Title/Author: Fault Line by Christa Destir
Publication Date/Publisher: October 15, 2013/Simon Pulse
Series: No
Source and Format: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 2 stars
1: I always liked this cover, but after reading the book it’s the most fucked up cover ever
2: I didn’t believe any of the characters: not their reactions, not their feelings, not anything
3: I already returned the book so I can’t say for sure, but I feel like the dialogue didn’t work for me
4: Complete non-ending
Title/Author: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
Publication Date/Publisher: October 1, 2012/Sourcebooks Fire
Series: Hundred Oaks #2
Source and Format: Own
Rating: 3 stars
I’m unable to keep my feelings about Parker from influencing how I feel about Stealing Parker. While I mostly enjoyed the actual story, I really hated Parker.
It’s probably my liberal heathen roots, but none of Parker’s decisions made sense to me. She’s obsessed with being a “good Christian” and “not looking like a lesbian” after her mom leaves the family to be with a woman. The whole church and most of the town turns on Parker’s remaining family, including her former best friends. Parker quits softball, starts painting her nails every day (I did not care for these constant color updates), and starts making out with tons of boys…including the new baseball coach.
Any of the things she did would have been fine if she had taken ownership of them. It seemed like she didn’t want to be doing any of the things she was doing – Parker WANTS to play softball but quits and is only punishing herself, Parker doesn’t want to make out with a bunch of boys, she WANTS to be in love with someone.
Her struggle with her faith is not something I could relate to AT ALL. If I was part of a community that turned on me because of something someone related to me did, I would be done with them with the quickness. What I could relate to was the student/coach relationship but my experience with it was so much worse and Stealing Parker mostly handles it well but poor Parker is just too naïve/inexperienced for it to really work for me.
Title/Author: This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready
Publication Date/Publisher: April 1, 2014/Simon Pulse
Series: No
Source and Format: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3 stars
Not at all blown away with this one. I enjoyed it more that I thought I would, based on the religiousness of it – though I did expect David to struggle more with his faith. The religious cult aspect was new territory for me and I enjoyed the then/now alternating chapters to tell the story. The real star of This Side of Salvation is the sibling relationship between David and Mara.
Title/Author: Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Publication Date/Publisher: July 3, 2014/Orion
Series: No
Source and Format: Own
Rating: 4 stars
(I made up that whole little header thing and then NEVER wrote anything about the book but just go read it, okay?)
