FINDING MIA BLOG TOUR ~ REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 

It's The Bookish Babe's stop on the Finding Mia Blog Tour! The tour is being hosted by the awesome ladies at AToMR Book Blog Tours, you can find the complete tour schedule here. My stop includes a review of Finding Mia and a tour giveaway.

 

Series: Stand alone
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Publisher: Rachel K. Brooks
Publication Date: 1/8/12
Format: ebook
Pages: 140
Source: Received from author for review.

Intelligent and fiercely independent, sixteen-year-old Mia Marchette has never had a childhood. After her father’s disappearance when she was six, she has alone borne the burden of her mother’s bipolar disorder.

When her mother is institutionalized after a failed suicide attempt, Mia is abruptly forced to live with the estranged father she has not known for ten years. She is shocked to discover that he has created a new, picture-perfect life for himself, and is now living with a stepmother and a half-sister Mia never knew she had. Together, Mia and her new family must face the bitterness, mistakes, and long-hidden secrets that threaten to destroy their precarious happiness.

Finding Mia follows Mia's journey as she searches to find the unanswered questions from her past, leading to her own self-discovery.

Ultimately, this is a story of confronting pain and finding freedom, of letting go and learning to search for love in unexpected places.

An intensely thoughtful and insightful story, Finding Mia is a story of one family's struggle with depression.

Finding Mia honestly wasn't what I anticipated. Based on the synopsis, I expected the story of a girl who struggles to come to terms with her mother's severe manic depression and with the father who abandoned them ten years prior. It definitely is that story, but that's only part of it. Finding Mia is told from the perspective of Mia, obviously, but also her mom, dad, and step-mother. So what we have here is a well-rounded story, told from all angles.

The fact that Finding Mia is told from the different perspectives is interesting, because no one person bears the entire brunt of the blame. It forces Mia to be a reliable narrator, and I appreciate that. But because we know what everyone is thinking, that made the story seem almost too...rational is the word I think I'm looking for. Barring a few actions on Mia's part, everyone seems to logical to be believable. But who am I to say? My entire family is made up of passionate arguers, intense debaters, and all-around loud mouths. So really, despite the heavy themes and difficult obstacles, the story was not very dramatic and forgiveness felt easy to come by.

I guess at the end, Finding Mia read to me as more of a guide on how to deal with mental health and drug abuse, than a novel. I did like it, though, and was left with many wise words to ponder.

Favorite Quote:

  For some, the word "family" is a relative term, but for me, it's always been measured in days. Most days she's unreachable, but when she finds her way back to the surface, it's like a poem you want to freeze, reread until the page blurs, bottle up and live in it forever. A smile that descends into the darkness, reappears when your not watching. Except that I'm always watching. Watching and waiting for the next small miracle. Sometimes I feel as if it's all I ever do.  (1%)


You can purchase Finding Mia at:
Amazon 

 

Rachel was born and raised in Boston, MA. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

She graduated from Bridgewater University in 2011 with a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies.

Rachel's work has appeared in Prevention Magazine, Worcester Magazine and Starpulse News Entertainment.

Rachel Burke | Twitter | Facebook

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Blog Tour ~ SOUND BITES: A ROCK AND ROLL LOVE STORY, by Rachel K. Burke

Welcome to The Bookish Babe's stop on the SOUND BITES Blog Tour! Today I have a review of the book, followed by a giveaway. This tour is hosted by AToMR Blog Tours. You can find all the stops on the tour here.

Renee Evans has a knack for trouble. After walking in on her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, twenty-five year-old Renee flees sunny Los Angeles and her dream job as a music journalist and returns to her hometown of Boston – only to meet Dylan Cavallari, the mysterious, aspiring musician who lives in her apartment building. Dylan’s piercing gaze and womanizing demeanor make him exactly the type of guy that Renee should steer clear of – which is most likely the reason she falls for him. But when Renee’s troublesome ex comes back and threatens to drive her and Dylan apart, Renee is forced to face her past and save her relationship with Dylan before it's too late. Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way. ~From GoodReads

There's one sure way to draw my eye to a particular book. Include the words "Rock and Roll" in the title. I kid you not, it works every time. So when I saw the title, then the synopsis of this story, I knew we were meant to be.

I have to say, I really enjoyed SOUND BITES. I liked the main character, music journalist Renee. She's definitely had a bit of a rough time. After finding her boyfriend and best friend in bed, she goes home to Boston, ready to start over. When she finds her possible soul mate in her neighbor, Dylan, Renee must navigate the fine line between friendship and love. Her inner fantasies about Dylan had me smiling. She was such a realistic, relatable character. I love how she knows herself. And I am a huge fan of her never-say-die spirit.

And Dylan. Dark hair, beautiful eyes, broody personality, a musician. Do I really need to go on? He's a real match for Renee. Dylan was always challenging Renee, pushing her buttons, making her crazy. The verbal sparring between the two was fun, it gave the story a fun, light-hearted vibe. Renee pushes Dylan to expand his horizons in a way he never would've without her, helping him realize his dreams.

I know I've described this as a light, fun story, and it is, but there is also a lot of depth as well.  Renee must contend with trust issues, face old betrayals, learn to open herself up. Dylan and Renee's relationship goes through some turbulent times, huge changes. And it made me realize that I love New Adult books. Actually, I don't know how SOUND BITES is "technically" categorized, but it works for me. Authors seem to have a good deal of freedom in writing this genre. As early-twenty somethings, the characters are still finding their way. They are allowed experiences that come with their age. As an adult, I find it a nice change.

I will say that although I loved the story, I did find the writing to be sometimes a bit off. Maybe it was a awkwardly structured sentence, or a word that threw me off, but it was never enough to derail. Despite that, I really enjoyed SOUND BITES. When a book makes you smile as much as this one did, you know you've found a good thing.
Favorite Quote:

"There was so much I wanted to say, but when I tried to tactfully sum up the combustion of feelings that had been bottled up inside me for months, my words froze in my throat. I wanted to tell him that he was the person I'd been waiting for my whole life. The person that made me feel like I'd found something I'd never even known I'd lost. The person that I could spend all day, every day with for the rest of my life and it would never be enough." (ebook, 60%)
 Published January 2012

You can purchase SOUND BITES at: Amazon 

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