Release Date: October 23, 2012
Age Group: Young Adult
Received From: NetGalley
IBSN: 978-0316194686
Blurb:Astrid Jones copes with her small town’s gossip and narrow-mindedness by staring at the sky and imagining that she’s sending love to the passengers in the airplanes flying high over her backyard. Maybe they’ll know what to do with it. Maybe it’ll make them happy. Maybe they’ll need it. Her mother doesn’t want it, her father’s always stoned, her perfect sister’s too busy trying to fit in, and the people in her small town would never allow her to love the person she really wants to: another girl named Dee. There’s no one Astrid feels she can talk to about this deep secret or the profound questions that she’s trying to answer. But little does she know just how much sending her love–and asking the right questions–will affect the passengers’ lives, and her own, for the better.
In this unmistakably original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society’s boxes and definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything–and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking and sharing real love.
A.S. King is a auto-read, auto-buy, top 5 favorite author for me. So obviously, I was looking forward to Ask the Passengers. I was super intrigued by the premise and I knew it would have King’s quirky spin on it.
I can always count on A.S. King to write a truly original story. That’s certainly what Ask the Passengers is. Astrid Jones has a lot of problems. Her mother is pretty evil and controlling, her father is absent even when he’s there, and she might be in love with a girl. She copes with all of this by watching the planes in the sky and sending the passengers her love. The story is interspersed with short chapters from the Passengers receiving Astrid’s love. That was such a extraordinary bonus to the story. They were just little snippets, but it added some much for me. I loved it.
Astrid was a really great protagonist. She has so much weighing her down and I couldn’t help but feel for her. She had a lot of things to learn about herself and the people in her life. I never got impatient while she figured things out. I loved watching her come to these realizations and the process to get there was very realistic. All the characters were really fleshed out and diverse. I wanted to do physical harm to Astrid’s mother on more than one occasion. I admired that Dee and Astrid’s other friends were nowhere near perfect. They all made mistakes and hurt each other. All the relationships were really believable.
It’s is also an emotional read. I felt angry, sad, and hopeful in all the right places. A.S. King is an amazing author. If you haven’t picked up any of her books yet you’re missing out. Ask the Passengers is a remarkably uplifting read. I can’t recommend it enough.
Oh I heard about this book and I was thinking of getting the audiobook! I love emotional reads and although I haven’t read anything by this author yet I’m intrigued…
DannyBookworm recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday Iced: A Dani O’Malley Novel by Karen Marie Moning
You should, Danny! A.S. King is amazing. Give Please Ignore Vera Dietz a try too! It’s one of my favorite books ever.
This sounds interesting! i love books that have an emotional/sad side to the story, and astrid sounds like a character i would enjoy about reading!! Thanks for the review!
- Farah @ MajiBookshelf
Juhina recently posted..Blog Tour: The Serpent’s Ring by H.D. Bolton – Danna
Astrid was a fantastic character and so realistic!
This sounds fantastic!! I love the idea of the passengers receiving her love. I really enjoy deep, emotional reads, so I think I would love this. Thanks for the great review babe!!
Amy @ Book Loving Mom recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday 10-10-12
That was my favorite part of the book. It was so unique and just added and extra layer to the story.
Lori recently posted..Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
I’ve only read one book by this author, but I’m really interested in picking this one up. Astrid’s parents sound like the worst, but I like how Astrid is such a positive person. And I’m curious about seeing the airplane passengers and how their lives are changed by Astrid’s gift. Thanks for spreading the news about this book – awesome review!
Lucy @ The Reading Date recently posted..Hold Still by Nina LaCour Audiobook Review
I loved seeing the passenger and how Astrid’s love impacted them. It was such a great element to the story.
This sounds like such a beautiful read! I’m adding it to my list for when I’m in the mood for an emotional one!
Melissa recently posted..Spotlight on The IRA on Film and Television, Guest post & Kindle Fire Giveaway with author Mark Connelly
I hope you love it, Melissa!
This really does sound amazing! I haven’t read anything by this author but she must be fantastic is she’s an auto-read, auto-buy. I love that it’s so believable. Lovely review.
elena recently posted..(an eye for an eye) review: burn by burn by jenny han & siobhan vivian
You must! Please Ignore Vera Dietz is one of my favorite books ever. It completely blew me away.
I have been reading a lot of books with evil parents. I like it, it gets me good and riled up! I look forward to reading this! I’m glad it didn’t disappoint!
candace recently posted..Confident Reads (11): Indie Recommended Reading, I Need Your Help!
Oh, me too! There’s nothing worst than evil parents.
I love the cover for this book and I have never read this author before. It definitely sounds like a powerful read, I am definitely adding this one to my TBR list.
Kristin @ Young Adult Book Haven
A.S. is amazing! I hope you get to read one of her books soon.