You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

Oh, wow, I feel like it's been forever since I last posted, but it's only been a week! I mean, I guess that's a long time in internet time, but, really. I want to say that I've been doing a lot...but I haven't. I've put together two puzzles. I watched monster trucks. I went to a wrestling show. I realize this makes me sound really weird, but whatever.

Anyway, today I'm back with another book review, mainly because I can't keep my mouth shut about this one.

Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?

On the anniversary of her daredevil brother's death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake's favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother's exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.

As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn't bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.


So this was one of the books that I picked up from my NetGalley frenzy. This one sounded interesting because I always love reading about sibling dynamics, especially between a brother and sister. That may be because I grew up with a perfect older brother. I guess I want to see how everyone else deals with being the youngest and, sometimes, the forgotten one.

Jaycee has been through a lot since her brother's death, mostly dealing with the fact that she's losing herself along with memories of her brother. Wanting to feel close to him once more, she decides to retrace his footsteps, sneaking into an abandoned asylum, sneaking into a party to find his signature, and even trespassing at an old amusement park. Along the way, she reconnects with an old friend (Natalie), her boyfriend (Zach), his friend (Bishop), and Jake's best friend (Ryan Mikivikious and, yes, I spelled that correctly) that holds some secrets of his own.

The saddest parts of this book dealt with Jaycee trying to remember her brother. It's not the big things that mattered, but the little ones: how he smelled, what he smiled about, how he moved. She finds herself grasping onto the memories she does have of him, and greedily devouring the ones that others share. It's obvious to the reader that Jaycee has lost herself completely in Jake's memories, and it's terrifying to think that she might never make it out. Her family has fallen to shambles since Jake's death - her mother in a mental institution, her father acting like everything is fine - and it's extraordinary to watch Jaycee realize that she didn't escape unscathed. 

This story is told from various points of view, some of them through art. Bishop's chapters are a single page, filled with the graffiti he makes about his ex-girlfriend, and even some not about her. Ryan Mikivikious - or just Mik - tells his story through comic form, being a selective mute and all. This small, dysfunctional family learns how to stand on their own through these adventures, and it's sweet to watch this unfold through all their individual chapters.

I think the character I connected with most was Zach. Not because of anything we have in common, but because he seemed the most real to me. That's wrong. They all seemed real to me, but something about Zach made me pay more attention to him. The relationship that he has with Natalie is all over the place, but it makes him feel comfortable because it's all he's ever known. He clings to her as much as she clings to him, even though they both know it's wrong. Zach is watching his friends grow up and move on without him, and he doesn't know what to do with his life. I've felt that way since the moment I graduated high school. Sometimes it's hard to watch the people around you find their place in life while you're still stumbling around in the dark, and that is definitely Zach.

All their little faults could have made one big mess, but I think that's what they needed. The four new and one former graduates needed some time to make a mess, to live life, to figure out what's going on in their lives after the tragedy that was Jake's death. Sometimes one misstep can knock some sense into us, and that's what happened here. Sometimes literally.

This book doesn't come out for another week and a half (March 1), but I hope you look into it. It's wonderfully written and incredibly sweet without giving you a headache. Check it out on Goodreads right here, and then, seriously, go snatch up a copy. You won't regret it.