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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't normally read middle grade, but I've had this one on my Nook for a while, and was so glad I took the time to read it. I really need to read more middle grade, because this was such a sweet story!
Aubrey is, like, such a sweet kid, and I loved seeing her relationship with her grandmother and how she opened up about what happened. There's something really special about grandparent-grandchild relationships, and Love, Aubrey totally made me think of my grandparents.
I loved that her grandma was there for her after Aubrey's mom wasn't able to take care of her, and how her grandma let Aubrey decide where she wanted to live when her mom was finally ready to take care of Aubrey. I totally loved that Aubrey decided to stay with her grandma until the end of the school year because she liked it there and because she has friends.
I can't completely relate to having her mom abandoning her, but I can definitely relate to losing people who are important to you but also having people who really love you. I didn't particularly care for Aubrey's mom and how she shut down after the accident. Is it understandable? Sure. But...I don't know, she had her own journey, but I just wasn't interested in her part of the story.
I also loved the letters Aubrey wrote to Tilly, her sister's imaginary friend. They were all times really well, and the letters she wrote to her parents and sister were also a nice touch.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Love, Aubrey. I felt like Aubrey's voice and how she dealt with things were really real, and I liked seeing her journey. Also, I loved the cover and how much it related to the book! I didn't love it, but I still thought it was a great read, so Love, Aubrey gets 4 stars.
Aubrey is, like, such a sweet kid, and I loved seeing her relationship with her grandmother and how she opened up about what happened. There's something really special about grandparent-grandchild relationships, and Love, Aubrey totally made me think of my grandparents.
I loved that her grandma was there for her after Aubrey's mom wasn't able to take care of her, and how her grandma let Aubrey decide where she wanted to live when her mom was finally ready to take care of Aubrey. I totally loved that Aubrey decided to stay with her grandma until the end of the school year because she liked it there and because she has friends.
I can't completely relate to having her mom abandoning her, but I can definitely relate to losing people who are important to you but also having people who really love you. I didn't particularly care for Aubrey's mom and how she shut down after the accident. Is it understandable? Sure. But...I don't know, she had her own journey, but I just wasn't interested in her part of the story.
I also loved the letters Aubrey wrote to Tilly, her sister's imaginary friend. They were all times really well, and the letters she wrote to her parents and sister were also a nice touch.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Love, Aubrey. I felt like Aubrey's voice and how she dealt with things were really real, and I liked seeing her journey. Also, I loved the cover and how much it related to the book! I didn't love it, but I still thought it was a great read, so Love, Aubrey gets 4 stars.
I really enjoyed this story. Funny thing to say about something that makes you cry out of sadness. I thought this book explored the themes of grief and recovery wonderfully. Aubrey gave such an insightful and innocent look into how she struggled with grief and missing her family.
The simplistic writing style made the inner dialogue much more believable. Choosing letters as a way to express her feelings worked very well in my opinion.
Spoiler
I appreciated how her mother wasn’t just ‘fixed’ immediately and that they both needed time to heal separately before they could heal together. Additionally, Aubrey's final decision felt important and like her own. Not something that anyone made her feel and a decision that she came to on her own. It also felt true to the character; like she had grown into the realisation over the course of the book.The simplistic writing style made the inner dialogue much more believable. Choosing letters as a way to express her feelings worked very well in my opinion.
As you're reading the first chapter, you begin to ask questions - what happened to this little girl? What about her family? Why is she 11 years old and going food shopping by herself? Then you start putting the pieces together. There was an accident. Death has occurred, as well as abandonment. She is learning, quickly, how she must be independent and she cannot rely on anyone else. After a while, her grandmother comes to her rescue, and takes her from her lonely home in Virginia to Vermont. It's quite a change for this young girl, but it gets better when she meets the neighbor, a young girl who is quite alike. Although she has setbacks, through the many tears that are shed, she begins to see that good things can happen even after the most devastating events. In the end she must choose between a life she once had, and the new life she has only just begun. I think this book would be great for a child in the hospital, because it helps describe times in the hospital, death/loss, abandonment, grief, family, and support. Of course it must be developmentally appropriate.
I thought it was interesting to read about Aubrey in the hospital, without a Child Life Specialist, and seeing that she was scared, didn't know what an IV was or where she was, and not knowing what had happened to her. She was given medication to sleep, and wasn't allowed to express any emotion. The letters that she eventually wrote, due to the advice of her counselor at school, helped get her feelings down on paper like a journal would.
It's a definitely a book I'd recommend, as I previously said, not only because of the amazing story line, but also because the literary elements flow so well together [flashbacks, memories, letters, sensory language]. If you're looking for a quick, easy read, but one that might make you cry and connect to the characters - this is definitely a must read.
I thought it was interesting to read about Aubrey in the hospital, without a Child Life Specialist, and seeing that she was scared, didn't know what an IV was or where she was, and not knowing what had happened to her. She was given medication to sleep, and wasn't allowed to express any emotion. The letters that she eventually wrote, due to the advice of her counselor at school, helped get her feelings down on paper like a journal would.
It's a definitely a book I'd recommend, as I previously said, not only because of the amazing story line, but also because the literary elements flow so well together [flashbacks, memories, letters, sensory language]. If you're looking for a quick, easy read, but one that might make you cry and connect to the characters - this is definitely a must read.
The book focuses on eleven year old Aubrey, who recently lost her father and younger sister, Savannah, in a car accident and now her mum whose grief stricken has abandoned her.
Even though Aubrey doesn't want to leave her home in Virginia and move to Vermont it’s the move that helps Aubrey to begin her journey of dealing with not just the loss of her father and sister, but with her mother abandonment and eventually Aubrey opens up to her grandmother and they work to amend the huge changes in both their lives.
Read the whole review on my blog
http://escapetoanewworld.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/review-love-aubrey-by-suzanne-lafleur.html
Even though Aubrey doesn't want to leave her home in Virginia and move to Vermont it’s the move that helps Aubrey to begin her journey of dealing with not just the loss of her father and sister, but with her mother abandonment and eventually Aubrey opens up to her grandmother and they work to amend the huge changes in both their lives.
Read the whole review on my blog
http://escapetoanewworld.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/review-love-aubrey-by-suzanne-lafleur.html
Aubrey pulls you into her life and you feel the pain of her loss of family both dead and alive - an amazing first novel
One Sentence Review: Practically perfect in every way and enough to make me wonder how it is that editor Wendy Lamb keeps finding these fantastic little books to publish.
Very emotional, amazingly-written book. Aubrey, the main character is eleven years old, but seem much older. I can't imagine reading this book at that age, because even as an "adult" I was weeping every few pages! The writing was very sparse in just the best way, with authentic words like "pink-feather-dusting" (since "Hoovering" is an acceptable verb for vacuuming!) peppering the pages. Aubrey has gone to live with her grandmother after a tragic accident rips apart her family and sends her mother into a downward spiral. We climb back up into "real" life along with Aubrey - making new friends, going to a new school, and trying to accept all that has happened to her so quickly. Letters to various people are spread throughout the book - to Aubrey's deceased family members, baby Jesus, her little sister's invisible friend, and Aubrey's new friends - all signed "Love, Aubrey."
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
