When fifteen-year-old Emily Greene wakes up to police banging on her door, she is shocked to see her mother arrested on drug charges. Uprooted and in disbelief, Emily moves to a new town to stay with her grandmother, known as Crazy Carol for her outspoken faith and quirky behaviors. As if the arrest isn’t enough, kids at her new school immediately begin to stereotype and judge her based on the … on the news they’ve heard about her mom.
Emily is sure her mother’s fiancé is to blame for the crime. He has conveniently disappeared since the day of the arrest. She’s determined to find him, and prove he’s at fault. But something awful happens, shaking her world yet again.
After this string of tragedies, Emily starts to question God, but is gently and consistently reminded by her grandmother, through stories she tells of all the sticks, leaves, and stones she collects, that God is her good and faithful parent.
Emily must learn that the words others say about her don’t matter, that her mom’s mistakes don’t define her, and she is always deeply loved by her heavenly father. If only she can learn to forgive herself.
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4.5 cranky stars
This book is more of a journey of one young girl, Emily. She was raised by her mother always telling her that her father didn’t want to know them. She met Richard who had a son, Jared. Emily and he became best friends and if it wasn’t for the fact they may become family they could of had a relationship.
Emily loved her mother but she was taken from her and Richard went missing they were both sent to her crazy grandmother. They both tried to fight it, but this is the story Emily’s journey to see things the way her grandmother saw them and realizing she wasn’t that crazy.
I enjoyed reading this book it’s a feel good factor and makes you think about your own life.
Emily Greene’s life has turned upside down when her mother Tiffany was arrested, and her fiancé Richard Holder has gone missing. Now Emily and her best friend, Jared, who is Richard’s son are forced to move in with her grandma Carol.
Yet a new life isn’t everything Emily thought it would be and she soon discovers secrets from the past that were kept from her and she soon learns why everyone refers to her Grandma as Crazy Carol.
Will Emily be able to see the positive in everything once her Grandma shows her the benefit of God and having him support her?
This was a book I was really curious about reading as it sounded good but I was worried about how much the book would be focused on God. This book will definitely not appeal to everyone as it is somewhat centered around God and him being the one to help Emily.
I liked Emily’s character and I felt horrible for her with what she was going through after her mom was arrested. I can only imagine the shock of having everything you believed in being taken from you and having the person that meant the most to you arrested in front of you. I gave Emily’s mom credit though for being honest with Emily about everything.
I also really liked Jared and how much he stood by Emily. He was completely dedicated to her as her best friend and would do whatever he could to protect her from everything that was going on.
Emily’s Grandma Carol was very dedicated to God and she didn’t care how other people viewed her as she knew what was important to her. She tried to teach Emily that God was supporting her even when she didn’t think he was and how her actions may seem crazy to everyone but in the little things she saw God as communicating to her.
I really liked Emily’s friendship with Ginny. Ginny was a ray of light who didn’t deserve certain things that happened.
I felt horrible for Emily with what happened with Landon. I was happy how Landon’s parents treated her but I wasn’t impressed with the other things that happened or didn’t happen.
For me personally I found the book somewhat difficult to relate to with the writing not always grabbing me. I found it very heavy, especially at the end, with a focus on God being the reason that everything worked out but I know some people would really enjoy that.
3.5 stars
By Rebecca