Torn by Stephanie Guerra
| Torn by Stephanie Guerra | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Robert James
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| Summary: Strong debut novel focusing on the new friendship between two very different teens. Intense in places but always gripping. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 144 | Date: April 2012 |
| Publisher: Marshall Cavendish | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780761462729 | |
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Stella Chavez is a fairly ordinary girl until she meets Ruby Caroline. She gets pretty good grades, has friends she's grown up with, and is a soccer star. New girl Ruby, on the other hand, is trouble with a capital T, right from the moment she storms into her first class wearing a band-aid of a skirt and swearing like a trooper. There's something about Ruby, though, that draws Stella to her, and the pair quickly become inseparable. But as Ruby's behaviour gets more and more erratic, and she's drawn into bad habits and an unsuitable relationship, can Stella save her friend - or will she get dragged down with her?
This is a fairly short but seriously intense read, with a couple of extremely strong scenes which are amongst the most gruelling I've ever read in a YA novel. It also benefits from some absolutely superb characters. Narrator Stella is wonderful - a realistically mixed-up 17 year old, struggling with the pressures of school, applying to college, a new boyfriend, an absent father and a beguiling new friend in Ruby. Ruby herself is just as good - far from being a stereotypical screwed up teenager, she's well-rounded, her relationship with her mother is particularly interesting, and I love the way she bonds with Stella's family. Speaking of Stella's family, I also developed a huge soft spot for both her hard-working mother and her younger sister Jackie. Every character, though, was very realistic - as was the novel as a whole - and as a modern coming-of-age story this ranks up there with the best of them.
Guerra's writing style is really readable and it's a fast-paced book which had me completely gripped. If I'm being hyper-critical the ending seems a little bit rushed (although I was partly sore because I didn't really want it to end at all!) - but it is very, very good and as a debut novel shows an incredible amount of promise for Stephanie Guerra. Oh, one brief warning - while I'm convinced teens will absolutely devour this, their parents may want to steer well clear unless they want some sleepless nights!
Extremely strong recommendation, I can't wait to get my hands on Guerra's next book!
My favourite teen novel of the year so far, Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt also deals with some tough issues and is a wonderful read.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Torn by Stephanie Guerra at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
This review was kindly given to us by the ever-generous Ya Yeah Yeah.
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