Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Every Last Word, Every Last Word
Published by Disney-Hyperion on June 5th 2018
Genres: Christian, Contemporary, Friendship, General, Religious, Romance, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Next-door neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven’t spoken in months. Not since the fight—the one where they said things they couldn’t take back.
Now, Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA performing arts application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah’s strong faith is shaken when her family’s financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places—and people—for answers to the difficult questions she’s suddenly facing.
No matter how much Hannah and Emory desperately want to bridge the thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows, they can’t. Not anymore.
Until their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory’s argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true.
In alternating chapters, a skeptic and a believer piece together the story of their complex relationship and the boy caught somewhere in the middle. New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone deftly crafts a moving portrait of faith, love, and friendship.
Oh man… I loved every single thing about this book. Once again Tamara Ireland Stone has completely blown me away with her ability to tell an incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking story filled with amazing characters and a unique plot.
Hannah and Emory are ex-best friends and neighbors who just can’t seem to bridge the 36 steps between their rooms and find the common thread that will mend their relationship. That is until Luke, Emory’s boyfriend, ends up doubled over in his car and Hannah is the one that finds him. In the aftermath of the accident, Tamara Ireland Stone delves into faith and friendship between the three friends to show how they must come to terms with their individual beliefs, and how that affects their lives going forward.
I don’t even know where to start with this book. I’m always leery of stories that deal with religion and faith … that’s just a personal thing for me, and I find it hard to read them without them coming across as preachy in some form or another, but that is absolutely not the case here. Ireland Stone weaves the religious elements in seamlessly and the story she tells is more about finding yourself and determining your own beliefs and seeing these three teens work those things out was exactly what I was hoping for.
Friendship is always at the heart of Tamara’s books and that is certainly the case here as well. The story is told in alternating chapters from Hannah and Emory and really gives us the opportunity to understand each of their perspectives.
Tamara also delves into some other issues that teens can and will appreciate. With graduation on the horizon, Emory and Luke and evaluating what that means for their relationship, Luke is deciding on what he really wants to do, and Hannah is dealing with a betrayal from someone she has trusted and believed in and a realization that the future she has always planned for, just may not happen.
With relatable characters and a beautiful story, I highly recommend grabbing this as soon as it’s on shelves.
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
About Tamara Ireland Stone
TAMARA IRELAND STONE is the author of Time After Time and Time Between Us, which has been published in over twenty countries to widespread acclaim, and hailed as "an exciting debut novel" by Booklist and "a warm, time bending romance" by Publishers Weekly. It has been optioned for film by CBS Films.
Her newest novel, Every Last Word, is about a teen girl with OCD who's hiding part of herself from the world, until she discovers a secret poetry club that changes her in unexpected ways. Every Last Word is available now.
A former Silicon Valley marketing executive, Tamara enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with her husband and two children. She lives just outside of San Francisco.
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