Adam Strong

Was Frank Pershall right to take his son from his mother and start a new life for them in Florida? Granted the mother was an artist who had fallen off the edge of acceptability, the accolades and drug habit making her far from nurturing. But, once he had him where he wanted him, that was it, Frank was no more nurturing himself. Instead the father’s limo driver stepped into the role taking Jay, the son in question, under his wing and into his limo but at the same time supporting Jay more show more than any other adult in his life.

But children have the habit of growing up and making their own choices, for good or for bad. Predictably, things didn’t go that well for Jay which was also part of the story of "Bella Vista". show less

Yasss! Couldn’t wait to read this book and it was everything I was expecting it to be. I enjoyed the writing and the plot. I def want to read more of this author. If you’re look for a complex father / son book (plus so much more) I definitely recommend this book. Great pacing and you can see the story playing out in your mind.

It’s a thought-provoking, coming-of-age, thrill of a read that packs a few punches. Will be choosing this for my book club read for June!

"Bella Vista", by Adam Strong, follows the narrative of Jay Pershall. Jay attempts to navigate his way through childhood and adolescents, basically on his own. His parents are both emotionally immature and not engaged/involved in his life. Jay's father convinces him to move to Miami with him, offering a better life, promising to be a better father, and wealth based on a plan that he has. Jay quickly realizes that other than wealth, the other promises are all lies. His father hires a Limo show more driver named Cliff to take care of Jay. They quickly form a bond, along with an education of life on the streets.
This novel felt very empty to me. There were a lot of loose ends that left me both confused and frustrated. For example:
Jay's father's job was never really explained
Jay skips school the majority of the time, yet he's heading off to college
Jay's relationship with Michelle didn't go into enough detail, especially their breakup
Jay's attempt at suicide was "brushed over". His mother stops by and his father marries days later.

These are just a few of the items that made this, in my opinion, a very shallow read. show less

I had hope for this book; it had a pretty cover, and the print was large enough for my poor eyes.

Jay Persall lives in New York with an artist mother who gets hooked on cocaine. His pot-smoking father went to an all-day seminar, and abruptly changed! His father cuts his hair, changes his clothes, and becomes a perfectionist. Minimal love from the mother, and his dad has no clue about being a father.

The dad takes the body to Florida and hands him over to a limo driver of prostitutes and drunks show more and drives the boy around picking up the people. That is the closest the boy gets to someone who cares. There were some traumatic events, but there was no transition =between them, and so much was unexplained. The boy missed a lot of school, yet he went to college. How did this happen? How did his dad suddenly get a lot of money? Why did his father get away with it. Jay's mother made it out of addiction and said it was hard. That is all we know about that.

I didn't like the ending; it seemed that the author jumped a sort of happy ending without explanation. show less