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A review by somelatenightreading
Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles
4.0
I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this from @netgalley. ‘Where the Heart Is’ by Jo Knowles tells the story of 13-year-old Rachel and the ups and downs she faces one summer. The story begins with Rachel getting a new summer job helping take care of animals on the neighbour’s farm. From there we see her struggle with her feelings (or lack thereof) towards her best friend, Micah, and the fact that she doesn’t seem to like any boys. We also see the stress and strain placed on an entire family when they are out through financial difficulties, and the bittersweet outcomes that has.
I enjoyed this book so much. At first it just felt like any other middle grade, but very soon that changed. Despite being only 13, Rachel is very mature for her age, and we see that this is due in part to being a role model for her 8-year-old sister, Ivy. The story is very emotional, very heartfelt, and very true to what life is really like. Life is unfair; there is no knight in shining armour waiting for save you, and even though “things can always be worse” this doesn’t stop you feeling shitty. This book teaches an important lesson, one which it begins to teach right from the very first page: home is where the heart is, home is where family is. And now for some of my favourite quotes!
”Back then, I didn’t know the difference between loving a friend and loving someone for any other reason.”
“I hate the word straight. I bet it makes everyone else feel crooked. Or slanted. Or not perfect.”
“When you learn vocabulary words in school, you memorize the definition. And you have a good idea of what the words mean. But it’s not until you really feel them that you grasp the definition. I’ve known what the word helpless means for a long time. And desperate. But I’ve never felt them. Feeling them is different.”
“‘Whatever happens you will always be my best friend and I will always love you.’”
#netgalley #wheretheheartis #middlegrade #lovereading #bookstagram #ebooks #books
I enjoyed this book so much. At first it just felt like any other middle grade, but very soon that changed. Despite being only 13, Rachel is very mature for her age, and we see that this is due in part to being a role model for her 8-year-old sister, Ivy. The story is very emotional, very heartfelt, and very true to what life is really like. Life is unfair; there is no knight in shining armour waiting for save you, and even though “things can always be worse” this doesn’t stop you feeling shitty. This book teaches an important lesson, one which it begins to teach right from the very first page: home is where the heart is, home is where family is. And now for some of my favourite quotes!
”Back then, I didn’t know the difference between loving a friend and loving someone for any other reason.”
“I hate the word straight. I bet it makes everyone else feel crooked. Or slanted. Or not perfect.”
“When you learn vocabulary words in school, you memorize the definition. And you have a good idea of what the words mean. But it’s not until you really feel them that you grasp the definition. I’ve known what the word helpless means for a long time. And desperate. But I’ve never felt them. Feeling them is different.”
“‘Whatever happens you will always be my best friend and I will always love you.’”
#netgalley #wheretheheartis #middlegrade #lovereading #bookstagram #ebooks #books