Book Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Carley Connors can take a lot. Growing up in Las Vegas with her fun-loving mother, she's learned to be tough. But she never expected a betrayal that would land her in a foster care. When she's placed with the Murphys, a lively family with three boys, she's blindsided. Do happy families really exist? Carley knows she could never belong in their world, so she keeps her distance.
It's easy to stay suspicious of Daniel, the brother who is almost her age and is resentful she's there. But Mrs. Murphy makes her feel heard and seen for the first time, and the two younger boys seem determined to work their way into her heart. Before she knows it, Carley is protected the boys from a neighborhood bully and even teaching Daniel how to play basketball. Then just when she's feeling like she could truly be one of the Murphys, news from her mother shakes her world.
My Review:
5/5 stars. This book was heartwarming and heart-wrenching all at the same time. It was fairly short, so I was able to get through it fast, but it was so good. I was happy, sad, and angry when reading this book. The ending surprised me and was very bittersweet.
I really felt for the main character, Carley. Not because I could relate to her or had been in her situation before, but because she was written in a way that you could empathize with her. Her personality and the emotions she had felt so real. Having this book be in first person and getting to know all of Carley's inner thoughts and feelings added so much to the story. At the very beginning of the book when she first arrives at the Murphys' and she's angry and sad and wants to leave, the reader knows she shouldn't feel that way because the Murhpys seem like great people, but you can't help but feel for her and understand her, even if you've never been in a similar situation. Then, later, when she realizes she loves the Murphys, it just made my heart so happy right along with her.
I like the rest of the characters in this book, too. I feel like they aren't as fleshed-out as the main character, but they were still enjoyable and had their own unique personalities. I love the two younger Murphy boys and Mrs. Murphy. I took me a little while to like Mr. Murphy and Daniel, probably because the story was from Carley's perspective, and she didn't like them at first, either. I wasn't a huge fan of Carley's friend, Toni, even when they were friends, but the ending of the book made me love their friendship. I also enjoyed the fact that Toni was obsessed with Broadway musicals, specifically Wicked, because that is a show I enjoy a lot, too.
Another thing that I think added a lot of depth to the story and the characters is that Carley's mom was far from perfect and seemed pretty horrible a lot of the time, but wasn't all bad. She still loved Carley and Carley had good moments with her, despite all of her faults. I really disliked Carley's mom because of the way Carley talked about her - how her mom told her it was weak to cry and how she never tucked her in at night - but Carley seemed to still love her.
The ending was not what I was expecting and really took me by surprise. I wanted Carley to get adopted by the Murphys, because they were clearly a better family for her to have, but still get to talk to her mom occasionally. I didn't think the book would end with her going back to her mom and Las Vegas, which she didn't want. I feel like Carley should've gotten a say in who she was with because she really loved the Murphys and wanted to stay with them. The final chapter where everyone was giving her gifts and saying goodbye was sweet but it was sad that she had to leave.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone. It's considered middle grade, but I think it's somewhere in between middle grade and young adult. It's okay for any age to read it, but if you're younger than tween age you might not understand the depth of the story. It is pretty sad so younger kids might not like it, but it is totally clean and has no language or anything.
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