Thursday, November 17, 2016
[Book Review] Pretending to be Erica by Michelle Painchaud
Fiction/Young Adult
Andrea reviews PRETENDING TO BE ERICA by Michelle Painchaud (Viking, 2015)
Violet is not your average good girl. She is one of the most intelligent con artists this side of Las Vegas. Adopted and raised by single guy Sal, he taught Violet every scam and hustle he knew and some Violet was able to learn on her own.
Sal has been grooming Violet her entire life for this major hustle. The two of them, with lots of help from doctors and specialists paid under the table, are going to transform Violet into Erica Silverman, the golden child who was abducted when she was in preschool.
It’s been nearly a decade since young Erica was taken from her very affluent family. Her father is grieving in a mental institution but her mother never gave up hope she would see her daughter alive again. The Silverman family also owns a very special and expensive oil painting that Sal must get his grubby little paws on; therefore, the heist was put in motion.
Sal and Violet know there have been two other “Ericas” who have tried and failed, so their plan must be fine-tuned to the nth degree. They also know the FBI, reporters, and detectives will be watching Violet’s every move. People are skeptical this is the real Erica, but as long as Mrs. Silverman believes, Violet and Sal are that much closer to stealing the painting.
Violet knows the risks of this endeavor but losing Mrs. Silverman’s trust and maternal love for her saved daughter is going cost Violet more.
Full of twists and turns, Ms. Painchaud has given her readers quite a thriller that questions what is really important in life. Would you rather have love and protection or material possessions to make you happy? And what would you sacrifice for either?
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Branch Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Thriller, Young Adult
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
[Book Review] Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Andrea reviews SWEETBITTER by Stephanie Danler (Alfred A. Knopf, 2016).
I have to admit I was thrilled when I got my hands on this bestseller. Pardon the pun but I devoured the tell-all memoir, Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain that was published a few years back. Now, Ms. Danler has spun her own story about the underbelly of New York’s finest restaurants.
Tess is a young 22-year-old who has come to New York City with no real sense of direction or guidance in her life. It seemed logical for her to work in a restaurant since she had been a coffee barista in her past. She lands a job as a backwaiter in one of the most elite restaurants. Although her job is not to wait on the customers (or “guests,” as the “Owner” corrects her) she is responsible for cleaning off the tables, filling water glasses, and taking the food to the tables. While Tess is at the restaurant, she becomes enamored with Jake and Simone, the bartender and head server respectively. The two are quite a bit older than Tess but they go between mentoring her, being down right mean to her, sleeping with her, and messing with her head. Tess cannot figure out Jake and Simone’s dynamic, but the more she tries the more of a downward spiral she takes.
I enjoyed this tale of restaurant workers because I waited tables for ten years before I worked at the library. Restaurants always have some kind of drama and energy. It’s a pulsating rhythm you only identify with if you have worked in the industry in any capacity. This was also a great story of infatuation, power, and desire and how quickly it can escalate in the wrong direction.
Andrea Bledsoe-King, Cordova Library
Labels: Coming of Age, Fiction, Mainstream Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Women's Fiction
Monday, August 29, 2016
[Book Review] EVEN WHEN YOU LIE TO ME by Jessica Alcott
Fiction/Young Adult
Andrea reviews EVEN WHEN YOU LIE TO ME by Jessica Alcott (Crown, 2015)
It’s hard to be Charlotte (“Charlie”) because guys are constantly drawn to her best friend, Lila. Charlie has always lurked in Lila’s shadow, knowing guys don’t want her around when they’re flirting with Lila, and other girls just put up with her because she is Lila’s best friend.
Now it is the girls’ senior year, and things are going to be different. Charlie just doesn’t know how different yet! Enter Tom Drummond, new AP English teacher, whom Charlie feels an instant pull towards. She wants to believe Drummond has feelings for her too, but that’s preposterous because guys like Lila and besides, he’s her teacher! Or maybe the notion isn’t so crazy, after all.
