Tuesday 10 April 2012

#85 Book Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me

The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Release Date: February 2nd 2012
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Amazon & The Book Depository
More Info: Goodreads
Summary from Goodreads:
Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?
My review:


Cover:
I love the girl's purple dress , the sky background and the upside down bridge. I can feel as if the girl is flying there in the sky and the cover gives off this heaven and calm feeling!
5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for the cover!
Story:


There's a girl called Brie. She died because of a broken heart. Her heart LITERALLY broke in half...


don't you (forget about me)


I don't think I'll even bother writing my own synopsis for this book. What I'll do instead is put some of the chapter titles of the book along with my review! I had high expectations for The Catastrophic History of You and Me, considering all the positive reviews I've been reading about this book and how so many people love it. The Catastrophic History of You and Me is beyond my expectations. This book was so awesome and amazing. The idea of someone who died because their heart literally broke in half (like really broke in half) is so unique. 


what becomes of the broken hearted?


It must have been really painful for Brie when her heart broke in half when she died. Before I even read the story, the way the pages of the book are set and the chapter titles made me fall in love with this book. 


excuse me while I kiss the sky

YES! This book is so touching, and well-written. It is filled with so many emotions. It's fun, it's sad, it's beautiful, it's hilarious and it gives you this warm fuzzy feeling when you read the book. The book is split into 5 parts and I love the stories in each part. Not only that, I LOVE THE CHAPTER TITLES. They are from song lyrics and they're PERFECT. This book touched me in ways I never thought of. I love it. It's amazing. The ending is perfect.

permanently black and blue, permanently blue, for you  
 
Characters:

somewhere over the rainbow


There is Patrick. He's a Darling. Hey, no pun intended. He is Patrick Darling. (Yes, Darling is his surname!). He is adorable, he's amazing, he's awesome and I fall in love with him. I'd willingly break my heart in half if it means I can see him! He's the coolest character ever. He wears leather brow jacket, and rides motorcycle. He is sweet, charming and oh, what I'd do to make him smile. 


only the good die young

Patrick is nearly 18 when he died! 17 years is not enough to see the beauty of the world and to feel love.

the cheese stands alone
 
Brie stands for Aubrie. Brie is the name of a cheese and yes, she stands alone! She is such a fun character to read about. I connected with her in every ways and understand her pain of being told that her own boyfriend that he did not love her and the pain of not being able to live in the world any longer. 


1,2,3,4, tell me that you love me more

I love Brie and Patrick's relationship. They are so perfect for each other. There is an attraction from the very first moment they saw each other but they came to love each other after the time they spent together. 

who will save your soul if you won’t save your own?


I loved the other characters such as Brie's family and friends. Brie's BFFs totally rocks. They are friends that stay with you forever, no matter what happens. Jacob, Brie's boyfriend who broke her heart was a character that completely surprised me. I wanted to know why he broke up with her, seeing how he and Brie were so lovey-dovey in their relationship and when I found out what the reason was, I wanted to hug him. 


to die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die

I love the characters. They make me filled with so many beautiful emotions I want to hold on to. 

Overall:
The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a book that will fill you with so many beautiful emotions you want to hold on to forever. The darling Patrick and the cute Brie will take you on a journey to find out what it's like when your heart literally broke in half, what it means to be in denial, to be angry, to bargain, to feel sadness and to accept death. This is one my favourite 2012 debut novels!

And I'll close my review with one chapter title:

all you need is love

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for The Catastrophic History of You and Me!
Thank you Penguin Australia for the review copy!

Check out the book trailer!

22 comments:

  1. LOVE your review, Celine! I'm such a huge fan of this book, it definitely blew me away. It was more than I thought it would be, very touching and beautiful and adorable too. I love that Darling was Patrick's surname, ha. You make me want to re-read this book, hee. Absolutely wonderful review, Celine. <3

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  2. I'm so glad that you loved this book Celine! I really like how you said how Patrick was a Darling. That's a good one! :P I just love how to the author's writing was so perfect. Kind of like Stephanie Perkin's writing where you lose track of how much you read. Oh, and I love your review too. Very clever!

