At a Glance
Author: Mary Cecilia Jackson
Published: March 17, 2020 by Tor Teen
Page: 320
Genre: YA
Goodreads Rating: 3.78 out of 5
My Rating: ★★★
Synopsis
My Thoughts
I’m conflicted on my review for this book. On one hand I feel that the plot line was fantastic and I love a story about a ballerina. On the other hand, the dialogue wasn’t my cup of tea. Even for a YA book the dialogue between characters got to me by the end, and I felt myself cringing at certain points.
The storyline itself is brilliant. Savannah Rose or Sparrow, is the top ballerina in her town. She pushes herself harder than anything but she also hides who she is, even from her friends. When she starts to date the most popular boy at school, trauma from her childhood starts to resurface. When she ends up in a coma, her recover will be determined by how she is able to handle her past and more forward.
I found Sparrow’s character to be extremely realistic and I liked the domestic violence that is portrayed at a teen level. I say that because I think we forget that teens are the most susceptible to toxic relationships, since they’re just learning how to share emotions and how to express them in healthy ways.
I loathed the second POV Lucas. I honestly would have enjoyed the story so much more without his parts. They take place at the same time as Sparrow’s POVs, so we basically get events from two sides, which could be nice. But instead Lucas ruins it with his teenage angsty and manchild ideals. I couldn’t stand his relationship with Sparrow and while he was no where near as bad as Tristian, he could be considered toxic to Sparrow as well, since he has this notion that he has say in her life.
Maybe I’m just getting to old and cranky to read YA, which is entirely possible, but I just could not handle the teenage antsy in this book. I did really enjoy the story line and the depth that came with it but I could have done with a single POV in this particular book.
If you like YA books or have a teen in need of a good contemporary fiction this book is for you. You can get it here!
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Sparrow. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge thanks to netgallery & Tor Teen for my copy!
About the Author
Mary Cecilia Jackson has worked as a middle school teacher, an adjunct instructor of college freshmen, a technical writer and editor, a speechwriter, a museum docent, and a development officer for central Virginia’s PBS and NPR stations. Her first novel, Sparrow, was an honor recipient of the SCBWI Sue Alexander Award and a young-adult finalist in the Writers’ League of Texas manuscript contest. She lives with her architect husband, William, in Western North Carolina and Hawaii, where they have a farm and five ridiculously adorable goats.
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