Every Last Word
Every Last Word
Tamara Ireland Stone
Every Last Word, by Tamara Ireland Stone, is about a girl named Samantha McAllister who looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist. Caroline also introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse named AJ, and she starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear. Follow Sam as she realizes that everything might not had been so crystal-clear.
Every Last Word, was sweet and simple. The main character, Samantha, was likable character. I love how she dealt with all of her struggles and overcame her issues. Sam learns not only to accept herself but to stand up for herself and have friends that accept who she is. She was strong on her own. One other thing I enjoyed about this book is that there was a twist I didn't see coming. It was heart-wrenching, heart breaking ,and left me sobbing my eyes out for the last 50 pages. I found this story to be moving and beautiful. I love the poetry and the writing style.
Grade Level:
- Suggested: 6th-8th
- Advanced: 5th
Genre: Realistic-fiction
Key Elements: Hallucination
Possible Themes: Staying strong
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Happy Reading!
-The Book Lover-
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