Latest Read: Want

Here are the basics ...
Book: Want
Author: Stephanie Lawton
Site: http://stephanielawton.com/
Category: Young Adult

Summary: Julianne counts the days until she can pack her bags and leave her old-money, tradition-bound Southern town where appearance is everything and secrecy is a way of life. A piano virtuoso, she dreams of attending a prestigious music school in Boston and enlists the help of New England Conservatory graduate Isaac Laroche to help her.  They face an inappropriate attraction, but an indiscretion at a Mardi Gras ball forces their present wants and needs to collide with sins of the past. Will Julianne accept the help she's offered and get everything she ever wanted, or will she self-destruct and take Isaac down with her? (Adapted from amazon.com) 

My thoughts…

The good:  The book was pretty much the exact opposite of what I expected it to be and took me completely by surprise (in bad ways and good).  Yes, she's a girl with dreams of pursuing a musical career.  Yes, her home life isn't sunshine and roses.  And yes, there's an older man she does feel attracted to.  Then if you take all three of those statements and raise the darkness/complexity/intensity level up 10 or 20 notches, that is what this book is truly like.  In the beginning, I wasn't sure how I felt about Julianne as a main character and my confusion about her continued on and off throughout the book.  The thing is, she's confused herself and I think the author does a good job of conveying that.  The one and only thing in the world she's certain of is the piano.  I loved how she found so much joy and peace in it.  My other favorite parts of the book? Dave, her best friend, and Mr. Cline, her old piano teacher.  They bring a much-needed lightness to the plot and to Julianne's life.

The bad: The beginning of the book is a little.. jarring. You're kind of just thrown in with hardly any explanation or insight into the character.  The book took me a while to get into but once I did and settled into the pace/writing style, I sped through the book.  But I think more of an introduction (and even more of an ending) would've helped a lot.

Do I recommend?:  I know my review is a little on the vague side but I feel like it needs to be.  The surprise you feel at the dark turn this book takes is a big part of it.  So I think if you're in the mood for something like that, you might enjoy this.  I'm 50/50 on whether or not I recommend so I leave the decision up to you!

Happy reading!