A car accident robs the Loden Family of twins Van and Valencia shortly after they start college. Charmed, bright, and beautiful, they held their family together and elevated the Lodens to greatness. In their loss, a shadow is cast upon the family, particularly on the remaining child, who lacks the easy grace and popularity her older siblings took for granted.
As an adult, her life begins to turn … begins to turn from mediocre to amazing when she is saved by cool, artistic Adrian. The kind of happiness once reserved only for others is finally hers, until pieces of the past begin ruining what seems to be a perfect life.
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Surviving Valencia is a roller coaster of a ride to say the very least. This wonderful book starts slow and methodical, switching between the backstory and the present. As I dove into the narrator’s story I was heartbroken, it was just so tragic and lonely. There are definitely some surprises along the way, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, wham, another twist. This was not a typical twist book for me, usually I can guess what is going to happen, but not here though, and I love that about this book. I felt as if I was watching a great mystery unfold and I couldn’t read fast enough. This book broke my heart and by the time I was finished I felt as though, just maybe it could be healed. It showed me that there is hope out there, if you can only survive the worse.
4 Stars
Surviving Valencia by Holly Tierney-Bedord is a story that made me think, had me wondering, and took me in a direction that I wasn’t expecting. At first the story seemed a little slow and confusing. But as it progressed and the story unfolded, what I discovered was a cleverly crafted story that twisted and turned and then twisted some more. The way it’s told from both past and present perspectives really helped to build a ‘picture’ of how the past events have influenced the character/s and got her/them to where they are today. There is a lot of gloominess, and depressing details that ‘coloured’ the storyline- but as I look back, I see what the author was trying to achieve and how well that all played into the whole mood and tone of the story. I had trouble connecting to the character/s, but I did ‘feel’ for her/them- and overall this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of it all. I would like to have know her name though- that was a little frustrating. But again, by the end, it kind of made sense why we were not given/told her name.
This isn’t a ‘fluffy’ story, it is a ‘warts-and-all’ account of a younger sister coming to terms with the loss of her older, ‘perfect’ siblings- and the shadow that they left her living under. The story is definitely not what it seems and will get you guessing and give you quite a few head scratching moments. The story has drama, mystery, tension, secrets, life changing events, devastation, acceptance, twists, shocks, and more.
I have read quite a few of Ms. Tierney-Bedord’s books now and she always manages to craft something quite original. She has her own unique style and always delivers a well written and intriguing read. The story is a standalone, and a great addition to the other books in her body of work.
Thank you Ms. Tierney-Bedord!
Surviving Valencia by Holly Tierney-Bedford. This is the story of the surviving sibling of twins Van and Valencia. They were the perfect, popular stars of high school. They are the bright spot of the Loden family. The youngest sibling lived in their shadow her whole life and after their tragic death lived in the shadow of their death. This book tells the story of her life in the past and present. She is now married to a well known artist so she feels like she has finally made good. She can finally be happy and make her parents proud but when she starts getting mysterious letters in the mail that happy life is threatened. The mystery surrounds her husband and her sister’s death. Are they connected and will this destroy her happy life she’s worked so hard to build. This book is very emotional and so good. You feel connected with the characters.
I loved this book! It is my favorite from this author yet. It is a story about a young girl who loses both of her sisters tragically. Just as she is able to live life for herself the past has a way of coming back around. This story is full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and kept me turning pages. This story goes back and forth between present and past but it is done in a way that is easily understood. You won’t regret picking this book up! A must read.