An enjoyable romantic novel for teens, with a fillip of suspense thrown in. I read the beginning, offered at Smashwords & Amazon, which drew me in. Had to buy it to read the rest (an ebook). Dani is a 17 year old teen with a rocky past, with an abusive father & alcoholic mother, and she was bounced around foster care. Finally in a stable foster family situation, Dani befriended Reece, who reminds her of the older brother she idolized who was killed by her father. As they age, Dani falls in love with handsome and popular Reece, but hides it to keep their friendship secure. The plot revolves around a love triangle, miscommunications, family dysfunction and growth, plus mysterious threatening phone calls that seem to relate back to Dani's foster care days. The suspense is pretty light and I would have liked a stronger sense of place, but the romantic elements and Dani's traumatic story held my attention and empathy. ( )

Songbird is a very compelling book. Dani struggles with the death of her beloved brother who was shot by her father; her mother turns to drinking instead of caring for her only daughter. Dani is moved from foster home to foster home until she at last is placed in a home where she's secure. Her best friend is also her true love, until a boy from her past suddenly appears. Unnusual phone calls start and unveil a disturbing secret Dani had once forgotten. She must make a hard decision about who she truly loves, the boy who's been there all along or the new arrival who's brought up the past. ( )

This story is told from the point of view a girl names Danni, who is struggling with her troubled past and confusing friendship with her best friend Reece. Initially I felt like it was one tragedy after the over drudged up from her past.However I thought the way the
flashbacks are woven into the present was excellent.
There was the typical YA romance love triangle foe awhile. However it wasn’t dragged out too much. There was an interesting slight twist at the end. The message of the book is to appreciate life and the appreciate loved ones. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.
*** Reviewed for member giveaway *** ( )

I really enjoyed this young adult story. It is a very quick read. The book pulls you in with characters and the way it tells the story weaving through the present and the past. You feel for the main character and everything she has had to face in her young life - abuse, death of her brother, loss of her family, life through the foster care system, and yet more abuse. The impact her past has on her current relationships is evident, and how she works through that to overcome it comes through. The story deals with some very serious issues and yet is at the same time a love story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

*** Reviewed for member giveaway *** ( )

This is another one of those books that tells about what comes after. There are tons of stories that lead up to this monumental event describing how the character got to that point. This story isn't like that. This story starts after a tragic event, showing how the main character is coping, developing and how she is still plagued by the memories of her past.

I felt mixed things with this novel. On one hand I felt that not much happened, that it wasn't exciting enough. But then I though, that's not really fair. This book isn't supposed to be exciting - it is supposed to be real, and it was. I appreciated Dani's struggles and the way flashbacks are tied into triggers in the present the way that memories often come about in real life. I like Dani's friendship/romance with Reece. I like how it was so many different things at once and how they both felt weary of it, afraid to ruin such a long friendship. I really liked how they both needed each other, and that they knew it - even when they wanted to kill each other. This may not necessarily be an "exciting book", but it didn't really need to be. There were many other emotions present and just enough suspense to keep me reading. ( )