Book Review: Wreath by Judy Christie/4 Stars

About the book:

What do you do when you’re too young to be on your own but have no one to turn to? 

Sixteen-year-old Wreath Willis makes a list: Find a place to live. Buy cheap food. Finish high school. Get a job. Go to college. Now she’s finishing high school by day and squatting in a junkyard by night, flying below the authorities’ radar while she makes a few awkward friends and searches for an illusory “good life.” But when a teacher grows too suspicious, Wreath is afraid she’ll have to move on before she graduates. Could it be this was a good life?

My thoughts: 

Sometimes, there's nothing greater for a reader than finding a new book that just resonates deep within. Such was the case with me and my last read - Wreath. I can't explain what it was exactly that drew me back to this book over and over again, but I knew I would not be satisfied until I completed it. :o)

One thing that impressed me was that this did not feel like a young adult novel at all, perhaps because the main character had no choice but to grow up rather quickly after the sudden death of her mother. My heart ached that Wreath spent her days either going to the local park for a shower, eating nothing but peanut butter and crackers because her money supply was so thin, and that her home was the despised local junkyard. But oh, what perseverance! In spite of incredible obstacles, her determination to finish high school and hold down a job at the same time proved that this fictitious character was better than most kids I know in real life!

Wreath's biggest obstacle, though, was trust, and wow...did she have a lot to overcome there. I couldn't imagine living a life being afraid to trust in those around me--those who have shown they care about my well-being. It took a very long time, almost the span of the entire book, before she realized that she didn't need to run from those friends that she grew to love.

The ending was a little abrupt for my taste, but I'll admit that I'd love to take a return trip to Landry and catch up with Wreath and her friends. As this was my first experience with Judy Christie's work, I have no doubt that I'll pick up another of her novels down the road.

Highly recommended!

4 Stars

Southern?  Yes
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Barbour Books through NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

**For more information about Judy and her books, please visit http://www.judychristie.com/.

 

Leave It To a YA Novel to Readjust My Eternal Focus - There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones/5 Stars

I am literally at a loss for words right now.  I just finished this book, and it's been a long time since I've been this impressed with every aspect of a book like I was with this one.  Jenny has managed to write a witty, sassy, yet quite painful, novel that had me on an emotional roller coaster that I didn't want to end.

From the beginning, I knew that Finley was a hurting soul.  Her life was in shambles--the death of a brother, a stint in therapy, a semi-public image tainted--and God had never felt more distant.  On top of her personal turmoil, the stress she was under to complete a musical piece for a prestigious audition was intense.  But then she meets a boy.  And not just any boy, either.  This one was Beckett Rush...THE hottest young movie star on the Hollywood scene.  And the funny part?  She couldn't be less interested in him, which threw him for a big-time loop.  Gradually, they become friends, then more than friends, and he slowly starts to break down her walls.  Before too long, each one of them realizes things that they'd rather not face, yet know if they don't, their lives won't go any direction but downhill.

I've said it before...I wish books like this had been available when I was in the young adult stage.  I found this story to be so honest and real.  It was not a book I could wrap in a box with a fancy bow.  There was no fluff.  Instead, it was a brilliantly told, coming-of-age story that I will never, ever forget.  Yes, there was wit, sass and snark, but there was also pain, loss, and deep emotional hurt.  I found myself laughing along with Finley as she verbally sparred with Beckett (considering he had met his match there), and on the flip side, reaching for the Kleenex when Finley succumbed to her lowest point and realized that God had been right by her side all along.  She had just filled her life with so much noise that she couldn't hear God's voice.  That was my "aha" moment right there because I have done that very thing more times than I can count.  Like Finley, I think that if I can just do this one task, or wrap up this one commitment, or help this one person, I'll have accomplished something really great.  It becomes all-consuming, and I lose sight of the things that are eternally important.

But...

Leave it to a novel to bring my focus back where it needs to be.  Thanks for that, Jenny.  :o)  Thanks for using all those editors and going through all those rough drafts (as you mentioned in your acknowledgments) to get this story just right.

