About the Book (from the publisher)
How can Skylar stay true to herself without losing the ones she loves most?
Senior year is over and Skylar Hoyt is ready to forgive and forget. Or at least forget. She wants a fresh start where people don't know about her past or her dysfunctional family. A place where she won't run into her ex-boyfriend every time she leaves the house. When she gets the opportunity to spend the summer in Hawaii with her grandparents, Skylar jumps at the chance to get out of town. But will she truly be able to leave her old life behind? And will she be strong enough to rise above the gossip and live the life God wants?
My thoughts:
So Over It, by Stephanie Morrill was a difficult book for me to read. The author accurately captured the angst and drama of being a teen age girl, but man what a mess! I wonder where on earth the parents of all these teens were when they were partying and ruining each other’s lives and futures. How do so many kids get so messed up together at one time? It’s scary to me as a parent.
Yet, remembering my own childhood, I answer my own questions…apparently no matter how vigilant the parent, teens sometimes manage to find more trouble than they can handle. Such is the case with Skylar and her sister Abbie. Their parents were in a mess in their own relationship, and I guess the trauma was acted out in the girls’ lives. My parent heart breaks for children forced to skip their childhood and bear adult responsibilities earlier than their heart or mind were ever meant to do so. I am glad the girls learned about the forgiveness that Christ offers – even in spite of their glaring mistakes – but oh the price they had to pay! It broke my heart.
There were times I really didn’t like Skylar or Abbie’s behavior, and I most certainly wanted to give their parents lessons in childrearing, (albeit a bit late in the game) but sadly enough Morrill’s story is couched in modern-day reality. How I wish kids could understand that their teen years compose such a BRIEF time in their life and that they should not make decisions based upon “what other people think”. Truly, that is the enemy’s most deadly weapon when it comes to teens. Even though they can find forgiveness and go forward differently, they must live the rest of their lives with the consequences of their foolish teen choices.
I know I’m responding as a parent…so Stephanie Morrill obviously created some very realistic teen characters. There’s a lot to learn about human nature in this story, but as a parent…man, I need to pray, pray, pray!!
About the Author:
Stephanie Morrill is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Teen Lit writers' group. Morrill is the author of Me, Just Different and Out with the In Crowd, and she also serves in youth ministry. She lives in Kansas with her husband and young daughter.
3 comments:
Excellent review, my friend.
I guess locking our kids in their rooms until they're 37 isn't an option, is it?!
Great, heart-felt review and I've been looking for YA titles to read from the Christian market. However, sometimes they're hard to read with the wisdom of adulthood, aren't they? Maybe that's why I like YA fantasy so much. Rather the angst coming from a dragon than real-life angst! LOL.
So, while you found it a tough read, do you think a teen would? Or would she be able to relate?
Kav -
I think teens would totally relate, however, they need the backstory of these characters. This was the last in a series, and I've not read the others.
This deals very realistically with the convoluted teen relationships, and with a family that is trying to begin a new path with God...and the challenges this entails. There is one scene where Abbie is praying that is particularly moving!
I would read them before passing them onto teens, because there are some pretty uncomfortable situations presented. All teens may not deal with it well - parental guidance would be appropriate for some teens. Some, unfortunately will know all about this.
Hope this helps.
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