Heather Davis (1) (1970–)

Summary: Amy is recovering from an abusive relationship and has just moved in with her Aunt Mae, who lives in the middle of nowhere.
Henry prayed one horrible night for things to stay the way they were, and now he and his family are stuck in a time loop, unable to walk beyond the mist that surrounds their property.
When Amy and Henry meet, they find comfort in each other. Will comfort turn into something more…?

My thoughts: The Clearing is a sweet little love story with a creative show more time-bending twist. Though from the blurb one might assume it’s all light and fluffy, Heather Davis incorporates some more serious topics as well—abusive relationships and escapism are prime examples. Everything is put together in such a way that no theme is overly prominent. The Clearing is subtle in its messages and its romance, which makes for a quick yet savory read.

The Clearing’s supernatural aspect was very creative, but it wasn’t overplayed (a breath of fresh air). Henry’s direct involvement in the creation of the time loop built up his character and his flaws fantastically—plus, it’s always nice to have a back story on a supernatural occurrence, rather than it just appearing.

The romance between Henry and Amy is really the highlight of The Clearing. It develops in the best way—slowly and sweetly. Henry’s 1940’s gentleman shtick is endearing, and while it takes Amy a bit to warm up to him due to her bad history with men, their love eventually blossoms into something beautiful.

The Clearing is a great read for fans of star-crossed lovers and slow, sweet romance. It’s a fairly quick read, but the book is still meaningful and leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth. show less

"Wherever You Go" is a must read. I didn't know much about this book when I received it. I knew it was about a girl (Holly) whose boyfriend (Mark) recently died and is hanging around as a ghost. I thought it might be similar to Jeri Smith-Ready's "Shade" series which I really enjoy. They are not comparable at all, although both are exceptionally good books. "Wherever You Go", while technically a paranormal book (after all a good portion of the book is narrated by a ghost!)just seems to feel show more more real.

Emma is still grieving her boyfriend Mark when she learns that she will soon be caring for her grandfather who is moving in with her family. Holly already cares for her younger sister because her single mother works two jobs to support them. Complicating things further is that Aldo has Altzheimer's. It is becoming more and more advanced and he struggles to communicate. Holly cooks, cleans, parents and nurtures both of her charges while still attending school and dealing with her grief

Enter Jason, Mark's best friend. He too is in mourning and wants to get to know Holly better. He is a good guy from a well to do family and Holly is embarrassed because of her family situation. Jason gets that Holly has responsibilities but he wants her to see she deserves to spend time on herself as well. Meanwhile Mark is watching everything and suffering his own inner demons. No one can see him...until someone does.

This book is so very much more than a paranormal story. Its so much more than a romance. These characters are real and I spent the majority of the book zooming through pages and praying that they would end up with a happily ever after. But this book did the right thing and stays a realistic story. I very much appreciated how the author tackles the subject of Altzheimers, it breaks my heart much in the same way that reading "The Notebook" did. I also really sympathized with Holly being put in the adult role in her family. It is obvious from the start the Holly's mother can't cope with things at home and in fact seems to find relief in going to work.

I can't say more without giving too much away, but I highly encourage readers to pick up this book. I am sure you won't be able to put it down until you close the last page. Even then the story will stay with you for a very long time. show less

Amy doesn't have a whole lot going for her in Seattle. She's just come out of a disastrous relationship and her friends don't believe her when she tells them how bad it was for her. She decides to try to get a fresh start by moving in with her great-aunt Mae in a little town called Rockville. Amy's been hurt so badly that it's hard for her to open up enough to even make friends. When she's out throwing sticks for the dog one day, Amy notices a band of fog at the back of the property that show more never goes away. She goes through the fog and meets Henry, a strangely-dressed boy who she immediately feels comfortable with. He becomes her only good friend in this little town, but no one seems to have ever even heard of him.

I just loved this, and in a way I'm surprised. There are some fantasy elements here, but this is more of a love story and that is usually not my thing at all.

No, now that I think about it, the romance wasn't even entirely the point. It's more about Amy getting past this huge hurt in her past and learning to take care of herself first. That is the kind of thing I like, and that's what the appeal was. Whew! I was afraid I was getting soft there for a minute!

I obviously read my share of YA books, but I tend to stick to fantasy. In that genre, there are tons of "bad boys" that the heroines fall all over. Now, I like me a bad boy or two, but they can't be all bad, and some of these guys I've come across are all bad. You won't really find me bashing Edward, but I found Patch from [b:Hush, Hush|6339664|Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)|Becca Fitzpatrick|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275621186s/6339664.jpg|6525609] to be an abusive jacka** and it bothers me that teen readers just love him. (Finally tying this in now) I'm glad to read a book that shows that abuse happens and it leaves you devastated. These themes might show up in contemporary YA books, but this is the first time I've found it in the YA I read. It is never okay for your boyfriend to slam you into a wall or to bust your lip or to pressure you into "doing it" and this book showed that without getting preachy at all. We get to see the wreckage of Amy's life in the wake of her abuse and we get to see her ex-boyfriend's behavior compared to that of Henry, an almost perfect gentleman that I couldn't help but love. I wanted to cheer when Amy says something like, "I'm looking out for myself now."

There is a very sweet romance between Amy and Henry and I liked it. It mostly left me smiling. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. There's a bit about how each of our lives affect other peoples' lives, which is something I really don't get tired of reading about, but I'm afraid that a perfectly nice character is going to get hurt and I don't know how I feel about that. It's ambiguous though, so if I think about it long enough, maybe I'll come up with a way for everyone to be happy.

If you're in the mood for a sweet love story that has quite a bit about teen girls learning to love themselves first, pick this up. I enjoyed every minute of it. show less

Wherever You Go is told through three different perspectives: Holly (first person), Jason (third person), and Rob’s ghost (second person). This has the potential to be a bit overwhelming, but Heather Davis manages to pull it off. The different points of view are so distinct from each other that it’s impossible to be confused. While this style doesn’t exactly make the book feel completely fluid, it does prove to make Wherever You Go stand out. The three storylines all tie together in a show more beautiful way.

One of the best things about Wherever You Go is its ability to evoke emotion in the reader. There are so many moments that left me simmering with outrage or smiling with delight. The chapters involving Holly are the most powerful, particularly because of her incredibly challenging situation. It’s easy to be awed by Holly’s immense compassion and patience, but it’s also easy to become increasingly frustrated with her mother. Holly’s mother brings up an interesting point for discussion—is it okay to saddle your daughter with so much responsibility that she is unable to have a life of her own?

Wherever You Go has a serious storyline, but things aren’t all doom and gloom—there are moments of hope, moments of laughter, and moments of love. The budding relationship between Holly and Jason is positively adorable, and the things they do together (namely, bring joy to Holly’s grandfather) are so heartwarming. Also heartwarming is the connection between Aldo (Holly’s grandfather) and Rob’s ghost. They have quite a bit in common, and the things they talk about really make you think. At first, the infusion of a teensy bit of supernatural doesn’t feel entirely necessary because of Wherever You Go’s strong realistic themes, but because of the storyline between Aldo and Rob, it’s completely validated.

Wherever You Go is a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of letting go that fans of contemporary YA will surely enjoy. Its themes are poignant, its characters are lovable, and its story is captivating. Wherever You Go delivers insight into the lives of three very complicated teens, and ultimately made me feel grateful for what I have. show less