Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Thicker Than Water tour! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway!
Thicker Than Water
Author: Kelly Fiore
Genre: YA Mystery
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Formats: Hardcover; ebook
320 pages
Description:
Cecelia Price killed
her brother. At least, that’s what the police and the district attorney
are saying. And although Cecelia is now locked up and forced into
treatment, she knows the real story is much more complicated.
Cyrus wasn’t always the drug-addled monster he’d become. He was a successful athlete, but when an injury forced him off the soccer field and onto pain medication, his life became a blur of anger, addiction, and violence. All CeCe could do was stand by and watch, until she realized one effective way to take away her brother’s drugs while earning the money she needed for college: selling the pills.
Soon, CeCe becomes part drug dealer, part honor student. But even when all she wants is to make things right, she learns that sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcome.
Thicker than Water is an unforgettable dark, harrowing look into the disturbing truth of drug addiction and the desperate love of a sister watching her brother deteriorate before her eyes.
Cyrus wasn’t always the drug-addled monster he’d become. He was a successful athlete, but when an injury forced him off the soccer field and onto pain medication, his life became a blur of anger, addiction, and violence. All CeCe could do was stand by and watch, until she realized one effective way to take away her brother’s drugs while earning the money she needed for college: selling the pills.
Soon, CeCe becomes part drug dealer, part honor student. But even when all she wants is to make things right, she learns that sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcome.
Thicker than Water is an unforgettable dark, harrowing look into the disturbing truth of drug addiction and the desperate love of a sister watching her brother deteriorate before her eyes.
Thicker Than Water is a raw and emotional novel that deals with some heavy topics very relevant in today's society - teen drug use, addiction, grief, guilt, family issues, and a lot more. The story follows our main character - Cecelia - as she recounts what has happened in the past few months of her life. Mainly her brother's death, her subsequent arrest, and her stay at a behavioral rehabilitation program. The book is told from the first person point of view - from Cecelia's perspective - which I thought was a perfect fit for the story. Because Cecelia's telling the story, we get a glimpse into her mind - her memories, fears, guilt, hopes, internal dialogue and so much more. Due to all of these aspects, Cecelia's character becomes all the more realistic and easy to identify with - both of which really help to pull the reader inside the story. Cecelia's a good narrator for the book, although there were times I felt she was being overly dramatic and whiny (which only made me want to smack her). Otherwise, she was a great choice to tell the story - mostly because she plays a huge role in it herself (which we get to see play out).
The plot was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. When Cecelia talks about her brother, Cyrus, and what happened to him over the past few months - along with her family's other problems - it felt honest and real. The majority of the book deals with heavy topics in today's world - drug use, addiction, how both can destroy a person's family and their life, grief, guilt, and so much more. The story was written to be as realistic as possible - so the reader gets a true look at what these things can do to someone's life - and it's a tough book to read. I really liked that the author put a mystery into the story to mix things up a bit. With the mystery of what really happened to her brother burning in her mind, Cecelia's character is given more depth and complexity. She's not just an angry teenage girl whose brother was addicted to drugs and ended up paying with his life. With this mystery to solve, Cecelia's given purpose and determination - both great attributes for a main character and also an unexpected twist in the story. Without the mystery aspect, I don't think I would have liked this book as much as I did. I'm not a big fan of YA contemporary fiction to begin with - especially when it focuses on tragic topics like drug abuse and its consequences. I enjoyed trying to figure out what had really happened alongside Cecelia. The suspense part of the novel definitely gave it a whole new level that would've been lacking otherwise - and it was one of the biggest reasons I kept reading. Not that the book is bad - I'm not saying that at all! This is all my personal opinion and feelings - I know that other readers will love this novel. It was a great book overall with solid writing and a quick pace that kept things moving. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre as well as those readers who enjoy realistic fiction and books that deal with hard issues in life.
The plot was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. When Cecelia talks about her brother, Cyrus, and what happened to him over the past few months - along with her family's other problems - it felt honest and real. The majority of the book deals with heavy topics in today's world - drug use, addiction, how both can destroy a person's family and their life, grief, guilt, and so much more. The story was written to be as realistic as possible - so the reader gets a true look at what these things can do to someone's life - and it's a tough book to read. I really liked that the author put a mystery into the story to mix things up a bit. With the mystery of what really happened to her brother burning in her mind, Cecelia's character is given more depth and complexity. She's not just an angry teenage girl whose brother was addicted to drugs and ended up paying with his life. With this mystery to solve, Cecelia's given purpose and determination - both great attributes for a main character and also an unexpected twist in the story. Without the mystery aspect, I don't think I would have liked this book as much as I did. I'm not a big fan of YA contemporary fiction to begin with - especially when it focuses on tragic topics like drug abuse and its consequences. I enjoyed trying to figure out what had really happened alongside Cecelia. The suspense part of the novel definitely gave it a whole new level that would've been lacking otherwise - and it was one of the biggest reasons I kept reading. Not that the book is bad - I'm not saying that at all! This is all my personal opinion and feelings - I know that other readers will love this novel. It was a great book overall with solid writing and a quick pace that kept things moving. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre as well as those readers who enjoy realistic fiction and books that deal with hard issues in life.
(3) winners will receive a finished copy of THICKER THAN WATER - US Only!
Week One:
12/28/2015- Ohana Reads- Interview
12/29/2015- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
12/30/2015- FICTION FARE- Guest Post
12/31/2015- In Wonderland- Review
1/1/2016- PLEASE FEED THE BOOKWORM- Interview
Week Two:
1/4/2016- Night Owl Book Café- Review
1/5/2016- Fiktshun- Guest Post
1/6/2016- Such a Novel Idea- Review
1/7/2016- YA Book Madness- Interview
1/8/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Review
