddenly inspired you to write this story?’  For it to be written so quickly and passionately, there had to be a trigger, right?

I haven’t read any of her other books.  Mainly because I watched the movie version of “P.S. I Love You” and cried so hard I vowed never to read the book. I’ve been a little afraid to read any of her subsequent books as a result.

Has this novel changed you - broadened your perspective? 
It’s definitely made me think harder about taking a stand for what’s right.  No new ideas, per se.  But definitely a reminder that it is not okay to sit idly by while injustices take place around you.
There is going to be a sequel. Will you continue reading the series? From what I can tell, the sequel “Perfect” is the second half of a duology.  Because it is only two books, I will definitely read the second one.  However, if it had been a trilogy or more, I probably wouldn’t continue.  I do think this story should have been told in one longer book, instead of dividing it in two.  But I will finish it, if only to know what happens next.
Would you recommend the book to other people? For as thought provoking as this book is, it’s not one I would recommend to others.  I suppose if someone came to me looking for another dystopian YA novel, I may mention it.  For a book that deals with the topics of social injustice and prejudice, however; I have a few others I may recommend before this one.

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We were both quite amused by how different our answers were to the first few questions, but then became nearly identical answers for the last questions.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this little experiment as much as we did! Hopefully we will be able to do a few more of these posts in the future.

Review: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Without the vellum dust jacket

Hey guys! So this was my very first read of 2017! I received Flawed in the April 2016 OwlCrate box, and I was sooo excited about it! So excited, in fact, that my best friend and I (she also got the box) decided that we would read it at the same time when we were both at a point to be able to do that, and crazy enough, that took until December/January! We also discussed sharing our reviews on each others' blogs, so stay tuned for a possible future post with her review/answers to book club questions. :)

This book was definitely very reminiscent of The Uglies, Divergent, Hunger Games, etc. and I think anyone who read and enjoyed those books will appreciate this one. I had a hard time determining when the story takes places, it sounds/feels like it could be anywhere between 1 and 10 years from now. There is no mention of a year, which I guess is smart in that it can kind of be a timeless book for future generations, until technology changes enough to be out of date (it mentions cell phones with cameras, tablets, social media, etc). So, not having taken place after some third world war or major upheaval of "the system," it's hard to really classify it (in my mind) as "dystopian." There is, however, a relatively new accepted ideal which turns out to be less-than-ideal, and there's a poster girl who is the face of the revolution. So, I guess those points make it dystopian, and I'll accept that.

Cecelia Ahern is an author I've come to love. P.S. I Love You, The Book of Tomorrow, The Gift, and Love, Rosie (previously published as Where Rainbows End) are just a few of her numerous titles that I have read and enjoyed. To learn that she was branching out into YA dystopian was really exciting for me. One of my favourite authors debuting in one of my favourite genres?! This had the potential for something truly magical!

For her debut YA novel (which also happens to be dystopian), I think Cecelia Ahern did a pretty good job. It's not on point, but it's pretty good.

I wasn't sure I liked it when I got started. As I mentioned, it was hard to determine when it was taking place, I felt like there could have been a bit more information given about the world setting, the history that led to the current world situation, etc. It was pretty vague in that respect.

The character development was pretty good, as far as the main character goes. Celestine is a convincing teenager who suddenly becomes the figurehead of this revolution she had no idea was forming. I found the other characters odd and perhaps a bit two-dimensional? I also didn't really like the ending, it just seemed like a quick wrap up to me. And Carrick's role in the ending seems a bit odd. He either should have stayed with her to the end of the book, or not been re-introduced at all, in my opinion.

Overall I enjoyed the story and I'll be looking forward to the sequel, Perfect, when it is released this spring. I think if someone likes YA, dystopian, and is looking for a quick read, Flawed will certainly fit the bill.

Book Reviews: March Madness

Well, March has been a productive month for me, as far as reading goes! I read almost as many books this month as I did in the last 2 months combined. Wow! I have no life... But, chances are good that I'm going to meet or even exceed my goal of 52 books in the year 2012!

So to begin, I read what I consider to be an Indie type book called The Orphan Sister. It's the story of grown triplets (identical twins and their singleton triplet), told from the POV of _, the singleton. I find the dynamics of multiples fascinating. The identical twins can read each others' thoughts, finish sentences and hold entire conversations without opening their mouths. _ struggles with wanting to be more a part of that bond, and craving her independence from her sisters. In the end, the sisters all learn

Next I read the last 2 books of the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Totally gripping, with much more insight into the workings of the Capitol and Panem in general. Finnick is definitely the sort of character I would have a crush on. Catching Fire helped endear Gale to me (I was not a fan in the first book) and I can see why people would prefer him, but I'm Team Peeta all the way. However, we have to remember that this is not a love story. The love triangle is merely an added bonus to pique the interest of young girls (and, ok, grown women, too). There is plenty of action to entertain boys of all ages, but not so gorey to be distasteful. This is definitely my current favourite series. It took me weeks to get out of Panem in my mind, Suzanne Collins does such a thorough job of sucking her readers into Katniss' world. I also managed to see the film opening night (totally would have gone to the pre-showing Thursday, but I couldn't find anyone willing to stay up late to go with me). It was a good representation and I look forward to the rest of the movies, to see how they tie everything together and make up for the parts they left out...

