This book, No Fences in Alaska was the first I've read by this author.

The synopsis:
At sixteen years old, Harper Lyon’s life is spinning out of control. She threatens her parents with suicide unless she can meet her drug-dealing boyfriend, a college student who doesn’t know she’s pregnant. Cooper Lyons, her estranged grandfather, lives in rural Alaska with only his dog and cat for company. He has just been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and he doesn’t plan on letting the disease run its course. Harper needs to escape her parents and decide what to do about the baby. She and her grandpa are worlds apart, but they may be exactly what the other needs. When Harper calls her grandfather, he welcomes the opportunity to help her and redeem his previous failure with his daughter Heather, who died from a drug overdose years ago.

Would be interested in seeing what else this author has in store.

a troubled teen who finds herself pregnant and lost in herself. What could go wrong? She ends up pushing away her family and running to her grandpa. This was a (sometimes cheesy) sweet portrayal of the importance of hope and strength in trusting others. I really thought the characters were well hashed out and absolutely enjoyed the story.

Received this from netgalley and it was a such a gripping story - this story is very In-depth into the teenage issues that occur daily. The main character deals with multiple issues surrounding choices she’s made and eventually ends up in Alaska with her grandfather. This book navigates through her life Choices and issues all while living in Alaska. True eye opened into things I’ve never tackled and great character development

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 4.5

Harper Lyons is sixteen years old, and she's a hottie, just ask any of the boys that know her. A party girl through and through, all that Harper cares about is partying, looking hot, getting high, and her college aged boyfriend - Zachary. So when her parents try to stop her leaving the house to meet with him, she threatens them with suicide, this starts her down a rocky road that will change the course of her life. When she soon finds out that she is pregnant, she panics. There is no way in the world that she can tell her parents, they will never understand, so she does the only thing she can. Contacts her estranged Grandfather, Cooper Lyons, that she hasn't seen for ten years who lives in Alaska. Cooper lives alone with his dog - Snowball, and his cat - Houdini. He has recently been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and he doesn't plan on letting his disease run it's course, he'll shoot himself first. So when he receives a call from his Granddaughter, asking for his help, he can't say anything but yes. A story that follows a teenager who is off the rails, a man who feels that he is losing everything, and the relationship that saved them both.

I've had this one sitting in my review pile for a good while now, I knew that it was probably going to be fairly deep in it's themes, so I needed to be ready to read it. I was not wrong. I cried through the last few chapters of the book, and I had to sit for a little while to try and come back to the real world once I'd finished. I'm going to open this review by noting trigger warnings, as this is a hallmark read - though it does have some semblances of one in it's cheesiness at times - this story deals with loss, death, drug use, underage sex, wild and domestic animal deaths, mention of rape, miscarriage, abortion, sexual abuse, guns, underage drinking, and suicide.

I'm not going to lie, for the first third odd of this book, I absolutely HATED Harper. I wanted to throttle her and ask her what she was doing with her life, and how she was affecting her younger siblings while doing it. I wanted to punch her father and tell him to pull his head out of his arse and act like a father instead of a displeased prison warden. I'm not gonna lie, this book made me feel SO many emotions, and to be honest, I think I'm still trying to process it all. Harper's parents are religious, though her father wasn't always, he became religious because of her mother who was raised Christian. Harper's father - Greg - is the headmaster of a christian school where Harper was expelled from. This caused a rift between them because Harper had to try and deal with everyone knowing she was the headmasters daughter and assuming how she would act towards things and activities because of this. It gave her the sense that she had to prove everyone wrong in their assumptions, which assisted in leading her into her out of control lifestyle. Greg didn't help things, he constantly yells at her. Because this book is written in third person, we get a glimpse into everyone's thoughts, I couldn't help my overwhelming need to scream at the characters at all times to just stop yelling at each other and freaking TALK. To tell each other how they really feel instead of acting out and pushing each other away in the process. Then I realised, there are some parent/child relationships that are like this. I'm lucky. I've always known that I could go to my parents with anything, and while they couldn't promise to not be angry, I knew that they would help me. Harper didn't have this. She became to self dependent that she felt unloved and unwanted by her parents. I can't help but think of how lucky I am. So the characters were well written, they are all beautifully flawed and they seemed so much more real because of this. We all know I love a flawed character. Cooper is such a gentle soul and it broke my heart every time he had a dementia episode. A character that Harper meets in Alaska was a liiiitttlllleee unbelievable in that he's only 18 yet he's ready to take on someone else's child for a girl he's just met, but I guess, it could happen, so I'm not going to complain about it. Each character had their own distinct voices and had a level of dimension to them that made me feel like I was reading a real account of someone's life, at times.

The story was enthralling. It's an emotional rollercoaster that at times had me so angry I wanted to throw my phone, so happy that that I couldn't stop smiling, and so sad that I cried. It's a story not only about a pregnant teenager who has gone of the rails, but it explores why. It explores the family dynamic and family relationships and also how important it is to tell those around you that you love them because you might not get another chance. It's a story about a girl who was abused, who didn't realise it, who was seeking out love in all the wrong places, and she didn't know why. It's about there being just ONE person in her life that she could turn to for help in her darkest moment. It's about how one person has the power to save a life without even realising it. This is a story of regret, love, hate, anger, illness and loss.

I did feel that at times the religious side of the story was a little bit on the nose and heavy handed. Harper's grandfather on her mother's side is a zealot who believes God should be feared. I'm not religious, but I don't believe that true Christians see God as someone to be feared, so I instantly hated this character for that. While I feel that the religiousness of certain characters definitely added a much needed element to the story, I feel that the praying and reliance on God could have been lightened up a little, it almost felt like it cheapened the story a little bit at times.

