Review: RULES FOR BEING A GIRL

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love a book about a fierce young feminist, and that’s exactly what rules for being a girl gives us. Marin, our protagonist, begins seeing how society holds girls to different standards than guys after her teacher (late-twenties) comes on to her. She begins pointing out these "rules for girls" in an editorial for her school's paper, starts a feminist book club, and tries to figure out whether or not to report the teacher's misconduct.

RULES FOR BEING A GIRL deals with the subtle manipulations in an inappropriate teacher-student relationship and whether a situation is "bad" or "serious" enough to report. Marin tries to rationalize what happens with Bex as "just a kiss" and a miscommunication. We see this often in society where people say, "It wasn't rape, so I shouldn't bother reporting." Plus Bex is the "hot" young teacher all the girls swoon over (not a creepy old teacher), which blurs those lines further, and the way Cotugno and Bushnell examine these subtleties is fantastic.

This book gets into all those gray areas teenage girls exist in and brings them into the light. Highly recommend for all teenage girls, as well as everyone who needs a deeper understanding of the world of double-standards society creates for girls.

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Review: ONE TO WATCH

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bea is a plus-size fashion blogger who, after writing a post critiquing Main Squeeze (a Bachelor-inspired reality show) and its lack of body diversity, finds herself the show's new star.

If you've ever watched The Bachelor in any of its iterations, you know what to expect: fairytale dates, jealousy, drama. But Kate Stayman-London gives us a refreshing take on the dating show, both by putting a plus-size woman in the leading role and by making Bea different from the Bachelorette stereotype. She *gasp!* WEARS PANTS to a cocktail party! Her sharp wit is always on display, and I loved following her ups and downs.

The supporting cast is also incredibly diverse, which was amazing to see. The format also included emails, Twitter and text threads, and podcast transcripts, which was such a fun and real way to tell the story. If you want a book you will clutch to your chest with love after you finish, read ONE TO WATCH!

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Review: DEAR MARTIN

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm so glad I finally read this book -- actually, I listened to the audiobook. It's short, but it leaves a huge impact. Justyce is arrested while looking after his drunk ex-girlfriend (and preventing her from driving herself home) because a cop believes Justyce is trying to take advantage of her. That night changes Justyce, and he embarks on a project to live like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in regards to racism.

Style-wise, this book reminded me of minimalism in the best way. Nic Stone doesn't mess around with fluffy prose; there are scenes boiled down straight to the dialogue, because that dialogue? It's what's important. Justyce confronts so much in this book, from police violence to arguments against affirmative action. DEAR MARTIN should be required reading in high schools (along with ALL AMERICAN BOYS).

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Review: BEACH READ

Beach Read by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BEACH READ was exactly what I wanted. A women's fiction writer suffering from writer's block spends the summer at her late father's (secret) second house at the lake and enters into a bet with her literary fiction writer neighbor and college rival. January vows to write a literary fiction draft, while Gus tries to write a Happily Ever After.

Second chance romance is my FAVORITE trope, and I love Gus and January's history and romance. As a couple, they communicate very well, which is something I don't see enough in novels. Usually miscommunication is used to ramp up tension, but in BEACH READ both protagonists are very honest and open about their needs and feelings. I also connected with January as she dealt with her grief surrounding her father's death, and I loved reading about her writerly struggles!

Highly recommend the audio!

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Review: Starry Eyes

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jenn Bennett writes some of the most vivid characters in contemporary YA today. Their dialogue, their quirks, their outside-the-box hobbies...I've read all three of her contemp novels this year and each one stands out in my mind. I adore them all, but STARRY EYES has my heart. Astronomy lover Zorie gets roped into a "glamping" trip with her sort-of friends, only to discover that her ex-best friend Lennon is coming along, too. Of course, nothing goes as planned on this trip, and Zorie finds herself stranded in the wilderness alone with Lennon.

I identified so much with Zorie and her control-freak tendencies. She's a planner and stresses when she can't control a situation (sometimes to the point of giving herself hives). Lennon is one of my new favorite YA boys, outdoorsy and snarky and sweet. Their banter is TOP NOTCH! I also loved Zorie's relationship with her mom and Lennon's relationship with his moms - I love a YA with awesome (and present) parents.

