In the aftermath of her sister's death, Lennie must face the loss of their runaway mother years ago, the finding of herself, and her attraction to two boys...one who wants to share her life and the other who shares her loss.As a Reader:
*slight spoiler alert* As a friend pointed out to me recently, my feelings are black and white (okay, maybe charcoal black and egg-shell white) on the issue of cheating/infidelity. Probably part of why I wrote my book, Cheater Beaters (see bio). So, it's a testament to Jandy Nelson's story that I was able to sympathize with and even route for someone after they cheated. But that's just one small part of this book. The characters are everything else. You romanticize them, not because they're perfect or grand (okay, maybe one of her love interests is all that and a composer of songs just for her;) but because they're so real, living and breathing in your heart as you read.
As a Writer:
The writing is beautiful...the sigh as you take the line/paragraph in with a hint of wish-I'd-written-that aftertaste kind of writing...Yeah, that bout covers it:)
If you Like This, You Might Also Like:
Losing Faith-Denise Jaden (sorry, no audio)
Tell Me A Secret- Holly Cupala (free podcast audio- see sidebar)
Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher
Before I Die -Jenny Downham
I loved this book. The characterization was just incredible.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the writing in this book, too, and the emotions it tugged on. Her experiences, though, unusual, felt real to me.
ReplyDeleteBut,(and you'd probably guess this about me :)), it's not a book I'd pass on to my own teen daughter to read.
@Elle- Interesting! I can see how some of the sexual content was intense, but the boundaries and the protag's inexperience were fairly clear. Of course, it helps that I don't have a teen child to make these decisions about yet;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book rec. I haven't read it but it sounds interesting both as a reader and a writer.
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