Name: Torn Away
ISBN: 9780316245517

Jennifer Brown

Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this. When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with relatives she hardly knows -- family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy? In this powerful and poignant novel, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown delivers a story of love, loss, hope, and survival.

Torn Away

Dorian Avers

4.5 Stars. Honestly I just debated giving this book five stars. This is a GREAT and SOLID novel I remember reading this book when I was a teenager, apparently I read about half of it and then had to return it to the library, but it has stuck with me and I had to go hunt it down again. It's about a girl who survives a tornado that destroys nearly everything around her, and spends the rest of the novel picking up the pieces. The pacing is great, it's believable and memorable, and I would recommend this to pretty much any teen looking to get into reading.

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    "Growing up, we were taught over and over again what steps to take in case of an approaching tornado. Listen for sirens, go to your basement or cellar, or a closet in the center of your house, duck and cover, wait it out. We had drills twice a year, every year, in school. We talked about it in class. We talked about it at home. The newscasters reminded us. We went to the basement. We practiced, practiced, practiced. But we'd never – not once – discussed what to do after."
  

It's been a long time since I read a book that made me cry like this one did. I'm not talking about a couple tears streaking down my cheeks as I read. I'm talking full-on body-wracking, audible sobs that left me with a huge headache. So many emotions. I didn't just cry at one part (though only one really made me do the ugly cry), but I read the bulk of this book with tears in my eyes, at the very least. There was so much pain and loss and because of the way it was written, it was incredibly easy to put yourself in Jersey's place and I think that's what made it most painful of all. It was too easy to feel her grief as though it was your own. 

This book gets off to a quick start with Jersey at home alone while a storm approaches. She has no way of knowing this will be the one that changes everything for her. The description of what it was like for Jersey as the tornado hit – and during the immediate aftermath – almost caused me to have a full-blown anxiety attack. I felt like I was living every painful minute with her. After the storm, as she attempts to take care of herself while waiting for her mom, sister and stepfather to come to her, you begin to get the feeling that something is very, very wrong. Unfortunately you would be right. The tornado was really just the beginning of the loss that would tear a path through Jersey's life, changing it in ways she never could have imagined before the storm. 

I felt SO MUCH during this book. My heart broke for Jersey time and time again as she dealt with the loss of her mother and sister and of her home. Unfortunately that loss really as just the beginning. Her life was turned completely upside down because of the selfishness of her stepfather and the pain just kept coming. This book is chock full of some of the most insensitive, uncaring and just downright awful characters I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. I wanted to reach into the book and slap some sense (or sensitivity) into them. I wanted to rescue Jersey myself and show her that she wasn't completely unwanted. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about what she had to endure after already suffering such a massive loss. 

Thankfully, better and brighter days are ahead for Jersey as she finds a place with people who do actually want her, despite what she's been told her entire life. She learns a lot about her mom, her family, and herself. She's an incredible young woman with a bright future ahead. It's just going to look a whole lot different than how she imagined it would. 

  
    "I'm just going to keep redefining "everything" for as long as I need to, because I'm pretty sure that's the best way to keep on going when you feel like you've lost it all."
  

I knew this wouldn't be an easy book to read – both because of the loss factor and the fact that I am 1000% petrified of tornados – and while I didn't know just how right I was, I'm so glad I read it. It was a powerful book that really made me evaluate my life and the people in it and how happy I am that they're there. 

Before I close out my review, I just have to comment on the blurb for Torn Away. If you haven't already read it, DO NOT READ IT. It gives away the entire story. Granted, it doesn't give away the emotions and the pain, but it does tell you the entire storyline. Thankfully I skimmed it back when I requested it and didn't read it before I started on the book, otherwise I think I would have been upset at it for spoiling any surprises in the plot. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Quotes come from the review copy and may differ in the final version.

Jessica 

Although I’ve only managed to get my hands on two novels by Jennifer Brown, she is on the fast track to becoming one of my favorite authors. There is something genuine in her writing; a raw emotion that takes you away and puts you in her characters shows. She takes you away on a journey of self discovery, loss and manages to capture each emotion beautifully.

She truly is a talent not to be missed in young adult literature and deserves way more credit that she gets. Her writing in Hate List is beautiful and Torn Away is no different. Boy, does this woman know how to touch the heart.

Torn Away is heartfelt, at times difficult to read in its tragedy — but it’s worth every good review it gets and honestly, no summary or review will do it justice. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy (I received an egalley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).

I honestly feel like this novel is something I’ll be thinking about for a very, very long time and will recommend it to just about anyone I can. It will haunt you, that’s for sure — and be sure to have a box of tissues on standby.

Full review: http://bookgirl.co.vu/post/8903546081...