ARC Review: Devoted

Title: Devoted

Author: Jennifer Mathieu

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: June 2, 2015

Goodreads | Amazon 
Source: eARC from Macmillan 
Goodreads | Amazon

A godly girl keeps a cheerful countenance.
A godly girl never tempts a boy.
A godly girl always keeps sweet.

Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy.

But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from. What is she to make of the boy recently returned from camp Journey of Faith with newfound piety? Or of her mother’s miscarriage and resulting depression? And how should she respond to Lauren, the girl who left the church several years ago and who has recently returned to town?

Rachel knows she should find solace in her beliefs, but she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.

  My Review

It's only been a few short months since I've read Mathieu's stunning debut, The Truth About Alice, but I can tell you that the synopsis for this book, Devoted, is what really pushed me to read Alice. I don't know why - because I'm not a fan of books about religion - I had to read this book, but I did. I am one hundred percent glad that I read it because it's eye-opening and beautifully troubling. 

Upon meeting Rachel Walker, I just knew I was going to like her. There was just something about her easy-going disposition that drew me in, and then I got to know her and realize that she's not a simple character. She's a complex character, but for reasons that are beyond her control. What I really liked about her was her determination. She's going to be a character that will serve as a role models for the teens who will read this book because she's determined to change her own life, even if it means hurting the people she loves and the people who are trying to help her. She's independent, but not too fiercely independent, and I think kids, especially the shy ones, will really be able to relate to her.

Ms. Mathieu's writing is wonderful in this book because she really lets her characters tell the story. It's beautiful because she doesn't try hard to make the words pop. They just flow from one word to the next, one paragraph to the next, and one chapter to the next. I felt like I was watching everything develop on screen as it was happening because it's just detailed enough to really provide the backdrop and the actions of the characters.

Another thing that I loved about this book was the lack of romance. It's hard to find that in contemporary YA these days.  While Mathieu touches on first crushes and secondary characters' love lives, she really lets the familial and friendships shine. It's a breath of fresh air, and if you're looking for a contemporary sans romance, reach for this book.

Honestly, I'd recommend this book to everyone who reads YA. I'm sure it will be challenged, but hey... good books are often challenged because they make people think. And trust me, you're really going to think about this one. It really helps readers see that sometimes what people perceive as good can really be a terrible situation, and this book will let readers see that and help them to form their own opinions.

Jennifer Mathieu is an English teacher, writer, wife, and mom who writes books for and about young adults. Her debut novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, was published by Roaring Brook Press on June 3, and her second book, DEVOTED, will be out June 2, 2015.

Her favorite things include chocolate, pepperoni pizza, and this super hilarious 1980s sitcom about four retired women called The Golden Girls. She can basically quote every episode. 

Jennifer lives with her husband, son, one rescue dog, one fat cat, and another cat that is even fatter than the fat cat.

When it comes to what she reads, Jennifer loves realistic young adult fiction, creative nonfiction, super scandalous tell-all memoirs and unauthorized biographies, and basically anything that hooks her on the first page.

 

Book Review: The Truth About Alice

Title: The Truth About Alice

Author: Jennifer Mathieu

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: June 3, 2014

Source: Amanda (Of Spectacles & Books)

Originally Reviewed for Of Spectacles and Books

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

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Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party.

But did you know Alice was sexting Brandon when he crashed his car? 

It's true. Ask anybody.

Rumor has it that Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the bathroom wall at Healy High for everyone to see. And after star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car accident, the rumors start to spiral out of control.

In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students - the girl who had the infamous party, the car accident survivor, the former best friend, and the boy next door - tell all they know.

But what exactly is the truth about Alice? In the end, there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.

My Review

For a book that’s just under two hundred pages, Jennifer Mathieu’s The Truth About Alice packs a punch and delivers the pain right to the guts. This book is one that readers will wow readers so much that they’ll want to devour in one sitting, but it’s also conflicting because readers will want to savor it and make it last just a little longer. I did the latter, and decided to savor it, and it paid off. The novel is both heartbreaking and healing, though much of the book deals with heartbreaking issues such as bullying, depression, death, and mourning. Other issues, such as sex, drinking, and religion are brought up in the book, so it has a little something for everyone. Matthieu tackles these issues with grace and writes about them beautifully with such a vast array of emotions.

The novel is told from four different perspectives, and each character has his or her own opinion about the infamous Alice Franklin. Rumors are swirling around the small town of Healy, Texas, and teenage residents, Elaine, Kelsie, Josh, and Kurt all have something to say about Alice and what allegedly happened at Elaine’s party and the weeks that followed. The multiple narrator aspect allows for a multifaceted story that perturbs and engages readers as they turn every page. I really liked that this novel was told from the different points of view. As the book progresses, readers are able to put the puzzle pieces together to figure out the truth until Alice finally comes out to tell her side of the story. Each character had his or her own voice, and this springboards Mathieu amongst some of the best contemporary YA authors. I was never confused about who was narrating each chapter, and I loved each character’s unique voice.

