Product Description:Emma is angry. She’s angry at her siblings, who she always has to baby sit; her parents, who are divorcing and ruining her life in the process; and herself for not measuring up to anyone’s standards.
With her simmering feelings ready to spill over at any time, Emma's self-worth plummets. Her faith in God is tested in the face of overwhelming hurt that threatens to send her over the edge. Can she turn back in time?
My take on this book:
Emma Monaghan is angry! But more than that she really just wants someone to acknowledge her, to notice her.
Emma's parents are getting a divorce, and while it is hard for Emma to figure out who is to blame, all she knows is she is tired of always babysitting her younger siblings while her mom goes to work. It seems to her that her parents are so involved in their problems that they don't understand where she is coming from, add to that Emma is insecure, she is always criticizing herself. She "messed" around with a boy last school year, staying out all night with him, and even having a pregnancy scare, her parents grounded her for staying out, they never found out about the pregnancy thing, and while she was grounded he found another girlfriend. For Emma the relationship was more about having someone to pay attention to her.
Emma loves to sing and when she sets her hopes on getting a part in Les Mis, will she achieve her goal? Even though she has a relationship with God will she learn to turn her problems over to him?
I enjoyed this story the way the author portrayed Emma's character it almost seemed as if a teen was actually writing the story. Emma comes off as a girl that feels neglected by her parents with a lot of responsibility for taking care of her siblings. It was interesting to see Emma chide her mother for using alcohol to cope with the impending divorce, almost as if she were taking care of her.
This book deals with some pretty heavy topics such as adultry, divorce, and alcoholism, but it also delivers a pretty stong message as well. That God is always with us, and we need to trust and turn our problems over to him!
Rating 4/5
I was provided a copy of this book by Nav Press for review, but it in no way alters my opinion of this story.
This sounds to me like a book that would also be appreciated by someone Emma's age who is going through a similar circumstance...Thanks for the review Brenda!
ReplyDeleteBookGirl, I think your right, but I suppose I would caution the parent to decide since it does touch on some heavy stuff that all teens may not be ready for, or their parents may not be ready for them to read. Thanks for dropping by, I really appreciate it!
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