Lines get blurred because the two are consenting adults, but they also need to think about the ethics of the situation and the moral responsibility Drummond should uphold. I found their relationship complex and intriguing with a twinge of creepiness. Hopefully, other readers will find a lot to discuss after reading this debut novel by Jessica Alcott.
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Young Adult
Thursday, August 04, 2016
[Book Review] Falling by Jane Green
Andrea reviews FALLING by Jane Green (Berkley Books, 2016)
Emma Montague has always been a quiet introvert. She would much rather be in the corner reading a book instead of being at a party. She was part of the hustle and bustle of New York banking for too long when she realized she was craving a more subdued and quiet lifestyle. Answering an ad for a rental house in Westport, Connecticut, Emma thinks this may be the answer she has been looking for. The house itself is horribly dated but Emma realizes its potential, especially since her most attractive landlord, Dominic DiFranco, lives right next door.
Time passes and Emma and Dominic find themselves more and more in love, and Emma is smitten with Dominic’s young son, Jesse. Even though Emma and Dominic couldn’t be any more different, the two are inseparable and even start thinking about becoming a family unit with Jesse. While Emma and Dominic are getting closer each day, they are thrown some major curve balls as all couples are.
Everything seems idyllic for the couple until it isn’t. Experiencing the worst kind of loss, Emma must go on without Dominic.
This is a heartbreaking story about all the ups and downs of true love; readers will learn that true friends are the family we make for ourselves.
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Library
Labels: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
[Book Review] Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
Quinn Collins always admitted she was never the perfect roommate. She did not mean to only pay forty percent of the electric bill or be habitually short with her half of the rent. But it was hard to compare her to her roommate, whom Quinn dubbed “Saint Esther.” When Esther’s blaring alarm clock woke up Quinn on a Sunday morning, she went to rouse Esther but found her GONE! When Quinn tells Ben, a mutual friend of hers and Esther’s that Esther is missing, he is much more helpful than the authorities. But more and more weirdness ensued because it seemed Esther wanted to kill Quinn or else have her killed.
Meanwhile across town, Alex Gallo, the busboy in a local café’, found himself smitten with a stranger in town. Having her best interests at heart, Alex brought food, warm clothes, and a kerosene heater to the rundown house where she was “squatting.” Never telling Alex her name, the stranger assured him that she considered him a good friend. As he got closer to her, he found her behavior more and more bizarre.
Eventually, Alex and Quinn found themselves fighting to stay alive because of Esther and the stranger’s actions. Although neither had met, Alex and Quinn did have a connection through this stranger. Readers will know there was something not quite right, but it won’t be until the very end that all the pieces will fall into place.
Welcome to the world of Mary Kubica novels.
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Branch
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Suspense
Thursday, June 09, 2016
[Book Review] The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Fiction/Suspense
Andrea reviews THE LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE by Jessica Knoll (Simon and Schuster, 2015)
It would appear as though Ani FaNelli is one of those women who have it all. She works at a glamorous New York magazine, has the perfect body to accommodate her fabulous wardrobe, and also has an amazing and wealthy fiancé who adores her. But Ani (pronounced Ah-nee, not Ann-ee) has had to struggle to get to where she is now. After a disastrous experience with friends at her Catholic junior high involving marijuana when she was still TifAni, her mother decided it would be best if she started high school at Bradley, a very elite and prestigious school that would certainly fast-track her to an Ivy League university.
TifAni quickly finds out the crowd at Bradley is tougher and meaner than Catholic school because they all are richer and more entitled. After she goes through a severely devastating experience involving alcohol and older guys, freshman TifAni is completely ostracized. Her only friend is Arthur Finnerman, even though he is an outcast also. TifAni never would have dreamt of the revenge and repercussions Arthur would take to save her from the older guys who tormented both of them. Having to take a most extreme measure to save herself, TifAni commits a most heinous deed also.
Time has passed and Ani has emerged from TifAni’s ashes like the mythical Phoenix. Unfortunately, a production team wants to do a documentary of the events that happened at Bradley. Will this give Ani the chance to let go of the anger TifAni was consumed with fifteen years ago? Will Ani be able to come to grips with all she went through in high school?
