Review: To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

Publisher: KFR Communications

Publication Date: April 23, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

Source: Copy sent by the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

It would've been different if I had courage, even an ounce of it. But I was a coward from the day I met you, Ryan Crowley. I still am. In the end, it doesn't matter. The bottom line is the same. It’s my fault.

When the unthinkable happens, Carly Cavanough is left beaten, betrayed, and devastated. Her best friend doesn’t understand. Her parents won’t listen. Everyone in her life turns against her. She’s completely alone, except for Ryan Crowley, the boy she’s been crushing on for years. She won’t admit to him what she can’t admit to herself. But he understands without words. He knows more about what she’s going through than she can possibly imagine and he knows what it will take for the healing to begin.

With Ryan’s help, Carly begins to piece together the fragments of her once perfect life and embark on a journey of love and healing, just long enough for the rug to be pulled out from under her again. Can she find the strength and will to pull herself together to save Ryan and herself when their lives are on the line?

What I Liked:

You all know that I struggle with "tough-issue" books - especially the ones that deal with rape. This book is a book dealing with a girl who has been raped and beaten by her boyfriend. It was a one-time event, at a party, but it happened. Carly didn't report the rape, or the abuse, or go to the hospital. She didn't want to say anything because her father and her boyfriend's father work together or do business together or something. It's like Carly and Will were encourage to be together, because their parents work together. But that makes Will possessive over Carly. At a party, he cheats on her, she catches him, she gets mad, he gets mad, he beats her and rapes her.

Carly has been in love with Ryan for a very long time, and vice versa, but Will pressured a relationship onto Carly (I know, it sounds ridiculous). Ryan finds Carly after the rape, and helps her, but begs her to go to the hospital. She refuses. She doesn't want to face the police or hospital, or risk her father's business going under. This blog takes us through Carly's surviving, her healing, and her relationship with Ryan.

Sibarium does a pretty good job of handling such difficult content matter. There is the rape, the abuse, the controlling, unloving parents, the psycho boyfriend, and the aftermath. I feel like Carly's reactions are very human, and while I dislike the vast majority of them, I'm happy to see how well Carly is characterized.

The romance is constructed in an interesting matter. Both Carly and Ryan love each other before getting close (which is part of this story), but both of them were dating different people at the beginning of the story. But this story, Carly's heartbreaking tragedy, brings Carly and Ryan together. In a way, the romance of this book reminded me of the romance in Fault Line, except in this book, Carly seemed more optimistic in general, and less psychopath. 

A short but powerful story about one girl's survival of a horrible deed. I don't read too many of these book, because they make me really sad, but I'm glad I had the chance to read this one. My rating is fair (right in the middle), but I'm pleased to have given this book a shot.

What I Did Not Like:

I'm honestly not a fan of these types of books - "tough-issue" books. I've never been placed in such a situation as Carly (thank goodness), but I feel like the characters' reactions in these books are strange. People react weirdly to crises, and while it might be realistic, I find it ridiculous at times.

For example. Is it really reasonable that you DON'T report rape, or physical abuse, or anything like that, if it happened to you?! Are you really going to NOT DO ANYTHING?! In my opinion, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. In Carly's case, she didn't want to tell the police because if she broke up with Will, her father and his father would stop doing business together (or something like that). Also, she wanted it to be "all over with", so that she wouldn't have to deal with that anymore.

That. Is. Bulls***. Unbelievable. You're telling me that you just lost your virginity, you were RAPED, you were beaten, and you don't want to go to the hospital? To a therapist? To a rape examiner? Is your health not important? Forget your father's business. Forget your a**hole of a boyfriend. FORGET THAT S***. Your health is more important. Or so one would think.

So, I really didn't like Carly's reaction initially, to the rape. The thing is, if you don't report the rape after it happens (like if you wait, if you shower or clean up), then your chances of people (i.e. the police) believing you goes straight down. It's horrible to say, but girls cry wolf all the time and falsely accuse boys of rape. At the same time, people get raped all the time. So. Report that s***. Forget about the shame. Report. That. S***.

See why I dislike some people's reactions to crises, such as Carly's to the rape? I just don't understand that. You can't even psychologically explain to me why that makes sense. It. Does. Not. I can understand a rape victim not wanting to be touched, or like in Fault Line by C. Desir, when the victim wants to be touched too much. But not reporting rape? Or going to the hospital. Smart. REALLY SMART.

Would I Recommend It:

Um, well, if you like this sort of book, that involves tough issues in a teenager's life, and a heartbreaking journey to recovery, then go for it! There are plenty of these books out there (from 2014, there is Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens, which most people LOVED, though I disliked it. In 2013, there was Fault Line, which was good). I probably wouldn't have picked this book up if the author hadn't sent it to me, honestly. But if you're interested, I'm giving it a good-ish rating!

