Review: Absolutely love this contemporary about healing and love!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 5, 2013
This is a smart, beautifully written, coming of age story about a young girl who has lived a sheltered life in the world of gymnastics. She's been taking her high school classes on-line, her only friends are the ones from her gym, she's never even talked to a boy. Then suddenly, she finds herself living with her coach and his teenage son. It's great for her so she can stay with her teammates and her coach, but it's weird.As Karen learns how to live with Jordan, shuddering as he gulps from the milk jug, composing mental letters to him to correct things he might think about her, she also has to learn to live with her coach. He is one man at the gym, her coach, and another at his place (it won't ever be home).There are a lot of ups and downs. So many emotional hurdles not just for Karen, but there is a surprising emotional scar that Jordan and Coach Bentley are hiding that they too have to face. Karen's hurdles come slowly, but the bandaid gets ripped off the scar with Jordan and Coach Bentley. Julie Cross handles both easily and in a believable way. She interweaves the loss and love with the story of Karen's gymnastic career and the support of her friends and Jordan and even her coach.I fell for Karen as soon as the story started. She was numb and hardly able to follow what was happening. But she was so refreshingly honest and free of teenage drama. Don't get me wrong, there is some drama, but it's to be expected when she's dealing with the stages of grief. And Jordan, he's funny and vulnerable and honest as well which really endeared him to me. I loved the two of them together. And he does the most amazing things for Karen.So, when someone shot me an email and asked if I wanted to read Julie Cross' new contemporary, what would you have said?Thanks to the author for a copy of the novel for review. I was not influenced by this. The opinions expressed are my own.