My review won't do this book justice, so just read it! It made me giddy from start to finish and almost convinced me to give hiking/camping a try. (I said almost.)

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Review: You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone

You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was everything I hoped it would be (and more). Written from alternating POVs of twins Adina and Tovah, YOU'LL MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE follows the growing emotional distance between the two sisters as they are tested for Huntington's, the degenerative disease slowly killing their mother. One twin tests negative, the other tests positive. And from there, everything changes.

The first 75 pages of this book (the lead-up to the test and diagnosis) drained me emotionally because I immediately became attached to both Adina and Tovah. Adina plays the viola and is auditioning for conservatories, while Tovah has been striving for admission to Johns Hopkins with the goal of becoming a surgeon. Adina is rebellious and has fallen away from her family's Jewish faith after her mother's diagnosis, while Tovah keeps kosher and relies heavily on her faith. Both girls are ambitious and flawed. They don't fit neatly into stereotype boxes (my review doesn't do justice at describing how fully fleshed out they are), and I adored them both. Their voices are distinct and strong in first person POV - even if the chapters hadn't been labeled with the narrator's name, I would still know who was speaking.

This is a sister story. A family story. A coming-of-age story. It is not a medical drama where the disease is the star and the characters are its victims. This is a book about people and the choices they make, the things they want. Loved, loved, LOVED this one.

(Trigger warning for self-harm and suicidal thoughts.)

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March Reading Wrap-Up

March was a great reading month for me, quality-wise. I read some of my favorite books of the year (so far, anyway)! I'd recommend every book on this list (NEVER FADE is a sequel, though, so if you're looking to start the series, read THE DARKEST MINDS first).

 

Here we go!

 

THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS by Anna-Marie McLemore

This story has been described as Romeo and Juliet meets THE NIGHT CIRCUS, which is spot-on. Lace comes from a family of mermaid exhibitionists (they wear tails and swim underwater) while Cluck’s family straps on wings and scale the tallest trees. The family rivalry runs deeper than performance competition, and with a touch of magical realism and romance, this story finds the perfect balance. So, so unique and beautiful.

 

NEVER FADE by Alexandra Bracken

Continuing my Darkest Minds series reread. I enjoyed this much more the second time around. Loved seeing Ruby’s character development!

 

KILL THE BOY BAND by Goldy Moldavsky

Four fangirls of boy band The Ruperts accidentally-kind-of-on-purpose kidnap a member of the band. Things escalate. It’s hilarious, slightly terrifying, and reminiscent of Libba Bray’s BEAUTY QUEENS. A great examination of celebrity/fan culture and validation of fangirls. I loved every second of this one!

 

THE WINNER’S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski

I reread this in preparation for THE WINNER’S KISS release. Five stars once again! The writing is flawlessly crafted: so much symbolism and sharp prose. Kestrel is becoming one of my all-time favorite female protagonists. I’m planning to do a full series review (non-spoiler) once I read the final book, so stay tuned!

 

LADY MIDNIGHT by Cassandra Clare

Book one in Cassandra Clare’s new Shadowhunters series, The Dark Artifices. Emma tries to solve a series of Los Angeles murders that connect to her parents’ own deaths. Meanwhile, she fights her growing feelings for Julian, her parabati, and questions the strict rules of the Clave, the Shadowhunter governing body. Well-developed characters and a rich new piece of the Shadowhunter world.  

 

THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald

Imagine Belle never met the Beast and instead opened a bookstore in the town where everyone thinks she’s strange. You’ve got this book. It’s charming and full of bookish references from Jane Austen to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO to Harry Potter. If you love books, you’ll like this. (Fun fact: it's a translation! Originally published in Sweden.)

 

 

EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR by E.K. Johnston

After Hermione Winters is drugged and raped at cheerleading camp, she has to cope with her lack of memories surrounding the assault. Thankfully, she has a best friend to lean on. Such a powerful book. I really loved this one. Check out my full review here.

 

 

I loved all the books I read this month. They're all so different: satire, magical realism, urban fantasy, tough issue contemp... Not sure I can pick a favorite!

