I wear juvenile T-shirts, worn-out chucks, and eat too much chocolate. I write. A lot. I make up words, drink Shirley Temples, and suffocate a little without my iPod.
Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Stronger Than You Know tells the story of a fifteen year old girl who has dealt with things she never should have had to deal with. It also tells the story of how she learns to navigate the challenges that come along with trying to figure out who she is and where her place is in the world.
I have to admit, when I finished this book, my first thought was that I would never ever do this story justice with a review. This always happens to me when I read something that I absolutely love and Jolene Perry has catapulted this story onto my favorites shelf by creating characters I loved and a story that made me go through just about every single feeling.
Joy grew up with a mother who neglected and abused her and she allowed her boyfriends to treat her horribly as well…in every single way you can imagine. I was immediately pulled into Joy’s story and while she is adapting to living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins, they are also adapting to living with her. Their lives are impacted just as greatly as Joy’s is and I thought it was wonderful how much they were willing to do in order to help Joy.
While every single one of these characters just made me want to climb into this book and give them all hugs, I have to call out her Uncle Rob. While at first Joy struggled to be comfortable with him, he completely understood he needed to give her time and space. I loved seeing their relationship change and grow until she realized that he really was there to make sure she was safe and he would do whatever he could to provide that security for her. Admittedly, he was one of my favorite characters and this was one of my favorite parts of the story.
As Joy faces her fears and setbacks, she begins to build relationships with not only her new family, but also people like Daisy and Justin. These characters both played different roles in Joy’s growth and change and were critical to her moving beyond her issues. They both showed her she has strength, feelings, and friends no matter what happened in her past.
Since this story is from Joy’s perspective, we go through the highs and lows right alongside her and that is the piece that made this story so impactful for me. While Perry doesn’t go into a lot of detail of what happened to Joy, enough is revealed for us to know that she went through hell and through a twist of fate, ended up with a loving and caring family that treated her like their own sister/daughter. The good times had me grinning like a fool for her and the bad times had me almost in tears for the pain and suffering she was feeling.
Now, I know some people are saying that they didn’t think a lot happened in this book and I have to disagree. I think the challenge here for some is that this is very much a character driven story (which I LOVE) and all of the things that happen are linked to the growth and change in Joy and those around her.
Hopefully my rambling isn’t horribly distracting and helps you realize that this is one of those stories that make it impossible for me to do it justice. Just trust me and check out this book when you can as this is a moving story that pulled me in and even now has me thinking about everything.
Thank you to Netgalley and Albert Whitman & Company for the review copy.
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