Rating:

3 stars. This is a good read, if you like "tough-issue" novels! April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so I would actually encourage everyone to read a "tough-issue" novel this month. Even if you're like me, and usually dislike that kind of book. 

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Cover Reveal: To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

Here is yet another stunning cover I have the privilege of revealing!

Here it is (I made it extra big)!

To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

Publisher: KFR Communcations

Publication Date: April 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

It would’ve been different if I had courage, even an ounce of it. But I was a coward from the day I met you, Ryan Crowley. I still am. In the end it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is the same. It’s my fault. 

When the unthinkable happens Carly Cavanough is left beaten, betrayed, and devastated. Her best friend doesn’t understand. Her parents won’t listen. Everyone in her life turns against her. She’s alone. Completely alone, except for Ryan Crowley, the boy she’s been crushing on for years. She won’t admit to him what she can’t admit to herself. But he understands without words. He knows more about what she’s going through than she can possibly imagine and he knows what it will take to start the healing. 

With Ryan’s help Carly begins to piece together the fragments of her once perfect life and embarks on a journey of love and healing, just long enough for the rug to be pulled out from under her again. Can she find the strength and will to pull herself together to save Ryan and herself when their lives are on the line?

Add To My Hero to your Goodreads shelf!

About Danielle Sibarium:

Danielle Sibarium grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.

Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well. And so she wrote. She wrote and wrote and wrote.

Sadly the first piece she ever sent out for publication of any sort was a letter to the editor of The Home News Tribune. It was a piece thanking the first responders for their bravery and selflessness on Sept 11th. It was chosen as letter of the week.

Author Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Blog Tour: Interview with Reece from Heart Waves by Danielle Sibarium (and Giveaway)!

 

Hello everyone! Today is my stop for the Breaking Waves blog tour! I actually have THREE posts, a review for Heart Waves (HERE), a review for Breaking Waves (HERE), and this interview with the fabulous Reece!

 

Follow the rest of the blog tour HERE.

 

Stick around for the giveaway at the bottom of the post!

 

The Interview:

 

 

(Danielle's choice of actor for Reece!)

 

Alyssa: Hi, Reece! Welcome to my blog! Thanks for doing this interview with me – I am thrilled to have you here.

Reece: Not as thrilled as I am to be here! It’s nice to know I’m not forgotten about. Lately Tyler’s getting all the attention.

Alyssa: Let’s talk about YOU. Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?

Reece: Complete-package. Why? Because I am, I’ve got looks and brains. On my good days, I even have a sense of humor.

Alyssa: In Heart Waves, Jenna teased you about using semantics from the 1950s. Have you always been so gentlemanly? :)

Reece: It’s how I was raised. There’s something nostalgic and romantic about holding doors open and helping girls with their jackets. Plus, I’ve worked hard studying girls to see what it is they really want in a guy. I have to tell you, from what I’ve seen, they still want to be treated with romance and respect.

Alyssa: What is something that you love to do, other than impress Jenna all the time?

Reece: I love hacking. I know I shouldn’t, but when I can break into a system, it fills me with a sense of pride. It’s just who I am, what I’m good at.

Alyssa: Do you ever think about moving far, far away, from your parents and your past?

Reece: Not until recently. I didn’t do anything so bad. Everyone acts like it was the end of the world. Maybe if my father didn’t help out it would’ve been. After going back home, feeling like my mother used a battering ram on me daily, I really wanted to just leave and never come back. If Jenna would’ve come with me, I might have.

Alyssa: Before Jenna, did you ever give serious thought in getting back with Rebecca?

Reece: I did. But it was more about proving something. As much as I wanted her back, I wanted to hurt her, to break her. What she did was so messed up. I just can’t believe how blindsided I was by it.

Alyssa: What made you talk to Jenna, the night you two first met?

Reece: That’s easy, she’s gorgeous. I’d been watching her. When I asked Mike about her, and he called her the Ice Queen, I was intrigued. I couldn’t imagine someone as soft and beautiful as Jenna acting as cold and hard as Mike said. And then when she said I was her Romeo, and I was going to break her heart, how could I not talk to her?

Alyssa: You always tell her that she makes things better, and that she is one of the best things in your life. Explain this to us – what is it like, having someone so radically change your life?

Reece: It’s amazing. We walk through the days like zombies most of the time, just going along for the ride. But when you meet someone that adds life and color to your world, it changes how you move through the days. Sometimes I wish I could see myself through her eyes.