This is a great roller coaster of a read, frightening and intense, and you will never know what lurks around the corner. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Wally Lamb will especially enjoy this most twisted tale.
Andrea King, Cordova Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Suspense
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
[Book Review] Roby Reviews: Changing Faces
Fiction
Andrea reviews Changing Faces by Kimberla Lawson Roby, (Harper Collins, 2006)
Whitney, Taylor, and Charisse have all been best friends since high school. They are also each other’s worst enemies as well.
Plus-sized Whitney hates the fact she has no control over her eating habits but wants a man to love her and stay with her. She is too tired of all these men who use her and then leave her. The more she wants a commitment, the more depressed she gets and eats even more junk.
Taylor is probably the most level headed of the three friends. Her professional life as an attorney is shining and appealing but she can’t understand why her long-term boyfriend won’t settle down and marry her. Because of her sensibility and sensitivity, she often gets stuck playing referee to Charisse and Whitney.
Charisse is married and has two wonderfully adorable children. Her life may seem perfect but she is judgmental to all around her. The more judgmental she gets, the more she alienates her husband and her two best friends. She claims she is this way because her mother verbally and physically abused her.
The three women have their strife and struggles with each other and separately, but in the end will they be there for one another?
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Branch
Labels: Bookstock 2016, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
[Book Review] Roby Reviews: Casting the First Stone
Fiction
Andrea reviews Casting the First Stone by Kimberla Lawson Roby (Kensington, 2000)
Curtis Black is one despicable man. He has decided he wants to leave his wife of over a decade so he can be with his young, also-married girlfriend. Curtis and his girlfriend, Adrienne, have to sneak around since they both are married AND Curtis works with Adrienne’s husband, Thomas. It doesn’t matter that Tanya, Curtis’ wife, supported him and worked full-time while he was in graduate school. She is also the mother of his daughter, Alicia, who is undoubtedly the light of his life.
To make matters even worse, Curtis feels smothered by Adrienne whenever she talks about divorcing Thomas so she can marry Curtis. To deflect this claustrophobia, Curtis starts sleeping with another woman, and I mean “woman” loosely, because Charlotte is only 17 years old! Charlotte gets pregnant and her father tells Curtis he will have him thrown in jail for statutory rape charges.
But the proverbial icing on the cake is this: Curtis Black is a PASTOR! Now you see what I mean about his being despicable? Casting the First Stone is the first book of 12 in the Reverend Curtis Black series. These are all great stories with lots of drama and tension but readers need to read them in chronological order to get the full effect. Readers will be disgusted and amazed by Curtis Black’s attitude- especially knowing he is a PREACHER!
Andrea Bledsoe King, Cordova Library
Labels: Bookstock 2016, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
[Book Review] Find Her by Lisa Gardner
Fiction/Mystery
When a good-looking woman lets loose in a bar on a Friday evening, nobody thinks twice about it. The woman knows she’s attractive and has enough self-confidence to buy herself the first overpriced fruity drink, but she also knows she can count on a stranger to buy her more drinks. Somebody always does and tonight is no exception.
When the same girl is assaulted in the parking lot for being a drunken tease, only the bartender comes to her rescue. When she wakes up naked in the bartender’s garage with her hands zip tied in front of her, she has to think fast.
All she tells the bartender when he comes down is, “You don’t know who I am.”
Turns out Devon, the bartender, did not know he had abducted Florence (Flora) Dane, the woman who was held captive in a pine box for 472 days and survived. Now Flora is on a mission to save other women who have been abducted.
Using herself as bait, she lures men into taking her captive. When the men comply, she uses every bit of survival skills she learned from being abducted, tortured, beaten, and raped for so long, and she is able to kill or maim each man after she tells them, “You don’t know who I am.” By claiming “self-defense” she has gotten away with these actions four times already.
Is Flora a victim, a survivor, or is she just plain reckless? Readers will either sympathize with her or they will believe she is a heartless killer. It’s up to you to decide.
