by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Expected Publication: 04.24.2012
From Goodreads:
Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.My Thoughts: I have to admit, I was impressed with this book. Obviously I was intrigued enough by it to request it from the YA tour blog that I participate in, but with the whole "teen girl wakes up from a horrible accident with no memory of what happened" plot- which has been done quite a few times in recent YA novels, I just wasn't expecting such a good read. And I ended up being quite surprised by all the things that happened during Allie's missing hours and Trip's final moments.
It helps Wolf takes the time to develop her characters. Nobody's perfect here, and you get to see their flaws along with their perfections. And while the book does explore some darker themes, it never felt too heavy or dark for me. It's easy for YA authors to put their teens through extreme, unrealistic suffering, but it's also just as easy for them to give their heroines problems that most of us would kill to have- two gorgeous boys in love with one girl or rich, perfect looking friends who like a average looking girl thus making her talk about how plain she is in comparison, etc. Here the main character deals with a strained relationship with her parents, her twin brother's cerebral palsy, the death of her popular boyfriend, and a town that still sees her as an outsider.
Allie and Blake's friendship was nicely written too. It wasn't instant love, and it wasn't all consuming- both had to get to know each other again after their friendship was put on hold for a few years while Allie dated Trip and hung out with the cool kids. But despite Allie's status as Trip's girlfriend, she doesn't really become friends with anyone else, she was only tolerated because of Trip's popularity. After his death, she struggles to find a place where she belongs.
My only real complaint is that the ending seemed abrupt. If it had been a little more fleshed out this probably would have been closer to a five star read for me. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to more books by Jennifer Shaw Wolf!
Breaking Beautiful gets a Midnight Book Rating of:
The cover of gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:
I like the cover too! Very nice!
ReplyDeleteThe story does sound interesting and I am intrigued but I don't know when I will be able to make time for this one. It does seem like the main character goes through a lot though! Great review Kate!