book data Chasing Brooklynpublished January 5th 2010 by Simon and Schuster
details Hardcover, 412 pages
literary awards YALSA Best Fiction Nominee for Young Adults (2010)
isbn 1416991689
4 stars
Restless souls and empty hearts.
Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca died a year ago, and now their friend Gabe has died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe’s ghost is there, waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn’t Lucca chasing her through her dreams.
Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying so hard not to feel the pain of missing Lucca. But when he begins receiving messages from his dead brother, telling him to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.
As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they’re being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.
Lisa Schroeder is an amazing and inspiring author that I discovered in January when I picked up “Far From You” off of our local library shelves. It was one of my very favorites so far and I was thrilled she had more books out there. Chasing Brooklyn is written in her signature style of poetic verse which makes for a short and emotional read. I am amazed at how deeply one can connect to the story in so few words. Truly each of Lisa’s books are a masterpiece.
This one was a bit more creepy and eery with a paranormal element. Brooklyn and Nico’s alternate writing journal entries about their joint loss of Lucca. Both are haunted by their dead friends and each has a journey of healing from the loss. You will sympathize with their grief and deep longing to resolve nightmares and the sense of being haunted. Schroder writes in a way that teens will understand. The voice is resoundingly one of healing and endurance. She teaches that thick in the midst of loss there is hope through love, through learning to trust again.
This one was a bit more creepy and eery with a paranormal element. Brooklyn and Nico’s alternate writing journal entries about their joint loss of Lucca. Both are haunted by their dead friends and each has a journey of healing from the loss. You will sympathize with their grief and deep longing to resolve nightmares and the sense of being haunted. Schroder writes in a way that teens will understand. The voice is resoundingly one of healing and endurance. She teaches that thick in the midst of loss there is hope through love, through learning to trust again.
What I like:
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the musical references in the book
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the picnic scene and description of how Nicco and Brooklyn feel towards each other as feelings start to develop. The kiss!
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That the two main characters are training for a triathlon together. They have something they are working toward and they are strong, each in their own way.
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Nicco is an incredible person. He does his best to pull Brooklyn out of her depression while holding onto himself. It’s admirable that neither one of the main characters jumps into love quickly. It is a slow going process of getting to know each other and supporting one another.
Would love to have seen more of:
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an ending. I was so disappointed when I turned to the last page. I wanted to know more about Brooklyn, Nico and Lucca and less about Gabe. He was just a little too creepy for me. In short, once you’ve started this story, you can’t get enough! Truly hoping Lisa writes another companion novel to complete what was started with “I Love you. You Haunt Me.” If you haven’t picked up any of Lisa Schroeder’s books, you must! They are a guaranteed good read.
Violet
Great review! I loved Chasing Brooklyn too and was really impressed by how the verse style cut right to the core of the emotions Nico and Brooklyn were struggling with. It felt a bit like peeking into their diaries & I found myself worrying about them and hoping they each found a happy ending from the very first page to the very last. 🙂