Ellen Hopkins

With both joy and fear, seventeen-year-old Ariel begins to explore her sexuality, while living with her controlling, abusive father who has told Ariel that her mother deserted her years ago.

The You I've Never Known

Melissa Palmer

Book #14 Read in 2017
The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

Hopkins has written another masterpiece. In this book, mostly a verse novel with some journal parts, readers will find Ariel and her father. She is a teenager who was abandoned by her mother as a baby...or was she? Ariel finds out shocking news that will shake her foundation of life to its core. Add elements of romance, violence and humor, and you have a gritty piece of realistic fiction. My high school girls will eat this book up.

Amanda Kordeliski

An excellent addition from Hopkins, who rarely disappoints in her YA writing. This novel takes a hard look at abuse, sexuality and parental kidnapping.

CN. Holly

** spoiler alert **
           2.5 out of 5 stars, that .5 was only added because the ending was goodish but of course I still have questions. TW: Attempted Rape, Alcohol and Physical Abuse, Homophobia, Underage Drinking, Smoking, and Sex, (not as graphic as it could be, but still there) and Attempted Murder.

Listen, It took 380 pages to actually pick up, I wanted to DNF so bad but felt like I should give it a try only because a good friend of mine gave me this book for Christmas after asking all my friends to give me their favorite books as a Christmas present and me wanting to open my mind to other books and genre's besides Murder Mysteries,(which will always have my heart). 

(spoilers..)

I tried, I really really tried to like this book, I think my problem was I read the preview of the book so i was patiently/impatiently waiting for it to pick up and talk about the kidnapping, this book is a 600page book and it took over half the book to finally talk about her mother, and it did it in the least melodramatic way, I mean I guess I get it as a 17 year old, I'd probably freak out the way she did, but i have so many questions. The ending is alright, it doesn't really go into detail about what she's going to do with the rest of her life. Just leaves it as a 'I don't know, I'll figure it out when we get there'. It talks a lot about controlling parents as well, and does it pretty accurately as well. Trying to isolate the child, refuse to let them get a job, or a Car, control who they hang out with. It did great making it actually seem like her father wanted to be a 'loving parent' instead of a narcissistic father.

The Pros: great representation of the LGBTQ+ community and how we are open about our sexuality but maybe not as open around our family and Parents, Great representation about Bisexuality and how people treat it, I've experienced a lot of things that the Main Character has experienced at a young age, especially the "you're just greedy and don't know what you want" trope. Great friends both Male and Female and is overall a great 'Coming of age' story to read for teenagers/young adults. I would have loved to have this book to read at 16-18. The characters were also really diverse, and great. Mexican characters that also spoke Spanish but translated for the non-speakers or not as diverse in the language, but if you took Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 in high school or college like I did, you'll be able to translate most if not all of the Spanish in the book.

The Cons: I honestly think i would have given it a better rating had I not read the preview on the inside cover because I wouldn't have been expecting the 'kidnapping' It was only because of that I felt as though the book was dragging on. I was very impatient. Had I not read the preview it was a great story on it's on as just a book about a girl experiencing her sexuality and trying to be a 'normal teenager', or as normal as she could be for living on the road for 14 years. 

Overall, I wish we got to experience more before ending on such short notice, I wanted more, I want to experience more of her living on her own, I have so many questions for Ariel. Like experiencing trying to rebuild a connection with her Mom and her Mom's wife. More about her Mom's life. How is Zelda doing, She is as much of a victim as Ariel is. Did they ever catch her father? Did she ever try charging her Father with attempted murder? Did she graduate high school, go to college? are her and Hilary ever become good friends? How's Hilary doing/recovering? Does Ariel still work at the Barn? did she start working full time? Did she move in with Zelda? How's Gabe and his mom, is she recovering as well? I felt like after dropping a big bomb on us with less than 200 pages left there's so many questions unanswered and so much more to know about Ariel Pearson, or Casey Baxter.

Chrissy

3 1/2 stars

https://mybookescapee.wordpress.com/2...

Alex Hill 

TW for biphobia, homophobia, kidnapping, domestic violence, and racist comments. I think that's it.

