A story full of quiet humour, heartbreak and beauty. Exceptional.

it was a sixteen year old boy who only has meg, boobs, swimming, and shakespeare in his vocabulary love that for him tho slay dawg kinda distracts him from everything that happened three years ago along with its remnants

love how the author wrote the ugly features of people especially when exposed to such things,,, it was very realistic,, the relationships there i mean and how things played out after,,,,, chefs kiss mwah

I had wanted to read Phantom Limbs for a while and it really lived up to my expectations. I really enjoyed it and it left me in a profound mood. I think I'm going to write a review on my blog because I can't put all my thoughts down just yet. Would highly recommend.

This book was provided to me as an uncorrected proof by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Otis and Meg were inseparable until her family abruptly moved away after the terrible accident that left Otis’s little brother dead and both of their families changed forever. Since then, it’s been three years of radio silence, during which time Otis has become the unlikely protege of eighteen-year-old Dara—part drill sergeant, part friend—who’s hell-bent on transforming Otis into the Olympic swimmer she can no longer be. But when Otis learns that Meg is coming back to town, he must face some difficult truths about the girl he’s never forgotten and the brother he’s never stopped grieving. As it becomes achingly clear that he and Meg are not the same people they were, Otis must decide what to hold on to and what to leave behind. Quietly affecting, this compulsively readable debut novel captures all the confusion, heartbreak, and fragile hope of three teens struggling to accept profound absences in their lives.

I’m going to be honest here; I kind of didn’t want to read this book. It’s silly, but the idea of wading through the emotional trauma described in the blurb terrified me. Lately, I’ve been pushing my boundaries, that’s ultimately why I requested this book, and I’m super glad that I did. Yes, there was a lot of emotion, and yes, I totally cried, but that’s okay, because the emotions described were honest and not at all schlock-y. The characters, both main and supporting, had me tied in knots from the beginning, because of the losses they had gone through, and the pain that defined their every action. Parts of the book were gritty, and, as my mother would have put it, “plain”, but that only contributed a further level of reality to the narrative. The characters themselves were true to life, with no one seeming too good to be true or too evil to escape without a kick to the head. The grim realities of teen sex and drinking are brought up, but only in passing, which I see as one of the book’s few outright flaws. One of the main characters drives drunk and gets into a serious accident. While there are consequences, after she is released from the hospital, there is no acknowledgement that she had seriously messed up and was lucky to be alive. That aside; I would still recommend this book to any teen who is not afraid to delve into the emotions of others.

really liked this book. i recommend it.

This is one of the best books I've read. I would recommend it to almost everyone.

Otis picked up swimming shortly after his little brother died and his best friend/neighbor/first love, Meg, moved away. His life had been so dramatically altered in such a short time that he was grateful to his new friend and personal swim coach, Dara. Dara had once been an impressive swimmer in her own right, but after an accident claimed one of her arms, she poured all of her energy into turning Otis into a champion swimmer. Dara won't stop until she sees Otis swimming for the US Olympic team. Otis, on the other hand, isn't so sure that he really has what it takes to reach that level of competition, but Dara's zeal is such that Otis simply goes along with the punishing training schedule.
Otis's life of nothing but swimming and school gets thrown a curve ball when Meg sends him an email to say that she'll be in town for a few weeks. It's the first time Otis has heard anything from her since she left. He's nervous and excited - Meg was a huge part of his life, but what will her return mean for him and his family? It's common knowledge that part of the reason Meg's family left had a lot to do with what happened to Otis's little brother. As Meg's visit begins to complicate Otis's friendships and swimming schedule, it becomes increasingly clear that Otis's version of events is incomplete.
Phantom Limbs covers a lot of thematic territory. It's partly a story about friendship and healing after devastating losses. It's partly a love story. It's even a coming-of-age story. For the most part, Garner manages to pull it off. I personally didn't love the book, but I didn't dislike it either. There are some frustrating elements, like the very draw-out reveal of what happened to Otis's brother. It's obvious that it was some type of accident, but it takes roughly three-quarters of the book to finally come out with the details. I always find it frustrating when an author repeatedly hints at some tragic event and then waits an eternity to reveal it, particularly when it's not a huge, shocking twist (honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if most readers guessed what had happened long before the reveal). Stuff like that reads, to me, as a clear ploy to keep readers engaged when I feel that it shouldn't require such tricks to keep someone reading a story. If it's compelling enough, you don't need to resort to these strategies. Luckily, Phantom Limbs has some interesting characters and an earnest exploration of grief from a variety of perspectives. The ending is a tad too tidy for my taste, but teen readers will likely find it gratifying.

Paula Garner did such an amazing job bringing the 16-year-old narrator, known as Otis, to life.

"I thought about her question -- what was my idea of fun? -- and it bothered me because I didn't have an answer ... You know what was fun? Pushing each other in the tire swing in her backyard. Building forts in my basement with sheets and blankets and flashlights. Making snacks and watching TV on rainy days. Catching fireflies. Toasting marshmallows. Stargazing. Kid stuff, I guess. But the truth was that most of those things still sounded fun to me. More fun than parties with obnoxious people and endless vodka and stressful games."

And I must say, the dialogue is fabulous.
:)

This book really opened my eyes to how hard it would be to loose almost everything. I think that this was a great book to start off the year with. It is a really well written book and I cried at least four times. Truly Amazing.