25 April 2015

Review #198: Every Last Promise by Kristin Halbrook



My rating: 3 of 5 stars




“If I maintain my silence about my secret it is my prisoner...if I let it slip from my tongue, I am ITS prisoner.”

----Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher




Kristin Halbrook, an American author, pens her new novel, Every Last Promise that centers around the dangers and consequences of harvesting a secret within oneself and how it completely changes one's life.






Synopsis:

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.



This book is quite similar to Courtney Summer's new book, All the Rage and this book too deals with similar teen issues. Having read Halbrook's debut book, Nobody But Us previously, I was not too eagerly looking forward to her latest book. And I believe this book is far better than her first book and Halbrook, as a writer, has evolved a lot since her style of writing and plot building is pretty nice and the way she have unfolded the story through her protagonist, kept me engaged.

The story is set in past and present times of Kayla, where we are swayed to-and-fro from the night of that "event" to the present day where Kayla faces the ghost of this past secret that she safe-guards in her heart. This event where her friend was sexually assaulted and Kayla witnessed that event made her change her life and character. But it was bit difficult to adjust with the alternating scenes and times, where once we get to see Kayla as someone weak and foolish and then again as someone who is strong and determined.

Anyhow the book didn't even strike me that much, since the issues that were dealt with in this book were not that polished. But from the characters to the plot, everything has been kept quite realistic by the author. Again a small town comes into play where the townsfolk almost make Kayla an outcast and how people depend and believe on meager gossips to pass their days.

The author addresses with the issues of how to stand up for oneself by layering it with a hint of little romance. And if you enjoy reading a slow paced book, then this will be your ideal read. Other than that, there are some great insights on the value of friendship that the author tried to depict through this book, which might interest you. In short, this book is an average one, I'd recommend for you guys to go for Courtney Summers book.

Verdict: Not something to die for, so you can skip this one!

Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publicist, for the review copy. 
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Author Info:
When I was little, I wanted to be a writer, the President of the USA or the first female NFL quarterback. Despite being able to throw a wicked spiral, I didn't really grow to the size needed for the NFL. Then, as I got older and studied more, I came to realize there were better ways to effect positive change than becoming president. The first one, however, stuck. Even when I was pursuing other dreams, I always took time to write here and there. NOBODY BUT US will be published by HarperChildren's in 2013.

When I'm not writing or reading (which is what I do all day, in all of my work), I'm spending time with pixies, my Mad Scot soulmate, and one grumpy cocker spaniel; traveling across oceans and time; cooking and baking up a storm and watching sunsets and waves crash on the beach. I currently live, love and explore in The Emerald City, though I occasionally make wispy, dream-like plans to move to New York, Paris or a Scottish castle one day (if just temporarily).

Visit her here


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