Review: Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385521222
Source: Purchased
Series: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants #5
Release Date: January 1, 2011
Goodreads  |  Amazon
See my reviews for other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.
Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

     REVIEW:

I was so super excited to read this book and find out what happened to four of my favorite fictional girls.... I must tell you... I must warn you - this book has left me traumatized and I will never think of the series the same again. I probably can't even re-read them at some later date. How am I going to let my future daughter(s) read them, knowing what they are getting into with book five?! Sigh...

I'm not saying it's bad. It isn't. It was actually pretty good. Except for the fact that I was basically crying the entire time and every time I even look at the cover let alone think about what actually happened I get that ache in my chest (you know, the one that normal people get for real tragedies and we nerds get for fictional characters?) and want to cry a little bit more.

I will say that I was not a fan of the fact that the book was literally depressing almost in its entirety. I think I might have cracked a smile somewhere within the last 50 pages, which was promptly replaced with tears again. It's hard to endure several hundred pages of depression and find something to enjoy about it. I also think that the same issue with the dialogue that I had in book four was present in this book also. It was a little awkward and stunted.

The book was a little long for my tastes and it dragged a bit in the middle, but I was completely committed to this series so I was also able to look past that and finish the whole damn thing in two days. The ending was a little too tidy for me, and thats something that I was not able to overlook, but I suppose I was satisfied nonetheless. I guess after five books, one of which rips your heart out and stomps on it repeatedly, the series is entitled to a tidy ending, bow and all.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and even with how depressing it was, it gives us a glimpse of the truth of growing up - that not all "grown ups" are living the happy lives they once thought they would. They lose touch with their friends and sometimes even with reality when they realize that things aren't quite going the way they expected. A touching and beautiful (yet incredibly sad) story about everlasting love and friendship, Sisterhood Everlasting was a decent ending to a series that will always hold a place in my bookish heart.

     RATING: ★★★ 1/2

Have any of you read this last installment? I know many people have read the first four but never made it around to this one. Let me give you this advice: If you wish to preserve the fond memories of the series as it stands, don't read this book. This book will change the way you look at the previous four. Maybe not in a bad way, but it kind of sets a sad overtone for it all and I can't quite look at it as happily as I would have before I read it. Even still, I'm glad to have closure and glad I read it.

I'd love to hear from you on this one! Have you read it? What did you think? If not, have you not read it because of things (like this review) that you've read about it? I'm interested in everyone's opinion of this one..

A.

Review: Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385734011
Source: Purchased
Series: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants #4
Release Date: January 1, 2007
Find it on Goodreads
See my reviews on other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

With unraveled embroidery and fraying hems, the Traveling Pants are back for one last, glorious summer.
Lena: Immerses herself in her painting and an intoxicating summer fling, fearing that the moment she forgets about Kostos will be the moment she sees him again.
Carmen: Falls under the spell of a sophisticated college friend for whom a theatrical role means everything and the heritage of the Pants means nothing.
Bridget: Joins a dig for an ancient city on the coast of Turkey and discovers that her archaeology professor is available in every way except one.
Tibby: Leaves behind someone she loves, wrongly believing he will stay where she has left him.

     REVIEW:

I really thought that this would be my favorite book out of the whole series - mainly because I'm so much closer in age to the main characters in this one than I was four books ago (24 to their 18). Surprisingly, it wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy reading about the deeper issues the girls dealt with in this "final" installment.

One of the smaller reasons for me not absolutely loving this one was that I found the writing to be... for lack a better term: strange... as compared to the previous three. Not the narrative, but the dialogue felt stunted and awkward, which made no sense to me considering the previous three in the series were written very well. It was easy enough to look past as a whole, but strange nonetheless and at times distracting.

As far as the characters and their development, the fact that they were entering a new life stage and changing very much was evident. I think all of the characters showed a lot of development throughout the series, but I wondered at times in this book if the girls had forgotten all of the lessons they'd learned over the previous three summers?

Bridget was always my favorite out of the girls, probably because I related best to her. I enjoyed the fact that she was such a free spirit a lot of the time, but sometimes fell victim to a deeper sadness and bad decisions. I always thought, though, that Bridget was the one who learned most from her mistakes and made the biggest effort to change when she did learn. Then came this book and Bridget basically reverts to all her old ways. It was just eye-roll inducing when she (and all the other characters) went back on all the awesome character development they'd acquired previously.

