Saving Francesca Review

Author: Melina Marchetta

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Coming of Age

Rating: 5 stars

"Left alone with a dial tone....excuse me, operator, why is no one listening?"

I reinvented my blog last night to suite my tastes and personality. With the layout to my pleasing, it seemed necessary to refresh my content to project my personality and who I am. My blog can not fully represent me without having Saving Francesca somewhere. Reading is a huge part of my life but at times it does become monotonous and uninspiring and this summer I NEEDED a novel to PUSH me. Saving Francesca did just that and after months from my reading, I am still musing over it. 

"I was born seventeen years ago," I tell him. "Do you think people have noticed that I'm around?"

"I notice when you're not. Does that count?"

People may read this novel and come back and say "Diana, nothing much really happened..." and I will tell them "you missed the point". Saving Francesca is not a novel involving a vast physical plot or action; it is pretty stagnant in that department. And yet, I loved it as much as I loved Heir of Fire or the Grisha Series. Why am I praising this novel so much? It is because it does something MAGICAL by touching everyone. It takes a small middle class family and projects our needs, wants and fear in life. Saving Francesca is characteristically normal and common and because of this, Melina Marchetta creates a universal work. Saving Francesca is truly a story about enduring life; it is a journey to self-discovery and acceptance. It is a shout to society saying "NO, this is ME, I am who I am, and I love myself for that". 

“It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul and Justine's spirit and Siobhan's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this disease that could be sleeping inside of me.” 

Francesca wakes up one morning going from a world of music, of life, to a world of silence. She wakes up to this stillness that makes someone's heart stop. Her energetic and charismatic mother does not get up. This once vicarious and lively woman is bedridden from a sickness that leaves a ghost of herself. Without Francesca's mother telling her who to be, she is lost, confused and in a state of turmoil. The big question is who is Francesca? Who is she truly, away from society's expectations?

I want to go around the neighbourhood saying, “We’re depressed.” If my mum can’t get out of bed in the morning, all of us feel the same. Her silence has become ours, and it’s eating us alive.

Her journey of self discovery begins in a reformed all boys school, St. Sebastian. Here, Francesca stumbles upon her misfit group of friends that makes her come to terms with the person she became. Her home situation slowly deteriorates as depression takes hold of her mother. Francesca is forced to accept her mothers depression and the facade she has been living under. Once the lies have been revealed, it becomes difficult to hide under the facade of a perfect family. The ultimate fall out is ugly, brutal, raw and shockingly beautiful. 

Just ask how I'm feeling, I want to say. Just ask and I may tell you.... No one does.

Melina Marchetta creates a true and authentic depiction of the effect of an illness upon a family. Not only that, she shows how everything can change from a single moment.The novel is soft spoken and delivers a clear message through Francesca's narration. She is funny, sarcastic, intelligent and critical of the life around her. It is refreshing yet poignant. There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about the day to day struggles and what it makes of a person. 

I want to be an adjective again. But I'm a noun. A nothing. A nobody. A no one.

Melina Marchetta crafts a work that is vital and universal to any demographic. By the end, you begin to appreciate the beauty and struggle around you because it means YOU are LIVING.

Tara Finke nudges me. "Fascism at its best here. They train them young."

Find this novel on Amazon and Goodreads !

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Black Lies Review

Author: Alessandra Torre

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Dark

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Alessandra Torre once again surprises everyone with a dynamic and complex story of love, devotion and decisions. This summer, Hollywood Dirt was released and to be brutally honest, it didn't live up to my expectations from such a authentic author! This right here, reading Black Ties, restored my faith in Alessandra Torre. She has an epic craft of creating the most original and entertaining love stories out there. It is an ingenious craft. 

The synopsis remains intentionally vague and indistinct. For this reason, my review will take on the same theme. I beg anyone planning to read this to go into to blind. Having a blank slate makes the reading experience so much more vibrant and enjoyable. It is like going to a horror movie and knowing what will happen; it takes off the edge factor.... You REALLY don't want to lose the edge factor with this novel. 

“You been hurt?” 

“Not yet.” 

