Friday, January 12, 2018

‘Stranded in an Airport’ Story I’ve Been Waiting For: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody

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‘Stranded in an Airport’ Story I’ve Been Waiting For: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica BrodyThe Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody
Published by Simon Pulse on November 28th, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Grief, YA
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

Over the course of one chaotic night stranded at the Denver airport, Ryn confronts her shattered past thanks to the charm of romance, the uniqueness of strangers, and the magic of ordinary places in this stunning novel from the author of Boys of Summer.

Ryn has one unread text message on her phone. And it’s been there for almost a year.

She hasn’t tried to read it. She can’t. She won’t. Because that one message is the last thing her best friend ever said to her before she died.

But as Ryn finds herself trapped in the Denver International Airport on New Year’s Eve thanks to a never-ending blizzard on the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death, fate literally runs into her.

And his name is Xander.

When the two accidentally swap phones, Ryn and Xander are thrust into the chaos of an unforgettable all-night adventure, filled with charming and mysterious strangers, a secret New Year’s Eve bash, and a possible Illuminati conspiracy hidden within the Denver airport. But as the bizarre night continues, all Ryn can think about is that one unread text message. It follows her wherever she goes, because Ryn can’t get her brialliantly wild and free-spirited best friend out of her head.

Ryn can’t move on.

But tonight, for the first time ever, she’s trying. And maybe that’s a start.

As moving as it is funny, The Chaos of Standing Still is a heartwarming story about the earth-shattering challenges life throws at us—and the unexpected strangers who help us along the way.

The first discovered Jessica Brody with 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. She immediately had my intention and I really wanted to read everything she wrote but I quickly found out that perhaps everything she wrote wasn’t for me. Which is unfortunate because I really enjoyed her writing style. But then I came The Chaos of Standing Still, a book that demanded my attention.

At 403 pages The Chaos of Standing Still is not a short book but don’t let it fool you. Those 403 pages FLY BY. There are books I’ve read where even 300 pages feel like they are too fucking much but Jessica Brody knows how to pace a story well. In fact she probably deserves an award because there have not been many times in my life where I’ve read 403 pages in one single sitting without moving at all. I can read 400 pages in a day, no problem but in one sitting? Slightly harder to do.

Okay so maybe you’re not here for me to write an ode to Brody’s pacing skills butttttttt I HAD TO TALK ABOUT THEM, OKAY?

The Chaos of Standing Still is a story about a girl who lost her best friend and has survivor’s guilt and a whole lot of grief. I think Brody deals with these issues very well and even though there is a romance, the romance never overshadows Ryn’s experiences. This is Ryn’s story and its her story as she learns how to move on and how to continue living even though her best friend, the light in her life no longer is.

I’ve spent my fair share of time at airports and travelling so when I first read the summary of The Chaos of Standing Still, I was immediately hooked. There are not a whole lot of books that involve being stranded at airports and that’s MY JAM. The overarching plot of the book obviously deals with Ryn’s emotional coming of age but I LOVE the subplots with the airport. There are so many secondary characters to meet and they are all FLESHED OUT. They feel like real people with real stories. And a lot of secondary characters can be fleshed out but I don’t always care about every single one of their stories. I did here and I loved the way we got to see them develop too (if only it was ever so slightly) over the span of 403 pages.

The Chaos of Standing Still is worth reading not just because its a good exploration of grief but also because it is adorable and it is such a feel-good read for a warm winter day.

four-stars

4 Hot Espressos

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Rashika has been tired since 2013. There are very few things that spark joy for her besides a nice cup of tea, warm, baked goods, good books and good TV shows. She is here to pile onto your giant TBRs and to-watch lists. Offer her a cookie and she might be nice to you.

6 Responses to “‘Stranded in an Airport’ Story I’ve Been Waiting For: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody”

    • Rashika

      Holy shit! THATS A LOT OF FLYING. And I would agree with this being a perfect airplane read. Although, I really cannot read on airplanes without feeling nauseous.

    • Rashika

      I’ve only been stranded 0 times, tbh. No actually, my flight was cancelled twice so I guess I am kind of wrong. The first time, I was like 8 and we were in another country so we got to stay at a nice resort on the airlines dime. The second time, I got to wait at the airport for 8 hours on 0 hours of sleep and then go home to take a nap.

  1. Kelly

    This reminds me a little of The Terminal with Tom Hanks actually, which I loved. I love books with strong secondary and fleeting characters that shape a protagonists life, even if only for a moment. I’m always fascinated by airports, people flying home to loves ones, leaving on an adventure. I’m a fan of Jessica Brody so looking forward to grabbing a copy. Thanks for the most awesomeness of reviews Rashika darling <3 <3

    • Rashika

      You made me look up the movie and then I researched the person who the movie was based on so thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole. I AM GONNA WATCH THAT MOVIE SOMEDAY.

      Also, aren’t airports absolutely fascinating? And we definitely need like a million more stories set in them.

      Thank YOU for your lovely comment, Kelly bear <3