Bern's Bookcase: Girl Made of Stars Book Review

4.5 Poignant, Emotional & Thought-Provoking Stars for Girl Made of Stars! 

This book was beautifully written. Rape, abuse, and sexuality are not easy topics. Blake did an amazing job of telling this all too important story. It was told with hope, love and healing. It doesn't sugar coat life after abuse. Yet, it was powerful in its message that victims are worth the telling. That despite a culture that often places blame on the victim they are worth believing. That there are people who will listen. That they are not simply victims - they are survivors.

This is the story of Mara. Mara is such a complex character. There was simply no way I could not adore her. She was both broken and brave, scared and strong. Mara is struggling with trauma. A secret she has kept for years that is eating away at her. It causes panic attacks, PTSD and anxiety. The silence, shame and trauma she suffered were heart wrenching to read about.

Mara is a twin. Mara & Owen are as close as twins can be. That makes it all the more complex when one of her best friends, Hannah, accuses Owen of rape. Hannah and Owen were dating. They had been sexually intimate in the past. Hannah said no, in the heat of things. Owen didn't stop. What I truly appreciated was that Blake didn't sugar coat how difficult this was for Mara. She struggled with her belief. This was her brother. How this rape affected her family, her friendships and ultimately her own truth were written with such honesty and vulnerability that it made my heart ache.

"Some parts of me are gone. Some others have come alive, woken by the need to fight, to matter, to be heard. Some parts are wary, others angry, others heartbroken. But I'm still me. I'm still moving. We all are, in some way or another." 

This is YA that transcends its label. It's a book that should be read, experienced and felt by all ages and genders.

Bern's Bookcase: The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker Book Review

4 Death Shattering Stars for The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is a YA thriller with a paranormal twist. Eleanor Parker wakes up in the local river - cold, half-dressed, water spraying from her mouth and no idea how she got there. 

"The memories are still just out of reach but there are two things of which I'm certain. I didn't fall into the river - I was drowned in it and, somehow, despite the fact I'm still here, I died last night." 

I'm pretty good at suspending my disbelief and stretching my imagination which is a requirement in order to enjoy a read like this. If you can do that - this book is quite an enjoyable whodunnit. Eleanor was an extremely likable lead character. She was an average teenager with all the problems and drama that come with that age. Except of course that she is technically undead! 

I have to admit that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The supernatural element was interesting and we never fully quite know what to make of it all. I liked that Wilkinson left it open to the reader's interpretation. 

"If a person believes in something, really believes, then it doesn't matter what others say." 

The mystery was well paced and I didn't have it figured out - WIN! The whole vibe of the book was unique and enjoyable. This is one that will definitely keep you turning the pages. 

Bern's Bookcase: Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins

4.5 Stars for this sensitive, compassionate and emotional read on body image, eating disorders, self-worth and ultimately self-love and acceptance. 

"Life was kind and full of chances. Sometimes we didn't take them. Sometimes we hid our truth and acted out of fear. Sometimes we turned away and closed the door." 

For me, Kristan Higgin's Good Luck with That was an emotional read. Georgia, Marley & Emerson met at Camp Cooperbrook in their teens. This wasn't your typical summer camp - it was a weight loss camp. These three friends struggled with their weight throughout their lives and all the physical and emotional issues that go with that. 

Higgins did not shy away from difficult topics here. She tackled body image, eating disorders, obesity and was honest and frank about the mental and physical health issues that play a role in them. Each of these women battled her own "demons" so to speak as they struggled with their weight. It was difficult not to identify with them in some way. I don't know anyone who hasn't looked in the mirror at some point and was plagued by insecurities, self-doubt and a litany of self-criticism. 

The bulk of the book involves Marley and Georgia in the wake of Emerson's death due to obesity related health issues. Through Emerson's journal entries we get a peek at how she ended up morbidly obese and it was heart wrenching. It was too late for Emerson to make changes in her life, but she didn't want the same ending for her two best friends. So on her deathbed, Emerson gives Marley and Georgia a letter to be read after her funeral. Enclosed is a "Things We'll Do When We're Skinny" list they made during their final summer at Camp Cooperbrook. Emerson's dying wish is that her friends promise to complete this list. Why? They didn't see the point but because they had made a promise, they agree to try to see it through. 

The list ends up being a life changing experience for Marley and Georgia. As they cross off items, they face fears, make peace with their pasts, learn to trust and love themselves and ultimately find that ever elusive feeling of self-acceptance. 

"Good luck, I imagined the universe saying kindly, infusing the phrase with gentleness and faith. Good luck with everything."

For a book that was definitely emotionally heavy in what it covered, it left me feeling both positive and hopeful. Thank you Kristin Higgins for writing and sharing this compelling and emotional read.

Bern's Bookcase: The Child Finder Book Review

The Child Finder - "Each child she found was a molecule, a part of herself still remaining in the scary world she had left behind. Eventually they would all come together and form one being, knitted together in triumph. We are not forgotten, her action told her. You will not put us aside." 

 

Madison Culver disappeared in the woods one snowy day as her family searched for a Christmas tree. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. The snow swiftly covering her tracks. Madison was presumed buried in the snow or scavenged by animals. How could a 5 year old girl survive for long in the cold, snowy woods? 

Love and hope go hand in hand. After 3 years, Madison's mother still believed someone had taken her and that she was alive. Desperate but unwilling to give up on her daughter she contacted Naomi, a private investigator known as the Child Finder, for help. 

Naomi had a special talent for finding missing children. There had been a time when Naomi herself was a lost child. There are many questions in regards to Naomi's past. The trauma she endured is buried deep within her. Fragments of memories inevitably coming to the surface in her dreams. Is her mind protecting her from what had been done to her or from her own terrible guilt? 

The story unfolds from various perspectives giving us different insight at various points in the story as it switches from the past to the present. We get a first hand account of Madison's captivity and it was heartbreaking. It literally broke my heart to read those parts. Denfeld wrote with sensitivity, her words almost poetic in their blending of Madison's nightmarish reality with her magical fairytale like fantasies. Yet there was no mistaking the imagery - the moments were still dark, terrifying and horrible. She endured horrors no child should ever have to endure.

It feels almost impossible to explain how a book seeped with such darkness and sorrow was also full of love, hope and bravery. Yet it was. I look forward to reading more from Rene Denfeld and seeing what happens with Naomi in the future.

"No matter how far you have run, no matter how long you have been lost, it is never too late to be found."