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readingsusan's review
4.0
This book was stressful! Wow what a ride. I liked how they struggled with the thick of their climb. I have never understood people who want to climb like that. Scary!
aljakatuin's review
4.0
This was an extraordinary read. I could almost feel the struggles Rosa and Tate were going through. I’ve never experienced this much of a bond with the main characters in a book.
The story was built perfectly, describing one of the hardest, toughest locations on earth, I’d imagine. The characters were rich and full of their own quirks, the way the other characters were mentioned and used was amazing.
Thank you for this read, 10/10 would recommend
The story was built perfectly, describing one of the hardest, toughest locations on earth, I’d imagine. The characters were rich and full of their own quirks, the way the other characters were mentioned and used was amazing.
Thank you for this read, 10/10 would recommend
letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review
2.0
I received an arc of this book from netgalley, although as you can see I did not read it before its 2020 pub date.
This is a story about two high school graduates who decide to climb Mt Everest. Rose and Tate have been best friends their whole lives and bond over mountain climbing, so climbing Everest seems like a natural thing to cross off their bucket list. But Rose’s mom is sick and can’t climb with them as planned and Tate has PTSD from a bad fall during their last climb, and tensions are high as they tackle one of the scariest and most deadly climbs in the world. And of course, a lifetime of friendship is on the line as romantic feelings bloom as well.
The writing style of this book was very dry and hard to get into, and while we had alternate POVs between Tate and Rose, I never really felt like I got to know them and their voice felt very similar to each other.
I also didn’t totally buy the romance here. All book long, they talk about how they see each other as siblings and how boys and girls can be friends with nothing happening and then BAM they’re having sex on a mountainside? I didn’t feel the vibes at all.
Plus, I know Tate is dealing with a lot of his own mental health issues, but the dude is kind of a douchebag. He is so selfish thinking only of himself and not of Rose’s feelings or her situation with her mom. And he constantly is yelling and blowing up in anger and she just is so calmly taking it from him. Idk. He gave me such a huge ick and I was screaming at Rose to not get with him and to just head off to college in the fall and leave him behind.
The mountain climbing aspect of this book was actually very interesting to me as someone who has no knowledge of that world. I’m not sure how accurate everything in this book is to real life, but I do feel like I learned a lot there.
TLDR: skip this one
This is a story about two high school graduates who decide to climb Mt Everest. Rose and Tate have been best friends their whole lives and bond over mountain climbing, so climbing Everest seems like a natural thing to cross off their bucket list. But Rose’s mom is sick and can’t climb with them as planned and Tate has PTSD from a bad fall during their last climb, and tensions are high as they tackle one of the scariest and most deadly climbs in the world. And of course, a lifetime of friendship is on the line as romantic feelings bloom as well.
The writing style of this book was very dry and hard to get into, and while we had alternate POVs between Tate and Rose, I never really felt like I got to know them and their voice felt very similar to each other.
I also didn’t totally buy the romance here. All book long, they talk about how they see each other as siblings and how boys and girls can be friends with nothing happening and then BAM they’re having sex on a mountainside? I didn’t feel the vibes at all.
Plus, I know Tate is dealing with a lot of his own mental health issues, but the dude is kind of a douchebag. He is so selfish thinking only of himself and not of Rose’s feelings or her situation with her mom. And he constantly is yelling and blowing up in anger and she just is so calmly taking it from him. Idk. He gave me such a huge ick and I was screaming at Rose to not get with him and to just head off to college in the fall and leave him behind.
The mountain climbing aspect of this book was actually very interesting to me as someone who has no knowledge of that world. I’m not sure how accurate everything in this book is to real life, but I do feel like I learned a lot there.
TLDR: skip this one
notwarriors's review
4.0
Rose and Tate are best friends and climbing partners. They set off to something that for most people is just a wild, unattainable dream: climb Mt. Everest. It's the adventure of a lifetime. They had been planning it since 4th grade and originally, Maya, Rose's mom was supposed to come with them, but a recent diagnosis prevented her from coming along.
I could never do anything like that. I was anxious enough reading about Rose and Tate doing so. I don't really read adventure type of book before so I was surprised how quickly I was sucked into the story. I was only two chapters in when I knew I wouldn't be putting down this book before I finished. Would Rose, Tate and Tate's father make it up and down the mountain in one piece? Rose is determined, but Tate is more hesitant after taking a scary fall a new months ago. I felt for Tate as he struggled with some PTSD from the fall and struggled with ADHD.
I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this.