Alyssa: You hid things to protect Jenna. Do you regret telling her, after how much it seems to be costing you two, at the end of Heart Waves and beginning of Breaking Waves?

Reece: I didn’t hide the hacking incident to protect Jenna. I did that to protect myself. Everyone would stare and whisper when they saw me, like I was oblivious to it all. I didn’t want her to see me as a screw-up the way they did. But that’s all I did. Knowing Tyler’s father the way I do, by the time Tyler came to warn me, I knew I was in serious trouble. I just didn’t know why.

Alyssa: Do regret helping Tyler, with his grades? Do you wish you hadn’t done it?

Reece: Knowing what I know now? I should’ve let Tyler take the hit and then some. But he was my best friend. We were like brothers and he’d been drawn a really shitty hand. I didn’t want to see him self-destruct. I just never imagined he’d turn on me.

Alyssa: Do you ever wish things were the same as it used to be with Tyler? As is, you two could be friends again, the same way as before?

Reece: Of course. I wish he didn’t screw me over. But then I wouldn’t have met Jenna. I think with time, I could’ve forgiven him. But now, I just don’t see how.

Alyssa: Can you tell us a little of what you think is to come, from you, Tyler, Jenna, and everyone else?

Reece: I’m biding time right now. Part of me thinks if she’s happy I should just stay away. But I can’t. I love her. But soon Jenna’s going to have to make a choice.

Alyssa: Anything else you’d like to tell us? :)

Reece: If you think it’s been a great ride so far, you should be counting down the minutes to the final book. Danielle has something AMAZING planned. I’m a little leery, but she seems to know what she’s doing, so I guess I’ll just have to trust her.

Alyssa: Well, thanks so much for stopping by, Reece! Don’t be a stranger! ;)

Reece: Thank you for having me. And I’d be happy to come back any time. Any time!

 

More about Danielle Sibarium:

 

 

Danielle Sibarium grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.

 

Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well. And so she wrote. She wrote and wrote and wrote.

 

Sadly the first piece she ever sent out for publication of any sort was a letter to the editor of The Home News Tribune. It was a piece thanking the first responders for their bravery and selflessness on Sept 11th. It was chosen as letter of the week.

 

Author Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

The Giveaway (tour-wide):



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Blog Tour Review: Breaking Waves by Danielle Sibarium (and Giveaway)

Breaking Waves by Danielle Sibarium

Book Two of the Heart Waves series

Publisher: KFR Communications

Publication Date: January 10, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Copy provided by the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

From the moment they met, Jenna knew Reece would break her heart, but she never dreamed it would happen like this. Jenna is left shattered and broken. When life becomes too painful to deal with and she feels completely alone, there’s only one person to help her pick up the pieces and move on. The one person she doesn’t want to turn to. The one person she promised to stay away from. Tyler.

Can Jenna put aside everything she knows about him and let Tyler help heal her broken heart?

What I Liked:

I liked this book even more than I liked the first book! This rarely happens for me, because usually, the first book is extremely well written, and the second may be excellent, but not as wonderful as the first book. Well, this book was, in my opinion, better than the first book.

Something really, really bad happens in the beginning, and throws Jenna completely off balance. Without Reece, she feels empty. I think Ms. Sibarium did an excellent job of portraying Jenna'sfeelings of anger, loneliness, and despair. Jenna hides, or she lashes out, and both are understandable reactions. I really feel for Jenna throughout the entire book.

I KNEW Tyler was better than Jenna and Reece gave him credit for! I always liked Tyler, and I really like him in this book. He seems more real than Reece. Everything with Reece seemed so la-dee-dah, and while that might seem like a good thing, to me, it was a little strange. Tyler is so much more rugged, imperfect, and, well, HOT. Yum. Zumba and Tyler. That's all you need to know.

So, if you cannot tell, there is a love triangle. BUT. I actually like this love triangle. It's a good one - the guy leaves (from what readers know, not by choice). The girl is grieving, and needs a friend. The new guy does not take advantage of her grieving situation, but they grow close. I think this romance is sweeter and more fleshed out than Reece and Jenna's romance.

This book is definitely a great follow-up to Heart Waves. With the absence of a certain character, we get to see more of an independent Jenna, more of Tyler, and some actual decisions by Jenna. I am definitely invested enough in this series to want more!

What I Did Not Like:

This book is so short! I NEED MORE! But seriously. Not a lot happened. This book was only 200 pages long, and I noticed. I need more of a plot than Jenna suffering.

