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Time Bomb
A congressman's daughter who has to be perfect. A star quarterback with a secret. A guy who's tired of being ignored. A clarinet player who's done trying to fit in. An orphaned rebel who wants to teach someone a lesson. A guy who wants people to see him, not his religion.
They couldn't be more different, but before the morning's over, they'll all be trapped in a school that's been rocked by a bombing. When they hear that someone inside is the bomber, they'll also be looking to one another for answers.
They couldn't be more different, but before the morning's over, they'll all be trapped in a school that's been rocked by a bombing. When they hear that someone inside is the bomber, they'll also be looking to one another for answers.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2018
391 people are currently reading
5266 people want to read
About the author
Joelle Charbonneau
34 books2,663 followersI am a storyteller at heart. I have performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children's theatre productions across the Chicagoland area.
While I'm happy to perform for an audience, I am equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use my experience from the stage to create compelling characters on the page. I am the author of the Rebecca Robbins mystery series (Minotaur Books), The Paige Marshall Glee Club mysteries (Berkley) and The Testing YA triology (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
While I'm happy to perform for an audience, I am equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use my experience from the stage to create compelling characters on the page. I am the author of the Rebecca Robbins mystery series (Minotaur Books), The Paige Marshall Glee Club mysteries (Berkley) and The Testing YA triology (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 922 reviews
February 3, 2018
When I first saw the description of Time Bomb by Joelle Charbonneau I couldn’t help but be extremely curious. Last year I had heard all the buzz for This Is Where It Ends and had high hopes when I picked that one up only to be really disappointed. However, after reading Time Bomb I have to say that this one was what I was looking for last year.
For me as a reader I had thought This is Where It Ends completely lacked character development and I simply was never drawn into the students stories or brought to any kind of level of caring as they went through such a horrific event. I also thought that the author had taken the opportunity to write about a school with diversity in her characters and turned it into something that felt awkward at any mention of the diversity.
Time Bomb made such an improvement on those major areas that had bothered me in This Is Where It Ends and actually brought a horrific and very much a realistic event to life. The entire book takes place over a couple of hours during a time a few students were in their school when bombs began to explode. It changes the point of view between six main characters that are each still alive and struggling with how to get out of the school.
The book has a very intense vibe to it as the story unfolds but in the back of my mind I also made the comparison to the Breakfast Club with the group that formed. We had the football star, the princess who is a Senator’s daughter and Ms. Perfect of the school, the tattooed bad boy, the overweight and bullied outsider, but then stretching the cast of characters even more and bringing the story into this decade was the boy who had not only just come out to his family as gay but was also a mixed race, and then we had a Muslim student who struggled daily with the prejudices against him.
As the story began and with each chapter changing the point of view it was easy to see that the entire group all had their own secrets and struggles. It became clear that all would have a motive for being behind the bombing so it leads the readers to the question of which one really did it? With a short cast of suspects I’m sure many may guess but regardless this was one that made me feel I’d stepped into this horrible scenario and was on the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
For me as a reader I had thought This is Where It Ends completely lacked character development and I simply was never drawn into the students stories or brought to any kind of level of caring as they went through such a horrific event. I also thought that the author had taken the opportunity to write about a school with diversity in her characters and turned it into something that felt awkward at any mention of the diversity.
Time Bomb made such an improvement on those major areas that had bothered me in This Is Where It Ends and actually brought a horrific and very much a realistic event to life. The entire book takes place over a couple of hours during a time a few students were in their school when bombs began to explode. It changes the point of view between six main characters that are each still alive and struggling with how to get out of the school.
The book has a very intense vibe to it as the story unfolds but in the back of my mind I also made the comparison to the Breakfast Club with the group that formed. We had the football star, the princess who is a Senator’s daughter and Ms. Perfect of the school, the tattooed bad boy, the overweight and bullied outsider, but then stretching the cast of characters even more and bringing the story into this decade was the boy who had not only just come out to his family as gay but was also a mixed race, and then we had a Muslim student who struggled daily with the prejudices against him.
As the story began and with each chapter changing the point of view it was easy to see that the entire group all had their own secrets and struggles. It became clear that all would have a motive for being behind the bombing so it leads the readers to the question of which one really did it? With a short cast of suspects I’m sure many may guess but regardless this was one that made me feel I’d stepped into this horrible scenario and was on the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
April 6, 2018
I'd like to thank Netgalley for providing me an eARC of Time Bomb! When I first read the synopsis, it instantly gave me vibes similar to One of Us is Lying which was one of my favourite reads of 2017 so I was super keen on reading it. And for the first half, the book lived up to my expectations since I couldn't put it down! Although it was nothing like what I thought it would be, I was still so interested since there were multiple POV and an aura of mystery that surrounded the plot which I greatly enjoyed. But sadly I didn't find the second half as gripping as the first and the story line seemed to drag on for way too long that I resorted to skimming some POV because I was starting to get bored 😐 There are some deeper messages behind the story line that I appreciated but in terms of my own enjoyment, I found it a bit lacking. Not sure how I feel about the ending since it took me by surprise and hit me in the feels a little since I didn't think things would end up the way they did but then again things in real life rarely do so I guess it's a good depiction of that 👏🏼
May 2, 2018
Not terribly impressed with this. I think that in 2018, books about topics like mass violence in schools need to have moral, psychological and political complexity.
I've read similar books (I'm mainly thinking of This Is Where It Ends - you can read my review of that here. For me, this book had many of the same issues - lots of POVs, uneven character development, and a rushed, info-dumpy ending that left me completely confused.
1. You're thrown right into the action with these characters and the book needs to get you to quickly relate to and care about them. I had tremendous empathy/concern for their situation, but I didn't feel like I got to know each of them the way I hoped. Points for diversity, but some characters were better-developed than others. I kept getting the two athletes mixed up. Diana was a walking stereotype - the rich, uptight blond girl we've seen a million times before. Z and Cas felt very flat to me. I think Rashid had by far the most interesting POV, though I can't speak to its authenticity.
2. Not the author/publisher's fault at all, but it was very unfortunate timing that this released a month after the horrific Parkland school shooting. This book seemed to have a (slight) political bent, but given the recent surge of anger and frustration surrounding school violence, this felt out of touch with the current mood of the country.
3. This was (also unfortunately) a book that focused more on the suspense than shedding light on a complex and important topic. The guilty person's motivation was incredibly confusing. The quick info-dump explanation at the end made it all seem not very well thought-out.
If you thought This Is How It Ends was amazing, then you might want to try this, but for me this one needed more thought, more psychological depth, more political edge.
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
I've read similar books (I'm mainly thinking of This Is Where It Ends - you can read my review of that here. For me, this book had many of the same issues - lots of POVs, uneven character development, and a rushed, info-dumpy ending that left me completely confused.
1. You're thrown right into the action with these characters and the book needs to get you to quickly relate to and care about them. I had tremendous empathy/concern for their situation, but I didn't feel like I got to know each of them the way I hoped. Points for diversity, but some characters were better-developed than others. I kept getting the two athletes mixed up. Diana was a walking stereotype - the rich, uptight blond girl we've seen a million times before. Z and Cas felt very flat to me. I think Rashid had by far the most interesting POV, though I can't speak to its authenticity.
2. Not the author/publisher's fault at all, but it was very unfortunate timing that this released a month after the horrific Parkland school shooting. This book seemed to have a (slight) political bent, but given the recent surge of anger and frustration surrounding school violence, this felt out of touch with the current mood of the country.
3. This was (also unfortunately) a book that focused more on the suspense than shedding light on a complex and important topic. The guilty person's motivation was incredibly confusing. The quick info-dump explanation at the end made it all seem not very well thought-out.
If you thought This Is How It Ends was amazing, then you might want to try this, but for me this one needed more thought, more psychological depth, more political edge.
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
April 22, 2018
It's the week before a new school year will begin at Hallwood high school, but the doors are open to students and teachers looking to get a head start on what they need to do. Some are setting up their classrooms, others are getting their student ID's or fixing their schedules... but there are few who entered the building with questionable intentions, set on doing something so drastic the whole world would have to take notice.
On a day the high school was supposed to be empty (at least, by the time the incident occurred), a bomb exploded from somewhere inside, trapping all who were still in there and causing serious harm to most of them. In the span of just a few hours, five bombs had been detonated, leaving the building in shambles, claiming lives and changing everyone involved forever.
Somewhere between the first explosion and the last, seven teenagers are grouped by chance during their desperate struggles to escape: Cas, Z, Frankie, Tad, Rashid, Diana and Kaitlin. Each one is totally different from the other, but differences aside, they all have one common goal: make it out alive. However, when they find a radio and listen in on what the media is brodcasting, they come to the shocking realization that they're stuck inside with the bomber. What's worse? The bomber is one of them. While the firefighters and police do what they can from the outside, not being able to come in because of the danger, the teenagers have to fend for themselves in the deadly environment.
