***My anger with this book is more so directed at NoiseTrade, and not the book itself, as I wasn’t able to fully give it a chance. Even so, this book wasn’t my cup of tea, but nearly 100 other reviewers on Goodreads would disagree with me, so don’t let my review dissuade your decision.***
If only a pile of wayward curls and the inability to stay on her feet were seventeen year-old Foster Kelly’s most pressing concerns. Unfortunately, stubborn hair and clumsiness is just the tip of it. It was only a mistake, but when at the age of five Foster is told “You don’t belong here” the result is one broken heart. These four carelessly spoken words have shaped and shadowed Foster, and now—a senior at Shorecliffs High School—she seeks the wallflower’s existence, denying herself the most casual of friendships, much too afraid that someone will see what Foster believes is certain: she does not belong anywhere – or with anyone. This reality would continue to suit her just fine, however . . .
Love has a long-standing history of undoing broken hearts.Like a comet, an unexpected arrival knocks Foster out of the crowded, starry sky, sending her directly into the limelight. Exposed and afraid, she will attempt to regain anonymity; but it isn’t so easy now that someone is watching. He pursues this shy enigma, confronting Foster’s deepest fears head-on, and in the process falls wholly and completely in love with her.
Love has a long-standing history of undoing broken hearts.Like a comet, an unexpected arrival knocks Foster out of the crowded, starry sky, sending her directly into the limelight. Exposed and afraid, she will attempt to regain anonymity; but it isn’t so easy now that someone is watching. He pursues this shy enigma, confronting Foster’s deepest fears head-on, and in the process falls wholly and completely in love with her.But there is something he is not saying; a secret capable of certain ruin. There are two probable outcomes: either he will break her heart once and for all, or he will heal it.In the end, though, it is Foster who must decide if she is worth mending.
Book Details:
Paperback, 672 pages
Published June 26th 2013 by CreateSpace (first published June 22nd 2013)
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Really? The e-book I was provided with EXPIRED! I don’t know what kind of bait and switch maneuver that was, but I do not feel compelled to purchase the book just to finish reading it. No, I will be reviewing the first 71 pages of this novel, up to Chapter 5. (I was only provided with the first ten chapters anyways, which was a first for me as a book reviewer…)
“She, just a small, ordinary bird, was no longer invisible.”
So, I didn’t love the first 4 chapters. I got that Foster Kelly was a bit of a reclusive wallflower, with brilliant scientist parents who liked to fool around with the genetics of flowers, and what not. Also, Foster Kelly was constantly plagued by anxiety over being paired with a partner for “Senior Piece”. When the book started, senior piece partners were being picked the following day. 71 pages in, the following day never arrived…
“Awkward and angular, I was trying to squeeze into a neat, round circle that continued to spit me back out.”
Much like the following day, the romance angle never arrived either. -Which is too bad, because I love a good teen romance!
I am only giving Awakening Foster Kelly 2 stars based on the first 4 chapters which were available to me. I imagine, and based on what I have read, in a nearly 700 page novel, this story dragged. I am disappointed that the copy provided to me was a B.S. copy that expired only one day into me reading it.
About The Author of Awakening Foster Kelly
“CARA ROSALIE OLSEN resides in sunny Southern California, where she lives with her very patient husband, Michael, and their spoiled pooch, Annabella. A product of a relatively normal childhood – whatever that means – Olsen recalls “Life had this relentlessly boorish way of reminding me I was wonky and unapproved. Regardless of status or gene pool, there is nothing simple or easy about growing up. Life doesn’t play favorites or carry biases; it’s the pits for everyone. But rather than constantly falling into the pit, often I chose to climb down willingly, lining the bottom with a soft place to land. That place is where I became a reader, and today, a writer.”–Amazon Author Bio***I was provided with a partial e-copy of Awakening Foster Kelly, in exchange for a honest book review.
A Well Read Woman 
Yikes! Sounds like a nightmarish experience as a book reviewer…
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I don’t usually tweet the reviews where you’ve only given two stars but I was so cross about the way you were expected to do a review on only a tiny part of the book. That seems so unprofessional on the part of the author’s publicist.
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Hi Mary! I have to redact that part about the publicist. It was actually NoiseTrade’s fault. They have a lot of glitches in their system apparently, and I won’t be using them again.
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