Jessi Kirby

Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, 17-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled: she's about to graduate from high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules, so when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Golden

“I've got this tiny pang of regret when I think of how much I have probably missed out on in the last few years because I was too scared to take a risk, or too shy to speak up, or too worried to be bold. It is my one wild and precious life, after all.”


Such a sweet, perfect read. The poetry, the plot, the characters (although I don't particular empathize with Parker here), the perfectly cheesy sub plot, everything was just really good. This is a first of Jessi kirby that I've read, but I certainly will be checking out more of her works.

Siya S

4 STARS


  Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to actually do something about it. I can talk and write and daydream all I want about going places and making art and living a beautiful life, but if I never leave this town, if I just settle into what’s easy and already there, I don’t know if any of it will ever happen


Jessi Kirby's Golden is one of those YA books that somehow managed to speak my mind. It's one of those books that sticks around with me for a long time because I found myself hidden among the pages. And it's not very often that I found the book that makes me feel this way.

Parker Frost was a typical YA protagonist we've all known about; privileged, smart, straight-A student with a well-planned life goals (Stanford, then become a doctor) and without the most important thing of all that was freedom. She felt her life was too...composed. But then an extracurricular activity led her to a mystery journal owned by a girl who died somewhat years ago, a town legend of some sort. And so the adventure began as she tried to solve the town's mystery while at the same time juggling between the life as she knew it and the one she was about to embark on once entered adulthood. This was going to be one hell of a semester, the very last of Parker's high school life, that would change everything forever.


  How many people have gotten older and forgotten about the things they hoped for and dreamed about when they were young? Or given up without ever taking a chance, or settled in life because it's easier, or they're scared, or whatever other excuses? How many people need a reminder of who they once were?


This book has it all; mystery, romance, friendship, drama - the four essential components for a good YA coming-of-age. The mystery was suspenseful (not the edge of the seat kind, but it's still good), and the drama and the friendship parts were so well-written it almost brought tears to my eyes (just almost). The real romance of the story wasn't even about Parker and her long time crush, Trevor. It's all about somebody else entirely (of whom, unfortunately, I could not mention without giving the key of the story away).

Golden is real food-for-thought for those who're afraid of stepping out of the comfort zone. I've been a fan of Kirby in In Honor, and I'm such a sucker for anything involving roadtrip. This one should be a good beach read as it was light enough to kill time while at the same time still sending out some good messages for you to ponder

Find out more at:
https://thebleedingeyes.wordpress.com/

Julia Lotz

Inhalt: „Sag mir, was hast du vor mit deinem einen, wilden und kostbaren Leben?“ Diese Frage stellt ein Englischlehrer seiner Abschlussklasse. Die Antworten darf jeder in ein Tagebuch schreiben, das danach eingesammelt und zehn Jahre unter Verschluss gehalten wird. 