They all went to school that day to make a point to either keep up appearances or to make the world see them in an entirely different way. Little by little, we get to know them as they try to battle fire and smoke with the walls collapsing around them, clambering through the rubble in search of an exit, fighting for their lives while being injured and terrified. The more that's revealed about any of them, the more you see that any one of them could be the mastermind behind this domestic attack.
One has a bomb, another has a gun, but all of them has their own reason for wanting to cause mayhem. There's the daughter of a congressman who has to keep up her perfect facade, least she give the public a reason to vote her father out. The star quaterback with a secret he desperately wants to stay burried. The boy who's tired of being ignored and having his feelings brushed aside. A girl who's done trying to fit in just to avoid being bullied. A guy who wants to be seen for who is, not feared for the religion he follows. A tattooed orphan who wants to teach someone a lesson and a friend who wants to stop him from making a huge mistake.
Each one is a suspect, but they all have to work together if they want to live to see another day. What will happen before the 5th bomb goes off? Not everyone will survive.
Time Bomb by Joelle Charbonneau is a thrilling YA mystery story about a bombing that takes place in a high school. I was torn between a three and four star rating for this novel - I did really enjoy this book, but I just felt let down by certain aspects.
This story starts off right where the action is, giving us only a little about each character through out the book to keep the reader guessing. The Count down and non-stop suspenseful action and drama will keep you turning the pages - this was a very quick read for me because it was so hard to put this book down. The world building was great, even though this only takes place in a school, there are tons of descriptions and vivid imagery.
This book is told in the POV's of six out of the seven MC's, which I enjoyed. However, to keep the mystery going we weren't given very much on any of the characters, and while I felt horrible for what they were going through, I can't really say I grew attached to any one of them. Each one was stereotyped by their peers, but they all had their own story to tell - which reminded me a lot of The Breakfast Club... but with a deadly twist. I loved how this tragedy opened their eyes to their own bias and prejudices, however, we don't get to see them really learn or grow from it. I suppose the bombing brought some of the survives closer, and they ended up learning a lot about themselves, but I'm not sure they took much else out of that situation, which was unfortunate. A couple didn't even really change at all, and went their separate ways like nothing had ever happened. Yes, every one deals with things in different ways, but I couldn't help feel let down by that.
It was hard to tell who the bomber was, everyone had a motive, but not everyone was actually out to hurt other people. At one point I did assume it was a certain character, and even though I switched back and forth a few times, I always kept that one in mind and I ended up being right in the end. But I wouldn't say that this was predictable at all, all the twists kept me second guessing myself and made everything exciting.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fast paced, action packed stories about realistic events. This book touches on a lot of important topics such as school violence, homophobia, suicide, and prejudice. Unfortually I wish the characters would have shown that they learned to be more accepting and maybe wanted to work to putting an end to school violence, instead of the contemporary-like ending of everyone just trying to move on in their own way. With all the school violence that's going on today, I feel this book could have helped send a bigger message to its readers. All in all, though, I did enjoy this story and will be on the look out for more from this author.
**** I received an ebook copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for a review.****
On a day the high school was supposed to be empty (at least, by the time the incident occurred), a bomb exploded from somewhere inside, trapping all who were still in there and causing serious harm to most of them. In the span of just a few hours, five bombs had been detonated, leaving the building in shambles, claiming lives and changing everyone involved forever.
Somewhere between the first explosion and the last, seven teenagers are grouped by chance during their desperate struggles to escape: Cas, Z, Frankie, Tad, Rashid, Diana and Kaitlin. Each one is totally different from the other, but differences aside, they all have one common goal: make it out alive. However, when they find a radio and listen in on what the media is brodcasting, they come to the shocking realization that they're stuck inside with the bomber. What's worse? The bomber is one of them. While the firefighters and police do what they can from the outside, not being able to come in because of the danger, the teenagers have to fend for themselves in the deadly environment.
They all went to school that day to make a point to either keep up appearances or to make the world see them in an entirely different way. Little by little, we get to know them as they try to battle fire and smoke with the walls collapsing around them, clambering through the rubble in search of an exit, fighting for their lives while being injured and terrified. The more that's revealed about any of them, the more you see that any one of them could be the mastermind behind this domestic attack.
One has a bomb, another has a gun, but all of them has their own reason for wanting to cause mayhem. There's the daughter of a congressman who has to keep up her perfect facade, least she give the public a reason to vote her father out. The star quaterback with a secret he desperately wants to stay burried. The boy who's tired of being ignored and having his feelings brushed aside. A girl who's done trying to fit in just to avoid being bullied. A guy who wants to be seen for who is, not feared for the religion he follows. A tattooed orphan who wants to teach someone a lesson and a friend who wants to stop him from making a huge mistake.
Each one is a suspect, but they all have to work together if they want to live to see another day. What will happen before the 5th bomb goes off? Not everyone will survive.
Time Bomb by Joelle Charbonneau is a thrilling YA mystery story about a bombing that takes place in a high school. I was torn between a three and four star rating for this novel - I did really enjoy this book, but I just felt let down by certain aspects.
This story starts off right where the action is, giving us only a little about each character through out the book to keep the reader guessing. The Count down and non-stop suspenseful action and drama will keep you turning the pages - this was a very quick read for me because it was so hard to put this book down. The world building was great, even though this only takes place in a school, there are tons of descriptions and vivid imagery.
This book is told in the POV's of six out of the seven MC's, which I enjoyed. However, to keep the mystery going we weren't given very much on any of the characters, and while I felt horrible for what they were going through, I can't really say I grew attached to any one of them. Each one was stereotyped by their peers, but they all had their own story to tell - which reminded me a lot of The Breakfast Club... but with a deadly twist. I loved how this tragedy opened their eyes to their own bias and prejudices, however, we don't get to see them really learn or grow from it. I suppose the bombing brought some of the survives closer, and they ended up learning a lot about themselves, but I'm not sure they took much else out of that situation, which was unfortunate. A couple didn't even really change at all, and went their separate ways like nothing had ever happened. Yes, every one deals with things in different ways, but I couldn't help feel let down by that.
It was hard to tell who the bomber was, everyone had a motive, but not everyone was actually out to hurt other people. At one point I did assume it was a certain character, and even though I switched back and forth a few times, I always kept that one in mind and I ended up being right in the end. But I wouldn't say that this was predictable at all, all the twists kept me second guessing myself and made everything exciting.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fast paced, action packed stories about realistic events. This book touches on a lot of important topics such as school violence, homophobia, suicide, and prejudice. Unfortually I wish the characters would have shown that they learned to be more accepting and maybe wanted to work to putting an end to school violence, instead of the contemporary-like ending of everyone just trying to move on in their own way. With all the school violence that's going on today, I feel this book could have helped send a bigger message to its readers. All in all, though, I did enjoy this story and will be on the look out for more from this author.
**** I received an ebook copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for a review.****
March 11, 2019
Oh, wat was dit een goed boek! De test serie en Nodig van dezelfde schrijfster vond ik erg goed, dus ik was heel benieuwd naar deze.
Ik vind het tof dat aan het begin van het boek alle personages een verdachte zijn. Allemaal hebben ze een totaal ander motief, maar iedereen zou het gedaan kunnen hebben.
Dan leer je ze kennen, en ver tegen het einde realiseerde ik me ineens dat ik vrijwel iedereen als verdachte had afgeschreven, zonder dat ik precies kon aanwijzen op welk punt of waardoor.
De schrijfster is en bij de mogelijke motieven, en bij hoe je aan het einde dus geen verdenkingen meer hebt, erg sterk in het laten zien hoeveel er achter het masker kan zitten dat we ophebben.
Tegen het einde vond ik de spanningsboog een beetje inzakken, en degene die ik als enige nog verdacht vond bleek de schuldige te zijn, Die twee dingen zorgen ervoor dat het boek geen 5* krijgt. De 4* zijn wel echt dik, want het is een heel vlot en goed geschreven boek. Erg enthousiast over!
Over dit boek heb ik een gastrecensie geschreven voor het boekenblog My Perfect Booklife van Monika Haak!
Ik vind het tof dat aan het begin van het boek alle personages een verdachte zijn. Allemaal hebben ze een totaal ander motief, maar iedereen zou het gedaan kunnen hebben.
Dan leer je ze kennen, en ver tegen het einde realiseerde ik me ineens dat ik vrijwel iedereen als verdachte had afgeschreven, zonder dat ik precies kon aanwijzen op welk punt of waardoor.
De schrijfster is en bij de mogelijke motieven, en bij hoe je aan het einde dus geen verdenkingen meer hebt, erg sterk in het laten zien hoeveel er achter het masker kan zitten dat we ophebben.
Tegen het einde vond ik de spanningsboog een beetje inzakken, en degene die ik als enige nog verdacht vond bleek de schuldige te zijn, Die twee dingen zorgen ervoor dat het boek geen 5* krijgt. De 4* zijn wel echt dik, want het is een heel vlot en goed geschreven boek. Erg enthousiast over!
Over dit boek heb ik een gastrecensie geschreven voor het boekenblog My Perfect Booklife van Monika Haak!
