Blog Tour Stop : Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein
Summary (from Goodreads)Title : Dear Cassie
Author : Lisa Burstein
Publication Date : March 5th 2013
Publisher : Entangled Teen
Goodreads - The Book Depository
What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?
You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.
You’d be wrong.
There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.
What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?
But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.
And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?
Personal Thoughts
After the not-so-positive experience I had with Pretty Amy, I went into Dear Cassie, expecting Cassie to be a character that I would dislike. Surprisingly, going into the book not expecting to like it as much definitely made it a much more pleasant experience. Dear Cassie was a definite improvement from Pretty Amy.
Cassie was a very broken character, like expected of Lisa Burstein's main characters. Unlike Amy though, Cassie's reasons for being a fractured character were not only prevalent but they were also believable. In Pretty Amy, I never really formed any kind of connection with Cassie. To be honest, I disliked her attitude and her behavior. In Dear Cassie though, she grew a lot more likable and I found it easier to connect with her at a deeper level. She was the kind of teenager who wanted things out of life, but due to events life wasn't easy for her. She had gone through multiple ups and downs for someone her age and sympathizing with her situation was easy. Cassie was bitter and full of hatred, but once the reader gets inside her head, he or she understands what is going on with her. At the camp, Cassie underwent growth, albeit very slowly. Even though her growth took some time, I thought it was realistic. By the end of the book, Cassie was definitely not the same person she was when she was introduced. Along with her bitter attitude, Cassie was also a humorous and witty main characters who was constantly insulting others. Some of her lines were very funny in my opinion. Lisa Burstein also went to lengths to bring her secondary characters to life. I loved each and everyone of the secondary characters because they were so vivid and complex.
Dear Cassie was the story of Cassie's growth and the story of a teenager letting go of her past by trying to forgive herself. My favorite part of the book was the blossoming friendships that Cassie developed. Unlike her old friends, her new friends were so much more realistic and I was happy that she found such good friends. The love interest, Ben, was also the kind that I love in my YA books : Sweet, determined and utterly charming! Ben played a big role in Cassie's growth and I loved watching him push her buttons and forcing her to take a better look at her life. The romance was written at the perfect pace and I couldn't help but fall for Ben. From Dear Cassie, I have come to the conclusion that Lisa Burstein has really grown as a writer from her first book. Not only did she do a fabulous job at crafting characters easy to root for, she also tackled important teenage issues masterfully.
Dear Cassie, as a companion novel, exceeded my expectations. After reading this book, I am convinced that it is not going to be my last book from the author. If you're looking at a realistic experience of a teenager in rehab, this is definitely the book to read.
Rating
Cover : 3/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5
**Overall rating** : 3.5/5
Author Biography
the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have
it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient
husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.
She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of
view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous.
PRETTY AMY May 2012 Entangled Publishing THE NEXT FOREVER January 2013 Entangled Publishing
DEAR CASSIE March 2013 Entangled Publishing
Where you can find her:
Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Have you guys read this yet?
Be sure to let me know in the comments below!
Thank you to Rockstar Book Tours for letting me take part in this blog tour. Be sure to check out their page
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