Wicked Review: Story of A Girl by Sara Zarr

Published: January 10, 2007

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend—Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.

No one really knows what happened to Deanna Lambert during that unfortunate time she was caught in the backseat of Tommy, her brother's best friend, except for her. She was cast as the slut when it fact she was only with Tommy for the rest of her miserable life and her father looks at her as if she's such a disappointment.

This book is painful, annoying, and sad. She misses spending time with her father whom she clearly loves so much. She reminisces the times when she was a kid that her father would smile at her and their family was a happy one.  Living in a small town doesn't really help Deanna's case as stories and rumors about her do around, some stories worse than the last. No girl should ever go through that emotional pain. Or better yet, no one should ever be talked about like that, boy or girl.

This book is not for the judgmental and narrow-minded. What happens in the latter part of the book might put some people of but I urge you to go through this book with an opened mind. I swear on all the peanut butter cookies I ate as I wrote this post, this book is well worth the read.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009) and How to Save a Life. Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com

Wicked Review: Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Published: February 1, 2008

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts. They were also one another's only friend. So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she's lost the only person who will ever understand her. Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed. Known as Jenna, she's popular, happy, and dating, everything "Jennifer" couldn't be---but she still can't shake the memory of her long-lost friend. 

When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.

From the National Book Award nominated author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts is a story about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts.

At first I was skeptical when I picked it up after reading How To Save A Life, mainly because it only had 217 pages. I don't really read books with less than 300 pages. But hey, don't judge a book by the number of its pages.

Jennifer was bullied because she was fat. She only had one friend, Cameron Quick. When they were kids, Cameron confessed to Jennifer that he loves her via a note in her lunch box. The day of Jennifer's birthday changed everything for both of them. Jennifer and Cameron carried that horrifying experience as they got older. Cameron left town and disappeared off of the face of the Earth or so Jennifer believed all along.

She branded herself as Jenna. She was happy. She had friends. She had a boyfriend. And then Cameron came back. He wasn't dead after all. The worst part is that Jenna's own mother led her to believe that he really is dead. First off, that was just bad. She grew up having Cameron as her only friend, as the one person that she leaned on. To believe that the person is dead hurts a lot. I kept shaking my head at this because REALLY? Why did you do that?

I wish the book was also told in Cameron's POV because I'd really like to know what he feels or what he's thinking. He's emancipated and he moved back to Utah from California just so he can see Jennifer/Jenna. He wants a better life for his brothers and sisters which I think is a noble effort.

Jenna realizes that she really loves Cameron. Even if they were separated for eight years, she still thought about him, her one true friend. In the end, one thing I learned from this book is that there will always be that person who'll leave mark in your heart and no matter where you are or what you do or who you're with, you'll always think about them.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009) and How to Save a Life. Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com

Wicked Review: How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr

Published: October 18, 2011

Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers

Acquired: Borrowed Paperback

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Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

Where do I even start with this book? I mean, this is just phenomenal, really! It's written in dual POVs which is good so there's no confusion. It has the right amount of all the emotions known to mankind.

It was hard to believe at first that Jill's mother, Robin, agreed to an open adoption. If I were Jill, I would be skeptical. Here comes a stranger carrying who could be your future sister or brother and she'll be living with you until the baby comes. I mean, that's a big deal! I understood where Jill was coming from and why she was pretty angry at everyone. It's a tragedy in the making.

Mandy, on the other hand, is like a lost puppy. She was at least thirty three weeks into her pregnancy and she's just as skeptical as Jill in this situation. She wanted a good life for her baby. She was confused. One minute, she couldn't be more happier to be living a life that she could've lived if it weren't for her mother and then she's scared that one day, Robin and Jill would just let her go along with the baby and she'll have nowhere to go.

For the most part the book dragged on around Jill and Mandy, enough that it made me tired. I was wondering when this will all end. I wanted to know if both of them have made the right decisions in life and whether those decisions would make them really happy or not. You just have to leave it to the masters of time. Give things ample time to reveal themselves...for lack of a better term.

I understand why this book is called How To Save A Life. You just have to get a copy of this book to fully understand where I am coming from.

Sara Zarr definitely wowed me with this one. I have two more books of hers (courtesy of my really good friend, Neil!) and she already has a special place in my heart.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009) and How to Save a Life. Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com