Review: Exceptional
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2012
My Thoughts:When I received this review request, I was excited. An indie novel told in verse? I love novels written in verse! I'm a huge fan of them. I knew I had to read this one.It starts with Julia playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano. That piece is one of my favorites, and it adds to the overall feel of the story. She loves playing piano. She will go off to college and beyond there play piano at concert halls. Everything that is expected of her is laying out in front of her. She never anticipated doing something as illogical as kissing Reed... but she does.Reed is one of the stoner guys at school, not one of the affluent crowd her family expects her to be interested in. A person like Perry, whose parents are close to her parents, who is the logical choice for someone of her status. He's not who she is interested in though. Despite the part of her that wants to please her parents, she gives in to her desire to be with him. And her parents seem to be fine with it... until the secret comes out.Once her parents know about Reed and his background, they instantly forbid her from seeing him. Of course, this doesn't stop the two of them from sneaking around when they can. But there's only so much time left before school is over and Julia needs to make a choice: out of state college or Reed.Defy the Stars is a love story, but it doesn't have a happy ending. It is tragic--it breaks your heart and glues you back together only to break again. The love of Julia and Reed is moving, you can't bear to see them suffer. Stephanie Parent has delivered an amazing retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The verse style only adds to the magnificence of this timeless story. I highly recommend it.My Rating:Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM