Monday, May 2, 2016

Whisper If You Need Me

I'm trying super hard to read through some of my books that I've gotten through the many months of book subscription boxes I've had because let's face it- if I'm not reading them, why am I having them mailed to me?!

Because I'm a junky, that's why.

But if you remember waaaaaay back in December, this was one of the books I received in my Bookworm Box for that month. I actually started it when I got the box but then I put it down because I've had a lot of review books to do and finally last week I decided I was going to just finish the damn thing to move it from my desk to my shelf for it to be all moody and pretty.

Whisper If You Need Me - Dina Silver

A strong-willed yet vulnerable young beauty, Julia Pearl is sixteen years old when she’s sent away to summer camp for the first time. Julia’s father and stepmother are convinced that time away from home will be good for Julia, hoping it will restore the confidence she lost when her mother disappeared five years earlier. 

Released from the emotional constraints of her new family and the ugly reputation her mother left behind, Julia finds herself reluctantly tossed into the free-spirited and often drama-infused world of overnight camp—where she quickly falls for an intensely charismatic counselor named Jack Dempsey, a nineteen-year-old college student who will prove to save her life in more ways than one.

Rich with humor and poignancy, Whisper If You Need Me is a timeless story that will remind readers of the strength of friendship, the unwavering devotion of family, and ultimately, the power of young love.


Obviously, I'm going to call this more of a YA romance because our leading lady is Julia, who is only 16. She feels misunderstood by her dad and stepmom, who send her off to a summer camp against her will, and she's determined to hate every second of it. But then she meets Emma, a fellow allergy plagued camper (Julia is allergic to peanuts and it's kind of big deal in the book), and then Counselor McDreamy, also known as Jack.

As a kid who has never been to camp, or was sent away for any kind of length of time as a teenager, I can only guess that the author nailed Julia's anger and general feeling of being left behind and unwanted. Her mother was "kicked out" by her dad and she was never really sure why. We do find out why in the book so that is really great because that could have been a really crappy loose end if we didn't. But while at camp Julia tries to adapt and make the best of it, made easier by her friendship with Emma but also Amber. Mostly Emma, though. She encounters mean girls in twins Brittany and Brianna, and they are basically the worst of the worst. Brittany has a thing for Jack, as does another counselor, Liz, so separately Brittany and Liz try their best to make Julia's life a living hell while at camp. Meanwhile, sparks are flying between Jack and Julia and one fateful night at the end of their Voyager's session kind of catapults the rest of the story forward. Honestly? Until that night, things were kind of slow and boring in the book for me, but the last third of the book was really good. I wanted that through the whole book. More drama, more something to keep you moving. This should have been a one day read for me, but like I said above, it was one that I could easily put down and pick something else up.

BUT.

That last third of the book, everything from their night in the woods and beyond, was so good and hooked me that I'm actually going to give this book 4/5 stars. I know. I know, I'm giving a book 4 stars even though it was super boring the first 2/3 which is when most people would throw in the towel. It's enough that I would read more by Dina Silver because I have heard a lot of good things about her other books so I don't know, I will have to read more to know if this is just her way of weaving through a story or just something particular about this book.

You can purchase your own copy of Whisper If You Need Me on Amazon as well as Barnes & Noble. And I don't know if you're super particular, but both websites have this book available in a used copy to save you some money.

No comments: