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    Leaving Paradise
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    Leaving Paradise
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    Leaving Paradise
    Audiobook7 hours

    Leaving Paradise

    Written by Simone Elkeles

    Narrated by Nicholas Mondelli and Elizabeth Cottle

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    About this audiobook

    Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad - her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares - has been canceled.

    After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free...if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

    Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak". Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

    ©2007 Simone Elkeles (P)2014 Dreamscape Media, LLC

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateMar 4, 2014
    ISBN9781629233062
    Author

    Simone Elkeles

    Simone Elkeles is the author of Leaving Paradise and four other Flux novels, including How to Ruin Your Summer Vacation and How to Ruin Your Boyfriend’s Repuation. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Rules of Attraction (Walker). A popular speaker at libraries around the country, when the author is not writing she TiVos reality television and watches teen movies. She lives near Chicago with her family and two dogs.

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    Reviews for Leaving Paradise

    4/5

    40 ratings31 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A gritty story about pain, regret, forgiveness and loyalty. Ekeles writes with honesty and shows how one mistake can have devastating consequences on two families, their friendships and their lives. I liked how both Caleb and Maggie told the story as it allowed the reader to see their reactions to the same event, share their pain and watch them grow. An enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      I've had this one sitting on my shelf for over a year now. I picked it up last night after I finished unpacking to help me relax and I am so glad that I did! i literally couldn't put it down.

      The chapters switch back and forth between Caleb and Maggie's point of view and we get to see just how the accident has affected both of them. With Maggie going through multiple surguries and physical therapy over the last year and Caleb being granted early release from the juvenile detention center, we get to see how being thrown back into high school affects them both.

      Caleb was your average good looking jock, while Maggie was Caleb's twin sisters best friend and popular by default and her ability on the tennis court. A year later and everything has changed, Maggie is no longer popular, no longer star of the tennis court and she walks with a limp. Caleb, is now an ex-con and while his old friends don't seem to have a problem welcoming him back into the fold, they keep bringing up the accident, the one thing he really wants to forget about.

      Maggie and Caleb run into each other a few times, and while Maggie is terrified of him, due to old nightmares and just the fact that he ran her over with his car, Caleb really wants her to forgive him. He paid his debt to society and now just wants to be free. They try to avoide each other as much as possible, but living in a small town and going to the same high school makes that hard for both of them.

      When they end up working together at this old lady's house they start to grow closer. Both of them think that it is a bad idea, though they can't seem to not be drawn to each other. Things come to a head and they "split" up. Caleb ends up finishing the work he was assigned and completing his community srevice requirements, which gets him released. Things at home are not great for him, and we learn a secret that really changes EVERYTHING, but Caleb continues to guard this secret and ends up leaving home and Paradise. Maggie realizes what happened the night of the accident, but doesn't let it change things. The ending really has me wishing that I had the next book, and I am anxiously awaiting getting it in my addicted little hands!
    • 2/5
      2.2 Stars

      The start to the book was great. I liked Caleb and Maggie's slow, grudging relationship that eventually blossomed into a romance despite their best efforts to remain attacker and victim. But a lot of the "plot twists" were silly and unnecessary. Also, I think this story could've so very easily have been wrapped up in one novel, but instead the ending feels cheap and rushed as the reader is thrown a totally transparent hook for a sequel.

      Sorry, I'm not buying it.
    • 3/5
      *spoilers*
      Okay, the book was 4/5 stars until the last chapter, which earned it a 2/5 stars. I typically try to stay away from sad books because I’m already sad. If you don’t want a sad ending, skip the book.
    • 5/5
      I was amazed at how quickly I lost myself in this book. I had tried to read Perfect Chemistry by Elkeles and couldn't get into the story. But the two characters in this story were real and extraordinary at the same time.

