Publisher: Escape Publishing
Series: N/A
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
Edition: eBook
Page Amount: N/A
Age Group: Young Adult
Moody, atmospheric, and just a little bit punk, Finding Home takes contemporary YA to a new level of grit...Finding Home was an extremely easy and enjoyable read. It was a darker contemporary, which I don't read much of because I tend to gravitate more to the cutesy, fluffy contemporary reads. This novel dealt with things such as loosing a parent and alcoholism, which you don't find much of in YA novels, especially the alcohol problem that both Amy and her mother had. I like that about this novel because these are real problems in the teen society these days. I feel like a lot of novels sugar coat alcohol to be no problem, but this one didn't. That was something I really enjoyed reading in this novel, was how real it was represented.
When Amy’s mum dies, the last thing she expects is to be kicked off her dad’s music tour all the way to her Aunt Lou in a depressing hole of a seaside town. But it’s okay — Amy learned how to cope with the best, and soon finds a hard-drinking, party-loving crowd to help ease the pain.
The only solace is her music class, but even there she can’t seem to keep it together, sabotaging her grade and her one chance at a meaningful relationship. It takes a hard truth from her only friend before Amy realises that she has to come to terms with her past, before she destroys her future.
Amy was a okay main character. Although a few times through the book I felt she was extremely naive, she was a decent character to read about. Luke had me fooled, I thought he was a good character until about half way through the book. I really enjoyed Nick's character, though. I empathized for him through the whole book and wish that Amy realized what she realized at the end, way before she actually did. She wouldn't have gotten herself into as much trouble if she hadn't.
There were definitely characters that I did not like, though. The main one in this novel was Amy's father. I couldn't believe some of the actions that he took, thinking that this would make Amy happier and have her well being in mind. I thought that, for a father figure character, he was extremely immature and whenever he was in the novel I just wanted to skip those parts. I couldn't stand reading about him, even when the book would try to make him sound like a better person than he was.
I really enjoyed McKellar's writing style. It was simple yet you still felt like you were there with the characters and you knew exactly what was surrounding you and how the characters were feeling as something was happening.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this novel. It's a very good example that a self pubbed book can be just as good as a traditionally published novel.
About the Author
Lauren K. McKellar is an author and editor. Her debut novel, Finding Home, will be released through Escape Publishing on October 1, 2013.
As well as being a magazine editor for a national audited publication on pet care, Lauren works as a freelance editor for independent authors. She is also a Senior Editor for digital romance house, Entranced Publishing.
Lauren is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia and is obsessed with words--she really likes the way they work.
She lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales with her fiance and their two fur-children.
No comments:
Post a Comment