Not If I See You First
Eric Lindstrom
1 ratings • 1 reviews
Not If I See You First
Eric Lindstrom
1 ratings • 1 reviews
The Rules Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public. Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me. Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter. Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react - shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened - both with Scott, and her dad - the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken. Combining a fiercely engaging voice with true heart, debut author Eric Lindstrom's Not If I See You First illuminates those blind spots that we all have in life, whether visually impaired or not.
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I read this in two settings because I could NOT put it down!
Parker is super interesting and snarky, crazy smart, determined and witty, I loved her and cared about her immediately.
I don't have any blind or visually impaired friends, so I found The Rules to be fascinating and also how Parker has to navigate constantly in her life. I've seen cringe-y interactions with hard of hearing/deaf people, so it was easy to totally believe what Parker encountered and then some (example: kids asked her how she would know she was awake in the mornings after she'd gone blind...).
I'd say the two main elements about this book that made it so awesome to me was 1) Parker is such a bad-ass sarcastic vulnerable person, I loved her to pieces, and 2) that this book felt so REAL. Parker encounters stupid people who don't know how to interact with her, she has a couple close friends and even they aren't perfect regarding her blindness all the time. She has friends who are less close, she has totally normal conversations with smart, cool kids and also stilted awkward misunderstandings with the guy she has a crush on, independent of her lack of vision. Parker has her own struggles and yet is actively trying to better herself, and I thought she took real joy in the moments she could.
Parker has best friends, close friends, friends, acquaintances, an ex and current new crush; she experiences a date, a mini fight with her best friend, a bit of a mental break-down, a majorly vulnerable moment of confession, and moments of triumph too; she doesn't always get along with her family and also learns a lot about putting herself in other's shoes--reexamining past hurts and trying to better herself. A lot of books don't have all these elements, especially delivered loaded with emotion and wit. Her clever sarcasm gives Parker a great voice and allows her to shine, and for me to love her.
I totally identified with her craving for touch, that really struck a chord.
I also am happy that she didn't push Scott, that though it was implied at the end that he wants her too that there wasn't a big resolution on that front. I thought each of them were very mature in acknowledging what they'd had in the past and mature in trying to be respectful of the other's feelings and choices--to take the time and put in the work to make sure they would not hurt either themselves or the other.
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