5 Stars

Southern?  No.  Although Finley is from SC, none of the book is physically set in the South.
Sass?  Absolutely!  How many Jenny B. Jones books do you know of that don't have sass?  :o)

Summary of There You'll Find Me:

Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She's witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.

She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will's travel journal. It's the place he felt closest to God, and she's hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.

Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She's the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.

Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?

Then she experiences something that radically changes her perspective on life. Could it be God convincing her that everything she's been looking for has been with her all along?

**Thanks to Thomas Nelson through NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

The Queen of One-Liners - So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

I'll admit...I went a little out of my comfort zone this time.  Not only did I pick up a chick-lit book, it was also a YA book.  Yep, this girl is taking the bull by the horns with this goal of reading something other than historical fiction in 2012.  :o)

So Not Happening is just fabulous!  At first, I didn't quite know what to think about this 16-year-old spoiled brat of a girl who was a New York transplant in Oklahoma.  I mean, Bella's a little self-absorbed, a little snobbish, but she's all kinds of snappy--as in the Queen of One-Liners--except when she says a little bit too much on a blog for the whole town of Truman to see.  Not that there's a lot of folks in Truman, but there's enough there that her friends scale slides to zero really quick!

So, while she recovers from all that drama (not to mention the drama at home), she makes one friend, then two, and then, she scores a spot on the newspaper staff with the most horrible editor on the planet.  (Really, this guy does NOT make a good first impression.)  While on her very first assignment for the paper, she overhears a sneaky conversation between a couple of guys, and her radar goes up fast.  And wouldn't you know...when she tries to take it to the editor that it could be a great tip for a story, he brushes her off!  But patience is key here, and before they know it, they are almost in over their heads with the story of the school year.

I never expected all the twists and turns that took place in this story.  First of all, it's down right hilarious in some places.  I cannot remember the last time I read a novel and laughed that much!  Secondly, there's a little mystery on the side that pops up about halfway through the book that had my jaw on the floor by the time it was solved!  Third, there were life lessons galore, and they fit in seamlessly through the whole story.  Not only were they for Bella, but for her mom, dad, new stepdad, and stepbrothers.  I highly recommend So Not Happening, especially for the older teenage audience.  And who am I kidding...this grown-up loved it, too!

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  Overflowing!

Summary of So Not Happening:


New York's social darling just woke up in a nightmare: Oklahoma. Problem is, it's right where God wants her.

Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her backyard, and Daddy's MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.

When Bella's mom falls in love with a man she met on the Internet--a factory worker with two bratty sons--Bella has to pack up and move in with her new family in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm no less!

Forced to trade her uber-trendy NYC lifestyle for down-home charm, Bella feels like a pair of Rock & Republic jeans in a sea of Wranglers.

At least some of the people in her new high school are pretty cool. Especially the hunky football player who invites her to lunch. And maybe even the annoying--but kinda hot--editor of the school newspaper.

But before long, Bella smells something rotten in the town of Truman, and it's not just the cow pasture. With her savvy reporter's instincts, she is determined to find the story behind all the secrets.

How can a girl go on when her charmed life is gone and God appears to be giving her the total smackdown?

Book Review: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren/5 Stars

About the book:

Lisa Tawn Bergren's new YA series, River of Time, is romantic, historical fiction in which the plucky heroine doesn't have to fear a vampire's bite but must still fight for her life.

In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another.

My thoughts:

You remember when your parents always pointed out to you that "just because your friends do something doesn't mean you have to do it, too?"  More specifically, I believe the correct question was, "If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?"  Well.  Dear old mom and dad just didn't know about the River of Time, and the "bridge" that took us there, did they?  *wink*

Yep, I jumped off a bridge and into a book that far exceeded my expectations.  I have always known that Lisa was an exceptional author, but she's gone and made me a fan for life with Waterfall.  I found myself smiling, laughing, and wishing that Gabi and Marcello could've met each other in the same century realistically.

