Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Paper Hearts by S. R. Savell

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Paper Hearts by S. R. SavellPaper Hearts
S. R. Savell
Medallion Press
Published April 15, 2014

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Seventeen year-old Michelle Pearce is barely scraping by. Her grades plummet. The bullying she endures at school only escalates. Even the perky high school counselor seems a bit over her head with Michelle and the fury penned inside her.

Enter Nate. He’s just about the last thing Michelle wants hanging around the gas station she works. Impossibly tall and somber, Nate is just too nice to dislike. She tries. Fails.

They begin working together and at first out of boredom, Michelle pries into Nate’s life. She finds more sadness and more compassion than she could have imagined. Through him, she learns an entirely different way of responding to the awfulness life seems to keep dishing out.

Part of a new line of teen-written novels, Paper Hearts is penned by an eighteen year-old author who writes teen angst with authenticity and power. Michelle’s fierce anger can be so intense that it’s almost off-putting. The salve is in the softer characters (Nate and his grandmother) who bring out the flighty wounded girl under the tough exterior. Next to the rest of the cast, Michelle’s mother, counselor and boss lack complexity and remain a little two-dimensional. Despite this, the novel is an impressive achievement for a debut writer.

Language Content
Extreme words, moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
One character briefly recounts sexual abuse. One scene includes a jumbled description of a man sexually assaulting a woman. Several crude sexual comments.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
At school, a group of girls bully and humiliate Michelle, destroying her clothes and possessions, physically attacking her. Michelle’s mom throws a candle jar at her, and glass shatters in Michelle’s hair. See sexual content for additional details.

Drug Content
Michelle and Nate share a bottle of sparkling wine. Both are under 21. Michelle smokes cigarettes.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Like Moonlight at Low Tide by Nicole Quigley

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Like Moonlight at Low Tide
Nicole Quigley
Zondervan
Published September 3, 2013

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The last place sixteen year-old Melissa Keiser wants to return to is Anna Maria Island. The echo of laughter and cruel taunts still haunt Missy, even after four years. Her best friend Julie insists that things will be different now, but Missy is afraid to believe her. Until popular Sam King begins to act as though Missy is completely irresistible. She struggles to understand Sam’s desire for her and his friend’s weird overprotective behavior toward her. Josh, it seems, won’t leave Missy alone to make her own mistakes. But when Missy pursues him, he pushes her away or describes his relationship with God, something Missy didn’t expect and can’t grasp. Just as Missy’s relationship with Sam seems ready to take off, tragedy strikes, spinning Missy into a downward spiral of loss and regret. Josh reemerges as her friend and companion, but can she count on him not to bail again when she needs him most?

“This story is actually about three boys. One who loved me.
One who couldn’t. And one who didn’t know how.”

Missy lives with her emotionally volatile mother, her brother Robby and her sister Crystal. Home life is unpredictable and explosive, which Missy makes use of to go where she pleases, when she pleases, often sneaking out at night or lying to her mother about where she’s going and when she’ll return. Missy’s story is peppered with moments of keen emotional insight and turmoil, though some of Missy’s realizations seem too far beyond her maturity level. Her spiritual conversations with Josh are at first sincere and different, but at times his explanations seem a little dense and formulaic. Still, Missy’s moment of conversion is genuine and as powerful as the emotional pain that make her such an easy character to connect with. Fans of Stephanie Morrill or Laura Anderson Kurk will enjoy this novel.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A couple pretty heavy make-out scenes, but no clothes removed. Missy’s mother brings men home pretty regularly. Missy doesn’t even know the names of some of them. Her mother makes no attempt to shelter Missy, her older brother, or their seven year-old sister from this behavior.

Spiritual Content
Missy discovers her quiet neighbor Josh spends much of his time (voluntarily) in church. This is somewhat perplexing to her, and she even pities him at first. He describes his faith openly, and even convinces her to attend church with him. A traumatic event gives Missy the courage to accept Josh’s faith as her own.

Violence
Missy was a victim of bullying in seventh grade, and she recounts some instances in which kids called her names and shoved her in the hallways.

Drug Content
Missy confronts her brother Robby about all the time he is spending with a boy who spokes pot. Missy and her friends attend various teen parties where alcohol is served. Missy drinks quite a bit of beer one night and is later sick. One character overdoses on an unspecified combination of drugs.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Review: Edna in the Desert by Maddy Lederman

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Edna in the Desert
Maddy Lederman
eLectio Publishing
Published September 9, 2013

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Thirteen year-old Edna is out of control, and her wealthy, indulged parents are out of ideas for how to handle her. As a last-ditch effort to reform their daughter, Edna’s parents drop her off at an isolated cabin in the desert with only her stoic grandmother and Vietnam veteran grandfather for company. Furious, Edna pulls out all her most manipulative, most challenging behaviors, but this time they have no effect. She is left with no choice but to survive the next two months with her grandparents, zero technology and a never-ending chore list. Her feelings about the desert change when she meets handsome seventeen year-old Johnny Bishop. When Edna stumbles onto the idea to throw a birthday party for grandpa, who hasn’t spoken in years, what begins as a ploy to gain more time with Johnny evolves into a deeper compassion and understanding for her grandparents and their difficult lives.

