Leaving Paradise: 10th Anniversary Edition

It's not just a teenagers book, it's a book for all ages, something for people to really think about...

Love Simone Elkeles' books!

This book takes you on a huge emotional roller coaster and is honestly a great book. The storyline is great though, predictable of course. Despite that, I truly loved this book. I definitely recommend this book and its sequel.

Leaving Paradise By Simone Elkeles You have a best friend, you leave a party drunk, you get behind the wheel of a car, you hit someone, your sister looses her best friend because of it, and you go to jail. Imagine how your family feels. After 9 months you come home, your sister has changed; you want your life back to normal. You hate the big change that happened within 9 months. You wish this never happened. But there is one secret no one knows. There's one secret that might change everything. When I read this book I felt the pain that Maggie felt. I felt how much Caleb wanted his life back. I knew how his family was feeling. When I read leaving paradise I felt like I was in the book, living every part of it. I really loved this book; it had my attention through the whole book. I don't think I will ever have this book out of my head. I would recommend this book to someone who likes books about the truth in the world, and how there's not always happen ending in the world. Also I would recommend it to the people that like exploring the power of friendship. -Brooke R.

it was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Maggie and caleb's love is one of the most heartbreaking things you will ever see. Great book overall

Two very different people are joined together by the most common yet dreadful experience. Both live in the town of Paradise, but for them it is nothing like the name. Caleb Becker had spent time in juvenile detention for the crime of driving while intoxicated and accidentally hitting someone with his car. And now that he has done his time, Caleb is able to go home to his family and his girlfriend, if they are still together. But for Caleb, returning to Paradise isn't so easy. His mother is trying to act like nothing has happened, his sister hardly talks to anyone and has went from prep to goth, and his dad is just there. Maggie Armstrong was that innocent person that Caleb hit, and she's been living in her own prison, the hospital. Trying to get back her life, Maggie has been trying her best to walk right again. But during those times, the people who Maggie thought were her friends began to grow apart from her. It's bad enough that her mother is trying to make ends meet and trying to make Maggie happy, but since Paradise isn't such a big town, there's a greater chance of Maggie running into Caleb. For Caleb, it's much easier for him to gain his life back, since he was always the popular one -- but for Maggie, she's closer to the outside. But the one thing they both truly needed wasn't their old friends or their old lives, but each other. That one incident, that one thing that affected both of them, each in a different way, has caused a strong connection between them that they would never be able to ignore. LEAVING PARADISE was honestly an amazing story, and was wonderfully written to where whoever reads it will not be able to get the story out of their head. Simone Elkeles, author of the highly acclaimed How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, has switched gears and made an issue that is so common her own and very unique. The relationship between Caleb and Maggie was so real and extremely heartwarming, and the ways that they struggled to continue their lives, both individually and together, makes you wonder if you are able to be as strong as they are. This is another wonderful novel from Simone Elkeles, and I cannot wait to read her future publications. Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

LEAVING PARADISE is a heart-felt read, from start to finish. With a captivating premise, twists and turns, and characters who leap off the page, Simone Elkeles delivers a touching and original tale about love, redemption and second chances. I loved this book, and recommend it highly!

I read this book a few weeks ago and I have to tell you: I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. The story itself is simple: two people, bonded together by a tragedy, shunned by the rest of the world, who turn to each other. The execution is anything but simple. Caleb and Maggie are both complex, real people who you in-turn, love and get infuriated at. They are people, not characters. This events are something that can actually happen, not just story. The ending is satisfying, a real ending, not a contrived, happy one. I feel like I can pick up the paper and read about an incident like this today, that's how real this story is. Maggie's good-girl and Caleb's bad-boy personalties are an immediate catalyst for a lot of great conflict, misunderstandings and of course, excellent chemistry. I can see this becoming a movie...it has that kind of lasting visual impressions. Maggie's hopes and dreams of leaving Paradise behind and Caleb's hopes of a "normal" life with his family, girlfriend and "the guys" are dashed quickly in the story. You realize that these people don't have anyone who understands them. Their story together is haunting and devastating and you feel your heart break for these two teenagers who have looked things in the eye that most adults would have a hard time with. I loved the alternatiing points of view...one chapter I hated Caleb and felt so sorry for Maggie, the next chapter I HATED Kendra and felt sorry for Caleb...my emotions were in a turmoil throughout this story. Like all great books, i read this in one sitting and all I have to say is: WELL DONE Ms. Elkeles. This is not your standard fluffy HS adventure. This is what happens when HS goes wrong, leaving behind repurcussions that last a lifetime. I read this book and Jodi Picoult's NINETEEN MINUTES around the same time. The themes are similar...when ordinary people go very wrong. I loved both...and I will not call Simone, the Jodi Picoult of YA. Thanks for the great read Simone. I hope we see Maggie and Caleb again one day :)