Review: Dead to You

Dead To You

Stats:
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Page Count: 243
Buy Link: Amazon
Would Appeal To: Fans of Caroline B. Cooney's The Face on the Milk Carton, Sara Zarr's Sweathearts, anyone interested in psychology

Favorite Quote:
"She leans in for a hug, and I can feel her warm sigh down my shirt collar."

 Why You Must Read "Dead To You":

• Plot. We hear about abducted children all the time. But what happens when one returns to his family after several years? How does that person find a place in a family who has learned to go on, even if they're broken? Straight from the victim, McMann chronicles the hardships of re-establishing a place in a foreign world. 
• Nice flow. I'm usually obsessed with finding quotes, but this read so smoothly that I was completely absorbed in the story and forgot to look for them. Once you get into it, you won't be able to put it down, and it is such a quick read. 
• Ending! I had a slight hunch before the final punch came but had convinced myself it couldn't be right. Wow. Abrupt and powerful.
• Narrator. I love a good male point of view. This is totally realistic (speaking from a female's perspective-ha). So maybe I don't really know, but I often felt "A guy would think this." Ethan is confused after he was abducted from his own front yard at seven years old. He was kidnapped by Ellen, lived with her for years, until she left him at a group home. He lived homeless for a year before he reached out to his real parents. Everything he feels, from the hate toward his brother to his love for playing games with six year old Gracie to the intense yearning he has for his former best friend, is completely believable. McMann includes small details without going overkill on descriptions. The family dynamics in the book are great. Mama is the peacekeeper. Dad is the rule maker. Gracie is trusting. Blake can't get past the fact that his older brother would just go off in a car with strangers and is holding a grudge.
• Romance. There is a fabulous kissing scene. The intensity jumped off the page. It can be hard to make romance scenes stand out; this one is a winner!
• Message. This story really brings home the point of wanting to be needed and wanting to be loved. No matter what your life situation, you can relate to some emotion that is beautifully captured by the author. 

--BUY "DEAD TO YOU" HERE--