      I appreciated Elkeles didn't have the characters fall into each others arms in the end. She left room for growth and healing. And, of course, a sequel.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book, Simone Elkeles is growing higher on my favorite authors! I read this right after White Cat, so the male mind was just further explored. Simohe Elkeles, creates realistic characters in this story where not everything has gone their way. That their paths are not easy to go, just like real life there are trials, bumps in the road. Caleb is coming out of DOC and trying to pick up his life before he was locked up for a hit and run on his twin sister (leah) best friend (Maggie). When he comes back he finds out that his small town has been turned upside and no one is excatly how they were when he left. Just at a time where he needs a support line his friends aren't there for him, his family is just a shell of what they use to be. With the help of an elderly lady brings him and the struggling Maggie who is trying to get through physical therapy to get to walk again together. A very touching story that made me a pile of mush afterwards! :)
    • 4/5
      I read this in a few hours and loved it. Easy read, with great amounts of tension and a dash of mystery.
    • 2/5
      I had put off reading this book for a long time... it sounded so sweet and sad and beautiful, right?

      No.

      I had expected more from Simon Elkeles. After falling head over heels for her Perfect Chemistry series I had expected the story to be more realistic, more relatable..... simply more. I was thoughroughly dissapointed.

      The book started on an interesting premise with Caleb getting out of jail and Maggie starting school despite all her insecurities and the injury from the car accident. After the first two chapters I was hooked. A couple few pages and then everything goes downhill. I still do not understand why they fell for each other, I don't understand that if Caleb was not okay with taking the blame for the accident why he did it and yet keeps threatening Leah to expose the truth. So much for being the selfless big brother.

      Most of the times I could not distinguish whether I was reading Caleb's POV or Maggie's, both of them sounding oh, so depressed and whiny. I know, I know they have a lot to be depressed about but they have to at least try to understand that the people who did not go to jail or been in an accident may have problems too. Oh, and yeah, try to move on.