April 19, 2018
i finally finished a book!!!!! i didn’t have time to read all week so i made it my mission to read as much as i could as soon as i got home today (i spent the week in Poland with my family).
Time Bomb is about a group of students who happen to be at school the day a bomb goes off. they work together to find a way out of there, but everyone of them is hiding a secret. while being trapped, they find out that the bomber is still inside the building and possibly planning to set off more bombs, so they all grow wary of each other.
tbh when i first saw this on Netgalley, i thought it made for a good premise and it sort of reminded me of One Of Us Is Lying. however, the timing of the publication of this book is very unfortunate with the whole gun control debate and March for Our Lives going on in the US right now.
this book is fairly short and easy to read so it didn’t take me long to finish it but it was hard for me to decide on a rating. overall, i think the story was fairly enjoyable. this book isn't even 300 pages so it was very quick and easy to read.
i also really appreciated that the author incorporated the discussion of how Muslims are portayed by the media and how they're treated by society in relation to terrorism. Rashid was such a lovely and kind character and i Felt for him so much. he kept talking about his struggles with his religion and how people always judged and stereotyped him based on his religion and his outer appearance (ie. him having a beard). i really liked that the author challenged the idea of "all Muslims being terrorists" (honestly if you think that just unfollow me now) because it's so important for people to realise that you cannot generalise a whole group of marginalised people based on what a few of them did (especially with regards to everything that is happening right now).
but yeah i loved Rashid and i just want to give him a big hug and shower him with love :(
i have to admit i accidentally spoiled myself while reading through the reviews beforehand (i am NEVER doing that again!!!) so i knew who the bomber was from the very beginning. it kinda sucked because it took away from the whole mystery of the story but at the same time i could read between the lines and find little hints in the character's behaviour that alluded to them being the offender.
all in all, Time Bomb was pretty average and i think i might have liked it more if i hadn't known who the bomber was! the reason why i'm giving this two stars is because of Rashid :)
*Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for the review copy in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinion in any way.*
Time Bomb is about a group of students who happen to be at school the day a bomb goes off. they work together to find a way out of there, but everyone of them is hiding a secret. while being trapped, they find out that the bomber is still inside the building and possibly planning to set off more bombs, so they all grow wary of each other.
tbh when i first saw this on Netgalley, i thought it made for a good premise and it sort of reminded me of One Of Us Is Lying. however, the timing of the publication of this book is very unfortunate with the whole gun control debate and March for Our Lives going on in the US right now.
this book is fairly short and easy to read so it didn’t take me long to finish it but it was hard for me to decide on a rating. overall, i think the story was fairly enjoyable. this book isn't even 300 pages so it was very quick and easy to read.
i also really appreciated that the author incorporated the discussion of how Muslims are portayed by the media and how they're treated by society in relation to terrorism. Rashid was such a lovely and kind character and i Felt for him so much. he kept talking about his struggles with his religion and how people always judged and stereotyped him based on his religion and his outer appearance (ie. him having a beard). i really liked that the author challenged the idea of "all Muslims being terrorists" (honestly if you think that just unfollow me now) because it's so important for people to realise that you cannot generalise a whole group of marginalised people based on what a few of them did (especially with regards to everything that is happening right now).
but yeah i loved Rashid and i just want to give him a big hug and shower him with love :(
i have to admit i accidentally spoiled myself while reading through the reviews beforehand (i am NEVER doing that again!!!) so i knew who the bomber was from the very beginning. it kinda sucked because it took away from the whole mystery of the story but at the same time i could read between the lines and find little hints in the character's behaviour that alluded to them being the offender.
all in all, Time Bomb was pretty average and i think i might have liked it more if i hadn't known who the bomber was! the reason why i'm giving this two stars is because of Rashid :)
*Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for the review copy in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinion in any way.*
April 2, 2018
This was a quick, suspenseful, read & it was made all the better with my Once Upon a Book Club gifts. :)
December 21, 2018
"Er zijn nu al 4 bommen afgegaan, maar er schijnt nog een explosief in de school te zijn dat elk moment kan ontploffen." ~ p9.
De nachtmerrie van iedere ouder, de hel voor ieder schoolgaand kind. Wat een indrukwekkend verhaal om te lezen!
"Als jij wilt geloven dat ik een slecht mens ben, kan ik je niet tegenhouden." ~ p150.
Tijdbom is een YA-thriller, waarin een bomexplosie op school centraal staat. Het verteld het verhaal van 6 jongeren die ten tijde van een aanslag in de school aanwezig zijn. Vanuit een wisselend perspectief lees je hun beleving van deze dag, en hun reden om juist die dag op school aanwezig te zijn. Maar wie zegt dat de aanslagpleger niet één van hen is?
Joelle Charbonneau zorgt ervoor vanaf de eerste bladzijde dat je iedereen voldoende wantrouwt. Er wordt precies de juiste mysterie om elke personage gehouden, zodat je pas aan het einde de puzzelstukjes in elkaar kan passen. Dit zorgt ervoor dat je gewoon moet blijven lezen, totdat je zeker weet dat iedereen veilig is. Naja, iedereen... De personage zijn zeer uiteenlopend, waardoor er denk ik voor iedereen wel een tussen zit om een zwak voor te hebben. Om je een beetje extra zorgen om te maken. In het begin vroeg ik me af of het wel handig was om en verhaal vanuit 6 personages neer te zetten, maar uiteindelijk werkte het, juist op deze manier!
"De media zijn machtig. Ze verslaan niet alleen het nieuws. De onderwerpen die ze voor de TV selecteren, vormen de manier van denken van mensen." ~ p242.
Zo enthousiast en dan toch maar 4 sterren? Ik hoor het je vragen. Ja ik zit absoluut in de fangirl modus wat dit boek betreft, het enige waar ik een beetje meer zit is het einde. Zie het alsof je net heerlijk in je lievelings restaurant heb zitten smikkelen, met je favoriete voor- en hoofdgerecht. Je verheugt je enorm op dat ene luxe toetje, maar je wordt afgescheept met 1 bolletje vanille ijs. 1 bolletje! Beter dan dit kan ik het niet uitleggen zonder te spoileren. Dus nee, ik heb echt super lekker gegeten, maar ik mis dat laatste hapje!
www.facebook.com/thebookbabecisz
De nachtmerrie van iedere ouder, de hel voor ieder schoolgaand kind. Wat een indrukwekkend verhaal om te lezen!
"Als jij wilt geloven dat ik een slecht mens ben, kan ik je niet tegenhouden." ~ p150.
Tijdbom is een YA-thriller, waarin een bomexplosie op school centraal staat. Het verteld het verhaal van 6 jongeren die ten tijde van een aanslag in de school aanwezig zijn. Vanuit een wisselend perspectief lees je hun beleving van deze dag, en hun reden om juist die dag op school aanwezig te zijn. Maar wie zegt dat de aanslagpleger niet één van hen is?
Joelle Charbonneau zorgt ervoor vanaf de eerste bladzijde dat je iedereen voldoende wantrouwt. Er wordt precies de juiste mysterie om elke personage gehouden, zodat je pas aan het einde de puzzelstukjes in elkaar kan passen. Dit zorgt ervoor dat je gewoon moet blijven lezen, totdat je zeker weet dat iedereen veilig is. Naja, iedereen... De personage zijn zeer uiteenlopend, waardoor er denk ik voor iedereen wel een tussen zit om een zwak voor te hebben. Om je een beetje extra zorgen om te maken. In het begin vroeg ik me af of het wel handig was om en verhaal vanuit 6 personages neer te zetten, maar uiteindelijk werkte het, juist op deze manier!
"De media zijn machtig. Ze verslaan niet alleen het nieuws. De onderwerpen die ze voor de TV selecteren, vormen de manier van denken van mensen." ~ p242.
Zo enthousiast en dan toch maar 4 sterren? Ik hoor het je vragen. Ja ik zit absoluut in de fangirl modus wat dit boek betreft, het enige waar ik een beetje meer zit is het einde. Zie het alsof je net heerlijk in je lievelings restaurant heb zitten smikkelen, met je favoriete voor- en hoofdgerecht. Je verheugt je enorm op dat ene luxe toetje, maar je wordt afgescheept met 1 bolletje vanille ijs. 1 bolletje! Beter dan dit kan ik het niet uitleggen zonder te spoileren. Dus nee, ik heb echt super lekker gegeten, maar ik mis dat laatste hapje!
www.facebook.com/thebookbabecisz
January 27, 2018
If you would like to read my review, please visit: https://dylanthereader.com/2018/01/27...
March 10, 2022
2.5 STARS
Four bombs explode inside a high school. Seven students trapped. One is the bomber. Another one gun has a gun. A senator’s daughter. A bullied girl. A Muslim. A mixed race gay football player. Another gay football player who also plays straight. An orphan and the girl trying to save him from himself. Not all will survive.
