Eve's Fan Garden

Joy Delamere is suffocating…

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words – tender words, cruel words – until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe… if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

~goodreads.com

When I was asked to be a part of this blog tour, I was excited because it was Holly but I was also a little worried because it was another book about a homeless, abused teen ( I seem to have read a few too many of them this year!). It was clear from the start of this book that it wasn’t going to be like anything else I had ever read.

First of all, I love Holly’s play on words. Joy, the main character, suffers from severe asthma. For her, breathing isn’t as easy as it is for everyone else. This theme constantly comes up and Holly effortlessly intertwines lines and scenes about breathing into the story. Life can be counted in breaths. Life can be spoken in breaths. Life can be lived through things that take our breath away. A truly beautiful way to interpret such a simple task.

Second of all, I loved the characters that Holly created. She brings depth to Joy and even to the other homeless teens that Joy encounters. I want to meet Creed and listen to his music. I was even intrigued by Asher. I liked how life on the street was not easy for Joy because she was too “privileged” She didn’t understand the rules of the poor. Unlike other characters I have read, she doesn’t always seamlessly fit into the life of the homeless.

Third, the ending was brilliant. I do not want to give anything away other than to say that I was extremely satisfied with the ending. Thank you Holly!

I really can’t say enough about this book. It is brilliantly written with characters that I want to read about and that I want to know. Honestly, it reminded me a lot of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson as Joy must come to terms with what happened as she figures out how to “breathe” again. I think teens everywhere will read it and understand the power of speaking up. This is a must read for everyone.