This book is so long and we don't get the twist till like 78% through the book and like ??? it seems like there should be more development as well as more time to digest the information. Also there is some biphobic language which I can kinda understand based on how the main character grew up and the fact that she's confused. Does it make it okay, no. But she learns to kinda accept herself and her relationship. But also it never explicitly states that she is bi.

Elena Enns

The only reason I didn’t give this novel five stars, was because the beginning I felt was very slow. Also, Ariels flip flopping between the two romantic interests bothered me. Otherwise, it was splended

Rebeca 

3 stars

This book was good, but to me it just wasn't as good as all her other books. It was a super quick read and I could not put it down (besides when I had to leave for work). I also figured out the twist and was glad when certain things finally happened. It's also such courage for Ellen Hopkins to write a story based on something that truly happened to her. Her author's note at the end was brave. I felt that the ending to the actually story though kind of ended abruptly. I wanted to see what ended up happening with the characters, and I was disappointed when I didn't get to find that out. All in all, pretty good read.

Tae Thompson

** spoiler alert **
           This book is fantastic, and I have so much love for it. Ellen Hopkins has always been one of my favorite authors, and this book (almost) never disappointed me.
Above all rating: 
 I am giving this book a 4.75 since it was nearly perfect, but something could Stand to be a little better ( THE ENDING), but like most Ellen Hopkins I hope nothing but the best for this cast and hope most of them are doing great.

1) Characters 
The characters seemed so real as if they were just people who were living inside the pages of this book. Almost like if though magic. The story begins to read itself to you, and you are watching these people going about their daily lives. 
2) Story Line 
The way love presented in this book is so real, the one thing I have always hated in literature is how love has it seems magic and always either positive or evil. But this book shows it can be both how you can love someone with your whole heart and they use and change that love to be something else. Best seen with how both characters have to deal with loving a man who never seems to be able to look past himself. 
3) Villian 
Jason/ Mark is one of the Scariest villains I have read about in the last few years. I am a big fantasy reader, so most of the villains I have come across have been blown way out of portions, so to see a villain that is real and one that people have to face so often scares me more than any dark wizard or evil prince. 

4) The Ending 
 I both love and hate this ending for many reasons, but the one that sticks out the most is also to the most Conflicting. This choice to end on the Journey was a sweet and amazing one since the journey has played a small part in telling the story. But I am not going to lie and say was not hopping for a magical happily ever after ending, where Casey and Monica move to San Francisco and live with Maya and Tati. Also, WIth Jason/Mark never Captured, and I live to think this cast is still living on even though the book is over, so does that me he keeps living on and is now out to hurt ever more people? 

 Above all rating: 
 I am giving this book a 4.75 since it was nearly perfect, but something could Stand to be a little better ( THE ENDING), but like most Ellen Hopkins I hope nothing but the best for this cast and hope most of them are doing great.

Casie Blevins

EXCEPTIONAL. One of my top five novels of the year. The beauty of the language. The angst. The story line. I want to read everything she has written or will ever write. Written as prose poetry. I've never seen anything like it before.

Gretchen Gomez

full non spoiler review here: https://chicnerdreads.wordpress.com/2...

Summary/Plot

Told by two different characters, Ariel and Maya. All Ariel knows is moving around the USA with her dad, she doesn’t know stability and staying in one place. She doesn’t know friendships, education, or a household. According to her dad, home is wherever the both of them are since Ariel’s mom abandoned them when she was little. However, for once in Ariel’s life, her and her dad (Mark) have stayed in Sonora, California for a little over a year and Ariel finally feels normal. Ariel has friends, she’s been to school for a full grade, she’s feeling optimistic about the future, and maybe her and her dad will stop moving around so much. Ariel is also shaken up because she’s experiencing internal battles with herself and sexuality. And having a father who’s a homophobe, living in Sonora that is super conservative, she doesn’t know who to talk to about these feelings she’s experiencing for both Monica and Gabe (I’ll get to them later on in the review).

Maya is trying to run away from her mother who happens to be obsessed with Scientology and Maya wants nothing to do with her and that “cult” as Maya likes to call it. She blames Scientology for changing her mom and her parents divorce. Maya cannot stand her mom because she can’t even have a relationship with her father. All of a sudden her father dies and she even goes to his funeral without consent of her mother because she would’ve refused. Maya’s mom wants to move them to LA to be a part of the Church of Scientology but Maya has other plans.

