Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.
Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
My Review:
The cover for Green’s latest novel is simple. I like the orange coloring of the spiral as it’s not too bright and doesn’t take away from the actual title. The title and Green’s name takes up a lot of space on the cover is in a semi-messy font which goes well with the premise of the story as well. I like it.
I’ve hopped on the John Green train late. Before picking this up, I’ve only ever read Paper Towns by him. His books have always been on my list so when this one was announced, I preordered it right away.
This plot did not turn out the way I had expected it to. I expected more of a mystery, but it turned out to be more about finding yourself and being true to yourself and your friends. It was about being there for one another. While it wasn’t what I expected it to be, it was still a fun read with a cool mystery in the background.
Part of the reason I enjoyed this novel so much was that Aza is just like me. She’s more extreme than me, but she has anxiety and some of the things she did and said are some things I can relate to. She made a great protagonist and was good fodder to through into a mystery.
Daisy, Aza’s best friend, was a good character to balance Aza out. She was supportive of her friend but got annoyed with her at times. Still, she was a fun character and I would love to see her in another story.
Davis, their other friend who wasn’t their friend in the beginning, was interesting. It was his father who went missing, his money that Aza and Daisy – mostly Daisy – wanted. Aza and Davis related to each other on so many levels and I found it to be a great dynamic.
John Green’s writing is always phenomenal. The story was nicely paced and flowed well. There were no stones unturned. The plot was enjoyable enough that it was a quick read and kept me wanting more. While this is a standalone novel, I’d be interested to see these characters in a sequel.
John Green didn’t disappoint. The plot was intriguing, I fell in love with the characters, and I couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend this.
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green gets…
5 out of 5
Favorite Quote:
“I wanted to tell her that I was getting better, because that was supposed to be the narrative of illness: It was a hurdle you jumped over, or a battled you won. Illness is a story told in the past.” –John Green, Turtles All The Way Down
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Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, I’d love to chat!
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Ah! This is one I’ve been wanting to read for quite awhile — my lovely family got me a copy for my birthday, & of course I’m always interested in reading stories with protagonists who have OCD. I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint for you, my friend. Have you by chance read Looking for Alaska, or are planning on reading it any time soon? It’s the only other Green book I’ve read & I absolutely adored it — perhaps worth a try since you liked this one as well. <3
Oh, I hope you enjoy it! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I have not read Looking For Alaska, but plan to at some point. I’ll be reading An Abundance of Katherines soon. My cousin read it and will be writing a report on it for school so she asked me to read it so I can help her, lol. Have you read that one?
I have not read it! Please do share your thoughts with me once you do — I definitely want to pick that one up soon. xx
Definitely!
I’ve read several Green books although I’m a Senior Citizen. I definitely found Looking for Alaska perhaps his best, was disappointed by Paper Towns, and liked both the book and movie of The Fault is in Our Stars. An Abundance of Katherines was an exceptional read as well. I haven’t ordered “Turtles” yet, but after reading your review, I definitely will.
You’ve read more than me! I enjoyed Paper Towns, even the movie. I’ll be reading An Abundance of Katherines next and Looking For Alaska will, I’m sure, be after that. I hope you enjoy this one!
I’ve only read The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska. Your review makes me want to read this one next.
It’s a good one! You should definitely try it out. I hope you enjoy it if you do.
I’ll try to get around to it in 2018.
Sounds good.
I was also late to him… and recently read and loved this book. #twins
This was a great one. Have you read any other books by Green?
John Green is always a winner. This book is so far down on my TBR, he’ll probably have a new one out before I get to it! Ha!
Lol, that’s how his books are for me too. When I saw this coming out I just decided to go for it.
I keep meaning to read this author – thanx for the review!
He’s good! Thanks for stopping by.
Loved your review and looking forward to read this.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve read and reviewed this one myself! I share your thoughts and loved the review
Thanks! I hope you enjoyed the book. 🙂
I’ve read loads of reviews for this book, all good. I haven’t read it, nor any John Green books
They’re pretty good! You should give them a try sometime if you like YA fiction.
I have seen this book everywhere! Glad to hear it lives up to its hype. 🙂
It’s a good one!
Oo I have been wondering about this book, after reading how much you enjoyed it, I am planning on starting this one soon!
It’s a good one, you can’t really go wrong with John Green. 🙂