Love & Leftovers

Love and Leftovers

There is something really beautiful about how verse novels are written; how with a few words a story is unfolded. Love and Leftovers is part of the beauty of this literature division. Love and Leftovers narrates the story of Mercie and how her word crumbles when she moves with her mom to New Hampshire. She left behind her friends, called The Leftovers, including her sweet boyfriend, and her lovely father. I was really impressed on how Tregay captures the voice of Mercie’s characters; as a reader she feels like a real teenager finding the way of how to deal with multiple personal situations. Through the story my heart goes with her because it was too much too soon; moving, dealing with your mom’s health and her dad’s personal life. Then add that your system’s support, your friends and the person you love, are not close to give you the love and time needed to breathe. I totally understand where they came from, even if I didn’t liked some of her decisions . Love and Leftovers, a story of a girl not only coming on age and finding who she is, but also finding the way she wants to love and be loved.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Live To Read

What are your meltdowns like? Marcie¿s mom drags her from their home in Idaho to New Hampshire when her husband leaves her for a younger man. Her departing from Idaho means leaving her boyfriend and her friends, the ¿Leftovers,¿ behind. While in New Hampshire, Marcie gets a new haircut, loses weight, and questions her relationship with her boyfriend. Long distance is rough and all her relationships are strained. Taking care of her mother and trying to adjust to a new school are difficult as well. Marcie feels secluded and too adult. A bright spot in her day is seeing J.D. who brings her breakfast every morning and quickly becomes her best friend in New Hampshire. As time passes, she becomes closer and closer to her and Idaho seems farther and farther away. Marcie does wonder, what happens if she ever returns to Idaho?
Marcie is very dynamic, but often difficult to feel compassion for. Although she is sympathetic, her family collapsed and she is forced into the role of an adult, Marcie makes some bad decisions blatantly and without thought of how her choices affect others. High school, female readers would appreciate Tregay¿s work. Because of the subjects discussed, a younger audience might not understand the book. Sarah Tregay wrote Love and Leftovers in free verse as a diary. This style of writing offers a fun look into Marcie¿s thought process. Her reactions to situations and emotions are clearly expressed in her poetry. Sarah Tregay¿s work earns four stars; I neglect to give the last star because I was able to predict the end of Marcie¿s story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love and leftovers

At first I didn't know how I would feel about reading a whole book in verses. I wasn't sure if I would like it or if it was going to be hard to read. Well, I loved it. I love everything about the writing. It was defiantly something that I had never read before and I am glad that I did.

The book is about a teenage girl who, every summer, travels to New Hampshire with her mom for vacation. But this time is different. Because this time the vacation becomes a little more permanent. She leaves her life behind, which includes her best friend, her other friends, and her awesome boyfriend. But what is going to happen when she starts school in New Hampshire and the most popular boy in school starts to pay attention to her. She doesn't want to hurt her boyfriend, but at the same time she is very lonely and all she wants is attention.

This book was something else. I could not put it down. It was defiantly a page turner. You really felt for Marcie and everything that she is going through. You really want everything to work in her life. But in the book when she was doing something wrong, all I could think about "WHAT!!! Don't do that to him!!!" The book truly kept you right where you needed to be for the whole thing. I surely hope that you take the time and read this amazing book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Gorgeous, Romantic Story

This was the first novel-in-verse I've ever read and I was blown away by how well it suited this highly romantic, honest and beautiful story. From page one, I literally couldn't put it down until it was finished!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Its a bunch of poems

Its a bunch of little poems. Still good but just keep in mind that its not an actual novel.

Great book!

This book was amazing!!! As soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I would definatly recommend this book.

This was an excellent "read." I am a 67 year-old gran

This was an excellent "read." I am a 67 year-old grandmother, and I couldn't put it down. The characters are realistic and Ms. Tregay makes it easy to connect to them and their emotions. It was intriguing to watch Marcie grow and develop.

Amazing

I sat down and could not put this book down. It is well written and has many twist and turns.

Beautiful and lyrical

I had absolutely no idea that this book was in verse until I read a review for it a week or two ago, and by that time I had already requested it from the library. I'm glad I didn't know, because I might not have read it. This was my first experience with verse and not something I would have willingly chosen. At first it was a little hard to follow the broken sentences, but when I got used to it I found it so incredibly addictive! There wasn't really anything exciting happening for most of the book, yet I was still engrossed and I devoured the story almost in one sitting.

To see the full review and others by me, visit geobobspinelli[dot]blogspot[dot]com.

Gorgeous, Brilliant, Could Not Put It Down!

Oh, wow. Talk about a sleeper! Love and Leftovers took me by complete surprise. Being that it was written in verse, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I guess I thought the verses would be little separate stories that didn't necessarily tell a linear story, but it so does. Love and Leftovers was a complete, beautiful, full story told in these small, heartbreaking segments that completely drew me in.

The entire story is told from Marcie's point of view. The book is actually her poetry journal. A journal that chronicles Marcie's struggles with the split of her parents, her cross-country move that separates her from her boyfriend and friends, making friends in her new home, a new relationship, and all the way back around in a complete circle. It documents her confusion with her parents, her mother's debilitating depression, her need to be wanted by a boy... just on and on.

Love and Leftovers would be a fabulous read for teens, especially reluctant readers. The tiny segments keep the pages turning, trying to learn what Marcie will address next. Teen sexuality, the confusion and the importance of timing, is a big theme to the story. This book is the perfect book for teens, but really, I think it's perfect for anyone. I read this book in under two hours; I literally could not put it down. All around, I couldn't recommend Love and Leftovers more highly.

Favorite Quote:
(Choosing one quote was nearly impossible.)

"I let my dream eyes
connect the dots between the freckles
that spill over his shoulders
as if he stood in pink lemonade rain."

* I received an ARC from Harper Teen, in exchange for an honest review. *

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No text was provided for this review.

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