Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Book Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

I rated it 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Overview: If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.


Review: A big thank you to Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of Every Last Word in exchange for an honest review. Every Last Word is scheduled to be released on June 16th, 2015, and trust me, you'll want a copy.

Completely heartfelt, genuine, with a lot of substance, this is one of those YA novels that leaves you reflecting on your own views of life. With flawed yet likeable characters, you'll be immediately invested in them. You'll want to keep reading, because you'll love seeing these characters grow and come into their own. With a great cast, Stone makes this book completely relatable to anyone who's gone/going through a rough time and simply needed/needs safe place, by making this story that safe place for them.

Beautifully written with its tinges of poetry between the pages, Stone has structured this story so that the pace is perfect and the twist so surprising, yet well planted that you wonder how you missed it before. Add a touch of friendship, romance, and vulnerability, and you have a Contemporary YA that needs to be read. This is one of those YA books that I wish I had during my high school years. And as full adult now, I'm still able to get value out of it. So come June 16th, get this book in your hands or add this to your TBR list.

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