Long before Parkland, I preordered TIME BOMB, a different take on school shooting meets The Breakfast Club. Joelle Charbonneau uses six third person points of view to lay out the moment by moment story which takes place over six hours (not including the epilogue). While TIME BOMB held my interest, I didn’t feel invested in the students and the story lacked tension possibly due to so many characters.
I spent the first parts of the book thinking “I’m going to be SO MAD if Charbonneau makes Rashid the bomber.” Soon I had a different suspect, which turned out to be right (as well as obvious and unrealistic).
TIME BOMB is an interesting, but lackluster read.
Four bombs explode inside a high school. Seven students trapped. One is the bomber. Another one gun has a gun. A senator’s daughter. A bullied girl. A Muslim. A mixed race gay football player. Another gay football player who also plays straight. An orphan and the girl trying to save him from himself. Not all will survive.
Long before Parkland, I preordered TIME BOMB, a different take on school shooting meets The Breakfast Club. Joelle Charbonneau uses six third person points of view to lay out the moment by moment story which takes place over six hours (not including the epilogue). While TIME BOMB held my interest, I didn’t feel invested in the students and the story lacked tension possibly due to so many characters.
I spent the first parts of the book thinking “I’m going to be SO MAD if Charbonneau makes Rashid the bomber.” Soon I had a different suspect, which turned out to be right (as well as obvious and unrealistic).
TIME BOMB is an interesting, but lackluster read.
June 8, 2018
So from reading the dust jacket, I felt that this book was promising and would be an exhilirating read. I mean, tackling a subject like a school bombing has to be pretty intense right?
I finished this book quickly; it was pretty fast-paced and an easy read. Really short
One of the things that disappointed me was the lack of interest from the characters. I mean there were 6 different points of view here and I only really felt that one of them that didn't seem so flat and 2 dimensional (Rashid).
Each point of view shows the characters getting ready to go to the school and they all have a secret agenda and they're carrying a bag of unknown contents. Any one of them could be a potential suspect. Each character seems to be suffering through some kind of internal struggle and wants to lash out or send a message in some way. I feel that the author made the attempt to develop these characters and make them unique but in such a short book with so many different characters, they really weren't distinguishable. I'd go from one chapter to the next and somewhere in between I'd have to go back and check to see which POV it was cause it was all just the same. And they weren't even likeable characters.
SPOILER ALERT ahead prob
So Diana, the congressman's daughter, bugged me from the get-go. She's this rich girl who hates having to keep up her perfect image, and like I get how that could be frustrating, having to pretend you're someone you're not, but Charbonneau never really goes into detail about who Diana is beneath the surface. Like never. So she's smart and is probably romantically involved with her dad's campaign manager. She's frustrated with her life, obviously really prissy and stuck-up, completely aware of her privilege and flaunts it during a life-or-death situation with a bunch of other kids she probably thinks are beneath her. Later on Diana.
And then Frankie is just the most stereotypical jock with his constant sports metaphors that he applies to everything in life. Sure he's a closeted gay jock, what a twist. He's generally a nicer guy than most people expect him to be as a cool jock kid, so I guess that adds some depth. He keeps flip-flopping about his fling with Tad and never really comes to terms with his own sexuality which is a little disappointing. Like he didn't NEED to be definitely gay or definitely straight or even bi, but I just wish there could've been some kinda closure regarding how he felt towards Tad, that was just a little weird. Like they obviously both care about each other cause they continously worry about one another's safety but then Frankie kinda just ends up going to another school after the whole ordeal and they just drop the whole thing.
And then I guess I could relate to Tad, who added to the diversity of the book, being both biracial and gay. But again, the whole unreciprocated gay romance thing was just really awkward throughout the book and kinda unnecessary besides giving Tad a reason to go to the school in the first place. Maybe it was supposed to add to the emotional intrigue, but it just ended up being disappointing. Hard to fit in a romance in a story about children dying I guess.
Cas's whole background seemed so fake and unconvincing. Like in this day and age I know it's not unusual for kids and teens to be cruel for no reason and other kids have been driven to suicide because of bullying, that's definitely prevalent in American society. But she just kept kinda hinting at something horrible that happened and then when Cas finally spilled the beans, the weak delivery kinda distracted from her little side story cause of how awkward the syntax was. I was reading it and just thinking wow this a really big reveal for Cas and nobody talks like this? Every sentence in the form of the question? I was bullied? They beat the shit out of me without any clear consequences cause that's how my fucked up school system was? How are you gonna reveal something like that with this cheesy-ass dialogue?? Cas's bullying was straight up assault and there's no way her assailants wouldn't have been expelled (thanks to the video evidence from her classmates) for beating the shit out of her, or even like facing jailtime. Cause she's heavy and she didn't dress like them? Some weakass story about being framed for anonymous social media drama? ...really
Anyways, so then there's Z. Really not a fan. I'm sure you're meant to feel bad for him, he's homeless, he's an orphan. The only person he cares about is in mortal danger. Just his tireless cynicism and edginess^tm gets old real quick. And I totally understand why he would be bitter towards life, that makes sense. But damn it's just so annoying. And like he would've had a way better reason to blow up the school vs literally anyone else. Would've made a lot more sense if he had been giving the monologue about the bombing at the end instead of spoiled rich bitch Diana, that would've been believable at least. I'm sure that's who everyone else was expecting to be the bomber, unless you're a really stupid and horrible person and thought it was gonna be Rashid.
Rashid was the one redeemable character in the book and I knew as soon as I read the book's little synopsis that there was no way Charbonneau was going to make him the bomber. He was there for religious diversity and to defy the stereotype. That was made clear in most of his dialogue. If this book could've had any one main POV, I wish it had been Rashid's because he just felt a lot more real and 3 dimensional than every other character. He was kind and intelligent and made a positive contribution to the group.
So besides all the characters, I felt like the writing was just really meh. There was like zero world building. All you knew about what was going on outside the school was Diana's father pushing for that bill that obviously wasn't going to get passed. There's never really a description of the school or the school grounds or the city they live in. Which makes it just really confusing when all the carnage is described. There's three stories and everything is just falling apart. The diction is very repetitive. idk just kind of a drag.
Also idk if I was the only one who noticed but there was a part when Charbonneau gave away who the bomber was by her description of the backpack. Diana's red backpack. Which is the same as the one on the cover of the book. Very slick.
Also omfg Diana bugs me. I did like how at the end they're talking about all the newscoverage about her and interviews with her family and stuff and they say how she's represented in the media as this girl with a "complicated mind." That was a good laugh. Being a murderer gives you depth, excellent
I mean I guess she was a complicated character. I never really understood why she believed she had sound reasoning to do what she did. She obviously had to have had some sort of mental illness because of the way she feels so justified with her actions but I mean that's never discussed. Like she bitches the whole time about how nobody really knows her and she doesn't even really know herself but like bitch who does. And then there's the weird implication that she might be romantically or maybe just sexually involved with Tim, who helped bomb the school. I wish they had at least made it clear WHY everything went haywire, if it was intentional or just a mistake. If Tim had meant to kill Diana, I feel like that would've been a compelling aspect of the story to explore. But that's just kind of brushed off at the end like oh whatever it happened so what LIKE THAT COULD'VE ACTUALLY BEEN INTERESTING BUT OH WELL.
I guess I had higher expectations for this book given the subject matter, but overall I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I can understand how people would enjoy this book because of the message it tries to send but I had too many issues with it and it just wasn't for me.
also am I the only one who noticed like A LOT of typos.. or was I just imagining things k bye
I finished this book quickly; it was pretty fast-paced and an easy read. Really short
One of the things that disappointed me was the lack of interest from the characters. I mean there were 6 different points of view here and I only really felt that one of them that didn't seem so flat and 2 dimensional (Rashid).
Each point of view shows the characters getting ready to go to the school and they all have a secret agenda and they're carrying a bag of unknown contents. Any one of them could be a potential suspect. Each character seems to be suffering through some kind of internal struggle and wants to lash out or send a message in some way. I feel that the author made the attempt to develop these characters and make them unique but in such a short book with so many different characters, they really weren't distinguishable. I'd go from one chapter to the next and somewhere in between I'd have to go back and check to see which POV it was cause it was all just the same. And they weren't even likeable characters.
SPOILER ALERT ahead prob
So Diana, the congressman's daughter, bugged me from the get-go. She's this rich girl who hates having to keep up her perfect image, and like I get how that could be frustrating, having to pretend you're someone you're not, but Charbonneau never really goes into detail about who Diana is beneath the surface. Like never. So she's smart and is probably romantically involved with her dad's campaign manager. She's frustrated with her life, obviously really prissy and stuck-up, completely aware of her privilege and flaunts it during a life-or-death situation with a bunch of other kids she probably thinks are beneath her. Later on Diana.
And then Frankie is just the most stereotypical jock with his constant sports metaphors that he applies to everything in life. Sure he's a closeted gay jock, what a twist. He's generally a nicer guy than most people expect him to be as a cool jock kid, so I guess that adds some depth. He keeps flip-flopping about his fling with Tad and never really comes to terms with his own sexuality which is a little disappointing. Like he didn't NEED to be definitely gay or definitely straight or even bi, but I just wish there could've been some kinda closure regarding how he felt towards Tad, that was just a little weird. Like they obviously both care about each other cause they continously worry about one another's safety but then Frankie kinda just ends up going to another school after the whole ordeal and they just drop the whole thing.
