5 Reasons To Fall In Love With...You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

Sometimes a simple review just isn't enough.

I mean, at the end of the day, your average review can only tell you so much. For instance:

(A) Who the main characters are
(B) What the basic plot is
(C) Whether or not the tale includes a brooding male character to swoon over
(D) How much of a fangirl/fanboy the reviewer really is!



So today I'm trying something new. Instead of telling you about how much I loved You Were Here by Cori McCarthy, I'm going to tell you why I loved it. Specifically, I'm going to give you guys five reasons why you should race to your nearest bookstore and grab a copy of the book ASAP.

It's time to get listing!

People say not to judge a book by its cover...

...but those people have clearly never experienced the heady feeling of satisfaction one gets from having a pretty bookshelf. Because pretty bookshelves are life and pretty covers are the icing on the metaphorical book cake!

That face is the face of pure book cover happiness.

You Were Here has a book cover that compliments any shelf. It's contemporary, but not cliche or plain - it's a delightful mix of photography and adorable sketches, and I AM SO IN LOVE. Plus, the colour scheme is wild - nothing says 'buy me' like a beautiful book cover that shows off almost all of the colours of the rainbow.

My basic message: if you have a pretty book collecting obsession or in my case, an addiction that cannot be cured! this book was made for you!

Do you like a good craugh? I know I do!

Yes, you read that correctly! Craughing is good for the soul, and is a familiar experience for every true bookworm. 

A.k.a 'crying and laughing simultaneously' craughing is the sign of a good book + an author who knows their craft. I also like a good crile (which is smiling and crying at the same time). And yes, I do realise I'm making up random words at this point but it's SO MUCH FUN!

They have the power to make you emotionally invested in their story and its characters, to the point where you basically have no control over your own emotions anymore!

An entertaining book is always a joy to read.

But it's the ones that hold a message - golden nuggets of wisdom for the reader to take away - that make a deeper impression on readers.

You Were Here is full of wise words to bookmark and take to heart. But it's not only the words on the page that are handing out wisdom to readers. It's the book's overall lesson: that to honour the dead, sometimes we have to continue to live. We can't just 'be alive', surviving day by day. We have to dig up the parts of ourselves we buried with the loved one we lost, and reveal these parts to the world.

This book is filled with life lessons on love, loss, and living with both.

So no one told you life was gonna be this way...

Please forgive me for quoting the F.R.I.E.N.D.S theme song, I couldn't resist! Sometime life loses its patience with us and decides to throw everything and anything in our path, all at once. This happens all the time to book characters, especially in contemporary YA. And if they're lucky, they don't have to deal with these trials on their own...they get a badass squad!

Jaycee's friends are a motley bunch who - despite their differences - are the perfect companions for Jaycee's journey. Natalie, Zach, Bishop, and Mik are flawed in their own ways but provide the story with so much depth through their different and unique POVs.

You Were Here shows us how important friendship is during the good times and during times of hurt and healing.

How do you judge if a book is good good?

Sure, a book can be good. I'm sure you've all read loads of good books, but what makes a book a good good book - one that you'll recommend in a heartbeat, or that will pop into your mind time and time again as you go about your day months after reading it?

For me a good good book is determined by the longevity of its final page(s). The final pages are crucial in setting the stage for any future mental daydreams/fangirl sessions/debates/highlight reels/fanfiction.

You Were Here finishes beautifully. No spoilers, but it doesn't disappoint you at all - it ties up the loose ends nicely, whilst giving your bookworm brain fodder to turn over and think on. The book's plot and characters are memorable and lingered in my mind and still do! long after I'd set the book down.

So there you have it! Those are my 5 reasons to fall head over heels in love with You Were Here.

Have you read You Were Here? Do you plan to? And what characteristics or features should a book have to make you fall in love with it?

Let me know in the comments below!

Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?  

On the anniversary of her daredevil brother's death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake's favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother's exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.  

As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn't bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother. 

Add to your Goodreads bookshelf today!

Although I was provided with a review copy by the author and/or publisher, all opinions expressed in the this post are purely my own. To find out more, please visit my disclaimer page.