Title: Extraordinary Means Publication Date: 2015
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary of Extraordinary Means from Goodreads:
A bitter-sweet, coming-of-age novel that's perfect for fans of John Green and Stephen Chbosky.
When he's sent to Latham House, a boarding
school for sick teens, Lane thinks his life may as well be over.But when he meets Sadie and her friends - a group of eccentric troublemakers - he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn't have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure.
Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about true friendships, ill-fated love and the rare miracle of second chances
Book Review
Summary:
After reading The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider in 2013, I fell in love with Robyn Schneider’s writing and her characters, therefore, having high
hopes for any future releases. Extraordinary Means doesn’t disappoint tying
together great and likeable characters with a captivating plot that is hard to
put down.
Plot:
I had limited problems with the plot and liked the way the story
progressed until the last 50 pages when I was on the verge of tears. Schneider did
a wonderful job of tying a version of incurable TB (which doesn’t exist)
with a coming-of-age story about self-discovery from Lane’s perspective who realises
that school is not the most important thing in life. I also enjoyed the activities
which Lane experiences in Latham with Sadie and her group of friends as it was
well executed. Another strong point was how Lane’s and Sadie’s story with their
friends and family evolves over the course of the book, showing in real terms
how a contagious disease can affect the relationships about
other non-contagious diseases. Finally, Schneider does a good job at incorporating
social media into the novel as many contemporary novels don’t although very
active in many teenagers’ lives today.
Overall: The plot of
Extraordinary Means is well executed and developed but get the tissues at the
ready for a sad and unexpected ending.
Characters:
I enjoyed all the characters including the side characters as they were
all well developed and enjoyable all having their own individuals traits but can
be referred to like your average/ typical YA misfit characters having “weird”
cosplay obsessions or sticking out of the crowd when in Latham or inside the school. By the end of the book, I enjoyed the characters but at the beginning, I didn’t
like the way that Sadie interacted with Lane and found that her character was
quite juvenile although she was sixteen. However, at the end of the book, I enjoyed
the relationship between her at Lane and her personally and empathies with her.
I also like Lane and had no problems with him and I enjoyed his character
development over the course of the novel.
Overall: The
characters in this novel are enjoyable but some of the side characters do full
into the trap of your typical YA misfit.
Writing:
Robyn Schneider has very witty writing that reflects today’s society by including
up to date references and embracing social media which I find rare in some of
the more up to date YA contemporary releases. The characters have their own
voices and are very different to each other which was very enjoyable to read
about. I also enjoyed the references to Harry Potter and other films like Spirited
Away as you can see her own personality through her writing by incorporating it
in with the characters.
Overall: The writing
of this book is well done and incorporates references that will engage the
reader.
The Verdict: Robyn Schneider is an author that stands out from the crowd with her
witty writing and fun characters and enjoyable plot. Extraordinary Means is
a very entertaining book but will leave you heartbroken at the end, get the
tissues at the ready.
Have you read Extraordinary Means? Did you like it? Leave your comments
below.
Hope you enjoyed this review.
See you soon,
Amy
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