Gated - Amy Parker - ADVISABLE

Parker, Amy Christine Gated, 335 pgs. Random House, 2013. Language – G, Sexual Content – G; Violence – PG; 

Pioneer is the leader of Mandrodage Meadows, a community of twenty families who just want to live the simple life—or so they say to anyone who asks. The truth is, Lyla and the Community are getting ready for the approaching apocalypse that the Brethren have given Pioneer visions of. On the last supply run into town, Lyla gets hit by a car and has to spend a day in the evil world Pioneer has warned them from, but it doesn’t look so evil any more. If Pioneer is wrong about that, what else is he wrong about? 

While not exactly what I was expecting, Gated was certainly exhilarating. Working up to the climax with Lyla, I could not sit still because of my anxiety! I love how real Lyla is. We don’t all go through the same problems that Lyla faces, but we all go through the same process of trying to figure out and do what’s right. I was wary of the possibility that Lyla’s only thoughts would be deciding between the two love interests or that Lyla would change her way of thinking on a dime. Fortunately, neither of these situations turned out to be the case and I loved experiencing life along with Lyla. 

MS, HS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen