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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
This was a huge disappointment at the end I really wanted to know how this was going to be resolved and then it just wasn't.
This was a very abrupt end as well?? Like... I was very confused when the ending notification popped up on my kindle. Like wtf??
I'm starting to regret going into the far reaches of my TBR to find something new to read because what sounds interesting to me at fifteen/sixteen y/o is not as interesting to me now.
Anyways it was completely unbelievable for must of the time. And I felt really angry that this girl never old anyone the truth. She lied to someone who she claimed to love and he didn't even know her real name. It's completely dumb and fucked up. gdi i really hated this, the ending is an eyeroll. If you hate feeling angry at unresolved endings please do not read this. ever.
<3 Avery, The Librarian's Daughter <3
~3.5/5
I hadn’t heard anything about this book when I saw it at the bookstore, and upon reading the synopsis, I was immediately hooked. And the first page really had me wanting to keep reading, as well. It’s always nice when a book has a good opening, and this one definitely does.
I don’t know why, but just about any book about a teenager with a baby has my immediate attention. Also one with an abusive partner or parent. Those are deal makers for me.
Faith, later known as Leah, has a bad home life. A horrible one, really. She only has her mom, who is horrible, and her older sister, who is alright and there for her but also trying to get out of their situation when she starts college in a couple months.
And I don’t really want to spoil what happens, because it was left a surprise for me and I really liked it, but Faith ends up with a baby, and runs away. Changes her name to Leah, steals a car, and drives to a different state. Lies about her age, but ends up meeting some really nice people, gets an apartment, and a job (kind of, for a while). But throughout all of it, even as she meets Chris and gets close with him, she’s lying about who she really is and what’s going on with her, and is constantly worried about getting caught.
I liked Faith, and understand her reasons for everything she did. Didn’t like some of it sometimes, but understood. I hated her mother, and wasn’t really a big fan of her sister all the time, but maybe I would have just liked to have gotten to know her better, have seen a more rounded character. I liked Chris and his family, and how they all reacted to Faith.
The ending had me guessing, as there were two ways it could have ended and I was really dreading it going in one direction. I ended up liking the ending, though, even though I’d have liked a little bit more of it. I also think I just would have liked more character and relationship development, as I don’t think those were fully fleshed out.
The writing was pretty average, but nice and easy to get to. This was a pretty easy read, not particularly slow although not super fast, and definitely not lighthearted. It deals with a somewhat heavy subject, and it doesn’t really put a light spin on it, which was nice.
Overall, this was just a pretty good read. Kept my attention, was easy to get through; I liked the story, I liked the characters even if I’d have liked to get to know them all more.
[This review is also available on my blog, with extras!]
I hadn’t heard anything about this book when I saw it at the bookstore, and upon reading the synopsis, I was immediately hooked. And the first page really had me wanting to keep reading, as well. It’s always nice when a book has a good opening, and this one definitely does.
I don’t know why, but just about any book about a teenager with a baby has my immediate attention. Also one with an abusive partner or parent. Those are deal makers for me.
Faith, later known as Leah, has a bad home life. A horrible one, really. She only has her mom, who is horrible, and her older sister, who is alright and there for her but also trying to get out of their situation when she starts college in a couple months.
And I don’t really want to spoil what happens, because it was left a surprise for me and I really liked it, but Faith ends up with a baby, and runs away. Changes her name to Leah, steals a car, and drives to a different state. Lies about her age, but ends up meeting some really nice people, gets an apartment, and a job (kind of, for a while). But throughout all of it, even as she meets Chris and gets close with him, she’s lying about who she really is and what’s going on with her, and is constantly worried about getting caught.
I liked Faith, and understand her reasons for everything she did. Didn’t like some of it sometimes, but understood. I hated her mother, and wasn’t really a big fan of her sister all the time, but maybe I would have just liked to have gotten to know her better, have seen a more rounded character. I liked Chris and his family, and how they all reacted to Faith.
