ARC Reviews: None of The Above by I.W. Gregorio & Invincible by Amy Reed

Title: None of the Above
Author: I.W. Gregorio 
Genere: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Source: Edelweiss
Publisher: Balzer + Bray / HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
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Summary: 

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant? When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.  But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.” Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s world completely unravels. With everything she thought she knew thrown into question, can she come to terms with her new self? Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

Review:

I don't know where to begin with this review. None of the Above was beautiful, and deserves more then what I can say for it. We all have books that have changed us in some way, for me this is that book. None of the Above is written by a surgeon who treated an intersex patient, which inspired this novel. I can throw around a million words to describe this book: real, brilliant, diverse. But in reality it is, something different. We need more books like this in the YA genre to show real life issues. I'll admit, when ever I think of gender it has always been Female or Male to me. Never "other." This book opened my eyes and realizing there is some people out there that their gender isn't exactly defined. Sure, they may look like one gender, but on the inside they could be or feel like a whole other gender. 

Krissy's story broke my heart. She had so much in life, and in a matter of days lost it all. This book shows how cruel people are, and how not everyone has the same rights. She is one of the strongest characters I have ever read about, sure she has her moments and I really can't blame her for that. The ending though made the whole book for me. I was so content that she is going to have happiness, and that there will be people there for her that except her for who she is. 

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Title: Invincible (Invincible #1)

Author: Amy Reed

Genre: Contemporary 

Source: Edelweiss

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: April 28th, 2015

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Summary: 

Evie is living on borrowed time. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer several months ago and told that by now she’d be dead. Evie is grateful for every extra day she gets, but she knows that soon this disease will kill her. Until, miraculously, she may have a second chance to live. All Evie had wanted was her life back, but now that she has it, she feels like there’s no place for her in it—at least, not for the girl she is now. Her friends and her parents still see her as Cancer Girl, and her boyfriend’s constant, doting attention is suddenly nothing short of suffocating. Then Evie meets Marcus. She knows that he’s trouble, but she can’t help falling for him. Being near him makes her feel truly, fully alive. It’s better than a drug. His kiss makes her feel invincible—but she may be at the beginning of the biggest free fall of her life.

Review:

I saw that this was a cancer story and I automatically thought this was going to have a The Fault in Our Stars vibe to it. It didn't, thank goodness. But Invincible isn't your average cancer story. Reed created a beautiful story about a girl who now has to learn how to live her life, after she was told it was over.

Invincible is split up into two parts. Now and Then. Then was my favorite part. Evie was so sweet and caring then. She loved her friends and her boyfriend and was grateful for what ever time she had left. Now was after Evie is released from the hospital after the cancer had gone away. I hate Evie in Now. She became addicted to drugs, treated the people who loved her the most like crap. It was hard to get through the book at that point. But Evie is also such a complex character that I can understand why the changed happened. I do hope that Evie will become bearable in the next book because I did enjoy this book other then the fact of her transformation.

Some parts of this book were really deep and hard to get through. Especially in the Then part. I was up at 3 in the morning sobbing as I read certain parts. I really felt bad for what Evie was going through. Then everything surrounding Stella's death happened and it broke my heart. This book was a major tear jerker for me. I cried through at least half of it. I was disappointed in the romance part though, but I can see that this book was more about Evie then her falling in love. Which was actually quite refreshing.

Overall I really liked Invincible. If I didn't find Evie to be so unbearable in the Now part I would have given it five stars instead of four. I am excited that there is another book. Hopefully Evie will grow more in it. 

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