From the long lost heart of a teenage girl
926501
The storyline caught my attention when I was searching the paperback section at my local supermarket.  Ever since Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High books (and really before that), I've had an interest in identical twins.  Once I started reading Pieces, I couldn't stop!  I found myself reading it each time I had a few minutes to myself, even at night when I knew I should be going to sleep to get up for work the next day!  I could relate to Kerry (funny enough, I share the name, just spelled differently) and was intrigued by the relationship between her and Eve.

What really impressed me, though, is that this was a debut book.  Bravo!  I've been reading books of all kinds since I was very young (leaning more toward Dean Koontz, John Saul and Stephen King) and have been told on occasion that I have a flair for writing and should try my hand at it.  I haven't seriously considered it, but I have to say this book made me dare to dream!  So, I guess what I'm really trying to say here is thank you (to the author) for being an inspiration!!! ~ A new fan :o)
534022
Haven't heard this song since I was a teenager.
4374615
Voices of Angels by Hannah M Davis

Lizzie is a not-so-typical 15 year old girl living and attending school in the far northern suburbs of London.  Like many girls her age, Lizzie has trouble making the transition from primary education to secondary.  High school is just not sitting well with Lizzie.  Her best friend and next door neighbor, Bee, who has been there for her from kindergarten through year six, has deserted her and gone over to the other side; the side populated with girls who have no trouble with the physical and emotional changes the teenage years bring.

To make things even more difficult for Lizzie, she and her mother live alone.  Her father left them so long ago that she doesn't even remember him.  Her mother is estranged from her own mother so Lizzie has never even met a grandparent, and to top it off she is an only child.  She isn't making friends and the only time she is happy is when she is with her dog, Joopy, or when she is talking to the stone angel in a local cemetery.

Just when things seem to be at their worst and nothing could make her life any more difficult, Lizzie develops an unwanted paranormal gift.  Lizzie knows things.  Things she shouldn't know, and finds she is helpless to stop the events from happening.  Lizzie's life spirals out of control and she faces the hardest emotional trauma she has known up to this time.

In a last desperate attempt to save herself, she convinces her mother to send her to live with the grandmother she has never met.  Not sure it is the right thing; she knows she can't go back to her local school where she is now the biggest target for the bullies.  She has to find answers for herself and has to find a way to start over.

Meeting her grandmother and the local people in the beautiful area of Spain known as Andaluca, Lizzie begins to find the person she is meant to be.  She gains in strength and tolerance while accepting her special gift and finding a young man to fill her empty heart.  While there are many twists and turns in Lizzie's journey, in the end she finds that true happiness comes from within and that she must live her life for herself not to some arbitrary High School popular standard.

Voices of Angels is a coming of age novel in the best sense of the term.  Well written and tightly woven, it showcases the trials all young people go through as they learn to accept their differences and individuality.  Hannah M. Davis has explored these subjects with sympathy and understanding of the adolescent years. This is an excellent book to gift to any young girl between the ages of 12 and 18.  Five Stars to Ms. Davis for a touching and heartwarming story.

Karen Bryant Doering
Parents Little Black Book of Books
3751198
This book is a realistic portrayal of the complicated relationships and feelings of adolescence and the slow burn of an emerging teenage love. The book touches on some tough topics and while the characters' stream-of-conscious thoughts sometimes sound a bit whiny, youll be rooting for them to the end. There is a musical theme woven throughout the book and the authors writing follows suit: its melodic at times and flows naturally like a good song.
3458894
I read this book (as a re-release) when I was a pre-teen. It's about a girl who's different than everyone else and follows her journey to realizing that it's okay to be that way. It's a teenage angst story set in a much simpler time.

Although the period is the late fifties, the story can be applied to any generation. Well-written, with a great moral.
1395829
It had a very genuine feel of being in a misguided teenage girl's head. This book was full of emotion that you only get from a teen p.o.v. where everything evokes so much feeling. There was a couple of shocking twists to keep it interesting. Overall worth the read as a kindle unlimited selection.
4833705
This book is about a young teenaged girl who has issues with her mother, her father (such as he is), her kid sister and her kid brother. Dark haired, dark skinned and dark eyed, she does not look like the rest of her blond, blue eyed family.

A secret she thinks she knows that is not the secret at all.

Oh yes, she also has issues with her boyfriend.

Most of all, she has issues with herself. This is a book that deals very well with the travails of a teenager.

Who decides to deal with her issues by inflicting pain upon herself.

Then decides to do something more about it all. She runs away. And that is all I am going to tell you about the story. You read the book.

I liked this book because it is very simply written. The author tells a story without any frills whatsoever. She also seems to believerightly, as far as I am concernedthat a lot of the advice given by experts on writing well is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

And would I say you should read it? I would say you should read it.
2435023
She was just three years old when she heard her mum and her nana yelling and shouting.  It was Christmas Eve, and when her mother left, to head to NY and to find herself, Apple was sure that she would come back soon.  She imagines her on Broadway, famous, and this fantasy helps her cope.

