Author: Kristin Halbrook
Genre: Young Adult
Publication: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: April 21 2015
Pages: 288
Spoilers: Nooooo!
Special: YABC Staff Review (e-ARC)
I am SOOO happy with this review! I want to thank Young Adult Books Central for giving me the opportunity to review for them and I want to thank HarperCollins Publishers for the e-ARC. I massively enjoyed reading this e-book on my brand new e-reader! This review is published on YABC. Just click on the link above (“Special: ….”).
Every Last Promise is an aching story about the young Kayla. She has witnessed something horrible in spring, and now has to live with the consequences in fall.
“Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman, Every Last Promise is a provocative and emotional novel about a girl who must decide between keeping quiet and speaking up after witnessing a classmate’s sexual assault.
Kayla saw something at the party that she wasn’t supposed to. But she hasn’t told anyone. No one knows the real story about what happened that night—about why Kayla was driving the car that ran into a ditch after the party, about what she saw in the hours leading up to the accident, and about the promise she made to her friend Bean before she left for the summer.
Now Kayla’s coming home for her senior year. If Kayla keeps quiet, she might be able to get her old life back. If she tells the truth, she risks losing everything—and everyone—she ever cared about.” [goodreads]
The story is parted into two different stories. One is the story of Kayla in spring, the past. The other one is the story of Kayla in fall, the present. These two different stories are something to get used to, but once you learn to understand that Kayla is different in spring and fall, you will love the book. As a reader you will experience what effect the live changing events have on Kayla. She feels alone and guilty, something Kristin Halbrook knows to describe wonderfully. Her character grows during the story. Kayla is struggling with problems that young adults relate to.
The story is build up perfectly. The past is slowly unfolding, while in the present, Kayla is having more and more troubles with covering up her past. The emotions she’s experiencing feel real. The words Kristin uses to describe Kayla’s state of mind make her feel even more real.
Personally, I love the fact that the story is taking place in a small town. It has small town problems and small town people talking and gossiping about small town things. The ambience feels all too real. I could almost feel the rain falling down from the sky or feel the burning sun on my skin. I think the way Kristin described the environment was amazing. This is something that makes the story more interesting, more readable and more believable.
I do think that the story lacks a little bit of action. Of course, the action happened in the past, but I think that those scenes could’ve been more elaborated. However, readers who love a slowly unfolding story, will absolutely love this book.
My final verdict? Positive! This book is romantic, sweet, heartbreaking and now and then exciting. The mysterious part of the book leaves you craving for more after every chapter. You will want to read this book until the very last page.
Rating: 4/5
