Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

2024 Challenge Sign-Up Post

January Reviews Link-Up

February Reviews Link-Up

March Reviews Link-Up

April Reviews Link-Up

May Reviews Link-Up

June Reviews Link-Up

July Reviews Link-Up

August Reviews Link-Up

September Reviews Link-Up

October Reviews Link-Up

November Reviews Link-Up

December Reviews Link-Up

My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 50 books. 64% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


13 / 40 books. 33% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


5 / 25 books. 20% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


15 / 100 books. 15% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Friday, January 09, 2015

Tender, Touching I'll Be There Should Not Be Missed

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Thanks to his erratic, nomadic father, 17-year-old Sam Border wouldn't recognize a stable family life if it alighted on the end of his nose.  He does his best to protect his odd little brother from harm, but Sam knows Rudolph ("Riddle") deserves better than their itinerant existence.  With their father always on the run from the law, the boys have never stayed in one place long enough to put down roots.  Sam longs for a normal life, one that includes school, friends, and safety for both himself and Riddle.  Especially Riddle, who's always silent, always sickly, always starving.    

When the boys manage to break away from their father, they're in even more danger than usual.  They can't attract any unwanted attention.  That plan goes awry as soon as Sam meets the The Bell Family in a small Oregon town.  He's attracted to 17-year-old Emily, not just because she's pretty, but also because she's kind.  Her close-knit family exudes the kind of warmth and love Sam and Riddle have never known.  Sam can't explain to her what the boys' life has been like—she wouldn't understand.  At all.  He keeps his secrets close to his own heart, even as he gives it, piece by broken piece, to Emily.

Just when it looks like Happily Ever After has come along to save the boys, their father, Clarence Border, returns with a vengeance.  No one is exempt from his wrath, especially not Sam and Riddle, whose betrayal Clarence will never forgive.  How will they survive—how does anyone survive—when hope has been so cruelly snatched away?

I'll Be There, Holly Goldberg Sloan's debut novel, is an unforgettable tale that stretches across genre borders.  It's a family drama, a romance, and a survival story all rolled up into one well-rounded story.  The characters come alive, the plot speeds along at a breathless clip, the prose sings with lyrical, luminous beauty—seriously, what's not to like here?  Compelling and unique, I'll Be There is a tender, touching novel that quite simply should not be missed.  In case you can't tell, I loved it.  

(Readalikes:  Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan; also reminds me a bit of The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

0 bookworm(s) said...:

Post a Comment

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction