Surviving Haley

Surviving Haley was an awesome book. I was hooked as soon as I read the first page. I do wish it had been longer and that perhaps there was some closer at the end but overall this was a great book. I would recommend this book for teens and young adults, especially Christian teens. I fell in love with Jonah and wished I had a friend like him in high school. Jonah is the perfect example that Christians are not perfect and that every day they try and live the way God wants them to. I want to buy this book and give it out to the youth at my church.

Interesting concept but the plot seemed rushed.

A heartbreaking tale of loss within a family institution, and the resounding effects guilt, pain and loss has on said family. This is book that will make you cry. You'll want to ask why bad things happened to Haley and her older sister. You'll want answers - that the author only provides at the end.

You'll be moved.

Brenda Baker has captured the true element that is loss and placed it into a beautifully woven tale. The plot is bloody amazing! You instantly feel for Lauren and her family. After all, the loss that they encounter is not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. I liked how Brenda Baker entwined the story with religion - a feat you do not tend to encounter in as many other Young Adult stories. I also found it great how she had not used the character of Jonah to push his beliefs upon Lauren or Tiffany, or the reader for the matter. The subtle awareness that is given to the Sikh faith is also a movement I welcome. It is not easy to talk about in today's modern society, but Brenda Baker has clearly placed it into her story, giving the situation feels.

Lauren as a character, is someone you understand for the get-go. She's grieving and feels an irrevocable amount of guilt for the events that unfolded - the events that changed the Werthman's lives forever. Her downward spiral into eating to feel better is something that teenagers relate to. Lauren is a character that many will adore. Jonah, the gentle preacher, is another character I adored. While I'm Catholic, I'm not strictly Catholic. It was refreshing to read about a character who held such faith in God. Especially, when said person turns out to be a male lead. His kind and caring nature, yet dark past gives his persona real edge and his understandings of Lauren's struggles appear as genuine.

Of course, Surviving Haley deals with the ever sensitive issue of death - and death of someone young can feel a lot harder to cope with. Yet the story also incorporates a lot of self harming, whether it is through eating, alcohol abuse, substance abuse or physical abuse. Brenda Baker cleverly highlights that here is a way to get better, by giving each troubled character their own means of escape. This is important, as it highlights to those readers who may be experiencing similar pain that there is a way out.

The cover accompanying the novel of Surviving Haley is gorgeous! I'm a firm believer that appearance on a book is everything. After all, on a shelf it has to stand out. The cover picture reminded me of Gayle Forman's If I Stay and Where She Went. However, it has an individualistic spin - its just all around great. A big thing about Surviving Haley that I adored was the idea that people can redeem you. When Lauren helps out Tiffany, it saves her life. The same thing happens with Jonah, who shows Lauren the light and helps her to understand that people do need help sometimes.

Every once in a while, we need a book to cleanse the soul of our sadness. Surviving Haley is just the story for that. I highly recommend this book, and it earns a perfect 5 out of 5 snowflakes.

I received this book for an honest review...

Seriously this book made me bawl from start to finish! It was a very good book... the main character Lauren and her parents move after losing her baby sister 2 months before school starts. Like most families dealing with the loss of a loved one no-one knows what to do. She thinks her mom blames her. She has to play telephone for mom because mom won't speak to dad. Lauren starts a new school an in the process makes friends with an unlikely group of people. She learns that everyone has things they are going through, and just because on the outside things seem great on the inside is where it's worse.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book, I can kind of relate to all of the feelings and emotions that was going on in this book! For me it was a little short, but that could always be fixed by continuing with these character to see how Lauren and her mom learn to cope with the anniversary of Haley's death. I wish there was more of Eli, and Jonah in here. I think we got more of a glimpse of Tiffany than we did them. I know from experience that when you lose a love one that you tend to blame your self and look for other ways to cope, and with Lauren it was to overeat. She pretty much just gave up till she meet Jazz and Jonah. In the end Lauren made a big impact one two people who needed the help, Eli and Tiffany.

Two months ago, Lauren's family suffered a major loss. Now, they are starting over, new school, new town, new everything. Lauren can't start over, she's still blaming herself for her sister's death and it seem her Mother is too. Faced with bullies and a growing obsession with food, Lauren feels hopeless. Can anyone help her? Will her family ever recover from Haley's death or will they drown in the sorrow?

"Surviving Haley" by Brenda Baker follows Lauren's struggles as she faces inner and outer turmoil. It is easy to sympathize with Lauren and feel for her as she is tormented at her new school and struggles to fit in. The book's message that not everyone is what they appear on the outside, is reiterated in a multitude of ways as each character is battling their own inner demons.

The book is easy to get into and the characters are relatable and likable. The pacing of the story was great right up until the last couple chapters. Once Haley's death was discussed in detail, the story was quickly over which left a sense that many things were tidied up too perfectly. Teens may not mind the Lauren's love interest, but that aspect of the plot felt poorly developed and rushed. Additionally, religion plays a fairly large part in the last part of the book, but there is little mention of Lauren ever contemplating God in the first part of the book.

