Deb Caletti

“This is one for the ages.” —Gayle Forman, author of the #1 bestseller If I Stay “A book everyone should read right now.” —The New York Times Book Review “A vital and heartbreaking story that brings together the #MeToo movement, the effects of gun violence, and the struggle of building oneself up again after crisis.” —Elle “Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful.” —BookPage A Printz Honor Book Each step on Annabelle’s 2,700 mile cross-country run brings her closer to facing a trauma from her past in National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti’s novel about the heart, all the ways it breaks, and its journey to healing. Because sometimes against our will, against all odds, we go forward. Then… Annabelle’s life wasn’t perfect, but it was full—full of friends, family, love. And a boy…whose attention Anabelle found flattering and unsettling all at once. Until that attention intensified. Now… Annabelle is running. Running from the pain and the tragedy from the past year. With only Grandpa Ed and the journal she fills with words she can’t speak out loud, Anabelle runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, and toward a destination she doesn’t understand but is determined to reach. With every beat of her heart, every stride of her feet, Anabelle steps closer to healing—and the strength she discovers within herself to let love and hope back into her life. Annabelle’s journey is the ultimate testament to the human heart, and how it goes on after being broken.

A Heart in a Body in the World

Denaiir

** spoiler alert **
           This book was important, resonated with me in lots of ways, but didn't touch my soul in a way that I will never forget. 
Objectively it was a very good book, I enjoyed it a lot and I really think it tackled its topic quite well. As a Swiss who been told before by an American that "Switzerland is safe because everybody has guns" (it's completely untrue), I think we need books like this. Unfortunately, the people who will read them already think that guns should be controlled. People who cling to their guns with all their might will not pick up stories like this one. But again, maybe they will, because I had no idea this book was about guns, and that's maybe where its force is. I loved it, I just can't give it 5 stars because it didn't make me cry, when normally stories like that would touch my heart so deeply. So it didn't click with me, but it was still very good. 
Also, I subscribed to Scribd just to be able to listen to it and I don't regret it one bit, Julia Whelan proves again how great of a narrator she is.

“This is one for the ages.” —Gayle Forman, author of the #1 bestseller If I Stay “A book everyone should read right now.” —The New York Times Book Review “A vital and heartbreaking story that brings together the #MeToo movement, the effects of gun violence, and the struggle of building oneself up again after crisis.” —Elle “Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful.” —BookPage A Printz Honor Book Each step in Annabelle’s 2,700-mile cross-country run brings her closer to facing a trauma from her past in National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti’s novel about the heart, all the ways it breaks, and its journey to healing. Because sometimes against our will, against all odds, we go forward. Then… Annabelle’s life wasn’t perfect, but it was full—full of friends, family, love. And a boy…whose attention Annabelle found flattering and unsettling all at once. Until that attention intensified. Now… Annabelle is running. Running from the pain and the tragedy from the past year. With only Grandpa Ed and the journal she fills with words she can’t speak out loud, Annabelle runs from Seattle to Washington, DC and toward a destination she doesn’t understand but is determined to reach. With every beat of her heart, every stride of her feet, Annabelle steps closer to healing—and the strength she discovers within herself to let love and hope back into her life. Annabelle’s journey is the ultimate testament to the human heart, and how it goes on after being broken.

Jacqueline Englund

I loved this so much! The story, the emotions, the characters, the written....love!

Alexa M

2ND REREAD 8/4/2021: what to say that hasnt already been said? this is one of the best books i've ever read. so powerful and so important, i genuinely think this is one everyone should pick up. love Annabelle and her journey and love all the commentary especially on violence against women, and the pressure on women to behave a certain way towards men in order to hopefully stanch that violence UGH so good. think this is now my most annotated/tabbed book lol

1ST REREAD 1/17/19: ok less than a month and i've already read it again? Not surprising seeing as i wanted to reread the second I finished it last month. I listened on audio this time and YALL. It's so much harder the second time around because you can pick up on little things here and there. Like wow. If you read one book in 2019 HAVE IT BE THIS ONE. 

