The Hardcover Lover: Buddy Review: This Raging Light

Title: This Raging Light

Author: Estelle Laure

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: December 22, 2015

Source: eARC from Publisher for Review

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Can the best thing happen at the worst time?

Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she's about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend's brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure's soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

Today's review is going to be a little different than my usual ones. I had originally planned on reading This Raging Light on my own, but two of my favorite bloggers (and people), Tika and Tina, wanted to buddy read it with me.

Below, you'll see thoughts from all three of us on this book in a question and answer format. You'll also be able to see the review on their blogs, so be sure to pay them a visit and comment on their posts, too!

Buddy Review: Thoughts About This Raging Light from Erin, Tika, and Tina

WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO THIS RAGING LIGHT?

Erin

When I first saw the title, I was expecting an issue-heavy book. Maybe it's the title's reference to "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" that really led me to believe that it would be a book full of hardships and struggles. I was also really hoping that it would have a really strong female lead character.

Tika

This Raging Light was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015, so I was pretty excited going in. Okay, I was more than excited, but that's a discussion for another time. My good friend Jocelyn had read and loved it, and since we have the same taste in books, I figured this would go on my "I-fucking-love-you" shelf, especially after being told the author covered the aspect of cheating. I'm always down to read realistic fiction, so to make a long story short, the only thought I had going in was, "I-need-to-read-this-like-now."

Tina

I had seen This Raging Light on Netgalley, but since I'm on a self-imposed request ban I just admired the cover. I didn't even look at the synopsis to be honest so I really had no idea what it was about. When I won the ARC in a giveaway, I was pretty excited to finally dive into the story. I had seen that this book is one of those you either love it or hate it, and I was curious about how I'd like it.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LUCILLE?

Erin

I respected Lucille, but I'm not entirely sure that I liked her as a character. I think she's a very brave person, and I love that she just stepped up and started raising her little sister when both of her parents are incapable of doing so because of the choices that they made. I just felt like I didn't really get to know her by the end of the book. It would have been nice to see a little more character development from Ms. Laure for Lucille.

Tika

I really liked how determined and fierce Lucille was when it came to taking care of her sister, but other than that, I found her to be a bit immature. I hate a wishy-washy person in general, and Lu often displayed hot and cold behavior, always snapping at weird times over stupid things. Maybe it was the pressure from her situation, maybe I'm just being insensitive who knows, I just wasn't her biggest fan.

Tina

I felt bad for Lucille, the girl was dealt a pretty crappy hand in the parent department. But I also admired her. She stepped up and did what she needed to do. She did the best she could with what she had, most teens would've freaked in her position, personally I don't know what I would've done in that situation but I don't think I could've done it like Lucille. I had a few issues with her like she expecting Eden and Digby to do things for her and becoming upset when they had other things to do. I thought that was a bit selfish. It was really one of the issues I had with her.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE BOOK'S OTHER CHARACTERS?

Erin

Honestly, I wasn't really impressed with the other characters in This Raging Light because I feel like I know nothing about them!

I really enjoyed Lucille's little sister, Wren. I thought she was an adorable addition to the book. She's not exactly a little girl, but she hasn't yet hit that pre-teenager stage in her life yet. I really liked seeing how she dealt with growing up in such a stressful environment, and I loved seeing her interactions with her Lucille and Lucille's friends. I just wish the issues that surrounded her were more present in the novel. Things like counseling are brought up for her, but then they are never talked about again, so it's sad to see the lack of character development for her, too.

I felt like I didn't really get to know the book's other characters during the course of the novel. Eden Jones is Lucille's best friend. She's into ballet, and is a star dancer in their small town, but other than that... I don't really know. It's like she's this blank poster board just waiting to be colored on. Her twin brother, Digby is the most memorable supporting character, but I think that's because of his importance to Lucille. The bones are there for his character - basketball player, Lucille's best friend's twin brother, loving boyfriend to a classmate - but his disposition and personality are never really developed. Then there's Shane. She's the new girl in town, and her younger sister befriends Wren. Naturally, she runs into Lucille and Wren around town, mostly at the park. Shane is gorgeous, and she works at a local Mexican restaurant. She helps Lucille get a job, and I really liked how loyal she was to Lucille, even though they had just met.

Tika

I didn't develop a major connection with any of the characters, which was a big problem for me. The secondary characters added to the story but not much. Digby was cool, but his "situationship" with Lucille happened too quickly, so I wasn't completely sold on them. You don't really get a chance to connect with Digby, his sister Eden, or Lu's younger sister Wren, so you're basically going through the motions, which isn't completely a bad thing, but it isn't a good one either.