He stared at me so steadily, an odd emphasis placed on the words, as if he was giving his heart to me with both hands, certain that it would lead to his demise.

At the age of 29, Layanna is placed at the pinnacle of her life, she loves two men wholeheartedly. Now some people would justifiably say that is not a good enough excuse for "stringing" along two men. However,  Alessandra Torre takes us into this world of greyness, a world where everything isn't as seems. One has to maintain their wit in the hopes of not being too disillusioned. More than being a good read, the novel is a real life game between reality and abstraction. 

“Yeah. I couldn’t even tell you where I’ve been. Everything…” he grew quiet. “Everything fades unless I’m with you.” It should have been a compliment. Instead, it felt more like a prison sentence. A statement of fact. 

I didn’t respond.

The characters were all so complex and evolutionary. The development is phenomenal and really bring together the ending (can we call it an ending with that prologue though? who knows...). They were all so distinct, flawed and human. Torre personified human ambitions and faults through her characters, adding substance and complexity to Black Lies. 

“Why’d you leave with me?” Open curiosity in his eyes. Like any woman needed to explain running off with a billionaire. “I figured you should have one night you didn’t have to pay for.” 

His eyes smiled. “I like paying.”

 I was honestly enamoured throughout Black Lies. It pulls you into the core and everything else around ceases to be real. I was hypnotised and spellbound. I really recommend this novel for anyone who loves romance and is willing to have your mind challenged, if not, misled. 

“I loved you. I still love you. Even when I hate you, I love you. I always will. I’m not a smart man, but I know that."

Find this gem on Goodreads or Amazon!

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Before We Were Strangers Review

Author: Renée Carlino
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars

We both cried together, surrendering to the reality that we had to accept. 

I have been so scared of reviewing Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino for some particular reason. Maybe it's the fact that it affected me so much that every time I think about the novel, I want to burst into tears. This is not a normal reaction. It is also not a rational or explainable reaction. It is what it is. And Before We Were Strangers is definitely brilliant.

Friends forever might have been a tired expression, but when he asked, it was like music or poetry. I knew it meant something else. I knew it meant I need you in my life.

Matt and Grace met in NYU at what was arguably the best time of their lives. They were both artists with strong pasts. They became fast friends, creating such a unique and poignant bond that almost nothing could tarnish it. Both leaned on each other and complemented each other on a physical, emotional and psychological level. This is hard to achieve. It is even harder to create such a distinct and raw relationship in a novel; Renée Carlino achieved it all. 

Three seconds doesn’t seem like a long time, but when you’re gazing into someone’s eyes, it’s long enough to make a silent promise.

The operative word used previously was "almost" when stating that few things could have endangered Matt and Grace's relationship. There were a few instances where their relationship was tested and pulled. What I loved most about this story was the authenticity and rawness in the conflicts. It felt so authentic, mimicking real life and its struggles. This makes the reader relate to the issues presented. It makes you care. It makes you feel. It makes you think and question your own life. While reading, thoughts popped up like; I am truly happy? I am living to my most potential? When I look at myself, am I the person I wanted to be? These are simple thoughts but the fact that someone else story could make me question my own was a bit unnerving. 

Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.

A truly great novel doesn't need flash, glitter or a production. It just needs to break the barrier between the reader and touch the heart. Great novels makes you feel. I state this a lot in my reviews, but its the truth. Feeling reminds us we are human, we are vulnerable and susceptible to the world. Before We Were Strangers felt like drinking wine after a long day. The writing was poetic and basically flowed across the page,as if a song and dance was going on.  The plot remains haunting beautiful, tragic and so so raw. It was gut wrenching and somber. The characters.... were not characters in the manner where you know they are fictional. Before We Were Strangers felt like a glimpse into the genuine lives of two individuals and the world around them.

I became acutely aware of everyone around me carrying on, living life. I was static, standing on the platform, watching train after train go by, wishing I knew which one to be on.

Matt and Grace fought fate and ended up together at the end. The fact that they conquered all odds is heart warming. I really, really enjoyed this novel. It just made me wonder and hope... 

She was perfect . . . poetry in motion—the evidence of a life burning well and bright.

Find this novel on Goodreads and Amazon! 
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