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

Gratitude Giveaway Hop!

Hello, and welcome to my Gratitude Giveaway Hop! I would like to thank I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and All-Consuming Books for co-hosting this hop. This hop is a thank you to all of my followers, old and new. I just cannot even begin to explain how much it means to me that you guys think I'm worthy of a follow. You are the best.

Because this is a gratitude giveaway, I wanted to give away something from one of my favorite authors, and something from an author who, unforunately, was taken from us far too soon--but we should be grateful that she was able to give us two fantastic novels before she left us. So, one lucky follower will win hardcover copies of Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott and The Mermaid's Mirror by LK Madigan.

To enter, you just need to be a GFC follower and a US resident age 13 or up. The contest will close on November 28 at 12:01am.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FORM!!

Enjoy your reading and good luck!
Christi

Once you're done here, be sure to hop over to the other blogs to enter their contests!

Elizabeth Scott's next novel!

Ack!! I am so freakin' excited right now! I just discovered that Elizabeth Scott's next novel, Miracle, will be released on June 5, 2012! Which is awesome because I love Elizabeth Scott, but also because June 5 is my birthday! It's like, a sign from the universe or something. Or, like Elizabeth Scott found out it was my birthday and demanded this book be released that day. Yeah, I like that one. :)

Here's the summary from Goodreads:
I sat there and wondered again why I'd lived… 

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. 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 who to turn to. Her entire community 
seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. 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. This time, she may be falling too fast to be saved…


I. CANNOT. WAIT. It should go without saying that I've already pre-ordered a copy from Barnes & Noble!
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

Dutton Juvenile, September 15, 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.
Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.

Ack! A new Elizabeth Scott! That's TWO this year! I think what I love most about Elizabeth Scott is her ability to write--and write well!--in a variety of genres. She's a master of contemporary fiction, both light and dark, with Grace she showed us she can handle dystopian, and As I Wake is a book of a different color altogether. I'm not even sure how to categorize it--sci fi? Paranormal? It does have a touch of dystopia in it, but it also has a contemporary feel.

Are you confused yet? Well, then, just imagine how Ava feels when she wakes up in a place she's never seen before, not knowing who she is or why she's there. We suffer right along with Ava as she struggles to discover who she is--and if that person is the same person everyone else is claiming she is. It's an exquisite book, a theme that's not new but is presented in a fresh way. The readers know exactly what Ava knows--nothing--and we learn as she does.

It's one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished it, and once you're torn through it, you should give it a more careful second reading. You'll be glad you did!

Own book.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Contest! Tell me your MAHROAT & you could win one of mine! 

Click here for details!

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Simon Pulse, March 2008

Summary from Goodreads:

Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast. Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible. And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest. Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen -- but only if she lets them...

Another absolutely heart-wrenching novel from my favorite author! Poor Kate Brown--her best friend ignores her, her father quit his job to start selling vitamins at the mall, and she has to work with him. And even her name is forgettable! The only highlight in her day is the banter she has with hottie-but-such-a-player Will, who Kate loves to hate. Or does she hate to love him? Hmmm...

There were just so many things wrong in Kate's life that I constantly wanted to reach inside the book and just shake everyone! First of all, I completely understand hating your life and wanting to live your dream, like Kate's dad. BUT, there's something to be said for putting your dream on hold, oh, I don't know, until you're financial stable enough to pursue it? And what the hell kind of dream is selling informercial vitamins at the mall? He's a perpetual child, which is bad enough, but the fact that Kate's mom doesn't put her foot down is just horrendous. She creates this budget that they both agree to stick to, and then Dad buys a video game. Have a spine, woman! But Mom is afraid of turning into Grandma, who is all spine, all the time. There's definitely no happy medium in this household.

And Anna. What a beast. I get that she's the only best friend Kate's ever known, and I can only imagine how hurtful it is to know that your best friend pretends you don't exist. But! Then Anna wants to be friends again! But only when it's just Kate and Anna! Not in front of her popular friends! Will Kate ever realize that that Anna is NOT the kind of friend she needs?