And then I guess I could relate to Tad, who added to the diversity of the book, being both biracial and gay. But again, the whole unreciprocated gay romance thing was just really awkward throughout the book and kinda unnecessary besides giving Tad a reason to go to the school in the first place. Maybe it was supposed to add to the emotional intrigue, but it just ended up being disappointing. Hard to fit in a romance in a story about children dying I guess.
Cas's whole background seemed so fake and unconvincing. Like in this day and age I know it's not unusual for kids and teens to be cruel for no reason and other kids have been driven to suicide because of bullying, that's definitely prevalent in American society. But she just kept kinda hinting at something horrible that happened and then when Cas finally spilled the beans, the weak delivery kinda distracted from her little side story cause of how awkward the syntax was. I was reading it and just thinking wow this a really big reveal for Cas and nobody talks like this? Every sentence in the form of the question? I was bullied? They beat the shit out of me without any clear consequences cause that's how my fucked up school system was? How are you gonna reveal something like that with this cheesy-ass dialogue?? Cas's bullying was straight up assault and there's no way her assailants wouldn't have been expelled (thanks to the video evidence from her classmates) for beating the shit out of her, or even like facing jailtime. Cause she's heavy and she didn't dress like them? Some weakass story about being framed for anonymous social media drama? ...really
Anyways, so then there's Z. Really not a fan. I'm sure you're meant to feel bad for him, he's homeless, he's an orphan. The only person he cares about is in mortal danger. Just his tireless cynicism and edginess^tm gets old real quick. And I totally understand why he would be bitter towards life, that makes sense. But damn it's just so annoying. And like he would've had a way better reason to blow up the school vs literally anyone else. Would've made a lot more sense if he had been giving the monologue about the bombing at the end instead of spoiled rich bitch Diana, that would've been believable at least. I'm sure that's who everyone else was expecting to be the bomber, unless you're a really stupid and horrible person and thought it was gonna be Rashid.
Rashid was the one redeemable character in the book and I knew as soon as I read the book's little synopsis that there was no way Charbonneau was going to make him the bomber. He was there for religious diversity and to defy the stereotype. That was made clear in most of his dialogue. If this book could've had any one main POV, I wish it had been Rashid's because he just felt a lot more real and 3 dimensional than every other character. He was kind and intelligent and made a positive contribution to the group.
So besides all the characters, I felt like the writing was just really meh. There was like zero world building. All you knew about what was going on outside the school was Diana's father pushing for that bill that obviously wasn't going to get passed. There's never really a description of the school or the school grounds or the city they live in. Which makes it just really confusing when all the carnage is described. There's three stories and everything is just falling apart. The diction is very repetitive. idk just kind of a drag.
Also idk if I was the only one who noticed but there was a part when Charbonneau gave away who the bomber was by her description of the backpack. Diana's red backpack. Which is the same as the one on the cover of the book. Very slick.
Also omfg Diana bugs me. I did like how at the end they're talking about all the newscoverage about her and interviews with her family and stuff and they say how she's represented in the media as this girl with a "complicated mind." That was a good laugh. Being a murderer gives you depth, excellent
I mean I guess she was a complicated character. I never really understood why she believed she had sound reasoning to do what she did. She obviously had to have had some sort of mental illness because of the way she feels so justified with her actions but I mean that's never discussed. Like she bitches the whole time about how nobody really knows her and she doesn't even really know herself but like bitch who does. And then there's the weird implication that she might be romantically or maybe just sexually involved with Tim, who helped bomb the school. I wish they had at least made it clear WHY everything went haywire, if it was intentional or just a mistake. If Tim had meant to kill Diana, I feel like that would've been a compelling aspect of the story to explore. But that's just kind of brushed off at the end like oh whatever it happened so what LIKE THAT COULD'VE ACTUALLY BEEN INTERESTING BUT OH WELL.
I guess I had higher expectations for this book given the subject matter, but overall I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I can understand how people would enjoy this book because of the message it tries to send but I had too many issues with it and it just wasn't for me.
also am I the only one who noticed like A LOT of typos.. or was I just imagining things k bye
February 20, 2019
Joelle Charbonneau's books rarely lack excitement, and Time Bomb pushes us right into the action on page one. There are several teen main characters, and we meet them all in initial spurts of a few pages each, imprinting their individual narratives in our minds. There's Diana, daughter of the U.S. senator who has proposed the Safety Through Education bill, a controversial measure designed to counteract school violence by incentivizing students to report suspicious behavior among their peers. We meet Rashid, a Muslim boy used to being looked at askance. His religion forbids him from shaving his thick beard, and this presents him as a target for mockery by other high school students. Z, who was already jaded, is angrier than ever after his mother's death from cancer. He's being evicted from his house in a few weeks, and has no clear plan for the future. Tad and Frankie play on the school football team, and their short-lived romance is a source of bitterness for Tad. Frankie wants to pretend the kiss never happened, but Tad insists they talk it out, and demands Frankie meet him at school on a day that class won't be in session. Cas, an overweight girl, has endured some severe bullying incidents, though we don't find out the details yet. The lives of these six students are about to intersect in a survival drama that will make national news.
Each of our characters has a reason for being at school that day, though their full motives are obscured from us. The action kicks into high gear when the first bomb destroys large sections of the school, killing some faculty members. The few students in the building roam the ruined hallways for help, dodging flames. Tad could have escaped shortly after the blast, but stopped to help Rashid. When the two of them surmise that a student is likely responsible for the bombing, Tad regards Rashid with suspicion. The kid is not only Muslim, but all of a sudden he's shaved his beard; why would he do that if not to avoid calling attention to his religious affiliation? Rashid also claimed he called 911 after the bomb went off, which Tad proves is a lie. Is Rashid responsible for the attack?
"Those who are the most damaged don't ever admit they need help. It takes strength to admit that you want something to change, and it takes even more courage and strength to try to change it."
—Rashid, Time Bomb, P. 273
Cas had planned her own act of violence that morning, but now she and Frankie, the most popular guy in school, are hunting together for a route out of the building. Police are surrounding the place, but can't enter to extract the trapped teens until they're sure all the bombs have gone off. Every once in a while a new explosion rocks the school. Z is uninjured, but Kaitlin's legs were crushed by a heavy piece of debris. As Tad, Rashid, Frankie, Cas, and Diana locate Z and Kaitlin, they realize Kaitlin must be evacuated soon if she's to survive. Tempers flare as the group argues between waiting for rescue or searching for a viable exit, but every one of them is chilled to the bone when they find a radio and hear the news announcement: one student in the building is in league with the bomber, though that student's identity is unconfirmed. None of our main characters is above suspicion, but they'll have to ferret out the guilty party and distance themselves before the next detonation eliminates the other six. With motives for violence not in short supply, which adolescent actually crossed the line from normal angst into terrorism?
Time Bomb isn't a work of profound philosophy, emotional depth, or even gripping action, but the story moves at a good pace and the writing is smooth. I sped through the three hundred forty pages in just a couple of days because I couldn't stop reading. The social and political dimensions are secondary to the plot: a race against time and a struggle against the machinations of a teen who has wandered onto the path of evil. Time Bomb may never be labeled great literature, but it's an engaging read with some substance to back up the thrills. I enjoyed the ride.
Each of our characters has a reason for being at school that day, though their full motives are obscured from us. The action kicks into high gear when the first bomb destroys large sections of the school, killing some faculty members. The few students in the building roam the ruined hallways for help, dodging flames. Tad could have escaped shortly after the blast, but stopped to help Rashid. When the two of them surmise that a student is likely responsible for the bombing, Tad regards Rashid with suspicion. The kid is not only Muslim, but all of a sudden he's shaved his beard; why would he do that if not to avoid calling attention to his religious affiliation? Rashid also claimed he called 911 after the bomb went off, which Tad proves is a lie. Is Rashid responsible for the attack?
"Those who are the most damaged don't ever admit they need help. It takes strength to admit that you want something to change, and it takes even more courage and strength to try to change it."
—Rashid, Time Bomb, P. 273
Cas had planned her own act of violence that morning, but now she and Frankie, the most popular guy in school, are hunting together for a route out of the building. Police are surrounding the place, but can't enter to extract the trapped teens until they're sure all the bombs have gone off. Every once in a while a new explosion rocks the school. Z is uninjured, but Kaitlin's legs were crushed by a heavy piece of debris. As Tad, Rashid, Frankie, Cas, and Diana locate Z and Kaitlin, they realize Kaitlin must be evacuated soon if she's to survive. Tempers flare as the group argues between waiting for rescue or searching for a viable exit, but every one of them is chilled to the bone when they find a radio and hear the news announcement: one student in the building is in league with the bomber, though that student's identity is unconfirmed. None of our main characters is above suspicion, but they'll have to ferret out the guilty party and distance themselves before the next detonation eliminates the other six. With motives for violence not in short supply, which adolescent actually crossed the line from normal angst into terrorism?