Tina

I didn't find the other characters remarkable. Like in other books I can tell you the secondary characters and what I liked about them. In This Raging Light I felt like we didn't really get to know them. For instance, Eden was Lucile's best friend, but she is hardly present through the story. It was hard to really see her as a best friend and form an opinion on her. Wren is someone I would've loved to have seen the story told through her eyes, I'd love to see how she was feeling/thinking about this whole situation. It would've been interesting. Digby, I didn't really care for him, he was too confusing and sent too many mixed signals that I felt it took away from the story.

AS FAR AS PLOTS GO, HOW IS THE PLOT OF THIS RAGING LIGHT?

Erin

Ummmm. I liked the idea of This Raging Light, but I don't think that Ms. Laure executed it in a way that will reach readers. Yes, the idea of an older sibling raising their younger siblings isn't unheard of, but I just wanted more from it. I felt like there wasn't enough struggle to what Lucille was trying to do, and it made it feel more like a dream or a fantasy, instead of something truly realistic. (And believe me... I know this story because my grandma was absent a lot, so my mom did a lot of child rearing for her younger siblings.)

I also wasn't a fan of the romance. Yes, it involves cheating, but that's not really what I'm talking about here. There wasn't a spark between Digby and Lucille, and to be honest, their romance just felt really awkward. I felt Lucille's attraction to Digby, but I didn't really feel like he reciprocated those feelings. It was more like he just wanted to explore his options, and she was just in front of him.

And then that plot twist? I liked the idea, but it just happened too late in the novel for it to really make sense. I don't want to spoil anyone, but I think a few added scenes really could have helped establish what Estelle Laure wanted to do with the last (not even) quarter of the novel.

Tika

As far as the concept goes, it was definitely a raging hit. I enjoyed how the subject matter was relatable, even though there were scenes that were a bit far-fetched for my tastes. On the other hand, the story was so faced paced that situations and characters didn't get the opportunity to fully blossom, not to mention how the ending completely left us hanging. Grrr.

Tina

I thought the plot was interesting - an older sibling taking care of a younger sibling - but also very tricky and delicate. I felt like it was a bit sugarcoated and needed something more. Something to really make it memorable. The Romance just wasn't doing it for me, not because there is cheating but it just didn't work for me. I love best friend's brother love stories but this one just wasn't one of them. I also thought the plot twist came to late and it should've been done earlier.

DID YOU LIKE THE WRITING STYLE?

Erin

It really took a while for me to get used to Ms. Laure's writing style. It's actually kind of awkward because I just felt like it didn't really represent how most teenagers speak. I think that Ms. Laure was trying for something poetic, especially because of the book's title, but she just missed the mark. It was a bit of a fusion between prose and how a teenager would actually speak. It was kind of weird, and I would have enjoyed something more reliable.

Tika

While I felt the concept and writing were strong, there were instances where they didn't exactly work for me. It took me a couple of chapters to get used to the writing, (which was a bit over-bearing at times) but after a while it started to flow, and I eventually came to enjoy it's quirkiness.

Tina

The writing was different and it took a couple chapters for me to get used to it. The pace was a bit too fast for this story, I felt if it had been little slower and things could've developed better this story would've left its mark.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY ABOUT THIS RAGING LIGHT?

Erin

I liked it, but I just wish it were better. It's almost as if Ms. Laure tried to write a complete novel in as little time as possible. I can see everything that Ms. Laure wanted to do with the plot and characters, and I think that a few added scenes and dialogues would really do the trick, and make this a kick ass novel.

Tika

The subject matter was probably my favorite thing about TRL. As a parent, I couldn't imagine leaving my son to fend for himself, not for a second, a day, or even years. It was tough seeing Lucille take guardianship over her sister at such a young age, but it definitely showed a side to her that I could relate to. She would do anything to protect her family, and that, my friends, is what we have in common. I don't have many dislikes, but what I had a problem with, (the pacing and how nothing really seemed to be resolved) hindered the story big time for me, causing me to chop a few points off of the rating.

Tina

I look forward to seeing Ms. Laurie grow as an author, this may have feel short for me but as Ms. Laurie grows as author, I think she very well could be one of my favorites.

WHAT IS YOUR RATING, AND WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS RAGING LIGHT TO?

Erin

Unfortunately This Raging Light wasn't really for me. I thought I liked it, and I really do think that there are some great aspects, but something about it was off. I ended up disliking more about the book than I liked, so I had to give it a low rating. I think fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park would enjoy This Raging Light.

Tika

I'm still very conflicted when it comes to the rating, but after having time to collect my thoughts and break down the story, I think I settling on a 3. This Raging Light is definitely for fans of Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, especially if you like reading about sucky parents.