      I am a big fan of Ms Elkeles, but I am sorry but this book just did not work for me.
    • 5/5
      Wow. This was a quick read (just over 200 pages in the ebook version), but a good one--even though it technically doesn't quite fit my requirements for books I want to read (the ending! Argh!), I still really enjoyed this one. I'm still kicking myself, though--I knew that there was something wrong with how the night of the accident really happened, there were enough clues about that one--but I didn't suspect what really happened, even though that too had clues galore. I guess I just didn't want to believe it, much like the characters themselves. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel, Return to Paradise, to be available through the library (I'm six out of six people on the waiting list). Even though quite a few of the reviews for it were less than stellar, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Maggie and Caleb...and of course I'm totally rooting for a HEA. :-)
    • 4/5
      This book, like all of the other books that are written by Simon Elkeles, have two people fall in love who according to society and circumstances probably shouldn't It has family drama, the usual teenage drama and of course romance. If you enjoy his books, you'll enjoy this one for sure. The ending was well played, leaving it nicely open for the sequel which is also very good.
    • 5/5
      Okay, so this book doesn't even come close to the same league as the Perfect Chemistry trilogy but it was still a good read. The story was shocking and endearing, yet it really shows how cruel-hearted some people can naturally be to someone's disability. Maggie went through so many trials and so much pain that my heart ached for her. She did not deserve all of the bad things that happened to her and yet they kept on coming.And Caleb? Stupid boy. Sweet but stupid, especially in the end. It is blatantly obvious that they both cared for each other and shocking secrets revealed just how protective Caleb really was but god almighty still very stupid. I really liked this book a lot and I do currently own the second book however, I don't think I'll be reading it any time soon simply because when I started it, it didn't seem as good as the first book. It'll probably be awhile before I pick it up again.Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Stars
    • 4/5
      I thought this novel was a cute, face paced and nice read. However, those in search of a fairy tale ending will be left dissatisfied. Simone Elkeles has a true gift of creating realistic fiction and skin thick characters. Truly one of my favorite authors.
    • 3/5
      It took me a while to get into this story, I think partly because the language lacked emotion, even though this gave Caleb an authentic voice. I wasn't expecting the alternate points of view but it worked. Initially of course all my sympathy lay with Maggie, I can understand her sense of alienation and fear based on her fathers abandoment and the accident , though I am so glad she finally shook of her self pity because it was a bit wearing. Caleb was more interesting, even though I was determined not to give him an inch, I felt for him with the treatment from his parents and once I quickly figured out the truth I liked and even admired him as well.I'm in two minds about the role played by Mrs Reynolds, I liked her as a character but the situation was just too convenient as a means of bringing Caleb and Maggie together. In fact, ss an adult reader, the majority of the plot was just too contrived and there were some plot holes that drove me crazy.However what Elkeles does do right in this novel is capture the emotion of her characters and explores teen issues well.
    • 3/5
      This book has a majorly contrived plot. Yes, teenagers can be cruel. Parents can be clueless about their children. But to this extent? This book is just plain bad.
    • 5/5
      Simone Elkeles books all have a similar theme......A bad guy and a good girl and the romance that starts between them. I just love the present day, and actual realness of the story that I can't stop reading her books. This is the 3rd one I have read and I think I have one more left of hers to read. But all have been great and I love them.
    • 4/5
      Simone Elkeles does it again.Well done writing. Well fleshed out characters. I felt connected all the way through. Read it very quickly and was satisfied at the end for having read it.I liked the pacing, even if I saw something coming up ahead. It definitely made me hungry to read book 2 (although I hear it's not nearly as good as the first :( )Highly recommended read.
    • 4/5
      I can’t help but notice, since this is the third Simone Elkeles book I’ve read, but her books seem to be almost always deal with kids who are having a rough time growing up, with their lives which they think (most of the time) was royally screwed up. I am not complaining with that, but I think I see a theme here.I just can’t help but be fascinated. These books might have a central theme to it, but it doesn’t get boring. It’s not predictable. It’s not the same as the two other books I’ve read.Simone Elkeles has a knack for writing about complicated issues using simple words and conveying it effectively. She doesn’t fail to rouse emotions inside of me whenever I read her novels, and I think that’s just pure genius.I couldn’t stop myself, I’m starting Return to Paradise as soon as I finished this book, and I really want to know what happened between Caleb and Maggie. I didn’t really like the ending of this book, it felt like a lot has been left completely hanging, but I know the second book would fix all of that. I can’t wait.
    • 4/5
