Torn by Stephanie Guerra
Published: May 15, 2012 by Marshall Cavendish Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies . You’d never guess that Stella’s dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.
New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella’s polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels . But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world—a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn’t be tried once.
It’s not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she’s ever had and the friends she’s known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be.
But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn’t show anyone—not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.
My Review:
Stella has always been a good girl. She gets good grades, is a great soccer player, and takes care of her younger sister while her mom is at work. Then Ruby comes along. Ruby is the cliche "bad girl" who has no rules at home, does drugs, and goes too far with boys because of her family situation. Stella suddenly gets a look at a lifestyle that is far different from her, and she is caught between the life she has always had and a life she didn't even know existed. Her friendship with Ruby soon starts having negative consequences with her long time friends, her grades, and her position on the soccer team.
Torn is a look into teenage dynamics when you are caught in the middle of friends who don't like each other and the decisions you make simply because another friend is doing it. The "exciting life" soon starts spiraling down, and Stella has to figure out how much is her choice and how much is just her following along with Ruby. She has to decide what path she wants her life to take. Then she also has to decide how far she will go to try to help a friend. Will she let it slide to keep her friend from being mad at her, or will she confront her and possibly lose the friendship?
I thought this story was a very realistic look into the decisions that teenagers face more often than we sometimes want to admit. Stephanie Guerra has done a great job with her first novel. The pacing throughout was consistent and enough to keep you interested. I would recommend this to older YA readers because of the drugs, alcohol, and the discussions of sex.
A copy was provided by the publisher for review.
About the author:
Stephanie Guerra has an M.F.A. in creative writing from the
University of Notre Dame. She teaches children’s literature and a
seminar in writing instruction at Seattle University. She also
teaches creative writing at King County Jail, and researches and speaks
about literacy instruction for at-risk and incarcerated young adults.
She would like to encourage her readers to donate used books to juvenile
correctional facilities. Stephanie lives in Seattle, Washington with
her husband and children. TORN is her first novel. Find out more about Stephanie Guerra.
I agree. I liked the book a lot. Rating: 5/5
ReplyDeleteBy caring about someone who has leaped into the adult world and provides her with the chance to tag along, a young woman unwittingly finds herself moving away from the safe and predictable world of her early adolescence. Although the young women's attendance in high school is central to the plot, this is not a book tied to place or time. The actions and the thoughts of the characters occur universally, and so the story holds interest for adults and has staying power, and is much bigger than a teen novel. It is about being true to oneself and handling complicated situations while being in a caring relationship. Major and minor characters alike are realistically complex, and continue to live in my mind. The events of the book are not overdone, but there are plenty of tense moments when you care about the people and what may happen, and so you are driven on to keep reading while wondering how you yourself might best respond. Without being pedantic or judgmental, the author enables the reader to care about the main characters and to rejoice in their authenticity and competence as friends and as human beings. I look forward to this author's next publication.