I did feel like the four narrators represented the typical high school stereotypes and were clichés but the inclusion of that feature made the book more realistic and believable. No matter where you go to school, there are popular girls, jocks, nerds, and quite possibly, back-stabbing friends. I really enjoyed reading and learning about these characters they all conform to their respective stereotype in certain ways, but they are still able to break the mold and surprise readers by doing unexpected things at unexpected times.

Every teenager (and fan of young adult books) should and must read The Truth About Alice. Even with it’s more mature content, it’s such a powerful and emotionally slaying read because it realistically shows just how vicious teenagers can really be. On the other hand, it also shows that there still is some good in the world, even when it seems like all hope is lost. I would recommend this book for fans of gut-wrenching books and movies like The Breakfast Club and Mean Girls. If you’re looking for something realistic and suspenseful, read this book.

ARC Review: Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting! (And Lives to Tell About It)

Title: Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting! (And Lives to Tell About It.)
Author: Tommy Greenwald
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: February 17, 2015
Source: ARC from Macmillan
Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 

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When a text goes wrong, Katie Friedman learns the hard way that sometimes you need to disconnect to connect.

Here are a few things you need to know about Katie Friedman:

1.  Katie is swearing off phones for life! (No, seriously. She just sent the wrong text to the wrong person!)
2.  She wants to break up with her boyfriend. (Until, that is, he surprises her with front row tickets to her favorite band, Plain Jane. Now what!?) 
3.  She wants to be a rock star (It’s true. She has a band and everything.)
4. Her best friend is Charlie Joe Jackson. (Yeah, you know the guy.)
5. And most importantly, Katie’s been offered the deal of a lifetime—get ten of her friends to give up their phones for one week and everyone can have backstage passes to Plain Jane. (A whole week!? Is that even possible?)

My Review

Before I really begin my review, I should state that this book is technically a part of the Charlie Joe Jackson series, but it is technically a spin-off novel. There is even a little introduction at the beginning of the book for readers (like me) who have never read the other books in this series, but it also serves as a refresher for readers who have read other books in the series. 

I'm probably one of the very last people on Earth who still hasn't upgraded to a smartphone. Because of this, I had a hard time imagining how hard it would be to give up my phone for a week because I really don't use it. Then I started thinking about my other devices - laptop, iPod, and Kindle Fire - I use to do many of the things that people use smartphones for. Yeah... it would probably be hard.

Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting is a well-thought-out and delightfully wonderful middle grade novel that explores the problems kids (and probably adults) face when our eyes are constantly glued to a screen. I admired Tommy Greenwald's decision to write this book because it needed to be written. It's no lie that kids spend way too much time connected with each other through phones instead of in real life. Sometimes people just need to unplug to connect, and Greenwald's story of Katie and her friends (both new and old) is a great example for preteens and younger teenagers.

Greenwald's writing style is simple and perfect for middle grade readers. The chapters in the book vary in length, but most of them are short in length. It is a pretty quick read (at least for me), so I could see kids in the tween crowd reading this in a few days. In the beginning of the book, Greenwald seamlessly includes text messages as part of the dialogue, and I'm sure that would draw in the phone savvy generation of readers that we now have. I also liked the illustrations included in the book. They were cute, but they didn't really take away from the reading experience. 

Some events and details in this book are completely unbelievable, but they are cute and quirky enough to entertain the tween crowd. Some events are just inspirational, and kids reading this book would be impressed. I found myself smiling, laughing, and even frowning at times because of how marvelously Greenwald shows Katie's emotions.

I did have a few problems with this book. Aside from a few completely unrealistic things going on, I found myself confused at times. The goal in the book is for Katie and ten friends to give up their phones for a week. It just seems like too many characters all at once. I had a hard time remembering who was who, and I found myself frustrated because of this. It's cute, but I wish that Greenwald would have taken more time to introduce readers to these characters.

Altogether, Katie Friedman Gives Up Texting is an entertaining middle grade book that also serves as a way to inconspicuously educate young kids about really connecting with their friends and peers. It's enjoyable enough to read in one sitting, and I'm sure that kids will be talking about it and their cell phones after reading it. I'd recommend this book for kids between eleven and fourteen because most kids get their first cell phone in those years but it also teaches the preteen crowd that it's still okay to leave your phone and just be a kid.

About Tommy Greenwald

Tommy Greenwald has enjoyed reading all his life, which is why he's appalled that his kids Charlie, Joe and Jack, would prefer getting a dental check-up to checking out a book. After years of pleading, threatening, and bribing, Tommy finally decided the only way to get his kids to read was to write a book about how to get out of reading. This is the result. And they read it! (So they say.) The Executive Creative Director at SPOTCO, an entertainment advertising agency in New York City, Tommy lives in Connecticut with his wife, Cathy; his non-reading sons, Charlie, Joe and Jack; and his dogs, Moose and Coco.