Review: Inspiring and heartwarming!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2012
Read this and other reviews at [...].Immediately after I finished with Steph Campbell's Grounding Quinn, I purchased Delicate. This book focuses on Quinn's best friend, Sydney and takes place the year prior to Grounding Quinn. There's a lot of the same characters, however, no Ben. Sydney is an aspiring Olympic gymnast, and I did read this during the Olympics, so how's that for perfect timing! :) She works hard at everything she does. Her desire to be everything to everyone drives her need for perfection as a daughter, friend, sister, girlfriend and athlete. It's just Sydney, her dad and her younger sister, as her mother died a few years before in a hit and run accident. That being said, she feels like she has to try and hold her family together.Enter the girlfriend part of Sydney's life. She's dating older guy, Trevor, and she's never really felt worthy of his love. She feels like he can do much better, and because of that, I think she puts up with a lot of crap from him. Especially where her relationship with Grant is concerned. Grant is the new kid, and Sydney is paired with him for a class project. While she's immediately drawn to him on some level, she does keep things platonic because she has Trevor. That doesn't seem ok with Trevor though, and he becomes incredibly possessive and emotionally abusive towards Sydney. As time wears on, and more of a relationship develops between Grant and Sydney, Trevor's jealousies translate to more abuse for Sydney...and she puts up with it and hides it from everyone, because she knows deep down Trevor just loves her so much. The only person she can't hide this reality from is Grant. He cares too much for her and sees through the walls she's putting up. Grant doesn't pressure her to make a decision or force her hand when it comes to her relationship with Trevor. He's just there and he cares and he takes care of her when she lets him. The way Sydney and Grant's relationship unfolds and develops is beautiful and heartwarming.I love that after all is said and done with Trevor and Sydney, she and Grant don't rush into some relationship. He gives her time to heal and really think about what she wants. He wants her to want him because it's the right time, and she is ready, and not because she finally got rid of Trevor, and Grant's just there and comfortable, and safe and easy. Do I think that if Sydney's mom would have been around her chances of dealing with Trevor's abuse would be less? Yes and no. I think that moms are certainly very perceptive, but I also know that teenage girls can be very good at hiding what they need to. I think, if anything, maybe she just wouldn't have felt like she couldn't tell anyone, since most of the time she didn't want to give added stress to her dad's life.Abuse happens in more relationships than it should. And sometimes it's quiet and easy to hide and make excuses for it, but never should love hurt like that. I commend Ms. Campbell on taking on such a delicate topic and making such a wonderful story come out of it. Hopefully at least one girl can read this and know that she doesn't have to put up with it - and that she deserves better.I give this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming and emotional story about growing up and getting stronger and finding real love! :)Quotable:"Letting go is never easy. Especially when you can't see where you're going to land. But I've learned that sometimes, you just have to throw your weight behind the change. Take the chance that you might fall."(