Title: I'll Be There
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Released: March 2012
Published by: Piccadilly Press
goodreads says:
Emily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir—despite her average voice—is fate: because it’s while she’s singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight, they are connected.
Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there’s nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father. That is, until Sam sees Emily. That’s when everything changes.
As Sam and Riddle are welcomed into the Bells’ lives, they witness the warmth and protection of a family for the first time. But when tragedy strikes, they’re left fighting for survival in the desolate wilderness, and wondering if they’ll ever find a place where they can belong. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, I’ll Be There is a gripping story that explores the complexities of teenage passions, friendships, and loyalties.
My thoughts:
I'll Be There is a really hard book to talk about. It feels like it could be a few stories in one and I'm finding it hard to decide where this book resides in the book world. It's very hard to categorise. We've got a young man trying to take care of his younger brother as their father deals with mental health problems, a romance that feels a little rushed and happens at just the glance of a person and a odd survival story line after an terrible accident.
Now, I love Sam and Riddle, and this may sound a little odd because this story is about them but I wish it was more about them! I told you, it sounds odd. I think if the story would have really concentrated on the two brothers and gone into more detail about their past and their dad's past I would have liked the story more. We are shown how their father can be and it's more than cruel but I feel like we are not told enough about how everything happen to them and how things have been allowed to get to this stage. It's not the father's fault he is the way he is, he's ill. I just wanted more detail and history.
I also can't help but think that somethings seem a little far fetched within this story, I can't really mention them as it will give away several big story lines but you can't help but wonder how so many things keep happening to these two boys in such a short space of time and some of them just seem a little unbelievable.
3 out of 5 stars because I really liked Sam and Riddle, I just wish I knew more about them.
1 comments:
Good thoughtfull review that makes me want to read the book and find out what it's like myself. I think I'll add it to my list.
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