      One of the reasons why I love modern young adult lit so well is that it tackles subjects and issues that teens deal with all of the time without apology. Sure, there were some great YA authors when I was a teen, but there was nothing like Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles.Every year around homecoming and prom, I become nervous. I know what it's like to be a teen and I know that I made some poor choices when I was younger. But I lived through my poor choices. I worry that my teens (as in my students) will not survive theirs.Hopefully, books like Leaving Paradise will make their way into the hands of teens and show them the consequences of a seemingly small decision--driving after too many beers--in a way that allows them to work through the after affects without having to go through them personally. Leaving Paradise is about a boy who makes a life-changing decision after drinking heavily at a party. Because of his choice, which was made in a plot second, he has to spend one year of his life in jail. And the rest of his life will be spent thinking about the girl who put him there.Her name is Maggie. She was walking home after the party and did not see the car coming at her until she had already been hit. One year later, she is still in pain and her post-surgery gait draws stares and giggles from her classmates. Once popular and athletic, she is now afraid to go to school.But, when Caleb gets out of jail early, both will have to face each other and the events of that tragic evening. This is a moving book that I won't soon forget. I plan to read the sequel, Return To Paradise, so that I can see what happens with these characters.
    • 4/5
      I bought this book after reading and adoring Simone Elkeles? Perfect Chemistry. Even though Leaving Paradise isn?t out over here in the UK yet I managed to find and buy off of Amazon because I was just desperate for more of Simone?s writing and romance. I started this book with high expectations and it didn?t disappoint! Simone Elkeles is the kind of author that is born to write she?s just a brilliant story teller and I honestly don?t think she could write a bad book even if she tried. This book has such an original plot and the romance is just as touching as Perfect Chemistry although surprising Maggie and Caleb?s romance felt very different to that of Alex and Brittany. Where Alex and Brittany?s relationship in Perfect Chemistry was fiery and passionate Maggie and Caleb?s is raw and emotional. I really loved the difference between them because for me that just showed how well Simone manages to develop her characters and relationships.Leaving Paradise starts with Caleb getting released from Juvie after spending a year in there for being the driver behind a drunken hit and run. The point of view then shifts in the next chapter to Maggie the girl Caleb has scarred for life and has left with a permanent limp. After taking a year off school to under go painful surgeries and physical therapy, Maggie?s finally ready to go back and face the music at school. Each chapter is told from either Caleb or Maggie?s perspective which I love about Simone Elkeles? books as you get to see both sides of the story/romance. You really get a sense of how isolated and alone Maggie and Caleb feel after the accident so it?s not surprising when they turn to each other for support as their the only two who can really understand what the other is going through. Caleb?s such a sweet guy who desperately wants to protect Maggie from the cruel remarks she gets at school and Maggie whilst being vulnerable never shows weakness and who I actually thought was a really tough admirable girl. Their romance is so sad and tragic and I loved how they turned something bad into something good. I think that?s a really good moral that the readers get to take away with them after reading this book.I really loved everything about this book and I got a bit teary eyed reading the end! Even the secondary characters in this book are wonderful. I especially had a soft spot for the elderly Mrs Reynolds. Despite how much I enjoyed this book I couldn?t give it the full 5 stars that I gave Perfect Chemistry just because I didn?t enjoy it quiet as much. That said this is still a good book in its own right and I?m really glad that the sequel Return to Paradise is out soon because I?m already itching to read it to find out what happens next to Maggie and Caleb. A bitter sweet romance which comes fully recommended. 4 stars.
    • 5/5
      Nearly one year ago Maggie was hit by a car and sustained a major injury to her leg that halted her promising tennis career and leaving her in hospital being home schooled. Caleb, Maggie's neighbour and her best friends brother, was convicted of hitting Maggie while driving drunk and driving off. Maggie had a plan to avoid seeing Caleb before he got released from juvenile detention, go to Spain on exchange, her plan was working fine until Caleb was released early and now with the new school term starting Maggie will have to see Caleb every day at school reminding her of what he did to her. What follows is a beautifully written story about two people who have both been changed by the accident and now must deal with the consequences. I absolutely loved this book! The book switched between the point of view of the two main characters Maggie and Caleb, which I thought really added to the book as we were able to see Maggie's POV of a situation and then we got Caleb POV of the same situation. It was really interesting to see how differently they saw the same situation, particularly where Maggie felt that Caleb was fitting straight back into his old life both at school and with his friends, but from Caleb POV we saw that he felt he didn't fit