Book Review: Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Title: Extraordinary Means

Author: Robyn Schneider
Publication Date: 2015
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5 










Summary of Extraordinary Means from Goodreads:

A bitter-sweet, coming-of-age novel that's perfect for fans of John Green and Stephen Chbosky.

When he's sent to Latham House, a boarding school for sick teens, Lane thinks his life may as well be over.
But when he meets Sadie and her friends - a group of eccentric troublemakers - he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn't have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure.
Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about true friendships, ill-fated love and the rare miracle of second chances

Book Review Summary: 

After reading The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider in 2013, I fell in love with Robyn Schneider’s writing and her characters, therefore, having high hopes for any future releases. Extraordinary Means doesn’t disappoint tying together great and likeable characters with a captivating plot that is hard to put down.

Plot:

I had limited problems with the plot and liked the way the story progressed until the last 50 pages when I was on the verge of tears. Schneider did a wonderful job of tying a version of incurable TB (which doesn’t exist) with a coming-of-age story about self-discovery from Lane’s perspective who realises that school is not the most important thing in life. I also enjoyed the activities which Lane experiences in Latham with Sadie and her group of friends as it was well executed. Another strong point was how Lane’s and Sadie’s story with their friends and family evolves over the course of the book, showing in real terms how a contagious disease can affect the relationships about other non-contagious diseases. Finally, Schneider does a good job at incorporating social media into the novel as many contemporary novels don’t although very active in many teenagers’ lives today.

Overall: The plot of Extraordinary Means is well executed and developed but get the tissues at the ready for a sad and unexpected ending.    

Characters:

I enjoyed all the characters including the side characters as they were all well developed and enjoyable all having their own individuals traits but can be referred to like your average/ typical YA misfit characters having “weird” cosplay obsessions or sticking out of the crowd when in Latham or inside the school. By the end of the book, I enjoyed the characters but at the beginning, I didn’t like the way that Sadie interacted with Lane and found that her character was quite juvenile although she was sixteen. However, at the end of the book, I enjoyed the relationship between her at Lane and her personally and empathies with her. I also like Lane and had no problems with him and I enjoyed his character development over the course of the novel.

Overall: The characters in this novel are enjoyable but some of the side characters do full into the trap of your typical YA misfit.

Writing:

Robyn Schneider has very witty writing that reflects today’s society by including up to date references and embracing social media which I find rare in some of the more up to date YA contemporary releases. The characters have their own voices and are very different to each other which was very enjoyable to read about. I also enjoyed the references to Harry Potter and other films like Spirited Away as you can see her own personality through her writing by incorporating it in with the characters.

Overall: The writing of this book is well done and incorporates references that will engage the reader.

The Verdict: Robyn Schneider is an author that stands out from the crowd with her witty writing and fun characters and enjoyable plot. Extraordinary Means is a very entertaining book but will leave you heartbroken at the end, get the tissues at the ready.

Have you read Extraordinary Means? Did you like it? Leave your comments below.

Hope you enjoyed this review.

See you soon,

Amy