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Betwixt (2012)

by Melissa Pearl(Favorite Author)

4.05 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1479165913 (ISBN13: 9781479165919)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Createspace

series

Betwixt

review 1: I’m fond of contemporary young adult fiction (except the kind that dwells endlessly on angst and hormones) and of paranormal fiction and Betwixt fills the bill nicely for both. The author doesn’t make the mistake of dragging out the beginning, instead getting right to the core crisis and letting the reader get to know the characters as the story unfolds. I liked that a lot because it created a strong sense of suspense right away and I had a natural sympathy for this girl rather than learning to dislike her and then having to drum up a little bit of empathy.Disliking Nicole is certainly easy early on as she shows herself to be one of the mean girls who counts popularity above everything else and who apparently cares about exactly nothing and yet…As Nicole begins to pa... morenic when she realizes she’s, to all intents and purposes, a ghost, it’s impossible not to begin to care about this lost girl. That’s especially true when her invisibility allows her to see the truth about her “friends” and the damage she’s been doing to herself. Her fear of never being found and the small kernel of hope that begins to grow when she discovers that Dale can hear her bring the strong emotions that a story like this really needs. When intended murder is thrown into the mix, the suspense becomes even more intense.I spotted the hit and run driver almost the moment he appears but that was okay as it didn’t lessen my interest in what would be the final outcome. That outcome was a little too forgiving in my opinion but acceptable and I still wanted to read the two companion novellas to spend more time with Nicole and Dale.OverviewThe Betwixt Series is almost a primer on how parents can fail no matter which road they take. In Nicole’s case, her mom and dad were far too lenient, letting her make so many wrong choices because they thought she needed to find her own way to cope with grief. Dale’s parents took the opposite approach and their constant rules and regulations drove him to an existence with no real point other than rebellion. Both teens are wanderers in life with no confidence in themselves or belief in anything. This, of course, is the focus of much Christian fiction and Melissa Pearl handles it very well without being heavyhanded.The series also exemplifies the idea that we must hit rock bottom before we can truly heal from our own misguided and self-destructive behavior. Certainly Nicole and Dale are both on the verge of death when they begin to understand what really matters and, in doing so, reach a point at which each just might have a chance to survive with grace.Finally, it’s a tale of two teens whose lives intertwine and how that ripples out to their families and to the wider community. It’s a tale very well-told and I’ll be reading more by Melissa Pearl.Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, December 2013.
review 2: Some of this story is Hard to read and some is just too Good you can't put it down! Nicole is a popular girl hanging with the wrong crowd at school, doing very bad things so when she goes missing her friends, parents, and boyfriend don't seem to care nor notice much. Her supposed friends make bets and jokes saying she ran away since Nicole has suggested it many times in the past that she would or wanted to. What they don't know is Nicole has become the victim of a Hit & Run during last night. She is somewhere off the road in the country left for dead. Nicole somehow awakes in her bed and gets ready for school as if it were any other day. She can't quite remember getting home she thinks she must've blacked out. Nicole finds herself being ignored by her mother before she leaves for school, then at school by her friends, bf, even teachers. She starts to Freak out! Dale a boy at school apparently is the only one who can hear and kind of see her abit. Nicole feels awful since Dale has gotten a terrible nickname at school because of her need to fit in. She begs Dale to help her find her body before it's too late. Nicole starts to regret many things and learn from this experience. Dale teaches Nicole a lot about herself, how to forgive and just Live. She starts see the real Dale as well and comes to Care for him deeply as does Dale for Nicole. What Nicole doesn't know is Dale has suffered a tragedy too and came out with a Better view on life and tries to instill that into Nicole. Dale also doesn't know Nicole has suffered a Great loss and she blames herself for it. I fell instantly in Love with Dale and his Sweetness! Both of these character Grow Immensely throughout this story and from one another. You WANT to know what happens??? Buy yourself a copy :D I say this is a MUST read!!! less

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