Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Kimberly's Review of How to Save a Life



Book/Author: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Publisher/Year Published: Little Brown, 2012
Reason I read it: Recommendation from a friend
Rating: 4 stars

Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

My thoughts:

I honestly had no idea what to expect from the book. A friend recommended it to me a while ago because Sara is a local author. This is not one of those books where you immediately fall in love with the characters, in fact, I was annoyed with them most of the time. And yet... something about them  drew me in and I connected to them. They grow as the story progresses and I found things about them I liked, while still being annoyed by their less attractive quirks. It's a bit like a friendship.

The story will tug at your heartstrings. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good contemporary YA.

Oh, and I also got to meet the author. She's pretty awesome. :)




**Make sure to stop by the blog tomorrow for a special announcement!!**


6 comments:

  1. Cool review. I have this on my to read pile. Maybe I'll move it closer to the top.
    Thanks! :)

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  2. This has been on my to-read shelf for a while, but have heard almost nothing about it. Who am I kidding? I haven't heard ANYTHING about this book, haha.

    I'm excited that you enjoyed it!

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  3. I love this book! I think it's a very realistic depiction of teen pregnancy/adoption, with characters who sometimes act selfishly, insensitively and irrationally. You know, like real people :)

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  4. I really didn't like the characters or this book but I still want to give more of this author's work a try.

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