Thursday, June 8, 2017

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood ~ Review

Title: All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Author: Bryn Greenwood
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Fiction
Length: 346 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Source: Purchased
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

As the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer. 

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When you start All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, you need to keep an open mind. Wavy is not your usual kid. She won't eat in front of people, she won't talk, and she takes care of her brother that's just a few years younger than she is. It isn't an easy life and her parents aren't really a part of it. Even though her childhood was so different and neglected, there is a level at which I was able to connect with and understand her. I understood why she had each and every oneof her odd behaviors, and I didn't find that they made her a freak or wierd, I found that they made her unique and special.

Wavy had a brilliant mind. And she loved easily. When she meets an associate of her father's, Kellen, she sort of reverse adopts him. They become inseparable, but their relationship takes a dangerous turn before Kellen and turn it around. There are parts of this relationship that seem incredibly pure and unable to be tainted, and there are parts that made me feel sick to my stomach. The author definitely knew how to make me, as a reader, feel on every single page.

The story tells Wavy's story from the beginning until after college. It's one rollercoaster ride of a story. You will either love or hate the people she meets along the way. Some never change, and some do. Just like life. It's hard to describe this book well without giving everything away, but I do think you should read it. It is mind-opening and strange, it has a tarnished purity to it, and I couldn't put it down.

As the title suggests, not everything beautiful is good, and not everything ugly is bad.

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