Tilt
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Poetry, Romance
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
My Rating:
Summary:
Mikayla is sure she’s found the love her parents seem to have lost, but is suddenly weighing nearly impossible choices in the wake of dashed expectations. Shane has come out, unwilling to lie anymore about who he is, but finds himself struggling to keep it all under control in the face of first love and a horrific loss. Harley, a good girl just seeking new experiences, never expects to hurtle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.
Inspired by teen characters first introduced in her adult novel, Triangles, Ellen Hopkins crafts a wrenching story that explores the ways we each find the strength we need to hold on when our world’s been tilted completely off its axis.
First Sentence: Completely off its axis the night I hooked up with Dylan Douglas.
My Review:
As usual, Ellen Hopkins manages to engage, entertain, and [sort of] terrify readers with the harsh realities of life and the consequences of the decisions we teenagers make. Tilt is a book that managed to make me hate a particular character so strongly, but, at the same time, understand their position. It made me feel conflicted about life, but at the same time, know, or hope, that I wouldn’t ever make these decisions that the teenagers in Tilt did. (Ellen Hopkins is well known for doing that to me.)
Tilt focuses on teenage pregnancy, HIV, drugs, sex, and suicide. Mikayla and her boyfriend Dylan has been dating for awhile, and with one simple little mistake, she ends up pregnant. Shane is gay, has finally found love, but his partner Alex has HIV. To make matters worse, his little sister, Shelby, would be facing death soon. Harley is fourteen years old and just wants to stand out.
Let me start with who frustrated and angered me so much, but I could understand their position at the same time: Dylan. A huge part of me is angry that he can just get rid of Mikayla like that just because she wants to keep the baby and another part of me knows that it would happen eventually anyway since he half-cheated on her when she was grounded and unable to see him. At the same time (I hate myself for feeling this way), I understand his position. If I was Dylan and got my girlfriend pregnant, I would also insist on not taking any responsibility and leave her when she refused to get an abortion. However, I would not dump her and go out with my ex-girlfriend the next day. Boys.
Thank god Mikayla has Tyler. The only problem is, would she still be blind about Dylan’s so-called “love” and end up pushing Tyler away? Only the sequel, if there would ever be one, can tell.
The character that’s way beyond redemption in my opinion? Harley. To sum up her drama all in a single sentence, it’s basically this: fourteen-year-old Harley desperately craves for attention. All the ways she acts out is for someone to notice her. Her makeover, her trying weed, her hanging out with Lucas; she just wants someone to pay attention to her. I frankly think she fully deserved what she got. You can’t expect to do something and expect there to be no consequences for your actions. If the world was that way, people would be robbing banks and killing off people left and right. I may sound heartless, but Harley should know a lot better.
I’ll definitely read Triangle, Ellen Hopkin’s other book, that tells the story of the teen’s parents. Many things weren’t clear about their parents in Tilt, and I want to find out what exactly happened and what they are thinking.
OMG I love Ellen Hopkins. Thank you for sharing your review! I bought this book a while back and just have not made it to the book yet. I am really excited about starting it though. I fell in love with her writing when a read Crank. This was probably one of my all time favorite series. I have not seen or heard of Triangle so thank you for sharing this title with me. I will def start looking for it so I can read them both together!
Ahh, you’ll definitely love this one Ashley! :D<3
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – April Genevieve Tucholke
I have never been able to get into an Ellen Hopkins book. Maybe I am just an idiot, but I just can’t get into it the way it’s written like poetry. They always sound really great, but then I pick it up and look inside and change my mind. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
Ellen Hopkins’ books are not poetry though, you read them like any other normal book. Ellen Hopkins’ book format turned me off too at first because I thought it was poetry, but it’s not. You read her books like they are any other normal book.
Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: This Song Will Save Your Life – Leila Sales
It’s adult novel i think, umm. Like your review:)
No, Tilt is for young adults. :P
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – April Genevieve Tucholke
Tilt made me want to read Triangles, too. I really liked it but I felt a lot of details were missing. Which is funny because it looks so long. Glad you enjoyed it. I love Ellen Hopkins and I totally agree with your opening paragraph(:
Joanna V recently posted…No, Not Again
I still have to read Triangles! I’ve had it for around 8 months and I still haven’t started it yet. :l
Really? I got a pretty good idea of everything while I was reading Tilt. o:
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
I guess I just wanted confirmation with what was going on with the parents. It wasn’t really the focus of the book, so I understand why it didn’t go into detail. Everything having to do with the kids I got. It was crazy and unbelievable, but still believable, ya know?
Joanna V recently posted…COVER REVEAL: Finding Joy by Jenni Moen