Overall, an enjoyable read, that many teens will relate to and hopefully make them contemplate their interactions with others.

Surviving Haley by Brenda Baker Lauren Werthman is a new student in town. She and her family have just experienced one of the most heart wrenching events that can touch a family, the loss of a child. Each member of Lauren’s family deals with the loss in a differing ways which effect the family. Lauren’s coping of the grief and guilt are through depression and eating. Her relationships with classmates are effected by her reactions to the tragedy and her classmates struggles through their life experiences.
Ms. Baker’s debut novel is well written and draws the reader into Lauren’s world. The subjects that the author explores through the Werthman family and Lauren’s friends are very real for many teens. Many teens will relate to one or more of the issues that the characters are struggling with during the story. Eli, one of the classmates who befriends Lauren, struggles with being bullied because of his stuttering. Jonah, a Christian student, befriends Lauren on her first day of school. The portrayal of Jonah is spot on for many Christian teens. Ms. Baker shows the struggles and imperfection of Jonah’s life.
This is a refreshing story that explores many issues that many teens face. Does it go in to depth into these issues? No. This story introduces many of the issues and shows flaws in many of the characters. My biggest criticism of the novel is that the ending seemed rushed. The story was tied up quickly and left the reader feeling the ending was incomplete. Wondering, what was the result of her and her family’s choices. The reader experienced the forgiveness that happened with the family but then the story had the characters making decisions that just left the reader wondering.
Even with the rushed ending, give this to a teen who is looking for a good read that likes realistic fiction. Start a conversation after they read it to see what their feedback was or what they think happened after the story ends. The book would be a great book discussion book for teens to explore forgiveness, relationships and how choices impact each other.
I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Pelican Book Group in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an easy to read, but also well written. I found it so heart breaking to read though. The book kept me hooked until the end, but it was also difficult because of the topic.

Truth: Dads, if they love you, will lie about your appearance. I knew this was the case, because two new zits studded my forehead, my hair was a tangled mess, and my clothes had more wrinkles than an octogenarian. "I love you, too." When the truck pulled away from the curb, it traveled several blocks before it turned left and disappeared from sight. I was on my own. New school. New life. I didn't deserve either.

My heart broke for Lauren and her parents as I read this novel. I can not imagine the grief and guilt a family would feel after the accidental death of their five-year-old daughter and sister. Lauren was supposed to be babysitting Haley when the accident happened. The guilt and pain she carries are driving her to overeat to hide the pain and keep the tears at bay. Her mother turns to self-medicating with liquid comfort and her father works longer and longer hours to avoid the entire family and the home. Not only that, but Lauren has to deal with an entire new school. Can she make new friends and ignore the local bullies?

Her faith is put to the test as well. She wonders how a loving God could allow the death of a sweet little girl. Where will she find for comfort when she no longer wants to talk to God? This book was so touching and honest. The author addresses grief, forgiveness, guilt, overeating, alcoholism, and bullying in this novel. I especially appreciate that the author doesn't sugarcoat the issues. They are dealt with head-on. This book targets young adults but this old adult could not put it down.

I rated this book 5 stars and am hoping many readers will purchase their own copies or find it in their local library to follow Lauren and her journey. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked reading the book. It was easy to read at just the right pace. I could really feel for Lauren and some of the other kids she went to school with. The book dealt with a variety of topics...alcoholism, cutting, bulimia, weight issues, depression. I thought these topics were dealt with in a very sensitive manner.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Plato

The words ring true.

What does a family to do cope with an accidental death? Lauren's family has moved from Minnesota to Nebraska to escape the pain of losing a sister and a daughter. However, the pain goes with them as they struggle to pick up the pieces.

The narration is told by Lauren and the pain she is suffering as she is dealing with guilt. Her addiction to food and not being able to trust. Both of her parents struggle as well. Her mother has her own addiction and her father at a loss in how to put his family back together. When Lauren freaks out on her first day at school, she makes an enemy but she also makes a friend. An enemy that has her own insecurities and a friend that has found Jesus. Her principal seeing that she needs help, directs her to the school therapist who by not forcing her to talk, helps her to see her pain so she can cope.

What I liked about this book is that is expressed raw pain and how going thru the pain is different for everyone. The author also used different addictions and how those addictions can get take over ones life. Lauren's friends and enemies were not a broad brush but real people. A Christian, a Hindu, and the popular girl that appears to have everything. Sometimes being stupid can be brave.

A Special Thank You to Pelican Book Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Surviving Haley is a quick read. It centers around Lauren and her family. Lauren suffers a lot of guilt about her sister, Haileys death. She binge eats, has nightmares and questions God. Her family moves to a new city where Lauren faces bullying for being overweight and struggles to make friends. The storyline is good but I did not really feel much of a connection to any of the characters other than Lauren. I recommend giving this book a read, it just wasn't for me but it was a good storyline.