Exit, Pursued by a Bear - E.K. Johnston (Review)

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston 
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary 
Publication date: Mar 15, 2016
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Format:  audiobook, 6 hours, 27 minutes
How I got it: I got this from my public library
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5 

Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this doesn’t mean what you think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don't cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team—the pride and joy of a tiny town. The team's summer training camp is Hermione's last and marks the beginning of the end of…she’s not sure what. She does know this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone slips something in her drink. And it all goes black.

In every class, there's a star cheerleader and a pariah pregnant girl. They're never supposed to be the same person. Hermione struggles to regain the control she's always had and faces a wrenching decision about how to move on. The assault wasn't the beginning of Hermione Winter's story and she's not going to let it be the end. She won’t be anyone’s cautionary tale.

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My thoughts:

I had read several reviews for the book and knew that I had to read/listen to it.  I am so glad that the audio randomly popped up in my account and I was able to listen to it!  It does deal with a difficult topic of rape, but it does not go into a large amount of graphic detail of the actual incident. 

This book follows Hermione as she is entering her senior year of high school and her last year in cheerleading.  Hermione has been going to cheerleading camp for as long as she can remember and has a routine down.  Hermione is also the co-captain of the squad this year with her best friend Polly.  At camp the unthinkable happens and Hermione is assaulted.  The book quickly gets to the assault and deals mostly with Hermione’s recovery. 

I really liked how the author went step by step with Hermione’s recovery.  I felt like I was able to feel what Hermione was going through and be along with her while she was trying to piece everything together.   The entire story is told from Harmonies’ point of view so we only get to hear what she is told or remembers.  The author did a great job creating a support system that Hermione was able to grab onto, which I felt really aided in her recovery.

I guess my one major complaint is that Hermione seems to take everything too perfectly.  It feels like everything that is thrown at her she can just take and be ok with.  I understand that all victims go through different experiences and also her not remembering the assault plays a large part on her recovery, but I wanted some out lash from her.   I felt like her only break downs were very quick and resolved just as neatly.   

I would recommend this book as a weekend read or listen.  I felt like the topic of rape was very well handled by the author and she gave a lot of respect to the process of what happens after a rape occurs to not only the individual, but also what happens to people around them.   I liked how the author touched on how Hermione’s family members and friends felt after it happened.  It was good to see that everyone involved needs time to heal and recover.   This was a very short listen and one that is well worth it.

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About the Author

E.K. Johnston had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes.

You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really need to know, or on Tumblr (ekjohnston) if you're just here for pretty pictures.

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Kids of Appetite - David Arnold (Review)

Kids of Appetite by David Arnold
Genre:  Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary 
Publication date: Sep 20, 2016
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Format:  audiobook, 10 hours, 1 minute
How I got it: I got this from my public library
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 
Victor Benucci and Madeline Falco have a story to tell.
It begins with the death of Vic’s father.
It ends with the murder of Mad’s uncle.
The Hackensack Police Department would very much like to hear it.
But in order to tell their story, Vic and Mad must focus on all the chapters in between.

This is a story about:

1. A coded mission to scatter ashes across New Jersey.
2. The momentous nature of the Palisades in winter.
3. One dormant submarine.
4. Two songs about flowers.
5. Being cool in the traditional sense.
6. Sunsets & ice cream & orchards & graveyards.
7. Simultaneous extreme opposites.
8. A narrow escape from a war-torn country.
9. A story collector.
10. How to listen to someone who does not talk.
11. Falling in love with a painting.
12. Falling in love with a song.
13. Falling in love.

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My thoughts:

I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed it.  The book follows around a group of teenagers who are somewhat displaced in society.   The book has two main characters who work together to tell an entire story.    The story goes back and forth between present and past time.  The past time is really only a few days back, but it helps to complete the whole story.   Along the way we get to meet other friends in the book that play a large part in the story.

I loved Victor as a character.  The author did an amazing job creating his character.  Victor’s personality was so strong because of his issue, we really got a look into what his life was like as a whole during his chapters of the book.   Victor had recently lost his father and was trying to deal with that situation as well as having a facial condition.  Victor really kept his head held high during this book and I felt like was able to show how strong of an individual he was.   I felt like Victor was not your typical lead character and he was really enjoyable to listen too.

I also enjoyed reading Madeline’s sections of the book as well.  The author really made an entirely different lead character who was going through something else in her life.  Madeline was very open-minded and also had a lot on her plate.   I enjoyed how she was a little more mysterious then Victor, which made me want to keep listening to find out what she was up too.  

The story flowed perfectly for me by going forward and backwards in time.  I felt like there were really two stories going on at the same time.  We were hearing how they ended up going on this adventure, but also seeing the characters grow and heal over a short period of time.  The author did a great job creating the family dynamic even if someone isn’t blood related and showed how the kids of appetite really formed.   The ending of this book was perfect I loved that we got a lot of closure, but also had a few things left open for you to think about what could have happened.  

Another favorite part of the book was the setting.  My husband is actually from New Milford so once I heard the town name I was hooked.   I could actually imagine these kids walking around since I was familiar with the area. 

I also enjoyed the romance that the author was able to create.  I felt like it was a perfect first love that fit this story.  It didn’t feel like the whole book circled around the romance; it felt more like it came on at the perfect moments and really fit both Victor and Madeline’s personalities.

My one complaint was that sometimes while listening to the audio I had a little bit of trouble following along.  There were a lot of characters in this book and so in turn there were a lot of different voices on the audio.  At first I was having a real challenge piecing how all of the kids knew each other, but once I kept listening I was able to figure everything out and place everyone. 

I would highly recommend listening to this audio book when you have a lot of free time to concentrate.  It was a little challenging to follow along in the beginning and some of the side stories.  I would recommend having a very clear mind and have total focus while listening to this audio.

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About the Author

David Arnold lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his (lovely) wife and (boisterous) son. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland. Learn more at davidarnoldbooks.com and follow him on Twitter @roofbeam and Instagram @iamdavidarnold.

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