Just 18 Summers: A Review

 

 

 

I don't have kids, but I enjoyed this book's message of soaking up every moment you have with those you love. Following four families dealing with change--a new baby, the death of a spouse, children going off to college/getting married, and the busyness of a career, Just 18 Summers shows the realness of parenting.

 

All of the characters were realistic and interesting. I loved Martin, the groom-to-be who isn't the one his bride's parents would have chosen until they see his heart. Helen, who grew up poor and spends all her time focusing on giving her kids what she doesn't have to point of having no relationship with her kids, reminds me of a lot of parents I see.

 

My favorite character was Ava, the eight-year-old girl whose mom passed away. I loved seeing her and her father figure out their way together.

 

I love how all four families' stories weave together to tell the story of family.



 

 

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Possession by Rene Gutteridge

After the DC sniper case, Vance is hiding secrets...secrets that could cost him everything. As he and his family move across the country for a fresh start, his secrets can no longer stay hidden. Can he save his family and their possessions, which have been taken for ransom?

I'm a fan of Rene Gutteridge's books, and this one is no exception. However, I felt the book's characters and plot were not developed as other books. There were too many stories--Vance healing from the sniper case, the move, his former partner's secrets, Vance suffering from post tramatic stress disorder, Vance and his wife's lack of faith and their trust issues, their possessions have been taken for ransom, and the list goes on. There were so many storylines that they were not developed as much as they should have been. Therefore, it was hard to connect with the characters.

Overall, Possession is a good read, but Listen still ranks as my favorite by Rene. 

Listen by Rene Gutteridge

In the perfect town of Marlo, private conversations are now being made public on the internet for all to see. With the revelation of people's true feelings, neighbor is pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, and family members against one another. In the center of the drama is the Underwood family, who must deal with their personal issues, present and past, to keep the peace for the quaint town.

This is my favorite book by Rene Gutteridge. She faces the sin of gossip in a unique way. Behind its perfect acade, the town of Marlo is plagued by sin. When their thoughts are put out in the open for all to see, people begin attacking one another to save the image. The Underwood family is thrown into the mix of the mystery through the father Damien, who is contacted through his newspaper job by the person responsible for leaking the conversations; "Uncle" Frank, who is accused of setting up the website; Kay, Damien's wife who is struggling with her own past of being teased; Jenna, Damien's teenaged daughter who must deal with the torment of cruel girls; and Hunter, the son who has his own secrets.

Though not preachy by any means, this thought-provoking novel reminds us of the power of our words....even the ones we thought were private.