4.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
217 pages
YA Contemporary
Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I think I may have mentioned one or two times that I love Elizabeth Scott's writing. While I do have my favorite books of hers, I appreciate that she tries different stories, mixing the light and the dark to always create something interesting.
I could tell this was going to be one of the darker stories just from the cover. And this was confirmed upon opening the book and realizing that main character Megan is the only survivor of a plane crash after being reported dead. Her parents are so grateful and she is promptly branded a miracle. Meanwhile all she wants is for things to go back to normal.
Her soccer coach, her teachers, people at school treat her like glass, allowing her to skip assignments, classes, and other commitments in order to get used to her regular life. Her parents continue to call her a miracle, giving excuses and allowing her to get away with anything. Her younger brother loathes her since previously he was the miracle able to get away with anything but no more since Megan's experience. The only people who treat her normally are Margaret, her oddball neighbor, and Joe, the loner boy from next-door who have their own experiences with grief. These relationships help Megan on her search to feel normal again.
This is definitely a novel for those who like excellent descriptive writing because that is the main thing you'll get. Megan is suffering from PTSD and is emotionally unresponsive-I felt deeply for her but I didn't have a real connection to her. The reader can't really because Megan is in no position for that. It is also quite a sad novel as we explore Megan, Margaret, and Joe's grief in painful detail. Their stories individually are very sad but combined together, it makes for a very intense emotional experience. While this is not a long book, it will impact for you a long time so make sure you don't read this in a hurry.
Miracle was released today-hopefully your pre-order will arrive promptly :) Mine is scheduled to arrive later today!
I think you might have mentioned your love for Elizabeth Scott a few times too LOL x) But every time you do, it makes me want to read this book even more! I just love darker stories like this, and even though I haven't read very many ES books before, one of my favourite things is how she always puts such real issues (like PTSD) with her sweet romances. I'm glad that this book does the same! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful review, B! I couldn't think of a more deserving Liz Scott fan to get this book ;) <3