{Review} The Loop by Shandy Lawson

The Loop
Author: Shandy Lawson
Release Date: April 30, 2013
by, Hyperion
Source: *a copy was provided by the publisher & author for review purposes*
Pages: 208

Ben and Maggie have met, fallen in love, and died together countless times. Over the course of two pivotal days—both the best and worst of their lives—they struggle again and again to resist the pull of fate and the force of time itself. With each failure, they return to the beginning of their end, a wild road trip that brings them to the scene of their own murders and into the hands of the man destined to kill them.

As time circles back on itself, events become more deeply ingrained, more inescapable for the two kids trapped inside the loop. The closer they come to breaking out, the tighter fate’s clutches seem to grip them. They devise a desperate plan to break free and survive the days ahead, but what if Ben and Maggie’s only shot at not dying is surviving apart? {Goodreads}

~Review:
  Let me tell you, when I got this book in the mail I was surprised by its size. It's only like 270+ pages. Now when stories are that short I always worry on how it's going to work out. Will 270+ pages be enough to satisfy me? Will it call short? Will it be too rushed? Will enough information be provided? Sometimes it does fall short. Others are lucky enough (well maybe it's not luck) to push past all my fears and prove to be really good!  The Loop was one of the lucky (or not lucky...) ones.

  Shandy Lawson is a great writer. For it being so short you didn't really feel it. And it's not like it dragged on either. It was a normal speed book. He found the happy medium and I loved it. Not only is his writing really good but the story he came up with was amazing. It's the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet but stuck in repeat. Like a broken record it just keeps repeating its tragic events. Maggie and Ben are meant to meet, fall in love and then meet their terrible end only to repeat it all over again as soon as their lives end. Maggie is able to remember it each time but Ben...Benjamin can't almost every time. Certain things come to him like déjà vu but that's as far as his memories of the events go. Each time they hope to break free of the time loop. Each time they fail. They fight against fate every time.

  Reading the story from Bens POV is probably my favorite thig. I love when we get the males POV. It doesn't happen often so it's always a sweet treat when we get one. Well at least I think so!! Most of the time Ben was lost especially when it came to a new loop. He had no recollection of what had happened and had to start over each time. Again some times he got little déjà vu feelings but he had to rely on Maggie to save him from time to time and explain it all. His memory loss didn't cause the book to be slow or confusing. In fact I found it pretty fast pace as far as action and thrill went. I felt as if I was the one with time breathing down my neck waiting for death to take me! I felt what they felt. The romance was adorable. The fact that Ben couldn't remember and still was willing to face death at the end because he really liked her was endearing. I was cheering for them from the beginning!!

 Fast paced, haunting, heart-breaking and absolutely wonderful! I loved The Loop through and through! I was hooked from page one, unable to put it down. Romeo and Juliett at its finest with that sci-fi twist. I finished it within a day and not because of its size. I was turning the pages faster than I could account for and before I knew it, it was over. The ending didn't leave me hanging. It ended wonderfully. Some authors just give a perfect ending and this was one of them. Shandy Lawson has a great career in Young Adult ahead of him and I can't wait to read more from him! Do I suggest you try this book out?? Well, uhm.....DUH!!!! ;P
~Rating:

4 of 5 stars!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hope you all have a splendid day! ;D

~Jaiden

{Interview} Shandy Lawson, Author of The Loop

Woooh!!! Shandy Lawson is on the blog today you guys!!

He is just about to release his debut, The Loop!

A bunch of talk about the upcoming release!!

Let's get started shall we!!? :D

~The Author:

Shandy Lawson's "day jobs" have ranged from making wine recommendations to being a machinist, a dispatcher in an auto repair garage, a philosophy tutor at a local college and a stone mason.  Creatively, he put most of his energy into a career as a performing song writer before turning his focus to writing fiction. Shandy lives and works in New York City. The Loop is his first novel.

Find him at: ~Amazon~Goodreads~Website~Facebook~Twitter~

~The Interview:

1. What started The Loop?

You started with the hardest question. :) The loop that Ben and Maggie got themselves stuck in was created simply because of rotten luck. Think of time as a flowing stream. Now, drop a big rock in the middle of the stream, and imagine how it affects the current. The water flowing by will pass the rock, then actually circle back upstream in a little whirlpool called an eddy. Rocks in the stream are natural bumps and hiccups in spacetime; Benjamin and Maggie were just unlucky enough to run into one of those rocks and get caught up in that whirling eddy.

2. If you were stuck in a time loop how would you keep your sanity?

Oh, that’s easy. Someone stuck in a loop tends not to remember what happens from one cycle to the next (unless you’ve been in one for as long as Psycho Steve has), and when you add my terrible memory to the mix, I think I’d be blissfully unaware.

3. Whats your favorite thing about your book?

My favorite thing about the book is the basic premise: that two people can be pulled together by fate, only to  die just before really falling in love, and that happens over and over. And for them to finally be together and grow old with one another, they need to fight back against the will of the universe. I think it’s a pretty cool concept.

4. If you could cowrite with any author who would it be and why?

If I could co-write with anyone, I would have to go with Hemingway, just because in between chapters he could tell me stories about boxing and Cuba. Hard to find a writer with a more fascinating life than his was.

5. Whats the hardest part in writing a book? The easiest?n his was. 

The hardest part of writing a book, to me anyway, is when I get to the middle. The momentum of starting a new project has worn off, and the ending is SO far away. I love to write, but it’s most exciting at the beginning and the end. The easiest part about it is that I can do it anywhere– I can write at the library, in the park, on the road– it’s pretty convenient!

6. Do you think that Starcrossed lovers like Ben and Maggie are stronger and their low is more stable and promising because of the trials they had to go through?

Hmm. Honestly, I don’t know. I’d like to think they’re stronger because of what they went through, but I think what makes them so perfectly suited for each other is that they’re simply meant to be together. The universe brought them together, after all.

7. The author has a better understanding of the characters. What would you say is Ben and Maggie's weaknesses and strong suits?

Well... Benjamin’s weakness is his fear, I think. He doesn’t trust his gut instinct sometimes, and often questions himself when he should be taking action. Maggie’s weakness is the opposite: she often acts before thinking when she should otherwise perhaps take a breath and think things through first. As for their strengths, they are the same... They’re both strong because of their love for each other, and it’s that love that has gotten them through the universe’s toughest obstacles. Kind of sweet, yes?

~The Book(s):

The Loop

Author: Shandy Lawson

Release Date: April 30, 2013

by, Hyperion

Buy: ~Amazon~B&N~

Ben and Maggie have met, fallen in love, and died together countless times. Over the course of two pivotal days—both the best and worst of their lives—they struggle again and again to resist the pull of fate and the force of time itself. With each failure, they return to the beginning of their end, a wild road trip that brings them to the scene of their own murders and into the hands of the man destined to kill them.

As time circles back on itself, events become more deeply ingrained, more inescapable for the two kids trapped inside the loop. The closer they come to breaking out, the tighter fate’s clutches seem to grip them. They devise a desperate plan to break free and survive the days ahead, but what if Ben and Maggie’s only shot at not dying is surviving apart? {Goodreads}

Don't forget to grab your copy when it hits shelves!!!

The Loop is a fantastic book you don't want to miss :D

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed :)

~Jaiden