Twelve Steps by Veronica
Bartles
Release Date:
03/25/14
Book Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Andi is tired of being a second-class sibling to perfect
sister Laina. There in Laina's shadow, Andi's only noticeable feature is her
pretty awesome hair. And even that is eclipsed by Laina's perfect everything
else.
My 5-Star Review of the Book
I absolutely loved it! First of all I want to say that I can totally relate to Andi-Alaina relationship and feelings for each other. And let me tell you that it was right on!!.... being perfect is no easy feat, and I think the author has captured all the tension plus drama between two sisters superbly, without giving any negativity which could have spoiled the whole story.
"We could sit around and chat about how our flawless family members are systematically destroying our lives."
Laina is perfect and her perfection has haunted Andi for ages. Everyone keeps comparing her to her perfect elder sister and she is sick and tired of it. The boy she has been crushing on for years is also interested in Laina and not her. In fact every single boy in school is interested in Laina, not that she pays attention to them. Still they keep following her around and ignoring Andi.
Andi thinks that she is powerless because of Laina's perfection and she should just take charge of her life. So when Jarod asks her to help him win her sister, she starts work on her own agenda instead. A twelve-step programme which will make all her problems disappear. Most importantly it'll make Jarod realise that she was the sister for him not Laina. When Shane entered the picture, it gave her a perfect opportunity to make her dream come true. But things rarely go the way one plans....
She has always acted as if it didn't matter, as if she didn't notice people comparing her to Laina and finding her less than perfect. And she is good at acting too, no one sees her like she really is except Dave. He is the only person who sees through her lies....
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you're supposed to keep things vague when you're lying through your teeth."
So she is not as clueless as her sister. She knows when someone is interested in her but she cannot be anything more than friends with Dave. She has always been in love with Jarod and that will never change or so she thinks.....
Its a beautifully written story, which is perfect for young readers. I'm no teenager but I loved it too. All the characters are well crafted and I especially loved Dave's character. Didn't like Jarod though. He was no hero-material if you asked me. He was stringing Andi along while pining for Laina. But the book demanded that character so it was perfect in its own way. Everyone was as they should be and this made it a 5-star read.
About the Author
As the second of eight children
and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of
sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the
gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words
younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who
mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another
crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her
newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of
recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually
tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes.
TWELVE STEPS is Veronica Bartles's first novel.
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