I loved all of Gabi's 21st century thoughts as she wished she could go to Google for medicinal cures, or wondered why there was no deodorant, or most importantly, why there was *no* indoor plumbing (seriously, that'd be it for me...chamber pots just aren't my thing).  Lisa also did a great job with the language as Gabi was clearly out of her element at first.  Thank heavens, we have progressed enough to say "tomorrow" instead of "on the morrow," and that the use of "mayhap" has gone by the wayside.

But what impressed me the most was that this did not feel like a young adult novel.  Sure, there were some moments when Gabi's maturity faltered a bit, but overall, she was a believable teenager who handled this unusual journey through time quite admirably.  It was also nice to see that there are *great* books out there suitable for a younger audience that aren't full of vampires, zombies, or sex (not that I read any of those, but I'm tired of seeing them on bookstore shelves just the same).

So, I'm back on dry ground, no longer in the River of Time, but I'm itching to jump back in!  This book left me hanging in the worst sort of way, and the only way I'll recover will be to immediately find the next one, Cascade.  And if it wasn't already obvious, Waterfall has earned a well-deserved 5-star rating from this non-YA person, and a high recommendation for all audiences of Christian fiction.  :o)

**Many thanks to the publisher and the Amazon Vine program for providing a copy for review.

Southern?  No
Sass?  Yes

Book Review and Kregel Blog Tour: How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn/4 Stars

About the book:

Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens.

Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father's dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair.

Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough-and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death.

Based on the true story of the town of Le Chambon-the only French town honored by Israel for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust-How Huge the Night is a compelling, coming-of-age drama that will keep teens turning the pages as it teaches them about a fascinating period of history and inspires them to think more deeply about their everyday choices.

My thoughts:

I'm finding lately that I really enjoy young adult fiction.  I mean *really* enjoy it!  When I was in my teen years, there was not much to choose from unless I wanted to read general market.  Fifteen years later, there's tons of Christian YA fiction, and well...I gotta make up for lost time!

In addition to having not read a lot of YA books, I've also not read a whole lot from the WWII period.  Frankly, it's just really difficult to read.  I cannot imagine living in a world of persecution and hate, being separated from my family, or having to wonder where I will get my next meal.  So, it was with a little bit of nervousness that I decided to read How Huge the Night by debut authors Heather and Lydia Munn.

First of all, I loved how this story was told through a teenager's eyes.  Being an adult, I know the terror I would have felt if I were a wife and mother.  How would I prepare to go into a war?  How will I make sure my family doesn't starve?  But reading this story from a younger generation's point of view made it that much more realistic.  At first, Julian was the typical teenager--frustrated with a move to a new town and a new school, struggling to make new friends--but as he matured, his focus shifted to concerns for his family, their Jewish boarder, the new friends he had made, and eventually, how the war would change all of their lives forever.

Secondly, I loved that the story was told with a French setting.  While I have a very basic knowledge of WWII, I have almost no knowledge of France or French history.  There were snippets of history regarding the Huguenots and their struggles for religious freedom in the 1600's, as well as details about the armistice between France and Germany, and how Germany eventually violated their agreement.  I was also surprised to read at the very end that France as a whole had very little knowledge about what was actually happening around them during the war (shared in the author's note).  This made me curiously wonder whether they simply did not have access to tv's or newspapers, or if the news that was brought to them had been censored.  Either way, how frightening it must have been to not know what's happening in the world around you.

Also shared in the author's note was that there is another book coming soon from this talented mother/daughter team.  While I have no idea if it will just be a sequel or part of a series, I wish it was available to read right now!  This book did not leave me hanging per se, but I'm just itching to know what happens to Julian, Benjamin, Nina, and Gustav as the worst of the war is yet to come.  I happily give a rating of 4 Stars for this exceptional debut novel.

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Kregel Publishing for providing a copy for review.

**For more information about the book, the authors, and the history presented, please visit http://www.howhugethenight.com/

Book Review: Goodbye, Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson/4.5 Stars

About the book:

Charley's off to Scotland with her new beau, and Scotty and her dad travel to Maine in search of Scotty's mom. That's not all they're looking for though.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about faith. Scotty's faced with her bitterness toward Karissa and what it means to live a "Jesusy extraordinary" life. Shouldn't forgiveness play a role in that?

