Stealing Harper

This is going to be a hard one to read. Not sure if my heart can deal with it!

SLIGHTLY SPOILY REVIEW OF STEALING HARPER BY MOLLY MCADAMS

This is a companion novella to the full-length novel Taking Chances.

Oh, my twisted up, aching heart. Chase…

Yet again, Molly, you have crushed my heart in your hand, wrung it out, and stuffed it back into my chest with this continuation of chase's story.  

I knew this would be a tough read; I was fully prepared for that. What I was not prepared for, however, was how this made me love Chase even more, even over Brandon. Oh, Chase... The tattoo. You slay me.

Chase broke my heart over and over throughout this novella. He was so desperate for Harper to love him the way he loved her. 

""Why not Brandon?"

I snorted. Because I'm right freaking here wanting nothing more than to love you forever."

"I'd change everything from here on out. I needed her."

"I knew Brian was right. I was in love with her. I wanted her in my arms forever, I wanted to take care of her when she was sick, hold her when she was upset, and kiss her senseless during the happy times."

Sigh. Swoon. Above are three of the many quotes that had me melting into a puddle while I was reading. 

Chase's possessiveness was not even a turn off to me ("Why can't you just leave him alone?" "Because he's with my entire world."). In fact, it was more endearing to me than anything. It was hard for me to find fault with him at all, really. He was simply a boy in love who would do anything to get his girl. 

By the end, I was literally boohoo-ing on my couch. Knowing what would happen did not make it any easier for me to read the second time around. 

I do have to ask: What if Chase had his phone on him? Would everything have happened the way it happened? Would he have called Harper? Would he have avoided the inevitable, or would Harper just have been there to hear it? I almost want to see an alternate reality of this whole story, right from halfway through the last chapter. I would pay good money to read that story as well. 

I am grateful to Molly McAdams for writing Chase's POV. I think it was needed to tie up the loose ends of  Taking Chances. 

BROADER TOPIC:

The underlying disconnect I have with many of the stories I have recently been reading, including this one, is lack of communication between characters. By no means is this a flaw of any author, though. It's simply a frustration that I get after reading a character's inner dialogue, and the one thing I would ask them about if I were a character in the story. Over and over, I have asked, out loud, why don't they just tell the person what they're feeling?  So many problems and misunderstandings would be remedied with a three minute conversation. For example, Chase would have gotten the girl right from the start, or at least had a better chance at her. 

Of course, I realize that from an author's standpoint, the above is not conducive to anything more than a short story, so please take that soapbox with a grain of salt. 

Five stars, Molly. Five stars and you've wounded me yet again. Thank you for sharing Chase's story.

This review was posted to <a href="http://phantompiccolo.blogspot.com/">Soulless Gingers Do Read!</a>.

Unlovable (Jane Doe by choice)

Unlovable is a heartbreaking story about a young girl named Jessica. In middle school, Jessica knows she's too young for many things. When she meets Eric, they immediately hit off and become boyfriend and girlfriend rather rapidly.

Over a relatively short amount of time, Eric shows his inherent possessiveness and jealousy of just about anything Jessica does. Even attending her grandmother's birthday party becomes a Defcon 5 blowup on his part. She "doesn't love him" if she doesn't drop it all and pay sole attention to him.

Things digress to the point where Jessica has to abandon everything she has ever done, everyone she has been close to, in her life before Eric. If she doesn't answer her phone, she's cheating on him; if she touches another boy, she's a slut; and his defining characteristic: if she doesn't sleep with him, she doesn't love him.

Eventually, all of these aspects collide violently, leaving Jessica feeling abandoned, completely alone and unable to ask for help.

And a side note on my part: where in the **** is her mother during all of this?! If she had taken even half the amount of interest a normal parent takes, she would have seen even the smallest sign of trouble her daughter was in. It makes me feel awful that this child, now an adult, was never able to tell anyone about her ordeal and has suffered her entire life. The one person she did tell was too young to be able to advise her properly and gave her bad information.

People, pay attention to your children! Yes, you do see clearer in hindsight, but you're not blind before then! Ask the questions, and pry if you have to. Would you rather have a child mad at you for interfering or a child who is subject to abuse?

I have been going back and forth as to who I would recommend this book to: parents, children or both? I still don't know, but the point is that the conversation needs to take place in the family. Whether the parent makes their child read a book like this or attend a class or just plain talk it out, get the point across and protect and empower your kids!

Five Goodreads stars for making me really think it out.

Unlovable can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Unlovable-ebook/dp/B006BIRN32/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357687095&sr=1-2&keywords=unlovable