There were many times during this novel that I wanted to shake Kate herself, and not just during the scenes with Anna. She spent the whole novel complaining about not having anyone, but not doing anything to change her situation. She doesn't reach out to attempt to make new friends, and can't stand the only friends she has, the three Jennifiers. The whole thing with Will was absolutely adorable. Everything Will did, Kate thought it was to tease her, when to the rest of us it was so obvious that he was totally into her. 

I'm slowly working my way through all of Elizabeth Scott's novels, so I can savor each one. The woman has a talent for creating characters you love and putting those characters in unique situations. Perfect You is another example of Elizabeth's excellent work!

Purchased book.

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Contest! Tell me your MAHROAT & you could win one of mine! 
Click here for details!

I'm delighted to be participating in

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

HarperTeen, 2008

Summary from Goodreads:

My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things for as long as I can remember.
Dani has been trained as a thief by the best there is—her mother. They never stay in one place long enough for Dani to have real connections, real friends—a real life.
But in the town of Heaven, everything changes. Suddenly, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

I loved this book. Loved it. Right from the beginning I was drawn to this story--why do Dani and her mom steal? Where's Dad? This story was just so different from anything else I've ever read before. People can actually do this? Just...move around constantly and survive by stealing?


Dani was such a likeable character. At several points in the story I kind of forgot how old she was. There were a lot of times she seemed so much older than her eighteen years, which fit with the kind of lifestyle she's been living. Howver, other times she seemed so much younger, which, oddly, also fits with the solitary life she leads. She has only the barest of social skills, after all, and doesn't really have any experience with "regular" conversations. I know she tried to prevent anyone from getting close to her, but I could totally see through that. As could Greg, the completely swoonworthy guy (read: cop!) who falls for her. I absolutely adored their relationship. I loved that Dani was letting her guard down with him but still acting tough. And I loved the whole "answer a question with a question" thing--I'm glad that was carried throughout the novel.


Mom was a strange duck, I thought, but her character fit. I suppose a professional thief isn't really going to be that modest with her daughter regarding her various relationships. I suppose that Dani, having lived with that her whole life, built up a shell so those kinds of things wouldn't really affect her. I loved the little town of Heaven and I was curious why Mom would choose to settle there. I mean, I know there's big bucks, but it seems really small for their talents. I think it was the town itself that really set Dani off on her "Who am I?" quest.


Stealing Heaven is a great contemporary read, pure Elizabeth Scott, and I encourage everyone to read it!


For more Elizabeth Scott Week goodness, head over to I Eat Words for a review of Perfect You (and come back tomorrow for my review of Perfect You!)!


Purchased book.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Simon Pulse, May 24, 2011

Read for YA Contemps Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

I just have to say that in case it's not blatantly obvious by now, I have totes respect for Elizabeth Scott as an author. I haven't read everything she's written, but I have read a lot, and hello! She's the author of Living Dead Girl, which is #1 on my MAHROAT, which I'm sure you're all sick to death of hearing about. I love that Elizabeth can write something as dark and dramatic as LDG, mix it up with a romantic title like The Unwritten Rule, and even take a dip in the dystopian waters with Grace, and she does it all expertly and with style and poise.


Between Here and Forever is a wonderful addition to Elizabeth's growing list of titles. Abby spends her life in Tess' shadow, and now that Tess is in a coma, has found that her life has come to a sudden halt. She wants Tess to wake up, of course, but not for the reasons you'd might think. Abby wants Tess to wake up so Abby can be free to live her own life, to graduate from school and get the hell out of her sister's shadow, to make her own name for herself somewhere far away from her podunk little town. But she can't do any of that until Tess wakes up.

Poor Abby! Here's a girl who has spent her entire life feeling second best, and no one has ever tried to tell her otherwise. Of course she thinks that hottie Eli will prefer Tess, even in a coma, to plain old Abby. The brilliance that is Tess has been ingrained in Abby's head so much that she won't, can't even possibly fathom that someone as hot as Eli could ever be attracted to someone as mousy as Abby.

But guess what? Abby slowly learns that Tess was not as perfect as everyone thought. While Tess lies in her hospital bed, Abby begins to assert herself. She demands information about Tess from her parents, Tess' friends and roommates, and begins to realize that there is so much more to Tess than she ever knew.

