Skip to main content

TBR Challenge #4 - Being Amani by Anabelle Steele


SYNOPSIS

It's been over a year since that night and Amani hopes that starting all over again will help her move on from the past. So, when she moves to a new city, Amani wants to focus on her new life, her best friends and the boy she's been crushing on but everything is falling apart and Amani finds herself looking for happiness in all the wrong places. Can Amani confront the ghosts of her pasts so she can become the girl she's always wanted to be?

REVIEW  

For Amani, it is more than clear has been through an awful lot when we are first introduced to her and her story. It is apparent very early on that she wants to break free of the chains that have haunted her past and want to look forward to a new and exciting future. But things aren't as easy as they seem and sometimes you need to accept what has happened and to take help from those who want to support you before running again.

As she is a teenager still, her outlook on life does not always present the best idea of how to cope with the scars that she has been left with and there is more than one occasion where you cannot help feeling a little annoyed about her choices.

But she is a human girl who wants more than anything to protect her mother.

Despite exposing readers to adult themes, I felt a lot more could have been done. It felt like half the plot was about how much Amani wanted to be around boys and not really caring about very much else. This did not help with her "best friend" who seemed to be absent over some argument that I can't really remember them having.

As much as I wanted to love this book it did fall flat on my expectations. It is one of those books that you expect a lot from but doesn't deliver on the plot.

RATING: ** (TWO STARS)

BUY LINKS



 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Snow Song by Sally Gardner

Synopsis : 'Women imprisoned by superstition, chained by guilt. Perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests is a village, rife with secrets. Cut off from the outside world it is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all. Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her. As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this enchantment that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.'

Frankie and the Gift of Fantasy by Ruthy Ballard

I have always been captivated by the thought that there could be something beyond this world, yet connected by our very own. 'Frankie and the Gift of Fantasy' is set in the age range of being a children's book which is meant to help children think, evaluate and learn, not only about what is beyond our own world, but what happens on Earth today.  Frankie can be considered somewhat of a dreamer like any normal kid with some amount of creativity should be. The only problem is that when he needs to be practical according to his parents, his mind is instead, is up in the clouds. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, not when he is transported through a crack in the wall to a place called 'Urth'. The writing can be seen as very colloquial, to the point that it feels as though not only are they omniscient of Frankie and the events that will take place, but it feels like they are reeling the events to only the reader. Almost like they are talking about the story in the s...

Just the Two of Us (Book 1) by Ryu Hyang

  SYNOPSIS 'Soohyuk: a paediatric emergency medicine specialist. A man who never eats something someone else gives him.  Soohyuk, the tyrant who rules S University Hospital's paediatric emergency room. He only cares about treating sick children, whether or not that gets in the way of advancing his career. He, a grouch to everyone aside from the patients, suddenly starts noticing a woman: the woman who feeds him. Yuna: a chef who makes boxed lunches. A woman who panics and collapses whenever she meets a man, due to trauma from her past. Wanting to do what she likes rather than going off to college, Yuna opens up her own business that specialises in boxed lunches. A Tasty Meal. She gets scared when one day she sees the tall Soohyuk standing outside her restaurant, but she soon learns he is only drawn to the delicious smell. And, somehow, she comes to be in charge of his everyday meals. When Soohyuk meets Yuna, a confident, surefooted woman who gets startled and scared when he co...

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

For something new this year I have decided that it would be different to try out something new on the blog. Every week from now on I am going to find a word that I find to be interesting. So for this week the word is: denouement - the resolution of a mystery. Publisher: Corgi Books Pages: 593 Year it was Published: 2004 Places: Paris, London, England, Roslin Original Language: American English So do you remember when I showed you my TBR pile of Dan Brown books? I am sure that you are thinking where they have all got to! Well the reason because of this is I wanted a change for a little while and I have loads of other books to get through - as well as the obvious blog tour and interview! Unfortunately there won't be a relentless amount of Dan Brown reviews for the time being, after this one. I have only just started The Lost Symbol and there are plenty other reviews that are for other books. Plot Summary  For the Robert Langdon series second instalm...

Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton

  SYNOPSIS Alice and Alfie are strangers. But they sleep next to each other every night. Alfie Mack has been in hospital for months recovering from an accident. A new face on the ward is about as exciting as life gets for him right now, so when someone moves into the bed next to him he's eager to make friends. But it quickly becomes clear that seeing his neighbour's face won't happen any time soon. Alice Gunnersley has been badly burned and can't even look at herself yet, let alone allow anyone else to see her. Keeping the curtain around her bed firmly closed, it doesn't stop Alfie trying to get to know her. And gradually, as he slowly brings Alice out of her shell, might there even be potential for more?