Review of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Atria Books

Beautiful Disaster
by Jamie McGuire
4 Scribbles

First let me say that I read this novel months ago and have been sitting on my review because I am very torn about the story.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl, or let’s say a reformed bad girl, however you want to look at it—but she planned on making her life at Eastern the fresh slate she always dreamed of, away from her tarnished beginnings in Las Vegas. At Eastern she will date the right people and make only the best choices. Travis Maddox is the quintessential bad boy; he’s muscled, tatted up, drinks heavily, street brawls for cash, and goes through women like a chubby girl through a box of zebra cakes (based on personal experience.) When the lives of these two intersect, which is inevitable since Abby’s BFF is dating Travis’s cousin, sparks ignite; initially these sparks begin with the constant bickering between the two, who become fast “friends” and then later…well, you know. 

Reading this book was like watching a train wreck or the news about a natural disaster. So in that regard, McGuire’s title is spot-on. I couldn’t put the novel down, but not because I loved the characters and was invested in their future, it was because I was so disgusted with them. Perhaps the disgust I felt had a lot to do with the fact that many aspects of the novel are spot-on in regards to the college experience for many who live on campus. In my recollection, there was a lot of drinking, a ton of profanity, a lot of partying, a lot of sex (or talk of sex) and a general feeling that these events were an important part of the college experience. Most times, there was very little respect for the individual. I have a very dated VHS which documents my own experience and that of my friends, and I confess, there is a great deal of toasting and slurring going on in this video. That being said, it seems like Abby and Travis always seem to be where the action is and the studying thing between them is thrown in to show that yes, indeed they can party all the time and do very well in school!  A debatable point at best. I could have possibly gotten past the egregious use of alcohol and casual sex, but I was so very disappointed, outrageously disappointed, when Abby and Travis eventually hook up and realize they can’t live without one another. For one thing, Travis’s treatment of women, and of Abby is abhorrent—I don’t even want to get started on what an absolute dog he is. And Abby, is she really so weak-minded as to fall for his BS? At one point Abby’s roommate points out that the relationship between Abby and Travis is co-dependent and unhealthy. I remember praising this insightful character (although a complete moron could have seen this) and thinking that surely, surely the author was going to direct the ending to this conclusion and allow these two individuals to see the light….wow, was I surprised. Here’s the thing though despite my disgust, my chagrin, my disappointment, and my general anger at the novel, I cannot criticize it for being unrealistic or overly dramatic…sadly it smacks of truth. How many of us hooked up with the wrong guy when we were young, the bad boy we wanted to fix? Don’t answer that. At any rate, I have to, against every urge not to, give this novel 4 scribbles. I do this under protest. I would love to hear what others have to say, because I’m all torn up over this one. Am I going to read the sequel, Walking Disaster? Of course, eventually…but I need a breather before I witness what I expect from the title promises to be an even greater train wreck.

Review of If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

St. Martin's Griffin

If You Find Me
by Emily Murdoch
5 Stars

Fifteen-year-old Carey is very protective of her sister, Janessa, and she should be. Their mother, a former musician and member of the symphony is a mentally ill drug-addict who has left the two girls abandoned, living in a trailer in the woods of Tennessee with only a few cans of beans and the heads on their shoulders to survive. And the girls have survived, despite the abuse and neglect they have endured, but now the state has found them, and the two are being sent to live with their father in a world that is foreign to them—a world that threatens to expose the secrets they are hiding.

Beautifully written in a fluid and poetic voice, the reader might find themselves riveted to this story for the appreciation of the writing alone. Yet, readers will more likely fall in love with Carey. It is hard not to fear for Carey and cheer for her as she emerges from a world that seems as foreign as the Middle Ages and steps timidly into the modern world. Taken very young and fed with lies from their mother, Carey suffers from a sort of Stockholm Syndrome, which makes it difficult for her to see or understand her mother’s criminal behavior. It is this that makes the reader want to read on and see how Carey and Janessa grow after their liberation from the trailer in the woods—however, it’s not the only curiosity.  Carey repeatedly references the “White Star Night” a night that stole Janessa’s voice, and that Carey fears will expose her as unlikeable and guilty, and will take her away from this new life and from Janessa. If the elegant writing and wonderful characterization of the innocent Carey, sweet Janessa, Delaney (who we hate to love) and Carey’s new parents aren’t enough to draw the reader in, the mystery of The White Star Night clenches it. Perhaps best of all is the fact that while the story is complete, it doesn’t necessarily resolve Carey’s fears or spell out the consequences of Carey’s past for the reader. Far from being a weakness, it reinforces the reality that peppers this novel—we know that whatever happens to Carey in the future, whatever consequences come from her terrible past,  she will endure and overcome. Such is the strength of her character, and the merit of those who love her. This is a wonderful story that shows how “being close to people [means] hurting sometimes…” and how that hurt, while devastating and painful, can help us recognize healthy relationships when they come.  It also reveals the pain and confusion children feel when they are betrayed by those who are supposed to love them—those who have been consumed by a chemical reality that skews the parent/child relationship.

