Feels Like Home by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo || Book Review

I don’t usually go for young adult books that aren’t mixed with another genre.

My favourite ones usually involve a dystopian world where everything seems to be going downhill. Sometimes even a romance twist does the trick. I don’t pick up books that are drama-orientated, and sometimes I do and they don’t turn out to be all that bad.

DISCLAIMER: This review could contain possible spoilers based on my opinions. All opinions and views are my own.

Book review: Feels Like Home by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo #bookreview #eecharltontrujillo #youngadultbooks #realisticfictionbooks #booktwt #bookaddict #booktwitter
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Originally published: 2007

Format: Paperback
Pages: 224

Plot from GoodReads:

Growing up in a dead-end South Texas town, Mickey had two things she could count on: her big brother, Danny—the football hero everyone loved—and a beat-up copy of The Outsiders. But after the accident—after Danny abandoned her to a town full of rumors and a drunken father—all Mickey had left was a smoky memory, her anger, and the resolution to get out of town for good.

But Danny is back—and he’s not the golden boy who left six years ago. He’s altogether a different person, and the life Mickey has worked so hard to rebuild seems to be falling apart. Danny’s anger is something Mickey just can’t forgive, and his best friend’s mysterious death six years ago keeps coming back to haunt the edges of her mind. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t remember what happened that night—and she’s starting to realize that remembering is the only way she can move on. She’ll have to face the brother who broke her heart, and that beat-up book that will never again feel like home.

Thoughts:

The story had a medium pace which dragged at some parts and sped up at others.

All the characters were layered with different personality traits and they seemed quite realistic. I did feel that the author was too careful around trying to make them seem neither good or bad, and it did cost some drama scores that could’ve been added without losing the essence of those characters.

It’s clear that family love is a complicated business and there are times where we can’t turn away from the pain caused and just as easily forget and move on with other lives. There are just way too many other emotions that interfere with that process to be realistic.

While it had a manageable pace, I really struggled to get into it and continue reading it. There were times I just couldn’t understand where the story was heading and why some things were made out to be complicated, which wasn’t necessary, and vice versa.