A pair of haunting, silver eyes…A mystery half a century old…And a wax figure waiting to come to life….Blue Jean Bristol never imagined camping out with her best friend, Wes, in an abandoned amusement park would bring so many odd events to her teenage life. What should have been a typical rite of passage to mark the end of their senior year has, instead, turned into something both … something both terrifying and magical, something which leads to an unknown world and countless possibilities.
With the strength of a friendship that is closer than family and an everlasting love just beginning to remember, Blue will discover a decades-long curse that not only affects her, but everyone she cares about as well. There’s just one question: How can she, an outcast and self-harm addict, possibly be the one to lift the curse and free them all?
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I preordered my copy of sideshow , but kept putting off reading it because what I had read so far had already gripped me so tightly I was immersed within the world of Kris Johnstons relatable characters. I felt every emotion and saw every detail that blue and Wes did on their journey .
One of the best YA novels of 2018
Sideshow A Love Story….. This book had many different feels for me. The cover alone with it’s cool and sexy vibe, and that title, who would want to resist.
I grabbed this story, wrapped up in a warm blanket and settled in for a whirl wind of a ride! Tim Burton again comes to mind when reading the words that flow from the deviant, yet romantic mind of Author Kris Johnston. Her writing sends the Young Adult world on it’s access.
Sideshow is a young adult Novel, but helps to transcend the genres and is also enjoyable for those of us who left our high schools behind long ago.
The characters are a circus tent of Fun… Blue Jean a spunky Blue haired high school senior, who used to self-harm as a way to cope with pressures of being a outcast. Along with her bestfriend Wes, who is not only gay, tall, and skinny but the only African American in there small town, makes them a perfect target for the preppy kids who believe they are all entitled.
Until Blue and Wes venture out into the woods, before their’s school Anual Senior right of passage trip.
When they encounter a Beautiful Silver eyed wax figure named IGNATIUS with a century old love for one Blue haired maiden, at their towns abandoned amusement park.
“Blue will discover a decades long curse that not only could affect her future, but everyone she cares about as well”
This is story is the 7th book written by Author Kris Johnston and each one just keeps getting better and better. Her stories merge the masses of young and old and bring them into the same playing field. LOVE is in the chilled night air as this story is hauntingly and spintingly good..
Well Done Kris Johnston with this haunting Love Story
A fantastic story that was based on the original short story I fell in love with. Blue Jean is a great main heroine who isn’t afraid to find out what she needs to know and stay true to who she is. The book is spell-binding and absolutely keeps you on your toes, guessing.
Blue and her best friend Wes have a friendship that we all dream of. They look out for each, have a platonic love for each other that is unbreakable. When Blue feels the need to cut and release her pain of an alcoholic mother or bullying peers, Wes can take the need away by just being with her. When Blue and Wes want to experience the senior trip to the creepy fair grounds , just the two of them, to say they had the experience. The besties get more than they bargained for.
This says it’s a love story, but it’s so much than that. It’s about a girl trying to overcome an addiction, trying to find where to fit in. A boy trying be himself and still make a place to be himself. They both want a place to call home, to feel comfortable.
I like the pretentiousness of the fairgrounds. The mirrors as portals are a good idea. This story has love, betrayal, insane family members, time travel, a queen, a prince and a problem to be solved. So get ready to go on the journey to the fairgrounds!
Sideshow: A Love Story by Kris Johnston exceeded all my expectations.
Johnston presents her readers with a book filled with hard issues that many of our youth face today, and she does it with depth and feeling.
Blue and her best friend Wes go on a journey throughout this book, and tackle issues such as bullying and self harm with head on honesty and grace.
I love that Johnston lets her characters be open about their struggles and that they find hope and strength.
Although this book is a YA, it is one that anyone of any age would love. And one that you can read and shared with the young adults in your life.
Be ready for an adventure of a lifetime!
5 Stars