Time Bomb isn't a work of profound philosophy, emotional depth, or even gripping action, but the story moves at a good pace and the writing is smooth. I sped through the three hundred forty pages in just a couple of days because I couldn't stop reading. The social and political dimensions are secondary to the plot: a race against time and a struggle against the machinations of a teen who has wandered onto the path of evil. Time Bomb may never be labeled great literature, but it's an engaging read with some substance to back up the thrills. I enjoyed the ride.
February 8, 2021
This was a super quick 'whodunit' read with some heavy emotions thrown in. The book follows the lives of 6 students who all have big plans at the school that day. We don't know what it is, but when a bomb goes off at the school, we are lead to believe that one of these 6 had something to do with it.
Six main characters is a lot to hold onto in a book. Especially when they are all main characters with their own POV's. Not going to lie, there was a lot of flipping back and forth as I tried to keep the characters straight. The chapters were super short so we didn't really get a chance to fully know the characters before they switched to someone else. Some of the characters blended together to me in the beginning.
The book was also predictable. I was able to figure out who did it by their introduction chapter so it ended up being a ride on how it all came to light.
The one thing I did like about this book was how it dealt with real emotions and feelings that plague high school students. The internal thoughts of some of these kids were just so heartbreaking. This book deals heavily with depression and suicidal thoughts, which I'm glad that more authors are getting it out for discussion. I liked seeing how each person dealt with their situations and how they all acted coming together. It was a good portrayal of human emotions in a crisis.
A tad dramatic at times, but understandable because of the situation.
Six main characters is a lot to hold onto in a book. Especially when they are all main characters with their own POV's. Not going to lie, there was a lot of flipping back and forth as I tried to keep the characters straight. The chapters were super short so we didn't really get a chance to fully know the characters before they switched to someone else. Some of the characters blended together to me in the beginning.
The book was also predictable. I was able to figure out who did it by their introduction chapter so it ended up being a ride on how it all came to light.
The one thing I did like about this book was how it dealt with real emotions and feelings that plague high school students. The internal thoughts of some of these kids were just so heartbreaking. This book deals heavily with depression and suicidal thoughts, which I'm glad that more authors are getting it out for discussion. I liked seeing how each person dealt with their situations and how they all acted coming together. It was a good portrayal of human emotions in a crisis.
A tad dramatic at times, but understandable because of the situation.
December 9, 2018
3.5 ster. Artikel op 29-12 op de Hebban Young Adult Club, recensie daarna op mijn blog. Of op de laatste dag van 2018, of in de eerste week van januari 2019.
March 18, 2018
It is a week before school starts for the year. Freshman students are at the school to get identification cards. A few others are there for various reasons when the first bomb explodes. As the school starts to crumble survivors on the second and third floors are trapped and the school is on fire. Seven students manage to congregate in a classroom on the third floor awaiting rescue. We find the quarterback football star, Ms. Perfect, who is a Senator’s daughter, the tattooed bad boy who very seldom even comes to school, an overweight and bullied girl who is an outsider, another cool football player who has recently come out to his family as gay as well as being mixed race, and finallly a a Muslim boy who deals with the teasing and racial stereotypes from the students. As time progresses we meet each student and find out that they are all dealing with something. When it is made known that one of the students in the school is one of the bombers, it is hard to determine which one it is. They all have issues, they all seem to be on some kind of a mission, yet they all seem to want to get out of the school alive. The story takes place over a few hours with the point of view changing among the six characters by chapter. during a time a few students were in their school when bombs began to explode. It changes the point of view between six main characters that are each still alive and struggling with how to get out of the school. I read this book over a day as I wanted to find out which of these characters was involved in this sinister activity. With all the violence in schools today and people being urged to report behaviour that could become dangerous to others, this book shows us that is not always easy to do. A well written story that leaves you thinking. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
Read
February 21, 2019Zes perspectieven (waarom 6??) en ik had van in het begin meteen door wie de dader was nog voor het begonnen was. Na een snelle vraag aan iemand die het gelezen had (ja of nee?) want ik twijfelde om door te lezen, bleek dat een ja te zijn. Dus ja... Het lijkt me ook erg langdradig en helemaal niet boeiend.
Opgegeven na 56pg.
Opgegeven na 56pg.
January 23, 2018
Full review to come!
March 17, 2018
This was an extremely fast read for me; I flew through ‘Time Bomb’ in a matter of hours, and it almost felt like I was following a similar clock to the one that was ticking away in the book. Six exceedingly different students, not unlike seen with the setup in the movie ‘The Breakfast Club’, find themselves trapped together because of the horrific circumstance of someone having set off bombs at their school (although, conveniently, school isn't quite in session yet, so there aren’t mass casualties).
The wrecked and damaged school that has them stuck inside, suspicious of each other, is a reminder of all the problems that schools represent for schoolchildren today: the gun debate because of the mass shootings inside schools, bullying, kids and their constant need to live up to certain standards, whether it’s their own or others’, unchecked mental illness, prejudice of others based on appearances...and by bringing ALL of this up in the teens’ conversations and through their own perspectives, Charbonneau makes the novel about more than just the bombs going off at this high school. The different stereotypes that the kids all fit into, serve to remind us that, right up until the end, when we find out ‘whodunnit’ all these kids are essentially ticking ‘time bombs’ waiting to go off. If not then, they could at some point. I think it’s easy to focus on the event of the bombs in this book, and kind of ignore that it’s all emblematic of the tumultuouness of teenagehood.
While ‘Time Bomb’ held my attention all the way through, I think this all could have been delved into in a more concrete way, because there were a lot of open doors to explore the hard issues that these teens were going through. Overall though, it’s a definite page-turner as far as the story and action go, with a surprise twist at the end.
The wrecked and damaged school that has them stuck inside, suspicious of each other, is a reminder of all the problems that schools represent for schoolchildren today: the gun debate because of the mass shootings inside schools, bullying, kids and their constant need to live up to certain standards, whether it’s their own or others’, unchecked mental illness, prejudice of others based on appearances...and by bringing ALL of this up in the teens’ conversations and through their own perspectives, Charbonneau makes the novel about more than just the bombs going off at this high school. The different stereotypes that the kids all fit into, serve to remind us that, right up until the end, when we find out ‘whodunnit’ all these kids are essentially ticking ‘time bombs’ waiting to go off. If not then, they could at some point. I think it’s easy to focus on the event of the bombs in this book, and kind of ignore that it’s all emblematic of the tumultuouness of teenagehood.
While ‘Time Bomb’ held my attention all the way through, I think this all could have been delved into in a more concrete way, because there were a lot of open doors to explore the hard issues that these teens were going through. Overall though, it’s a definite page-turner as far as the story and action go, with a surprise twist at the end.
March 14, 2018
Originally Posted on The Nerd Daily | Review by Melissa Platt
Have you ever felt so distraught that you needed to take action? Have you ever wanted to blow something up? Hurt anyone? Well that is what this book is all about.
Time Bomb follows six teenagers, who are going about their daily lives when they get stuck in their school after a bombing. They try to help each other, but things go haywire when they get rocked by more bombs and learn that one of them is helping with the bombings.
This book is highly addictive, and a super easy and quick read (maybe too easy), especially since it covers an incident occurring within a school, which is happening more and more often these days. The book starts off by introducing the reader to each main character, and what their lives are like. Joelle Charbonneau wants the reader to understand how each character feels, and the problems they are going through. With this, you are always trying to guess who the bomber could be, and why, how, etc.
The characters, however, are very stereotypical, but it enhances the book itself because you are always questioning whose problems are so bad that they decided to blow up the school. This aspect really helped make the book amazing because it constantly made you think, which created a bigger connection between the book and the reader.
Another thing that really adds to the book is each character having their own problems and feelings they are going through, but each problem is something very serious that all teenagers face everyday. This was great to see because it brings awareness to the readers that those feelings and problems aren’t wrong, and others feel them too, so talk about it. The book has strong messages throughout its entirety; suicide, being an outsider, bullying, etc.
Time Bomb really does focus on everyday lives and even finds the time to explore relationships. This is kind of funny because who would be thinking about that when you are trapped in a blown-up school, but perhaps it shows the predictability of high school students.
That being said, the rest of the book isn’t predictable. Instead it is intense and fills your mind full of questions, which is a tell-tale sign of a good book. As you read you think it was one person, but then they say or do something and then you’re thinking it has to be someone else. Each chapter is full of surprises and it really gets your heart racing. When things just start to calm down, all of a sudden then just become crazy again, which makes the book very hard to put down.
Most of the chapters are short with an average of six pages per chapter, and while some books in this format can be hard and frustrating to read, it only strengthens the intensity of it. The reason for the short chapters is because they are told from different character’s points of view to really showcase what that character is feeling in the heat of the moment. The short chapters also contribute to the quick easy read it is, which may be a good thing or a bad thing for some, but it does give the book a beginners YA feel.
