Review:

While He Was Away

I loved the beginning of the book where we really get a good idea of Penna and David's intense relationship. It's obvious that they care deeply about one another and are hurting from the idea of being apart. I gotta say, after David leaves the book took a lot of turns I didn't expect. Maybe it was the summary that threw me off but I thought this would be about Penna changing while David was gone and not feeling as connected to him, or David dealing with issues while he was away. Or, even Penna finding someone else she was interested in while he was gone. It wasn't really any of those things.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book at all, and I do think it accurately portrays the emotions of a teenage girl missing her boyfriend who is overseas, but it just may not be the book people expect. To me, this was more about Penna's journey to find her grandmother, deal with being alone, handle her mother, and learn how to be more self-sufficient. Those issues seem to be much more important to the story, rather than anything about David's feelings about being away.

Penna was a good character and I admired her courage. Even though she was young, she did everything she could to keep in touch with David and let him know how much he meant to her. One bonus was Ravi. He was an old friend of David's and he is dealing with is own issues. I admit, I thought he would be playing a much bigger role in this book. He was an interesting character and I liked his interactions with Penna.

I could have handled the overall plot of the book just fine; however, the ending threw me off. I didn't expect it to be like that and I guess it didn't really make sense to me. I didn't see it coming, which was good, but it just seemed abrupt. This made it maybe a 3.5 rating for me but I went up to a 4 just because I did really enjoy Karen's writing style and realistic portrayal of a young couple dealing with being apart.
Recommended: Contemporary fans looking for a book with some deeper aspects.

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Looking for a good YA summer romance?

Sourcebooks has two fabulous summer lovin' books coming out. The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond and While He Was Away by Karen Schreck are both released May 1st. Today I have a guest post from Katherine on why we crave fame.
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Why We Crave Fame
“Celebrity-in-Hiding.” When I first started writing THE SUMMER OF NO REGRETS, I didn’t want to admit how much that idea intrigued me. I’m a lot like my main character, Brigitta—all about finding the meaning of life, not fantasizing over whether the guy next door is a movie star. When I bought a National Enquirer, I explained to the grocery store clerk that it was for research— that I was writing a book (“Yes,” I told her modestly, “I am an author.”) I certainly didn’t normally read that sort of thing. Of course not. Well, okay, maybe the headlines. Occasionally.

But as I read through stacks of People and Star and Us (which is a lot like eating sugar cubes all day long), and more stacks of celebrity biographies, I started to wonder what the deal is about fame. Why does it fascinate us? Why do we love the idea of either being famous or being connected to somebody famous?

I think it’s because we’ve got some interesting ideas about “being known.” If I’m “known,” people know who I am, right? Lots of people. Those people will say I’m talented and beautiful and they’ll treat me with special respect. If I’m known, I get to wear amazing clothes and ride in limousines. People will do what I want just because I’m known. If I only eat the green M&M’s, someone will pick those out of the five-pound bag and put them into a crystal dish for me. If I’m known, I am important—more important than that boss who fired me, or the teacher who gave me a C and said “You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” or the security guard who threw me out of a mall in Seattle for plugging my cellphone into a floor outlet (true story!)

But is that really what being known is? Getting special treatment and being better than somebody else? Who really knows me when I’m known like that? What I crave, what I really crave, is to have a few people who will look into my eyes and know me—know how I wrinkle my nose when I laugh, and what my favorite show is, and why I’m afraid of guns. It’s what we all want, I think—people who will listen to us when we’re scared, and scream with us on the roller coaster, and trust us with their hurts. We want to know we matter. We want to have a few people we don’t have to hide ourselves from.

So is Brigitta’s next-door-neighbor a secret superstar? We can talk about that later. I need to go to the grocery store and read some headlines.

The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (May 1st, 2012)
Paperback: 290 pages
The day Brigitta accidentally flings herself into the lap of a guy she's never met, her friend Natalie is convinced he's Trent Yves, egotistical heartthrob-in-hiding. When the boy, who calls himself Luke, is nearly eaten by a cougar, Brigitta finds herself saving his life, being swept into his spectacular embrace and wondering if she wants Natalie's fantasy to be true.

As the two spend the summer together raising orphaned cougar cubs, Brigitta still can't be sure of his true identity. But then again, since her grandparents' death, her father's sudden urge to give away all their possessions and become a shaman, and her own awkward transition from girlhood into a young woman, she isn't sure of anything. What is the truth? More importantly, can she accept it?

While He Was Away by Karen Schreck Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (May 1st, 2012) Paperback: 249 pages This is just something I have to do, okay?" I hear David say."The right thing."

He cradles my face in his hands. He kisses me hard. Then he lets go of me. His eyes dart from me to whatever's next.

All she wants is for him to stay. She's been doing pretty well, pretending he doesn't have to go. But one day, after one last night to remember, she wakes up and there's no denying it anymore. He's gone.

When Penna Weaver's boyfriend goes off to Iraq, she's left facing life without him. As summer sets in, Penna tries to distract herself with work and her art, but the not knowing is slowly driving her crazy. Especially when David stops writing.

She knows in her heart he will come home. But will he be the same boy she fell in love with?