Every page eerily makes you feel like Spencer has accompanied you throughout a good chunk of ...
591730
This is my first review and Spencer Madsen's ' You Can Make Anything Sad' deserves it. Every page eerily makes you feel like Spencer has accompanied you throughout a good chunk of your existence. Spencer is a leaf in the wind, seeing it all, feeling it all, and regurgitating into 82 lovely pages. He lets you know it's alright, while at the same time, giving you a friendly reminder that the end is near. My only wish it that it was longer (that's what she said). Bravo Spencer Madsen.
379240
As an adult, this book will make you feel like a kid again and that's a really, really good thing.
974648
It made me hang off of every page but that's what this gifted writer does here characters live and charm you...they make you root for them and make you wish to be one of them even if you play a small part...
2329976
Immediately plunges you into the gut-wrenching world of each narrator and keeps you on what feels like multiple, interwoven roller coaster rides.
3969940
in a sentence or so: Marcelo is spiritually curious, loves music, has a gift with horses, and has what can best be described as high-functioning asperger's syndrome. after Marcelo's dad challenges him to work a summer at his law firm to gain real world experience - if Marcelo is able to be successful at his job in the copy room, he can go to whichever high school he wants for his senior year - the public high school or his comfortable special private school. is Marcelo up for the challenge? is one summer of suffering worth enjoying his senior year?

okay, before i can even jump into the review, i need to say that i heard wonderful things about this book. i had really high expectations, and so when it was available almost immediately at my library, i was pretty surprised. also - how friggin' cool is this cover? gorgeous.

okay, on to the review. Marcelo isn't dumb, though most people probably mistake him for being slow or dim-witted. in social situations that require him to absorb a lot of information at once, require a quick verbal response, or working without a set schedule, Marcelo struggles. needless to say, working in the copy room with Jasmine at the law firm, meets every one of his anxieties. Marcelo has to do more than just survive the summer in order to get his share of the bargain, he has to succeed. without being sure what his success is measured by, Marcelo is challenged to learn, adapt, and grow. especially once he discovers a haunting photo related to a particular case being handled by the firm which is not in line with who he believes his father to be.

more than just an overcoming-the-odds story, this book has so many layers its hard to describe and do it justice. its all set from the viewpoint of a different lens than most readers are familiar with. Marcelo is the narrator, and so we read what he thinks, read what he experiences and walk with him as he processes and grows. we also learn about his look on life and infatuation with spirituality and how it affects who he is and the world around him. there are three major parts happening together - Marcelo in the law firm, Marcelo and Jasmine's relationship (and Wendell, the creepy son of another lawyer in the firm), and a big legal case that Marcelo is inexplicably drawn to.

this is a journey of self discovery, discovery of human nature, and grappling with that overwhelming and life-long struggle of what "doing the right thing" means.

this is one of those books that i will constantly encourage anyone and everyone to read! it was downright amazing. my review does not do justice to the immense adoration and love i have for this creative, thoughtful, inspiring, challenging, and incredibly well-written book.

fave quote: "But today - today I will just be." (230)

fix er up: i had a hard time figuring out how some of the smaller plot points tied together into the larger framework. but it didn't distract from the rest of the story.
1877538
I have never felt before what this book has made me feel. I'm not even sure how to describe it. This book literally made me feel every emotion possible; from angry to heart broken to utter joy. Never have I felt so completely satisfied when completing a book before. This just became my favorite book and I don't say that lightly. Definitely worth the read!
4007826
I have read this book multiple times, and every time I sill feel as if I am a part of the story. I have become quite attached to this family! And I cannot wait to read the next book x
1517541
McKeen is very good at  making me feel as if I personally know the people he writes about, it's almost like stumbling across old friends after a few years, or more, of estrangement.
3128405
Very good series - reminds me of the Spencer novels
3088021
Ohhh the feels in this story about did me in, was like a roller coaster ride with all kind's of twist's and turn's and loops,but it was darn sure an awesome ride
2477650
The fist journey through this collection feels like some kind of voyeuristic eavesdropping. It was as hard to identify my own feeling as it was instinctive to identify Ms. Olds' as she details the profound shredding of what she thought she knew.  When you go back and find the poems that truly moved you, the others light up the room. This book is an amazing achievement.
1783090
Have you ever wondered what it must feel like to have superpowers? If you have, then Michael Vey is sure to give you a thrilling experience you'll never forget. Even as you read this book, you'll feel as if you're in it yourself. Who knows, you might even feel a surge of electricity rushing through you, if you know what I mean. I'd recommend it to all of you committed readers out there that just love to grab a good book and read it for hours on end without even getting sick of it at all. Believe me, it's worth every penny.
3040654
I can't even begin to describe my feelings! I simply devoured this book and am currently fighting the urge to turn back to page one and do it all again.
I also really look forward to digging up and rereading my old journals I kept while on my own backpacking trip through Australia. There was so much I found myself relating to, from the joy of being alone as well as the immediate bonding with fellow backpackers. I also 1000% understand Monster and everything that entailed!! There's so much I could say, but in short, I felt a very fond closeness with the words on these pages.
2571037
This book blew me away. It includes so many aspects in life- family, secrecy, love, hatred, betrayal... It is written so precisely that you feel like you are the character speaking in the chapter, thinking their floods of thoughts and feeling their intense emotions. Every eerie and mysterious chapter left me wanting to know what came next, so I couldn't put it down. Then the ending- It chills me to the bone. I will be reading this again!
236619
So well written the reader almost feels he is on the scene sharing the experience.
2963274
This review is from my daughter - Author of Witch Wars - Megan Brown -

I personally have a great fondness for this book. Right from the beginning it draws you in and builds up relationships with each and every character until you feel as though you know exactly who they are. Then, when you think you know them, it makes you second guess everything you believe about them. Nothing is quite what it seems when you wind through the pages. Each chapter brings a new twist, a new piece to the puzzle that ever so slowly becomes clear as you near the end.

Don't thing you know everything though, until the very last page you are hooked in, so one you open this book, be prepared to sit down and hang on for the ride. Be ready to feel the happiness, the confusion, the sadness, and the love that is poured out of the book. Then when you turn the page, be ready to wait for the next one, and that wait is unbearable.
1444515
She has a knack for getting so immersed in the characters, that you actually feel like you know them! I can honestly say that this is the first time I read a book and was happy and sad at the same time.