Despite this, the book was well written. The reader understands what’s going on and feels what the characters are feeling which hooks the reader until the very end. The author also uses quotes at the end of some chapters to help justify what just happened and if you’re like me, any books that have quotes in it receive extra points. But on the other hand, there were some scenes where it was hard to visualise what was going on. However, this may just be the type of situation although sometimes a sentence would be completely different from what you were thinking of and you would get slightly confused for a second.
Overall, this was a fantastic book. Time Bomb was very captivating, and will have readers filled with questions until the very end. It’s a great mix of genres as it’s a mystery, thriller and YA novel all rolled into one. If you’re after a book that will surprise you with every page, then this is the book for you!
Have you ever felt so distraught that you needed to take action? Have you ever wanted to blow something up? Hurt anyone? Well that is what this book is all about.
Time Bomb follows six teenagers, who are going about their daily lives when they get stuck in their school after a bombing. They try to help each other, but things go haywire when they get rocked by more bombs and learn that one of them is helping with the bombings.
This book is highly addictive, and a super easy and quick read (maybe too easy), especially since it covers an incident occurring within a school, which is happening more and more often these days. The book starts off by introducing the reader to each main character, and what their lives are like. Joelle Charbonneau wants the reader to understand how each character feels, and the problems they are going through. With this, you are always trying to guess who the bomber could be, and why, how, etc.
The characters, however, are very stereotypical, but it enhances the book itself because you are always questioning whose problems are so bad that they decided to blow up the school. This aspect really helped make the book amazing because it constantly made you think, which created a bigger connection between the book and the reader.
Another thing that really adds to the book is each character having their own problems and feelings they are going through, but each problem is something very serious that all teenagers face everyday. This was great to see because it brings awareness to the readers that those feelings and problems aren’t wrong, and others feel them too, so talk about it. The book has strong messages throughout its entirety; suicide, being an outsider, bullying, etc.
Time Bomb really does focus on everyday lives and even finds the time to explore relationships. This is kind of funny because who would be thinking about that when you are trapped in a blown-up school, but perhaps it shows the predictability of high school students.
That being said, the rest of the book isn’t predictable. Instead it is intense and fills your mind full of questions, which is a tell-tale sign of a good book. As you read you think it was one person, but then they say or do something and then you’re thinking it has to be someone else. Each chapter is full of surprises and it really gets your heart racing. When things just start to calm down, all of a sudden then just become crazy again, which makes the book very hard to put down.
Most of the chapters are short with an average of six pages per chapter, and while some books in this format can be hard and frustrating to read, it only strengthens the intensity of it. The reason for the short chapters is because they are told from different character’s points of view to really showcase what that character is feeling in the heat of the moment. The short chapters also contribute to the quick easy read it is, which may be a good thing or a bad thing for some, but it does give the book a beginners YA feel.
Despite this, the book was well written. The reader understands what’s going on and feels what the characters are feeling which hooks the reader until the very end. The author also uses quotes at the end of some chapters to help justify what just happened and if you’re like me, any books that have quotes in it receive extra points. But on the other hand, there were some scenes where it was hard to visualise what was going on. However, this may just be the type of situation although sometimes a sentence would be completely different from what you were thinking of and you would get slightly confused for a second.
Overall, this was a fantastic book. Time Bomb was very captivating, and will have readers filled with questions until the very end. It’s a great mix of genres as it’s a mystery, thriller and YA novel all rolled into one. If you’re after a book that will surprise you with every page, then this is the book for you!
March 3, 2020
Tijdbom gaat over vijf tieners die vastzitten in hun school nadat er een paar bommen zijn afgegaan daar. Via een radio komen ze dan te weten dat de aanslagpleger zich nog in het gebouw bevindt. Is het iemand van hen?
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In Tijdbom lees je vanuit de perspectieven van de vijf jongeren. Dit kan op de duur wel wat verwarring scheppen, een paar perspectieven minder mocht wel. Maar langs de andere kant, het is zo wel dat je je blijft afvragen: "Wie is het dan wel?". Dit is wat dubbel.
Verder leest dit boek echt zeer vlotjes en had ik het ook heel snel uit. Charbonneau heeft een aangename schrijfstijl waardoor je jezelf wat verliest in het boek. Ik heb me op geen enkel moment verveeld gevoeld!
Wie de dader is, zag ik persoonlijk niet echt aankomen. Pas bij een bepaalde scène meer naar het einde toe, had ik het dan wel door.
Dit boek geef ik 4 sterren omdat het toch wel zeer spannend is en ik deze aanraad aan iedereen die houdt van een spannende YA thriller!
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In Tijdbom lees je vanuit de perspectieven van de vijf jongeren. Dit kan op de duur wel wat verwarring scheppen, een paar perspectieven minder mocht wel. Maar langs de andere kant, het is zo wel dat je je blijft afvragen: "Wie is het dan wel?". Dit is wat dubbel.
Verder leest dit boek echt zeer vlotjes en had ik het ook heel snel uit. Charbonneau heeft een aangename schrijfstijl waardoor je jezelf wat verliest in het boek. Ik heb me op geen enkel moment verveeld gevoeld!
Wie de dader is, zag ik persoonlijk niet echt aankomen. Pas bij een bepaalde scène meer naar het einde toe, had ik het dan wel door.
Dit boek geef ik 4 sterren omdat het toch wel zeer spannend is en ik deze aanraad aan iedereen die houdt van een spannende YA thriller!
November 7, 2017
This book is going to stay with me for a long time. It's the kind of story you want to discuss with as many people as possible and that you can't stop thinking about. A very sensitive and thought-provoking exploration of difficult themes, featuring relateable characters and a narrative it's difficult to put down.
Things which particularly stood out for me:
- The main cluster of characters. All of them represented different high-school tropes, but they had depth to them e.g the intersectionality of Tad's mixed race heritage and struggles with recently coming out as gay. Rashid's story was particularly heart-breaking for me and his interactions with Tad were some of my favourite in the book.
- The identity of the bomber was possible to guess and their reasons made sense in a twisted kind of way, which made the ending all the more heartbreaking, especially when juxtaposed with all the destruction which had happened in the school.
- The ending. Everything wasn't all magically solved when the bomber was found and the teenagers' problems didn't just go away. That did leave me wanting more (especially about Frankie and the relationship between Diana and Tim), but it felt more realistic and honest as a response to what had happened.
Definitely the book to read if you want an exploration of society and schools' responses to the threat of terror attacks, not to mention the darker side of high school and growing up.
I received this book an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Things which particularly stood out for me:
- The main cluster of characters. All of them represented different high-school tropes, but they had depth to them e.g the intersectionality of Tad's mixed race heritage and struggles with recently coming out as gay. Rashid's story was particularly heart-breaking for me and his interactions with Tad were some of my favourite in the book.
- The identity of the bomber was possible to guess and their reasons made sense in a twisted kind of way, which made the ending all the more heartbreaking, especially when juxtaposed with all the destruction which had happened in the school.
- The ending. Everything wasn't all magically solved when the bomber was found and the teenagers' problems didn't just go away. That did leave me wanting more (especially about Frankie and the relationship between Diana and Tim), but it felt more realistic and honest as a response to what had happened.
Definitely the book to read if you want an exploration of society and schools' responses to the threat of terror attacks, not to mention the darker side of high school and growing up.
I received this book an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 19, 2019
I really like YA mystery and thriller narratives, so Time Bomb was exactly what I was looking for and it is easily one of the best of the genre that I have read so far.
The story was incredibly enjoyable and gripping from the very beginning. The way the narrative engages with current debates surrounding prejudice and stereotyping was especially interesting and handled very well. The chapters were short, which kept the story fast paced and engaging. Although I really liked the way the narrative ended, it did feel a little fast and I would have been more than happy for the novel to have been longer so the ending could have been more developed.
I do not want to say too much about the characters, but they each had interesting stories and characteristics. Everyone is a potential suspect, which I loved as it made it difficult to trust anyone. Initially, I was a little worried about the large number of main characters but they were each handled incredibly well so none of them felt left out or one dimensional.
YA mystery and thriller narratives are fast becoming some of my favourite novels to read, and Time Bomb was no different. I loved the intrigue and suspense created throughout the narrative, and the characters were fascinating too. Simply put, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
The story was incredibly enjoyable and gripping from the very beginning. The way the narrative engages with current debates surrounding prejudice and stereotyping was especially interesting and handled very well. The chapters were short, which kept the story fast paced and engaging. Although I really liked the way the narrative ended, it did feel a little fast and I would have been more than happy for the novel to have been longer so the ending could have been more developed.
I do not want to say too much about the characters, but they each had interesting stories and characteristics. Everyone is a potential suspect, which I loved as it made it difficult to trust anyone. Initially, I was a little worried about the large number of main characters but they were each handled incredibly well so none of them felt left out or one dimensional.
