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After the devastating scandal that broke her heart and shattered all the illusions of happiness her fancy Manhattan life seemed to offer, Lia Carswell came home.  Six years later, she's still too paralyzed to paint the pictures that made her famous.  Instead, she throws her energy into less lucrative projects—slinging hash at a local diner, babysitting her 3-year-old niece, and soaking fresh mountain air into her soul.  She's too busy helping her younger sister make ends meet to worry about petty things like romance and art.  But both are about to come crashing back into her life.  With a vengeance.

When Lia receives word that a wealthy buyer would like to commission a painting from her, she wants—desperately—to refuse.  She promised herself she would never again allow pieces of her heart to be sold to the highest bidder.  And yet, her niece needs expensive therapy to help with her developmental delays.  Lia can't afford to say no to any paycheck, let alone one that could send Chloe to the best school around. 

Crippled by fear and doubt, Lia picks up her brush.  While she struggles to find the muse that turned her art into the most sought after in New York, she's got another problem:  Aidan.  A regular at the diner, he's determined to break her hard shell.  Lia's not into players and their games.  Maybe her laidback, ski-obsessed neighbor has a better chance of warming her heart?

As Lia rides the ups and downs of her suddenly complicated life, she must re-discover who she really is and what she truly wants.  But knowing her heart means finding the courage to follow where it leads, a risk Lia's not sure she can ever take again ...

Melanie Jacobson has published six novels.  I've read them all.  I've liked them all.  But, this one?  My favorite.  Hands down.  At less than two hundred pages, Painting Kisses is a quick, enjoyable read.  Unlike her other books, Jacobson's newest is written for a mainstream audience instead of an LDS one—still, aside from a little innuendo, it's as clean and uplifting as her previous novels.  Filled with her trademark warmth and wit, this one seriously gave me all the feels.  It made me smile, it made me laugh, it made me swoon ... Was the story predictable?  Absolutely.  Contrived?  Yep.  Did I care?  No.  (Okay, a little.)  Overall, though, I loved this one.  It spoke to me.  Jacobson once told me she was determined to write a story that would earn an A from me.  Guess what, Melanie?  You did it.  

(Readalikes: Reminded me of Falling Home by Karen White)

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If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Painting Kisses from the generous folks at Covenant Communications in exchange for my participation in the book's blog tour.  Thank you!

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It's a little silly to try to write my own plot summary for a book when a perfectly good one—actually, a great one—already exists.  Since re-inventing the wheel is just so last century, I'm going to give you the publisher's version.  Both concise and precise, it offers a brilliant overview of Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman:

Taut and compelling, Winterkill is an intense, atmospheric novel that kept me riveted from its first page to its last.  Although it contains many familiar dystopian components, it's really more of a psychological thriller than the usual post-apocalyptic survival drama.  The novel isn't all that original, really, but it's so well crafted that it feels fresh and unique.  In a word (okay, three):  I loved it.

(Readalikes:  The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan)

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As Nine approaches her 17th birthday, she—like most teens—is concerned about the decisions she will have to make as she nears adulthood.  She doesn't know what career she should choose.  She's not even certain about the look she's sporting—should she keep her red hair and freckles or change them to something more exotic or, maybe, less so?  And then there's the biggest choice of all: male or female?  Like the other members of her batch, Nine will soon be Remade with whatever alterations she chooses.  She can become tall or short, curvy or petite, blonde-haired or purple-eyed, feminine or masculine.  It's her choice.  She's free to make herself into anything she wants to be.  As long as the Prime Maker approves, of course.

Although Nine is a little apprehensive about the coming changes, she's looking forward to the operation that will allow her to finally become an individual.  But when the plane carrying the batchers to the Remake facility crashes into the sea, Nine finds herself washed up on a shore she's never seen before.  She's rescued by strange people (they claim to be a family, whatever that is) who live simple lives full of hard work and pain.  Hidden away from the eyes of the Prime Maker who rules Nine's world, the islanders toil away with imperfect bodies and inadequate supplies.  Nine can't understand their contentment with such a crude way of life.  Still, the more time she spends with them (especially 18-year-old Kai, who's as irritating as he is hot), the more she realizes that the islanders are more free than she's ever been or ever will be.  Which is precisely what makes them so happy.

