In Leah's Wake Book Review and Giveaway

Thank you for stopping at my spot on In Leah's Wake This Virtual Book Tour is brought to you by Goddess Fish Promotons. I will provide you with a synopsis of the book, review, and a small bio from Terri Giuliano Long. Visit the other blogs on this Book Tour to learn more about this book.

 

Book Description: 

A Story of Love, Loss, Connection, and Grace

At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic.

     

As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves—turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes—In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years.

Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share—by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.

WINNER, Global eBook Award, Popular Literature, 2012

WINNER, Indie Discovery Award, Literary Fiction, 2012

Recipient of the CTRR Award for excellence

2011 Book Bundlz Book Pick

Book Bundlz 2011 Favorites, First Place

Praise for In Leah’s Wake

“An astounding story of a family in transition." -- Tracy Riva, Midwest Reviews

"A powerful and intimate portrait of a family in disarray." -- Margot Livesey, award-winning author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy

"Terri Long's accomplished first novel takes the reader on a passionate roller-coaster ride through contemporary parenthood and marriage. Sometimes scary, sometimes sad, always tender." -- Susan Straight, National Book Award finalist, author of Take One Candle, Light A Room

"An incredibly strong debut, this book is fantastic on many fronts." -- Naomi Blackburn, top Goodreads reviewer worldwide, Founder Sisterhood of the Traveling Book

“A very moving and, at times, heartbreaking story which will be loved by many, whether they are parents or not.”-- A. Rose, Amazon UK, TOP 100 REVIEWER

“Pulled me right along as I continued to make comparisons to my own life.”-- Jennifer Donovan, 5 Minutes for Books, Top 50 Book Blog

"A masterpiece of psychological tension and unbearable suspense, a portrait of America in the present day." -- Frederick Lee Brooke, author of Doing Max Vinyl

“Multiple ripples of meaning contribute to the overall intensity of this deeply moving psychological drama.”-- Cynthia Harrison, author of The Paris Notebook

Excerpt:  

WILL

Will pressed the button on his visor, ducking instinctively as he backed out of the garage. A garage door had hit him once at their old place in Hudson. The door nicked his shoulder, knocking him off balance. He’d fallen backward, his head missing the steel beam by an inch, a tricycle breaking his fall. The door snapped shut. He adjusted the mirrors, backed into the turnaround, and headed up the drive.

“Warm enough?” He spiked the temperature to seventy-five.

“Fine,” his wife replied, “thanks,” and flipped up the vents.

This situation with Leah was driving him crazy. That one of his children might someday be arrested had never crossed Will’s mind. Cortland was supposed to be safe. He’d paid fifty grand extra for a house in this town so their kids would be shielded from trouble.

On the drive to the police station, he tried to regain control of his emotions. It was embarrassing enough that his daughter had been arrested. No need to make a fool of himself, too. When Leah was a toddler, his mother, among the most levelheaded people on the planet, told him that childrearing was a bittersweet enterprise.

“Your children will bring you the greatest joy in your life,” she’d said. “And they’ll break your heart. You’ve got to accept the good and the bad.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Terri Giuliano Long is a frequent blog guest, with appearances on hundreds of blogs. She’s written news and feature articles for numerous publications, including the Boston Globe and the Huffington Post. She lives with her family on the East Coast and teaches at Boston College. Her debut novel, In Leah's Wake, was a Kindle bestseller for more than 6 months. For information, please visit her website: www.tglong.com

Website: www.tglong.com

Blog: http://terriglong.com/blog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tglongwrites

Twitter: @tglong

Review:

 I really enjoyed In Leah's Wake.  I thought the author did a great job describing the family and also with the describe the day to day going on in the family.

Leah is a typical 16 year old, not wanting to listen to her parents and getting mixed up in the wrong crowd.  Leah is very talented at soccer and could get a scholarship to go to Harvard but is that what she really wants?  Leah starts dating Todd who worked on the road with a band and had gotten arrested for drugs.  Leah starts making some bad choices, she smokes, drinks and does drugs.  Her younger sister, Justine worships Leah, but is wise beyond her years.

Does Leah learn from her mistakes? How do her parents handle her? You will want to read In Leah's Wake to find out. I am sure like me you will like the story and want to keep turning the pages to see what happens.

Giveaway:

Terri will be awarding a $100 Holiday Cash Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  So please leave a comment about how you liked In Leah's Wake.  

Here are some more stops for you to visit - the more comments you leave the better chance of winning!

November 20:  My Devotional Thoughts
November 21:  The Bunny's Review
November 23:  The eBook Reviewers
November 26:  The Jolly Blogger
November 27:  Andi's Book Reviews
November 28:  Kaisy Daisy's Corner
November 28:  STOP 2 Tinasbookreviews
November 29:  Queen of all She Reads
November 30:  The Muse Unleashed 
December 3:  Diane Vanaskie Mulligan
December 4:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
December 4:  STOP 2  Reviewing Shelf
December 5:  Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem
December 6:  Wake Up Your Wild Side
December 7:  Oh, Chrys!