The other girls will always have a spot in my heart alongside Bridget, my fave, though they usually made me roll my eyes a little more often than she did (especially Carmen). Carmen has gotten much less bratty since the first book, though, thank God, and actually begins to develop as an adult and use her attitude to get what she wants in the right way.

Sometimes Lena's reaction to emotion-inducing events seemed unrealistic and too nonchalant, but I suppose she was always a bit of a downer. And Tibby... in this book, Tibby was the opposite of every 18-year-old girl I know while somehow being exactly like them. I don't want to spoil anything for the 5% of people who've never read these but I felt for the girl because I have been in some of those situations before (definitely not the biggest one, but some).

Overall, awkward dialogue aside, it was fun to watch four girls that we'd seen grow up go into adulthood, making mistakes (as always) and learning from them in the end- and even teaching some lessons in the process. I enjoyed this one and though I wanted to scream sometimes, I was satisfied with the way it ended, even if it was bittersweet.

     RATING: ★★★★

I highly recommend this series as a whole to all YA contemporary lovers. Its a wonderful story about true friendship, love, growing up, and how to deal with life and its tragedies. Though I can admit that sometimes reading about four teenage girls could be a bit eye-roll inducing, if you want to reminisce on your young-adulthood, pick up these books! I loved them!

How many of you read the entire series? What did you think of it as a whole? There's one more book (technically an adult novel) which I've read and will be reviewing. Its the "10 years later" novel.. I bet you can't wait! :)

A.

Review: Girls in Pants by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780553375930
Source: Purchased
Series: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants #3
Release Date: January 1, 2005
Find it on Goodreads
See my reviews on other books in this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

The Pants first came to us at the perfect moment. That is, when we were splitting up for the first time. It was two summers ago when they first worked their magic, and last summer when they shook up our lives once again. You see, we don’t wear the Pants year-round. We let them rest so they are extra powerful when summer comes. (There was the time this spring when Carmen wore them to her mom’s wedding, but that was a special case.)
Now we’re facing our last summer together. In September we go to college. And it’s not like one of those TV shows where all of us magically turn up at the same college. We’re going to four different colleges in four different cities (but all within four hours of one another—that was our one rule). We’re headed off to start our real lives.

Tomorrow night at Gilda’s we’ll launch the Pants on their third summer voyage. Tomorrow begins the time of our lives. It’s when we’ll need our Pants the most.

     REVIEW:

I enjoyed this book the most out of the entire series - maybe because I remember a time when I was leaving highschool on the brink of adulthood, wondering where the hell our lives were going to go.. I mean I didn't have four amazing "sisters" and a pair of magical pants, but don't you think we could all relate a little here?

I particularly enjoyed the character development Brashares gives us in this book especially and how well done these stories are. By the third installment, we've grown pretty attached to the girls, the pants and their adventures and it was a great feeling to "watch" them grow up.

I'll keep this short and sweet because, really, by book three, what else can I really say that I haven't already said? The writing is really good, the character development is evident and real. I have really grown to love this series and after I finished this one I picked up books four and five in quick succession because I just had to know what happened.

     RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

This was my favorite book in the series because the girls were slightly more grown up and showed the most development in this book throughout the series so far. I would recommend this book and series to anyone who enjoys young adult contemporary novels. Really, its just awesome!

Have any of you read this book/series? What did you think? Did you fall in love quite like I did? Love hearing from you guys!

A.

Review: The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385731058
Release Date: April 22, 2003
Series: The Sisterhood #2
Page Count: 373 pages
Find it on Goodreads
See past reviews for this series
*Disclaimer - if you havent yet read the first book in the series, please note that this review may have first-book spoilers in it. Please see my past reviews in this series (above) for spoiler-free reviews of each book.

     GOODREADS.COM SYNOPSIS:

"With a bit of last summer's sand in the pockets, the Traveling Pants and the Sisterhood that wears them embark on their 16th summer.
Bridget: Impulsively sets off for Alabama, wanting to both confront her demons about her family and avoid them all at once.
Lena: Spends a blissful week with Kostos, making the unexplainable silence that follows his visit even more painful.
Carmen: Is concerned that her mother is making a fool of herself over a man. When she discovers that her mother borrowed the Pants to wear on a date, she's certain of it.
Tibby: Not about to spend another summer working at Wallman's, she takes a film course only to find it's what happens off-camera that teaches her the most."

