I am Comet Caldwell.And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted … than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.
When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Impossible Vastness of Us and the On Dublin Street series comes a heartfelt and beautiful new young adult novel, set in Scotland, about daring to dream and embracing who you are.
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recevied an ARC of this book from the author in an exchange for an honest opinion.
Wow! I’m speechless. This book made me feel everything. The happines. The turmoil. The angriness. The sadness. The acceptness.
It is an amazing book. I can relate to Comet on so many different levels. I, too lived vicariously through books for so long, and still do sometimes. It is amazing how she chose her books over a party where she couldn’t be herself. I love that. And respect that.
I loved how Samantha started every chapter with Comet’s poems. I love them. I have pictured my favorite of them. They are amazing. They have true meaning and are related to the story. I was never the one for the poems. But I love Comet’s. They are current and fresh.
This girl is everything and more. She stays true to herself. Yes of course she changed throughout the book. But for the better.
Tobias on the other hand is conflicted and doesn’t know what to do with himself. I was angry at him, but at the same time tried to understand him. This was really hard on him. He has a sweet spot for Comet. I loved how they got together through friendship.
The title makes so much sense. And those words are imprinted in my mind now. They are true to the last word.
“Before you.
I believed real, true, glorious living
Was in adventure.
Was in the extraordinary.
But I have learned that time is not so forgiving,
And the real beauty of life is in the fragile ordinary.”
By Comet, The Fragile Ordinary
I could go on and on about this book. But you have to read it to know everything, I don’t want to reveal too much. I flippin’ loved this book.
4.5 Stars
What a rollercoaster of emotions I have coursing through my body at the moment. Comet Caldwell is a bookworm, she’s sweet, shy and quirky. I loved her quirky side, her dress sense and most definitely her shoe sense, she’s my kind of girl. Tobias King is arrogant, cocky and he’s in with a bad crowd. As much as Comet is drawn to him she decides he is not book boyfriend material. That is until they become friends (secret friends at that), and everything changes, shy Comet finally comes out of herself and finds her voice. A wonderful story about self discovery, first love and friendship. A very emotional story, especially during the latter chapters, I have to admit I shed more than a few tears. Why not five stars you may ask, here’s why.
The first half of the story I give 4 stars, I wasn’t truly invested in Comet and I couldn’t relate to her. Then during the second half of the story, Comet finally came out of her shell and took charge of her life, a definite 5 star performance. I loved the confidence she gained. Tobias too, during the second half turned into what Comet would describe as book boyfriend material. I couldn’t wait to find out where their relationship would take them and which of their friends and family would stand by their sides.
Okay, I gotta be honest here, I’m not a huge YA genre kinda gal, but when you’re presented with the opportunity to read a Samantha Young book, you toss caution to the wind and go for it. What I don’t care for in this genre of books is the immaturity of the characters, because let’s face it, we are talking about high school kids, and I know it’s been along time since I was a teenager, I didnt remember going through the emotional turmoil that these characters did. But then something happened when I started reading further into the book, little snippets of what Comet and Tobias were going through with young love, the competitive nature of your best friends who would either be angry with you for not going with the flow or upset because they felt you were putting someone else besides them first and foremost, or the horrible way kids can be with bullying and meanness. It all came rushing back, and quite frankly caught me by surprise. Stevie’s situation was heartbreaking, we all knew someone like him in one form or another, but to deal with the pain as a teenager is overwhelming. The relationships that some of the unfortunate teenagers had with their own parents, not always positive, and the fact that it only takes a handful of teachers to make the most positive impression in our young kids to want to learn and get through the tough times. Another revelation came to me as I was reading this story as it was coming to an end, I felt like the author was putting a bit of her own childhood out there for people to judge, the insecurities she must have felt when writing this book, but how proud of herself she must have been when she finally finished it with with the very emotional ending. My suspicions were confirmed when I read the acknowledgments, my admiration only grew for this author after reading it.
This book is very well worth the read, it’s about young love, difficult relationships and situations, tragedy, and learning that life goes on, even if you are only 17 years old. I’m not going to say that I’ll run out and start reading this genre now that I’ve read this incredible story, but I will say that Samantha Young is one hell of an author to get me to not only finish this book, but to have lived a little piece of my own childhood in the process. Well done Samantha! . Read this book, even if you aren’t a fan of YA, you are in for quite a ride.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.
Wonderful story about a young girl and struggles she goes through as she tries to understand herself and the people around her! This book has so many deeply felt emotions and complex characters. It was refreshing and relatable and very well done! I loved it! Comet was an amazing and intriguing young woman.
As someone who uses books to escape reality, I totally get Comet. Sometimes the fantasy is easier to deal with. Despite her home life, she managed to flourish and become a remarkable human being. Extraordinary, considering all that happened.
I don’t think I have ever been disappointed by a Samantha Young book.
Honest review made possible by NetGalley