Retro Friday Reviews are hosted by Angieville. Basically you post a review of an older or under the radar book on Fridays. This Friday, I am featuring Hold Still by Nina LaCour.
I get genre cravings. You see sometimes I get weary of a genre that I read too much in – like right those moment I’m a bit burned out on middle grade science fiction/fantasy-so weary that I want a palate cleanser and can think about nothing EXCEPT the palate cleanser. Lately Young Adult Contemporary is the cleanser of choice. Hold Still by Nina LaCour was just what the doctor ordered. I read this on Thanksgiving after getting weary of books about intrepid pre-teens.
Hold Still
Caitlin is reeling. At the end of the school year her best friend Ingrid killed herself. Caitlin is still searching for answers and trying to balance out being the girl with the dead best friend. She finds Ingrid’s journal under her bed which helps to start the healing process, but also makes things worse for Caitlin.
Hold Still by Nina LaCour is an absorbing read. It immediately grabbed my attention in a choke hold. I could feel Caitlin’s grief, but wanted her to get off her ass at the same time and start making good decisions, like doing her work and not failing. BUT I say this from a privileged standpoint – I’ve never dealt with this sort of tragedy. Knock on wood.
I loved how the theme of healing through art was integrated in Hold Still. Caitlin deals with her pain and comes to grips with what happened through photography. There is this bit where Caitlin is at the abandoned movie theater, which is enough to break your heart.
ALSO YOU GUYS! There is a lesbian character in Hold Still who is totally not token, but is awesome and plays a significant role in the healing process. Also, she is confident in herself and her sexuality and totally out of the closet. It rocks. I thought Dylan, that’s the character’s name was a wonderful not-so-cliched character.
Hold Still is an older backlist book, but it is completely solid. If you are looking for a contemp with heavier themes that will knock your socks off, read Hold Still by Nina LaCour.
Disclosure: Purchased copy
Other Reviews of Hold Still by Nina LaCour:
Sophistikatied Reviews
Reading Teen
Book Journey
Purchase:
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Oh wow! This one sounds AMAZING! 🙂 I’ve been seeing it around here & there but didn’t know anything about it, so I hadn’t bought it. Now, pretty sure the next time I can’t stop the book buying, it’s totally coming to ME!! Great review April! Yay for solid Contemp reads! 🙂
Yay for buying new books! And yay for solid contemps! <3
Lovely review. I recognize the cover from the Amazon add. I love those healing sorts of stories – one to read on my list, for sure.
I like healing stories as well, and the hope they bring. I hope you end up checking out Hold Still.
I’ll have to add this on my tbr list! I love contemporaries and although I’m a bit iffy about the heavy themes part, I think I’ll check this out out soon. 🙂
Do it!!
I loved this book. So much.
And yes, that movie theater scene is so heartbreaking. And so well written.
The movie theater scene is absolutely wonderful and affecting. I love that.
I just read this one as well. It’s a fantastically emotional read! I liked that it had a little bit of everying in the best possible way. It didn’t jump all over the place to cover the different areas (romance, grief, etc). As you say it was all integrated together very well.
I liked that it wasn’t all over the place, I hate when a book covers too much and then it feels muddled, and luckily this did not feel muddled at all.
I read this a couple of years ago and it still has a spot on my favorite contemps list. I recommend it often.
I also use contemporary to cleanse my palate!
Yes. I think contemporary is a great cleanser because it’s grounded in reality and when I am spending all my time reading about speculative worlds, I get burned out and want something totally different. Glad to see someone else gets it.
oh i LOVE this book so much
i CANNOT believe how cheap this is on amazon!
anyways, so hanging out to read her sophomore ~ although i do not think i could love it as much as i love hold still….
It is very inexpensive!
I still need to read The Disenchantments, sigh. I am hoping it exceeds my expectations.
I TOTALLLYYY get like that too! And not only stuck in a genre, but I do a book pattern. If I read something Heavy, (Stephen King’s The Green Mile, Divergent-Veronica Roth) I need something light after so I don’t feel like everything around me is dark! Hey, whatever works right!?
Anyway, this book sounds pretty awesome!!
I like that idea, of reading in a book pattern. I will have to look into doing that so as to keep my reading fresh.