Where do I even begin? Amy Harmon does it again with Making Faces, a novel that pulled me in many directions as it dealt with diversity, romance, friendship, family, war and life. Every time I read one of her novels, I feel that I have just read my favorite Harmon story so as of right now, I have read four novels of Amy’s and I have four favorites of Amy’s. Amy stories come at me, she holds nothing back as her characters share their lives with me, their drama keeps me up at night as I become one with their world. I highly recommend you read one of Amy’s novels, Making Faces is a fantastic one to start with because as of right now, it is my favorite. Fern, Rita and Bailey have been friends for years. I truly enjoyed and adored these relationships, they were great diverse and unique individuals who were dealing with major decisions and life. Bailey lives in the moment believing that his days are numbered because of the disease which has taken over his body causing him to rely on a wheelchair for transportation. Fern, is a close friend of Bailey’s who is also a closet writer. She hopes that someday her romance stories will be published but in the meantime, she’ll read other author’s novels and dream. I was touched reading their stories and when Rita was introduced, she fit right in with them. Wanting to seduce the sexy Ambrose with written text, Rita turns to her good friend Fern who is talented with words. Fern’s written words just might be what attracts Ambrose to Rita if all goes well and things don’t get too complicated. It’s their senior year, college is just around the corner for some and for others…what is their option? Of course, it’s going to get complicated.

 

Needs more Bailey!!!

It was slow with a lot of telling, random and often useless information coming out of nowhere, plus I couldn't get a handle on these characters —couldn't even tell if their actions were out of character.
The only good thing about this book was Bailey. There were parts that really touched me and those parts consisted of Bailey. So, if this book were only about Bailey it'd be a hit with me. Otherwise, it was an okay read with a good message. Just wasn't memorable for me.

First book of the year! And I really should have chosen better…

Fern is a plain girl who has a crush on Ambrose, the school’s wrestling champion. He never pays attention to her. After 9/11, he goes to Iraq with his friends; they all die and he’s left horribly scarred. When he gets back, Fern and her best friend, Bailey, help him overcome his trauma and become “a better person”.

The person who recommended it to me definitely does not have the same taste as I do for books. I already knew that, but since this one was listed as “contemporary” rather than “romance” or “chick lit”, and since she assured me I would love it, I thought I’d give it a shot. In the end, it’s a Harlequin romance with lots of pretension thrown up on it. I guess it’s also a nice reminder that, just because I’m only reading books by women, it does not at all mean I’m free of misogyny.

Overall enjoyment: Nope.

Plot: Meh. I really don’t mind overused tropes, I am a fan of fanfiction, after all. But they have to be well done to keep my interest, and this one didn’t.

Characters: Classic manic-pixie-dream-girl as a protagonist (Fern). And I do mean classic, every single post you’ve seen on Tumblr about this applies to her. Her love interest, Ambrose (who, in the end, is the one who gets the character development), is a jock who never paid attention to her in highschool but then came back from the war horribly scarred and had to rethink his idea of beauty (which really doesn’t matter, because during this time she lost her braces, started using contacts, tamed her hair and grew breasts). A potentially interesting character as her best friend, Bailey, a boy with a rare degenerative disease.

World/setting: I guess if I were American I might have appreciated this better. This small town thing, where everybody knows and judges everybody and believe that is their right, feels stifling to me.

Writing style: Nothing special, but not particularly bad, either. She does tend to be over dramatic sometimes, but her voice was actually one of the few things I enjoyed. Simple and straightforward, if a bit corny in some points.

Representation: One of the main characters was disabled, so she gets points for that. However, straight cis-sexuality is the only one existing in her world. There are a couple of people described as dark-skinned, but that’s as far as their characterization goes and they are called “exotic” more than once. Passes Bechdel by a hair’s breadth (Fern remembers her mother talking to her friend) but fails the Mako Mori test.

Political correctness: UGH. The whole book is permeated with Christian religious morals, and I mean that in the worst sense possible: slut-shaming, victim blaming, against abortion. There is a secondary character, Rita, who ends up marrying an abuser. During prom, while they’re still not married, Fern actually says she fears he’ll beat Rita for dancing with Bailey, and that’s it. Nothing is done, nobody takes any kind of action at all. The narrator doesn’t even comment on it, as if it were just a matter of course. And then, later, when Rita tells Fern she’s pregnant and she had a life long dream of traveling to Europe, Fern actually tells her to get married and give up on that dream, even though she knows the guy is an abuser. For fuck’s sake, the girl was begging to be told to have an abortion.

Like I said, I should have chosen better. Hopefully the future books will be better than this…

10++ Stars.
My new Top Favorite. It was just P.E.R.F.E.C.T !!! ♥♥♥

"If God made all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?

Does he make the legs that cannot walk and eyes that cannot see?

Does he curl the hair upon my head 'til it rebels in wild defiance?

Does he close the ears of a deaf man to make him more reliant?

Is the way I look a coincidence or just a twist of fate?

If he made me this way, is it okay, to blame him for the things I hate?

For the flaws that seem to worsen every time I see a mirror,For the ugliness I see in me, for the loathing and the fear.

Does he sculpt us for his pleasure, for a reason I can't see?

If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?”

What a beautiful sensual and heart touching story it is.. WOW. I loved it. and i just love Amy Harmon. i mean. i wonder how anyone can write such a beautiful perfect story. Truly truly loved it.

 

“I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, and when you get tired of looking at me, I promise I’ll sing.”

It is my new Top Favorite. A page turner and a roller coaster of emotions.
Recommended to everyone.

After seeing all these positive reviews for this book I finally decided to read it.

I've been on this kick of reading stuff with wounded Heroes (If I Lie, Something Like Normal,  Fighting Redemption) so yes, this fit right in.

I think it's labeled New Young Adult, but it didn't read like other NYA books. For one, sex wasn't the main thing. In fact, there wasn't any sex scene in the book. Lately NYA means erotica but the characters are under 23, so this was a nice surprise. It was on emotions and friendships and the bond of friendship. It made me smile with happiness and cry for losses. This story is more then just Ambrose & Fern. It's about Fern & Bailey. 

I can't say I was happy with everything in the book, like I wasn't sure if

all the boys would actually be in the same platoon(?) or not, what are the odds that Bailey would fall in a ditch and drown, I felt that was a undignified death for Bailey and it really bothered me. I know he was a hero, but it just felt wrong. Becker getting away that night at the hospital.

(spoiler show)

 

"Do you remember your last step?" Fern asked softly, not savvy enough at eleven to avoid direct questions that might be painful to answer.

 

"No. I don't. I would write it in my journal if I did. But I don't know."

 

"I bet your mom wishes she could put it in your baby book. She wrote down your first step, didn't she? She probably wishes she could write down your last."

 

"She probably thought there would be more." Bailey gulped and Fern could tell he was trying not to cry. "I thought there would be more. But I guess I used them all up."

 

“There isn't heartache if there hasn't been joy. I wouldn't feel loss if there hadn't been love.” 

 

I'll hide this quote in a spoiler tag:

 

 

"Beautiful Spider?" Ambrose said softly, just beyond her left shoulder, and Fern smiled, amazed that he remembered.

 

"Beautiful Sheen. Beautiful Bailey Sheen. That's how I'll always remember him."

(spoiler show)

 

 

Overall a good read that will tug at your heartstrings. I think Bailey's character and situation did a lot of the tugging for me because I'm a mom of 2 boys. and I found myself wondering what if Bailey was my child?

Anyways, yes you should read it, but be prepared to cry a little.