Also, like my coplaint with Heart Waves, I want to see more about Jenna's ability. It's mentioned like, once, at a fair. Also? I think readers need to know more about the actual plot - with the computers and files and whatever. I'm feeling A LOT in the dark, and readers really should not be feeling this confused about the major plotline this late in the series. The major plotline is really pushed behind the romance, which is NOT okay. I hope the next book has the computers/secret files plotline in the forefront, with the romance issue shadowing it.

Would I Recommend It:

If you have read the first one, definitely! If you have not read the series yet, I would still recommend the series, but this series is not for everyone. As no series ever is.

Rating:

4 stars. This was one awesome sequel!

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The Giveaway (tour-wide):



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Blog Tour Review: Heart Waves by Danielle Sibarium (and Giveaway)

Heart Waves by Danielle Sibarium

Book One of the Heart Waves series

Publisher: KFR Communications

Publication Date: June 1, 2012

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Copy provided by the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

Jenna Kingsley has a gift. She knows things. With a simple touch she can pick up personal information from jewelry or objects. While at a neighbor’s party, a voice mesmerizes her. Jenna is momentarily frozen as a ring is placed in her hand. White electricity surges through her and a dire prediction is made. “It’s like Romeo and Juliet. You’re going to break my heart.”

From the moment they meet Jenna is enchanted and entranced with Reece Walton. She’s thrilled to learn he’s spending the summer two houses away from hers. Every moment they spend together is magical. But she can’t get the prediction out of her mind. As the summer draws to a close and secrets are revealed, can Jenna get past the fear of being left with a broken heart to live in the moment with Reece or will her fear of being hurt fulfill the prophecy?

What I Liked:

I was pleasantly surprised when I finished this book and really liked it! Not that I was going into reading this book thinking that I would not like it, but I didn't expect to like it so much. I liked the characters in this story the most - Reece and Jenna are awesome. Reece is such a sweet guy, but he is also protective and secretive. I love the thoughtful side of him, but the other, "darker" side of him was an interesting twist.

Jenna is a great heroine. She is a combination of tough and passive, and I can understand and empathize with her at many points of the book. I thought her gift was kind of interesting, but I would have liked to see more of it in the book. It really did not play that big of a role in the book, other than drawing her and Reece together. But, I really like Jenna, and I find her a very relatable girl.

The plot will definitely keep readers interested. I thought I had it all figured out, but then something got in the way. Watch out for Tyler - he has a bigger role than we think in this book!

What I Did Not Like:

There was not much that I did not like - maybe a few things that I KNOW I am not supposed to like. For example, Reece and his secrets? Of course I do not like the fact that he is keeping secrets from Jenna. But, everyone has secrets, and I know that Reece does not feel obligated to share them.

I really, really wanted Jenna's gift to be a bigger part of this particular book. The only time we really get to see it in action is at the very beginning, which is how she met Reece. Okay, so you've used your gift once. It is a part of you - shouldn't you be thinking about it more? Or using it more? It is there, and yet it seem like it is not there. But it is!

I also did not like how short this book was. Book length can be a good thing and a not-so-good thing, but in this case, I think it went in favor of not-so-good. I felt like more could have been written in this book, like more scenes between Reece and Jenna before they get together as a couple, and more scenes between Reece and Jenna after they get together as a couple. This did not bother me too much, but I am really used to long books. 

Would I Recommend It:

Yes indeed! I was captivated by the premise - the Romeo and Juliet reference - and definitely ha to know what was going to happen. This book has a very broad reading audience in my opinion - young teens will enjoy this book, but adults will as well.

Rating:

4 stars. I was very intrigued by the characters, Jenna's abilities, Reece's past, and, well, Tyler! This is definitely a book that will grab your interest.

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Swoon Thursday (#2): Heart Waves by Danielle Sibarium

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

 

This week, my swoon is from Heart Waves by Danielle Sibarium, a book that I am currently re-reading. I am participating in the tour for Breaking Waves, book two of the series! 

 

 

So, here is the swoon!

 

"Reece lifted me so that I saton the dresser, He pressed himself against me, leaning between my knees. His hands ran up the lngth of my thighs. I held him tight afraid of what would com next.

 

I tried to keep my mind focused on the fact that his mother and brother were downstairs and could walk through the door at any moment. But his kisses kept pushing those thoughts away. Instead I'd return to his mouth and hands and their exploration of my skin.

 

His lips were hot against mine. Softly, deftly, they traced a path across the length of my jaw, down my neck, waking nerve cells I never knew I had. His hands scorched the skin on my stomach just under my top."

 

- Page 138

 

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble 

 

 

I loved this swoon! And there are plenty of goods ones in this book. What do you think? What made you swoon this week?