Witty and charming but also painful. Made me cry a lot ❤

Fault in Our Stars read-alike.

This is more like a 4.5, but I've given up an half stars. This was emotional and moving, beautifully written too. I loved the characters in this. So much to love about this book. Full review coming very soon.

I've gone from rating this 1 star to 5 stars, and everywhere in between.The only problem for me: this book is too personal. I can't say I've dealt with a similar situation as Otis, Meg, or Dara, but I've felt what they've felt. Meg was actually the main reason I wanted to rate this book 1 star. I was so frustrated at her for doing the things she did because she did exactly what I've wanted to do sometimes -- she was irresponsible, reckless, and free. I really, truly hated her for that, and yet, this book deserves as many stars as I can give it.More in depth review to come. Still trying to sort out my emotions.

I'll admit, I have a bit of a crush on Otis. He's a sweet, sensitive 16-year old who is navigating through grief at the loss of his younger brother three years ago, and excitement at the return of his childhood love and former best friend, Meg, who moved away shortly after his brother's death. The title is both meaningful and metaphorical on many levels, and I loved how the author wove this throughout the story.

Otis spends most of his free time swimming, being coached by current best friend, Dara, who had a tragedy herself, causing her to both lose her arm and her Olympic dream. There are many layers to their relationship, and this causes a bit of tension when Meg returns, despite the fact that Meg has a boyfriend.

Throughout this book, we grow to learn about Otis and his family tragedy. But this isn't a sad book. It doesn't dwell on the loss, but only brings it up at times when the hurt is still apparent, even several years later. I liked that the focus is on the happy return of Meg, and Otis's enduring love for her.

The writing was beautiful and easily read. Much better than John Green, in my opinion. I'm looking forward to more from this author!

I’m absolutely in the minority when I say I don’t think I liked this book at all and the intriguing nature of the story line didn’t detract enough from all the elements I thought didn’t feel right. I vary rarely don’t rate a book but I’m struggling with a rating for this. I didn’t really like any of the characters. I got annoyed that Otis felt like he deserved meg in some way because of their past, he’s obsessing over a girl who left town when he was 13, 3 years later she comes back and he just thinks everything will go back to normal. I thought meg as a character was a little boring and under developed and although she plays a large part in the final parts of the story by the time you get to that you have no attention span for her because she just strings Otis along in a really strange way for so much of the book. She has a boyfriend yet she gets annoyed when Dara is around or in the picture. It’s teen hormonal rubbish and there was too much of it in this book. and I thought Dara was a complete b**** pretty much all the time. Although this book dealt with the topic of grief pretty well none of the characters actually did, I almost felt like they were using it as an excuse for their behaviour all the time. I loved Paula Garners other work and will continue to read her books but i just don’t know about this one.

Paula Garner needs to write more stories. I loved, loved, loved this one. It isn't often that I find a story told from the perspective of a male protagonist - one who is innocent, cares about his family, and is dedicated to his sport. Otis is oblivious to his charms and good looks. Girls flirt with him and cluelessly, he continues to pine for his best friend who moved away three years ago. When she returns home, Otis quickly learns that things aren't the same as they were at 13.

Phantom Limbs is more than just a love story. It is also a story of friendship - the friendship between Otis and Dara. I adore how he takes care of Dara when she was in pain, or just needs a friend. He would do anything for her.

This story represents what I love so much about YA - love, loss, family, friendships, and so much more. It is beautifully written and one that will connect with many. This is moving to the the top of my book-talk list.