Review: You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

Hardcover, 256 pages
Published May 19th 2009 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
YA Contemporary
Source: Library

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Emma Healy has grown used to being the only ordinary one in her rather extraordinary family. But when she finds a birth certificate for a twin brother she never knew she had, along with a death certificate dated just two days later, she realizes why she never felt quite whole. She sets off on a trip to visit her brother's grave. Peter Finnegan, her neighbour, comes along for the ride. Emma thinks they can't possibly have anything in common, but with each passing mile, they find themselves learning more and more about themselves and each other.

After reading Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight I wanted to read another book by her to see if I would like it better. Then I saw the new cover for You Are Here and I decided to read it. I have to say that I did like You Are Here more than TSPOLAFS.

I enjoyed reading You Are Here, but I thought it was very wordy with little action throughout the book. It just sort of meandered along, and I went with it. The plot was really good, but the story itself felt really flat. The book revolves around Emma and Peter's road trip, which had various stops along the way, but nothing overly exciting ever happened. The writing was good, and the story was mostly believable, but I felt that it just wasn't engaging or interesting.

I liked Peter and his love of maps and geography and how much of a dork he was over the Civil War battlefields. I could understand his background with his dad, and I sympathized with his desire to go basically anywhere other than where he was. I had a really hard time connecting with Emma. Her situation with her family was described so often, yet I still felt that I didn't have a good understanding of why she had the need to try and not fit in. She chose to be different and not be like the rest of her family, but then felt disconnected because she was different. She was also a bit of a b!tch, moody, and slightly self-centered. I loved the stray dog, though I wished they would have given the poor thing a name.

Overall, You Are Here is just an okay read. It had a few cute moments, but it's not very memorable.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Here is the new paperback cover that will be released on April 24, 2012: