Blink by Sasha Dawn - OPTIONAL

Blink by Sasha Dawn, 333 pages. Carolrhoda Lab, 2018. $18. 

Language: R (100+ swears, 50+ ‘f’); Mature Content: R (drug use, sexual activity ); Violence: PG-13 (physical abuse)

HS - OPTIONAL

Josh spends most of his time split between football practice and taking care of his 4-year old twin sisters, Margaret and Caroline, until he meets Chatham Claiborne and then all he wants to do is spend time with her.   She’s new in town and says she’s looking for her sister who she believes ran away. Josh wants to jump in with both feet to help her, but her story doesn’t quite add up. To further complicate his life, his stepfather is hanging around again, despite the restraining order, and it looks as though his mom is going to fall for his so-called charms again.  Josh doesn’t want to stick around for the fallout but feels the need to protect his sisters.

This was a pretty gloomy read and the abuse was hard to take.  I didn’t like the characters much and found it difficult to connect with them. Overall it was an average read, at best.    Initially the mystery caught my attention but the resolution was clear early on, and at times, it was overly dramatic. It does wrap-up nicely though, and if you have students that like realistic fiction, with some intense romance, they may enjoy this read, but know your audience because the language is over the top and the mature content is treated casually.  (see ratings). 

Reviewer: RB