10/5 stars. Can’t. Think. Through. Sobs. Holy shit. So good and so so important and real and WOW. Best book of the year hands down. Please fucking read this. Wow.

Izza

Avery Baumel

Compelling, suspenseful, really well written, great characters and amazing premise. The ending fell a little flat, but its intentions were still perfect.

Amanda Kordeliski

Strong contender for my top read of the year.

Flavia Louise

Rina

** spoiler alert **
           "I don't know if my country will protect me and my rights, as a female, as a person who wants to be safe from violence. It has not shown me that it will protect me, from males more powerful than me, from people who hate and intend to do harm."

This is the first time I've read a book that deals with gun violence in America . This book had a powerful message. The story was tragic, dark, emotional, and very hard-hitting. Though some chapters covering Annabelle's runs became repetitive, dull, and uninteresting, Annabelle- the main character- was so relatable for me and the side characters were also pretty good. 

Annabelle here has gone through a traumatic event and she does not know what to do, how to deal, so she decides to run. From Seattle to Washington. This is also the first time I've read a book whose protagonist closely matches my personality. She's passive-aggressive, she doesn't confront people or talk bluntly because she doesn't want to hurt feelings. She does things she doesn't want to because of that. She's also afraid to upset people, so she pushes down what she really feels. And that's actually where the conflict stems from. But throughout the story, she becomes someone stronger, more determined. She doesn't want what she's experienced to happen to others and so she starts to speak out when she normally wouldn't.

Also, "the Taker" as Annabelle calls him, creeped me out so much I genuinely got scared. It goes to show that the system should not ignore people like the Taker; the system should act faster and be more aware of possible consequences. Overall, I think this is an important book and its message should not be ignored.

shalee olsen

John Balek

Once again contemporary fiction is not usually my go to read, especially YA, but this one stood out to me. As someone who knows the value of running to escape fear and as a time for contemplation, I wanted to check this book out. 

It took me a long time to get into the book. My biggest issue with it is that all of the side characters are stereotypical, caricatures of personalities you've seen a million times. This didn't really change at all during the book but the narrative picked up and took over as the center of attention. I would say it wasn't until the last 100 pages that I really felt invested. 

A lot of the writing style wasn't really for me but that could be because of its YA intended audience. That being said I did enjoy the narrative structure. All of the parts that dealt with the main character's internal thought process while running was great a displaying information. 

It was great to read a YA novel that felt so late 2010's. It was so different from what I read back at that age. It is a very heavy subject matter and one that I think adults would find valuable as well.

Emily C Peterson

Tiffany Engler

Read my full review here: http://www.mybookishfantasy.com/2020/...

Kate

This was so much more than anything I'd expected and honestly? I'm in complete awe at Deb Caletti's storytelling. I was blown away by how this story was written and unfolded and I've come away from it truly feeling like I've been taken on a journey. 

Caletti expertly captured the battles inside of Annabelle's head. It's painful and powerful and brilliantly written. I was also so impressed with the flawless way the past and present were interwoven and presented. 

The characters and relationships throughout the book were fantastic. Annabelle is a powerful, vulnerable, hurting, scared, confused and so strong despite feeling anything but. Her family are interesting to read, easy to love and I loved how they each showed their support in different ways, never wavering in their show of love. Her friends are supportive without being patronising or overbearing and the love interest is kind, subtle and warm in a way that couldn't have fit in more perfectly with the story. 

From the way it explores PTSD, to its powerful and painfully necessary messages on the need for gun reform, gun violence, abusive relationships and grief, there is so much I could say about this story but I'm not sure I have the words to do it justice. I will, however, say this: this book is one of the most beautifully crafted pieces of storytelling I've read in a long time.

TW: PTSD, anxiety, depression, gun violence, abusive relationship/friendship

A Heart in a Body in the World

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