Joe by H.D. Gordon - Reread
Joe
Synopsis:
From the author of the Alexa Montgomery Saga, comes a book that will take you into the mind of a genuine psychopath, the lives of six ordinary people, and the world of a very special girl named Joe.
Joe is seemingly an ordinary college student. She works, studies and reads. But in between these activities Joe has a gift that promises to add a dose of color to her life at any given moment. Joe sees things before they happen. Bad things, and the worst thing she has ever faced is just around the corner. Someone is planning a massacre at the college university that Joe attends, and the only person with a hope of stopping the psychopath is her.
Oh, the beauty of foresight. More like a curse. Joe has four days to figure out the mystery, make plans to take down the psycho, and save the lives of people. People like you and me. Ordinary people.
Review:
There are some books that I wish I could get that first read experience back for. Some books where the second and third and so on reads are great, but just not as amazing as that first time. Some books that once you know what happens they just don't hold onto me as well as they did that first time. I still love them, but they don't have that magical awesome feeling they had the first time through. Joe is not one of these books. I read Joe for the first time last year and loved it (it was one of my favorite books of 2013). I think it got better on the second read through somehow. Small things that I didn't really care for the first time I found enjoyable. Knowing how it all would end, what would happen to some of the characters (I didn't remember what happened to all of them) made me even more engaged in the story. It made me feel more for the characters than it did the first time reading it. Somehow it was even better on the second read through which I haven't found happens very often. I picked up Joe again to read before reading Joe 2, White Sheets which will be out March 26th! Look for my review of that tomorrow since I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of it! I am quite excited. Anyways on to the Joe review.
I really like the way Joe is written. On this reading I just felt so bad for some of the characters. I just wished that somehow I could change the ending for some of them. Some of them I didn't remember what happened and I just hoped things worked out. It was interesting seeing how I felt about all of the characters now. The first read through I didn't really like the teacher that much, but I found her chapters more enjoyable this time. It is interesting reading all of these different people's point of views and what happens leading up to and including Monday. It is interesting seeing how everyone intersects in different way, how it is a small world.
Then there is Joe. I just can't help but love Joe. She is so brave and strong, but also fragile. She is the odd girl and she keeps herself cut off from most people, but she is so kind and smart and fun and helps everyone she can. She is really selfless, but really hard on herself. She is just all kinds of awesome, but I also just want to scoop her up and give her all the hugs and make everything better for her. She is just a great character. I love how she has a stutter and is odd and I don't know how she is so normal with how horrible her parents are, but she is also just like a normal girl. She has all of these things that make her her and different, but she is still like everyone else. A little sheltered maybe, but just so sweet. I just love her.
I also really like Michael. He is so good for Joe and so sweet and wonderful. Even though he doesn't know everything about her, he likes what he does know. He knows her well enough to not push for answers. He just seems to get her and it was just really nice. Really he complements Joe well and I hope to see much more of him in the next book.
The only part of the book where I wish I could get back that first time feeling? The main event. What happens on Monday, though it was very interesting on the second reading. I knew what was coming and how it was written already so it just didn't have the same effect. It seemed to go by so much quicker. It was like the first time I read it I was experiencing it. Joe says how it only took 30 seconds, but during it those 30 seconds felt like a lifetime. Then if you go back and watch it you can see how quickly everything happens. That was like the difference. The first time those 30 seconds felt like forever, even when reading it, but this time, since I knew what to expect, it was like re watching it. Everything moved very quickly and was over in a second it seemed like. I got to the end and was like wait it is over? Very interesting that it worked like that. I loved it. Even though that first time was more exciting I liked the differences.
Overall a great read. I love Joe and can't wait to start on Joe 2, White Sheets. If anyone is interested here is my review from the first time I read this book. Definitely go read Joe. It is amazing.
Rating: 5/5
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