Review of Dare To Dream
Posted: 04 Nov 2022, 16:45
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dare To Dream" by Jayne M Simon.]
Dare to Dream by Jayne M Simon is about the finest fiction I have read in a while. It tells the story of Jenna Newell, a sweet, innocent, and beautiful girl whose only crime was being left with her grandmother. Jenna was devastated at the death of her grandfather, who was the only surviving family member that loved her. The young girl only wanted her grandmother's love, care, and affection, but instead, all she got was the opposite.
Like all romantic fiction, Dare To Dream successfully achieved the feat of melting the reader's heart. It was a heart-wrenching story that took us on Jenna Newell's life journey, from living under her shrewd, pragmatic, and controlling grandmother to moving to Pennyworth Academy, where her life changed for the better. There she found a home and comfort with three other girls with whom she shared her cottage. She also got the chance to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. However, does she manage to find love?
On the positive aspects of this book, we must start with the central theme of the book, which is love and support. We saw how the four girls (Martha, Anitra, Clemmie, and Jenna) loved and supported each other. They didn't just love themselves. Everyone around them felt that love and saw how the Jamesons loved their children. Tal's love for Jenna cannot be left out because while he had immense love for her and vowed to protect her from harm's way, he still encouraged her to follow and chase her dreams fearlessly. Jenna is at the epicentre of this theme, a child who was given the littlest of love by her grandmother was still seen to be the epitome of love and light, and this was felt by everyone around her. The belief is that it was because she was conceived out of love, true love. The theme of friendship, genuine friendship, was also prevalent in the book. We saw this expressed among the four girls, each being each other's strength in their time of weakness.
I also like that the author did not offer false hope. Most fictional stories always end up with a happily ever after in all spheres of the story, but this one did not. So I like that it was realistic in that aspect because some things are left unamended, some people die without reconciling or seeing the goodness of the world, and that is just life.
There isn't much to say about the negative aspect. However, I found the book a bit cheesy and somehow unrealistic, especially in Kit Jameson's and Martha Feldcamp's love story, probably because where I come from, love doesn't work that way but then again, in the world of fantasy, realism goes out the window.
I would easily give this book 4 out of 4 stars because, more than anything, it impressed heavily on me the need for healthy friendships. The importance of having people who are always by your side at every turn of the way cannot be overemphasized. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romance fiction.
******
Dare To Dream
View: on Bookshelves
Dare to Dream by Jayne M Simon is about the finest fiction I have read in a while. It tells the story of Jenna Newell, a sweet, innocent, and beautiful girl whose only crime was being left with her grandmother. Jenna was devastated at the death of her grandfather, who was the only surviving family member that loved her. The young girl only wanted her grandmother's love, care, and affection, but instead, all she got was the opposite.
Like all romantic fiction, Dare To Dream successfully achieved the feat of melting the reader's heart. It was a heart-wrenching story that took us on Jenna Newell's life journey, from living under her shrewd, pragmatic, and controlling grandmother to moving to Pennyworth Academy, where her life changed for the better. There she found a home and comfort with three other girls with whom she shared her cottage. She also got the chance to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. However, does she manage to find love?
On the positive aspects of this book, we must start with the central theme of the book, which is love and support. We saw how the four girls (Martha, Anitra, Clemmie, and Jenna) loved and supported each other. They didn't just love themselves. Everyone around them felt that love and saw how the Jamesons loved their children. Tal's love for Jenna cannot be left out because while he had immense love for her and vowed to protect her from harm's way, he still encouraged her to follow and chase her dreams fearlessly. Jenna is at the epicentre of this theme, a child who was given the littlest of love by her grandmother was still seen to be the epitome of love and light, and this was felt by everyone around her. The belief is that it was because she was conceived out of love, true love. The theme of friendship, genuine friendship, was also prevalent in the book. We saw this expressed among the four girls, each being each other's strength in their time of weakness.
I also like that the author did not offer false hope. Most fictional stories always end up with a happily ever after in all spheres of the story, but this one did not. So I like that it was realistic in that aspect because some things are left unamended, some people die without reconciling or seeing the goodness of the world, and that is just life.
There isn't much to say about the negative aspect. However, I found the book a bit cheesy and somehow unrealistic, especially in Kit Jameson's and Martha Feldcamp's love story, probably because where I come from, love doesn't work that way but then again, in the world of fantasy, realism goes out the window.
I would easily give this book 4 out of 4 stars because, more than anything, it impressed heavily on me the need for healthy friendships. The importance of having people who are always by your side at every turn of the way cannot be overemphasized. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romance fiction.
******
Dare To Dream
View: on Bookshelves