I felt so very sorry for Abby in this story, but so happy that she had found allies in Claire (Tess' former best friend), Clemente (a elderly volunteer and wealthy donor at the hospital), and Eli; as unlikely as it might seem, this group has what it takes to prove to Abby that she is much more than her sister's shadow.

A powerful story of family, friendship, and romance, Between Here and Forever will appeal to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction.

Another 2011 challenge for myself: to read everything Elizabeth Scott has written.

eGalley received from publisher.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott--my MAHROAT

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Simon Pulse, 2008

Summary from Goodreads:

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends, her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Oh my lord, this is my Most Awesomely Horrifying Read Of All Time (aka my MAHROAT). This story was so difficult for me to read as a mother and as a reader. The girl we know as Alice is kidnapped while on a field trip just before her tenth birthday. When we meet her, she has turned fifteen and is waiting for Ray to decide she's too old, so he will kill her and she can be free. He forces her to great lengths to try and keep her at a young age--dresses her in childish clothes, barely feeds her so she'll stay skinny, and even makes her take medication to prevent her period.

You guys, this is not a gentle read--Ray does unspeakable things to Alice, sexually, physically, and psychologically. However, Elizabeth Scott's prose is exquisite in this novel and readers will quickly come to care about Alice. As the narrator, Alice gives us short, succinct chapters that matter-of-factly describe the details of her existence. We learn only the bare minimum of who Alice was before Ray, and rightly so. She knows that there is no hope of ever being that girl again, that even if she were to be returned to her family she will never be the same girl, and she knows there's no point in spending time playing "what if?" or dreaming about the past.

We can absolutely understand why Alice is reluctant to try and escape. Ray is a man of his word, and his word is that he will do horrible things to the family Alice once knew if she were to leave him. It's very easy to say that we'd do this or say this, but Alice shows us that it's not always as easy as it seems. When Alice learns about Ray's new, improved plan (instead of simply killing her), she sees her chance for escape. Again, the readers are with Alice as she has to decide between two horrible choices, and the ending of this novel will leave you speechless.

I tend to drift towards the darker side of realistic fiction when I read, although I'm not really sure why. I tell you, it doesn't get any darker than Living Dead Girl. I first read this book two years ago, and the story has sat with me all this time. I didn't even really need to re-read it for this review, but I really, really wanted to. This story isn't for everyone, but for those who enjoy dark, gritty realistic fiction, this is the one that tops them all. Living Dead Girl is, for me, the standard by which all other dark realistic novels must live up to.

Won book.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

My Most-Awesomely-Horrfiying-Reads-Of-All-Time, aka my MAHROAT

While creating my review for Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles, I realized that I have a lot of favorite titles, for a lot of different reasons. Lessons from a Dead Girl was recently awarded a spot on what I think is my toughest list of favorites: my Most-Awesomely-Horrifying-Reads-Of-All-Time (hereafter referred to as my MAHROAT. I was going to attempt a cooler title, but I like how MAHROAT looks as an acronym, so, it stays.).

Anyway, the qualifications for a book to be included on my MAHROAT list? The book has to deal with a horrific situation in such a realistic setting that readers know it can and probably does happen all the time in real life, but for the most part we remain blissfully unaware that such things happen. Basically, it's a book that's obscenely difficult to read because of the subject matter, but one that sticks with us long after we've finished it. For my MAHROAT, these books have to be realistic fiction; the fear that this is something that could happen to me, to my daughter, to my family is most of what makes the read so terrifying to me.

For me, the bar is set pretty high--as of right now, there are only three titles on my MAHROAT list:

     1. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (my review is here)

     2. Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles (my review is here)

     3. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess (my review is here)

Added July 25, 2011!

4. The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young (my review is here)

I think Living Dead Girl will always remain at #1 on my MAHROAT--it is the standard by which all other MAHROAT titles must live up to, and I have yet to read anything in YA realistic fiction that is as terrifying to me. (Is that a challenge, authors?) I just re-read the novel while preparing this post, and will be posting a review tomorrow.

I realize, of course, that in reading YA literature for only two years, I have only begun to scratch the surface, and hope to return to this post with updates as I stumble across new titles that will fit my MAHROAT qualifications.

Do you have your own MAHROAT, or is there a title you think I should read, perhaps a contender for my MAHROAT?

Enjoy your reading!
Christi