Book Description:
One city of 600,000 people.
One broken girl.
One mysterious boy.
One fateful night,
Two worlds collide.
Seattle, Washington. The sprawling, industrious city set in a blanket of pine. I have never known a day that wasn’t spent inside this concrete jungle. It’s my home, and for that I love it. But it’s also the setting for the tragedy called my life, and so I loathe it.
I live alone in a cold, empty studio apartment. The tiny square room closely resembles a cell. That’s my life: solitary confinement.
Here, in this desolate place that perfectly reflects my soul, my story begins
My thoughts:
I enjoyed the story line of Emerald City.
Olivia is broken emotionally and physically. She goes through the motions of life without living. She feels abandoned by everyone she loves. Her parents divorced when she was a young age because her father was living a double life. He had his wife and daughter, and on the side he had created a separate family. He chose to leave his wife and daughter for the other family.
Her mother lived to take care of her daughter. When Olivia was old enough to move out and move on with her life, her mother committed suicide. This left Olivia devastated and depressed. She slipped into her depression and pushed away everyone else.
One terrible night she takes a bottle of pills, she doesn't plan ahead of time, it is just a convenient way to stop hurting.
She wakes up in the hospital. She has been saved by a neighbor that she didn't know existed. His name is Jude and he becomes her life line to begin living again.
Jude is hiding a secret and Olivia recognizes it. The friendship between the two blossoms and develops into feelings of more. While Olivia is bothered by the secrets, she really needs him and begins to love him.
I found this story to be refreshing. It doesn't have the smut that often weighs down a story to me. It is written for a YA audience and I love that it is "safe" for teenagers to read. The only caution that I would offer is that Olivia suffers from depression. This is a very sensitive and hard subject for many people.
Thanks to Cedar Fort and Netgalley for providing the review copy. The publication date is April 10, 2012.
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Check out the author's links and Cedar Fort Publishing links.
