No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown
Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.
When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.
Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.
Publishes in US: December 9th 2014 by Harper Teen
Genre: ya contemp
Source: edelweiss
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Stopped at 5%
I have done this several times on my blog. Books that just don't work for me. I know my reading style pretty well, and I can tell whether I will like the book or not accurately about 80-90% of the time. If I finish a book, then there are aspects of that book that I enjoyed. I never talk about the author in a negative way, I only say what doesn't work for me. Normally if I finish a book, I give it at least 3 stars, meaning that I liked it. For these, it just wasn't a good fit for my stylistically, but since these were sent from the publisher, I decided to give it a try.
I just didn't connect with Amber. I grew up in a small town and what little I read of a good girl growing up in such a place--one who eventually makes more of her own decisions but tries to protect those she wants to please by hiding the truths. It just rang a bit over the top, but maybe I am projecting north carolina on everywhere else small and myself on her.
That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.
Positive Reviews:
My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever had dreams of being on stage?
