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Source: Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zondervan for sending me a review copy. This post is part of the FIRST Wild Card Tour.
Book Description from Back Cover:
Bryn O'Connor is good at keeping secrets. But when a car accident reveals her boyfriend's abusive behavior, the truth is unleashed. And it starts a tidal wave of trouble in Bryn's life: enemies who were once friends, a restraining order violation, and her world unraveled. If that weren't enough, her grandmother Mim arrives, attempting Mexican cuisine and insisting that Bryn try surfing. It's all too much! Even Bryn's habit of daydreaming won't offer an escape this time. But could a mystery book she found hold the secret to riding a tsunami like her life?
Review:
Boyfriends, Burritos & An Ocean of Trouble is a young adult novel with some romance that also deals with serious, real life teen issues. I loved it. I very highly recommend it to teen girls and adult women. This is the second book in the Real Life series, but you can read them in any order without missing information or spoiling the other books in the series.
The world-building was excellent in all areas and brought the story alive in my imagination. I liked the characters. They acted realistically and dealt with realistic, hard problems. I really cared about what happened to Bryn and the other main characters, so I had a hard time putting the novel down. The suspense/tension kept building throughout the story as the situation kept getting worse and worse. Despite the tough issues, the book was realistic but encouraging rather than depressing.
This was definitely a novel intended for Christians. Bryn found a strange, RL book with stories from the Bible about Jesus but they seemed written just for her and the situation she's going through. The Christian element was a main part of the story, but I didn't feel like the author was lecturing the reader or Bryn. It was just...comforting and challenging.
The minimal bad language was of the "he said a five letter word" type. There was no sex. Overall, I highly recommend this as a touching, well-written, clean novel.
If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.
About the Author:
Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She and husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee.
Visit the author's website
Book Trailer:
Excerpt from Chapter One
I didn't wish the car accident had killed me. But lying there on the table in the emergency room as that bald doctor with the tangled eyebrows shined his tiny flashlight in my eyes, I would have settled for unconscious. Just a nice coma so I wouldn't have to answer any questions. My few seconds of blackout didn't seem to count, because no one had stopped interrogating me since the paramedics had arrived on the scene.
The doctor--Jon Wooten, it said on his name tag--dropped the flashlight into his coat pocket and put his warm hands on the sides of my face. I tried not to shiver.
"So, you hit your head on impact?" he said, nodding at my throbbing forehead.
"No." I hoped what I'd learned in my drama classes would kick in as I faked a smile. "The air bag hit me. Those things are dangerous!"
"It got you right here."
He brushed his fingers along my cheek, and I winced.
"We'll clean that up and get you some ice for the swelling," he said. "It's an abrasion--it won't leave a scar."
I was so not worried about a mark on my face. What I was worried about was getting out of here before--
"All right, we're going to have you change into a gown so I can examine you."
Before that.
Press the Browse Button to view the entire first chapter:
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