Other Words for Love
I loved this book more than I thought I would. I felt so connected to Ari; the writing style of Ms Rosenthal really lets you get in her head. Ari is just your typical high schooler. Her sister got married and pregnant at 18 so their mother has always been hard on Ari, pushing her to be her best, as a way to right the wrongs of her older sister. For the most part, Ari did just that. However, life isn't always so eay for her. She's been in love with her sister's husband Patrick since she was 10 years old. Her sister also gets very depressed easily, and her kids prefer Ari to their own mother.
The characters spoke out to you. They seemed like real people. Ari's best friend Summer was just a horrible friend. Ari and Summer had been friends forever; Summer was her only friend. And Summer liked to keep it that way. She didn't like when Ari met Leigh and they started hanging out and getting close. Summer was the kind of person who liked having someone they thought was below them to hang around with because she felt it made her look better. I hated her. She really treated Ari badly. Leigh and Ari had a lot in common, and also a rough past. They were good for eachother. But when Ari meets Leigh's cousin Blake, she falls in love instantly. Leigh feels left out after a few months, and when she moves to California, her annd Ari don't part on good terms. I had liked Blake for the most part. But he needed to learn to put his wants ahead of his father.
This book was heart-breaking at times. I was really rooting for Blake and Ari. Ari had gone through so much in a few short months following meeting Leigh. I felt as though I could sort of relate with Ari. She was a migraine sufferer, and so am I. It's hard, I know, and it can be very debilitating. As for her "deformity"(which I don't really want to say, it's sort of embarassing lol), it's not as uncommon as she believes and yes, it is annoying and can make you uncomfortable with yourself, but it's not the worst thing in the world and most people don't even notice, so it's no big deal.
As I said, I really liked this book. Obviously enough to give it 5 stars (err...butterflies actually :)). I would reccommend this book to anyone who is a fan of realistic fiction. I normally don't read too much of it, but I really enjoyed this one. I would say though, that's its probably more for girls, but if you're a guy, go ahead and read it! I won't stop you :)