Review by Gathoni1991 -- 2612 Cherryhill Lane by Glenn Vo
-
- Posts: 334
- Joined: 23 Jan 2019, 13:36
- Currently Reading: Elf Accord
- Bookshelf Size: 52
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gathoni1991.html
- Latest Review: Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016 by William H. Coles
Review by Gathoni1991 -- 2612 Cherryhill Lane by Glenn Vo
Imagine being a fooball star and leading your teammates to a State championship's win. You are a handsome, football quarterback hero dating the prettiest girl in your high school. The world is literally yours and everyone is chanting your name. You are being sought after by media houses for interviews, and to top it all, you have a full university scholarship waiting for you. But all that comes crushing down because of a dumb text from your girlfriend.
Jonathan McCallister was that guy. When he lead his team, the Katy Tigers, to win the State championship he was literally elevated to cloud nine. He hopped in his car together with his little sister, Gabby, to go to a restaurant in town to celebrate the big win. He started texting with his girlfriend, Lacey, despite protests from Gabby, not to text while driving. He missed the red light and got blinded by lights from an oncoming lorry. Swerving to the side, he misses a head-on collision with the lorry, but crashes his car into a large oak tree at 2612 Cherryhill Lane ( which also doubles up as the title of the book. Everything he has ever worked hard for, goes up in smoke when his legs are amputated. This include his football career, his relationship and his full scholarship to study at Central Texas University.
When I started reading the book, I kept thinking to myself how much of a gut-wrenching and emotional roller coaster, the book was going to be. But the book eased out to a heart-warming, soul-soothing story that affirmed love is a balm. With religion painted all over it, the story takes us to church, Bible studies and gives us lots of Bible verses. The book also transports us to football pitches, and takes us through dating in college. The most striking thing about the book is how the different themes played out without any one theme suffocating the other. The author, Glenn Vo, demonstrated how to come to terms with a crisis by focusing on the bigger picture, which is usually God's plan. He also tackled the subjects of self-forgiveness, life of a handicapped person and texting while driving.
While the plot rolled out fast, it slowed down when the author penned down intricate details in some passages. This mostly was football action and church sermons. Aside from sermons, poetry and entries to Jonathan's journal were what lent credence to the story. The story had a series of events, that nicely developed and thickened the plot, all the while propelling the plot to a ripe climax.
I liked the book, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. The language used was simple and the plot very gripping. My biggest takeaway from the book was, just how a small mistake like texting, and throwing caution to the wind, can lead to a tragedy with dire and irreversible consequences. The author graced the book with lots of quotes. My favourite was, "Whatever you decide to do in your life make sure it's something you are passionate about and helps you make the biggest impact". I recommend the book to lovers of romance novels. I also recommend it to those who love stories with religious themes. The book was definitely professionally edited and had no aspect that I disliked.
******
2612 Cherryhill Lane
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon