About the book:
Lishia Vance is flummoxed. One day she has friends. The next day everyone has turned against her. No explanation. Just complete social isolation. Even her best friend Janelle isn't giving her the time of day. When she makes a connection with Riley Atkins, a popular cheerleader, things start looking up. But is Riley really as good a friend as she seems? Or is Lishia better off without her?
With her signature insight into the lives of teen girls, bestselling author Melody Carlson explores the treacherous world of friendship, loyalty, and choices girls face in high school.
My review:
The Best Friend is a teen novel that many girls can identify with. I recall the days when true friends were hard to come by and everyone wanted to run with the in crowd. The author captures this well. She also shows how distorted perceptions and half-truths can alienate real friends, plus they can create rifts between people that are hard to bridge. On the other hand, the author shows how Christian friends can wrap around the hurting teens and love them back into the fold. Plus, God can even use the person who strayed off the path to lead another person into the fold who would never have been reached any other way. God uses even our mistakes to work His will in this world. Lots of good lessons and themes in this book. I have to say that I wasn't fond of Lishia for most of the book, and Riley I have never been fond of. That girl is a mess. But the bottom line is there is a good message about friendship in this story that will reach teens, and it shows how confession really is good for the soul. I enjoyed the book and read it straight through.
The Best Friend was published by Revell and released June 1st, 2012. A copy of this book was provided to me for review for this blog tour. The opinion expressed above is entirely my own.
About the author:
Melody Carlson has written around 200 books for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her books range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including the Rita and Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/
“Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
1 comment:
I've read a few of Melody's books and I liked them all. This looks like another to add to the list.
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