ARC Review: Just Like Fate



Title: Just Like Fate
Author: Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young
Series: N/A, Standalong
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publication Date: August 27th, 2013
My Rating: 2 Stars


  Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

  The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two seperate paths--and she's about to live them both.

  Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

  Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

  I was given an ARC copy of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This review is a review of the ARC copy, not the final version. 

  We all make lots of decisions everyday - from small things like what to wear, to big, life-changing decisions. Just Like Fate shows us how making a decision can make an impact on our lives.

  I really loved the concept of this book. I definitely took a lot from it, and it was just an amazing experience. With just one decision that didn't seem significant at all, many of Caroline's experiences changed. It shows us that even small decisions can make a big impact on our lives. But the book also showed us how some things are just meant to happen. In some way, whatever choice we make is the right choice, because it made us who we are today. I really loved this quote near the ending of the book:
"He wasn't saying that I'd end up in the same place either way so it didn't matter. He was trying to say that whatever life I lived because of the choice I made is important. And maybe I found my way back to basically the same place - who really knows - but the mistakes I made make me who I am. We may be drawn to our fates like magnets, but whatever we pick up along the way means something. Mistakes mean something."

  So why am I only giving it 2 stars? The thing is, if it were based solely on the above points, this book would easily be a five-star read. However, there are still a lot to consider - the plot, the writing. As much as I love what I took away from the book, I hated the story. I was literally forcing myself to continue reading since I had to use this book for a challenge.

  I was ready to hurl the book across the room after reading the first 30% because ugh, I just hated the story! I hated how stupid and selfish Caroline was and how she was whiny and drowned in self-pity. She knew her mistakes, but she didn't make an effort to do anything about it.

  I also didn't like the writing much. There were times when there was no flow in the story. One minute she's talking about something, then the next paragraph she's with her friend Simone. It should have been in a new chapter if that was what's going to happen! Also, the text messages were capitalized, which just made me mad because IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS BEING SHOUTED AT RIGHT AT MY FACE, and there were so many texts.

  I seriously hated the reading it right until the last 15%, which made me smile and made my heart soar. I wish the whole novel could have been like the last 15% of the book, but sadly, that's not the case. You know, if I didn't love the lessons I learned from here so much, this book might have been rated just a star.


2.5 disappointing stars


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