Author: Sandi Ward
Publication: Kensington,
trade paper, 2018
Genre: Fiction
Plot: A boy and his cat. It’s
an unconventional friendship, but for Charlie and Lily, it works beautifully.
It was Charlie who chose Lily from among all the cats in the shelter. He didn’t
frown, the way other humans did, when he saw her injured back leg, the legacy
of a cruel previous owner. Instead, Charlie insisted on rescuing her. Now Lily
wants to do the same for Charlie.
She’s the only one who’s seen
the bruises on Charlie’s body. If she knew who was hurting him, she’d scratch
their eyes out. But she can’t fix this by herself. Lily needs to get the rest
of the family to focus on Charlie—not easy when they’re wrapped up in their own
problems. Charlie’s mother kicked his father out weeks ago and has a new
boyfriend who seems charming, but is still a stranger. Oldest son Kevin misses
his father desperately. Victoria, Charlie’s sister, also has someone new in her
life, and Lily is decidedly suspicious. Even Charlie’s father, who Lily loves
dearly, is behaving strangely.
Lily knows what it’s like to
feel helpless. But she also knows that you don’t always have to be the biggest
or the strongest to fight fiercely for the ones you love . . .
Audience: This is an unusual
book that will appeal to animal lovers and those who just enjoy quirky fiction
My Impressions: This was a fun read about a family going through a difficult time after the parents separated, and three teen siblings,
Kevin, Victoria, and Charlie are coping in different ways. The story is told from the perspective of
Lily, the family cat, in a way that is surprisingly convincing. Her determination to protect Charlie, the boy
who chose her as an abused kitten, is endearing.
Lily is only an expert of what
she sees – and she is vulnerable to anyone who provides a good snuggle – but she
shows insight and her point of view is unexpectedly funny. While
I did not care for Mark, the character who eventually becomes one of Lily’s
favorites, I enjoyed both her fierce loyalty to shy Charlie, as he deals with adolescent
stress, and her relationship with the family dog, Gretel, a scary German Shepherd:
Feeling a little jealous, I run forward and push my wet nose into Mark’s leg to put my scent onto him. I’m not surprised when he reaches down with two hands and scoops me up.
Look, this is not a competitive thing , but – no one can pick up Gretel. She’s huge. I’m the right size for a cuddle.
Off the Blog: It is Super Bowl Sunday so everything is Go Patriots in Boston and in my family!
Source: I was provided a copy
of this book by the author and TLC Book Tours for review purposes. You can visit the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check out other stops on the tour and read the reviews by clicking below:
Tour Schedule
Monday, January 21st: Peppermint PhD
Monday, January 21st: Read Till Dawn
Tuesday, January 22nd: A Bookish Affair
Thursday, January 24th: Jessicamap Reviews
Friday, January 25th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Monday, January 28th: Broken Teepee
Tuesday, January 29th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, January 30th: Instagram: @rendezvous_with_reading
Thursday, January 31st: Instagram: @books.tea.quotes
Tuesday, February 5th: Based on a True Story
Wednesday, February 6th: Books and Bindings
Thanks for the review—I appreciate you taking the time to read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour!
ReplyDeleteSara @ TLC Book Tours
I like books with cats in them. The Traveling Cat Chronicles was a good one. I may try this as well. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete