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by Amy Harmon
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Published: March 27th 2013
Format Acquired: Ebook from the author
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Blue Echohawk doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn't attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on in life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard and sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.
This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don't know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can't love you back might be impossible.
BEAUTIFUL. This book is beautiful. I'm literally hitting the backspace over and over again writing this review because there are no words to fully describe just how beautifully written A Different Blue. Yes, it is one of those books.
Right from the start I was drawn in by a very thrilling prologue. Normally it takes a few chapters for me to really get into a book but with this one? The prologue? BAM. I knew I was going to enjoy the book just because of the author's way with words. And I was not disappointed.
What if what you believed about yourself or about your life is simply a myth that is holding you back?
The story tells of a broken girl named Blue and her journey to discovering herself. It wasn't hard to like Blue because despite her angst, she was actually a genuinely good person. She's a tough girl with a witty sense of humor. Aside from that, Blue is also a talented sculptor using wood as her medium. She was able to express herself through her pieces and each one told a different story. Her carving served as a sort of coping mechanism for her, I guess. What I liked about Blue's transformation throughout the story was that it happened at a steady pace; it made everything believable. She didn't have that one big moment where she just decides it's time for a change - she had plenty of those moments, good ones and ugly ones. And at every one of those moments I found myself laughing with her, even crying with her! Okay I didn't literally cry but I'm pretty sure my heart did.
A big part of Blue's transformation was Wilson.... Darcy Wilson. I'm not kidding, his first name is Darcy. And he's British. And he loves history. And he owns a Subaru. It's like Amy Harmon knew all the things I liked and put them all in a character! I absolutely loved how Blue and Wilson's relationship developed - nothing felt rushed or drawn out. I felt all warm and fuzzy whenever Wilson would show his affections in subtle ways. At a time where a lot of romances in Young Adult and New Adult books are insta love, it was refreshing to read a book where the love story progressed naturally.
Blue's transformation, her relationship with Wilson, how her story unfolded - everything was at the right pace. That's one of the things that kept me reading the book nonstop (once I had the free time that is). I was able to appreciate all the Native American lore and flashbacks about Blue and Jimmy because of the book's pacing. I thought I'd be overwhelmed with all the stories and history lectures but it actually made the story all the more enjoyable. Combine that with how vivid Harmon's descriptions were from the way Blue's carvings looked to the way she felt. The writing was simply ahmazing.
A story about revelations and redemption (and a lot more R's.... you'll see) and everything else that comes along with it, A Different Blue is one book I certainly will never forget.
My Rating:
(Refer to my rating system)
About the author
Amy Harmon
Amy Harmon knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, so she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Amy Harmon has been a motivational speaker, a grade school teacher, a junior high teacher, a home school mom, and a member of the Grammy Award winning Saints Unified Voices Choir, directed by Gladys Knight. She released a Christian Blues CD in 2007 called "What I Know" - also available on Amazon and wherever digital music is sold. She lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband and four kids, and doesn't plan to ever move somewhere, because nowhere is sublime. She has written Running Barefoot, and the Young Adult books Slow Dance in Purgatory and the sequel, Prom Night in Purgatory. A Different Blue is her fourth novel.
CONTACT INFORMATION
GIVEAWAY
TWO signed copy of A Different Blue plus a blue bracelet
with charms from the book and some signed swag
Can you tell us anything about what you plan on writing next?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the inspiration behind this story?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about the 'New Adult' controversy? Some people think new adult is just sexed-up YA, but what are your feelings on the new genre?
ReplyDeleteIf you were a character (from your books) witch one would you be?
ReplyDelete