Hello?

There are so many different openings I came up with to review Liza Wiemer’s miracle of a novel, “Hello?”, yet not one of them really works.I thought of the REM song lyric, “Everybody hurts, sometimes.” In “Hello?”, everybody hurts at some point or another. Sometimes, it’s because of their own actions—a missed signal given or acted upon, a lie left to fester too long. Other times, the hurt comes from the death of a most-cherished loved one, or memories of long-ago wounds. Still others hurt because they don’t know how to relate to their loved ones’ pain—or when, simply, to give them the space and time they need to sort out their feelings.I thought, too, of a really nasty curveball. In baseball, a great curveball comes out of the pitcher’s hand, and it looks so incredibly enticing—OMG, this guy made a mistake! I’m going to smash this into the cheap seats—then, right at the point the batter swings, the ball breaks sharply downward, and bat misses ball by a ridiculous margin. “Hello?” is full of curveballs. Liza Wiemer’s characters all have their secrets and scars (some scars metaphorical, others corporeal). When some of her characters think they know another’s truth, there’s the sharp break, and they’re off by a mile.Similarly, as readers, we are kept back on our heels, as curveball after curveball leaps up at us from the page. Practically every time we know just what a person has been through or why they behave a certain way, there it is, and we’re left wide-eyed, wondering how we could’ve been so badly fooled.This isn’t authorial trickery, though. It’s our own fault for expecting people—and characters—to be so easily predictable and shallow, that we can properly assume what lurks beneath their respective surfaces. We know the clichés: the good-hearted, nice-guy jock, the unruly party girl, the emo outsider, the emotionally stunted sad girl. We know them all so well, but “Hello?” chips through these veneers, and shows us what we so rarely see: the insecurities and desperation to be understood that lurks around dark corners in each of our hearts. It is a tribute to Ms. Wiemer that her writing peels back these layers, so we can see in her characters those same emotions and feelings most of us try to hide.The image I finally settled upon as best representing “Hello?” is the Olympic Rings. Five rings, interconnected into one symbol.Indeed, “Hello?” has five main characters, all of them high school seniors. There’s Tricia, who just lost her grandmother, her last surviving relative, and her only link to her past. Emerson is a popular jock and excellent student, whose heart holds a terrible guilt he’s incapable of releasing. Angie has secrets so dark she can only express her thoughts through her poetry journal. Brian is a potter, a hugely talented artist, who sets his own life aside for his best friend, a choice that hurts them both. Brenda is a brilliant actress and screenplay writer, who is most comfortable seeing herself in the third-person, as if she were a character in her own drama.These five lives intersect in some ways that are predictable—students at the same small high school would obviously know each other, for example—but it’s the serendipitous way other circles connect that makes “Hello?” such a joy to read.GOD, there are so many things I would love to write about “Hello?”, but spoilers. “Hello?” deserves for each reader to approach it without any preconceived notions, able to savor every nuance and twist with fresh eyes.At the end of the day, The Universe has an odd way of working things out, and what begins with a tearful, late night, wrong number phone call, can somehow end up with a hugely satisfying resolution. The Universe has a bitch of a curveball. So does Liza Wiemer. “Hello?” is a beautiful, intelligent, unpredictable ride.Take it.Most Highly Recommended

I loved this book and could not put it down. I really liked the fact that the different characters had different styles of narration and felt it made the book very easy to quickly get invested in the story and distinguish between the characters. Every young adult, and everyone for that matter can identify with at least one of the characters. This should be a must read for every high school student to create a platform to discuss friendship. love, loss and hope. For that matter, everyone who reads the book of any age, will enjoy this beautifully written tapestry of intertwining characters facing universal challenges.

I absolutely loved this book. I actually bought this book as a gift for my 13 year old son but selfishly I wanted to read it too... and I'm so glad I did! As a busy mom of 3, I have very little free time for myself, and I could not wait to sneak in as much time as I could so I could read this book. It was worth every penny and minute I spent on it. I absolutely loved the characters and how Liza Wiemer weaved their stories together. Each character's POV was presented in their own personal style which I thought was clever and very refreshing. Most importantly - I admire how the author addresses some very serious yet realistic situations that kids - especially teenagers - may face in school and among their peers. I think I'm finally ready to share this book with my son - unless I read it again :)To Ms. Wiemer - Thank you for bringing those issues to light, offering various perspectives on how to address them via your characters, and offering resources for those who may need help. I cannot wait to read more from you! Keep them coming!

Some times when I see a book and read the blurb I just know this is the next book I have to read. That happened with "All the Bright Places" and its one of my most treasured reads. That is happened with Hello? I knew this book was going to be epic, I knew I was going to love it and I knew that I would still be thinking about it once I finished it. I read this book straight through, all 400+ pages, I couldn't stop. So at 5am when my sleepy eyes read the last word I smiled and knew it was worth it. While I love my dystopian series, vampires, kick ass female heroines, and sultry contemporary couples I find the best books, the ones that touch my heart are the ones that deal with the realistic story lines. Ones that touch on subject that hit home with many readers. While most books concentrates on one subject like bullying, suicide, OCD, this book touched on many different scenarios. It centers around five characters that each are dealing with their own crisis, all these characters are strung together and one phone call begins a ripple effect that will change each of their future. These characters are written so eloquently and the story is heartbreaking beautiful. I defiantly shed some tears throughout this story and I hurt when the characters hurt. The way the chapters were written was different and I really loved it. It reflected each characters personality and helped me to be closer to them. The great unknown factor was heartwarming even more so because we get to see the effect it has on the characters Tricia and Emmerson, making you ponder does everything happen for a reason, is there such a thing as fate? The author has expressed that this story hits close to home and you can tell, she writes with such care for her characters hoping to provide a peaceful future for them , for her. The way the book ends is full of hope for a better future for these beloved characters and while I would pine for a sequel I don't know if that would be fitting. A second book would need a conflict to create a story and I want to watch these character blossom in my mind happy, content and for once in their fictional existence, full of possibilities.If you haven't guessed I highly recommend this book , and if there isn't a movie in the works they should definite consider it following the footsteps of "if I stay", 'All the Bright Places" and "White Oleander". Happy reading my Goodreads family !