The Year I Turned Sixteen (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
It was beautiful! I loved all of it. I was four books in one so the 700 total pages seemed a little overwhelming, but I ended up really liking it. Part one, Rose, was great. Rose had just turned 16 about three months after her father died in a storm. Her family was heading into tough times and Rose was a little confused about who she is. Rose's boyfriend was making her doubt who she was a what a great person she is. Then she found Stephen, the older brother of her archenemy and things mellowed out and became pretty good for her. Part two, Daisy, was different. I didn't connect with this one as much, but Daisy was over extending herself trying to excel at everything she did. After injuring herself in soccer she felt as though life was a little meaningless and she was doing too much. She met Peter a high school drop out and a loser in my opinion. Peter made her think she was doing too much and she was being 'oppressed by the man' in a sense. Ben, a boy only a year younger than Daisy who was at the hospital Daisy worked at because of cancer convinced her that she doesn't have to be perfect but that doesn't mean hanging out with the wrong crowd. Essentially she turns her life back around by starting back up in sports and the reader is lead to believe she also starts dating Ben. Part three, Laurel, this one was really depressing. Laurel is turning 16, at her party she finds out her oldest sister Rose is engaged to Stephen and she gets a puppy form her best friend Jack. Back to their busy lives, Daisy, Rose and Stephen all leave that day. But in and accident that night driving back to college Daisy dies. The whole family is quite grief stricken. After sometime Jack and Laurel become a couple. But, Laurel isn't comfortable with it. She really wants to go back to them being just friends. Thinking it is for the best Laurel dumps him saying she would rather be his friend than his girlfriend. Jack gives her the cold shoulder for a while. Through this Laurel being an animal lover is working at her local wildlife rescue center becoming attached to an orphaned seal named Lefty and developing a crush on 19 year old Carlos. This part ends with Roses wedding and the memory of Daisy. Part four, Lily, I felt I could really relate to. Lily is the youngest of the family and feels trapped in the shadow of her sisters. She has always been funky and outgoing but when a writing class comes along Lily thinks she needs to change her style. Along with her style attitude and writing Lily changes 'crowds' to fit in with her new boyfriend Seth. Lily is really trying to fins out who she is and with little help from her sisters she has no one to turn to. Except, her writing partner Daniel. With news of a child for Rose and Stephen Lily begins to reconnect with her sister Daisy although she is gone. Through this she finds herself. After being dumped by Seth for a more 'intellectual' girl Lily is able to become Daniel's girlfriend. Rose's baby is born and she names her Daisy after her sister. Rose, Stephen, and little baby Daisy buy the family's old house.I really liked being able to relate to the stories, particularly Rose and Lily's. I also loved seeing how things changed for the other sisters when the focus was on another sister. In some ways this was a wonderful book however in others it lacked the ability to grab my attention. This book follows 4 sisters as they turn 16 and the year that follows. It explores identity crisis', romance, sibling rivalry along with matter that no teenager should face such as loss of a loved one. The first story follows Rose, the eldest sister. I found I really disliked Rose throughout her own story as I found her whiny and appreciative however I loved her in her sisters story once she had grown up and really loved the people around her as well as wanting to be a role model to her sisters.The next story follows Daisy, who after an injury, loses herself and who she wants to be. Although I didn't agree with all of Daisy's choices in the book, I did understand why she made them. I loved Ben who in my opinion should have appeared more and I would have loved to hear what was happening with him in later stories. Thirdly, we have Laurel. Laurel' s was possibly my favourite story as her character is most relatable. Laurel suffered greatly throughout her story with her second great loss at such a young age. Laurel also suffers the most with confidence, which never seemed to be a real issue for her older sisters. I found Laurel's story real hit home for me as my sister suffers with her self confidence the same way Laurel does, I could really picture my sister as the part. Finally we have the story of Lily. Lily was my favourite character throughout the other stories and this didn't change throughout her own. Lily really struggles to find her place in life the year she turned 16 but unlike Daisy she didn't make any dramatic changes. Lily clearly missed her sisters being around all the time, which was touching as she especially missed Laurel who she never got along with in the previous stories and I loved watching them bond throughout the book.My only problem with the book was the stories missed large periods of time in the same chapter with little explanation. However I loved how I got all 4 stories in one book instead of having to buy them separately. Even though I only rated this book 3 stars I have recommended it to my sister and I do recommend it to teenagers around the age of the girls as I feel they will be able to relate well to at least parts of each sister's story.
What do You think about The Year I Turned Sixteen (2010)?
I enjoyed this book because it was about everyday life but it was little too long for my liking.
—jake
Spoilers! I loved this book it made me so sad when daisy dies
—stedorwells
I really liked this book! I would read it again.
—kofi