The ending had me guessing, as there were two ways it could have ended and I was really dreading it going in one direction. I ended up liking the ending, though, even though I’d have liked a little bit more of it. I also think I just would have liked more character and relationship development, as I don’t think those were fully fleshed out.
The writing was pretty average, but nice and easy to get to. This was a pretty easy read, not particularly slow although not super fast, and definitely not lighthearted. It deals with a somewhat heavy subject, and it doesn’t really put a light spin on it, which was nice.
Overall, this was just a pretty good read. Kept my attention, was easy to get through; I liked the story, I liked the characters even if I’d have liked to get to know them all more.
[This review is also available on my blog, with extras!]
Leap of Faith, Jamie Blair's debut novel, while entertaining, was not nearly as great as I was hoping. I admit, I was hooked from the beginning but I just wasn't fully satisfied by the end.
Leap of Faith starts off with a bang and seems very promising. The synopsis intrigued me, I liked the writing, and while the characters weren't the best, I enjoyed reading their stories. It seemed like it would be an all around good read but there were just a few things that made this one miss the mark for me.
First off, the whole reasoning behind Leah/Faith taking the baby from her mom was actually kind of petty. Sure, she mentioned that she wanted to take the baby away from the drugs, alcohol, and sex but that wasn't her main motive. The real reason was because she wanted to spite her mom. She didn't want her to get the money for the baby. I applaud her for getting the baby away from it all but really, she did it to get back at her? I lost a lot of respect for Leah/Faith after reading that.
Second, Leah/Faith supposedly has this great relationship with her sister but for the life of me I could not see it. The only side I saw of her sister was a selfish one. Hope only cared about herself and it showed. She was so excited to get away from their mom and their crappy home life that she didn't even care that she was leaving her little sister behind to fend for herself. She was even worse later on in the book but I won't get into that. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't want her for a sister.
The last thing that really bothered me about Leap of Faith was the ending. I was supremely disappointed with it. I actually thought my copy of the book was missing pages because I couldn't believe that was actually the ending. There was no resolution whatsoever. It was left completely open ended. It truly did not feel like it was a complete book.
Okay now that I've ranted about the things I didn't like, I'll get to the stuff that I did like. I didn't love the characters but they were fun to read about. Leah/Faith was not the smartest girl but she was kind, caring, and she had a good heart. She meant well no matter what she did. Chris was a total sweetheart. He was a little conflicted with Leah/Faith because of things in his own past but he was always good to her and Addy. He may have only been a teenage guy but he knew how to handle Addy and he was so cute with her. His whole family was really great to Leah/Faith and Addy.
Also, while there were some major flaws with the storyline, I liked it. It's something that hasn't been done before and I was thoroughly hooked. There were a few times when I was on the edge of my seat, sure that Leah/Faith would be caught and Addy would be taken away. I bit my nails down to the cuticles while reading this one. It was so suspenseful and so hard to put down.
Overall, Leap of Faith is right in the middle for me. I enjoyed it but there were many flaws with it. If you think you can overlook the flaws and just enjoy the story, I say go for it.
Leap of Faith starts off with a bang and seems very promising. The synopsis intrigued me, I liked the writing, and while the characters weren't the best, I enjoyed reading their stories. It seemed like it would be an all around good read but there were just a few things that made this one miss the mark for me.
First off, the whole reasoning behind Leah/Faith taking the baby from her mom was actually kind of petty. Sure, she mentioned that she wanted to take the baby away from the drugs, alcohol, and sex but that wasn't her main motive. The real reason was because she wanted to spite her mom. She didn't want her to get the money for the baby. I applaud her for getting the baby away from it all but really, she did it to get back at her? I lost a lot of respect for Leah/Faith after reading that.
Second, Leah/Faith supposedly has this great relationship with her sister but for the life of me I could not see it. The only side I saw of her sister was a selfish one. Hope only cared about herself and it showed. She was so excited to get away from their mom and their crappy home life that she didn't even care that she was leaving her little sister behind to fend for herself. She was even worse later on in the book but I won't get into that. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't want her for a sister.
