Mini Reviews / Standalone Sunday

Standalone Sunday | Chasing Brooklyn

Melissa @ BookNerdMomo38 Comments

standalonesunday

Standalone Sunday is a weekly feature created by Megan @ bookslayerReads that features a standalone novel that you loved or would recommend. Be sure to check out her blog and original post by clicking on the above link! 😊

6556855Restless souls and empty hearts

Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe’s ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn’t Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca’s ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they’re being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

-Goodreads Synopsis (x)

Chasing Brooklyn is probably one of my all time favorite books. It’s not your typical book because of the fact that it is written in verse. I’m a sucker for books written in verse but haven’t come across very many so when I do they always stick with me.

This one, in particular, is a contemporary romance with quite a bit of paranormal aspects. It’s about this girl, Brooklyn, who is dealing with a lot of grief in her life. She lost her boyfriend in a car wreck and then his best friend, who she was friends with too, died of a drug overdose because of his grief. On top of the depression and grief she’s going through she starts having horrific nightmares, seriously they even freaked me out, that begin to bleed into her waking hours. Then comes along Nico, Lucca’s older brother, who begins to receive messages as well – desperate ones begging him to help Brooklyn. Is Nico able to help her? Is Brooklyn able to get rid of the terrible nightmares? You’ll have to read to find out.

This book is powerful. It may have a bit of a fantastical way of conveying its message given the slightly unrealistic paranormal aspect but it works so perfectly. It’s about grief and how sometimes it can become extremely unhealthy and about how to learn that it’s okay to move on and then begin to move on once you have. Plus, there is a cute romance which isn’t a cure all. The romance doesn’t fix the character’s problems. It’s told in alternating perspectives from Brooklyn’s to Nico’s which I enjoyed a lot. Plus, even though it’s really short and written in verse the way the author conveyed everything made it feel like so much more. If you love powerful stories, romance, and books written in verse then I highly recommend it! 

5STARRATINGBNM

Have you read Chasing Brooklyn? Did you like it? If you participate in Standalone Sunday be sure to link me to your post so I can see it. 😊

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38 thoughts on “Standalone Sunday | Chasing Brooklyn”

    • I felt like the way the author did her writing style with the verse was very simple. Not in a bad way or anything but it flowed to the point that I sometimes forgot it was in verse. Although, I’m a huge fan of books written in verse so I can’t be sure if it’s for everyone. The story itself is brilliant though and so unique. I’ve never read anything else quite like it. If you do decide it’s worth a read I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 😊♥

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  5. This sounds like an amazing book Melissa, ❤ and definitely one I am going to add to my to-read list ASAP as well.
    I've never read a book in verse before, though I have a couple of my to-read list, but maybe this would be a good one to start off with. Plus if you've rated it so highly as well, and are calling it your all-time favourite book, that means I need to pick it up and see what all the fuss is about.
    I love that the romance between Brooklyn and Nico isn't a cure-all. I feel like that would have been an easy way out almost but at the same time would have ruined the story a little. Then again I'm guessing you wouldn't have rated it so high if it had been right?
    Either way, great pick Melissa. It's a little different from the fluffy YA contemporary books I'm always leaning towards but it may be a nice change! 😀

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    • Yay! I’m glad I could add something else to your TBR haha. I hope you enjoy it whenever you get around to reading it. 💕
      I think this would be a fantastic place to start, especially if you’re in the mood for something slightly darker. Although if you’re not and want to try something in verse I would highly recommend Sonya Sones’s novels. Her books were the first I ever read that were written in verse. She has several lighter ones that I adore but can’t remember the names off of the top of my head. But yeah Chasing Brooklyn is definitely my all-time favorite when it comes to books written in verse and one of my all-times over all. It would have been an easy way out and taken so much from the story otherwise. I love that the author didn’t make the romance a cure-all. I mean the attraction between the characters is obvious but never a fix.
      Thank you, Beth!! Definitely different but a good different. 😊

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      • That’s all right Melissa. I only hope I enjoy this book as much as you obviously have.
        I’ll remember Sonya Sones’s novels either way. Maybe if I do start with Chasing Brooklyn and enjoy the fact that it was written in verse I can maybe find some other books like it and hers will be at the top of my to-read list. I don’t mind darker stories. I guess as long as they’re not too dark you know?
        See it’s great to hear that about the romance as well. It seems like too often in YA books the romance is a cure-all, or an easy way out, or just takes away from the story and I don’t know I’m starting to get a little tired of all that.
        That’s all right, and good different is a good thing in my book! 😀

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      • This one is definitely not too dark. It has its darker moments but nothing way too out there. It actually has some light moments as well too. 😊
        I’ve been feeling the same way. I think I’ve been making it my mission to recommend books for Standalone Sunday that don’t have romance as a cure-all. I have another one for next week but it’s a tie with this fluffy novel at the moment. I’ve been trying to go back and forth between serious and cute. 😂

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      • Oh that is good, while I don’t mind dark books I do like them to have some lighter moments as well, if not it all just feels too depressing you know? And that sends me into a reading slump!
        I’m actually trying to recommend books that are outside of my normal reading genre. I’ve taken part in three Standalone Sundays, and I have another one for this Sunday, and not one of them has been a fantasy book! 😀

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      • I feel the same way. When books get too depressing it always leaves me in a slump too. I love sad reads but most that I read end up having lighter moments too.
        Only one of mine has been fantasy so far and the rest have been contemporaries. I wish I had more beyond romance to recommend but truthfully I don’t. 😂
        That tells me that I really need to branch out more next year.

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      • I try and mix up what books I read when. If I finish one that’s depressing I start a lighter read, whether that’s a fantasy book or a YA contemporary book it doesn’t matter as long as there’s a happy ending it works for me.
        I haven’t even featured one fantasy. The one I’m planning to post next is another historical fiction book but after that I may see if I can find a standalone fantasy book I’ve read I can feature! 😀

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      • I try to do the same. I’ve had times where I’ve gone into too many depressing reads in a row and it never turns out great. It definitely puts me off more serious books for a while.
        I need to find more standalone fantasies. I feel like they’re so rare because a lot of times fantasy takes so much development which leads to a series. I can’t wait to see what you end up featuring this week! I’ve decided to go with something a bit more fluffy. 😊

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      • If I read one book that really does depress me I try to pick up something completely different for my nest read. After I finished All the Bright Places I picked up the first book in the Mara Dyer trilogy, just because it was a completely different story and not that depressing you know?
        I need to check out your Standalone Sunday today, and I’m hoping to find some good fantasy standalones I can feature, at the moment only one is coming to mind but I know there are others out there! 🙂

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      • I usually go for something really cute a fluffy after a sad read because it’s a foolproof way of making sure I don’t fall into some kind of reading funk. Oh yay! I can’t wait to see your thoughts on Mara Dyer! 😃
        I’m hoping I can too. Though I would have to read them before I can feature them since I think I’ve only ever read one lol.

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      • I try and do the same, normally after a sad-ish fantasy book I go for light and fluffy contemporary and that normally helps me avoid a slump. I posted my review yesterday so you’ve probably already seen it actually.
        In that case you better get reading then! 😀

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  6. I haven’t heard of this one yet! Novels written in verse are hit-or-miss for me (I think the only one I loved was Crank by Ellen Hopkins), but I am always open to reading more. I’m glad to hear that you liked it and that it works to convey some powerful messages – I’m gonna have to keep an eye out for it. 🙂

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  7. I’ve not seen this book around before… this is my first time hearing about it. But you make it sound truly amazing! I’ll be checking it out, for sure. Thanks, Melissa!

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