Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Review: Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair

Leap of Faith
Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair
Can true love be built on lies? A teen on the run seeks relief and redemption in this gripping, romantic read.Leah Kurtz has finally found a place to call home, a town where she and baby Addy can live in peace, far from the drug-infested place she grew up. Chris is one of the best parts of her new life, the only person who’s ever made her feel safe. And now that she’s found him, there’s no way she can tell the truth:
Her real name is Faith, not Leah. She’s seventeen, not nineteen. And the baby isn’t hers—Faith kidnapped her.
Faith’s history catches up with her when a cop starts asking questions and Chris’s aunt spots her picture in the newspaper. She knows it’s time to run again, but if Faith leaves, she’ll lose Chris. If Chris is in love with a lie, though, did Faith ever really have him in the first place?


”add

Publishes in US: September 3rd 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA contemporary
Source: Simon Teen via Edelweiss
Series? No info. Hope so.

Buy it: Amazon  Barnes & Noble  IndieBound  Book Depository

Find Jamie online: ~site ~twitter ~facebook

 
    Wow, this is a powerful story. I completely felt for Faith and her upbringing. Although I will admit at first it was out of spite for her Mom that she was having her stop smoking and drugs while pregnant, but I saw that her heart really opened and changed when she heard the heartbeat and saw the baby on ultrasound. 
    It was a unique journey that she took and for noble reasons, she didn't want her sister to grow up how she and her older sister Hope grew up, with alcohol, drugs and men in and out the door. Although I know it was wrong, the kidnapping, I was riveted to the page in her struggles and her growing love and relationship with the baby Addy. 
    And when Chris entered the picture, my heart melted. He was so giving to strangers, with his time and with their house. I knew that he had his own secrets and we learned slowly what they were and it def made sense why he was so eager to help and his quick attachment to Addy. Add to that the fact that him and Faith had chemistry and he played guitar, my heart was so won over. 
    I also appreciated the sense of family that Chris' grandmother brought to the picture, and I adored the scenes that she was in. She helped make the story more rounded and complete. 
    Leap of Faith also was very realistic (and I know, I have two) on the hardships of taking care of a newborn, and it wasn't romanticized. Yes, there is the cuddly and warm, but there is also diapers, eating every few hours, poop, lots of spit up and exhaustion. 
     I will say though, the ending felt way too incomplete. I know that the story was her journey but it seriously left me hanging. I wanted so much resolution and did not want to leave the pages of this story. It seems so cruel not to know the resolved ending for Faith/Leah and Addy. I seriously hope there is a sequel because that would fix my only complaint with this story. 

Bottom Line: Powerful and emotional contemporary that had me to the last page and wanting, no, needing more.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
 Could you kidnap your baby sister to keep her away from an alcoholic and druggie mom?
Follow on Bloglovin

26 comments:

  1. This sounds like a good contemp, although I also hate when the story still feels open at the end. Great review.

    Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

    ReplyDelete
  2. This one sounds really good, although the ending sounds a bit frustrating. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This book has been one of those that I couldn't decide if I wanted to read it or not. It sounded so good but I was a little worried on how the whole kidnapping thing would turn out. Your review definitely pushed me to finally add it to my tbr list. Great review!

    Jesus Freak Reader

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is the second review I've read that points out how realistically the author portrayed the difficulties of caring for a baby. The story sounds so intense, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have seen this one, but have had the chance to pick it up. Sounds emotional and I do think I would enjoy it. Great review.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very interesting! Not a lot of books take on teen pregnancy, so I am intrigued!

    Kate @ Ex Libris

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hadn't seen Leap of Faith before but it sounds like a really different read from what I usually go for. Thanks for sharing!

    Janhvi @ The Readdicts

    ReplyDelete
  8. Not big on unresolved endings, but the premise definitely sounds interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is new to me, but I like that it was realistic and there were some wonderful family moments. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I hadn't really considered reading this one until your review. Wow. Thanks for the great review! I might actually check this one out now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love that he plays the guitar! This sounds like a good romance read, but I'm not sure if I would read it without a good ending. I might wait to see if there is a second book coming out. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Chris sounds like such a nice guy! I wouldn't know if I would have the level of courage that Faith had to kidnap her baby sister away from the toxic environment. I'll have to see if my library carries this book. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  13. it's an original topic. And well a musician guy? So cool!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I keep hearing about this ending and normally I don't have a problem with open endings if they work within the story, but here I think it might bother me. Still, this sounds like a wonderful book. Beautiful review!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Tough question from you today, I just do not know if I could do that

    ReplyDelete
  16. Leap of Faith is new to me, but sounds like a realistic (emotional) contemporary. I like the unique storyline and Faith and Chris sound like great characters. Thanks for the great review!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This one does sounds like a good read! Though I hate that the ending didn't feel complete. Might have to check this one out!

    Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ugh that ending! I don't think I've seen a review that didn't mention it because it was just so abrupt. I know I would have had much more positive feelings about this book if it had had more of an ending.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Babies are cuddly but lots of work! This should balance out Teen Mom :S... so happy there's a sequel, this sounds like a really good series.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow!! This sounds like a great powerful read Brandi! Great review!!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, I hope there is a sequel. I hate it when things are left open like that.

    Wow. That question. Having had children now, I would say yes, I would rescue my sibling from that situation. I don't know if I was that brave at that age. Yeah, I probably would have done it. I thought I could do anything at that age. What about you?

    ReplyDelete
  22. For some reason, this book didn't really grab my attention, but I feel more inclined to read it now. :) I like powerful stories and stories that have strong families (broken ones are getting old!), so Leap of Faith sounds great. Thanks for the helpful review, Brandi!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow, this one sounds emotional. So happy it worked for you. Not sure if I could handle all the emotion, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I've been very curious about this book, so I'm glad to see that you loved it so much. LoF sounds like an excellent story!

    Great review :D

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is my first time hearing about this book. It sounds like it could be a great addition to the contemporary genre. Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm very intrigued by this concept. I'm glad you liked it!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you! (I always try to visit your blog back) I love links, so feel free to link to your blog or a post you like.
Sorry, but I am award and tag free zone, I do not have the time to return. Comments are reward enough :)