♥Donnie Darko Girl♥: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody ~ #BlogTour #review & #giveaway

December 1, 2017

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Chaos of Standing Still Blog Tour organized by the Fantastic Flying Book Club Tours. I have a review and giveaway for you, so stay tuned!

Title: The Chaos of Standing Still

Author: Jessica Brody

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: November 28th 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Copy for review

Synopsis

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 Chaos of Standing Still was amazing! Jessica Brody took the topics of grief and survivor's guilt and hit the nail on the head with them. I was brought into the story quickly and flew through the pages. Ryn was an easy character for me to identify with as I deal with these heavy issues as well.

Ryn's anxiety and depression stemming from the intense grief and guilt she's dealing with hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt the suffocation she felt, I felt the desperation to know why some people live while others die, and I felt the emptiness a death leaves behind. These things jumped off the page and landed in my head and my heart, and they were emotions I strongly shared with Ryn.

Airports have always fascinated me and have been a source of inspiration for me. I love wondering where people have come from and where they're going next. This was the perfect setting for a book that takes place within 24 hours, and it also allowed for interesting characters for the reader to meet.

Sometimes it's as though the stars align and you meet someone by chance who is cool and funny and good for you to be around, especially when you're in a crappy situation like Ryn was being stranded at an airport in a blizzard. So I really liked Xander, and the conversations between them made me laugh quite a bit. They're realistic together, and Xander is just a funny cool guy.

I wasn't too sold on Ryn's best friend, Lottie, but the character didn't take away from my enjoyment of this story.

The Chaos of Standing Still is the first book I've read by Jessica Brody, and I'm looking forward to reading her other books. She's gained a new fan!

My Rating

About the Author

Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples, and electrical tape.

After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.

Since then, Jessica has sold over twelve novels for teens, tweens, and adults including 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and the three books in the Unremembered trilogy, the first of which is currently in development as a major motion picture by the producers of The Vampire Academy, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, and Slumdog Millionaire. In 2016, she will release two new contemporary novels, A Week of Mondays (August) and Boys of Summer (April), and in 2017, her debut middle grade novel entitled, Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, will hit bookstore shelves.

Jessica also writes books for the Descendants: “School of Secrets” series, based on the hit Disney Channel Original movie, Descendants!

Jessica’s books are published and translated in over twenty foreign countries. (Click here for a full list of foreign sales and publishers.) She currently splits her time between California and Colorado.