I could never do anything like that. I was anxious enough reading about Rose and Tate doing so. I don't really read adventure type of book before so I was surprised how quickly I was sucked into the story. I was only two chapters in when I knew I wouldn't be putting down this book before I finished. Would Rose, Tate and Tate's father make it up and down the mountain in one piece? Rose is determined, but Tate is more hesitant after taking a scary fall a new months ago. I felt for Tate as he struggled with some PTSD from the fall and struggled with ADHD.
I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this.
civi's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cobaltbookshelf's review
3.0
3.5 stars
First, let’s talk about how much I love this cover. So pretty I could stare her all day.
Both Rose and Tate are such well-developed and well-rounded characters. And, more importantly, their relationship was well-developed. Romance is there, but that's not what this book is about their friendship has a deep connection and it was actually quite riveting to read.
This was an overall captivating story, and everyone that the adventure seeker should read it.
First, let’s talk about how much I love this cover. So pretty I could stare her all day.
Both Rose and Tate are such well-developed and well-rounded characters. And, more importantly, their relationship was well-developed. Romance is there, but that's not what this book is about their friendship has a deep connection and it was actually quite riveting to read.
This was an overall captivating story, and everyone that the adventure seeker should read it.
leafblade's review
4.0
I recieved an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I truly don't know where to start with this one. I guess by saying that sometimes I review books and I'm like "oh, I wish it had focused more on the relationships between the characters/character development/the actual plot/the setting" but I can't say any of this with this one because it had it all in the perfect measure. MAYBE I would've spent either a bit more or a bit less of page-time on the romance because it seemed weird at times, but it played such a little bit of a part in the story that I ended up not caring about how it made me feel. The relationship between Rose and Tate is one of the pillars of the book, but not so much because they like each other or because they slept together, but because they're RoseAndTate, a kind of two-headed being that's always been attached to the hip but that now it's divided, because both of them want different things out of Mt. Everest.
The book also spents some time reflecting upon the colonialism of it all. Like, how Everest is a white name because it was a sacred mountain that no one dared to climb but a white guy got to the top of it and suddenly it was named after him. How the MC chooses a climbing group lead by natives because she feels that's what's best, but it isn't, really. How it's selfish to want to climb Everest knowing it has so much meaning to the Nepali (is that the word??) people living around it, and how she wants to climb it anyway, leaving room for criticism for her. Because the author never tries to hide the fact that this is a pretty fucked-up, colonialist, racist thing to do, even if the lines are blurry in some places.
On a personal note, I tend to not get attached to characters in standalones. I think what matters most when you have only one single book to tell your story is just that: telling the story, getting the message across. It's not very often that I come across characters that feel three-dimensional, complicated, human. But this book managed that, and I can't pinpoint how. I mean, there was conflict and there was an experience that brought some of them together and drove some of them apart, but that's a thing that many standalones have and yet they don't quite reach the level of depth that this book has. I guess that's one of those things that you have to give kudos to the author for.
The climbing-actual-Mt. Everest part starts around the 50% mark, and that was PERFECT timing. Maybe you haven't read this book yet and you're like "I came here to read about Everest, why do I have to wait 150+ pages to see them set foot on it??" but believe me: it makes sense. The prep work and flashbacks and character development that takes part in the first half of the book is crucial to everything that comes after it. And you wouldn't root for them as hard as you do while they're on the mountain if you didn't have that.
(Also Tate's decision??? Iconic)
I truly don't know where to start with this one. I guess by saying that sometimes I review books and I'm like "oh, I wish it had focused more on the relationships between the characters/character development/the actual plot/the setting" but I can't say any of this with this one because it had it all in the perfect measure. MAYBE I would've spent either a bit more or a bit less of page-time on the romance because it seemed weird at times, but it played such a little bit of a part in the story that I ended up not caring about how it made me feel. The relationship between Rose and Tate is one of the pillars of the book, but not so much because they like each other or because they slept together, but because they're RoseAndTate, a kind of two-headed being that's always been attached to the hip but that now it's divided, because both of them want different things out of Mt. Everest.
The book also spents some time reflecting upon the colonialism of it all. Like, how Everest is a white name because it was a sacred mountain that no one dared to climb but a white guy got to the top of it and suddenly it was named after him. How the MC chooses a climbing group lead by natives because she feels that's what's best, but it isn't, really. How it's selfish to want to climb Everest knowing it has so much meaning to the Nepali (is that the word??) people living around it, and how she wants to climb it anyway, leaving room for criticism for her. Because the author never tries to hide the fact that this is a pretty fucked-up, colonialist, racist thing to do, even if the lines are blurry in some places.