Due to my mind being drenched in Panem, it took me a while to get into the Body Movers romantic-murder-mystery books. But once I did, I was hooked. It was a shock and disappointment to learn that there are, in fact, 6 books in the series, and I only have the first 3 (Body Movers, Body Movers: 2 Bodies for the Price of 1, and Body Movers: 3 Men and a Body). *sad face* Carlotta Wren is a great character. Reminiscent of Sophie Kinsella's Becky Bloomwood, but a bit more responsible and down to earth. Carlotta and her younger brother Wesley have been on their own for 10 years now, since their parents abandoned them during their father's trial after he was allegedly accused of investment fraud from the firm where he was a partner. The then 18-year old Carlotta lost everything; the mansion and privileged lifestyle she was accustomed to, her friends, her parents, and then her fiance, Peter Ashford (handsome and wealthy). All she had was Wesley (then 9 years old) and the townhouse her parents had bought in her name. She's done her best to raise Wesley, but it's tough! Wesley gets arrested by Detective Jack Terry in the first book for hacking into the court house's system. Detective Terry (big, strong, Southern) makes a great love interest for Carlotta, and also seems to always be at the right place at the right time to bail her out. Then Peter waltzes back into her life, making an interesting little love triangle. But then, as if the girl isn't lucky enough to have 2 guys interested in her, Wesley gets a job moving bodies for the morgue and his boss, Cooper "Coop" Craft (Mr. Mysterious) turns into another interested party! Carlotta manages to get herself into trouble as well, over and over throughout the books, tangled in various murders, but with 4 guys looking out for her, and her quirky best friend Hannah, life's not so bad!

After all that romance and frivolous murder, I was in the mood for something a bit more serious. I had recently purchased Shutter Island (have only seen parts of the movie), but I knew the story, more or less. I thought reading the book might clarify things. Hardly. I didn't enjoy the writing style, it read too much like a movie, which confused me a bit. The overall story was captivating and exercised the mind a bit, which is always good. But it's not a book I would be inclined to read again, or even to keep. If interested, drop me a line, I could probably give you a good price...

After that I went back to my frivolous, flirty books to read Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella. A great installment to the Shopaholic series. Becky is now married to Luke Brandon. In the beginning of the book, they are on their year-long honeymoon travelling around the world, have all sorts of wondering experiences, and buying all sorts of extravagant souvenirs, of course! Becky goes behind Luke's back to buy a bunch of really expensive items and then of course has to lie and sneak her way around telling him. They decide to head home early because Becky misses her family and friends and Luke has some business deals he wants to take care of, but they don't tell anyone they're coming, which ends up being a bit of a flop. Her parents aren't home when they get there, and when they do show up they act really weird. Then she goes to visit her best friend Suze, who has made a new best friend! Then Becky's parents tell her she actually has a half sister, and she is just so excited about the prospect and the idea of a replacement for Suze. But Becky's sister, Jess, is nothing like her. After a lot of misadventures, Becky and Jess finally accept each other for who they are, Suze and Becky make up, and Becky and Luke are pregnant!

And yesterday I finished, The Wedding Girl, by Madeleine Wickam (Sophie Kinsella). Main character Milly is wild at heart, but nobody knows just how wild she really is. When she was 18 she made some gay friends who asked her to marry one of them so he could stay in the country. It was too much of an adventure for Milly to miss, so she agreed. Ten years later, Milly is engaged to Simon Pinnacle, and days before the wedding, she meets her photographer, Alexander - the same young man who was witness to her first marriage and even has a picture of her to prove it. Alexander's presence, and teasing, gets Milly into a real panic and she decides that she needs to find Allan, the man she married, to know if he finalized their divorce, or if they're still married - all without telling anyone but her sister, Isobel, and godmother, Esme. She eventually finds Rupert (Allan's former lover), and Rupert eventually finds Allan. But not before someone tells the priest and everyone, including Simon, learns the truth, and they call the wedding off 2 days before. But is it off for good, or can true love conquer a few lies from the past?

This puts me at 18 books (currently in week 13), which means only 34 to go in 39 weeks! Wish me luck!