Thursday, May 10, 2018

Hidden Gems: Phantom Limbs - Paula Garner

Hidden Gems was inspired by Bee at Quite the Novel Idea. I think we all have those books, which we loved so much, but are just overshadowed by bigger releases. This post will celebrate those books,  and I hope you will join me in sharing your own hidden gems.


Today's gem is...

Phantom Limbs
Paula Garner
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Candlewick
Originally Read: September 2016
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Number of Goodreads Reviews: 317
Goodreads
How do you move on from an irreplaceable loss? In a poignant debut, a sixteen-year-old boy must learn to swim against an undercurrent of grief—or be swept away by it.

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 protégé 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.
This book. Seriously.
 

He lost his brother. He lost his first love. Otis believed he had moved on from both of these, but in reality, he had not. After three years, Meg, the first love, returned. This set Otis on a path of healing and self discovery on which he learned so much about himself and the people in his life.
I also hoped Meg has another kind of GPS. One that would navigate her back to me.
Otis, Otis, Otis. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Otis was such a wonderful MC. He was a swimmer and a poet. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He was sensitive and a steadfast friend. He put others before himself, and acknowledged when he may have been blind to others' needs. He loved his family, and did things he didn't want to in order to make his mom happy. I just loved this boy to shreds. His emotions and pain just flew off the page. I wished I could just reach in and give him a hug.

You love someone and they leave, but they never entirely go away. You feel them there, acutely, like an amputated limb.
The friendship between Dara and Otis was quite beautiful. It may not have been apparent, but there was a symbiosis there. He was her rock, but she was his too. They each gave a lot to the other, however, while Otis did so obviously, Dara did so move covertly.
She picked me up, dusted me off, and kicked my a**. Maybe we all need that from time to time. If we're lucky, there's someone there who cares enough to do it.
And speaking of Dara, she was such a fierce, interesting and complicated character. I loved all her layers, and was so happy with the way Garner chose to revel each of her facets. I found myself rooting for Dara, as well as, Otis. She won a place in my heart with her gruff exterior and her tender heart.
She might always be my phantom limb. She might always hurt.
Meg. I was not always sure about Meg, but when more is revealed, I found a lot of sympathy for her. She was also trying to heal. It was not only Otis' family who suffered when Mason died. It also affected Meg's family, and the fallout may have been, in a way, a little worse. I have to admit, I wanted Meg and Otis to work out, because Otis wanted it to work out. I was all about making Otis happy.
But damaged doesn't necessarily mean broken.
Me at the end of this book:


This was a really beautiful story of loss: loss of a limb, loss of a sibling, loss of son, loss of a best friend, loss of a future. I was touched so many times, and I shed many tears. I sort of lost it during the last 10 pages, but Garner left me a full heart from all the feels.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.








Do you know of any hidden gems?
Let us know in the comments!

22 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this! I love when bloggers introduce me to beautiful stories I may not otherwise have heard about.

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    1. I had done a hidden gems TTT post last year, and when I saw Bee's post, I thought it was a great idea. I don't hype enough older books either, and this was one I really loved.

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  2. The first thing I notice is that the cover seems almost an exact duplicate of First & Then by Emma Mills. Like, crazy similar. This truly sounds like such a heartbreaking tearjerker. I would definitely have to be in the right mood to tackle it. I think Otis would break my heart into tiny little pieces.

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    1. The cover is definitely reminiscent, but whereas Mills is just artistic (as all her covers are), I think this one is supposed to be water droplets (maybe tears too, given the story). The book has sad moments, but overall, it's a beautiful story.

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  3. Yep, must be a hidden gem because I haven’t heard of it...not that I’m great at being in the know. Sounds perfectly emotionally good. I’ll have to check it out.

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    1. Yeah. It's a book that I wish got more hype, because it told a really beautiful story. Garner actually had a character from this book make a little cameo in her new book, and I was pretty excited.

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  4. Thanks for sharing; I remember this one, but I haven't read it. I do like hearing about hidden gems though. And Otis sounds fantastic!!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I think we got it when we went to BEA, and I was trying to read all the books I picked up. No regrets on getting this one, because I absolutely loved it.

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  5. This sounds like a beautiful read!

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  6. Your reviews are always so great! I love how much love and effort you put into them <3

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    1. Thanks! I wrote this one before I was blogging and I feel like it's better than the ones I write now. 😂

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  7. This is a cool idea for a post. There are lots of books I love that I hardly ever talk about. The book sounds really good, too.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I was thinking it combines lesser hyped books with throwbacks, and I feel like I should feature some older books every once in a while.

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  8. I hadn't heard of this book, but it sounds really interesting! And I love this feature! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. This book had all those things I love so much - grief/loss, friendship, romance, family. It has sad parts, but is ultimately uplifting too.

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  9. This sounds like such a heart-wrenching and emotional book! I could already feel the tears at the back of my eyes from reading this review. I also really liked getting to know about the characters too. They all sound so lovely, especially Otis. Swimmer and poet, yesss <3

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    1. It had a nice balance of emotions, and it was really beautiful.

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  10. I LOVE this book, it is such a perfect choice for a hidden gem, because this one deserves SO much more love than it's gotten! Fabulous choice!

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    1. It's so under appreciated. I had to shout about it! 🙂

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  11. Well this book sounds utterly heartbreaking. I want to read it and my library has a copy in so you know I'm reserving that for next time I go in. I remember this one coming out and I just don't know why I've not got around to reading it.

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    1. It has said moments, but is so full of hope. I swear!

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