Hardcover Feedback: Alone Together by Sarah J. Donovan (Review & Giveaway)

Monday, May 7, 2018

Alone Together by Sarah J. Donovan (Review & Giveaway)

Sadie Carter’s life is a mess, as wavy and tangled as her unruly hair. At 15, she is barely surviving the chaos of her large Catholic family. When one sister becomes pregnant and another is thrown out, her unemployed dad hides his depression, and her mom hides a secret. Sadie, the peacekeeper and rule-follower, has had enough. The empty refrigerator, years of hand-me-downs, and all the secrets have to stop. She longs for something more and plans her escape.

However, getting arrested was not her plan. Falling in love was not her plan. With the help of three mysterious strangers—a cop, a teacher, and a cute boy—maybe Sadie will find the strength to defy the rules and do the unexpected.

Told in verse, Sarah J. Donovan’s debut Alone Together has secrets, romance, struggle, sin, and redemption, all before Sadie blows out her 16 candles. It’s a courageously honest look at growing up in a big family.

I GIVE THIS BOOK: 3 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

I've never read a book written in verse before, and I honestly didn't realize this one was written that way, but I was pleasantly surprised that I started to enjoy the story after a few verses.

Sadie has a large Catholic family, who are very strict yet you come to realize that they are really hypocrites. She feels alone, even with having so many siblings, and wonders a lot why her parents had so many children - the answer may surprise.

I thought this was a good book. If you enjoy books written in verse, you'd probably enjoy Alone Together.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.

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BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 250 pages

Published: Seela Books; 1 edition (April 26, 2018)

Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: May 1st 2018

Available to purchase: Amazon (Paperback) | Amazon (Kindle)

EXCERPT:

S I L E N C E I N N U M B E R S

No one is home.

No one.

#1 left at 18 to raise her own family—

done being a second mother to the brood.

#2 left at 18 to train for triathlons—

practically ran to Arizona the day he graduated.

#3 was kicked out at 18—

an unforgivable sin, but we don’t talk about her.

I don’t know them all that well.

They never come home.

#4 and #5 left to go to college—

have jobs on campus in the cafeteria,

wish I could see those boys washing dishes. #6 left at 18 for restaurant management training—

didn’t have the smarts for college, wish I could see her running a crew.

I don’t know them all that well.

They never come home.

#7 runs a drive-thru

passing the time with college classes until her boyfriend proposes.

#8 bakes croissants

saving every bit of dough

until she can plan her escape.

#10 runs with a gang

taking #11 to babysitting gigs

until she sneaks out to party.

I don’t know them all that well.

I was busy shoplifting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah J. Donovan is the author of Alone Together and Genocide Literature in Middle and Secondary Classrooms. A junior high English teacher by day and college education professor by night, she spends every other moment reading young adult novels and writing. She lives with her husband in Downers Grove, Illinois in a condo so she can write instead of mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. When she is not teaching, reading, or writing, she can be found playing sand volleyball with amazing Chicagoland women. (Yes, even in the winters.)You can see all her “shelfies”on Instagram @donovan_sd or tweet @MrsSJDonovan.