Blog Tour Stop : The Unloved by Jennifer Snyder
Hi guys!
Today I'm very excited to be part of the "The Unloved" blog tour. As part of the tour, I'll be sharing with you my review for the book along with an interview with the author!
Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments.
Summary (from Goodreads)Title : The Unloved
Author : Jennifer Snyder
Publisher : Self-Published
Publication Date : July 30th 2012
Sometimes the love our heart needs to heal can be found in the familiar eyes of a childhood friend...
Julie Porter learned the hard way that trust is something which must be earned and not something to be given out lightly, those who say they love you are those who hold the power to hurt you most, and best friends can help you survive anything—until they move away.
Nick Owen knows a thing or two about a hard life. At a young age Nick learned how to take a hit and to make lemonade out of the lemons life tossed his way. Returning home after nearly two years of being away, all Nick cares about now is protecting his mom from the abusive hands of his father and catching up with his best friend—the girl who lived across the street, the girl he can’t seem to stop thinking about.
Finally reunited after two years apart, Nick and Julie are about to learn that age does nothing to protect you from life’s trials and tribulations, heartache and loss, but maybe together they’ll find a way to survive.
(Mature Young Adult, contains violence, language, and sexual situations.)
Julie Porter learned the hard way that trust is something which must be earned and not something to be given out lightly, those who say they love you are those who hold the power to hurt you most, and best friends can help you survive anything—until they move away.
Nick Owen knows a thing or two about a hard life. At a young age Nick learned how to take a hit and to make lemonade out of the lemons life tossed his way. Returning home after nearly two years of being away, all Nick cares about now is protecting his mom from the abusive hands of his father and catching up with his best friend—the girl who lived across the street, the girl he can’t seem to stop thinking about.
Finally reunited after two years apart, Nick and Julie are about to learn that age does nothing to protect you from life’s trials and tribulations, heartache and loss, but maybe together they’ll find a way to survive.
(Mature Young Adult, contains violence, language, and sexual situations.)
Personal Thoughts
This year has been the year of Mature YA books for me. I keep discovering more and more books in this genre that I've grown to love. Every single one I've read has been an absolute delight and The Unloved by Jennifer Snyder was no different.
The Unloved tells the story of two teenagers, Nick and Julie, who have been neighbors and best friends for a very long time. After, Nick's departure, Julie's devastated, but now, two years later, Nick is back and together Nick and Julie will help each other walk through their lives.
The book was told in the POV of both Nick and Julie, allowing me to plunge into the minds of both characters and showing me the depth they both possessed. Both these characters were so flawed that my heart ached for them. Shattered, they thought nothing in the world could mend the fractures in them. Julie and Nick had tough childhoods that I wish no child should ever go through. I don't know how they could go through every single day with all the obstacles they faced. It was heart-breaking and all I wanted to do was to give them both a hug. Nick and Julie were both very strong characters, who knew how to pluck up their courage. Even with all the turmoil in their lives, they never shed a tear nor did they wallow in their self-pity. Instead, they faced the storm, holding their heads high. That, in my eyes, is what true boldness means. I admired them for not allowing their never-ending problems to become their weaknesses.
Julie lived with her "dancer" mom, whom she was embarrassed of. To top it off, her mother brought home a hoard of boyfriends, who were absolutely disgusting and behaved in awful way with Julie. It was no wonder that Julie felt uncomfortable and unsafe in her own home. Julie's emotions, especially her fear and her disgust, were palpable throughout the story. What's worse was that her own mother didn't believe her when she went to her with her problems. Her mother was a real piece of work, who didn't understand the value of being a mother. Because of all that, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Julie. Nick's mother, on the other hand, was a sweetheart. However, his father was nightmare. Abusive, he beat up both Nick and his mom. Throughout the book, Nick tried hard to protect his mother, but always in vain. He would be broken whenever he couldn't do so. He wanted to be his mom's rock and to guard her from all harm. My heart swelled at the deep love he had for his mother and it made me sad whenever he couldn't do anything for her no matter how hard he tried. Still, I appreciated the effort on his part.
On the surface, The Unloved was a romance story, but if you scrounge underneath all the romance layers, it was easy to see that the book was also a story about growing up and learning to overcome obstacles. The romance between Nick and Julie was spine-tingling since they had an intense chemistry between them. Plus, there was nothing instant about it, which made it all the more beautiful. The two characters became each others pillars through a friendship that bloomed into a romantic relationship. I really liked the fact that Nick and Julie were friends before being boyfriend-girlfriend. The respect and love that they shared for each other was visible all throughout the book. As the story progressed, both characters grew and became even more mature than they were with the help of each other.
The Unloved was a dramatic read. I'm not going to lie, at times it seemed like that this was the kind of drama that only remained in fiction, but nevertheless I was very much emotionally involved in the story. The author's writing was beautiful and easy to follow. Jennifer Snyder knew how to grasp the intense feelings of both the characters in such a way that their emotions really hit me hard.
The Unloved is a book that I believe fans of of Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry will enjoy because they both feature fractured characters that fall for each other. Intense, poignant and deep, this book will have you reading until the wee hours of the morning, pining for Nick and Julie to have their happily ever after.
Rating
Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5
Interview
Hi Jennifer! I’m very pleased to have you on Nick’s Book Blog today. So to start off, do you mind describing your book in a sentence?
Nothing describes it better than the tag line: Sometimes the love our heart needs to heal can be found in the familiar eyes of a childhood friend.
Now, both Nick and Julie are very broken characters that go through a lot during their lives. What inspired you to write a story about characters that are so multi-layered? Hearing stories of hardship and childhood turmoil from friends and relatives over the years was what really inspired this story.
The Unloved was a story that had brewed in my mind for years. I had pages and pages of scenes and dialogue I had jotted down from time to time. It wasn’t until I found myself stuck with intense writer’s block on a certain project of mine that I finally allowed Julie and Nick full range in my mind. Once I finally allowed that to happen and I shifted gears to focus entirely on writing The Unloved, it poured out of me.
Which character in The Unloved would you say you identified mostly with?
With any author I’m sure it’s the same—a tiny piece of us is weaved into each of our main characters. The things I can identify with most when it comes to Julie are her trust issues. Not for the very same reasons she has them, my childhood was far better, but I can identify with her way of thinking. To me trust is something that shouldn’t be handed out lightly. In relation to Nick, I identify with his optimism. In tough situations I maintain my sanity by flipping it around and searching for the silver lining.
Writing is a very long process. What is the process like for you?
All over the place! I generally start with an idea or a little tidbit of dialogue that I jot down in a notebook. If it’s a good idea, I think on it and it expands. All of my thoughts, little snippets of dialogue, and any random scenes that play out in my head I jot down in the same notebook so that it is slightly together and organized. Then I sit at my desk with my laptop and write until I get to a place where I feel the dialog or scenes I’ve jotted down fit in like snug little puzzle pieces. It’s minimal outlining and more seat of my pants.
You’ve written paranormal books and contemporary books? What’s next? Will you be writing a book of another genre?
I learned early in this business to never say never from watching other authors. I would actually love to write in another genre someday. I’m not sure as to what, but if the inspiration comes I’m open. As far as what’s next…there are many more paranormal and contemporary ideas brewing in this mind!
2012 is rapidly coming to an end. Which were your 5 favorite reads of the year?
Not all of these novels came out in 2012, but they are my favorites that I have read so far this year.
Slammed by Colleen Hoover
My heart for Yours by Jolene Perry and Steph Campbell
On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
And the entire Peachville High Demons Series by Sarra Cannon
Thank you so much for being here!
Author Biography
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