[.ca] Sharing Sam (ISBN 0385901739)

a classic in it's own right:
I love this book, i honestly can't say enough good things about it. I've had it since it came out orignaly in 95 and I've read it about 10 times since. My copy is in bad shape cause of this. The story line just drags me in every time, and i just keep getting lost in it through I know what happens at the end. And everytime i get to the end I cry. It's just such a sweet story about what bestfriends will do for each other when one of them is dying. A must read for any romantic, no matter if your a die-hard romantic or one who just enjoys a good romance every once in awhile. A MUST READ.

Unusual and Beautiful:
The quality of this novel is far beyond most romance novels, including those meant for adults. This is a very touching story that makes you ask yourself what you'd be willing to do for a friend. This is one of those novels that you just have to share with a friend or two.

Too complicated and Sad!:
As a reader of over 85 romance novels-this has got to be one of the worst written! It took me a month to read this when,usually it takes me 2,sometimes 1 day! I dreaded reading this book-I even read other books before resuming to it again! Having your best friend who is sick love the same guy as you? Having to give up your lover for a friend?! How complicated and sad! Atleast I'm lenient enough to give two stars when, in reality,this book deserves none!

Sam is dead:
That is exactlywhat the last words in the book should of said. To me, sam seemed to come of as fuzzy, dull, dumb, and easily pushed when complimenting his huge ego. Alison seems to drone on inaturally, as though the author is bumbling around in the dark searching for what its like to be a teen again. The emotional loss seems out of touch and imatated assumed childish feelings. This book seemed to stroke half of the characters egos, and kill off the other half. Dont read.

Not as good as it could have been.:
"Sharing Sam" is a beautiful tale of sacrificing love for friendship. In almost every scene Applegate delicately includes some kind of metaphor to drive home the messages of the book. Sometimes her use of imagery is so subtle, you only notice it after a second or third reading. In that respect, this is definitely a superior young adult romance novel. But having read some of Applegate's other work ("Animorphs," "EverWorld," "Boyfriends and Girlfriends" a.k.a. "Making Out") I know that this is not the best she could do. Everything else Applegate has written has provided me with realistic, three-dimensional characters that leap off the page and stay with me for years afterward. But Alison Chapman is a *severely* under-developed character, and Sam Cody seems just a little too perfect. (Even the hunks of Chatham Island had their flaws.) Isabella showed potential for being a more memorable character, but Applegate just didn't flesh her - or anyone else - out enough. Which disappointed me a lot, because I wanted to learn more about the girl who gave her first love to her best friend. Besides the fact that she owns a horse, Alison seems to be the Average Teenager, with no unique character traits. Shouldn't we know the most about the narrator, seeing as how she's the one telling the story? But despite the lousy characterization, I'd still recommend this book to anyone.