Review: Here by Denise Grover Swank

Julia Phillips doesn’t remember anything about the accident which killed her best friend, Monica, and leaves her feeling confused and guilty. The police think that she’s responsible for the accident, and her schoolmates treat her like a freak. Julia knows that her family is struggling to pretend that everything’s okay, but Julia doesn’t have the strength to play with. All Julia wishes is to die in place of Monica.

Julia’s grades are falling down and she is threatened by the possibility of being sent to alternative school. Her guidance counselor assigns some tutors to help her study. When one of the most popular guys in school, Evan Whittaker, volunteers to be one of the tutors, Julia thinks that it is very strange. Evan didn’t even spare her a glance before the accident, so what is it with thus sudden interest? Why does Evan look at her with such longing and sadness? Evan knows something about the accident. The whole reason why Julia can’t remember anything, why she suddenly possesses drawing skill, and why she owns a bracelet that is not hers from the accident… 

I’ve had my share of YA books but Here still managed to caught me by surprise. There is a twist in the middle of the story, one I didn’t see coming. I got a feeling that Evan is something more than a cute tutor and caring friend, but when the whole truth is unveiled, it still took me completely by surprise. I really like the twist even though I did feel as if the book I was reading suddenly switched its genre. The first half part of the book is the kind of sad contemporary I usually read, but for the rest of the book? It’s different. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but you have my word that the result is amazing.

I have to admit that I didn’t really like Julia at first. She annoyed me with the way she ignored her family’s suffering. Maybe I’m just being too hard to her since Julia obviously has gone through many things. But the more I read this book, the more she grows on me. Julia has a low self esteem, but I’m glad that Evan can encourage her little by little to stand up for herself. I guess the most favorite thing I find about Julia is her brilliant mind and her quick asses of her hard situation. I really like Evan’s character too. He’s not perfect and while his actions are considered brave, it is definitely reckless. However, he’s the one who fixes Julia. I doubt Julia would get better if Evan didn’t risk everything and come to her. Evan’s absolute devotion to Julia is very sweet and touching. 

Maybe one thing that turned me off a bit about Here is the love triangle aspect. I know some readers who enjoy the love triangle in this book, but honestly, I’m a little put off because of it. I was fully engrossed by Evan in the first half of the book, so the later appearance of Reece kind of shocked me. Both guys are cute, brave, and extraordinarily sweet, but I dislike how Julia is torn between two guys. I can see why Julia is attracted to Reece, but I also think that it’s strange considered her earlier romance with Evan.

In overall, Here is a great book that I would recommend to any fans of YA. When I found this book, I was instantly intrigued by the ghostly cover and the premise from the blurb. I thought this book would be another sad read about letting go and moving on, but it turns out to be so much more! Here is a great surprise and I enjoyed it immensely. I was very impressed with the twist and surprises that are thrown in the book. This book might have a slow start but the actions later kept me grinning with delight. It ends with a cliffhanger and even though the suspense is not enough to make me scream and rip out my hair, it certainly is great enough to leave me wanting to read the next book! I can’t wait to see what happens to Julia, Evan, and Reece’s adventure and the tangled relationship between the three of them.

I stand and tug on his arm. “You have to go!”

He grabs my hand as he rises. “Will you come?

His tear-soaked face waits for my answer. Tears over losing me. All I want is for someone to love me. Need me. I have it here, with him.

In the end, there is no question. I lift my chin. “Yes.”

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I rate this book: 

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.