 

What's your favorite March read? Have you picked up any of these? Are they on your TBR?

 

 

 

Book Review: EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR by E.K. Johnston

Hermione Winters, co-captain of her cheerleading squad, is drugged and raped at summer cheer camp. With no memory of the assault, she begins her senior year coming to terms with what happened—and the possibility that her rapist is one of the boys on her squad. All the while, her best friend and co-captain, Polly, stands by her side.

 

E.K. Johnston’s EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR is equal parts sexual assault story and ode to friendship. The real star of this story is Hermione and Polly’s unwavering friendship. In the wake of her assault, Hermione leans on Polly more than she does her parents. Polly is there in the hospital when Hermione wakes up after being raped, the one who has to say the words out loud.

 

Hermione’s struggle to cope with being raped felt realistic, and her situation is one I haven’t read before in YA lit (though I haven’t read too widely on the topic): because she has no memory of the rape, she feels like it happened to someone else. She can sympathize but not empathize, and this stalls her recovery a bit. I really enjoyed the scenes with her therapist. He’s old and blunt and hilarious, especially because he doesn’t understand cheerleading at all!  

 

I wish all sexual assault victims received the same support and love that Hermione does. The reaction is the complete opposite from ALL THE RAGE, where protagonist Romy was blamed/harassed by classmates and townspeople. For the most part, Hermione’s friends and family remain solidly on her side.

 

Books about victim-blaming and rape culture are becoming more prevalent in the YA genre (ALL THE RAGE and SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers, WHAT WE SAW by Aaron Hartzler), and those stories are so important. We need to be aware of how society treats so many victims unfairly. And now, with EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR, I believe it’s equally important to portray the hopeful side of a terrible situation—how we should treat victims. With open ears, with belief, with support.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015

A very exciting Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the Broke and the Bookish this week…favorite books of 2015! 

I’m anxious about posting this with two weeks of the year left…just since the beginning of December I’ve read some of my favorite books of the year! But as of right now, here’s my top ten.

(kind of in order of my favorites…the top 3 rotate depending on my mood.)

1. QUEEN OF SHADOWS by Sarah J. Maas

Book 4 in the Throne of Glass series has the most perfect pacing of any fantasy book I’ve read. It’s also a book of Big Moments, where many of the events/confrontations we’ve all been waiting for finally happen. We follow many different characters (though the story remains in 3^rd person), including Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, and characters we were introduced to in later books like Manon, Rowan and Aedion. Normally I have a set favorite POV in books like this and get bored with all the others, but I honestly enjoyed every page of this.

 

2. SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen doing what Sarah Dessen does best: complicated family dynamics, supportive friendships and self-discovery. That’s what drew me to her stories initially, and SAINT ANYTHING reminds me of my favorite Dessen books (THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER, ALONG FOR THE RIDE). Sydney’s reckless older brother is sent to jail, stealing their parents’ attention and casting Sydney into the shadows. Then Sydney meets the Chatham family and learns she might not be as invisible as she thinks. Read my full review of SAINT ANYTHING here. 

 

3. WINTER by Marissa Meyer

The long-awaited finale of the Lunar Chronicles is FINALLY here! WINTER is part-Snow White retelling, part space odyssey as our entire crew heads to Luna for the big showdown with Queen Levana. At 800+ pages, the book was everything I’d hoped for! The story’s evolution from the beginning of this book to the end (not to mention from CINDER to WINTER) is amazing to see. And Winter herself has become one of my favorite Lunar Chronicles characters. I’m so happy Marissa is publishing a short story collection (including a WINTER epilogue!) so we can follow up on our favorites! 

 

4. ALL THE RAGE by Courtney Summers

I’ve talked nonstop about this book since it came out in April. It’s a harsh look at the victim blaming culture in our society after a teenage girl is raped at a small town party. She comes forward and is ostracized, bullied horrifically by classmates and townspeople—especially the sheriff, father of the accused rapist. Courtney Summers also uses great imagery and sharp prose to make the reading experience even more visceral. Read my full review of ALL THE RAGE here.   