YA mystery and thriller narratives are fast becoming some of my favourite novels to read, and Time Bomb was no different. I loved the intrigue and suspense created throughout the narrative, and the characters were fascinating too. Simply put, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it.
Rating - 4/5
★★★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
January 24, 2018
I really enjoying Charbonneau's The Testing trilogy, so I had high hopes for this one. I'm not sure why but for some reason I found myself not interested or invested in the characters or the story, which literally was explosive. It has the elements to be great: bomb at a high school, high stakes, several people with different backgrounds and unsure who is responsible. I think partly it's because this is not my kind of read. I like more depth to my characters and more of a character arc. There weren't really any twists to the story except for finding the one that was responsible. It reminds me of the slasher/horror YA but with a different setting, which I'm not a huge fan of unless there's a better hook and better characters. Overall, a decent read, but I wasn't riveted to the page.
March 15, 2018
For such an explosive topic (literally), Time Bomb failed to keep me invested. For one, there are too many POVs. Yes, when there is subject matter such as this, needing to get the feel for each character's mindset is a must. This story had too many times to get the flow right, and failed. With all that's going on in this story, I could have really used some transparency. It was hard to love any one character, and to be honest, for such a story, I felt bored nearly all the way through. I give these 3 stars for the effort it took to even hash out so many POVs. I didn't even feel the slightest sadness. I should have been bawling my eyes out!
February 14, 2018
Imagine One of Us Is Lying meets The Breakfast Club and chuck in some bombs and this is what you get!
The narrative is split between 6 characters, all defined and distinctive, and all with their own secrets and personal agendas. It was interesting to see how their revelations played out and his their relationships developed.
Ive not read any of the authors work before but I enjoyed this so I certainly will in future, I especially liked how fast paced this was as it kept me gripped and I read it in one go.
It’d make a very good film.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
The narrative is split between 6 characters, all defined and distinctive, and all with their own secrets and personal agendas. It was interesting to see how their revelations played out and his their relationships developed.
Ive not read any of the authors work before but I enjoyed this so I certainly will in future, I especially liked how fast paced this was as it kept me gripped and I read it in one go.
It’d make a very good film.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
March 14, 2018
The whodunit part of the story unfolding had me completely biting my nails. The fact that these teens had to rely on each other when they knew one of them was responsible for the bombing is intense!
March 29, 2023
Def not my favorite book but highly entertaining. Some of the characters got annoying though.
May 9, 2018
I little predictable but still enjoyable and very human. It was very believable
October 28, 2017
Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.
Time Bomb is the second book I'm reading from Joelle Charbonneau and I'm once again enamored by how talented she is. Her writing is so transcendent it's like the words come alive and she proves herself a master storyteller once more with Time Bomb.
Time Bomb is about a group of High School students who get stuck in the second floor of their school when a bomb goes off, Then they find out that one of them is the bomber and another bomb remains. Not only are they going to have to strive to survive, they also have to figure it before it's too late.
The story begins on the morning of the incident.
The students its about are:
1)Diana, the daughter of the Congressman who has always had to be perfect and a good model to other teens. She's never had a friend and her father doesn't really have much time for her along with her controlling stepmother. Diana was quite desperate to prove to her father that she can be of use to him than being picture perfect and sitting still and looking pretty.
2)Rashid is a Muslim boy/geek who has a hard time fitting in with peers due to his faith and the fact that high school students can at time just be cruel. He never had the courage to face them but he knew something had to change.
3)Z is a boy who lost his mother to cancer and just got kicked out by his crappy landlord, He pushed everyone away and retreated into himself except his friend Kaitlin who never deserted him. Z was angry at everything and everyone finally decided to take a huge step.
4)Tad is a closeted jock (in school at least) who hooked up with another fellow jock over the summer but is now being ignored. He also came out to his family a few months ago but ever since then, things have been awkward between them. He was tired of being ignored and treated like that so he chose to do something about it.
5)Cas is an overweight girl who has become somewhat of a social pariah due to the way she looks, vicious rumors spread about her and embarrassing incidents from her previous school on the web. Cas has endured the snide comments, the judging looks, the bullying and the disconnect with her family. But she was done being the punching bag and everything was going to change for good.
6)Frankie is the Quarterback who is deeply entrenched in secrets. He's planning something huge but he's relying on the fact that the school needs him for suspicion to be cast away from him. He's a character whose motivations are purposely ambiguous so he's kinda hard to figure out but that's what makes this fun, The DRAMA.
These six teenagers go through a life changing horrifying event, While it's a terrible situation, I have to admit, Time Bomb is absolutely riveting and compelling. Not once did I feel like putting it down, I blew through the pages at a feverish pace, devouring the words like a starved woman.
One interesting things about this book is that all the main characters are suspects, they all have the motive to commit such an offence. But piecing (or at least trying to and failing) the puzzle together and figuring out who did it kept me on the edge of my seat. It could literally be any of them.
But it's not just a story of Who is It?. It's more than that, it's deeply personal as it deals with acceptance, self esteem, sexuality, suicide, anger, bullying, religion and how important it is to be seen and heard. Time Bomb will resonate with a lot of readers as we will find a bit of ourselves in some of these characters, I commend the author for making them so relatable. High School is a tough time and this book deals with the toll it takes on teenager, It's the little unnoticeable things that matter.
The moments before the end propelled the storyline towards a powerful and emotional ending. Knowing who the bomber was ended up not being too surprising but the motives behind the action was heart wrenching. In the end, they were all not the people that entered their High School that morning. They have all fundamentally changed and that experience will either make or break them.
I was satisfied with the conclusion of this book and I really wish every reader out there will pick it up, Joelle Charbonneau has outdone herself.
I happily and eagerly recommend this book to everyone because it's just too mesmerising.
P.S: The raw emotions displayed drove me to tears so have tissues nearby.
Time Bomb is the second book I'm reading from Joelle Charbonneau and I'm once again enamored by how talented she is. Her writing is so transcendent it's like the words come alive and she proves herself a master storyteller once more with Time Bomb.
Time Bomb is about a group of High School students who get stuck in the second floor of their school when a bomb goes off, Then they find out that one of them is the bomber and another bomb remains. Not only are they going to have to strive to survive, they also have to figure it before it's too late.
The story begins on the morning of the incident.
The students its about are:
1)Diana, the daughter of the Congressman who has always had to be perfect and a good model to other teens. She's never had a friend and her father doesn't really have much time for her along with her controlling stepmother. Diana was quite desperate to prove to her father that she can be of use to him than being picture perfect and sitting still and looking pretty.
2)Rashid is a Muslim boy/geek who has a hard time fitting in with peers due to his faith and the fact that high school students can at time just be cruel. He never had the courage to face them but he knew something had to change.
3)Z is a boy who lost his mother to cancer and just got kicked out by his crappy landlord, He pushed everyone away and retreated into himself except his friend Kaitlin who never deserted him. Z was angry at everything and everyone finally decided to take a huge step.
4)Tad is a closeted jock (in school at least) who hooked up with another fellow jock over the summer but is now being ignored. He also came out to his family a few months ago but ever since then, things have been awkward between them. He was tired of being ignored and treated like that so he chose to do something about it.
5)Cas is an overweight girl who has become somewhat of a social pariah due to the way she looks, vicious rumors spread about her and embarrassing incidents from her previous school on the web. Cas has endured the snide comments, the judging looks, the bullying and the disconnect with her family. But she was done being the punching bag and everything was going to change for good.
6)Frankie is the Quarterback who is deeply entrenched in secrets. He's planning something huge but he's relying on the fact that the school needs him for suspicion to be cast away from him. He's a character whose motivations are purposely ambiguous so he's kinda hard to figure out but that's what makes this fun, The DRAMA.
These six teenagers go through a life changing horrifying event, While it's a terrible situation, I have to admit, Time Bomb is absolutely riveting and compelling. Not once did I feel like putting it down, I blew through the pages at a feverish pace, devouring the words like a starved woman.
One interesting things about this book is that all the main characters are suspects, they all have the motive to commit such an offence. But piecing (or at least trying to and failing) the puzzle together and figuring out who did it kept me on the edge of my seat. It could literally be any of them.
But it's not just a story of Who is It?. It's more than that, it's deeply personal as it deals with acceptance, self esteem, sexuality, suicide, anger, bullying, religion and how important it is to be seen and heard. Time Bomb will resonate with a lot of readers as we will find a bit of ourselves in some of these characters, I commend the author for making them so relatable. High School is a tough time and this book deals with the toll it takes on teenager, It's the little unnoticeable things that matter.
The moments before the end propelled the storyline towards a powerful and emotional ending. Knowing who the bomber was ended up not being too surprising but the motives behind the action was heart wrenching. In the end, they were all not the people that entered their High School that morning. They have all fundamentally changed and that experience will either make or break them.
I was satisfied with the conclusion of this book and I really wish every reader out there will pick it up, Joelle Charbonneau has outdone herself.
I happily and eagerly recommend this book to everyone because it's just too mesmerising.
P.S: The raw emotions displayed drove me to tears so have tissues nearby.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 922 reviews