Review by weeh84 -- Crumbling Walls by Laura Strandt
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weeh84
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Review by weeh84 -- Crumbling Walls by Laura Strandt
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Crumbling Walls" by Laura Strandt.]
3 out of 4 stars
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This is a story of how a teenage boy on his bike, captivates the attention of a tight-lipped girl on her porch. As the new kid in town, Jack Callaghan has a great life living with his parents and five brothers. Sure, it’s always loud, and there is never a dull moment in the house of Callaghan; however, it is a life full of love, comfort, and family. Jack’s biggest worry was fighting for a second helping of food at dinner time until he met Emily. Emily was quiet, sweet, and full of secrets. Until she met Jack, Emily’s heart was guarded, like a brick wall she built to keep everyone out. Her life was completely different from Jack’s. As their friendship turns to more, Jack and Emily’s journey together will forever be changed, as the walls begin to crack and crumble in the most unexpected way imaginable.
A young adult, fiction novel with a strong narrative, Crumbling Walls by Laura Strandt, starts out as a simple boy meets girl story. However, as the story unfolds and love blossoms, secrets are revealed that change the course of Jack and Emily’s life. As the first installment in the series of Jack and Emily, the novel immediately captured my attention from page one, and I could not stop reading until I reached the very end. With a smile on my face the majority of the book, some laughs, and some tears, the author never let me down with her intense character development. The author also challenged he barrier of incorporating an adult theme in a young adult novel, which is sadly all too real in today’s world.
As life happens to us all, children transitioning to teenagers and teenagers transitioning to adults, often feel the blow of a harsh reality in some way, shape, or form. Jack starts out as a typical kid without a worry in the world, but as the year goes on and his involvement with Emily intensifies, he begins to shift his personality and realizes that growing up is never an easy task, especially in light of the one he loves. I love that the author has enough detail to make each character grow, learn, and change with new experiences. The message in this novel is well researched, clear, and concise. It raises awareness about a specific issue many kids around the world face today. As I can’t go in depth about it due to it being a huge plot line, it will break your heart, turn your stomach, and make you smile in one sitting.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good love story and characters who face real world challenges. There isn’t anything I didn’t like about the author’s style or written expression. Though I had to cringe during some parts, I wish Emily had been given more of a background of her life; however, the message is clear. There are a few grammatical errors that were far and few between. I will caution to parents there is some mild cursing in the beginning, and a bit more toward the end of the novel. There are a few scenes in the book that are sexual in nature.
In general, this is a fantastic young adult novel that raises awareness about a real world issue many children and teenagers deal with in today’s world. The author was spot on with her characters as I was able to laugh, cry, and share their personal stories as if it were my own. Though you may think you know the plot from the beginning, it twists, and everything you think you knew, will through you for a loop. I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. The only reason I didn’t give it 4 stars were for the grammatical errors, one in particular that would pop up on a regular basis. Other than that, this author has become a new favorite of mine, and I am anticipating the next installment of my new beloved couple, Jack and Emily.
******
Crumbling Walls
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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This is a story of how a teenage boy on his bike, captivates the attention of a tight-lipped girl on her porch. As the new kid in town, Jack Callaghan has a great life living with his parents and five brothers. Sure, it’s always loud, and there is never a dull moment in the house of Callaghan; however, it is a life full of love, comfort, and family. Jack’s biggest worry was fighting for a second helping of food at dinner time until he met Emily. Emily was quiet, sweet, and full of secrets. Until she met Jack, Emily’s heart was guarded, like a brick wall she built to keep everyone out. Her life was completely different from Jack’s. As their friendship turns to more, Jack and Emily’s journey together will forever be changed, as the walls begin to crack and crumble in the most unexpected way imaginable.
A young adult, fiction novel with a strong narrative, Crumbling Walls by Laura Strandt, starts out as a simple boy meets girl story. However, as the story unfolds and love blossoms, secrets are revealed that change the course of Jack and Emily’s life. As the first installment in the series of Jack and Emily, the novel immediately captured my attention from page one, and I could not stop reading until I reached the very end. With a smile on my face the majority of the book, some laughs, and some tears, the author never let me down with her intense character development. The author also challenged he barrier of incorporating an adult theme in a young adult novel, which is sadly all too real in today’s world.
As life happens to us all, children transitioning to teenagers and teenagers transitioning to adults, often feel the blow of a harsh reality in some way, shape, or form. Jack starts out as a typical kid without a worry in the world, but as the year goes on and his involvement with Emily intensifies, he begins to shift his personality and realizes that growing up is never an easy task, especially in light of the one he loves. I love that the author has enough detail to make each character grow, learn, and change with new experiences. The message in this novel is well researched, clear, and concise. It raises awareness about a specific issue many kids around the world face today. As I can’t go in depth about it due to it being a huge plot line, it will break your heart, turn your stomach, and make you smile in one sitting.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good love story and characters who face real world challenges. There isn’t anything I didn’t like about the author’s style or written expression. Though I had to cringe during some parts, I wish Emily had been given more of a background of her life; however, the message is clear. There are a few grammatical errors that were far and few between. I will caution to parents there is some mild cursing in the beginning, and a bit more toward the end of the novel. There are a few scenes in the book that are sexual in nature.
In general, this is a fantastic young adult novel that raises awareness about a real world issue many children and teenagers deal with in today’s world. The author was spot on with her characters as I was able to laugh, cry, and share their personal stories as if it were my own. Though you may think you know the plot from the beginning, it twists, and everything you think you knew, will through you for a loop. I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. The only reason I didn’t give it 4 stars were for the grammatical errors, one in particular that would pop up on a regular basis. Other than that, this author has become a new favorite of mine, and I am anticipating the next installment of my new beloved couple, Jack and Emily.
******
Crumbling Walls
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: "Crumbling Walls" by Laura Strandt
