Book Review & Author Interview | Before I Let Go – Marieke Nijkamp | Blog Tour
Hey guys, I’m so excited to be on Marieke’s blog tour for Before I Let Go! This book was… so much. It was really hard to write this review as it got me feeling so many things…
It comes out today (23.1.18) So I really hope you enjoy my rambling thoughts on this book. There’s also an interview with Marieke at the end. I have to say, I loved the mention of the Writing Weasels in the acknowledgements! I went on a writing retreat with Marieke where a large portion of this book was written, and I’ve been excited to read it for a long time.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp Published by Sourcebooks Fire on January 2nd 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 368
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Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return.
Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town's lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.
Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter...
Before I Let Go is a haunting tale of love, friendship and loss. There’s an almost supernatural feel the the mystery of it.
There is a lot of representation in Before I Let Go. It addresses Mental Illness and the stigma attached to it in a haunting way, which was chilling at times. I can’t vouch that it’s an accurate portrayal of bi-polar disorder, but it seems to be? Kyra is pansexual, and Corey believes she is asexual, which is great to see in YA and I believe it is done well. It really shed light on what young people go through when they do not quite conform to societies expectations.
I’m still not convinced about the nature of Kyra’s death, which is devastating in itself. The almost scary mystery of it kept me turning the pages constantly, I NEEDED to know what was going on, even as what I read was tearing me apart.
The story is from Corey’s point of view as she returns to her small, secluded home town after her best friend has died. Things are definitely not as they seem, she’s treated like a stranger and it’s clear something dark and sinister has been happening in the town.
The story is told predominantly through Corey’s narrative, with random script-like sections interspersed, as well as dialogue only sections. It added to the confusion of the story, which made it all the more interesting.
The characters are done so well. You really feel you’re on Corey’s journey of mourning. She blames herself, could she have done more? Is it her fault? Her frustration and despair as the town shuns her as she tries to figure out what happened is so raw. And poor Kyra, what she went through is just… no one should be treated that way. I really enjoyed getting to know her character through Corey’s memories.
I’m not going to say any more as I really believe this book just needs to be read, and I really don’t want to spoil anything for you.
Interview with Marieke Nijkamp
1. Probably a really obvious question but I have to ask, how does it feel to have been on the NYT bestseller’s list for so long?
Frankly, wonderfully absurd, and I couldn’t be more grateful for all my readers and book champions. Goodness, the love for that book is sheer overwhelming. <3
2. You’re a champion for diversity, as anyone who follows you will know, why is diversity in the book community important to you?
3. How important do you think it is for diversity the book community that an author with a disability such as yourself hit success?
5. What inspired you to write ‘This is where it ends’?
6. Before I let go is due out in January 2018, can you tell us a little about it?
7. Where did you get the inspiration for Before I Let Go from?
8. Did you find it hard to write the next book after the success of TIWIE? Why?
9. What is your favourite part of the writing process?
10. Finally have you got any advice for diverse writers that you’d wished you had known?
Giveaway
To enter to win a copy, RT the tweet below and follow me on Twitter!
- Extra entry follow my blog and comment on this post with your Twitter Handle
- Closes 8/2/18
- UK Only
*#Giveaway*
It's no surprise that Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp has landed on the NYT Best seller list!
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UK 8/2/18
Extra Entry: Follow my blog and comment on this review post w/ your Twitter handle: https://t.co/eAY02uqxMk pic.twitter.com/R355aPbaoW— Jenn ✨ ⋆ (@JennieLy) February 3, 2018
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9 Comments
This book sounds very intense but in such a good way! Great review!
Thank you! It wasn
Great post. I love that you included an interview; how unique!
C | http://www.randomtangentblog.wordpress.com
Thank you! It was really fun to do 💕
I love the interview Jenn!💟 I haven’t read this book yet but it’s on my tbr list actually.
Yey thank you! I hope you enjoy it 😁
Great post! My Twitter is @Booksaftertea ☺️
Great post! Really nice to see the interview! I read an ARC of this book and I agree that it is really trying to address the issues of mental health. This novel didn’t work for me as much as I had hoped but I liked reading your thoughts on It!
Glad you enjoyed the interview! I can see how it’s a difficult one to get to terms with💕