Hello? By Liza Wiemer

Hello? by Liza Wiemer

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Expected Publication: 10 November 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

One HELLO? can change a life. One HELLO? can save a life.

Tricia: A girl struggling to find her way after her beloved grandma’s death.
Emerson: A guy who lives his life to fulfill promises, real and hypothetical.
Angie: A girl with secrets she can only express through poetry.
Brenda: An actress and screenplay writer afraid to confront her past.
Brian: A potter who sets aside his life for Tricia, to the detriment of both.

Linked and transformed by one phone call, Hello? weaves together these five Wisconsin teens’ stories into a compelling narrative of friendship and family, loss and love, heartbreak and healing, serendipity, and ultimately hope.

This book captivated me from the very start, as it threw me straight into a scene that broke my heart. I can’t seem to put everything that I’m thinking into words because this book was just fabulous, and coming from someone who hardly gives contemporary books more than four stars, I believe that this book broke my scale. It went above and beyond what I expected. I started this book during the commercial brake of one of my favorite TV shows, but I was unable to stop when the show returned. I knew from the very first chapter that it would be one of my favorite books this year, and I was right.

The story follows five teenagers, all connected in one way or another, on their journey throughout life. Each one bringing an absolutely unique story to the table that broke my heart over and over again. The story is written through alternating first-person point of views of the five main characters, which I absolutely adored as each brought their own style, adding depth to each character and allowing you to truly get to know the characters, watching the develop and grow.

Told from all five viewpoints: narration (Tricia), narration (Emerson), free verse poetry (Angie), screenplay format (Brenda), narration and drawings (Brian). 

Though I’ve never been a huge fan of reading free verse poetry when it comes to novels, the story itself was good enough that rather than skipping the parts I didn’t enjoy, it kept me going, and I’m glad. It wouldn’t have been that good of a novel if just a single part was left out, as the connections between the characters was an essential piece. The way that the stories intersect with each other are absolutely breathtaking. It just all seemed to fit into place, without any need to push or pull on stories to make sure they intersect. It felt as if it was supposed to end that way, and that is hard to do. Nothing seemed forced.

It’s a true tale of friendship, love, hope and loss. One of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much was because it was such a character driven novel. As I mentioned before, it was easy to see the characters develop and grow, making me fall in love with them more and more every page. There was Tricia, who I connected with right away, making me want to hug her and never let go until she was okay. Then Angie, though not the kindest character ever, somehow I felt for her. Brian, Brenda, Emerson, they’re all beautiful characters I fell in love with. Their arcs are so well written and I honestly want to befriend them all.

This is a wonderful, heartbreaking book that nearly brought me to tears. The writing is outstanding and I hope to see more in the future from her, as it’s easy to tell she’s a magnificent writer. The stories were so authentic and really made you think, as it emphasized the butterfly effect and how one decision of a single person can truly affect others. 

*eARC received from the publisher via netgalley, but this doesn’t affect my opinion or my review