Kindle Edition, 297 pages
Published December 1st 2018 by Mirror Press
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given
Charming, clever, and heart-warming. Carol Lynch Williams' novelization of the motion picture Once I Was a Beehive is sure to be a family favorite.
Sixteen-year-old Lane Speer spends her family vacations camping in the mountains, taking the memories for granted until she loses her father to an unexpected bout with cancer. One year later, as Lane is still reeling from her father's death, her mother remarries a guy who Lane hardly knows. To top it off, he's a Mormon. Worst of all, while her mom and new stepdad are on their honeymoon, they arrange to have her stay with her Mormon step-aunt who takes her to a bible-themed girls camp with a bunch of Mormon girls. Confronted with memories of camping with her family, Lane tries to find peace with her new surroundings as she deals with the death of her father.
My Review: 4 Stars
Lane's world has been turned upside down in the space of a year and now she's expected to stay with near strangers while her mom is off enjoying her honeymoon with a new step-dad. A few days camping with a bunch of girls seems like a better option, especially when Lane forms a sweet attachment to her new step-cousin, Phoebe.
I watched this movie a couple of months ago and really enjoyed the way the plot captured life at a Mormon girls' camp. When I saw this book was based on the movie, I thought for sure it would pretty much be a word-for-word copy of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that this book offered more thoughts about and backstory relating to Lane's character.
Lane is brought to life through the words of this book. In fact, the wedding and resulting camp experience doesn't happen until almost halfway through and the funny, frivolous details are skimmed over, while the important feelings and emotions are explored in a way that makes this story vulnerable and relatable.
The messages of peace and hope are much needed and bring the story and movie full circle, hand in hand.
Content: death; mild+ religion (not preachy)
ABOUT CAROL LYNCH WILLIAMS:
Carol Lynch Williams, who grew up in Florida and now lives in Utah, is an award-winning novelist with seven children of her own, including six daughters. She has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College, and won the prestigious PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. The Chosen One was named one of the ALA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and Best Books for Young Adult Readers; it won the Whitney and the Association of Mormon Letters awards for the best young adult novel of the year; and was featured on numerous lists of recommended YA fiction. Carol’s other novels include Glimpse, Miles From Ordinary, The Haven, Waiting, Signed, Skye Harper, and the Just in Time series.
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Carol-Lynch-Williams/e/B001H9RQLE/
Website: http://www.carollynchwilliams.com/Giveaway:
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