Lisa Schroeder Verse Novel Mini-Reviews: Chasing Brooklyn & The Day Before

Title: Chasing Brooklyn

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Rating: 3 Stars

Schroeder is one of the top names when it comes to verse novels and I can now see why. Although I often stay away from these poetry-bound novels, Schroeder assuaged most of my fears and managed to suck me into her beautiful tale. I wasn't expected it, but Chasing Brooklyn managed to contain deep and well-rounded characters I truly felt for. Brooklyn, the protagonist who lost her boyfriend and is now haunted by her friend who overdosed is a heroine we can get behind, struggling to maintain a facade of being alright and caring for her dad while her mother and two younger brothers remain elsewhere. And then there's Nico, more of a protagonist himself than a love interest, and his fragile self-esteem combined with his delicate relationship with his parents made him so very real. When put together on the page, their story is gripping and lovely; a novel of dealing with grief and moving on with life, all told in a very unique style that is hard to forget.

And yet, there were still so many flaws with this novel. For one, I find that most grief novels tend to depict the deceased as perfect human beings, which is not only disappointing but also renders their characters to be very flat. And while that didn't bother me too much with this book, it still existed. Instead, what really bothered me about this novel was the ghost plot line itself. Now, I'm not a big fan of ghosts and the plot line with nightmares and terrifying dreams was all just a little too overstated and obvious to have much of an impact. All of Brooklyn's dreams were filled with typical metaphors and symbols that spelled things out for her too easily. I wish that Brooklyn's journey had been more about herself and Nico than about how their ghosts brought them together. It was all too convenient and cliched for my liking. Additionally, by the end of the novel I felt as if the effectiveness of the prose really began to wear off. With this type of style, it's hard to get behind too many topics and cover them all in-depth - I wanted to know more about the secondary characters, more about Brooklyn's father, more about these parents who were also grieving. Nevertheless, all things considered - especially my aversion to verse novels - I'd call this read a success. It's short and sweet and I'll certainly be on the lookout for more of Schroeder in the future.

Title: The Day Before

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Rating: 3 Stars

Once again, Lisa Schroeder manages to stun...and disappoint. From the beginning itself, The Day Before has a rocky start, throwing together two strangers - Amber and Cade - without reason. It is evident, though, that both these teens are hurting in their own way and as the story progresses, the truth about their pasts unravel. Unfortunately, what Schroeder's verse novels lack is plausibility. Is it really that believable for two teenage strangers to decide to be one another's companions for the day? Doubtful. And yet, despite this rocky set-up, Schroeder can write. On more than one occasion, her poems were heartfelt and touched a hidden part of me. Furthermore, despite the slenderness of this volume, she managed to make me feel for these characters and I can assure you that the romance in this novel, though very insta-love (and certainly not as believable as Just One Day's love story), has no shortage of swoon-worthy moments.

For me, this is why Schroeder excels: in her ability to make us, the reader, feel emotion with just a few mere words strung together. Not only does she choose unique topics and even more original ways of discussing them, but her characters feel so very realistic and jump out of the page. Sadly, though, for me her verse novels don't begin to compare to the fullness of a solid book. I always find myself wishing for more - more closure, more detail, just more. And this, I fear, is a personal qualm. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of verse novels then Schroeder is undoubtedly one of the best out there. Even I can admit that.