Title: Goodbye, Rebel Blue
Author: Shelley Coriell
Release date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Abrams
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher
Reading level: YA
Challenge(s): Sophomore, YA Contemporary
First line: The makers of inspirational kitty posters should be disemboweled.
Rebecca Blue is a rebel with an attitude whose life is changed by a chance encounter with a soon-to-be dead girl. Rebel (as she’s known) decides to complete the dead girl’s bucket list to prove that choice, not chance, controls her fate. In doing so, she unexpectedly opens her mind and heart to a world she once dismissed—a world of friendships, family, and faith. With a shaken sense of self, she must reevaluate her loner philosophy—particularly when she falls for Nate, the golden boy do-gooder who never looks out for himself. Perfect for fans of Jay Asher’s blockbuster hit Thirteen Reasons Why, Coriell’s second novel features her sharp, engaging voice along with realistic drama and unforgettable characters.
After hearing such amazing things about Shelley Coriell’s debut novel, Welcome Caller, This Is Chloe, I expected quite a bit from Goodbye, Rebel Blue. I think that is where I went wrong. My expectations were a little too high and Goodbye, Rebel Blue just couldn’t meet them. It was good but it was nowhere near great.
Rebecca (Rebel) Blue is exactly what her nickname says, a rebel. However, I didn’t really see that much rebel in her. She was just kind of bratty. She shut everyone out, did everything she could to make her family hate her, and pushed away anyone that might see the good side to her. I didn’t see that as rebellious. She didn’t really have that much going for her. I found her to be rude, selfish, and kind of cold. I never really connected with her and I think that’s a big reason why this book didn’t meet my expectations. Nate was a lot better but still far from perfect. He was a little too much of a good guy and there wasn’t a whole lot to him. Sure he was sweet but that was about it. I didn’t see his and Rebel’s relationship working out in the long term. They didn’t have a lot in common.
The story was interesting. I liked the idea of a bucket list, especially completing someone else’s in their honor. Kennedy Green wasn’t someone close to Rebel but she was put into her life at exactly the right moment. Her bucket list helped Rebel see what was wrong in her life and what she could do to fix it. However, I didn’t like how fixated Rebel was on the bucket list. Everything she changed about herself was to complete Kennedy’s bucket list. She tried to change her whole personality and that really felt wrong to me. I loved how the chapter headings were Rebel’s own bucket list tasks though. They showed a really fun side to her.
There was also one other thing that really bothered me. Towards the end of the book Rebel talks about finding out who her dad is. It kind of comes out of the blue really close to the end and it didn’t go anywhere. I was really curious to find out more about her unknown dad and the whole story just went nowhere. That really let me down. I thought finding out more about him might have helped Rebel connect with her other family and maybe make me connect with her a little better.
Overall, Goodbye, Rebel Blue was cute and fun but nothing I’d read again. It’s a quick read that might be good for a rainy day but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get my hands on this one.
What others are saying about Goodbye, Rebel Blue:
i swim for oceans’ review: “I give it a 4 out of 5, and I recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction.”
Alexa Loves Books’ review: “What I really liked about Goodbye, Rebel Blue is that it is one of those books that makes me want to reevaluate my life and my choices, even as the main character does it herself.”
Candace’s Book Blog’s review: “Seriously, loved this one!“
Want to know what other books were up for First Line Friday?
#1 – There will be no awakening. – The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
#3 – If the Wild Poppy dared return to Galatea, Citizen Cutler was ready. – Across A Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
#4 – “You stop fearing the Devil when you’re holding his hand.” – Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
#5 – The feathers were starting to be a nuisance. – Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
I think the bucket list idea is cool, but Rebel sounds like she might annoy me.
I think this sounds interesting! I like the bucket list idea. Sadly, though, I don’t enjoy the “was cute and fun but nothing I’d read again” kind of book often because I just want more in what I read. I prefer books to be more than just cute and fun or they aren’t very memorable to me.
Great review! I like really like the First Line Friday. I used to have a feature where I made predictions about the book based on the first lines/covers of books because I like comparing my first impression to how the book really is.
I’m excited about this book, so I’m happy to see that it corresponds with the hilarious first line for which I voted. However, I’m not so happy to hear about how it disappointed you, especially as your issues will probably bother me too. I love the idea of a rebellious protagonist, but a bratty one sounds annoying. And underdeveloped storylines are one of my biggest literary pet peeves.
While there is nothing wrong with a cute and fun book, I hope you get something more out of this author’s debut, should you decide to try it. 🙂
Aww, I’m sorry that you didn’t love this one! It’s hard to love a book when you don’t connect with the main character, that’s for sure. Hopefully your next read absolutely blows you away – but I just have to agree with you on something real quick. Nate and Rebel DON’T have very much in common at all!
Awesome review – sorry my comment is so convoluted, LOL. <3
Welcome Caller was so good! The characters were likable and flawed and real, and they go through so much but still stay hopeful, and the family element was strong too! I think you should try it 🙂
Lovely review of this one!