I'm going to make this short.
Love:
Okay Alex and Henry are adorable and I totally love them. They go back and forth just like me and the hubs.
Hate:
The story just. Keeps. Going. Ffs it could have been wrapped up neatly well before it was. And the whole Richardson background story was way too cliche and easy to figure out. Because the book dragged on forever, I started to lose interest.
So, a good book but a bit slow and dull.
This was a quick read, and well paced.
But. But...
The whole premise of the book is pretty absurd. Let me break it down. First, this girl runs away to join the circus in 2016. Most circuses by that point had gone belly-up, but this girl seems to just stumble over more than one in a tiny UK coastal town. Very unlikely.
And that leads us to Willow, our main character. She is flawed, but not in a relatable way. She has a rich daddy who owns her off on others and can't be bothered to take care of her because "she looks too much like her", his ex and mother of Willow. So Willow spends the whole book as a runaway, while recounting other escape attempts. Some seemed understandable while most seemed straight up spoiled brat moves. And that's where being flawed too much comes into play. How can I feel sympathy for a character when she is clearly in the wrong? The book opens with her ruining her step-mother's wedding dress. And by the end of the book, we still don't have an excuse for why she did it and why she hates her stepmom. Because she's young? Pregnant? We are never given a good reason, so most of Willow's behavior comes off as ridiculous and petty.
And I would like to note that for a girl so "prepared" for this runaway episode, she didn't know squat about street life. She had a list of rules to follow but not one said anything about going anywhere with strangers. She kept putting herself in incredibly dangerous situations because she was too stupid to think "hey, maybe I shouldn't tease the creepy smelly ticket seller" or "don't go into a stranger's house".
In the end, we get closure with a neat bow on top, but seriously? Nobody learned a lesson. Daddy still admitted to not really loving Willow, but he cries big fat tears of joy when she returns home to him. And let's not forget there are 17 years of distant "throw money at it until it goes away" parenting and never really even remembering she exists. You never learn why Willow hates her stepmom. You never learn why any of this had to happen. She ran away so many times she had a detective on her case all day every day, and nobody once thought to send this poor girl to therapy?! Why does a 6/8/11 year old keep running away from boarding school/home? Nobody ever seems to suggest this child might need help.
All in all, don't bother. The whole thing is stupid. And if I'm going to be technical, as the book went along, the editing mistakes got worse and worse. So, I felt no sympathy for the main character, nobody learned anything, and everyone lives happily ever after. Gag me.
This has been the best in this series so far. I related to this woman on a spiritual level. She suffers 2 strokes in her 20s and loses her mobility and speech. This story chronicles her come back. I feel this because I have chronic migraine which is on the spectrum of strokes. I have been known to lose my sentences halfway through, zone out, slur my words, see glitter or lens flares, and smell burning wires. It is horrible to be trapped inside your head, to know what you want to say and be unable to communicate. Or sometimes be unable to even think of the most basic words. I've cried more than once because me, the writer, couldn't remember what a brontosaurus was or who Ewan McGregor was, either.
A few things I believe about Scientology:
1. L. Ron Hubbard was a con man and this was the ultimate con. He laughed all the way to the bank.
2. Dave Miscavige is an egomaniac and he beats his employees.
3. Dave's wife has been missing for over a decade, only heard from through a lawyer, and I'm pretty sure she's dead.
4. I feel really bad for people that actually believe in this "religion". And that's coming from someone who believes in the invisible sky daddy.
Jenna's story was so awful that at times it was hard to believe. But then you look up stories of people that escaped this cult and you learn it's an all-too-common tale. From working like a mule her whole childhood to having no true education to the constant paranoia that is the self-policing of Scientology, it was one huge nightmare. I mean, just saying you wanted to call the police was enough to get you a High Crime. A High Crime! They could beat you senseless (which they have done before) and if you say you are calling the authorities, you become the enemy.
I'm glad Jenna escaped. I was disappointed her husband wasn't so easy to convince to leave, but I am happy he did eventually go with her. I think books like this need to be shared so that others do not fall prey to cults. As Jenna herself said, Scientology may say to think for yourself, but it encourages the opposite. Brainwashing at its finest.
I apparently have a lot in common with Gabourey. I, too, have crippling anxiety, depression, had bariatric surgery, recovered from an eating disorder, and went through my parents' divorce. I'm also too funny for my own good and tend to offend others with my humor.
Read this book. She's THE BOMB, to quote Obama.
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