I felt like the ending was a little bit rushed. It was almost like the story had cruised along a nice pace and then the ending needed to happen NOW. I also feel like the even near the end (which started my tears) was not needed. The reappearance of a certain character which resulted in a death felt more as though it was added in for a bit of shock factor which I couldn't understand the point of. I still don't get why this scene was included because it didn't add to the story in anyway. I felt like it took us a few steps backwards from where the characters had finally reached. While I had a feeling that this death scene and another one were unavoidable at some point, it didn't make them hurt any less.

Yes, there were a fair few predictable things that happened in this story. There was some incredibly cliched and cheesy things as well. But I feel it just added to the beauty of the story. Sometimes we don't need unpredictable, I don't believe a story including predictable story lines or cliches that have been used a million times over make a book a bad one, this one certainly wasn't.

All in all, this is an emotional story about familial bonds and trying your hardest to be the best version of your self that you can. We don't all get it perfect the first go, sometimes you've gotta try again. We are the only ones who can change the things in our lives that we aren't happy with, no one else can do it for us, but they can be there to lend a helping hand when we are ready.

This book just wasn't for me. I wasn't a great fan of the writing style and the characters just didn't connect with me I'm sorry to say.

There’s a lot going on in here but it all makes for an entertaining and engaging read! I enjoyed the connection between Harper and her grandfather so if you like family relationship stories then give this a read!

An entertaining book, this one was a nice light read. This is a book about teenagers and may not resonate with most readers.

I had a good time reading this book and did enjoy the story but it was nothing special. I really liked the characters as well, I thought they were well developed.

This book made me feel a wide range of emotions. I guess that being a mother myself, I wanted to both hug and slap Harper, our main character.
I loved the Grandpa and how much he cared for his grand-daughter. Accepting her as she is, without trying to be judgmental and controlling (which we all are at some point). Their connection felt magical.
The writing is very good and I like that the author is actually male, writing partly from a teenage girl point of view.
Alaska is such a beautiful setting.

I am not usually drawn to young adult fiction, but I’m glad I gave ‘No Fences in Alaska’ a go because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Harper is a 16-year-old wayward girl, whose parent struggle to cope with her and all she gets up to during her troubled teen years. She gets herself into some sticky situations and eventually goes to live with her grandfather whom she hasn’t seen for many years. What follows is a tale of a beautiful relationship between a girl and her grandfather and the love that is clear between them. The book does well to address many pertinent teen issues, such as teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use, and ‘revenge porn’ so to speak, and does so in sensitive and thought-provoking ways. My only criticism of this book as that there were some slightly cringe-worthy phrases or references to the younger generation which seemed as though the author was trying to fit in with the youngsters, and would have been better left out.

All in all, I really felt invested in Harper’s story, and was pleased to see how everything turned out well for her, her resilience improved, and her behaviours changed for the better.

This was a wonderfully, tough and thought provoking read.
In many places the depth of the plot and the characters sucked me in and spat me out a few chapters on.
To use the phrase " emotional rollercoaster " would be a sin, it was so much more. It was like surfing on a rough sea of mixed emotions.

I had trouble liking Harper in the beginning, but soon realised how common her lifestyle and choices actually are. I feel it shed alot of light on important relevant issues and delt with some very difficult and challenging situations gently and with respect.
My heart broke many times while reading and I still couldn't put it down.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book. It was a real page-turner. I read it in one sitting, I found it to be entertaining and a very interesting read. The plot was somewhat predictable, but the characters were great.
I felt like I was watching this on tv instead of reading it, It really took you to the depths of Alaska. The honesty of the people, along with the rawness of the book, it was a great read.
I follow the author on Instagram, and he had actually sent me a copy of the book, he shares with me the Alaska adventures he goes on. He is a very friendly and kind person.

Troubling but interesting read. Not my usual type of book. But enjoyed it all the same. Sad and different to the usual feel good stories

Couldn’t get into this book. Unfortunately not able to finish it as it just didn’t interest me therefore I am not able to leave a review or say anything constructive about this book.

A broken family filled with anger and addiction is a tough one to navigate, especially when you haven’t been given a guide book!
Harper is a strong willed and teen who has been paying the price of her aunt’s mistakes and a conviction from her father before she barely had a chance. She’s gotten mixed up in things too old for her as a replacement for the parental love and acceptance that she has been denied. Her hope is that her grandfather in Alaska can help her, even though he is dealing with his own guilt of the past and bleak outlook of his future.
The plot is engrossing, even though the characters often aggravate with their pettiness, and you find yourself pulling for the underdog. This is a story of how to be human, and how one girl is struggling to find her true self in the midst of chaos. Well done.

This book gave me goosebumps! A first class story of love and understanding in a family setting, even if it's a generation apart. It's a great read for anyone and everyone.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **
This book sounded so good. As a look into Alaska, it was great but so much of the book was description and not story. There were moments where the book seemed overly preachy.
I wanted a good story about family and connection and this just wasn’t it.

I flew through this book in a day. It had me absolutely hooked! But, it left me wanting more. I didn’t really feel like Fumikos story was wrapped up, and I wanted to know more about the Ghost and her backstory.

I love the concept of this book, and fell in love with the characters. I did find the timeline of the story a bit hard to believe. The characters have some emotional growth to go through, and the timeline just seems to be too quick to be real. Overall, a good read that will leave you rooting for Harper and her family., and thinking carefully about the relationships in your own family.

I was so excited to read this book because it felt like something I could recommend to all of my students. I liked the book, but it was far to explicit for my 7th graders. I would recommend this book to every single high school student I know, however - the truth in how adolescents today treat each other, the prevalence of drug culture in all areas of the country, and the redemptive power of love are all themes I think every adolescent should read about.

For fans of YA, this is a definite read! For middle schoolers, probably best to hold off until they get to high school.