Hello Everyone :)
I hope you're all doing well.
If you've been reading my blog the last few months, then you've probably noticed that I've been talking about Amy Clipston's books a lot. I've really fallen in love with her beautiful stories this year, and I've literally inhaled every one I've picked up.
However, I'd only read her Amish stories, and when I discovered that she wrote a young adult contemporary series, I knew I wanted to give it a try.
Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston:
Source: Church Library
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2011
Genre: Inspirational Fiction/Young Adult Fiction/Contemporary
Series: Roadside Assistance
Synopsis:
A very bumpy ride.
Emily Curtis is used to dealing with her problems while under the hood of an old Chevy, but when her mom dies, Emily's world seems shaken beyond repair. Driven from home by hospital bills they can't pay, Emily and her dad move in with his wealthy sister, who intends to make her niece more feminine---in other words, just like Whitney, Emily's perfect cousin. But when Emily hears the engine of a 1970 Dodge Challenger, and sees the cute gearhead, Zander, next door, things seem to be looking up.
But even working alongside Zander can't completely fix the hole in Emily's life. Ever since her mom died, Emily hasn't been able to pray, and no one---not even Zander---seems to understand. But sometimes the help you need can come from the person you least expect.
*****synopsis from goodreads*****
My Review:
One of the many reasons I've come to love Amy Clipston's novels so much is the way she's able to write such heart achingly realistic portrayals of grief. In Roadside Assistance, Emily Curtis has recently lost her mother to cancer; and on top of trying to deal with her grief, she's seeing her whole life fall apart. The medical bills mounted, and in the aftermath, Emily and her dad have lost everything. Their home, their business (an auto body shop), and the car that her dad had recently helped her purchase for her to restore. With no other options, they're forced to move in with Emily's aunt and uncle and cousins, and Emily feels like a fish out of water in this new life she's forced into living. Her grief has caused her to turn from God and her faith, and the only things keeping her going are her new friend Zander, and working on cars in his garage. However, even Zander seems to not understand where her heart is at when it comes to her relationship with her Heavenly Father, and Emily is struggling to let anyone in when it feels like no one could possibly understand.
Roadside Assistance is a reminder that God is always there, even in the worst of times, and this novel will resonate with anyone out there who's experienced a loss of a loved one, whether they're in the target young adult audience or not. Amy Clipston does a beautiful job of highlighting the importance of faith, family and friends on the journey of overcoming grief, and I really appreciated that the faith element played such an integral part to the story. I loved how Emily's journey back to her faith finds her reevaluating the negative way she's stereotyped so many of her friends and family, especially Whitney, as it was frustrating to read about how she kept shutting her down over and over again when you could tell how much she truly cared about her cousin and the things she was going through.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a clean, young adult romance that isn't afraid to tackle important issues like grief, and I was a big fan of the adorable romance that develops between Emily and Zander, and the way that Amy Clipston made it refreshing and interesting while keeping it completely clean.
Unfortunately though, I'd have to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I've enjoyed the other books I've read by Amy Clipston, and that was mainly because I had a hard time connecting with Emily's character. While I could definitely sympathize with what she was going through, I didn't approve of her most of actions or attitude throughout the story, especially in regard to her cousin Whitney, and it started to grate on my nerves a little bit after it happening over and over again.
Overall, it's still a really good read, and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the rest of the series, it just isn't my favorite of Amy Clipston's books, and I'd recommend her other series over this one personally.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me and all rights to the respective owners.
I hope you're all doing well.
If you've been reading my blog the last few months, then you've probably noticed that I've been talking about Amy Clipston's books a lot. I've really fallen in love with her beautiful stories this year, and I've literally inhaled every one I've picked up.
However, I'd only read her Amish stories, and when I discovered that she wrote a young adult contemporary series, I knew I wanted to give it a try.
Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston:
Source: Church Library
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2011
Genre: Inspirational Fiction/Young Adult Fiction/Contemporary
Series: Roadside Assistance
Synopsis:
A very bumpy ride.
Emily Curtis is used to dealing with her problems while under the hood of an old Chevy, but when her mom dies, Emily's world seems shaken beyond repair. Driven from home by hospital bills they can't pay, Emily and her dad move in with his wealthy sister, who intends to make her niece more feminine---in other words, just like Whitney, Emily's perfect cousin. But when Emily hears the engine of a 1970 Dodge Challenger, and sees the cute gearhead, Zander, next door, things seem to be looking up.
But even working alongside Zander can't completely fix the hole in Emily's life. Ever since her mom died, Emily hasn't been able to pray, and no one---not even Zander---seems to understand. But sometimes the help you need can come from the person you least expect.
*****synopsis from goodreads*****
My Review:
One of the many reasons I've come to love Amy Clipston's novels so much is the way she's able to write such heart achingly realistic portrayals of grief. In Roadside Assistance, Emily Curtis has recently lost her mother to cancer; and on top of trying to deal with her grief, she's seeing her whole life fall apart. The medical bills mounted, and in the aftermath, Emily and her dad have lost everything. Their home, their business (an auto body shop), and the car that her dad had recently helped her purchase for her to restore. With no other options, they're forced to move in with Emily's aunt and uncle and cousins, and Emily feels like a fish out of water in this new life she's forced into living. Her grief has caused her to turn from God and her faith, and the only things keeping her going are her new friend Zander, and working on cars in his garage. However, even Zander seems to not understand where her heart is at when it comes to her relationship with her Heavenly Father, and Emily is struggling to let anyone in when it feels like no one could possibly understand.
Roadside Assistance is a reminder that God is always there, even in the worst of times, and this novel will resonate with anyone out there who's experienced a loss of a loved one, whether they're in the target young adult audience or not. Amy Clipston does a beautiful job of highlighting the importance of faith, family and friends on the journey of overcoming grief, and I really appreciated that the faith element played such an integral part to the story. I loved how Emily's journey back to her faith finds her reevaluating the negative way she's stereotyped so many of her friends and family, especially Whitney, as it was frustrating to read about how she kept shutting her down over and over again when you could tell how much she truly cared about her cousin and the things she was going through.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a clean, young adult romance that isn't afraid to tackle important issues like grief, and I was a big fan of the adorable romance that develops between Emily and Zander, and the way that Amy Clipston made it refreshing and interesting while keeping it completely clean.
Unfortunately though, I'd have to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I've enjoyed the other books I've read by Amy Clipston, and that was mainly because I had a hard time connecting with Emily's character. While I could definitely sympathize with what she was going through, I didn't approve of her most of actions or attitude throughout the story, especially in regard to her cousin Whitney, and it started to grate on my nerves a little bit after it happening over and over again.
Overall, it's still a really good read, and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the rest of the series, it just isn't my favorite of Amy Clipston's books, and I'd recommend her other series over this one personally.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me and all rights to the respective owners.
Comments
Post a Comment