 

5. THE START OF ME AND YOU by Emery Lord

I was late to the Emery Lord party, but now you’ll have to drag me out because I am never leaving! THE START OF ME AND YOU follows Paige, who's still shaken up over last year's drowning death of her boyfriend of two months. She decides junior year is her fresh start: new activities (somehow she gets roped into joining Quiz Bowl), going out with friends (she’d spent the past year avoiding parties), and finding a new boyfriend (her old crush seems like a good place to start). Then her crush’s adorably nerdy cousin, Max, befriends her and throws a wrench into her plans. This synopsis (and the one on the book flap) does the story no justice. Emery Lord writes friendships we need to see more of in YA: supportive girls who’ll do anything for one another. Paige’s friendship with her three friends, especially Tessa, was the star of the book for me. In addition to, of course, the perfection that is Max Watson. Nerd love! Full review to come. 

 

6. SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo 

Kaz Brekker and his street gang take on an impossible heist: break into the heavily secured Ice Court and steal one of its prisoners. Succeed, and they’ll be beyond rich. Fail, and they’ll probably all die. I loved following Kaz’s team of thieves, spies, and convicts—the story is told from five of the six crew members’ POVs—and, even though their morals are a little askew, I adore them all. Especially Kaz, Inej, and Nina. If you weren’t crazy about the Grisha trilogy (I made it through Book 1 but that’s it so far), still pick up SIX OF CROWS. A much more enjoyable cast of characters, even better worldbuilding, and great pacing. Read my full review of SIX OF CROWS here. 

 

7. AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir

My favorite 2015 debut. This brutal fantasy world is based off ancient Rome and follows Laia, who sneaks into the military academy as a spy in an effort to save her kidnapped brother. There she encounters Elias, top of his class but desperate to desert instead of serving the Empire after graduating. Fantastic worldbuilding, both POVs are equally strong—I would’ve read a full book about either character—and play off each other well. It was originally marketed as a standalone (but clearly written with the hope for a sequel) and now we’re getting a second book next year! Read my full review of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES here.

 

8. AMY AND ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson

Warning: you will want to take a road trip after reading this! After her father dies in a car accident, Amy and her mom are moving to Connecticut. Still too scared to drive, Amy’s family friend Roger tags along. Quickly disregarding the planned route, Amy and Roger see the sights—and deal with all sorts of emotional baggage—along the way. Full of fun add-ins like Morgan Matson’s own road trip pictures and playlists, this book is such a fun read. The light and heavy emotional moments balance perfectly. I can’t believe it took me until 2015 to read this one! Read my full review of AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR here.

 

9. BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray

A plane full of teenage beauty pageant contestants crashes on an island. Is it a Mean Girls-style cafeteria brawl? Lord of the Flies? Or could they actually work together? Libba Bray’s novel is a genius look at society’s portrayal of teenage girls. Each character was fleshed out so well, and the friendships were positive and supportive. A whip-smart, hilarious and poignant read. Read my full review ofBEAUTY QUEENS here.   

 

10. JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman

I devoured this book in, wait for it…just one day. It’s part-travel adventure, part self-discovery. Allyson ditches her European tour group to visit Paris with Willem, an actor in a traveling Shakespearean company. The first half of the book follows Allyson’s choice in the day that follows, while the second half details Allyson’s return home and first semester of college. It’s a romance for sure, but Allyson spends most of the book figuring out who she is. I enjoyed the character development, and now I’m desperate to plan a trip to Europe!

Book Review: WHAT WE SAW by Aaron Hartzler

Kate’s memories of John Doone’s party are fuzzy. After too many shots with Stacey Stallard, her childhood friend Ben drives her home—and possibly lets on that he wants to be more than friends. A fun, great night, right? But then a picture surfaces online of Stacey passed out and slung over Deacon Mills’s shoulder, and soon the police burst into the school cafeteria and arrest four star basketball players. Stacey’s pressing charges, and everyone in town seems to think she’s to blame.

As evidence is slowly uncovered through Instagram photos and Twitter hashtags, Kate tries to piece together what happened. She dodges a persistent journalist and tries to listen to her parents’ warnings to stay out of the drama, but Kate’s not as ready to blame Stacey as the rest of the town seems to be. She wants the truth: what really happened at the party? And where was Ben when it occurred?