Lederman creates a memorable cast of characters, each unique and fascinating. As a parent, it’s frightening to witness Edna’s cool confidence and mastery at manipulation. One wants to slap them all the way to parenting classes. Edna’s grandmother is probably the most complex and interesting character of the cast. The narrative is peppered with truly insightful moments, though frequent ricochets from one character’s deep point-of-view to another’s sometimes interrupt the flow of the story. The deepening of Edna’s character and values and the closeness she develops with her grandparents make this a sweet, moving story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple references but no explicit words used. A crude sexual comment from an inebriated adult to a teenager.

Sexual Content
Thirteen year-old Edna and a much older teenaged boy engage in some pretty frantic kissing, but the exchange stops before clothes come off. Edna references the fascination her friends have with kissing and kissing games. She thinks the games are gross, but she recounts her friends’ participation briefly.

Spiritual Content
Edna and her grandparents attend church listen to a sermon about Jesus refusing bread from the Devil after forty days without food in the desert. Edna thinks about her own life and in what ways she might be experiencing temptation she needs to resist. She spends some time each day practicing something she thinks of as a Tibetan monk way of life, in which she tries not to force time to pass but exists in the present.

Violence
A boy punches a man in the face after he says something crude about a girl.

Drug Content
At a hotel, two couples who’ve been drinking heavily invite Edna and her friend to play volleyball with them. No teenage drinking.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Review: Attitude by Robin Stevenson

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Attitude
Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishing
Published October 1, 2013

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Fourteen-year-old Cassandra travels from her home in Australia to a highly competitive summer ballet program. At first Cassie tries to befriend girls who’ve been in the program for years, but it soon becomes clear that Melissa and her pals don’t stop at dancing your best in order to win. When Cassie gets blamed for a prank she didn’t commit, it becomes clear the girls mean to get her disqualified from an important audition. Cassie refuses to back down, though, and soon learns bigger lessons than dance technique.

Cassandra battles homesickness and bullying, making her an extremely relatable character. As a talented young ballerina, she faces big choices about her future and discovers that even the hesitation her parents feel about her future as a dancer can be a blessing. This is a short but nicely paced read which can most easily be enjoyed by someone with at least a cursory knowledge of ballet, though this knowledge isn’t necessary in order to follow the development of the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Very light.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
A girl is prescribed a pain killer for a dance-related injury.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Review: Cut the Lights by Karen Krossing

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Cut the Lights
Karen Krossing
Orca Book Publishing
Published October 1, 2013

Amazon | Goodreads

Young first-time director Briar can’t wait to put her ideas onto a real stage. When she is chosen for a real chance to direct a student-written one act play, she soars. But working with real live actors proves to be more difficult than Briar imagined, and she’s forced to navigate everything her crew throws at her, from absence to bold-faced narcissism to outright boredom. With the date of the performances just a few days away, Briar is desperate to pull her disaster of a show together. Just as she begins to turn things around, disaster strikes, fragmenting the cast and leaving her without a lead. What now? Faced with the choice to cancel or muster through, Briar learns there’s a lot more to being in charge than telling everyone else what to do.

Each chapter begins with italicized notes setting the scene, adding to the stage-like feel of the story and Briar’s director-focused mentality. While the background conflict between Briar’s practical parents and her whimsical, often unemployed aunt adds to the story’s tension, it’s a little hard to swallow that a couple so concerned that their daughter pursue a “normal” career would send their daughter to a school for fine arts. Beyond that, however, this novel is highly entertaining and fast-paced. It’s a great read for anyone curious about performance art.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Very light.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.
Violence
A boy attempts a dangerous stunt involving skates and a large ramp and winds up with a broken arm.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Review: It’s Over by Laura L. Smith

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

It’s Over
Laura L. Smith
Playlist Fiction
Published April 14, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Tragedy greets Kat when she arrives home from college for fall break. Though her three roomies band together in support, Kat can barely find the strength to move through the motions of her life. Claire, still reeling from her own injuries of heart, seems to be the only one who can reach Kat. As Thanksgiving draws closer, each girl faces a shift in an important relationship, and as Claire suggested, each attempts to discover something to be thankful for amidst the rubble that remains. Palmer fields not-so-subtle comments on her waistline from her mother and expertly blocks her boyfriend’s attempts for sex. But can she stay pure and stay with Keegan?  As in the first book, the four roommates draw strength from one another, support each other and encourage each other in faith.

Smith carries readers through a rainbow of expertly rendered emotions, from happy holiday celebrations to the deepest of heartache and the purest dawning of hope. Each of the girls has a distinct voice with a different perspective. This is a great series for the reader looking for some fun, lighthearted moments and open to the deeper lessons life has to offer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A short but steamy make-out session between a girl and her boyfriend. A discussion between two sisters about making a commitment to save sex until marriage.

Spiritual Content
Following an unexpected tragedy, Kat wrestles with feelings of anger and betrayal toward God. Palmer struggles to maintain boundaries with her eager-for-sex boyfriend, and faces the possibility that perhaps this relationship isn’t God’s plan for her life after all.
Violence
Brief references to injuries sustained in a car accident.

Drug Content
Kat smells pot smoke in her cousin’s room.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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