And somehow in all of this, Maya and Ariel meet and things take a turn.

Writing

I loved the writing! The book is written both in verse and prose but mostly verse. Ariel’s POV is verse and Maya’s POV is in prose. I don’t know if any of you know this but Ellen Hopkins is one of my all time favorite authors and a big inspiration to me because of the way she writes her books. As a poetry writer myself, Ellen is like my mom lol.

Ellen Hopkins uses different techniques when she writes in verse. Sometimes she’s saying two different things in the same page and I’m still trying to figure out HOW she does that. With a few words, Ellen Hopkins will paint you the world and characters with vivid emotions.

Characters

I feel like I touched based a little too much with Ariel and Maya in the summary/plot, therefore I will move onto the other characters in this book that we get to meet. I want to discuss a little on Ariel’s dad, Mark. I found him to be a complete asshole, however Ariel makes so many excuses for him and you can clearly see the abuse that is going on between child and father. Mark is an abusive father; physically, emotionally, and mentally. He is a very manipulative character. Not just to Ariel but his girlfriend Zelda as well. Both victims to his schemes and lies. Ariel always playing protector since it’s always been him and her and her dad always spoke so bad about Ariel’s mom and that she never questioned him. He is very good in gaslighting.

We also get to meet “The Freak Club” which consist of Ariel, Monica, and Syrah. They call themselves that because they all have “dysfunctional” things going on. And I use quotation marks because not all is wrong. Monica is a Lesbian Mexican American who is not out to her family because she feels like her family wouldn’t accept it. I loved Monica’s character and even though her character felt just slightly stereotypical to me (the Latina bff who always has to say something in Spanish here and there to her non-spanish speaking friends, you know, in order to prove to us the reader that they’re Latinx), Ellen Hopkins wrote her really well. When Hopkins wrote in Spanish, she got the accents right and she even got the Mexican food right! It’s so important to me as a Latina myself that when people write about us, they get our language and culture correct. Monica and Syrah are both very supporting characters towards Ariel and what she’s going through with her internal struggle of bisexuality. Monica and Ariel have feelings for one another but Monica knows that Ariel is having a hard time. And I love that Monica is still willing to be there in the end for Ariel no matter what happens. I love the female friendships in this book because I feel like we don’t get much of that in YA. We definitely see a lot of Monica and Syrah throughout the book.

Gabe is introduced a little later in the book, he is Zelda’s (Mark’s girlfriend) nephew and he comes into town to stay a while with Zelda while he tries to figure some things out. Gabe and Ariel hit it off which confuses Ariel even more. Gabe, another supportive character is just a sweet charming guy trying to get by. He sees the abuse of Ariel’s father and tries to protect her but there’s only so much someone can do.

Thoughts

I loved this book. You might be wondering why I say love when I gave it a 4 star. The reason why I gave it a 4 star was because it got repetitive at times and I wish that what happened more towards the end was extended and the repetition was cut off. Ellen Hopkins writes truths in this book. She writes about how bisexuals are perceived and how even Ariel perceives herself because of social standards towards bi people. Ellen Hopkins also leaves a Authors Note talking about how she wrote this book based off her own experience which had me crying at the end. And I won’t discuss the authors note because it will lead to the spoiler and plot of the book. With Ariel moving so much and the way Ellen Hopkins talks about the instability of staying in one place and even sleeping in the car with her dad for weeks at a time, I asked myself about her health. Hopkins, covered all my questions about how her health was and even her lack of education. I liked the diversity of this book, Ellen never disappoints with her diverse cast of characters and their situations. Maya’s story was short but touching and to the point. Which is why I don’t talk much about her because her story is pretty much a major spoiler. The abuse that both Ariel and Maya experience in their own journeys are heart wrenching and sad. I would definitely recommend this book!

How do you live your life if your past is based on a lie? Find out in this “satisfied and moving story” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) in both verse and prose from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins. For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire. Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined. Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago. In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the very first time.

The You I've Never Known

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