Aaron Hartzler’s WHAT WE SAW is based on the Steubenville rape case of 2012 where a young woman was assaulted at a party by members of the high school football team while intoxicated and unconscious. The crime was recorded through texts, tweets, photos and videos, so even though the victim had no memory of it, much of the timeline could be pieced together. WHAT WE SAW changes certain details (the boys in question are on the basketball team, for example) but the heart of the story remains. This all-American small town receives notoriety as the Rape Case town, but who are the people who live there? What do they think? Are they evil, trying to stage a cover-up of a horrific crime? Or do they stand with the accuser and want to find the truth?

ALL THE RAGE by Courtney Summers is one of my favorite books of 2015 because of the spotlight it shines on rape culture and victim blaming. WHAT WE SAW takes the critique a step further by making social media its own character. The party inspires its own hashtags, and the police confiscate many phones as part of the investigation. It also examines silence as complicity, particularly within Kate’s circle of friends. Stacey presses charges and essentially destroys her already bruised reputation—the town looks down on her clothing choices, alcohol and pot use—and no one wants to go down with her.

I really enjoyed how the commentary on consent and violence against women wove its way into other aspects of the story, from song lyrics at the Spring Fling dance to Kate’s geology class. Her teacher, Mr. Johnston, might be my favorite character despite his limited page-time. No spoilers, but his response to a student’s comment (toward the end of the book) about the rape allegations made me want to stand up and cheer!

This story is tough to read—horrifying at times—but its messages are important. Hartzler handles the situation well, showing a cast of characters with varying opinions on the rape charges. His dialogue is spot on, too. It’s a heavy book, but if (like me) ALL THE RAGE made you think about society’s unfair treatment of assault victims and you want to explore that further, pick up WHAT WE SAW today. It’s Hartzler’s YA fiction debut (his memoir, RAPTURE PRACTICE, is marketed as YA nonfiction), and I can’t wait to see what’s next from him.

Book Review: ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL by Jesse Andrews

Greg makes bad movies. He knows this. The worst movie he ever made was for Rachel, a girl at school he used to be acquaintances with who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Greg’s mom urges him to spend time with her, which he reluctantly does. Even though most of their time spent together involves Greg rambling nervously, it seems to cheer Rachel up. Until another girl at school suggests that Greg and his friend/movie-making partner Earl make a movie for Rachel (the previously referenced Worst Movie Ever Made). Greg and Earl have never made a movie for another person—they haven’t let anyone see any of their movies before…until Rachel.

This book is difficult to review. Greg is our narrator, and he spends most of the time telling us to put the book down and apologizing for the brain cells that are probably dying as we read this crap book. But contrary to what Greg thinks, this book is not crap. It is also not THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. There is no romance (Greg blatantly outlines his lack of luck with girls in an early chapter), and Greg is convinced he learns nothing from Rachel’s illness. The reader, however, can see otherwise. Hidden in Greg’s various rants is growth, and he learns some important truths about terminal illness and its unfairness.

Greg’s narrative voice is straight out of a high school hallway. Funny and crass and blunt. His friend Earl’s is even more so. They felt like such real people, which I really liked. Rachel’s cancer is only one subplot in the novel. Most of it revolves around Greg and Earl’s various movie attempts. We also see Greg try to survive high school by being acquaintances with all different cliques but not belonging to any. He thinks this strategy is brilliant: he has no enemies. But readers quickly see that he has no real friends, either, except for maybe Earl. We keep flipping pages in hopes that Greg will realize this as well, that Rachel may be the closest thing he has to a real friend and he is about to lose her.

Don’t get me wrong, the book is not perfect. Sometimes the voice gets old, and Earl swears a TON. But Earl has some really powerful scenes that show the reader he is more connected to the reality of Rachel’s situation than Greg is, and that hit me strongly. The book is set in Pittsburgh (where I’m currently in school), so it was fun to recognize certain pieces of the setting.

If you’re looking for a quick read with lots of humor, sarcasm, and a slightly unreliable narrator, give Jesse Andrews’s ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL a try. It’s not heavy on the cancer plot, but there’s enough in the story to have power and emotion. If you're patient with Greg, it pays off in the end.   

