Monday, April 13, 2015

Review: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS
Ann Aguirre
Contemporary Young Adult
328 pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…


MY THOUGHTS
Where so many stories depict the struggle of life, the moments spent stumbling around in the darkness with only the promise of a light at the end of the tunnel, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things gives us the beautiful moments following the first few hesitant steps that leave the darkness behind. We get a three-hundred page slice of life with Sage and Shane, the two of them putting one foot in front of the other to create as much distance from their difficult pasts as possible, and there's something extraordinarily satisfying in watching as they do everything they can to embrace the good in their lives while they have it. Their story is sweet and touching, largely free of drama and angst but full of feeling nonetheless, and our time with them is spent smiling and hopeful that their respective tunnels are well behind them.

Sage is an inspirational young woman, writing a few kind words on a brightly colored Post-it note and sticking it on the locker of someone who's having a rough day despite the mockery she gets for doing so. Her dedication to such a seemingly small gesture makes us fall a little more in love with her with every note, and when a moment comes that lets her see just how profound an effect her words have had over the years, we can't help but tear up and look for any opportunity to pay the kindness we've seen from her forward in our reality. She wants so badly to prove she's more than the events of her past, and her sheer determination to rise above and keep the shadows at bay makes us want to pick up a stack of pink Post-it notes and beat them back right beside her.

Sage's romance with Shane is characterized by one cute moment after another,
the two of them choosing to share the secrets of their pasts slowly but surely as they make their way toward happiness instead of falling prey to the typical teenage habit of failing to communicate. Some readers may wish for a few more ups and downs between them, a happy couple perhaps not as riveting as one fighting to be together, but there's a certain desirable comfort that radiates from the two of them, blanketing us in their warmth even as their pasts rear their ugly heads one final time. 

Overall, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is a story full of light and hope even dappled with darkness as it is, showing us how impressively far-reaching and life-changing the tiniest of kindnesses can be.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Ann:

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

37 comments:

  1. I love that Sage does that! I think I would really like her Jenny. I really think this will be one that I will need to add to the pile.
    Beautiful review!!

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    1. Sage was awesome Ali, I so enjoyed her and Shane together:)

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  2. It sounds like a really inspiring and interesting story. Sage looks like a character we can only love to discover. thanks for the review, it was a new one for me.

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    1. Glad I could put it on your radar Melliane!

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  3. I would not wish for more ups and downs so this would fit me

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    1. It was the perfect fit for me too, I prefer low-angst relationships:)

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  4. Well, if I needed another push to get me this book, your review is exactly that one! I love the idea of someone being kind enough to leave a post-it with a kind thought when someone is having a bad day, and it reminds me of the habit my friends from nursing school & I had, we always left notes in each other's lockers while we were on training schedules because we weren't in the same schedule and it was always great to find those notes (that I still keep!).

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    1. Love that Pili! It's amazing what a few kind words can do:)

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  5. Jenny your review is absolutely beautiful and I really want to pick The Queen of Shint Bright Things to experience the beautiful journey the two main characters take.

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    1. Thank you Lily! I hope you love this one:)

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  6. Sage sounds awesome, Jenny. I love that she continues to leave kind Post-its despite getting flak for it. And I actually prefer happy romances over turbulent ones so I'd have no problems with the romance in this one.

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    1. I prefer happy romances too Z! Romantic drama makes me itch, so it was really nice to see these two happy more often than not:)

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  7. I'm so glad you liked this too, Jenny. I thought it was really sweet too and I was happy not to see the lovely relationship being tarnished by annoying drama and misunderstandings. I loved Sage so much! We need more YA characters like her.
    Lovely review!

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    1. YES! Yay for no misunderstandings. Or cheating. Or love triangles:)

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  8. Sage sounds like a wonderful girl - one I would love to meet. This is gorgeous, Jenny!

    "Her dedication to such a seemingly small gesture makes us fall a little more in love with her with every note, and when a moment comes that lets her see just how profound an effect her words have had over the years, we can't help but tear up and look for any opportunity to pay the kindness we've seen from her forward in our reality."

    Thank you for such a lovely review!! :)

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    1. I thought she was awesome Kim! I loved that she left those notes and tried to make people smile when they were having a bad day:)

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  9. I loved Sage's dedictation to the post it notes. I absolutely loved that part of the story. Such an uplifting message.

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    1. Me too Heidi! We need more people wielding pink Post-it notes:)

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  10. This really has me wanting to read it. Low angst but high on feels? YES! If you didn't have me there that last paragraph totally did me in. LOVED the way you put it. Kindnesses! I want to read this now.

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    1. I hope you make time for this one Melissa, it was such a great read:)

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  11. I'm really excited to read this since I've really enjoyed Aguirre's work and I particularly was a fan of her New Adult so her venture into Contemporary is both welcome and seems to be a success. Fantastic review, Jenny--I'm glad you found this to be such a moving read!

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    1. I just liked everything about this one Keertana - it was nice not to spend my time dreading the moment when everything was going to fall apart:)

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  12. Hmm...I'm honestly not sure about this one, Jenny. While the romance sounds adorable and I really like the idea of the Post-Its, I'm a bit afraid of the serious aspect of the book not being fleshed out completely. I'll see if I can find this one at my public library and browse a few pages before picking it up. Glad you enjoyed it though!

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    1. The serious part is definitely fleshed out Rummanah, particularly toward the end. It just isn't overly dramatic as with some stories, you know? Highly recommend:)

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  13. The reviews of this one have really got me curious. I really think I'd like Sage a lot and I want to meet her!

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  14. I was present when this book was born, and I love it so much, I swear it's unhealthy. I wouldn't have wanted more ups and downs between them, actually. They had plenty to struggle with, and this type of loq-angst romance is exactly my favorite kind.

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    1. I wouldn't either. I know some people like their romances full of punches to the gut, but I loved that this one was emotional without being quite so over the top:)

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  15. I love that this captures the after and rebuilding out of the darkness. Lovely review Jenny.

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  16. Aw, this sounds sweet. Sometimes we need books like this. And I love the post-it note idea.

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  17. What a beautifully written review! I always think of Ann Aguirre as a sci-fi/fantasy author. Not sure if that's right. But your review makes me more interested in checking this out.

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  18. This sounds like a really sweet book, I think I'd really enjoy Sage's character.

    A lovely review! Sharon – Obsession with Books

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  19. I actually love hearing that Shane and Sage's romance isn't full of ups and downs and that they communicate. So looking forward to this one! I have my copy and just need to get through the work week! :-)

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  20. This one sounds really sweet and low angst..and I love the idea of the difference a small kindness can make!

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  21. This one sounds adorable. I've only read a few of her NA books and I liked the first one but not the second one so much...

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  22. I have been seeing so many good reviews on this book! Totally have to get it now.

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  23. I really liked this one, too! Once they finally got together, the story dragged a bit for me (know they were building tension but it went on a bit too long for me). Still, loved the characters and the post-its.

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