Die 17-jährige Parker Frost weiß zumindest, was man von ihr erwartet: zum Medizinstudium nach Stanford. Am besten mit dem Stipendium, das zu Ehren von Julianna und Shane eingerichtet wurde, die vor zehn Jahren nach einem Autounfall verschwanden. Als Parker durch Zufall das Tagebuch von Julianna findet und darin liest, ist sie erschüttert. Denn deren Leben stellt sich plötzlich ganz anders dar. Was geschah damals, in der Nacht des Unfalls? Und ist es möglich, dass Julianna noch am Leben ist? Das Ergründen von Juliannas Geheimnis bedeutet für Parker letztlich eine Reise zu ihrem innersten Selbst und zu dem, was sie wirklich will. (Quelle: Verlag)
Meine Meinung: Der größte Fan von Contemporary Büchern bin ich ja wirklich nicht. Ich lese sie gerne, wenn sie mich überzeugen können mit einer ausgefallenen Idee oder einem wichtigen Thema. Die restlichen Contemporary Bücher tummeln sich jedoch wie Sandkörner an einem Strand. Was ich damit sagen will ist: Es gibt viel zu viele davon und alle sind irgendwie gleich. Als Dein eines, wildes, kostbares Leben für die Let’s Read Contemporary Gruppe ausgewählt wurde, war ich sehr gespannt. Denn wenn man den Klappentext liest, kann man auf den ersten Blick nicht sagen, ob es ein Jugendbuch der besonderen Art ist oder nur eines dieser unendlichen Sandkörner.
Schon nach den ersten Seiten war mir dann klar: Das ist ein Sandkorn. Es gibt viel Schönes an dem Buch. Naja. Zumindest einiges. Der Schreibstil war toll. Er war flüssig, nicht so anspruchslos und man konnte das Buch gut lesen ohne genervt zu sein. Zumindest was den Schreibstil betrifft. Die Kapitel waren angenehm lang und das Buch hatte genau die richtige Länge für die Geschichte dahinter. Auch die Idee fand ich in Grundzügen ganz toll und wurde dennoch für mich nicht ausreichend umgesetzt. Nach dem Klappentext hatte ich mir etwas anderes, irgendwie etwas glänzenderes erhofft.
Mein Unmut fing jedoch viel früher an. Genau an dem Punkt, an dem uns die Charaktere näher gebracht wurden. Und die sind nichts anderes, als die 0815-Verschnitte, die wir in jedem Sandkorn-Contemporary-Buch finden. Parker Frost ist das schüchterne und super intelligente Mädchen, was immer nach der Pfeife ihrer Eltern tanzt und keinen Spaß im Leben hat. Sie hält sich selbst für unscheinbar aber NATÜRLICH ist sie das gar nicht. Nein, sie ist wunderschön und ausgerechnet der beliebteste und am meisten umschwärmte Junge der Schule, Trevor Collins, steht total auf sie. Noch dazu ist der richtig nett und, das wundert euch jetzt sicher nicht, natürlich merkt Parker nicht, dass er auf sie steht. Und auch nicht, dass sie eigentlich auf ihn steht. Ach ja. Und dann gibt es noch Kat. Parkers beste Freundin. Die ist natürlich das komplette Gegenteil von Parker und ist lustig, hat tausend Ideen im Kopf und versucht Parker ständig davon zu überzeugen etwas anderes zu tun als das, was Eltern und Lehrer wollen. Damit das Klischee von einem typischen Contemporary Buch samt seinen Charakteren erfüllt wird fehlen natürlich noch Parkers Eltern. Von ihrem Dad hört man nicht viel. Er ist Schriftsteller und führt ein „Künstlerleben“ in New York. Wie ihr euch mittlerweile sicher auch denken könnt sind Parkers Eltern geschieden und ihre Mutter hält natürlich so gar nichts vom Leben ihres Vaters (wieso auch immer sie ihn geheiratet hat…) und will natürlich, dass Parker etwas anderes Macht. Und zwar Medizin studieren. Klar doch!
Die Umsetzung der grandiosen Idee war leider auch ein Reinfall. Geht es erst ziemlich langweilig und mit ständigen Wiederholungen darum, dass Parker a) die Rede für das Stipendium schreiben soll, damit sie auch Medizin studieren kann (ihre Mom) und b) endliuch mal ausbrechen soll aus dem braven Schulalltag (Kat), so geht es nach ca. einem Drittel irgendwie plötzlich gar nicht mehr um Parker sondern nur noch um Julianna und Shane, zu deren Gedenken oben genanntes Stipendium eingerichtet wurde und die tragischerweise ums Leben gekommen sind. Parker versucht nachdem sie Juliannas Tagebuch gefunden hat, die Geschichte der beiden nachzuvollziehen und entdeckt dann die eine oder andere Unstimmigkeit. Das Ganze ist aber leider viel zu offensichtlich und endet darin, dass Parker endlich mal die Regeln bricht und sich auf die Suche nach Spuren zu Julianna und Shane macht. Wohlgemerkt an einem Schultag (Oh ja, Parker ist ein richtiges Bad Girl. Eine wahrhaftige Kick Ass Heldin). Dann endet alles in einer riesen Katastrophe, in der Parker denkt, sie hätte nun fürs Leben gelernt und Entscheidungen trifft, bei denen selbst die bösesten Schulmädchen fassungslos mit dem Kopf schütteln. Und das wars dann auch schon. Ich bin mir mittlerweile gar nicht mehr sicher, wieso ich dieses Buch überhaupt fertig gelesen habe. Hätte ich es nicht in der Gruppe gelesen, hätte ich es mit Sicherheit schon nach 30 Seiten abgebrochen. 
Bewertung: Ich gebe Dein eines, wildes, kostbares Leben 2,5 von 5 Füchschen. Zwei Sterne dafür, dass ich es nicht abgebrochen habe und einen halben dafür, dass der Schreibstil echt gut war und die Idee ganz nett, obwohl sie echt verhunzt wurde. Leider ist und bleibt dieses Buch jedoch ein 0815 Contemporary Roman mit Klischeecharakteren, einer Klischeehandlung und absolut dummen Entscheidungen seitens der Protagonistin. Eigentlich wollte ich die 2,5 dann auf 3 aufrunden, weil ich mir durchaus vorstellen kann, dass Contemporary Fans daran trotzdem ihren Spaß haben. Nun ist mir jedoch bewusst geworden, dass ich allerhöchstens den Hardcore-Contemporary-Lesern empfehlen würde weshalb ich das Buch auf 2 Füchschen abrunde.

Jen Estrella

This loooong quote needs to be shared. 

  Life is made of moments. and choices. Not all of them matter, or have any lasting impact. Skipping class in favor of a taste of freedom, picking a prom dress because of the way it transforms you into a princess in the mirror. Even the nights you steal away from an open window, tiptoe silent to the end of the driveway, where darkened headlights and the pull of something unknown beckon. These are all small choices, really. Insignificant as soon as they’re made. Innocent.

But then.

Then there’s a different kind of moment. One when things are irrevocably changed by a choice we make. A moment we will play endlessly in our minds on lonely nights and empty days. One we’ll search repeatedly for some indication that what we chose was right, some small sign that tells us the truth isn’t nearly as awful as it feels. Or as awful as anyone would think if they knew.

