The Chaos of Standing Still
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: November 28th 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
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Synopsis:
Over the course of one chaotic night stranded at the Denver airport, Ryn confronts her shattered past thanks to the charm of romance, the uniqueness of strangers, and the magic of ordinary places in this stunning novel from the author of Boys of Summer.Review:
Ryn has one unread text message on her phone. And it’s been there for almost a year.
She hasn’t tried to read it. She can’t. She won’t. Because that one message is the last thing her best friend ever said to her before she died.
But as Ryn finds herself trapped in the Denver International Airport on New Year’s Eve thanks to a never-ending blizzard on the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death, fate literally runs into her.
And his name is Xander.
When the two accidentally swap phones, Ryn and Xander are thrust into the chaos of an unforgettable all-night adventure, filled with charming and mysterious strangers, a secret New Year’s Eve bash, and a possible Illuminati conspiracy hidden within the Denver airport. But as the bizarre night continues, all Ryn can think about is that one unread text message. It follows her wherever she goes, because Ryn can’t get her brialliantly wild and free-spirited best friend out of her head.
Ryn can’t move on.
But tonight, for the first time ever, she’s trying. And maybe that’s a start.
As moving as it is funny, The Chaos of Standing Still is a heartwarming story about the earth-shattering challenges life throws at us—and the unexpected strangers who help us along the way.
Jessica Brody is one of my insta-buy young adult authors, right up there with Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot, and Richelle Mead. Her books always succeed in impressing me, no matter the story lines and characters introduced. Case in point: A Week of Mondays, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and The Fidelity Files. Therefore, when I heard about The Chaos of Standing Still, her latest YA, I instantly added it to my TBR pile. The storyline sounded great, the setting sounded even better, and the cover was a show stealer.
The Result? Equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, The Chaos of Standing Still is at its core a story we have seen time and time again (a timid, shy girl suffers the incredible, devastating loss of her beautiful and wild best friend); however, Jessica Brody managed to put her own unique spin on it. Introducing a winter wonderland setting, a cast of characters that brought the laughs and the tears, and a romance I couldn't help but root for, Jessica Brody makes this book incredibly hard to put down.
There was so much to enjoy about The Chaos of Standing Still; however, one of my favorite parts was the setting. Who knew an airport as a setting could bring about so much fun, adventure, and trouble? I certainly didn't, but boy did Jessica manage to change my views on that one. I want more books with airport settings and stat! It was so much fun to see the airport become its own little world in the blizzard, and I loved the many ways in which Jessica managed to use it and its resources to further the plot and the characters. Plus, she even included conspiracy theory in, and I don't know about you all but I love a good conspiracy theory.
The Chaos of Standing Still also brought to life a large and wonderful cast of characters. Prior to starting the book, I was slightly worried about Ryn. Some reviews I had read seen hadn't been too found of her, and I was worried I would struggle with connecting to and liking her as well. As it turns out, I didn't really have too much of a problem. I didn't like her as much as Jessica's previous protagonists, but I still did like her overall.
When we're first introduced to Ryn, she's in an incredibly bad place. She's suffering, more sad and regretful then happy and hopeful, and obsessed with the only thing she has left of her best friend - a single unread text message. One of the things I loved about Ryn was how Jessica showed through her character that everyone grieves differently - there's no right or wrong way to grieving and sometimes it can get pretty ugly and include more than one rock bottom, but there's nothing wrong with that. Ryn wasn't the best at moving on from Lottie's death. She was closed up to the world, refusing to let anyone in, and I understood that. It's hard, even more so when you feel responsible, but throughout the book, I hoped and wish that she would learn to live again, and maybe even open her heart up to Xander. Additionally, I enjoyed and valued the progress she experienced as the book progressed. It was rewarding to see her begin to make new friends and open up to others, no matter how hard it may be.
Xander, on the other hand, was great. I loved his humor, his spunk, and his dirty little secrets - the later of which I completely didn't see coming! Like Ryn, Xander's also dealing with his own problems, ones that seemed to have no solution. It was interesting to see them urge the other to move on and face their problems and fears head on; however, I will admit sometimes it was hard to see Ryn blow up at Xander about certain things but I did understand and respect why it was important to the overall story.
The plot in this mainly involved around grieving, learning to find happiness in the little things, and finding love in the most unexpected of places. Basically, it was the kind of YA contemporary that had my heart continuously fluttering in happiness. I also liked how Jessica included flashbacks of Lottie and Ryn's past. It helped in developing their friendship. Plus, it was interesting to see who Lottie was first hand, and let me tell you, Lottie was a completed character. She was someone who inspired a lot of mixed feelings in me, but mostly, I did like her as a person - she was crazy and reckless but she did love Ryn.
I could go on about this book all day, but I won't. I will say, however, that if you love emotional books, The Chaos of Standing Still is the book for you! As always, I can't wait to see what Jessica writes next.
Grade: A-
The Chaos of Standing Still is now out!
Source: eARC provided by publicist for blog tour
Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples, and electrical tape.
After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.
Since then, Jessica has sold over twelve novels for teens, tweens, and adults including 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and the three books in the Unremembered trilogy, the first of which is currently in development as a major motion picture by the producers of The Vampire Academy, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, and Slumdog Millionaire. In 2016, she will release two new contemporary novels, A Week of Mondays (August) and Boys of Summer (April), and in 2017, her debut middle grade novel entitled, Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, will hit bookstore shelves.
Jessica also writes books for the Descendants: “School of Secrets” series, based on the hit Disney Channel Original movie, Descendants!
Jessica’s books are published and translated in over twenty foreign countries. (Click here for a full list of foreign sales and publishers.) She currently splits her time between California and Colorado.
Giveaway:
Prize: 1 copy of THE CHAOS OF STANDING STILL by Jessica Brody
Starts: November 27th
Ends: December 7th
Starts: November 27th
Ends: December 7th
Tour Schedule:
November 27th
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club & Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post
November 28th
Tales of the Ravenous Reader - Interview
the bookdragon - Review
Her Book Thoughts - Review
November 29th
The Clever Reader - Guest Post
Quite The Novel Idea - Review
A Bookish Abode - Review
We Live and Breathe Books - Review + Favourite Quotes
November 30th
The Heart of a Book Blogger - Review
Savings in Seconds - Review + Favourite Quotes
Wishful Endings - Review
Amanda Gernentz Hanson - Review
December 1st
Confessions of a YA Reader - Review
Donnie Darko Girl - Review
Belle's Book Blog - Review
Latte Nights Reviews - Review + Favourite Quotes
December 2nd
Literary Meanderings - Interview
Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf - Review
Here's to Happy Endings - Review
Life of A Simple Reader - Review + Favourite Quotes
December 3rd
Vicky Who Reads - Review + Playlist + Dream Cast
Supercalireader - Review
Books, Boys, and Blogs - Review + Dream Cast
December 4th
BookCrushin - Guest Post
Library of a Book Witch - Review
Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile - Review + Favourite Quotes
Storybook Slayers - Review
Storybook Slayers - Review
Now after reading your review I really want to read this book. Well, that and her other books.
ReplyDeleteThis one was on my TBR but now after this amazing review it will definitely be pushed higher 😉
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this right now and it's my first Jessica Brody book! I'm about a third of the way through, and I also love the setting! It's just so fun! I've been in quite a few airports, but I've never had any adventures like Ryn and Xander are. I'm loving the book now, and I hope to read more of her! What would you recommend to read next?
ReplyDelete