I am giving Vera Violet a two star rating mainly because of the style. The story itself is raw and heartbreaking, but the hard truths given by this book are real.

The style is overly poetic and the words have a rhythm that is quite particular. Reading this book was like listening to slam poetry; it would probably rock as an audiobook, honestly. As a novel, however, I had to force myself to read through it. I’m still glad I did at the end because the story was quite poignant, but I can’t justify more than two stars for a book that took me months to read.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to say I couldn't finish this book. I read a third of it and there just wasn't anything that made me want to continue. There is an obvious sadness to a book about poverty, drug addiction and a desolate town where jobs have gone away. I don't have a problem with the subject matter or books that are downers, I just need more of a story to keep me interested. The book goes on and on about how bad things are in the town without giving me a reason to care about the characters. I definitely need more to care about them than that they have a rough life.

Don't let the title fool you! Vera Violet is no sweet flower and her world is no garden. Ms. Peterson has penned a raw, unfiltered view of the aftermath of logging on small towns in the Pacific Northwest. Really this story could have been about many coal mining towns or even some manufacturing towns. To further deepen the book's impact, the main character, Vera, leaves the ravaged PNW and her family and friends who are struggling with drug dependence, unemployment, and poverty to head east. She travels from rural poverty to urban poverty after finding the projects in St. Louis and teaching in a school full of minority kids. There was a bit of confusion as the story jumps quickly and frequently between time and place. It almost felt like the story was being pulled forcibly from the author. For me, this added to the realism of Violet and her struggles.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

"Vera Violet recounts the dark story of a rough group of teenagers growing up in a
twisted rural logging town. " Vera has a hard life and struggles to live it as best as she can.

The writing reminded me of S.E. Hinton

3☆

"Vera Violet" is a heartbreaking tale of the rural logging town in Washington.

"I am a fighter. I was born for this."

A group of rough teenagers who had to leave their homes and move to a street where drugs were common and the violence was bad on the streets. The logging company shut down and skipped town owing the people money.

"Dad told me how rednecks were workers of all skin colors who protested unfair treatment. These words shouldn't hurt you."

Thank you to Publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

2/5

#VeraViolet #NetGalley

I want to first start off by saying that I did enjoy the book; but I do have to be honest in saying it did bore me a little bit. More parts than few in this book was Vera looking back at all she’s been through. And don’t get me wrong she’s gone through a lot, more than what any one should ever have to go through. I just couldn’t stay involved in the story longer then thirty minutes at a time. Which made it difficult to keep going in the first place. However, I’d still recommend this novel to people because it does show you the struggles of going through poverty, along with the means of loyally shown from friends.

There is someone in the world who will love this book. That person is not me.

The story alternates between the current time and the past. It's disorienting, but I think that's the point--maybe this is what it feels like to be aimless and have few options. In the microcosm of this novel, it's hard to feel compassion for any of these characters. Peterson's poor have few options and bleak futures, but also a penchant for violence and slacking. The characters enter the world damaged, so the reader must be given reasons to root for them and we aren't.

Many occurrences in the book don't make sense to me. Though I identified them as loose ends, I could have skimmed over some details because this book was a real slog. This book reads like very dark YA lit. I'm sure some moody fifteen year old will love it, but it will be a hard sell to adults. I found myself annoyed with the reader and confounded by whomever edited this.

Would have given it less than a star if I could. I don't know if I am going to publish this review to Goodreads, because I am conflicted about rating it so low, knowing it may be autobiographical and because it's the author's first big publication.

This is a story of a loyal group of friends who, in life, have been dealt a raw and violent hand. Growing up in a small logging community in Washington state where hope was abandoned long ago. Poverty, racism, and methamphetamine ring true. This is all they know and they are well aware that this is all they will ever have.

Welcome to David, Washington:

"Unemployment rates in logging towns jumped above state and national levels. The economy moved out. Methamphetamines moved in. Logging roads were closed to the public. Meth labs were expensive to clean up. Dealers left the waste behind when they were done. There were abandoned travel trailers and buckets of foul-smelling liquid that could kill. Workers in hazard suits cleaned it up. Rates of domestic violence rose. Families became fractured. The rain poured down relentlessly. But there were some things the water just could not wash away."

And at the heart of this story is the love of Vera Violet and Jimmy James Blood.

Melissa Anne Peterson penned a vicious tale. The writing is absolutely exquisite. I could have highlighted nearly every sentence in this book. This was not a feel good story nor was it easy one to read but I am so happy that I did. This is a voice that demands to be heard and I encourage those that can handle the pitch black bleakness of this novel to pick this one up. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Counterpoint Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So I have mixed feelings about this book. Which I suppose isn't a bad thing as I enjoy books that make me feel them.
This is a coming of age story mostly, but also about the struggles of dealing with poverty and hopelessness that was occurring in the Pacific Northwest at the time.
It was at times very hard to read this book, as their was so much hopelessness.
I can't get more specific as I don't do spoilers, but if you want to read a book that moves you this one is worth a look.