Knee Deep by Jolene B. PerryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review for this Blog Tour
Genre: Contemporary YA
Book Description: Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.
Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.
Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.
My thoughts: Ronnie is in love. She has loved Shawn since they were kids. She feels that she will always love him and be with him. Through thick and thin, she loves him that much.
Shawn is undergoing some changes. His life is stressful and his parents are having marital problems. He becomes moody and starts to physically abuse Ronnie.
While Ronnie is dealing with the abuse and her feelings for Shawn, her best friend, Luke, tells her that he loves her. She begins to realize that she has feelings for them both. Torn between her feelings she isn't sure which way to turn.
Ronnie is bright and very likable. This book illustrates that abuse can't be categorized as something that happens to someone else. Even smart, popular, etc. people can fall into the trap of becoming the victim. I love that she is taught that as a teen it's too early to say forever, because it is the time to learn and grow. To find out what you want in life and what is important to you.
This book deals with some very tough issues: abuse, control,obsession, and near rape. It is very poignant and written well.
I would suggest this book to older YA readers, because of the content. There is also the 'f' bomb dropped a few times.
About Jolene: Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.
She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.
Where can you purchase a copy?
Amazon Kindle~ $2.99 Knee Deep
B&N Nook ~ $4.95
Smashwords ~ $4.99
Google ~ $3.79
PDF ~ $4.95
Where can you find Jolene?
Lisa, thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to realize that abuse and hard stuff doesn't always happen to someone else.
ReplyDeleteThanks for review. Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog