Wednesday, March 20, 2013

After Hello by Lisa Mangum -- ADVISABLE

Mangum, Lisa After Hello. 272 pgs. Shadow Mountain, 2012. $17.99. Content: PG-13.

Sara flies from Arizona to New York City with her dad, expecting him to conduct a quick business meeting and then spend the rest of the day with her. Instead, his meeting lasts all day, and she is turned loose in the city, alone and aimless. As she wanders the streets with her camera, she spies a boy coming out of a bookstore and, intrigued, follows him and eventually meets him. Sam and Sara hit it off, and end up going on a quest through the city, seeking the impossible: an original work of art for a famous -- and famously temperamental -- actress. But there's more to both of them than it appears, and as they discover the city together, they also discover each other and, possibly, begin to heal.

Despite the quest and a supposed sense of urgency, this is a slow and meandering relationship novel as opposed to a page-turner, since it mostly focuses on Sam and Sara's difficult pasts and the lessons they need to learn in life. Although the frequent morals and character realizations can come across as preachy and very adult at times, they may get teens thinking about some of life's big questions, and the hint of romance is a sweet addition.

HS -- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by: Caryn.


2 comments:

Ms. Yingling said...

This was so much more helpful than the publisher's description. Thank you!

Caryn said...

I am so glad to hear that, and to know that I was helpful! Your comment just made my evening!