     REVIEW:
WHAT I LIKED:

• A little darker than the first book. Sometimes depressing - see below - but overall I think it captured what teenager-hood is really about. About being a person - albeit a young person - with issues and demons and problems just like everyone else.
• Bee's story - it definitely showed the most character development as a whole and it was amazing to watch her grow. Also one of the storylines that made me boo-hoo the most.
• Lena's story was at the same time the most relatable and the most unrelatable story. How many teenagers can say they gave too much of themselves to one boy only to have everything taken away in return? Very many. But also, not many teenage girls can say they've been through the craziness of what happened with Kostos and Lena (sadly enough, I've almost been through this situation, so it really pulled on my heartstrings this time)
• Being a teenager is such a rough time for most people, and this book really shows that in all of its aspects, even the ones that drove me nuts and made me wanna slap a character. Tibby's story was the least dramatic while still being real about succumbing to peer pressure. Overall I really just enjoyed the honesty of the girls' stories. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• Carmen - in the last book I hated her, and I still hate her, if not more this time. She is absolutely destructive, to herself and to others and she's a nasty kid. Even to her friends, she's a snot.
• The first half of this book is when every character seemed to be dealing with demons they felt they'd never get rid of (which sounds a lot like puberty in real life), but it was so dark and depressing. Dont get me wrong, I love a book that will evoke strong emotions in me but I also like happy things to happen. I was starting to feel down myself after reading it for a while.
• The first half was pretty slow (but thankfully by the middle, I couldnt put it down and finished the second half in almost one day, which is very fast for me)... just wish I didn't have to wait until the middle of the book to get into the groove.

     RATING: ★★★★  (4 stars)

I really, really enjoyed this book. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars was that it was a little darker than I had hoped it would be, being considered "chick lit", and sometimes bordered on depressing. Still loved it, though, and planning on reading the next one very soon. My favorite story line is Bee's with battling the demons she has and dealing with losing her mom, and of course, Lena & Kostos. As someone who saw the movies, there was one based on the first one and one based on the last one, but none in between, so its awesome to experience all of the craziness happened in the other two books. I've been sucked in and now I want more! Great contemporary read!

Have any of you read this series in its entirety? I really enjoyed the first two so far and can't wait to read the rest. What did you think? Agree or disagree? Let me know your thoughts!

A.

Review: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385730587
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release Date: September, 2001
Series: The Sisterhood, #1
Page Count: 294 pages

BOOK BLURB:
 "Once there was a pair of pants. Just an ordinary pair of jeans. But these pants, the Traveling Pants, went on to do great things. This is the story of the four friends - Lena, Tibby, Bridget and Carmen - who made it possible."

REVIEW:

What I liked:

• Very easy read. Short, well written and interesting. Easy to get into and get through.
• A very honest portrayal of the characters as human beings, as teenage girls. Often, main characters are GOOD, with a few minor blips along the way. This book showed imprefect girls (like in real life) and their mistakes and what they learned from them.
• Connected to each story, found myself crying through out some of the scenes or laughing out loud while reading in public.
• Each character was distinct, I always knew which point of view I was reading from.
• Just a great feel good, girly book. That's not always my favorite kind of book but its good to  have one every once in a while!

 What I didn't like:

• Being told from four points of view, I wish each part throughout the book was longer than a page. Sometimes it was hard to just jump from PoV to PoV from page to page.
• Carmen was just an awful character. I felt sorry for her but she was just a pain in the ass, borderline BAD kid. She was manipulative and rude and dishonest. I know this isnt a flaw of the book - this is obviously what the author intended - I just DIDNT like this character.
• The ending was sort of unexpected and anticlimactic. I expected more I guess. I was getting closer and closer to the end and started thinking - ok, when is it going to start to wrap up?

   
   SUMMARY:

It occurs to me that I was 12 years old when this book was released. And here I am, 23 1/2 years old FINALLY getting around to it. I was already fond of this story going into it, having seen the movies and having read the 4th book (I know, randomly out of place), so it was clear that I was going to like this one. I really enjoyed it, minus some minor hitches throughout, such as the sucky character Carmen that I wanted to slap and tell to grow up! At least she knew she was being a brat. Anyway, I liked this one and I'm surprised because I generally... okay, NEVER read contemporary YA, or chick lit or whatever you want to classify this. I guess I've realized that the disdain I had for contemporary was unfounded and I can definitely start giving more of it a try.

   RATING: ★★★★

I liked this one a lot and would recommend it to anyone who likes YA, contemporary, chick lit, or just saw these movies and enjoyed them. They are cute and fun and enlightening and address difficult subjects in an easy way.

Have any of you read this or at least seen the movies? Do you agree or disagree with the point I've made? Love hearing from you guys!

A.