Things Don't Always Stay the Same: Return to Paradise (a book review)

picture courtesy of goodreads.com

Last blogpost I reviewed Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles; which dealt with the perspective of two people involved in a drunk hit-and-run accident.

I liked the book so much, I went and read the second after I returned the first book. Both books took me about 2-3 days to finish so it wasn't much of a big deal to pick up the sequel and finish it.

Return to Paradise which is the sequel to Leaving Paradise, deals with Maggie and Caleb growing up. The first book covered how they both reacted towards each other after the accident. Things got out of control after Caleb's release from juvie and soon enough Maggie and Caleb end up facing the emotions they feel towards each other.

However, Caleb makes a decision that hits a bump on both his and Maggie's life. Both continue to carry a secret which play a major role in Caleb's and Maggie's new attitude within Return to Paradise. Eight months have passed and things have changed over that course of time. Caleb and Maggie are forced to deal with the secret behind the accident and how they feel about each other.

I found this book to be more dramatic and have interesting twists besides the "big secret" Caleb and Maggie share about the accident. I found myself laughing and giggling with some of the new characters that are in the story. When it comes to some sequels, I find that they are sometimes rushed and sloppy. This one isn't sloppy or rushed. I could tell that Elkeles took her time developing the plot to be more in depth with the main characters. She didn't give a cliche ending but rather a lingering hope to all her characters. As a matter of fact, this book reminded me of other books I have read when I was in my junior high years. I definitely recommend this book, or rather this series, if you loved Judy Blume's Forever. It isn't the same, but the way Elkeles weaves these characters into this story is almost equivalent in greatness of exposing the reality of the events that happen in every teen's life that aren't just ordinary. Like Judy Blume, she weaves a story of a life lesson hard learned.

Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo

Accidents Happen: "Leaving Paradise" (a book review)

courtesy of turn-the-page.net

I love reading teen books despite the fact that I am not a teen. A lot of teen books in the realistic fiction section depict the frustration and the angst of dealing with events that happen out of one's expectations. But it also shows what it's like to pick yourself up; to make the best of the sour lemons life gives us.

Nowadays, a lot of the teen books sold at bookstores deal with supernatural romance and adventure rather than the angst of being misunderstood and all that yada yada we all know when we were teens (and some of you who are still teens).  It is one of the reasons why I go to the library to pick out books rather than to buy them.

And I love how in the library I always find some good gems, or maybe even diamonds in the "rough." I found this one you see here on the first shelf I stopped by.

Written in first person narrative by Simone Elkeles, this novel tells the story of Maggie Armstrong and Caleb Becker who are tied by an accident that changed both their lives.
Caleb ends up in jail and Maggie ends up going to physical therapy sessions for her left leg. Maggie hates Caleb for what he did to her and Caleb just wants to make things right. But the events that come after Caleb's early release sets them both on quite.a.ride.

I love the fact that the book doesn't start with an explanation of what happened; it starts with Caleb's release and how it affects people. Throughout the book, the pieces come together and things start to fit until the end when things go beyond the limits of both Maggie and Caleb. I think this is one of those stories you read with the blazing underlying message: "don't drink and drive" or "friends don't let friends drink and drive." This story is beyond corny in the making of the plot and doesn't show a perfect ending. Somethings that were said by the characters were cliche but not over the top. However, there were somethings that took me by surprise and others that didn't. I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something to lift you but not make you cry.

Til Next Blogpost,
Miss Bobo