But it would be eleven years, and when her mum came back, she had a surprise with her.  A ten-year-old daughter Rain, Apple's sister.

Set in Brampton, England,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Apple-and-Rain/dp/B00LSQVHGQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Apple and Rain</a>&nbsp;is a poignant story of family, loss, and redemption.  It also shows, from Apple's point of view, what her world looks like, with school bullying, friendships tarnished, and finding new friends.  We get to feel what she's feeling, and experience how poetry helps her reclaim her own uniqueness.

Rain's obsessive attachment to a doll reminds us that sometimes the pains we hold inside are manifested in unexpected ways.

As I read this novel, a coming-of-age tale that reminded me of some of my own childish fantasies and fears, I couldn't stop turning the pages.  4 stars.
3159547
When a poet (and indeed that is the proper designator for this collection of words - poems) can take us on a journey about the new of it all and find the strength to share the anxiety of shedding youth for a world of age yet unknown and in doing so bring us into her life, then something rare has happened. Marlayna Glynn Brown has the courage to write `I knew the teenagers would eventually pass through their petulant stages and into the more forgiving adulthoods that time gently forces upon us.  But I also knew the wrinkles would only multiply and the collagen would depart altogether.  Time was passing, and screw you Mick Jagger but it no longer seemed to be on my side.  I was inching toward fifty and I hadn't done many of the things in life I had once wanted to do.'

And so this vulnerable but resilient woman takes us by the hand and leads us through her windows of discovery that happen from Texas to Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Montenegro, Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Belgium and finally The Netherlands, and in this small book and in this big expanse of time (despite the fact that it is only in reality six months) she opens her heart to love affairs with much younger men, tries the feelings of being always elsewhere until she makes the discoveries that overflow in this compassionate reverie.

Here is the path to self-discovery and the place of each of us in the universe - that place we all long to find.  This is a particularly sacred space she offers, and we are the better and richer for it. Grady Harp, February 13
3623860
Looking for a teen romance meandering into Sherlock Holmes? Margie Broschinsky fits the bill.  Phoebe Levick's in a bit of a crisis. She's hundreds of miles home in--of all places--an apple orchard. Instead of that elite NYU summer art program she craves, she's out watering trees and selling caramel apples. While Phoebe's learning the skills required to survive in an orchard, she's also finding out that Iron Springs holds keys to her family's mysterious past.

Moving scenes lift this story. Phoebe's no ordinary teenager. She's working out life's mysteries, and she's not about to miss the little details that paint the grander picture. When circumstances carry her to a graveyard, she sees an old man clearing grass and leaves from a headstone, and notes the tenderness in the way he arranges flowers. While she fights going to church, once she goes through the doors, she's ready to listen--and to learn. Perhaps most importantly of all, she's capable of moving beyond her boyfriend's failures, learning important lessons about love and forgiveness. These lessons become critical as Phoebe confronts some of the most significant challenges in her life. There's much to see as this innocent girl grows and changes in a complex teenage world.

Kate Calina
3142845
MaryElizabeth Anderson has captured the feelings of what it means to be a young teenager.  "Gracie" wins your heart. The book teaches young girls that most girls that age have insecurities; and,you can't always judge another by their actions.  A solution to losing friends is look for someone who needs a friend. There are life issues that make our own problems seem less troublesome.  Gracie Gannon learns all of these lessons in this book and will give the young reader insights into how to cope in the "middle school" environment.  I gave this book to my granddaughters with the hope that by identifying with Gracie, they will be able to make it through the pre-teen and young teenage years with poise and confidence.
2566941
Most parents with teenagers know all too well the highs and lows of teen life, alternating between manic bursts of happiness and spiraling, sudden depths of pain and confusion. But the author of this book, Martha To Dudman, has a daughter who goes beyond even the extreme highs and lows of many teens. She is truly in trouble, deep in emotional pain and taking out much of her frustration and anger on her mother.  There is one paragraph in this book which struck home to me and echoed my own fears and worries (and probably that of most parents) when their teen is particularly emotional or upset: "When your daughter is eleven, when your daughter starts to act different, you don't know if it is because her parents are divorced. You don't know if it's because her mother works too much, or because your daughter's too smart for her classes, or because she has maybe a learning disability you never caught, or because her teacher...isn't smart enough to teach your daughter. Or maybe it doesn't have anything to do with school at all. Maybe she is becoming a teenager and this is how they act. Maybe they are supposed to be quiet like this and stay up in their rooms."  Honesty like this runs through this book, the kind of gut-felt honesty that speaks from the heart- and reached the heart of this reader. I'd say this one is a MUST for parents of teenagers, highly recommended for anyone else as well.
1375808
There are many different reasons to love This Song Will Save Your Life.

* It's timely, with the inclusion of many serious issues that are impacting teenagers these days.
* it focuses on the DJing culture - which is not often seen in YA.
* It features a realistic romance, while emphasizing friendship over boys.
* It has a heroine that is real and relatable, and readers will likely find things in common with her that they never anticipated...