And when Scotty and her dad land on her mother's last known trail, will their questions finally be answered?

My thoughts:

I am genuinely sad that my journey with Scotty and her family is now over!  :o(  Truthfully, when I started the first book, I didn't think I would become so attached to her...and her dad...and Charley...and well, everyone else that was a part of her life.  But, over time, she grew on me, and I couldn't help but (slightly) wish that I'd had an ounce of her maturity when I was her age.

I don't want to share too much about the details of the story because really, it is a must that all 4 books be read in order. Scotty is such a great character, and while she has a little too much freedom at times (in my opinion), parts of her life are well worth emulating.

My rating for this book is 4.5 stars, although it's a little closer to 5.  I have no trouble at all recommending this series very highly for older teens, and a few of us past our teen years (like me) are likely to enjoy it, too. It may even make you a little misty-eyed..."I'm just sayin'!"

Southern?  Some; a portion of the book was set in Kentucky
Sass?  Maybe a little.  :o)

Book Review: Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson/4 Stars

About the book:

Prayer?  Really?

Scotty and Charley are headed for Marshall, Texas, with Biker Guy once more close on their trail. As Scotty tries to come to terms with the reality of her parents’ deaths, she grows friendly with the locals. That makes staying hidden challenging.

But there’s got to be more to life than fear, and through new friendships, Scotty learns that this prayer thing might work after all. Will prayer be enough when the situation is life and death? What happens when Biker Guy finally catches up to her?

My thoughts:

**I'm going to be mentioning things from this book as well as the previous book in the series, Hollywood Nobody, so be aware that you may come upon a spoiler or two.**

To be perfectly honest, I was a little hesitant to read the next book in the Hollywood Nobody Series.  I read book one, and while I loved the opening and Scotty's fun sense of humor, I just wasn't crazy about the religious portions of the book (more on that later).  But I'm a firm believer in giving an author a second chance, so I plunged ahead and read book 2, Finding Hollywood Nobody.

The opening of this book...awesome!  I couldn't believe it started out in Memphis, TN which, for one, was great for this local native, and for two, simply because it was set in the South.  Happy smiles all around.  :o)  I loved reading about Scotty's trip to Graceland, as well as trip to a local food joint, Pirtle's.  For some, seeing local places mentioned in a book may not be a big deal, but when you're familiar with an area, you like to see and hear about the *actual local places*.  So...for those of you that don't know, Pirtle's has GREAT fried chicken, and it was indeed a pleasure to see it get some love in this book.  ;o)

Scotty was her typical self in this book--pretty opinionated, maybe a little bit ADD, and frankly, more mature than most 16-year-olds that I know.  Sometimes, it was soooo hard to follow her train of thought because she kept jumping from one topic to the next.  It was more prevalent in the first book than in this book, so I was pleased that her character had a little more focus here.  I also missed the frequency of her "blog posts" in this book compared to the first, but as this book reached the end, it made perfect sense why they had slacked off.

The biggest thing I was happy about was her spiritual journey advanced a great deal in this book.  When I read book one, I won't lie....I was not crazy about how church/Christianity/denominations were portrayed.  I'm probably very much in the minority on that, but still...just my opinion.  See, I was raised in a Pentecostal church, complete with people speaking in tongues and everything else that goes with it.  As I've grown older, I've come to my own conclusions about their particular teachings, and it was just best that we parted ways.    So, when I started reading about Scotty's visits to a local tent meeting in book one, I was very surprised that a Pentecostal preacher was the one conducting the services....complete with the speaking in tongues and healing services.  You name it, it was there.  The reason it bothered me was that, for someone not familiar with all the many denominations there are (and yes, we all have some reason why we believe the way we do, or go to this church or that church), that particular denomination is so universally misunderstood.  I just think that the author didn't need to make it that complicated because even Scotty's character questioned whether or not they were legit.  I don't thing a YA book should be tackling those kinds of issues that early.  It can be overload.  Believe me, I know...I had the same questions when I was growing up and seeing it at church every week.  It wasn't that I was offended by the content...just very, very suprised.  Maybe I'm way off base here to some, and if I am, I apologize (especially if I've offended anyone...that is not my intention at all).  Maybe Scotty was more mature and discerning at that point in life than I was at her age...I don't know.

