In the Middle of Nowhere by Julie Knudsen Book Review

Blurb from the book:


A TEENAGE GIRL. A BROKEN HEART. AND A BOY WHO TRIES TO MEND IT.

Butterflies. Little, fluttering butterflies. That’s what fifteen-year-old Willow Flynn feels in the pit of her stomach every time the mysterious boy is near. But Willow has other things to contend with as she deals with the tragic loss of her father, as well as her emotionally preoccupied mother, while being uprooted to a new house, a new school, a new life, far away, on an island, in the middle of nowhere.

At the beginning of the school year, the sickly, but cute Michael sends Willow the first of many cryptic notes during homeroom. He stares at Willow and gives her the creeps. Michael never returns to school after that, but Willow ends up connecting with the poetic boy on-line where they strike up an unusual friendship.

As Willow attempts to fit in and find her niche in the ever-cliquey high school world, she is further confused by Michael who strives to win her over and mend her broken heart. But will he be able to, especially when his own existence remains so uncertain?


My Review:

This is a coming of age novel. The main character, Willow, feels alone and out of place on a tiny island her family has moved to.  I could really feel for Willow and how she felt out of place in a new town without her old friends. The author did a good job of describing how she felt moving away from the only place she ever knew. When she meets Michael, it is very brief.  When they later began to talk and develop a relationship, I felt that there was no real basis for the depth of emotions they felt when they barely knew each other.   The author really missed the boat when it came to developing their relationship and Michael as a character.  To me,  Michael was secondary in Willow's story and Willow trying to fit in, was the real basis of the novel.  The author did a great job of showing how important choosing your friends can be and how you can end up in bad situations when you make poor choices.   Two and a half stars, it was just okay for me.

You can pick up this book via Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Happy Reading!!!

Source:  Author for review