When Nine's former life comes calling, she must make the toughest decision of her life—stay on the island as a rebel against the Prime Maker or return to her own world, where she can be Remade into whatever she wants to be?  It's time for her to finally decide who she is, what she wants, and how she's going to make it happen.

I was drawn to Remake, a debut novel by Ilima Todd, because although its premise sounded similar to that of Scott Westerfield's Uglies series, the whole idea of choosing one's gender seemed to bring something new to the YA dystopian table.  Knowing that Todd is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (in other words, a Mormon) made me even more curious to see how she would explore such an ambitious story question.  Open-mindedness, as it turns out, is not the novel's strong suit.  Its message—that marriage is sacred, family essential, and freedom to choose crucial—is absolutely one I believe in, I just think it comes across in the story as very heavy-handed.  Subtlety would have been a much more effective approach, especially in a book aimed at mainstream teens.  But then, subtlety is not something that's plentiful in Remake either.  The story has a very tell vs. show feel to it.  That, along with a confusing, underdeveloped dystopian world, flat characters, and a dull, saggy middle made this a rather disappointing read for me.  Remake isn't bad for a first novel; it just doesn't do enough to stand out.  For me, it ended up being just okay.
Although she lacked a lot in the personality department, I do think teens will empathize with Nine's anxiety about her future.  I also think they'll enjoy her romp on an exotic island, even if it sets up yet another annoying YA dystopian love triangle.  They will probably also appreciate (as did I) Todd's bravery in boldly tackling big issues that are as timely as they are divisive.  And yet, I think they, like me, will long for a more vivid story world, stronger characterization, and a fresher plot.  Don't get me wrong,

(Readalikes:  Remake's premise and plot reminded me of the Uglies series [Uglies; Pretties; Specials; Extras] by Scott Westerfeld and a little of the Under the Never Sky series [Under the Never Sky; Through the Ever Night; Into the Still Blue] by Veronica Rossi)

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Hannah Stern isn't looking forward to another boring Passover Seder with her extended family.  The 12-year-old would prefer to skip it all—the lipstick-laced kisses from Aunt Eva; the senile ravings of her grandfather; the endless droning about Egypt and plagues and the children of Israel.  The traditions force them all to remember the past and Hannah is so tired of hearing about things that happened so long ago they hardly matter in the present.

Opening the door of one's home to symbolically let the prophet Elijah inside is a silly tradition only babies believe in.  When Hannah reluctantly receives the honor of performing the task, she certainly doesn't expect anything unusual to happen.  But it does.  As she steps through the door, her family's modern New York apartment disappears.  Hannah finds herself in a village she doesn't recognize with people she doesn't know.  Everyone calls her "Chaya" and acts like there's nothing strange about her being trapped in a Polish village in 1942.  They laugh when she speaks of magical doors, but Hannah doesn't find her predicament funny at all.  She's studied the Holocaust in school, she's heard her family's terrible concentration camp stories, she knows what's going to happen to the Polish Jews.      As Hannah experiences all the confusion, all the injustice, all the fear her ancestors felt during World War II, she begins to understand why her parents insist on remembering their heartbreaking plight.

Can Hannah use her knowledge from the future to save her ancestors from their devastating fate?  Can she stop the horrors of the Holocaust from happening at all, at least to the people whose blood she will someday share?  And, most importantly, can she find her way home to Hannah Stern's nice, safe life in present-day New York?  Or will she die as Chaya, another victim of senseless Nazi brutality?

I've heard parents say that The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen is too violent, too vivid, for young readers.  And, yet, it's one of the most compelling children's books I've read about the Holocaust.  Why?  Because it comes to such brilliant life with all its rich, Technicolor details.  As you read, it's impossible not to feel as if you're walking in Chaya's clunky black shoes.  Just as it did for Hannah, the modern world falls away, giving you a little bit of an understanding for what a young Polish Jew might have seen, heard and felt as her gentle world crumbled into a ghastly, irrevocable nightmare.  This small book may, at times, be difficult to digest, but, trust me, the understanding that comes from it is worth every hard swallow.  Everyone, children included, should read this touching classic.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books about the Holocaust/concentration camps written for children/teens, including The Diary of Anne Frank, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys)

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