<>

Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Review - Lexi's Pathetic Fictional Love Life by Jo Noelle


My eyes search for Hayden. He’s lying on the ground, in the same position as he fell. I kneel beside him, crying. My heart hammers against my chest, trying to beat for both of us."
"When love is not madness, it is not love. "


REVIEW:

What attracted me first to this book was the title. The reason? The word “pathetic”. This is because in contemporary language is used almost exclusively in the negative sense, pejorative meaning piteous, useless. The "positive" meaning that indicates a passion, a strong emotion, pathos that causes tenderness is forgotten almost entirely (see Beethoven's Sonata Pathethique). I was delighted to discover that Lexi’s life is not miserable, even if sometimes even she thinks that, but one full of passion.

I read the book with great pleasure, enjoying myself with not one but two sweet stories. The two stories entwine, support and complement each other. The "fictitious" characters overlap with the "real" ones and the events that occur in the course of a story will affect the other. Probably the strained advices will help those young people who want to try their own quill.

The characters, though most commonly found in a YA romance, have substance, are varied and enjoyable and play very well the role that authors have been granted to them. They manage to not give the reader the impression of clichés. It may be worth mentioning that one of the male characters ties the score for “good boys” in their match against the “bad boys”

Albeit there is no real "love drama", there are conflicts, attractions, disappointment and hurt or unsuspected feelings, which together create an excellent guide for those at the school age and first love experiences, but also for those who considered themselves already worn-in in “heart affairs”.

Humor is present, the sincerity towards herself and the way in which Lexi sees and examines her life contributes to the pleasure that I felt while reading the book. Occasionally the naivety manifests, but it is felt naturally, without contradicting the course of events or the character, preventing her to see the forest behind the trees and creating new problems.

As I am a reader who passed the YA age, I read the book with pleasure and I will certainly give it to my daughter. To you, I can only recommend it. Enjoy!
About the authors:

Jo Noelle grew up in Colorado and Utah but also spent time in Idaho and California. She has two adult children and three small kids. She teaches teachers and students about reading and writing, grows freakishly large tomatoes, enjoys cooking especially for desserts, builds furniture, sews beautiful dresses, and likes to go hiking in the nearby mountains. Oh, and by the way, she’s two people - Canda Mortensen and Deanna Henderson, a mother/daughter writing team.

They began writing separately several years ago but found the process much more fun when they started collaborating. They are debut authors, with Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life as their first completed work. Other titles include Newbie and Damnation.

Deanna attended college before marrying and starting her family.

Canda received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a Reading Specialist endorsement, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Her day job focuses on teaching teachers and children about literacy.
Authors' Giveaway
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This sounds like an AWESOME book And I like the title a LOT too.
GREAT review, dear
Your reader,
Soma R.
http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing the news about Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life. When we wrote the book, we envisioned our readers to be 13-16 year old girls, though we know that many others may pick up the book too. We're both YA readers and are a bit over that age :) We hope you and your followers enjoy Lexi’s story.