J. Luis Reads: February 2019

Book Title: SEND ME A SIGN by Tiffany Schmidt

Goodreads Summary: Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose.

1) Book Cover: Simple and made me think of wishing and longing and distance. [5/10]

First Thoughts: I don’t remember! But I know what this type of cancer is, and I wanted to see how it compared to what I know about it, and how it is portrayed in a book. And I was ready for someone to die.

First Impression: The author has a great writing style. I’d read more of her if the books have different plots other than about illnesses.

Special Word: Blood Drop Emoji 2019! [Dichotomy]

Spoiler alert: **Leave if you do not want it spoiled - Or skip all the way down to the LEVEL OF AMAZING**

2) The Good: The author’s writing style and the flow of the story was well done. I think it was a great read, and it did nothing wrong to make me bored. I thought there was a bunch of stuff that did not need to happen, but the way it was narrated made me keep reading. [8/10]

3) The Boring: Hanging out with Mia’s friends. There characters were not developed at all. I couldn’t tell any of her girlfriends apart when they spoke. They all could’ve been the same person; they did nothing to make Mia a better or worse person. [3/10]

4) The Exciting: Mia was going to have sex. On like two occasions with Ryan. I was all excited and continued reading for this reason. Then she wouldn’t. Or they couldn’t. They didn’t. It was fun while it climaxed toward that but never POW! [2/10]

5) The Confusing: Why is the book titled “Send Me A Sign” when there is like…nothing about finding signs. I mean, Mia throws that in there as if we’re supposed to believe she is looking for them, but quickly goes over her head. Having a 8-Ball to tell you a “yes” or “maybe” isn’t really a thing. Giving it a one because she did go to a physic and I consider this a roll of credits. [1/10]

6) The OMG: There is a scene where I think…Mia and Ryan are about to have sex or something? And Gyver walks in and Ryan is shirtless. And since Gyver is lowkey in love with Mia, he runs out the door and she feels bad, but Ryan is all proud. This scene only belongs in a movie. So this is definitely not a good OMG! [3/10]

7) The Bad: The characters of Mia’s friends are not developed. They only exist because they do, and I didn’t like that. Plus, the few scenes where they exist, they are lame and bland and made me think just how much of a friend they really were, because they acted petty. Just like me. Hashtag. [3/10]

8) Favorite Character: Ryan. Because he did not seem real to me. He had a few characteristics that I’d want in a boyfriend, but everything else was very cookie-cutter. I found him appealing only because he had a nice body, but his personality—nah, bro, guys aren’t as nice and sexy as he was. [5/10]

9) Least Favorite Character: Mia. She was being a brat most of the time. Always needy for attention and she knew she was going to get it, so I never believed she felt bad. Honestly, she had a pretty amazing life, and I didn’t think cancer was such a bad thing for her. She did hit all the components of the decease, but come on, the plot of this story is that there is a big secret. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be a cry-cry book, and more like an awareness book. [2/10]

10) Favorite Scene: When the cat died. I think that was the climax of the book. [7/10]

Level of Amazing: 39%

Final Thoughts: If you’re looking for a well-written book with petty drama, full of the notion of an illness and a cheesy love-triangle then this is the book for you. I think Mia could’ve been sick with any other sickness and the bottom line and plot would remain and apply just the same. Her life, in other words, remained unchanged, and I know that cancer survivors come out of those battles stronger. Mia this was not.

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