I really wish I hadn’t read this book. It’s gotten rave reviews and it sounded really intriguing. It was super fast paced, page turning, intense, and well written, but it was just too disturbing for me. I had a hard time reading about a little girl being molested and then, as a teenager, made to act like a little girl for her pedophile captor. Halfway through the book I realized that even if she did escape from him she was so damaged that how on earth could she possibly return to her loving family that lost their daughter six years ago? When I finished the book I not only had trouble going to sleep, but I also had a bad dream! I loved Scott’s previous novels, which were very different in style and tone and subject matter. Call me wimpy or too sensitive but I really couldn’t handle this story at all.
Archive for Elizabeth Scott
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
Danielle never goes by her real name. She and her mom are always on the move, targeting a town, getting the job done, and moving on. They always have aliases which they shed the moment they leave a town. Danielle has never gone to school or made a friend, it’s just her and her mom, the thief. Her dad used to be around until he was sent to prison. Read the rest of this entry »
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
I was excited to come across this because I remembered that I really really enjoyed Scott’s previous book, Bloom. Off the top of my head I couldn’t tell you a thing about it except that I remember it was romantic. This book is also romantic, and I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters. Will is a a boy known for hooking up with lots of girls and he is widely acknowledged to be super cute, deifnitely out of Kate’s league. He does like her, though, and they keep hooking up. To the reader it’s obvious that he sincerely likes Kate, so it is a little frustrating that she has such a hard time accepting it.
The strongest and most compelling part of the story (to me) was the failed relationship between Kate and her best friend, Anna. They had been best friends since they were little, but all that changed when Anna went away one summer and lost a lot of weight. Suddenly she is popular, dating the boy who called her “wide load” a mere 6 months earlier, and completely ignoring Kate. Her treatment of Kate is so terrible I found it quite heartbreaking. I couldn’t believe how outraged I was with Anna and how sad I felt for Kate. Poor Kate really could use a friends too because not only does she need someone to talk to about Will, but she needs someone to help her cope with her dad’s behavior. He has decided to “follow his dream” by quitting his job to sell vitamins at mall and he makes Kate work there, too. His rash decision puts his family in severe financial jeopardy and makes the family start to fall apart.
Although all these things are dreadfully sad Scott writes with a wonderful humor throughout the novel. I loved this and can’t wait to read her next book.
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
I happened upon this at the booth for the Romance Writers of America. Ms. Scott was signing copies of her new YA romance so I eagerly accepted a copy and read it on the plane on the way home this morning. Lauren should be happy with her perfect boyfriend, 
Dave, but she’s not. She’s not sure why, it’s just that there is really no spark or passion. But she knows she’s lucky to have him and just in case she should forget, there always seem to be plenty of people around to remind her. Enter Evan. He’s the son of one of her dad’s many former girlfriends. He lived with her and her dad when they were both little and they were very close. Unfortunately they moved away and she hasn’t seen or talked to him in many years. When she runs into him at school she’s shocked for many reasons, among them the spark she feels between them. I thought this was a great story, and thought the angle about how they knew each other was refreshingly unusual. The cover art is sure to attract teen girls, too. Overall it somewhat reminded me of Sarah Dessen, though a bit lighter and shorter. A nice quick romance.