...just to name a few.

But that's the best part about Sales' book. It's so thoroughly embodies the teenage experience, that each reader will find something different to like and relate to as they read.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes YA fiction, but especially for fans of contemporary YA fiction. I also recommend this book for people who remember what it was like to be a little odd, a little different in high school, and what it was like to finally find your way.
2185417
I've known Laura since I was a child, as I am the same age as her daughter, and we spent a lot of time together in our formative years.  I remember two things, so vividly, about being in Laura's presence: 1.) her passion and 2.) how accepting she was of my awkward teenage self.

The word "passion" literally translates "to suffer," and, though I didn't understand her passion then, I SO get it after reading this book.  Her passion was so intense because her suffering was as such.  It was a poignant realization.  Perhaps, too, she accepted me in all of the hideousness of my adolescence, because she knew just how rough being a teenager could be.

There is so much to be said for being raw, open, and honest.  There is so much redemption to be found in letting our wounds breathe and in giving them a voice.  Laura has done just this; and, though some might scoff at the topic, or pass undue judgment, the message is clear: despite the deepest and darkest depths of our selves, there persists an undying light.

May Laura's light be a beacon for others.
2507652
My Fake Valentine had a Cinderella like feel.  My hearty breaks for Mia as she is basically forgotten & ignored. Her feelings of being "less then" have an honest ring to them as most of us felt that way while in high school.

The twists and turns are a bit on the predictable side but not so much that the book losses it's enjoyability.  It is well written, entertaining, heart felt teenage drama.

On a day when I'm feeling bummed out, grabbing this book for another read would help my heart feel lighter again.
19468
If you can get over the sentimentality this is quite a good story. It's hard to believe that such an amazing girl existed.
1411831
What if? is a coming of age tale featuring 11 year-old tween girl P (aka Penelope), an only child who lost her mother to cancer seven years earlier and who is intent on finding a wife for her dermatologist Dad so that she can make her family whole once again.  Along with this search, she must navigate tween-dom as she compares herself to her older girl friends who are already in the midst of early puberty and who have seemingly perfect families.  And if this isn't enough, she dips her toe into the world of dating when Max, a classmate on whom she has a crush, asks her to work on a class project together. Alone. In his house. *ahem*

With her repeated failures to find the perfect replacement Mom; her realization that her perception of her friends perfect families is an illusion; and through an acceptance that she does not have a Mom to help her navigate through the tricky waters of the tween and teen years, P slowly begins to appreciate her father who has had to perform the dual role of Dad and Mom.  What if? is a heartwarming, bittersweet, and sometimes comical look into the trials and tribulations of P, a young girl who will touch your heart, as she comes to accept that she indeed does have the perfect family.

I must admit that when I first read this book, I was taken aback by some of the talk of boys, dating, breast development, clothes, and other tween/teen girl obsessions.  I thought, aren't they a bit young to be talking about these things?  Then, I came to a sad realization.  My daughter is turning 11 this month and these are precisely the things that her and her friends will be talking about.  Darn.  I am so not ready for this.  So, biases aside, I realize that What if? is PRECISELY the kind of book that my tween daughter wants to be reading.  Double darn.

Lets talk about P.  Rarely do I get quite this emotionally invested in a character.  The story begins with the reader finding out that Ps mother died of cancer when she was four.  As the story moves forward, the author does an amazing job of describing the depth of the void left in Ps life.  Ps angst and desperation is absolutely palpable; and, while at times I felt completely frustrated by her relentlessness in trying to find her Dad a wife, I think it also spoke to her long-term and unresolved grief around the loss of her mother.  By the end, I wanted to jump in the book, wrap her in my arms, and scream, ILL be your Mom, P, ILL do it!!

I also appreciated the theme ofmotherhood and how it was defined and threaded in throughout the book.  As can be expected, P experienced a huge loss when her mother died.  But, as she explores and examines her friends relationships with their mothers and their families in general, she comes to realize that mothers often play different roles in a family and that the concept of what is a mother is not necessarily universal nor necessarily gender-based.  Without giving away too much of the story, there is a contest that P and her friends take part in where they have to write an essay about the Best Mother in the World.  As P contemplates What if  her mother were still alive?, she discovers the truth as she puts pen to paper and begins  The best mother in the world is my father  Oh, Im getting teary-eyed just thinking about it!

My Bottom Line:

What if? is a bittersweet and sometimes comical tale of a tween girl, P, who must come to terms with the loss of her mother as she navigates the world of dating, puberty, school, and friendships.  P will absolutely warm your heart and the ending is guaranteed to leave you teary-eyed.  While I sometimes felt that the themes were more appropriate for teens, I also came to realize that tween girls will also really enjoy reading about the world that they are just on the cusp of entering. *shudder*  Ages 10+

* This book was provided to me by the author free-of-charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.