Romantic drama with a twist, perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver, Dawn O'Porter, Jay Asher and Maureen Johnson. Caroline is seventeen and at a crossroads. Her whole family is on her back, and her grandmother, the only person who really understands her, is sick, maybe dying. All she wants to do is escape. So when her best friend suggests a night out to forget her troubles, Caroline must choose: stay by her grandmother's side, or go to the party and live her life ...and maybe meet the boy of her dreams. This decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths - and she's about to live them both. But there can only be one happy ending...Readers of Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young's previous teen fiction - Forgotten, Revived, The Originals, A Need so Beautiful and The Program - will love this new collaboration. Cat's previous solo books were the highly acclaimed Forgotten, Revived and The Originals. Cat lives near Seattle with her husband and twin daughters. When she's not writing, she's playing dress-up, using wind as her superpower, trying new restaurants or planning for a zombie apocalypse. Suzanne currently lives in Tempe, Arizona, where she teaches high school English.
When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration. She is the author of several books for teens, including The Program, A Need So Beautiful, and A Want So Wicked. Friend her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter.
After reading Pivot Point by Kassie West, I had such high expectations for this book. I don't usually like to compare one book to another, but these two were similar in a way and I was hoping that I would enjoy Just Like Fate as much as I did Pivot Point. I was not disappointed. Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young are a dynamic writing duo, that brought to life two very different set of circumstances with two very different outcomes that were realistic, full of so many emotions, and likable characters. It was both heart warming and heart breaking watching Caroline standing at the crossroads, trying to decide which path to take. She is such a wonderfully realistic and flawed character in so many ways, that it's incredibly easy to connect with her in such an emotional way.
In the chapters marked "Stay" you could feel the heavy sadness and emotion wafting off the pages and engulfing you in their despair. What I really liked about each reality, was that both good and bad things happened, as a result of Caroline's choices. There seemed to be a wonderful balance that both Patrick and Young took into consideration, while writing this novel. Both sides of the coin, are just as interesting as the other is and you get so much more out of the story that way. The exploration of love, forgiveness, and family grief is part of why I loved the story as much as I did. It was beautifully written and incredibly moving.
Just Like Fate is a story that is beautifully touching in many wonderful ways. If you enjoy books that explore the consequences of the choices that we make, that fate is open to chance, or self-exploration then you'll really enjoy this novel. It's a wonderfully written book full of so much to offer, love, life, loss, and the importance of family. Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young do not disappoint in the least. I would definitely recommend giving this book a chance.
Reading updates
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19 August, 2013:
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19 August, 2013:
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