Friday 29 August 2014

COVER REVEAL & REVIEW - SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE BY ELANA JOHNSON

Title:  Something About Love
Author: Elana Johnson
Release Date: 15th September 2014

BLURB supplied by Elana Johnson
About SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE: High school senior Olivia Winging gave up her love of photography when she gave up her boyfriend, Trevor Youngblood, a year and a half ago. She broke things off with Trevor because her mom married his dad, and dating your step-brother? Creepy.

Livvy hasn’t been on good terms with her mother since, and one of her stipulations for staying at the Youngblood’s every other weekend is that Trevor can’t be there. When she gets nominated for the Junior Photography in Excellence award, Trevor insists she enter. She agrees—only if every photo in the portfolio can be of him. Knowing that Livvy can capture a person’s deepest secrets through her lens, Trevor hesitates before accepting the deal.

As Livvy gets behind the lens of her camera again, her love of photography is rekindled. Unfortunately, the time she spends with Trevor also re-ignites the old flame for him she’s kept smothered for so long.

In order for Livvy to finish her portfolio, she’ll have to face her feelings for Trevor as well as deal with the animosity between her and her mother. Livvy’s always been able to capture a person’s soul from behind the camera—but she’s not sure she likes it when the lens is suddenly focused on her. If she can’t find a way to forgive her mother and admit how she feels about Trevor, Livvy may end up losing more than just the photography contest. She could lose her heart. 


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist

Her self-published novels include two YA contemporary novels-in-verse, Elevated and Something About Love, as well as a YA/NA futuristic fantasy series, which includes Elemental Rush, Elemental Hunger, and Elemental Release.

School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.


AUTHOR LINKS
League of Extraordinary Writers: http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/

MY REVIEW
Title:  Something About Love
Author: Elana Johnson
Release Date: 15th September 2014

BLURB supplied by Elana Johnson
High school senior Olivia Winging gave up her love of photography when she gave up her boyfriend, Trevor Youngblood, a year and a half ago. She broke things off with Trevor because her mom married his dad, and dating your step-brother? Creepy.

Livvy hasn’t been on good terms with her mother since, and one of her stipulations for staying at the Youngblood’s every other weekend is that Trevor can’t be there. When she gets nominated for the Junior Photography in Excellence award, Trevor insists she enter. She agrees—only if every photo in the portfolio can be of him. Knowing that Livvy can capture a person’s deepest secrets through her lens, Trevor hesitates before accepting the deal.

As Livvy gets behind the lens of her camera again, her love of photography is rekindled. Unfortunately, the time she spends with Trevor also re-ignites the old flame for him she’s kept smothered for so long.

In order for Livvy to finish her portfolio, she’ll have to face her feelings for Trevor as well as deal with the animosity between her and her mother. Livvy’s always been able to capture a person’s soul from behind the camera—but she’s not sure she likes it when the lens is suddenly focused on her. If she can’t find a way to forgive her mother and admit how she feels about Trevor, Livvy may end up losing more than just the photography contest. She could lose her heart. 

Goodreads Link

INITIAL THOUGHTS
This book is described as being in verse, so I am intrigued as to what exactly that means. Does it rhyme like a poem . . .?

MY REVIEW
I received an e-copy of this book from the Author in exchange for my honest review. I like the colours on the cover, they go with the lighter contemporary feel of the book. Would the cover make me pick the book up from a book store shelf? I'm not sure, though the blurb totally sells the book to me.
The main characters in the book are both teenagers, Olivia Winging, and and Trevor Youngblood from broken homes. Olivia Winging's mum is now with Trevor Youngblood's father. Which kind of makes things impossible for the relationship Olivia had begun with Trevor. So Olivia tries her best to avoid Trevor, even though Trevor still wants a relationship with her. Olivia sort of stopped living her life and enjoying things when her mum left her dad. I think she blames herself in some ways. Trevor knows exactly what buttons to press to get Olivia to enter a photography competition, he challenges her to enter, she tries to call his bluff by saying she will enter as long as he will be her model. It is a really prestigious competition Olivia is entering, "Junior California Photography In Excellence". During the taking of the photographs Olivia begins to see what she loved and now misses about Trevor.
The book is also about what the children in a family feel and go through when their parents relationships break down. The book looks at Olivia and her mother, and shows that the relationship can still be a loving one even though her parents don't live in the same home anymore.
In my initial thoughts I was a little confused about the book being in verse, I immediately took this to mean it would be in rhyming sentences. I didn't find that was the case, though I would say the language and descriptions in the book are in my opinion very poetic. The book is written in verses of perhaps four or five lines at a time and the Chapters are also quite short making this quite a fast paced read. This book is really an inner monologue from Olivia's point of view. Olivia has a lot of pent up feelings about her parents relationship breakdown. One particular phrase her mother said to her and her younger sister Rose makes Olivia believe she is somehow unlovable. The day Olivia's mother left she said " I'll always love you" to Rose but not Olivia. Olivia seems to think that it is her fault, that if she had said something when she had discovered the affair she could have put things right. Olivia seems to believe that she is not lovable. I won't say more as I think you need to read the book for yourself for things to unfold as they did for me when I read the book. 
So did I enjoy the book? I really did enjoy the book, it flowed really well and once I began reading I didn't want to put the books down! I actually ended up reading well into the night and finishing the book in just two "sittings"  Would I recommend the book? Yes, it is a great read for any age. I reckon it's a book that schools could read to teach the pupils to be less judging of one another. I think the tale is appealing to most ages though.
Would I read more about these characters? I think Olivia and Trevor's story begins and ends within this book, but maybe it could be developed into a series by perhaps putting another character into the spotlight such as Jacey or Rose. Rather like Katie McGarry has done with her Pushing The Limit Series.  Would I read other titles by Elana Johnson? I have read other titles by Elana, as I really like her writing style, and I do intend to read more books written by her too.


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