Title: The Locket by Stacey JayKatie made a mistake, and she wishes she can undo it. One simple kiss, one make out, and everything crumbled. Isaac, her boyfriend, found out on her birthday and broke up with her, and now she's confused and wondering why she allowed her best friend Mitch to kiss her. Then the locket comes, and Katie was transported back to two weeks before. As Katie makes small changes, chose differently, she was horrified that not only was she changing her mistakes, she was also changing everything in her life, and not for the good.
Pages: 288
Release Date: February 3rd 2011
Published by: Razorbill
Source: Won
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Summary (from Goodreads):
On her seventeenth birthday, Katie discovers a locket and decides to wear it for good luck. But when her boyfriend Isaac finds out she cheated on him— with their mutual best friend Mitch, no less—he dumps her, leaving her devastated.
And then a miracle happens. The locket burns on Katie's chest and she feels herself going back two weeks in time, to the night she cheated with Mitch. At first, Kate is delighted to be a better girlfriend to Isaac this time around. But as other aspects of her life become inexplicably altered, she realizes that changing the past may have had a dangerous effect on her present.
Can she make things right before the locket destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?
The phrase "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind while I was reading this book. That one innocent act of finding The Locket on the day Katie needed to change her life the most was the start of everything. Katie had the chance to change, but should she be changing them?
It's also a classic story of three best friends, about love and friendship, a love triangle right from the start. Katie was with Isaac because it was what was supposed to happen. They grew up together, and it's but natural to be together. But what about Mitch?
When you look at it closely, the premise for this book was very simple, but that simplicity is what draws you to it. Cliche at times, but unpredictable. Katie, Isaac and Mitch are characters we can all relate to, with problems each of us face and emotions we all feel. The supporting characters are your staple type of antagonists in Young Adult books, snarky popular girls backstabbing each other, supportive best friends drifting away, high school. The Locket has all of that, but the way Stacey Jay combined all of these ordinary and typical elements and created a fascinating story was just wonderful.
I loved how Stacey Jay was able to tackle various themes in this book. Our choices, the consequences and responsibility that comes along with everything we do, and second chances. What happens when we change what we're not supposed to change? Katie found out firsthand how terrifying it is to play with fate and how it was destroying her instead of helping.
For once an inanimate thing like a locket scared me. Something lifeless has given a teenage girl a glimpse of what it was like to have the power to change things. Katie was taught a lesson by letting her relive the moments in her life she wanted to change, turning it the other way around for her to learn to stick by what she had done and learn to accept that things fall apart just so they can fall into place.
The Locket took me through a whirlwind of emotions, a book that started out with a very simple plot that turned into a complicated wave full of choices, what ifs, deception and lies, and in the end, hope and love. Stacey was able to capture in detail Katie's emotions, from desperation to love and overflowing happiness and the thoughts of everyone around her. The Locket is well-paced and filled with gripping twists and turns.
This book just proves that things happen for a reason and no matter what we must stand by the decisions we've made, may they be good or bad. Changing things and doing them over, sometimes isn't worth it, especially if it changes even the things you don't want to change.
The Locket is a book that will make you reflect about life and questions us and all the choices we have made that lead us to where we are now. This is the first Stacey Jay book I've read and I absolutely loved it!
My rating
Content (plot, story flow, character):
Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!
Book Cover:
Of course it's a locket! Now we get to imagine what that scary thing looks like.
Content (plot, story flow, character):
Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!
Book Cover:
Of course it's a locket! Now we get to imagine what that scary thing looks like.
Hmm, this one reminds me so much of the movie The Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher. It was sooooo good, but had the exact same premise of this book.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen the Butterfly Effect^^ but I thought of Hermione's locket when I read the summary. Fantastic review *again*, Kai. The premise does sound simple, but it's something I would definitely read. :)
ReplyDelete