So, I said all that to say that Scotty figured out her place with God in book two, and it was written perfectly.  Her character even alluded to a bit of confusion from the services mentioned in book one, but I think it was just like water off a duck's back in her mind.  She figured out her own way to Christ...no denomination needed.  :o)

Now that I've gotten past all that I didn't like from book one, I'm really eager to read the rest of the series and find out what happens with Scotty.  Lesson for me--it just goes to show that you can never judge a book by it's cover, and just because one book experience was bad doesn't mean that all books by that same author will be bad, too.  :o) 

4 Stars

Southern?  Just enough  :o)
Sass?  Some

**Many thanks to NavPress for providing a copy for review.

Book Review: The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson/4.5 Stars

About the book:

When destiny sleeps, it can only be awakened by true love’s kiss.

In this historical romance loosely based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, a woodcutter's daughter becomes the town healer's apprentice. Rose's job is to care for the sick and injured in Hagenheim Castle. But she gets sick at the sight of blood and is more suited to making up stories than sewing up wounds. She is determined to overcome her weakness and prove herself a competent healer, or she faces marrying a disgusting old merchant her mother has picked out for her.

Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of the region, is injured and Rose must overcome her squeamishness to save him. He is everything that is noble and good, but loving him is forbidden. He is already betrothed to a mysterious woman in hiding.

With two noble-born brothers vying for her affections, Rose learns that the people of Hagenheim are not always who they seem.

My thoughts:

To my knowledge, this was my first time reading a YA historical novel at a point in time other than my young adult years, and what a blast it was!  The majority of the books I read are historical, and written for an adult audience.  So, to have the opportunity to read a YA historical was like a dive into unknown territory...but I can't wait to go back!

Lord Hamlin was a very dreamy noble, who had an unneeded attraction to the healer's apprentice, Rose.  His future had already been arranged--inherit the dukedom, and marry Lady Salomea whom he has never met.  But while he struggled to accept that he and Rose cannot be together, he wasn't crazy about his brother, Lord Rupert, forming an attraction to her, either.

But in the midst of all this emotional drama, there was also the problem called Moncore.  He was an evil conjurer that Lord Hamlin had been tracking for 7 years with no success.  Until Moncore is caught, Lady Salomea must continue to remain in hiding because Moncore will surely put a curse on her if he can find her.

And if all that wasn't enough to keep me turning the pages, there was also the secrecy that slowly unfolded as I got closer and closer to the end.  I tell ya, I could barely contain myself!  Even though I'm familiar with the tale of Sleeping Beauty, my heart was still beating furiously as I waited for true love's first kiss to take place....and oh, what a kiss it was! 

Ahhh....this book will most assuredly have me reading more historical YA books in the future!  It had that lovely, fairytale-like quality that I would've loved reading as a teenager, but it still put me in a dreamy state as an adult.  I can hardly wait to read Ms. Dickerson's next book, The Merchant's Daughter, that comes out later this year!

4.5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  A little...Rose could be a bit feisty at times.

**Many thanks to the author for providing a copy for review.

**And there's more!  The book trailer for The Healer's Apprentice...

Book Review: Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson/4 Stars

About the book:

New School = New Chance for That First Kiss

Summer is ending, and for once that doesn't seem like such a bad thing to Elise. She's hoping that starting fresh at a new high school will turn her first-kiss prospects around. New guys, new friends, and a new lease on life.

What she wasn't counting on was all the new pressure--to hang with the right crowd, wear the right clothes, and date the right guy. Just when it seems she's on top of the world, everything comes crashing down. Could one bad choice derail her future?

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Visit Melody's website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/.