The last thing that really bothered me about Leap of Faith was the ending. I was supremely disappointed with it. I actually thought my copy of the book was missing pages because I couldn't believe that was actually the ending. There was no resolution whatsoever. It was left completely open ended. It truly did not feel like it was a complete book.
Okay now that I've ranted about the things I didn't like, I'll get to the stuff that I did like. I didn't love the characters but they were fun to read about. Leah/Faith was not the smartest girl but she was kind, caring, and she had a good heart. She meant well no matter what she did. Chris was a total sweetheart. He was a little conflicted with Leah/Faith because of things in his own past but he was always good to her and Addy. He may have only been a teenage guy but he knew how to handle Addy and he was so cute with her. His whole family was really great to Leah/Faith and Addy.
Also, while there were some major flaws with the storyline, I liked it. It's something that hasn't been done before and I was thoroughly hooked. There were a few times when I was on the edge of my seat, sure that Leah/Faith would be caught and Addy would be taken away. I bit my nails down to the cuticles while reading this one. It was so suspenseful and so hard to put down.
Overall, Leap of Faith is right in the middle for me. I enjoyed it but there were many flaws with it. If you think you can overlook the flaws and just enjoy the story, I say go for it.
Lately I seem to be reading a lot of books with a solid premise, but the execution is somehow lacking. Sadly, Leap of Faith definitely falls into that category. I thought this was a great idea for a story, but there’s pretty much nothing in this book that I believed, bought into, or related to.
When the story stars out Faith’s life is terrible. She has this crazy drug-addict mother; this older sister, Hope, who’s the golden child and Faith adores, but Hope doesn’t seem to care at all about Faith; and a completely dead-end life, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, she has a dead-end job, and she’s a terrible student. I felt for her, I really did, but it also seemed to be all such at one extreme that I had a difficult time totally buying it.
Then Faith steals the baby, a baby her mother only had to get money for drugs, and I was mostly on-board with that decision, it was a crazy decision, but I get why she did it. But then it becomes clear that she has zero idea how to care for a baby and the fact that she has no money, no one to help her, and no clue what to do with a two-day-old is really kind of terrifying. I know it’s just a book, but I was really afraid for the baby’s life. And maybe that’s how the author wanted me to feel, but it wasn’t a good feeling or something that made me respect the book.
Faith and the baby end up in Florida and somehow stumble into this amazing family. There’s the hard-nose but kind waitress who hooks them up with a place to stay; Chris, the 20-year-old son of the landlord, who immediately falls in love with Faith and the baby; Chris’s grandmother who goes above and beyond the call of what a biological grandmother should do to help Faith; and this whole neighborhood of women who are so kind of helpful. I’m not saying that good people don’t exist, I know they do, but that’s a hell of a lot of good people.
Then there’s what I guess is the climax. Yes, as the description says a cop comes and starts asking questions and yes, Chris’s aunt spots a picture of Faith in the paper, but really, after the fear of those things quickly goes away. I was left shaking my head at the decisions Faith made. And then she follows through on her decisions and I was left feeling pretty unsatisfied.
The best thing I can say about this book is that it was a very fast read. At 240 pages it only took me a couple of hours to get through. Also, I kind of liked that Faith was a little dumb. I know that’s mean, but I feel like so often in YA books the characters are the smart, mousy, misunderstood girls and it was nice to have a main character who just wasn’t that bright. The romance was fine, I thought Chris seemed like a great guy, but, like I already said, almost too great. Faith deserved someone good in her life so the romance part of it didn’t bother me quite as much as some of the other parts of the story, but I still didn’t think a 20-year-old guy would pretty much immediately fall in love with a teenage mother and her baby.
Bottom Line: The overall concept of this is a great idea for a story, but I was left shaking my head at the execution. I found the people and the different story lines either nerve-wracking or just not believable. Give this one a try if you’d like, but I’m certainly not going to be recommending it to anyone.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher (thank you!). All opinions are (obviously) my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
When the story stars out Faith’s life is terrible. She has this crazy drug-addict mother; this older sister, Hope, who’s the golden child and Faith adores, but Hope doesn’t seem to care at all about Faith; and a completely dead-end life, she doesn’t have a boyfriend, she has a dead-end job, and she’s a terrible student. I felt for her, I really did, but it also seemed to be all such at one extreme that I had a difficult time totally buying it.