Andrea Bledsoe-King, Cordova Library
Labels: Fiction, Mystery, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
[Book Review] LUSH by Natasha Friend
Andrea reviews LUSH by Natasha Friend (Scholastic Press, 2006)
Samantha wants to be a normal 13-year-old girl. She wants to hang out with her friends, talk about guys, have slumber parties, and go on dates. But because of her secret, being normal is not always possible. Sure, her mother is weird in the fact she thinks yoga will solve everything in her universe and of course her little brother is annoying and adorable all at once because he’s four. These things Sam deals with because it is her father who is the biggest embarrassment to her.
Samantha wants to be a normal 13-year-old girl. She wants to hang out with her friends, talk about guys, have slumber parties, and go on dates. But because of her secret, being normal is not always possible. Sure, her mother is weird in the fact she thinks yoga will solve everything in her universe and of course her little brother is annoying and adorable all at once because he’s four. These things Sam deals with because it is her father who is the biggest embarrassment to her.
Samantha’s dad is an alcoholic. He constantly promises it will be better or he can cut the drinking down to just one drink a day. But like most alcoholics he has to hit rock bottom before he can quit drinking. He does, but unfortunately it is in a big way that affects everyone in the family. Samantha is floundering. It’s hard enough to be a teenager even without the extra family drama added on top. She begins to confide in a stranger by leaving letters in library books. She looks forward to the advice A.J.K. (whoever they are) gives her by slipping notes back into the library books.
The person she least expects to help her turns out to be her biggest supporter. Also, learning her father needs her help makes her want to support him in return.
This is a poignant and well-written story told from a thirteen-year-old’s point of view who just so happens to be struggling with “normal” stuff but also has another real issue. The author has also included resources for kids and teens who might be going through similar kinds of issues.
Andrea King, Cordova Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Young Adult
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
[Book Review] What Doesn't Kill Her by Carla Norton
Fiction/Suspense
Andrea reviews WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER by Carla Norton, (Minotaur Books, 2015)
Still emotionally drained and haunted by her years held captive in Daryl Wayne Flint’s basement, Reeve LeClaire is trying to get away from her persona of “Edgy Reggie.” She has moved away from Washington State to attend Berkeley University in San Francisco. She has made friends with a group of bicyclists, does well in her college classes, and is able to sleep at night knowing Flint is locked up.
Until the fateful day, he isn’t. After careful deliberation and planning with people on the outside, Flint kills the prison barber and manages to escape. Reeve and former FBI agent Milo Bender are obviously the most agitated about Flint. Knowing Flint will attempt to strike again during the upcoming week of Halloween, the two must act quickly.
Ms. Norton takes her readers on another roller coaster ride as she alternates between Reeve and Flint’s points of view. If you as a reader are ready to sacrifice sleep because you want to see what happens next, this is more than likely what you want to read next!
Andrea King, Poplar-White Station Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Suspense
Monday, August 03, 2015
[Book Review] Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Andrea reviews GO SET A WATCHMAN by Harper Lee (HarperCollins Publishers, 2015)
Let me clarify what I know about this “new” book by reclusive author, Harper Lee. Although Ms. Lee is best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman is actually the “parent” book of TKAM. What this means is Harper Lee initially presented her publishers a manuscript of GSAW and it was rejected. Her editor specifically asked for Ms. Lee to rewrite the story 20 years prior with a young Scout growing up during the Great Depression in Alabama.
This is how To Kill a Mockingbird was conceived, written, and published!
Now here it is over fifty years later, and Go Set a Watchman is flying off the shelves. Harper Lee has written another masterpiece that is again full of controversy. In this story, Scout is now 26 years old and goes by Jean Louise and lives in New York. Her homecoming to Maycomb, Alabama this year will be full of shock and heartbreak. Her noble father, Atticus, has gotten older, of course, but his staunch beliefs from TKAM have completely changed. Jean Louise, with help from family, friends, and her own heartstrings, must realize Atticus was never meant to be his daughter’s only guidepost in life. It takes a lot for Jean Louise to recognize this life lesson.
