I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Life in the Balance. The story and characters were really well developed and I felt drawn to Veronica. I plan to read more by Ms. Pedro-Roy and to also get my kids to read her books.

Veronica's mom has just left for rehab for her alcoholism and Veronica doesn't understand why she can't just stop drinking and why she, Veronica, is not enough for her mom to handle this on her own; Veronica is left alone with her dad who's taken up a second job and has no time left to spend with his daughter who is going through a serious inner struggle between continuing softball and only softball to join the all-star team which she and her mom have always bonded over or leaving her options open to explore other ventures. The author does a great job at getting into the mind of an eleven-year-old and really getting the audience into her experiences and her feelings. This story explores grief, anger, expectations from others and from yourself, and the mind of a kid who just feels like her entire world is falling apart.

I received the audio version of this book courtesy of #netgalley, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Veronica lives and breathes softball, and has been waiting for years to be old enough to try out for the all-star team – then just before tryouts, her parents announce that her mom’s going into rehab for at least two months to deal with alcoholism. Veronica’s first thoughts – typical and normal for an 11-year-old – are about herself … who will help her practice for tryouts, get her up in the morning, cook, etc. but as the book goes on, she starts to grow and change.
Veronica’s other love is singing, and when her dad tells her they may not be able to afford the all-star league, she decides, along with her new friend Libby, to enter the town talent show to try to win money to cover the costs. The thing is, tryouts are causing her a lot of stress … and singing is just fun …. Does she really want to be on the all-star team after all?
I loved how Libby and Veronica became friends, and also how, once Veronica got up the courage to tell her best friend Claudia what was really going on in her family, the three girls were friends together. It turns out maybe her mom wasn’t the only one who needed to learn balance, and better ways to handle life, but so did Veronica, her father, and the three of them together as a family.
A beautiful, realistic look at addiction and it’s effects on a family.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3886192700

I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. This title was 3.5/5 stars for me. I'm grateful this book exists. Many children will unfortunately find some element of their own experience with an alcoholic parent in these pages. I liked Veronica as a character. She was easy to relate too, and her feelings were realistic and well-articulated throughout. My biggest con about this book was really only the sheer quantity of time spend on softball. I think it would be clear to readers how important it was to her, even with fewer pages spent on that topic.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO VERSION***
Life in the Balance is a beautiful story about Veronica who discovers her mother is an alcoholic and gets sent to rehab. This book is delicately delivered and very realistic to the listener.
Veronica is an amazing role model for young teenage girls and I could feel her anguish, pain and mixed feelings through this beautiful story.
Veronica doesn't just have mixed feelings about her mum, but also about softball, friendships, parenting, school and life. It highlights the fears of people pleasing as well as parental pleasing as Veronica doesn't want to upset her mother and have her relapse.
I loved that this book delicately and sensitively handled the subject of alcoholism and didn't bring into it the violent or abusive side that is often seen with this type of addiction.
This is a fantastic book for all teenagers.

Veronica has always loved playing softball with her mom, but when alcoholism gets between them, Veronica is left trying to piece together a world of mistrust and uncertainty while Mom is in rehab. Through this difficult stage in her life, Veronica learns a lot about herself, friendship, trust and honesty and discovers that sometimes you need to be broken in order to become something better.
There were many parts in this middle-grade realistic fiction that were hardcore relatable. I especially loved how Veronica was willing to admit she had made mistakes and the situation didn't get overblown like one of those crazy Disney channel cringe scenes. For kids going through changes related to rehab and divorce, this book has a lot of compassion and strength. The one thing I didn't like was the occurrence of trite moralistic sayings that Veronica would repeat to herself. Like the "Hang in there" kitten poster, these show up a lot and don't really make me feel better. Otherwise, I appreciated the character development and the believable plot. Even though the ending isn't exactly what you'd call happy, you get the sense that it's going to be OK.
Thanks to OrangeSky audio for the great narration and NetGalley for this ARC.

11 year old Veronica is struggling with a lot of problems right now: she is great at softball but feels too much pressure to match up to her family’s standards in that game; her mother has been diagnosed as an alcoholic and needs to enter rehab if she has to save herself, her job and her family; her best friend’s parents are going through a separation and this seems to be impacting her friendship with Veronica. The book tells us how the little 6th grader manages to keep herself afloat in between all these problems with her wisecracks, her practical approach to life, and her understanding.

The book is full of teenage thoughts and vibes, right down to the lingo used. As the entire book is written in first person from Veronica’s point of view, the view we get is that of a young girl straggling to make sense of the chaos around her. The writing seems very realistic and readers will be able to identify with the insecurities that Veronica is going through. I liked how the book portrays the difficulties of struggling with an alcoholic parent in the family without showing the typical physical abuse or passing out drunk scenes. It shows how alcoholism is actually a disease and those struggling with it need to be supported rather than stigmatised.

The moral ideas presented in the book don’t limit themselves to children. It also shows parents how to treat kids with honesty while teaching children that parents also struggle to show themselves as perfect in their child’s eyes. As a parent, I found my heart breaking when I saw little Veronica struggle to help out in any way she could without adding to the burden of her family, to the point of squashing her own dreams to keep her mother happy. Her understanding, upfront attitude and maturity make her a good role model for little readers. I loved this line: “Sometimes we forget that we don't all have to be superstars.”

The narrator Carrie Burgess does a fabulous job of enacting Veronica with a young and light-hearted voice.
Thank you, NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of Life in the balance courtesy of #netgalley, Jen Petro Roy and the publishers in exchange for a fair review.

Life in the balance is a cute little story about how young softball enthusiast, Veronica copes with growing up with an alcoholic mother. It centres on the period during and after rehab. In the background, Veronica is also trying to be a support to a friend whose parents are going through a divorce.

This book is a subtle message to preteens about how they are not alone in their family struggles. We all have our crosses to bear; our dysfunctionality.

The plot, voice and characters are relatable whilst being likeable. The narration was lively. The book was an enjoyable experience. 5/5.

Such a good book! It was wonderful as the audio!!! I would recommend this to anyone that just needs a quick read!!

So grateful for the excerpt! This book sounds a little like my life - relatable and I can’t wait to read it. From what I’ve gathered so far, a you g girl plays on a softball team (maybe little league because her friend was bragging about playing travel ball) in Georgia. Her mom is an attorney, and possibly and alcoholic. Both parents are not as invested as she would like.