My thoughts:

Melody Carlson has always been my go-to author for great YA fiction, and Never Been Kissed was another fabulous example of her talent within this genre. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, and even though I'm a few years removed from the young adult period of my life, there was plenty in this short book to open my eyes to what teens are involved in today, particularly on the topic of sexting.

Melody's novels are always on the pulse of current teen issues and what's happening in high schools everywhere.  Never Been Kissed is just the kind of book that should be read by parents and teens alike.  My rating is 4 stars.

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Revell for providing a copy for review.

Book Review: Forgotten: Seventeen and Homeless by Melody Carlson

About the book:

With MIA parents, overdue rent, and no one to turn to, Adele is forced out of her home. She strives to maintain the pretense of a “normal” life while struggling to finish high school, all the while concealing that she is homeless. But is she strong enough to keep up the act?

Every teenage girl has a secret. And every teenage girl loves hearing someone else’s secret. But some secrets are big enough to detour, derail, or even destroy a young person’s life.

Each of Melody Carlson’s Secrets novels will propel readers into a world where promises are broken, life is not fair, and challenges can make or break them, while ultimately helping readers discover that solid faith, loyal friends, and a persistent spirit will see them through.

My thoughts:

This novel shares a heartwrenching story about a teenager with a loser mom and a runaway dad.  While most of us don't have to deal with the drama of deadbeat parents, we probably even less have thoughts of having to live on the street or out of our cars.  I cannot imagine what it must be like to be totally alone and homeless, I really give Adele a lot of credit for sticking it out as long as she did before turning to the only One who would be able to change her life. 

The biggest lesson that I took away from this book was that lies always find you out in the end.  In Adele's case, one of her "so-called" friends discovered the truth on her own, leaving Adele to fess up to her lies and the consequences.  And poor girl, just when she decided to start being honest, she got another realization of just how unfair life sometimes is.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending.  I didn't like that it ended up "several months later," and instead, would've liked some of the first portion of the book to have been shortened just a bit to allow for a more fleshed out conclusion.

Other than that, I thought this was another excellent book perfect for teenagers that's got a lot of lessons on honesty and genuineness.  I'm anxious to see what the rest of the Secrets series has in store.

4 Stars

**Many thanks to NavPress for providing a copy for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: Through Thick and Thin by Sandra Byrd

About the book:

Savvy Smith, 15, sees her chance to write a full column in the paper, making her name and making her way in her new hometown near London, England. But the choices she faces when given the chance to choose between friends, family, and fame may turn her dream into a nightmare.

London Confidential is a new series where British fashion, friendships, and guys collide, and an all-American girl learns to love life and live out her faith.

My thoughts:

Sandra's style of writing is at the top of the list...seriously. I love how she can take a seemingly ordinary story, add a little pinch of quirkiness, and create some of the best books I've read in a long time. Oh, and I failed to mention, ahem....London!

Even though Through Thick and Thin is a young adult novel (and I've certainly passed that stage in my life), there is something here for everyone regardless of age. In this series, Savvy has to learn to navigate a whole new way of life in a foreign country and a new school to top it off. A tad daunting, right? But ya know, Savvy has got more maturity in her pinky finger than I did when I was her age. Granted, this is fiction, but it's still nice to read about a girl that has some respect for her parents, and knows how to learn from her mistakes.

And uh, I'm sure it's obvious that I can't wait to read the rest of this series! If you've never checked out any of Sandra's books, the perfect one to start with would be Let Them Eat Cake for an adult novel, or book one of this series, Asking for Trouble, for a young adult novel. Either way, you won't be disappointed!

Click here to read my review of Asking for Trouble.