in there anymore and no one understood him and what he was going through. I really felt for Maggie, before the accident she had good friends and loved playing tennis, after she seems to have lost all of her friends, cannot play tennis anymore and is now an outcast at school because of the accident and her limp. My opinion of Caleb changed throughout the book, at the start I wasn't very enamored with him but as the book progressed and he had to deal with his family, friends and the consequences of his actions I did a complete 180 turn and I was cheering for Maggie and Caleb to make it together. Caleb understood that the accident changed him, and I think for the better. I don't want to give too much away but it is evident early in the book that all is not what it seems, there was more to the accident, but that's all I'll say. The ending of the book was different, it wasn't all tied up with a nice little bow on top there wasn't real closure for Maggie and Caleb as a couple, so depending on if you like closure or not you may not like the ending. That said Maggie was finally able to accept what happened to her especially with what she discovered she felt she could get on with the rest of her life now without having all this anger. Personally, I liked the ending, especially now that there is a sequel coming out this year, I can't wait to find out what happens to Maggie and Caleb next.
    • 4/5
      This was such a sweet book at times. I picked it up this afternoon and couldn't put it down until it was finished.I actually can't believe that I'd call this book sweet but reading it I couldn't help but smile or swoon at times. You'd think that a story surrounding a drunk driver and the girl he hit would be so completely different, that at the very least you'd end up hating the Caleb and what he did to Maggie, but you really don't. You start rooting for them and booing the meanies around them.I really liked Maggie's mom, Mr. Reynolds and Mrs. Reynolds. Ahhh, Mrs. Renoyld's was a nice addition to the story. I liked hearing her no nonsense talk. I didn't really like anyone in Caleb's family. They just annoyed me. I will say that while I loved this book, I was very cross (as my four yr old would say) with the ending. Everything else in the book just seemed to flow gracefully and then the very end was just so in your face! I mean it was still sweet (even though I didn't like it) but it just happened so quick. Still this is most definitely a recommended read! The events leading up to the end had me anxious to get to the next page to see what would happen.Can I just say I *hate* descriptions that reveal things that don't happen immediately? Especially when they happen at the stinkin' end of the book?! Grrrr, seriously! I am so glad I read the description after I finished the book. I would have have been so upset if I'd read it beforehand. I loved, loved, loved the cover!!Now can someone tell me if this is the second book in a series or the first???!!!
    • 3/5
      The premise of this book, along with the fact that I enjoyed Perfect Chemistry, is what drew me to this book. I’m not sure whether it was what I was expecting based on my preconceived notions of where the story would go or if it was subconsciously comparing it to another book, but I was left slightly disappointed.Each chapter alternates between Caleb’s and Maggie’s points of view. Normally I love books that have multiple perspectives, especially between a guy and girl, but this one didn’t quite feel right to me. There wasn’t much to distinguish between the two voices, other than the fact that Caleb cussed more frequently than Maggie. Both of them told the story so much internally that in order to tell the story we had to be able to know both characters’ thoughts, but I think it might have worked better if it had been told in third person.Although the shifts in narrator were a little off, I was pleasantly surprised at certain aspects of the story. Caleb and Maggie’s history added an interesting twist to the story that I wasn’t expecting. The pacing of the story was a little slow for my taste; despite the fact that I’m sure they would’ve avoided each other for as long as possible, it seems that that could’ve been glossed over, which would have allowed for more time telling the story after they came face to face with each other. Their relationship develops organically, and they almost don’t realize that they’re becoming friends, which I liked, but it seemed to take forever just to get to a point where they weren’t ducking around corners to stay away from each other.There are some unexpected surprises in the story that lead the characters to make some difficult decisions. This is another book that managed to pull me in more at the end than I was throughout the rest of the book, and I definitely want to read more of the story.
    • 2/5
      The novel begins with Caleb being released from juvenile jail, but with a weary eye from the authorities. Now Caleb has to figure out how to live in society once again by having to serve community service, but his options are limited in the small town. School isn’t the worst part though even when his friends would always his bring up his criminal status time after time, but it’s his family. It's the father who lets himself to be pushed around by his wife, the mother who likes to pretend that nothing’s wrong, and the sister who is now dressed from head to toe in black. But Caleb is willing to deal with it all…really…until he runs into Maggie that is.Maggie was his sister’s best friend, that is before Caleb hit Maggie while drunk driving on night that sent him to jail. The accident that left Maggie with scars after countless surgeries, missing a year of school, and feeling like the