So we explain it to ourselves, justify it enough to sleep. And then we bury it deep, so deep we can almost pretend it never happened. But as much as we wish it were different, the truth is, our worlds are sometimes balanced on choices we make and the secrets we keep.

I liked this book. I might have liked it more if I had read it when I was 14 or 16 or at a time when I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Well tbh, I still don't know what to do with it at the moment, but I do believe that the older you become, the more complicated and limited your choices seem to be (or not. I guess it just depends on the things you consider important and the risks you're willing to take).

Lisa Collins

Wow. What a wonderful book.

-----

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

Have you ever gone into a book knowing it was going to change you somehow? Not necessarily in some huge way, but maybe it made you think about a specific topic in a way you never had before. Perhaps it became one of your favorite books that you always refer to and recommend. That’s what happened with Golden by Jessi Kirby. I had never read anything by Kirby before, so I went into Golden completely unprepared for the story, her writing, et cetera.

I’m going to focus on characters in this review, because really, Parker basically ran the show. There weren’t very many outside forces deciding what would happen (maybe except for Kat. I’ll get to her in a second.). We got to read Julianna’s journal when Parker wanted to read it. We went into the woods when Parker decided she wanted to explore. We talked to people (or didn’t talk to people) depending on--you guessed it!--Parker. That’s not to say there wasn’t a plot--there was. But there were some pretty amazing characters in the story and I can’t help myself from gushing about them.

Parker Frost was seventeen and one of those people who never took chances. She stayed on the straight and narrow at the urging of her mother. Parker has amazing character development in this story. I remember noticing how rational she was at the beginning compared to the end. By the end of the book she was taking chances because they felt right or her instincts were telling her to go ahead. I loved Parker for how emotionally and mentally strong she was. She wasn’t perfect, but she was able to change the path of her life when she realized it wasn’t working out for her anymore. She’s one of those characters that you feel sort of proud of by the end of the book.

Kat, Parker’s best friend, is a wonderful example of the type if person you want to be friends with. I loved how much trust she put into Parker. Even when she knew she was being lied to it wasn’t a big deal because, to her, Parker was just not ready to explain yet. I did get annoyed with Kat for a little bit of the book, but things straightened out and I loved her again.

I loved basically all the characters in Golden. Parker, who was brave and afraid at the same time, and above all--strong. Kat, who put every ounce of trust and faith she could into her friends. Trevor, who was loyal and funny and completely golden-hearted. Gah, I can’t help but gush over all these characters and the story itself. It was so, so good. Through the entire book I felt so torn with my feelings. On one hand I was sad for everything that happened, but on the other I still felt hopeful that the future could be better. I think that’s one of Golden’s greatest strengths: there’s always hope. Even during the saddest parts of the story there’s a little voice in the back of your head saying “This can’t be it.”

What can I say? I loved Golden so much. It’s one of those books you can’t really explain in a 500-word review. I have so much to say and no idea how to tell you guys any of it. I loved reading every page of Golden and hope you all will give it a try. It’s totally worth it. You’ll love it (I hope!).

Elad Schulman

I enjoyed this more than I thought. I read this book because I needed a cute, fluffy book that wouldn't require too much brainpower. That's exactly what I got from this book. The reason this book wasnt 5 stars was: 1) the plot was a little predictable. A few chapters before a plot twist would happen, I would have figured it out already. And 2) I didn't get enough closure. A lot of the characters were just left on a string, and I wish the last chapter would have more of a resolution to it.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

3.5 stars!

Parker, the goody two-shoes valedictorian, has never kissed her crush, nor skipped a day of school, or really done anything at all that wasn't approved by her mother. She follows the rules and lives life on the safe side, doing what's right, never what's wrong, and only what's expected of her. Her BFF, Kat, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. She forces Parker to make her a promise to finally, just once, do something fun and outside of the rules. Just once.

In the process of helping a teacher with a school project, Parker unexpectedly finds the journal of a young girl who was in a horrible car accident with her then-boyfriend 10 years ago, the two never to be found. Against her better judgment, she decides to open and read the journal. After reading just a page of it, this journal quickly changes Parker and gives her the courage to make a choice she otherwise never would have made.

I had high, and I mean HIGH, expectations for this book. And though it was a nice story, it didn't blow me away. I wasn't left weeping or heartbroken like I thought I would be. Golden ended up being more of a story within a story, along the lines of a Nicholas Sparks novel, somewhat sappy and sad at times, sweet and likable at others. I could actually see it being a movie. And honestly, as a movie I may have enjoyed it more. Though I may be the only person on the planet, I'm not a huge fan of N. Sparks. His books are often too sappy and love-storyish for me. Maybe that's why I didn't LOVE this one as much as others. I did like it though, and I don't really have any complaints on Kirby's impeccable writing style or the story line itself. I just felt it was a bit slow in the middle for a large chunk of it. I really enjoyed the ending, which was a bit predictable but still sweet and the perfect ending to this story. And while the story itself was flawless and sweet, it just wasn't my type of read.

I would recommend this story to Nicholas Sparks fans for sure, along with others that like a beautiful story within a story about love, loss, and doing what's right by your own heart, even if that means going outside of your comfort zone and taking chances.


Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!


Thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the review copy.

Golden

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