Return to Me
Written by Justina Chen
Narrated by Therese Plummer
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
And there it was again, the troubling notion that I barely knew the people I loved.
Daddy's girl Rebecca Muir has long known exactly what she wants to do after high school: attend the prestigious architecture program at Columbia University, 3000 miles away from her home. But as the end of school nears, things are no longer so clear cut—she's just fallen in love with the perfect guy, Jackson; her dad has gotten a new job in New York, so her whole family is following her to the east coast; and she's having trouble ignoring her premonition that something terrible is coming.
And it soon becomes clear why: shortly after the move, her father reveals that he's leaving them, and Rebecca is left to pick up the pieces of her former life. When everything can change in an instant, Reb doesn't know what path to follow or whom to trust—and she must begin to search for what she really wants to do with her life.
Justina Chen, the acclaimed author of North of Beautiful, has created a moving and powerful story about the struggle that comes from betrayal, the uncertainty of life after high school, and the joy that ultimately comes from discovering what's truly in your heart.
More audiobooks from Justina Chen
North of Beautiful Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lovely, Dark, and Deep Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for Return to Me
19 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Return to Me is an emotional insight into the life of a college bound female who has accepted - and embraced - the idea of her life changing, only to find that the alterations that are coming at her are unexpected and unwanted. Laced with intriguing aspects of magic realism, this character driven story shows us how quickly plans can fall apart, and how unexpectedly amazing picking up the pieces can be. Rebecca Muir is getting ready to start her freshman year at Columbia, just about as far away from home possible while staying in the continental U.S.. Her parents' announcement that they are moving with her (to New Jersey) is just the beginning of the destruction of her carefully thought out plans. In addition, Reb has spent most of her life suppressing a part of her that could have saved her from the emotional roller coaster of her move, but knowing this fact doesn't make embracing it any easier. I had some ups and downs with this one. I was immediately interested, as I can relate to the getting ready to spend freshman year at a NYC school. However, some of the middle lost me here and there. I kept looking for that aspect that made the book different from any other contemporary story dealing with the same issues. I did find it, but it took me a little while. That aspect I am referring to is a slight interweaving of magical realism. Reb comments a few times that the women in her family are "cursed" to spend their lives alone. While this could just be a figure of speech, is it really? Throughout the novel Reb hears this wailing noise and she is not quite sure of what to make of it. She also knows there is a part of her that her mother has taught her to suppress, a part that her grandmother (who they stopped hearing from) has embraced. I liked watching this almost magical part of Reb emerge and learning more about it as she stops trying to detach it from herself. There are two other facets that add a unique spin to this story. I really enjoyed how Reb is into architecture, especially that of tree houses and fairy villages. There are so many job descriptions that can be tied to a certain character from YA, but this aspiration seems entirely her own, which was refreshing to read. I will not spoil anything, but I also loved how this book puts a positive spin on a post high school option that not many americans take seriously. On aspect that I really did not like was her boyfriend from home. He seems very perfect and with an absence of real character flaws. He always says the "right" thing (with one exception), yet, I am never convinced by his words or actions. Reb has a deep attachment to him, but again, it never feels real. I really wish he was just taken out of the plot entirely. All in all, Return to Me is a nice read. The ending really pulled the book up a few notches for me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Justina Chen writes amazingly beautiful prose.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca is getting ready to experience freedom. She'll be leaving soon to attend Columbia University in NYC, giving her some space she desperately needs because her family is smothering her. Even though she'll be creating a 3,000 mile gap between herself and her first real boyfriend, Jackson, taking this risk is worth the possibility of the relationship failing to survive. Maybe, once she's free of her parents, Rebecca might be able to be herself the way she wants to.Dad and mom blow her plans up in a hurry when he takes a job in Manhattan and they decide to move to New Jersey. Things get a lot worse when they make the move and Rebecca discovers her father is in the midst of a full-blown affair and is going to dump his family for a much younger woman. Not only does this threaten her college plan because the family finances begin to look really precarious, but her plan, adopted reluctantly in the first place (to follow in her father's footsteps and become an architect designing big box fancy projects), starts to fall apart as well, when her interview for a summer internship at a prestigious architectural firm, results in her being humiliated.Rebecca inherited the family gift, or is it a curse, which both her mother and her grandmother have where they can 'experience' things that predict the future. Rebecca had it hit her for the first time when she realized her best friend's dad was going to die of cancer well ahead of when everyone else expected him to. She shared that with her friend who became so freaked, it severely strained the friendship. Since then, she's tried to hide her ability, even from Jackson, for fear she'll have another disastrous experience. Besides, she saw how the 'gift' hurt her grandparent's marriage.When her grandfather arrives and hauls Mom, Rebecca and her younger brother off to his place in Hawaii, it's the beginning of an amazing journey of self-discovery, one that allows Rebecca to learn what she really wants and how her passions can meld with the whole architecture thing, develop the courage to take a year off to discover what her passions truly are and realize how important her feelings for Jackson are, despite her fears about the fragility of relationships.I admit that I was put off early in the book by the seeming illogic of having the family move all the way across the country if Dad planned to dump them. Why not just make the break while they're in their familiar home and lessen the trauma. However, by the time I finished the book, this wasn't nearly as big an issue because what happened after the move was a very interesting voyage of growth and self discovery. Teens who like offbeat romances, stories with a dash of magical realism, or who have had soured relationships (either their own or their parents) will really like this book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A little too dramatic for me, and I didn't find the MC to be that likable or to even have much of a personality. Characters could have been more developed, and I think it could have done without the epilogue. But it was okay.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5There is nothing that upsets me more than a broken family. Coming from one myself, I found this book to be both hopeful and enlightening. The plot of the book faces a broken down family. Reb is torn between her parents and their divorce. She thought she knew her father and the image she has of him image shattered before her. It moves quickly between shock to hurt to hope. Each chapter the broken family faces a new dynamic that, what you think may tear them apart is actually making them stronger. Reb is going through changes and trust issues. Now being upchucked from her home, Reb is questioning everything she thought she knew. I mean, who wouldn’t? Reb is discovering that no matter what her parents go through she can still have her life. She doesn’t have to be afraid of it. The ending of the book is what places the hope in reader. No matter what crossroads Reb faced by herself and with her family, she made it. She lived her dream. And that’s what counts. Return To Me is an compassionate story of love and hope. Remember no matter what your parents go through, you don’t have to follow that. You can live your dream and find love. A touch of hope that proves you can accomplish anything, Return To Me is wonderful.