Then Faith steals the baby, a baby her mother only had to get money for drugs, and I was mostly on-board with that decision, it was a crazy decision, but I get why she did it. But then it becomes clear that she has zero idea how to care for a baby and the fact that she has no money, no one to help her, and no clue what to do with a two-day-old is really kind of terrifying. I know it’s just a book, but I was really afraid for the baby’s life. And maybe that’s how the author wanted me to feel, but it wasn’t a good feeling or something that made me respect the book.
Faith and the baby end up in Florida and somehow stumble into this amazing family. There’s the hard-nose but kind waitress who hooks them up with a place to stay; Chris, the 20-year-old son of the landlord, who immediately falls in love with Faith and the baby; Chris’s grandmother who goes above and beyond the call of what a biological grandmother should do to help Faith; and this whole neighborhood of women who are so kind of helpful. I’m not saying that good people don’t exist, I know they do, but that’s a hell of a lot of good people.
Then there’s what I guess is the climax. Yes, as the description says a cop comes and starts asking questions and yes, Chris’s aunt spots a picture of Faith in the paper, but really, after the fear of those things quickly goes away. I was left shaking my head at the decisions Faith made. And then she follows through on her decisions and I was left feeling pretty unsatisfied.
The best thing I can say about this book is that it was a very fast read. At 240 pages it only took me a couple of hours to get through. Also, I kind of liked that Faith was a little dumb. I know that’s mean, but I feel like so often in YA books the characters are the smart, mousy, misunderstood girls and it was nice to have a main character who just wasn’t that bright. The romance was fine, I thought Chris seemed like a great guy, but, like I already said, almost too great. Faith deserved someone good in her life so the romance part of it didn’t bother me quite as much as some of the other parts of the story, but I still didn’t think a 20-year-old guy would pretty much immediately fall in love with a teenage mother and her baby.
Bottom Line: The overall concept of this is a great idea for a story, but I was left shaking my head at the execution. I found the people and the different story lines either nerve-wracking or just not believable. Give this one a try if you’d like, but I’m certainly not going to be recommending it to anyone.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher (thank you!). All opinions are (obviously) my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
I love this book. I loved it the first time I read it as well. The only issue I have with the book is that it feels unfinished. I think that the author does an excellent job making Faith relatable and I am sad that there will likely never be a sequel because I really enjoy the way the characters interact. Oh well. Can't win them all.
Seventeen-year-old girl lives with junkie mom. Junkie mom has a surrogate baby for some other junkies (???) and seventeen-year-old girl kidnaps the baby to give it a better life. Somehow falls into the good graces of the world's most understanding family who takes her and the baby under her wing and oh, also, there's a hot son who falls in love with her and the baby.
For a work of realism, this book was completely out there. Just preposterous most of the time. The writing wasn't anything to write home about, and I wasn't quite sure of the *point* of the story necessarily... buttt I have to say, Blair really captures what would ACTUALLY happen if a 17-year-old impulsively stole a baby. As in, chaotic, barely-above neglectful parenting, intense desperation, and a whole lotta magical thinking. Kind of like watching Teen Mom, but, you know, fiction. So therefore not as awful.
For a work of realism, this book was completely out there. Just preposterous most of the time. The writing wasn't anything to write home about, and I wasn't quite sure of the *point* of the story necessarily... buttt I have to say, Blair really captures what would ACTUALLY happen if a 17-year-old impulsively stole a baby. As in, chaotic, barely-above neglectful parenting, intense desperation, and a whole lotta magical thinking. Kind of like watching Teen Mom, but, you know, fiction. So therefore not as awful.
The last two pages destroyed the story pretty much. I was going to give it 5 stars but I can't get over the last page. Overall, I like the plot (exclude the last part of it).
I couldn't put this book down and then I got to the end....like what the hell happened?????