carolesrandomlife

1/27/15-Now Available!

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

4 Stars!

I ended up being completely sucked into this book. After I was invested in the story, I had such a hard time putting this book down and found myself telling my family members that I needed "just one more minute" on the day I read this book. Anyone who reads a lot can tell you that that is a sign of a really good book.

This story is told from three points of view over the course of 15 years. During this story, we watch Sam, Suzie, and Bella grow from the awkward age of 15 to their adult years at 30. I think that most readers who are in their adult years will relate to this story because everyone know how hard it is to find your way in the world and deal with the multitude of issues in our lives.

Sam, Suzie, and Bella are part of a larger group of friends who somehow manage to stay together. These three are impacted by their fair share of problems: divorce, alcoholism, relationships, marriage, career choices, and caring for an aging parent to name a few. Each chapter is a moment in time in one of the three characters intersecting lives. Their lives and decisions all impact one another in varying ways because of how their lives have become intertwined.

This was one of those rare books where I found that I actually liked all of the characters. That doesn't mean that I liked everything that they did because some of their actions were just horrible. I liked these characters even though they made some horrible decisions and I guess I can relate because I have made a few of those myself. I loved the relationships between the characters and thought that their portrayal was incredibly realistic.

I must admit that I had a hard time getting into this book and the story did not immediately grab me. After I read a few chapters, I started to relate and eventually couldn't put the book down. This book doesn't have a big mystery and nothing is tied up in a pretty bow at the end. This book is a snapshot of a period of time in the life of a group of friends. We can only imagine what comes next for Sam, Bella, and Suzie.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who love an intriguing coming of age story. This is the first book by Robin Antalek that I have had a chance to read and I thought her writing style was simply wonderful. I plan to look for other works by this very talented author in the future.

I received a copy of this book from William Morrow via Edelweiss for the purpose of providing an honest review.