Book Review: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins

Anna knows nothing about France (well, except the Eiffel Tower and Madeline), and yet her father (a Nicholas Sparks-type writer whose weepy bestsellers keep being adapted into movies) sends her to the School of America in Paris for her senior year. After she is overheard crying by her next door neighbor, Anna is swept into a new group of friends, a group that includes Etienne St. Clair, a funny and cute (and romantically unavailable) boy. Anna and St. Clair develop a friendship complete with witty banter, and somewhere among their exploration of Paris’s lesser-known spots she finds herself falling for him. And even though St. Clair has a girlfriend, he seems to have feelings for Anna, too.

My favorite part of this book is how Stephanie Perkins writes dialogue and Anna’s narrative voice. All of the characters sound so real, and they do normal teenager things. They tease each other (one of my favorite scenes is when Anna goes through the cafeteria line by herself from the first time and St. Clair embarrasses her), and they get themselves into awkward situations and ALLOW themselves to feel awkward about those things.

Anna is a great character. She’s timid and feisty and hilarious at the same time. When something makes her mad she gets angry and yells, but she also keeps a lot to herself. Her sarcasm had me giggling, and I love her obsession with movies. Plus we’ve all been in her position at one time or another, liking someone who isn’t available. And St. Clair was a great leading man. He’s smooth and good-looking, but he’s also a history buff who makes some bad decisions regarding his relationships. He’s NOT perfect, that’s for sure. I love the fact that Anna is taller than him! That’s not something we see in YA a lot, and as a tall girl myself I appreciate how it wasn’t made into a big deal. Anna and St. Clair joke about it once in the book and that’s it. The secondary characters are also great. I especially love Josh, who’ll move center stage in Stephanie Perkins’s upcoming book, ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER, coming out August 14^th.  

Not surprisingly, this book doubled my desire to visit Paris. And it’ll probably do the same for you! I recommend ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS for anyone who loves travel, witty dialogue, and an adorable friendship-turned-romance. 

Book review: LEAP OF FAITH by Jamie Blair

This is not your typical, girl-gets-pregnant-and-moves-to-a-new-town-to-start-over book. There is a teenage girl, and she does move to a new town with an infant. BUT there's a twist: the baby is her sister, not her daughter. Faith stole her from their mother as they were about to leave the hospital, and now she's on the run.

Faith's mom is a drug addicted surrogate, carrying a baby for her dealer and his girlfriend. Faith can't stand the idea of the baby staying in the same type of toxic environment she herself has grown up in, so instead of pulling the car around to pick up her Mom at the hospital main door, she straps baby Addy in her carseat and takes off for Florida. After a struggle-filled trip, she meets a woman whose family wants to rent out the upper floor of their house. And coincidentally, the boy who lives on the main floor is awfully cute... :)

LEAP OF FAITH has been on my TBR list for a long time. The plot was original and doesn't shy away from the ugly struggles of a bad home life and single motherhood. The first half of the book was my favorite because I love gritty situations like that. I felt Faith's frustration when she struggled to find a place to live with the baby, almost getting kicked out of a motel because of baby Addy's crying. The second half of the story deals with Faith (or Leah, as she calls herself) worrying about getting caught by the police and having to lie to this new family she has become a part of. She especially doesn't want to lose Chris (the awfully cute guy I mentioned earlier), who has connected with baby Abby. Though I understood why she did it, I got a bit frustrated with Faith for lying to everyone and then hating herself for those lies.

I also wish we learned a little more about Chris as a character. We see a little bit of his backstory but I definitely wanted more about who he was before Faith came to town. His past is full of tragedy, and I would've liked to see that fleshed out more. The book is under 250 pages, and I think it could've been 30 pages longer without seeming too long. Especially at the end! The story is left a bit open-ended. As a short story writer, this is a technique I often use, but I seem to have an aversion to it in novels. When I've stuck with a character for 200, 300, 400 pages, I want to see some resolution, and Jamie Blair left a lot to the reader's imagination.

LEAP OF FAITH was a fun, quick read. I recommend it if you're looking for a story about love and family that doesn't follow the traditional YA romance mold.