freak that looks on everyone’s face seem to say. Determined to leave town of Paradise (haha irony) and travel abroad to Spain, Maggie needs a way to pay for the trip when the scholarship she earned gets taken away.It just so happens that her mother’s boss’s grandmother needs a caretaker and it just so happens that she also needed a volunteer to help construct that gazebo. So will this become the next WWIII or the Battle of the Titans? Or will this pair become the next Cleopatra and Caeser?In what I believe to be Simone Elkeles’s writing style, she alternates between male and female POV retelling scenes through their different perspectives. This does well at making an emotional attachment to the reader and brings forth the heated tension. However Elkeles seems to write stronger through the male POV in comparison to the female’s. The male voice is much more dynamic, though I have read it seemed force, but it was much more preferable to this love-sick whiny tone I am constantly getting from Maggie.Leaving Paradise is an unsatisfying novel in my eyes. The ending steals the light I felt with the ending in its extreme abruptness—‘where’s the next page?’ abrupt—and I was left frustrated. It was only recently that there was news of a sequel and I could only think that it really needed one badly. If I had read this 3 years ago when it was first released I would have been much more brutal than I am now. I do love the twist at the end, but I do not love the fact that a friendship was so easily mended.
    • 4/5
      This story is told through two different voices – Caleb, who hit a girl while driving drunk and then fled the scene, and Maggie, the girl he hit whose legs are permanently damaged now. Caleb has just been released from jail, and he is trying to find his way in Paradise, the small town in which both he and Maggie live. Maggie is also just returning to high school after having a year of physical therapy and trying to cope with the limp she has now. Both characters are very compelling – Caleb isn’t a bad person, just someone who may have made some bad choices. Maggie had been best friends with Caleb’s twin sister Leah until the accident, and had also had a crush on Caleb until the accident happened. Now they must find ways to become the new selves they are. This book does have some romance in it between Maggie and Caleb, but it’s not unrealistic. Maggie had always loved Caleb, so when he turns to her, there is something more there. In turn, she saves him from the pressures he feels. The end of the book has a little bit of a twist, but it’s a bittersweet twist. While the author does make the twist realistic, it’s not exactly what you want as a reader. Still a good book and one that I couldn’t put down.
    • 5/5
      O.K. so seriously this is an AWESOME, AWESOME book. Simone Elkeles is a freak'n genius. I knew i would love this book and i did. Leaving Paradise is like...WOW. It's so raw and i can't, i mean i'm just blown away. It didn't end like i wanted it to but it ended how it was suppose to. if that makes any sense.Leaving Paradise, is a book i'm never going to forget.I was draw to the story,Caleb hits Maggie in a car accident and the only time they ever feel normal is when their around each other.I read the back and i was wondering how this two characters were going to patch up this relationship. How could they get along. I loved these characters because they had flaws and they found out how to take control their lives and learn to forgive. They had real depth. Maggie is how i want to be, she's strong and even through she is scarred for life and walks with a limp she went to school with courage, she had to put up with all those shallow people who would make fun of her. Maggie is just an awesome character.So is Caleb, he is like the protector of everything even if it means going to jail.This is one of the best books I have ever read and will love forever. I recommend it to everyone. OMG!! i just found out there's going to be a sequel. Maybe i'll get the ending i wanted after all. I so happy now.
    • 4/5
      This was getting VERY good reviews from my h.s. kids who'd read it, so I decided to give it a shot. Was it REALLY that good? Did I need to worry that several students selected it for their summer reading assignment?Well, I loved it. Elkeles created a cast of characters authentic and tender. The alternating perspectives of Maggie and Caleb are done just right. Though the characters are really well developed, the plot has a thrusting force about it with enough foreshadowing to make readers eager for the secrets to be revealed. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      I have definitely learned to appreciate multiple viewpoint stories from Elkeles' books. This is a touching story that is just deep enough to have real content, but has enough light parts that is was an enjoyable read. It does end a bit abruptly...perhaps useful for writing one's own ending or as part of a discussion?
    • 4/5
      Very compelling. It was great until the ending. I was disappointed in that.
    • 5/5
      Caleb Becker spends a year in juvenile detention for a hit and run accident involving his next door neighbour, Maggie Armstrong. Maggie spent the year in hospitals getting physical therapy. Now they're both out and end up working together for Mrs. Reynolds. There are some lovely twists in the novel and it does not end as you'd expect. Excellent except for language in places.
    • 4/5
      Caleb has completed his prison sentence for drunkenly running over and maiming his next door neighbor, Maggie. Maggie had always had a crush on this brother of her best friend. Caleb is tries to dredeem mse, but only he knows that redemption isn't really necessary.