There has been a lot of heated discussion about this book and its characters. That is not necessarily a bad thing. You may not agree with every viewpoint from every character. That is okay, also. The idea of a good book is to prompt discussion and strong feelings.
Just remember the quote by Jo Godwin: “A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
Andrea Bledsoe King, Poplar-White Station LibraryLabels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews
Friday, May 29, 2015
[Book Review] Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm
Fiction/Suspense
Andrea reviews UNBECOMING by Rebecca Scherm (Viking Press, 2015)
In this solidly-written tale of cat and mouse, readers are introduced to Julie who works in a French antiques shop called Zanuso. The work is tedious and grubby but it keeps her away from her hometown of Garland, Tennessee where she had a sordid past as Grace.
Grace had been with Riley since they were twelve years old and discovered the differences between boys and girls. She loved him with every ounce of her being and adored his family, and it seemed the love and adoration was mutual. Escaping from her own family, Grace was all but adopted by the Graham family. Mrs. Graham loved Grace as her own daughter, the daughter she never had, and even set up an attic bedroom for Grace.
Because the two had been a couple for so long, Grace knew all of Riley’s friends and all of their secrets, plans, and schemes. When Riley and his two best friends, Alls and Greg, hit rock bottom financially, Grace jokingly suggested they could rob the town’s historical landmark, Wynne House. She told them to pillage the place for items the docents wouldn’t miss and then sell the items to art collectors and galleries.
When Grace realized the boys were bringing her plan to fruition, she knew to get the hell out of Dodge and totally reinvent herself to avoid conviction as an accessory to the crime. After a near-fatal experience in Prague, Grace escaped to France.
As “Julie from California,” she constantly lives in fear while working at Zanuso or checking Garland’s online newspaper in her small rented room. She constantly kept online tabs on Riley and Alls the three years they were in prison for robbery.
Readers will hold their breath when Alls finds Grace in Paris and will not exhale until the very last page of the epilogue.
How long do you have to run from your past when the past will inevitably catch up with you? Find out what happens in this well-written debut novel from author Rebecca Scherm.
Andrea King, Poplar-White Station Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Suspense
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
[Book Review] The Stranger by Harlan Coben
Fiction/Suspense
Andrea reviews THE STRANGER by Harlan Coben (Random House, 2015)
Everyone has secrets. The secret could be so small the holder may not remember having it, or the secret could be so gigantic it is eating its owner from the inside. It does not matter the magnitude of the secret because everyone has them. It’s just a matter of what happens when the secrets are exposed.
Enter the Stranger. He thrives in finding out different people’s enormous secrets and exposing them cruelly and elaborately. As sick and twisted as this is, he justifies it by making it a living blackmailing others.
When the Stranger runs into suburban lawyer, Adam Price, he exposes a secret so great that Adam’s entire universe is shattered. Soon the tangled web of lies and deception that Adam and wife Corinne enters is so dark that their perfect life together is just a mirage. Adam comes to realize if he does not play this chess game just perfectly, his American dream will be completely annihilated by these con artists.
Once again Harlan Coben has written an amazingly dark tale that causes readers to lose sleep because they just have to know what will happen next. If you’re a fan of reading non-stop, not sleeping because the story is just that good, or else, getting absolutely nothing done on your to-do list, read The Stranger. I promise, you will not put it down until you have absorbed all of it!
Andrea Bledsoe-King, Poplar-White Station Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Suspense
Monday, December 22, 2014
[Book Review] The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
Andrea reviews THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD by Laura McHugh (Spiegel & Grau, 2014 )
This is a most grisly tale set in the backwoods of the Ozark Mountains. Even though 17-year-old Lucy Dane has grown up in the tiny town of Henbane, Missouri, members of the small town still treat her as an outsider.
When Lucy was just an infant, her young mother, Lila, disappeared without a trace, leaving her father, Carl, to raise her. Now a generation later, Lucy’s friend, Cheri, has vanished--just as Lila did. Townspeople have their suspicions, but why are they pointing fingers at Carl and his brother, Crete? Especially frustrated since there were no answers about Lila’s disappearance, Lucy incorporates her two friends, Daniel and Bess, to help her to solve Cheri’s murder.
Alternating mainly between Lucy and Lila’s voices, Ms. McHugh’s debut novel is one of foreboding and fright. Everyone is suspect in both crimes when really the answer is almost obvious.
If readers are looking for a thriller that will make their hair stand up on end, I definitely recommend The Weight of Blood.
Andrea, Poplar-White Station Library
Labels: Fiction, Mystery Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
[Book Review] The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Andrea reviews THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY by Laurie Halse Anderson (Viking, 2014)
This is another brilliantly tragic young adult (YA) novel written by author, Laurie Halse Anderson, who won the Michael L. Printz Honor award with her debut novel, Speak.
Told primarily from the voice of Hayley Kincain, she is being “raised” by her Iraq war veteran father, Andy. I am using the word raised loosely because, unfortunately for Hayley and all those around her, her father suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving tours in Iraq.
Andy’s primary occupation after serving his tours of duty was semi-truck driver. Because Hayley’s mother and grandmother both had died, Andy felt he had no choice but to take her on his long hauls. Hayley claimed she never saw the need for formal education; she was learning all she needed from being on the road with her dad. All that came to a screeching halt when Andy decides to put Hayley in public school for her senior year. Andy’s PTSD demons are getting worse and he decides to self-medicate. Hayley is having a hard enough time fitting in with the “zombies” of high school without Andy’s abusing her and himself.
This is a heartbreaking young adult novel that shows readers how war is destroying many people in so many different ways.
Andrea King, Poplar-White Station
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Staff book reviews, Young Adult
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
[Book Review] That Night by Chevy Stevens
Andrea reviews THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens (St. Martin’s Press, 2014)
When the latest thriller by Chevy Stevens begins, Toni Murphy is being released from her 15-year jail sentence after being convicted of murdering her younger sister Nicole. Because of Toni’s relationship with high school thug, Ryan, and her increasing behavioral issues, underage drinking, and problems with other students and the law, Toni would be the obvious suspect of the cold blooded murder. Right?
Using her usual nail-biting, edgy style, Ms. Stevens has written another brilliant novel of suspense. Told from Toni’s point of view, Stevens flip flops between the present day and flashbacks of Toni’s ordeals in prison. Being in prison has obviously made Toni Murphy a jaded and calloused person, but readers will feel compassion for her as she readjusts to life on the outside while still grieving her sister.
I devoured this book because of the fast-paced action and adventure. Just remember appearances are definitely deceiving in this story. Enjoy!
Andrea, Poplar-White Station Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Suspense
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
[Book Review] If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Andrea reviews IF YOU FIND ME by Emily Murdoch (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013)
This is a touching, painful story of sisters Carey and Jenessa who have only had each other to survive. When their crystal meth-addicted mother abandons the girls in a broken-down camper deep in the Tennessee forests, it is up to 15-year-old Carey to feed, clothe, and take care of young Jenessa. Carey constantly reminds herself as long as they have each other, the two of them are home.
Mama has been gone on the longest binge ever and it doesn't seem like she is coming back to the girls. The girls are surviving on only two pairs of clothes and eating canned beans each meal. After their mother has been gone over two months, a social worker and a man claiming to be their father come to their rescue. Just as Carey is suspicious of the strangers’ motives, she wants the best for her baby sister who loves Mrs. Haskill and Charles wholeheartedly and immediately.
As Charles arranges to have sole custody of his girls and blend them in with his new family, anger and tension ensue. Soon, taking care of Jenessa becomes the primary focus for each family member (even for the lovable blue-tick hound, Shorty) so trust replaces suspicion and secrets are shared with each other.
This young adult novel is an emotional roller coaster. Readers will not soon forget Carey and Jenessa’s plight.
Andrea, Poplar-White Station Library
Labels: Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King, Young Adult
