Super Short Reviews (13)

Here's the answer to my blogging slump-- a few sentences on some of the books I've read recently. Links will take you to the title's Goodreads page.

Rape Girl by Alina Klein: Received from NetGalley. Read for 2012 Debut Author Challenge and 2012 Standalone Challenge.
This was a very quick read--only 126 pages. I read it in about an hour. I found the story quite interesting--Val is raped but feels it wasn't "real" rape because she didn't scream or try to get away (she had reasons for that). In addition, she is completely ostracized by her friends and even educators--I found this to be horrendously realistic. However, I thought the story could have been fleshed out a lot more. There were several places where the story jumped through days or even weeks, and while that can be useful at times, I thought we could have benefitted from a more detailed glimpse into Val's day to day life.

The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas: Borrowed from the library.
Rose's mom dies and leaves her a survival kit, similar to the ones Rose and her family have helped her mom make for the parents of her preschool children for years and years. A very touching story. Of course, with my personal life the way it is, it was super sad for me, because my mom passed away so suddenly that she didn't even know she was going to, let alone plan for it--which I guess is better for her, right? Anyway, I'm getting maudlin and off track. This book was a very sweet novel about grief and family. It was so nice to see that everyone in Rose's life is seriously in tune to her and is understanding of her sadness and mood swings. I wish that everyone who has to lose a loved one has a support system as strong as Rose's.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi