"'Sometimes things get broken and people make mistakes. It's just what happens. And then, if you're lucky, they get fixed again, before it's too late'" (317).
Title: Girl Unmoored
Author: Jennifer Gooch Hummer
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 325
Publisher: Fiction Std
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Geared Towards: Older Readers
From: Books Sparks (Review Copy)
Extra Notes: This is her debut novel
I was not paid for this review.
Summary (From B.O.B):
Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she's about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus-the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who's suddenly everywehre, until she's stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens-Apron's broken heart blinks on for the first time since she's been adrift.
Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, and Apron's world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad's secret, story seas return. Apron starts to see things the adults around her fail to-like what love really means, and who is paying too much for it.
Apron has come unmoored, but now she'll need to take the helm if she's to get herself and those she loves to safe harbor.
Wdebo's Review: I received this book to review back in March of this year but with college and other books, I just never got around to reading it. I sort of forgot it on my bookshelf and let it collect dust. Also, apart from time restraints, the other reason I never thought about it was that I personally did not find the cover all that appealing and as most people know (and I'm sure most people are guilty of) I totally judge books by their covers and this cover just did not fulfill my superficial desires at all. On a whim, I picked it up again a couple of days ago and finished it that very same day. Everything about this story was just so wonderful and the only regret it gave me was that I did not read it sooner.
The writing was wonderful which makes it all the more surprising when you factor in the fact that this is Hummer's debut novel. It possessed a honest simplicity to it that made it very easy to get into and be lulled into a reading frenzy by its calming arms. Through her writing, Hummer was able to create a narrator who was both innocent in her age but mature in her insight, the things that she has witnessed and lived through. Though her grasp on love can at times be seen as childlike, there is a certain knowing quality about her. Even though she phrases her thoughts in a child-like manner her words possess a truth to them that not many people are able to understand even at much greater ages. Apron was a great narrator and I loved reading from her point of view. I loved to see her grow and mature and understanding her surroundings. I especially enjoyed seeing her growth in regards to Mike and Chad for though she grew up in an area that was not very hospitable to homosexuals so grew to truly love them and hold them as one of the most important friends she ever had. This work really allows you to understand the importance of friendship and love and how affection can come in all shapes and forms and from the most unlikely sources. However, though all love can be different, there is one unifying factor to it, that it will always be there for you, to hold you and carry you through the good and bad. And though you will laugh and cry together it will be the thing you hold most dear.
I also loved how Hummer presented the characters of Chad and Mike. I hold both of them and Apron very dear to me as I went through the story. Their relationship, which was presented with a bittersweet, heart-warming love, was also very magnificent and held tightly onto my heart.
The writing itself was very well done and was able to make me laugh one minute and cry the next. The whole story flowed together nicely and had very few sections in which I found it lagged or did not hold my attention as much as I hoped for. This is one of the few novels which I could have given a 5 stars to it without even reading till the last page. The ending itself was also very well done, it did not disappoint. Once I finished the novel, I was left was a feeling of satisfication but also one in which I would not have minded if I could get another glimpse of the future. I would have liked to see what happens to all of the characters, but even if I was not given the opportunity, I would not have minded one bit because I know that they will be ok no matter where or how they live their lives. I also liked how the story did not end with perfect endings for everyone because the story had a realistic element to it and life just does not work perfectly like that with all of the loose strings being tied up together with neat bows.
Cafe Cover Chat: As stated above, I am definitely not a big fan of the cover, but I do love the blue and the imaginative sailboat/cloud.
(B-)
All in all, a wonderful debut novel from Jennifer Gooch Hummer that everyone should pick it. I am sure I will be recommending to lots of people throughout next term. This work allows us to understand the importance of love and how it can come in all shapes and forms and be there to comfort us when we most need it.
Grade: A+
Wdebo :)
Title: The Summer In Spain
