Review: Live Through This by Mindi Scott

From the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush Reece helps distract her. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a mom and stepdad who would stop at nothing to keep her siblings and her happy.

But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt over a relationship that crossed the line. Now that Coley has the chance at her first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling.

In this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel, Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an everygirl living a nightmare that no one would suspect.

My Review:

After reading Freefall and loving it, Live Through This immediately went on my TBR list.  Last weekend, I went out and bought a copy of the book, and read it, loving it just as much as I loved Freefall.  Live Through This is a quick read, and it keeps you engaged in the story the entire time.  The book contains the perfect mix of lighter and darker elements, and the issues in the book are covered so well.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Coley is an amazing character.  She's hiding a huge secret from everyone around her because she just wants to have a normal life.  She wants to have fun on dance team, and date Reece.  She is strong, despite the fact that she sometimes feels broken by the abuse she is receiving.  She is ashamed because of this abuse, and the book does a good job showcasing her feelings.  She's a character that you can immediately root for and sympathize with.

Coley's family is woven into the story well.  Coley, her brother, and her mom lived with a man named Patrick who was physically abusive until they left him.  Coley was too young then to actually remember him.  Her mom remarried a man named Tony, and had triplets with him - Zach, Jacob, and Emma.  In the story, you can tell that Tony cares about Coley and her brother Bryan, though they aren't his children.  Coley's half-siblings are good characters as well.  I wasn't a fan of Bryan at all, for spoilery reasons that I'm not going to explain here.  If you read the book, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

The other secondary characters are well-developed and interwoven into Coley's story.  Reece is Coley's crush.  He's a sweet guy who plays the sax in band.  The relationship between Reece and Coley is well done, slow, and realistic.  They make a good couple.  Alejandra is Coley's former best friend.  There is a rift between the two for reasons that are unclear at first.  Near the end, there is a great scene with just Coley and Alejandra that is emotional and well written.

If you like contemporary YA, read this book.

Katie