FIRST Wild Card Tour and Book Review: Asking for Trouble by Sandra Byrd

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Sandra Byrd

and the book:

Asking for Trouble (London Confidential)

Tyndale House Publishers (March 4, 2010)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Best-selling author Sandra Byrd has published nearly three dozen books in the Christian market, including her latest series, French Twist, which includes the Christy Award finalist Let Them Eat Cake (WaterBrook Press, 2007) and its sequel, Bon Appétit (WaterBrook Press, 2008). Many of her acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books target the tween and young adult markets. She has also published a book for new moms entitled Heartbeats. Several of Sandra’s shorter works have appeared in periodicals such as Relevant, Clubhouse, Pockets, Decision, and Guideposts. For the past seven years, she has shared her secrets with the many students she mentors through the Christian Writers Guild. Before turning to full-time writing, Sandra was an acquisitions editor in the ABA market. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $6.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (March 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414325975
ISBN-13: 978-1414325972


AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

I hung back at the doorway to the cafeteria of my new supercool British school, Wexburg Academy. Most of the lunch tables were already packed, and the room was buzzing with chatter. The populars, whom I'd secretly nicknamed the Aristocats, commanded an entire table right in the center of the room. Their good looks and posh accents made up the sun around which all other tables orbited. The normal kids were in the second circle, arranged by friends or clubs or activities. The drama table was on the outer edge of the room, and so were the geeks, the nerds, and the punk wannabes--way out there like Neptune, but still planets. Most everyone had a group. I didn't.

Okay, so there was one table with lots of room. The leftovers table. It might as well have been the dark side of the moon.

No way.

I skipped lunch--again--and headed to the library. One of the computers was available and I logged on, desperately hoping for an e-mail from Seattle.

There was an e-mail from my grandmother reminding me to floss because British dentists only cleaned adult teeth.

Spam from Teen Vogue.

An invitation to join the Prince Harry fan club--​I opened it and gave it a quick scan. I'd consider it more later.

And . . . one from Jen!

I clicked open the e-mail from my best friend at home--well, it had been my home till a couple of months ago--hoping for a lunch full of juicy news served alongside tasty comments about how she missed me and was planning stuff for my next visit home. I craved something that would take me the whole lunch period to read and respond to and remind me that I did have a place somewhere in this universe.

From: Jen
To: Savannah


Hey, Fortune Cookie, so how's it going? Met the Queen yet? LOL. Sorry I haven't written too much. It's been so busy. Samantha took the position you'd been promised on the newspaper staff. She's brand new, but then again you would have been too. It seemed strange without you at first, but I think she'll do okay--maybe even better than okay. And hey, life has changed for everyone, right? Things are crazy busy at school, home, and church. We hang out a lot more now that a bunch of us are driving. Will write again in a few weeks.

Miss you!
Jen



A few weeks! My lungs filled with air, and I let it out slowly, deflating like a balloon with a slow leak. I poised my hands over the keyboard to write a response but just . . . couldn't. What would I say? It had already been weeks since we'd last e-mailed. Most of my friends texted instead of e-mailing anyway, but texting across the Atlantic Ocean cost way too much. And the truth was . . .

I'd moved, and they'd moved on.

I logged off the computer and sat there for a minute, blinking back tears. Jen hadn't meant to forget me. I was simply out of her orbit now.

I pretended to read Sugar magazine online, but mostly I was staring at the clock, passing the time till I could respectably head to my next class.

Five minutes before class I swung my book bag onto my shoulder and headed down the hall. Someone was stapling flyers to the wall. “Hi, Hazelle.”

“Hullo, Savannah.” She breezed by me, stapling another pink flyer farther down the wall. We had math class together--oh yeah, maths, as the Brits called it--first period. I'd tried to make friends with her; I'd even asked her if she'd like to sit together in lunch, but she'd crisply informed me that she sat at the table with the other members of the newspaper staff.

She didn't bother with small talk now either, but went on stapling down the hall. I glanced at one of the flyers, and one sentence caught my eye right away: Looking for one experienced journalist to join the newspaper staff.

I yanked the flyer off the wall and jammed it into my bag. I was experienced. Wasn't I?

A nub of doubt rose inside me--the kind that popped up, unwelcome, anytime I tried to rationalize something that wasn't exactly true or right.

This time I swallowed it back. I thought back to Jen's e-mail that kind of felt like a polite dismissal. I lived in London now.

It was time to take matters into my own hands.