On a personal note, I tend to not get attached to characters in standalones. I think what matters most when you have only one single book to tell your story is just that: telling the story, getting the message across. It's not very often that I come across characters that feel three-dimensional, complicated, human. But this book managed that, and I can't pinpoint how. I mean, there was conflict and there was an experience that brought some of them together and drove some of them apart, but that's a thing that many standalones have and yet they don't quite reach the level of depth that this book has. I guess that's one of those things that you have to give kudos to the author for.
The climbing-actual-Mt. Everest part starts around the 50% mark, and that was PERFECT timing. Maybe you haven't read this book yet and you're like "I came here to read about Everest, why do I have to wait 150+ pages to see them set foot on it??" but believe me: it makes sense. The prep work and flashbacks and character development that takes part in the first half of the book is crucial to everything that comes after it. And you wouldn't root for them as hard as you do while they're on the mountain if you didn't have that.
(Also Tate's decision??? Iconic)
polkadotgirl's review
3.0
2.5/5 stars:
I received an e-ARC of this story through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!
Above All Else is a book, at its heart, about the challenges we face as we grow up and have to live through doing the things we love most and, at the same time, fear most. This book is very heavily centered on climbing and even though I have never been highly invested in the topic I found myself real enjoying learning more about it. I think that people who love climbing or mountain stories will really enjoy this book.
I know that giving this book a 2.5 rating might make it seem like I think this isn't a good book but that isn't it at all. I think this book was simply not for me but I can appreciate the story in itself and the effort put into it and I can see it becoming a favorite book for some people.
Rose and Tate, our main characters, felt very real and flexed-out. We follow them as they train for their summit of Mount Everest and we also learn about their lives before and after this great adventure will be over. If there was one thing I really didn't enjoy about this book it was the romance. I didn't feel compelled to like the two main characters together and I think the romance comes kind of out of nowhere. I think, for me, the book would have had a higher rating if the friendship between Rose and Tate had just stayed a friendship.
Unfortunately, this book has one of my most hated tropes in the history of the world: bilingual person who speaks nothing like a true bilingual person speak. I'm bilingual in both Spanish and English but i the case of the book character we have a man who is French and speaks English throughout the book. I don't know if the author is bilingual or not but the portrayal of bilingualism wasn't accurate at all and it irked me gravely.
As I said before, I have very limited knowledge about climbing but I did know a little about Mount Everest before getting into this book and I really appreciated how some of the problematic aspects of its climb where touched upon in this book. I liked that we had our main characters being aware of their privilege, I like that they question whether or not what they're doing is ethical and I like that we're made aware that climbing Mount Everest isn't just about the climbers and their dreams.
I think, overall, if the premise of this story seems like something you will enjoy you should pick it up. I can see the potential of this story in the hands of people who tend to enjoy YA contemporaries. In the end this book wasn't for me but I can see that it could be a good read for other people.
I received an e-ARC of this story through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!
Above All Else is a book, at its heart, about the challenges we face as we grow up and have to live through doing the things we love most and, at the same time, fear most. This book is very heavily centered on climbing and even though I have never been highly invested in the topic I found myself real enjoying learning more about it. I think that people who love climbing or mountain stories will really enjoy this book.
I know that giving this book a 2.5 rating might make it seem like I think this isn't a good book but that isn't it at all. I think this book was simply not for me but I can appreciate the story in itself and the effort put into it and I can see it becoming a favorite book for some people.
Rose and Tate, our main characters, felt very real and flexed-out. We follow them as they train for their summit of Mount Everest and we also learn about their lives before and after this great adventure will be over. If there was one thing I really didn't enjoy about this book it was the romance. I didn't feel compelled to like the two main characters together and I think the romance comes kind of out of nowhere. I think, for me, the book would have had a higher rating if the friendship between Rose and Tate had just stayed a friendship.
Unfortunately, this book has one of my most hated tropes in the history of the world: bilingual person who speaks nothing like a true bilingual person speak. I'm bilingual in both Spanish and English but i the case of the book character we have a man who is French and speaks English throughout the book. I don't know if the author is bilingual or not but the portrayal of bilingualism wasn't accurate at all and it irked me gravely.
As I said before, I have very limited knowledge about climbing but I did know a little about Mount Everest before getting into this book and I really appreciated how some of the problematic aspects of its climb where touched upon in this book. I liked that we had our main characters being aware of their privilege, I like that they question whether or not what they're doing is ethical and I like that we're made aware that climbing Mount Everest isn't just about the climbers and their dreams.
I think, overall, if the premise of this story seems like something you will enjoy you should pick it up. I can see the potential of this story in the hands of people who tend to enjoy YA contemporaries. In the end this book wasn't for me but I can see that it could be a good read for other people.