Review of Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Dial Books for
Young Readers

Three Times Lucky

by Sheila Turnage

5 Scribbles

Sixth grader Mo (Moses) Lebeau is a sleuth by nature—she’s been searching for her birth mother, the woman who tied her to a billboard post when she was an infant during a hurricane, by launching messages in a bottle addressed to her "Upstream Mother." It’s a good thing she’s a super-sleuth too, because Mo’s skills come in handy when her neighbor is found murdered, and it’s Mo Lebeau on the case, (with the assistance of big-city detective Jo Starr that is)!

While the murder mystery in the story is enough to keep readers hooked, it isn’t the mystery alone that will keep the pages turning in this charming story. Mo’s voice is so unique, so touching, and so hilarious that it’s simply fun to follow along to see what laugh-out-loud phrase or idea she’s going to come up with next, and yet— she’s still plenty intelligent. Her voice and her actions display a special spirit and a sensitivity that is beyond her years, especially when it comes to her best friend Dean and the pain he endures at the hands of his alcoholic father. And Mo alone isn’t the only exceptional character—each character in the story is quirky, interesting, and with just the right amount of Southern flavor. Take the Colonel and Miss Lana, Mo’s adoptive parents, and Miss Rose, Dean’s mother who despite their eccentricity, or perhaps because of it, illustrate that blood doesn’t make family, and it does indeed take a whole community to raise a child. Readers who enjoyed Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool and Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos will gobble up this tale and beg for more tales of Mo. And in my humble opinion, this one may be a contender for the Newberry folks!

Review of 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues

Simon Pulse

34 Pieces of You

by Carmen Rodrigues

4 Scribbles

To be released September 4, 2012

This novel reads like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky meets Looking for Alaska by John Green. Told in the alternating voices of Jake, Sarah and Jessie, the aftermath of Ellie's drug overdose is explored. Is Ellie’s death an accident, or did she commit suicide? When Jessie discovers a box with 34 scraps of paper hidden under Ellie’s bed she hopes it may hold the secrets Ellie could not share, and help to reveal the reason for her death.

It becomes clear early on that Ellie has been sexually abused, and this mistreatment has permanently scarred her young psyche. Yet, Ellie is not the only character riddled with scars; through the lens of Ellie's death the reader witnesses a kaleidoscope of coming-of-age experiences that accurately reflect the confusing and volatile emotions teens often face. The author expertly explores the murky and edgy waters of teen sexuality, drugs, broken families and the nature of love in this fast-moving work. Readers will applaud this somber work's realistic characters. Those who have experienced crushing grief over early death will connect to the narrative, and those who haven't will understand this grief more fully.

Review of Dark Song by Gail Giles

Little Brown Books
for Young Readers

Dark Song

By Gail Giles

4 Scribbles

Ames lives the fairy tale. Attentive, loving father who provides for the family. Mother who gives Martha Stewart a run for her domestic crown. Cute and cuddly baby sister. Quirky and loyal best friend. Mansion, exotic vacations, private school, cash flow—it is good to be Ames. That is until the bottom falls out. Ames’ dad barely avoids jail time for committing a white-collar crime, her mother turns into a shrew, her sister is afraid to sleep alone at night, and the family loses their house. Ames is not just angry to find out her parents aren’t the perfect people they pretended to be, she’s furious. What kind of parent violates the trust of their child like this? When the family is forced to move to a slum in Texas, Ames saves no time looking for someone to replace the parents she once loved, and she doesn’t really care who gets burned in the process. Most readers will identify with Ames because she is angry with her parents for their dishonesty and deception, who wouldn’t be? She is forced to face reality too soon—and in such a devastating way. However, what might be harder for readers to understand is Ames’ constant rich-girl whining…she’s almost comically sheltered from the real world; and yet, the reader will still stay firmly in Ames’s corner. True, Ames’s parents do take out their anger on Ames often in the story, but Ames is unable to see her part in the cycle of cruelty. Instead, she fights back by starting a relationship with a potentially dangerous 22-year-old, Marc, down the street. What she doesn’t realize is that this guy burns hot, and Ames is likely to get scorched. In trademark Giles’ style, the novel moves at a startling pace, with an introduction that teases the reader on, and short chapters that read like a roller coaster ride. Fans of Giles won’t be disappointed in this truly fractured fairy tale.