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  3. This sounds so good Celine! Thank you for your very thoughtful and thorough review! I have been on the edge about this book since I first heard of it, but I think your review has won me over, I must have it! By the way, LOVE your blog! New follower!

    Darlene @ Leather Bound and Lovely

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  4. Glad to see you liked this one, Celine. It looks really good and I love the cover. Great review :)

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  5. I love these chapter titles!! You know, when I first heard about this I thought YAWN but the more gushing reviews I read the more I change my mind....

    The Cait Files

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  6. CELINE. I'm officially in love with your review!! ♥ Putting some of the chapter titles in it was PERFECT and BEAUTIFUL and SWEET, just like the book itself. I want to hug you for all your cleverness, then I want to go back and huge this book because I loved it so much too! And I love love LOVED Patrick (I can't believe he's not on my BB list yet -- definitely adding him now!) and that his last name was Darling (hehe, you're so cute! ♥) and that he and Brie fit together like two broken puzzle pieces!

    What a BEAUTIFUL review! I think I might have to go out and buy my own copy just so I can read it again -- thank you so much, Celine!!! :')

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  7. Oh dear... so we're adding Patrick to your harem now, too? Etienne and Noah and Ash and Jace and Will and... well, they might all get jealous?

    Oh, Celine, I am so so SOOO glad you loved Catastrophic History as much as me. That moment on the cliff in the lightening storm? My heart cracked. What he did to himself when *sobs*

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  8. I love the concept of the literal broken heart. Quirky and cute.

    check out my blog? it would mean a lot.
    www.dogearedandcoffeestained.blogspot.com

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  9. Great review Celine! Love how you included some of the chapter titles/lyrics as well. They were definitely a really nice touch in the story.

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  10. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'm SOOOO glad you loved this Celine! I myself can't wait to read it<3 I cannot wait to meet Brie and Patrick :D Fabulous review, Celine<3

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  11. I'm so grabbing this book! Your review is kinda cute with those short little verses separating the paragraphs and it makes reading easy and fun!

    Thanks for sharing your review!

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  12. Fantastic review Celine, I actually brought this book as soon as I read Maja's review, but I haven't had the chance to get around reading it! Darn my galleys, but you're review wants me to pick it up asap! I love the chapter titles and I think I need to meet this Patrick guy soon! :)

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  13. What a great review! I love how you have written this and it makes really excited to read the book myself. It seems like nearly everyone has loved this book and I really need to get a move on and pick it up myself. Awesome review, Celine! :)

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  14. I cannot freaking wait for thsi book to comeout! Holy crap! What a great review Celine, i cannt wati to read it seriously! x

    Ƹ̴Ӂ̴ƷFICBOOKREVIEWSƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

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  15. I LOVE that you included the chapter titles in your review, Celine! SO BRILLIANT <3 The chapter titles are so PRETTY. I love them too. And Patrick sounds amaazing! Can't wait to read this! I was at first very eh about this book but then it's got so many good reviews. Definitely checking this one out :D

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  16. I haven't heard anything about this one yet but I'm definitely putting it on my wishlist now. Thanks for the awesome review!!

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  17. this book sounds so cute! I'm very curious about it, and Well I just love the cover. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I've heard great things about it. Amazing review, it's always nice to learn more about the characters.

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  18. Fun review, Cel! I really want to read this book now!

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  19. Great review! I just got this book and I can't wait to read this book it sounds adorable! (:

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  20. Oh yes, yes, yes, YES CELINE! I love your review and also the style you wrote it in <3 This was SUCH an amazing novel and oh my god, it put me through a ringer of emotions. From sheer joy to crushing heartache. Brie and Patrick are two of the most vibrant characters in YA <3 I agree with EVERYTHING you wrote, but WHY MUST YOU MAKING ME WANT TO GO REREAD THIS?! Fantastic review! :)

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  21. Love your review. I adored this novel.

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  22. NEED. TO. READ. NOW.

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