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ColleenMBratley
Posted March 13, 2013
This is a story that touches your heart and captures your soul. You enjoy sharing the time with Sawyer, his family and friends feeling like you belong. You understand them, you could be one of the family, and really enjoy their company.
Oh to be sought after by a guy like Sawyer. You just have to love him. Yeah, he does some stupid things, but then who doesn't. And actually, considering the road his life has gone down, it doesn't really surprise you, but it sure gives you an emotional reaction. H.E. Ellis does a great job of developing her characters and as the story unfolds, so do the personalities that you end up absolutely loving. So much so that I really can't wait to read Book 2, River, to hear more about him and of course Sawyer and the others. Sawyer is my hero now.
While you are trying to figure out what makes each of the characters tick, you have to marvel and how the author weaves the story to reveal each person in their own light, but also how the interaction affects them. Well, at least you think you have it figured out, or what the reasons might be, but then sometimes you didn't get it quite right, and the story brings you to another place and emotion, that you just didn't see coming.
Sometimes in a story, as you become involved with the characters, you want things to end a certain way, or things to happen in a certain way. H.E. Wells is really good at creating the emotions that actually force you to become involved. It brings you to the party, and you just can't leave. No reader really has any other choice. You feel the joy, fear, pain, love; you name it, all the way through the book. And sometimes the clock stops ticking as you relate something to yourself, which gives you an even keener insight to the characters and the story.
I must admit, I didn't think I would be so entertained. I really enjoyed the story from start to finish, and cheered for the characters with their trials and tribulations as if they had been known personally to me for years. The best part is, each character had its part, but of course the main character being Sawyer, you felt complete understanding and an almost finish with him. I say almost because he is interesting and fun, so you want more. I don't think you could ever get tired or bored with him. But the other characters she left you wondering and wanting more information to explain their souls. It makes you wantanxious to read the rest of the series. H.E. Wells better write fast, I think the fans will grow restless otherwise. Very, very well done H.E. Wells.
Jonel
Posted January 12, 2013
Right from the first page Ellis drops his audience into an emotional rollercoaster that does not let up until the final word of the novel. Twists and turns abound in this extremely realistic, very vivid journey through the life of a teenage boy who cannot come to grips with the forces driving his life.
The characters and setting of this novel were both very well developed. These were people that you wanted to, or felt like you already did, know in your real life. You wanted to root for them, or against them, depending on which characters were involved. They were not flat characters either. Each of them was well rounded and lifelike.
There were some very intense moments within this story. Ellis grabs a hold of the English language and twists it in such a way that the audience is kept riveted and feels exactly what the character is feeling. That said, there were also a great deal of moments when I found myself laughing out loud, rather uncontrollably at times. The author manages to use words to evoke very strong emotions in the reader.
On this surface this novel is about secrecy driving a family apart, but it is also about truth bringing them back together. Although it is a gripping tale it also contains a great deal of realism regarding difficulties within families. The characters need to learn to accept others and themselves the way that they are. There is a great deal of fighting, both verbally and physically, between the characters in this novel. There are also a large number of “bro-mance” moments that counteract them.
I quite enjoyed the fact that each chapter had a song assigned to them. These songs complemented the chapters that they were associated with. Picturing or listening to the song enriched the chapter, giving it a deeper meaning.
Above all, what I found the most interesting about this novel is reading about high school and high school relationships from the perspective of a guy. It was interesting to see how a situation that I would have reacted to in one manner was dealt with very differently.
This book as a whole was very well written. It kept me captivated while grounded in reality. The author did not need to use any supernatural forces to keep me tied to these pages. I will definitely be checking out future works by this author in the near future.
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