Review of Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen

Dutton Juvenile

Leverage

By Joshua Cohen

5 Scribbles

Readers will plow through this narrative like an offensive lineman on steroids, and in this novel, there is plenty of steroid use going on. Yet, that is not the thrust of the story. Kurt, a new player for Oregrove High School’s Knights, is glad to have a fresh start at a new school, having come to OHS as an orphan with a disturbing history. Cursed with a hellacious stutter, Kurt isn’t likely to share that story; instead, he plans to make the most of his new life, pumping iron not only to increase his chances at a scholarship, but also to insulate himself from pain, both inside and out. When his fate intertwines with Danny, an underclassman gymnast with mad skills, the two are unlikely friends. But a violent crime ties them both together, and they must decide if they will risk everything to speak out—including their lives. The story rockets along with a tension that is palpable, conflicts that will rip the reader apart from the inside out, and keep them awake at night. Even though some of the bad-guys seem to be a bit over-the-top in the sheer evil of their actions, I have no doubt in the wake of current news about bullying all over the country, that evil villains like these really exist. This novel is not for the faint of heart, and those offended by profanity and violence need not crack the pages—this is a story that could not be told without both. With an insight into human nature that psychologists would envy for its raw examination of courage and cowardice, I for one, find Leverage to be one of the finest, most well-written novels I have ever read.

Review of Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Carolrhoda YA

Drowning Instinct

By Ilsa J. Bick

3 Scribbles

Things will be different at Turing High School, Jenna’s controlling father assures her. At Turing High, no one will know that Jenna has a history of cutting herself, that she has been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, that her father is a bully who is having an extra-marital affair, or that her mother is an alcoholic. Jenna can remake herself anew at Turing; but will she take this opportunity to heal, or will she become a shadow and write letters to her brother who is serving in Iraq? From the start Jenna’s character has difficulty blending into the shadows. In fact, Jenna seems to be a magnet for dysfunction; it quickly becomes apparent that Jenna has been a victim her entire life, from authorities, friends, and even family. At Turing, nothing really changes. She becomes the enemy of an equally confused student, Danielle, who is jealous of the relationship that develops between Jenna and the chemistry teacher, Mr. Anderson. Jenna is betrayed by family, friends, and her home life deteriorates at a rapid-fire pace; yet, Jenna’s life seems to be on the mend with the help of Mr. Anderson. It doesn’t take a psychologist (did I mention that Bick is a psychiatrist?) to see where the slow, but engaging plot is taking the reader—a modern-day Lolita, with edginess that parallel’s R.A. Nelson’s Teach Me—the reader groans to see Jenna fall prey once again—or does she? Although it seems every character in the story is severely broken in some way, which comes off as mildy annoying, the ending, laced with just enough truth and unanswered questions to make the reader crazy, makes up for the and melodramatic characters. In fact, while the pacing is slow during the first half of the novel, this work is perhaps the most honest, and disturbing tale about dysfunctional relationships that I have ever read.

Review of A Tinfoil Sky by Cyndi Sand-Eveland

Tundra Books

A Tinfoil Sky

By Cyndi Sand-Eveland

3 Scribbles
Release Date January 10, 2012

Twelve-year-old Mel cannot believe her good fortune when her mom, Cecily, decides to leave her jerk boyfriend and return "home" to Mel’s grandmother. Mel and Cecily have moved eleven times during the past four years, and Mel is absolutely thrilled about the chance to meet the grandmother she cannot remember. She dreams of a bedroom all her own, the same school all year long, friends, and a much-coveted library card. What she never dreams will happen is that her grandmother will turn them away, her mother will go missing, and her future will never be the same. The author weaves a tale reminiscent of Leslie Connor’s award-winning Waiting for Normal; and although not as powerful as that tale, the novel boasts realistic, flawed characters who are neither wholly bad nor wholly good. For instance, on the surface, Cecily is an admirable mother who showers Mel with affection and shares everything with Mel—her dreams, her singing talent, her hopes for the future—but all of this at the expense of stability. Additionally, it is easy to be angry with Mel’s grandmother, Gladys, because of her callous attitude, but at the same time see that the all-too-human Gladys fears being hurt once again. Best of all, the story is refreshingly honest, with a realistic ending readers will appreciate. Mel truly matures and outgrows her mother, realizing that sometimes the right choice for a hopeful future requires painful sacrifice.