My thoughts:

This was such a fun and enjoyable read! Of course, anything by Sandra Byrd is just fabulous anyway...whether it's adult or YA fiction.

This book had me wanting to go to London just like Sandra's French Twist series had me wanting to go to Paris. This book is full of British lingo, which I think is something a lot of Americans find rather interesting simply because it's different...I know I do. :) I loved learning a bit more about the food, and that there are ways that you don't address the Queen. The theatre scene with Savvy and her mom and sister was informative, too, and apparently, not much has changed since Shakespeare's lifetime in regard to theatre houses and their patrons...very interesting little tidbit since my hubby is a theatre buff.

Asking for Trouble had a lot of life lessons for anyone regardless of age--the biggest ones being friendliness and honesty. Savvy had a lot thrown at her all at once, especially a whole new culture change from America to London. Add to that the often impossible task of making new friends as a teenager, and you've got a book that shows we all have things in common as we try to navigate our own social circles. But she persevered through it all, including the uphill battle of trying to make it onto the newspaper staff at her school.

I'm so glad that book 2 in this series, Through Thick and Thin, was released right along with Asking for Trouble. I've got to get on the ball to get my next British book fix from Sandra Byrd! Cheerio!

5 Stars

**Many thanks to Christy Wong of Tyndale House Publishers for providing a copy for review.

**Click here to purchase a copy of Asking for Trouble.

Book Review: Drawing Marissa and Forgiving Sean by Jessica Adriel

Back cover of Drawing Marissa:

When Marissa Gladstone's father dies, she runs to her neighbor, Sean Moffit, for comfort. Three years later with a ring on her finger Sean suddenly skips town and Marissa wakes up in the emergency room. Her heart takes its final blow when she learns the truth and tries to hold her shattered life together. But the only one who can heal her wounds is God, and getting to Him is the last thing on her mind. That is, until Sean's college buddy reveals a drawing that holds the key to her heart.

Back cover of Forgiving Sean:

Marissa Gladstone is happy and in love, or so she thinks. When her ex-boyfriend returns home after a two-year absence, he has plans to win her back, that is until he sees her with his arch nemesis, Hawke Davies. Faced with Forgiving Sean and reopening an old wound, Marissa confides in Hawke who has more secret of his own to reveal. Will Sean's troubled past finally release Marissa from his old or will Sean's old ways rekindle a flame that died way too soon?

My thoughts:

Young adult fiction has changed A LOT since I was a teenager. I was about 11 or 12 when I started reading books on a regular basis, and I started off with the Trixie Belden books and the Babysitter’s Club books. From there, I started to discover Christian YA fiction, and found books by Judy Baer, Robin Jones Gunn, and Patricia Rushford. I pretty much devoured everything by these 3 authors, and loved every minute of it. The books were great, but most of the time, they were pretty sugar-coated. In hindsight, I wish I’d had the opportunity to read some YA back then that had a little more depth.

Jessica Adriel is a YA author who has a great sense of what teenagers are facing today, and it shows in her writing. From what I have been able to glean from her website, she has “been there, done that,” and lived to tell about it. She currently has 2 books available—Drawing Marissa and Forgiving Sean—and she’s definitely given a picture of the real world of a teenager in both books. I was so impressed that she didn’t hesitate to show her characters as flawed individuals who didn’t have all the answers, but who needed to rely on God for their strength. Not only did she portray the kids that way, she cast the parents and other adults in the same light. One parent in particular really caught my attention. It was a dad who pretty much let his daughter do whatever she wanted as long as it wasn’t anything illegal. The sad thing is that I have known kids with parents exactly like this who care nothing about their child’s morals or their integrity.

These two books would be very high on my list of recommendations for anyone, but particularly teens, simply because they are the real deal. You won’t find summer trips to the beach or sleepovers with friends. Instead, you’ll get a look at the real world that some teenagers face daily, full of struggles, heartache, and love.

4 Stars for both books

Southern?  No
Sass?  No
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There is also an interview with Jessica that I posted on my blog a couple of days ago. Click here if you're interested in reading it.