(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With less than two weeks left of probation after writing a bad check at the grocery store, freedom is in sight for 25-year-old Bernadette "Bird" Connolly.  If she can keep her nose clean for thirteen more days, she'll finally be able to move on.  She can't wait to leave her mother's house and make an independent life for herself and her 4-year-old son, Angus.  Everything will be better in just thirteen short days.

In the meantime, Bird is shocked to learn that James Rittenhouse, an old co-worker of hers, is on the run from the police.  According to the news, he beat up a man in a bar, then escaped a police vehicle while being taken to the station.  Armed with a gun stolen from one of the officers, James is considered very dangerous.  The James Bird once knew could never have done such a thing.  In fact, he once did her a big favor, one for which she is still in his debt.  Her heart breaks a little for him, but there's nothing she can do to help the fugitive.

Then, Bird makes a shocking discovery—James is hiding in the abandoned choir loft of the church Bird's mother attends.  Wounded and in pain, he begs Bird to help him.  Aiding James puts her impending freedom at great risk, but she can't walk away while he bleeds out in the church.  Can she?  She can't turn him in, not after what he did for her.  But what does she really owe him?  What should she do?  With the clock ticking for both Bird and James, Bird must make an impossible choice ...

The premise of The Odds of You and Me by Cecilia Galante is what drew me to this book.  It asks such a simple, but intriguing question, one which pricks the reader's conscience by asking, "What would you do?"  I don't know that I would have made the decision Bird does in the book, but her actions sure make for a compelling novel.  Bird is a sympathetic heroine, one who's easy to empathize with and root for.  She's flawed, but she's also compassionate, brave, and devoted to her son.  I definitely wanted a happy ending for her.  Did I get it?  I won't spoil anything for you.  I can say, though, that I enjoyed this novel.  Even though the story didn't close in quite the way I wanted it to, the tale still felt satisfying overall.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, sexual content, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Although they've grown up together and are the same age, Agnes Little and Honey Harper have very different attitudes about life at Mount Blessing.  Agnes follows the rules at their religious commune with exactness, wanting to impress not just God but also Emmanuel, their leader.  Honey Harper, the only orphan at Mount Blessing, has no such desire.  She despises rules, Emmanuel's strict leadership, and the cloistered life they lead.  Honey longs for the things she sees on her forbidden t.v.—chic clothes, fast food, and public school.  

When Agnes' grandmother makes a surprise visit to Mount Blessing, she witnesses an alarming practice that no one outside the community is supposed to know about.  Already shocked, Nana Pete is even more disturbed when Agnes' little brother sustains a serious injury that Emmanuel refuses to have checked by a medical professional.  Not able to take anymore, Nana Pete hustles her two grandkids and Honey into her car and makes a run for it.  As the three kids leave behind everything they've ever known, they are forced to forge a new future.  Honey may crave the experience, but Agnes is scared to death.  Can she make a new life away from her family and community?

Having grown up in a religious commune, Cecilia Galante brings an insider's view to The Patron Saint of Butterflies, her first YA novel.  Although the book doesn't bring anything really new or different to the cult escapee genre, it still tells a poignant and compelling story.  The main characters are sympathetic; I definitely cared about them and wanted good things to happen for them.  Although Galante's portrayal of a community of faith is sensitive in many ways, it makes it clear that violent extremism is absolutely not okay.  The touching story teaches some valuable lessons about faith, friendship, and finding your way in a new world.  I liked it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale, The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, Gated by Amy Christine Parker, and The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I bought an e-copy of The Patron Saint of Butterflies from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.