A Life, Forward

by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Overview

Rowan Slone has left her dysfunctional, violent past behind. College is looming on the horizon, she has a new job that she loves, and a safe place to call home. Rowan is close to achieving everything she's ever wanted-a sense of family, a sense of purpose, and a sense of self. But there are cracks in Rowan's life as relationship issues threaten to send her future crumbling to the ground. When her long-held secret is discovered, Rowan must find the courage to fight for the most important thing yet-herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643971520
Publisher:	BHC Press
Publication date:	11/05/2020
Series:	Rowan Slone , #2
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Tracy Hewitt Meyer is the award-winning young adult author of the Rowan Slone novels and The Reformation of Marli Meade. Much of her work centers around the challenges teenagers face, and she has tackled the tough topics of teen pregnancy, self-harm, and domestic violence. She holds a B.A. in English and a Master of Social Work. When not writing, she works as a mental health therapist for adults and couples. She lives in Virginia with her family and beloved pets where she is currently working on her new novel.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Three

Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

09/25/2020

Gr 9 Up—After finding out that her mother had been responsible for the death of her little brother, Rowan, who is white, moves in with her boyfriend's family to start a new life. Her father has left the family and her mother is put in jail for her crime. Rowan stops cutting herself, but the scars run deep, inside and out. She is still trying to find where she belongs and whether she will be able to move on with her life. Not only has she moved in with Mike's family, she also has a new job that she loves at an animal shelter. Rowan is resilient and determined. She must finish high school and be admitted to a college of her choice, even though trouble, in the form of her sister, follows her around. In the middle of all her trouble, Rowan finds out that her best friend, Jess, is pregnant. Rowan becomes the stronger of the two and must find a solution that will work for Jess and the baby. Again, Meyer gives readers a believable and positive picture of Rowan's life: "Light, it shines ahead, a glimmer. A flash, then it is gone. Like it never existed, but I saw it. And it changed me." VERDICT Fans of the first book will find romance, determination, and resilience.—Valentine Muyumba, Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute

School Library Journal

"A piercing and heartwarming sequel." - Kirkus Reviews

"Ms. Meyer has created a story with emotion rolling off the page..." - InD'Tale Magazine

"[this series] can give a very real look at life to teenagers..." - Beneath the Jacket Reviews

"a great YA book for teenagers to read, and I definitely urge you...to get yourself a copy of both books and read them." - Ordinary Girlz Book Reviews

From the Publisher

2020-08-18
In this sequel to A Life, Redefined (2020), Appalachian teen Rowan Slone is back and starting her senior year of high school.

She has big dreams for her future after overcoming the mess her dysfunctional family made of her junior year. Will Rowan make it to college amid the hurricane that is her life? Rowan finally feels like she has gotten things together: living with her boyfriend's parents, the Andersons; doing well at her job at the animal shelter; and hoping to get financial aid for college. However, Rowan’s carefully rebuilt life looks like it will come crashing down when her abusive father returns and her sister, Trina, pushes for them to be one big happy family. Already feeling like a burden to the Andersons and missing her boyfriend, Mike, who used to be her support system but is now in college five hours away, Rowan starts to spiral. The author explores the obsessive thoughts that accompany self-harm and elements of mental illness sensitively and explicitly. Rowan has a well-developed, strong character arc, and the secondary characters are better developed than in the previous volume. Readers unfamiliar with Rowan’s story will find this novel accessible but will gain more from having read the first book. Main characters are presumed to be White.

A piercing and heartwarming sequel. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews