Miracle by Elizabeth Scott

Miracle by Elizabeth Scott

Simon Pulse, June 5, 2012

Read for 2012 Standalone Challenge (and because Elizabeth Scott is amazing!)

Summary from Goodreads:

Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. But the truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back.

Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know whom to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Everyone except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own. All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. And this time, she may be falling too fast to be saved...

What can I say about Elizabeth Scott? I love her work, especially her darker stuff. Miracle cannot be considered as dark as Living Dead Girl, but it is definitely not a light novel. Megan is the only survivor of a plane crash, and feels nothing. I could totally understand Megan's behavior in this story--she's being treated like a miracle for doing nothing except surviving something that killed everyone else involved. Pretty heavy stuff. I thought the reactions of her friends, teachers, and family were spot on--at first a lot of Megan's actions and behaviors are overlooked because, hey, she survived a plane crash. But inevitably that novel concept will wear thin, and where will that leave Megan?

I appreciated the family dynamics in this story, as well. We don't ever really know what happened, but Megan's little brother, David, was fairly sick as an infant. As a result of this, he is constantly coddled by his overprotective parents--until their oldest child survives a plane crash and then the focus is off David and on Megan. This, of course, does not sit well with either child, for different reasons. One question, though: I don't understand why parents would think that a child who survives a plane crash wouldn't benefit from discussing this life-altering event with a professional. Is it ever going to be acceptable to want to talk to a psychologist or other therapist to cope with life's problems?

This was an amazing read. I have been waiting so long for this novel to come out, and it's the only one Elizabeth is releasing this year, so definitely take the time to savor it.

ARC received from publisher. I didn't receive any compensation for this review. Miracle will be released on my birthday--June 5, 2012. And check out the Acknowledgments!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi