First Chapter Review: The Freedom Club by Cindy Vine

Today I am reviewing the first chapter of The Freedom Club by Cindy Vine as part of her virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book.

BLURB: 
“We could be anybody and everybody. A group of high school stereotypes with one thing in common. Every one of us has a story.”

Every high school has the bullies, the freaks, and the weird kids that make you feel uneasy. Rourke High has more than their fair share. A few months before the end of their senior year, a group of seemingly mismatched kids get together to form The Freedom Club, hoping that they can support the victims of bullying, before they graduate. As they uncover secrets and lies they plot revenge - and discover love, friendship and truths about themselves, building up to a shocking climax that will leave you reeling.
Do you ever really know the person next to you?

COVER: Scary, but appropriate. This is what high schoolers deal with every day. The dark cover could symbolize the dark subject or the dark nature of journeying through the halls feeling alone and disliked for one reason or another.

FIRST CHAPTER: Maddie recalls a fifth grade school project, how it changed her way of thinking, and how important it has become to her as a senior in high school.

KEEP READING: Definitely! I already went ahead and read the next chapter. First of all, I have two high school students at home. One of them has dealt with ridiculous forms of bullying over the last few years, which prompted my interest in the book. There is also my own personal history of being teased profusely in school to draw me in. The author brings you right into those high school days when we all just wanted to fit in. It looks like there will be multiple points of view in this novel, so I'm hoping each of the main character's personality and voice shines through. I'm eager to read more.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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Cindy Vine was born in South Africa and has lived and worked in many different countries as a teacher.  Cindy is currently living and working in Norway. She has three adult children who have all inherited her love of traveling and who all live in different countries.  Cindy likes to write about the difficult subjects that make you think.  Besides writing and traveling, Cindy loves cooking and fixing up houses.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - May 28

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Before anything else, I would like to thank all the brave men and women who have or are currently serving our country here and abroad. I would especially like to remember those who have sacrificed it all to protect freedom around the world.

Arizona Memorial, Feb 2018

I'm am currently about halfway through the final book in Vannetta Chapman's Amish Bishop Mystery series. As expected, I am loving it. 

Every year, residents of the small Amish community in Monte Vista, Colorado, look forward to the Ski Hi Stampede, the state's oldest professional rodeo. The rodeo is always good, clean entertainment for the hardworking farmers of the San Luis Valley. But this year, the Stampede turns deadly for one Amish man. Did rodeo fans see an unfortunate accident? Or something more sinister?

Amish bishop Henry Lapp is known far and wide for his uncanny ability to draw and remember the smallest details of anything he's seen, skills that have served him well in past investigations. He was at the rodeo that day. The problem? He didn't see Jason Scott's death.

With a murderer on the loose and members of his community being threatened, Henry must act fast. But can he solve a crime he didn't see? This time around, Henry will have to rely on his keen sense of human character and observation, skills he's honed in his role as bishop, if he hopes to crack the case.

What the Bishop Knows is a story of accepting our talents, putting one another first, and trusting that God will care for His children.

Not sure which book I'll be picking up next. In addition to the ones I owe reviews for, I would really like to at least skim through this one. I picked it up for research purposes.

The mother of a bullied first grader, popular blogger Carrie Goldman's inspiring true story triggered an outpouring of support from online communities around the world. In Bullied, she gives us a guide to the crucial lessons and actionable guidance she's learned about how to stop bullying before it starts. It is a book born from Goldman's post about the ridicule her daughter suffered for bringing a Star Wars thermos to school--a story that went viral on Facebook and Twitter before exploding everywhere, from CNN.com and Yahoo.com to sites all around the world. Written in Goldman's warm, engaging style, Bullied is an important and very necessary read for parents, educators, self-professed "Girl Geeks," or anyone who has ever felt victimized by a bully, online or in person.

What's your reading plan for the week?

Musing Mondays - September 7

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme from MizB at Should Be Reading. It asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musing:

Right now, I'm in the middle of The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick.
Here's the official blurb:

One October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different person helpful, generous, and chivalrous a person whose new admirable qualities he doesn't recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape.

Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior. He can't hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees, helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere he finds it.

Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He's attracted to the former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott from before the change. Where he'd been lazy in academics, overly aggressive in sports, and socially insecure, he's a new person. And although he can recall behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations.

Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his superjock former pals, is shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed by Bryan's newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he's genuinely changed and improved, hopefully gaining Scott's trust and maybe even his love, becomes Bryan's obsession.

Definitely not my usual read, as young adult romance in any form isn't my typical fare. Not quite sure what made me decide to review this one, but bullying has been on my mind a bit lately since the start of school. I don't worry much about my kids being bullied, but I remember it was a big issue when I was growing up. Much of what I was subjected to at the hands of my classmates would fall into the bullying category by today's laws. 

But I digress...

I've enjoyed this book a lot so far, but I wish there was a bit less cussing. I know, showing my age by saying the word "cussing." I'm not saying young people this age don't speak this way or that it's unrealistic; just that I don't care for it. 

Have any of you read this book? What did you think about it?