Sunday, November 23, 2014

Book Review + Giveaway: Autumn Falls by Bella Thorne

Autumn Falls (Autumn Falls #1)
By Bella Thorne
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Source: Publisher
Summary: With her fiery red hair, new-girl outsider status, and tendency to be a total klutz, Autumn Falls definitely isn’t flying below the radar at Aventura High. Luckily, she makes some genuine friends who take her under their wing. But she also manages to get on the wrong side of the school’s queen bee, and then finds out the guy she’s started to like, funny and sweet Sean, hangs with the mean crowd. Now her rep and her potential love life are at stake. 
 
When Autumn vents her feelings in a journal that belonged to her late father, suddenly her wildest wishes start coming true. Is it coincidence? Or can writing in the journal solve all her problems? And if the journal doesn’t work that way,  is there a bigger purpose for it—and for her?


Review: I'm normally really skeptical reading books written by celebrities. So when I was sent a copy of this one to review, I wasn't sure if I was actually doing to read it or not. I loved the cover, though, and new it would be a quick read, so I decided to pick it up and give it a try.  

When Autumn's parents decide to move them to Florida in order to take care of their grandmother, Autumn is devastated. But when her father dies, Autumn realizes how trivial those arguments were and would do anything to have him back. When she moves to Florida with her mom and brother, Autumn instantly finds some great friends, but in doing so becomes enemies with one of the most popular girls in school. Autumn vents her frustrations in the journal her grandma gave her, a gift from her father, and finds strange things happening as the wishes she confides in her journal start to come true. Autumn tries to use the journal for her own problems, but soon realizes there may be a greater purpose for the journal than she had previously thought…

When I began this book, I wasn't expecting a lot. I didn't even know if this was middle grade or young adult (after reading it, though, I'd classify it as a very young, young adult book) and was afraid the characters would be juvenile and cliche. I'm happy to report, though, that I actually ended up enjoying this book. I flew through it and was happy that Autumn wasn't annoying at all. Sure, I wasn't a big fan of the exaggerated aspects of her life that seemed a bit forced, like the huge lump on her head from her brother or how flat-out rude some people were to her in a way normal people wouldn't be in real life to someone they don't even know, but I actually liked her character and how realistically flawed she was. Autumn doesn't always know what to say and she's a bit of a klutz. Oh, and I was so happy that the ending wasn't cliche and all tied up in a neat bow. I don't want to give anything away, but Autumn's romantic life is definitely a mess and there's no easy fix to the troubles she causes when she gets the journal. 

I wasn't sure how the whole fantasy element would fit in with the "magical" journal, but I think it was really well done and not over-dramatic at all. Autumn wasn't even sure if the journal was magic, but it lead to a lot of self-reflection on how Autumn was really living her life and what kind of person she wanted to be. Autumn was being bullied by some very petty, cruel girls at school, but she had to try and be the better person, even when the girls would do some really hurtful things. 

With Autumn Falls, you get a young adult novel that is a quick, yet enticing read. There's magic, a splash of romance, and a whole lot of life lessons on friendship and family. If you're looking for a fun read, I'd say you should give Autumn Falls a chance!



Giveaway
I have one copy of Autumn Falls by Bella Thorne to giveaway! Just enter the Rafflecopter below! ***US ONLY Ends 12/1

1 comment:

  1. I loved this book!! It's a classic realistic fiction romance type book. I loved how Bella Thorne made the book somewhat based on her life. I think this book can be very encouraging to young people with disabilities.

    Penelope
    View Website Quality Outfitter Montana Elk Hunting Pack Trips

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...