Author: Ayelen Barrios 

Published: February 2014 by Safkhet Soul

Category: Contemporary Fiction

I received a digital copy of the book in return for my review

'On Emily's sixteenth birthday, she discovers a letter that tells of her long-lost father, who not only wants her back but is also filthy rich! Tensions between her and her mother were never very good, and with this letter, they escalate to where Emily moves out for the summer to her new/old family - at their opulent summer home. Find out how Emily wrestles with her feelings, finds love and balances her two families in "The Donahues”.'

I thought the story concept was a good one and dealt with the normal teenage angst and issues. The characterisations and interactions were good and it was interesting to see how Emily dealt with coming to terms with the shock of finding out she was adopted. That would be enough to deal with at any age but to find out on her 16th birthday sends Emily into a tailspin.

I liked the teasing relationship between Emily and her brother but otherwise I found it difficult to really connect with her. She gave the impression of being quite manipulative and a wee bit calculating and I thought she treated Stephen poorly considering he was supposed to be her best friend.

In some parts the writing tended to be a little stilted and some of the dialogue didn’t quite ring true for 16 year olds. But it is an appealing and entertaining debut novel.