Publication Date: 10/01/2011
Publisher: Barbour Books
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Source: netGalley
Goodreads Summary:
Join conflicted sixteen-year-old Olivia Mansfield on her journey to hope and healing as she leaves her messed-up life behind and moves into Diamond Estates, a home for troubled teens. This brand-new novel for teen girls will not only entertain, but also promises to capture your heart and challenge your faith.
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Olivia Mansfield is an amazing character with a lot of depth and individuality. She is broken in her own way and looking for peace and hope. She wants to heal, but the way she decided to heal wasn't so much healing as self-destruction.
Olivia is sexually abused by her stepfather. Her mother won't admit it. Olivia witnessed the death of her father in a horrible car accident, but doesn't want to talk about it. Olivia witnesses the death of her friend in another horrible car accident which she feels she could have prevented. This is the final straw. It is this event in her life that makes her decide to leave her family behind and move to Diamond Estates in search of God, hope, and a place to finally heal.
It takes Olivia quite some time to realize that there is another way to heal besides turning to drugs and drinking, but eventually she finds her way. Diamond Estates isn't a "cure all", but rather a place that puts restrictions on her life to help her develop the proper way to live. Diamond Estates is a place where Olivia can find herself while also finding God. The end of this novel was heart-pounding. I just wanted to find out what was going to happen and I couldn't put it down until I did.
The summary of this book is what drew me to it. It sounded like a different type of novel that may be interesting. I was definitely right by choosing this book! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read it. The Wishing Pearl shows the true struggles of a teen who has been put through a lot of tough times in her 16 short years of life. She has seen more than some people have, but at Diamond Estates she also realizes how much worse life could have been. The writing of this novel is amazing and I felt as though I could connect with Olivia and what she was going through. I wanted to reach out and give this poor girl a hug! She has so much life and energy, but was pouring it into all the wrong places. If you enjoy books that discuss tough, but real topics...I seriously suggest picking up this amazing novel!
2 comments:
Thank you so much for the awesome review! It was so nice to read! You really "got" Olivia--love that.
I loved this book! I really couldn't say enough good things about it. I'm glad you enjoyed the review! :)
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